Patents by Inventor Yoshiteru Kamatani

Yoshiteru Kamatani 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: 20120027398
    Abstract: A lens module includes: a lens forming an image of an object; a lens holder to hold an outer peripheral side of the lens to allow reciprocal movement in an optical axis direction of the lens; a housing at least one end side of which is opened, which includes a cylindrical receiving part having an inner surface, one surface of which, at a lateral side, contacts one surface of the lens holder at the lateral side perpendicular to the optical axis direction, and which receives the lens holder in the receiving part to allow reciprocal movement in the optical axis direction of the lens and in a sliding state; and an actuator part including a movable part which is displaced by a displacement amount corresponding to a level of an applied drive voltage and reciprocates the lens holder received in the housing between a first position and a second position in the optical axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiteru KAMATANI, Takehisa Ishida, Nobuyuki Nagai, Yusaku Kato
  • Patent number: 8107771
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image-processing apparatus. The apparatus includes: a taken-image acquisition section configured to acquire a taken image; and a to-be-processed area setting section configured to carry out an analysis on a taken image acquired by the taken-image acquisition section and configured to use the pixel area of a photographed-subject image of a specific type in the taken image as a to-be-processed area of an image conversion process in accordance with the size of the photographed-subject image if a result of the analysis indicates that the photographed-subject image exists in the taken image. The apparatus further includes an image conversion section configured to carry out the image conversion process on the photographed-subject image with the pixel area thereof used as the to-be-processed area in order to generate a post-conversion image obtained as a result of the image conversion process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichiro Sako, Masamichi Asukai, Itaru Kawakami, Masaaki Tsuruta, Nozomu Ozaki, Hirotaka Sakaguchi, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Hidehiko Sekizawa, Akane Sano, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Kouichi Matsuda
  • Patent number: 8077209
    Abstract: An imaging preventing apparatus includes imaging means for obtaining an imaged image signal by performing imaging processing, image analyzing means for performing image analyzing processing on the imaged image signal obtained by the imaging means, imaging preventing operation performing means for performing a preventing operation against imaging by a different camera system, and control means for determining the possibility of being imaged by a different camera system based on the analysis result information by the image analyzing means and, if it is determined that there is a possibility of being imaged, causing the imaging preventing operation performing means to perform the preventing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiteru Kamatani, Nozomu Ozaki, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Hidehiko Sekizawa, Akane Sano, Hirotaka Sakaguchi, Yoichiro Sako
  • Patent number: 8055246
    Abstract: There is provided an information delivery apparatus including a receiving portion to receive location information of a mobile communication terminal at a given time and acquired date and time of the location information from the terminal, an event information storage portion to store event information including an event place, date and time, a delivery terminal selecting portion to select the mobile communication terminal to which the event information is to be delivered based on the location information and the acquired date and time of the location information and on the event place, date and time, and an event information delivery portion to deliver the event information to the selected mobile communication terminal. The delivery terminal selecting portion selects the mobile communication terminal whose location indicated by location information is within a predetermined range and whose acquired date and time of the location information are before the event date and time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Takehara, Yoichiro Sako, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Akane Sano, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Kazunori Hayashi, Takayasu Kon, Yasunori Kamada
  • Patent number: 7894147
    Abstract: A lens module includes: an optical element focusing a subject on an imaging device; a driver moving the optical element forward and backward along the optical axis direction when electric power is applied; and a holding section holding the optical element in at least two positions along the optical axis direction when the driver moves the optical element forward and backward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Woojung Kim, Yoshiteru Kamatani
  • Publication number: 20110013289
    Abstract: A driver includes: a first member that holds a lens; a second member to which the first member is fixed; and drive means for driving the second member, wherein a portion in which at least part of the drive means is accommodated is provided in the side surface of the second member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiteru KAMATANI, Kazuhiro SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20110008034
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: a first member that holds a lens; a second member to which the first member is fixed; and drive means for driving the second member in the vertical direction relative to an imaging plane of an imaging device, wherein the first member has diameters different from each other and a portion having a small diameter has a portion that engages the second member, and the drive means is disposed in a space created by the difference between the different diameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiteru KAMATANI, Kazuhiro SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20100138154
