Patents Examined by Aaron M Guertin
  • Patent number: 8248411
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a grouping unit configured to group rendering data into a first group that is to be rendered with a painter's algorithm and a second group that is to be rendered with a scanline algorithm, and an output unit configured to output the rendering data grouped by the grouping unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsu Oishi
  • Patent number: 8242994
    Abstract: A display device includes a display panel, an environmental sensor, a correction circuit and a driving circuit. The correction circuit is configured to generate a corrected gray-scale data on the basis of input gray-scale data. The driving circuit is configured to drive the display panel in response to the corrected gray-scale data. The correction circuit generates the corrected gray-scale data by executing a correction using a polynomial in which the input gray-scale data are used as variables. Coefficients of the polynomial are changed in response to an output signal of the environmental sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Nose, Hirobumi Furihata
  • Patent number: 8237654
    Abstract: A method of controlling a display apparatus includes: displaying a pointer corresponding motion of a user, in which the user's motion is analyzed on the basis of images generated by sensing the user; and generating an input signal preset corresponding to the analyzed motion of the user. With this configuration, a user can input a command without using an additional physical device or being subject to spatial limitations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electroncis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jeong-woo Kang
  • Patent number: 8228334
    Abstract: An object surface is rendered by not only grid lines indicating a slope in the surface of an object, but also by moving objects which move over the object surface with a speed responsive to the slope angle on the object surface, thereby enabling a player to refer to the grid lines and to the movement of a moving object, so as to visually perceive minute slopes and bumps in the object surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Masashi Muramori, Daisaku Ikejiri
  • Patent number: 8203562
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes at least two different types of processors, such as a graphics processor and a video processor. At least one operation is commonly by supported by two different types of processors. For each commonly supported operation that is scheduled, a decision is made to determine which type of processor will be selected to implement the operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Jonah M. Alben, Stephen D. Lew, Paolo E. Sabella
  • Patent number: 8203508
    Abstract: A plasma display device includes a plasma display panel having a scan driver including a falling reset signal/scan low signal generating circuit that includes: a first switch coupled to a scan electrode, a second switch coupled in series with the first switch and coupled to a scan low voltage source having a scan low voltage, a first driving circuit having an output terminal coupled to a control terminal of the first switch and a ground terminal coupled to the first and second switches, a second driving circuit having an output terminal coupled to a control terminal of the second switch and a ground terminal coupled to the second switch and the scan low voltage source, a control Zener diode between the control terminals of the first and second switches, and a control resistor between the control terminal of the second switch and the scan low voltage source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jinho Yang
  • Patent number: 8203548
    Abstract: A driving circuit of a display device is provided. In a first time period of a data writing period, a control section of the driving circuit effects control so as to short-circuit a first node which is set to a target gradation potential and a node (second node) adjacent to the first node, and such that a line (second line) between the second node and a hold capacitor of a pixel is connected in parallel to a line (first line) between the first node and the hold capacitor of the pixel. Further, in a second time period following the first time period, the control section controls switching element groups so as to cancel short-circuiting between the first node and the second node, and such that the second line is not connected in parallel to the first line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Oki Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Nagatomo, Akira Nakayama, Akihiro Sushihara
  • Patent number: 8174525
    Abstract: A tetrahedral mesh generating method for finite-element analysis executable by a computer, using edge collapse and quality conserve arrangements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kanai, Hiroaki Date, Kenji Kishinami, Ichiro Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 8159431
    Abstract: An electrooptic device including a plurality of scanning lines; a plurality of m image signal lines; m connecting signal lines provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the m image signal lines; a plurality of data lines blocked by m lines, m data lines in one block being provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the m image signal lines; a scanning-line driving circuit; a block selecting circuit; a sampling switch provided for each of the plurality of data lines; and pixels provided at the intersections of the plurality of scanning lines and the plurality of data lines. Each pixel becomes a gray level corresponding to the data signal sampled to the data line when the scanning line is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shin Fujita, Makoto Hayashi, Hideki Kawada
  • Patent number: 8144156
    Abstract: A 3D graphics architecture in which a buffer is placed between the sequencer and the processing element (PE) array. The sequencer and PE array are not designed to run in lock step: instead the sequencer and PE array are decoupled to allow the PEs to run at 100% efficiency even when the sequencer is switching between threads and performing other flow control operations. Thus, the rate of instruction processing in the PE array is not coupled to the rate of instruction processing in the sequencer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Zii Labs Inc. Ltd.
