Patents Examined by William Titcomb
  • Patent number: 9225755
    Abstract: A system and methodology for collaborating is provided for use by a plurality of users, comprised of a source providing an initial video presentation; control logic capturing and storing in a memory, at a first time, a portion of the initial display presentation to provide a base image for viewing by at least two of the users; input logic permitting input by at least two of the users to each generate annotation data for annotations having an associated image and input while a display presentation of the base image is provided for viewing to each said user, relative to which the input is made by each said user; storage logic storing the annotation data in the memory as associated with the user providing the input of said annotation data; and, display logic providing an updated said display presentation representative of the input generated by at least one of the users that are selected ones of the users, responsive to at least a part of the annotation data associated with the selected ones of the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Inventor: David H. Sitrick
  • Patent number: 9223473
    Abstract: Examples are described for integrating interface functionality with other experiences. For example, if a user is interested in a particular item of scheduled or on-demand content (e.g., a television series episode), the user may also be interested in a web page devoted to the television series and/or other extras such as cast interviews, news, related theme apps, and the like. These types of experiences may be integrated into an interface by presenting the experiences as supplemental services that may be presented and/or selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Arpit Mathur
  • Patent number: 9219793
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a social media app that allows users to select words to describe one another. The database query structure of the system (app) remembers the words used to describe the users and the connections between users and can then match up descriptions and relationships to tell users their public image, and to provide social status insights and whom they tend to attract in their social circles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Inventor: Justin Ethington
  • Patent number: 9218103
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method based on an android system for displaying a three-dimension interface, including: a three-dimension engine library transmitting a user operation command to an android system service layer; the android system service layer transmitting the user operation command to a java terminal; the java terminal generating a responding instruction according to the user operation command and sending the responding instruction to the android system service layer; the android system service layer sending the responding instruction to the three-dimension engine library; and the three-dimension engine library controlling a three-dimension model document to load a three-dimension model corresponding to the responding instruction and redrawing the three-dimension interface accordingly. In the present disclosure, with the android system service layer, a decline of processing ability when the system resources are overloaded in an instant can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: Shenzhen Coocaa Network Technology Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Kevin Zhang
  • Patent number: 9218106
    Abstract: A particular system includes a processor and memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include sending a notification indicator to a first device in response to identifying content of interest associated with a first source. The operations also include, in response to user input responsive to the notification indicator, sending a menu display to the first device. The menu display includes a first user selectable option to view a submenu. The submenu includes an option to selectively enable display of an alert associated with the first source. The alert is displayable on the first device in conjunction with display of a first program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Dale Malik
  • Patent number: 9218704
    Abstract: A dispensing system may be configured to dispense a custom product based on a user selection. The user selection may be provided via a user interface of the dispensing system. The user interface may simultaneously display selectable icons for the available types of products (e.g., types of beverages) and other icons for modifying a chosen product (e.g., a flavoring or additive to a beverage, such as a sweetener or a cherry flavoring). The user interface may receive input from a user in order for the user to select a custom product (e.g., a custom drink) and the dispensing system may dispense the custom product to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: PepsiCo, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Lim, Christine J. Sisler, Mathieu R. Badimon, Massimo F. d'Amore, Mikel Durham, Camiel Flohr, John W. Vail
  • Patent number: 9213684
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for render documents that are in proprietary formats in a browser or mobile device. In one embodiment, a method comprises converting a plurality of resources in a document file into a plurality of files that are native to a browser. The method further comprises creating a style sheet based on the document file, wherein an aggregate of the plurality of files together with the style sheet are configured to cause the browser to render an appearance of the document file. The method further comprises generating, based on the document file, an invisible layer to be laid on the appearance, wherein the invisible layer enables actions to be performed on the document file. Among other advantages, embodiments disclosed herein provide the convenience of viewing and accessing documents regardless of whether a software or plug-in therefor is installed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Box, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Lai, Anurag Pandit, Ryan Damico, Nick Rolph, Sean Rose, Joseph Chung, Jonathan Matthew Long, Bennett Lee Rogers
