Patents Issued in November 18, 2008
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Patent number: 7453424Abstract: A matrix display device comprises an array of addressable pixels (10) each having a display element (20) and a control circuit for controlling the operation of the display element. The control circuit includes a charge storage capacitor (36) and a photosensitive device (40) coupled to the storage capacitor for regulating charge stored on the storage capacitor (36) in accordance with light falling on the photosensitive device (40). The control circuit further comprises means for independent voltage control (42) of a gate terminal of the photosensitive device (40), preferably a phototransistor. In this way a more efficient and flexible biasing of the phototransistor is possible. The means preferably comprise a second row line (42) being connected to the gate terminal of the photosensitive device (40). This additional line allows also the use of transistors of the same polarity for this type of pixel circuit, saving additional process masks (and costs).Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2003Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Mark Thomas Johnson, Andrea Giraldo
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Patent number: 7453426Abstract: According to one feature of the invention, a display device comprises a pixel including a first sub-pixel having a first light-emitting element and a second sub-pixel having a second light-emitting element, a first source driver connected to a first source line included in the first sub-pixel, and a second source driver connected to a second source line included in the second sub-pixel. The first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel are provided over one surface of a light-transmitting substrate, and a first display region using the first sub-pixel over one surface of the substrate and a second display region using the second sub-pixel over the opposite surface the substrate are provided. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a display device that realizes sophistication and a high added value, which includes a display region in each of one and the opposite sides.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventor: Yu Yamazaki
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Patent number: 7453427Abstract: A semiconductor device in which a signal current can be written quickly in a current source circuit of a current input type. A signal current is written after performing a pre-charge operation, thus the writing is performed quickly. In the pre-charge operation, a current is supplied to a plurality of circuits. The current size is set according to the number of the circuits to be supplied the current, which means the steady state can be obtained quickly. Note that a current may be supplied to a circuit other than the one to be input a signal in the pre-charge operation.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventor: Hajime Kimura
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Patent number: 7453428Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes pixels each having an switching element, drain drivers and gate drivers for operating the switching elements and the pixels, and drain lines and gate lines supplying signals from the drain drivers and the gate drivers to the switching elements being formed on one of a pair of substrates sandwiching a liquid crystal layer. Wiring lines are formed on the one of a pair of substrates for transferring display data signals and a clock signal to the gate drivers.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yoshihiro Imajo, Tetsuro Izawa, Kimitoshi Ohgiichi, Hiroshi Okawara, Shiro Ueda, Nobuyuki Ishige, Tetsuya Kawamura, Hisashi Ishino, Fumiaki Komori
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Patent number: 7453429Abstract: A viewing-angle adjustable liquid crystal display includes a display panel and a data driver. The display panel includes several pixel units. Each pixel unit has a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel. The data driver provides a first driving voltage and a second driving voltage, respectively, to the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel. When the liquid crystal display is operated in the wide viewing-angle mode, the first and the second driving voltage of each pixel unit are substantially equal to a pixel voltage, while when the liquid crystal display is operated in the narrow viewing-angle mode, the first driving voltages corresponding to one portion of the pixel units and the second driving voltages corresponding to the other portion of the pixel units are substantially equal to a gray-level voltage.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: AU Optronics Corp.Inventors: Chih-Ming Chang, Meng-Chang Tsai
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Patent number: 7453430Abstract: A liquid crystal display and a driving method thereof. A liquid crystal is disposed between a first substrate and a second substrate, and R, G, and B color lights are sequentially applied to a plurality of pixels. A first common voltage and a first gray scale waveform corresponding to first gray scale data are applied to a first pixel in a field of a current frame, and a gray scale having a level half-way between gray scale levels of the first and second gray scale data is displayed by applying a second common voltage and a second gray scale waveform corresponding to the second gray scale data in the field of a next frame. The gray scale levels of the first and second gray scale data are different from each other by one level. By displaying gray scales having half-way levels, a milder screen having more smooth transitions between pixel intensities can be realized.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.Inventors: Jin-Woo Park, Tae-Soo Kim, Tae-Hyeog Jung
