Patents by Inventor Richard Thorpe

Richard Thorpe 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: 20160140636
    Abstract: An image processing method includes partitioning an image under test to form a plurality of contiguous image segments having similar image properties, deriving feature data from a subset including one or more of the image segments, and comparing the feature data from the subset of image segments with feature data derived from respective image segments of one or more other images so as to detect a similarity between the image under test and the one or more other images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Applicant: Sony Europe Limited
    Inventors: Mikael Carl Lang, Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Paul Edward Prayle, Ratna Beresford, Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Michael John Williams
  • Patent number: 9319656
    Abstract: A method comprising: obtaining a disparity map for one of a left eye image and a right eye image, the disparity map indicating the horizontal displacement between corresponding pixels in the left eye image and the right eye image; generating a luminance representation of the disparity map, wherein a disparity unit which defines the resolution of the disparity map, is mapped to a corresponding luminance value; and companding the luminance value for transmission over a luminance channel is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry Gillard, Stephen Mark Keating, Mark Russell, Jonathan Richard Thorpe
  • Patent number: 9293808
    Abstract: A case is provided for a portable Radio Frequency (RF) communications device having an RF antenna. The case includes a base and a plurality of walls, extending from the base. The base and the plurality of walls have requisite dimensions to receive a portable Radio (RF) having an outer surface with a first portion and a second portion. First dielectric characteristics adjacent to the first portion having a relatively low effect on a frequency characteristic of an RF antenna arrangement and second dielectric characteristics adjacent to the second portion having a relatively high effect on the frequency characteristic of the RF antenna arrangement. When the communications device is disposed in the case, the case is adapted to cover part of the first portion of the communications device so as to cause a dielectric parameter adjacent a part of the first portion of the communications device to be relatively high, and a dielectric parameter adjacent the second portion to be relatively low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: TECH 21 LICENSING LIMITED
    Inventors: Jason Lloyd Roberts, Wilhelm Marschall, Benjamin Richard Thorpe
  • Patent number: 9269105
    Abstract: An image processing method includes partitioning an image under test to form a plurality of contiguous image segments having similar image properties, deriving feature data from a subset including one or more of the image segments, and comparing the feature data from the subset of image segments with feature data derived from respective image segments of one or more other images so as to detect a similarity between the image under test and the one or more other images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: SONY EUROPE LIMITED
    Inventors: Mikael Carl Lang, Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Paul Edward Prayle, Ratna Beresford, Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Michael John Williams
  • Publication number: 20150286644
    Abstract: A method of producing the results of a search for content for display on a client is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Hogg TURNER, Jonathan Richard THORPE, Thomas Hugh PIERCE
  • Patent number: 8939681
    Abstract: This invention relates to a composite bag for use in earth bag construction systems such as backfill pack systems in underground mines and a construction system using such bags. The composite bags each comprises a pair of long, narrow inner bags of woven polypropylene located longitudinally within and constrained along their length by an outer bag of woven polypropylene. In use, the composite bags are laid flat on top of one another on a working surface (for instance the footwall in an underground mine). The bags could be glued or otherwise attached to one another in this configuration. Tie elements, such as timber elongates, are threaded through aligned slits spaced apart along the length of the bags. The elongates are set against the hanging wall and a backfill slurry is pumped into the inner bags. As each inflating composite bag expands, the slurry water weeps from the bags which rise up the timber elongates during the pumping process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignees: Timrite (Pty) Ltd, Raffia Tufbag (Pty) Ltd
    Inventors: Frans Petrus Roelof Pienaar, John Richard Thorpe
  • Patent number: 8766973
    Abstract: A method of generating a disparity map is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Jonathan Richard Thorpe
  • Patent number: 8736667
    Abstract: A method of cutting between a first image sequence and a second image sequence displayable on a screen which defines a screen plane, wherein the first image sequence includes a stereoscopically viewable object perceivable by a viewer on a first image plane different to the screen plane and the second image sequence including a second object perceivable on a second image plane different to the first image plane, the stereoscopically viewable object comprising a first image at a first screen plane position and a second image at a second screen plane position, the method comprising: identifying the first screen plane position of the first image and the second screen plane position of the second image; inserting into a first post-cut frame of the second image sequence a first copy of the second object substantially at the first screen plane position and inserting a second copy of the second object substantially at the second screen plane position, and inserting the first copy of the second object and the second c
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Hideki Ando
  • Patent number: 8577082
    Abstract: A security device and system is disclosed. This security device is particularly useful in a security system where there are many security cameras to be monitored. This device automatically highlights to a user a camera feed in which an incident is occurring. This assists a user in identifying incidents and to make an appropriate decision regarding whether or not to intervene. This highlighting is performed by a trigger signal generated in accordance with a comparison between a sequence of representations of sensory data and other corresponding sequences of representations of sensory data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Morgan William Amos David
  • Publication number: 20130258051
    Abstract: A method comprising: obtaining a disparity map for one of a left eye image and a right eye image, the disparity map indicating the horizontal displacement between corresponding pixels in the left eye image and the right eye image; generating a luminance representation of the disparity map, wherein a disparity unit which defines the resolution of the disparity map, is mapped to a corresponding luminance value; and companding the luminance value for transmission over a luminance channel is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Clive Henry GILLARD, Stephen Mark Keating, Mark Russell, Jonathan Richard Thorpe
