Patents by Inventor Quinn Hawkins

Quinn Hawkins 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).

  • Patent number: 8731299
    Abstract: Techniques to manage a whiteboard for multimedia conference events are described. An apparatus may comprise a whiteboard manager component operative to manage whiteboard recording, image processing and reproduction operations for a multimedia conference event. The whiteboard manager component may comprise an image quantizer module operative to receive an image of a writing surface with pen strokes, and quantize each pixel of the image into a predetermined number of colors, an attribute extractor module communicatively coupled to the image quantizer module, the image quantizer module operative to extract stroke attribute information for the pen strokes from the quantized pixels, and a whiteboard interface module communicatively coupled to the attribute extractor module, the whiteboard interface module operative to send the stroke attribute information to a meeting console for rendering as digital pen strokes on a digital writing surface. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Quinn Hawkins, Pulin Thakkar, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee, Adam Eversole, Bo Qin
  • Patent number: 8572183
    Abstract: The present panoramic video technique embodied in the unified client provides panoramic video and other data from various sources for live web-based conferencing applications. In one embodiment, the panoramic video is provided by a panoramic collaboration and communication device, termed a RoundTable Device (RTD). The RTD is a collaboration tool with a 360-degree camera and a microphone or microphone array that, together with the unified client, delivers an immersive conferencing experience that extends the meeting room across multiple locations. This enables live network meeting scenarios that were not possible before.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corp.
    Inventors: Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee, Sumeet Bawa, Imad Yanni, Quinn Hawkins, Alan Bridgewater, Stella Chan, Lei Tan
  • Publication number: 20130004069
    Abstract: Techniques to manage a whiteboard for multimedia conference events are described. An apparatus may comprise a whiteboard manager component operative to manage whiteboard recording, image processing and reproduction operations for a multimedia conference event. The whiteboard manager component may comprise an image quantizer module operative to receive an image of a writing surface with pen strokes, and quantize each pixel of the image into a predetermined number of colors, an attribute extractor module communicatively coupled to the image quantizer module, the image quantizer module operative to extract stroke attribute information for the pen strokes from the quantized pixels, and a whiteboard interface module communicatively coupled to the attribute extractor module, the whiteboard interface module operative to send the stroke attribute information to a meeting console for rendering as digital pen strokes on a digital writing surface. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Quinn Hawkins, Pulin Thakkar, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee, Adam Eversole, Bo Qin
  • Patent number: 8327277
    Abstract: Techniques to automatically manage overlapping objects are described. An apparatus may include a context module operative to receive context information for a multimedia event, and determine various context parameters and control parameters for the multimedia event. The apparatus may further comprise a blending module communicatively coupled to the context module, the blending module operative to receive multiple media content streams for multiple media content views for the multimedia event, and blend the media content streams for the multiple media content views based on one or more control parameters to form a blended media content stream. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Pulin Thakkar, Noor E-Gagan Singh, Stuti Jain, Ix, Quinn Hawkins, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee
  • Patent number: 8275197
    Abstract: Techniques to manage a whiteboard for multimedia conference events are described. An apparatus may comprise a whiteboard manager component operative to manage whiteboard recording, image processing and reproduction operations for a multimedia conference event. The whiteboard manager component may comprise an image quantizer module operative to receive an image of a writing surface with pen strokes, and quantize each pixel of the image into a predetermined number of colors, an attribute extractor module communicatively coupled to the image quantizer module, the attribute extractor module operative to extract stroke attribute information for the pen strokes from the quantized pixels, and a whiteboard interface module communicatively coupled to the attribute extractor module, the whiteboard interface module operative to send the stroke attribute information to a meeting console for rendering as digital pen strokes on a digital writing surface. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Quinn Hawkins, Pulin Thakkar, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee, Adam Eversole, Bo Qin
  • Publication number: 20090309956
