Patents Examined by Michelle K. Lay
  • Patent number: 7460128
    Abstract: In an image drawing apparatus for conducting a data transfer at a bit unit for image data stored in a memory device, a region storing part stores a region where at least one attribute value concerning a pixel is not constant in the image data, an attribute value storing value stores each attribute value of pixels in the region, a constant value storing part stores a constant value as the attribute value, an inside region determining part determines whether or not a coordinate being transferred is within the region, and a selection signal generating part selects one of the attribute value storing part as a selected storing part and the constant value storing part based on a determination result obtained by the inside region determining part, and generating a selection signal indicating the selected storing part, wherein a predetermined process for source image data is conducted by obtaining the attribute value from the selected storing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Takahiro Oka, Munenori Takimoto
  • Patent number: 7456848
    Abstract: A computer implemented method for consolidating overlapping markers in a mapping application. The process identifies a plurality of points for display from data describing locations and associated data about locations. The process then determines whether displaying graphical indicators for a set of points in the plurality of points will result in graphical indicators overlapping each other. The process generates a consolidated marker for the set of points, in response to a determination that displaying graphical indicators for the set of points will result in graphical indicators overlapping each other. The process then associates a listing for the set of points with the consolidated marker. The listing comprises at least a portion of the associated data about locations for the plurality of points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Blaine H. Dolph, Christopher Joseph Gansen
  • Patent number: 7453467
    Abstract: A method for a dominant color setting of a video region and a data structure and a method of a confidence measure extraction are disclosed. The video region dominant color setting method is characterized in that a region dominant color descriptor is expressed by the number of dominant colors with respect to a certain region, a dominant color expressed, a frequency that the dominant color appears, and an accuracy of a color value representing the region in a region dominant color based on various region dominant color extraction methods, for thereby expressing a region dominant color using a plurality of colors with respect to a region dominant color value and a confidence value of a region dominant color information based on various region dominant color feature extracting methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Hyeon Jun Kim
  • Patent number: 7446784
    Abstract: A method (700) of displaying a plurality of images is disclosed. The method (700) displays the images in a stack arrangement. The stack may be a perspective stack and a non-perspective stack. Another method (1200) of displaying a plurality of images is also disclosed. The method (1200) displays the images in a stack following any arbitrary path. The methods (700) and (1200) are particularly advantageous for displaying a collection of images of irregular sizes and aspect ratios. The methods (700) and (1200) maintain the regular geometric layout of a stack of images and also ensure that the size of the minimum visible area of each image in the stack remains the same irrespective of the aspect ratio of a particular image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Laurence Crew, Andrew John Shellshear
  • Patent number: 7427992
    Abstract: Color values of a color space are stored in a color correction table. A smoothing process is performed on achromatic color values to remove artifacts and prevent image degradation caused by the correction process. The color values obtained from the smoothing process may also be adjusted for projection onto the achromatic axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Suzuko Fukao, Kimitaka Arai
  • Patent number: 7417649
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for nonlinear scaling of video images. To match the aspect ratios of a video image and the target display area, at least one embodiment of the present invention scales the video image according to one or more nonlinear functions along the horizontal direction and/or the vertical direction. In one embodiment, the nonlinear functions are such that the original aspect ratio of the video image is preserved near the center region (or strip) of the image and the image is gradually stretched (or compressed) as it is mapped to the edges. In one example, the scaling is implemented by the texture mapping functionality of OpenGL using graphics hardware. In one embodiment of the present invention, the nonlinear mapping is constructed according to a polynomial mapping; and, the coefficients of the polynomial are adjustable by a user to trade off distortion between the image center and the image edges, giving the user control over the location and the amount of distortion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Charles G. Fleming, Ralph T. Brunner
  • Patent number: 7414627
    Abstract: A slanted viewer is provided to maximize data visibility. In the context of computer graphics and a rendering technique, the slanted viewer's use of three-dimensional rendering provides an instant view of full data without compromising the visibility of other view areas or data and with minimum user interactions. The slanted viewer combines the use of two-dimensional and three-dimensional concepts to enhance, as well as to preserve, a well-established user interaction environment and navigation system. The slanted viewer serves effectively in viewers showing extended length of text or objects horizontally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Shelley Lau
