Patents by Inventor Jeffrey Roger Stafford

Jeffrey Roger Stafford 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).

  • Publication number: 20200264701
    Abstract: A method is provided, including: receiving captured images of an interactive environment in which a head-mounted display (HMD) is disposed; receiving inertial data processed from at least one inertial sensor of the HMD; analyzing the captured images of the interactive environment and the inertial data to determine a predicted future location of the HMD; using the predicted future location of the HMD to adjust a beamforming direction of an RF transceiver in a direction that is towards the predicted future location of the HMD; tracking a gaze of a user of the HMD; predicting a movement of the gaze of the user; generating video depicting a view of a virtual environment for the HMD; wherein the regions of the view are rendered differently based on the predicted movement of the gaze of the user; wirelessly transmitting the video via the RF transceiver to the HMD using the adjusted beamforming direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Todd Tokubo, Steven Osman, Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Crusoe Xiadong Mao, Glenn Black
  • Patent number: 10739850
    Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking gaze information of a user includes detecting, by a sensor of a head mounted display, that a user is wearing the HMD. An encoded signal indicative of glasses being worn with the HMD, by the user, is detected by the sensor of the HMD. In response to processing the encoded signal, a gaze detection function of the HMD is disabled by the HMD. Encoded gaze data transmitted by the glasses is received by the HMD. The encoded gaze data is processed by an image frame processor and used to adjust image frames produced for rendering on a display screen of the HMD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Christopher Norden, Patrick Connor
  • Patent number: 10739849
    Abstract: Gaze tracking data representing a viewer's gaze with respect to one or more images presented to the viewer is used to generate foveated image data representing one or more foveated images characterized by a higher level of detail within one or more regions of interest and a lower level of detail outside the regions of interest. The image data for portions outside the one or more regions of interest is selectively filtered to reduce visual artifacts due to contrast resulting from the lower level of detail before compositing foveated images for presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Andrew Young
  • Patent number: 10740951
    Abstract: A method for implementing a graphics pipeline. The method includes generating a system of particles creating an effect in a virtual scene, the system of particles comprising a plurality of particle geometries. The method includes determining a subsystem of particles from the system of particles, the subsystem of particles comprising a subset of particle geometries taken from the plurality of particle geometries. The method includes determining a foveal region when rendering an image of the virtual scene, wherein the foveal region corresponds to where an attention of a user is directed. The method includes determining that at least one portion of the effect is located in the peripheral region for the image. The method includes rendering the subsystem of particles to generate the effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Chris Ho, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20200241649
    Abstract: A method to identify positions of fingers of a hand is described. The method includes capturing images of a first hand using a plurality of cameras that are part of a wearable device. The wearable device is attached to a wrist of a second hand and the plurality of cameras of the wearable device is disposed around the wearable device. The method includes repeating capturing of additional images of the first hand, the images and the additional images captured to produce a stream of captured image data during a session of presenting the virtual environment in a head mounted display (HMD). The method includes sending the stream of captured image data to a computing device that is interfaced with the HMD. The computing device is configured to process the captured image data to identify changes in positions of the fingers of the first hand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Todd Tokubo
  • Patent number: 10713752
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for using temporal supersampling to increase a displayed resolution associated with peripheral region of a foveated rendering view. A method for enabling reconstitution of higher resolution pixels from a low resolution sampling region for fragment data is provided. The method includes an operation for receiving a fragment from a rasterizer of a GPU and for applying temporal supersampling to the fragment with the low resolution sampling region over a plurality of prior frames to obtain a plurality of color values. The method further includes an operation for reconstituting a plurality of high resolution pixels in a buffer that is based on the plurality of color values obtained via the temporal supersampling. Moreover, the method includes an operation for sending the plurality of high resolution pixels for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Chris Ho, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Patent number: 10684685
    Abstract: Gaze tracking data may representing a user's gaze with respect to one or more images transmitted to a user are analyzed to determine one or more regions of interest. The one or more transmitted images are selectively compressed so that fewer bits are needed to transmit data for portions of an image outside the one or more regions interest than for portions of the image within the one or more regions of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20200174552
