Patents by Inventor Chirstopher E. Sharp

Chirstopher E. Sharp 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).

  • Monitoring user attention in a computer-simulated environment
    Patent number: 8593453
    Abstract: Provided are methods, data processing systems and computer program product for monitoring user activity and monitoring the effectiveness of objects within a virtual environment such as an immersive, computer-simulated 3D environment. An embodiment of the invention monitors the attention given to a virtual object by one or more avatars, by associating a viewing region with each object that requires attention monitoring, and detecting when an avatar is within the viewing region of the object simultaneously with the object being within an attention region (typically a clipped field of view) of the avatar. The viewing region is a 3D volume within which a surface of the virtual object is deemed to be effectively viewable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Chirstopher E. Sharp, Matthew Whitbourne
  • MONITORING USER ATTENTION IN A COMPUTER-SIMULATED ENVIRONMENT
    Publication number: 20120306873
    Abstract: Provided are methods, data processing systems and computer program product for monitoring user activity and monitoring the effectiveness of objects within a virtual environment such as an immersive, computer-simulated 3D environment. An embodiment of the invention monitors the attention given to a virtual object by one or more avatars, by associating a viewing region with each object that requires attention monitoring, and detecting when an avatar is within the viewing region of the object simultaneously with the object being within an attention region (typically a clipped field of view) of the avatar. The viewing region is a 3D volume within which a surface of the virtual object is deemed to be effectively viewable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chirstopher E. Sharp, Matthew Whitbourne