Patents by Inventor Philip Marivoet
Philip Marivoet 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: 11912148Abstract: A method is provided for managing energy. The method comprises collecting information relating to amounts of energy stored by a plurality of members of a group, and relating to energy requirements of the members. The method further comprises determining a price for distributing energy to a non-member of the group, determining whether to supply energy stored by the members to the non-member at the determined price, and issuing instructions to distribute energy upon determining that energy stored by the plurality of members should be supplied to the non-member.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2015Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Tom Hostyn, Philip Marivoet, Yoeri Apts, Christopher Rutherford, Vanessa Schelkens, Dimitri Torfs, Francis Van Aeken
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Patent number: 11849312Abstract: An agent device for assisting one or more users is provided. The agent device supports a first operation mode in which the agent device is configured to identify individual users. Further, the agent device supports a second operation mode in which the agent device is configured to not identify individual users. The agent device includes a receiver circuit configured to receive, from an external device, a signal indicating that a person in the vicinity of the agent device does not want to be identified. Additionally, the agent device includes a control circuit configured to set an operation mode of the agent device to the second operation mode in response to receiving the signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2019Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Philip Marivoet, Olivier Demarto, Tom Cool
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Publication number: 20230208636Abstract: A method is provided for retrieving a listing of keys associated with respective objects stored in an object storage system supporting a remote object access protocol. The keys include respective strings of characters encoded by means of a character encoding, and the method includes: obtaining a start key and an end key for defining a key interval for the listing; subdividing the key interval into key subintervals based on one or more intermediate keys; scanning the key subintervals, thereby retrieving a listing of the keys in the key subintervals; and the subdividing includes: representing the start key and end key as a start and an end numeric sequence according to the character encoding; and calculating the one or more intermediate keys as one or more intermediate numeric sequences from the start and end numeric sequences by means of arithmetic computation.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2021Publication date: June 29, 2023Inventors: Pepijn VAN EECKHOUDT, Willem VERSTRAETEN, Philip MARIVOET
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Patent number: 11388246Abstract: A method for providing information about an object is proposed. The method contains determining a usage profile of the object based on a measurement performed by at least one sensor of the object and storing the usage profile. The usage profile can be compared with a standard profile of the object. Based on a result of the comparison information about a usage of the object can be provided. A corresponding object providing information is proposed.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2019Date of Patent: July 12, 2022Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Conor Aylward, Philip Marivoet
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Publication number: 20210058775Abstract: An agent device for assisting one or more users is provided. The agent device supports a first operation mode in which the agent device is configured to identify individual users. Further, the agent device supports a second operation mode in which the agent device is configured to not identify individual users. The agent device includes a receiver circuit configured to receive, from an external device, a signal indicating that a person in the vicinity of the agent device does not want to be identified. Additionally, the agent device includes a control circuit configured to set an operation mode of the agent device to the second operation mode in response to receiving the signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 11, 2019Publication date: February 25, 2021Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Philip MARIVOET, Olivier DEMARTO, Tom COOL
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Publication number: 20210021680Abstract: A method for providing information about an object is proposed. The method contains determining a usage profile of the object based on a measurement performed by at least one sensor of the object and storing the usage profile. The usage profile can be compared with a standard profile of the object. Based on a result of the comparison information about a usage of the object can be provided. A corresponding object providing information is proposed.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2019Publication date: January 21, 2021Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Conor AYLWARD, Philip MARIVOET
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Patent number: 9866709Abstract: It is described an apparatus for determining trends in picture taking activity. The apparatus comprises a meta information accessing unit for accessing a set of meta information, each meta information in the set of meta information being associated with a picture having been taken with a camera device at a respective geographic location and at a respective time. The apparatus further comprises a processing unit for determining trends in picture taking activity based on the set of meta information accessible by the meta information accessing unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2014Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Tom Hostyn, Olivier Demarto, Kenny Helsens, Jan Spooren, Philip Marivoet, Teemu Veikko Tapani Pohjola, Magdalena Wasowska, Conor Aylward, Gaetan De Brucker, Joachim Giard, Chris Minnoy