    Abstract: Disclosed is an information display method whereby an information processing apparatus displays a map on a display screen such that a cursor is displayed at a position measured as the current position of a position indication object on the map. The method includes the steps of, when the moving speed of the position indication object is equal to or less than a threshold speed, scrolling the map on the display screen in accordance with the movement of the position indication object in a first display mode, and when the moving speed of the position indication object is greater than the threshold speed, fixing the map on the display screen in a second display mode or reducing the speed of scrolling the map on the display screen so that the scrolling speed is less than that in the first display mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takayasu Kon, Yoichiro Sako, Yasunori Kamada, Kazunori Hayashi, Masamichi Asukai, Akane Sano, Akinobu Sugino, Taiji Ito, Yoshiteru Kamatani
  • Publication number: 20100067130
    Abstract: A lens module includes: an optical element focusing a subject on an imaging device; a driver moving the optical element forward and backward along the optical axis direction when electric power is applied; and a holding section holding the optical element in at least two positions along the optical axis direction when the driver moves the optical element forward and backward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Woojung Kim, Yoshiteru Kamatani
  • Publication number: 20090247216
    Abstract: A communication system includes: sender-side communication equipment including a detection unit configured to detect information indicating the condition of a user, and a transmission unit configured to transmit information indicating the condition of the user detected through the detection unit to a communication partner; and receiver-side communication equipment including a reception unit configured to receive information indicating the condition of the user transmitted from the sender-side communication equipment, a notification unit configured to notify the condition corresponding to the condition of the user received through the reception unit, and a control unit configured to control the notification unit based on information indicating the condition of the user received through the reception unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiteru KAMATANI, Masamichi ASUKAI, Taiji ITO, Yoichiro SAKO, Akane SANO, Akinobu SUGINO
  • Publication number: 20090187597
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing device capable of communicating with a purchase history storage device for storing purchase history data and a display device, the information processing device including a storage unit for storing user image data and property data; a communication unit; a purchase history data acquiring unit for acquiring the purchase history data; a property data recording unit for generating and recording the property data based on the purchase history data; a property data updating unit for updating the property data to property data including a second property image represented with a time interval from when the user purchased the property until present based on the property data and time information; and a display data generating unit for generating display data shown with the user image and an image of the property according to the display request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2009
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasunori Kamada, Yoichiro Sako, Kazunori Hayashi, Takayasu Kon, Takashi Fukushima, Masamichi Asukai, Akane Sano, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Mitsuru Takehara
  • Publication number: 20090156234
    Abstract: A guide information providing system including terminal and server devices, comprising: a specified location acceptance unit in the terminal device, to accept input of a specified location; a display unit in the terminal device, to display information; a storing unit, in the server device, to store guide information classified by position wherein guide information including time-of-day information, and position information, of an object of guiding, are correlated; an information selecting unit to select guide information correlated with position information indicating the position corresponding to the specified location based on the content of specified location information accepted by the specified location acceptance unit, and the guide information classified by position, and satisfies a time-of-day condition with at least the current time-of-day and thereafter as reference; and a display control unit in the terminal device, configured to control the display unit to provide the guide information selected by
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoichiro Sako, Mitsuru Takehara, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Akane Sano, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Takayasu Kon, Yasunori Kamada, Kazunori Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20090136909
    Abstract: An interpersonal relationship evaluation method includes the steps of: obtaining position information obtained at each of the two or more terminal devices over a plurality of points in time; and calculating a mean value of distance between the respective terminal devices with a point in time as a target wherein a predetermined condition holds to obtain the mean value as an interpersonal relationship evaluation value regarding each terminal device user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2008
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Akane Sano, Kazunori Hayashi, Takayasu Kon, Yasunori Kamada, Mitsuru Takehara, Yoichiro Sako, Yoshiteru Kamatani
  • Publication number: 20090115617
    Abstract: An information provision system includes a terminal device, and an information provision device that can communicate with the terminal device. The information provision device includes a communicating section configured to communicate with the terminal device, a head count information managing section configured to manage current head count information for each position, and a crowd information generating section configured to determine a position for making a notification display based on the managed head count information, and generate crowd information containing information of the determined position, and a transmission control section configured to transmit the generated crowd information from the communicating section to the terminal device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akane Sano, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Kazunori Hayashi, Takayasu Kon, Yasunori Kamada, Mitsuru Takehara, Yoichiro Sako
  • Publication number: 20090073286
