Patents by Inventor Clive Henry Gillard

Clive Henry Gillard 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: 8965043
    Abstract: A method of detecting an object in an image at a client device is described. This method comprises the steps of: receiving from a server a two dimensional image of a scene, the scene being captured by a camera and the image comprising an object located within the scene, receiving from the server position data, the position data being indicative of the position of the object within the image; receiving from the server an outline representation of the object at that position, the outline representation defining for pixel positions in a segment of the image at that position whether the pixel position represents the object; and on the basis of said outline, detecting the object in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Stephen Mark Keating, Clive Henry Gillard
  • Patent number: 8924583
    Abstract: A method of viewing a highlight package on a client device, comprising at the client device: receiving a video stream comprising a plurality of frames, receiving field of view information from a server, the field of view information identifying, for a frame in the received video stream, positional information defining a segment of the frame, and displaying the defined segment to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry Gillard, Robert Mark Stefan Porter
  • Publication number: 20140300644
    Abstract: A method of generating a cut-out from an image of a scene which has been captured by a camera is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry GILLARD, Stephen Mark KEATING, Robert Mark Stefan PORTER
  • Publication number: 20140300687
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for generating an image, comprising: obtaining a first image comprised of a first area being a plurality of images having different field of views of a real-life scene and captured from a location above the real-life scene stitched together to form a panoramic view of the real-life scene, and a second area which does not include the plurality of images; generating a second image which is a segment of the first image; determining whether the second image includes only the first area; and when the second image includes both the first area and at least part of the second area, the method further comprises: applying a border to the second image that extends along an upper boundary and along a lower boundary of the second image, the border being applied above the upper boundary and below the lower boundary. A corresponding device is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry Gillard, Robert Mark Stefan Porter
  • Publication number: 20140300645
    Abstract: A method of controlling the movement of a virtual camera whose image plane provides a cut-out from a captured image of a scene is disclosed. The method comprises: defining a set of first pixel positions forming the boundary of the cut-out of the captured image; defining a set of second pixel positions for the boundary of the captured image; calculating a virtual camera rotation matrix to be applied to the first pixel positions, the virtual camera rotation matrix representative of the difference in at least one of the yaw and pitch of the image plane of the virtual camera and the image plane of the captured image of the scene, wherein the virtual camera rotation matrix is limited such that when one of the set of first pixel positions is transformed using the virtual camera rotation matrix, the transformed first pixel position is located within the boundary of the captured image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry GILLARD, Stephen Mark Keating, Robert Mark Stefan Porter
  • Patent number: 8848066
    Abstract: A method and a system for generating image content. The method and system allow segments of a panoramic scene, to be generated with reduced distortion. The method and system reduce the amount of distortion by mapping pixel data onto a pseudo camera focal plane which is provided substantially perpendicularly to the focal location of the camera that captured the image. A camera arrangement can implement the method and system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Europe Limited
    Inventors: Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Clive Henry Gillard, Jonathan James Stone, David Berry, Simon Dominic Haynes
  • Publication number: 20140195914
    Abstract: A method of viewing a highlight package on a client device, comprising at the client device: receiving a video stream comprising a plurality of frames, receiving field of view information from a server, the field of view information identifying, for a frame in the received video stream, positional information defining a segment of the frame, and displaying the defined segment to a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Clive Henry GILLARD, Robert Mark Stefan Porter
  • Patent number: 8745258
    Abstract: A method of viewing a highlight package on a client device, comprising at the client device: receiving a video stream comprising a plurality of frames, receiving field of view information from a server, the field of view information identifying, for a frame in the received video stream, positional information defining a segment of the frame, and displaying the defined segment to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry Gillard, Robert Mark Stefan Porter
  • Patent number: 8732695
    Abstract: A method of distributing software and supplemental display data and a client device having the same. The method reduces the cost of providing software to a number of devices on a multi-cast network. The software allows the user to gain access to the multi-cast network, and the supplemental display data is transferred to the client device over the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Clive Henry Gillard, Simon Dominic Haynes, Henry Epsom
  • Patent number: 8643702
    Abstract: A camera arrangement comprising a 3 dimensional image capture portion arranged to capture a first stereoscopic image composed of a first and a second image and a further camera element spaced apart from the 3 dimensional capture portion, the further camera element arranged to capture a third image, whereby the third image, when viewed with either the first or second image forms a second stereoscopic image is described. A corresponding method and camera system is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Stephen Mark Keating, Clive Henry Gillard
  • Publication number: 20130258051
    Abstract: A method comprising: obtaining a disparity map for one of a left eye image and a right eye image, the disparity map indicating the horizontal displacement between corresponding pixels in the left eye image and the right eye image; generating a luminance representation of the disparity map, wherein a disparity unit which defines the resolution of the disparity map, is mapped to a corresponding luminance value; and companding the luminance value for transmission over a luminance channel is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry GILLARD, Stephen Mark Keating, Mark Russell, Jonathan Richard Thorpe
  • Patent number: 8509521
