Patents by Inventor Kenichi Kitatani

Kenichi Kitatani 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: 10277691
    Abstract: A community server of the present invention includes a monitor that monitors communication states of users, and a controller, in a case where users who previously communicate with each other but who are not linked with each other after the previous communication, that encourages each user to communicate with the counterpart user after passage of a first period since end of the previous communication between the users, and that links the users with each other if the users subsequently communicate with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Patent number: 9728201
    Abstract: A playback apparatus includes: an acquiring unit that acquires auditory language data including data to be played back as a spoken voice; an analyzing unit that analyzes the auditory language data to output an analysis result; a setting unit that sets at least a portion of the auditory language data to a control portion to be played back at a set playback speed, based on the analysis result; and a voice playback unit that plays back the control portion as a spoken voice at the set playback speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Patent number: 9703365
    Abstract: To provide a startup UI presentation portable device capable of automatically presenting a preset UI highly likely to be used next in the current posture when returned from a sleep mode, the portable device (1), when returned from the sleep mode (S1), determines whether the posture (S2) of the portable device (1) sent from a built-in acceleration sensor is within a specified range of a reference posture predetermined for each of a camera, a projector and a direction indicator (S3). When the posture is within the specified range (YES in S3), the portable device (1) displays a startup UI (icon) previously associated as a startup UI for a function most likely to be used in the reference posture on a display screen (S5). The display of the startup UI is performed automatically subsequent to release of the sleep mode, without requiring an unlock operation or password entry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Patent number: 9528833
    Abstract: A navigation apparatus 100 includes a current position information acquisition unit (a self-position acquisition unit 42) that acquires current position information, and a travel direction determination unit (for example, a route search unit 44) that determines a travel direction based on the acquired current position information and destination position information. The navigation apparatus 100 further includes a sound unit that outputs a sound (for example, a parametric speaker 30), and a sound control unit 41 that controls the sound unit so that the sound can be heard to the user from the travel direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Kitatani, Hiroyuki Aoki, Yumi Katou, Ayumu Yagihashi, Atsuhiko Murayama, Seiji Sugahara
  • Patent number: 9407750
    Abstract: A terminal device includes: a determination unit that determines whether a user intends to use a non-contact reception function based on information indicating a state of a terminal device to output a determination result; and a display unit that displays a mark to be used for alignment between the terminal device and the opposed device based on the determination result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Patent number: 9380149
    Abstract: A portable terminal device includes a display section, a display control section, an operation detection section, and an execution processing section. The display section detects an operation position and displays various objects. The display control function arranges the various objects on the screen of the display section and outputs information of an operation performed on a predetermined region. The operation detection section detects the operation performed on the predetermined region. The execution processing section executes predetermined processing according to the result of detection by the operation detection section. Accordingly, privacy of information containing a password can be enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Patent number: 9369796
    Abstract: There are provided an oscillation device that outputs a sound wave; a recognition unit that recognizes a direction in which sound output targets (80), for which a sound is to be output, are located; a selection unit that selects at least one of the sound output targets (80); a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance to the sound output target (80); and a control unit that controls the oscillation device to adjust sound pressure of the sound wave. The oscillation device outputs an ultrasonic wave for a sensor and a sound wave for sound reproduction. The distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the oscillation device and an object to be selected (82) by detecting the ultrasonic wave for a sensor reflected from the object to be selected (82) selected by the selection unit. The control unit adjusts the magnitude of the output of the sound wave for sound reproduction on the basis of the calculated distance between the oscillation device and the object to be selected (82).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ayumu Yagihashi, Kenichi Kitatani, Hiroyuki Aoki, Yumi Katou, Atsuhiko Murayama, Seiji Sugahara
  • Patent number: 9348442
    Abstract: An input apparatus (for example, a mobile terminal apparatus (100)) includes a display unit (60) that displays a plurality of operation position displays (for example, operation position displays (61 to 66)); and a detection unit that contactlessly detects an operation which corresponds to an operation position set in a specific space of a front of the input apparatus in correspondence to each of the plurality of operation position displays. The detection unit includes a first piezoelectric element (an oscillation piezoelectric element (31)) that oscillates ultrasound toward the front space of the input apparatus; a second piezoelectric element (a reception piezoelectric element (21)) that detects the ultrasound which is oscillated by the first piezoelectric element; and a determination unit that determines whether or not an operation is performed on a certain operation position based on a result of detection performed by the second piezoelectric element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Kitatani, Hiroyuki Aoki, Yumi Katou, Ayumu Yagihashi, Atsuhiko Murayama, Seiji Sugahara
  • Patent number: 9348455
    Abstract: There is provided a display apparatus capable of reducing user annoyance by displaying display information in an appropriate output format. Touch panel 12 detects a touch to a display surface of display device 11. Sensor section 13 detects an apparatus orientation. Display control section 14 changes an output format of display information displayed on a display surface according to the apparatus orientation. When the touch is detected, display lock detecting section 15 locks the changed output format of display information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Patent number: 9282306
    Abstract: It is desired to obtain a more valuable picture from the viewpoint of a person seeing the picture. An imaging device (100) includes an imaging unit (40), a position/posture detection unit (60) that detects a spatial displacement, and a data processing unit (50) that processes image data supplied from the imaging unit (40) in a format in accordance with the displacement detected by the position/posture detection unit (60). The imaging device (100) is built in a mobile phone or the like, for example. A lens unit (30) is often disposed on an imager included in the imaging unit (40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Patent number: 9241123