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining movement of a hand-held controller (HHC) with respect to a head-mounted display (HMD) are described. A camera is located at a lower region of the HMD for capturing images of the HHC. The images of the HHC are used to determine a position and an orientation of the HHC with reference to the HMD. Also, the camera or another camera can be used to determine a position and orientation of the HMD with respect to a real-world environment. The position and orientation of the HMD and the position and orientation of the HHC are used to change to state of an application executed on a game cloud.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Todd Tokubo
  • Publication number: 20200159018
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for rendering images on a head mounted display (HMD). One method includes operations for tracking, with one or more first cameras inside the HMD, the gaze of a user and for tracking motion of the HMD. The motion of the HMD is tracked by analyzing images of the HMD taken with a second camera that is not in the HMD. Further, the method includes an operation for predicting the motion of the gaze of the user based on the gaze and the motion of the HMD. Rendering policies for a plurality of regions, defined on a view rendered by the HMD, are determined based on the predicted motion of the gaze. The images are rendered on the view based on the rendering policies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Xiadong Mao, Glenn Black
  • Patent number: 10650544
    Abstract: A method for implementing a graphics pipeline. The method includes building a first shadow map of high resolution, and building a second shadow map based on the first shadow map of lower resolution. The method includes determining a light source affecting a virtual scene, and projecting geometries of objects of an image of the virtual scene onto a plurality of pixels of a display from a first point-of-view. The method includes determining a foveal region when rendering the image, wherein the foveal region corresponds to where an attention of a user is directed. The method includes determining a first set of geometries is drawn to a first pixel, determining the first set of geometries is in shadow based on the light source, and determining the first set of geometries is outside of the foveal region. The method includes rendering the first set of geometries using the second shadow map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Chris Ho, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Patent number: 10650533
    Abstract: A method for tracking eye movement is provided. One embodiment of the method includes receiving a first measurement from a first sensor configured to detect a gaze location, determining an initial gaze location based at least on the first measurement, receiving at least one of eye motion amplitude and eye motion direction measurement from a second sensor, and determining an estimated gaze location based at least on the initial gaze location and the at least one of eye motion amplitude and eye motion direction. Systems perform similar steps, and non-transitory computer readable storage mediums each store one or more computer programs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Dominic Saul Mallinson, Eric James Larsen, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20200126269
    Abstract: A method for implementing a graphics pipeline. The method includes determining a plurality of light sources affecting a virtual scene. Geometries of objects of an image of the scene is projected onto a plurality of pixels of a display from a first point-of-view. The pixels are partitioned into a plurality of tiles. A foveal region of highest resolution is defined for the image as displayed, wherein a first subset of pixels is assigned to the foveal region, and wherein a second subset of pixels is assigned to a peripheral region that is outside of the foveal region. A first set of light sources is determined from the plurality of light sources that affect one or more objects displayed in a first tile that is in the peripheral region. At least two light sources from the first set is clustered into a first aggregated light source affecting the first tile when rendering the image in pixels of the first tile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Chris Ho, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Patent number: 10620711
    Abstract: A method to identify positions of fingers of a hand is described. The method includes capturing images of a first hand using a plurality of cameras that are part of a wearable device. The wearable device is attached to a wrist of a second hand and the plurality of cameras of the wearable device is disposed around the wearable device. The method includes repeating capturing of additional images of the first hand, the images and the additional images captured to produce a stream of captured image data during a session of presenting the virtual environment in a head mounted display (HMD). The method includes sending the stream of captured image data to a computing device that is interfaced with the HMD. The computing device is configured to process the captured image data to identify changes in positions of the fingers of the first hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Todd Tokubo
  • Patent number: 10585472
