Patents Assigned to Facebook
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Patent number: 10996382Abstract: An optical device with a variable index of refraction is formed by exposing a film to an energy gradient. The optical device has angular selectivity. The optical device can be used as an output coupler for a waveguide used in a virtual-reality and/or augmented-reality apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2018Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Giuseppe Calafiore, Austin Lane, Matthew E. Colburn
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Patent number: 10999690Abstract: An audio system generates customized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) for a user. The audio system receives an initial set of estimated HRTFs. The initial set of HRTFs may have been estimated using a trained machine learning and computer vision system and pictures of the user's ears. The audio system generates a set of test locations using the initial set of HRTFs. The audio system presents test sounds at each of the initial set of test locations using the initial set of HRTFs. The audio system monitors user responses to the test sounds. The audio system uses the monitored responses to generate a new set of estimated HRTFs and a new set of test locations. The process repeats until a threshold accuracy is achieved or until a set period of time expires. The audio system presents audio content to the user using the customized HRTFs.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Vamsi Krishna Ithapu, William Owen Brimijoin, II, Henrik Gert Hassager
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Patent number: 10996466Abstract: An optical film fabrication method, an optical film and a head-mounted display are provided. The optical film fabrication method comprises: providing a substrate having a curved surface; dispensing a photo-alignment (PAM) layer on the curved surface of the substrate and exposing the PAM layer to spatially-uniformly polarized light; dispensing a birefringent material layer on the PAM layer; and curing the birefringent material layer to form a birefringent film on the curved surface. An optic axis orientation of birefringent material molecules in the birefringent film are spatially uniform across the birefringent film.Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Babak Amirsolaimani, Ying Geng
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Patent number: 10999193Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include a method of operation of a distributed network system. The method includes nodes of the network system that send messages over a protocol-independent message bus, and other nodes that receive the messages. Content from the received messages can be stored in a database distributed among nodes of the network system. At least some of the content stored in the database is published. The published content can be accessed by one or more applications to perform one or more functions.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2020Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Petr V. Lapukhov, Paul M. Saab, Omar Castillo Baldonado, James Williams, Manikandan Somasundaram
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Patent number: 10999236Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a mobile service provider network (SPN) and a geographic location of an online social network user and accessing a service-provider table associated with the identified mobile SPN and with the geographic location. The service-provider table indexes a reliability score and a sampling amount for multiple messaging-service providers in the geographic location. The method further determines, based on the service-provider table, whether any of the messaging-service providers has a sampling amount below a threshold sampling amount and sends messaging traffic via the determined messaging-service provider until the sampling amount is greater than or equal to the threshold sampling amount. The messaging traffic is used to update the reliability score for the messaging-service provider.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2016Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Jin Feng, Jacobus Petrus van der Merwe, Guillermo Martin Spiller Schimmel, Yiran Zhang, Zahan Jagdish Malkani
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Patent number: 10996756Abstract: The disclosed tactile input mechanisms may include a bladder dimensioned to hold a fluid, a pressure sensor coupled to the bladder and configured to sense a pressure exerted against the bladder, and a fluidic valve coupled to the bladder and configured to vent the bladder in response to the sensed pressure reaching a predetermined threshold. Various other related systems and methods are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Adam Ahne, Nicholas Roy Corson, Andrew Arthur Stanley
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Patent number: 10996476Abstract: An optical device with reduced see-through diffraction artifacts for Augmented Reality (AR) applications is provided. The device includes a projector configured to generate an image light and a waveguide optically coupled with the projector and configured to guide the image light to an eye-box. The waveguide includes an in-coupling element configured to couple the image light into the waveguide, and an out-coupling element configured to decouple the image light out of the waveguide. The waveguide includes at least one switchable grating configured to: during a virtual-world subframe of a display frame, decouple the image light out of the waveguide via diffraction, and during a real-world subframe of the display frame, transmit a light from a real-world environment to the eye-box with a diffraction efficiency less than a predetermined threshold.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Andrew Maimone, Oleg Yaroshchuk
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Patent number: 10999229Abstract: One or more embodiments described herein include methods and systems of providing message status notifications. The status notifications can comprise one or more of sent, delivered, or accessed/read notifications. In one or more embodiments a status notification is persistently displayed in a thread for each participant in a conversation. Each time the participant accesses a new message, the system can move the status notification adjacent to the new message.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.Inventor: Benjamin S Langholz
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Patent number: 10999668Abstract: A tragus conduction apparatus may include a sound transducer positionable against a tragus of a user's ear to mechanically vibrate the tragus to produce one or more sound waves that travel down an ear canal of the user's ear toward an eardrum. A wearable device may include a tragus conduction apparatus and a wearable frame dimensioned to adjustably hold the tragus conduction apparatus at the user's ear. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventor: Morteza Khaleghimeybodi
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Patent number: 10991339Abstract: A display backlight includes an illumination layer and an optical layer. The illumination layer includes a two-dimensional array of light sources, which generate illumination light. An image of the illumination light is captured and analyzed for light uniformity. In response to the analysis of the illumination light, ink patterns are printed on the optical layer of a display backlight to increase light uniformity of the illumination light.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2019Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventor: Agnes Lee
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Patent number: 10989926Abstract: A near-eye display based on a polarization-selective diffusive combiner includes a polarizer for polarizing impinging ambient light to have a first polarization state, and a polarization-selective scatterer downstream of the polarizer, for passing through the ambient light having the first polarization state substantially without scattering, while scattering impinging display light having a second polarization state orthogonal to the first polarization state. The display light at the second polarization state may be provided by a projector, the polarization-selective scatterer playing the role of a projector screen. A polarization-selective ocular lens may be disposed downstream of the polarization-selective scatterer for viewing images generated by the projector while propagating through orthogonally polarized light from outside environment.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2019Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Nathan Matsuda, Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai, Ying Geng, Brian Wheelwright, Douglas Robert Lanman, Afsoon Jamali, Jasmine Soria Sears, Alireza Moheghi
