Patents by Inventor Antony James Gould

Antony James Gould 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: 6801225
    Abstract: Data processing apparatus has a core object for controlling overall operation of the apparatus and a plurality of plug-in COM objects arranged to communicate with the core object. The plug-in COM objects are allocated to both a COM stream interface and a COM storage interface for use in storing and/or retrieving working data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventor: Antony James Gould
  • Patent number: 6791552
    Abstract: Digital video processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of render processors arranged in an operational sequence, each operable to render an output result relating to an image of a video signal from input data relating to that and/or other images received from a preceding render processor in the operational sequence; and a render controller for controlling rendering operation of the render processors; each render processor being operable to communicate dependency data to the render controller, indicating which images must be rendered by a preceding render processor in order for that render processor to render output data relating to a required image; and the render controller being operable to control operation of the render processors so that images required by each render processor are rendered by preceding render processors in the operational sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Antony James Gould, Jonathan James Stone
  • Patent number: 6782539
    Abstract: Data processing apparatus is disclosed in which a core program object interacts with and controls operation of a plurality of plug-in program objects operable to carry out data processing tasks, the apparatus providing for communication between the core program object and each such data processing task: (i) a synchronous interface to allow interaction between the core program object and a plug-in program object operable to carry out that task; and (ii) an asynchronous interface to allow interaction between the core program object and a hardware device operable to carry out that task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventor: Antony James Gould
  • Patent number: 6700579
    Abstract: Digital video processing apparatus comprises: a plurality of render processors arranged in an operational sequence, each operable to render an output result relating to an image of a video signal from input data relating to that and/or other images received from a preceding render processor in the operational sequence; each render processor being operable to detect and communicate to other render processors whether its rendered output is constant between adjacent images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventor: Antony James Gould
  • Publication number: 20030177286
    Abstract: Data processing apparatus is disclosed in which a core program object interacts with and controls operation of a plurality of plug-in program objects operable to carry out data processing tasks, the apparatus providing for communication between the core program object and each such data processing task:
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Inventor: ANTONY JAMES GOULD
  • Publication number: 20030085899
    Abstract: Digital video processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of render processors arranged in an operational sequence, each operable to render an output result relating to an image of a video signal from input data relating to that and/or other images received from a preceding render processor in the operational sequence; and a render controller for controlling rendering operation of the render processors; each render processor being operable to communicate dependency data to the render controller, indicating which images must be rendered by a preceding render processor in order for that render processor to render output data relating to a required image; and the render controller being operable to control operation of the render processors so that images required by each render processor are rendered by preceding render processors in the operational sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Inventors: ANTONY JAMES GOULD, JONATHAN JAMES STONE
  • Patent number: 6556205
    Abstract: Video special effects apparatus comprises a core program object; and a plurality of render processor plug-in program objects responsive to the core program object, the render processors being arranged in directed acyclic graph, each operable to render an output result relating to successive images of a video signal from input data relating to that and/or other images received from a preceding render processor in the directed acyclic graph and in response to operational parameters relating to that render processor; in which each operational parameter is defined by a parameter plug-in object arranged to communicate a parameter value to the render processor plug-in object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Antony James Gould, Nicholas Mark Collins
  • Patent number: 6529200
    Abstract: Video processing apparatus and method, in which successive video processing operations are applied to images generate corresponding processing results in the form of images or data, for storing cached items and processing results associated with the video processing operations, and providing for deleting currently cached items to provide cache space for items to be newly cached, so that non-image processing results are retained in the cache for longer than processing results in the form of images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdon Limited
    Inventor: Antony James Gould
  • Patent number: 6523174
    Abstract: A method of data processing in which a composite data processing operation, for execution by a data processing device having a memory, is assembled by a user as a linked list of sub-operations selected from a set of possible data processing sub-operations, comprises the steps of: as a sub-operation is selected by the user for inclusion in the composite operation, loading into the memory sub-operation data defining parameters of that sub-operation including input and output interfaces of that sub-operation; and in response to an initiation of execution of a sub-operation, loading sub-operation program code into the memory for execution by the data processing device; in which the sub-operation data requires less memory space than the sub-operation program code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdon Limited
    Inventors: Antony James Gould, Anthony Howard Phillips, Jonathan James Stone
  • Publication number: 20030033424
    Abstract: Digital video processing apparatus comprises: a plurality of render processors arranged in an operational sequence, each operable to render an output result relating to an image of a video signal from input data relating to that and/or other images received from a preceding render processor in the operational sequence; each render processor being operable to detect and communicate to other render processors whether its rendered output is constant between adjacent images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Inventor: ANTONY JAMES GOULD
  • Publication number: 20030001827
    Abstract: Video processing apparatus in which successive video processing operations are applied to images of a video signal to generate corresponding processing results in the form of images or data comprises a cache store for storing, as cached items and processing results associated with the video processing operations; and means for deleting currently cached items to provide cache space for items to be newly cached, the deleting means operating so that non-image processing results are retained in the cache for longer than processing results in the form of images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Inventor: ANTONY JAMES GOULD
  • Patent number: 6501476
    Abstract: Video processing apparatus in which input images of an input video sequence are processed according to user adjustable video effects parameters to generate output images of an output video sequence comprises: rendering means for rendering images of the output video sequence according to a priority order of: (i) an image or images currently displayed for view by a user; (ii) first and last images of the output video sequence; and (iii) remaining images of the output video sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Antony James Gould, Anthony Howard Phillips
  • Patent number: 6469723
    Abstract: Video special effects apparatus comprises a plurality of video special effects processing modules; a display screen; a palette area on the display screen, the palette area displaying module screen icons representing video special effects processing modules; a graph area on the display screen; user-operable means for moving screen icons from the palette area to the graph area and for graphically linking the screen icons together to form a representation of a composite video special effects process; and user-operable means for a group of selecting two or more linked screen icons displayed in the graph area and transferring the group to the palette area, the group being represented in the palette area as a composite process screen icon in the palette area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Antony James Gould, Richard Daniel Foster