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Patent number: 7453431Abstract: A TFT panel includes (i) a plurality of signal electrodes, (ii) a plurality of scanning electrodes which cross the plurality of signal electrodes, (iii) an active element provided in a vicinity of each intersection at which one of the plurality of signal electrodes and one of the plurality of scanning electrodes cross and connected to the one of the plurality of signal electrodes and the one of the plurality of scanning electrodes, (iv) a pixel electrode driven by the active element, and (v) a counter electrode to which an AC signal is applied, and which faces the pixel electrode.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2006Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Kentaroh Ryuh
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Patent number: 7453432Abstract: In a display device of the present invention, a positive pole voltage and a negative pole voltage at which flicker is less likely to occur are calculated in advance. In memory tables, as voltages to be applied to liquid crystal, data of the positive pole voltage is stored, and, instead of the negative pole voltage, a correction value that allows for calculating the negative pole voltage when used in combination with the positive pole voltage is stored. In this way, it is possible to make appearance of the flicker less likely. In addition, it is possible to reduce memory size (specifically, by (A?B)×27 bits) and thereby reduce packaging area and attain lower cost.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yusuke Nii
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Patent number: 7453433Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display controller device and method which provides for a full and/or partial display with good display quality and/or low power consumption based on the scanning period for an active scan line being dependent upon a number of reference clock pulses. Some embodiments of the present invention include one or more of the following features: keeping the frequency substantially constant for different numbers of active scan lines, allowing change of the frequency due to characteristics of the LCD, displaying gradation with near linear effective voltage characteristics, displaying graduation data with lower power, or displaying a partial or full screen in a mobile device, for example, a cell phone.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.Inventors: Yasuyuki Kudo, Tsutomu Furuhashi, Yoshikazu Yokota, Toshimitsu Matsudo, Atsuhiro Higa
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Patent number: 7453434Abstract: A liquid crystal display device with both functions of transmission-mode display and reflection-mode display is capable of providing an improved display quality in each display mode, to thereby obtain on-screen display images of high quality in either one of the display modes. The liquid crystal display device includes a scan signal line drive circuit operable to apply a scan signal to a number of scan signal lines, an image/video signal line drive circuit which applies an image signal to a number of image signal lines, and a power supply circuit for supplying necessary voltages to the scan signal line drive circuit and image signal line drive circuit. The power supply circuit includes a counter electrode voltage generation circuit for selecting a voltage optimized for a respective display mode of the transmission mode and the reflection mode to thereby apply the selected voltage to a counter electrode.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2003Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignees: Hitachi Displays, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroyuki Takahashi, Shinya Hashimoto, Takahiro Yamada
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Patent number: 7453435Abstract: Electrochromic matrix and method of controlling the grey state of pixels in an electrochromic matrix display comprising a first set of electrodes being formed of electrically isolated conduction lines, a second set of electrodes being formed of electrically isolated conduction lines, an electrochromic material and an electrolyte being arranged between or on said first and second sets of electrodes and drive means arranged to supply drive voltages selectively to individual electrodes in said first and second sets of electrodes, said first and second sets of electrodes being arranged in a pattern such that each electrode in said first set intersect each electrode in said second set at a single location and such that electrode in said second set intersect each electrode in said first set at a single location, said intersections between the first and second sets of electrodes forming a set of pixels.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Edwards Science & TechnologyInventor: Marten Edwards
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Patent number: 7453436Abstract: A cursor control device has an input signal reader adapted to read an input signal created by movement of a surface there across, and a signal processing component adapted to process the input signal from the reader and to communicate a corresponding signal to a controller that is directly proportional to the input signal. The device remains in a substantially constant position relative to an active hand of a person when the person is using the active hand to operate a second device.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Inventor: David M. Ruiz
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Patent number: 7453437Abstract: In the electronic apparatus according to the present invention, two display units differ in size are coupled so that an edge part of one of the display units is exposed from the other display unit when the electronic apparatus is folded. An index unit is installed on the edge part and displays index tabs of data recorded in the electronic apparatus. When a user opens the folded electronic apparatus while pressing one of the index tabs, data corresponding to the designated index are extracted from the recorded data and are displayed on the display units.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Fujifilm CorporationInventor: Fuyuki Inui
