Patents by Inventor James A McCombe

James A McCombe 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: 11960639
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products (“software”) enable a virtual three-dimensional visual experience (referred to herein as “V3D”) in videoconferencing and other applications, and capturing, processing and displaying of images and image streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: MINE ONE GmbH
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Rolf Herken, Brian W. Smith
  • Patent number: 11792511
    Abstract: Methods, devices, systems and computer software/program code products include techniques for creating a deep frame buffer, such techniques being implementable in conjunction with an apparatus comprising a main camera and an array of buddy cameras, the main camera and the buddy cameras being operable to capture images; and techniques for creating at least one depth buffer, such techniques being implementable in conjunction with an apparatus comprising at least two cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: MINE ONE GMBH
    Inventors: James A. Mccombe, Christoph Birkhold
  • Patent number: 11747893
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer software/program code products enable efficient handling and remedying of unreliable sensor data, such as data captured by cameras in a virtual 3-dimensional (V3D) imaging or communications system; and enable, in a visual communications system involving a plurality of display devices usable by respective users, synchronization to a common space, and display of images by a receiving device in an orientation independent of the angle at which the receiving device is held.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: MINE ONE GMBH
    Inventors: Brian W. Smith, James A. McCombe, Christoph Birkhold
  • Publication number: 20230245374
    Abstract: In some aspects, systems and methods provide for forming groupings of a plurality of independently-specified computation workloads, such as graphics processing workloads, and in a specific example, ray tracing workloads. The workloads include a scheduling key, which is one basis on which the groupings can be formed. Workloads grouped together can all execute from the same source of instructions, on one or more different private data elements. Such workloads can recursively instantiate other workloads that reference the same private data elements. In some examples, the scheduling key can be used to identify a data element to be used by all the workloads of a grouping. Memory conflicts to private data elements are handled through scheduling of non-conflicted workloads or specific instructions and/or deferring conflicted workloads instead of locking memory locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: Luke T. Peterson, James A. McCombe, Steven J. Clohset, Jason R. Redgrave
  • Publication number: 20230247305
    Abstract: A user interface to a virtual camera for a 3-D rendering application provides various features. A rendering engine can continuously refine the image being displayed through the virtual camera, and the user interface can contain an element for indicating capture of the image as currently displayed, which causes saving of the currently displayed image. Autofocus (AF) and autoexposure (AE) reticles can allow selection of objects in a 3-D scene, from which an image will be rendered, for each of AE and AF. A focal distance can be determined by identifying a 3-D object visible at a pixel overlapped by the AF reticle, and a current viewpoint. The AF reticle can be hidden in response to a depth of field selector being set to infinite depth of field. The AF and AE reticles can be linked and unlinked, allowing different 3-D objects for each of AF and AE.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: Suguru Nishioka, James McCombe, Steven Blackmon
  • Publication number: 20230152883
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products (“software”) for rendering scene content in a form configured for visually improved presentation on at least one holographic display device comprise: (A) recognizing at least one meaningful element within the scene content; (B) selecting, from the at least one recognized meaningful element, at least one selected meaningful scene element; (C) determining, based at least in part on the at least one selected meaningful scene element, at least one scene transform; and (D) utilizing the at least one determined scene transform, rendering multiple 2-dimensional perspectives of the content, the multiple 2-dimensional perspectives being configured for visually improved presentation on at least one holographic display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: JAMES A. MCCOMBE, Christoph Birkhold
  • Publication number: 20230122149
    Abstract: Communication methods, systems and computer program products (“software”) (1) facilitate virtual immersion of one or more remote viewing participants into a captured scene which may include any number of physically present participants, and (2) provide indications of the remote viewing participants that can be seen or discerned by the physically present participants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: James A. Mccombe, Christoph Birkhold
  • Patent number: 11625885
    Abstract: In some aspects, systems and methods provide for forming groupings of a plurality of independently-specified computation workloads, such as graphics processing workloads, and in a specific example, ray tracing workloads. The workloads include a scheduling key, which is one basis on which the groupings can be formed. Workloads grouped together can all execute from the same source of instructions, on one or more different private data elements. Such workloads can recursively instantiate other workloads that reference the same private data elements. In some examples, the scheduling key can be used to identify a data element to be used by all the workloads of a grouping. Memory conflicts to private data elements are handled through scheduling of non-conflicted workloads or specific instructions and/or deferring conflicted workloads instead of locking memory locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Luke T. Peterson, James A. McCombe, Steven J. Clohset, Jason R. Redgrave
  • Patent number: 11570372
