Patents Issued in January 30, 2018
  • Patent number: 9881326
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing a lifestyle companion system are provided. The lifestyle companion system can provide a platform to conduct a user interview. Based on the user interview responses, the system can suggest activities, references, and/or plug-in modules. During performance of activities, the system can provide audio and/or visual cues related to the activities and collect data indicative of the user's performance. Based on the collected data, the system can dynamically adapt the user's goals and/or activities the user is performing or will perform. In some embodiments of the present invention, the lifestyle companion system of the present invention can be applied to fitness, nutrition, and/or medical modules. The system also can be used to facilitate synchronous group activities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Glenn G. Gilley, Sarah A. Brody, Randall H. Ubillos, Mihnea C. Pacurariu, Jesse L. Dorogusker, Robert E. Borchers, Donald Ginsburg
  • Patent number: 9881327
    Abstract: A merchandising system having a power distribution device associated with a package support system, and a package having a sensory output such as an image display capable of using power, data and/or signals provided from the power distribution device to produce a desired output when the package is associated with the package support system. Packaging materials of the package form the coupling medium for contactless coupling such as capacitive coupling of a controlled signal provided to the package support system to a display on the package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Sweeney, Kristen M. Totty, Robert J. Maher
  • Patent number: 9881328
    Abstract: A system and method for forecasting sales is presented. A transmission by a customer is received indicating an intention for a customer to purchase an item from a retailer via a mobile device. An embodiment determines if the item is subject to an age-restriction. This can be accomplished by using location data of a retailer. Biometric data is received from the customer intending to purchase the item. The biometric data is compared to verified biometric data to confirm the identity of the customer. The age of the customer is determined. Thereafter, the transaction is allowed to proceed if the age of the customer satisfies the age-restriction for the item. Other embodiments are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Berk Atikoglu, Eytan Daniyalzade
  • Patent number: 9881329
    Abstract: A method, a computer system and a computer program product to facilitate comparison-price shopping over a data network, such as the Internet, is provided that includes a price availability feature guaranteeing a price of a product associated with product-related information stored on a server. To that end, information that concerns a product is rendered on a display in a browser window. The information rendered typically includes offered price data. A server is provided that includes a plurality of addresses in an address space, and a subportion of the plurality of addresses is associated with an identification code. Acceptance to the offered price data is achieved by storing the information in the subportion, defining agreed price data. The agreed price data is maintained in the absence of a predetermined system event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Versata Development Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Joshua P. Walsky
  • Patent number: 9881330
    Abstract: A system, a method, and a user interface are described for personalizing and sending stationery/cards. A reminder list on the user interface includes a list of reminder entries each identifying an upcoming event including events generated based on a specified relationship between the user and one or more contacts of the user. A recommendation region is populated one or more recommended stationery/card designs associated with one of the entries in the reminder list. A stationery/card personalization engine provides the user with a set of personalization options related to the selected stationery/card design, and generates personalized stationery based on the selected stationery/card design and the user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Shutterfly, Inc.
    Inventors: Kelly Berger, Adnan Asar, Kevin Chang, Matthew Holloway, Eugene Chen, Kris Salvador
  • Patent number: 9881331
    Abstract: A merchandise holder, e.g., a drink coaster or a food placemat, is used to facilitate the purchase of food or beverage placed on the holder. A customer may use a mobile device to scan a QR code on a merchandise holder to purchase a beverage. Further, the merchandise holder may include an RFID scanner to keep track of the food or beverages consumed by the customer. The RFID scanner of the merchandise holder may scan RFID tags attached to the food or beverages consumed by the customer. A payment account of the customer may be associated with the merchandise holder to pay for the food or beverages placed on the holder. Accordingly, a customer may use the merchandise holder to order, keep track of, and pay for the food or beverages consumed by the customer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: PAYPAL, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew S. Zises, German Scipioni
  • Patent number: 9881332
    Abstract: A recommendation system can be configured to customize search results and/or recommendations of content (e.g., customized products, products, advertising, layouts, etc.) using online and/or offline activity captured on a user population. The system can be configured to customize the content returned to users to achieve specific behaviors and/or influence the current user's behavior, responsive to modeling previous users. For example, the system can capture and aggregate user behavior/activity and score content based on the actions taken with respect to the content. In some examples, the scoring can be filtered or augmented by matching current user characteristics to characteristics of the previous users. The scoring can be generated independent of the language in which the activity/user behavior occurred. According to one embodiment, the system is configured to generate language independent models and utilize the language independent modeling to deliver customized content (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: LogoMix, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig J. Bloem, Phillip M. McMannis
  • Patent number: 9881333
