Patents by Inventor Thomas M. Annau

Thomas M. Annau 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).

  • Publication number: 20150348580
    Abstract: The disclosure includes a camera array comprising camera modules, the camera modules comprising a master camera that includes a processor, a memory, a sensor, a lens, a status indicator, and a switch, the switch configured to instruct each of the camera modules to initiate a start operation to start recording video data using the lens and the sensor in the other camera modules and the switch configured to instruct each of the camera modules to initiate a stop operation to stop recording, the status indicator configured to indicate a status of at least one of the camera modules. The camera modules of the camera array are configured to provide a 3× field of view overlap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventors: Arthur van Hoff, Thomas M. Annau, Jens Christensen, Koji Gardiner
  • Publication number: 20150254356
    Abstract: Systems and method for searching a network, including, via a server in communication with at least one data storage and a network, receiving search criteria via the network, retrieving sub search criteria related to the search criteria from the data storage, retrieving search results from the at least one data storage using the search criteria, retrieving sub search results from the at least one data storage, using the sub search criteria, organizing the search results and sub search results according to the sub search criteria, and causing display, via the network, of the organized search results and sub search results, grouped by sub search criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Inventors: Rich Skrenta, Michael Markson, Thomas M. Annau, Robert Michael Saliba, Nicholas Sorrentino, Krishna Srinivasan, Dan Swartz, Jacques Frechet, Chris Zimdars, Gregory B. Lindahl
  • Publication number: 20150054913
    Abstract: The disclosure includes a system and method for stitching image frames. The system includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the system to: receive image frames that are captured by two or more camera modules at a particular time; interpolate a virtual camera between a first set of camera modules from the two or more camera modules; determine a set of disparity maps between the first set of camera modules; generate, based on the set of disparity maps, a virtual camera image associated with the particular time for the virtual camera from a set of image frames captured by the first set of camera modules at the particular time; and construct a left panoramic image and a right panoramic image associated with the particular time from the image frames captured by the two or more camera modules and the virtual camera image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Thomas M. ANNAU, Arthur VAN HOFF, Daniel KOPEINIGG
  • Publication number: 20150055937
    Abstract: The disclosure includes a system and method for aggregating image frames and audio data to generate virtual reality content. The system includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the system to: receive video data describing image frames from a camera array; receive audio data from a microphone array; aggregate the image frames to generate a stream of three-dimensional (3D) video data, the stream of 3D video data including a stream of left panoramic images and a stream of right panoramic images; generate a stream of 3D audio data from the audio data; and generate virtual reality content that includes the stream of 3D video data and the stream of 3D audio data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Arthur VAN HOFF, Thomas M. ANNAU, JENS CHRISTENSEN
  • Publication number: 20150055929
    Abstract: The disclosure includes a camera array comprising camera modules, the camera modules comprising a master camera that includes a processor, a memory, a sensor, a lens, a status indicator, and a switch, the switch configured to instruct each of the camera modules to initiate a start operation to start recording video data using the lens and the sensor in the other camera modules and the switch configured to instruct each of the camera modules to initiate a stop operation to stop recording, the status indicator configured to indicate a status of at least one of the camera modules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Arthur VAN HOFF, Thomas M. ANNAU, Jens CHRISTENSEN, Koji GARDINER
  • Publication number: 20150058102
    Abstract: The disclosure includes a system and method for generating virtual reality content. For example, the disclosure includes a method for generating virtual reality content that includes a stream of three-dimensional video data and a stream of three-dimensional audio data with a processor-based computing device programmed to perform the generating, providing the virtual reality content to a user, detecting a location of the user's gaze at the virtual reality content, and suggesting an advertisement based on the location of the user's gaze. Another example includes receiving virtual reality content that includes a stream of three-dimensional video data and a stream of three-dimensional audio data to a first user with a processor-based computing device programmed to perform the receiving, generating a social network for the first user, and generating a social graph that includes user interactions with the virtual reality content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Jens CHRISTENSEN, Thomas M. ANNAU, Arthur VAN HOFF
  • Publication number: 20140149373
    Abstract: A search engine system, including a slashtag server configured to detect at least one search operator in a search query and detect a boosting indicator associated with the at least one search operator. Additionally, a web server configured to, in response to the detected boosting indicator, and generate a first search result that includes a boosted ranking of at least a subset a plurality of search result items in the search result and display the first search result in a web browser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: Blekko, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. ANNAU, Gregory B. LINDAHL, Samuel MAKONNEN, Michael MARKSON, Keith PETERS, Robert Michael SALIBA, Al SARY, Rich SKRENTA, Dan SWARTZ, Robert N. TRUEL, Timothy WALTERS
  • Patent number: 8554759
    Abstract: A system may identify a collection of documents, predict a utility score for each document in the collection of documents, and create a ranked list of the documents based on the predicted utility scores for the documents. The system may also select a number of the documents in the ranked list of documents, index the selected documents, and store the index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Annau, Charles Garrett, Sharmila Subramaniam, Sanjay Joshi, Rosemary Emery-Montemerlo, Aaron A. D'Souza, Jonathan D. Wilson, Christopher W. Fraser
  • Publication number: 20130246405
    Abstract: At least one key word is detect in a search query. Alternative search query is automatically generated based on the at least one key word. The alternative search query includes a search operator associated with the at least one key word. A first search result is generated based on the alternative search query and displayed in a web browser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: Blekko, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. ANNAU, Gregory B. Lindahl, Samuel Makonnen, Michael Markson, Keith Peters, Robert Michael Saliba, Al Sary, Rich Skrenta, Dan Swartz, Robert N. Truel, Timothy Walters
