Patents by Inventor Sean Michael Comer

Sean Michael Comer 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: 20200388065
    Abstract: Systems and methods for displaying a virtual character in a mixed reality environment are disclosed. In some embodiments, a view of the virtual character is based on an animation rig comprising primary joints and helper joints. The animation rig may be in a pose defined by spatial relationships between the primary joints and helper joints. The virtual character may be moving in the mixed reality environment. In some instances, the virtual character may be moving based on a comparison of interestingness values associated with elements in the mixed reality environment. The spatial relationship transformation associated with the movement may be indicated by movement information. In some embodiments, the movement information is received from a neural network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventors: Thomas Marshall MILLER, IV, Nafees BIN ZAFAR, Sean Michael COMER, James Jonathan BANCROFT
  • Publication number: 20200035009
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing pose space dimensionality. A plurality of example poses can define an input pose space. Each of the example poses can include a set of joint rotations for a virtual character. The joint rotations can be expressed with a singularity-free mathematical representation. The plurality of example poses can then be clustered into one or more clusters. A representative pose can be determined for each cluster. An output pose space with a reduced dimensionality, as compared to the input pose space, can then be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Sean Michael Comer, Geoffrey Wedig
  • Publication number: 20190362529
    Abstract: Skinning parameters used to animate a virtual avatar can include mesh weights and joint transforms of a skeleton. Systems and methods are provided for determining skinning parameters using an optimization process subject to constraints based on human-understandable or anatomically-motivated relationships among skeletal joints. Input to the optimization process can include a high-order skeleton and the applied constraints can dynamically change during the optimization. The skinning parameters can be used in linear blend skinning (LBS) applications in augmented reality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Geoffrey Wedig, Sean Michael Comer, James Jonathan Bancroft
  • Publication number: 20190340803
    Abstract: Systems and methods for using three-dimensional scans of a physical subject to determine positions and/or orientations of skeletal joints in the rigging for a virtual character. At least one articulation segment of a polygon mesh for the virtual character may be determined. The articulation segment may include a subset of vertices in the polygon mesh. An indicator of the position or orientation of the articulation segment of the polygon mesh may be determined. Based on the indicator of the position or orientation of the articulation segment, the position or orientation of at least one joint for deforming the polygon mesh may be determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventor: Sean Michael Comer
  • Publication number: 20190266796
    Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for matching a base mesh to a target mesh for a virtual avatar or object are disclosed. The systems and methods may be configured to automatically match a base mesh of an animation rig to a target mesh, which may represent a particular pose of the virtual avatar or object. Base meshes may be obtained by manipulating an avatar or object into a particular pose, while target meshes may be obtain by scanning, photographing, or otherwise obtaining information about a person or object in the particular pose. The systems and methods may automatically match a base mesh to a target mesh using rigid transformations in regions of higher error and non-rigid deformations in regions of lower error.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventor: Sean Michael Comer