Patents Issued in March 11, 2014
  • Patent number: 8669943
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses an object position detector. The object position detector comprises a touch sensor formed as a closed loop and having a physical constraint formed on an upper surface of the touch sensor and coextensive with the closed loop. The touch sensor is configured to sense motion of an object proximate to the closed loop. The object position detector also comprises a processor coupled to the touch sensor and is programmed to generate an action in response to the motion on the touch sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Synaptics Incoporated
    Inventors: Raymond A. Trent, Jr., Scott J. Shaw, David W. Gillespie, Christopher Heiny, Mark A. Huie
  • Patent number: 8669944
    Abstract: An electronic touch panel includes a plurality of spaced apart first sensor plates that are arranged in a first direction on a first planar layer. A proximity sensor plate is spaced apart from and attached to the first planar layer. The proximity sensor plate has a greater surface area than a plurality of the first sensor plates. A position detection circuit is configured to electrically charge the first sensor plates to generate capacitive coupling to an adjacent user object and to detect therefrom a location of the user object relative to the first direction across the first planar layer. The position detection circuit is further configured to electrically charge the proximity sensor plate to generate a higher level of capacitive coupling to the user object than a plurality of the first sensor plates and to detect therefrom a proximity of the user object relative to a direction away from the first planar layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications AB
    Inventors: Gunnar Klinghult, Paul Leonard Futter
  • Patent number: 8669945
    Abstract: Various embodiments related to a hand-held mobile computing device are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises a hand-held mobile computing device having a touch-sensitive display forming a surface of the hand-held mobile computing device configured to receive touch input. The hand-held mobile computing device further comprises a processor and memory comprising code executable by the processor to display a scrollable list of items in a first content viewing mode having a first set of content for each of the items in the scrollable list, to detect a dynamic multi-touch gesture over the scrollable list of items, and to change the scrollable list of items to a second content viewing mode responsive to detection of the dynamic multi-touch gesture, wherein the second content viewing mode comprises a second set of content for each item in the scrollable list of items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Nicole Coddington
  • Patent number: 8669946
    Abstract: A method includes detecting a first touch at a first location and a second touch at a second location on a touch-sensitive display, determining a first force value by a first sensor and a second force value by a second sensor, wherein the first force value and the second force value are determined at a time when the first touch and the second touch are both detected, and determining a first applied force value for the first touch and a second applied force value for the second touch based on the first force value and the second force value and based on the first location and the second location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventor: Kuo-Feng Tong
  • Patent number: 8669947
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus according to the present invention including a detection unit for detecting a moving direction and a moving amount of a finger on an operation panel, and a moving control unit for changing the moving amount of an object on a display unit for a finger's unit moving amount depending on the moving direction of the finger which moves the object displayed on the display unit. According to the present invention, the moving amount of the object within a display region changes based on the moving direction of the finger to be operated on the operation panel. In this manner, the object moving amount is corrected depending on the finger moving direction, thereby eliminating the factors for reducing the operability during the object moving operation and improving the operability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihito Sawai
  • Patent number: 8669948
    Abstract: A mobile terminal includes a front housing made of a light-transmitting material and provided with edge parts, at least one of which is rounded or bent to be inclined which causes optical illusions so as to provide visual mystique. A display unit is provided under the front housing. A circuit substrate is provided under the display unit. A rear housing is provided to accommodate the display unit and the circuit substrate together with the front housing. A middle housing is provided between the front housing and the rear housing. The middle housing includes a receipt part to accommodate the display unit, and boundary parts connecting the receipt part and edge parts of the middle housing and disposed under the edge parts of the front housing. The edge part of the middle housing is protruded from the boundary part of the middle housing in a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Chang Jae Kim, Sang Min Park, Seung Geun Lim, Hyun Lee, Kyoung Yong Kim, Tae Wha Choi, Young Tae Im, Sung Hee Han, Da Na Jung