  • Patent number: 7408559
    Abstract: Upscaling of an anti-aliased graphical element in a raster image includes generating a grid of pixels. Resolution of the grid is higher than resolution of the graphical element. Each pixel in the anti-aliased graphical element corresponds to a group of pixels in the higher resolution grid. The upscaling further includes distributing coverage of each transition pixel in the anti-aliased graphical element to the corresponding pixels in the higher resolution grid. The coverage is distributed unevenly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Renato Keshet
  • Patent number: 7403207
    Abstract: A method for determining intensity of a sub-pixel position within a pixelated image to enhance the image quality thereof. In a first step of this method information is received regarding a first pixel at a position X0,Y0, having an intensity I(X0,Y0). In a second step information is received regarding a second pixel at a position X1,Y0, where said second pixel is adjacent to and to the right of said first pixel. In third step, information is received regarding a third pixel at a position X0,Y1, where the third pixel is adjacent to and below the first pixel. In a fourth step information is received regarding a fourth pixel at a position X1,Y1, where the fourth pixel is adjacent to and to the right of the third pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark G. Vancleef, Richard S. Arlint
  • Patent number: 7379075
    Abstract: Colors are specified within the individual glyphs of a font by means of an indirect approach which employs multiple tables. The data values for individual pixels of a glyph identify entries in an index table, which pertains to a subset of all available colors. The entries in the index table map to a complete set of colors that are specified in a color table. As a result of this structure, the amount of data that is required to specify the individual pixels of a glyph can be minimized to the number of bits required to distinguish the colors within that glyph. The specification of all available colors within a single table permits that table to be shared among various resources, including bitmap fonts and outline fonts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: David G. Opstad, Alexander B. Beaman
  • Patent number: 7369127
    Abstract: The present invention provides user selections to control of one or more graphical representations of data in a graphical display. User selections can include parts of the graphical display, such as tick marks, offset bars scale values, combination bars and/or the graphical representations themselves. Repositioning and resealing of the graphical representations may be performed without rescaling of the underlying data. Multiple series of data may be viewed and quickly moved and/or rescaled to determine trends and/or relationship between and/or among the series of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
    Inventor: Doug Hull
  • Patent number: 7358974
    Abstract: A method and system for minimizing an amount of data needed to test data against subarea boundaries in spatially composited digital video. Spatial compositing uses a graphics unit or pipeline to render a portion (subarea) of each overall frame of digital video images. This reduces the amount of data that each processor must act on and increases the rate at which an overall frame is rendered. Optimization of spatial compositing depends on balancing the processing load among the different pipelines. The processing load typically is direct function of the size of a given subarea and a function of the rendering complexity for objects within this subarea. Load balancing strives to measure these variables and adjust, from frame to frame, the number, sizes, and positions of the subareas. The cost of this approach is the necessity to communicate, in conjunction with each frame, the graphics data that will be rendered. Graphics data for a frame is composed of geometry chunks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
    Inventors: David R. Blythe, Marc Schafer, Paul Jeffrey Ungar, David Yu
  • Patent number: 7356406
    Abstract: Disclosed is a network accessible tool that is capable of providing map and satellite image data, as well as other photographic image data to locate, identify, measure, view, and communicate information about land over the Internet-to-Internet users. The network accessible tool includes a location tool that allows the user to locate areas on a map using geographic names, township, range and section descriptions, county names, latitude and longitude coordinates or zip codes. Network accessible tool also includes a metes and bounds tool that draws boundaries on the map and image data in response to metes and bounds descriptions that have been entered by the Internet user. The network accessible tool also includes a lat/long drawing tool that draws boundaries on the map and image data based upon latitude and longitude coordinate pairs that have been entered by the Internet user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: LandNet Corporation
    Inventors: Craig D. Harrison, James J. Graham
  • Patent number: 7348979
