Invalidity dossier
US 6714247
Apparatus and method for inputting reflected light image of a target object
Current assignee: Toshiba Corp
Added 9/23/2026, 10:38:58 AM
Active provider: DeepSeek · deepseek-flash
Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview — US 6,714,247 B1
Title: Apparatus and method for inputting reflected light image of a target object
Patent number: US6714247B1
Application number: US09/268,645
Assignee: Toshiba Corp (original assignee: Toshiba Corp; later listed as KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA)
Inventors: Shunichi Numazaki, Miwako Doi, Yoshiyuki Matsunaga, Akira Morishita, Naoko Umeki
Priority date: 1998-03-17
Filing date: 1999-03-16
Publication/grant date: 2004-03-30
Legal status (as listed): Expired – Fee Related; anticipated expiration 2019-03-16
Purpose: The patent addresses three-dimensional information input. The background describes limitations of a mouse for three-dimensional pointing, difficulties with three-dimensional pointing devices, inconvenience of data gloves, and challenges extracting an "objective image" (e.g., a hand) from a background by color, since skin-color extraction fails against beige backgrounds or under changing illumination.
Plain-language scope (from the supplied text): The apparatus includes a light emitter that irradiates an object; an area image sensor that outputs a difference between charges received by light-receiving cells arranged in an array, based on reflected light from the object; a timing signal generator producing a pulse or modulation signal controlling light intensity; a control signal generator individually controlling light-receiving timings of the sensor's cells based on that timing signal; and an image processing section extracting a reflected light image from the difference output. Related aspects describe first light-receiving section (synchronized with emitted, object-reflected light) and second light-receiving section (light other than emitted reflected light), plus corresponding method and computer-readable-medium claims. Stated advantages include enabling use of a versatile image sensor for cost reduction and easy high-level image processing.
Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US6714247/en
What the excerpt does not establish: It provides only a partial text; full claims, the complete specification, all drawing descriptions (e.g., FIG. 10 is truncated), and the full prosecution history are not included. It does not establish validity, enforceability, litigation, or ownership-transfer outcomes; Google's assignee and legal-status entries are expressly disclaimed as assumptions.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:54:09 PM
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Litigation summary
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Proceedings on file (0)
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PTAB challenges
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Assignment history
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Prior art
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Obviousness
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Extensions
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Derivative works
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