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).
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Patent number: 8645358Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for customized search results in an advanced search results page including vertical searching pivot points for personalizing and refining searching operations. The method includes tracking user network activities and receiving a search query from the user, the search query including a plurality of search terms. The method and system includes identifying a plurality of preferred content sources based on the tracked network activities and retrieving content items in response to the search query. The method and system filters the content items based on the preferred content sources and therein generates a search result page displaying at least a portion of the filtered content items and at least one of the preferred content sources, wherein the display of the at least one preferred content source allows the user to pivot the search results portion based solely on the preferred content source.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2010Date of Patent: February 4, 2014Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Su-Lin Wu, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Vik Singh
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Patent number: 8643951Abstract: Methods and systems involving a navigable area in a head-mounted display (HMD) are disclosed herein. An exemplary system may be configured to: (a) cause a head-mounted display (HMD) to provide: (i) a viewing window that is fully visible in a field of view of the HMD, (ii) a navigable area that is not fully visible in a field of view of the HMD such that the viewing window displays a first portion of the navigable area, and (iii) a media object that is associated with a viewing-window state; (b) receive first head-movement data that is indicative of head movement from a first position of the HMD to a second position of the HMD; and (c) based on (i) the first head-movement data and (ii) the viewing-window state, cause the viewing window to display a second portion of the navigable area which includes the media object.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2012Date of Patent: February 4, 2014Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Aaron Joseph Wheeler, Alejandro Kauffmann, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Hayes Solos Raffle, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
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Patent number: 8612891Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for receiving a user privacy preference that indicates an amount of activity information that the user is willing to share in response to a reward, a value of the reward related to a degree of the user privacy preference. The method and system includes setting a privacy setting for the user based on the received user privacy preference. The method and system further includes tracking web browsing activity of the user during one or more web-browsing sessions based on the privacy setting to generate user activity information. The method and system further includes sending the user activity information and providing a reward to the user based on the user activity information sent.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2010Date of Patent: December 17, 2013Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Vik Singh, Su-Lin Wu, Tom Chi
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Patent number: 8600979Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 28, 2010Date of Patent: December 3, 2013Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Yookyung Kim, Hongjian Zhao, Xin Li, Alexandra Levich, Tom Chi, Ming Sui, Yihong Zhao, Marc Davis
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Patent number: 8593795Abstract: The present application discloses a wearable computing device having a plurality of components, with the weight of the components being evenly distributed on the wearable computing device. One embodiment may include a frame having a front portion and at least one side-arm extending therefrom. The at least one side-arm has a first end and a second end. The wearable computing device further includes a lens connected to the front portion of the frame and at least one display element mounted to the lens and to the first end of the at least one side-arm of the frame by a tensile member. An electronic device is mounted to the second end of the at least one side-arm of the frame to counterbalance the mass located at the front portion of the frame. The electronic device may include batteries, circuitry, processors, computers, and other electronic components.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2011Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
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Publication number: 20130261871Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2012Publication date: October 3, 2013Applicant: Google Inc.Inventors: Nicholas Kenneth Hobbs, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
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Publication number: 20130246967Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes controlling a wearable computing device (WCD) to provide a user-interface that has one or more menu items and a view region. The method also includes receiving movement data corresponding to movement of the WCD from a first position to a second position and, responsive to the movement data, controlling the WCD such that the one or more menu items are viewable in the view region. Further, the method includes, while the one or more menu items are viewable in the view region, receiving selection data corresponding to a selection of a menu item and, responsive to the selection data, controlling the WCD to maintain the selected menu item substantially fully viewable in the view region and in a substantially fixed position in the view region that is substantially independent of further movement of the WCD.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2012Publication date: September 19, 2013Applicant: Google Inc.Inventors: Aaron Joseph Wheeler, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Liang-Yu Tom Chi, Alejandro Kauffman
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Patent number: 8484184Abstract: Search assistance is provided to users that submit search queries to search engines. In one implementation, a partial search query input by a user to a search engine is received. The partial search query is predicted to be a navigational query. A web address is selected based on the predicted navigational query. A search assistance list that includes the selected web address is generated. The search assistance list is displayed to the user in response to the received partial search query. In another implementation, a plurality of suggested search queries is determined for the received partial search query. A suggested search query of the plurality of suggested search queries having a highest relevance to the user is determined. A search assistance list is generated and displayed to the user. The suggested search query having the highest relevance to the user is prominently displayed in the search assistance list.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2011Date of Patent: July 9, 2013Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Carlos Teran, Tom Chi, Don Chennavasin, Ashley Hall
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Patent number: 8462010Abstract: The present application discloses methods and systems for augmenting a field of view of a user. In one embodiment, a device may include a detector, a processor, and an array of visual indicators. According to an embodiment of the method, the detector may image an environment. The processor may identify within the environment imaged by the detector an object of interest. The processor may also determine a relative spatial location of the identified object of interest. Further, the array of visual indicators may be used to indicate the determined relative spatial location of the identified object of interest. In particular, a set of one or more visual indicators may be selected that has a relative spatial location in the array of visual indicators that is indicative of the relative spatial location of the identified object of interest.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2012Date of Patent: June 11, 2013Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Robert Allen Ryskamp, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
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Publication number: 20130142387Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: June 11, 2012Publication date: June 6, 2013Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventors: Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Robert Allen Ryskamp
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Publication number: 20130135353Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2011Publication date: May 30, 2013Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventors: Aaron Joseph Wheeler, Alejandro Kauffmann, Liang-Lu (Tom) Chi, Max Braun
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Publication number: 20130139082Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2011Publication date: May 30, 2013Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventors: Aaron Wheeler, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sebastian Thrun, Hayes Raffle, Nirmal Patel
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Patent number: 8380298Abstract: A magnetic acupuncture needle combining the treatments of magnetic therapy and acupuncture by affecting the natural magnetic bio-field of energy of the patient's body and attracting it to the target point of treatment.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2007Date of Patent: February 19, 2013Inventor: Tom Chi
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Publication number: 20130022220Abstract: Exemplary wearable computing systems may include a head-mounted display that is configured to provide indirect bone-conduction audio. For example, an exemplary head-mounted display may include at least one vibration transducer that is configured to vibrate at least a portion of the head-mounted display based on the audio signal. The vibration transducer is configured such that when the head-mounted display is worn, the vibration transducer vibrates the head-mounted display without directly vibrating a wearer. However, the head-mounted display structure vibrationally couples to a bone structure of the wearer, such that vibrations from the vibration transducer may be indirectly transferred to the wearer's bone structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2011Publication date: January 24, 2013Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventors: Jianchun Dong, Liang-Yu Tom Chi, Mitchell Heinrich, Leng Ooi
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Publication number: 20130017789Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 22, 2012Publication date: January 17, 2013Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sanjay Mavinkurve, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
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Publication number: 20130016070Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2012Publication date: January 17, 2013Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventors: Thad Eugene Starner, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
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Publication number: 20130018659Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2011Publication date: January 17, 2013Applicant: GOOGLE INC.Inventor: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi
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Patent number: 8275893Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 1, 2012Date of Patent: September 25, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Sanjay Mavinkurve, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
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Patent number: 8228315Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 12, 2011Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Thad Eugene Starner, Liang-Yu (Tom) Chi, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez
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Patent number: 8226540Abstract: An acupuncture needle having a low magnetized or non magnetized needle shaft or shank portion and a magnetic or magnetized handle portion to deliver both penetration and magnetic treatment to an acupuncture point.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2009Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Inventor: Tom Chi