    Abstract: A display for showing the inter-dependence of a plurality of time series each varying in different defined sessions includes a plurality of composite geometric objects representative of one of the time series. The objects are positioned sequentially in order of the time of their first value, and plotted against an axis representative of a percentage deviation from a pre-determined reference value. Lines are drawn between geometric objects. A first line connects an object with a point on an adjacent object corresponding to its time series value at the same instant in time. A second line connects a point on an object corresponding to the last value in the defined session of its time series with a point on another object corresponding with its time series value at the same instant in time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Inventor: Horace Wei Her Tso
  • Patent number: 7342582
    Abstract: Distribution displays for categories are provided which illuminate the distribution of continuous attributes over all cases in a category, and which provide a histogram of the population of the different states of categorical attributes. An array of such displays by attribute (in one dimension) and category (in another dimension) may be provided. Category diagram displays are also provided for visualizing the different categories, and their distributions, populations, and similarities. These are displayed through different shading of nodes and edges representing categories and the relationship between two categories, and through proximity of nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David Maxwell Chickering, Zhaohui Tang, David Earl Heckerman, Robert L. Rounthwaite, Alexei V. Bocharov, Scott Conrad Oveson
  • Patent number: 7342584
    Abstract: A method and computer program are provided for implementing an interactive bargraph that includes associating an interactive bargraph with an independent touch map image having a plurality of pixel values, displaying the interactive bargraph, determining a current level of the interactive bargraph based on the content of the touch map image, and updating the display of the interactive bargraph based on the current level of the interactive bargraph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: AMX, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph P. Kessler, Mark R. Lee, Robert M. Whapham
  • Patent number: 7339598
    Abstract: Automated electronic document design systems and methods for combining identified images and layouts into electronic product templates for displaying to a user. A plurality of images and a plurality of layouts are retained. Stored images are identified based on keyword input by the user. Stored layouts contain one or more image containers and are identified based on product type and number of layout images input by the user. Images and layout image containers are designed to use pre-determined standard sizes to facilitate modularity and the ready combination of images and layouts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Vistaprint Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Alexander K. Schowtka, Eliza H. Royal, Daniel R. Malone, Eric Walker, Anatoliy V. Tsykora
  • Patent number: 7339595
    Abstract: The present invention provides a technique for providing color corrected images to a user over a network. In particular, the present invention allows multiple image providers to provide color corrected images to a user when the user's computer and its associated devices are not calibrated and/or characterized, or the calibration and/or characterization data is not available over the network to the image providers. This abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the rules requiring an abstract to allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure contained herein. This abstract is submitted with the express understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: LightSurf Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: William Hilliard, Kees van Prooijen, Peter G. Engeldrum, Jean-Pierre Huber, Thomas Strother, Peter Bernard, Joel Warwick, Keith Ball, James Deutch, Tamara Baker
  • Patent number: 7330192
    Abstract: A system and method of rendering overlapping layers in a computer display, such as a windowing system, employs front-to-back assembly of the displayed image. An arbitrary number of overlapping elements, such as windows, can be presented, without requiring temporary storage space or additional off-screen buffers. The front-to-back assembly technique minimizes the number of memory transfers performed in connection with rendering an image, and avoids unnecessary reading and processing of pixels that will not contribute to the final image. Special effects such as semi-transparency, shadows, and irregular shapes can be accommodated and processed in an efficient manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Ralph T. Brunner, Peter Graffagnino
  • Patent number: 7330198
    Abstract: When the user touches a display screen, a touch-operated input device (7) detects a coordinate of a user-touched point on the display screen and a touch-input conversion program is executed to determine an axis, direction and speed of rotation of a three-dimensional object (40) on the basis of the user-defined coordinate, and give the information to a three-dimensional rendering program. The three-dimensional rendering program is executed to make a calculation for rotating the three-dimensional object (40) on the basis of the given information. The axis, direction and speed of the three-directional object rotation are repeatedly calculated in a fixed cycle only while the coordinate is kept defined by the user by continuously touching the display screen. Upon completion of each calculation, the results of calculation are given to the three-dimensional rendering program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kosuke Yamaguchi, Ken Miyashita