Patents Assigned to Valve Corporation
  • Overlaying interactive video game play with real-time chat sessions with game switching
    Patent number: 9700791
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed towards providing an interactive game experience whereby a game player may combine game play with a user interface overlaid onto the game that is useable to interact and communicate with other players inside and/or outside of the current game. Through the use of the user interface, a player may select different game sets to play, and rapidly switch between games with different players, while maintaining a real-time interactive chat session, or similar communication session, including, without limit, voice communication sessions. A game client component may launch a game, and then hooks into the game to intercept various input and video functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: John Cook, Martin Otten
  • Wearable input device
    Patent number: 9671213
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for integrating LC circuits into a user's jewelry for controlling systems such as computer games. The resonant frequency of the circuit at each of multiple rings worn by the user may be adjustable. A secondary coil within each ring may be moved in relation to the magnetic field generated by a primary coil that may be part of another piece of jewelry, such as a watch or a bracelet, to generate control signals. The magnetic field may inductively couple and power the rings, which may each contain an LC tank circuit. If powered, each of these circuits may oscillate at its resonant frequency. A receiver system may comprise an antenna and a tuning circuit to detect a resonant frequency as an input to control moves of a character within a game, for example for use with heads-up displays (HUDs) for augmented reality applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventor: Jeri Janet Ellsworth
  • PLAYER BIOFEEDBACK FOR DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLING A VIDEO GAME STATE
    Publication number: 20170080339
    Abstract: Various embodiments are directed towards employing one or more physical sensors arranged on or in proximity to a video game player to obtain biofeedback measures that are then useable to dynamically modify a state of play of a video game. The sensors may be connected or even un-connected to the game player, replace, or otherwise augment traditional physical game controllers. The sensors gather various biofeedback measures and provide such measures to a biofeedback application programming interface (API). Before and/or during video game play, the video game queries the biofeedback API to request inferences about the game player's state of arousal. The response to the query is then used to modify the state of the video game play. Where the video game is a multi-player video game, biofeedback measures from other game players may also be obtained and used to further modify the state of the video game play.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Steven J. Bond, Michael S. Ambinder
  • Player biofeedback for dynamically controlling a video game state
    Patent number: 9511289
    Abstract: Various embodiments are directed towards employing one or more physical sensors arranged on or in proximity to a video game player to obtain biofeedback measures that are then useable to dynamically modify a state of play of a video game. The sensors may be connected or even un-connected to the game player, replace, or otherwise augment traditional physical game controllers. The sensors gather various biofeedback measures and provide such measures to a biofeedback application programming interface (API). Before and/or during video game play, the video game queries the biofeedback API to request inferences about the game player's state of arousal. The response to the query is then used to modify the state of the video game play. Where the video game is a multi-player video game, biofeedback measures from other game players may also be obtained and used to further modify the state of the video game play.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Steven J. Bond, Michael S. Ambinder
  • Methods and systems for changing duty cycle to reduce judder effect
    Patent number: 9407797
    Abstract: Methods and systems relating to compensation for discrepancies in an image that may be captured with a moving camera or a moving head. The visual artifacts in the visual field may be reduced or eliminated by monitoring head and camera movements for a Heads Up Display (HUD) application, and feeding back the movement data to a compensation circuit to eliminate or reduce the visual artifacts such as judder effect, as the head and the camera move relative to the objects that the camera may be capturing. The duty cycle of one or more pixels and/or one or more groups of pixels of the display may be varied at different rates for different head and camera movement speeds. The faster the camera or head moves the shorter the duty cycle that may be applied to the display so that the image has low persistence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dan Newell, Benjamin David Krasnow
  • Device for measuring interpupillary distance in a head-mounted display unit
    Patent number: 9398847
    Abstract: In certain embodiments, a head-mounted display may include one or more displays for displaying images. A left and right movable disk may be placed respectively between the left and right eyes of a user and the one or more displays. The user may wear the HMD, and may adjust the spacing between the left and right disks while viewing the computer-displayed image or images through holes in the plastic discs. For example, the HMD may display a stereo colored bulls eye pattern, of which the user can only see a portion because their vision is restricted to on-axis viewing by the discs. The computer may instruct the user to move the HMD disks until the user can only see the color in the center of the bulls eye. In certain embodiments, by performing the foregoing adjustment, the eye may be oriented on the proper optical axis to look through an optimal location of a lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dan Newell, Benjamin David Krasnow
  • PROTECTING AGAINST POLYMORPHIC CHEAT CODES IN A VIDEO GAME
    Publication number: 20160199737
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed towards protecting against polymorphic cheat codes in a video game environment. A detour analyzer analyzes game code in client memory for possible hooks to parasite code. For each detected hook to parasite code, hook and/or parasite information is determined to generate a hook/parasite signatures, which are sent to a remote network device. Based on the hook/parasite signatures a weighted combination of scores are generated that is useable to determine a probability value that the parasite code is cheat code. If the determined probability value indicates cheat code, the user of the client device may be banned from future game play. Additionally, the hook/parasite signature information may be used to update the data store to detect polymorphic changes in the cheat code.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Applicant: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: John COOK, Martin Otten
