Facebook Patents

Facebook, Inc. operates a social media website and mobile app that enables people to connect, share and discover opinions, ideas, photos and videos. The company also owns Instagram, a mobile application for sharing photos and videos, as well as WhatsApp, a mobile messaging application.

Facebook Patents by Type
  • Facebook Patents Granted: Facebook patents that have been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Facebook Patent Applications: Facebook patent applications that are pending before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Patent number: 10506383
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving from a client system of a user, background signal-information identifying one or more first wireless signals within wireless communication range of the client system; accessing a place-entity database, wherein the place-entity database comprises information indicating that a first place-entity corresponds to one or more second wireless signals; determining that the client system is located at a geographic location associated with the first place-entity based on determining that the one or more first wireless signals match the one or more second wireless signals and further based on the information indicating that the first place-entity corresponds to the one or more second wireless signals; and sending, to the client system, information associated with the first place-entity automatically without a query from the user of the client system, wherein the query is related to the first place-entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Haski, Aileen Chen, Aaron Bryan Adcock, Yaniv Shmueli
  • Patent number: 10502643
    Abstract: A deformation sensing apparatus comprises an elastic substrate, a first strain-gauge element formed on a first surface of the elastic substrate, and configured to output a first signal in response to a strain applied in a first direction, and a second strain-gauge element formed on a second surface of the elastic substrate opposite to the first surface, and configured to output a second signal in response to a strain applied in the same first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sean Jason Keller, Tristan Thomas Trutna, David R. Perek, Bruce A. Cleary, III
  • Patent number: 10500505
    Abstract: Techniques to interact with an application via messaging are described. An apparatus may comprise an application support component and a communication component. The application support component may be operative to generate an image representing a state of an application and to update the state of the application according to a text command. The communication component may be operative to transmit the image to a client device via a messaging system as an image attachment to a first message and to receive a second message from the client device via the messaging system, the second message comprising the text command. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Oded Blayer, Ittai Golde, Ran Makavy, Amir Rosenfeld
  • Patent number: 10506217
    Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) is configured to capture images and/or video of a local area. The HMD includes an imaging assembly and a controller. The imaging assembly includes a plurality of cameras positioned at different locations on the HMD and oriented to capture images of different portions of a local area surrounding the HMD. The controller generates imaging instructions for each camera using image information. The imaging instructions cause respective midpoints of exposure times for each camera to occur at a same time value for each of the captured images. The cameras capture images of the local area in accordance with the imaging instructions. The controller determines a location of the HMD in the local area using the captured images and updates a model that represents a mapping function of the depth and exposure settings of the local area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Oskar Linde, Andrew Melim
  • Patent number: 10506097
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving identifier-information from a device of a first user, wherein the identifier-information is associated with a source of an incoming communication; accessing a social graph including nodes and edges, where the nodes include a first node corresponding to the first user, and second nodes corresponding to respective second users; determining whether one or more reporting users, corresponding to respective second nodes within a specified degree of separation from the first node, have flagged the source of the incoming communication as a spam source; and sending, to the first user, a spam-notification object that includes information identifying one or more of the reporting users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Nicholas Papakipos, David Harry Garcia, Paul Tarjan
  • Patent number: 10503349
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can present a shared three-dimensional computing environment to a plurality of users. A personal space associated with a current user is presented to the current user. The personal space comprises one or more content items visible only to the current user. A first content item is moved from the personal space to the shared three-dimensional computing environment. Moving the first content item from the personal space to the shared three-dimensional computing environment causes the first content item to be visible to the plurality of users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Alexandros Alexander
  • Patent number: 10504207
    Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) divides an image into a high resolution (HR) inset portion at a first resolution, a peripheral portion, and a transitional portion. The peripheral portion is downsampled to a second resolution that is less than the first resolution. The transitional portion is blended such that there is a smooth change in resolution that corresponds to a change in resolution between a fovea region and a non-fovea region of a retina. An inset region is generated using the HR inset portion and the blended transitional portion, and a background region is generated using the downsampled peripheral portion. The inset region is provided to a HR inset display, and the background region is provided to a peripheral display. An optics block combines the displayed inset region with the displayed background region to generate composite content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Austin Wilson, Douglas Robert Lanman, Nicholas Daniel Trail, Scott Charles McEldowney, Stephen James McNally, Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai
