Patents by Inventor Kunihito Sawai

Kunihito Sawai 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: 20200233579
    Abstract: A display device, method, computer-readable storage medium and user interface, each of which detects contact to or proximity of an object with respect to a generated image, and responsive to detection of contact to or proximity of the object the generated image, disables any operational functions associated with a first portion of the generated image. Additionally, operation associated with a second portion of the generated image is allowed responsive to the detection of contact to or proximity of the object to the generated image, where the second portion of the generated image is different from the first portion of the generated image. An indication corresponding to the second portion of the generated image for which operation is enabled may be displayed on the generated image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuo OKUMURA, Hazime MATSUDA, Shoji IMAMURA, Katsuji MIYAZAWA, Motoki HIGASHIDE, Kunihito SAWAI
  • Patent number: 10714082
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program, in which a database in which unknown words are registered is able to be efficiently created, the information processing apparatus including: an identifying portion that identifies a word uttered according to a predetermined utterance method, from within utterance information of a user, as an unknown word; and a processing portion that performs processing to register the unknown word that has been identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ayumi Kato, Kunihito Sawai, Shinichi Kawano, Yuhei Taki, Yusuke Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 10688388
    Abstract: An operation apparatus mountable to one hand of a user includes: a first operation section that is located on a front surface side and that can be operated by the thumb of the one hand; a second operation section that is located on a back surface side and that can be operated by a finger other than the thumb; and a first contact surface with which the palm of the one hand makes contact. At least one of the first contact surface and an extension plane of the first contact surface is inclined relative to a virtual plane in such a direction as to be spaced more therefrom in going in a first direction, the virtual plane being defined by the first direction from the front surface side toward the back surface side and a second direction being orthogonal to the first direction and directed from a bottom surface side toward a top surface side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Kunihito Sawai, Yuichi Machida
  • Patent number: 10671232
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus including a part generation unit configured to generate a part that is suitable for a predetermined application and that includes at least a portion of any photo and is displayed on a display screen at a time of execution of the application, and an application control unit configured to control the execution of the application and at least display the part on the display screen during the execution of the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kae Okazawa, Junichirou Sakata, Masahiro Takahashi, Kazuma Takahashi, Kunihito Sawai
  • Patent number: 10642575
    Abstract: To provide a technology capable of allowing a user to find whether speech is uttered with a volume at which speech recognition can be performed. Provided is an information processing device including: a determination portion configured to determine a user-uttered speech volume on the basis of input speech; and a display controller configured to control a display portion so that the display portion displays a display object. The display controller causes the display portion to display a first motion object moving toward the display object when the user-uttered speech volume exceeds a speech recognizable volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuhei Taki, Shinichi Kawano, Kunihito Sawai
  • Patent number: 10592101
    Abstract: A display device, method, computer-readable storage medium and user interface, each of which detects contact to or proximity of an object with respect to a generated image, and responsive to detection of contact to or proximity of the object to the generated image, disables any operational functions associated with a first portion of the generated image. Additionally, operation associated with a second portion of the generated image is allowed responsive to the detection of contact to or proximity of the object to the generated image, where the second portion of the generated image is different from the first portion of the generated image. An indication corresponding to the second portion of the generated image for which operation is enabled may be displayed on the generated image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Okumura, Hazime Matsuda, Shoji Imamura, Katsuji Miyazawa, Motoki Higashide, Kunihito Sawai
  • Patent number: 10579786
    Abstract: [Object] To provide an information processing system capable of making it difficult to be easily recognized as being a key at a glance by others. [Solution] Provided is an information processing system including a state acquisition unit configured to acquire information on a state of an object, and an authentication information acquisition unit configured to acquire authentication information corresponding to the information on the state of the object acquired by the state acquisition unit. According to such an information processing system, it is made difficult to be easily recognized as being a key at a glance by others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Miwa Ichikawa, Kunihito Sawai, Yuhei Taki, Hiroyuki Mizunuma, Taizo Shirai, Koichi Sakumoto
  • Publication number: 20200066269
    Abstract: [Object] To reduce the burden of moving a gaze on a user interface related to a recognition application. [Solution] Provided is an information processing apparatus including an output control unit configured to control display of a user interface related to a recognition application. The output control unit causes a visual effect to be output to an input field to which a recognition result is input, the visual effect indicating a state related to recognition. Also provided is an information processing method including controlling, by a processor, display of a user interface related to a recognition application. Controlling of the display further includes causing a visual effect to be output to an input field to which a recognition result is input, the visual effect indicating a state related to recognition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: YUHEI TAKI, KUNIHITO SAWAI, SHINICHI KAWANO
  • Patent number: 10534432
    Abstract: A control apparatus is connected to a device for detecting a user's hand motion, controls a motion of a virtual character, and decides, in accordance with a detection result of hand motion by the device, whether the detected motion is a first instruction action or a second instruction action. The first instruction action achieves a match between a hand motion of the character and the user's hand motion. The second instruction action instructs an action different from the user's hand motion. When it is decided, as a result of the decision, that the detected user's hand motion is the first instruction action, the control apparatus achieves a match between the character's hand motion and the detected user's hand motion. When it is decided that the detected user's hand motion is the second instruction action, the control apparatus causes the character to perform an action different from the hand motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Yasushi Okumura, Shinichi Hirata, Yoshihisa Takahashi, Yoichi Nishimaki, Norihiro Nagai, Kunihito Sawai, Yuichi Machida
  • Publication number: 20190371296