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Patent number: 9444255Abstract: A method of controlling the connection of a collection of a plurality of electricity providing devices to an electrical power network is described. In this, the plurality of electricity providing devices having a communication line therebetween and the method comprises receiving a message at a first electricity providing device from a controlling device and, in response to the message: connecting the first electricity providing device to the electrical power network; and sending, from the first electricity providing device to a second electricity providing device, a second message containing data in response to which the second electricity providing device is connected to the electrical power network.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2011Date of Patent: September 13, 2016Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Christopher Rutherford, Philip Marivoet
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Patent number: 9417673Abstract: A method of controlling power to a device which consumes energy from an energy network. The network has a renewable energy generator and a mains supply connected thereto to supply energy to the network. The method includes determining energy requirements of the device, and determining a renewable energy component of the supplied energy generated by the renewable energy generator. The method compares the energy requirements of the device with the renewable energy component of the supplied energy, and controls the energy to the device in accordance with the comparison between the energy requirements of the device with the renewable energy component of the supplied energy.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2011Date of Patent: August 16, 2016Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Philip Marivoet, Yoeri Apts, Alfred Spiessens, Christopher Rutherford, Chris Minnoy, Hamish Guthrie
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Patent number: 9373021Abstract: There is described an apparatus for outputting a group of images for display, the group being taken from a plurality of images, each image in the plurality of images having a face located therein, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to: retrieve a set of images from a storage medium, the set of images containing at least the plurality of images from which the group of images to be displayed is selected; identify the face in each of the plurality of images; identify variable features on the face in each of the plurality of images; establish the group of images in accordance with a measure of the dissimilarity between the variable features in the plurality of images; and output the group of images for display.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 2011Date of Patent: June 21, 2016Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY EUROPE LIMITEDInventors: Kurt De Vos, Philip Marivoet, Vanessa Schelkens, Daniel Clarke
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Patent number: 9210215Abstract: A distribution system including, for connection over a network a plurality of client upload devices, each client upload device storing one or more chunks of a content file, a client download device configured to download from the client upload devices chunks of the content file stored by the respective client upload devices and an incentive device configured to generate token data packets exchangeable for chunks of the content file. The client download device is configured to acquire a plurality of token data packets from the incentive device and to communicate with individual respective client upload devices and thereby download, in exchange for respective token data packets, stored chunks of the content file.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2010Date of Patent: December 8, 2015Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Jaqueline Mallett, Francis Van Aeken, Olivier Elshocht, Philip Marivoet, Tom Hostyn
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Publication number: 20150266391Abstract: A method is provided for managing energy. The method comprises collecting information relating to amounts of energy stored by a plurality of members of a group, and relating to energy requirements of the members. The method further comprises determining a price for distributing energy to a non-member of the group, determining whether to supply energy stored by the members to the non-member at the determined price, and issuing instructions to distribute energy upon determining that energy stored by the plurality of members should be supplied to the non-member.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2015Publication date: September 24, 2015Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Tom HOSTYN, Philip Marivoet, Yoeri Apts, Christopher Rutherford, Vanessa Schelkens, Dimitri Torfs, Francis Van Aeken
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Publication number: 20150242405Abstract: It is described a method determining context information of at least one media file stored in a media storage, and matching reference context information with the context information to determine at least one context-matching media file.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2015Publication date: August 27, 2015Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Tom HOSTYN, Chris MINNOY, Kenny HELSENS, Gerard MAAS, Murat Burak MIGDISOGLU, Michel TILMAN, Jan SPOOREN, Philip MARIVOET, Teemu Veikko Tapani POHJOLA, Magdalena WASOWSKA, Conor AYLWARD, Olivier DEMARTO, Gaetan DE BRUCKER, Joachim GIARD
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Publication number: 20150170039Abstract: It is described an apparatus for determining trends in picture taking activity. The apparatus comprises a meta information accessing unit for accessing a set of meta information, each meta information in the set of meta information being associated with a picture having been taken with a camera device at a respective geographic location and at a respective time. The apparatus further comprises a processing unit for determining trends in picture taking activity based on the set of meta information accessible by the meta information accessing unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2014Publication date: June 18, 2015Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Tom Hostyn, Olivier Demarto, Kenny Helsens, Jan Spooren, Philip Marivoet, Teemu Veikko Tapani Pohjola, Magdalena Wasowska, Conor Aylward, Gaetan De Brucker, Joachim Giard, Chris Minnoy
