Patents Examined by Daniel Hajnik
  • Patent number: 8633926
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for mesoscopic geometry modulation. A first set of mesoscopic details associated with an object is determined by applying a filter to an image of an object. Mesoscopic details included in the first set of mesoscopic details are detectable in the image of the object and are not detectable when generating a coarse geometry reconstruction of the object. A three-dimensional model for the object is generated by modulating the coarse geometry with the first set of mesoscopic details.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Thabo Dominik Beeler, Bernd Bickel, Markus Gross, Robert Sumner, Paul Beardsley
  • Patent number: 8629874
    Abstract: It is possible to provide a mobile display device which can improve usability even when the character size is increased for improving visibility. A method for controlling the mobile display device is also disclosed. A control unit (18) can set a conversion candidate of an input character displayed on a second display region (conversion candidate character display region (162)) of a display unit (16) to a first display mode (normal mode) for displaying the conversion candidate in a first character size and to a second display mode (enlarged mode) for displaying the conversion candidate in a second character size greater than the first character size while differentiating a display priority of a plurality of conversion candidates to be displayed in the second display region in the first display mode and a display priority of a plurality of conversion candidates to be displayed in the second display region in the second display mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Natsuhito Honda, Hiroshi Tsuruta, Tomoyuki Urano, Michiko Takei
  • Patent number: 8614704
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for rendering 3D graphics data. The method includes analyzing a characteristic of input 3D graphics data, reconstructing a rendering function based on the analyzed characteristic, and rendering the input 3D graphics data using the reconstructed rendering function. The characteristic of 3D graphics data to be rendered is analyzed and a rendering function is reconstructed only using code blocks corresponding to the analyzed characteristic, thereby minimizing the size of the rendering function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sangoak Woo, Dokyoon Kim, Keechang Lee, Jeonghwan Ahn
  • Patent number: 8605081
    Abstract: Methods and systems for rendering hogels, including notifying one or more rendering nodes that all rendering is complete in response to determining that each of the one or more rendering nodes completes rendering of corresponding one or more subsets of hogel data from 3D data, the rendering nodes being configured to convert the 3D data to the one or more subsets of hogel data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Zebra Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Wesley A. Holler, Gary Anthony McElroy, Jr., Michael E. Weiblen, Thomas Lawrence Burnett, III, Mark E. Lucente
  • Patent number: 8599196
    Abstract: A system, method and computer software program on a computer readable medium for loading cloth modeling data, generating an environmental model, generating a basic cloth model, and generating sections of a cloth surface model based on the basic cloth model and the cloth modeling data. The sections of the cloth surface model may be partial geometric forms, a portion of a ball and stick model or a non-uniform rational basis spline, and may be joined together and smoothed to form a complex cloth model. The smoothed cloth model may include a series of waves or folds in a computer rendered cloth surface to represent draped or compressed cloth on a three dimensional surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Inventor: Michael Massen
  • Patent number: 8599202
    Abstract: A system and method for performing tessellation of three-dimensional surface patches performs some tessellation operations using programmable processing units and other tessellation operations using fixed function units with limited precision. (u,v) parameter coordinates for each vertex are computed using fixed function units to offload programmable processing engines. The (u,v) computation is a symmetric operation and is based on integer coordinates of the vertex, tessellation level of detail values, and a spacing mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Justin S. Legakis, Emmett M. Kilgariff, Michael C. Shebanow
  • Patent number: 8593484
    Abstract: A display control apparatus configured to execute control such that a list of a plurality of programs is displayed, includes a data capturer, a two-dimensional arranger, a setter, and a superimposed-display controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Mikiko Sakurai
  • Patent number: 8587583
    Abstract: Three-dimensional environment reconstruction is described. In an example, a 3D model of a real-world environment is generated in a 3D volume made up of voxels stored on a memory device. The model is built from data describing a camera location and orientation, and a depth image with pixels indicating a distance from the camera to a point in the environment. A separate execution thread is assigned to each voxel in a plane of the volume. Each thread uses the camera location and orientation to determine a corresponding depth image location for its associated voxel, determines a factor relating to the distance between the associated voxel and the point in the environment at the corresponding location, and updates a stored value at the associated voxel using the factor. Each thread iterates through an equivalent voxel in the remaining planes of the volume, repeating the process to update the stored value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Newcombe, Shahram Izadi, David Molyneaux, Otmar Hilliges, David Kim, Jamie Daniel Joseph Shotton, Stephen Edward Hodges, David Alexander Butler, Andrew Fitzgibbon, Pushmeet Kohli