  • Patent number: 8669949
    Abstract: An apparatus having a touch sensor able to detect the touch of a tip of a digit of a user, having a conductive ring able to detect the approach of the tip towards the touch sensor, having a motion sensor to sense movement of a casing the apparatus, and having components of a controller to place the apparatus in one of a lower power mode after a predetermined period of inactivity has elapsed, a partial power mode in response to an indication of the approach of a tip of a digit, and a higher power state to detect touching of the touch sensor by a tip of a digit. Other forms of proximity detectors may be employed in place of the conductive ring, or the conductive ring may be replaced by one or more elongate conductors positioned about one or more sides of the periphery of a touch-sensitive surface of the touch sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Barry V. Cipriano, Christopher D. Vincent, Bojan Rip, Santiago Carvajal, John Michael Sakalowsky
  • Patent number: 8669950
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, for use in conjunction with a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, comprises displaying at least a portion of a structured electronic document on the touch screen display, wherein the structured electronic document comprises a plurality of boxes of content, and detecting a first gesture at a location on the displayed portion of the structured electronic document. A first box in the plurality of boxes at the location of the first gesture is determined. The first box on the touch screen display is enlarged and substantially centered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Forstall, Greg Christie, Stephen O. Lemay, Imran Chaudhri, Richard Williamson, Chris Blumenberg, Marcel van Os, Andre M. J. Boule
  • Patent number: 8669951
    Abstract: An optical touch panel includes a substrate, a single planar light generator, at least a retro reflector device, and a single photo sensor array. The substrate has a surface. The single planar light generator is disposed outside the surface of the substrate for generating a planar light, where the illuminating range of the planar light covers the range of the surface of the substrate. The retro reflector device is disposed on a side of the substrate for reflecting the planar light. The single photo sensor array is disposed outside the surface of the substrate for sensing the reflected planar light and generating reflected light distribution information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: AU Optronics Corp.
    Inventors: Hsing-Jung Chuang, Fu-Cheng Fan, Jia-Wei Hu
  • Patent number: 8669952
    Abstract: An electrical pressure sensor is provided with a method for measuring pressure applied to a sensor surface. The method provides an electrical pressure sensor including a sealed chamber with a top surface, first electrode, second electrode, an elastic polymer medium, and metallic nanoparticles distributed in the elastic polymer medium. When the top surface of the sensor is deformed in response to an applied pressure, the elastic polymer medium is compressed. In response to decreasing the metallic nanoparticle-to-metallic nanoparticle mean distance between metallic nanoparticles, the electrical resistance is decreased between the first and second electrodes through the elastic polymer medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Akinori Hashimura, Liang Tang, Apostolos T. Voutsas
  • Patent number: 8669953
    Abstract: A mobile terminal may display a first one of a plurality of wallpapers on a touch screen, display an item on the screen, recognize a request to arrange the item, change the wallpaper displayed on the touch screen based on a determined motion of the mobile terminal, and display the item on a selected wallpaper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Youngjin Kim, Namsu Lee
  • Patent number: 8669954
    Abstract: A touch panel includes a substrate, scan lines, data output lines, a signal processing unit and touch sensing units. Each touch sensing unit includes a sensing electrode, a reference capacitor, an output circuit and a reset circuit. The sensing electrode is disposed in a breach of the sensing electrode. The reference capacitor, the output circuit and the reset circuit are disposed on the substrate and in the breach. The output circuit, the reset circuit, the reference capacitor and the sensing electrode are electrically coupled to a reference point. The output circuit is configured to output touch signals to the corresponding data output line. The signal processing unit is configured to obtain electric potential of the data output line and perform a corresponding processing step. When the touch sensing unit is out of working, the reference point is reset to a predetermined electric potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Au Optronics Corp.
