Patents by Inventor Sherif M. Yacoub

Sherif M. Yacoub 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: 10846473
    Abstract: Techniques for enhancing content being rendered on an electronic device are described herein. In some instances, the techniques include monitoring interactions between a user and a content item that the user consumes on an electronic device. The content items may include electronic books, songs, videos, documents, or the like. In response to detecting an interaction between the user and the content item, the techniques may publish an event indicative of the interaction to an application platform that hosts one or more applications. The applications may be designed to enhance the content that the user consumes in one or more specified ways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles L. Ward, Donald Ryan Willhoit, Lars C. Ulness, Gerald Ken Sun, Sherif M. Yacoub, Colin Bodell
  • Patent number: 10013488
    Abstract: A document analysis module analyzes electronic media items and identifies regions and region types for the electronic media items. The document analysis module may use rules, typographical feature sets, and cluster analysis to identify regions and region types. The document analysis module may also receive user input and may use the user input to identify regions and region types. The document analysis module may further use template pages to identify regions and region types.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ming Zhao, Hanning Zhou, Xi Long, Xuping Zhang, Jian Lin, Sherif M. Yacoub
  • Patent number: 9892427
    Abstract: A method of providing fixed computer-displayable content in response to a consumer request for content is presented. Upon obtaining a digital image corresponding to the requested content, an advertisement is selected. The advertisement is to be included in an on-demand electronic content corresponding to the requested content. The advertisement is included with the digital image corresponding to the requested content. A fixed computer-displayable content corresponding to the requested content is generated. The fixed computer-displayable content is then provided to the consumer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hanning Zhou, Jian Liang, Sherif M. Yacoub
  • Patent number: 9477637
    Abstract: Techniques for enhancing content being rendered on an electronic device are described herein. In some instances, the techniques include monitoring interactions between a user and a content item that the user consumes on an electronic device. The content items may include electronic books, songs, videos, documents, or the like. In response to detecting an interaction between the user and the content item, the techniques may publish an event indicative of the interaction to an application platform that hosts one or more applications. The applications may be designed to enhance the content that the user consumes in one or more specified ways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles L. Ward, Donald Ryan Willhoit, Lars C. Ulness, Gerald Ken Sun, Sherif M. Yacoub, Colin Bodell
  • Patent number: 9418310
    Abstract: In some implementations, legibility of an image may be automatically determined based, at least in part, on text contained in the image. For example, image analysis techniques may be used to identify text components in an image. One or more features of each text component may be determined for use in assessing the legibility of the text component. For example, a classifier trained on the one or more features may provide a confidence level indicative of the legibility of each text component. The confidence level for each of the text components may be compared to a legibility threshold for determining whether the text component is legible or illegible. Based, at least in part, on the determination as to how much of the text in the image is legible or illegible, an overall legibility of the image may be assessed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Chen, Ming Zhao, Junqing Shang, Michael Patrick Bacus, Sherif M. Yacoub
  • Patent number: 9275368
    Abstract: A method for annotation mapping includes identifying a set of differences between a first version of a document and a second version of the document, the first version comprising annotations. The method further includes generating a position map that maps differences between the first version and the second version, where the position map facilitates the migration of the annotations from the first version to the second version.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Manoj Suresh Harpalani, Michael Patrick Bacus, Shawn C. Deyell, Sherif M. Yacoub, Daniel W. Shafer, Ameya B. Datar
  • Patent number: 9268858
    Abstract: Techniques are described for identifying potentially interesting portions of a content item to be provided as a preview of the content item for prospective purchasers, based on previously collected data associated with the content item. Portions of a content item may be identified as potentially interesting based on a number of annotations (e.g., highlights, bookmarks, notes, and shares) previously made by viewers of a digital version of the content item. Potentially interesting portions may also include portions which prior viewers spent more time viewing, portions related to identified interests of the potential buyer, portions that are identified as separable for particular categories of content, and/or portions that have been previously identified as associated with elements of the content such as character, plot, and/or keywords.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sherif M. Yacoub, Dongmei Jia, Bernhard Wolkerstorfer, Nicholas Alan Tostenrude, Stephen Kang, Gerald J. Strode
  • Publication number: 20140372186
    Abstract: A method of providing fixed computer-displayable content in response to a consumer request for content is presented. Upon obtaining a digital image corresponding to the requested content, an advertisement is selected. The advertisement is to be included in an on-demand electronic content corresponding to the requested content. The advertisement is included with the digital image corresponding to the requested content. A fixed computer-displayable content corresponding to the requested content is generated. The fixed computer-displayable content is then provided to the consumer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventors: Hanning Zhou, Jian Liang, Sherif M. Yacoub
  • Patent number: 8838489
