Patents by Inventor Stephen Birarda

Stephen Birarda 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: 10086285
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for providing a computer-generated virtual environment that is at least partially supported by user contributed computing devices. In an embodiment, an indication is received, from each of a plurality of user contributed computing devices, that the computing device is available to contribute at least a portion of its computational resources to support the virtual environment. At least some of the computing devices, from which the indications are received, are assigned computational tasks that are used to support the virtual environment. Credits are provide to users associated with the computing devices that are assigned and perform the assigned computational tasks. A record of the credits provided to users is maintained. Users that interact with the virtual environment can use their credits to pay for computational tasks performed to support the users' interactions with the virtual environment and/or to pay for virtual goods and/or virtual services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: HIGH FIDELITY, INC.
    Inventors: Philip Rosedale, Freddy Heiberger, Ryan Karpf, Stephen Birarda, Brad Hefta-Gaub, Andrzej Kapolka
  • Patent number: 9466278
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and method for providing an immersive audio experience in a computer-generated virtual environment. An audio-mixer is placed at a location in a domain of the virtual environment and receives a separate audio feed from each of the audio source nodes directly connected to the audio-mixer. The audio-mixer mixes the received audio feeds in dependence on corresponding location, position and intrinsic loudness information to generate a separate spatialized mixed audio feed for each of the directly connected audio listener nodes. The audio-mixer sends, to each of the audio listener nodes directly connected to the audio-mixer, the separate spatialized mixed audio feed generated for the audio listener. An audio-mixer also receives and sends non-spatialized mixed audio feeds to/from other audio-mixers. The location of the audio-mixer is preferably moved to account for audio source nodes moving and/or changes to which audio source nodes are directly connected to the audio-mixer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: HIGH FIDELITY, INC.
    Inventors: Philip Rosedale, Irena Freidrica Heiberger, Ryan Karpf, Stephen Birarda, Brad Hefta-Gaub, Andrzej Kapolka
  • Publication number: 20150325226
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and method for providing an immersive audio experience in a computer-generated virtual environment. An audio-mixer is placed at a location in a domain of the virtual environment and receives a separate audio feed from each of the audio source nodes directly connected to the audio-mixer. The audio-mixer mixes the received audio feeds in dependence on corresponding location, position and intrinsic loudness information to generate a separate spatialized mixed audio feed for each of the directly connected audio listener nodes. The audio-mixer sends, to each of the audio listener nodes directly connected to the audio-mixer, the separate spatialized mixed audio feed generated for the audio listener. An audio-mixer also receives and sends non-spatialized mixed audio feeds to/from other audio-mixers. The location of the audio-mixer is preferably moved to account for audio source nodes moving and/or changes to which audio source nodes are directly connected to the audio-mixer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: High Fidelity, Inc.
    Inventors: Philip Rosedale, Freddy Heiberger, Ryan Karpf, Stephen Birarda, Brad Hefta-Gaub, Andrzej Kapolka
  • Publication number: 20150321101
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for providing a computer-generated virtual environment that is at least partially supported by user contributed computing devices. In an embodiment, an indication is received, from each of a plurality of user contributed computing devices, that the computing device is available to contribute at least a portion of its computational resources to support the virtual environment. At least some of the computing devices, from which the indications are received, are assigned computational tasks that are used to support the virtual environment. Credits are provide to users associated with the computing devices that are assigned and perform the assigned computational tasks. A record of the credits provided to users is maintained. Users that interact with the virtual environment can use their credits to pay for computational tasks performed to support the users' interactions with the virtual environment and/or to pay for virtual goods and/or virtual services.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: High Fidelity, Inc.
    Inventors: Philip Rosedale, Freddy Heiberger, Ryan Karpf, Stephen Birarda, Brad Hefta-Gaub, Andrzej Kapolka