Patents Represented by Attorney Kevin E. Spaulding
  • Patent number: 8142021
    Abstract: In a light projection system, potentially hierarchical levels of light intensity control ensure proper laser-light output intensity, color channel intensity, white point, left/right image intensity balancing, or combinations thereof. The light projection system can include a light intensity sensor in an image path, in a light-source subsystem light-dump path, in a light-modulation subsystem light-dump path, in a position to measure light leaked from optical components, or combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Richard P. Corey
  • Patent number: 8136948
    Abstract: Etendue maintaining polarization switching occurs, according to various embodiments, with a mirror that quickly transitions between two positions. Light having uniform polarization is transmitted to the mirror. Light reflected off of the mirror in one of the two positions has its polarization changed, whereas light reflected off of the mirror in the other of the two positions has its polarization maintained. Thereafter, the polarization-changed light and the polarization-maintained light easily may be recombined in an entendue-maintaining manner. Because the recombined light includes two different polarization states, stereoscopic images may be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Joseph R. Bietry, Robert Metzger, Gary E. Nothhard, Richard P. Corey
  • Patent number: 8132919
    Abstract: A beam alignment chamber extending in a length direction comprising a base having a front edge, and two side edges, first and second opposed side walls connected to the base, and extending along the length of the base, a front wall located at the front edge of the base having an output opening. The beam alignment chamber further comprises a plurality of arrays of light sources disposed to direct light beams through the first or second side walls, and a plurality of reflectors mounted on the base, each having independent yaw and pitch adjustments, each reflector being paired with a corresponding array of light sources, the base-mounted reflectors being disposed to direct the light beams along the length of the beam alignment chamber through the output opening forming an aligned two-dimensional array of parallel light beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mark A. Harland, Barry D. Silverstein, James R. Kircher
  • Patent number: 8135221
    Abstract: A method for determining a classification for a video segment, comprising the steps of: breaking the video segment into a plurality of short-term video slices, each including a plurality of video frames and an audio signal; analyzing the video frames for each short-term video slice to form a plurality of region tracks; analyzing each region track to form a visual feature vector and a motion feature vector; analyzing the audio signal for each short-term video slice to determine an audio feature vector; forming a plurality of short-term audio-visual atoms for each short-term video slice by combining the visual feature vector and the motion feature vector for a particular region track with the corresponding audio feature vector; and using a classifier to determine a classification for the video segment responsive to the short-term audio-visual atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignees: Eastman Kodak Company, Columbia University
    Inventors: Wei Jiang, Courtenay Cotton, Shih-Fu Chang, Daniel P. Ellis, Alexander C. Loui
  • Patent number: 8094927
    Abstract: A method is provided for customizing scene content, according to a user or a cluster of users, for a given stereoscopic display, including obtaining customization information about the user; obtaining a scene disparity map for a pair of given stereo images and/or a three-dimensional (3D) computer graphic model; and determining an aim disparity range for the user. The method of the present invention also generates a customized disparity map and/or rendering conditions for a three-dimensional (3D) computer graphic model correlating with the user's fusing capability of the given stereoscopic display; and renders or re-renders the stereo images for subsequent display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Elaine W. Jin, Michael E. Miller, Serguei Endrikhovski, Cathleen D. Cerosaletti
  • Patent number: 8085435
    Abstract: A method for selecting the level of color inconstancy of an output image produced on a digital color printer having a neutral ink and a plurality of color inks is disclosed. The method includes analyzing the distribution of input colors present in the input digital image to determine a color distribution metric related to the importance of producing output images having a reduced color inconstancy when the output image is viewed under a variety of image illumination spectra; selecting a color transform from a set of available color transforms designed to produce output images having different color inconstancy characteristics in response to the color distribution metric; processing the input digital image using the selected color transform to produce a transformed image having a selected level of color inconstancy; and printing the transformed image on the digital color printer to produce an output image having the selected level of color inconstancy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Christopher R. Hauf, Kevin E. Spaulding, Douglas W. Couwenhoven
  • Patent number: 8085467