  • Compositing multiple scene shots into a video game clip
    Patent number: 9381429
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to compositing multi-dimensional video game world data obtained from execution of a video game world sequence. An animation editor records the video game world data within a plurality of data logs after execution of an animation component of the video game world and prior to providing the data to a material system and/or graphics device for rendering. The user may edit the recorded data to make modifications in the recorded game sequence, by compositing sequences with content such as other sequences, multiple composited recordings, and/or a modified camera perspective during the editing process. The composited modifications may then be fed back for re-recording the animation component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bay Leaf Raitt, Joseph Eddy Demers, Yahn William Bernier, Brian Ratcliff Jacobson, Marc Sean Scaparro, Karl Ian Whinnie
  • Protecting against polymorphic cheat codes in a video game
    Patent number: 9317684
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed towards protecting against polymorphic cheat codes in a video game environment. A detour analyzer analyzes game code in client memory for possible hooks to parasite code. For each detected hook to parasite code, hook and/or parasite information is determined to generate a hook/parasite signatures, which are sent to a remote network device. Based on the hook/parasite signatures a weighted combination of scores are generated that is useable to determine a probability value that the parasite code is cheat code. If the determined probability value indicates cheat code, the user of the client device may be banned from future game play. Additionally, the hook/parasite signature information may be used to update the data store to detect polymorphic changes in the cheat code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: John Cook, Martin Otten
  • Cap for dispensing liquids or gels
    Patent number: 9260237
    Abstract: A cap for a container that stores and dispenses fluids or gels that includes a shroud having a shroud wall surrounding an opening and a collar connected on the shroud so that the collar selectively rotates relative to the shroud, is provided. The collar is rotatable between a closed position and an open position. The actuator is connected to the shroud, and has a contact portion. The contact portion is in the opening of the shroud. The actuator is movable in the closed position and the open position by a force that is applied to the contact portion only after removal of a tab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Precision Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Geoffrey Brace, John T. Kawalchuk, Jr., Michael Paul Downey, Anthony John Kennedy, John Zeritis
  • DEVICE FOR MEASURING INTERPUPILLARY DISTANCE IN A HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY UNIT
    Publication number: 20150109576
    Abstract: In certain embodiments, a head-mounted display may include one or more displays for displaying images. A left and right movable disk may be placed respectively between the left and right eyes of a user and the one or more displays. The user may wear the HMD, and may adjust the spacing between the left and right disks while viewing the computer-displayed image or images through holes in the plastic discs. For example, the HMD may display a stereo colored bulls eye pattern, of which the user can only see a portion because their vision is restricted to on-axis viewing by the discs. The computer may instruct the user to move the HMD disks until the user can only see the color in the center of the bulls eye. In certain embodiments, by performing the foregoing adjustment, the eye may be oriented on the proper optical axis to look through an optimal location of a lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Applicant: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin David Krasnow, Dan Newell
  • Wearable input device
    Patent number: 8986125
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for integrating LC circuits into a user's jewelry for controlling systems such as computer games. The resonant frequency of the circuit at each of multiple rings worn by the user may be adjustable. A secondary coil within each ring may be moved in relation to the magnetic field generated by a primary coil that may be part of another piece of jewelry, such as a watch or a bracelet, to generate control signals. The magnetic field may inductively couple and power the rings, which may each contain an LC tank circuit. If powered, each of these circuits may oscillate at its resonant frequency. A receiver system may comprise an antenna and a tuning circuit to detect a resonant frequency as an input to control moves of a character within a game, for example for use with heads-up displays (HUDs) for augmented reality applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventor: Jeri Janet Ellsworth
  • Game console
    Patent number: D717874
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Louis Barinaga, Gregory Coomer, Claire Gottschalk, Eric Hope, Quentin Smith
  • Controller
    Patent number: D721078
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Bellinghausen, Claire Michelle Gottschalk, Eric Hope, Jeffrey Keyzer, Amy Narae Kim
  • Game console
    Patent number: D721138
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Louis Barinaga, Gregory Coomer, Claire Gottschalk, Eric Hope, Quentin Smith
  • Game console
    Patent number: D722116
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventor: Claire Michelle Gottschalk
  • Controller
    Patent number: D726726
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Bellinghausen, Claire Michelle Gottschalk, Eric Hope, Jeffrey Keyzer, Amy Narae Kim
  • Controller
    Patent number: D740825
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey Peter Bellinghausen, Claire Michelle Gottschalk, Eric James Hope, Jeffrey Keyzer, Amy Narae Kim, Pierre-Loup Miguel Griffais
  • Controller
    Patent number: D766902
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey Peter Bellinghausen, Claire Michelle Gottschalk, Eric James Hope, Jeffrey Keyzer, Amy Narae Kim
  • Controller
    Patent number: D767682
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey Bellinghausen, Claire Michelle Gottschalk, Eric Hope, Jeffrey Keyzer, Amy Narae Kim