Patents by Inventor Edmund Thompson

Edmund Thompson 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: 10939045
    Abstract: A videoconference apparatus and method coordinates a stationary view obtained with a stationary camera to an adjustable view obtained with an adjustable camera. The stationary camera can be a web camera, while the adjustable camera can be a pan-tilt-zoom camera. As the stationary camera obtains video, participants are detected and localized by establishing a static perimeter around a participant in which no motion is detected. Thereafter, if no motion is detected in the perimeter, any personage objects such as head, face, or shoulders which are detected in the region bounded by the perimeter are determined to correspond to the participant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiangdong Wang, Yibo Liu, Jinwei Feng, Edmund Thompson, Peter Chu
  • Publication number: 20200195853
    Abstract: A videoconference apparatus and method coordinates a stationary view obtained with a stationary camera to an adjustable view obtained with an adjustable camera. The stationary camera can be a web camera, while the adjustable camera can be a pan-tilt-zoom camera. As the stationary camera obtains video, participants are detected and localized by establishing a static perimeter around a participant in which no motion is detected. Thereafter, if no motion is detected in the perimeter, any personage objects such as head, face, or shoulders which are detected in the region bounded by the perimeter are determined to correspond to the participant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Xiangdong Wang, Yibo Liu, Jinwei Feng, Edmund Thompson, Peter Chu
  • Patent number: 10574899
    Abstract: A videoconference apparatus and method coordinates a stationary view obtained with a stationary camera to an adjustable view obtained with an adjustable camera. The stationary camera can be a web camera, while the adjustable camera can be a pan-tilt-zoom camera. As the stationary camera obtains video, participants are detected and localized by establishing a static perimeter around a participant in which no motion is detected. Thereafter, if no motion is detected in the perimeter, any personage objects such as head, face, or shoulders which are detected in the region bounded by the perimeter are determined to correspond to the participant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiangdong Wang, Yibo Liu, Jinwei Feng, Edmund Thompson, Peter Chu
  • Publication number: 20190174068
    Abstract: A videoconference apparatus and method coordinates a stationary view obtained with a stationary camera to an adjustable view obtained with an adjustable camera. The stationary camera can be a web camera, while the adjustable camera can be a pan-tilt-zoom camera. As the stationary camera obtains video, participants are detected and localized by establishing a static perimeter around a participant in which no motion is detected. Thereafter, if no motion is detected in the perimeter, any personage objects such as head, face, or shoulders which are detected in the region bounded by the perimeter are determined to correspond to the participant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Xiangdong Wang, Yibo Liu, Jinwei Feng, Edmund Thompson, Peter Chu
  • Patent number: 10187579
    Abstract: A videoconference apparatus and method coordinates a stationary view obtained with a stationary camera to an adjustable view obtained with an adjustable camera. The stationary camera can be a web camera, while the adjustable camera can be a pan-tilt-zoom camera. As the stationary camera obtains video, participants are detected and localized by establishing a static perimeter around a participant in which no motion is detected. Thereafter, if no motion is detected in the perimeter, any personage objects such as head, face, or shoulders which are detected in the region bounded by the perimeter are determined to correspond to the participant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiangdong Wang, Yibo Liu, Jinwei Feng, Edmund Thompson, Peter Chu
  • Publication number: 20190007623
    Abstract: A videoconference apparatus and method coordinates a stationary view obtained with a stationary camera to an adjustable view obtained with an adjustable camera. The stationary camera can be a web camera, while the adjustable camera can be a pan-tilt-zoom camera. As the stationary camera obtains video, participants are detected and localized by establishing a static perimeter around a participant in which no motion is detected. Thereafter, if no motion is detected in the perimeter, any personage objects such as head, face, or shoulders which are detected in the region bounded by the perimeter are determined to correspond to the participant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventors: Xiangdong Wang, Yibo Liu, Jinwei Feng, Edmund Thompson, Peter Chu
  • Patent number: 10080032
    Abstract: Blurriness in a video image transmitted over a lossy network can be reduced by filtering the decoder output to determine whether updating of the reference frame based on the current video data is indicated. An update may be appropriate if the decoder output is sharper than the contents of the display buffer after the last update. Additionally, an update may be appropriate if there was a significant change to the underlying image, and thus to the encoder's input. Whether such a change has occurred can be determined by analyzing the prediction mode, motion vectors, and pixel data of the output image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventor: Edmund Thompson
  • Patent number: 10003765
    Abstract: A videoconferencing system includes at least one processor and at least one camera. The endpoint can capture one or more images with the camera. The system can locate a region of interest within an image, such as the area surrounding the face of a person participating in a videoconference. If the face area or other region of interest is too dark, the system can brighten the region to make it more visible. The system can determine whether the face is too dark by comparing the captured image to previously captured images, or comparing the luma values and other data making up the face to predetermined values, or both. The system can check the second image for over-brightening or saturation, and further adjust the image as needed. The brightening of the face area is done in such a way that the brightened region is unobtrusive to the viewer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventors: Edmund Thompson, Yibo Liu
  • Publication number: 20180091760
    Abstract: A videoconferencing system includes at least one processor and at least one camera. The endpoint can capture one or more images with the camera. The system can locate a region of interest within an image, such as the area surrounding the face of a person participating in a videoconference. If the face area or other region of interest is too dark, the system can brighten the region to make it more visible. The system can determine whether the face is too dark by comparing the captured image to previously captured images, or comparing the luma values and other data making up the face to predetermined values, or both. The system can check the second image for over-brightening or saturation, and further adjust the image as needed. The brightening of the face area is done in such a way that the brightened region is unobtrusive to the viewer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Edmund Thompson, Yibo Liu
  • Publication number: 20170374381