    Inventors: Hung-Wen Chou, Min-Feng Chiang, Jian-Shen Yu, Po-Yuan Liu
  • Patent number: 8669955
    Abstract: Provided is a portable display device sufficiently small to be held with one hand that enters a state for accepting a gesture when a fixed coordinate position near a central portion between a left display unit (14a) and a right display unit (14b) is pressed with a thumb Ftl of one hand holding the device, and accepts a command for performing such as page flipping processing based on a gesture inputted with an index finger Ffr of the other hand. Thus, it is possible to achieve an interface for input operations suitable for a two-screen display screen, where holding a two-screen portable display device naturally causes the device to enter a command accepting state to allow gesture recognition, and to enter a command non-accepting state when the portable display device is not held, in order to prevent a command from being falsely executed due to an unintended contact and such to the display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Nishio, Yoshirou Kataoka, Kouji Kumada
  • Patent number: 8669956
    Abstract: A flexible display device and a method for accurately recognizing a user's flex input bending of the flexible display device is described. The present invention is able to discard unintentional flexing of the flexible display device while being able to accurately recognize a user's intended flex input command based on a number of bending degree thresholds. A first bending threshold must be overcome in order to initially recognize a user's flex input as a valid flex input command. Then the user's flex input must fall below a second bending threshold in order to cease the recognition of the user's flex input as a valid flex input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Eunhyung Cho, Howon Son, Dami Choe, Seokbok Jang, Jeonghwa Yang
  • Patent number: 8669957
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus accepts an input onto a display screen displayed on a display device. The information processing apparatus determines an input method of a first input using a first time and/or a first trajectory information from a start point to an end point of the accepted first input. The information processing apparatus stores the first trajectory information of the first input in a storage unit for storing therein the trajectory information of an input of which the input method has been determined. The information processing apparatus restores trajectory information of the input that was accepted by accepting, using the first trajectory information stored in the storage unit and trajectory information of a second input if a result of determination with respect to the second input accepted within a predetermined time since the first input is input is different from the input method of the first input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Akiyama, Koki Hatada
  • Patent number: 8669958
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying user gestures to control an interactive display identifies gestures based on a bounding box enclosing points at which a user contacts a touch sensor corresponding with the display surface and permits use of inexpensive and highly reliable grid-based touch sensors that provide a bounding box to describe contact information. In identifying gestures, position, motion, shape, and deformation of the bounding box may be considered. Center, width, height, aspect ratio, length and orientation of the bounding box diagonal may be determined. A stretch factor, defined as the maximum of the ratio of the height of the bounding box to the width of the bounding box and the ratio of the width of the bounding box to the height of the bounding box, may also be computed. Gestures may be identified based on the changes in time of these characteristics and quantities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: W. Daniel Hillis, Bran Ferren
  • Patent number: 8669959
    Abstract: A passive touch system includes a passive touch surface and at least two cameras associated with the touch surface. The at least two cameras acquire images of the touch surface from different locations and have overlapping fields of view. A processor receives and processes images acquired by the at least two cameras to detect the existence of a pointer therein and to determine the location of the pointer relative to the touch surface. Actual pointer contact with the touch surface and pointer hover above the touch surface can be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Gerald Morrison, Mavinder Singh
  • Patent number: 8669960
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of methods and devices for operating a processor or host controller in a mutual capacitance sensing device. Methods and devices for sorting motion reports provided to a host controller or other processor in a mutual capacitance sensing device, reporting touch points to a host controller or other processor in a mutual capacitance sensing device, improving noise robustness and navigation performance in a mutual capacitance sensing device, determining a touch area of a user's finger on a touch panel or touchpad of a mutual capacitance sensing device, and avoiding false wakeups and minimizing power consumption in a mutual capacitance sensing device having a touch panel or touchpad are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: PixArt Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Murphy, Kevin Rathburn, Keen Hun Leong, Sarangan Narasimhan
  • Patent number: 8669961
    Abstract: A flexible display device and a method for accurately recognizing a user's flex input bending of the flexible display device is described. The present invention is able to discard unintentional flexing of the flexible display device while being able to accurately recognize a user's intended flex input command based on a number of bending degree thresholds. A first bending threshold must be overcome in order to initially recognize a user's flex input as a valid flex input command. Then the user's flex input must fall below a second bending threshold in order to cease the recognition of the user's flex input as a valid flex input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Eunhyung Cho, Howon Son, Dami Choe, Seokbok Jan, Jeonghwa Yang
  • Patent number: 8669962
