Patents by Inventor Douglas Eric Dow

Douglas Eric Dow 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).

  • Method and system to generate a complicated computer animation by using a combination of basic motion units
    Patent number: 5877778
    Abstract: A method and system for manipulating and mixing previously stored motion units for computer articulated figure animation. The motion units are combined in a weighted average. The weights give a priority to certain joint rotations of a motion unit which constitute the essence of that motion unit. The motion units can be mixed in an asynchronous fashion, with no limit on the number of motion units that can be mixed together. Phrasing control assigns a weight to each frame in a motion unit, and eases the transitions at the beginning and end of a motion unit. Frame-to-frame smoothing is also used. Fatigue of an articulated figure is simulated by the addition of a "tired" motion unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Douglas Eric Dow, Kazuhiko Inada