Patents by Inventor Michael Patrick Bacus
Michael Patrick Bacus 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).
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Patent number: 10872201Abstract: Providing an electronic document for consumption in a first mode of operation wherein a prominent component of the content of the electronic document is presented at a first resolution. In a second mode of operation, a modified version of the prominent component having a lower resolution than the first resolution is generated.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2016Date of Patent: December 22, 2020Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Hong Chen, Michael Patrick Bacus, Rudy Darmawan
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Patent number: 10839138Abstract: A method and system to provide fonts for electronic publications is described. An example method includes receiving a request for an electronic publication from a user device, retrieving a font identifier of a font from the electronic publication, providing the electronic publication to the user device, determining, based on the font identifier, that at least one font file of the font is not stored on the user device, and providing the at least one font file of the font to the user device.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2016Date of Patent: November 17, 2020Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Lokesh Joshi, Michael Patrick Bacus, Christopher Allen Suver, Eric Allen Menninga
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Patent number: 10552514Abstract: Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for emphasizing particular text in reflowable content. Primary text, such as keywords or sentences related to a most recent input, and secondary text, such as row(s) of text including the keywords and/or sentences, are determined. The primary text may be emphasized using a first effect and the secondary text may be emphasized using a second effect, while an opacity of non-emphasized text may be reduced. Content is displayed initially with the first effect, the second effect and the reduced opacity, and an animation sequence removes the first effect and the second effect and increases the opacity in intervals until the content is displayed uniformly. Thus content that is of interest to a reader (such as a previous reading location) may be emphasized when a screen refreshes with reflowed content.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2015Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Stanton Todd Marcum, Michael Patrick Bacus, Timothy Thomas Gray
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Patent number: 10514830Abstract: Virtual bookmarks can be set in digital content to enable a user to quickly locate a portion of interest. A user can provide an input to enter into an overview mode wherein multiple pages of content are displayed concurrently. The user can navigate through the pages, and when a bookmarked page is caused to no longer appear on the display an overlay element such as a thumbnail of the page can be positioned near the edge of the display, representing the current relative location of the page in the overview. A user can select one of the displayed pages to view, or can select the bookmark overlay element to return to the current page. A user can perform an action to cause the bookmarked page to be updated, or can perform various actions to cause multiple bookmarks to be created with respect to the content.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2017Date of Patent: December 24, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Patrick Bacus, Seth Daniel Micarelli, Alla Taborisskaya, Joseph King, Lutz Gerhard, Amanda Leigh Font, Craig Reeves Brookes, Andrew Scott Craft
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Patent number: 10319116Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for dynamic color adjustment of electronic content. In one embodiment, a system may determine a first background color corresponding to a color theme for use in presentation of electronic content, the color theme further specifying a first text color for displaying text. The system may convert the first text color to hue-saturation-value (HSV) color space, and modify a brightness component of the first text color to generate a second text color. The system may determine a first contrast ratio between the second text color and the first background color, and determine that the first contrast ratio satisfies a first threshold contrast ratio. The system may display the electronic content using the first background color, the electronic content including text having the second text color.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2015Date of Patent: June 11, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Prannoy Vargis C, James Joseph Poulin, Deepak Manohar, Chad Siegel, Adam Schott Riggs, Surendran Rangasamy, Joseph King, Michael Patrick Bacus, Eric Allen Menninga
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Patent number: 10275426Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for dynamic kerning pair reduction for digital font rendering. Example methods may include receiving a first font file comprising glyph data and a first set of kerning pairs, determining a first kerning pair of the first set of kerning pairs that comprises a kerning adjustment value below a kerning adjustment threshold, removing the first kerning pair from the first set of kerning pairs to generate a second set of kerning pairs, and generating a second font file comprising the glyph data and the second set of kerning pairs.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2015Date of Patent: April 30, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Yushu Cao, Sivarangini Ragavan, Michael Patrick Bacus
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Patent number: 10242588Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for dynamic character enhancement for rendering digital content. Example methods may include identifying a reading speed indicative of a rate at which a user desires to read, determining a number of words in a portion of content to present to the user, and determining a base time interval for at least one word of the portion of content based at least in part on the reading speed. Methods may include determining an average difficulty value of the portion of content, determining that a first difficulty value of a first word exceeds the average difficulty value, and determining a first time adjustment for the first word based at least in part on the first difficulty value. Methods may include determining a first time interval based at least in part on the base time interval and the first time adjustment.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2017Date of Patent: March 26, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Udhaya Kumar Thirupparangiri, Frederick Hughes Clarke, Michael Patrick Bacus