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Patent number: 8914159Abstract: A method of controlling power to a plurality of devices on an energy network, wherein each device has an identifier which uniquely identifies the device on the network, the method comprising: forming a group of devices from said plurality of devices; and controlling the power of other devices in said group in accordance with the state of the power supplied to a first device in said group.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2011Date of Patent: December 16, 2014Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Philip Marivoet, Yoeri Apts, Alfred Spiessens, Christopher Rutherford, Chris Minnoy, Hamish Guthrie
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Patent number: 8774598Abstract: A method of generating media content is described which comprises capturing still or moving image content items at a capture device and uploading the captured image content items and image content metadata indicating a time of capture of each of the image content items to a network. A playback log indicating playback times of audio content items listened to by the user of the capture device is stored. One or more of the captured image content items is correlated with one or more portions of the playback log based on the time of capture indicated by the metadata relating to the one or more captured content items and the playback times indicated by the playback log. A media output is generated as a collection of a plurality of the captured image content items stored at the network accompanied by audio content related to the portion of the playback log which is correlated with the captured image content items in the collection.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2011Date of Patent: July 8, 2014Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Europe LimitedInventors: Kurt De Vos, Philip Marivoet, Vanessa Schelkens, Daniel Clarke
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Publication number: 20130162650Abstract: A method of controlling power to a device which consumes energy from an energy network. The network has a renewable energy generator and a mains supply connected thereto to supply energy to the network. The method includes determining energy requirements of the device, and determining a renewable energy component of the supplied energy generated by the renewable energy generator. The method compares the energy requirements of the device with the renewable energy component of the supplied energy, and controls the energy to the device in accordance with the comparison between the energy requirements of the device with the renewable energy component of the supplied energy.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 1, 2011Publication date: June 27, 2013Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Philip Marivoet, Yoeri Apts, Alfred Spiessens, Christopher Rutherford, Chris Minnoy, Hamish Guthrie
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Patent number: 8370620Abstract: A distribution system including, for connection over a network a plurality of client upload devices, each client upload device storing one or more chunks of a content file, a client download device configured to download from the client upload devices chunks of the content file stored by the respective client upload devices and an incentive device configured to generate token data packets exchangeable for chunks of the content file. The client download device is configured to acquire a plurality of token data packets from the incentive device and to communicate with individual respective client upload devices and thereby download, in exchange for respective token data packets, stored chunks of the content file.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2010Date of Patent: February 5, 2013Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Philip Marivoet, Andreas Papaspyropoulos, Christopher Rutherford, Olivier Elshocht, Jaqueline Mallett, Tom Hostyn
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Publication number: 20120251082Abstract: A method of generating media content is described which comprises capturing still or moving image content items at a capture device and uploading the captured image content items and image content metadata indicating a time of capture of each of the image content items to a network. A playback log indicating playback times of audio content items listened to by the user of the capture device is stored. One or more of the captured image content items is correlated with one or more portions of the playback log based on the time of capture indicated by the metadata relating to the one or more captured content items and the playback times indicated by the playback log. A media output is generated as a collection of a plurality of the captured image content items stored at the network accompanied by audio content related to the portion of the playback log which is correlated with the captured image content items in the collection.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2011Publication date: October 4, 2012Applicants: Sony Europe Limited, Sony CorporationInventors: Kurt DE VOS, Philip Marivoet, Vanessa Schelkens, Daniel Clarke
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Publication number: 20120243750Abstract: There is described an apparatus for outputting a group of images for display, the group being taken from a plurality of images, each image in the plurality of images having a face located therein, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to: retrieve a set of images from a storage medium, the set of images containing at least the plurality of images from which the group of images to be displayed is selected; identify the face in each of the plurality of images; identify variable features on the face in each of the plurality of images; establish the group of images in accordance with a measure of the dissimilarity between the variable features in the plurality of images; and output the group of images for display.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2011Publication date: September 27, 2012Applicants: Sony Europe Limited, Sony CorporationInventors: Kurt DE VOS, Philip MARIVOET, Vanessa SCHELKENS, Daniel CLARKE