Patents Examined by Michael Vanchy, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8155189
    Abstract: A method of making a coding mode decision for a current macroblock of a current video frame including determining an INTERSAD value, selecting at least one video characteristic associated with the current video frame, comparing the INTERSAD value with a corresponding range of each selected video characteristic, selecting interframe coding if the INTERSAD value is within the corresponding range of each selected video characteristic, performing intraframe prediction to provide an intraframe prediction macroblock and determining an INTRASAD value if the INTERSAD value is an outlier of any selected video characteristic, selecting intraframe coding if the INTERSAD value is greater than the INTRASAD value and otherwise selecting interframe coding. The video characteristics may be based on any combination of an average of interframe differential sums, a sum of absolute differences between each pixel value of the current macroblock and a mean pixel value of the current macroblock, and a quantization parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventor: Yong Yan
  • Patent number: 8150171
    Abstract: In a moving picture decoding apparatus, a variable-length decoding circuit decodes motion vectors for each macroblock from a bit stream and stores the motion vectors. An error correction circuit calculates a reference vector for an error macroblock using the motion vectors to generate a corrected picture from a reference picture. An inverse-orthogonal transform circuit stores a difference value between direct-current (DC) components after Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform (IDCT) is performed thereon, in the memory for each macroblock. The error correction circuit further calculates a difference value of the DC component of the error macroblock using the difference values of DC components stored in the memory, to add the difference value calculated to the corrected picture generated from the reference picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Yousuke Yamaguchi, Yuji Nomura
  • Patent number: 8144991
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a selecting unit for selecting extraction information concerning contents to be extracted from among a plurality of contents organized in time sequence, the extraction information prepared on a per content basis for the contents to be extracted and including a feature contained in the content to be extracted, and an extraction range that is represented with respect to the position of the feature, a detecting unit for detecting, from the contents, the same feature as the feature contained in the extraction information selected by the selecting unit, and an extracting unit for extracting a predetermined content in accordance with the extraction range contained in the extraction information selected by the selecting unit if the detecting unit detects the same feature as the feature contained in the extraction information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuo Nagamatsu, Kunitoshi Shimizu, Tsutomu Teranishi, Takao Okuda, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Atsushi Mitsuzawa
  • Patent number: 8139902
    Abstract: A method of conferring interactivity on a pre-printed image containing text. The method comprises the steps of: (i) receiving association data indicating an association between an impression identity, absolute positions and a scanned image; (ii) performing Optical Character Recognition on the scanned image to convert text images into computer text; (iii) generating an input description for the scanned image; and (iv) storing a page description comprising the input description and the scanned image. The page description is indexed with the impression identity and, further, the page description is retrievable so as to confer interactivity on the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Paul Lapstun, Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 8139870
    Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus including a character recognition section that executes character recognition on an input document image and outputs a character recognition result, an item name extraction section that extracts a character string relevant to an item name of an information item from the character recognition result, an item value extraction section that extracts a character string of an item value corresponding to the item name from the vicinity of the character string relevant to the item name in the document image, and an extraction information creation section that creates extraction information by associating the character string of the item value extracted by the item value extraction section to the item name.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Kato
  • Patent number: 8126196
    Abstract: A method of imaging a coding pattern disposed on a surface of a substrate. The method comprises the steps of: (a) operatively positioning an optical reader relative to the surface and capturing an image of a portion of the coding pattern; (b) sampling and decoding a Reed-Solomon codeword contained in the imaged portion; and (c) determining, using the decoded codeword, a position of said reader, an identity of the substrate digital signature, and/or a fragment of an embedded data object. The coding pattern encodes Reed-Solomon symbols using mixed multi-pulse position modulation, with a higher number of Reed-Solomon symbol values available for redundancy symbols than data symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Paul Lapstun
  • Patent number: 8116569