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Patent number: 10193822Abstract: Technologies are disclosed for providing predictive auto-scaling for resources of a network-accessible message processing service. Control metrics are analyzed in order to predict a future volume of messages that will be received and processed by the message processing service. Based upon the prediction, resources, in the form of computing resources, are allocated to the message processing service. Reactive auto-scaling of the resources can also be used in conjunction with predictive auto-scaling. For reactive auto-scaling, an enqueue rate at a queuing service for messages is monitored and resources are reactively auto-scaled accordingly.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2016Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Patrick Bacus, Peter Snoblin
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Patent number: 9996501Abstract: A content validation module receives an electronic media item in a first format. The content validation module may determine whether the electronic media item will contain errors when the electronic media item is converted to a second format. The content validation module may also obtain an error metric for the electronic media item and may refrain from converting the electronic media item to the second format if the error metric exceeds an error threshold.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2012Date of Patent: June 12, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Laura Ann Nelson, Michael Patrick Bacus, Xuping Zhang
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Patent number: 9984045Abstract: A rendering optimizer captures content engagement feedback associated with a first interval during which electronic content is presented with a first set of rendering parameter values. The rendering optimizer adjusts at least one rendering parameter value of the first set of rendering parameter values by a step amount in a first direction to create a second set of rendering parameter values and captures content engagement feedback associated with a second interval during which the electronic content is presented with the second set of rendering parameter values. The rendering optimizer further adjusts the rendering parameter values to determine they result in an improvement in reading immersion.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2015Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Patrick Bacus, Lokesh Joshi, Joseph King, Stephen W. Swales
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Patent number: 9865071Abstract: Methods and systems for rendering text to simulate human penmanship are described. A text rendering engine converts a text string into an image that can be displayed using one or more seed numbers to influence the rendering and appearance of the text. The text rendering engine may render variations of each character of the text string using the seed numbers to select from a set of single-character or multi-character glyphs, or to modify a size, weight, slope, or Bezier curve point of the character.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 2015Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Patrick Bacus, Shawn C. Deyell, Hong Chen
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Publication number: 20170364221Abstract: Virtual bookmarks can be set in digital content to enable a user to quickly locate a portion of interest. A user can provide an input to enter into an overview mode wherein multiple pages of content are displayed concurrently. The user can navigate through the pages, and when a bookmarked page is caused to no longer appear on the display an overlay element such as a thumbnail of the page can be positioned near the edge of the display, representing the current relative location of the page in the overview. A user can select one of the displayed pages to view, or can select the bookmark overlay element to return to the current page. A user can perform an action to cause the bookmarked page to be updated, or can perform various actions to cause multiple bookmarks to be created with respect to the content.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2017Publication date: December 21, 2017Inventors: Michael Patrick Bacus, Seth Daniel Micarelli, Alla Taborisskaya, Joseph King, Lutz Gerhard, Amanda Leigh Font, Craig Reeves Brookes, Andrew Scott Craft
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Patent number: 9778824Abstract: Virtual bookmarks can be set in digital content to enable a user to quickly locate a portion of interest. A user can provide an input to enter into an overview mode wherein multiple pages of content are displayed concurrently. The user can navigate through the pages, and when a bookmarked page is caused to no longer appear on the display an overlay element such as a thumbnail of the page can be positioned near the edge of the display, representing the current relative location of the page in the overview. A user can select one of the displayed pages to view, or can select the bookmark overlay element to return to the current page. A user can perform an action to cause the bookmarked page to be updated, or can perform various actions to cause multiple bookmarks to be created with respect to the content.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2015Date of Patent: October 3, 2017Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Patrick Bacus, Seth Daniel Micarelli, Alla Taborisskaya, Joseph King, Lutz Gerhard, Amanda Leigh Font, Craig Reeves Brookes, Andrew Scott Craft
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Patent number: 9721031Abstract: Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for anchoring bookmarks to individual words for precise positioning within electronic documents. The bookmarks may be anchored based on user input selecting particular words, based on gaze tracking identifying most recently read words, or based on estimated reading speed. The bookmarks may be a link used to navigate within the document, may be used as an anchor for a new layout after content reflow or may be automatically saved when the e-reader turns off the display to provide the user with a most recently read passage. If a bookmark isn't anchored to specific words by the user, the device may anchor the bookmark to the beginning of a sentence or a paragraph including the recently read words determined using gaze tracking or estimated reading speed.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2015Date of Patent: August 1, 2017Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Stanton Todd Marcum, Michael Patrick Bacus, Timothy Thomas Gray
