Patents Assigned to Valve Corporation
  • Patent number: 11033809
    Abstract: A handheld controller may include a movable control that is usable for activating and deactivating a motion control feature of the handheld controller based on a detection of, or a failure to detect, a finger contacting a surface of the movable control. For example, a touch sensor associated with the movable control may provide touch sensor data indicative of a proximity of a finger relative to the movable control, and based on this touch sensor data, the motion control feature of the handheld controller can be toggled on and off, depending on whether the finger is contacting the movable control or not. When the motion control feature is activated, motion sensor data from a motion sensor(s) is sent to an application (e.g., a video game) as application input. When the motion control feature is deactivated, the motion sensor data is not used as application input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Austin Palmer, Ian Campbell, Scott Dalton
  • Patent number: 11000759
    Abstract: A handheld video game controller is operable in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mode to allow for sending controller input data to a target BLE device in a manner that bypasses any operating system (OS) restrictions that might otherwise be imposed on game controller input. When operating in the BLE mode, the handheld video game controller pairs (establishes a radio link) with a BLE device executing a client application used for video game streaming. During gameplay, the video game executes on a host computer and the player provides user input to the game controller to control an aspect of the video game. In response to such user input, the game controller sends controller input data to the BLE device via a radio of the game controller. The player may switch between operating the game controller in BLE mode and receiver mode using input gestures on the game controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Austin Palmer, Sam Lantinga, Nathaniel Brown, Corey Wharton
  • Patent number: 10996775
    Abstract: A method including receiving data corresponding to one or more objects in proximity to the controller, determining scores for controller configurations of the controller, ranking the scores of controller configurations, selecting a controller configuration among the controller configurations, and configuring a touch sensor of the controller according to a selected controller configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventor: Scott Douglas Nietfeld
  • Patent number: 10996463
    Abstract: A head-mounted display, or other near-to-eye display, incorporates optics that include a spatially-varying retarder (SVR). The SVR may be manufactured with a correction factor applied thereto in order to compensate for one or more manufacturing errors that are exhibited in a molded lens and/or a polarizing beam splitter included in the optics of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Joshua Mark Hudman, Ivan A. McCracken
  • Patent number: 10997946
    Abstract: Methods and systems relating generally to information displays, and more particularly to systems and methods for setting or dynamically adjusting the illumination pulses of a display or portions of a display on an individual color channel (typically R, G, B) basis. The illumination pulses may be adjusted for a plurality of frames at once, or on a frame by frame basis. The illumination pulses may be controlled for an entire image frame, or the illumination pulse may be controlled on a finer basis, for instance on separate areas or sub-regions of a display. Such adjustments can lead to improved sharpness, brightness, or useable lifetime of the display, and can eliminate or reduce discrepancies of visual artifacts in the visual field by providing separate or variable duty cycle capability on an individual color channel basis to the display for use in combination with display images, particularly for use with close-eye display orientations such as those used in augmented reality or virtual reality applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeremy Selan, Montgomery V. Goodson
  • Patent number: 10989360
    Abstract: A check valve assembly includes a valve, cam and arm with float rotatably connected to the valve for insertion into a fluid storage container for filling of the container without overfilling. The valve includes a channel of narrowing diameter and restricting member movably retained within the channel. One end of the restricting member rides along the cam profile as the arm rotates the cam with the changing fluid levels. When the fluid reaches maximum fill level, the restricting member contacting the cam drops into the cam valley, driving the restricting member head into engagement with the channel neck walls and automatically sealing off the valve. First and second biasing members are disposed in the channel, preferably around the stem, and collectively provide counter force sufficient to overcome the frictional forces of the seal to open valve and move the restricting member upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Chester Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Mia Daniels, Kevin Kolonsky
  • Patent number: 10987573
    Abstract: A method including receiving at least one of touch data or force data representing a touch input received at the controller, determining one or more model(s), generating image data using the one or more models, the image data representing at least a hand gesture corresponding to the touch input received at the controller, and transmitting the image data to a virtual reality (VR) environment for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Douglas Nietfeld, Joe van den Heuvel
  • Patent number: 10981054
    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 usable to dynamically modify a state of play of a video game. The sensors may be connected or even unconnected 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: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Steven J. Bond, Michael S. Ambinder
  • Patent number: 10985555
    Abstract: Systems and methods for distributing power over a relatively long distance by sending high frequency alternating current (AC) over a transmission subsystem between a sender subsystem and a receiver subsystem. Power may be sent from the sender subsystem to the receiver subsystem over a transmission subsystem that includes first and second conductors, such as pair of shielded or unshielded wires twisted together. The sender subsystem may utilize a resonant converter to provide sinusoidal oscillation, which greatly reduces the radio emissions normally caused in DC systems due to high frequency current draws by a load. The receiver system may include a resonant converter or discontinuous conduction mode flyback converter, which provides DC power to a load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: VALVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eric Judson VanWyk, Staci Jane Elaan
  • Patent number: 10948730
    Abstract: A panel mask(s) rendered on a display panel(s) of a head-mounted display (HMD) may be dynamically adjusted (increased and decreased) in size in order to hide unwanted visual artifacts from view, as needed. For example, if frames are being rendered on the display panel of the HMD using re-projection, a size value associated with at least a portion of the panel mask can be adjusted based on rotation of the HMD to increase or decrease a size of at least the portion of the panel mask from a current size to an adjusted size, and the panel mask can be rendered with at least the portion of the panel mask rendered at the adjusted size to hide the unwanted visual artifacts. The size of the portion of the panel mask can subsequently decrease, over a period of time, if re-projection ceases and/or if head rotation ceases or slows down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventor: Alex Vlachos
