Patents by Inventor KENNY MITCHELL

KENNY MITCHELL 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: 11189047
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to an audience engagement system and method to display images on a display. The method includes detecting a gaze direction of a designated viewer, rendering a gaze object within an image on a gaze axis corresponding to the gaze direction, rendering an audience object within the image on a normal axis corresponding to a display axis, composting the audience object and the gaze object together in a composited image, and displaying the composited image on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    Inventors: Ye Pan, Kenny Mitchell
  • Publication number: 20200294264
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to an audience engagement system and method to display images on a display. The method includes detecting a gaze direction of a designated viewer, rendering a gaze object within an image on a gaze axis corresponding to the gaze direction, rendering an audience object within the image on a normal axis corresponding to a display axis, composting the audience object and the gaze object together in a composited image, and displaying the composited image on the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Ye Pan, Kenny Mitchell
  • Patent number: 10068547
    Abstract: Techniques for simulating interactions using an augmented reality device are described. Embodiments receive a request to paint over portions of a visual scene. Here, the visual scene is captured using one or more camera devices of the augmented reality device and is presented on a display of the augmented reality device. A first object in the visual scene corresponding to the first location is identified. Additionally, embodiments paint at least a portion of the first object as specified by the received request, and render a series of frames depicting the first object, such that the painted at least a portion of the first object is shown as painted when viewed from different perspectives using the augmented reality device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: David Sobeski, Brian Leake, Kenny Mitchell
  • Patent number: 9741145
    Abstract: Techniques for simulating interactions using an augmented reality device are described. Embodiments capture a visual scene for display, wherein the visual scene is captured using one or more camera devices. Embodiments simulate a dynamic interaction between the first physical object and one or more virtual objects. Additionally, a sequence of frames is rendered for display that depicts the simulated dynamic interaction the first physical object and the one or more virtual objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenny Mitchell, Rafael C. Hostettler, Stelian Coros, Robert Sumner
  • Patent number: 9704299
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for rendering an anamorphic projection of 3D scene geometry on a handled device using a correct asymmetric perspective geometry projection. Once pose of the handheld device is determined, a relative eye position may be inferred when the device is tilted away from an initial or default pose, based on data supplied by accelerometers. Thus, embodiments of the invention result in a holographic style display without the need for glasses or external sensing attachments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenny Mitchell
  • Patent number: 9652895
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for augmented reality image transformation. In one implementation, such a system includes a system processor, a system memory, and an image transformation engine stored in the system memory. The system processor is configured to execute the image transformation engine to receive image data corresponding to an image, to detect a feature on a surface of the image, and to synthesize a texture corresponding to the feature. The system processor is further configured to execute the image transformation engine to produce an augmented reality representation of the image having the texture for display to a user, the texture covering a surface of the augmented reality representation of the image corresponding to a portion of the feature that is not visible on the surface of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Sumner, Maurizio Nitti, Gerhard Roethlin, Alessia Marra, Mattia Ryffel, Gioacchino Noris, Kenny Mitchell, Stephane Magnenat
  • Patent number: 9501862
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for determining, in 3D rendering, the integrals of visibility-masked spherical functions using visibility silhouettes. For a given shade point, the visibility silhouette for that shade point includes a set of edges from the scene geometry which form the boundaries between visible and invisible regions of a hemisphere having the shade point as its center. For each shade point, a rendering application determines a set of contour edges of scene geometry, the contour edges being a superset of the set of visibility silhouette edges, by querying a 4D dual mesh. The rendering application then evaluates the integral of the visibility-masked spherical function for a given shade point by integrating over segments of discrete u-isolines for which an overlap function indicates that a ray from the shade point would not intersect scene geometry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Derek Nowrouzezahrai, Ilya Baran, Kenny Mitchell, Wojciech Jarosz
  • Publication number: 20160042572
