Patents by Inventor Irwin E. Sobel

Irwin E. Sobel 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: 9477348
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention disclose a system and method for focus-based touch detection. According to one embodiment, a reference pattern is formed on a surface and an imaging device is configured to detect the reference pattern and the presence of an object within proximity of a contact area of the surface. Furthermore, focus information associated with the reference pattern and/or object is used to determine if the detected object is touching or hovering said contact area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Irwin E. Sobel, Kar-Han Tan
  • Patent number: 9413982
    Abstract: A video sequence control system that includes an input video frame buffer and an output video frame selection component is described. The input video frame buffer receives input video frames from a video source. The output video frame selection component determines the video frame to be output according to a scheduler that provides timing information and modulation information. The timing information includes information regarding when a video frame will be output. The modulation information varies dependent upon the frame types available to be output, wherein the available frame types include at least image frames from the input video frame buffer and functional frames, wherein the at least image frames and functional frames are output according to a pattern defined by the scheduler. In addition based on the timing information, a synchronization output signal is output corresponding to the output of the functional frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Kar-Han Tan, Irwin E Sobel, Mehrban Jam
  • Publication number: 20140375664
    Abstract: A video sequence control system that includes an input video frame buffer and an output video frame selection component is described. The input video frame buffer receives input video frames from a video source. The output video frame selection component determines the video frame to be output according to a scheduler that provides timing information and modulation information. The timing information includes information regarding when a video frame will be output. The modulation information varies dependent upon the frame types available to be output, wherein the available frame types include at least image frames from the input video frame buffer and functional frames, wherein the at least image frames and functional frames are output according to a pattern defined by the scheduler. In addition based on the timing information, a synchronization output signal is output corresponding to the output of the functional frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Kar Han Tan, Irwin E. Sobel, Mehrban Jam
  • Publication number: 20140362172
    Abstract: A video sequence control system 100 comprising: a video frame sequence component 102 for providing video frames 104 for display by a projector 108, the video frames having a sequence 110 of at least one crosstalk reduction frame 112 followed a n image frames 114; and a synchronization control component 118, the synchronization control component 118 communicatively coupled to an image capture device 120 the synchronization control component providing a timing signal 122 to synchronize image capture with the occurrence of the at least one crosstalk reduction frame in the video frame sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Kar-Han Tan, Irwin E. Sobel, Alan A. McReynolds
  • Patent number: 8711198
    Abstract: A method to present participants in a video conference including determining a participant distance and aligning a region of interest on the participant using one or more depth cameras, creating a cropped video stream of the participant by cropping the region of interest from a video stream of the participant, and arranging the cropped video stream of the participant with additional cropped video streams of additional participants for display in the video conference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Tom Malzbender, Ian N Robinson, Irwin E Sobel
  • Patent number: 8625896
    Abstract: An alpha matte is generated from image forming elements of an image. For each of one or more of the image forming elements: a respective representative foreground value is determined from one or more of the image forming element values; the respective representative foreground value and the value of the image forming element are normalized with respect to a threshold level; and a respective value of the alpha matte is generated from an evaluation of the normalized image forming element value in relation to the normalized representative foreground value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Comapany, L.P.
