Patents by Inventor Oliver Hume

Oliver Hume 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: 11943427
    Abstract: A display modification system for use with a display device, including a camera operable to capture images of at least a portion of the display device, an image analysis unit operable to derive the value of one or more parameters associated with the display of images by the display device in dependence upon the captured images, a modification determination unit operable to determine a modification to be applied to a content display process associated with the display device, where the modification includes changes to a content rendering process for generating content to be displayed by the display device and/or one or more display settings associated with the display device, and a modification communication unit operable to transmit information identifying the determined modification to one or both of the display device and a processing device operable to render content for display by the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew William Sanders, Oliver Hume
  • Publication number: 20240066395
    Abstract: A controller for a multimedia entertainment system is provided. The controller comprises a weighted component connected to the controller, wherein the weighted component is rotationally movable relative to the controller. The controller is configured to rotate the weighted component from a start position to an end position to shift the centre of mass of the controller in response to a trigger event; wherein the weighted component stops moving at the end position. This movement of the weighted component provides directional haptic feedback to a user of the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited
    Inventors: Calum Armstrong, Oliver Hume, Nima Karshenas
  • Patent number: 11878250
    Abstract: A content modification system comprising a content receiving unit operable to receive content comprising a virtual environment and one or more active elements, an input receiving unit operable to receive inputs from one or more users, an element addition unit operable to generate one or more virtual elements within the virtual environment in response to the received inputs, the virtual elements being unable to be interacted with by the one or more active elements, and a content generation unit operable to generate modified content comprising the virtual environment, the one or more active elements, and the one or more generated virtual elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Maria Chiara Monti, Fabio Cappello, Matthew Sanders, Timothy Bradley, Oliver Hume, Jason Craig Millson
  • Publication number: 20240001227
    Abstract: A method for preparing content includes: detecting a plurality of devices; detecting one or more properties in relation to the plurality of devices; identifying a first subset of the plurality of devices in dependence upon one or more of the detected properties, in which a subset of the plurality of devices comprises one or more devices from the plurality of devices; identifying a first set of one or more components of content in dependence upon the first subset of the devices; and transmitting a respective component of the first set of identified components to a respective device of the first subset of the devices for output by the respective device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Maria Chiara Monti, Oliver Hume
  • Patent number: 11823045
    Abstract: An encoding apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises an input unit operable to obtain a plurality of training images, said training images being for use in training a machine learning model. The apparatus also comprises a label unit operable to obtain a class label associated with the training images; and a key unit operable to obtain a secret key for use in encoding the training images. The apparatus further comprises an image noise generator operable to generate, based on the obtained secret key, noise for introducing into the training images. The image noise generator is configured to generate noise that correlates with the class label associated with the training images such that a machine learning model subsequently trained with the modified training images learns to associate the introduced noise with the class label for those images. A corresponding decoding apparatus is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Jacobus Breugelmans, Oliver Hume, Fabio Cappello, Nigel John Williams
  • Publication number: 20230334904
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus, comprising: an input unit configured to receive one or more images of a face of a user and one or more images of a face of a virtual avatar; a determining unit configured to determine, based on one or more of the images of the face of the user and one or more of the images of the face of the virtual avatar, a match score indicating a degree of resemblance between the face of the user and the face of the virtual avatar; an evaluation unit configured to evaluate whether the determined match score meets or exceeds a first threshold match score; and an output unit configured to output, for display, a virtual element associated with the virtual avatar that is responsive to whether the determined match score meets or exceeds the first threshold match score.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Maria Chiara Monti, Michael Karl Werle, Oliver Hume
  • Patent number: 11717755
    Abstract: A content generation system, the system comprising an input obtaining unit operable to obtain one or more samples of input text and/or audio relating to a first content, an input analysis unit operable to generate n-grams representing one or more elements of the obtained inputs, a representation generating unit operable to generate a visual representation of one or more of the generated n-grams, and a display generation unit operable to generate second content comprising one or more elements of the visual representation in association with the first content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Fabio Cappello, Maria Chiara Monti, Matthew Sanders, Timothy Bradley, Oliver Hume, Jason Craig Millson