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Patent number: 7453438Abstract: An information processing apparatus and method for ensuring security when a virtual keyboard is used while an image displayed on a display is disclosed to the outside are provided. According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is determined whether or not a virtual keyboard is displayed on a display (S100). If a virtual keyboard is displayed, it is determined whether or not a target character input window onto which characters are input by using the virtual keyboard is a password input window (S101). If this window is the password input window, VRAM distribution is temporarily stopped (S102). With this operation, the distribution of the image stored in the VRAM (i.e., the image displayed on the display) is stopped while a virtual input device is displayed on the display and the target character input window is the password input window.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Shuichi Okamura
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Patent number: 7453439Abstract: The disclosed System enables a small virtual keyboard on a touch-screen to be used to enter a word by contacting the keyboard on or near the key of the first letter, tracing through or near the key of each letter in sequence, and lifting the stylus from the keyboard in the vicinity of the key of the last letter. The input pattern is matched by scoring it against words in a database which includes an indication of relative frequency. A correctly spelled word is matched even when the input pattern corresponds to an incorrect spelling of a word. Words are ranked according to a score calculated from the weighted distances from each associated key to determined input path points, further weighted by the frequency of use and by other characteristics of the input path. Alternate word choices are presented to the user in a manner to minimize distraction.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Forward Input Inc.Inventors: Clifford A. Kushler, Randal J. Marsden
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Patent number: 7453440Abstract: An exemplary portable electronic device comprises a base unit, a display unit with a display unit, a hinge mechanism for pivotably attaching the display unit to the base unit, and a console assembly including a controller and a speaker. An extension portion extends from a rear end of the base unit. Two support portions extend from a lower portion of the display unit, and the display unit defines a holding space between the two support portions to receive the extension portion of the base unit. The hinge mechanism includes two fixing members attached on the extension portion, and two pivoting members respectively secured to the two support portions and pivotably mounted to the two fixing members. The display unit is pivotable between a first position where the display screen is toward the base unit and a second position where the display screen is away the base unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2006Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.Inventor: Zheng-Heng Sun
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Patent number: 7453441Abstract: A method of illuminating a computer keyboard, including: providing a keyboard with individually illuminatable keys; probabilistically determining the most likely key(s) that would be pressed next; illuminating the key(s) that are determined to be most likely pressed next while leaving keys probabilistically least likely to be pressed next unilluminated, an electronic dictionary is utilized to determine keys likely needed and the dictionary suggests keys based on running applications such that, if a calculator is running, numeric keys are illuminated and if a word processor is running, alphabet and related keys are illuminated; updating the electronic dictionary to include new words; disabling selective illumination when filling identification and password fields; providing disabling and enabling options; after time when none of the suggested keys have been pressed, automatically illuminating all keys; after additional time when none of all illuminated keys have been pressed, unilluminating all of the keys.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2008Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Dario Iorfida, Sandro Piccinini
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Patent number: 7453442Abstract: User interface systems comprising a touch screen actuator and a tactile key, in which the tactile key is placed adjacent to the touch screen actuator so that manipulation of the tactile key can be detected by the touch screen actuator. Tactile key modules that can be so placed adjacent to a touch screen actuator, and methods of producing such user interface systems, as well as, repositioning such tactile key modules, are also described.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2002Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: NCR CorporationInventor: William Douglas Poynter
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Patent number: 7453443Abstract: The invention relates to a method of deactivating the touch screen lock in a portable electronic device comprising a touch screen and means for locking the touch screen. The method comprises detecting touches on predetermined contact areas on the touch screen in a given order during touch screen lock and deactivating the touch screen lock once said touches on said predetermined contact areas are detected. The invention also relates to a portable electronic device comprising a touch screen and means for locking the touch screen. The device comprises means for detecting touches on predetermined contact areas on the touch screen in a given order during touch screen lock and deactivating the touch screen lock once said touches on said predetermined contact areas are detected.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2003Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Nokia CorporationInventors: Markku Rytivaara, Mika Mustonen, Timo Tokkonen