    Abstract: A method for avoiding an erroneous touch on a touch panel in a portable electronic device includes the steps of: determining whether a triggering event is received; enabling a sensor when the triggering event is received; detecting a distance between the portable electronic device and an object by the sensor; and determining a predetermined touch pressure threshold of the touch panel according to the detected distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: HTC Corporation
    Inventor: Tsung-Pao Kuan
  • Patent number: 8669963
    Abstract: A sensor system includes a touch screen and a force sensor. The touch screen has a first and second surface and detects a first surface touch and converts it to data indicative of an X, Y coordinate position upon the touch screen first surface. The force sensor contacts the touch screen second surface and substantially extends around the perimeter of the touch screen second surface. The force sensor measures the force exerted by the first surface touch in the form of force data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Interlink Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. Baker, Volodymyr Vlaskin, Carlos Solis Sanchez, Matthew Fumio Yamamoto, Declan Christopher Flannery
  • Patent number: 8669964
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a piezoresistive device includes the steps of: producing a polymer structure with an elastically deformable upper surface by processing a polymer material; applying a carbon nanotube solution on the upper surface of the polymer structure in conformity with a predetermined pattern; and drying the carbon nanotube solution to form a carbon nanotube pattern on the upper surface of the polymer structure. A piezoresistive device manufactured by the above method and a piezoresistive-type touch panel provided with the piezoresistive device are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Seung Seob Lee, Kang Won Lee
  • Patent number: 8669965
    Abstract: A driving device includes a base and a conductive pattern portion provided on a surface of the base. The conductive pattern portion has an electric charge accumulating portion, touching portions and conductive connecting portions connecting the accumulating portion and each of the touching portions. When a surface of the base is contacted with a multi-touch display of an information processor, each of the touching portions activates a corresponding touching area of the multi-touch display. Thus, a predetermined action is executed by the information processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Inventors: Takashi Yamamoto, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Kondo
  • Patent number: 8669966
    Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing touchscreen displays that utilize a transmitter system to dynamically scan at least one light beam across a surface of interest such that substantially every point in a region above the surface of interest is dynamically scanned by a light beam from two directions, a receiver system to receive and detect the at least one dynamically scanned light beams, and a processor configured to determine locations of contact are provided. The systems and methods may utilize a transmitter system that includes dynamic transmitters, which may be in the form MEMS micromirrors used in conjunction with infrared semiconductor lasers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Inventor: Jonathan Payne
  • Patent number: 8669967
    Abstract: A method for operating a digitizer with an autonomous asynchronous stylus includes sampling outputs from a digitizer, detecting from the outputs at least one pulsed signal transmitted from an autonomous asynchronous stylus at a defined rate, determining a location of the stylus interaction with respect to the digitizer, and tracking stylus interaction with the digitizer over subsequent pulsed signals transmitted from the stylus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: N-trig Ltd.
    Inventor: Rafi Zachut
  • Patent number: 8669968
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of displaying a color video image in a sequential color display panel. The video frame is divided into a plurality of consecutive time segments each assigned to a given color component, and the video level of the pixels of the image is displayed by modulating the display time of the corresponding cells. The invention aims to propose a display method that reduces the blurring effect without causing color break-up. According to the invention, at least one reference time segment is defined in said plurality of time segments, and the image is displayed giving priority to lighting the cells during the reference time segment and the time segments closest to the reference time segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jonathan Kervec, Patrick Morvan, Julien Thollot
  • Patent number: 8669969
    Abstract: A scan driver includes a plurality of stages. Each of the plurality of stages includes an odd-numbered scan unit, an even-numbered scan unit, and a signal shift unit. The scan driver can selectively perform progressive scan and interlaced scan by varying logic levels of mode signals and clock signals applied to the stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kyung-Hoon Chung
  • Patent number: 8669970
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a display apparatus includes multiple physical interface circuits (PHYs) couple to respective displays. In a mirror mode, the PHYs may operate as masters. A primary master PHY may control a synchronization interface to one or more secondary master PHYs. The synchronization interface may include a start of frame signal that the primary master PHY may generate to indicate the beginning of a new frame. The secondary master PHYs may be configured to generate internal start of frame signals while independently processing the same display data as the primary master. If the internally-generated start of frame and the received start of frame occur within a window of tolerance of each other, then the secondary masters may continue to process the display data stream independently. A secondary master that detects the start of frames occur outside of the window of tolerance may resynchronize.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wolfgang Roethig, Michael Frank
  • Patent number: 8669971
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a display device including: a switching element configured to be formed for each of pixels; a gate line configured to be connected to the switching element; and a scanning line drive circuit configured to be connected to the gate line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Japan Display West Inc.
