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...When G.G. Hubbard learned of his future son-in-law's invention, he called it "only a toy." His daughter was engaged to a young man named Alexander Graham Bell.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6374255 | Haptic authoring Methods are presented for authoring geometrical databases which incorporate touch or haptic feedback. In particular, a database of geometrical elements incorporates attributes necessary to support haptic interactions such as stiffness, hardness, friction,... | 04/16/2002 |
| 6366273 | Force feedback cursor control interface A force feedback cursor control interface for use with a computer that provides locative data to a computer for tracking a user manipulatable physical object and provides feedback to the user through output forces. The physical object is movable in multip... | 04/02/2002 |
| 6353850 | Force feedback provided in web pages Force feedback is provided to a user of a client computer receiving information such as a web page over a network such as the World Wide Web from a server machine. The client machine has a force feedback interface device through which the user experiences... | 03/05/2002 |
| 6353427 | Low cost force feedback device with actuator for non-primary axis A force feedback interface and method including an actuator in a non-primary axis or degree of freedom. The force feedback interface device is connected to a host computer that implements a host application program or graphical environment. The interface ... | 03/05/2002 |
| 6348911 | Force feedback device including safety switch and force magnitude ramping A force feedback interface device including safety features. The interface device includes a sensor that senses the position of a user manipulatable object in a degree of freedom and provides a sensor signal indicating the position of the user manipulatab... | 02/19/2002 |
| 6343349 | Memory caching for force feedback effects Methods and apparatus for efficient management of memory in a force feedback system including a host computer and a force feedback device. A representation of device memory is maintained on the host computer to allow the host computer knowledge and contro... | 01/29/2002 |
| 6342880 | Force feedback system including multiple force processors A force feedback interface including a haptic accelerator that relieves the computational burden associated with force feedback generation from a force feedback processor. The force feedback processor is preferably a device microprocessor included in the ... | 01/29/2002 |
| 6317116 | Graphical click surfaces for force feedback applications to provide selection of functions using cursor interaction with a trigger position of a graphical object A method and apparatus for providing a click surface in a graphical environment, such as a graphical user interface, implemented on a host computer for use with a force feedback interface device. A displayed cursor is controlled by a user-moveable user ob... | 11/13/2001 |
| 6310605 | Force feedback interface with selective disturbance filter A force feedback interface and method providing a selective disturbance filter for providing selective reduction or elimination of displayed disturbances associated with output force sensations. A force feedback interface device is connected to a host com... | 10/30/2001 |
| 6300937 | Method and apparatus for controlling force feedback for a computer interface device A method and apparatus for controlling and providing force feedback using an interface device manipulated by a user. A microprocessor is provided local to the interface device and reads sensor data from sensors that describes the position and/or other inf... | 10/09/2001 |
| 6300936 | Force feedback system including multi-tasking graphical host environment and interface device A force feedback system provides components for use in a force feedback system including a host computer and a force feedback interface device. An architecture for a host computer allows multi-tasking application programs to interface with the force feedb... | 10/09/2001 |
| 6278439 | Method and apparatus for shaping force signals for a force feedback device A method and apparatus for shaping force signals for a force feedback device. A source wave is provided and is defined by a set of control parameters (including a steady state magnitude, a frequency value and a duration value) and modified by a set of imp... | 08/21/2001 |
| 6275213 | Tactile feedback man-machine interface device A man-machine interface which provides tactile feedback to various sensing body parts is disclosed. The device employs one or more vibrotactile units, where each unit comprises a mass and a mass-moving actuator. As the mass is accelerated by the mass-movi... | 08/14/2001 |
| 6256011 | Multi-function control device with force feedback A control device including a housing and a carrier moveable with respect to the housing in a first rotary degree of freedom. A first sensor senses the movement of the carrier and outputs a first control signal. A roller rotatably coupled to the carrier ro... | 07/03/2001 |
| 6252579 | Interface device and method for providing enhanced cursor control with force feedback An interface device and method for providing enhanced cursor control with force feedback. A force feedback interface device includes a manipulandum, such as a mouse, that is moveable in a local workspace. The device is coupled to a host computer that disp... | 06/26/2001 |
| 6243078 | Pointing device with forced feedback button A low-cost force feedback interface device for providing low cost force feedback for enhancing interactions and manipulations in a graphical environment provided by a computer. One embodiment provides a mouse movable in a planar workspace and providing ou... | 06/05/2001 |
| 6232891 | Force feedback interface device having isometric functionality A force feedback interface having isotonic and isometric control capability coupled to a host computer that displays a graphical environment such as a GUI. The interface includes a user manipulatable physical object movable in physical space, such as a mo... | 05/15/2001 |
| 6219032 | Method for providing force feedback to a user of an interface device based on interactions of a controlled cursor with graphical elements in a graphical user interface A method and apparatus for providing force feedback to a user operating a human/computer interface device in conjunction with a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed by a host computer system. A physical object, such as a joystick or a mouse, controls ... | 04/17/2001 |
| 6219033 | Method and apparatus for controlling force feedback interface systems utilizing a host computer A method and apparatus for controlling and providing force feedback using an interface device manipulated by a user. A microprocessor is provided local to the interface device and reads sensor data from sensors that describes the position and/or other inf... | 04/17/2001 |
| 6215470 | User interface device including braking mechanism for interfacing with computer simulations An apparatus for interfacing an elongated flexible object with an electrical system. The apparatus includes an object receiving portion and a rotation transducer coupled to the object receiving portion adapted to determine the rotational motion of the elo... | 04/10/2001 |