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Patent number: 7453444Abstract: The present invention provides a touch sensor system that distinguishes from among distinct users. As a vehicle touch sensor system, the present invention provides a touch sensor accessible from a driver position and a passenger position, a first contact point driven with a first signal and associated with the driver position, a second contact point driven with a second signal and associated with the passenger position, and a processor configured to discern users in the driver position touching the touch sensor from users in the passenger position touching the touch sensor based on detection of the first or second signals on the touch sensor. For example, the vehicle touch sensor system can be a navigation system. Distinguishing the driver from the passenger can allow touch inputs from the driver to be disabled when the vehicle is in motion, for example.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties CompanyInventor: Bernard O. Geaghan
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Patent number: 7453445Abstract: An electro-optic display is driven using a plurality of different drive schemes. The waveforms of the drive schemes are chosen such that the absolute value of the net impulse applied to a pixel for all homogeneous and heterogeneous irreducible loops divided by the number of transitions in the loop is less than about 20 percent of the characteristic impulse (i.e., the average of the absolute values of the impulses required to drive a pixel between its two extreme optical states).Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2006Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: E Ink CorproationInventor: Karl R. Amundson
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Patent number: 7453446Abstract: A system and method for providing an electronic device with a plurality of buttons thereon that can be actuated by a user using either the user's fingers or a stylus, for example. The buttons include a first portion and a second portion with the first portion of the buttons being separately actuable from the second portion of the buttons. This permits different functions to be performed by the button depending upon whether the first portion or the second portion of the button is actuated.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Nokia CorporationInventor: Mikko Nurmi
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Patent number: 7453447Abstract: An interactive apparatus is disclosed. The interactive apparatus has an audio recording mode and an audio playback mode. Further, the interactive apparatus includes a writing tool for manually writing on an encoded writing medium, an audio input device for recording audio, an audio output device for playing the recorded audio. Moreover, the interactive apparatus has an optical unit for determining position on the encoded writing medium of the writing tool and for recognizing information on the encoded writing medium, wherein recognition of a recording-enabling graphical element on the encoded writing medium activates the audio recording mode and enables time-synchronization of creation of writing on the encoded writing medium with the writing tool and recording of the audio, and further wherein recognition of a playback-enabling graphical element on the encoded writing medium activates the audio playback mode and enables multiple techniques to control playback of the recorded audio.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.Inventors: James Marggraff, Alexander Chisholm
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Patent number: 7453448Abstract: A user interface for a mobile device includes an input sensor having one degree of freedom operable by the user to generate a sensor signal, a screen having a two-dimensional surface showing a graphical user interface object, a processor coupled to the sensor and to the screen to actuate the graphical user interface object along the two actuated axis, and a sensor adapter software module executed by the processor to adapt the sensor signal to actuate the graphical user interface object along both actuated axis. The adapter software module selectively drives the sensor signal to actuate the graphical user interface object along the first actuated axis, to actuate the graphical user interface object along the second actuated axis, and to change actuated axis.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2006Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Research In Motion LimitedInventor: Arun Munje
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Patent number: 7453449Abstract: A method of displaying an image with a display device having a plurality of defective pixels is provided. The method comprises selecting an offset between a first sub-frame and a second sub-frame using information associated with the plurality of defective pixels, generating the first sub-frame and the second sub-frame using image data for the image, adjusting a first sub-frame pixel value in the first sub-frame associated with one of the plurality of defective pixels, and alternating between displaying the first sub-frame in a first position and displaying the second sub-frame in a second position, the second position displaced from the first position by an amount defined by the offset.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Robert A. Ulichney, Niranjan Damera-Venkata, Daniel R. Tretter