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for rendering an anamorphic projection of 3D scene geometry on a handled device using a correct asymmetric perspective geometry projection. Once pose of the handheld device is determined, a relative eye position may be inferred when the device is tilted away from an initial or default pose, based on data supplied by accelerometers. Thus, embodiments of the invention result in a holographic style display without the need for glasses or external sensing attachments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventor: Kenny MITCHELL
  • Patent number: 9208618
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for rendering an anamorphic projection of 3D scene geometry on a handled device using a correct asymmetric perspective geometry projection. Once pose of the handheld device is determined, a relative eye position may be inferred when the device is tilted away from an initial or default pose, based on data supplied by accelerometers. Thus, embodiments of the invention result in a holographic style display without the need for glasses or external sensing attachments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    Inventor: Kenny Mitchell
  • Publication number: 20150254903
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for augmented reality image transformation. In one implementation, such a system includes a system processor, a system memory, and an image transformation engine stored in the system memory. The system processor is configured to execute the image transformation engine to receive image data corresponding to an image, to detect a feature on a surface of the image, and to synthesize a texture corresponding to the feature. The system processor is further configured to execute the image transformation engine to produce an augmented reality representation of the image having the texture for display to a user, the texture covering a surface of the augmented reality representation of the image corresponding to a portion of the feature that is not visible on the surface of the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Inventors: Robert Sumner, Maurizio Nitti, Gerhard Roethlin, Alessia Marra, Mattia Ryffel, Gioacchino Noris, Kenny Mitchell, Stephane Magnenat
  • Patent number: 8885021
    Abstract: A method is provided for an optimized stereoscopic camera with low processing overhead, especially suitable for real-time applications. By constructing a viewer-centric and scene-centric model, the mapping of scene depth to perceived depth may be defined as an optimization problem, for which a solution is analytically derived based on constraints to stereoscopic camera parameters including interaxial separation and convergence distance. The camera parameters may thus be constrained prior to rendering to maintain a desired perceived depth volume around a stereoscopic display, for example to ensure user comfort or provide artistic effects. To compensate for sudden scene depth changes due to unpredictable camera or object movements, as may occur with real-time applications such as video games, the constraints may also be temporally interpolated to maintain a linearly corrected and approximately constant perceived depth range over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Oskam, Alexander Hornung, Huw Bowles, Kenny Mitchell, Markus Gross
  • Patent number: 8831255
    Abstract: An augmented reality (AR) audio system for augmenting environment or ambient sound with sounds from a virtual speaker or sound source positioned at a location in the space surrounding an AR participant. The sound from the virtual speaker may be triggered by an action of the listener and/or by the location or relative orientation of the listener. The AR audio system includes stereo earphones receiving an augmented audio track from a control unit, and binaural microphones are provided to capture ambient sounds. The control unit operates to process trigger signals and retrieve one or more augmentation sounds. The control unit uses an AR audio mixer to combine the ambient sound from the microphones with the augmentation sounds to generate left and right ear augmented audio or binaural audio, which may be modified for acoustic effects of the environment including virtual objects in the environment or virtual characteristics of real objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Crawford, Amber Samdahl, Jeffrey Voris, Istvan B. Kadar, Kenny Mitchell
  • Publication number: 20140152662
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for determining, in 3D rendering, the integrals of visibility-masked spherical functions using visibility silhouettes. For a given shade point, the visibility silhouette for that shade point includes a set of edges from the scene geometry which form the boundaries between visible and invisible regions of a hemisphere having the shade point as its center. For each shade point, a rendering application determines a set of contour edges of scene geometry, the contour edges being a superset of the set of visibility silhouette edges, by querying a 4D dual mesh. The rendering application then evaluates the integral of the visibility-masked spherical function for a given shade point by integrating over segments of discrete u-isolines for which an overlap function indicates that a ray from the shade point would not intersect scene geometry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventors: Derek NOWROUZEZAHRAI, Ilya BARAN, Kenny MITCHELL, Wojciech JAROSZ
  • Publication number: 20140063008
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for rendering an anamorphic projection of 3D scene geometry on a handled device using a correct asymmetric perspective geometry projection. Once pose of the handheld device is determined, a relative eye position may be inferred when the device is tilted away from an initial or default pose, based on data supplied by accelerometers. Thus, embodiments of the invention result in a holographic style display without the need for glasses or external sensing attachments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenny MITCHELL