    Abstract: An enhanced shopping system for facilitating grocery shopping and in-store advertising is disclosed. The system utilizes uniquely changes (1) the way grocery retail industry captures and retains customers, (2) how customers organize their shopping efforts in grocery stores, (3) the approach to advertising and reaching customers, and (4) the information available to retailers and merchandisers related to customer (a) shopping patterns, (b) responses to merchandising and advertising, and (c) specific impact of discounting/coupons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: ASHDAN LLC
    Inventors: Danielle Lynn Borom, Michael Preston Borom
  • Patent number: 9881334
    Abstract: Methods for generating and sharing a virtual body model of a person, created with a small number of measurements and a single photograph, combined with one or more images of garments. The virtual body model represents a realistic representation of the users body and is used for visualizing photo-realistic fit visualizations of garments, hairstyles, make-up, and/or other accessories. The virtual garments are created from layers based on photographs of real garment from multiple angles. Furthermore the virtual body model is used in multiple embodiments of manual and automatic garment, make-up, and, hairstyle recommendations, such as, from channels, friends, and fashion entities. The virtual body model is sharable for, as example, visualization and comments on looks. Furthermore it is also used for enabling users to buy garments that fit other users, suitable for gifts or similar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: METAIL LIMITED
    Inventors: Tom Adeyoola, Nick Brown, Nikki Trott, Edward Herbert, Duncan Robertson, Jim Downing, Nick Day, Robert Boland, Tom Boucher, Joe Townsend, Edward Clay, Tom Warren, Anoop Unadkat, Yu Chen
  • Patent number: 9881335
    Abstract: A method and system for progressing an auction is provided. Examples include an auction analysis component configured to analyze an auction forum for auctions that are likely to complete without a reserve price being met (i.e., triggered auctions), and a personality selection component configured to select a personality capable of facilitating the progression of a triggered auction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Ten-X, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Friedman
  • Patent number: 9881336
    Abstract: A foreign currency exchange system and method are provided that allows the user to exchange various foreign currency for a physical or electronic gift card, a donation to a charity, a stored foreign currency value card and/or a multi-currency debit cash card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: LEFTOVERCASH, INC.
    Inventor: Ferdinand Poon
  • Patent number: 9881337
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and article of manufactures for providing seamless transitions between graphical images on a binary options interface. An user-input is received on a touch-sensitive display of the binary options interface. The user-input corresponds to a request for a transformation of a graphical image that is displayed on the binary options interface. The binary options interface is integrated into a mobile device. In response to the user-input, an updated graphical image is generated. The updated graphical image is displayed to replace the graphical image on the binary options interface. The graphical image to the updated graphical image comprises a continuously displayed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: CANTOR FUTURES EXCHANGE, L.P.
    Inventors: Rich Jaycobs, Nolan Glantz, James Les Walker
  • Patent number: 9881338
    Abstract: A derived order gives a participant simultaneous access to liquidity across multiple books, destinations, or marketplaces. The derived order can be placed and anchored in one trading venue and simultaneously replicated in another trading venue. A participant can place the derived order in the lit book as an anchor book and replicate the order in the hybrid book and/or the dark book, or alternatively, the participant can place the derived order in the hybrid book as an anchor book and replicate the order in the dark book. A trading engine can be configured to replicate an order in different books and guarantee that each order is only executed once. When an order is replicated, the trading engine can check the stored record to see where the order was placed, and then adjust or cancel an order in one book when it is being fulfilled in a different book.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Aequitas Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Schmitt, Stephen Bain
  • Patent number: 9881339
    Abstract: The present invention is applicable in the field of corporate finance, corporate capital investments, economics, math, risk analysis, simulation, decision analysis, and business statistics, and relates to the modeling and valuation of investment decisions under uncertainty and risk within all companies, allowing these firms to properly identify, assess, quantify, value, diversify, and hedge their corporate capital investment decisions and their associated risks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Inventor: Johnathan Mun
  • Patent number: 9881340
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system for handling insurance requests, such as new coverage applications, renewal applications, and insurance quote requests. The system includes at least two computerized predictive models whose outputs each serve as inputs to the other. A business logic module is included in the system to process insurance requests with the predictive models to determine one or more sets of recommended policy parameters for the user and to output the determination to the user via a user interface. In various embodiments, the predictive models also output workflow components (such as underwriting workflow components) and price components (such as premium prices) corresponding to output suggested sets of coverage parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company
    Inventors: Timothy P. Kenefick, Eric Besman, Theresa C. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9881341
    Abstract: System and methods provide customizable insurance according to consumer preferences. Demand simulators guide the creation of optimized packages of features, which consumers may select from to form an insurance product appropriate for their particular needs. Packages may be formed with a particular appeal to consumers with common needs, wants, or characteristics. In addition, methods and systems are provided for presenting insurance products for consideration by customers over a network. Presented insurance products may be formed through an optimization process or according to customer preferences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company