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: a plurality of oscillators (10) that output modulation waves of a parametric speaker; a display unit (40) that displays a plurality of contents at the same time; a recognition unit that recognizes the locations of a plurality of users; and a control unit that controls the oscillators (10) so as to reproduce sounds corresponding to the contents. The control unit controls the oscillators (10) so as to reproduce the sound corresponding to the content selected by each user, toward the location of each of the plurality of users which is recognized by the recognition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ayumu Yagihashi, Kenichi Kitatani, Hiroyuki Aoki, Yumi Katou, Atsuhiko Murayama, Seiji Sugahara
  • Publication number: 20150365442
    Abstract: An information processing device (10) stores: an association table in which users are associated with each other; and communication history information on communications with a terminal connected thereto via a communication network, and includes: a user identifier (601) that identifies a first user and a second user who satisfy a predetermine criterion, based on a communication history stored in a communication history information storage (500); a communicator (602) that sends to at least one of the first user and the second user a message presenting a process to be performed for registering these users in the association table; a determiner (603) that determines whether the first and second users have performed the presented process after the message was sent; and an association updater (604) that updates, when the process is determined to have been performed, the association table to associate the first user with the second user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Inventor: KENICHI KITATANI
  • Patent number: 9215523
    Abstract: A portable terminal device (100) includes a plurality of operation units (for example, a plurality of operation keys (11)) that are operated by a user; a detection unit that detects which operation unit of the plurality of operation units is operated; and a directional speaker (for example, a parametric speaker (30)). The portable terminal device (100) further includes an audio control unit that controls the directional speaker so that an audio image is formed at a position corresponding to the position of the operation unit operated by the user among the plurality of operation units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Kitatani, Ayumu Yagihashi, Hiroyuki Aoki, Yumi Katou, Atsuhiko Murayama, Seiji Sugahara
  • Publication number: 20150281429
    Abstract: A portable terminal device includes a display section, a display control section, an operation detection section, and an execution processing section. The display section detects an operation position and displays various objects. The display control function arranges the various objects on the screen of the display section and outputs information of an operation performed on a predetermined region. The operation detection section detects the operation performed on the predetermined region. The execution processing section executes predetermined processing according to the result of detection by the operation detection section. Accordingly, privacy of information containing a password can be enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Publication number: 20150271310
    Abstract: A terminal device includes: a determination unit that determines whether a user intends to use a non-contact reception function based on information indicating a state of a terminal device to output a determination result; and a display unit that displays a mark to be used for alignment between the terminal device and the opposed device based on the determination result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Publication number: 20150243294
    Abstract: A playback apparatus includes: an acquiring unit that acquires auditory language data including data to be played back as a spoken voice; an analyzing unit that analyzes the auditory language data to output an analysis result; a setting unit that sets at least a portion of the auditory language data to a control portion to be played back at a set playback speed, based on the analysis result; and a voice playback unit that plays back the control portion as a spoken voice at the set playback speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Publication number: 20150163310
    Abstract: A community server of the present invention includes a monitor that monitors communication states of users, and a controller, in a case where users who previously communicate with each other but who are not linked with each other after the previous communication, that encourages each user to communicate with the counterpart user after passage of a first period since end of the previous communication between the users, and that links the users with each other if the users subsequently communicate with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2013
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani
  • Publication number: 20150112588
    Abstract: In a position measurement device, a positional data acquirer measure a present position to acquire positional data. A positional data storage sequentially stores the positional data acquired by the positional data acquirer. A determiner determines, on the basis of the positional data sequentially sorted by the positional data storage and a predetermined criterion, whether a position of a user at a present time is a position of a location to be recorded. And, a locational information storage stores, if the determiner determines that the position of the user at the present time is the position of the location to be recorded, the positional data of the position as locational information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventor: Kenichi KITATANI
  • Patent number: 9014754
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a mobile equipment and an information processing apparatus. The mobile equipment includes a sensor for acquiring biological information, a camera for acquiring an image corresponding to a visual field of a user, and a first communication means. The information processing apparatus includes a second communication unit and computing unit. The computing unit determines whether to activate the camera based on the biological information acquired by the sensor. Further, the computing unit extracts a feature from the image acquired by the camera and transmits information regarding the extracted feature to a public network using the second communication unit to acquire a searched result regarding the extracted feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: NEC Casio Mobile Communications, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Kitatani, Shinjiro Ishida
  • Patent number: 9008965
    Abstract: In position measurement device, a positional data acquirer measures a present position to acquire positional data. A positional data storage sequentially stores the positional data acquired by the positional data acquirer. A determiner determines, on the basis of the positional data sequentially stored by the positional data storage and a predetermined criterion, whether a position of a user at a present time is a position of a location to be recorded. And, a locational information storage stores, if the determiner determines that the position of the user at the present time is the position of the location to be recorded, the positional data of the position as locational information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Limited (Hong Kong)
    Inventor: Kenichi Kitatani