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).
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Publication number: 20160140636Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2016Publication date: May 19, 2016Applicant: Sony Europe LimitedInventors: Mikael Carl Lang, Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Paul Edward Prayle, Ratna Beresford, Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Michael John Williams
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Patent number: 9319656Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 6, 2013Date of Patent: April 19, 2016Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Clive Henry Gillard, Stephen Mark Keating, Mark Russell, Jonathan Richard Thorpe
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Patent number: 9293808Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 4, 2015Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: TECH 21 LICENSING LIMITEDInventors: Jason Lloyd Roberts, Wilhelm Marschall, Benjamin Richard Thorpe
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Patent number: 9269105Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 25, 2013Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: SONY EUROPE LIMITEDInventors: Mikael Carl Lang, Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Paul Edward Prayle, Ratna Beresford, Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Michael John Williams
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Publication number: 20150286644Abstract: A method of producing the results of a search for content for display on a client is described.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 20, 2015Publication date: October 8, 2015Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Alan Hogg TURNER, Jonathan Richard THORPE, Thomas Hugh PIERCE
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Patent number: 8939681Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 17, 2008Date of Patent: January 27, 2015Assignees: Timrite (Pty) Ltd, Raffia Tufbag (Pty) LtdInventors: Frans Petrus Roelof Pienaar, John Richard Thorpe
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Patent number: 8766973Abstract: A method of generating a disparity map is described.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2010Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Jonathan Richard Thorpe
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Patent number: 8736667Abstract: 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 cType: GrantFiled: December 22, 2010Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Hideki Ando
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Patent number: 8577082Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 27, 2008Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Sony United Kingdom LimitedInventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Morgan William Amos David
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Publication number: 20130258051Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: February 6, 2013Publication date: October 3, 2013Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Clive Henry GILLARD, Stephen Mark Keating, Mark Russell, Jonathan Richard Thorpe
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Patent number: 8540322Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 18, 2010Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: Karbon Kinetics LimitedInventor: Richard Thorpe
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Patent number: 8538198Abstract: 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 wType: GrantFiled: January 27, 2011Date of Patent: September 17, 2013Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Sarah Elizabeth Witt
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Patent number: 8494307Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 10, 2011Date of Patent: July 23, 2013Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Sarah Elizabeth Witt
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Patent number: 8459620Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 28, 2007Date of Patent: June 11, 2013Assignee: Karbon Kinetics Ltd.Inventor: Richard Thorpe
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Patent number: 8402037Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 29, 2007Date of Patent: March 19, 2013Assignee: Sony United Kingdom LimitedInventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Alan Peter Birtles
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Patent number: 8385646Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 29, 2006Date of Patent: February 26, 2013Assignee: Sony United Kingdom LimitedInventors: Mikael Carl Lang, Robert Mark Stefan Porter, Paul Edward Prayle, Ratna Beresford, Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Michael John Williams
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Patent number: 8311100Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 16, 2005Date of Patent: November 13, 2012Assignee: Sony United Kingdom LimitedInventors: Jonathan Richard Thorpe, Paul Edward Prayle, Mikael Carl Lang
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Publication number: 20120098856Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2011Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventor: Jonathan Richard THORPE
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Publication number: 20120050485Abstract: A method of producing a first stereoscopic image is described.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2011Publication date: March 1, 2012Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Jonathan Richard THORPE, Hideki Ando
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Patent number: D691527Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2011Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Inventor: Richard Thorpe