    Abstract: A method of generating a three dimensional image from a two dimensional image having a background and a first foreground object and a second foreground object. The method includes determining whether the first and second foreground objects occlude, and generating an occluded combination of the first and second object to form a third foreground object when occlusion occurs. The method further includes applying a transformation to the third foreground object, and generating a copy of the third foreground object with the transformation applied thereto. Then, the third foreground object is generated stereoscopically for display based on the transformed third foreground object displaced relative to the copy of the third foreground object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen Mark Keating, Clive Henry Gillard
  • Patent number: 8477995
    Abstract: An image processing device comprises receiving means operable to receive, from a camera, a captured image corresponding to an image of a scene captured by the camera. The scene contains at least one object. The device comprises determining means operable to determine a distance between the object within the scene and a reference position defined with respect to the camera, and generating means operable to detect a position of the object within the captured image, and to generate a modified image from the captured image based on image features within the captured image which correspond to the object in the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Clive Henry Gillard
  • Patent number: 8427545
    Abstract: A method and a system for generating image content. The method and system allow segments of a panoramic scene, to be generated with reduced distortion. The method and system reduce the amount of distortion by mapping pixel data onto a pseudo camera focal plane which is provided substantially perpendicularly to the focal location of the camera that captured the image. A camera arrangement can implement the method and system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Europe Limited
    Inventors: Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Clive Henry Gillard, Jonathan James Stone, David Berry, Simon Dominic Haynes
  • Patent number: 8401090
    Abstract: A method of synchronizing the phase of a local image synchronization signal generator of a local video data processor in communication with an asynchronous switched packet network to the phase of a reference image synchronization signal generator of a reference video data processor also coupled to the network, the local and reference processors having respective clocks, the reference and local image synchronization signal generators generating periodic image synchronization signals in synchronism with the reference and local clocks respectively including: frequency synchronizing the local and reference clocks; sending an image timing packet providing reference image synchronization data indicating the difference in timing, measured with respect to the reference processor's clock, between the time at which the image timing packet is launched onto the network and the time of production of a reference image synchronization signal; and controlling the timing of the production of the local image synchronization si
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Matthew Compton, Clive Henry Gillard
  • Patent number: 8384791
    Abstract: A video camera arrangement comprises an image capture device; a face detector for detecting human faces in the captured video material and for generating face data identifying detected occurrences of faces in the captured video material; a data handling medium by which data representing the captured images is transmitted and/or stored; and a processor for generating data to be transmitted or stored by the data handling medium in dependence on the detection of faces in the captured images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Ratna Rambaruth, Simon Dominic Haynes, Clive Henry Gillard
  • Patent number: 8355532
    Abstract: A system communicates a representation of a scene, which includes a plurality of objects disposed on a plane, to one or more client devices. The representation is generated from one or more video images of the scene captured by a video camera. The system comprises an image processing apparatus operable to receive the video images of the scene which includes a view of the objects on the plane, to process the captured video images so as to extract one or more image features from each object, to compare the one or more image features with sample image features from a predetermined set of possible example objects which the video images may contain, to identify the objects from the comparison of the image features with the predetermined image features of the possible example objects, and to generate object path data for each object which identifies the respective object; and provides a position of the identified object on a three dimensional model of the plane in the video images with respect to time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry Gillard, Morgan William Amos David
  • Patent number: 8284238
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus and a method for generating a three dimensional representation of a scene, which includes a plurality of objects disposed on a plane, is disclosed. The three dimensional representation is generated from one or more video images of the scene, which include the objects on the plane produced from a view of the scene by a video camera. The method includes processing the captured video images to extract image features from each object, comparing image features with sample image features from a predetermined set of possible example objects, and identifying the objects from the comparison of the image features with the sample image features. The method also includes generating object path data, which includes object identification data for each object which identifies the respective object; and provides a position of the object on the plane in the video images with respect to time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan James Stone, Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Clive Henry Gillard
  • Publication number: 20120250980
    Abstract: A method of providing, over a network, an image for recreation in a device, the image containing a background and a foreground object and the method comprising: detecting the position of the foreground object in the image and generating position information on dependence thereon; removing the foreground object from the image; and transferring to the device i) the image with the foreground object removed, ii) the removed foreground object and iii) the position information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry Gillard, Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Stephen Mark Keating
  • Publication number: 20120254369
    Abstract: A method of viewing a highlight package on a client device, comprising at the client device: receiving a video stream comprising a plurality of frames, receiving field of view information from a server, the field of view information identifying, for a frame in the received video stream, positional information defining a segment of the frame, and displaying the defined segment to a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Clive Henry GILLARD, Robert Mark Stefan PORTER