Patents Examined by Brian Le
  • Patent number: 9183624
    Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting defects on a wafer are provided. One method includes creating a searchable database for a design for a wafer, which includes assigning values to different portions of the design based on patterns in the different portions of the design and storing the assigned values in the searchable database. Different portions of the design having substantially the same patterns are assigned the same values in the searchable database. The searchable database is configured such that searching of the database can be synchronized with generation of output for the wafer by one or more detectors of a wafer inspection system. Therefore, as the wafer is being scanned, design information for the output can be determined as fast as the output is generated, which enables multiple, desirable design based inspection capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corp.
    Inventors: Laurent Karsenti, Brian Duffy
  • Patent number: 9170503
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspection and review of defects is disclosed wherein data gathering is improved. In one embodiment, multiple or segmented detectors are used in a particle beam system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: David Adler, Kirk Bertsche, Mark McCord, Stuart Friedman
  • Patent number: 9165185
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for providing a text-based representation of a region of interest of an image to first is provided that includes a step of identifying text zones within the image, each text zone including textual content and having a respective rank assigned thereto based on an arrangement of the text zones within the image. The method also includes determining a processing sequence for performing optical character recognition (OCR) on the text zones. The processing sequence is based, firstly, on an arrangement of the text zones with respect to the region of interest and, secondly, on the ranks assigned to the text zones. The method further includes performing an OCR process on the text zones according to the processing sequence to progressively obtain a machine-encoded representation of the region of interest, and concurrently present the machine-encoded representation to the user, via an output device, as the text-based representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Technologies Humanware Inc.
    Inventors: Pierre Hamel, Alain Bélanger, Éric Beauchamp
  • Patent number: 9165186
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for providing additional information for text in an image. In some implementations, a computing device receives an image including text. Optical character recognition (OCR) is performed on the image to produce recognized text. One or more topics corresponding to the recognized text is determined. A word or a phrase is selected from the recognized text for providing additional information. One or more potential meanings of the selected word or phrase are determined. One of the potential meanings is selected using the one or more topics. A source of additional information corresponding to the selected meaning is selected for providing the additional information to a user's device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Paul Ramos, Matthew Joseph Cole, Matthew Daniel Hart
  • Patent number: 9165375
    Abstract: Field of view overlap among multiple cameras are automatically determined as a function of the temporal overlap of object tracks determined within their fields-of-view. Object tracks with the highest similarity value are assigned into pairs, and portions of the assigned object track pairs having a temporally overlapping period of time are determined. Scene entry points are determined from object locations on the tracks at a beginning of the temporally overlapping period of time, and scene exit points from object locations at an ending of the temporally overlapping period of time. Boundary lines for the overlapping fields-of-view portions within the corresponding camera fields-of-view are defined as a function of the determined entry and exit points in their respective fields-of-view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ankur Datta, Rogerio S. Feris, Sharathchandra U. Pankanti, Yun Zhai
  • Patent number: 9153016
    Abstract: In a method to enhance the contrast of spatially-localized phenomena in an image such as microcalcifications in a mammogram, a multi-scale decomposition is applied to a digital signal representation of the image thereby generating a number of detail images at different scales, the detail signals pertaining to the spatially-localized phenomena having a common polarity (either negative or positive) being modified at at least one scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Agfa Healthcare NV
    Inventors: Tom Bertens, Pieter Vuylsteke, Gert Behiels
  • Patent number: 9152879
    Abstract: The present application relates to a method of generating a keypoint descriptor for identifying an object in an image or a sequence of images, the keypoint descriptor being substantially invariant to a transformation of the object in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: CORTEXICA VISION SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventors: Anil Anthony Bharath, Jeffrey Ng Sing Kwong
  • Patent number: 9147249
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of calibrating a depth image based on a relationship between a depth sensor and a color camera, and an apparatus for calibrating a depth image may include a three-dimensional (3D) point determiner to determine a 3D point of a camera image and a 3D point of a depth image simultaneously captured with the camera image, a calibration information determiner to determine calibration information for calibrating an error of a depth image captured by the depth sensor and a geometric information between the depth sensor and a color camera, using the 3D point of the camera image and the 3D point of the depth image, and a depth image calibrator to calibrate the depth image based on the calibration information and the 3D point of the depth image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Jae Hean Kim, Chang Woo Chu, Il Kyu Park, Young Mi Cha, Jin Sung Choi, Bon Ki Koo
  • Patent number: 9147128
    Abstract: A technique of performing machine learning enhanced facial recognition. The technique includes accessing a facial image for a facial recognition target, performing facial recognition on the facial image, making a prediction regarding facial recognition candidates for the facial recognition target, and indicating a measure of confidence regarding the facial recognition performed on the facial image, with the measure adjusted based on the prediction. The prediction may be made based at least in part on a people model that statistically predicts the facial recognition candidates who may be present at a particular location at a particular time, a period model that predicts one or more times that the facial recognition candidates may be present at a particular location, behavioral data that indicates an intention of the facial recognition candidates to be at a particular location at a particular time, and/or actions such as purchasing tickets or registering for an event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: 214 Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Nezare Chafni, Shaun Moore
  • Patent number: 9141861
    Abstract: A video image feature generation system includes a processor; and a memory which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute, extracting a frame feature value featuring a frame, which is a unit of an input video image, based on a pixel value of the frame; and generating a phase of each frequency as a video image feature based on at least two frequencies, the frame feature value obtained in the extracting, and generation information for generating phases of the frequencies according to the frequencies and the frame feature value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Shohei Nakagata, Taizo Anan