  • Patent number: 8624891
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for performing image space reprojection iteratively. An insignificant parallax threshold depth is computed for a source image. Portions of the image having depth values greater than the insignificant parallax threshold depth may be shifted uniformly to produce corresponding portions of the reprojection (target) image. An iterative fixed-point reprojection algorithm is used to reproject the portions of the source image having depth values less than or equal to the insignificant parallax threshold depth. The fixed point reprojection algorithm quickly converges on the best pixel in the source image for each pixel in a target image representing an offset view of the source image. An additional rendering pass is employed to fill disoccluded regions of the target image, where the reprojection algorithm fails to converge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Huw Bowles, Kenny Mitchell, Robert Sumner, Wojciech Jarosz, Markus Gross
  • Publication number: 20140002493
    Abstract: Techniques for simulating interactions using an augmented reality device are described. Embodiments capture a visual scene for display, wherein the visual scene is captured using one or more camera devices. Embodiments simulate a dynamic interaction between the first physical object and one or more virtual objects. Additionally, a sequence of frames is rendered for display that depicts the simulated dynamic interaction the first physical object and the one or more virtual objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: Disney Enterprises, Inc., a Delaware Corporation
    Inventors: Kenny Mitchell, Rafael C. Hostettler, Stelian Coros, Robert Sumner
  • Publication number: 20140002472
    Abstract: Techniques for simulating interactions using an augmented reality device are described. Embodiments receive a request to paint over portions of a visual scene. Here, the visual scene is captured using one or more camera devices of the augmented reality device and is presented on a display of the augmented reality device. A first object in the visual scene corresponding to the first location is identified. Additionally, embodiments paint at least a portion of the first object as specified by the received request, and render a series of frames depicting the first object, such that the painted at least a portion of the first object is shown as painted when viewed from different perspectives using the augmented reality device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: David Sobeski, Brian Leake, Kenny Mitchell
  • Patent number: 8581905
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for rendering an anamorphic projection of 3D scene geometry on a handheld device using a correct asymmetric perspective geometry projection. Once pose of the handheld device is determined, a relative eye position may be inferred when the device is tilted away from an initial or default pose, based on data supplied by accelerometers. Thus, embodiments of the invention result in a holographic style display without the need for glasses or external sensing attachments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenny Mitchell
  • Publication number: 20130236040
    Abstract: An augmented reality (AR) audio system for augmenting environment or ambient sound with sounds from a virtual speaker or sound source positioned at a location in the space surrounding an AR participant. The sound from the virtual speaker may be triggered by an action of the listener and/or by the location or relative orientation of the listener. The AR audio system includes stereo earphones receiving an augmented audio track from a control unit, and binaural microphones are provided to capture ambient sounds. The control unit operates to process trigger signals and retrieve one or more augmentation sounds. The control unit uses an AR audio mixer to combine the ambient sound from the microphones with the augmentation sounds to generate left and right ear augmented audio or binaural audio, which may be modified for acoustic effects of the environment including virtual objects in the environment or virtual characteristics of real objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    Inventors: David W. Crawford, Amber Samdahl, Jeffrey Voris, Istvan B. Kadar, Kenny Mitchell
  • Publication number: 20130176397
    Abstract: A method is provided for an optimized stereoscopic camera with low processing overhead, especially suitable for real-time applications. By constructing a viewer-centric and scene-centric model, the mapping of scene depth to perceived depth may be defined as an optimization problem, for which a solution is analytically derived based on constraints to stereoscopic camera parameters including interaxial separation and convergence distance. The camera parameters may thus be constrained prior to rendering to maintain a desired perceived depth volume around a stereoscopic display, for example to ensure user comfort or provide artistic effects. To compensate for sudden scene depth changes due to unpredictable camera or object movements, as may occur with real-time applications such as video games, the constraints may also be temporally interpolated to maintain a linearly corrected and approximately constant perceived depth range over time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Oskam, Alexander Hornung, Huw Bowles, Kenny Mitchell, Markus Gross