    Inventor: Yukiya Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: 8669972
    Abstract: A driving method of a liquid crystal display panel having a source line and a counter electrode, includes driving the counter electrode to a first potential, driving the, counter electrode to a second potential being different from the first potential, setting the counter electrode and the source line to a third potential by short-circuiting the counter electrode and the source line to an interconnection having a potential between the first potential and the second potential, and driving the source line to a potential corresponding to an image data. The setting of the counter electrode and the source line to the third potential occurs in a period of one frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Shirai
  • Patent number: 8669973
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display element, a liquid crystal display device, and a method for displaying with a liquid crystal display element, wherein picture element electrodes (30) and a common electrode (36) are provided, each of a plurality of sub-picture elements (22) is provided with the common electrode (36) and a corresponding one of the picture element electrodes (30) in such a manner that the sub-picture elements (22) have different distances (a first distance d1 and a second distance d2) between the common electrode (36) and their corresponding ones of the picture element electrodes (30), display in a low gray scale region is carried out by means of a first sub-picture element (22a) that is a sub-picture element (22) in which the distance is short, display in a middle gray scale region is carried out by means of a second sub-picture element (22b) that is a sub-picture element (22) in which the distance is long, and display in a high gray scale region is carried out by means of the first sub-picture element
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takehisa Sakurai, Shuichi Kozaki, Shoichi Ishihara, Masako Nakamura, Mitsuhiro Murata, Tadashi Ohtake
  • Patent number: 8669974
    Abstract: A timing controller adapted to a flat display includes a voltage detecting circuit, a clock generator, a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer. The voltage detecting circuit detects a variation of an operating voltage and thus outputs a reset signal. The clock generator outputs a start signal and a first clock signal. The first multiplexer is controlled by the reset signal and coupled to the start signal and a constant voltage. The second multiplexer is controlled by the reset signal and coupled to the first clock signal and a second clock signal. A frequency of the second clock signal is obviously higher than a frequency of the first clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Himax Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Yu-Chu Yang, Fa-Ming Chen, Po-Hsien Tsai, Mao-Hsiung Kuo
  • Patent number: 8669975
    Abstract: A driving circuit of an electro-optical device, a capacitance-line-driving circuit shifting voltage of a capacitance line to one voltage of two-value voltage, and the capacitance-line-driving circuit includes a unit control circuit provided correspondingly to the capacitance line at both end portions of the capacitance line, and the unit control circuit corresponding to one capacitance line includes, a latch circuit maintaining a logic level at one level for at least a period of the scanning line corresponding to the one capacitance line being selected, a switch provided between the capacitance line and a signal line supplying a capacitance signal in which the two-value voltage is switched over at a predetermined cycle, the switch being electrically connected when the logic level is one level and electrically disconnected when the logic level is the other level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Japan Display West Inc.
