Patents by Inventor Alena Fong

Alena Fong has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9429434
    Abstract: A system and method for mapping an indoor environment. A client device may receive an indication of a starting point on a floor plan. The client device may prompt the user to travel in a particular direction and indicate when the user can no longer travel in that direction. As the user travels from the starting point in the designated direction, the client device may gather information about the indoor environment. For example, the client device may gather wireless signal strength data, cellular tower strength data, or video image data while the user travels in the designated direction. The client device may associate the gathered information with the path the user traveled from the starting point to the ending point. The client device may indicate the area for which valid location information is available based on the path the user traveled and the information the user collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Germano O'Neill, Carl Ferman Smith, Alena Fong, Mohammed Waleed Kadous, Russell Heywood
  • Publication number: 20160003626
    Abstract: A system and method for mapping an indoor environment. A client device may receive an indication of a starting point on a floor plan. The client device may prompt the user to travel in a particular direction and indicate when the user can no longer travel in that direction. As the user travels from the starting point in the designated direction, the client device may gather information about the indoor environment. For example, the client device may gather wireless signal strength data, cellular tower strength data, or video image data while the user travels in the designated direction. The client device may associate the gathered information with the path the user traveled from the starting point to the ending point. The client device may indicate the area for which valid location information is available based on the path the user traveled and the information the user collected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Thomas Germano O'Neill, Carl Ferman Smith, Alena Fong, Mohammed Waleed Kadous, Russell Heywood
  • Patent number: 9170113
    Abstract: A system and method for mapping an indoor environment. A client device may receive an indication of a starting point on a floor plan. The client device may prompt the user to travel in a particular direction and indicate when the user can no longer travel in that direction. As the user travels from the starting point in the designated direction, the client device may gather information about the indoor environment. For example, the client device may gather wireless signal strength data, cellular tower strength data, or video image data while the user travels in the designated direction. The client device may associate the gathered information with the path the user traveled from the starting point to the ending point. The client device may indicate the area for which valid location information is available based on the path the user traveled and the information the user collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Germano O'Neill, Carl Ferman Smith, Alena Fong, Mohammed Waleed Kadous, Russell Heywood
  • Patent number: 8843352
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system for designing a structure based on an initial depiction is disclosed. The system includes a design engine that receives the depiction and various other inputs and produces a structure design therefrom. The depiction is analyzed to determine a representation, and cells instantiated to populate the representation. Cells are configured to be assembled together with other cells to form the structure design, including systems of the design. An initial proposed design may be iteratively improved using one or more measures of the proposed structure design's goodness, such as conformance to the depiction's shape, style, volume, etc. Creation of the depiction may be in the context of the building site, from which additional information may be derived in the process of creating a proposed structure design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Michelle Kaufmann, Eric Teller, Alena Fong, Nicholas Chim, Cedric Dupont
  • Publication number: 20130226451
    Abstract: A system and method for mapping an indoor environment. A client device may receive an indication of a starting point on a floor plan. The client device may prompt the user to travel in a particular direction and indicate when the user can no longer travel in that direction. As the user travels from the starting point in the designated direction, the client device may gather information about the indoor environment. For example, the client device may gather wireless signal strength data, cellular tower strength data, or video image data while the user travels in the designated direction. The client device may associate the gathered information with the path the user traveled from the starting point to the ending point. The client device may indicate the area for which valid location information is available based on the path the user traveled and the information the user collected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Germano O'Neill, Carl Ferman Smith, Alena Fong, Mohammed Waleed Kadous, Russell Heywood
  • Patent number: 8516572
    Abstract: A computer-implemented subsystem and method is disclosed for receiving user qualification data, comparing that data to certification criteria, and providing user certification according thereto, in the context of a system for designing a structure. A variety of users may be certified, including architects, designers, component and service providers, permitting authorities, builders, financers, future tenants, etc. A wide variety of certifications may be provided including by trade, by attributes of the structure, by intended use of the design system, etc. Certification may be based on general experience, references, time spent with the design system, training completed, examination passed, other certifications, etc. Certification may be stand-alone or may be part of an ongoing continuing education process. The design system may limit actions a user may perform on a design based on certification and certification level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Chim, Eric Teller, Eli Attia, Michelle Kaufmann, Alena Fong, Augusto Roman, Jennifer Carlile, Cedric Dupont
