Patents Assigned to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
  • Information processing device, display control method, a program, and an information storage medium
    Patent number: 9228852
    Abstract: An information processing device is provided. The device includes a position coordinate storing section configured to store a plurality of positions, a positioning section configured to sequentially calculate the position and store the calculated position into the position coordinate storing section, and a display control section configured to display information items indicating all or a part of the plurality of positions stored in the position coordinate storing section in an order that the positions are calculated, and control a distance between adjacent information items based on a distance between the positions indicated by the adjacent information items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Kaido, Keigo Tsuchiya, Eiichi Nishina
  • Step-down direct-current to direct-current converter, controller and control method thereof, and electronic apparatus using same
    Patent number: 9231478
    Abstract: An M-channel (M is an integer of at least two) synchronous rectification type step-down DC/DC converter is provided. A controller in the converter (i) calculates a load current on a basis of currents flowing through M inductors, (ii) dynamically changes the number K of driving phases (K is an integer of up to M) on the basis of the calculated load current, (iii) generates a pulse signal adjusted in duty ratio such that an output voltage of an output line coincides with a predetermined reference voltage, (iv) selects K drivers among M drivers, and distributes the pulse signal with a phase difference of (360/K) degrees to each of the selected K drivers, and (v) monotonically increases an amplitude control signal indicating the amplitude of a gate driving voltage with respect to the calculated load current in a range determined in advance for each number K of driving phases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Kazuaki Mitsui
  • Electronic device, recording medium management method and program
    Patent number: 9220979
    Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program for implementing functions of managing a recording medium in an electronic device, includes a recording medium management module that includes: an acquisition module configured to acquire an upper limit to the number of recording media registered in the electronic device; and a registering module configured to register the recording medium in which the program is installed in the electronic device such that the acquired upper limit is not exceeded. The recording medium management module may link date and time information to a recording medium identifier identifying the recording medium in which the program is installed, and register the information and the identifier as linked in a management database used to manage the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Michihiro Okada, Shunichi Soma, Shigeru Enomoto, Toru Yamamoto
  • Game apparatus, game interruption program, storage medium stored with game interruption program
    Patent number: 9220978
    Abstract: A game execution unit 101 of a game apparatus 2 executes game processing in conformity with predetermined setting information including a game program, and terminates the game processing in progress in response to a command for temporary interruption from a user. A storage control unit 102 restores the state at the time of game termination by the game execution unit 101, and stores in a storage unit 107 interruption information allowing resumption of the game processing in conformity with the command for temporary interruption from the user. A setting changing unit 103 changes the predetermined setting information in response to a change command from the user. The storage control unit 102 deletes the interruption information stored in the storage unit 107 in accordance with setting change carried out by the setting changing unit 103.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Motoki Kobayashi, Takeshi Kono
  • Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image communication system
    Patent number: 9225973
    Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, an image pickup unit takes images of an object including the face of a person wearing the glasses by which to observe a stereoscopic image that contains a first parallax image and a second parallax image obtained when the object in a three-dimensional (3D) space is viewed from different viewpoints. A glasses identifying unit identifies the glasses included in the image of the object taken by the image pickup unit. A face detector detects a facial region the face of the person included in the image of the object taken by the image pickup unit, based on the glasses identified by the glasses identifying unit. An augmented-reality special rendering unit adds a virtual feature to the facial region of the face of the person detected by the face detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa, Tetsugo Inada
  • Three-dimensional object processing device, three-dimensional object processing method, and information storage medium
    Patent number: 9224247
    Abstract: Provided is a three-dimensional object processing device which is configured to: project a three-dimensional object that is disposed in a virtual three-dimensional space onto each of a plurality of projection planes that are set in the virtual three-dimensional space to obtain projected objects; deform each of the projected objects in a corresponding one of the plurality of projection planes; and deform the three-dimensional object in the virtual three-dimensional space based on each of the projected objects, which have been deformed in the corresponding one of the plurality of projection planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Shinya Wada, Masaaki Oka
  • INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD
    Publication number: 20150370456
    Abstract: A screen generating unit 287 generates a home screen for allowing a user to select a desired item of content from among multiple items of content, and the home screen includes a list in which multiple icons representing the multiple items of content are arranged. A display control unit displays the home screen on a television monitor 204. The screen generating unit 287 further arranges, in the list on the home screen, a search icon used to search for an item of content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Motoki KOBAYASHI, Yasuhiro YAMANAKA, Shuji HIRAMATSU, Shigeru ENOMOTO, Taku SUGAWARA, Shinji KIMURA, Yumiko TANAKA, George ARRIOLA, Carsten SCHWESIG
  • Communication system, communication method, program and information storage medium
    Patent number: 9220019
    Abstract: Provided is a communication system for allowing a user to feel the presence of other users existing in the same daily living area without using short-distance wireless communication. The system includes a position coordinate receiving section (80) for obtaining positions from a plurality of user terminals, and a nearby user distributing section (94) for selecting, under the condition that the nearby user distributing section (94) obtains a position of a specified user terminal, one or more of the plurality of user terminals corresponding to the position obtained from the specified user terminal and the positions obtained from the plurality of user terminals and providing the specified user terminal with information on the selected one or more of the plurality of user terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Kaido, Eiichi Nishina, Shohei Konno, Tomohiro Hasekura, Takamasa Shichisawa, Keigo Tsuchiya
  • Image processing device for displaying moving image and image processing method thereof
    Patent number: 9218640
    Abstract: Data of a moving image has a hierarchical structure comprising a 0-th layer, a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer in a z axis direction. Each layer is composed of moving image data of a single moving image expressed in different resolutions. Both the coordinates of a viewpoint at the time of the display of a moving image and a corresponding display area are determined in a virtual three-dimensional space formed by an x axis representing the horizontal direction of the image, a y axis representing the vertical direction of the image, and a z axis representing the resolution. By providing a switching boundary for layers with respect to the z axis, the layers of the moving image data used for frame rendering are switched in accordance with the value of z of the frame coordinates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsugo Inada, Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa
