{
  "patent_number": "US 7355593",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Large Interactive Whiteboards Track Fingers Across Multiple Sensors",
  "original_title": "Pointer tracking across multiple overlapping coordinate input sub-regions defining a generally contiguous input region",
  "summary": "A method for stitching together data from multiple overlapping touch sensors so a single large surface acts as one seamless input area.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a way to make very large touchscreens by tiling smaller sensor units together. Each sensor unit uses cameras to triangulate where a finger or pen is touching its specific area. When a finger moves into the overlap zone between two sensors, both units track the pointer simultaneously. The system then uses a weighted averaging formula to combine these two sets of data into one smooth, accurate coordinate, preventing the pointer from jumping or stuttering as it crosses the seam.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover non-overlapping sensor arrays where the software simply switches control from one sensor to the next.",
    "Does not cover touchscreens that use capacitive or resistive grids instead of camera-based triangulation.",
    "Does not cover systems that lack a mathematical averaging or blending logic for the overlapping data."
  ],
  "filed": "2004-01-02",
  "granted": "2008-04-08",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Smart Technologies ULC",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/smart-technologies-ulc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "David E. Holmgren",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/david-e-holmgren"
    },
    {
      "name": "Douglas B. Hill",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/douglas-b-hill"
    },
    {
      "name": "Scott Yu Tseng Su",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/scott-yu-tseng-su"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 84,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "mechanical",
    "software"
  ],
  "abstract": "A touch system comprises overlapping coordinate input sub-regions defining a generally contiguous input surface. Each coordinate input sub-region generates pointer coordinate data in response to pointer contacts thereon. When a pointer contact is made on a region of a coordinate input sub-region that overlaps with an adjacent coordinate input sub-region, each overlapping coordinate input sub-region processes acquired images to derive pointer data and triangulates the position of the pointer using the derived pointer data. Thereafter, the triangulated positions generated by the overlapping coordinate input sub-regions are processed in accordance with defined logic thereby to determine the position of the pointer contact relative to the touch surface.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7355593/xbox-360-controller",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7355593/xbox-360-controller/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US7355593",
  "relatedPatents": []
}