Patents by Inventor Stephane Lafon

Stephane Lafon 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: 10929486
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems that relate to an “activity assistant” that provides users with dynamically-selected “activities” that are intelligently tailored to the user's world. The subject technology receives the one or more global parameters of one or more selected activities. The subject technology further receives the one or more account-specific parameters of a selected user account. For the selected user account, and for each of the one or more selected activities, the subject technology: (a) determines one or more signals based at least in part on one or more of the global parameters of the selected activity and one or more of the account-specific parameters of the selected user account, and (b) uses the determined signals as a basis for determining an importance of the selected activity for the selected user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew Timothy Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek King Prothro, Huy Tuan Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10110524
    Abstract: Some configurations of the subject technology provide a user interface including an activity-creation display configured to create a first activity of several activities, and a single-activity display configured to display a single activity of the several activities, and information related to a list of users associated with the activity. The single-activity display includes a parameter-entry display configured to select a parameter for the single activity and to send a signal to the single activity corresponding to the selected parameter, a heads-up display configured to send a heads-up message about the single activity to a user, a location display configured to display information related to a location of the single activity, a status indicator configured to display a status based on the status parameter of the single activity, and a status-entry display configured to, upon selection, send a signal to change the status indicator of the single activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew Timothy Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek King Prothro, Huy Tuan Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20180293646
    Abstract: For each of one or more users of an activity assistant, the subject technology maintains an account record in a user-account database for the user's account. The account record includes an activity list that includes one or more activities associated with the user's account. The subject technology provides an activity-assistant GUI that is accessible to an accessing user via the accessing user's account. The GUI includes one or more UI elements that each identify an activity that is: (a) linked to another one of the users' accounts, and (b) addable by the accessing user via interaction with the UI element. For at least one of the users, the subject technology receives an indication whenever another one of the users adds one of the activities that is linked to the given user's account via interaction with the UI element that identifies the activity as linked to the given user's account.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew T. Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek Prothro, Huy Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9990750
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to geographical image applications. A user may transition between nadir and street level imagery using unstitched oblique imagery. Oblique images offer a rich set of views of a target location and provide a smooth transition to or from other images such as nadir photographs taken by satellites or street level photographs taken by ground level users. Using unstitched oblique images avoids artifacts that may be introduced when stitching together one or more images. This allows an application to display images to a user and create the illusion of three dimensional motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Tilman Reinhardt, Stephane Lafon, Andrew Timothy Szybalski
  • Patent number: 9798817
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems that relate to an “activity assistant” that provides users with dynamically-selected “activities” that are intelligently tailored to the user's world. The subject technology receives the one or more global parameters of one or more selected activities. The subject technology further receives the one or more account-specific parameters of a selected user account. For the selected user account, and for each of the one or more selected activities, the subject technology: (a) determines one or more signals based at least in part on one or more of the global parameters of the selected activity and one or more of the account-specific parameters of the selected user account, and (b) uses the determined signals as a basis for determining an importance of the selected activity for the selected user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew Timothy Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek King Prothro, Huy Tuan Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9755474
    Abstract: An electrical device comprising a housing having cooling fins located in a central portion along an exterior surface of the housing and a laminated magnetic stack disposed within the housing and interfacing with an interior surface of the housing at the central portion. The cooling fins are configured alternatively higher and smaller on an inlet manifold and in opposition on an outlet manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: SKF MAGNETIC MECHATRONICS
    Inventors: Nicolas Soulier, Sebastien Ferrari, Stephane Lafon, Alexandre Moureaud
  • Patent number: 9348480