    Abstract: An image-pickup apparatus includes an image-pickup section that picks up images to obtain picked-up-image-data items, a temporarily retaining section that temporarily retains the picked-up-image-data items, a storage-process section that performs a storage process on the picked-up-image-data items, a movement-detecting section that detects a movement of the image-pickup apparatus, an operation section that performs a shutter operation, and a control section that causes the temporarily retaining section to retain picked-up-image-data items in a shutter-operation period, that selects, on the basis of detection results obtained by the movement-detecting section in the shutter-operation period, a picked-up-image-data item from among the retained picked-up-image-data items, and that causes the storage-process section to perform the storage process on the selected picked-up-image-data item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akinobu Sugino, Nozomu Ozaki, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Hidehiko Sekizawa, Akane Sano, Hirotaka Sakaguchi, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Yoichiro Sako, Itaru Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20090070029
    Abstract: There is provided an information delivery apparatus including an event information storage portion to store event information including a place, date and time of an event held in a predetermined place on predetermined date and time, a location information receiving portion to receive location information indicating a current location of a mobile communication terminal, a travel time calculating portion to calculate a necessary travel time from the current location of the terminal to the event place based on the location information, a delivery time determining portion to determine a delivery time of the event information to the terminal based on the necessary travel time, and an event information delivery portion to deliver the event information to the terminal at the delivery time. The delivery time determining portion determines the delivery time so that the interval between the delivery time and the event time is longer than the necessary travel time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Takehara, Yoichiro Sako, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Akane Sano, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Kazunori Hayashi, Takayasu Kon, Yasunori Kamada
  • Publication number: 20090068992
    Abstract: There is provided an information delivery apparatus including a receiving portion to receive location information of a mobile communication terminal at a given time and acquired date and time of the location information from the terminal, an event information storage portion to store event information including an event place, date and time, a delivery terminal selecting portion to select the mobile communication terminal to which the event information is to be delivered based on the location information and the acquired date and time of the location information and on the event place, date and time, and an event information delivery portion to deliver the event information to the selected mobile communication terminal. The delivery terminal selecting portion selects the mobile communication terminal whose location indicated by location information is within a predetermined range and whose acquired date and time of the location information are before the event date and time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Takehara, Yoichiro Sako, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Akane Sano, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Kazunori Hayashi, Takayasu Kon, Yasunori Kamada
  • Publication number: 20090033756
    Abstract: An imaging preventing apparatus includes imaging means for obtaining an imaged image signal by performing imaging processing, image analyzing means for performing image analyzing processing on the imaged image signal obtained by the imaging means, imaging preventing operation performing means for performing a preventing operation against imaging by a different camera system, and control means for determining the possibility of being imaged by a different camera system based on the analysis result information by the image analyzing means and, if it is determined that there is a possibility of being imaged, causing the imaging preventing operation performing means to perform the preventing operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiteru Kamatani, Nozomu Ozaki, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Hidehiko Sekizawa, Akane Sano, Hirotaka Sakaguchi, Yoichiro Sako
  • Publication number: 20090016645
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image-processing apparatus. The apparatus includes: a taken-image acquisition section configured to acquire a taken image; and a to-be-processed area setting section configured to carry out an analysis on a taken image acquired by the taken-image acquisition section and configured to use the pixel area of a photographed-subject image of a specific type in the taken image as a to-be-processed area of an image conversion process in accordance with the size of the photographed-subject image if a result of the analysis indicates that the photographed-subject image exists in the taken image. The apparatus further includes an image conversion section configured to carry out the image conversion process on the photographed-subject image with the pixel area thereof used as the to-be-processed area in order to generate a post-conversion image obtained as a result of the image conversion process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichiro Sako, Masamichi Asukai, Itaru Kawakami, Masaaki Tsuruta, Nozomu Ozaki, Hirotaka Sakaguchi, Taiji Ito, Akinobu Sugino, Hidehiko Sekizawa, Akane Sano, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Kouichi Matsuda
  • Publication number: 20080316339
    Abstract: A picture imaging apparatus includes: an imaging means for imaging a subject picture to acquire taken picture data; a storage processing means for performing a storage process of taken picture data acquired by the imaging means; a motion detecting means for detecting motion of the picture imaging apparatus itself; a manipulating means for manipulating a shutter; and a control means for instructing the imaging means to perform a process in accordance with a shutter manipulation at a timing based on a result detected in the motion detecting means during a period during which the shutter is being manipulated by the manipulating means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akinobu Sugino, Nozomu Ozaki, Masamichi Asukai, Taiji Ito, Hidehiko Sekizawa, Akane Sano, Hirotaka Sakaguchi, Yoshiteru Kamatani, Yoichiro Sako, Itaru Kawakami