Patents by Inventor Tom Chi

Tom Chi 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: 9213185
    Abstract: A wearable computing system may include a head-mounted display (HMD) with a display configured to display images viewable at a viewing location. When aligned with an HMD wearer's line of sight, the entire display area of the display may be within the HMD wearer's field of view. The area within which an HMD wearer's eye can move and still view the entire display area is termed an “eye box.” However, if the HMD slips up or down, the display area may become obscured, such that the wearer can no longer see the entire image. By scaling or subsetting an image area within the display area, the effective eye box dimensions may increase. Further, in response to movements of the HMD with respect to the wearer, the image area can be adjusted to reduce effects such as vibration and slippage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thad Eugene Starner, Adrian Wong, Yong Zhao, Chia-Jean Wang, Anurag Gupta, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Publication number: 20150304253
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments involve real-time commenting in experience-sharing sessions. An exemplary method involves: (a) a server system facilitating an experience sharing session between a sharing device and one or more viewing devices, wherein the server system receives media in real-time from the sharing device and transmits the media to the one or more viewing devices in real-time, wherein the media comprises video; (b) during the experience sharing session, the server system receiving one or more comments from one or more of the viewing devices; (d) the server system filtering the received comments in real-time based on filter criteria; and (e) the server system initiating real-time delivery, to the sharing device, of one or more of the received comments that satisfy the filter criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: Steven John Lee, Indika Charles Mendis, Max Benjamin Braun, Liang-Yu Tom Chi, Bradley James Rhodes
  • Publication number: 20150268799
    Abstract: The present application discloses systems and methods for a virtual input device. In one example, the virtual input device includes a projector and a camera. The projector projects a pattern onto a surface. The camera captures images that can be interpreted by a processor to determine actions. The projector may be mounted on an arm of a pair of eyeglasses and the camera may be mounted on an opposite arm of the eyeglasses. A pattern for a virtual input device can be projected onto a “display hand” of a user, and the camera may be able to detect when the user uses an opposite hand to select items of the virtual input device. In another example, the camera may detect when the display hand is moving and interpret display hand movements as inputs to the virtual input device, and/or realign the projection onto the moving display hand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Thad Eugene Starner, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Patent number: 9069164
    Abstract: The present application discloses systems and methods for a virtual input device. In one example, the virtual input device includes a projector and a camera. The projector projects a pattern onto a surface. The camera captures images that can be interpreted by a processor to determine actions. The projector may be mounted on an arm of a pair of eyeglasses and the camera may be mounted on an opposite arm of the eyeglasses. A pattern for a virtual input device can be projected onto a “display hand” of a user, and the camera may be able to detect when the user uses an opposite hand to select items of the virtual input device. In another example, the camera may detect when the display hand is moving and interpret display hand movements as inputs to the virtual input device, and/or realign the projection onto the moving display hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thad Eugene Starner, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Patent number: 9015245
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments involve real-time commenting in experience-sharing sessions. An exemplary method involves: (a) a server system facilitating an experience sharing session between a sharing device and one or more viewing devices, wherein the server system receives media in real-time from the sharing device and transmits the media to the one or more viewing devices in real-time, wherein the media comprises video; (b) during the experience sharing session, the server system receiving one or more comments from one or more of the viewing devices; (d) the server system filtering the received comments in real-time based on filter criteria; and (e) the server system initiating real-time delivery, to the sharing device, of one or more of the received comments that satisfy the filter criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Steven John Lee, Indika Charles Mendis, Max Benjamin Braun, Liang-Yu Tom Chi, Bradley James Rhodes
  • Patent number: 8957916
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed herein that may help to present graphics in a see-through display of a head-mountable display. An exemplary method may involve: (a) receiving image data that is indicative of a real-world field of view associated with a head-mountable display (HMD); (b) analyzing the image data to determine at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view, wherein the at least one undesirable portion is undesirable as a background for display of at least one graphic object in a graphic display of the HMD; (c) determining at least one undesirable area of the graphic display that corresponds to the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view; and (d) causing the at least one graphic object to be displayed in an area of the graphic display such that the graphic object substantially avoids the at least one undesirable area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Elliott Bruce Hedman, Liang-Yu Tom Chi, Aaron Joseph Wheeler
  • Patent number: 8947322
    Abstract: Exemplary methods and systems relate to a wearable computing device determining a user-context and dynamically changing the content of a user-interface based on the determined user-context. The device may determine a user-context based on digital context; such as a text document a user is reading or a current website the device is accessing. User-context may also be based on physical context; such as the device's location or the air temperature around a user. Once a user-context is determined, a device may identify content that is related to the user-context and add objects representing this related content to a user-interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Robert Allen Ryskamp, Aaron Joseph Wheeler, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Patent number: 8942881
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for gesture-based controls are disclosed. In one aspect, a method is disclosed that includes maintaining a correlation between a plurality of predetermined gestures, in combination with a plurality of predetermined regions of a vehicle, and a plurality of functions. The method further includes recording three-dimensional images of an interior portion of the vehicle and, based on the three-dimensional images, detecting a given gesture in a given region of the vehicle, where the given gesture corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined gestures and the given region corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined regions. The method still further includes selecting, based on the correlation, a function associated with the given gesture in combination with the given region and initiating the function in the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Kenneth Hobbs, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Patent number: 8934015
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for experience sharing for emergency situations. A wearable computing device can receive an indication of an emergency situation. In response to the indication, the wearable computing device can initiate an experience sharing session with one or more emergency contacts. During the experience sharing session, the wearable computing device can capture video data, add text to the captured video data, and transmit the captured video data and added text to the one or more emergency contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Liang-Yu Tom Chi, Steven John Lee, Indika Charles Mendis, Max Benjamin Braun, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Publication number: 20150009309