    Abstract: A projection display surface for reducing speckle artifacts from a projector having at least one narrow band light source having an incident visible wavelength band, wherein the incident visible wavelength band has an incident peak wavelength and an incident bandwidth, comprising: a substrate having a reflective layer that reflects incident light over at least the incident visible wavelength band; and a fluorescent agent distributed over the reflective layer, wherein the fluorescent agent absorbs a fraction of the light in the incident visible wavelength band and emits light in an emissive visible wavelength band having an emissive peak wavelength and an emissive bandwidth; wherein return light from the projection display surface produced when incident light in the incident visible wavelength band is incident on the projection display surface contains light in both the incident visible wavelength band and emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Michael A. Marcus, Andrew F. Kurtz
  • Patent number: 8066382
    Abstract: A stereoscopic digital image projecting system has a light source system providing polarized illumination having a first polarization state and a beam splitting system with a rotating segmented disk in the illumination, alternately generating first and second light beams, the rotating segmented disk having outer segments alternately transmissive and non-transmissive and inner segments radially aligned with the outer segments and alternately reflective and transmissive. A polarization rotator in a path of either the first or second light beam rotates the first polarization state to a second state orthogonal to the first. A combining system combines the first and second light beams into a combined light beam. A spatial light modulator modulates the combined light beam in a manner consistent with stereoscopic image data to form first and second modulated images having substantially orthogonal polarization states. Projection optics project the modulated images onto a display surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Joseph R. Bietry, Robert J. Metzger, James R. Kircher
  • Patent number: 8066389
    Abstract: A beam alignment chamber comprising: a base, first and second side walls connected to the base, and a front wall located at the front edge of the base having an output opening. The beam alignment chamber further including a plurality of light sources disposed to direct light beams through the first or second side walls, a plurality of reflectors mounted on the base, each having independent yaw and pitch adjustments, each being disposed to direct the light beams from a corresponding light sources along the length of the beam alignment chamber through the output opening forming an aligned array of parallel light beams, and one or more optical elements positioned in the optical path of the aligned array of light beams disposed to correct the beam divergence with respect to at least one axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Mark A. Harland, James R. Kircher
  • Patent number: 8033666
    Abstract: A beam alignment system for generating an aligned two-dimensional array of parallel light beams, comprising a beam alignment chamber including a base extending in a length direction and a plurality of reflectors mounted on the base, each having independent yaw and pitch adjustments. The beam alignment system further includes a plurality of arrays of light sources, each generating an array of light beams and being paired with a corresponding reflector, the reflectors being disposed to direct the light beams along the length of the beam alignment chamber forming an aligned two-dimensional array of parallel light beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, James R. Kircher, Mark A. Harland
  • Patent number: 8018504
    Abstract: Noise is reduced in a digital image generated by an imaging device utilizing information which specifies noise level as a function of position for the digital image. A noise reducing algorithm is applied to the digital image while one or more parameters of the noise reducing algorithm are varied. The one or more parameters are varied as a function of field position in the digital image based on the obtained noise level as a function of field position. In this way, noise is substantially reduced and is spatially equalized in the digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Sean C. Kelly
  • Patent number: 8016422
    Abstract: Etendue maintaining polarization switching occurs, according to various embodiments, with a mirror that quickly transitions between two positions. Light having uniform polarization is transmitted to the mirror. Light reflected off of the mirror in one of the two positions has its polarization changed, whereas light reflected off of the mirror in the other of the two positions has its polarization maintained. Thereafter, the polarization-changed light and the polarization-maintained light easily may be recombined in an entendue-maintaining manner. Because the recombined light includes two different polarization states, stereoscopic images may be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Joseph R. Bietry, Robert Metzger, Gary E. Nothhard, Richard P. Corey
  • Patent number: 8014350
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of data transmission by an ad-hoc network of mobile communication equipment (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d), from at least one source equipment (12) to at least one collection terminal (14), by means of mobile relay equipment (16c), in which for each communication equipment, at least one quality factor is updated (Q0, Q1, Q2 Q3, Q4, Q5). According to the invention, the quality factor of each relay equipment depends on a history of data transmission, and data transmission from mobile equipment to mobile relay equipment is conditional on the quality factor of the relay equipment capable of receiving the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Nicolas P. Touchard, Eric Masera, Thierry Lebihen, Santie V. Adelbert