  • Patent number: 10506276
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes determining available media content from one or more content sources, providing at least a portion of the available media content for display on a display device of a user, and determining whether a media action button should be displayed on the display device. The media action button is provided for display on the display device when it is determined that the media action button should be displayed. The media action button is operable to perform an action associated with particular available media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Erick Tseng
  • Patent number: 10506301
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media can identify one or more of a store or a product depicted in a live stream video. An advertisement associated with the store or the product can be generated. The advertisement can be inserted into the live stream video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Maria Zverina, Dariia Stroganova
  • Patent number: 10503720
    Abstract: A multi-shard database system receives a transaction including multiple actions directed to different shards of the database system. The database system creates a transaction record including a transaction identifier and a transaction status for the transaction in a transaction database. The database system then executes, in parallel, the multiple actions on the different shards by associating with each data item involved in the transaction a data structure that includes the transaction identifier and new data to be applied to the data item. The database system then updates the transaction status in the transaction record for the transaction from pending to completed when each of the multiple actions is successfully executed on the corresponding shard. Consistency is eventually implemented when the data structures associated with the data items involved in the transaction are evaluated. The evaluation of a data structure can be triggered by a read request or other events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil Earnest Chao, Daniel Nota Peek, Dmitri Perelman, Philippe Vincent Ajoux
  • Patent number: 10504243
    Abstract: A calibration system is configured to determine calibration information of a head-mounted display (HMD). The calibration system comprises a first, second, and third planar grid, a movable platform, and a calibration controller. Each planar grid includes a plurality of fiducial markers that are displayed in accordance with a display pattern. The HMD is coupled to the movable platform, which moves the HMD before the planar grids as a plurality of cameras on the HMD captures images of the planar grids with fiducial markers. The calibration controller controls a motion sequence of the movable platform and determines calibration information for each of the cameras on the HMD and calibration information for an inertial measurement unit (IMU) within the HMD. The calibration information is based in part on a parameterized model of the motion sequence of the HMD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Oskar Linde, Andrew Melim
  • Patent number: 10503248
    Abstract: A portable device includes one or more optical sensors, one or more light emitters, one or more processors, and memory storing one or more programs. The one or more programs include instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the portable device to receive information identifying respective intensities of light, detected by the one or more optical sensors, for a plurality of distinct wavelengths, select a set of one or more distinct wavelengths based on the respective intensities of light for the plurality of distinct wavelengths, and subsequent to selecting the set of one or more distinct wavelengths, initiate the one or more light emitters to emit light of the set of one or more selected wavelengths for indicating a position of the portable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Youngshik Yoon
  • Patent number: 10504136
    Abstract: An online system generates metrics describing performance of a content item presented to its users by various entities based on a number of events associated with an exposed group of users presented with a content item and a control group of users not presented with the content item and similar to users of the exposed group. The online system receives information describing presentation of the content item to each user of the exposed group via client devices associated with users of the exposed group. The online system provides information used by the online system to identify each user in the exposed group and in the control group to a trusted third party, which identifies information describing events associated with the content item from one or more entities. Based on the identified information, a metric is generated to describe the effectiveness of the content item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick James Kemp, Frederick Ross Leach
  • Patent number: 10502327
    Abstract: A fluidic device comprises a channel, a gate, and one or more additional elements. The channel is configured to transport a fluid from a source to a drain. The gate includes a chamber with an adjustable volume that affects fluid flow within the channel by displacing a wall of the channel toward an opposite wall of the channel based in part on fluid pressure within the chamber exceeding a threshold pressure. A high pressure state of the gate corresponds to a first chamber size and a first flow rate of the fluid. A low pressure state of the gate corresponds to a second chamber size that is smaller than the first chamber size and a second flow rate that is greater than the first flow rate. The additional elements are configured to reduce the threshold pressure past which the chamber decreases the cross-sectional area of the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sean Jason Keller, David R. Perek, Tristan Thomas Trutna, Garett Andrew Ochs, Nicholas Roy Corson, Raymond King, Jack Lindsay, Riccardo DeSalvo, Joseph Minh Tien, Matthew Robert Schwab
