Patents by Inventor Andrew F. Kurtz

Andrew F. Kurtz 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: 8174555
    Abstract: A method and device for adapting a display image on a hand-held portable wireless display and digital capture device. The device includes a camera for capturing a digital video and/or still image of a user, means for adjusting the captured digital image in response to poor image capture angle of said image capture device so as to create a modified captured digital image; and means for transmitting said modified captured digital image over a wireless communication network to a second hand-held portable wireless display and digital capture device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: John N. Border, Ronald S. Cok, Amy D. Enge, Andrew F. Kurtz, Joseph A. Manico, Lynn Schilling-Benz, Peter O. Stubler, Frances C. Williams
  • Patent number: 8159519
    Abstract: Video communication systems and methods for operating the same are provided with the method determining privacy settings for a video communication event; establishing a video communication link with a video communication system at a remote site; capturing video images of a field of view of at least one image capture device; determining a video context based at least in part upon a determined contextual classification for the communication event; analyzing the captured video images to identify privacy sensitive areas in the captured video images, using a scene analysis algorithm which examines a content of the video images and image context characteristics of the video images based upon the determined privacy settings; modifying the image characteristics in identified privacy sensitive image areas of captured video images, to control the image and image context characteristics to an extent consistent with the determined privacy settings; and transmitting the modified video images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, Kathleen M. Costello, Andrew C. Blose, John N. Border
  • Patent number: 8154578
    Abstract: Video communication devices and methods are provided. The device has an image display device; a first image capture device that acquires video images depicting a wide field of view within the local environment; a second image capture device that acquires video images depicting a narrow field of view within the wide field of view; a communication system that is adapted to use a communication network to transmit outgoing video images; and a computer causing the capture of video images during a communication event, and further being adapted to identify a video context for the communication event; wherein said computer uses a scene analysis algorithm to examine concurrent video images from the image capture device based upon the identified video context to determine the extent to which video images from the first image capture device and the second image capture device are to be incorporated into the outgoing video images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, John N. Border
  • Patent number: 8154583
    Abstract: Video communication systems and methods for communicating between an individual in a local environment, and a remote viewer in a remote environment are provided. The system has an image display device; at least one image capture device which acquires video images for fields of view of a local environment, and any individuals therein; an audio system having an audio emission device and an audio capture device; a computer, which includes a contextual interface having a gaze adapting process, and image processor; and a communication controller which transmits and receives video images of the local environment and the remote environment, and data regarding video scene characteristics thereof across a network between the local environment and the remote environment; wherein the gaze adapting process identifies video scene characteristics of the local environment indicative of eye gaze image capture and altering the video images when the characteristics are indicative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, Jiebo Luo
  • Publication number: 20120081500
    Abstract: A method and device for adapting a display image on a hand-held portable wireless display and digital capture device. The device includes a camera for capturing a digital video and/or still image of a user, means for adjusting the captured digital image in response to poor image capture angle of said image capture device so as to create a modified captured digital image; and means for transmitting said modified captured digital image over a wireless communication network to a second hand-held portable wireless display and digital capture device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Inventors: John N. Border, Ronald S. Cok, Amy D. Enge, Andrew F. Kurtz, Joseph A. Manico, Lynn Schilling-Benz, Peter O. Stubler, Frances C. Williams
  • Publication number: 20120038892
    Abstract: A color projection display in which at least one color channel includes: a light source assembly including a multiplicity of pulse modulated light sources providing an aggregate light beam; a light modulation control subsystem; illumination optics to direct the aggregate light beam to an image modulation plane; and a spatial light modulator in the image modulation plane. The light modulation control subsystem senses an aggregate light intensity signal for the aggregate light beam and controls the pulse modulation parameters for the multiplicity of pulse-modulated light sources responsive to the sensed aggregate light intensity signal to reduce light intensity fluctuations in the aggregate light beam within the imaging time interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2010
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, Richard P. Corey, Allen D. Bellinger
  • Publication number: 20120008200
