Patents by Inventor William Thomas

William Thomas 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: 12499605
    Abstract: A method of operation of a texturing/shading unit in a GPU pipeline is used for efficient convolution operations. The method uses texture hardware to collectively fetch all the texels required to calculate properties for a group of output pixels without any duplication. The method then bypasses bilinear filter hardware in the texture hardware and passes the fetched and unfiltered texel data from the texture hardware unit to shader hardware in the texturing/shading unit. The shader hardware uses the fetched texel data to perform a plurality of convolution operations to calculate the properties of each of the output pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2025
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Rostam King, William Thomas
  • Publication number: 20250377897
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of compiling a program includes analysing the program to identify at least one group of instructions within the program that can be executed atomically. In response to identifying a group of instructions that can be executed atomically, the group of instructions is extracted from the program to form a burst; a modified program is created by inserting an instruction into the program in place of the extracted group of instructions. The instruction is configured to trigger execution of the burst, and the burst and the modified program are saved separately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2025
    Publication date: December 11, 2025
    Inventors: Aroun Demeure, William Thomas, David Lewsey, Mark Sheppard
  • Publication number: 20250322483
    Abstract: A graphics processing unit has a shader core including a main processing portion and a sub-processor. The main processing portion comprises a scheduler, an instruction cache, a plurality of registers and a plurality of arithmetic logic units (ALUs). The sub-processor operates independently of the main processing portion and comprises a burst scheduler, a plurality of registers and a plurality of ALUs. The sub-processor is arranged to execute bursts, wherein a burst comprises at least one group of instructions that can be executed atomically and which are extracted from a program. The main processing portion executes a modified version of the program, wherein the modified program is created from the program by replacing the instructions in a burst with an instruction that triggers the execution of the burst. The registers in the sub-processor are used to store one or more sources and/or results for bursts that are being executed by the sub-processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2025
    Publication date: October 16, 2025
    Inventors: Mark Sheppard, William Thomas, David Lewsey, Aroun Demeure
  • Publication number: 20250197267
    Abstract: A submerged combustion melting (SCM) exhaust system includes a fluid-cooled flue including fluid-cooled perimeter walls, and a refractory-lined hood in fluid communication with, and extends to a hood outlet from, the fluid-cooled flue, and including refractory-lined perimeter walls and a dilution air duct inlet. A dilution air input duct has an outlet in fluid communication with the dilution air duct inlet of the refractory-lined hood. A non-cooled, non-refractory outlet conduit extending away from the refractory-lined hood.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2025
    Publication date: June 19, 2025
    Inventors: Shane T. Rashley, Robert W. Kuhlman, Richard C. Gobrecht, III, William Thomas, Liming Shi
  • Patent number: 12258289
    Abstract: A submerged combustion melting system includes a furnace including a tank with a floor, a roof, a perimeter wall, and an interior, and burners to melt glass feedstock into molten glass, a batch inlet, a molten glass outlet, and an exhaust outlet. An exhaust system is in fluid communication with the interior of the tank, and includes a flue in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet. A refractory-lined hood may be in fluid communication with the flue, which may be fluid-cooled including fluid-cooled perimeter panels and lower and upper baffles. The hood may include a protrusion that protrudes into a downstream horizontal exhaust path and has an excurvate upper surface to streamline flow of exhaust gas through the hood to prevent gas recirculation and formation of condensate piles in the hood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.