    Inventors: Qingxiong Yang, Irwin E. Sobel, Kar-Han Tan
  • Publication number: 20120262420
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention disclose a system and method for focus-based touch detection. According to one embodiment, a reference pattern is formed on a surface and an imaging device is configured to detect the reference pattern and the presence of an object within proximity of a contact area of the surface. Furthermore, focus information associated with the reference pattern and/or object is used to determine if the detected object is touching or hovering said contact area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Inventors: Irwin E. Sobel, Kar-Han Tan
  • Publication number: 20120026277
    Abstract: A method to present participants in a video conference including determining a participant distance and aligning a region of interest on the participant using one or more depth cameras, creating a cropped video stream of the participant by cropping the region of interest from a video stream of the participant, and arranging the cropped video stream of the participant with additional cropped video streams of additional participants for display in the video conference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Inventors: Tom Malzbender, Ian N. Robinson, Irwin E. Sobel
  • Patent number: 7854518
    Abstract: A method includes generating a first plurality of meshes configured to map a first domain associated with a display surface having a plurality of fiducial marks to a second domain associated with a image capture device configured to capture a first image of the display surface, generating a second plurality of meshes configured to map the second domain to a third domain associated with a first projector configured to display a second image onto the display surface, and generating a first mesh configured to map the first domain to the third domain in conjunction with a second mesh using the first plurality of meshes and the second plurality of meshes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: W. Bruce Culbertson, Michael Harville, Daniel G. Gelb, Irwin E. Sobel, Andrew E. Fitzhugh, Donald O. Tanguay, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20100254598
    Abstract: An alpha matte is generated from image forming elements of an image. For each of one or more of the image forming elements: a respective representative foreground value is determined from one or more of the image forming element values; the respective representative foreground value and the value of the image forming element are normalized with respect to a threshold level; and a respective value of the alpha matte is generated from an evaluation of the normalized image forming element value in relation to the normalized representative foreground value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Inventors: Qingxiong Yang, Irwin E. Sobel, Kar-Han Tan
  • Patent number: 7800628
    Abstract: A method includes determining a first blend map for a first projector, the first blend map including a first plurality of attenuation factors corresponding to a region of overlap between first and second images projected by the first projector and a second projector, respectively, on a display surface, applying the first blend map to a white level measurement map that includes a plurality of white level measurement values measured from a first plurality of captured images, applying a smoothing function to the white level measurement map to generate a white level target map, and determining a scale map for the first projector from the white level measurement map and the white level target map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael Harville, Irwin E. Sobel, Daniel G. Gelb, Andrew E. Fitzhugh
  • Publication number: 20090195758
    Abstract: A method includes generating a first plurality of meshes configured to map a first domain associated with a display surface to a second domain associated with an image capture device configured to capture a first image of the display surface, and generating a second plurality of meshes configured to map the second domain to a third domain associated with a first projector configured to display a second image onto the display surface. A third plurality of meshes is generated using the first plurality of meshes and the second plurality of meshes. The third plurality of meshes is configured to separately map a plurality of color bands between the first domain and the third domain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Irwin E. Sobel, Laurence M. Hubby, JR., Ian N. Robinson, Daniel George Gelb, Michael Harville
  • Publication number: 20070291047
    Abstract: A method includes determining a first blend map for a first projector, the first blend map including a first plurality of attenuation factors corresponding to a region of overlap between first and second images projected by the first projector and a second projector, respectively, on a display surface, applying the first blend map to a white level measurement map that includes a plurality of white level measurement values measured from a first plurality of captured images, applying a smoothing function to the white level measurement map to generate a white level target map, and determining a scale map for the first projector from the white level measurement map and the white level target map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Michael Harville, Irwin E. Sobel, Daniel G. Gelb, Andrew E. Fitzhugh
  • Publication number: 20070291233
    Abstract: A method includes generating a first plurality of meshes configured to map a first domain associated with a display surface having a plurality of fiducial marks to a second domain associated with a image capture device configured to capture a first image of the display surface, generating a second plurality of meshes configured to map the second domain to a third domain associated with a first projector configured to display a second image onto the display surface, and generating a first mesh configured to map the first domain to the third domain in conjunction with a second mesh using the first plurality of meshes and the second plurality of meshes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: W. Bruce Culbertson, Michael Harville, Daniel G. Gelb, Irwin E. Sobel, Andrew E. Fitzhugh, Donald O. Tanguay
  • Patent number: 7038712
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a camera including determining a model for associating a point of an image scene to a point of an imaging surface of the camera. The calibration method further includes determining a set of initial estimates for a set of parameters of the model and then refining the parameters in response to a set of image data of the image scene acquired by the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Mark A. Livingston, Irwin E. Sobel