  • Patent number: 11688127
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes input circuitry to receive viewpoint data indicative of respective viewpoints for a plurality of spectators of a virtual environment, detection circuitry to detect a portion of the virtual environment viewed by each of the respective viewpoints in dependence upon the viewpoint data, selection circuitry to select one or more regions of the virtual environment in dependence upon at least some of the detected portions, and output circuitry to output data indicative of one or more of the selected regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Maria Chiara Monti, Fabio Cappello, Matthew Sanders, Timothy Edward Bradley, Oliver Hume
  • Publication number: 20230158403
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes storage circuitry to store graphics data for a first device, receiving circuitry to receive second device information indicative of one or more properties for a second device with one or more different capabilities to the first device, control circuitry to reduce a quality of at least one aspect of the graphics data in dependence upon the second device information to obtain modified graphics data and output circuitry to output the modified graphics data, where the control circuitry is configured to reduce a quality of the at least one aspect according to a predetermined quality level from a plurality of predetermined quality levels for the at least one aspect, the predetermined quality level identified in dependence upon the second device information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2022
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Danjeli Schembri, Oliver Hume, Matthew Sanders, Fabio Cappello
  • Patent number: 11653167
    Abstract: A system for generating audio content in dependence upon an input audio track comprising audio corresponding to one or more sound sources, the system comprising an audio input unit operable to input the input audio track to one or more models, each representing one or more of the sound sources, and an audio generation unit operable to generate, using the one or more models, one or more audio tracks each comprising a representation of the audio contribution of the corresponding sound sources of the input audio track, wherein the generated audio tracks comprise one or more variations relative to the corresponding portion of the input audio track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Fabio Cappello, Marina Villanueva-Barreiro, Oliver Hume
  • Publication number: 20230146564
    Abstract: A system for positioning objects within an environment includes: an input unit operable to receive data representative of at least a portion of an environment comprising one or more features associated with the environment; an object determining unit operable to identify, for one or more objects, one or more features associated with each respective object, and operable to determine which of the one or more objects are to be positioned within the environment; and an object positioning unit operable to position the one or more determined objects within the environment in dependence upon at least one of the features associated with the environment and at least one of the features associated with each respective determined object, where the object positioning unit is operable to utilise a machine learning model, trained using one or more examples of one or more other objects positioned within at least a portion of one or more other environments in dependence upon at least one feature associated with each respecti
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Fabio Cappello, Danjeli Schembri, Mandana Jenabzadeh, Oliver Hume, Michael Lee Jones
  • Publication number: 20230033245
    Abstract: A display modification system for use with a display device, including a camera operable to capture images of at least a portion of the display device, an image analysis unit operable to derive the value of one or more parameters associated with the display of images by the display device in dependence upon the captured images, a modification determination unit operable to determine a modification to be applied to a content display process associated with the display device, where the modification includes changes to a content rendering process for generating content to be displayed by the display device and/or one or more display settings associated with the display device, and a modification communication unit operable to transmit information identifying the determined modification to one or both of the display device and a processing device operable to render content for display by the display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew William Sanders, Oliver Hume
  • Patent number: 11528577
    Abstract: A method of obtaining a head-related transfer function for a user is provided. The method comprises generating an audio signal for output by a handheld device and outputting the generated audio signal at a plurality of locations by moving the handheld device to those locations. The audio output by the handheld device is detected at left-ear and right-ear microphones. A pose of the handheld device relative to the user's head is determined for at least some of the locations. One or more personalised HRTF features are then determined based on the detected audio and corresponding determined poses of the handheld device. The one or more personalised HRTF features are then mapped to a higher-quality HRTF for the user, wherein the higher-quality HRTF corresponds to an HRTF measured in an anechoic environment. This mapping may be learned using machine learning, for example. A corresponding system is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Fabio Cappello, Marina Villanueva-Barreiro, Oliver Hume
  • Patent number: 11497999
