Patents by Inventor Thad Starner
Thad Starner 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: 9429990Abstract: Example methods and systems may be implemented by a wearable computer to utilize optical-flow analysis to recognize a predetermined user-action, such as selecting an object. An example method may involve a wearable computing device: (a) receiving video data from a video camera of a wearable computing device: (b) determining optical flow for the video data; (c) determining that an optical-flow differential exists at an area within the optical flow for the video data; and (d) responsive to determining that the optical-flow differential exists at the area: (i) identifying an object that is located at the area where the optical-flow differential exists; (ii) performing a search on the object; and (iii) causing a graphical display to display information that corresponds to results from the search.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2012Date of Patent: August 30, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Thad Starner
-
Patent number: 9141194Abstract: A wearable computing device such as a head-mounted display (HMD) may be equipped with a magnetometer for detecting presence and motion of a hand-wearable magnet (HWM). The HMD may analyze magnetic field measurements of the magnetometer to determine when the HWM moves within a threshold distance of the magnetometer, and may thereafter determine one or more patterns of motion of the HWM based the magnetic field measurements. The HMD may operate in a background detection state in order to determine a background magnetic field strength and to monitor for magnetic disturbances from the HWM. Upon occurrence of a trigger event corresponding to magnetic disturbance above a threshold level, the HMD may transition to operating in a gesture detection state in which it analyzes magnetometer measurements for correspondence with known gestures. Upon recognizing a known gesture, the HMD may carry out one or more actions based on the recognized known gesture.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2012Date of Patent: September 22, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Edward Keyes, Michael Patrick Johnson, Thad Starner
-
Patent number: 8994613Abstract: Methods and systems for customizing user-experience of media content and providing content of interest to a user are provided. A computing device, such as a wearable user device having a head-mounted display (HMD) may receive media content and physiological data associated with a user experiencing the media content. The received physiological data may include one of a pupillary response, a galvanic skin response, an electrocardiographic response, an electroencephalographic response, a body temperature response, or a blood pressure response. The computing device may determine a portion of the media content which corresponds to the physiological data, and accordingly search for content of interest to the user. The content of interest may then be provided to the user, thereby customizing the user-experience of the user. The content of interest to the user may be displayed on a display of the wearable user device.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2012Date of Patent: March 31, 2015Inventors: Michael Johnson, Joshua Weaver, Thad Starner
-
Patent number: 8838708Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and devices for displaying one or more electronic communications associated with a meeting. A request to filter a plurality of electronic communications based on an identifier of a participant of the meeting is received at a computing device. The computing device filters the plurality of electronic communications, based at least on the identifier of the participant, to obtain at least one filtered electronic communication. The computing device generates a display of the at least one filtered electronic communication.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2011Date of Patent: September 16, 2014Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Bradley Rhodes, Thad Starner, Cliff L. Biffle
-
Publication number: 20120287123Abstract: Example methods and systems may be implemented by a wearable computer to utilize optical-flow analysis to recognize a predetermined user-action, such as selecting an object. An example method may involve a wearable computing device: (a) receiving video data from a video camera of a wearable computing device: (b) determining optical flow for the video data; (c) determining that an optical-flow differential exists at an area within the optical flow for the video data; and (d) responsive to determining that the optical-flow differential exists at the area: (i) identifying an object that is located at the area where the optical-flow differential exists; (ii) performing a search on the object; and (iii) causing a graphical display to display information that corresponds to results from the search.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2012Publication date: November 15, 2012Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventor: Thad Starner
-
Patent number: 8209183Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to correcting errors are disclosed. Inputs having a plurality of input types can be received at a wearable computing device. A text string corresponding to the inputs can be generated using the wearable computing device. The text string can include a plurality of segments, where each segment can be associated with an input type. For a given segment of the text string, one or more corrected segments can be generated by applying an error-correction filter configured to correct errors based on an input type associated with the given segment and a location-sensitive context. At least one of the corrected segments can be displayed using the wearable computing device. A corrected segment can be selected using the wearable computing device. A corrected text string including the selected corrected segment can be displayed using the wearable computing device.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2011Date of Patent: June 26, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Nirmal Patel, Thad Starner, Josh Weaver
-
