Patents by Inventor David A. Wyatt

David A. Wyatt 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: 9092220
    Abstract: A computer system comprising a graphics processor, a frame buffer, a display device, a system agent operable to detect an absence of active software applications and system configurations capable of rendering a disruptive user experience during system suspend, and a memory for storing instructions, that when executed perform a method of entering a power conservation state. The method comprises detecting a system idle event, activating the frame buffer, and storing display information in the frame buffer from the graphics processor. The method further comprises initiating a power reduction state for the graphics processor, self-refreshing the display device during the power reduction state with the display information stored in the frame buffer, and initiating a system suspend comprising a power reduction state for the computer system provided the system agent detects the absence of disruptive software and system configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Wyatt, Rambod Jacoby
  • Publication number: 20150193062
    Abstract: A solution is proposed for processing input in a lower power user interface of touch-sensitive display panels. According to an embodiment, a mobile computing device is placed in the low power mode. During this mode, the sensor controller produces a raw event/interrupts on a detected touch. Upon detecting a touch, the sensor controller also automatically increases the scan rate of the touch sensor, while the triggered event or interrupt proceeds to wake the system into a higher power state. Subsequent touch data received while the system is booting into the higher power state is buffered by the timing controller, or by a bridge chipset, while the processor(s) in the power up. When awake, the processor(s) collect the touch samples from the buffer, and processes the touch samples, generating updated displays where necessary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: David WYATT
  • Publication number: 20150194137
    Abstract: A solution is proposed to perform display updates in a lower power user interface. According to one embodiment, the display panel is placed in the lower possible refresh rate that can be supported. Rendered updates are presented to the displays at the fasted possible pixel rates the communication interface between the rendering component to the display panel can support, and a buffer on the receiving end of the display receives and stores updated frames as they are rendered and transmitted. Subsequent display updates (generated in response to subsequent sensor input, for example) may be created and transmitted as soon as the preceding display frames are buffered. In the meantime, as soon as the update frame is transmitted, the timing controller of the display panel is instructed to interrupt the current refresh period and to immediately rescan the frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: David WYATT
  • Patent number: 9075559
    Abstract: Systems and methods for utilizing multiple graphics processing units for controlling presentations on a display are presented. In one embodiment, a dual graphics processing system includes a first graphics processing unit for processing graphics information; a second graphics processing unit for processing graphics information; and a component for controlling switching between said first graphics processing unit and said second graphics processing unit. In one embodiment, the component for controlling complies with appropriate panel power sequencing operations when coordinating the switching between the first graphics processing unit and the second graphics processing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Wyatt, Manish Modi
  • Publication number: 20150178932
    Abstract: Various embodiments relating to reducing memory bandwidth consumed by a continuous scan display screen are provided. In one embodiment, scoring criteria are applied to a reference image of a first image format having a first bit depth to generate an image conversion score. The scoring criteria are based on a histogram of one or more characteristics of the reference image. If the image conversion score is greater than a threshold value, then the reference image is converted to a modified image of a second image format having a second bit depth less than the first bit depth, and the modified image is scanned onto the continuous scan display screen. If the image conversion score is less than the threshold value, then the reference image is scanned onto the continuous scan display screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Publication date: June 25, 2015
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: David Wyatt, Ratin Kumar, Timothy Bornemisza
  • Patent number: 9064322
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method for accessing display configuration information in a multi-graphics-processing-unit (multi-GPU) system, which includes the steps of asserting a select signal to steer the display configuration information of a display device, which is coupled to a discrete GPU (dGPU), to a motherboard GPU (mGPU) in the multi-GPU system if dGPU is unavailable, and validating the display configuration information prior to availing the dGPU or the display device as an option to be selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Wyatt, Ludger Mimberg
  • Patent number: 9047085
