Patents by Inventor Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi

Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi 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: 20150009309
    Abstract: Optical glasses, as well as other eyewear, are provided with a frame that has a camera button located on a part of the glasses frame most preferably centered just above one of the lenses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Mitchell Heinrich, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Patent number: 8922481
    Abstract: Methods and systems for annotating objects and/or actions are provided. An example method includes receiving a selection of a content object via an interface of a wearable computing device. The wearable computing device may include a head-mounted display (HMD). The method may also include, but is not limited to, displaying the selected content object on the HMD. Additionally, the method may include obtaining facial-muscle information while the content object is being displayed on the HMD. A facial expression may also be determined based on the facial-muscle information. According to the method, the content object may be associated with an annotation comprising an indication of the facial expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Alejandro Kauffmann, Clifford L. Biffle, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Thad Eugene Starner
  • Publication number: 20140379746
    Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a method and system for providing a recommendation set. The method and system includes determining various topic clusters from single topic clusters. The method and system further includes identifying various topic clusters for an identified single topic cluster and providing recommendations from the various topic clusters via web updates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Su-Lin Wu
  • Patent number: 8898496
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a computing system causes a computing device to operate in a lower-power state. Data received from a first tier of low-power input source(s) is used to determine user/environmental context and activate a second tier of input source(s) that operate in a higher power range. In each tier the system is running contextual detection to assess whether to engage higher power input sources or sensors to aid the user. With this mechanism, a user is able to have access to a broad range of services without having to explicit switch them on, while the system is able to intelligently manage power and battery life across input sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Publication number: 20140337037
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to processing speech input at a wearable computing device are disclosed. Speech input can be received at the wearable computing device. Speech-related text corresponding to the speech input can be generated. A context can be determined based on database(s) and/or a history of accessed documents. An action can be determined based on an evaluation of at least a portion of the speech-related text and the context. The action can be a command or a search request. If the action is a command, then the wearable computing device can generate output for the command. If the action is a search request, then the wearable computing device can: communicate the search request to a search engine, receive search results from the search engine, and generate output based on the search results. The output can be provided using output component(s) of the wearable computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Patent number: 8874760
    Abstract: The present application discloses systems and methods for accessing digital content between multiple devices. The systems and methods may be directed to providing access to an interaction with a first application on a head-mounted display (HMD) to a second device. Contextual information relating information of the HMD and information associated with the interaction to describe an interaction state may be stored. A second device may be selected upon which the interaction state may be accessed and a determination of attributes of the second device may be made. The HMD may transfer to the second device the stored contextual information such that the second device may provide via the second application access to the interaction state. Information associated with a user input to the first application may also be transferred. In one example, the contextual information may describe an identified occurrence of digital content accessed via the first application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sanjay Mavinkurve, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Publication number: 20140258902
    Abstract: Methods and systems involving navigation of a graphical interface are disclosed herein. An example system may be configured to: (a) cause a head-mounted display (HMD) to provide a graphical interface, the graphical interface comprising (i) a view port having a view-port orientation and (ii) at least one navigable area having at least one border, the at least one border having a first border orientation; (b) receive input data that indicates movement of the view port towards the at least one border; (c) determine that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation; and (d) based on at least the determination that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation, adjust the first border orientation from the first border orientation to a second border orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Wheeler, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sebastian Thrun, Hayes Solos Raffle, Nirmal Patel
  • Publication number: 20140247286
    Abstract: Methods and systems for active stabilization for heads-up displays are described. A wearable computing device may include a head-mounted display (HMD) with an eye-tracking system. The wearable computing device may generate a display of content at a given location in a display area of the HMD. A user may be wearing the HMD and may be subjected to mechanical jostling resulting in a movement of the HMD with respect to a gaze axis of an eye of the user. The wearable computing device may receive information relating to the gaze axis from the eye-tracking system and may receive information relating to the movement of the HMD from sensors coupled to the HMD. The wearable computing device may adjust the given location of the displayed content in the display area to compensate for such movement. The content may thus appear stable to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Patent number: 8724853
    Abstract: Methods are apparatuses are described for identifying a target object using optical occlusion. A head-mounted display perceives a characteristic of a reference object. The head-mounted display detects a change of the perceived characteristic of the reference object and makes a determination that a detected object caused the change of the perceived characteristic. In response to making the determination, the head-mounted display identifies the detected object as the target object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Robert Allen Ryskamp
  • Patent number: 8645358
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for customized search results in an advanced search results page including vertical searching pivot points for personalizing and refining searching operations. The method includes tracking user network activities and receiving a search query from the user, the search query including a plurality of search terms. The method and system includes identifying a plurality of preferred content sources based on the tracked network activities and retrieving content items in response to the search query. The method and system filters the content items based on the preferred content sources and therein generates a search result page displaying at least a portion of the filtered content items and at least one of the preferred content sources, wherein the display of the at least one preferred content source allows the user to pivot the search results portion based solely on the preferred content source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Su-Lin Wu, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Vik Singh
  • Patent number: 8643951
    Abstract: Methods and systems involving a navigable area in a head-mounted display (HMD) are disclosed herein. An exemplary system may be configured to: (a) cause a head-mounted display (HMD) to provide: (i) a viewing window that is fully visible in a field of view of the HMD, (ii) a navigable area that is not fully visible in a field of view of the HMD such that the viewing window displays a first portion of the navigable area, and (iii) a media object that is associated with a viewing-window state; (b) receive first head-movement data that is indicative of head movement from a first position of the HMD to a second position of the HMD; and (c) based on (i) the first head-movement data and (ii) the viewing-window state, cause the viewing window to display a second portion of the navigable area which includes the media object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Joseph Wheeler, Alejandro Kauffmann, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Hayes Solos Raffle, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Patent number: 8593795