  • Patent number: 10503377
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving user input indicating a user's intent to generate social-network content. The social network includes a number of nodes and a number of edges connecting the nodes, with at least one node corresponding to the first user. The method includes providing for presentation to the user an indicator, the indicator indicating one or more of: 1) that suggested content for the user to associate with the social networking system exists, the suggestion associated with a quality that exceeds a threshold quality; or 2) that whether the suggestion exists is being determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Paul Whalin, Tuduyen Ann Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10504152
    Abstract: A social networking system acts as a platform for distributing deals from one or more deal providers. The users of the social networking system can interact with information describing the deals via a dashboard user interface provided by the social networking system. When users purchase deals on the social networking system's platform, the social networking system receives a portion of the deal price called the platform share and compensates the users for purchasing deals via the social networking system. The compensation may be funded from the revenue received by the social networking system for the purchases (the platform share). The compensation provided to a user may depend on social information associated with the user, such as the number of the user's connections also participating in the deal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Kelly Winters, Bo Hu, Emily Clark White, Koun Han
  • Patent number: 10498780
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can send at least one request for streaming a content item. Data associated with at least one portion of the content item is streamed. A first rate at which the content item is encoded is determined. A second rate at which the content item is being streamed is determined. A need for adjusting the streaming of the content item is determined based at least in part on the first rate and the second rate. Streaming of the content item is adjusted. The adjustment causes the second rate at which the content item is being streamed to conform to the first rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Maher Afif Saba
  • Patent number: 10499010
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer server machine receives, from one or more client devices, one or more video streams associated with a video session associated with one or more users. The one or more users are respectively associated with each client device. The computer server machine analyzes the one or more video streams to identify an interesting event and generates a marker for the one or more video streams based on a time associated with the identified interesting event. The computer server machine sends information regarding the marker to the one or more client devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Dwayne B. Mercredi, Pavol Mravec, Chi Wang Ho, Naizhi Li
  • Patent number: 10496964
    Abstract: Methods and systems for processing payments using payment aggregators are provided. In particular, one or more embodiments comprise an e-commerce payment facilitator that acts as an intermediary between a commerce application and a plurality of payment aggregators. This allows the e-commerce payment facilitator to provide a user with payment methods supported by the plurality of payment aggregators. Furthermore, one or more embodiments enable the e-commerce payment facilitator to route transactions to payment aggregators based on various factors, such as availability, reliability, and profitability. In addition, one or more embodiments provide e-commerce payment facilitators with greater control over the processing of transactions by allowing for the routing and distribution of transactions across multiple payment aggregators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Max Zimmerman, Waseem Ahmad, Yegnashankar Parasuram, Alexandre Couturon
  • Patent number: 10495887
    Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) includes a multifocal block having one or more possible focal distances and includes a multifocal structure. The multifocal structure has a first focal distance and a second focal distance of the one or more possible focal distances. The multifocal structure includes one or more optical components positioned in series such that light from an electronic display is received and passes through each of the one or more optical components at least once before being output from the multifocal structure. The one or more optical components includes a switchable half waveplate (SHWP). The SHWP has a first state that causes the multifocal structure to output image light at the first focal distance, and a second state that causes the multifocal structure to output the image light at the first focal distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai, Nicholas Daniel Trail, Wai Sze Tiffany Lam
  • Patent number: 10496896
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a plurality of patches of an image are processed using a first-pass of a first deep-learning model to generate object-level information for each of the patches. Each patch includes one or more pixels of the image. Using a second-pass of the first deep-learning model, a respective object proposal is generated for each of the plurality of patches of the image. The second-pass takes as input the first-pass output, and the generated respective object proposals comprise pixel-level information for each of the patches. Using a second deep-learning model, a respective score is computed for each object proposal. The second deep-learning model takes as input the first-pass output, and the object score includes a likelihood that the respective patch of the object proposal contains an entire object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Pedro Henrique Oliveira Pinheiro, Ronan Stéfan Collobert, Piotr Dollar