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Patent number: 10992737Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can receive at least one request for performing one or more operations, the request originating from a media application running on a media device, the request being broadcasted by the media device over a network to which the computing device is also connected. Information describing the request can be provided through a software application running on the computing device. A determination is made when user operating the computing device has approved the request. The operations are performed by at least the software application running on the computing device.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2019Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Christopher Chun-Ning Pan, Francislav P. Penov
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Patent number: 10989330Abstract: A fluidic device controls fluid flow in channel from a source to a drain. In some embodiments, the fluidic device comprises a channel and a gate. The channel is configured to transport a fluid from the source to the drain. The gate controls a rate of fluid flow in the channel in accordance with the fluid pressure within the gate. Specifically, the gate is configured to induce a first flow rate of the fluid in the channel in accordance with a low pressure state of the gate, and a second flow rate of the fluid in the channel in accordance with a high pressure state of the gate. In certain embodiments, the first flow rate is greater than the second flow rate. In alternative embodiments, the second flow rate is greater than the first flow rate.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2019Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Sean Jason Keller, David R. Perek, Tristan Thomas Trutna, Nicholas Roy Corson, Raymond King, Jack Lindsay, Riccardo DeSalvo, Joseph Minh Tien
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Patent number: 10989890Abstract: A heat management device able to be manufactured using 3-D printing and corresponding to a body of a head mounted display system having an outer wall that partially encloses a chamber. The outer wall of the heat management device comprises a plurality of channels that traverse a thickness of the outer wall, each channel shaped to allow air to flow between the interior and exterior of the chamber, while preventing light from outside the chamber from entering the chamber. In some embodiments, each channel may be shaped to comprise a first portion and a second portion connected at an acute angle, the connection between the first and second portions serving to block a direct path for light to traverse between the ends of the channel.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2019Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Mark Shintaro Ando, Kurt Jenkins
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Patent number: 10989928Abstract: An optical assembly includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface that is opposite to and substantially parallel with the first surface. The substrate also includes a reflector and a beam splitter, each of which is coupled to the substrate. The optical assembly is configured to transmit image light received at the first surface in an optical path that includes reflection at each of the reflector and the beam splitter before the image light is output from the second surface. The optical assembly is also configured to transmit ambient light received at the first surface such that the second light is output from the second surface without undergoing reflection at either the reflector or the beam splitter. A method of transmitting light through the optical assembly is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2020Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Ying Geng, Brian Wheelwright, Jacques Gollier, Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai, Fenglin Peng, Babak Amirsolaimani
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Patent number: 10991858Abstract: A light-emitting disclosure (LED) and an LED array are disclosed. The LED includes a semiconductor junction for emitting light and an optical surface coupled to the semiconductor junction for outputting at least a portion of the light. The optical surface can include a grating structure configured to increase the portion of the light outputted by the optical surface, and/or a redirecting structure configured to redirect the portion of the light to form an output optical beam.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2018Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Erik Shipton, Tanya Malhotra
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Patent number: 10991320Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include determining a frame rate for a current frame, where the frame rate dictates the amount of time the current frame is to be presented on a display. The display may be a backlight that is powered for a specified amount of time as part of a duty cycle. The method may further include calculating a backlight duty cycle time for the current frame. The backlight duty cycle time may include a minimum amount of powered time plus an additional amount of powered time that is dependent on the frame rate for the current frame. The method may further generate a drive signal for the display using the calculated backlight duty cycle time and driving the display using the generated drive signal. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2019Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Cheonhong Kim, Min Hyuk Choi, Rui Zhang, Samuel Gosselin
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Patent number: 10990345Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving playback statuses from a first user computing device and a second user computing device that are in a synchronous presentation session. Content presented on the first and second user computing devices may be determined to be out of synchronization. User behavioral rules associated with the first user computing device may be accessed. The user behavioral rules may be learned based on past behavior of the first user in the synchronous presentation session. A synchronization message may be generated to send to the first user computing device based on the user behavioral rules. The synchronization message may include instructions for the first user computing device to perform an action to cause the content being presented by the first user computing device to be synchronized with the content being presented by the second user computing device.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2020Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Thai Gia Tran, Aditya Aghi, Olivier Alain Pierre Notteghem, Gregory Stephen Williams
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Patent number: 10991163Abstract: The present technology relates to artificial reality systems. Such systems provide projections a user can create to specify object interactions. For example, when a user wishes to interact with an object outside her immediate reach, she can use a projection to select, move, or otherwise interact with the distant object. The present technology also includes object selection techniques for identifying and disambiguating between objects, allowing a user to select objects both near and distant from the user. Yet further aspects of the present technology include techniques for interpreting various bimanual (two-handed) gestures for interacting with objects. The present technology further includes a model for differentiating between global and local modes for, e.g., providing different input modalities or interpretations of user gestures.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2019Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventors: Jonathan Ravasz, Etienne Pinchon, Adam Varga, Jasper Stevens, Robert Ellis, Jonah Jones, Evgenii Krivoruchko
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Patent number: D918264Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventor: Debashish Paul
