Patents by Inventor Tomokazu Kake

Tomokazu Kake 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: 20080229224
    Abstract: A data processing technology provides improved convenience. A user interface unit assigns a first object to a data file and displays the object on a screen. The unit also assigns a second object to an application processing the data file and displaying the object on the screen. When an operation to allow the first object to affect the second object is accepted, a notifying unit notifies the application of the direction or speed of the operation. The operation determining unit determines an operation performed in processing the data file, based an the direction or speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Tomokazu Kake
  • Publication number: 20080229222
    Abstract: A data processing technology of high convenience is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Tomokazu Kake
  • Patent number: 7409441
    Abstract: A display apparatus including a communication line connected to a network, an information acquisition device for acquiring in real time at least information relating to a predetermined site on the network via the communication line, the communication line being held by a communication line holding device. The display apparatus includes a display control device for displaying in real time information relating to a plurality of sites acquired by the information acquisition device, and forming symbols corresponding to the plurality of sites, displaying the symbols three-dimensionally in a contrastable state from each other. The information acquired by the information acquisition device is displayed will a symbol, which corresponds to the site, and the information acquisition device acquires at least one of or a plurality of pieces of information indicating congestion status, update status, response, type, popularity, cost, and links of each site, and congestion status of the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Keiso Shimakawa, Takahiro Fujii, Yuta Kimura, Hidehisa Onai, Yousuke Kimoto, Kenjiro Komaki, Hiromasa Horie, Toyoshi Okada, Shigeru Enomoto, Muneki Shimada, Shuji Hiramatsu, Masakazu Suzuoki, Akio Ohba
  • Publication number: 20080009332
    Abstract: A controller interface processor of a user interface apparatus acquires the tilt of a game controller as a rotational value from a sensor built in the game controller. An operation amount determining unit selects a sensitivity characteristic pattern from a plurality of sensitivity characteristic patterns different in the reaction sensitivity of an operation amount with respect to the rotational value in accordance with the width of a range of the rotational value, refers to the selected sensitivity characteristic pattern, and determines the operation amount corresponding to the rotational value acquired.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Tomokazu Kake
  • Publication number: 20070279485
    Abstract: To provide an image processing technique for easy initial settings when a video image feature is used as an input interface. This is an image processor having an image combining section 106 for combining a mirrored video image feature that includes an image of an operator as a portion thereof and an object image of an object that is associated with a predetermined event, to generate a combined image, and being adapted to provide production of the combined image on a display device. This image processor has a detection section 109 for detecting the position of an image of an operator included in the mirrored video image feature. The image combining section 106 is adapted to combine the object image and the mirrored video image feature in such a manner that the object image is displayed in a range that an image of a hand of the operator can reach, depending on the position of the image of the operator detected by the detection section 109.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Akira Suzuki, Tomokazu Kake
  • Patent number: 7298311
    Abstract: A remote controller apparatus has a controller body, which is provided with annularly disposed display devices displaying as images operating buttons for the purpose of executing functions of a remotely controlled apparatus, and which is further provided with a display device at the center of the annularly disposed display devices. Operating switches are provided below each of the display devices, a transparent shuttle ring is disposed over the annularly disposed display devices, and a transparent center button is provided over the display device at the center. The shuttle ring is caused to rotate, and if necessary operating buttons displayed by each of the display devices are switched to other operating buttons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromasa Horie, Tomokazu Kake
  • Patent number: 7290213
    Abstract: An information perusal program arranges information within a virtual space, where the information is arranged in uniquely specified storage positions. The information perusal program detects a position specified arbitrarily by the user within the virtual space. The information perusal program then detects an arrangement position within the virtual space in an area having a virtual spread in relation to the specified position and acquires information from the storage position corresponding to the arrangement position. Accordingly, the user is able to easily peruse information whose storage position is uniquely specified, such as, for example, a site on the Internet, a local folder and/or file, and so forth without performing complex and complicated input operations in order to specify the storage position. In addition, it is possible to easily realize perusal information without a specific object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Yousuke Kimoto, Tadashi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7275987
    Abstract: Objects which are created in conformity with the data format of objects to be handled in a virtual world are offered to users on the terminal computers of the users independently of the virtual world. The users transmit the offered objects to a server computer which generates the virtual world, while the server computer stores these objects in association with the operators. Since these objects are recorded in a format which can be interpreted by the server computer for generating the virtual world, they can be handled in the virtual world in the same manner as the other objects which have been defined in the virtual world beforehand. Thus, the users are permitted to use in the virtual world objects which are different from the objects which were defined in the virtual world beforehand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Keiso Shimakawa, Shuji Hiramatsu, Masakazu Suzuoki, Akio Ohba, Toyoshi Okada, Shigeru Enomoto, Muneki Shimada, Tomokazu Kake, Yousuke Kimoto, Kenjiro Komaki, Hiromasa Horie, Takahiro Fujii, Yuta Kimura, Hidehisa Onai
  • Publication number: 20070126874
    Abstract: To control display on a screen using motion images of a plurality of users. The image processing device comprises an image acquiring section for acquiring images every predetermined period of time, each image being captured using each of the two or more cameras, an image displaying section for sequentially displaying on a screen the images acquired by the image acquiring section every predetermined period of time, and a display content control section for controlling content of a screen image shown on the screen, based on a relationship between the respective images captured using the two cameras and acquired by the image acquiring section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventor: Tomokazu Kake
  • Patent number: 7193629
    Abstract: A communication line is connected between a client terminal apparatus 2 and a game server apparatus 3 via a network 1, and an Internet game system, which runs a pre-determined network game in a virtual space provided by the game server apparatus 3, adds blurring to objects other than the object of attention when a view point is moved in the virtual space. Accordingly, since the object of attention is clearly displayed with regard to other objects, it is possible to make the object of attention stand out even when view point moving is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Akio Ohba
  • Publication number: 20060256118