  • Patent number: 10496752
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request to identify k steps for a particular entity to acquire a target attribute in public sentiments, accessing a table of word vector relationships, looking up an entity word vector corresponding to the entity name and a target attribute word vector corresponding to the n-gram representing the target attribute using the table, determining a directional vector in the d-dimensional embedding space that connects from the entity word vector to the target attribute word vector, identifying k points on the directional vector that evenly split the directional vector into k+1 segments, selecting, for each of the k points, a word vector that is closest to the point, identifying, for each of the k selected word vectors, a corresponding n-gram by looking up the word vector in the table, and sending a response message comprising the k identified n-grams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Helen Tamara Crossley, Bryan Kauder, Jonathan Michael Arfa
  • Patent number: 10497006
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can access a set of identified illegitimate incidents intended to be automatically disabled. One or more rules for determining misidentified illegitimate incidents can be acquired. It can be determined, based on the one or more rules, that at least a subset, out of the set of identified illegitimate incidents, has at least a threshold likelihood of being misidentified. Further processing can be performed with respect to at least the subset to prevent at least the subset from being automatically disabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Francis Zolli
  • Patent number: 10495882
    Abstract: A virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) head mounted display (HMD) includes multiple image capture devices positioned within and on the HMD to capture portions of a face of a user wearing the HMD. Multiple image capture devices are included within the HMD to capture different portions of the face of the user within the HMD, and one or more other image capture devices are positioned to capture portions of the face of the user external to the HMD. Captured images from various image capture devices may be communicated to a console or a controller that generates a graphical representation of the user's face based on the captured images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hernan Badino, Yaser Sheikh, Alexander Trenor Hypes, Dawei Wang, Mohsen Shahmohammadi, Michal Perdoch, Jason Saragih, Shih-En Wei
  • Patent number: 10496995
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and devices for facilitating payment transactions using an application program interface. In particular, the systems and methods allow payment providers to integrate with a social network and facilitates payment transactions by providing instructions to the payment providers based on the payment providers being integrated with the social network. For example, one or more embodiments identify a payment provider associated with a payment account of a user requesting to initiate a payment transaction. One or more embodiments then determine instructions to send to the payment provider based on transaction information and then send the instructions to the payment provider to cause the payment provider to process the transaction according to the transaction information. Additionally, one or more embodiments cause payment providers to communicate with each other for processing payment transactions involving users of the social network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Patrick Hurley, Sohil Maru
  • Patent number: 10497227
    Abstract: A haptic device can be realized with a single acoustic actuator controlling multiple unit cells by having the unit cells be composed of cantilever arms with different resonant frequencies. The unit cells can be further improved by having the cantilever arms be in a spiral shape, and more specifically an Archimedes spiral shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignees: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Osama R. Bilal, Vincenzo Costanza, Chiara Daraio, Frances Lau, Ali Israr
  • Patent number: 10496750
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can project data describing a set of media items from which a representative media item is to be determined. A medoid can be determined from the projected data. A media item corresponding to the medoid can be selected as the representative media item of the set of media items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Frederick Dimson, Clark Martin Gredoña
  • Patent number: 10497320
    Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) includes a display illuminated by one or more illumination sources. An illumination source is coupled to a partially transparent circuit board and is configured to emit light onto a compound mirror. The compound mirror is farther from an exit pupil of the HMD than the display and reflects light from the illumination source back towards the exit pupil of the HMD. Light reflected by the compound mirror is transmitted through the partially transparent circuit board onto the display, illuminating the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew John Ouderkirk, Robin Sharma, Jacques Gollier
  • Patent number: 10495798
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for displaying images on multiple image planes in a near-eye display system. A switchable optical device includes a first polarizer configurable to polarize incident light into light of a first circular polarization state, and a second polarizer configurable to transmit light of a second circular polarization state and reflect light of the first circular polarization state into light of the first circular polarization state. The switchable optical device also includes a partial reflector positioned between the first polarizer and the second polarizer. The partial reflector is configured to transmit light from the first polarizer and reflect light from the second polarizer, where the reflected light and the light from the second polarizer have different polarization states. At least one of the first polarizer or the second polarizer includes a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) circular polarizer that is switchable by a voltage signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Fenglin Peng, Ying Geng, Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai, Mengfei Wang, Lu Lu, Jacques Gollier
