Patents Assigned to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
  • Publication number: 20150278583
    Abstract: Provided is an information processor which readily permits operation input to be made so as to point a position on a screen when an operation input is received from a user using a captured image obtained by imaging the user. The information processor acquires a captured image including a user's face, identifies the position of the user's face included in the acquired captured image, sets an operation area at a position on the captured image determined in accordance with the identified face position, detects a detection target within the operation area, and receives, as a user-pointed position, a position on the screen corresponding to a relative position of the detected detection target within the operation area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2013
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.,
    Inventors: Yutaka Yokokawa, Nicolas Doucet, Takumi Yoshida, Tetsugo Inada
  • Patent number: 9144736
    Abstract: A game control technique with high entertainment value is provided. In a game device, a confirmation sound output unit assigns a sound to each type of an operation input from a player; and upon the reception of the operation input from the player, the confirmation sound output unit outputs the sound assigned to the operation input. A command memory unit stores a plurality of types and patterns of the rhythms of the operation input in association with commands which is issued upon the reception of the operation inputs. A command determination unit acquires the type and rhythm of the operation input from the player and determines whether the type and rhythm of the operation input match the pattern stored in the command memory unit. A repetition unit outputs the sound corresponding to the pattern when the operation input from the player is determined to match the pattern stored in the command determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kotani
  • Patent number: 9147434
    Abstract: A recording information acquisition unit 626 acquires recording information of a plurality of recorded contents having programs recorded therein and stored in the information processing apparatus or in any of a plurality of recording apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus through a network. A content classification unit 628 classifies the recorded contents into groups based on the recording information acquired by the recording information acquisition unit 626. A group name determination unit 630 determines, for each of the groups of the recorded contents classified by the content classification unit 628, a title of the group. A list displaying unit 632 displays the group names determined by the group name determination unit 630 in a list on a user interface without distinguishing the apparatus in which the recorded contents are stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Manabu Nishizawa, Yuki Kobayashi, Kensaku Ishizuka, Satoshi Morita
  • Patent number: 9148564
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: an image data production unit configured to produce data of a plurality of kinds of images from a picked up image and successively output the data; an image synthesis unit configured to cyclically connect the data of the plurality of kinds of images for each pixel string within a range set in advance for each of the kinds of the images and output the connected data as a stream to produce a virtual synthetic image; and an image sending unit configured to accept, from a host terminal, a data transmission request that designates a rectangular region in the virtual synthetic image, extract and connect data from the stream and transmit the connected data as a new stream to the host terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Ohba, Hiroyuki Segawa, Hideyuki Saito, Hidehiko Ogasawara, Tetsugo Inada
  • Publication number: 20150271555
    Abstract: A home screen display unit displays a global navigation screen 12 that is located on an upper layer with respect to a screen transition and that is used for selecting a category of content to be processed. The home screen display unit displays a content zone screen 18 that is located on a lower layer with respect to a screen transition and that is used for selecting a piece of content to be processed from among a plurality of pieces of content corresponding to the category selected in the global navigation screen 12. If a specific piece of content is selected in the content zone screen 18, a game screen display unit displays a screen of the selected content. The home screen display unit displays, in the global navigation screen 12, an image of at least a portion of the content zone screen 18 with image quality lower than that in the case where the image is displayed in the content zone screen 18.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: George Arriola, Anahi Bagu Casas, Shinji Kimura, Shiqeru Enomoto, Yasuhiro Yamanaka, Motoki Kobayashi, Shuji Hiramatsu, Yumiko Tanaka, Taku Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20150270610
    Abstract: An antenna device includes a feed terminal configured to feed a first radio-frequency signal at one end part of an antenna element having both end parts, a feed terminal capable of feeding a second radio-frequency signal concurrently with the first radio-frequency signal at the other end part, and a grounding terminal configured to connect to a grounding point at a substantially center part. Based on this, signals in plural frequency bands are allowed to be concurrently used in common in one antenna element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kodama
  • Patent number: 9143821
    Abstract: A program information acquisition unit 60 acquires program information of each of a plurality of channels over a plurality of broadcasting types, among which a transmitting form of a broadcasting signal is different. A program table displaying unit 88 causes a program table, in which program information of the plurality of channels is juxtaposed in a classified state for each channel, to be displayed. The program table displaying unit 88 causes both of program information of channels belonging to a first broadcasting type and program information of channels belonging to a second broadcasting type to be displayed in a juxtaposed relationship in the same program table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Masakazu Hayashi, Kensaku Ishizuka, Yuki Kobayashi, Manabu Nishizawa
  • Patent number: 9143699
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for presenting non-video content through a mobile device that uses a video camera to track a video on another screen. In one embodiment, a system includes a video display, such as a TV, that displays video content. A mobile device with an integrated video camera captures video data from the TV and allows a user to select an area in the video in order to hear/feel/smell what is at that location in the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Steven Osman
  • Patent number: 9138649
    Abstract: In a game device, a game control unit arranges an object in a three-dimensional space provided in a game field. A temperature-distribution simulator simulates a physical phenomenon on a two-dimensional plane, onto which a three-dimensional space is projected, in reference to a distribution-data storage unit. The game control unit applies the simulated physical phenomenon on an object in the three-dimensional space. A mycelial-growth simulator similarly simulates a physical phenomenon on a two-dimensional plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Matsushita, Taro Matsuda, Hidehito Kojima
  • Patent number: 9143544