    Inventors: Shane T. Rashley, Robert W. Kuhlman, Richard C. Gobrecht, III, William Thomas, Liming Shi
  • Publication number: 20250095269
    Abstract: A method of improving texture fetching by a texturing/shading unit in a GPU pipeline by performing efficient convolution operations, includes receiving a shader and determining whether the shader is a kernel shader. In response to receiving a kernel shader, the kernel shader is modified to perform a collective fetch of all texels for a group of output pixels instead of performing independent fetches of texels for each output pixel in the group of output pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2024
    Publication date: March 20, 2025
    Inventors: Rostam King, William Thomas
  • Patent number: 12247716
    Abstract: A recessed luminaire includes a housing supporting a light emitter, an intumescent material coupled to an outer surface of the housing, and a plate coupled to the housing and to the intumescent material. The housing configured to be positioned at least partially through a ceiling. The housing also includes a stepped surface. The intumescent material has a shape complementary to a shape of the housing. The plate is positioned adjacent to the stepped surface and to an upper surface of the intumescent material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2025
    Assignee: Progress Lighting, LLC
    Inventors: Anthony Sinphay, Dhavalkumar Patel, William Thomas
  • Publication number: 20240430535
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for modifying a fast-forwarding speed based on a reaction time of a user when a frame of interest is detected. A media guidance application may receive a command from a user to fast-forward through a media asset and may execute a fast-forwarding operation through frames of the media asset. The media guidance application may detect that the fast-forwarding operation is approaching a frame of interest to the viewer. The media guidance application may reduce the fast-forwarding speed to a second speed slower than the first speed, where the second speed is determined based on an estimated reaction time of the user. The media guidance application may receive a command to resume playback from the user while the fast-forwarding operation is occurring at the second speed and may play back the media asset at a default playback speed from a point corresponding to a moment when the command was received.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2024
    Publication date: December 26, 2024
    Inventors: Gyanveer Singh, William Thomas
  • Patent number: 12154209
    Abstract: A method of improving texture fetching by a texturing/shading unit in a GPU pipeline by performing efficient convolution operations, includes receiving a shader and determining whether the shader is a kernel shader. In response to determining that the shader is a kernel shader, the shader is modified to perform a collective fetch of all texels used in convolution operations for a group of output pixels instead of performing independent fetches of texels for each output pixel in the group of output pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Rostam King, William Thomas
  • Patent number: 12114046
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for modifying a fast-forwarding speed based on a reaction time of a user when a frame of interest is detected. A media guidance application may receive a command from a user to fast-forward through a media asset and may execute a fast-forwarding operation through frames of the media asset. The media guidance application may detect that the fast-forwarding operation is approaching a frame of interest to the viewer. The media guidance application may reduce the fast-forwarding speed to a second speed slower than the first speed, where the second speed is determined based on an estimated reaction time of the user. The media guidance application may receive a command to resume playback from the user while the fast-forwarding operation is occurring at the second speed and may play back the media asset at a default playback speed from a point corresponding to a moment when the command was received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: ROVI GUIDES, INC.
    Inventors: Gyanveer Singh, William Thomas
  • Publication number: 20240325247
    Abstract: A medicine administering system for facilitating administering medicine to the syringe using a downward flow of the medicine from the vial includes a vial containing medicine and a syringe. A base includes a front surface, a back surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of lateral edges. A stand is coupled to the base and supports the base in an inclined position relative to a ground surface. A syringe mount is coupled to the base and the syringe is removably mountable to the syringe mount. A vial mount is coupled to the base and the vial is removably mountable to the vial mount. The vial mount is positioned proximate to the top edge, wherein the vial mount is positioned above the syringe mount such that medicine from the vial flows downwardly into the syringe when the syringe receives medicine from the vial.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Inventor: William Thomas
  • Patent number: 12069780
    Abstract: A lighting fixture includes a fixture housing. A circuit board is positioned in the fixture housing. The circuit board includes a driver circuit. A plurality of light emitters are disposed on the circuit board. The light emitters are operatively connected to the driver circuit to produce a light output. A temperature sensor is disposed on the circuit board, the temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the circuit board and output a signal. The driver circuit is configured to reduce the light output in response to the signal from the temperature sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: Progress Lighting, LLC
    Inventors: Anthony Sinphay, Dhavalkumar Patel, William Thomas
  • Publication number: 20240273669
    Abstract: A method and graphics processing unit (GPU) are provided for applying texture processing to a block of fragments, each of the fragments being associated with a texture coordinate for each of a plurality of dimensions of a texture. A fragment processing unit of the GPU detects that the texture coordinates for the fragments of the block are axis-aligned, and in response to detecting that the texture coordinates for the fragments of the block are axis-aligned, sends a reduced set of texture coordinates to a texture processing unit of the GPU. The texture processing unit: (i) processes the reduced set of texture coordinates to generate texel addresses of texels to be fetched, (ii) fetches texels using the generated texel addresses, (iii) determines a processed value for each of the fragments of the block based on the fetched texels, and (iv) outputs the processed values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2023