    Abstract: As a user writes using a handheld writing device, such as an electronic pen or stylus, handwriting input is received and initially displayed as digital ink. The display of the digital ink is converted to recognized text inline with additional digital ink as the user continues to write. A user may edit a word of recognized text inline with other text by selecting the word. An enlarged version of the word is displayed in a character correction user interface that allows a user to make corrections on an individual character basis and also provides other correction options for the word.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jan-Kristian Markiewicz, Krishna Kotipali, Adrian James Garside, Takanobu Murayama, Susan E. Dziadosz
  • Patent number: 8103061
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for identifying facial regions in an image includes a computer running a program that tests pixel values of an image to identify objects therein having attributes like pupils, such as shape, size, position and reflectivity. To reduce the time to identify pupils, the image is sub-rected, sub-sampled and only one color/brightness channel is tested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Payonk, Dick Jackson
  • Patent number: 8068678
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a grouping module, an attribute determination module, a grouping attribute setting module, a group selection module, and a video generating module. The grouping module classifies contents, to which time information is added, into groups based on the time information. The attribute determination module determines attributes of each of the contents by analyzing features of the contents. The grouping attribute setting module sets, with respect to each of the groups, selected attributes as grouping attributes for the group, the selected attributes being selected from the attributes of the contents in the group under a predetermined condition. The group selection module selects, from the groups, at least one group for which the grouping attribute agreeing with or relating to an input search key are set. The video generating module generates video data by using the contents in the selected groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yoshikata Tobita, Yuki Kaneko
  • Patent number: 8064685
    Abstract: A method, device, system, and computer program for object recognition of a 3D object of a certain object class using a statistical shape model for recovering 3D shapes from a 2D representation of the 3D object and comparing the recovered 3D shape with known 3D to 2D representations of at least one object of the object class.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jan Erik Solem, Fredrik Kahl
  • Patent number: 8064686
    Abstract: A device for the contactless optical determination of the position of an object. In particular, the present invention provides a method and device for the contactless optical determination of the 3D position of an object wherein an image of the object is generated by means of a camera and the 3D position of the object is calculated from the camera image based on the image information about detected geometrical characteristics. Determination of the 3D position of the object includes determination of the 3D position and the 3D orientation of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Micro-Epsilon Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Robert Wagner, Rainer Hesse
  • Patent number: 8064702
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and computer-storage media provide character string templates to facilitate receiving non-prose handwriting input from a user and converting that input to text to create character strings capable of being provided to application and/or displayed to the user. Templates may be provided manually or automatically, and may or may not be associated with an application text box. A template generally contains pre-populated segments and open segments for receiving handwriting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jan-Kristian Markiewicz, Adrian James Garside, Krishna Kotipali
  • Patent number: 8045805
    Abstract: A system and method for identifying objects of interest in image data is provided. The present invention utilizes principles of Iterative Transformational Divergence in which objects in images, when subjected to special transformations, will exhibit radically different responses based on the physical, chemical, or numerical properties of the object or its representation (such as images), combined with machine learning capabilities. Using the system and methods of the present invention, certain objects that appear indistinguishable from other objects to the eye or computer recognition systems, or are otherwise almost identical, generate radically different and statistically significant differences in the image describers (metrics) that can be easily measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Applied Visual Sciences, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas E. Ramsay, Eugene B. Ramsay, Gerard Felteau, Victor Hamilton, Martin Richard, Anatoliy Fesenko, Oleksandr Andrushchenko
  • Patent number: 7995836
    Abstract: An optoelectronic sensor and method for detecting an object in a three-dimensional monitored region uses a plurality of video sensors. Each sensor has a multiplicity of light-receiving elements that are configured to take a pixel picture of the monitored space, and a control unit identifies an object in the monitored space from video data of the pixel picture. Each video sensor has at least one pixel line that is formed by light-receiving elements. The video sensors are spaced from each other so that each sensor monitors an associated plane of the monitored space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Sick AG
    Inventors: Georg Plasberg, Martin Wuestefeld
  • Patent number: 7986841
