Patents Examined by Claire X Wang
  • Patent number: 8625852
    Abstract: A system and method are described for selecting and identifying a unique object or feature in the system user's three-dimensional (ā€œ3-Dā€) environment in a two-dimensional (ā€œ2-Dā€) virtual representation of the same object or feature in a virtual environment. The system and method may be incorporated in a mobile device that includes position and orientation sensors to determine the pointing device's position and pointing direction. The mobile device incorporating the present invention may be adapted for wireless communication with a computer-based system that represents static and dynamic objects and features that exist or are present in the system user's 3-D environment. The mobile device incorporating the present invention will also have the capability to process information regarding a system user's environment and calculating specific measures for pointing accuracy and reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: iPointer, Inc.
    Inventor: David Caduff
  • Patent number: 8620034
    Abstract: A system and method for biometric identification of a target individual based on a query containing UV image data of the target individual. In one embodiment, the system includes a first database, a query module, a detection module, a sequence module and a match module. The first database includes a plurality of identities with each identity having at least one binary sequence representative of a skin area of that identity. The query module receives the query and validates the UV image data. The detection module detects at least one skin area in the UV image data. The sequence module forms at least one target binary sequence corresponding to the at least one skin area. The match module searches the first database based on the at least one target binary sequence to identify at least one identity thereby facilitating biometric identification of the target individual.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Dale M. Rickman
  • Patent number: 8615117
    Abstract: A method provides for estimating the concentration of a tracer in a tissue structure assembly including at least one tissue structure, from a measurement image of the tracer concentration in said tissue structure assembly, which is obtained by an imaging apparatus, wherein said image includes at least one space domain inside which the tracer concentration is homogenous and at least one region of interest in which the tracer concentration is measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
    Inventors: Renaud Maroy, Bertrand Tavitian
  • Patent number: 8611695
    Abstract: An image processing server enhances an original image using image data from other images. The server generates global descriptors of a set of received images and creates an image data structure therefrom. The server also identifies a set of patches for each of the received images, generates descriptors of the patches, and generates a patch data structure therefrom. The image processing system identifies a patch in an original image for which enhancement is desired. The image processing server uses a global descriptor of the original image to search the image data structure for a set of related images that are visually similar to the original image. The image processing server uses a patch descriptor of the patch for which enhancement is desired to search the patch data structures for the related images to identify a set of patches that are visually similar to the patch in the original image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Mei Han, Vivek Kwatra, Hui Fang
  • Patent number: 8611627
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the performing spectral calibration of a CT imaging system. In accordance with certain embodiments, spectral calibration phantoms are scanned while positioned on a table in the imaging volume of the CT imaging system. The scans of the calibration phantoms, in conjunction with air sans performed on the CT imaging system, are used to derive information about the deviation of the measured phantom scans from an ideal. The deviation information is in turn used to derive spectral calibration vectors that may be used with the CT imaging system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Xiaoye Wu, Robert Franklin Senzig, Jing Zhao
  • Patent number: 8611586
    Abstract: A method for extracting a target from a series of images includes the steps of: (a) estimating an ambient temperature value of pixels in the series of images; (b) finding a band of pixel values having temperature values above the ambient temperature value, the band of pixel values forming a histogram; and (c) differentiating the histogram to estimate a threshold. Also included are steps (d) extracting the target having pixel values above the threshold; and (e) colorizing the target for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Exelis, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth Michael Brodeur, Eric August Woodward, Theodore Anthony Tantalo, Timothy Paul Hahm
  • Patent number: 8605977
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for reconstruction of image data of an examination object from measured data, wherein the measured data was captured during a relative rotational motion between a radiation source of a computed tomography system and the examination object. Image data of the examination object is determined from the measured data. In at least one embodiment, new image data is obtained by noise-reducing processing of the image data, in which weighted high-pass filtering of the image data is performed, the weighting taking account of differences between pixel values of different pixels such that increasing differences result in a weaker high-pass effect. A noise-reducing smoothing of the image data is performed using the weighted high-pass filtering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Herbert Bruder, Rainer Raupach
  • Patent number: 8605967
    Abstract: Present invention discloses systems and methods for improvement of magnetic resonance images. Correction of a chemical shift artefact in an image acquired from a magnetic resonance imaging system is obtained by a system and a method involving iterative-compensation for the misregistration effect in an image domain. Correction of an intensity inhomogeneity in such images is obtained by a system and a method involving locating voxels corresponding to pure adipose tissue and estimating correction field from these points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Advanced MR Analytics AB
    Inventors: Olof Dahlqvist Leinhard, Magnus Borga, Peter Lundberg
  • Patent number: 8605991
    Abstract: A visual hull for a 3D object is generated by using a set of silhouettes extracted from a set of images. First, a set of convex polyhedra is generated as a coarse 3D model of the object. Then for each image, the convex polyhedra are refined by projecting them to the image and determining the intersections with the silhouette in the image. The visual hull of the object is represented as union of the convex polyhedra.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Srikumar Ramalingam, Amit Agrawal, Yuichi Taguchi
  • Patent number: 8600154
    Abstract: In an image processing apparatus for carrying out a plurality of correction processes on an input image, a multi-dimensional histogram of the input image is calculated, and a feature amount of the input image for which a specific correction process has been carried out is analyzed based on the multi-dimensional histogram. Then, based on the result of the analysis, correction parameters to be used for another correction process are calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Umeda, Ryosuke Iguchi
  • Patent number: 8600134
    Abstract: A method for processing images acquired in real time through a medical device, said images being loaded into a buffer, comprising the steps of: stopping the loading of the images into the buffer, processing loaded images using an incremental algorithm, displaying successively intermediate results of the processing, resuming the loading and stopping the processing based on an evaluation of said intermediate results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: Tom Vercauteren, Aymeric Perchant, Francois Lacombe, Nicolas Savoire