    Abstract: The present application discloses a wearable computing device having a plurality of components, with the weight of the components being evenly distributed on the wearable computing device. One embodiment may include a frame having a front portion and at least one side-arm extending therefrom. The at least one side-arm has a first end and a second end. The wearable computing device further includes a lens connected to the front portion of the frame and at least one display element mounted to the lens and to the first end of the at least one side-arm of the frame by a tensile member. An electronic device is mounted to the second end of the at least one side-arm of the frame to counterbalance the mass located at the front portion of the frame. The electronic device may include batteries, circuitry, processors, computers, and other electronic components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Publication number: 20130261871
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for gesture-based controls are disclosed. In one aspect, a method is disclosed that includes maintaining a correlation between a plurality of predetermined gestures, in combination with a plurality of predetermined regions of a vehicle, and a plurality of functions. The method further includes recording three-dimensional images of an interior portion of the vehicle and, based on the three-dimensional images, detecting a given gesture in a given region of the vehicle, where the given gesture corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined gestures and the given region corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined regions. The method still further includes selecting, based on the correlation, a function associated with the given gesture in combination with the given region and initiating the function in the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Kenneth Hobbs, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Publication number: 20130246967
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes controlling a wearable computing device (WCD) to provide a user-interface that has one or more menu items and a view region. The method also includes receiving movement data corresponding to movement of the WCD from a first position to a second position and, responsive to the movement data, controlling the WCD such that the one or more menu items are viewable in the view region. Further, the method includes, while the one or more menu items are viewable in the view region, receiving selection data corresponding to a selection of a menu item and, responsive to the selection data, controlling the WCD to maintain the selected menu item substantially fully viewable in the view region and in a substantially fixed position in the view region that is substantially independent of further movement of the WCD.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Joseph Wheeler, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Liang-Yu Tom Chi, Alejandro Kauffman
  • Patent number: 8462010
    Abstract: The present application discloses methods and systems for augmenting a field of view of a user. In one embodiment, a device may include a detector, a processor, and an array of visual indicators. According to an embodiment of the method, the detector may image an environment. The processor may identify within the environment imaged by the detector an object of interest. The processor may also determine a relative spatial location of the identified object of interest. Further, the array of visual indicators may be used to indicate the determined relative spatial location of the identified object of interest. In particular, a set of one or more visual indicators may be selected that has a relative spatial location in the array of visual indicators that is indicative of the relative spatial location of the identified object of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Robert Allen Ryskamp, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Publication number: 20130142387
    Abstract: Methods are apparatuses are described for identifying a target object using optical occlusion. A head-mounted display perceives a characteristic of a reference object. The head-mounted display detects a change of the perceived characteristic of the reference object and makes a determination that a detected object caused the change of the perceived characteristic. In response to making the determination, the head-mounted display identifies the detected object as the target object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Robert Allen Ryskamp
  • Publication number: 20130139082
    Abstract: Methods and systems involving navigation of a graphical interface are disclosed herein. An example system may be configured to: (a) cause a head-mounted display (HMD) to provide a graphical interface, the graphical interface comprising (i) a view port having a view-port orientation and (ii) at least one navigable area having at least one border, the at least one border having a first border orientation; (b) receive input data that indicates movement of the view port towards the at least one border; (c) determine that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation; and (d) based on at least the determination that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation, adjust the first border orientation from the first border orientation to a second border orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Aaron Wheeler, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sebastian Thrun, Hayes Raffle, Nirmal Patel
  • Publication number: 20130022220
    Abstract: Exemplary wearable computing systems may include a head-mounted display that is configured to provide indirect bone-conduction audio. For example, an exemplary head-mounted display may include at least one vibration transducer that is configured to vibrate at least a portion of the head-mounted display based on the audio signal. The vibration transducer is configured such that when the head-mounted display is worn, the vibration transducer vibrates the head-mounted display without directly vibrating a wearer. However, the head-mounted display structure vibrationally couples to a bone structure of the wearer, such that vibrations from the vibration transducer may be indirectly transferred to the wearer's bone structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Jianchun Dong, Liang-Yu Tom Chi, Mitchell Heinrich, Leng Ooi
  • Publication number: 20130016070
    Abstract: The present application discloses systems and methods for a virtual input device. In one example, the virtual input device includes a projector and a camera. The projector projects a pattern onto a surface. The camera captures images that can be interpreted by a processor to determine actions. The projector may be mounted on an arm of a pair of eyeglasses and the camera may be mounted on an opposite arm of the eyeglasses. A pattern for a virtual input device can be projected onto a “display hand” of a user, and the camera may be able to detect when the user uses an opposite hand to select items of the virtual input device. In another example, the camera may detect when the display hand is moving and interpret display hand movements as inputs to the virtual input device, and/or realign the projection onto the moving display hand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Thad Eugene Starner, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Publication number: 20130017789
    Abstract: The present application discloses systems and methods for accessing digital content between multiple devices. The systems and methods may be directed to providing access to an interaction with a first application on a head-mounted display (HMD) to a second device. Contextual information relating information of the HMD and information associated with the interaction to describe an interaction state may be stored. A second device may be selected upon which the interaction state may be accessed and a determination of attributes of the second device may be made. The HMD may transfer to the second device the stored contextual information such that the second device may provide via the second application access to the interaction state. Information associated with a user input to the first application may also be transferred. In one example, the contextual information may describe an identified occurrence of digital content accessed via the first application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sanjay Mavinkurve, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez