Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs for delivering supplemental content within streamed media are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request at a client for a media segment, which includes a plurality of video frames. Further, a stream of the media segment to the client from a media server is obtained and supplemental content (SC) is accessed from storage in the client or from an SC server. The access of the SC from the SC server can be performed before receiving the request, or while obtaining the stream, or after the stream has been obtained. Further, the method includes combining the media segment with the SC at the client, which inserts the SC to add or augment video frames from the media segment. The combination is then displayed to the user.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to control interactivity with a video gaming system. The system includes a game console and a controller that is configured to be held in a plurality of handhold orientations. The controller further includes a handle that extends between a first end and a second end along a length axis and an input feature disposed at the first end. The input feature includes sensors to detect manipulations that cause a relative movement between the input feature and the handle. The manipulations that are detected include torque applied to the input feature about the length axis. Where the detected manipulation are relayed to the game console where the game console correlates the detected manipulation into control of the video game. The gaming system can be primarily executed through a local game console, or the game console (or computing device), can communicate to remote servers, over the internet, to processes primary execution.

Abstract: A method for use in a computer simulation includes receiving a request from a first user to initiate a multi-user session, retrieving tag data for a second user, wherein the tag data includes tags entered by one or more users of a plurality of users including the first user, evaluating the tag data, matching the first user with the second user based on the result of the evaluating, and initiating the multi-user session with at least the first user and second user. Another method for use in a computer simulation includes establishing a multi-user computer simulation having an ability for one or more users in a plurality of users to enter tags for other users in the plurality of users, receiving tag data for the plurality of users, wherein the tag data includes tags that have been entered by the one or more users for the plurality of users, evaluating the tag data, and matching a first user in the plurality of users with one or more other users of the plurality of users based on a result of the evaluating.

Abstract: A method for use with a musical instrument includes receiving a signal representative of a sound produced by the musical instrument, receiving a selection of an audio effect from a wireless controller, applying the audio effect to the signal representative of a sound produced by the musical instrument, and providing an output signal representative of the audio effect applied to the sound produced by the musical instrument. Other methods include causing an image to be responsive to a signal representative of motions of the musical instrument, and causing an image to be responsive to a signal representative of sound produced by the musical instrument. A computer readable storage medium may store a computer program adapted to cause a processor based system to execute the steps of any one or more of these methods.

Abstract: A hand-held electronic device, method of operation and computer readable medium are disclosed. The device may include a case having one or more major surfaces. A visual display and a touch pad are disposed on at least one of the major surfaces. A processor is operably coupled to the visual display and touch screen. Instructions executable by the processor may be configured to: a) present an image on the visual display; b) identify an active portion of the touch pad in response to a user interaction with the touch pad; c) correlate the active portion of touch pad to a corresponding region of the visual display; and d) present a magnified view of the corresponding region on the visual display.

Abstract: A hand-held electronic device, method of operation and computer readable medium are disclosed. The device may include a case having one or more major surfaces. A visual display and a touch interface are disposed on at least one of the major surfaces. A processor is operably coupled to the visual display and touch screen. Instructions executable by the processor may be configured to a) present an image on the visual display containing one or more active elements; b) perform a tessellation that divides the image into one or more regions that fill the display, wherein each region corresponds to a different active element, wherein a size of each region depends on a corresponding probability that a user will use the corresponding active element within a given time frame; and c) correlating one or more active portions of the touch interface to one or more corresponding active elements.

Abstract: A hand-held electronic device, method of operation and computer readable medium are disclosed. The device may include a case having one or more major surfaces. A visual display and a touch interface are disposed on at least one of the major surfaces. A processor is operably coupled to the visual display and touch screen. Instructions executable by the processor may be configured to a) present an image on the visual display containing one or more active elements; b) correlate one or more active portions of the touch interface to one or more corresponding active elements in the image on the visual display; and c) re-purpose one or more portions of the touch interface outside the one or more active portions to act as inputs for commands associated with the one or more active elements.

Abstract: A hand-held electronic device, method of operation and computer readable medium are disclosed. The device may include a case having one or more major surfaces. A visual display and a touch pad are disposed on at least one of the major surfaces. A processor is operably coupled to the visual display and touch screen. Instructions executable by the processor may be configured to: a) present an image on the visual display containing one or more active elements; b) divide the image into one or more regions that fill the display, wherein each region corresponds to a different active element; c) correlating an active element in the image on the visual display to a corresponding active portion of the touch interface; and d) activate one of the one or more active elements in response to a touch to a corresponding one of the active portions of the touch interface.

Abstract: A hand-held electronic device, method of operation and computer readable medium are disclosed. The device may include a case having one or more major surfaces. A visual display and a touch interface are disposed on at least one of the major surfaces. A processor is operably coupled to the visual display and touch screen. Instructions executable by the processor may be configured to a) present an image on the visual display containing one or more active elements; b) correlate one or more active portions of the touch interface to one or more corresponding active elements in the image on the visual display; and c) adjust a layout of content shown on the display according to a probability of one or more actions that may be taken with the one or more active elements.

Abstract: A hand-held electronic device, method of operation and computer readable medium are disclosed. The device may include a case having one or more major surfaces. A visual display and a touch interface are disposed on at least one of the major surfaces. A processor is operably coupled to the visual display and touch screen. Instructions executable by the processor may be configured to a) present an image on the visual display containing one or more active elements; b) correlate one or more active portions of the touch interface to one or more corresponding active elements in the image on the visual display; c) highlight a most recently activated active element of the one or more active elements on the visual display in response to a user interaction with a corresponding one of the one or more active portions; and d) activate the most recently activated active element in response to a touch anywhere on the touch interface.