    Inventor: Shin Fujita
  • Patent number: 8669976
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to selecting and verifying textures in image-based three-dimensional modeling. In a first embodiment, a computer-implemented method for texturing a three-dimensional model. In the method, a polygon orientation of a polygon defining a face of a three-dimensional model is determined. A first camera orientation corresponding to a camera that took a first photographic image in a set of photographic images is also determined. The first photographic image is unconstrained to the three-dimensional model. The polygon orientation is compared with the first camera orientation to determine whether the first photographic image is directed toward the face of the three-dimensional model. If the first photographic image is directed toward the face of the three-dimensional model, a notification is provided for display to a user indicating that the first photographic image could be texture mapped to the three-dimensional model if the first photographic image is constrained to the three-dimensional model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Zhe Fan, Brian Gammon Brown, Matthew Robert Simpson, Tilman Reinhardt
  • Patent number: 8669977
    Abstract: Compression methods and systems that encode the bounding volume hierarchy (BVH) and the triangles of a scene in one compact data structure. Efficient on-the-fly decompression is performed and may be used in interactive ray tracing. Quantized vertices and triangle strips may be stored in BVH leaf nodes. The local vertex positions and vertex indices may use a small number of bits that are encoded in bit strings. During traversal, the geometry may be decoded by an optimized algorithm allowing for random access with minimal overhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Manfred Ernst, Benjamin Segovia
  • Patent number: 8669978
    Abstract: A method for modeling and animating an object trajectory in three-dimensional (3D) space. The trajectory includes at least one course which represents a 3D model mesh. A course includes at least one segment which is a display unit of the 3D model mesh. A segment includes two 3D points. Multiple vertices are generated for a first 3D point of the segment to specify a plane such that a normal vector of the specified plane is parallel to a vector directed from the first 3D point of the segment to a second 3D point of the segment. The generated vertices are added to the 3D model mesh so that the generated vertices can be subsequently displayed as an extension of the 3D model mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Amsterdam, William C. Freeman, William D. Morgan
  • Patent number: 8669979
    Abstract: A multi-core processor system may support 3D image rendering on an autostereoscopic display. The 3D image rendering includes pre-processing of depth map and 3D image wrapping tasks. The pre-processing of depth map may include a foreground prior depth image smoothing technique, which may perform a depth gradient detection and a smoothing task. The depth gradient detection task may detect areas with large depth gradient and the smoothing task may transform the large depth gradient into a linearly changing shape using low-strength, low-pass filtering techniques. The 3D image wrapping may include vectorizing the code for 3D image wrapping of row pixels using an efficient single instruction multiple data (SIMD) technique. After vectorizing, an API such as OpenMP may be used to parallelize the 3D image wrapping procedure. The 3D image wrapping using OpenMP may be performed on rows of the 3D image and on images of the multiple view images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: ChangCheng Li, YangZhou Du, Qiang Li, Yimin Zhang
  • Patent number: 8669980
    Abstract: Methods and techniques are provided for procedurally editing hierarchical subdivision surfaces. A procedure set and a parameter set may be received. The procedure set may include one or more produces for generating detail coefficients. The parameter set may include one or more parameters, such as granularity and sharpness, while further specifying deltas or other jitter in parameter values or locations. A hierarchical subdivision surface description can be generated based on a mesh, the procedure set, and the parameter set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Pixar
    Inventors: Guido Quaroni, Najeeb Tarazi, Andrew Dayton
  • Patent number: 8669981
    Abstract: A method for generating a self-occlusion surface for an image. The method includes receiving the image, receiving a selection of a material with which to construct the self-occlusion surface, and receiving calibration data associated with the material. A plurality of pits is determined, based on the image and calibration data, to define within the self-occlusion surface. A preview of the self-occlusion surface is rendered based on the plurality of pits and the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Wolfertshofer, Marc Alexa, Wojciech Matusik
  • Patent number: 8669982
    Abstract: A method and system for generating a graph view on a user interface in a computing environment, is provided. One implementation involves, at a server, generating coordinate data for a graph representing multiply connected objects; transmitting the coordinate data to a client as lightweight object data; and at the client, based on the lightweight object data rendering an interactive dynamic graph view on a user interface; wherein the rendered graph view includes representations of a plurality of the multiply connected objects selected by depth culling the graph according to graph depth display control information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Breeds, Philip R. Taunton, Gary Thornton
  • Patent number: 8669983
    Abstract: A method with acts for representing a buffer about a feature represented on an ellipsoid or round-object model. The method includes accessing a definition of a buffer stored on one or more computer readable medium in a format readable by a computer application. The definition of the buffer includes a number of arcs around a feature on an ellipsoid or round-object model. Each of the arcs is defined using three points defined using geodetic coordinates. The three points includes two endpoints of a given arc and a point on the arc between the two endpoints. The method further includes rendering the buffer by rendering the plurality of arcs. The method further includes displaying the rendered buffer to a user at a computing system display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Kallay, Danica M. Porobic