  • Publication number: 20130246404
    Abstract: A search engine system, including a slashtag server configured to detect at least a search operator in a search query, the search operator being associated with a category of content from a social network site. Also, a web server configured to, in response to detecting the search query, generate a first search result based on at least the category of content associated with the search operator, and display the first search result in a web browser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: Blekko, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. ANNAU, Gregory B. Lindahl, Samuel Makonnen, Michael Markson, Keith Peters, Robert Michael Saliba, Al Sary, Rich Skrenta, Dan Swartz, Robert N. Truel, Timothy Walters
  • Publication number: 20130238588
    Abstract: A search engine system, including a slashtag server configured to detect at least one key word in a search query and generate an alternative search query from the at least one key word, the alternative search query being based at least on computing an intermediary search of a plurality of characters from the at least one key word as the plurality of characters are being typed by a user, and for use in searching unaltered internet documents. Also a web server that may be configured to generate a first search result based on the alternative search query and cause display of the first search result in a web browser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: Blekko, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. ANNAU, Gregory B. LINDAHL, Samuel MAKONNEN, Michael MARKSON, Keith PETERS, Robert Michael SALIBA, Al SARY, Rich SKRENTA, Dan SWARTZ, Robert N. TRUEL, Timothy WALTERS
  • Publication number: 20130238587
    Abstract: A search engine system, including a slash-tag server. The server can be configured to receive a query including at least one key word from a user, generate an alternative search query, based on the at least one key word in the search query received from the user. The alternative search query may include at least one slashtag associated with the at least one key word for use in searching unaltered internet documents. Also, it may launch a search query using the alternative search query. Further, a web server could be configured to retrieve content from one or more nodes of at least one database cluster, based on the launched search query, generate a first search result, based on the alternative search query, and cause display of the first search result in a web browser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: Blekko, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. ANNAU, Gregory B. Lindahl, Samuel Makonnen, Michael Markson, Keith Paters, Robert Michael Saliba, Ai Sary, Rich Skrenta, Dan Swartz, Robert N. Truel, Timothy Walters
  • Patent number: 8255386
    Abstract: A system may identify a collection of documents, predict a utility score for each document in the collection of documents, and create a ranked list of the documents based on the predicted utility scores for the documents. The system may also select a number of the documents in the ranked list of documents, index the selected documents, and store the index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Annau, Charles Garrett, Sharmila Subramaniam, Sanjay Joshi, Rosemary Emery-Montemerlo, Aaron A. D'Souza, Jonathan D. Wilson, Christopher W. Fraser
  • Patent number: 8156125
    Abstract: A data handling method combines search capabilities with analytical functionality. The invention provides advantages when dealing with structured documents (such as electronic catalogs, XML documents, text documents, HTML documents, Internet documents, etc.) and other data stored in a computer system. Various embodiments include simplified ways to express search/analysis requests of a data set and also to express results to such requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas M. Annau, Joseph Sill
  • Publication number: 20080243607
    Abstract: An entity relationship defining an entity, e.g., a friendship relation in a social network, user groups, etc., can be identified and entity content based on the entity relationship, e.g., user profile data of user accounts, group memberships, etc., can be processed to identify entity topics. One or more content items, e.g., advertisements, can be identified based on the entity topics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Terrence Rohan, Tomasz J. Tunguz-Zawislak, Jeremiah Harmsen, Sverre Sundsdal, Thomas M. Annau, Megan Nance, Mayur Datar, Julie Tung, Bahman Rabii, Jason C. Miller, Mike Hochberg, Andres S. Perez-Bergquist
  • Publication number: 20080215549
    Abstract: A data handling method combines search capabilities with analytical functionality. The invention provides advantages when dealing with structured documents (such as electronic catalogs, XML documents, text documents, HTML documents, Internet documents, etc.) and other data stored in a computer system. Various embodiments include simplified ways to express search/analysis requests of a data set and also to express results to such requests.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: BEA SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Annau, Joseph Sill
  • Patent number: 7346608
    Abstract: A data handling method combines search capabilities with analytical functionality. The invention provides advantages when dealing with structured documents (such as electronic catalogs, XML documents, text documents, HTML documents, Internet documents, etc.) and other data stored in a computer system. Various embodiments include simplified ways to express search/analysis requests of a data set and also to express results to such requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: BEA Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Annau, Joseph Sill
  • Patent number: 6804662
    Abstract: A data handling method combines search capabilities with analytical functionality. The invention provides advantages when dealing with structured documents (such as electronic catalogs, XML documents, text documents, HTML documents, Internet documents, etc.) and other data stored in a computer system. Various embodiments include simplified ways to express search/analysis requests of a data set and also to express results to such requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Plumtree Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Annau, Joseph Sill
  • Patent number: 6473131
    Abstract: A system includes a signal reconstruction controller (110) electrically coupled to at least one analog-to-digital converter (ADC) (112) and to a phase adjustable clock source (108). A sampling clock signal (116) is electrically coupled from the clock source (108) to the at least one ADC (112). The at least one ADC (112) samples an electronic signal according to the sampling clock signal (116) to provide a digital representation of the electronic signal. The controller (110) samples data from the ADC (112) at different sampling points in the electronic signal and determines the edges (140) of the electronic signal and the noisy samples (142, 144) that are away from the edges (140) of the electronic signal. By finding the least noisy sample (146, 148) that is away from the edges (140) of the electronic signal the controller (110) adjusts the phase of a sampling signal clock (116) to a sampling point that is the most reliable to sample the electronic signal to provide a digital representation thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles F. Neugebauer, William D. Elliott, David Deckys, Thomas M. Annau