    Abstract: A reproduction information acquiring unit acquires information identifying content streams reproduced by the information processing apparatus. A content information acquiring unit acquires, from a communicating terminal apparatus, information identifying the content streams being reproduced by the communicating terminal apparatus. A display processing unit generates a display screen to be displayed on a display, by using the information acquired respectively by the reproduction information acquiring unit and the content information acquiring unit. A screen display unit displays the display screen generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Tsubasa Umeki, Toru Ogiso, Makoto Watanabe, Shingo Mimura, Toshiyuki Kurosaki
  • Patent number: 9141265
    Abstract: In an information processing apparatus, a motion vector acquisition unit acquires the movement of a cursor of a pointing device as a motion vector. A display unit displays an execution screen for an application. The display unit displays an operation area for operating an operation target in the application in an area of a display screen different from an area for displaying the execution screen. A conversion unit obtains the moving direction and the amount of displacement of the display position of the operation target based on the motion vector, acquired by the motion vector acquisition unit, of the cursor of the pointing device in the operation area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Ryota Akao, Tatsuya Suzuki, Hiroshi Aruga
  • Publication number: 20150254891
    Abstract: Thresholds b1, b2, b3, and b4 are set in the luminance of a raw image. In an image 84a of the lowermost layer, the region in which the luminance is equal to or higher than b1 is left. In an image 84b over it, the region in which the luminance is equal to or higher than b2 is left. In an image 84c over it, the region in which the luminance is equal to or higher than b3 is left. In an image 84d of the uppermost layer, the region in which the luminance is equal to or higher than b4 is left. In each of these images, the alpha value of the other region is set to 0. The images are integrated with the color information of the raw image to generate final slice images. A display image is generated by stacking the generated slice images sequentially from the lowermost layer at predetermined intervals and performing drawing according to the point of sight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
    Inventor: Masaaki Oka
  • Publication number: 20150254396
    Abstract: A communication section receives a connection request from a game controller to connect the game controller with an information processing apparatus. A registered user information holding section holds biometric information of a user registered in the information processing apparatus. A biometric authentication portion compares biometric information of a user included in a taken image with biometric information held in the registered user information holding section to determine whether the imaged user is a user registered in the information processing apparatus. After the imaged user is found to be a user registered in the information processing apparatus, a login controller executes login processing of the user, or to be more specific, stores information for identifying a device included in the taken image and information for identifying the user into a login user storage portion by relating these items of information with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Keigo Tamura, Tomohiro Ogawa, Akitsugu Tsuchiya, Toshimasa Aoki
  • Patent number: 9128550
    Abstract: Provided is an information processing device which allows a user to provide, regardless of a position or direction of a touch sensor, an operation input to the touch sensor at an arbitrary position or in an arbitrary direction. The information processing device includes two touch sensors each including a detection surface for detecting a position of an object thereon, the two touch sensors being arranged to be opposed to each other, determines at least one of a reference point and a reference axis based on one or a plurality of positions detected by one touch sensor of the two touch sensors, and evaluates a content detected by another touch sensor of the two touch sensors based on the at least one of the determined reference point and the determined reference axis to determine a content of an operation input of a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Imada, Arito Mochizuki, Tomoya Kitayama, Phillip Profitt
  • Patent number: 9126110
    Abstract: A game device comprises: a first receiving unit configured to receive an input direction from a controller comprising an input interface for accepting an input direction in which to move a target displayed on a screen of a display device; a second receiving unit configured to receive, from a sensor that detects the position or the attitude of the controller, information relating to the position and the attitude of the controller; and a movement control unit configured to move the position of the target based on both of the direction received by the first receiving unit and the information relating to the position or the attitude of the controller received by the second receiving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Kuniaki Narita
  • Patent number: 9131116
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes: a program guide displaying unit configured to display a program guide on a predetermined display, the program guide being such that program information is arranged in an area having a time axis and a channel axis; an indicator acquisition unit configured to acquire an indicator indicative of the number of viewers viewing each of a plurality of programs listed in the program guide in a similar time zone; and a popularity determination unit configured to determine the popularity of the program in accordance with the indicator. The program guide displaying unit displays at least some of the plurality of programs in a mode indicating the popularity of the program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Manabu Nishizawa, Yuki Kobayashi, Kensaku Ishizuka, Koji Kanai
  • Patent number: 9128316
    Abstract: A dust-proof frame 30 includes a front frame portion 32 located on the outer periphery of the front surface of a display panel unit 20. The dust-proof frame 30 includes a convex portion 31 that projects from the front frame portion 32 toward the inner surface of a housing 10. A gap G1 is located in a pressing direction of the inner surface of the housing 10 with respect to the convex portion 31 and extends along the convex portion 31 is provided in the dust-proof frame 30. According to the above structure, the function of the dust-proof frame 30 can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Tatsuhiro Obara
  • Patent number: 9120015
    Abstract: An electronic device (1) has hold parts (1R, 1L) constituting respective right and left side parts of the electronic device 1 and being available to be held by a user. Operating sticks (3R, 3L) are provided on the respective hold parts (1R, 1L). A rear touch panel (21) is provided on the rear surface of the electronic device (1). The rear touch panel (21) is provided in at least an area located further upward than a positions P opposite from the operation sticks (3R, 3L). This layout of the rear touch panel (21) allows a user to smoothly operate the rear touch panel (21) while holding the hold parts of the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Sakakibara, Takashi Sogabe, Kazuya Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 9124883
    Abstract: 3D shutter glasses with a synchronization signal sent through a stereo headphone wire are presented. In some embodiments, the 3D shutter glasses receive a synchronization signal through the same wire that transmits audio data to headphones or other audio devices. The synchronization signal may be combined with the audio data through various techniques so as to not disrupt the audio a listener hears, but to still provide the data to the 3D shutter glasses to synchronize with a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
    Inventor: Xiaodong Mao
  • Patent number: D740254
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Ennin Huang, Tetsu Sumii