  • Patent number: 8669984
    Abstract: A preferred location and a preferred orientation of a tile shape are determined with respect to a current shape based on scores at multiple locations and orientations. A new shape is generated by subtracting from the current shape a tile area. The tile area includes the tile shape in the preferred orientation of the tile shape at the preferred location of the tile shape with respect to the current shape. The determining and generating are repeated with respect to the new shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Paul Asente, Lesley Ann Northam
  • Patent number: 8669985
    Abstract: An assessment results viewer displays the results of assessments that quantify the performance of an aspect of a computing device. The viewer presents both an overview of the collected data and mechanisms for displaying ever-increasing details, including raw data itself. The viewer further provides actionable information to the user that can offer the user guidance, or otherwise suggest potential courses of action. The viewer automatically aggregates multiple iterations of the same assessment to generate derivative overview data, and automatically aligns data collected by the same assessment across multiple job files. Such aggregation and alignment is performed by reference to metadata, including identifying information. Data can be presented in tabular form, and users can pivot along different axis to focus on groupings of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: George Clement, Aman Benes, Jason Thorsness, Robert Greenwell, William Gifford Holt
  • Patent number: 8669986
    Abstract: A method for visualizing data in a population of data includes steps of extracting a subject value from a population of data and defining points of interest in the population of data for comparison to the subject value, where the points of interest representing a scale having a minimum value and a maximum value. A target point of interest is selected. The scale is mapped to a graphic gauge display, wherein, points of interest are visually indicated on the graphic display, end points of the graphic gauge display correspond to the minimum value and the maximum value, and the target point of interest is visually indicated at a center of the graphic gauge display. Finally, the subject value is indicated on the graphic gauge display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Volvo Technology of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Edmon D. Garmon, Marty D. Foulks
  • Patent number: 8669987
    Abstract: Memory management system and method for use with systems for generating 3-dimensional computer generated images are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jonathan Redshaw, Steve Morphet
  • Patent number: 8669988
    Abstract: A data interface for transferring digital data between a host and a client over a communication path using packet structures linked together to form a communication protocol for communicating a pre-selected set of digital control and presentation data. The signal protocol is used by link controllers configured to generate, transmit, and receive packets forming the communications protocol, and to form digital data into one or more types of data packets, with at least one residing in the host device and being coupled to the client through the communications path. The interface provides a cost-effective, low power, bi-directional, high-speed data transfer mechanism over a short-range “serial” type data link, which lends itself to implementation with miniature connectors and thin flexible cables which are especially useful in connecting display elements such as wearable micro-displays to portable computers and wireless communication devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Jon James Anderson, Brian Steele, George Alan Wiley, Shashank Shekhar
  • Patent number: 8669989
    Abstract: System and method for a parallel image processing mechanism for applying mask data patterns to substrate in a lithography manufacturing process are disclosed. In one embodiment, the parallel image processing system includes a graphics engine configured to partition an object into a plurality of trapezoids and form an edge list for representing each of the plurality of trapezoids, and a distributor configured to receive the edge list from the graphics engine and distribute the edge list to a plurality of scan line image processing units. The system further includes a sentinel configured to synchronize operations of the plurality of scan line image processing units, and a plurality of buffers configured to store image data from corresponding scan line image processing units and outputs the stored image data using the sentinel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: PineBrook Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Barry Keane, Thomas Laidig
  • Patent number: 8669990
    Abstract: A technique to share execution resources. In one embodiment, a CPU and a GPU share resources according to workload, power considerations, or available resources by scheduling or transferring instructions and information between the CPU and GPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Sprangle, Matthew Craighead, Chris Goodman, Belliappa Kuttanna
  • Patent number: 8669991
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method macro expander (MME) coupled to a driver and the processing pipeline of a graphics processing unit. In operation, the MME receives, from the driver, a first packet of work indicating a macro stored in an instruction memory that is to be executed. The MME then executes the commands of the macro in the instruction memory to generate a second packet of work, and the second packet of work is then transmitted to the processing pipeline for further execution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Jerome Francis Duluk, Jr., Jesse David Hall, Patrick R. Brown, Gregory Scott Palmer, Eric S. Werness
  • Patent number: 8669992
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a device that has a device processor and a device memory. The device can couple to a host with a host processor and host memory. Both of the memories can have page tables to map virtual addresses to physical addresses of the corresponding memory, and the two memories may appear to a user-level application as a single virtual memory space. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Boris Ginzburg