    Abstract: A projection display surface for reducing speckle artifacts from a projector having at least one narrow band light source having an incident visible wavelength band, wherein the incident visible wavelength band has an incident peak wavelength and an incident bandwidth, comprising: a substrate having a reflective layer that reflects incident light over at least the incident visible wavelength band; and a fluorescent agent distributed over the reflective layer, wherein the fluorescent agent absorbs a fraction of the light in the incident visible wavelength band and emits light in an emissive visible wavelength band having an emissive peak wavelength and an emissive bandwidth; wherein return light from the projection display surface produced when incident light in the incident visible wavelength band is incident on the projection display surface contains light in both the incident visible wavelength band and emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Michael A. Marcus, Andrew F. Kurtz
  • Patent number: 8085467
    Abstract: A projection display surface for reducing speckle artifacts from a projector having at least one narrow band light source having an incident visible wavelength band, wherein the incident visible wavelength band has an incident peak wavelength and an incident bandwidth, comprising: a substrate having a reflective layer that reflects incident light over at least the incident visible wavelength band; and a fluorescent agent distributed over the reflective layer, wherein the fluorescent agent absorbs a fraction of the light in the incident visible wavelength band and emits light in an emissive visible wavelength band having an emissive peak wavelength and an emissive bandwidth; wherein return light from the projection display surface produced when incident light in the incident visible wavelength band is incident on the projection display surface contains light in both the incident visible wavelength band and emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Michael A. Marcus, Andrew F. Kurtz
  • Publication number: 20110310303
    Abstract: A projection apparatus for producing color images having reduced speckle artifacts comprising: at least three narrow band light sources having first, second and third visible wavelength bands; a digital image source providing color digital image data; at least one spatial light modulator for forming a color image using light responsive to the color digital image data; a projection display surface including a reflective layer that reflects incident illumination in the first, second, and third wavelength bands; and a fluorescent agent that absorbs a fraction of the incident light in the first visible wavelength bands and emits light in a corresponding first emissive visible wavelength band; and a projection lens that projects the color image onto the projection display surface; wherein return light from the projection display surface contains light in both the first incident visible wavelength band and the first emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Inventors: Michael A. Marcus, Barry D. Silverstein, Andrew F. Kurtz
  • Publication number: 20110310478
    Abstract: A projection display surface for reducing speckle artifacts from a projector having at least one narrow band light source having an incident visible wavelength band, wherein the incident visible wavelength band has an incident peak wavelength and an incident bandwidth, comprising: a substrate having a reflective layer that reflects incident light over at least the incident visible wavelength band; and a fluorescent agent distributed over the reflective layer, wherein the fluorescent agent absorbs a fraction of the light in the incident visible wavelength band and emits light in an emissive visible wavelength band having an emissive peak wavelength and an emissive bandwidth; wherein return light from the projection display surface produced when incident light in the incident visible wavelength band is incident on the projection display surface contains light in both the incident visible wavelength band and emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Inventors: Barry D. Silverstein, Michael A. Marcus, Andrew F. Kurtz
  • Publication number: 20110292505
    Abstract: An imaging lens having reduced susceptibility to thermally-induced stress birefringence for imaging an object plane to an image plane; comprising: an aperture stop positioned between the object plane and the image plane; a first group of lens elements located on the object plane side of the aperture stop; and a second group of lens elements located on the image plane side of the aperture stop; wherein the lens elements immediately adjacent to the aperture stop are fabricated using glasses having a negligible susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence as characterized by a thermal stress birefringence metric; and wherein the other lens elements in the first or second groups of lens elements are fabricated using glasses having at most a moderate susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence as characterized by the thermal stress birefringence metric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, Joseph R. Bietry, Barry D. Silverstein
  • Publication number: 20110288824
    Abstract: A method for designing an imaging lens having reduced susceptibility to thermally-induced stress birefringence, the imaging lens having first and second groups of lens elements located either side of an aperture stop, the method comprising: defining a set of lens design attributes; defining a set of lens performance criteria including a thermally-induced stress birefringence performance criterion; defining a first set of candidate glasses having a negligible susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence and a second set of candidate glasses having at most a moderate susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence; selecting glasses for lens elements that are located adjacent to the aperture stop from the first set of candidate glasses; selecting glasses for the remaining lens elements from the first or second sets of candidate glasses; and using a computer processor to determine a lens design for the imaging lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Inventors: Joseph R. Bietry, Andrew F. Kurtz, Barry D. Silverstein, James Mazzarella
  • Publication number: 20110285963