Abstract: A hand-held electronic device, method of operation and computer readable medium are disclosed. The device may include a case having one or more major surfaces. A visual display and a touch interface are disposed on at least one of the major surfaces. A processor is operably coupled to the visual display and touch screen.

Abstract: A hand-held electronic device, method of operation and computer readable medium are disclosed. The device may include a case having one or more major surfaces. A visual display and a touch interface are disposed on at least one of the major surfaces. A processor is operably coupled to the visual display and touch screen. Instructions executable by the processor may be configured to: a) present an image on the visual display containing one or more active elements; b) correlate one or more active portions of the touch interface to one or more corresponding active elements in the image on the visual display; and c) present a transformed active element corresponding to a particular one of the one or more active elements on the visual display in response to a user interaction with a corresponding one of the one or more active portions.

Abstract: A computer readable storage medium stores one or more computer programs adapted to cause a processor based system to execute steps including: identifying one or more groups of objects in a frame of content, wherein each group of objects includes one or more shadow casters and corresponding shadow receivers; for visible shadow receivers in the identified groups of objects, establishing depth information in a small white buffer; for each of the identified groups of objects, rendering the shadow casters into a single depth map; blurring the small white buffer; and upsampling the small white buffer into a full sized white buffer, wherein the upsampling comprises using depth information as a metric. A method includes similar steps, and an apparatus includes a processor based system that is configured to execute similar steps.

Abstract: A method including identifying a set of shadow casters and a set of shadow receivers in a frame of a scene lighted by at least a first light source, constructing a first 3D grid from the first light source's point of view fully enclosing a first volume of the scene, projecting each of the one or more shadow casters and growing each cell of the first 3D grid that includes one or more projected casters. Constructing a second 3D grid from the first light source's point of view fully enclosing the first volume and growing each cell of the second 3D grid that includes at least a portion of one or more shadow receivers and for which a corresponding cell of the first 3D grid has been grown. Forming a third 3D grid by intersecting the first 3D grid with the second 3D grid and marking for rendering into a shadow map each shadow caster that intersects the third 3D grid.

Abstract: A method includes launching a software application having a standard start-up mode, determining whether or not a set of application launch settings have been saved for the software application, running the software application in an alternative start-up mode if the set of application launch settings have been saved, and displaying images that are generated by a main portion of the software application. Another method includes begin performing a booting-up of a processor based system, determining whether or not a set of system launch settings have been saved, reading the set of system launch settings to determine an identity of a software application that should be automatically launched if the set of system launch settings have been saved, and automatically initiating a launching of the software application. A system and one or more computer programs are adapted to cause a processor based system to execute the above steps.

Abstract: Method and systems for processing interactive communication received from input devices, which interface with a computer program that executes at a computer, are provided. The method includes receiving input data from a first input device and a second input device at a base station that is interfaced with the computer. The first and second input devices are movable independently of one another to interactively interface with the computer program. The method tracks a position of the first and second input devices through the base station and identifies a near-identical change in position of the tracked position of the first and second input devices. The method then sets a flag upon identifying the near-identical change in position. The flag is processed by the computer program to set an action to take during interactivity with the computer program. In one example, the base station includes an inertial sensor that can confirm movement.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system to interface with a game console to control a video game is disclosed. The system includes a game console and a base station that is interfaced with the game console. The base station has processing circuitry that is configured to send and receive data between the base station and the game console. The base station is also configured to process position data. The system also includes a controller that is interfaced with the base station. The controller has hardware to process movement data of the controller and communicate the movement data to the base station. The base station processes the position data of the controller, and relays the position data from the base station to the game console to determine a relative position of the controller to the base station. Wherein changes in the relative position of the controller facilitate interactive control with the video game.

Abstract: Constraint schemes for use in the computer simulation and animation of cloth, clothing and other materials helps to prevent clothing from excessive stretching, bunching up in unwanted areas, or “passing through” rigid objects during collisions. Several types of constraint systems are employed, including the use of skinned vertices as constraints and axial constraints. In these schemes cloth simulated vertices are generated for the material using a cloth simulation technique, and skinned vertices are generated for the material using a skin simulation technique. One or more of the cloth simulated vertices are compared to the corresponding skinned vertices. The cloth simulated vertices are modified if they deviate from the corresponding skinned vertices by more than a certain amount.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an application that is configured to be operated in a multi-participant environment on a computer network. The application manages participants in an online session of a multi-user application so that if one of the participants exits the session, the session can continue without interruption. The application initiates an online session of the multi-user application, wherein the online session includes two or more participants comprised of network computers that are communicatively linked to a computer network.

Abstract: Data transfer over a computer network relating to a data object of a multiple user network application, from a network user who owns the data object to an updating user, is achieved by transfer of a subset of data fields that define the data object, such that the subset of data fields is specified by the updating user and is less than a full update transfer comprising updated values for all the data fields that define the data object. Each data object is defined by multiple data fields, such that the transfer of a subset of the data object data fields ensures that the network bandwidth utilized for data updates will be reduced from the situation in which all the defining data fields for an object being updated are transferred over the network.