Patents by Inventor Dan Newell

Dan Newell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10621708
    Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to techniques for using information about a user's actual or predicted pupil location for correcting optical distortions that are specific to an optical lens and display assembly through which the user is viewing one or more images. The described techniques may include identifying and mapping optical distortions specific to an optical lens and display assembly, and using such mapped optical distortions to correct images displayed to a wearer or other user receiving images via the assembly, such as based at least in part on pupil location of the wearer or other user. As one example, the one or more optical lens may be mounted inside a head-mounted display (HMD) that also includes a display panel or other image source for an eye of a wearer, and if so one or more pupil tracking mechanisms may be integrated into the HMD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasser Malaika, Dan Newell, Gordon Wayne Stoll
  • Publication number: 20190339529
    Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to techniques for using information about a user's actual or predicted pupil location for correcting optical distortions that are specific to an optical lens and display assembly through which the user is viewing one or more images. The described techniques may include identifying and mapping optical distortions specific to an optical lens and display assembly, and using such mapped optical distortions to correct images displayed to a wearer or other user receiving images via the assembly, such as based at least in part on pupil location of the wearer or other user. As one example, the one or more optical lens may be mounted inside a head-mounted display (HMD) that also includes a display panel or other image source for an eye of a wearer, and if so one or more pupil tracking mechanisms may be integrated into the HMD.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Yasser Malaika, Dan Newell, Gordon Wayne Stoll
  • Patent number: 10373297
    Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to techniques for using information about a user's actual or predicted pupil location for correcting optical distortions that are specific to an optical lens and display assembly through which the user is viewing one or more images. The described techniques may include identifying and mapping optical distortions specific to an optical lens and display assembly, and using such mapped optical distortions to correct images displayed to a wearer or other user receiving images via the assembly, such as based at least in part on pupil location of the wearer or other user. As one example, the one or more optical lens may be mounted inside a head-mounted display (HMD) that also includes a display panel or other image source for an eye of a wearer, and if so one or more pupil tracking mechanisms may be integrated into the HMD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Yasser Malaika, Dan Newell, Gordon Wayne Stoll
  • Publication number: 20180241708
    Abstract: A system filters received messages (e.g., unsolicited advertisements) to determine if they are appropriate for a user based on the non-static, constantly evolving, context of the user. The system can track the user's context by monitoring various environmental parameters, such as related to the user's physical, mental, computing and data environments, and can model the current context of the user based at least in part on the monitoring. The system selects a set of one or more filters to apply to incoming messages based on the user's context, and the selected filters can be updated as the user's context changes. Messages that survive the filters are then evaluated against the user's context to determine whether they should be presented immediately or stored for delayed presentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2018
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventors: James O. Robarts, Dan Newell, Kenneth H. Abbott
  • Publication number: 20180114298
    Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to techniques for using information about a user's actual or predicted pupil location for correcting optical distortions that are specific to an optical lens and display assembly through which the user is viewing one or more images. The described techniques may include identifying and mapping optical distortions specific to an optical lens and display assembly, and using such mapped optical distortions to correct images displayed to a wearer or other user receiving images via the assembly, such as based at least in part on pupil location of the wearer or other user. As one example, the one or more optical lens may be mounted inside a head-mounted display (HMD) that also includes a display panel or other image source for an eye of a wearer, and if so one or more pupil tracking mechanisms may be integrated into the HMD.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: Yasser Malaika, Dan Newell, Gordon Wayne Stoll
  • Publication number: 20180068449
    Abstract: Eye-tracking systems and methods for use in consumer-class virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) applications, among other uses, are described. Certain embodiments combine optical eye tracking that uses camera-based pupil and corneal reflection detection with optical flow hardware running at a higher frequency. This combination provides the accuracy that can be attained with the former and at the same time adds the desirable precision and latency characteristics of the latter, resulting in a higher performing overall system at a relatively reduced cost. By augmenting a camera tracker with an array of optical flow sensors pointed at different targets on the visual field, one can perform sensor fusion to improve precision. Since the camera image provides an overall picture of eye position, that information can be used to cull occluded optical flow sensors, thus mitigating drift and errors due to blinking and other similar phenomena.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Applicant: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasser Malaika, Dan Newell
  • Patent number: 9906474