    Abstract: An image edge detection method includes: classifying a plurality of candidate directions of an image region into a first direction set and at least one second direction set; computing a gradient for each candidate direction of the first direction set to obtain a first gradient set; determining if the first gradient set satisfies the conditions that one edge direction exists in the first direction set; and if the first gradient set does not satisfy the conditions, determining that none of the plurality of candidate directions is the edge direction of the image region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Chi-Feng Wang, Chun-Hsing Hsieh, Chia-Wei Yu
  • Patent number: 7929767
    Abstract: A mechanism for recognizing and inputting handwritten mathematical expressions into a computer by providing part of a multi-path framework is described. The part of the multi-path framework includes a subordinate sub-expression analysis component. A method for analyzing a handwritten mathematical expression for a subordinate sub-expression includes identifying sub-expressions based on dominant symbols and determining a character for potential dominant symbols based upon sub-expression information. A determination may be made whether an expression structure candidate is valid and valid expression structure candidates may be stored in a parse tree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mingqing Xu, Yu Zou, Lei Huang, Jian-Lai Zhou, Xiaohui Hou, Zhouchen Lin, Dongmei Zhang, Jian Wang
  • Patent number: 7925055
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a system of determining correspondence between location sets. A basic idea of the present invention is to provide a scheme in which correspondence between location sets is determined. A feature location set (X) comprising a number (n+1) of components is transformed into a feature vector that can be used in an HDS. Therefore, a feature density function (ƒjs(x)) is created. A feature vector (XF) for the HDS is chosen to be a sampled version of the feature density function (ƒX,g(x) ), which results in feature vectors of equal and finite dimensions regardless of the number (n+1) of features that are present in the biometric template XT from which the location sets is derived. Thereafter, a distance (d) between two feature location sets (X, Y) is determined. The distance (d) between the sets is chosen to be the Euclidian distance between the corresponding feature density functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Andreas Maria Kevenaar, Antonius Hermanus Maria Akkermans
  • Patent number: 7889910
    Abstract: A character pattern extracting method includes ranking character patterns whose number is larger than a maximum number of character patterns in an aperture, depending on the number of reference times in design data of a semiconductor device, extracting first extraction patterns whose number is smaller than the maximum number from the large number of read character patterns in a descending order of the reference time number, defining character patterns except the first extraction patterns out of the larger number of character patterns as candidate patterns, selecting from the candidate patterns a plurality of candidate patterns whose number corresponds to a difference between the number of extracted patterns from the maximum number, and creating combinations of the selected candidate patterns, and extracting second extraction patterns included in a combination among the combinations of candidate patterns, in which a manufacturing time of the semiconductor device is most shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tetsuro Nakasugi, Takumi Ota, Takeshi Koshiba, Noriaki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7865011
    Abstract: A outer surface-inspecting method for judging whether a defect of a defective portion (27) extracted from an inspection area in an image (21A) of an object through comparison with a template is acceptable or not, comprising: dividing the inspection area into a plurality of sections (22, 23, 24a, 24b, 25a, 25b, 28a, 28b, 28c) respectively having different acceptable levels (CONDITION 1-5); preliminarily judging, when at least one extracted defective portion (27) spreads out over some of the sections (28a, 28b, 28c) respectively having different acceptable levels (CONDITION 3-5), whether defects of parts (27a, 27b, 27c) of the defective portion (27), each part (27a, 27b, 27c) being located on a different section (28a, 28b, 28c), are acceptable or not on a part to part basis according to the acceptable levels (CONDITION 3-5) of the sections (28a, 28b, 28c) on which the parts (27a, 27b, 27c) of the defective portion (27) are respectively located; and judging whether the defect of the defective portion (27) is acc
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventor: Shigeyuki Akimoto
  • Patent number: 7848573
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for processing electronic ink: (a) receive electronic ink input; (b) convert the input to machine-generated objects; and (c) render the objects such that their size substantially corresponds to the input's original size. The input ink may constitute text, and the machine-generated objects may correspond to words, lines, and/or other groupings of text generated by a handwriting recognizer. To enable quick and easy identification of recognizer errors, in at least some systems and methods, a user may select one or more words, which will cause the system to display the original ink corresponding to the selected word(s). Such systems also may display alternative words generated by the recognizer corresponding to the selected original ink and allow the user to select one of the alternatives to make corrections in the recognized text (akin to using a spell-checking or handwriting recognition program).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David Brian Wecker, Richard I. Brass