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Patent number: 7453450Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus is constituted whereby multiple source driver circuits provided with a driver IC are connected to the periphery of a liquid crystal display panel, and power supply voltages supplied from the outside are sequentially supplied from a specific source driver circuit to an adjacent source driver circuit, and a wire resistance calculation wire is formed for the driver IC in the voltage supply direction upstream, and is approximately equivalent to the signal wires extending from the upstream driver IC to the adjacent driver IC in the voltage supply direction downstream. The driver IC calculates the wire resistance by impressing a certain calculated voltage to one end of the wire resistance calculation wire, and then detects the voltage on the other end, calculates the amounts of the drop in voltage level based on the calculated wire resistance, and outputs the power supply voltages increased by the calculated respective amounts of the voltage drop to the downstream driver IC.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yutaka Sano, Satoshi Morita
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Patent number: 7453451Abstract: A moveable headrest is mounted on or with respect to a support for supporting a user in viewing images in a standing, seated, or reclining posture. The headrest is for supporting the head of the user in executing head movements with a changing direction-of-view. A display mounted with respect to the user's head provides the images. An actuator can be provided for moving the moveable headrest for a passive user. A sensor can be provided for sensing movements of the moveable headrest, i.e., for sensing said movements from a changing direction. The moveable headrest apparatus may include either or both the actuator and the sensor.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2000Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Inventor: Francis J. Maguire, Jr.
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Patent number: 7453452Abstract: A system comprises a display (1) with a substrate (16) and a carrier (2). The display (1) comprises pixels (11) and display conductors (12) which supply display signals (DS) to the pixels (11). The carrier (2) comprises carrier conductors (20) for carrying input signals (IS). The display conductors (12) and the carrier conductors (20) are positioned with respect to each other to obtain capacitors (C) between corresponding ones of the display conductors (12) and the carrier conductors (20) to capacitively transfer the input signals (IS) on the carrier conductors (20) to the display conductors (12).Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2003Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Polymer Vision LimitedInventors: Hjalmar Edzer Ayco Huitema, Peter Albert Cirkel, Eugenio Cantatore
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Patent number: 7453453Abstract: A conventional setting voltage was a value with an estimated margin of a characteristic change of a light emitting element. Therefore, a voltage between the source and drain of a driver transistor Vds had to be set high (Vds?Vgs?VTh+a). This caused high heat generation and power consumption because a voltage applied to the light emitting element. The invention is characterized by feedbacking a change in a current value in accordance with the deterioration of a light emitting element and a power source voltage controller which modifies a setting voltage. Namely, according to the invention, the setting voltage is to be set in the vicinity of the boundary (critical part) between a saturation region and a linear region, and a voltage margin for the deterioration is not required particularly for an initial setting voltage.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2007Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keisuke Miyagawa, Jun Koyama
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Patent number: 7453454Abstract: A display system includes a display device and a data processing module. The display device is configured to display an image and has a processing profile associated therewith. The data processing module is remote from and operatively coupled to the display device and is configured to receive input image data for the image to be displayed and generate processed image data from the input image data based on the processing profile of the display device.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: William J. Allen, James R Cole, Steven L. Harper, Karsten N. Wilson, Scott A Lerner, Anurag Gupta, Jon A. Brewster
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Patent number: 7453455Abstract: A method and apparatus removing redundant data of a simple texture model, using an extended depth image, and an image-based editing method and apparatus. The method involves calculating normal vectors of pixels projected into a three-dimensional (3D) space by using depth images among a plurality of simple texture images, the plurality of simple texture images rendering different aspects of a 3D model; calculating reliabilities of the pixels of each of the simple texture images by using the calculated normal vectors; and comparing the reliabilities of the pixels that originate from different simple texture images but render the same portion of the 3D model and removing the pixels having low reliabilities from the different simple texture images from which they respectively originate.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: In-kyu Park, Joo-yeon Han, Mahn-jin Han, Alexey Victorovich Ignatenko, Anton Konouchine, Leonid Ivanovich Levkovich-Maslyuk
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Patent number: 7453456Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying the contour of an object that is depicted in an image. An object is placed on a rotating turntable and a camera, which is stationary, captures images of the object as it rotates on the turntable. In one pass, the system captures a number of photographic images that will be processed into image silhouettes. After a calibration procedure (used to determine the camera's focal length and the turntable's axis of rotation), a silhouette processing module determines a set of two-dimensional polygon shapes (silhouette contour polygons) that describe the contours of the object by comparing light intensity values in the images of the object with light intensity values from an image of the background without the object.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2006Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Enliven Marketing Technologies CorporationInventors: Michael Petrov, Alexander Migdal, Alexei Lebedev, Veronika Shelyekhova, Leonid Polonskiy, Vadim Abadjev