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an “activity assistant” and an “activity assistant user interface” that provides users with dynamically-selected “activities” that are intelligently tailored to the user's world. For example, a graphical UI includes selectable context elements, each of which corresponds to a user-attribute whose value provides a signal to the activity assistant. In response to selecting a parameter associated with at least one of the selectable context elements, a first signal is generated and provided to the activity assistant. In response to providing the signal, one or more activities are populated and ordered based, at least in part, on the signal, and subsequently displayed. The parameters may include a current mood of a user, a current location of the user, associations with other users, and a time during which the user desires to carry out the activity in some examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew T. Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek Prothro, Huy Nguyen, Kansinee Adsanatham, Dennis Moak Hwang
  • Patent number: 9269190
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for displaying a transition between a map and a street level image. In one aspect, the display on a mobile device transitions from a top-down view of a map to a street-level view of an image, such as a panoramic image, such that the mobile device uses the currently stored map image to perform a tilt and zoom transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew Timothy Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrew Lookingbill
  • Patent number: 9247028
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to the retrieval, serving, and rendering of web content provided from a web content server to a requesting client device, e.g., over a network, based on target latency. A computer-implemented method includes determining, by a web content server, a requesting client device in communication with the web content server, or both, latency-related limitations of the client device. The method also includes determining, by the web content server, the client device, or both, web content needs of the client device based on a web content request from the client device. The method further includes adjusting web content to be displayed at the client device based on the determined latency-related limitations and needs of the client device. At least a portion of the adjusting of web content can occur at the web content server, the client device, or both. Related systems are also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Tal Dayan, Stephane Lafon
  • Patent number: 9201952
    Abstract: Some configurations of the subject technology provide a user interface including an activity-creation display configured to create a first activity of several activities, and a single-activity display configured to display a single activity of the several activities, and information related to a list of users associated with the activity. The single-activity display includes a parameter-entry display configured to select a parameter for the single activity and to send a signal to the single activity corresponding to the selected parameter, a heads-up display configured to send a heads-up message about the single activity to a user, a location display configured to display information related to a location of the single activity, a status indicator configured to display a status based on the status parameter of the single activity, and a status-entry display configured to, upon selection, send a signal to change the status indicator of the single activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew T. Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek Prothro, Huy Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9188444
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer storage mediums are provided for correcting the placement of an object on an image. An example method includes providing the image and depth data that describes the depth of the three-dimensional scene captured by the image. The depth data describes at least a distance between a camera that captured the three-dimensional scene and one or more structures in the scene and a geolocation of the camera when the three-dimensional scene was captured. When the object is moved from a first location on the image to a second location on the image, a set of coordinates that describes the second location relative to the image is received. The set of coordinates are then translated into geolocated coordinates that describe a geolocation that corresponds to the second location. The set of coordinate is translated, at least in part, using the depth data associated with the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Stéphane Lafon, Jie Shao
  • Patent number: 9177029
    Abstract: Configurations of an activity assistant processing system are disclosed that provides users with dynamically-selected activities that are intelligently tailored to a user. The subject technology accesses an index of activities. A score is then determined for each particular activity in the index of activities. The score is based on plurality of signals associated with user-specific parameters and global parameters to determine the quantitative importance of a particular activity. The subject technology identifies a subset of activities within the index of activities using the activity assistant processing system in which the subset includes at least one activity with a corresponding score that is greater than or equal to a decision threshold for the at least one activity. At least a portion of the subset of activities is then ranked based on the quantitative importance of the particular activity using the activity assistant processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew T. Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek Prothro, Huy Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9098606
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems that relate to an “activity assistant” that provides users with dynamically-selected “activities” that are intelligently tailored to the user's world. The subject technology receives the one or more global parameters of one or more selected activities. The subject technology further receives the one or more account-specific parameters of a selected user account. For the selected user account, and for each of the one or more selected activities, the subject technology: (a) determines one or more signals based at least in part on one or more of the global parameters of the selected activity and one or more of the account-specific parameters of the selected user account, and (b) uses the determined signals as a basis for determining an importance of the selected activity for the selected user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Chau, Andrew T. Szybalski, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Lynn Frome, Jerry Howard Morrison, Derek Prothro, Huy Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9057618