    Abstract: Techniques to manage a whiteboard for multimedia conference events are described. An apparatus may comprise a whiteboard manager component operative to manage whiteboard recording, image processing and reproduction operations for a multimedia conference event. The whiteboard manager component may comprise an image quantizer module operative to receive an image of a writing surface with pen strokes, and quantize each pixel of the image into a predetermined number of colors, an attribute extractor module communicatively coupled to the image quantizer module, the attribute extractor module operative to extract stroke attribute information for the pen strokes from the quantized pixels, and a whiteboard interface module communicatively coupled to the attribute extractor module, the whiteboard interface module operative to send the stroke attribute information to a meeting console for rendering as digital pen strokes on a digital writing surface. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2008
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Quinn Hawkins, Pulin Thakkar, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee, Adam Eversole, Bo Qin
  • Publication number: 20090210491
    Abstract: Techniques to automatically identify participants for a multimedia conference event are described. An apparatus may comprise a content-based annotation component operative to receive a meeting invitee list for a multimedia conference event. The content-based annotation component may receive multiple input media streams from multiple meeting consoles. The content-based annotation component may annotate media frames of each input media stream with identifying information for each participant within each input media stream to form a corresponding annotated media stream. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Pulin Thakkar, Quinn Hawkins, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee, Ross G. Cutler
  • Publication number: 20090210802
    Abstract: Architecture that facilitates the combining and presentation of location information with presence information in a communications system. The location information can be virtual location information published from a location source and/or associated location systems to a presence system. The presence system then makes the virtual location information available to end users as participants to a conferencing session, for example, or as invites to the session. The location information and/or the presence information can be made active (e.g., a hyperlink) such that when selected as presented to a user, automatically joins the user to the session.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Quinn Hawkins, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee
  • Publication number: 20090210490
    Abstract: Techniques to automatically configure resources for a multimedia conference event are described. A system may comprise a meeting resource and a local meeting console to couple to the meeting resource. The local meeting console may include a meeting resource management module operative to manage the meeting resource for a conference room, and automatically establish a media connection between a remote meeting console and a meeting resource for a multimedia conference event. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Quinn Hawkins, Pulin Thakkar, Avronil Bhattacharjee
  • Publication number: 20090204671
    Abstract: Architecture that presents general presence information and in-meeting presence information as advanced state presence information in the roster of a virtual conference meeting or session. For example, one advanced state is showing a user that was invited to the session but that has not joined into the session. The advanced state presence information can also then show what the user is currently doing (e.g., offline, busy, etc.). Moreover, the advanced state presence information can show the communications state (e.g., audio) of the user such as free/busy information, call information, desktop locked (to attend to other activities), and so on.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Quinn Hawkins, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee
  • Publication number: 20090183080
    Abstract: Techniques to automatically manage overlapping objects are described. An apparatus may include a context module operative to receive context information for a multimedia event, and determine various context parameters and control parameters for the multimedia event. The apparatus may further comprise a blending module communicatively coupled to the context module, the blending module operative to receive multiple media content streams for multiple media content views for the multimedia event, and blend the media content streams for the multiple media content views based on one or more control parameters to form a blended media content stream. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Pulin Thakkar, Noor- E-Gagan Singh, Stuti Jain, Ix, Quinn Hawkins, Kapil Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee
  • Publication number: 20070299912
    Abstract: The present panoramic video technique embodied in the unified client provides panoramic video and other data from various sources for live web-based conferencing applications. In one embodiment, the panoramic video is provided by a panoramic collaboration and communication device, termed a RoundTable Device (RTD). The RTD is a collaboration tool with a 360-degree camera and a microphone or microphone array that, together with the unified client, delivers an immersive conferencing experience that extends the meeting room across multiple locations. This enables live network meeting scenarios that were not possible before.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2006
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation, Corporation in the State of Washington
    Inventors: Kapil Nath Sharma, Avronil Bhattacharjee, Sumeet Bawa, Imad Yanni, Quinn Hawkins, Alan Lee Bridgewater, Stella Yick Chan, Lei Tan