  • Patent number: 8581912
    Abstract: Allocation of memory registers for shaders by a processor is described herein. For each shader, registers are allocated based on the shader's level of complexity. Simpler shader instances are restricted to a smaller number of memory registers. More complex shader instances are allotted more registers. To do so, developers' high level shading level (HLSL) language includes template classes of shaders that can later be replaced by complex or simple versions of the shader. The HLSL is converted to bytecode that can be used to rasterize pixels on a computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael V. Oneppo, Craig Peeper, Andrew L. Bliss, John L. Rapp, Mark M. Lacey
  • Patent number: 8581936
    Abstract: An apparatus generates display data on a display unit. An image constructing unit constructs an image of an image list including a plurality of images each corresponding to an image data file. A data output unit outputs first display data of the image list, and then, when a switching command is received from a user, outputs second display data of the image list in response to the switching command. A confirmation calculating unit calculates a degree of confirmation indicating whether a user confirmation is performed for each of the images in the image list. An image modifying unit modifies the images in the image list based on the degree of confirmation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hirohisa Inamoto, Koji Kobayashi, Yuka Kihara
  • Patent number: 8581905
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for rendering an anamorphic projection of 3D scene geometry on a handheld device using a correct asymmetric perspective geometry projection. Once pose of the handheld device is determined, a relative eye position may be inferred when the device is tilted away from an initial or default pose, based on data supplied by accelerometers. Thus, embodiments of the invention result in a holographic style display without the need for glasses or external sensing attachments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenny Mitchell
  • Patent number: 8576250
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, media and signals for applying a shape transformation to at least a portion of a three dimensional representation of an appliance for a living body is disclosed. The representation is defined by an input plurality of coordinates representing a general shape of the appliance. The method involves identifying a coordinate location of a datum plane with respect to the representation of the appliance, the datum plane defining a transform volume within which the shape transformation is to be applied, the transform volume extending outwardly from and normal to a first surface of the datum plane. The method also involves identifying input coordinates in the plurality of input coordinates that are located within the transform volume. The method further involves modifying the identified input coordinates in accordance with the shape transformation to produce a modified representation of the appliance, and storing the modified representation of the appliance in a computer memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Vorum Research Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Malcolm Sabiston, Jeffrey David Chang, Christopher Cameron Handford
  • Patent number: 8576222
    Abstract: A user of a modeling application modifies an initial virtual object using a sketch drawn on one or more construction planes. Typically, construction planes are connected by an axis that intersects the virtual object. The user can draw a sketch on each construction plane, and the modeling application interpolates a shape along the axis between the sketches to determine what material in the virtual object is to be removed from it. In this manner, material may be removed to create a recess or hole in the virtual object or otherwise to slice away material from the object. A user can use two or more axes and construction planes to produce complex shapes from the initial virtual object. A user can also select a portion of a virtual object and mirror the selected portion. Modifications that the user makes in the selected portion are made correspondingly in the mirrored portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua E. Handley, Marc Midura, Bradley A. Payne, Walter A. Aviles, Thomas Harold Massie, Walter C. Shannon, III
  • Patent number: 8570320
    Abstract: Use of a 3D environment model in gameplay is described. In an embodiment, a mobile depth camera is used to capture a series of depth images as it is moved around and a dense 3D model of the environment is generated from this series of depth images. This dense 3D model is incorporated within an interactive application, such as a game. The mobile depth camera is then placed in a static position for an interactive phase, which in some examples is gameplay, and the system detects motion of a user within a part of the environment from a second series of depth images captured by the camera. This motion provides a user input to the interactive application, such as a game. In further embodiments, automatic recognition and identification of objects within the 3D model may be performed and these identified objects then change the way that the interactive application operates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Shahram Izadi, David Molyneaux, Otmar Hilliges, David Kim, Jamie Daniel Joseph Shotton, Pushmeet Kohli, Andrew Fitzgibbon, Stephen Edward Hodges, David Alexander Butler
