Patents by Inventor Neil W. Messmer

Neil W. Messmer 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: 20130194321
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for encoding and decoding image data using localized gamut definitions. The localized gamut definitions may be defined based on gamut characteristics of the image data. A gamut transform is applied to the image data wherein color coordinates specified by the image data are mapped to corresponding color coordinates in the localized gamut definition. Use of localized gamut definitions may facilitate image data compression of increased color depth specification of image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chun Chi Wan, Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20130162666
    Abstract: Methods for transmitting additional information together with image data involve replacing pixel values to take in-gamut points to out-of-gamut points. The additional information may constitute metadata describing the image data and/or useful for controlling display and/or processing of the image data; watermark information; or other information. In some embodiments the image data is restored to its original form after extraction of the additional information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Neil W. Messmer, Lewis Johnson
  • Publication number: 20130147862
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for determining and adjusting drive values for a display comprising light source modulation layer such as a backlight array of LED and a display modulation layer such as an LCD panel. Image regions for which any of the display modulation layer drive values are above a predetermined threshold maximum value or below a predetermined threshold minimum value are flagged. The light source modulation layer control values determined for a subsequent frame of image data may be adjusted based on the flagged image regions. The adjustments to the light source modulation layer control values may reduce artifacts in the displayed image and increase the efficiency of the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20130076763
    Abstract: Tone and/or gamut mapping apparatus and methods may be applied to map color values in image data for display on a particular display or other downstream device. A mapping algorithm may be selected based on location and/or color coordinates for pixel data being mapped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20130038790
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for mapping video signal parameters such as tone and color may be applied at various points in a video generation and delivery pipeline. apparatus may be configured to control mappings based on a range of inputs which may include one or more of: ambient conditions, user inputs, control information, adaptation models. Apparatus and methods may be applied to display video or other images so as to preserve a creative intent embodied in video or other image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Helge Seetzen, Robin Atkins, Neil W. Messmer, Gerwin Damberg
  • Publication number: 20120321273
    Abstract: In a system comprising capture, post production, any known video delivery channel, decoding and display subsystems, an apparatus and method are provided for generating, editing, delivering, processing and displaying video data to preserve the video creator's creative intent. Reference display metadata, used to guide the subsequent processing and display of the video data, is dynamically generated at the post-production stage and embedded into the video data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20120315011
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus and methods are provided for generating, delivering, processing and displaying video data to preserve the video creator's creative intent. Metadata which may be used to guide the processing and display of the video data is dynamically generated and embedded in the video data throughout a video delivery pipeline. The metadata may be written in chrominance data for black video frames, black mattes or bars framing an image, and/or in the other image areas for which luminance values are zero or below a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Neil W. Messmer, Lewis Johnson
  • Publication number: 20120306943
    Abstract: A control system for a dual modulation display comprises an input configured to receive image data specifying a desired image at an initial resolution, a downsampler configured to downsample the image data into a plurality of downsample blocks and obtain one or more image values for each downsample block, a backlight processing pipeline which determines driving levels for light emitters based on the image values, a lightfield simulator which receives data about the driving levels and generates a backlight illumination pattern, a front modulator processing pipeline which receives the image data and the backlight illumination pattern and determines control levels for light transmission elements of the front modulator, and, an image value adjuster which receives the image values and reduces image values of downsample blocks which meet adjustment criteria before providing the image values to the backlight processing pipeline.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20120299817
    Abstract: Several embodiments of image processing systems and methods are disclosed herein whereby at least one characteristic of an image displayed on a target display is changed according to information regarding the viewer's position—e.g. distance to the target display, the visual angle the target display's subtends of the viewer's field of view. In one embodiment, luminance and/or contrast may be changed depending on the information regarding viewer's position relative to the target display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Neil W. Messmer, Scott Daly, Mahdi Nezamabadi
  • Publication number: 20120224039
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for signaling timing of refreshes of stereographic displays are provided. In some embodiments, light emitting elements are used to signal the start of a display refresh and to signal when the light emitting elements of the display have attained a stable optical state following the display refresh. In some embodiments, light emitting elements used to signal timing of display refreshes include light emitting elements defining a display area of the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eric Kozak, Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20120162968
    Abstract: LEDs near or surrounding a non-functional or sub-par LED are adjusted to compensate the sub-par LED. The compensation may include illumination (e.g., increased illumination of nearby LEDs to compensate for under illumination of a non-functional LED) or a shift in hue of the nearby LEDs to compensate for an opposite shift in hue of the sub-par LED.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20120113167
    Abstract: A backlight for a display comprises a plurality of independently controllable groups of light emitters. The brightness levels of the groups of light emitters are controllable by pulse width modulation (PWM) signals generated by PWM driving circuits. The phases of PWM signals to different groups of light emitters are configured to be offset by different amounts, so as to stagger the start times of light emitters of different groups. Such phase-shifting of PWM signals may result in total power consumption that ramps up more gradually, is distributed more evenly over time, and is held to a lower maximum value than if the same PWM signals were not phase-shifted. The duration of a first PWM cycle of PWM signals for an image may also be made longer than subsequent PWM cycles for the image so as to extend the initial power ramp-up time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Steve Margerm, Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20120113498
    Abstract: Light emitting elements in an illumination unit of a display may be blanked during updates of pixels of a spatial light modulator (SLM). Updates of pixels in different segments of the SLM may be coordinated with blanking of corresponding segments of the illumination unit. Updating of segments of a light source (30A-30D) may be coordinated so that not all segments are updated in each frame (34A-37D) of a video.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Steve Margerm, Neil W. Messmer
  • Publication number: 20120038782
    Abstract: A system and method for enhancing data coherency and potential of at least one metadata associated with a video data configured to operate in a visual dynamic range (VDR) format is disclosed. The system comprises a metadata framing structure which includes a header start of frame bit set, a packet type bit set, a configuration bit set, a variable depth configuration/metadata bit set, a header end of frame bit set, a timestamp bit set for specifying a frame delay count to apply the at least one metadata to the video data and a checksum check bit set. The at least one metadata is designed to embed within a code word guard bit position of at least one color channel of the video data and adaptable to embed within the VDR pipeline to enhance the quality of the video data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Neil W. Messmer, Brent Wilson