    Abstract: Blurriness in a video image transmitted over a lossy network can be reduced by filtering the decoder output to determine whether updating of the reference frame based on the current video data is indicated. An update may be appropriate if the decoder output is sharper than the contents of the display buffer after the last update. Additionally, an update may be appropriate if there was a significant change to the underlying image, and thus to the encoder's input. Whether such a change has occurred can be determined by analyzing the prediction mode, motion vectors, and pixel data of the output image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventor: Edmund Thompson
  • Patent number: 9843761
    Abstract: A videoconferencing system includes at least one processor and at least one camera. The endpoint can capture one or more images with the camera. The system can locate a region of interest within an image, such as the area surrounding the face of a person participating in a videoconference. If the face area or other region of interest is too dark, the system can brighten the region to make it more visible. The system can determine whether the face is too dark by comparing the captured image to previously captured images, or comparing the luma values and other data making up the face to predetermined values, or both. The system can check the modified image for over-brightening or saturation, and further adjust the image as needed. The brightening of the face area is done in such a way that the brightened region is unobtrusive to the viewer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventors: Edmund Thompson, Yibo Liu
  • Patent number: 9661325
    Abstract: Blurriness in a video image transmitted over a lossy network can be reduced by filtering the decoder output to determine whether updating of the reference frame based on the current video data is indicated. An update may be appropriate if the decoder output is sharper than the contents of the display buffer after the last update. Additionally, an update may be appropriate if there was a significant change to the underlying image, and thus to the encoder's input. Whether such a change has occurred can be determined by analyzing the prediction mode, motion vectors, and pixel data of the output image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventor: Edmund Thompson
  • Publication number: 20160234455
    Abstract: A videoconferencing system includes at least one processor and at least one camera. The endpoint can capture one or more images with the camera. The system can locate a region of interest within an image, such as the area surrounding the face of a person participating in a videoconference. If the face area or other region of interest is too dark, the system can brighten the region to make it more visible. The system can determine whether the face is too dark by comparing the captured image to previously captured images, or comparing the luma values and other data making up the face to predetermined values, or both. The system can check the modified image for over-brightening or saturation, and further adjust the image as needed. The brightening of the face area is done in such a way that the brightened region is unobtrusive to the viewer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Edmund Thompson, Yibo Liu
  • Publication number: 20120033739
    Abstract: The error concealment technique disclosed herein relates to the use of existing information by the decoder to conceal bitstream errors regardless of what the encoder does. Examples of existing information include, for example, the previous reference frame, macroblock information for the previous reference frames, etc. Another aspect of the system described herein relates to the steps that the encoder can take to enhance the decoder's ability to recover gracefully from a transmission error. Exemplary steps that can be taken by the encoder include intra walk around and sending GOB headers. Although these encoder techniques can provide greatly enhanced results, they are not strictly necessary to the system described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: POLYCOM, INC.
    Inventors: Yipeng Liu, Edmund Thompson
  • Patent number: 8064527
    Abstract: The error concealment technique disclosed herein relates to the use of existing information by the decoder to conceal bitstream errors regardless of what the encoder does. Examples of existing information include, for example, the previous reference frame, macroblock information for the previous reference frames, etc. Another aspect of the system described herein relates to the steps that the encoder can take to enhance the decoder's ability to recover gracefully from a transmission error. Exemplary steps that can be taken by the encoder include intra walk around and sending GOB headers. Although these encoder techniques can provide greatly enhanced results, they are not strictly necessary to the system described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventors: Yipeng Liu, Edmund Thompson
  • Publication number: 20060039475
    Abstract: The error concealment technique disclosed herein relates to the use of existing information by the decoder to conceal bitstream errors regardless of what the encoder does. Examples of existing information include, for example, the previous reference frame, macroblock information for the previous reference frames, etc. Another aspect of the system described herein relates to the steps that the encoder can take to enhance the decoder's ability to recover gracefully from a transmission error. Exemplary steps that can be taken by the encoder include intra walk around and sending GOB headers. Although these encoder techniques can provide greatly enhanced results, they are not strictly necessary to the system described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Applicant: Polycom, Inc.
    Inventors: Yipeng Liu, Edmund Thompson
  • Patent number: 5150209
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for encoding interframe error data in an image transmission system, and in particular in a motion compensated image transmission system for transmitting a sequence of image frames from a transmitter to a receiver, employ hierarchical entropy coded lattice threshold quantization to increase the data compression of the images being transmitted. The method and apparatus decimate an interframe predicted image data and an uncoded current image data, and apply hierarchical entropy coded lattice threshold quantization encoding to the resulting pyramid data structures. Lossy coding is applied on a level-by-level basis for generating the encoded data representation of the image difference between the predicted image data and the uncoded original image. The method and apparatus are applicable to systems transmitting a sequence of image frames (or other pattern data, such as speech) both with and without motion compensation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1992
    Assignee: PictureTel Corporation
    Inventors: Richard L. Baker, Jeffrey Bernstein, Bernd Girod, Xiancheng Yuan, Edmund Thompson
  • Patent number: 4055429
    Abstract: A photographic element comprises a support, a silver halide emulsion layer and a layer containing a polymeric scavenger for development inhibitors. The movement of development inhibitor anions from layer to layer in a film, out of the film, or into the film from processing solutions, can be controlled by the presence of the polymeric scavenger layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1975
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1977
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Edmund Thompson Holmes, Gerald Allan Campbell