Patents by Inventor William Zajac

William Zajac 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).

  • Publication number: 20250213964
    Abstract: A smart media player configures interactive media customized for passengers temporarily sharing a common conveyance (e.g., an automobile or other vehicle), using programmed methods. The methods include identifying profile data for each of the passengers and trip data for the common conveyance. Then, the smart media player may select an interactive media title for the passengers as a group based on at least one of the profile data or the trip data, including one or more of a variety of games for playing with other passengers in the vehicle. The interactive media title may be configured for output by the smart media player while the passengers are sharing the common conveyance. The media player plays the interactive media title in the common conveyance enabled for interaction with the passengers during the period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2025
    Publication date: July 3, 2025
    Inventors: Gary Lake-Schaal, Arvel Chappell, III, Pamela J. Allison, Lewis Ostrover, William Zajac, Lea Carla L. Buenaventura, Genevieve Morris, Prashant Abhyankar
  • Patent number: 12280308
    Abstract: A smart media player configures interactive media customized for passengers temporarily sharing a common conveyance (e.g., an automobile or other vehicle), using programmed methods. The methods include identifying profile data for each of the passengers and trip data for the common conveyance. Then, the smart media player may select an interactive media title for the passengers as a group based on at least one of the profile data or the trip data, including one or more of a variety of games for playing with other passengers in the vehicle. The interactive media title may be configured for output by the smart media player while the passengers are sharing the common conveyance. The media player plays the interactive media title in the common conveyance enabled for interaction with the passengers during the period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Gary Lake-Schaal, Arvel Chappell, III, Pamela J. Allison, Lewis Ostrover, William Zajac, Lea Carla L. Buenaventura, Genevieve Morris, Prashant Abhyankar
  • Publication number: 20240356997
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for peer-to-peer (P2P) networks for the delivery of media content held in the peer-to-peer network to a vehicle in a local subgroup of the P2P network, and for providing an automated process for P2P networks for transferring of physical articles or electronic data package between vehicles traveling different routes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2024
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Inventors: William Zajac, Prashant Abhyankar, Gregory I. Gewickey, Rana Brahma
  • Publication number: 20240335738
    Abstract: A smart media player configures interactive media customized for passengers temporarily sharing a common conveyance (e.g., an automobile or other vehicle), using programmed methods. The methods include identifying profile data for each of the passengers and trip data for the common conveyance. Then, the smart media player may select an interactive media title for the passengers as a group based on at least one of the profile data or the trip data, including one or more of a variety of games for playing with other passengers in the vehicle. The interactive media title may be configured for output by the smart media player while the passengers are sharing the common conveyance. The media player plays the interactive media title in the common conveyance enabled for interaction with the passengers during the period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Applicant: WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Gary Lake-Schaal, Arvel Chappell, III, Pamela J. Allison, Lewis Ostrover, William Zajac, Lea Carla L. Buenaventura, Genevieve Morris
  • Publication number: 20240333997
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for personalizing a vehicle with a sensory output device include receiving, by one or more processors, a signal indicating an identity or passenger profile of a detected passenger in or boarding the vehicle, accessing preference data and geographic location data for the passenger, and selecting sensory content for delivery to the passenger in the vehicle based on the preference data and geographic location data. Methods and apparatus for producing video customized for a preference profile of a person or cohort include associating each of the stored video clips with a set of characteristic parameters relating to user-perceivable characteristics, receiving user profile data relating to the person or cohort, selecting video clips from the data structure based at least partly on the user profile data, and automatically producing a video including the preferred video clips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2024
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Inventors: Justin Herz, William Zajac, Ha Nguyen, Arvel A. Chappell, III, Gregory Gewickey, Pamela J. Allison, Rana Brahma, Prashant Abhyankar, Michael Zink, Shaun Novak
  • Patent number: 12034788
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for peer-to-peer (P2P) networks for the delivery of media content held in the peer-to-peer network to a vehicle in a local subgroup of the P2P network, and for providing an automated process for P2P networks for transferring of physical articles or electronic data package between vehicles traveling different routes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: William Zajac, Prashant Abhyankar, Gregory I. Gewickey, Rana Brahma
  • Patent number: 12015817
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for personalizing a vehicle with a sensory output device include receiving, by one or more processors, a signal indicating an identity or passenger profile of a detected passenger in or boarding the vehicle, accessing preference data and geographic location data for the passenger, and selecting sensory content for delivery to the passenger in the vehicle based on the preference data and geographic location data. Methods and apparatus for producing video customized for a preference profile of a person or cohort include associating each of stored video clips with a set of characteristic parameters relating to user-perceivable characteristics, receiving user profile data relating to the person or cohort, selecting video clips from the data structure based at least partly on the user profile data, and automatically producing a video including the preferred video clips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Justin Herz, William Zajac, Ha Nguyen, Arvell A. Chappell, III, Gregory Gewickey, Pamela J. Allison, Rana Brahma, Prashant Abhyankar, Michael Zink, Shaun Novak
  • Patent number: 11972059
    Abstract: A gesture-recognition (GR) device made to be held or worn by a user includes an electronic processor configured by program instructions in memory to recognize a gesture. The device or a cooperating system may match a gesture identifier to an action identifier for one or more target devices in a user's environment, enabling control of the target devices by user movement of the GR device in three-dimensional space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Inventors: Gregory I Gewickey, William Zajac, Ha Nguyen, Sam Maliszewski
  • Publication number: 20220224963
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for personalizing a vehicle with a sensory output device include receiving, by one or more processors, a signal indicating an identity or passenger profile of a detected passenger in or boarding the vehicle, accessing preference data and geographic location data for the passenger, and selecting sensory content for delivery to the passenger in the vehicle based on the preference data and geographic location data. Methods and apparatus for producing video customized for a preference profile of a person or cohort include associating each of stored video clips with a set of characteristic parameters relating to user-perceivable characteristics, receiving user profile data relating to the person or cohort, selecting video clips from the data structure based at least partly on the user profile data, and automatically producing a video including the preferred video clips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Inventors: Justin Herz, William Zajac, Ha Nguyen, Arvell A. Chappell, III, Gregory Gewickey, Pamela J. Allison, Rana Brahma, Prashant Abhyankar, Michael Zink, Shaun Novak
  • Publication number: 20220197398
    Abstract: A gesture-recognition (GR) device made to be held or worn by a user includes an electronic processor configured by program instructions in memory to recognize a gesture. The device or a cooperating system may match a gesture identifier to an action identifier for one or more target devices in a user's environment, enabling control of the target devices by user movement of the GR device in three-dimensional space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Gregory I Gewickey, William Zajac, Ha Nguyen, Sam Maliszewski
  • Publication number: 20220201056
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for peer-to-peer (P2P) networks for the delivery of media content held in the peer-to-peer network to a vehicle in a local subgroup of the P2P network, and for providing an automated process for P2P networks for transferring of physical articles or electronic data package between vehicles traveling different routes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: William Zajac, Prashant Abhyankar, Gregory I. Gewickey, Rana Brahma