  • Patent number: 8540322
    Abstract: A wheel and rear hub gearbox assembly for single-sided mounting to a bicycle frame, with the gearbox mounted to the frame by a bearing situated intermediate the axial extent of the gearbox casing. The wheel is detachably mounted to the gearbox casing by cooperating mounting formations on the wheel and at one end of the casing. The wheel is positioned relative to the gearbox such that when the wheel is mounted to the gearbox casing, the bearing is central, in the axial direction, relative to the wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Karbon Kinetics Limited
    Inventor: Richard Thorpe
  • Patent number: 8538198
    Abstract: An apparatus for determining misalignment between a first image and a second image, the first and second images being viewable stereoscopically, the apparatus comprising: a determiner operable to determine a feature position within the first image and a corresponding feature position within the second image; a definer operable to define, within the first image and the second image, the optical axis of the cameras capturing said respective images; a calculator operable to calculate the misalignment between the feature position within the first image and the corresponding feature position within the second image using a model, the misalignment being determined in dependence upon the location of the feature position of the first image and the corresponding feature position of the second image relative to the defined optical axis of the respective images; and a tester operable to test the validity of the calculated misalignment using a random sample consensus technique, whereby the tested misalignment is valid w
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Sarah Elizabeth Witt
  • Patent number: 8494307
    Abstract: A method of determining misalignment between a first image and a second image, the first and second images being viewable stereoscopically, the method comprising: determining a feature position within the first image and a corresponding feature position within the second image; defining, within the first image and the second image, the optical axis of the cameras capturing said respective images; and calculating the misalignment between at least one of scale, roll or vertical translation of the feature position within the first image and the corresponding feature position within the second image, the misalignment being determined in dependence upon the location of the feature position of the first image and the corresponding feature position of the second image relative to the defined optical axis of the respective images is described. A corresponding apparatus is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Sarah Elizabeth Witt
  • Patent number: 8459620
    Abstract: There is described a shock absorber strut for a bicycle, comprising a piston (12), a cylinder (13) and a resilient element (20) positioned within the cylinder. The piston extends out of one end of the cylinder, and the other end of the cylinder is closed by a casing made up of two housing halves. Mounting bushings are integrally formed in the housing halves and on the piston end, respectively, for fixing the shock absorber to a bicycle frame. The piston (12) can be withdrawn from the cylinder (13) by a simple tension, without the use of tools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Karbon Kinetics Ltd.
    Inventor: Richard Thorpe
  • Patent number: 8402037
    Abstract: An information handling apparatus in which textual metadata is generated in respect of a current information item in an ensemble of information items including: a mechanism that detects one or more predetermined properties of the current information item; a mechanism that detects a subset of information items from the ensemble of information items the subset being those which have the one or more predetermined properties most similar to those of the current information item; and a mechanism that selects one or more most frequently occurring words and/or phrases within textual metadata associated with the subset of information items, for use in textual metadata to be associated with the current information item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Alan Peter Birtles
  • Patent number: 8385646
    Abstract: An image processing method includes partitioning an image under test to form a plurality of contiguous image segments having similar image properties, deriving feature data from a subset including one or more of the image segments, and comparing the feature data from the subset of image segments with feature data derived from respective image segments of one or more other images so as to detect a similarity between the image under test and the one or more other images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Mikael Carl Lang, Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Paul Edward Prayle, Ratna Beresford, Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Michael John Williams
  • Patent number: 8311100
    Abstract: An information handling method in which information items are mapped to respective nodes in an array of nodes by mutual similarity of the information items, such that similar information items map to nodes at similar positions in the array of nodes; a mapping relationship being defined between feature data relating to an information item and nodes in the array of nodes comprises the steps of: (a) for each of a group of information items: detecting feature data representing each of a set of properties of that information item; (b) for the ensemble of feature data corresponding to the group of information items: detecting more significant and less significant properties within the ensemble; discarding feature data relating to less significant properties, the remaining non-discarded feature data being associated so as to generate a reduced feature vector for each information item; (c) defining a mapping between the reduced feature vectors and nodes in the array of nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Paul Edward Prayle, Mikael Carl Lang
  • Publication number: 20120098856
    Abstract: A method of inserting object data into a stereoscopic image for display on a screen, comprising the steps of: providing a first image having a foreground component and a second image having a foreground component, the second image foreground component being a horizontally displaced version of the first image foreground component; inserting a first opaque section into the first image, and a second opaque section in the second image, the second opaque section being a horizontally displaced version of the first opaque section, wherein the displacement between the first image component and the second image component is less than the displacement between the first opaque section and the second opaque section; and inserting the object data onto the first opaque section for display on the screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jonathan Richard THORPE
  • Publication number: 20120050485
    Abstract: A method of producing a first stereoscopic image is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Richard THORPE, Hideki Ando
  • Patent number: D691527
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Inventor: Richard Thorpe