    Abstract: A system filters received messages (e.g., unsolicited advertisements) to determine if they are appropriate for a user based on the non-static, constantly evolving, context of the user. The system can track the user's context by monitoring various environmental parameters, such as related to the user's physical, mental, computing and data environments, and can model the current context of the user based at least in part on the monitoring. The system selects a set of one or more filters to apply to incoming messages based on the user's context, and the selected filters can be updated as the user's context changes. Messages that survive the filters are then evaluated against the user's context to determine whether they should be presented immediately or stored for delayed presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: James O. Robarts, Dan Newell, Kenneth H. Abbott
  • Patent number: 9829710
    Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to a display panel, which in at least some situations includes multiple separate stacked layers or components that are combined together, such as to have one emission layer component with numerous pixels that emit light, and to have at least one control logic layer component that includes integrated circuits or other logic to control the emission of light by the pixels in the emission layer. The different layers may be separate silicon chips or wafers that are connected in a stacked structure via a flip chip technique, with the emission layer using AMOLED or other OLED pixels. The display panels may be designed and/or configured for use in head mounted displays (e.g., with a fully immersive virtual reality system). The disclosure also relates generally to techniques for manufacturing, testing and/or otherwise using such a display panel in various manners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Dan Newell, Jeremy Daniel Popp
  • Patent number: 9559917
    Abstract: Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes. In some situations, the providing includes receiving from a module a request related to the modeling of the current state with the multiple state attributes. In such situations, the providing further includes, without further intervention related to the request by the module, determining that the request cannot currently be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request cannot currently be satisfied, monitoring at later times after the indicating to determine whether the request can be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request can be satisfied if it is determined at one of the later times that the request can currently be satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Abbott, Joshua M. Freedman, Dan Newell, James O. Robarts
  • Patent number: 9443037
    Abstract: A system for computer-based storing of information about a current state so that later recall of the information can augment human memories. In particular, when information about a current event of interest is to be stored, a variety of current state information of different types (e.g., video, audio, and textual information) about the environment and about a user can be acquired via sensors and other input devices. The variety of state information can then be associated together as a group and stored for later retrieval. Other information can also be associated with the group, such as one or more recall tags that facilitate later retrieval of the group, or one or more annotations to provide contextual information when the other state information is later retrieved and presented to the user. When information about a past event is to be recalled, one or more identifying recall tags can be received that are used to identify one or more state information groups that match the identifying tags.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Abbott, III, Dan Newell, James O. Robarts
  • Patent number: 9407797
    Abstract: Methods and systems relating to compensation for discrepancies in an image that may be captured with a moving camera or a moving head. The visual artifacts in the visual field may be reduced or eliminated by monitoring head and camera movements for a Heads Up Display (HUD) application, and feeding back the movement data to a compensation circuit to eliminate or reduce the visual artifacts such as judder effect, as the head and the camera move relative to the objects that the camera may be capturing. The duty cycle of one or more pixels and/or one or more groups of pixels of the display may be varied at different rates for different head and camera movement speeds. The faster the camera or head moves the shorter the duty cycle that may be applied to the display so that the image has low persistence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dan Newell, Benjamin David Krasnow
  • Patent number: 9398847
    Abstract: In certain embodiments, a head-mounted display may include one or more displays for displaying images. A left and right movable disk may be placed respectively between the left and right eyes of a user and the one or more displays. The user may wear the HMD, and may adjust the spacing between the left and right disks while viewing the computer-displayed image or images through holes in the plastic discs. For example, the HMD may display a stereo colored bulls eye pattern, of which the user can only see a portion because their vision is restricted to on-axis viewing by the discs. The computer may instruct the user to move the HMD disks until the user can only see the color in the center of the bulls eye. In certain embodiments, by performing the foregoing adjustment, the eye may be oriented on the proper optical axis to look through an optimal location of a lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dan Newell, Benjamin David Krasnow
  • Patent number: 9372555
    Abstract: Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is represented with multiple attributes. In some situations, the providing includes a first computer receiving indications of multiple characterization modules, each characterization module executing on a computer to model an aspect of a current state related to that computer; receiving an indication of one of the multiple attributes of the represented current state; determining multiple of the characterization modules whose modeled aspects are related to the indicated one attribute; and gathering information about the modeled aspects related to the indicated one attribute from the determined characterization modules so that a value for the indicated one attribute can be generated based on the gathered information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Abbott, Dan Newell, James O. Robarts, Joshua M. Freedman