  • Patent number: 10498838
    Abstract: An online system determines a polygon representing a physical location associated with a content item and indexes edges of the polygon based on their positions along an axis of a map. The index is used to retrieve edges spanning a point on the axis representing a location of a client device associated with an online system user. The online system compares the positions of the point and retrieved edges on an axis perpendicular to the axis and determines whether the user is at the physical location based on the comparison. If the user is not at the physical location, a boundary surrounding the point is compared with boundaries surrounding the indexed edges to determine whether the user is within a threshold distance of the physical location. If the user is at or within the threshold distance of the physical location, the user is determined eligible to receive the content item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco Valerio Barbera, Kevin Ventullo, Charles Joseph Hughes, Yin Wang
  • Patent number: 10496130
    Abstract: A facial-interface system for a head-mounted display may include (1) a facial interface, (2) a facial-interface mounting member, and (3) a facial-interface adjustment apparatus disposed between the facial interface and the facial-interface mounting member. The facial-interface adjustment apparatus may include (1) an adjustment base that includes a contact surface and (2) an adjustment protrusion that protrudes along an extension axis from the adjustment base to a protrusion end portion of the adjustment protrusion opposite the adjustment base. The adjustment protrusion may include an adjustment surface that is adjacent to the contact surface of the adjustment base. The adjustment protrusion may be rotatable relative to the adjustment base about the extension axis to move the adjustment protrusion axially along the extension axis between a plurality of holding positions relative to the adjustment base. Various other systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Phillip Yee
  • Patent number: 10499209
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes, by a second application that is a member of a family of applications and is installed on a client device, broadcasting a communication that includes a second hashed installation identifier and a second timestamp, the second timestamp indicating a time that the second application was installed on the client device, and receiving a response from a first application, wherein the first application is a member of the family of applications, and wherein the response includes a first hashed installation identifier and a first timestamp indicating a time that the first application was installed on the client device. The method may also include the second application comparing the second timestamp to the first timestamp, and if the first application was installed on the client device before the second application, the second application may save the first hashed installation identifier as a family identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Weizhe Shi, Yang Gao, Jian Gong
  • Patent number: 10497295
    Abstract: A near-eye display (NED) comprises an electronic display, an optical assembly, a scanning assembly, and a controller. The controller generates display instructions based in part on content. The display instructions describe a resolution within an adjustable range of resolutions and a frame rate within adjustable range of frame rates. The electronic display emits a plurality of light rays at the frame rate based on the display instructions. The scanning assembly shifts a direction of at least one of the plurality of light rays in accordance with the display instructions. The optical assembly controls a field of view at an eye box and directs the plurality of light rays including the at least one shifted light ray toward the eye box. The plurality of light rays form a virtual display that displays the content at the resolution and the frame rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Zhang Jia, Ramesh Raskar, Ahmad Byagowi
  • Patent number: 10498781
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes a system receiving, from a third-party system, a first request to publish a live video. The system may receive a second request for content from a user device and, in response, transmit display instructions and one or more network addresses from which the live video and an interface application are available. The display instructions may be configured to cause the user device to: configure a video player application to display the live video obtained using at least one of the one or more network addresses; and configure the interface application, obtained using at least one of the one or more network addresses, to be displayed over at least a portion of the live video and to communicate with the third-party computing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Calvin Patrick Grunewald, Stephen Ellis, Jakub Pudelek
  • Patent number: 10499105
    Abstract: A media effects engine on a computer device applies one or more effects to an input media stream. A performance monitor monitors a performance metric associated with playing the input media stream and reduces a quality parameter associated with the effect upon detecting a drop in the performance metric below a target metric. The quality parameter manages a tradeoff between a quality of effect and an amount of hardware resources consumed to produce the effect. Thus, the effect can be adjusted to meet the capabilities of the computer device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Hermes Germi Pique Corchs, Kirill A. Pugin, Razvan Gabriel Racasanu, Colin Todd Miller