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Patent number: 9558159Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for dynamic character enhancement for rendering digital content. Example methods may include identifying a reading speed indicative of a rate at which a user desires to read, determining a number of words in a portion of content to present to the user, and determining a base time interval for at least one word of the portion of content based at least in part on the reading speed. Methods may include determining an average difficulty value of the portion of content, determining that a first difficulty value of a first word exceeds the average difficulty value, and determining a first time adjustment for the first word based at least in part on the first difficulty value. Methods may include determining a first time interval based at least in part on the base time interval and the first time adjustment.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2015Date of Patent: January 31, 2017Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Udhaya Kumar Thirupparangiri, Frederick Hughes Clarke, Michael Patrick Bacus
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Patent number: 9536437Abstract: Embodiments of methods, systems, and storage medium associated with providing an electronic book for partial consumption are disclosed herein. In one instance, an electronic book, including prominent and non-prominent components, may be stored in memory of an electronic reader. In various embodiments, the electronic reader may monitor for an instruction from a user to transition between a skim mode of operation and a normal mode of operation. In various embodiments, the electronic reader may be placed in the skim mode of operation in response to detecting an instruction from the user to enter the skim mode of operation. While in the skim mode of operation, the prominent components of the electronic book may be filtered from the non-prominent components and presented, and presentation of the non-prominent components of the electronic book may be suppressed. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2013Date of Patent: January 3, 2017Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Hong Chen, Michael Patrick Bacus, Rudy Darmawan
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Publication number: 20160378720Abstract: A rendering optimizer captures content engagement feedback associated with a first interval during which electronic content is presented with a first set of rendering parameter values. The rendering optimizer adjusts at least one rendering parameter value of the first set of rendering parameter values by a step amount in a first direction to create a second set of rendering parameter values and captures content engagement feedback associated with a second interval during which the electronic content is presented with the second set of rendering parameter values. The rendering optimizer further adjusts the rendering parameter values to determine they result in an improvement in reading immersion.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2015Publication date: December 29, 2016Inventors: Michael Patrick Bacus, Lokesh Joshi, Joseph King, Stephen W. Swales
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Patent number: 9529586Abstract: Devices and techniques to incrementally update content associated with an electronic publication are described. A patch generation module may be configured to generate patch data files comprising incremental changes associated with the electronic publication. A differential patch module located on a client device may be configured to obtain the patch data files. The differential patch module may also be configured to compare the patch data files and the electronic publication and identify the differences between the files. Additionally, the differential patch module may be configured to update the changes in the patch data files with the content of the electronic publication. Accordingly, the electronic publication may be updated to include the changes in the patch data files.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2015Date of Patent: December 27, 2016Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Patrick Bacus, Garett Nell, Manoj Suresh Harpalani, Lokesh Joshi
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Patent number: 9514120Abstract: A computing device hosting a server identifies one or more potential typographical errors in a work using an initial reference. The computing device sends data indicative of the presence of the potential typographical errors to users. The computing device collects feedback for the work from the users. The feedback for the work indicates whether the potential typographical errors are author-intended strings. The computing device combines the user feedback for the work with user feedback for other works and sorts the combined user feedback based on one or more selected parameters. The computing device determines, based on the sorted user feedback, that one or more of the potential typographical errors includes an acceptable string and updates the initial reference to include the acceptable string.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2012Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Hong Chen, Michael Patrick Bacus, Ming Zhao
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Patent number: 9483445Abstract: A method and system to provide fonts for electronic publications is described. An example method includes receiving a request for an electronic publication from a user device, retrieving a font identifier of a font from the electronic publication, providing the electronic publication to the user device, determining, based on the font identifier, that at least one font file of the font is not stored on the user device, and providing the at least one font file of the font to the user device.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2013Date of Patent: November 1, 2016Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Lokesh Joshi, Michael Patrick Bacus, Christopher Allen Suver, Eric Allen Menninga