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling sparse refresh of a self-refreshing display device coupled to a graphics controller are disclosed. The display device includes capabilities to drive the display based on video signals generated from a local frame buffer. The graphics controller may optimally be placed in one or more power-saving states when the display device is operating in a panel self-refresh mode. When exiting the power-saving state to update the image displayed by the display device, a fast-resume initialization routine may be run to reconfigure the GPU when operating in a sparse refresh mode, i.e., where the image being displayed on the display device is updated infrequently. In such cases, the graphics controller may be configured to receive instructions and data from a central processing unit via an alternative low-bandwidth communications path instead of the high-bandwidth communications path used in normal operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Wyatt, David Matthew Stears
  • Publication number: 20150130850
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for displaying a lower power user interface on an liquid crystal display (LCD) panel using localized backlight control. The method includes the step of identifying a subset of light emitting elements included in a backlight for the LCD panel, where the backlight includes a plurality of light emitting elements. The subset of light emitting elements consumes less power when operated individually or in combination with other subsets of light emitting elements than the total backlight with all light emitting elements simultaneously active. The method also includes the steps of activating the subset of light emitting elements to at least partially illuminate the LCD panel while at least one light emitting element is not activated, adjusting an image for a user interface based on a compensation map corresponding to the subset of light emitting elements, and displaying the adjusted image on the LCD panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: David Wyatt
  • Patent number: 9022286
    Abstract: An embodiment includes a credit card device capable of generating a programmed magnetic field of alternating polarity based on a speed of a card swipe, and methods for constructing the device for the purpose of emulating a standard credit card. An apparatus is described to allow said device to emulate behavior of a credit card when used in electronic credit card readers. Additionally methods are described to allow user control of said device for the purpose of authorizing or controlling use of said device in the application of credit, debit and cash transactions, including cryptocurrency and card-to-card transactions. Methods are also described for generating a limited-duration credit card number when performing a transaction for the purpose of creating a limited-use credit card number, which is limited in scope of use to a predetermined number of authorized transactions. Furthermore said device may interact with other similar devices in proximity for the purpose of funds or credit/debit transfers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Virtual Electric, Inc.
    Inventor: David Wyatt
  • Patent number: 8963935
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method for accessing display configuration information of a display device in a multi-graphics-processing-unit (multi-GPU) system based on a hot-plug detection signal associated with the same display device. The method includes the steps of changing the power state of a discrete GPU (dGPU) in the multi-GPU coupled to the display device after having detected an assertion of the hot-plug detection signal, retrieving the display configuration information of the display device with the dGPU, and powering down the dGPU after having retrieved the display configuration information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: David Wyatt, Ludger Mimberg
  • Patent number: 8949497
    Abstract: In an apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a communications link comprises a first device and a second device communicating with each other via the communications link at a plurality of different speeds. However, prior to communicating via the communications link for the first time at a second speed, the first device and second device complete a first training cycle at the second speed. Further, during this first training cycle for the second speed, the first training cycle for the second speed will pause before the first training cycle at the second speed completes, and the first device and second device communicate at a first speed for a period of time before returning to the paused first training cycle at the second speed. When the paused first training cycle for the second speed continues, the first training cycle for the second speed will continue where it had paused.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Hopgood, Wei-Je Huang, Mark Taylor, Hitendra Dutt, David Wyatt, Vishal Mehta
  • Patent number: 8941672
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for identifying a display when a graphics processing unit (GPU) connected to the display via a display control bus is in a low power state. By providing a separate microcontroller with a parallel connection to the display control bus, the microcontroller may detect the presence of a display device even when the GPU is in the low power state. In response to detecting the display device, the microcontroller may notify a motherboard chipset (e.g., via an interrupt) prompting the motherboard chipset to initiate a sequence to bring the GPU out of the low power state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Rambod Jacoby, David Wyatt, Yu Qing Cheng, Ludger Mimberg
  • Publication number: 20140328657
    Abstract: A trailer having a moveable and rotatable platform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2012
    Publication date: November 6, 2014
    Inventor: David Wyatt
  • Patent number: 8866833