Patent number: 8203605Abstract: Example methods and systems are disclosed that utilize optical-flow analysis to help recognize the performance of a predetermined user-action by a user of a wearable computer, such as a user-action for selecting an object within the user's view. An example method may involve a wearable computing device: (a) receiving a video from a video camera of a wearable computing device: (b) determining optical flow for the video; (c) determining that an optical-flow differential exists at an area within the optical flow for the video; and (d) responsive to determining that the optical-flow differential exists at the area within the optical flow: (i) identifying an object that is located at the area where the optical-flow differential exists; (ii) performing a search on the object that is located at the area where the optical-flow differential exists; and (iii) causing a graphical display to display information that corresponds to results from the search.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2011Date of Patent: June 19, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Thad Starner
-
Publication number: 20110029849Abstract: A file browser output apparatus and method that may display contents two-dimensionally are provided. The file browser output apparatus sets a retrieval object, sets an arrangement condition associated with a time in one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and sets an arrangement condition unassociated with time in the other axis. The file browser output apparatus displays retrieval object contents based on the arrangement condition of the horizontal axis and the arrangement condition of the vertical axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2010Publication date: February 3, 2011Applicants: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATIONInventors: Nam Wook Kang, Nirmal Patel, Seung Eok Choi, In Sik Myung, Sin Ae Kim, James Clawson, Thad Starner
-
Publication number: 20100091104Abstract: The present invention discloses systems and methods for the measurement of surfaces. More particularly, the present invention discloses a portable, hand-held, non-contact surface measuring system comprising an image capturing element, at least four projectable reference elements positioned parallel to one another at known locations around the image capturing element, a processing unit, and a user interface. The present invention further discloses a method for the non-contact surface measurement comprising projecting at least four references onto a target surface, capturing an image of the targeted surface and the projected references with the image transferring device, transferring the image to a processing unit, processing the image using triangulation-based computer vision techniques to correct for skew and to obtain surface measurement data, transferring the data to the user interface, modifying the data with the user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2007Publication date: April 15, 2010Applicant: Georgia Tech Research CorporationInventors: Stephen Sprigle, Thad Starner, Mark Duckworth, Nirmal J. Patel, Shawn M. Lankton
-
Patent number: 7048370Abstract: Magnetic mount auxiliary lenses with optional display system enabling user ease of removal, storage and fine tuning by adding or removing magnets in complimentary positive/negatively charged polar compositions.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2001Date of Patent: May 23, 2006Assignee: Charmed Technology, Inc.Inventors: Thad Starner, Dan Ashbrook
-
Publication number: 20050021679Abstract: Techniques and approaches that facilitate acquisition, transmission or retrieval of data for wearable devices are disclosed. These wearable devices are electronic devices, such as mobile computing devices or wireless communication devices, and are often small in scale and very portable. Wearable devices are able to communicate with one another to exchange information. Wearable devices are also able to exchange information with a portal server. Personal portals can also be provided for users of the wearable devices so that they can easily access information gather by their wearable device and subsequently transmitted to their personal portal.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 4, 2004Publication date: January 27, 2005Inventors: Alexander Lightman, Alex Pentland, Thad Starner, Jackson Pair, Kenneth Russell, Brian Jordan, Russell Hoffman
-
Patent number: 6757719Abstract: Techniques and approaches that facilitate acquisition, transmission or retrieval of data for wearable devices are disclosed. These wearable devices are electronic devices, such as mobile computing devices or wireless communication devices, and are often small in scale and very portable. Wearable devices are able to communicate with one another to exchange information. Wearable devices are also able to exchange information with a portal server. Personal portals can also be provided for users of the wearable devices so that they can easily access information gather by their wearable device and subsequently transmitted to their personal portal.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2000Date of Patent: June 29, 2004Assignee: Charmed.com, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Lightman, Alex Paul Pentland, Thad Starner, Jackson Jarrell Pair, Kenneth Russell, Brian L. Jordan, Russell Eugene Hoffman
-
Patent number: 6711414Abstract: Techniques and approaches that enable wireless communication devices, namely, wearable devices, to assist users in new ways by interacting with other devices or surroundings to notify users of things that would be of interest to users. In one aspect of the invention, wearable devices display information for users in response to surrounding signals. The surrounding signals can come from a nearby wireless transceiver that may be included in another wearable device, a terminal device or an isolated device provided in a setting. In another aspect of the invention, wireless communication or computing devices (e.g., wearable devices) can interact and perform social filtering. The users of the devices can then be suitably notified.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2000Date of Patent: March 23, 2004Assignee: Charmed Technology, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Lightman, Thad Starner
-
Publication number: 20020089639Abstract: Magnetic mount auxiliary lenses with optional display system enabling user ease of removal, storage and fine tuning by adding or removing magnets in complimentary positive/negatively charged polar compositions.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2001Publication date: July 11, 2002Inventors: Thad Starner, Dan Starner