  • Patent number: 10499090
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to detect a concept reflected in a first media content item to which a user is provided access. It is determined that the concept has a threshold level of relevance to the user. The concept is associated with an element that upon selection causes a transition to a second media content item to which the user is provided access, the second media content item reflecting the concept. The element is presented in the first media content item for the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: John Samuel Barnett, Johannes Peter Kopf
  • Patent number: 10496661
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can provide a graphical user interface that includes at least one set of content items that are available for curation, wherein at least one content item in the set is obtained from a social networking system, and wherein each content item is associated with at least one option for exporting the content item. A selection of the option for exporting a first content item, from the set, to a content provider can be received. The first content item can be provided to the content provider for presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert James Morgan, Mark David Erickson, Robert Warren Gifford, Satish Chander Bhatti
  • Patent number: 10499070
    Abstract: A method and system for encoding a segment of an input video with accurate placement of key frames, e.g., I-Frames, using Group of Pictures (GOPs) length for output in a distributed video encoding system with two or more encoders is disclosed. The method includes creating overlapping segments in order to allow precise key frame placement. Further, the method includes using desired segment length and the desired key frame placement to create the overlapping segments. Further, the method includes skipping a certain number of frames at the beginning of the segment, and a certain number of frames at the end of the segment, thereby achieving accurate placement of key frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Hamilton Coward, Amit Puntambekar
  • Patent number: 10498452
    Abstract: A light emitting diode (LED) device includes micro LEDs and one or more macro LEDs formed on the same semiconductor substrate. Each micro LED emits modulated light to perform communication with another device. Each macro LED emits light to illuminate an environment surrounding the LED device and the size of the macro LED is relatively larger than the micro LED. The LED device may further include a notch filter to filter light generated by the macro LEDs so that the light from the macro LEDs do not interfere with communication performed by the micro LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: James Ronald Bonar, Gareth John Valentine
  • Patent number: 10497024
    Abstract: An online system receives information describing a target group of online system users from a third party system that includes one or more user properties, which may identify an action performed by a an online user within a time interval to include the user in the target group. When an opportunity to present advertisement requests to a user is identified, the online system retrieves actions associated with the user and times associated with the actions. If an action associated with the user matches the action identified by the user properties and occurred within the time interval identified by the user properties, and other characteristics of the user satisfy at least a threshold number of the user properties, the online system includes the user in the target group. Advertisement requests having targeting criteria, including the target group, satisfied by characteristics of the user are evaluated for presentation to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Huang, Peng Fan, Zhimin Chen, Keyun Tong
  • Patent number: 10496169
    Abstract: A wearable heat transfer device provides a user with haptic feedback providing sensations of hot or cold. The wearable heat transfer device comprises a heat source/sink and a programmable interface having heat transfer characteristics that are modified based on a signal received by the programmable interface. For example, a thickness of the programmable interface changes based on the received signal, altering heat transfer by the programmable interface. In another example, an electric field is applied to the programmable interface, changing one or more properties of the programmable interface affecting heat transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sean Jason Keller, Tristan Thomas Trutna, David R. Perek, Bruce A. Cleary, III, Brian Michael Scally
  • Patent number: 10496895
    Abstract: In one embodiment a plurality of patches of an image are processed, using a first set of layers of a convolutional neural network, to output a plurality of object proposals associated with the plurality of patches of the image. Each patch includes one or more pixels of the image. Each object proposal includes a prediction as to a location of an object in the respective patch. Using a second set of layers of the convolutional neural network, the plurality of object proposals outputted by the first set of layers are processed to generate a plurality of refined object proposals. Each refined object proposal includes pixel-level information for the respective patch of the image. The first layer in the second set of layers of the convolutional neural network takes as input the plurality of object proposals outputted by the first set of layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Pedro Henrique Oliveira Pinheiro, Ronan Stéfan Collobert, Piotr Dollar
  • Patent number: 10496720
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to select a first content item and a second content item to display to each user of a plurality of users in pairwise comparison in a survey associated with a content feed of the user. A selection by each user of the plurality of users of one of the first content item and the second content item can be obtained via a user interface. A ranking model configured to assign a score indicative of quality of each content item of a plurality of content items associated with content feeds based at least in part on the selections by the plurality of users can be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Charles Bailey, Alexander Peysakhovich, Virot Chiraphadhanakul