    Abstract: Implemented are an apparatus and a method that enable highly accurate intent estimation of a user utterance. An utterance learning adaptive processing unit analyzes a plurality of user utterances input from a user, generates learning data in which entity information included in a user utterance with an unclear intent is associated with a correct intent, and stores the generated learning data is a storage unit. The utterance learning adaptive processing unit generates learning data in which an intent, acquired from a response utterance from the user to an apparatus utterance after input of a first user utterance with an unclear intent, is recorded in association with entity information included in the first user utterance. The learning data is recorded to include superordinate semantic concept information of the entity information. At the time of estimating an intent for a new user utterance, learning data with similar superordinate semantic concept information is used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiro IWASE, Shinichi KAWANO, Yuhei TAKI, Kunihito SAWAI
  • Patent number: 10452158
    Abstract: To provide a technology capable of calculating a position of an image displayed on a screen more flexibly. Provided is an information processing device including: a first reception unit configured to receive a first signal from a first input device; a second reception unit configured to receive a second signal different from the first signal from a second input device; a calculation unit configured to calculate a position of an image to be displayed on a screen on the basis of the first or second signal; and a display control unit configured to display the image at the position. The calculation unit has a first mode in which the position of the image is calculated on the basis of the first signal and a second mode in which the position of the image is calculated on the basis of the second signal, and switches a mode from the first mode to the second mode when a user manipulation event is detected in the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kentaro Ida, Kazuyuki Yamamoto, Shin Shiroma, Kunihito Sawai
  • Publication number: 20190121449
    Abstract: A control device includes: a receiver for receiving first information regarding the movement of a casing, and second information regarding whether to reflect the first information on the movement of coordinate values; a storage unit for storing a whole-screen region including a real-screen region, and a virtual-screen region set around the real-screen region; a generator for generating the coordinate values within the whole-screen region based on the first information; a switcher for switching a first state in which the coordinate values are movable, and a second state in which the coordinate values are immovable, based on the second information; a determining unit for determining which of the real-screen region or the virtual-screen region the coordinate values belong to; and a coordinate-value control unit for controlling the coordinate values so as to move the coordinate values within the virtual-screen region to the position of predetermined coordinate values within the real-screen region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihito Sawai, Kazuyuki Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20190050111
    Abstract: An information processing device includes an output control unit that outputs a display information item about an operation object on the basis of a result of detection of a pointing operation with respect to the operation object by a user. The output control unit outputs the display information item about the operation object such that the operation object is displayed in at least either one of a first display mode and a second display mode different from the first display mode in accordance with an operating condition of the pointing operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu SHIGETA, Kunihito SAWAI, Masayuki YAMADA, Kentaro IDA, Takuya IKEDA, Yousuke KAWANA, Maki IMOTO, Akane YANO
  • Publication number: 20190045159
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a display device capable of improving visibility of an image. A display device includes: a projection unit adapted to project projection light in order to display an image; a direction change unit adapted to change a direction of the projection light; a projection plane visible from outside; and a drive unit adapted to set, on the projection plane or the outside, a projection position of the image by the projection light by changing the direction of the projection light changed by the direction change unit. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a robot type display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: ATSUSHI ISHIHARA, YOSHINORI KURATA, KUNIHITO SAWAI
  • Publication number: 20190038968
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a device with one of the left side and the right side of the device fixed as pressed against the palm of a user. The device includes a button that can be depressed within a predetermined movable range and a sense-of-force presentation block for presenting a sensor of force against button depression within a range in which any of the fingers of the user is reachable, the input of a sense-of-force presentation start position in the predetermined movable range being received, a button depressing amount being acquired, and, when the sense-of-force presentation start position is reached, instructing the sense-of-force presentation block to present a sense force against the depressing of the button.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Yuichi Machida, Kunihito Sawai, Shinichi Hirata, Yoshihisa Takahashi, Yoichi Nishimaki, Yasushi Okumura, Norihiro Nagai
  • Publication number: 20190041999
    Abstract: A control apparatus is used for a device that is set up assuming that the device is worn on a user's left hand or right hand, acquires given information from the device, and determines whether the device is to be worn on the user's left hand or right hand on the basis of the given information acquired.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Shinichi Hirata, Yoshihisa Takahashi, Yoichi Nishimaki, Yuichi Machida, Kunihito Sawai, Yasushi Okumura, Norihiro Nagai
  • Publication number: 20190025916
    Abstract: A control apparatus is connected to a device for detecting a user's hand motion, controls a motion of a virtual character, and decides, in accordance with a detection result of hand motion by the device, whether the detected motion is a first instruction action or a second instruction action. The first instruction action achieves a match between a hand motion of the character and the user's hand motion. The second instruction action instructs an action different from the user's hand motion. When it is decided, as a result of the decision, that the detected user's hand motion is the first instruction action, the control apparatus achieves a match between the character's hand motion and the detected user's hand motion. When it is decided that the detected user's hand motion is the second instruction action, the control apparatus causes the character to perform an action different from the hand motion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Yasushi Okumura, Shinichi Hirata, Yoshihisa Takahashi, Yoichi Nishimaki, Norihiro Nagai, Kunihito Sawai, Yuichi Machida
  • Publication number: 20190019512
    Abstract: [Object] It is desirable to provide technology capable of allowing the user who listens to the result of the speech recognition processing to get to know the accuracy of the speech recognition processing. [Solution] Provided is an information processing device including: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire information related to accuracy of speech recognition processing on sound information based on sound collection; and an output control unit configured to control a speech output mode of a result of the speech recognition processing on a basis of the information related to the accuracy of the speech recognition processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventors: YUHEI TAKI, SHINICHI KAWANO, KUNIHITO SAWAI, YUSUKE NAKAGAWA, AYUMI KATO
  • Patent number: D839878
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ishii, Kunihito Sawai, Kazuto Nishizawa
  • Patent number: D872768
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yujin Morisawa, Kunihito Sawai, Kenichi Okada