{
  "patent_number": "US 11797132",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Detecting Touches Using Thermal Cameras for Computer Input",
  "original_title": "Method and device for detecting a touch between a first object and a second object",
  "summary": "This patent describes how a thermal camera can detect when two objects, like a finger and a table, touch by sensing a specific temperature pattern, then uses that touch as a way to control a computer.",
  "what_it_does": "This system uses a thermographic camera, a display, and processors to detect touches. It receives a thermal image of a first object (like a user's hand) and a second object (like a surface). A touch is detected when a specific \"group of pixels\" in the thermal image shows a temperature within a \"predetermined temperature range\" where the objects meet, and this group of pixels also satisfies a \"predetermined size\" (Claim 1). The system then determines the exact \"position associated with the touch\" relative to the display, often using a calibration between the camera and display (Claim 1, Claim 2). This position is then used to \"provide user input,\" for example, to manipulate \"virtual information\" displayed to the user (Claim 1, Claim 7). For instance, if a user touches a projected virtual button on a wall, the thermal camera detects the heat signature of the finger, identifies its location, and registers it as a button press.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover touch detection methods that do not rely on thermal imaging, such as those using visible light or capacitance.",
    "Does not cover systems that detect an object without a distinct temperature signature from the surface it touches.",
    "Does not cover detecting a touch if the thermal signature does not form a 'group of pixels' of a 'predetermined size'.",
    "Does not cover general object detection without the specific intent of providing user input.",
    "Does not cover touch detection solely based on changes in visible light or electrical properties."
  ],
  "filed": "2020-12-23",
  "granted": "2023-10-24",
  "expires": "2040-12-23",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Daniel Kurz",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/daniel-kurz"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications",
    "ai_ml",
    "augmented_reality"
  ],
  "abstract": "The present disclosure is related to a method and device for detecting a touch between at least part of a first object and at least part of a second object, wherein the at least part of the first object has a different temperature than the at least part of the second object. The method includes providing at least one thermal image of a portion of the second object, determining in at least part of the at least one thermal image a pattern which is indicative of a particular value or range of temperature or a particular value or range of temperature change, and using the determined pattern for detecting a touch between the at least part of the first object and the at least part of the second object.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11797132/method-and-device-for-detecting-a-touch-between-a-first-object-and-a-second-obje-11797132",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11797132/method-and-device-for-detecting-a-touch-between-a-first-object-and-a-second-obje-11797132/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11797132",
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    {
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    }
  ]
}