    Inventor: David R. Baldwin
  • Patent number: 8139026
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system, method and device for controlling the display of elements n a screen on an electronic device, according to an orientation of the device. In the system, a graphics management system for elements displayed in a screen on a display on an electronic device is provided. The system comprises: a sensor; an movement detection module connected to the sensor providing an orientation signal registering a notable signal from the sensor; and a graphical user interface (GUI) adjustment module to determine a new layout for the elements being displayed on the display utilizing orientation data provided by the movement detection module. The sensor may provide orientation data indicating a new orientation of the device. Also, the GUI adjustment module may provide the new layout by shifting a position of one or more of the elements in the screen to reflect the new orientation of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventor: Jason Griffin
  • Patent number: 8134561
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for producing images including techniques for reducing the memory and processing power required for such operations. The system provides techniques for programmatically representing a graphics problem. The system further provides techniques for reducing and optimizing graphics problems for rendering with consideration of the system resources, such as the availability of a compatible GPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John Harper, Ralph Brunner, Peter Graffagnino, Mark Zimmer
  • Patent number: 8125412
    Abstract: A plasma display apparatus and a method of driving the same are disclosed. The plasma display apparatus includes a plasma display panel comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and a driver. The driver supplies a ramp-up signal in which a voltage gradually rises to the first electrode in a setup period of a reset period, supplies a ramp-down signal in which a voltage gradually falls to the first electrode in a set down period after the setup period, and supplies at least one reset stabilization signal to the first electrode in a period before the ramp-down signal is supplied after the ramp-up signal is supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yonghyun Huh, Mukhee Kim, Yunkwon Jung, Hyunjae Lim
  • Patent number: 8125440
    Abstract: A method of entering combinatorial data on a data entry device (DED) including sensitive means which can be activated by an intermediary of at least one actuator allowing, according to a combination of sensitive means activated, an ad hoc computer program to designate and activate an object contained in a active correspondence table in memory, where the sensitive means are made up by at least three main detection zones Zi each made up of Fi (Fi=1, 2, 3 . . . ) distinct sensitive zones, comprising at least one step of designating/selecting an object from an active table; and a subsequent step of validation and production of the designated object, wherein for at least a first part of objects from the active table, the step of designation/selection of a single object can be achieved by designation of the object in successive combinatorial mode or by designation of the object in simultaneous combinatorial mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Tiki'Labs
    Inventors: Laurent Guyot-Sionnest, Simone Mazzoni
  • Patent number: 8115701
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a device for generating a rectangular sustain voltage between the line scanning electrodes and the line common electrodes of luminous cells in a plasma panel. The device includes a first sustain amplifier connected to the line scanning electrode of the cells to produce the transitions of the first sustain voltage signal, and a second sustain amplifier connected to the line common electrode of the cells to produce the transitions of the second sustain voltage signal. It also includes an insulated voltage supply circuit which is connected directly to the line scanning electrodes and to the line common electrodes of the cells in order to hold the end-of-transition voltage on said line scanning electrodes and said line common electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Didier Ploquin, Philippe Marchand, Gerard Morizot
  • Patent number: 8094095
    Abstract: A current drive apparatus for an active matrix display operates a plurality of loads, e.g. organic or inorganic EL elements, by applying a current thereto. The apparatus includes a plurality of output terminals to which the loads are respectively connected. A single current generation circuit comprising e.g. a digital to analogue converter and a current mirror, outputs an operating current having a predetermined current value. A plurality of current storage circuits are provided in accordance with the respective output terminals, sequentially sample and hold the operating current and then simultaneously output the drive currents based on the sampled operating currents to the respective output terminals. The operating current has a current value according to an input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Reiji Hattori
  • Patent number: 8094156
    Abstract: Motion may be transferred between portions of two characters if those portions have a minimum topological similarity. The portions or structures of the source and target character topologies may be represented as one or more descriptive files comprised of a hierarchy of data objects including portion identifiers and functionality descriptors associated with portions of the respective source or target topology. To transfer motion between the source and target characters, the motion associated with the portions or structures of the source character identified by a subset of source portion identifiers having corresponding target portion identifiers is determined. This motion is retargeted to and attached to the corresponding portions or structures of the target character identifiers. As a result, the animation of the portions of the target character effectively animates the target character with motion that is similar to that of the source character.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: AUTODESK Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Smith
  • Patent number: 8089486
    Abstract: A 3D graphics pipeline includes a prefetch mechanism that feeds a cache of depth tiles. The prefetch mechanism may be predictive, using triangle geometry information from previous pipeline stages to pre-charge the cache, thereby allowing for an increase in memory bandwidth efficiency. A z-value compression technique may be optionally utilized to allow for a further reduction in power consumption and memory bandwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael Hugh Anderson, Dan Minglun Chuang, Geoffrey Shippee, Rajat Rajinderkumar Dhawan, Chun Yu
  • Patent number: 8085276
    Abstract: Obtaining an original set of two or more original colors associated with an artwork is disclosed. An input set of one or more user selected colors is received. For each original color in the original set, a mapping from the original color to one of a plurality of derived colors is determined. The plurality of derived colors is derived based at least in part on one or more user selected colors. The artwork is colored with at least two of the plurality of derived colors using the mapping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert Voliter, Teri Pettit
  • Patent number: 8059128
    Abstract: A method of performing a blit operation in a parallel processing system includes dividing a blit operation into batches of pixels, performing reads of pixels associated with a first batch in any order, confirming that all reads of pixels associated with the first batch are completed, and performing writes of pixels associated with the first batch in any order. The pixels of the first batch and pixels of additional batches are applied to parallel processors, where the parallel processors include a corral defined by entry points and exit points distributed across the parallel processors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Justin S. Legakis, Mark J. French, Steven E. Molnar, Lukito Muliadi