  • Patent number: 7992835
    Abstract: A kinematic optical mount comprising a frame supporting an optical element; a base member having first and second surfaces and providing magnetic attraction to seat the frame against first, second, and third point contacts. The kinematic optical mount further includes threaded yaw and pitch adjustment cavities extending through the base member from the first surface to the second surface, together with threaded yaw and pitch adjustment inserts that can be inserted into the yaw and pitch adjustment cavities from either the first or second surfaces of the base member enabling adjustment of two of the point contacts from the direction of the either the first or second surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mark A. Harland, Mark E. Bridges
  • Patent number: 7959297
    Abstract: A digital image projector includes a light assembly configured to project light along a light path from at least one laser array light source, the projected light having an overlapping far field illumination in a far field illumination portion of the light path; a temporally varying optical phase shifting device configured to be in the light path; an optical integrator configured to be in the light path; a spatial light modulator located downstream of the temporally varying optical phase shifting device and the optical integrator in the light path, the spatial light modulator configured to be located in the far field illumination portion of the light path; and projection optics located downstream of the spatial light modulator in the light path, the projection optics configured to direct substantially speckle free light from the spatial light modulator toward a display surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Gary E. Nothhard
  • Patent number: 7926951
    Abstract: A digital image projector includes a plurality of light modulation assemblies and a dichroic combiner. Each light modulation assembly includes at least one laser light source configured to provide an illumination beam, an optional a coated surface, and a spatial light modulator. If the coated surface is present, the respective laser light source is configured to direct the illumination beam to the coated surface, which directs the illumination beam toward the respective spatial light modulator. Otherwise, the respective laser light source is configured to direct the illumination beam directly toward the respective spatial light modulator. The spatial light modulator redirects output modulated light back to the coated surface, if present, and out of the corresponding light modulation assembly. The dichroic combiner directs the output modulated light from each of the plurality of light modulation assemblies toward a projection lens for projection onto a display surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Joseph R. Bietry, Barry D. Silverstein, Jennifer D. Kruschwitz
  • Patent number: 7921150
    Abstract: A method for viewing digital video assets using a distributed network comprising a user on a first node requesting to view a digital video asset stored on a second node; relaying the request from the first node to the second node; establishing a peer-to-peer link between the first and second nodes; creating a video stream from the requested digital video asset on the second node using a standard video stream server; receiving the video stream using a stream relay client on the second node and converting it into a form that is compatible with the peer-to-peer link; sending the converted video stream to the first node over the peer-to-peer link; receiving the converted video stream using a stream relay server and converting it into a standard video stream form; and viewing the video stream on the first node of the distributed network using a standard video stream client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Michael S. Schwartz
  • Patent number: 7873231
    Abstract: A method for determining a sharpness predictor for an input digital image includes determining one or more image metrics by analyzing the input digital image; and determining the sharpness predictor from the one or more image metrics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Theodore F. Bouk, Amy D. Enge, Kevin E. Spaulding
  • Patent number: 7840084
    Abstract: A method for determining a sharpness predictor for an input digital image includes determining one or more image metrics by analyzing the input digital image; and determining the sharpness predictor from the one or more image metrics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Theodore F. Bouk, Amy D. Enge, Kevin E. Spaulding
  • Patent number: 7832824
    Abstract: A method for printing input digital images using an inkjet printing system having a first and second drop ejector arrays for ejecting drops of a particular ink, wherein ink paths supplying drop ejector arrays have different length projections. The method comprising printing a first combined number of ink dots using the first and second drop ejector arrays during first and third time intervals where the printhead is accelerating and decelerating; and printing a second combined number of ink dots using the first and second drop ejector arrays during a second time interval where the printhead is moving at a substantially constant velocity, wherein the percentage of ink dots that are printed by the drop ejector array having a longer length projection is less than 40% of the corresponding combined number of ink dots in at least one of the first or third time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David Erdtmann, Steven A. Billow, James A. Reczek