    Publication date: August 15, 2024
    Inventors: Aroun Demeure, William Thomas, Alexander Hoffmann, Arturo Barrabes
  • Publication number: 20240273805
    Abstract: A method of operation of a texturing/shading unit in a GPU pipeline is used for efficient convolution operations. The method uses texture hardware to collectively fetch all the texels required to calculate properties for a group of output pixels without any duplication. The method then bypasses bilinear filter hardware in the texture hardware and passes the fetched and unfiltered texel data from the texture hardware unit to shader hardware in the texturing/shading unit. The shader hardware uses the fetched texel data to perform a plurality of convolution operations to calculate the properties of each of the output pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2024
    Publication date: August 15, 2024
    Inventors: Rostam King, William Thomas
  • Publication number: 20240242418
    Abstract: A method and processor for retrieving a block of data items in a processor, each of the data items being associated with a coordinate for each dimension of a stored data array. A data processing unit detects that the coordinates associated with the data items are axis-aligned. A data load unit: (i) determines integer coordinates for each of a set of the coordinates, (ii) performs a uniquification process on the determined integer coordinates to remove duplicated integer coordinates and to determine a subset of the determined integer coordinates, (iii) uses the subset of the determined integer coordinates to generate addresses of data array elements to be fetched from the stored data array, (iv) fetches data array elements from the stored data array using the generated addresses, (v) for each of the data items of the block, determines a data item value using a sub-group of the fetched data array elements, and (vi) outputs the data item values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2023
    Publication date: July 18, 2024
    Inventors: Aroun Demeure, William Thomas, Alexander Hoffmann, Arturo Barrabes
  • Publication number: 20240231845
    Abstract: A method of mapping a program to a hardware arrangement comprising a plurality of interconnected hardware stages. The plurality of hardware stages in the hardware arrangement is analysed to generate, for each stage, a program-independent hardware description defining an operation performed by the stage and inputs and outputs of the stage. The program-independent hardware descriptions are then used when analysing the program to generate a non-overlapping set of mappings between groups of adjacent program primitive operations in the program and groups of interconnected hardware stages in the hardware arrangement. Having generated the non-overlapping set of mappings, the groups of adjacent program primitive operations are scheduled into an order for execution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2023
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Inventors: William Thomas, Ahmed Elkhidir
  • Publication number: 20240233064
    Abstract: A method and processor for retrieving a block of data items, each being associated with a coordinate for each of dimensions of a stored data array. A data processing unit detects that the coordinates are axis-aligned. In response to detecting that the coordinates are axis-aligned, the following are sent to a data load unit: only one coordinate for a first dimension for each line of data items aligned in the first dimension within the block, and only one coordinate for a second dimension for each line of data items aligned in the second dimension within the block, the second dimension being orthogonal to the first dimension. The data load unit: (i) processes the coordinates to generate addresses of data array elements to be fetched from the stored data array, (ii) fetches data array elements using the generated addresses, (iii) determines data item values based on the fetched data array elements, and (iv) outputs the data item values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2023
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Inventors: Aroun Demeure, William Thomas, Alexander Hoffmann, Arturo Barrabes
  • Publication number: 20240233240
    Abstract: A method and graphics processing unit (GPU) are provided for applying texture filtering to a block of fragments, each of the fragments being associated with a texture coordinate for each of a plurality of dimensions of a texture. It is detected that the texture coordinates for the fragments of the block are axis-aligned. Two or more integer texel coordinates are determined for each of a set of the texture coordinates. A uniquification process is performed on the determined integer texel coordinates to remove one or more duplicated integer texel coordinates and to thereby determine a subset of the determined integer texel coordinates. The subset of the determined integer texel coordinates is used to generate texel addresses of texels to be fetched. Texels are fetched using the generated texel addresses. For each of the fragments of the block, a filtered value is determined by applying filtering to a sub-group of the fetched texels. The filtered values are output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2023
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Inventors: Aroun Demeure, William Thomas, Alexander Hoffmann, Arturo Barrabes
  • Patent number: 12017992
    Abstract: Compounds and compositions that can modulate mitochondrial function in neuronal cells are provided herein, as are methods for using the compounds and compositions to treat or prevent conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. For example, compounds of Formula I, compositions containing the compounds, and methods for using the compounds and compositions are provided herein: wherein X is absent, CH2, or C(O); R1 is H, OH, CN, NO2, halo, C1-3 alkyl, C1-3 haloalkyl, C1-3 alkoxy, C1-3 haloalkoxy, C3-7 cycloalkyl, amino, C1-3 alkylamino, or di(C1-3 alkyl)amino; R2 is H or C1-6 alkyl; R3 is H, C1-6 alkyl, —C(O)(C1-3 alkyl), or —C(O)O(C1-3 alkyl); R4 is C3-10 cycloalkyl, C6-10 aryl, 5-10 membered heteroaryl, or 5-10 membered heterocycloalkyl, each optionally substituted by 1, 2, 3, or 4 independently selected R5 groups; and R5 is OH, CN, NO2, halo, C1-3 alkyl, C1-3 haloalkyl, C1-3 alkoxy, C1-3 haloalkoxy, C3-7 cycloalkyl, amino, C1-3 alkylamino, or di(C1-3 alkyl)amino.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
    Inventors: Eugenia Trushina, Robert Greenhouse, Kevin Greenman, William Thomas
  • Patent number: D1110789
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2026
    Assignee: OONI LIMITED
    Inventors: Gavin Klocek, William Thomas, Eduardo Garcia Valdes, Callum Wright