  • Patent number: 8600102
    Abstract: A system and method is provided wherein, in one aspect, a processor determines whether multiple street level images have captured a nearly-identical face. If so, the images are processed to determine whether the face appears to be part of an advertisement. Once it is determined that the face is displayed on an advertisement, the boundaries of the advertisement may be determined and the location of the advertisement is stored for future use, e.g., potentially replacing the advertisement in the image with a different advertisement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Andrea Frome
  • Patent number: 8588517
    Abstract: A sensor system creates a sequence of depth images that are used to detect and track motion of objects within range of the sensor system. A reference image is created and updated based on a moving average (or other function) of a set of depth images. A new depth images is compared to the reference image to create a motion image, which is an image file (or other data structure) with data representing motion. The new depth image is also used to update the reference image. The data in the motion image is grouped and associated with one or more objects being tracked. The tracking of the objects is updated by the grouped data in the motion image. The new positions of the objects are used to update an application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Johnny Lee, Tommer Leyvand, Craig Peeper
  • Patent number: 8588466
    Abstract: To enable detection of an overlying object distinctively even if a stationary object is overlaid with another stationary object or a moving object. A data processing device includes a first unit which detects an object area in a plurality of time-series continuous input images, a second unit which detects a stationary area in the object area from the plurality of continuous input images, a third unit which stores information of the stationary area as time-series background information, and a fourth unit which compares the time-series background information with the object area to thereby detect each object included in the object area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroo Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8588496
    Abstract: A medical image display apparatus includes an image database for recording a three-dimensional standard image of a model subject, a three-dimensional anatomical image corresponding to the three-dimensional standard image, and anatomical information on living tissue names, an image acquirer for acquiring a three-dimensional medical image of an examinee, a medical tomographic image identifier for identifying a medical tomographic image in the three-dimensional medical image based on a user's instruction, a standard tomographic image identifier for identifying a standard tomographic image in the three-dimensional standard image, which corresponds to the medical tomographic image, an anatomical tomographic image identifier for identifying an anatomical tomographic image in the three-dimensional anatomical image, which corresponds to the standard tomographic image, and a display controller for displaying the medical tomographic image and the anatomical tomographic image on a display unit, while displaying the livi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Caihua Wang, Yoshiyuki Moriya
  • Patent number: 8588500
    Abstract: A method for determining an orientation in space of a substantially cylindrical shaped elementary object using a radiography device comprising a source of X-rays and a detector disposed opposite the source is provided. The radiography device is arranged to record a projection image of the elementary object when the elementary object is located between the source and the detector. The method includes: determining a quantity A of X-rays absorbed by the elementary object on the projection image; and evaluating the sine of an angle ? as a function of the quantity A of absorbed X-rays, wherein the angle ? is between a longitudinal axis of the elementary object and a plane of the projection image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Vincent Bismuth, Sebastian Gorges
  • Patent number: 8582801
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for assisting the authoring of posts to an asymmetric social network. In one aspect, a method performed by a system of one or more data processing devices includes receiving, at the system, an identification of an electronic document that is available on the Internet, the system identifying image content in the electronic document, the system filtering the identified image content, the system triggering presentation of the filtered image content to an author of a post to an asymmetric social network, the system receiving a selection of a first image from amongst the presented image content, and the system adding the first image to a post to the asymmetric social network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Shoji Fukujima Goto, Joseph Rideout, Braden F. Kowitz, Todd Jackson
  • Patent number: 8577857
    Abstract: A method matches elements in two schemas for two associated databases using automatic schema matching (ASM), wherein there is one schema for each database, wherein the elements define objects in the databases, and wherein the matching is performed on pairs of the elements by a combined matcher including a set of matchers. A Bayesian network (BN) is constructed for the set of matchers, and for each pair of elements the following steps are performing: obtaining an individual similarity value for each pair of the elements and each matcher, determining a likelihood ratio for each individual similarity value, performing belief updating on the BN using the likelihood ratios to obtain a final similarity value and corresponding probability, and outputting the final similarity value and the probability to indicate whether the pair of the elements match, or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Nikolaev Nikovski
  • Patent number: 8577080
    Abstract: An object contour detection method includes: allowing an image sensor to sense respectively a plurality of images of an object by moving a lens with a shallow depth of field at a plurality of positions repeatedly, meanwhile, record the plurality of positions of the lens and the plurality of images one-to-one corresponding to the plurality of positions; removing respectively unclear areas in the plurality of images to obtain a plurality of clear images, and obtaining a plurality of displacement quantities of depth of field depending on a displacement quantity between each two adjacent positions in the plurality of positions; and extending a depth of the front image to reach the corresponding displacement quantity of depth of field and then combine the front image with the rear image in sequence, allowing the plurality of clear images to combine into a stereoscopic image corresponding to the object contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Era Optoelectronics Inc.
    Inventor: Chih-Hsiung Lin
  • Patent number: 8571284
    Abstract: A surface analyzer with which users only need to perform simple operations to quantitatively compare different physical quantities, such as the altitude and phase, in a region of interest on a sample is provided. A three-dimensional color image created by mapping color information corresponding to the phase onto a three-dimensional image created from two-dimensional distribution data of a sample's altitude is displayed in an analysis result display screen. A section image is superposed on the three-dimensional color image. The one-dimensional area at which the section image intersects the sample is defined as the region of interest. The altitude and phase along this region of interest are graphically shown on the graph display area. Various characteristic values at the position of these cursors, such as the altitude and phase values or the difference in these values between two cursors, are displayed in a characteristic value table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Morimoto, Akinori Kogure