| 6211861 | Tactile mouse device A low-cost tactile feedback mouse device for providing haptic feedback to a user for enhancing interactions and manipulations in a graphical environment provided by a computer. The mouse device includes a sensor device able to detect the movement of the m... | 04/03/2001 |
| 6201533 | Method and apparatus for applying force in force feedback devices using friction A method and apparatus for interfacing the motion of a user-manipulable object with an electrical or computer system includes a user object physically contacted by a user. A gimbal mechanism is coupled to the user object, such as a joystick or a medical t... | 03/13/2001 |
| 6195618 | Component position verification using a probe apparatus Method and system for checking and verifying the positions of components on an object such as a circuit board using a probe apparatus. A component of the object, positioned at a particular location on the object, is selected by the user using the probe ap... | 02/27/2001 |
| 6195592 | Method and apparatus for providing tactile sensations using an interface device A method and apparatus implementing a user interface device, such as a mouse or trackball, having electronically controllable tactile responsiveness which is flexibly programmable. A user interface device effects positioning of a cursor within a limited a... | 02/27/2001 |
| 6191774 | Mouse interface for providing force feedback A force feedback mouse interface device connected to a host computer and providing realistic force feedback to a user. The mouse interface device includes a mouse object and a linkage coupled to the mouse that includes a plurality of members rotatably cou... | 02/20/2001 |
| 6184868 | Haptic feedback control devices Haptic feedback control devices of the present invention include several embodiments. One embodiment includes a housing and a pair of moveable pincher members coupled to the housing. Each pincher member is contacted by a finger of the user when the device... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6169540 | Method and apparatus for designing force sensations in force feedback applications A design interface tool for designing force sensations for use with a host computer and force feedback interface device. A force feedback device is connected to a host computer that displays the interface tool. Input from a user is received in the interfa... | 01/02/2001 |
| 6166723 | Mouse interface device providing force feedback A force feedback mouse interface device connected to a host computer and providing realistic force feedback to a user. The mouse interface device includes a mouse object and a linkage coupled to the mouse that includes a plurality of members rotatably cou... | 12/26/2000 |
| 6161126 | Implementing force feedback over the World Wide Web and other computer networks Force feedback is provided to a user of a client computer receiving information such as a web page over a network such as the World Wide Web from a server machine. The client machine has a force feedback interface device through which the user experiences... | 12/12/2000 |
| 6154198 | Force feedback interface apparatus including backlash and for generating feel sensations An input/output device used in conjunction with a host computer for monitoring user manipulations and for enabling simulation of feel sensations in response to the manipulations. A user manipulatable object is pivotally attached to a ground surface and is... | 11/28/2000 |
| 6154201 | Control knob with multiple degrees of freedom and force feedback The present invention provides a control knob on a device that allows a user to control functions of the device. In one embodiment, the knob is rotatable in a rotary degree of freedom and moveable in at least one transverse direction approximately perpend... | 11/28/2000 |
| 6147674 | Method and apparatus for designing force sensations in force feedback computer applications A method and apparatus for designing force sensations for use with a force feedback interface device. A graphical design interface tool displayed on a host computer receives input from a user to select a type of force sensation and to define physical char... | 11/14/2000 |
| 6134506 | Method and apparatus for tracking the position and orientation of a stylus and for digitizing a 3-D object A method and apparatus for measuring three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates. A 3-D object can be digitized into a mesh representation manipulable by a computer system by tracing a stylus of a probe apparatus over surfaces of the object. The probe apparatus i... | 10/17/2000 |
| 6128006 | Force feedback mouse wheel and other control wheels A force feedback wheel is provided on a mouse or other interface device manipulated by a user. A sensor detects a position of the mouse in a workspace and sends a position signal to a connected host computer indicating that position. A rotatable wheel is ... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6125385 | Force feedback implementation in web pages Force feedback is provided to a user of a client computer receiving information such as a web page over a network such as the World Wide Web from a server machine. The client machine has a force feedback interface device through which the user experiences... | 09/26/2000 |
| 6125337 | Probe apparatus and method for tracking the position and orientation of a stylus and controlling a cursor A method and apparatus for measuring three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates. A 3-D object can be digitized into a mesh representation manipulable by a computer system by tracing a stylus of a probe apparatus over surfaces of the object. The probe apparatus i... | 09/26/2000 |
| 6104382 | Force feedback transmission mechanisms A mechanism for providing selective engagement of spring members to a user manipulatable object in a force feedback interface device. A moveable member included in a force feedback mechanism is moveable in a degree of freedom to transmit forces to the use... | 08/15/2000 |
| 6101530 | Force feedback provided over a computer network A method for providing force feedback over a network supporting TCP/IP protocols by: (a) sending from a client computer over a network supporting TCP/IP protocols, a connection request to a web server connected to the network that is hosting a desired URL... | 08/08/2000 |
| 6100874 | Force feedback mouse interface A force feedback mouse interface device connected to a host computer and providing realistic force feedback to a user. The mouse interface device includes a mouse object and a linkage coupled to the mouse that includes a plurality of members rotatably cou... | 08/08/2000 |
| 6088019 | Low cost force feedback device with actuator for non-primary axis A force feedback interface and method including an actuator in a non-primary axis or degree of freedom. The force feedback interface device is connected to a host computer that implements a host application program or graphical environment. The interface ... | 07/11/2000 |