  • Publication number: 20130074180
    Abstract: A computer-implemented subsystem and method is disclosed for receiving user qualification data, comparing that data to certification criteria, and providing user certification according thereto, in the context of a system for designing a structure. A variety of users may be certified, including architects, designers, component and service providers, permitting authorities, builders, financers, future tenants, etc. A wide variety of certifications may be provided including by trade, by attributes of the structure, by intended use of the design system, etc. Certification may be based on general experience, references, time spent with the design system, training completed, examination passed, other certifications, etc. Certification may be stand-alone or may be part of an ongoing continuing education process. The design system may limit actions a user may perform on a design based on certification and certification level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Nicholas Chim, Eric Teller, Eli Attia, Michelle Kaufmann, Alena Fong, Augusto Roman, Jennifer Carlile, Cedric Dupont
  • Publication number: 20130046512
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system for designing a structure based on an initial depiction is disclosed. The system includes a design engine that receives the depiction and various other inputs and produces a structure design therefrom. The depiction is analyzed to determine a representation, and cells instantiated to populate the representation. Cells are configured to be assembled together with other cells to form the structure design, including systems of the design. An initial proposed design may be iteratively improved using one or more measures of the proposed structure design's goodness, such as conformance to the depiction's shape, style, volume, etc. Creation of the depiction may be in the context of the building site, from which additional information may be derived in the process of creating a proposed structure design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Michelle Kaufmann, Eric Teller, Alena Fong, Nicholas Chim, Cedric Dupont
  • Publication number: 20120296611
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system for designing a structure and coordinating its implementation is disclosed. The system includes a design workspace, a design engine which receives various inputs and produces a structure design for display in the design workspace, a requirements providing structure design requirement rules to the design engine for producing the structure design, and a cell source providing a definition of a cell that forms a portion of the structure design. The cell is configured to be assembled together with other cells to form the structure design. An attributes engine quantifies measures of various attributes of a structure based on the structure design during the process of designing the structure, and displays the quantified measures in a dashboard user interface. Optimization engines for analyzing the structure design, and proposing alternative designs is provided. The design may be optimized for various criteria, including the attributes quantified by the attributes engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Eric Teller, Nicholas Chim, Augusto Roman, Jennifer Carlile, Alena Fong, Eli Attia, Michelle Kaufmann
  • Patent number: 8285521
    Abstract: A computer-implemented subsystem and method is disclosed for receiving user qualification data, comparing that data to certification criteria, and providing user certification according thereto, in the context of a system for designing a structure. A variety of users may be certified, including architects, designers, component and service providers, permitting authorities, builders, financers, future tenants, etc. A wide variety of certifications may be provided including by trade, by attributes of the structure, by intended use of the design system, etc. Certification may be based on general experience, references, time spent with the design system, training completed, examination passed, other certifications, etc. Certification may be stand-alone or may be part of an ongoing continuing education process. The design system may limit actions a user may perform on a design based on certification and certification level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Chim, Eric Teller, Eli Attia, Michelle Kaufmann, Alena Fong, Augusto Roman, Jennifer Carlile, Cedric Dupont
  • Patent number: 8229715
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system for coordinating the design and implementation of a structure is disclosed. The system includes a design workspace, a design engine which receives various inputs and produces a structure design for display in the design workspace, first and second interfaces permitting first and second users, respectively, to view and manipulate a design, either independently or concurrently, and a library of design elements and editing tools accessible to the first and second users. One or more users may be provided with controls limiting the manipulations that other user(s) may make to the design. Change tracking and error and conflict checking are provided to assist with merging design manipulations originating from separate users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Teller, Nicholas Chim, Augusto Roman, Jennifer Carlile, Alena Fong, Eli Attia, Michelle Kaufmann