    Abstract: A method of providing fixed computer-displayable content in response to a consumer request for content is presented. Upon obtaining a digital image corresponding to the requested content, an advertisement is selected. The advertisement is to be included in an on-demand electronic content corresponding to the requested content. The advertisement is included with the digital image corresponding to the requested content. A fixed computer-displayable content corresponding to the requested content is generated. The fixed computer-displayable content is then provided to the consumer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hanning Zhou, Jian Liang, Sherif M. Yacoub
  • Patent number: 8826169
    Abstract: In some implementations, content of a content item may be presented on an electronic device and a portion of the content item may be selected to be hidden from presentation. The electronic device may hide the selected portion of the content during presentation of the content. Further, selection information identifying at least the location of the selected portion of the content item may be communicated over a network to a computing device to enable synchronization of the hidden content with other instances of the content item on other devices of the user. In some examples, the user may select one or more chapters of the content item to be hidden by selecting one or more chapter identifiers in a table of contents of the content item. Hidden content may include text, images, audio and/or video content, depending on the type of content item that is accessed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sherif M. Yacoub, Xi Long, Ming Zhao, Xuping Zhang, Manikandan Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 8731297
    Abstract: Systems and methods for removing border objects from a page of digital image are presented. More particularly, in removing border objects from a page of a digital image, the following are performed. In the first place, a digital image having at least one page of content is obtained. A content area of content on the page is determined. Border objects in the region between the page margin and the content area are then located. For each located border object, the following two steps are performed. The located border object is evaluated according to a set of border criteria, and the located border object is removed if the evaluation of the border object indicates that the border object is to be removed. Thereafter, the updated digital image is stored in a content store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hanning Zhou, Jian Liang, Sherif M. Yacoub
  • Patent number: 8548267
    Abstract: Systems and methods for removing artifacts from a page of digital image are presented. More particularly, a digital image is obtained, the digital image having at least one page of content to be processed. A content bounding box is determined for the content of the page. Additionally, a set of segments is generating, the set corresponding to particular areas of the content within the content bounding box, each area associated with a type of content. For each segment of the set of segments, the following are performed. Despeckling criteria are selected for identifying artifacts according to the type associated with the segment. Artifacts are identified in the segment according to the despeckling criteria. The identified artifacts are then removed from the page. Thereafter, the updated digital image is stored in a content store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sherif M. Yacoub, Jian Liang, Hanning Zhou
  • Patent number: 8098390
    Abstract: A system and a method of customizing on-demand printed content are disclosed. In response to receiving a request from a consumer for on-demand printed content, content customization is determined. The determined customization is incorporated within the requested content and the on-demand printed content. Thereafter, and further responsive to the request, an on-demand printed copy of the requested content, including the incorporated customizations, is output for on-demand printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sherif M. Yacoub, Hanning Zhou, Jian Liang
  • Publication number: 20090171751
    Abstract: A method of providing fixed computer-displayable content in response to a consumer request for content is presented. Upon obtaining a digital image corresponding to the requested content, an advertisement is selected. The advertisement is to be included in an on-demand electronic content corresponding to the requested content. The advertisement is included with the digital image corresponding to the requested content. A fixed computer-displayable content corresponding to the requested content is generated. The fixed computer-displayable content is then provided to the consumer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Hanning Zhou, Jian Liang, Sherif M. Yacoub
  • Publication number: 20090171750
    Abstract: A system and a method of incorporating advertisements in on-demand printed content are disclosed. In response to receiving a request from a consumer for on-demand printed content, an advertisement is selected. The selected advertisement is included within the requested content. Thereafter, and further responsive to the request, an on-demand printed copy of the requested content, included the selected advertisement, is printed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Hanning Zhou, Jian Liang, Sherif M. Yacoub
  • Publication number: 20090086275
    Abstract: Systems, methods and processes for processing a digital image of content to generate an on-demand print ready document are presented. An obtained digital image of content includes a plurality of image pages. To process the digital image, for each image page in the digital image, the following steps are performed. Each image page is oriented such that a content bounding box of the image page is aligned with a desired page orientation. Boundary and content areas are identified for each image page, wherein the boundary area and the content area are separated by the content bounding box. Artifacts are removed from within the boundary area based on a set of first criteria. Artifacts are removed from within the content area based on a set of second criteria. The plurality of image pages are assembled in order of a desired sequence and an on-demand print ready document is generated with the plurality of assembled image pages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Inventors: Jian Liang, Hanning Zhou, Sherif M. Yacoub