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Patent number: 7453457Abstract: Computer graphics systems, devices and methods adapted to enable display and/or storage of human-perceptible images on a display, device include an arrangement for generating a coarse level mesh representing a surface, from a finer level mesh surface representation. The arrangement includes an indicator value generator and a coarse level mesh generator. The indicator value generator, for respective ones of the points in the finer level mesh surface representation, evaluates an indicator function, the value indicating whether a subdivision-inverse filter methodology or a least-squares optimization methodology is to be used to determine a position for the corresponding point in the coarse level mesh representation.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2007Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Mental Images GmbHInventor: Silviu Borac
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Patent number: 7453458Abstract: A method is provided for multi-pass semitransparent processing having three passes. The method provides for displaying image data about a plurality of objects including opaque objects and semitransparent objects on a computer display screen by using an updatable Z-buffer as a storage, utilizing information about a depth direction for each object. A hardware resource capable of implementing the multi-pass method is also disclosed. The hardware resource, for example, is implemented as a drawing apparatus which can display image data about a plurality of objects including opaque objects and semitransparent objects on a computer display screen, utilizing information about a depth direction for each object.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 1999Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Haruo Komooka, Kazuhiko Hasegawa
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Patent number: 7453459Abstract: Methods and apparatus for 3-D image compositing. The compositing system can be used to render 3-D objects together to a scene, to combine together separately rendered 3-D objects in a scene including previously rendered objects, or to render some objects together while separately rendering and combining together other objects in a scene. The system correctly handles image processing effects including anti-alias, motion-blur and depth-of-field effects in all regions of the scene, including regions where the objects within the scene intersect. The resulting scenes have the same high image quality regardless of which image objects are rendered together and which are later combined or composited to the final image.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2002Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Adobe Systems IncorporatedInventor: Jonathan Shekter
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Patent number: 7453460Abstract: A computer graphics system generates a pixel value for a pixel in an image, the pixel being representative of a point in a scene as recorded on an image plane of a simulated camera. The computer graphics system comprises a sample point generator and a function evaluator. The sample point generator is configured to generate a set of sample points representing at least one simulated element of the simulated camera, the sample points representing elements of, illustratively, for sample points on the image plane, during time intervals during which the shutter is open, and on the lens, a Hammersley sequence, and, for use in global illumination, a scrambled Halton sequence. The function evaluator is configured to generate at least one value representing an evaluation of a selected function at sample points generated by the sample point generator, those values corresponding to the pixel value.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2006Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Mental Images GmbHInventor: Alexander Keller
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Patent number: 7453461Abstract: A computer graphics system generates a pixel value for a pixel in an image and displays a human-perceptible image on an LCD CRT or other display device based on an electrical output generated in response to the pixel value, the pixel being representative of a point in a scene as recorded on an image plane of a simulated camera, the computer graphics system being configured to generate the pixel value for an image using a selected ray-tracing methodology in which simulated rays are shot from respective ones of a plurality of subpixels in the pixel each subpixel having coordinates in the image plane. The computer graphics system comprises a sample point generator and a function evaluator.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2007Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Mental Images GmbHInventor: Alexander Keller
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Patent number: 7453462Abstract: Apparatus and methods of selecting special characters in a mobile communication terminal are provided. The method includes storing a set of European alphabet letters in a memory, inputting an alphabet letter to be converted in a European alphabet letter, determining a mode conversion key has been activated, displaying a plurality of European alphabet letters corresponding to the inputted alphabet letter on a pop-up window when it is determined that the mode conversion key has been activated, wherein the European alphabet letters are read from the memory, and selecting a desired one of the displayed European alphabet letters.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventor: Sung Bong You