    Inventors: Floyd M. Yager, Thomas J. Wilson
  • Patent number: 9881342
    Abstract: The invention relates to systems and methods for analyzing data collected from sensors monitoring property. In particular, the systems and methods analyze the data to make property insurance underwriting decisions based on the collected sensor data using a computerized process that varies the way in which it manipulates the collected sensor data based on a characteristic of the property being insured, a characteristic of the entity seeking the insurance, and/or on the value of one or more collected data parameters. The invention also relates to systems and methods of making property insurance pricing decisions based on a similarly dynamic computerized process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: HARTFORD FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventors: Jonathan A. Helitzer, Joseph R. Carvalko, Jr., Kelly L. Frey, Sr., G. Stewart Murchie, Susannah Chen, Steven Rippel, Casey Ellen Campbell
  • Patent number: 9881343
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed towards systems and methods for performing updates in a distributed environment, which comprises receiving a platform product and a plurality of supporting products at a server, the server being accessible by one or more access devices and receiving a plurality of modified supporting products at the server, a given modified supporting product corresponding to a given supporting product. A determination is made as to whether a given one of the plurality of supporting products is in use by the one or more access devices. If the given one of the plurality of supporting products is not in use, the given one of the plurality of supporting products is overwritten with the corresponding modified supporting platform product. If the given one of the plurality of supporting products is in use, the given one of the plurality of supporting products is locked until its use terminates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Thomson Reuters Global Resources Unlimited Company
    Inventor: Kevin Patrick Kostrzewa
  • Patent number: 9881344
    Abstract: A system may include a network interface, a user interface, and a recommendation engine. The user interface may be configured to receive a company characteristic of a company profile of a company posted to the social network and a company bid from an entity related to company to the social network. The recommendation engine may be configured to determine an aggregate company score for the user based on a relevance of the company characteristic to a user characteristic and the company bid. The network interface may be configured to transmit a message related to the company to the user based, at least in part, on the aggregate company score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Christian Posse, Michael Grishaver
  • Patent number: 9881345
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for evaluating an impact of a user's content utilized in a social network. Content in a document (e.g., a presentation) that has been posted on a social network environment is detected as being reused by another user in another document. The author of the reused content is then identified. A counter keeping track of the number of times this content has been adopted in derivative works is then incremented. A score (“impact score”), representing the author's ability to influence other users to adopt the author's content in other users' derivative works, is then generated based on the number of times this content has been adopted in derivative works. Social credit is then provided to the author using the impact score. In this manner, recognition is provided to the author thereby providing motivation for users to post created content in the social network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan F. Brunn, Jeffrey R. Hoy, Asima Silva
  • Patent number: 9881346
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system to validate promotional offers in the nature of a reduction or rebate of certain travel expenses through a network of local merchants who offer to offset travel costs in exchange for patronage. The system allows verification of the travel and the purchases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Inventors: Ian Lyman, Tov Arneson, Alexander Wilhelm
  • Patent number: 9881347
    Abstract: Automated entry to properties is provided. A user selects a property for automated entry. It is confirmed whether the property is available for automated entry by the user. Automated entry to the user is enabled when automated entry is available for the user and when the user is within a predetermined distance from the property.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Consumer 2.0, Inc.
    Inventors: Merrick Schmidt-Lackner, Clark Zhe Li
  • Patent number: 9881348
    Abstract: Techniques are described for generating a license for software installed on a device. An entitlement certificate is generated including one or more entitlements describing license characteristics of the software. The one or more entitlements are determined in accordance with first information about the software. The first information includes at least one of a purchase token and package information. A binding certificate in accordance with a binding type for the software is generated. A license in accordance with said binding certificate and said entitlement certificate is generated. The binding certificate identifies an entity to which the license is bound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Aidan T. Hughes, Alexander V. Baxter, Mark Kenworthy, Alexander Frank, Oliver Szimmetat
  • Patent number: 9881349
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for identification of a coded pattern visible to a computerized imaging apparatus while invisible or inconspicuous to human eyes. A pattern and/or marking may serve to indicate identity of an object, and/or the relative position of the pattern to a viewer. While some solutions exist for identifying patterns (for example, QR codes), they may be visually obtrusive to a human observer due to visual clutter. In exemplary implementations, apparatus and methods are capable of generating patterns with sufficient structure to be used for either discrimination or some aspect of localization, while incorporating spectral properties that are more aesthetically acceptable such as being: a) imperceptible or subtle to the human observer and/or b) aligned to an existing acceptable visual form, such as a logo. In one variant, a viewer comprises an imaging system comprised as a processor and laser scanner, or camera, or moving photodiode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: GOPRO, INC.