    Abstract: A method is provided, including the following method operations: receiving captured images of an interactive environment in which a head-mounted display (HMD) is disposed; receiving inertial data processed from at least one inertial sensor of the HMD; analyzing the captured images and the inertial data to determine a current and predicted future location of the HMD; using the predicted future location of the HMD to adjust a beamforming direction of an RF transceiver towards the predicted future location of the HMD; tracking a gaze of a user of the HMD; generating image data depicting a view of a virtual environment for the HMD, wherein regions of the view are differentially rendered; generating audio data depicting sounds from the virtual environment, the audio data being configured to enable localization of the sounds by the user; transmitting the image data and the audio data via the RF transceiver to the HMD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Tokubo, Steven Osman, Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Crusoe Xiadong Mao, Glenn Black
  • Patent number: 10545338
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for rendering images on a head mounted display (HMD). One method includes operations for tracking, with one or more first cameras inside the HMD, the gaze of a user and for tracking motion of the HMD. The motion of the HMD is tracked by analyzing images of the HMD taken with a second camera that is not in the HMD. Further, the method includes an operation for predicting the motion of the gaze of the user based on the gaze and the motion of the HMD. Rendering policies for a plurality of regions, defined on a view rendered by the HMD, are determined based on the predicted motion of the gaze. The images are rendered on the view based on the rendering policies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Xiadong Mao, Glenn Black
  • Patent number: 10532284
    Abstract: Methods and systems for warning a user of a head mounted display (HMD) during game play of a video game. A game is executed causing interactive scenes of the game to be transmitted for rendering on a display portion of the HMD. Coordinates of the HMD are determined in a three-dimensional space of a real-world environment in which the user wearing the HMD is present, to identify a current position of the user. A movement of the HMD is determined during execution of the game by identifying a change in one or more coordinates of the HMD in the three-dimensional space. When it is determined that the user is approaching a boundary of an interaction space in a real-world environment, a warning signal is conveyed to the HMD to indicate proximity of the user to the boundary of the interaction space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Patent number: 10515466
    Abstract: A method for implementing a graphics pipeline. The method includes determining a plurality of light sources affecting a virtual scene. Geometries of objects of an image of the scene is projected onto a plurality of pixels of a display from a first point-of-view. The pixels are partitioned into a plurality of tiles. A foveal region of highest resolution is defined for the image as displayed, wherein a first subset of pixels is assigned to the foveal region, and wherein a second subset of pixels is assigned to a peripheral region that is outside of the foveal region. A first set of light sources is determined from the plurality of light sources that affect one or more objects displayed in a first tile that is in the peripheral region. At least two light sources from the first set is clustered into a first aggregated light source affecting the first tile when rendering the image in pixels of the first tile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Chris Ho, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20190384381
    Abstract: Gaze tracking data representing a viewer's gaze with respect to one or more images presented to the viewer is used to generate foveated image data representing one or more foveated images characterized by a higher level of detail within one or more regions of interest and a lower level of detail outside the regions of interest. The image data for portions outside the one or more regions of interest is selectively filtered to reduce visual artifacts due to contrast resulting from the lower level of detail before compositing foveated images for presentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Andrew Young
  • Patent number: 10502959
    Abstract: Systems and methods include receiving an image for presenting on a display screen of a head mounted display (HMD). The image is provided by an application. The received image is pre-distorted to enable optics provided in a HMD to render the image. An alignment offset is identified for an eye of a user wearing the HMD by determining a position of the eye relative to an optical axis of at least one lens of the optics of the HMD. The pre-distorted image provided by the application is adjusted to define a corrected pre-distorted image that accounts for the alignment offset. The corrected pre-distorted image is forwarded to the display screen of the HMD for rendering, such that the image presented through the optics of the HMD removes aberrations caused by the alignment offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Eric Larsen
  • Patent number: 10503269
    Abstract: A system for performing a pinch and hold gesture is described. The system includes a head-mounted display (HMD) and a glove, which is worn by a hand of the user. Each finger segment of the glove includes a sensor for detecting positions of the finger segment when moved by the hand. The system includes a computing device interfaced with the HMD and the glove. The computing device analyzes data from the sensors of the finger segments to determine that a pinch and hold gesture is performed by at least two of the finger segments. Moreover, the computing device generates image data that is communicated to the HMD, such that a scene rendered on the HMD is modified to render a visual cue indicative of a location in the scene at which the pinch and hold gesture is associated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Richard L. Marks