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Patent number: 7453463Abstract: A character within a font is enlarged to a desired size by first determining whether the font contains existing or predefined variants of the character having the desired size. If no appropriately sized variant exists, the enlarged character is assembled from a plurality of component glyphs that are stored with the font, wherein the component glyphs include an extender that may be duplicated within the assembled character in order to achieve the desired size. In one embodiment, the font includes tables containing records of the enlarged variants for a particular character, as well as part records for the component glyphs used to assemble the enlarged character.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2007Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Andrei Burago, Sergey Genkin, Sergey Z. Malkin, Victor E. Kozyrev
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Patent number: 7453464Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for modifying the appearance of a text object. A modification hierarchy includes a plurality of modifiers, selection functions, and/or property operations. Each modifier includes one or more selection functions and one or more property operations. Each selection function defines a selection of at least a portion of one or more text units in a text object. Each property operation specifies an operation to be performed to modify one or more properties for text units in the selection. The modification hierarchy is defined by logical relationships between the modifiers, the selection functions and the property operations. The modification hierarchy is applied to the text object to modify the specified properties for the text units in the selection according to the selection functions and the property operations.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2003Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Adobe Systems IncorporatedInventor: James Acquavella
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Patent number: 7453465Abstract: A portable graphics encoder connects with one or more protocol decoder devices based on a particular communication protocol. The portable graphics encoder is not specific to any particular operating system. The portable graphics encoder receives protocol decoder device commands such as input instructions that determine higher-level graphics commands that are sent to the one or more protocol decoder devices. The higher-level graphics commands are extracted from graphics sources such as application programs. The portable graphics encoder encodes the higher-level graphics commands according to a format defined by the communication protocol, and the encoded higher-level graphics commands are sent to the one or more protocol decoder devices.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Wilhelm R. Schmieder, Ido Ben-Shachar, Joy Chik, John E. Parsons
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Patent number: 7453466Abstract: Methods, systems and data structures produce a rasterizer. A graphical state is detected on a machine architecture. The graphical state is used for assembling a shell rasterizer. The machine architecture is used for selecting replacement logic that replaces portions of shell logic in the shell rasterizer. The machine architecture is used for selectively inserting memory management logic into portions of the shell logic to produce.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: William A. Hux, Stephen Junkins
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Patent number: 7453467Abstract: A method for a dominant color setting of a video region and a data structure and a method of a confidence measure extraction are disclosed. The video region dominant color setting method is characterized in that a region dominant color descriptor is expressed by the number of dominant colors with respect to a certain region, a dominant color expressed, a frequency that the dominant color appears, and an accuracy of a color value representing the region in a region dominant color based on various region dominant color extraction methods, for thereby expressing a region dominant color using a plurality of colors with respect to a region dominant color value and a confidence value of a region dominant color information based on various region dominant color feature extracting methods.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventor: Hyeon Jun Kim
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Patent number: 7453468Abstract: A method for preserving color information in a black and white version of a color image includes the analysis of the color image. The analysis comprises a search for conflicting colors. Conflicting colors are colors that are normally transformed to the same gray level in a black and white version of the image. One embodiment, working in a CIELAB color space includes the use of a three dimensional histogram for detecting predominant colors having the same luminance. Such colors are classified as conflicting colors. Modulations are added to the gray scale versions of conflicting colors in order to make them distinguishable. Modulation is only applied to conflicting colors thereby minimizing any deleterious effect and allowing the method to be applied in a “walk up mode” of an image processor.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2000Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventor: James M. Ziobro