  • Patent number: 10499046
    Abstract: A camera system captures images from a set of cameras to generate binocular panoramic views of an environment. The cameras are oriented in the camera system to maximize the minimum number of cameras viewing a set of randomized test points. To calibrate the system, matching features between images are identified and used to estimate three-dimensional points external to the camera system. Calibration parameters are modified to improve the three-dimensional point estimates. When images are captured, a pipeline generates a depth map for each camera using reprojected views from adjacent cameras and an image pyramid that includes individual pixel depth refinement and filtering between levels of the pyramid. The images may be used to generate views of the environment from different perspectives (relative to the image capture location) by generating depth surfaces corresponding to the depth maps and blending the depth surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael John Toksvig, Forrest Samuel Briggs, Brian Keith Cabral
  • Patent number: 10498614
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes determining one or more bandwidth constraints on a bandwidth of a communication channel available to a first computing device; determining a plurality of data items to transmit from the first computing device; ranking each data item based at least in part on an affinity between a user and an originator of the data item in a social-networking system; selecting, based at least in part on the ranking of the data items, one or more particular ones of the data items to transmit from the first computing device from the first computing device; and writing the particular ones of the data items to a queue for subsequent transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Eran Tal, Benoit M. Schillings, Michael John McKenzie Toksvig, David Harry Garcia
  • Patent number: 10489409
    Abstract: A social networking system provides relevant third-party content objects to users by matching user location, interests, and other social information with the content, location, and timing associated with the content objects. Content objects are provided based on relevance scores specific to a user. Relevance scores may be calculated based on the user's previous interactions with content object notifications, or based on interests that are common between the user and his or her connections in the social network. Context search is also provided for a user, wherein a list of search of results is ranked according to the relevance score of content object associated with the search results. Notifications may also be priced and distributed to users based on their relevance. In this way, the system can provide notifications that are relevant to user's interests and current circumstances, increasing the likelihood that they will find content objects of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Erick Tseng
  • Patent number: 10488932
    Abstract: An input interface for a virtual reality (VR) system includes one or more actuators stressing or straining a portion of a user's skin, simulating interactions with presented virtual objects. For example, an actuator comprises a tendon contacting portions of a user's body and coupled to a motor that moves the tendon to move portions of the user's body contacting the tendon. Alternatively, an actuator includes a pad having a surface contacting a surface of the user's body. A driving mechanism moves the pad in one or more directions parallel to the surface of the user's body with varying levels of normal force. In another example, one or more pins contact portions of the user's body and a surface of a bladder. The pins move as the bladder is inflated or deflated, which moves the contacted portions of the user's body. Alternatively, another type of actuator may move the pins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sean Jason Keller, Tristan Thomas Trutna, Garett Andrew Ochs, Selso Luanava, Nicholas Roy Corson
  • Patent number: 10489701
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for providing a machine-generated response (e.g., answer) to an input (e.g., question) based on long-term memory information. A method according to some embodiments include receiving an input; converting the input into an input feature vector in an internal feature representation space; updating a memory data structure by incorporating the input feature vector into the memory data structure; generating an output feature vector in the internal feature representation space, based on the updated memory data structure and the input feature vector; converting the output feature vector into an output object; and providing an output based on the output object as a response to the input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason E. Weston, Sumit Chopra, Antoine Bordes
  • Patent number: 10489836
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided wherein an indication of a plurality of product categories is received, each product category being associated with a plurality of products. For example, the indication of the plurality of product categories may be received from a buyer. Buyer offer information, including an indication of an offer amount associated with the plurality of product categories, is also received. A subset of the plurality of products is selected for each of the product categories, and an indication of the selected products is provided. The buyer's offer may then be evaluated. If the buyer's offer is accepted, the selected products may be provided to the buyer in exchange for payment of the offer amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Jay S. Walker, Magdalena Mik Fincham, John M. Packes, Jr., Russell Pratt Sammon, Michiko Kobayashi
  • Patent number: D868793
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Gregory Daniel Louis Germe