Patents by Inventor Stephen Chau
Stephen Chau 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: 9286624Abstract: A system and method of displaying information on images representing geographic objects captured by a camera is provided. In one aspect, the information is an advertisement and the advertisement is displayed such that its shape is based on the surface angle of the geographic object relative to the perspective from which the object is being viewed.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2009Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Stephen Chau
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Patent number: 9269190Abstract: A system and method is provided for displaying a transition between a map and a street level image. In one aspect, the display on a mobile device transitions from a top-down view of a map to a street-level view of an image, such as a panoramic image, such that the mobile device uses the currently stored map image to perform a tilt and zoom transition.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2014Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew Timothy Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrew Lookingbill
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Patent number: 9201952Abstract: Some configurations of the subject technology provide a user interface including an activity-creation display configured to create a first activity of several activities, and a single-activity display configured to display a single activity of the several activities, and information related to a list of users associated with the activity. The single-activity display includes a parameter-entry display configured to select a parameter for the single activity and to send a signal to the single activity corresponding to the selected parameter, a heads-up display configured to send a heads-up message about the single activity to a user, a location display configured to display information related to a location of the single activity, a status indicator configured to display a status based on the status parameter of the single activity, and a status-entry display configured to, upon selection, send a signal to change the status indicator of the single activity.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2011Date of Patent: December 1, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew T. Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek Prothro, Huy Nguyen
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Patent number: 9177029Abstract: Configurations of an activity assistant processing system are disclosed that provides users with dynamically-selected activities that are intelligently tailored to a user. The subject technology accesses an index of activities. A score is then determined for each particular activity in the index of activities. The score is based on plurality of signals associated with user-specific parameters and global parameters to determine the quantitative importance of a particular activity. The subject technology identifies a subset of activities within the index of activities using the activity assistant processing system in which the subset includes at least one activity with a corresponding score that is greater than or equal to a decision threshold for the at least one activity. At least a portion of the subset of activities is then ranked based on the quantitative importance of the particular activity using the activity assistant processing system.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2011Date of Patent: November 3, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew T. Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek Prothro, Huy Nguyen
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Patent number: 9165311Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer storage mediums for directing a user to an image of an advertiser's geolocation are provided. An exemplary method includes retrieving a first image associated with a geolocation, where the geolocation is based on a user action. At least one advertising unit is also selected based on at least the geolocation associated with the first image. Each advertising unit includes at least one geolocation associated with an advertiser. At least one advertising unit is then placed on the first image. Finally, a second image is retrieved when a placed advertising unit is selected by the user. The second image is retrieved based on the geolocation associated with the placed advertising unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2014Date of Patent: October 20, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Stephen Chau
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Publication number: 20150278878Abstract: In one aspect, a system and method is provided whereby advertisements are associated with a first image, and if a second image is displayed that is visually similar to the first image, the advertisement is displayed in connection with the second image as well.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2009Publication date: October 1, 2015Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventor: Stephen Chau
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Publication number: 20150262391Abstract: A system and method of displaying information on images representing geographic objects captured by a camera is provided. In one aspect, the information is an advertisement and the advertisement is displayed such that its shape is based on the surface angle of the geographic object relative to the perspective from which the object is being viewed.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2009Publication date: September 17, 2015Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventor: Stephen Chau
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Patent number: 9135644Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer storage mediums for orienting a panoramic image of a geolocation to display an advertiser's location are provided. An exemplary method includes, first, determining a geolocation of a point on a map, where the point is based on a user action. A panoramic image associated with the geolocation is retrieved. An orientation bid is also retrieved from a collection of orientation bids, where the orientation bid is associated with an advertiser and includes an image orientation direction and a geographical boundary that encompasses the geolocation. The panoramic image is displayed with the image's initial orientation is determined by the image orientation direction.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2011Date of Patent: September 15, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Stephen Chau
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Patent number: 9098606Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems that relate to an “activity assistant” that provides users with dynamically-selected “activities” that are intelligently tailored to the user's world. The subject technology receives the one or more global parameters of one or more selected activities. The subject technology further receives the one or more account-specific parameters of a selected user account. For the selected user account, and for each of the one or more selected activities, the subject technology: (a) determines one or more signals based at least in part on one or more of the global parameters of the selected activity and one or more of the account-specific parameters of the selected user account, and (b) uses the determined signals as a basis for determining an importance of the selected activity for the selected user.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2011Date of Patent: August 4, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew T. Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek Prothro, Huy Nguyen
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Publication number: 20150161820Abstract: A panorama viewer is disclosed which facilitates navigation from within the panorama of a larger, structured system such as a map. The panorama viewer presents a viewport on a portion of a panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the panoramic image. As the orientation of the viewport within the panoramic image changes, the three-dimensional overlay's orientation in three-dimensional space also changes as it is rendered with the panoramic image in a manner that matches the change in orientation of the viewport.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2015Publication date: June 11, 2015Inventors: Luc Vincent, Daniel Joseph Filip, Stephen Chau, Stephane Lafon, Zhonghao Yang, Andrew Szybalski