  • Patent number: 9141866
    Abstract: A method for summarizing image content from video images received from a moving camera includes detecting foreground objects in the images, determining moving objects of interest from the foreground objects, tracking the moving objects, rating movements of the tracked objects, and generating a list of highly rated segments within the video images based on the ratings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Quanfu Fan, Sachiko Miyazawa, Sharathchandra Pankanti, Hoang Trinh
  • Patent number: 9141843
    Abstract: A compact authentication device that prevents user from feeling pressure and is strong against external light, when capturing an image of a finger blood vessel pattern with transmitted light. The device includes a guidance part for determining the finger position, a light source disposed on at least one side of the guidance part to emit light to be transmitted though the finger, an image capture part for capturing the transmitted light, a shading unit for limiting an irradiation region of the light, a finger thickness measuring unit, a unit for controlling a light amount of the light source based on a result of the measurement, a unit for recording registered image patterns of the finger, a unit for collating a captured image pattern from the image capture part with the registered patterns, and a unit for controlling different processing according to the collation result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Akio Nagasaka, Takafumi Miyatake, Naoto Miura, Yuichi Kashimura
  • Patent number: 9135688
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for brightness equalization of a plurality of images to equalize brightness when composing, into a single image, a plurality of images acquired from a plurality of cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ji Won Seo
  • Patent number: 9137534
    Abstract: An apparatus for decoding an image includes an encoding information extractor which extracts split information indicating whether to split a coding unit of an upper depth into coding units of deeper depths and skip information indicating whether a prediction mode of a current coding unit is a skip mode, from image data and a decoding unit which determines a split structure of a maximum coding unit, according to the split information so that the maximum coding unit is hierarchically split as a depth increases and determines whether the prediction mode of the current coding unit is the skip mode according to the skip information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hae-kyung Jung, Min-su Cheon, Jung-hye Min, Il-koo Kim
  • Patent number: 9122914
    Abstract: Systems for matching face shapes may include a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium and an executing hardware unit. The storage medium may include a set of instructions for target object shape matching. The executing hardware unit may be in communication with the storage medium and may be configured to execute the set of instructions. The executing hardware unit may be configured to obtain a target object image for shape matching; determine a shape character of the target object image based on a shape of the target object image; determine similarities between the target object image and a plurality of template images of reference objects based on the shape character of the target object image and shape characters of the reference objects in the plurality of template images; and select a template image from the plurality of template images that has a largest similarity to the target object image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Pengfei Xiong
  • Patent number: 9123112
    Abstract: A method for inspecting a portion of a tire surface involves comparison with an image of a three-dimensional (“3D”) reference surface. The method includes: extracting contours of graphic elements of an image of a 3D profile of a surface to be inspected; transforming the reference surface by establishing a correspondence between the contours of the graphic elements of the surface to be inspected and contours of identical graphic elements of the reference surface using a series of transformations; associating a B-spline surface, which includes control points, with the graphic elements of the transformed reference surface; and deforming the contours of the graphic elements of the reference surface by modifying positions of the control points of the B- spline surface so as to minimize distances between the contours of the graphic elements of the reference surface and the contours of the graphic elements of the surface to be inspected corresponding thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ESTABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.
    Inventors: Régis Vinciguerra, Steve Bourgeois, Alexandre Joly
  • Patent number: 9122949
    Abstract: A method for summarizing image content from video images received from a moving camera includes detecting foreground objects in the images, determining moving objects of interest from the foreground objects, tracking the moving objects, rating movements of the tracked objects, and generating a list of highly rated segments within the video images based on the ratings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Quanfu Fan, Sachiko Miyazawa, Sharathchandra Pankanti, Hoang Trinh
  • Patent number: 9122911
    Abstract: Systems and method for verifying a user signing a document are disclosed. In particular, certain disclosed embodiments relate to verifying that a user signing a document corresponds to a previously authenticated user, the user having been previously authenticated using a source of machine-readable identity data. The verifying may be made by receiving, from the source of machine-readable identity data, first digital image data indicative of a first image of the previously authenticated user and first identity data, and receiving from a camera, a captured second image comprising second digital image data that corresponds to the user. Responsive to the first image and the second image being determined to represent the same user, verification data is generated and associated with the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: PAYCASSO VERIFY LTD.
    Inventor: Russell King
  • Patent number: 9104919
    Abstract: Multiple discrete objects within a scene image captured by a single camera track are distinguished as un-labeled from a background model within a first frame of a video data input. Object position, object appearance and/or object size attributes are determined for each of the blobs, and costs determined to assign to existing blobs of existing object tracks as a function of the determined attributes. The un-labeled object blob that has a lowest cost of association with any of the existing object tracks is labeled with the label of that track having the lowest cost, said track is removed from consideration for labeling remaining un-labeled object blobs, and the process iteratively repeated until each of the track labels have been used to label one of the un-labeled blobs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ankur Datta, Rogerio S. Feris, Sharathchandra U. Pankanti, Yun Zhai
  • Patent number: 9092851
    Abstract: This invention relates to an information processing apparatus which evaluates diagnosis based on the tissue sample image of a tissue. The information processing apparatus inputs a plurality of first regions selected as diagnosis targets from a tissue sample image obtained by capturing a tissue, a plurality of second regions selected as diagnosis targets from the tissue sample image, and pieces of position information of the respective regions selected on the tissue sample image. The information processing apparatus calculates a similarity between the plurality of first regions and the plurality of second regions based on correlations considering the distances between the selected regions on the tissue sample image. This arrangement can evaluate whether ROIs selected by a pathologist or apparatus include an important region of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Marugame