  • Patent number: 8570322
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for efficiently ray tracing micropolygon or other highly complex geometry. In operation, a first hierarchy of a plurality of objects is established. Additionally, rays are traced using the first hierarchy to efficiently identify which of the plurality of objects are potentially intersected. Furthermore, at least one of the potentially intersected objects are decomposed, on-demand, into a set of subobjects, each set of subobjects corresponding to one of the at least one of the potentially intersected objects. Still yet, a second hierarchy is established for at least one of the set of subobjects, the second hierarchy being determined by a connectivity of subobjects in an associated set of subobjects in order to accelerate ray tracing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Johannes Hanika, Alexander Keller, Hendrik Lensch
  • Patent number: 8564614
    Abstract: A display control apparatus controls an input unit that inputs pieces of captured image data, an acquisition control unit that controls consecutive acquisition of a plurality of pieces of image data, a memory control unit that buffers in the memory unit the plurality of pieces of image data consecutively acquired by the acquisition control unit, an image compositor that composites the latest buffered image data and other (non-latest) pieces of image data successively buffered in the memory control unit, and a display control unit that displays chronologically an image represented by a image data composited by the image compositor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Muraki, Hiroshi Shimizu, Hiroyuki Hoshino, Erina Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8558834
    Abstract: A method, medium, and apparatus for encoding and decoding three-dimensional (3D) data. The method of encoding includes converting 3D data having at least of any one of PointTexture, voxel, and octree data into adaptive octree data where intermediate nodes are given labels, encoding nodes of the adaptive octree, and generating a bitstream from the encoded data. The method of decoding includes reading nodes making up a tree from a bitstream of the 3D data, decoding the read nodes, recovering an adaptive octree from the decoded nodes, and recovering at least any one of octree, voxel, and PointTexture data from the adaptive octree. It is possible to efficiently encode a huge amount of 3D data, and to recover the high-definition 3D data with a small amount of data since it is possible to efficiently encode the volume data with a certain resolution as well as a fixed resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinjun Lee
  • Patent number: 8547375
    Abstract: A method for identifying within a working image of a scene a point of interest designated within a designation image of a scene, the designation image being taken along a first viewing direction and the working image being taken along a second viewing direction, the second viewing direction being significantly non-parallel to the first viewing direction, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining a designation image of the scene; obtaining a working image of the scene; correlating said designation image and said working image with each other, directly or by correlating each of said designation image and said working image with a common reference image, so as to derive an interrelation between said designation image and said working image; and employing said interrelation between said designation image and said working image to derive a location within said working image of a point of interest designated within said designation image, characterized in that the method further comprises: obtaining a secondary
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
    Inventors: Efrat Rotem, Gilad Adiv
  • Patent number: 8542239
    Abstract: A method for generating a looping motion space for real-time character animation may include determining a plurality of motion clips to include in the looping motion space and determining a number of motion cycles performed by a character object depicted in each of the plurality of motion clips. A plurality of looping motion clips may be synthesized from the motion clips, where each of the looping motion clips depicts the character object performing an equal number of motion cycles. Additionally, a starting frame of each of the plurality of looping motion clips may be synchronized so that the motion cycles in each of the plurality of looping motion clips are in phase with one another. By rendering an animation sequence using multiple passes through the looping motion space, an animation of the character object performing the motion cycles may be extended for arbitrary length of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Girard
  • Patent number: 8537169
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method for accessing, from within a graphics processing unit (GPU), data objects stored in a memory accessible by the GPU. The method comprises the steps of creating a data object in the memory based on a command received from an application program, transmitting an address associated with the data object to the application program for providing data associated with different draw commands to the GPU, receiving a first draw command and the address associated with the data object from the application program, and transmitting the first draw command and the address associated with the data object to the GPU for processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Bolz, Eric S. Werness, Jason Sams