    Abstract: An imaging system having reduced susceptibility to thermally induced stress birefringence, comprising; a relay lens, which images the object plane onto an intermediate image plane; a projection lens, which images the intermediate image plane onto the display surface. The lens elements that are immediately adjacent to a relay lens aperture stop and a projection lens aperture stop are fabricated using glasses having a negligible susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence, and the other lens elements are fabricated using glasses having at most a moderate susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence as characterized by the thermal stress birefringence metric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, Joseph R. Bietry, Barry D. Silverstein
  • Patent number: 8063929
    Abstract: Video communication systems and methods for operating the same are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, John N. Border, Kathleen M. Costello, Elena A. Fedorovskaya
  • Patent number: 8062220
    Abstract: A method for unobtrusive screening the well-being of a person using a plurality of sensing devices, including detecting the presence of a person; identifying and tracking the person; using sensing devices, which includes at least one camera, to unobtrusively sense one or more body parameters of the person; calculating and storing wellness parameters, which are derived from the sensed body parameter data; and automatically evaluating the well-being of the person based on current and prior semantic data including comparing the wellness parameters to previously determined wellness parameters for that person.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, Donald E. Olson, Kevin M. Gobeyn, John N. Border
  • Patent number: 8038614
    Abstract: A method for establishing baseline data for normalization in a physiological monitoring system which captures images of an individual in order to monitor the well being of the individual, including establishing the identity of an individual; assembling a set of personal data associated with the individual, including semantic data; using the semantic data to identify at least a portion of the wellness parameters to be monitored; acquiring images of the individual during separate capture events to establish baseline image-based wellness parameter data and baseline capture condition data for the individual and; using the baseline wellness parameter data and baseline capture condition data to monitor the physiological condition of the individual.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Kevin M. Gobeyn, Andrew F. Kurtz, Donald E. Olson
  • Patent number: 8038615
    Abstract: A method for inferring the physiological condition an individual using a physiological monitoring system including providing a set of personal data regarding the individual, the personal data including wellness parameter data or semantic data or both, wherein the wellness parameters correspond to known physiological attributes for the individual; acquiring physiological data of the individual and associated capture condition data, during multiple capture events; calculating wellness parameter data for the individual, using the physiological data and the capture condition data; analyzing the wellness parameter data to identify changes in the wellness parameter data; and inferring the physiological condition of the individual from the changes in the wellness parameter data in view of the semantic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Kevin M. Gobeyn, Andrew F. Kurtz, Donald E. Olson
  • Publication number: 20110175925
    Abstract: A method for adapting color appearance of a display (200) for low luminance conditions includes operating a projection (100) to display images on a display surface (30); detecting ambient light conditions and displayed image brightness; determining low luminance conditions based on the detected ambient light conditions and the detected display brightness; determining changes in color appearance to be applied to the displayed images based on the low luminance conditions, a model of photopic vision of the human eye, and a model of mesopic vision of the human eye; and applying the determined changes in the color appearance to image data using an image processor (130) that alters the image data for the projected images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Inventors: Paul J. Kane, Andrew F. Kurtz
  • Patent number: 7978239
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for capturing image data from multiple image sensors and generating an output image sequence are disclosed. The multiple image sensors capture data with one or more different characteristics, such as: staggered exposure periods, different length exposure periods, different frame rates, different spatial resolution, different lens systems, and different focal lengths. The data from multiple image sensors is processed and interleaved to generate an improved output motion sequence relative to an output motion sequence generated from an a single equivalent image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Aaron T. Deever, Kenneth A. Parulski, John R. Fredlund, Majid Rabbani, Andrew F. Kurtz, Joseph A. Manico
  • Patent number: 7972266
    Abstract: A method for providing normalized physiological monitoring data of an individual with a measure of the quality of the normalization, including providing a reference feature based on a physiological attribute of the individual for which an attribute value can be determined; unobtrusively capturing physiological monitoring data for the individual during a series of capture events and determining the capture conditions present during each capture event; detecting the presence of the reference feature in the series of captured physiological monitoring data and determining associated attribute values for each capture event; normalizing the captured physiological monitoring data from each capture event according to differences in the attribute values associated with each event and previously calculated attribute values; and calculating normalization confidence values for the individual at the series of capture events, based on capture conditions, normalization transforms, or semantic data, wherein the confidence va
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Kevin M. Gobeyn, Andrew F. Kurtz, Donald E. Olson, Thomas E. Madden