    Abstract: Optical glasses, as well as other eyewear, are provided with a frame that has a camera button located on a part of the glasses frame most preferably centered just above one of the lenses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Mitchell Heinrich, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Patent number: 8922481
    Abstract: Methods and systems for annotating objects and/or actions are provided. An example method includes receiving a selection of a content object via an interface of a wearable computing device. The wearable computing device may include a head-mounted display (HMD). The method may also include, but is not limited to, displaying the selected content object on the HMD. Additionally, the method may include obtaining facial-muscle information while the content object is being displayed on the HMD. A facial expression may also be determined based on the facial-muscle information. According to the method, the content object may be associated with an annotation comprising an indication of the facial expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Alejandro Kauffmann, Clifford L. Biffle, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Thad Eugene Starner
  • Publication number: 20140379746
    Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a method and system for providing a recommendation set. The method and system includes determining various topic clusters from single topic clusters. The method and system further includes identifying various topic clusters for an identified single topic cluster and providing recommendations from the various topic clusters via web updates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Su-Lin Wu
  • Patent number: 8898496
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a computing system causes a computing device to operate in a lower-power state. Data received from a first tier of low-power input source(s) is used to determine user/environmental context and activate a second tier of input source(s) that operate in a higher power range. In each tier the system is running contextual detection to assess whether to engage higher power input sources or sensors to aid the user. With this mechanism, a user is able to have access to a broad range of services without having to explicit switch them on, while the system is able to intelligently manage power and battery life across input sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Publication number: 20140337037
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to processing speech input at a wearable computing device are disclosed. Speech input can be received at the wearable computing device. Speech-related text corresponding to the speech input can be generated. A context can be determined based on database(s) and/or a history of accessed documents. An action can be determined based on an evaluation of at least a portion of the speech-related text and the context. The action can be a command or a search request. If the action is a command, then the wearable computing device can generate output for the command. If the action is a search request, then the wearable computing device can: communicate the search request to a search engine, receive search results from the search engine, and generate output based on the search results. The output can be provided using output component(s) of the wearable computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Patent number: 8874760
    Abstract: The present application discloses systems and methods for accessing digital content between multiple devices. The systems and methods may be directed to providing access to an interaction with a first application on a head-mounted display (HMD) to a second device. Contextual information relating information of the HMD and information associated with the interaction to describe an interaction state may be stored. A second device may be selected upon which the interaction state may be accessed and a determination of attributes of the second device may be made. The HMD may transfer to the second device the stored contextual information such that the second device may provide via the second application access to the interaction state. Information associated with a user input to the first application may also be transferred. In one example, the contextual information may describe an identified occurrence of digital content accessed via the first application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sanjay Mavinkurve, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
  • Patent number: 8866852
    Abstract: Methods and devices for applying at least one manipulative action to a selected content object are disclosed. In one aspect, a head-mounted-device (HMD) system includes at least one processor and data storage with user-interface logic executable by the at least one processor to apply at least one manipulative action to a displayed content object based on received data that indicates a first direction in which the HMD is tilted and an extent to which the HMD is tilted in the first direction. The at least one manipulative action is applied to a degree corresponding to the indicated extent to which the HMD is tilted in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Joseph Wheeler, Alejandro Kauffmann, Liang-Lu (Tom) Chi, Max Braun
  • Publication number: 20140258902
    Abstract: Methods and systems involving navigation of a graphical interface are disclosed herein. An example system may be configured to: (a) cause a head-mounted display (HMD) to provide a graphical interface, the graphical interface comprising (i) a view port having a view-port orientation and (ii) at least one navigable area having at least one border, the at least one border having a first border orientation; (b) receive input data that indicates movement of the view port towards the at least one border; (c) determine that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation; and (d) based on at least the determination that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation, adjust the first border orientation from the first border orientation to a second border orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Wheeler, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sebastian Thrun, Hayes Solos Raffle, Nirmal Patel
  • Publication number: 20140247286
    Abstract: Methods and systems for active stabilization for heads-up displays are described. A wearable computing device may include a head-mounted display (HMD) with an eye-tracking system. The wearable computing device may generate a display of content at a given location in a display area of the HMD. A user may be wearing the HMD and may be subjected to mechanical jostling resulting in a movement of the HMD with respect to a gaze axis of an eye of the user. The wearable computing device may receive information relating to the gaze axis from the eye-tracking system and may receive information relating to the movement of the HMD from sensors coupled to the HMD. The wearable computing device may adjust the given location of the displayed content in the display area to compensate for such movement. The content may thus appear stable to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
  • Publication number: 20140143243
    Abstract: An online article is enhanced by displaying, in association with the article, supplemental content that includes entities that are extracted from the article and/or entities that are related to entities that are extracted from the article. The supplemental content further includes information about each of the entities. The information about an entity may be obtained by searching for the entity in one or more searchable repositories of data. For example, the supplemental content may include, for each entity, video, image, web, and/or news search results. The supplemental content may further include information such as stock quotes, abstracts, maps, scores, and so on. The entities are selected using a variety of analyses and ranking techniques based on contextual factors such as user-specific information, time-sensitive popularity trends, grammatical features, search result quality, and so on. The entities may further be selected for purposes such as generating ad-based revenue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Yookyung Kim, Hongjian Zhao, Xin Li, Alexandra Levich, Tom Chi, Ming Sui, Yihong Zhao, Marc Davis
  • Patent number: 8724853
    Abstract: Methods are apparatuses are described for identifying a target object using optical occlusion. A head-mounted display perceives a characteristic of a reference object. The head-mounted display detects a change of the perceived characteristic of the reference object and makes a determination that a detected object caused the change of the perceived characteristic. In response to making the determination, the head-mounted display identifies the detected object as the target object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Robert Allen Ryskamp