Patents by Inventor Michael Jan Lawther
Michael Jan Lawther 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).
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Patent number: 9529487Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing fast switching to web applications are disclosed. In one method embodiment, a browser application may be determined to be operating on a computing device, the browser application including one or more tabs wherein one of the tabs is associated with a web application. The method may further include the actions of determining that the computing device includes a fast-switch list including one or more applications operating on the computing device, and adding the web application to the fast-switch list.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2012Date of Patent: December 27, 2016Assignee: GOOGLE INC.Inventors: Keith Bottner, Michael Jan Lawther
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Patent number: 8311741Abstract: Methods and systems for providing routing information to a user are disclosed. Based on a request for routing information between an origin and destination for a travel objective, wireless coverage data for the geographic area associated with the travel objective is received. A graph model for determining routes between the origin and destination is adjusted based at least in part on the wireless coverage data. According to particular aspects of the present disclosure, the graph model can be adjusted based on the wireless coverage data and at least additional parameter such as estimated trip time, average speed, distance, favored routes or traffic information. User information can be optionally provided and used to emphasize or deemphasize wireless coverage data in the determination of the route for the travel objective.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2011Date of Patent: November 13, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Michael Jan Lawther, Luke David Macpherson, Andrew Foster
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Patent number: 8107141Abstract: A method of providing a print representation of a document which, when printed, has at least one region the appearance of which is dependent on viewing conditions. The method comprises generating a representation of the document and then modifying the appearance of the at least one region to thereby simulate the appearance of the document when printed. This is achieved by animating the representation of the at least one region or at least partially combining the at least one region with an image.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2007Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Canon Information Systems Research Australia Pty. Ltd.Inventors: Lachlan James Patrick, Julie Rae Kowald, Colin Eric Druitt, Timothy Mark Morris-Yates, Andrew James Lo, Christopher Mark Paola, Kevin Mun Choong Tham, James Robert Metcalfe, Michael Jan Lawther, John Anthony Brett
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Patent number: 7991224Abstract: A method (100), an apparatus, and a computer program product for automatically producing a compact representation of a colour document are disclosed. In the method, a digital image of a colour-document page is segmented (110) into connected components in one-pass, block raster order. The digital image of the page is partitioned into foreground and background images using layout analysis (120) based on compact, connected-component statistics of the whole page. At least one portion of the background image where at least one portion of the foreground image obscures the background image is inpainting (520) in one-pass block raster order. The foreground and background images are combined (130) to form a compact document. A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for segmenting a digital image comprising a plurality of pixels are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2005Date of Patent: August 2, 2011Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: James Philip Andrew, James Austin Besley, Steven Richard Irrgang, Yu-Ling Chen, Eric Wai-Shing Chong, Michael Jan Lawther, Timothy John Wark
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Patent number: 7432940Abstract: A method of animating a sprite in a video production comprising a plurality of sequential video frames is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of selecting (2004) a feature, with which the sprite is to be juxtaposed, in one of said video frames, applying (2006) a feature tracking process to the video production to thereby output (2008), for a series of said plurality of video frames containing the feature, a temporal-spatial record for the feature across the plurality of video frames, and compositing (2010), with the series of said plurality of video frames, a corresponding series of instantiations of the sprite dependent upon the temporal-spatial record.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2002Date of Patent: October 7, 2008Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: John Charles Brook, Rupert William Galloway Reeve, Lena Qian, Choi Chi Evelene Ma, Julian Frank Andrew Magarey, Michael Jan Lawther, Julie Rae Kowald
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Publication number: 20080123945Abstract: A method (100), an apparatus, and a computer program product for automatically producing a compact representation of a colour document are disclosed. In the method, a digital image of a colour-document page is segmented (110) into connected components in one-pass, block raster order. The digital image of the page is partitioned into foreground and background images using layout analysis (120) based on compact, connected-component statistics of the whole page. At least one portion of the background image where at least one portion of the foreground image obscures the background image is inpainting (520) in one-pass block raster order. The foreground and background images are combined (130) to form a compact document. A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for segmenting a digital image comprising a plurality of pixels are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2005Publication date: May 29, 2008Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: James Philip Andrew, James Austin Besley, Steven Richard Irrgang, Yu-Ling Chen, Eric Wai-Shing Chong, Michael Jan Lawther, Timothy John Wark
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Patent number: 7292256Abstract: Disclosed is an imaging engine system (699) generally intended for the reproduction of graphical object images using apparatus having limited computing resources, such as so-called “thin clients”. Numerous developments of traditional image processing and rendering enable high quality image generation. One such development takes advantage of temporal coherence between one frame in an animation sequence and the succeeding frame. In particular, there will often be some edges (233, 235) of graphical objects that remain “static” across several contiguous frames. One example of this includes those edges used to draw image background detail. Another development performs antialiasing during scan line rendering of a graphic object image where sub-pixel resolution coverage bit-masks (A-buffers 29-34) are generated for a limited number of scan lines at a time. Preferably the A-buffers are generated for only one pixel at a time.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2004Date of Patent: November 6, 2007Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Michael Jan Lawther, Christopher James Cormie, Stephen Edward Ecob
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Patent number: 7280120Abstract: Disclosed is an imaging engine system (699) generally intended for the reproduction of graphical object images using apparatus having limited computing resources, such as so-called “thin clients”. Numerous developments of traditional image processing and rendering enable high quality image generation. One such development takes advantage of temporal coherence between one frame in an animation sequence and the succeeding frame. In particular, there will often be some edges (233, 235) of graphical objects that remain “static” across several contiguous frames. One example of this includes those edges used to draw image background detail. Another development performs antialiasing during scan line rendering of a graphic object image where sub-pixel resolution coverage bit-masks (A-buffers 29-34) are generated for a limited number of scan lines at a time. Preferably the A-buffers are generated for only one pixel at a time.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2004Date of Patent: October 9, 2007Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Stephen Edward Ecob, Scott Bradley, Michael Jan Lawther
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Publication number: 20070211269Abstract: A method of providing a print representation of a document which, when printed, has at least one region the appearance of which is dependent on viewing conditions. The method comprises generating a representation of the document and then modifying the appearance of the at least one region to thereby simulate the appearance of the document when printed. This is achieved by animating the representation of the at least one region or at least partially combining the at least one region with an image.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2007Publication date: September 13, 2007Applicant: CANON INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH AUSTRALIA PTY LTDInventors: Lachlan James Patrick, Julie Rae Kowald, Colin Eric Druitt, Timothy Mark Morris-Yates, Andrew James Lo, Christopher Mark Paola, Kevin Mun Choong Tham, James Robert Metcalfe, Michael Jan Lawther, John Anthony Brett
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Publication number: 20030146915Abstract: A method of animating a sprite in a video production comprising a plurality of sequential video frames is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of selecting (2004) a feature, with which the sprite is to be juxtaposed, in one of said video frames, applying (2006) a feature tracking process to the video production to thereby output (2008), for a series of said plurality of video frames containing the feature, a temporal-spatial record for the feature across the plurality of video frames, and compositing (2010), with the series of said plurality of video frames, a corresponding series of instantiations of the sprite dependent upon the temporal-spatial record.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 11, 2002Publication date: August 7, 2003Inventors: John Charles Brook, Rupert William Galloway Reeve, Lena Qian, Choi Chi Evelene Ma, Julian Frank Andrew Magarey, Michael Jan Lawther, Julie Rae Kowald