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for a dynamic display refresh. In use, a state of a display device is identified in which an entirety of an image frame is currently displayed by the display device. In response to the identification of the state, it is determined whether an entirety of a next image frame to be displayed has been rendered to memory. The next image frame is transmitted to the display device for display thereof, when it is determined that the entirety of the next image frame to be displayed has been rendered to the memory. Further, a refresh of the display device is delayed, when it is determined that the entirety of the next image frame to be displayed has not been rendered to the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Tom Petersen, David Wyatt, Paul van der Kouwe, Emmett M. Kilgariff, Laurence Harrison, Jensen Huang, Tony Tamasi, Gerrit A. Slavenburg, Thomas F. Fox, David Matthew Stears, Robert Jan Schutten, Ross Cunniff, Ajay Kamalvanshi, Robert Osborne, Rouslan Dimitrov
  • Patent number: 8868925
    Abstract: A secure virtual machine system, method, and computer program product implemented on a processor are provided for processing a third party's content for output. At least one processor is provided. Additionally, at least one secure virtual machine implemented on the processor is provided for interpreting a second party's program that processes and outputs a third party's content. The virtual machine system abstracts the underlying processor hardware allowing implementation variations across products to execute the same program identically. Furthermore, the scope of the programmable operations, the types of input & output variables, and execution of programs within the processor, is deliberately constrained within the virtual machine environment, in order to mitigate potential security leaks by programs, and to ensure confidentiality of second party's secrets, and third party's content as managed by the second party's program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: David Wyatt, Haixia Shi, Jeffrey Scott Tuckey
  • Publication number: 20140301658
    Abstract: An aspect of the present invention proposes a solution to allow low-cost flat panel displays without light guides to maintain a high quality image display via enhancement of pixel data to account for non uniform brightness. According to one embodiment, each pixel of a display is mapped to the brightness (intensity) of illumination that reaches the pixel. Regional pixel gains are calculated and applied on a per pixel basis to compensate for the non-uniform brightness across the screen. According to such an embodiment, even low cost flat panel displays experiencing non-uniform brightness can be used to render high quality images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2013
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: David WYATT
  • Publication number: 20140300618
    Abstract: A solution is proposed that allows power savings via enhancement of pixel data to compensate for reducing backlight intensity levels. According to one embodiment, each pixel of a display is sorted according to the brightness (intensity) of the pixel. Regional pixel gains are calculated and applied on a per pixel basis so as not to exceed a quality threshold. The intensity of the backlight corresponding to each region may be decreased by an equivalent amount, thereby reducing (potentially significantly) the power consumed to operate the backlight while maintaining the color intensity in the image due to the applied pixel gains.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2013
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: David WYATT
  • Publication number: 20140300624
    Abstract: A solution is proposed that performs global histogramming of pre-regionally-enhanced pixel values accounting for inter-regional illumination contributions to verify that over-saturation of an image is prevented. According to an embodiment, pixel values that have been regionally enhanced—that is, with applied gains calculated for the respective regions—are further added to illumination values corresponding to the pixel values, with the resultant summed pixel values being histogrammed again to determine the amount of over-saturated pixels. An over-abundance of over-saturated pixels results in a calculation of a global modifier applied to each pixel to reduce the number of over-saturated pixels below an acceptable threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2013
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: David WYATT
  • Publication number: 20140298051
    Abstract: A feature management system and method of managing access to API functionality. One embodiment of the feature management system includes: (1) a driver configured to carry out functions, including a restricted function, in response to calls thereto, (2) a memory configured to store a management action associated with the restricted function and (3) a feature manager operable to recognize the call to the restricted function and to retrieve the management action from the memory and direct the driver to carry out the management action in addition to the restricted function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: David Wyatt, Daniel Nolan
  • Publication number: 20140263627
    Abstract: An embodiment includes a credit card device capable of generating a programmed magnetic field of alternating polarity based on a speed of a card swipe, and methods for constructing the device for the purpose of emulating a standard credit card. An apparatus is described to allow said device to emulate behavior of a credit card when used in electronic credit card readers. Additionally methods are described to allow user control of said device for the purpose of authorizing or controlling use of said device in the application of credit, debit and cash transactions, including cryptocurrency and card-to-card transactions. Methods are also described for generating a limited-duration credit card number when performing a transaction for the purpose of creating a limited-use credit card number, which is limited in scope of use to a predetermined number of authorized transactions. Furthermore said device may interact with other similar devices in proximity for the purpose of funds or credit/debit transfers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Virtual Electric Inc.
    Inventor: David WYATT