    Abstract: To control screen display using moving pictures for a plurality of users. Respective moving pictures for a plurality of users are acquired, and each of the acquired moving pictures are displayed on a screen. Display content for the screen is controlled in response to content of each moving picture. At this time, it is also possible to move a specified movement image on the screen according to display position of each moving picture on the screen and content of each moving picture, or to change a display region of the moving picture on the screen according to content of each moving picture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2006
    Publication date: November 16, 2006
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Yasushi Okumura
  • Patent number: 7101284
    Abstract: An apparatus for displaying an object such as a billboard in a virtual world is provided. An input history of a user's operation for moving a character in the virtual world is obtained. The movement track of the character in the virtual world is also obtained. The position and direction of the billboard are changed according to the input history and the movement track so that the billboard is visible to the user. For instance, on a street where the user is expected to move at a high speed, the direction of the billboard is changed so that its display surface can face the front of the character and the billboard is displayed in a position far away from the user's viewing position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Akio Ohba
  • Publication number: 20050232592
    Abstract: In order to record a program provided by a program broadcasting device, a recorder (5) that receives program identifying information provided by a program information providing device to record the program includes: a program identifying information detector (10) for detecting the program identifying information at least at one timing of start, duration, and end of the broadcasted program; and a recording operation controller (20) for controlling recording operation based on a detection result of the program identifying information detector (10). The recording operation controller (20) includes: a recording start/end determining section (21) for staring and/or ending the recording operation based on the detected program identifying information; and a recorded program determining section (22) for determining the program being recorded based on the program identifying information detected while the program is recorded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Inventors: Yousuke Kimoto, Tomokazu Kake
  • Publication number: 20050179685
    Abstract: An apparatus for displaying an object such as a billboard in a virtual world is provided. An input history of a user's operation for moving a character in the virtual world is obtained. The movement track of the character in the virtual world is also obtained. The position and direction of the billboard are changed according to the input history and the movement track so that the billboard is visible to the user. For instance, on a street where the user is expected to move at a high speed, the direction of the billboard is changed so that its display surface can face the front of the character and the billboard is displayed in a position far away from the user's viewing position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Akio Ohba
  • Publication number: 20050123041
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus capable of obtaining a novel image. An image input unit acquires frames constituting a moving image, and stores them into an image buffer. A processing execution unit reads frames to be reproduced from the image buffer as reproduction targets. An image conversion unit applies image processing to the frames to be reproduced. An image output unit outputs the frames to a monitor. A buffer adjusting unit stores the reproduced frames into the image buffer as past frames, and drops some of the frames at predetermined time intervals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Publication date: June 9, 2005
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Akio Ohba, Akira Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20050010599
    Abstract: Files such as musical pieces are represented in symbols such as a star, and are clustered based on the attribute of each file so as to be allocated in an information space. An impression, such as “refreshing”, on the musical piece corresponding to the file is represented and given in the form of emotion. The initial search for a file is carried out by roughly cutting out a marked-out space. When narrowed down, the file is linearly developed so as to support a user selection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Kensuke Kita, Hiromasa Horie
  • Publication number: 20040130637
    Abstract: A rectangular-parallelopiped space (box space) expresses the moving images by use of a virtual space. A plurality of frames contained in the moving images appear continuously along time axis. The box space is cut through by a desired surface, and an image projected on this cut surface is projected onto a plane parallel in the direction of time axis. Images sequentially projected onto the plane are outputted as new moving images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Akio Ohba, Akira Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20040097222
    Abstract: Appliance operation data that is desired to be transmitted is selected from a stored list in which transmission counts of a calling signal are associated with appliance operation data for operating household appliances. A transmitter controls a reading operation to read the transmission count corresponding to that appliance operation data and then transmits the calling signal only a number of times that is equal to that transmission count. A receiver retrieves from a stored list the appliance operation data corresponding to the number of times the calling signal is received, displays that appliance operation data on a display unit, and issues an instruction to operate the household appliance according to the retrieved appliance operation data. Accordingly, household appliances in the home may be remotely controlled under pre-set conditions without establishing a voice communication line between the transmitter and the receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Yousuke Kimoto
  • Publication number: 20040085356
    Abstract: A communication line is connected between a client terminal apparatus 2 and a game server apparatus 3 via a network 1, and an Internet game system, which runs a pre-determined network game in a virtual space provided by the game server apparatus 3, adds blurring to objects other than the object of attention when a view point is moved in the virtual space. Accordingly, since the object of attention is clearly displayed with regard to other objects, it is possible to make the object of attention stand out even when view point moving is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2003
    Publication date: May 6, 2004
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Akio Ohba
  • Publication number: 20040054667
    Abstract: A control unit 9 examines the update status of each Web site 11 which are stored as bookmarks in a URL memory 6, the congestion status of a network 2, and the congestion status of a network server apparatus 13 of a user's provider and the like. The control unit 9, based on this examination result, arranges an object corresponding to that Web site by changing the distance (depth) from the viewpoint in accordance with the response of the Web site 11, and displays by changing the height of the object according to the update status. Furthermore, the control unit 9 displays by changing the patterns of each object in accordance with the congestion status of the Web site which corresponds to that object, and displays by changing the weather of virtual space in accordance with the busy status of the network 2. This allows image display of the update status of the Web site to which a bookmark is attached, and the congestion status of the network and the like by using predetermined objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kake, Keiso Shimakawa, Takahiro Fuji, Yuta Kimura, Hidehisa Onai, Yousuke Kimoto, Hiromasa Horie, Toyoshi Okada, Shigeru Enomoto, Muneki Shimada, Shuji Hiramatsu, Masakazu Suzuoki, Akio Ohba