  • Patent number: 9183306
    Abstract: A system filters received messages (e.g., unsolicited advertisements) to determine if they are appropriate for a user based on the non-static, constantly evolving, context of the user. The system can track the user's context by monitoring various environmental parameters, such as related to the user's physical, mental, computing and data environments, and can model the current context of the user based at least in part on the monitoring. The system selects a set of one or more filters to apply to incoming messages based on the user's context, and the selected filters can be updated as the user's context changes. Messages that survive the filters are then evaluated against the user's context to determine whether they should be presented immediately or stored for delayed presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: James O. Robarts, Dan Newell, Kenneth H. Abbott
  • Publication number: 20150109576
    Abstract: In certain embodiments, a head-mounted display may include one or more displays for displaying images. A left and right movable disk may be placed respectively between the left and right eyes of a user and the one or more displays. The user may wear the HMD, and may adjust the spacing between the left and right disks while viewing the computer-displayed image or images through holes in the plastic discs. For example, the HMD may display a stereo colored bulls eye pattern, of which the user can only see a portion because their vision is restricted to on-axis viewing by the discs. The computer may instruct the user to move the HMD disks until the user can only see the color in the center of the bulls eye. In certain embodiments, by performing the foregoing adjustment, the eye may be oriented on the proper optical axis to look through an optimal location of a lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Applicant: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin David Krasnow, Dan Newell
  • Publication number: 20150106467
    Abstract: A system filters received messages (e.g., unsolicited advertisements) to determine if they are appropriate for a user based on the non-static, constantly evolving, context of the user. The system can track the user's context by monitoring various environmental parameters, such as related to the user's physical, mental, computing and data environments, and can model the current context of the user based at least in part on the monitoring. The system selects a set of one or more filters to apply to incoming messages based on the user's context, and the selected filters can be updated as the user's context changes. Messages that survive the filters are then evaluated against the user's context to determine whether they should be presented immediately or stored for delayed presentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Inventors: James O. Robarts, Dan Newell, Kenneth H. Abbott
  • Patent number: 8677248
    Abstract: Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes. In some situations, the providing includes receiving from first and second sources indications of an ability to supply values for, respectively, an indicated one of the state attributes and another of the state attributes. In such situations, the providing also includes, in response to receiving a request from a first client for a value of the indicated one attribute, determining that the first source is available to supply the value, obtaining the value from the first source, and supplying a value obtained from the first source to the first client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Abbott, Joshua M. Freedman, Dan Newell, James O. Robarts
  • Patent number: 8626712
    Abstract: A facility for logging context attributes is described. For each of a set of selected context attributes, the facility, determines a target frequency with which values of the selected context attribute are to be logged. For each of the set of selected context attributes, the facility obtains values of the selected context attribute at a frequency approximating the target frequency determined for the selected context attribute. Then, for each obtained context attribute value, the facility writes the obtained value to a storage device in a manner that identifies its context attribute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Abbott, Joshua M. Freedman, Dan Newell, James O. Robarts
  • Publication number: 20130304911
    Abstract: Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes. In some situations, the providing includes receiving from a module a request related to the modeling of the current state with the multiple state attributes. In such situations, the providing further includes, without further intervention related to the request by the module, determining that the request cannot currently be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request cannot currently be satisfied, monitoring at later times after the indicating to determine whether the request can be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request can be satisfied if it is determined at one of the later times that the request can currently be satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Abbott, Joshua M. Freedman, Dan Newell, James O. Robarts
  • Patent number: 8489997
    Abstract: Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes. In some situations, the providing includes receiving from a module a request related to the modeling of the current state with the multiple state attributes. In such situations, the providing further includes, without further intervention related to the request by the module, determining that the request cannot currently be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request cannot currently be satisfied, monitoring at later times after the indicating to determine whether the request can be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request can be satisfied if it is determined at one of the later times that the request can currently be satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Abbott, Joshua M. Freedman, Dan Newell, James O. Robarts