    Abstract: A method of determining blending coefficients for respective animations includes: obtaining animation data, the animation data defining at least two different animations that are at least in part to be simultaneously applied to the animated object, each animation comprising a plurality of frames; obtaining corresponding video game data, the video game data comprising an in-game state of the object; inputting the animation data and video game data into a machine learning model, the machine learning model being trained to determine, based on the animation data and corresponding video game data, a blending coefficient for each of the animations in the animation data; determining, based on the output of the machine learning model, one or more blending coefficients for at least one of the animations, the or each blending coefficient defining a relative weighting with which each animation is to be applied to the animated object; and blending the at least simultaneously applied part of the two animations using the o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Fabio Cappello, Oliver Hume
  • Publication number: 20220303514
    Abstract: An image processing system for modifying one or more images of a user to change a cardiovascular activity that is measurable from the one or more images, the system comprising: an image receiving section configured to receive image data comprising a plurality of image frames; a region selection section configured to select one or more regions where the colour of the skin of the user changes temporally in the image data, wherein the colour changes are indicative of the cardiovascular activity of the user; and a modifying section configured to modify the colour change of the one or more selected regions in one or more image frames to create modified image data, as described elsewhere herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Oliver Hume, Fabio Cappello, Timothy Bradley
  • Patent number: 11361777
    Abstract: A system for determining prioritisation values for two or more sounds within an audio clip includes: a feature extraction unit operable to extract characteristic features from the two or more sounds, a feature combination unit operable to generate a combined mix comprising extracted features from the two or more sounds, an audio assessment unit operable to identify the contribution of one or more of the features to the combined mix, a feature classification unit operable to assign a saliency score to each of the features in the combined mix, and an audio prioritisation unit operable to determine relative priority values for the two or more sounds in dependence upon the assigned saliency scores for each of one or more features of the sounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Oliver Hume, Fabio Cappello, Marina Villanueva-Barreiro, Michael Lee Jones
  • Publication number: 20220148604
    Abstract: Audio communication apparatus comprises a set of two or more audio communication nodes; each audio communication node comprising: an audio encoder controlled by encoding parameters to generate encoded audio data to represent a vocal input generated by a user of that audio communication node, the encoded data being agnostic to which user who generated the vocal input; and an audio decoder controlled by decoding parameters to generate a decoded audio signal as a reproduction of a vocal signal generated by a user of another of the audio communication nodes, the decoding parameters being specific to the user of that other of the audio communication nodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Fabio Cappello, Oliver Hume, Marina Villanueva Barreiro
  • Publication number: 20220148584
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes storage circuitry to store audio data for a plurality of respective dialogue recordings for a content and to store text data indicative of a sequence of respective words within the audio data for each of the plurality of respective dialogue recordings, analysis circuitry to compare the text data for a current dialogue recording with predetermined text data for the content and to output comparison data for the current dialogue recording, the comparison data indicative of one or more differences between the text data for the current dialogue recording and the predetermined text data, selection circuitry to select one or more candidate dialogue recordings from the plurality of respective dialogue recordings for the content in dependence upon the comparison data, and recording circuitry to modify at least a portion of the audio data for the current dialogue recording in dependence upon the audio data for one or more of the candidate dialogue recordings to obtain modified audio
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Fabio Cappello, Danjeli Schembri, Oliver Hume
  • Publication number: 20220111294
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes input circuitry to receive audio data for a plurality of respective dialogue recordings for a video game, classification circuitry comprising one or more machine learning models to receive at least a portion of the audio data for each dialogue recording and trained to output classification data indicative of a quality classification of a dialogue recording in dependence upon one or more properties of the audio data for the dialogue recording, and storage circuitry to store identification data for one or more of the plurality of dialogue recordings in dependence upon the classification data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Marina Villanueva Barreiro, Michael Lee Jones, Oliver Hume, Fabio Cappello, Danjeli Schembri
  • Publication number: 20220092846
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes input circuitry to receive viewpoint data indicative of respective viewpoints for a plurality of spectators of a virtual environment, detection circuitry to detect a portion of the virtual environment viewed by each of the respective viewpoints in dependence upon the viewpoint data, selection circuitry to select one or more regions of the virtual environment in dependence upon at least some of the detected portions, and output circuitry to output data indicative of one or more of the selected regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Maria Chiara Monti, Fabio Cappello, Matthew Sanders, Timothy Edward Bradley, Oliver Hume