Patents by Inventor Tong Tang

Tong Tang 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: 9681058
    Abstract: A camera unit and method of control are described. The camera unit has a camera flash sub-unit configurable to emit flash light having an adjustable characteristic. A camera sensor sub-unit generates raw color data when exposed to light for processing into a digital image. The camera unit also includes a camera controller for coordinating operation of the camera flash sub-unit and the camera sensor sub-unit. The camera controller monitors one or more ambient light characteristics in a vicinity of the camera unit. Prior to receiving a command instructing the camera unit to generate the digital image, the camera controller repeatedly configures the camera flash sub-unit based on the monitored ambient light characteristics to adjust the characteristics of the emitted flash light. Once the camera controller receives the command, the camera sensor sub-unit is instructed to expose an image sensor using the pre-adjusted camera flash light to increase illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Qian Wang, Yun Seok Choi, Graham Charles Townsend, Sui Tong Tang
  • Patent number: 9648236
    Abstract: A device with a front facing camera having two discrete focus positions is provided. The device comprises: a chassis comprising a front side; a display and a camera each at least partially located on the front side; the camera adjacent the display, the camera facing in a same direction as the display, the camera configured to: acquire video in a video mode; acquire an image in a camera mode; and, discretely step between a first and second focus position, the first position comprising a depth of field (“DOF”) at a hyperfocal distance and the second position comprising a DOF in a range of about 20 cm to about 1 meter; and, a processor configured to: when the camera is in the camera mode, automatically control the camera to the first position; and, when the camera is in the video mode, automatically control the camera to the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
    Inventors: Yun Seok Choi, Sui Tong Tang, Thomas Guillaume Grandin, Arnett Ryan Weber
  • Publication number: 20170070561
    Abstract: A method implemented in a network element (NE) configured to operate as a REST server, the method comprising receiving, through a receiver, a constraint from a REST client, wherein the constraint relates an independent control variable to a derived control variable, wherein the derived control variable is mapped to a first cloud computing resource employed by a cloud computing implementation; receiving, through the receiver, an independent value for the independent control variable from the REST client; computing, via a processor coupled to the receiver, a derived value for the derived control variable based on the constraint and the value for the independent control variable; determining, via a processor, a first instruction regarding the first cloud computing resource based on the derived value; and altering, via a resource controller coupled to the processor, one of a plurality of first behaviors of the first cloud computing resource based on the first instruction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Li Li, Tong Tang, Wu Chou
  • Publication number: 20160248975
    Abstract: A device with a front facing camera having two discrete focus positions is provided. The device comprises: a chassis comprising a front side; a display and a camera each at least partially located on the front side; the camera adjacent the display, the camera facing in a same direction as the display, the camera configured to: acquire video in a video mode; acquire an image in a camera mode; and, discretely step between a first and second focus position, the first position comprising a depth of field (“DOF”) at a hyperfocal distance and the second position comprising a DOF in a range of about 20 cm to about 1 metre; and, a processor configured to: when the camera is in the camera mode, automatically control the camera to the first position; and, when the camera is in the video mode, automatically control the camera to the second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Yun Seok CHOI, Sui Tong TANG, Thomas Guillaume GRANDIN, Arnett Ryan WEBER
  • Publication number: 20150294474
    Abstract: A method for building a depth map is operable on a mobile device having a single camera integrated therewith. The method includes capturing a plurality of images of a given view using movement of the mobile device between images, capturing data regarding the movement of the mobile device during capture of the plurality of images, determining a relative position of the mobile device corresponding to each of the plurality of images, and building a depth map using the plurality of images and the relative position corresponding to each of the plurality of images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Thomas Guillaume Grandin, Sui Tong Tang, Sung Ho Hong
  • Patent number: 8717464
    Abstract: A camera unit generates a processed digital image by augmenting color image data with infrared image data according to the level of ambient light exposure. The camera has an ambient light sensor that detects the level of ambient light in the camera unit and an image sensor that provides image data. One or more quantum dot layers may be included in the image sensor. A camera controller adapts the camera unit for operation in different modes that are selectable based on the levels of detected ambient light. The image data is processed into a digital image, according to the selected mode of operation for the camera unit, using color image data only when the level of ambient light is high, but augmenting the color image data with infrared image data when the level of ambient light is low to increase the color luminance of the final processed digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventor: Sui Tong Tang
  • Patent number: 8687882
    Abstract: An apparatus, and an associated method, facilitates selection of white balancing to adjust the color cast of a captured image. A quantum dot element is positioned to receive incident light associated with a scene forming an image that is to be captured. Incident light upon the quantum dot element causes photonic emissions that are detected and converted into electrical form. The electrical representations of the photonic images are used to measure or determine a color ratio. The value of the color ratio is utilized to select white balancing of a captured image, captured either prior to, concurrent with, or subsequent to, the color-ratio determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventor: Sui Tong Tang
  • Patent number: 8645976