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Patent number: 7453469Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide an image display mode for displays, such as a television, that do not use the entire display field for displaying an image. A user selectable modification of the image display is provided, where the image may be stepped a predefined column of pixels, or predefined row of pixels, depending on viewing format, at a time at a very slow rate. The image may be stepped a predefined column of pixels per predefined time period until it is entirely to one side of the display, at which point it may be slowly stepped back to the other side of the display.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2004Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Paul E. Stevenson, Richard A. Klinger
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Patent number: 7453470Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for anti-aliasing scan conversion. In one aspect of the invention, an exemplary method to scan convert an image on a data processing system includes: sampling the image in a first direction to generate first signals for points along a second line in a second direction using a closed form solution for a convolution integral with a first kernel; and weighting the first signals for the points according to a second kernel in the second direction to generate a second signal for a pixel. In one example according to this aspect, the closed form solution is tabulated in a look up table. After entries are looked up from the look up table according to the image along a first line in the first direction on a first point of the points, the entries are combined to generate one of the first signals for the first point.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2002Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Ralph Brunner
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Patent number: 7453471Abstract: The invention provides a service providing system which allows the user to easily receive service, which allows the user to receive not only information providing service but a variety of services, and which can flexibly handle a change in condition. The invention can include a virtual-object management apparatus that associates object information related to the shape and the location of a virtual object with service information and stores them, and sends the object information and the service information stored in a virtual-object management database to a digital camera in response to a transmission request sent from the digital camera. When the digital camera determines, from the obtained location information and the received object information, that the digital camera is disposed in the inside area of the virtual object identified by the shape and location of the virtual object, it can execute an action corresponding to the virtual object, according to the received service information.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2002Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Yoshiki Fukui, Shinya Taniguchi, Naruhide Kitada
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Patent number: 7453472Abstract: A method and system for visually annotating an image. Annotations and notes to images, such as digital medical and healthcare images, may be stored in a structured vector representation alongside image information in a single, non-volatile and portable file or in a separate file from the image. The annotations may be composed of point, line and polygon drawings and text symbols, labels or definitions and captions or descriptions. The annotations may be structured in a manner that facilitates grouping and manipulation as user defined groups. The annotations may be related to an image but not inextricably bound such that the original image is completely preserved. Annotations may further be selectively displayed on the image for context appropriate viewing. The annotations may be retrieved for purposes such as editing, printing, display, indexing and reporting for example, and may be displayed on an image for interactive use with an embedded self-contained user interface.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2003Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: University of Utah Research FoundationInventors: Patricia Anne Goede, Jason R. Lauman, Christopher Cochella
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Patent number: 7453473Abstract: A method and apparatus for high-performance rendering and hit-testing of a window tree is provided. A window tree may be rendered using an application programming interface provided by the present invention. The application programming interface provides support for world-transforms, enabling entire sub-trees of the window tree to be rotated and scaled during rendering. In order to quickly render and hit-test the transformed nodes of the window tree, a stack-based implementation of the “painter's algorithm” is utilized to achieve fast rendering. By storing all state information on a stack regarding each node in the window tree and building new data structures containing rendering information for each node and its children, any portion of the sub tree may be rendered on demand.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2005Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Jeffrey E Stall
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Patent number: 7453474Abstract: Vector graphics may be flexibly resized. Pins are associated with vector graphics control points, and when a canvas is resized, the pin locations are scaled according to the canvas resizing, and the control points associated with the pin are scaled according to a different positioning scheme. Pins may be fixed in location relative to the pin location, or may scale only in one direction. Control points not associated with a pin are scaled according to the canvas resizing. Other embodiments allow regions to be defined, in which control points are governed by a different positioning scheme, or allow a grid lines to be drawn defining the canvas into slices, where each slice is assigned a specific positioning scheme.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2003Date of Patent: November 18, 2008Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Peter Faraday, Charles Robert Stoner, Joseph Stephen Beda, Kenneth Young, Bo Zhang