    Abstract: Systems and methods provide approximations of latitude and longitude coordinates of objects, for example a business, in street level images. The images may be collected by a camera. An image of a business is collected along with GPS coordinates and direction of the camera. Depth maps of the images may be generated, for example, based on laser depth detection or displacement of the business between two images caused by a change in the position of the camera. After identifying a business in one or more images, the distance from the camera to a point or area relative to the business in the one or more images may be determined based on the depth maps. Using this distance and the direction of the camera which collected the one or more images and GPS coordinates of the camera, the approximate GPS coordinates of the business may be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Abhijit S. Ogale, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Frome
  • Publication number: 20150161820
    Abstract: A panorama viewer is disclosed which facilitates navigation from within the panorama of a larger, structured system such as a map. The panorama viewer presents a viewport on a portion of a panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the panoramic image. As the orientation of the viewport within the panoramic image changes, the three-dimensional overlay's orientation in three-dimensional space also changes as it is rendered with the panoramic image in a manner that matches the change in orientation of the viewport.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Inventors: Luc Vincent, Daniel Joseph Filip, Stephen Chau, Stephane Lafon, Zhonghao Yang, Andrew Szybalski
  • Publication number: 20150153188
    Abstract: Systems and methods provide approximations of latitude and longitude coordinates of objects, for example a business, in street level images. The images may be collected by a camera. An image of a business is collected along with GPS coordinates and direction of the camera. Depth maps of the images may be generated, for example, based on laser depth detection or displacement of the business between two images caused by a change in the position of the camera. After identifying a business in one or more images, the distance from the camera to a point or area relative to the business in the one or more images may be determined based on the depth maps. Using this distance and the direction of the camera which collected the one or more images and GPS coordinates of the camera, the approximate GPS coordinates of the business may be determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Abhijit S. Ogale, Stephane Lafon, Andrea Frome
  • Publication number: 20150154745
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer storage mediums are provided for correcting the placement of an object on an image. An example method includes providing the image and depth data that describes the depth of the three-dimensional scene captured by the image. The depth data describes at least a distance between a camera that captured the three-dimensional scene and one or more structures in the scene and a geolocation of the camera when the three-dimensional scene was captured. When the object is moved from a first location on the image to a second location on the image, a set of coordinates that describes the second location relative to the image is received. The set of coordinates are then translated into geolocated coordinates that describe a geolocation that corresponds to the second location. The set of coordinate is translated, at least in part, using the depth data associated with the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Inventors: Stéphane LAFON, Jie Shao
  • Publication number: 20150153933
    Abstract: Methods and systems for presenting imagery associated with a geographic location to a user include providing at least one geographic map or panoramic imagery to a client for display in an interface configured for interactive navigation of the at least one geographic map or panoramic imagery, receiving a user selection collected by the interface indicating a location corresponding to the at least one geographic map or panoramic imagery, identifying a plurality of images associated with the received user selection, obtaining at least one user preference associated with the identified images, ranking the identified images based on at least one of the retrieved user preferences, and providing at least one ranked image for display in the interface, in accordance with the ranking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Daniel J. Filip, Dennis Tell, Daniel Cotting, Stephane Lafon, Andrew T. Szybalski, Luc Vincent
  • Publication number: 20150145356
    Abstract: An electrical device comprising a housing having cooling fins located in a central portion along an exterior surface of the housing and a laminated magnetic stack disposed within the housing and interfacing with an interior surface of the housing at the central portion. The cooling fins are configured alternatively higher and smaller on an inlet manifold and in opposition on an outlet manifold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: SKF Magnetic Mechatronics
    Inventors: Nicolas SOULIER, Sebastien FERRARI, Stephane LAFON, Alexandre MOUREAUD
  • Patent number: 9025810
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to geographical image applications. A user may transition between nadir and street level imagery using unstitched oblique imagery. Oblique images offer a rich set of views of a target location and provide a smooth transition to or from other images such as nadir photographs taken by satellites or street level photographs taken by ground level users. Using unstitched oblique images avoids artifacts that may be introduced when stitching together one or more images. This allows an application to display images to a user and create the illusion of three dimensional motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Tilman Reinhardt, Stephane Lafon, Andrew Szybalski