    Abstract: A signal may be received in accordance with a protocol stack having a first portion (400) that contains a control layer and a stream layer, and a second portion (401) that contains a physical layer and a MAC layer. The first portion may invoke an application program interface (API 1402) to instruct the second portion to replace a current set of signal acquisition parameters with an initial set of signal acquisition parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Shusheel Gautam, Michael DeVico, Robert Stacey, Phani Bhushan Avadhanam, Ying Gao, Jian Zhang, Paul Richard Ellis, Viktor Filiba, Tong Tang
  • Publication number: 20130163866
    Abstract: An apparatus, and an associated method, facilitates selection of white balancing to adjust the color cast of a captured image. A quantum dot element is positioned to receive incident light associated with a scene forming an image that is to be captured. Incident light upon the quantum dot element causes photonic emissions that are detected and converted into electrical form. The electrical representations of the photonic images are used to measure or determine a color ratio. The value of the color ratio is utilized to select white balancing of a captured image, captured either prior to, concurrent with, or subsequent to, the color-ratio determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventor: Sui Tong Tang
  • Publication number: 20120262571
    Abstract: A camera unit and method of control are described. The camera unit has a camera flash sub-unit configurable to emit flash light having an adjustable characteristic. A camera sensor sub-unit generates raw color data when exposed to light for processing into a digital image. The camera unit also includes a camera controller for coordinating operation of the camera flash sub-unit and the camera sensor sub-unit. The camera controller monitors one or more ambient light characteristics in a vicinity of the camera unit. Prior to receiving a command instructing the camera unit to generate the digital image, the camera controller repeatedly configures the camera flash sub-unit based on the monitored ambient light characteristics to adjust the characteristics of the emitted flash light. Once the camera controller receives the command, the camera sensor sub-unit is instructed to expose an image sensor using the pre-adjusted camera flash light to increase illumination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Qian WANG, Yun Seok CHOI, Graham Charles TOWNSEND, Sui Tong TANG
  • Publication number: 20120200734
    Abstract: A camera unit generates a processed digital image by augmenting color image data with infrared image data according to the level of ambient light exposure. The camera has an ambient light sensor that detects the level of ambient light in the camera unit and an image sensor that provides image data. One or more quantum dot layers may be included in the image sensor. A camera controller adapts the camera unit for operation in different modes that are selectable based on the levels of detected ambient light. The image data is processed into a digital image, according to the selected mode of operation for the camera unit, using color image data only when the level of ambient light is high, but augmenting the color image data with infrared image data when the level of ambient light is low to increase the color luminance of the final processed digital image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventor: Sui Tong Tang
  • Publication number: 20090019461
    Abstract: A signal may be received in accordance with a protocol stack having a first portion (400) that contains a control layer and a stream layer, and a second portion (401) that contains a physical layer and a MAC layer. The first portion may invoke an application program interface (API 1402) to instruct the second portion to replace a current set of signal acquisition parameters with an initial set of signal acquisition parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Applicant: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Shusheel Gautam, Michael DeVico, Rob Stacey, Phani Bhushan Avadhanam, Ying Gao, Jian Zhang, Paul Richard Ellis, Viktor Filiba, Tong Tang
  • Publication number: 20090019460
    Abstract: Packets of information may be received in accordance with a protocol stack having a first portion (400) that contains a control layer and a stream layer, and a second portion (401) that contains a physical layer and a MAC layer. The second portion also maintains a group of inbound packets and respectively associated error statuses. The first portion invokes an application programming interface (API 1301,1302,1401,1402) to instruct the second portion to perform an action with respect to at least one of the inbound packets, which action is related to the error status associated with that packet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Applicant: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Shusheel Gautam, Michael DeVico, Rob Stacey, Phani Bhushan Avadhanam, Ying Gao, Jian Zhang, Paul Richard Ellis, Viktor Filiba, Tong Tang
  • Patent number: 7434084
    Abstract: A synchronous bit-serial data interface utilizes a transmitter that transmits a data stream having duplicates of each data bit. The receiver samples the data stream utilizing either the rising or falling edge of a received clock signal. If the rising edge is utilized the first duplicated bit is discarded and if the falling edge is utilized the second duplicated bit is discarded. The system allows transmitter/receiver pairs of devices that sample and latch data on the same clock edge to communicate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Cornel Yau, John Ly, Tong Tang
  • Publication number: 20080176546
    Abstract: An apparatus is configured to receive a signal in accordance with a protocol stack comprising a physical layer, MAC layer, control layer and stream layer. The apparatus includes a receiver stack processing system configured to provide the control and stream layers, a media processing system configured to provide the physical and MAC layers, and an application programming interface (API) to support service requests from the receiver stack processing system to the media processing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicant: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Michael Devico, Phani Bhushan Avadhanam, Rob Stacey, Shusheel Gautam, Tong Tang, Viktor Filiba, Ying Gao, Jian Zhang, Paul Richard Ellis
  • Patent number: 5983291
    Abstract: A computer system coupled to a network is disclosed which provides multiple paths for each serial input/output connection. In the receive mode, the current invention separates serial data frames which are composed of sub-functions/channels into sub-function data streams. The sub-function data streams can then be transferred out one at a time. In the transmit mode, the current invention forms data load patterns from the sub-function data streams. Each data load pattern is formed by selecting the appropriate binary bits from the sub-function data streams and arranging the binary bits selected in the sequence desired. The binary bits of each data load pattern are transmitted serially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Geary L. Leger, Peter R. Carpenter, Tong Tang