  • Image processing device for displaying content, content creation device, and image processing method
    Patent number: 9218111
    Abstract: When the user enters a request for moving a viewpoint, whether or not a displayed area is encompassed in a link area that is set for an active image is kept monitored. When the displayed area is encompassed, a corresponding link is determined to be valid, and an image of a link destination mapped to the link area is displayed. Whether or not the displayed area moves outside of a link area set for an image of a link origin is further monitored. If even a part of the displayed area moves outside of the link area, a corresponding link is determined to be invalid, and the display is switched back to the image of the link origin. If none of the above-stated conditions applies, the initial image continues to be displayed while moving the displayed area according to the movement of the viewpoint within the active image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Aritoki Kawai, Takayuki Shinohara, Hidehiko Morisada
  • CAMERA AND CAMERA ASSEMBLY
    Publication number: 20150362826
    Abstract: A main body of a camera accommodates a light receiving part. The main body has a flat bottom surface. A support is aligned with the main body in a left-right direction, and supports the main body in such a manner that an orientation of the light receiving part can be controlled in a vertical direction. A bottom surface of the support is located on a common plane on which a bottom surface of the main body is also located. The bottom surface of the support can be attached to and detached from a stand member which is mounted to a display device. This camera promises enhanced stability of mounting of the camera to an edge of a display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2013
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Takamasa Araki, Manabu Ishioka, Taichi Nokuo
  • Game device, game control method, and game control program configured to control a game in which a character is moved along a shadow
    Patent number: 9211472
    Abstract: A game device includes a light control unit configured to change, in a game field in which an object is located, a position of a light source or a direction of radiation by light emitted from the light source based on a control command of a player, a shadow rendering unit configured to render a shadow of the object projected by light emitted from the light source onto a plane of projection defined in the game field; and a character control unit configured to move a character along the shadow of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Suzuta, Tatsuya Suzuki, Jun Fujiki, Takanori Kikuchi
  • Image processing device and image processing method for processing images using memory-efficient principal component analysis
    Patent number: 9213914
    Abstract: A pixel set formation unit in an image analysis unit of an image processing device forms pixel sets from original images subject to analysis. A principal analysis unit of the image analysis unit performs principal component analysis in units of pixel sets. A synthesis unit synthesizes results of analysis in units of pixel sets so as to generate images of eigenvectors of a size of the original images. An image generation unit displays the images of the eigenvectors and stores data for an image generated by using the images of the eigenvectors in a generated image storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Masaaki Oka
  • Methods and apparatuses for upscaling video
    Patent number: 9215403
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses detect content that represents original image information; detect a direction of the content wherein the direction corresponds to a portion of the original image information; compare a variation between adjacent pixels that are represented by the original image information; and generate new image information based on the direction of the content and the variation between the adjacent pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Victor Octav Suba Miura
  • INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE
    Publication number: 20150352447
    Abstract: A game system that can offer motivation promoting participation to players is provided. An information processing device accepts an investment instruction to specify any of plural game players as an investment-target player from an investor player and records a play result of a game by the investment-target player. Furthermore, the information processing device decides investment performance of the investor player according to the play result of the game recorded about the investment-target player specified by the investor player.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2014
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Takayuki Ishida, Osamu Ota
  • INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANAGING FILE
    Publication number: 20150356018
    Abstract: A media drive is loaded with a ROM medium on which a plurality of files constituting an application are recorded. A readout block reads out data from the media drive. A memory temporarily stores the read-out data. A providing block provides the data stored in the memory to game software. A recording processing block records the data stored in the memory in an auxiliary storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Takeshi Hashimoto, Masaki Takahashi, Hideya Muraoka, Naoto Okino, Andrew R Thaler
  • MEDIA FINGERPRITING FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING
    Publication number: 20150358679
    Abstract: Audio fingerprinting and other media matching technologies can be used to identify media, such as movies, television shows, and radio broadcasts. A user device can record image, audio, and/or video information and upload information to a matching service that is able to use matching technology to identify the media and provide supplemental content or information to the user. The user then can share this information with other users, such as by uploading to a social networking site or passing the information to peers on a peer network as part of a container. Users can have the ability to add tagged content, provide comments and ratings, and otherwise interact based at least in part upon the tagged media content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Dominic S. Mallinson
  • Method and apparatus for area-efficient graphical user interface
    Patent number: 9207864
    Abstract: A user operates a GUI with a thumb and an index finger while holding an information processing device with left and right hands. The GUI screen image displays a directional keys input area at the lower left on the screen image, a button input area at the lower right on the screen image, an L1/L2 button input area at the upper left on the screen image, and an R1/R2 button input area at the upper right on the screen image. The L1/L2 and the R1/R2 button input areas are in the form of circle sectors, whereby the center angles of the circle sectors are at right angles of the two upper corners of the screen, and by internally dividing the center angles further so as to divide the sectors into two sectors respectively, the L1 and L2 buttons, and the R1 and R2 buttons are distinguished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshimitsu Funabashi, Shunsuke Kunieda
  • Display screen or portion thereof with animated graphical user interface for a portable information terminal
    Patent number: D745547
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Hidehiko Morisada, Takayuki Shinohara, Aritoki Kawai, Tomo Matayoshi, Yuko Nagaoka
  • Display screen or portion thereof with animated graphical user interface for a portable information terminal
    Patent number: D745548
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Hidehiko Morisada, Takayuki Shinohara, Aritoki Kawai, Tomo Matayoshi, Yuko Nagaoka