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).

  • Patent number: 10043281
    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 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Dominic Saul Mallinson, Eric James Larsen, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Patent number: 10019057
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for managing the display of images on a head mounted device (HMD). One method includes an operation for tracking the gaze of a user wearing the HMD, where the HMD is displaying a scene of a virtual world. In addition, the method includes an operation for detecting that the gaze of the user is fixed on a predetermined area for a predetermined amount of time. In response to the detecting, the method fades out a region of the display in the HMD, while maintaining the scene of the virtual world in an area of the display outside the region. Additionally, the method includes an operation for fading in a view of the real world in the region as if the HMD were transparent to the user while the user is looking through the region. The fading in of the view of the real world includes maintaining the scene of the virtual world outside the region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Osman, Xiadong Mao, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20180188534
    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: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Xiadong Mao, Glenn Black
  • Patent number: 9996166
    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: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Todd Tokubo
  • Patent number: 9987554
    Abstract: A method for enhancing detection of a user's hand relative to a head-mounted display (HMD) is described. The method includes sensing a disrupted portion of energy by sensors integrated within a pad device. The disrupted portion of the energy is generated when the hand of the user interferes with the energy. The plurality of sensors that sense the disrupted portion of the energy produce an energy image that mirrors a current position of the hand. The method includes repeating the sensing continuously to produce a stream of energy images. The method includes communicating the stream of energy images to a game console for processing each of the energy images to produce a model of the hand and movement of the model of the hand. The model of the hand is at least partially rendered as a virtual hand in a virtual environment that is displayed in the HMD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Todd Tokubo
  • Patent number: 9984505
    Abstract: A method for presenting text information on a head-mounted display is provided, comprising: rendering a view of a virtual environment to the head-mounted display; tracking an orientation of the head-mounted display; tracking a gaze of a user of the head-mounted display; processing the gaze of the user and the orientation of the head-mounted display, to identify a gaze target in the virtual environment towards which the gaze of the user is directed; receiving text information for rendering on the head-mounted display; presenting the text information in the virtual environment in a vicinity of the gaze target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Noam Rimon, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Patent number: 9971401
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs for interfacing a user with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) are provided. One method includes operations for identifying a point of gaze (POG) of a user, and for detecting initiation of an action by the user to move a position of a selector for selecting objects presented on a graphical user interface (GUI). In addition, the method includes an operation for determining the distance between the current position of the selector and the POG. The displacement speed of the selector is adjusted based on the distance between the current position of the selector and the POG, where the displacement speed is reduced as the distance between the current position of the selector and the POG becomes smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20180093184
    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: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2017
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventor: Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Patent number: 9908049
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for warning a user of a head mounted display during gameplay of a video game. A game is executed causing interactive scenes of the game to be rendered on a display portion of a head mounted display (HMD) worn by a user. Images of a physical environment in a vicinity of the user are received from a forward facing camera of the HMD, while the game is being executed. The images are analyzed to determine if the user is approaching one or more objects in the physical environment. Data is sent to be rendered on the display portion of the HMD while rendering the interactive scenes of the game. The data provides information to avoid interaction with the one or more objects in the physical environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Patent number: 9897805
    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: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Xiadong Mao, Glenn Black
  • Patent number: 9873049
    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: March 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20180018827
    Abstract: A method for executing computer instructions for presenting an interactive environment in a head-mounted display (HMD) is described. The method includes identifying content associated with the interactive environment to be presented on the HMD for a user and determining whether an interactive object within the identified content satisfies a threshold for presentation to the user. The method includes augmenting the interactive object with augmentation data. The augmented data acts to change a characteristic of the interactive object. The operation of augmenting the interactive object is performed after determining that the interactive object does not satisfy the threshold for presentation to the user. The augmentation data modifies the interactive object to conform the interactive object to be within the threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Frederick Umminger, Steven Osman
  • Publication number: 20180011545
    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: September 1, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Todd Tokubo
  • Publication number: 20170359569
    Abstract: The disclosure provides methods and systems for warning a user of a head mounted display that the user approaches an edge of field of view of a camera or one or more tangible obstacles. The warning includes presenting audio and/or displayable messages to the user, or moving the display(s) of the head mounted displays away of the user's eyes. The determination that the user approaches the edge of scene or a tangible obstacle is made by dynamically tracking motions of the users through analysis of images and/or depth data obtained from image sensor(s) and/or depth sensor(s) secured to either the head mounted display, arranged outside of the scene and not secured to the head mounted display, or a combination of both.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventor: Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20170358141
    Abstract: Methods and systems for presenting an object on to a screen of a head mounted display (HMD) include receiving an image of a real-world environment in proximity of a user wearing the HMD. The image is received from one or more forward facing cameras of the HMD and processed for rendering on a screen of the HMD by a processor within the HMD. A gaze direction of the user wearing the HMD, is detected using one or more gaze detecting cameras of the HMD that are directed toward one or each eye of the user. Images captured by the forward facing cameras are analyzed to identify an object captured in the real-world environment that is in line with the gaze direction of the user, wherein the image of the object is rendered at a first virtual distance that causes the object to appear out-of-focus when presented to the user. A signal is generated to adjust a zoom factor for lens of the one or more forward facing cameras so as to cause the object to be brought into focus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Michael Taylor
  • Publication number: 20170322655
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing feedback to a user are described. One of the methods includes sending interactive data for rendering on a head mounted display (HMD). The HMD is configured for attachment to a head of a user for playing a game. The method further includes receiving image data associated with a body part of the user while the HMD is worn by the user and the HMD renders interactive content. The method includes tracking a spatial position associated with the body part of the user from the image data of the user. In the method, physical placement of a remote-controlled device at the spatial position associated with the body part of the user is rendered in the HMD as virtual contact with an object in the interactive content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventor: Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20170315611
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for head mounted display (HMD) implementations. One example implementation includes a circuit for communicating with a computing system that processes multimedia content for display in the HMD. A front unit of the HMD has a screen for displaying multimedia content, and the front unit has a set of LEDs. A rear section of the HMD has a set of LEDs. A connector is provided for coupling the front unit with the rear section of the HMD, such that adjustment of the connector changes a separation distance between at least one of the set of LEDs of the front unit and at least one of the set of LEDs of the rear section. The computing system processes image data captured of the HMD when worn by a user. The image data includes at least one of the set of LEDs of the front unit and at least one of the set of LEDs of the rear section to identify the separation distance for a current adjustment of the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Anton Mikhailov, Eric Larsen, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20170285736
    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. Compression of the one or more transmitted images is adjusted 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: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Jeffrey Roger Stafford
  • Publication number: 20170287112
    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: March 31, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Andrew Young
  • Publication number: 20170287446
    Abstract: Foveated rendering based on user gaze tracking may be adjusted to account for the realities of human vision. Gaze tracking error and state parameters may be determined from gaze tracking data representing a user's gaze with respect to one or more images presented to a user. Adjusted foveation data representing an adjusted size and/or shape of one or more regions of interest in one or more images to be subsequently presented to a user may be generated based on the one or more gaze tracking error or state parameters. Foveated image data representing one or more foveated images may be generated with the adjusted foveation data. The foveated images are characterized by level of detail within the one or more regions of interest and lower level of detail outside the one or more regions of interest. The foveated images may then be presented to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Jeffrey Roger Stafford