Patents by Inventor Oliver M. C. Williams
Oliver M. C. Williams 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: 9063630Abstract: A graphical representation of data may be displayed along with a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. A user may define a region in the graphical representation using a zoom tool. If the defined region intersects with either of the horizontal or vertical axes, a single axis zoom may be performed according to the defined region rather than a conventional zoom. A single axis zoom may include maintaining the domain of either the horizontal or vertical axes, while zooming in at the intersected axis of the defined region.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2009Date of Patent: June 23, 2015Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventor: Oliver M. C. Williams
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Patent number: 8639649Abstract: Given that a differentially private mechanism has a known conditional distribution, probabilistic inference techniques may be used along with the known conditional distribution, and generated results from previously computed queries on private data, to generate a posterior distribution for the differentially private mechanism used by the system. The generated posterior distribution may be used to describe the probability of every possible result being the correct result. The probability may then be used to qualify conclusions or calculations that may depend on the returned result.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2010Date of Patent: January 28, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Frank D. McSherry, Oliver M. C. Williams
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Patent number: 8565520Abstract: A system for providing augmented reality detects foreground occluders in an image of a video stream. One or more virtual objects are then rendered appropriately with respect to the occluders. Location information associated with the image is used to retrieve a three dimensional representation of the location where the image was taken. Features that are expected to appear in the image based on the three dimensional location but that cannot be located are used to determine regions of the image that are likely to include foreground occluders. Pixels in these regions are used to train a color model that classifies pixels as either part of the background of the image or part of one or more foreground occluders. The pixels in the image are classified using the model, and one or more virtual objects are rendered so that they appear behind any foreground occluders.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2011Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Oliver M. C. Williams, Michael Isard, Paul R. Barham
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Patent number: 8473481Abstract: An image may be received, a portion of which corresponds to a surface of an object, such as a book, a CD, a DVD, a wine bottle, etc. The portion of the image that corresponds to the surface of the object is located. The portion of the image is compared with previously stored images of surfaces of objects to identify the object. A record of the object is created and added to a library. The record of the object may comprise the image of the object, the portion of the image which corresponds to the surface of the object, and/or the received image itself. The record may comprise an indicator of a location of the object.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2009Date of Patent: June 25, 2013Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Oliver M. C. Williams, Michael A. Isard
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Publication number: 20120314942Abstract: A system for providing augmented reality detects foreground occluders in an image of a video stream. One or more virtual objects are then rendered appropriately with respect to the occluders. Location information associated with the image is used to retrieve a three dimensional representation of the location where the image was taken. Features that are expected to appear in the image based on the three dimensional location but that cannot be located are used to determine regions of the image that are likely to include foreground occluders. Pixels in these regions are used to train a color model that classifies pixels as either part of the background of the image or part of one or more foreground occluders. The pixels in the image are classified using the model, and one or more virtual objects are rendered so that they appear behind any foreground occluders.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2011Publication date: December 13, 2012Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Oliver M. C. Williams, Michael Isard, Paul R. Barham
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Publication number: 20110238611Abstract: Given that a differentially private mechanism has a known conditional distribution, probabilistic inference techniques may be used along with the known conditional distribution, and generated results from previously computed queries on private data, to generate a posterior distribution for the differentially private mechanism used by the system. The generated posterior distribution may be used to describe the probability of every possible result being the correct result. The probability may then be used to qualify conclusions or calculations that may depend on the returned result.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2010Publication date: September 29, 2011Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Frank D. McSherry, Oliver M. C. Williams
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Publication number: 20110007097Abstract: A graphical representation of data may be displayed along with a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. A user may define a region in the graphical representation using a zoom tool. If the defined region intersects with either of the horizontal or vertical axes, a single axis zoom may be performed according to the defined region rather than a conventional zoom. A single axis zoom may include maintaining the domain of either the horizontal or vertical axes, while zooming in at the intersected axis of the defined region.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2009Publication date: January 13, 2011Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Oliver M. C. Williams
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Publication number: 20100235406Abstract: An image may be received, a portion of which corresponds to a surface of an object, such as a book, a CD, a DVD, a wine bottle, etc. The portion of the image that corresponds to the surface of the object is located. The portion of the image is compared with previously stored images of surfaces of objects to identify the object. A record of the object is created and added to a library. The record of the object may comprise the image of the object, the portion of the image which corresponds to the surface of the object, and/or the received image itself. The record may comprise an indicator of a location of the object.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2009Publication date: September 16, 2010Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Oliver M.C. Williams, Michael A. Isard
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Publication number: 20090237356Abstract: A pointing system uses a hologram or a lenticular image that may be affixed to a pointing device such as a game controller. The hologram may comprise a holographic image and may display a pattern that changes rapidly and predictably as the position of the pointing device changes. The hologram may be a reflection hologram or a transmission hologram. A light sensing device not on the controller captures the movement and appearance of the hologram and provides information to a computing device. The computing device processes the appearance information to determine an orientation of the pointing device, and based on the orientation, changes the position of a cursor on a display.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2008Publication date: September 24, 2009Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Oliver M. C. Williams, Andrew W. Fitzgibbon