Patents by Inventor John Weldon Nicholson

John Weldon Nicholson 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: 11979665
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and program products for interleaving display ON/OFF periods and camera ON/OFF periods for camera-under-display (CUD) configurations are disclosed. One apparatus includes a display screen including a CUD area, the display screen configured for switching between display ON periods and display OFF periods, and a camera positioned behind the CUD area of the display screen, the camera configured for switching between exposure ON periods and exposure OFF periods. The apparatus further includes a processor and a memory that stores code executable by the processor. The code is executable by the processor to interleave the display ON/OFF periods and the exposure ON/OFF periods such that the CUD area appears to continuously display data and the camera is simultaneously able to capture images. Methods and computer program products that perform the operations and/or functions of the apparatus are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Kevin Dao, Tin-Lup Wong, Kazuo Fujii
  • Patent number: 11886722
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, systems, and program products are disclosed for technology management on a hardware component of a device at the time of assembly. An apparatus has a processor and memory storage that stores code executable by the processor. The processor obtains a feature of the hardware component to be removed from the hardware component and operates a virtual fuse that removes a data region associated with the hardware component and permanently removes access to the feature on the hardware component. In response to operating the virtual fuse to remove access to the feature, the processor may indicate the status of the feature on the hardware component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl C. Cromer, Howard Locker, Mengnan Wang
  • Patent number: 11809770
    Abstract: A connection of an external display device to a connector port that is coupled to a personal computing device is sensed. A memory location of the personal computing device is checked to determine if a logical location default for the external display device exists. When the logical location default for the external display device does not exist, a logical location of the external display device is linked to a physical location of the connector port that is coupled to the personal computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl C Cromer, Howard J. Locker
  • Publication number: 20230298143
    Abstract: A video conferencing system includes an image of a participant in a video conference and a depth map of the image. The system identifies objects in the background of the image, identifies objects in the foreground of the image, and identifies objects in the middle-ground of the image. The system removes the objects from the middle-ground, and replaces the removed objects from the middle-ground with the objects from the background that are located behind the removed objects. The system then uses the image with the removed and replaced objects in a video stream of the video conference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2022
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Howard J. Locker, Daryl C. Cromer
  • Patent number: 11762203
    Abstract: A headset can include a frame; a display assembly supported by the frame; a motion sensor that generates motion data responsive to motion of the frame; and circuitry that generates a frame fit signal via the motion data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl Cromer, Howard J. Locker, Mengnan Wang
  • Patent number: 11741951
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a method, including: detecting, at an input device of an information handling device, voice input; determining, using a processor, whether the voice input corresponds to a voice command; identifying, responsive to determining that the voice input corresponds to a voice command, that the voice command is associated with an enabled voice command; determining, using a processor, whether a characteristic of the voice command corresponds to a predetermined input characteristic; and performing, responsive to identifying that the voice command is associated with the enabled voice command and responsive to determining that the characteristic corresponds to the predetermined input characteristic, an action corresponding to the enabled voice command. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl Cromer, Howard Locker
  • Patent number: 11677899
    Abstract: An apparatus for intelligent video source selection includes a processor and a memory storing machine-executable code to establish data connectivity with a plurality of video sources based on the sources being within a predetermined proximity of the apparatus. The code is executable by the processor to determine a set of video parameters for the individual video sources of the plurality, the video parameters including user gaze, gesture detection, activity level, and combinations thereof. The processor operates to select a first video source of the plurality of video sources as an active video source based on one or more application context parameters and to switch the active video source from the first video source to a second video source based on the set of video parameters of the second video source meeting predetermined switching criteria. Systems, computer program products, and methods may perform the functions of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Mounika Vanka, John Weldon Nicholson, David Alexander Schwarz, Mengnan Wang
  • Publication number: 20230177884
    Abstract: A computer implemented method includes receiving images from a device camera during a video conference and processing the received images via a machine learning model trained on labeled image training data to detect extraneous image portions. Etraneous image pixels associated with the extraneous image portions are identified and replaced with replacement image pixels from previously stored image pixels to form modified images. The modified images may be transmitted during the video conference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Inventors: Howard J. Locker, John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl C. Cromer, David Alexander Schwarz, Mounika Vanka
  • Patent number: 11609627
    Abstract: In one aspect, a first device may include at least one processor, a display accessible to the at least one processor, and storage accessible to the at least one processor. The storage may include instructions executable by the at least one processor to present an icon on the display so that the icon appears disposed within the real world at or proximate to a location of a second device associated with the icon. The second device may be different from the first device and exist in the real world. The instructions may also be executable to identify a user of the first device as looking at the icon, receive audible input from the user, and issue a command to the second device to execute at least one function in conformance with the audible input based on the identification of the user as looking at the icon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Ming Qian, John Weldon Nicholson, Song Wang, Roderick Echols, Ryan Charles Knudson
  • Patent number: 11586707