  • Patent number: 9213463
    Abstract: In one implementation, a graphical object classification system includes an acquisition module, a signature generation module, and a classification module. The acquisition module accesses a representation of a graphical object. The signature generation module generates an appearance-invariant signature of the graphical object based on the representation. The classification module classifies the graphical object based on the appearance-invariant signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Daniel Freedman, Pavel Kisilev, Anastasia Dubrovina, Sagi Schein, Ruth Bergman
  • Patent number: 9207833
    Abstract: A collaboration system provides enhanced user interface to enable users to interact with electronic devices. In one embodiment, users can add content to a digital system by using a pen that streams coordinates so that input to the digital system may be based on conventional pen and paper handwriting. In another embodiment, a pie-based menu system is used for input to large display area digital devices in which an occluded portion of the pie-based menu system is not used for direct input by the user. The selection of which areas of the pie-based menu system should be omitted from use is adaptive and responsive to whether the user is left-handed or right-handed, and the wrist angle defined by the user's posture. In still another embodiment, an ergonomic open-shaped pie menu system is provided to facilitate selection of options on a digital surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Bernard Doray, Paul To, Michael Haller, Peter Brandl, Thomas J. Seifried
  • Patent number: 9201577
    Abstract: A user interface (e.g., on remote control device) for controlling an audio playback device. The user interface includes an input region operable to select from a plurality of entities for providing audio content to the audio playback device, and a display for displaying information associated with the entities. The user interface is configured to allow a user to preview the information associated with the entities via the display prior to selection of one of the entities for providing audio content for playback on the audio playback device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: John Michael Sakalowsky, Joel H. Miller
  • Patent number: 9203844
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include systems and methods for assigning visual representation to contacts. The embodiments include receiving selection criteria, identifying data associated with a plurality of customers meeting the selection criteria, wherein each of the customers is associated with one or more contacts, determining that at least one contact associated with each customer comprises one or more contact statuses, and assigning one or more indicators to the at least one contact based on the one or more statuses. In particular embodiments, the one or more statuses are related to a contact locked status, a contact external request status, a contact geography status, a contact time period status, a contact velocity status, and/or a permission-to-communicate status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andrew Sheldon, Ryan Scott Heller, David Luke Hallam
  • Patent number: 9201594
    Abstract: In a method for controlling virtual keyboards using an electronic device, a first virtual keyboard, a second virtual keyboard, and a third virtual keyboard are preset, and the first virtual keyboard is preset to be a default virtual keyboard. When the electronic device enters a character input mode, the default virtual keyboard is invoked. A tilt direction and a tilt angle of the electronic device are detected. When the tilt direction is left and the tilt angle is greater than a predetermined angle, the default virtual keyboard is switched to the second virtual keyboard. When the tilt direction is right and the tilt angle is greater than the predetermined angle, the default virtual keyboard is switched to the third virtual keyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Chiun Mai Communication Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Chin-Yu Lin
  • Patent number: 9195366
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an operational program of a numerical control machine, which includes: a main menu in which main menus including a tool management menu and a tool setting menu are arranged; a detail information in which the list of tools mounted on a machine tool is outputted, when the tool management menu is selected from the main menu; a preview that displaying the machining state of a material on the basis of the information inputted through the main menu; and a function selection in which function selection icons for selecting and adding new tools are arranged, in which when the tool management tool is selected from the main menu, “register new tool item” is shown up on the function selection icons, and the function selection icon for selecting a new tool is selected, a tool database including characters, symbols, and images for tool lists is outputted in the detail information in accordance with a machining method so that a new tool can be registered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Doosan Infracore Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong Hwan Kim, Sung Hoon Cho, Kyung Hoon Wie, Hyung Jung Kim
  • Patent number: 9182940