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Publication number: 20150135225Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for presenting suggestions of media content are provided. In some implementations, the method comprises: determining an item of media content; determining a probability of the item of media content being watched at one or more times based on at least one of: a characteristic of a person; a characteristic of a group; and a characteristic of the item of media content; creating a user interface which suggests that the item of media content be watched at one or more times based on the determined probability; and presenting the user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2013Publication date: May 14, 2015Inventors: Jason Bayer, Eric HC Liu, Calvin Lee, Stephen Chau
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Publication number: 20150134653Abstract: In accordance with some implementations of the disclosed subject matter, mechanisms for presenting recommended media content items are provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2013Publication date: May 14, 2015Inventors: Jason Bayer, Eric HC Liu, Calvin Lee, Stephen Chau, Grzegorz Glowaty, Randy Simon
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Patent number: 8982154Abstract: A panorama viewer is disclosed which facilitates navigation from within the panorama of a larger, structured system such as a map. The panorama viewer presents a viewport on a portion of a panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the panoramic image. As the orientation of the viewport within the panoramic image changes, the three-dimensional overlay's orientation in three-dimensional space also changes as it is rendered with the panoramic image in a manner that matches the change in orientation of the viewport.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2014Date of Patent: March 17, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Luc Vincent, Daniel Joseph Filip, Stephen Chau, Stephane Lafon, Zhonghao Yang, Andrew Timothy Szybalski
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Patent number: 8965040Abstract: A system, computer-implemented method and computer-readable medium for correcting existing coordinates of an image. The image is provided to the client device, the image associated with a first geographic coordinate. A second geographic coordinate is received from the client device representing a location of the client device and an indication that the image resembles surroundings of the client device at the second geographic coordinate, where the second geographic coordinate is different from the first second geographic coordinate. A determination is made as to whether the received second geographic coordinate more accurately represents a location of a camera that took the image than the first geographic coordinate. When the received second coordinate is determined to be more accurate than the first coordinate, updating the first geographic coordinate associated with the image according to the received second geographic coordinate.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2014Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Stephen Chau
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Publication number: 20150022555Abstract: A system, computer-implemented method and computer-readable medium for labeling an image. A two-dimensional street-level image and a three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of the image's content are received. Data representing a label to annotate at least a portion of a building in the two dimensional image is also received. A determination is made using the three dimensional mode as to where position the label for presentation within the two-dimensional model such that the label does not obscure presentation of the building in the two-dimensional image.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2013Publication date: January 22, 2015Applicant: Google Inc.Inventor: Stephen CHAU
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Patent number: 8868338Abstract: A system and method is provided for displaying a transition between a map and a street level image. In one aspect, the display on a mobile device transitions from a top-down view of a map to a street-level view of an image, such as a panoramic image, such that the mobile device uses the currently stored map image to perform a tilt and zoom transition.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2009Date of Patent: October 21, 2014Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrew Lookingbill
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Publication number: 20140160119Abstract: A panorama viewer is disclosed which facilitates navigation from within the panorama of a larger, structured system such as a map. The panorama viewer presents a viewport on a portion of a panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the panoramic image. As the orientation of the viewport within the panoramic image changes, the three-dimensional overlay's orientation in three-dimensional space also changes as it is rendered with the panoramic image in a manner that matches the change in orientation of the viewport.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2014Publication date: June 12, 2014Applicant: Google Inc.Inventors: Luc Vincent, Daniel Joseph Filip, Stephen Chau, Stephane Lafon, Zhonghao Yang, Andrew Timothy Szybalski
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Patent number: 8751301Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer storage mediums for placing advertisements on photographic images of geolocations. The method includes retrieving a photographic image associated with a geolocation, where the geolocation is based on a user action. An advertisement to place on the photographic image is also retrieved based on at least the geolocation. The photographic image is then analyzed to determine a position on the photographic image for placing the advertisement. Finally, the advertisement is placed at the determined position on the photographic image.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2011Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Stephen Chau
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Patent number: 8704682Abstract: Embodiments relate to road priority and driving directions. In one embodiment, a system includes an object detector module configured: (i) to detect objects of a type in photographic images associated with first and second tracks, and (ii) to determine a first number of times objects of the type appear in photographic images geocoded along the first track, and a second number of times objects of the type appear in photographic images geocoded along the second track. The system also includes a priority score module configured: (i) to generate a first priority score associated with the first track based at least on the first number, and (ii) to generate a second priority score associated with the second track based at least on the second number. The system further includes a driving direction module configured: (i) to select a driving route that includes the track associated with a greater priority score.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2011Date of Patent: April 22, 2014Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Stephen Chau
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Patent number: 8699800Abstract: A system, computer-implemented method and computer-readable medium for correcting existing coordinates of an image. The image is provided to the client device, the image associated with a first geographic coordinate. A second geographic coordinate is received from the client device representing a location of the client device and an indication that the image resembles surroundings of the client device at the second geographic coordinate, where the second geographic coordinate is different from the first second geographic coordinate. A determination is made as to whether the received second geographic coordinate more accurately represents a location of a camera that took the image than the first geographic coordinate. When the received second coordinate is determined to be more accurate than the first coordinate, updating the first geographic coordinate associated with the image according to the received second geographic coordinate.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2011Date of Patent: April 15, 2014Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Stephen Chau