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, systems, and program products are disclosed for modifying the enabled features of a hardware component at the time of use. An apparatus includes a processor and memory that stores code executable by the processor. The code is executable by the processor to obtain a feature of the hardware component that is not enabled and generates an encrypted code associated with the feature of the hardware component to be enabled. The apparatus processes a payment for the cost of enabling the hardware component and enables the feature of the hardware component in response to the association of the payment processed with the encrypted code for the feature of the hardware component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl C. Cromer, Howard Locker, Mengnan Wang
  • Patent number: 11544169
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and program products are disclosed for determining usage of an information handling device. One apparatus includes at least one processor and a memory that stores code executable by the at least one processor. The code is executable by the processor to monitor, by use of the at least one processor, a plurality of parameters indicative of a usage of an information handling device. The plurality of parameters is for a plurality of components of the information handling device. The code is executable by the processor to store data corresponding to the plurality of parameters. The code is executable by the processor to compute the usage of the information handling device based on the stored data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Philip Jakes, Jeremy R. Carlson, Daryl C. Cromer, Howard Locker, John Weldon Nicholson, Joseph David Plunkett, Kenneth Seethaler
  • Patent number: 11538199
    Abstract: For displaying a window in an augmented reality view, a processor detects a new augmented reality placetime that includes a new augmented reality position and/or a new augmented reality time of an augmented reality device. The processor calculates new window characteristics for a window at the new augmented reality placetime based on previous window characteristics. The processor further displays the window with the new window characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl C. Cromer, Howard Locker
  • Patent number: 11508033
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an information handling device having a display, an indication to capture an image of a scene using a camera sensor positioned underneath the display; capturing, responsive to the receiving, a plurality of partial images of the scene, wherein the capturing comprises adjusting, using an adjustment mechanism, a physical position of the camera sensor after each of the plurality of partial images of the scene are captured; and stitching, subsequent to the capturing, the plurality of partial images together to form the image of the scene. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Howard Locker, Daryl Cromer
  • Patent number: 11506890
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a method, including: producing, using one or more optical engines of an augmented reality display, an augmented reality scene; determining, using at least one sensor, a location of a gaze of the user on the augmented reality display; identifying, based upon the location of the gaze, at least one object a user is viewing; and adjusting, based upon identification of the at least one object, luminance within the augmented reality scene. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Howard Locker, Daryl Cromer
  • Patent number: 11500535
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a method, including: accepting, at an input surface of an electronic device, ink strokes; determining, using a processor of the electronic device, that the ink strokes include a selection indicator pair; associating, using a processor of the electronic device, the selection indicator pair with content; and selecting, using a processor of the electronic device, the content associated with the selection indicator pair. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Jianbang Zhang, Matthew Lloyd Hagenbuch, John Weldon Nicholson, Scott Edwards Kelso
  • Patent number: 11467646
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an information handling device in a low power mode, a wake indication; waking, responsive to the receiving, the information handling device from the low power mode; receiving, at the awoken information handling device, context data obtained by at least one other device; and performing an action based on the received context data. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl Cromer, Howard Locker
  • Publication number: 20220318343
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, systems, and program products are disclosed for modifying the enabled features of a hardware component at the time of use. An apparatus includes a processor and memory that stores code executable by the processor. The code is executable by the processor to obtain a feature of the hardware component that is not enabled and generates an encrypted code associated with the feature of the hardware component to be enabled. The apparatus processes a payment for the cost of enabling the hardware component and enables the feature of the hardware component in response to the association of the payment processed with the encrypted code for the feature of the hardware component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl C. Cromer, Howard Locker, Mengnan Wang
  • Publication number: 20220321755
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and program products for interleaving display ON/OFF periods and camera ON/OFF periods for camera-under-display (CUD) configurations are disclosed. One apparatus includes a display screen including a CUD area, the display screen configured for switching between display ON periods and display OFF periods, and a camera positioned behind the CUD area of the display screen, the camera configured for switching between exposure ON periods and exposure OFF periods. The apparatus further includes a processor and a memory that stores code executable by the processor. The code is executable by the processor to interleave the display ON/OFF periods and the exposure ON/OFF periods such that the CUD area appears to continuously display data and the camera is simultaneously able to capture images. Methods and computer program products that perform the operations and/or functions of the apparatus are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Kevin Dao, Tin-Lup Wong, Kazuo Fujii
  • Publication number: 20220317445
    Abstract: A headset can include a frame; a display assembly supported by the frame; a motion sensor that generates motion data responsive to motion of the frame; and circuitry that generates a frame fit signal via the motion data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl Cromer, Howard J. Locker, Mengnan Wang
  • Publication number: 20220317901
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, systems, and program products are disclosed for technology management on a hardware component of a device at the time of assembly. An apparatus has a processor and memory storage that stores code executable by the processor. The processor obtains a feature of the hardware component to be removed from the hardware component and operates a virtual fuse that removes a data region associated with the hardware component and permanently removes access to the feature on the hardware component. In response to operating the virtual fuse to remove access to the feature, the processor may indicate the status of the feature on the hardware component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson, Daryl C. Cromer, Howard Locker, Mengnan Wang