    Abstract: According to one or more embodiments, a method is provided. The method may include receiving an indication to pause playback of a media file at a current location in the media file. The method may also include receiving an indication to resume playback of the media file. Furthermore, the method may include determining an elapsed time between the indication to pause playback and the indication to resume playback. Furthermore, the method may include determining, based at least in part on the current location and the elapsed time, a second location in the media file that occurs before the current location. Further still, the method may include resuming playback of the media file at the second location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Chen, Xi Long, Rudy Darmawan
  • Patent number: 9176657
    Abstract: A method for selecting multiple content items in a list of content items is presented. In an embodiment, the method first displays a list of content items along the first direction on a display of the computing device. Then, the method detects a first portion of gesture for selecting a first content item in the list of content items. While the first content item is selected, the method detects a trigger for a second portion of the gesture, and then selects at least one second content item based on the second portion of the gesture. The trigger for the second portion of the gesture is a scroll gesture, and while the first content item is selected the scrolling of the list is disabled. A method for manipulating multiple content items in a list of content items is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Inventor: Changwat Tumwattana
  • Patent number: 9176658
    Abstract: A computing device can periodically acquire a current track time for a media content item being played. The device can periodically compare the current track time with a respective start time and a respective end time for each line (or segment) in a plurality of lines of text (or segments of text) associated with the media content item. If the device determines that the current track time is between start and end times for a given line of text, then the device can display the given line of text. A user of the device can scroll through the lines of text associated with the media content item. If the user selects a particular line of text, the device can identify a start time for the selected line of text. The device can then play the media content item at the identified start time of the selected line of text.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Toby Ray Latin-Stoermer, Jonathan Beech, Hari Gangadharan, Gabriela Ahern, Brandon Scott Durham, Darren Levi Malek, Ralph Cameron Harvey, Benjamin Lee Shepherd, Jason Christopher Hall, Andrew Powell McGoogan, Robert Richard Morse
  • Patent number: 9170736
    Abstract: Example apparatus and methods concern controlling a hover-sensitive input/output interface. One example apparatus includes a proximity detector that detects an object in a hover-space associated with the input/output interface. The apparatus produces characterization data concerning the object. The characterization data may be independent of where in the hover-space the object is located. The apparatus selectively controls the activation, display, and deactivation of user interface elements displayed by the apparatus on the input/output interface as a function of the characterization data and interface state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Inventors: Lynn Dai, Dan Hwang, Bo-June Hsu, Raymond Quan, Eric Badger, Jose Rodriguez, Peter Gregory Davis
  • Patent number: 9164664
    Abstract: Avatar cloning in a virtual world may include receiving an input indicating that a user desires to access a cloning feature and allowing a cloned avatar to be cloned from the user's avatar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Bruce Nicol, II, Brian Ronald Bokor, Peter Frederick Haggar, Daniel Edward House, Andrew Bryan Smith
  • Patent number: 9164652
    Abstract: An object is to allow intuitively understand whether display information displayed on a display device indicates favorable state or unfavorable state for a user. An acquisition unit 11 acquires energy-related information. A communication unit 13 is connected to a display device 3 and an operation device 4. Display information to be displayed on the display device 3 has a stratum structure including first display information as a top tier and second display information, the first display information including at least two categories which express the favorability about the energy-related information, the second display information including plural kinds of information so that the lower tier includes more detailed information. An information generation unit 14 transmits second display information to the display device 3 upon receiving a request from the operation device 4 when first display information is displayed on the display device 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Rikiya Masuda, Kiyotaka Takehara, Yoshitaka Tezuka, Kenji Nakakita, Akiko Okamura
  • Patent number: 9165534
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus for improving operability when a content is scroll-displayed by an operation for scrolling such as a flick operation. The information processing apparatus displays a plurality of contents in a predetermined display area, and scroll-displays the contents according to an instruction to perform the scroll display. When a press of a button displayed outside the display area has been detected, processing corresponding to the pressed button is performed if the scroll display is not being performed, and is not performed if the scroll display is being performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiteru Horiike