  • Patent number: 10921881
    Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking the position of a head-mounted display (HMD). The HMD may include a support structure that carries a forward facing camera and a plurality of optical flow sensor integrated circuits (ICs). The forward camera captures image sensor data in a forward camera field of view (FOV) at a first frame rate, and each of the plurality of sensor ICs captures image sensor data in a respective plurality of sensor IC FOVs at a second frame rate. The sensor IC FOVs may collectively cover at least a substantial portion of the forward camera FOV. A processor may receive the image sensor data from the camera and the plurality of sensor ICs. The processor may process the received image sensor data and/or other sensor data (e.g., IMU data) to track a position of the head-mounted display based on the processing of the received sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventor: Joshua Mark Hudman
  • Patent number: 10905962
    Abstract: A trained machine learning model(s) is used to determine scores (e.g., trust scores) for user accounts registered with a video game service, and the scores are used to match players together in multiplayer video game settings. In an example process, a computing system may access data associated with registered user accounts, provide the data as input to the trained machine learning model(s), and the trained machine learning model(s) generates the scores as output, which relate to probabilities of players behaving, or not behaving, in accordance with a particular behavior while playing a video game in multiplayer mode. Thereafter, subsets of logged-in user accounts executing a video game can be assigned to different matches based at least in part on the scores determined for those logged-in user accounts, and the video game is executed in the assigned match for each logged-in user account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Kaethler, Anthony John Cox, Brian R. Levinthal, John McDonald
  • Patent number: 10905946
    Abstract: A method including determining a range of values for a proximity sensor, receiving proximity data from the proximity sensor, decaying a limit associated with a maximum value, decaying a limit associated with a minimum value, determining a range of values detected by the proximity sensor, and determining an updated scale factor for the proximity sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Douglas Nietfeld, Jeffrey George Leinbaugh
  • Patent number: 10898801
    Abstract: Described herein are, among other things, techniques to enable a user to navigate a color picker or other graphical-user-interface (GUI) tool using an input device of a handheld controller. For example, a user may operate a color picker presented on a display by pressing upwards on a joystick to activate selection of hue, down and to the left to activate selection of saturation, and down and to the right to activate selection of lightness or value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventor: Joe Demers
  • Patent number: 10898797
    Abstract: An electronic controller includes a controller body having a head that adjoins a handle at a neck region, and that includes at least one thumb-operated control. The controller includes a hand retainer that in a closed position is configured to physically bias the user's palm against an outer surface of the handle. The hand retainer includes a resilient member that biases the hand retainer towards an open position. An adjustment mechanism couples the resilient member to the head and permits the resilient member to be adjusted betweena plurality of discrete positions to adjust the resilient member towards or away from the user's purlicue. The adjustment mechanism may include an anchor that is movable peripherally about the head between the plurality of discrete positions and is pivotably attached to the resilient member with a two-part fastener, with a friction member interposed between the resilient member and the anchor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Walter Petersen, Philip Bryan, Carl Samuel Conlee, IV, Jeffrey Walter Mucha, Scott Douglas Nietfeld, Eric VanWyk, Michael Baseflug, Jeffrey George Leinbaugh, Lawrence Yang, Jeremy Slocum
  • Patent number: 10898796
    Abstract: A controller for an electronic system includes a tracking member fixed to a controller body. The controller body has a head that adjoins a handle at a neck region, and that includes at least one thumb-operated control. The controller includes a hand retainer that in a closed position is configured to physically bias the user's palm against an outer surface of the handle. The hand retainer includes a resilient member that biases the hand retainer towards an open position. The resilient member is attached to an anchor that is attached to the head by an adjustment mechanism that permits the resilient member to be moved towards or away from the user's purlicue. The tracking member includes transducers that are coupled to the electronic system by electromagnetic radiation. Proximity sensors, spatially distributed on the handle, are responsive to a proximity of the user's fingers to the outer surface of the handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Eric James Hope, Scott Nietfeld, Carl Conlee, Scott Richard Britt, Jeffrey Walter Mucha, Jeffrey George Leinbaugh, Jeremy Slocum
  • Patent number: 10904516
    Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) system may include a HMD with a housing and a pair of display panels, mounted within the housing, that are counterrotated in orientation. A compositor of the HMD system may also be configured to provide camera pose data with counterrotated camera orientations to an executing application (e.g., a video game application), and to resample the frames received from the application, with or without rotational adjustments in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions depending on whether the display panels of the HMD are upright-oriented or counterrotated in orientation. A combined approach may use the counterrotated camera orientations in combination with counterrotated display panels to provide a HMD with optimized display performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventor: Jeremy Adam Selan
  • Patent number: 10888776
    Abstract: Described herein are, among other things, handheld controllers that include one or more touchpads (i.e., touch-sensitive controls) configured to detachably couple to one or more overlays that effectively transform the respective touchpad into a different control. For instance, one example handheld controller may include a circular trackpad that is configured to detect a position of a finger on a top surface of the trackpad. This position may be used to control a cursor or avatar, for scrolling, or for any other type of command. In general, most or all of the top surface may be usable by a user for providing input to the controller and/or a remote system coupled to the controller. As described herein, however, one or more different overlays may detachably couple to a housing of the controller and/or the trackpad itself to effectively change the use of the trackpad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Austin Palmer, Cheang Tad Yoo, Brian David Hensley, Michael J. Goerz, Scott Dalton, Ian Campbell, Christopher Lee Bjordhal, Jeffrey Peter Bellinghausen
  • Patent number: D908798
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Carl Samuel Conlee, IV, Philip Bryan, Claire Gottschalk, Jeremy Slocum
  • Patent number: D917477
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Carl Samuel Conlee, IV, Ivan A. McCracken, Jeremy Adam Selan, Quentin Smith, Dustin Michael Horn, Clement Gallois