    Abstract: A user interface to a virtual camera for a 3-D rendering application provides various features. A rendering engine can continuously refine the image being displayed through the virtual camera, and the user interface can contain an element for indicating capture of the image as currently displayed, which causes saving of the currently displayed image. Autofocus (AF) and autoexposure (AE) reticles can allow selection of objects in a 3-D scene, from which an image will be rendered, for each of AE and AF. A focal distance can be determined by identifying a 3-D object visible at a pixel overlapped by the AF reticle, and a current viewpoint. The AF reticle can be hidden in response to a depth of field selector being set to infinite depth of field. The AF and AE reticles can be linked and unlinked, allowing different 3-D objects for each of AF and AE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Suguru Nishioka, James McCombe, Steven Blackmon
  • Publication number: 20230016561
    Abstract: Systems and methods for producing an acceleration structure provide for subdividing a 3-D scene into a plurality of volumetric portions, which have different sizes, each being addressable using a multipart address indicating a location and a relative size of each volumetric portion. A stream of primitives is processed by characterizing each according to one or more criteria, selecting a relative size of volumetric portions for use in bounding the primitive, and finding a set of volumetric portions of that relative size which bound the primitive. A primitive ID is stored in each location of a cache associated with each volumetric portion of the set of volumetric portions. A cache location is selected for eviction, responsive to each cache eviction decision made during the processing. An element of an acceleration structure according to the contents of the evicted cache location is generated, responsive to the evicted cache location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Aaron Dwyer, Luke T. Peterson, Neils Nesse
  • Patent number: 11550387
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer software/program code products enable efficiently finding stereo correspondence between a feature or set of features in a first image or signal, and a search domain in a second image or signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: MINE ONE GMBH
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Christoph Birkhold
  • Patent number: 11501406
    Abstract: Methods, devices, systems and computer software/program code products improve the reliability of scene reconstruction through the use of a persistent store or cache to retain scene information observed across one or more previous frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: MINE ONE GMBH
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Christoph Birkhold
  • Patent number: 11481954
    Abstract: Systems and methods for producing an acceleration structure provide for subdividing a 3-D scene into a plurality of volumetric portions, which have different sizes, each being addressable using a multipart address indicating a location and a relative size of each volumetric portion. A stream of primitives is processed by characterizing each according to one or more criteria, selecting a relative size of volumetric portions for use in bounding the primitive, and finding a set of volumetric portions of that relative size which bound the primitive. A primitive ID is stored in each location of a cache associated with each volumetric portion of the set of volumetric portions. A cache location is selected for eviction, responsive to each cache eviction decision made during the processing. An element of an acceleration structure according to the contents of the evicted cache location is generated, responsive to the evicted cache location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Aaron Dwyer, Luke T. Peterson, Neils Nesse
  • Publication number: 20220337744
    Abstract: Methods, devices, systems and computer software/program code products include techniques for creating a deep frame buffer, such techniques being implementable in conjunction with an apparatus comprising a main camera and an array of buddy cameras, the main camera and the buddy cameras being operable to capture images; and techniques for creating at least one depth buffer, such techniques being implementable in conjunction with an apparatus comprising at least two cameras.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Inventors: JAMES A. MCCOMBE, CHRISTOPH BIRKHOLD
  • Publication number: 20220230280
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer software/program code products enable generating reduced-noise image frames based on image frames received from a digital camera pipeline; and enable efficient stereo image search between corresponding images generated by at least two cameras.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2022
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Inventors: JAMES A. MCCOMBE, Christoph Birkhold
  • Publication number: 20220222842
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer software/program code products enable reconstruction of synthetic images of a scene from the perspective of a virtual camera having a selected virtual camera position, based on images of the scene captured by a number of actual, physical cameras.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Inventors: JAMES A. MCCOMBE, Christoph Birkhold
  • Publication number: 20220091665
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products (“software”) enable a virtual three-dimensional visual experience (referred to herein as “V3D”) in videoconferencing and other applications, and capturing, processing and displaying of images and image streams.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: JAMES A. MCCOMBE, Rolf Herken, Brian W. Smith
  • Patent number: 11238564
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer software/program code products enable generating reduced-noise image frames based on image frames received from a digital, camera pipeline; and enable efficient stereo image search between corresponding images generated by at least two cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: MINE ONE GMBH
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Christoph Birkhold
  • Patent number: 11189043
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer software/program code products enable reconstruction of synthetic images of a scene from the perspective of a virtual camera having a selected virtual camera position, based on images of the scene captured by a number of actual, physical cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: MINE ONE GMBH
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Christoph Birkhold
  • Patent number: 11106275
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products (“software”) enable a virtual three-dimensional visual experience (referred to herein as “V3D”) in videoconferencing and other applications, and capturing, processing and displaying of images and image streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: MINE ONE GMBH
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Rolf Herken, Brian W. Smith