    Inventors: Philip Meier, Dimitry Fisher, Chance Roth, Steven Hypnarowski
  • Patent number: 9881350
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a watermark is embedded in a sequence of video frames, for each one of the video frames, a set of N rectangular patches, two palettes of pixel values in a selected color space, such that the two palettes are denoted as P0 and P1, and P0?P1, and in each one of the N patches a processor which chooses one of P0 and P1 according to a value of a payload bit to be encoded, a calculator which calculates one of a variance of pixel values in the frame, and edginess for the pixel values in the frame, thereby determining a calculated value, and a processor which determines if the calculated value is beneath a given threshold value, if the calculated value is beneath the given threshold value the processor is operative to calculate a function of the pixel values, the closest value to a result of the calculation of the function in the chosen palette is chosen, and a replacer which replaces the pixel values within the patch with the chosen closest value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Harel Cain, Michal Devir
  • Patent number: 9881351
    Abstract: Resource processing, such as shader translation, during run time of an application on an emulated platform, can be performed asynchronously from emulation of the application. One or more server computers can be configured to perform such processing remotely from the computers executing the emulation. The one or more server computers can receive resources for processing from multiple computers. The one or more server computers aggregate the resources received from the multiple computers for different applications and process those resources. For example, multiple shaders, discovered from multiple different emulations of an application on multiple computers, are translated and organized by the one or more server computers. The translated shaders can be packaged as an update to the application and redistributed to the computers using the application. Such an update can be installed on the computers as a set of translated shaders for use in the emulation of the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Brian Spanton, Barry Bond, Robert Francis, Eric Heutchy
  • Patent number: 9881352
    Abstract: A mechanism is described for facilitating efficient processing of graphics commands at computing devices. A method of embodiments, as described herein, includes detecting a current object representing a bundled state of graphics commands in a command list to be processed at a graphics processor of a computing device, and evaluating the current object to determine a previous object bound to a first set of the graphics commands, where the first set of the graphics commands is associated with a first command state corresponding to the previous object. The method may further include copying a second set of the graphics commands to a command buffer associated with the command list, where the second set of the graphics commands represents a remainder of the graphics commands in the command list upon excluding the first set of the graphics commands. The method may further include facilitating the graphics processor to execute the second set of the graphics commands from the command buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Apodaca, Siddharth Y. Dharmadhikari
  • Patent number: 9881353
    Abstract: Embodiments enable a graphics processor to more efficiently process graphics and compositing processing commands. In certain embodiments, a client application submits client graphics commands to a graphics driver. The client in certain embodiments can notify a window server that client graphics commands have been submitted. In response, the window server can generate compositing processing commands and provide these commands to the graphics driver. Advantageously, a graphics processor can execute the client graphics commands while the window server generates compositing processing commands. As a result, processing resource can be used more efficiently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John Harper, Kenneth C. Dyke
  • Patent number: 9881354
    Abstract: Described is a technology by which an image such as a stitched panorama is automatically cropped based upon predicted quality data with respect to filling missing pixels. The image may be completed, including by completing only those missing pixels that remain after cropping. Predicting quality data may be based on using restricted search spaces corresponding to the missing pixels. The crop is computed based upon the quality data, in which the crop is biased towards including original pixels and excluding predicted low quality pixels. Missing pixels are completed by using restricted search spaces to find replacement values for the missing pixels, and may use histogram matching for texture synthesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Johannes Peter Kopf, Sing Bing Kang, Wolf Kienzle, Steven M. Drucker
  • Patent number: 9881355
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention can resolve molecules beyond the optical diffraction limit in three dimensions. A double-helix point spread function can be used to in conjunction with a microscope to provide dual-lobed images of a molecule. Based on the rotation of the dual-lobed image, the axial position of the molecule can be estimated or determined. In some embodiments, the angular rotation of the dual-lobed imaged can be determined using a centroid fit calculation or by finding the midpoints of the centers of the two lobes. Regardless of the technique, the correspondence between the rotation and axial position can be utilized. A double-helix point spread function can also be used to determine the lateral positions of molecules and hence their three-dimensional location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
    Inventors: Rafael Piestun, Sri Rama Prasanna Pavani, Michael A. Thompson, Julie S. Biteen, William E. Moerner
  • Patent number: 9881356
    Abstract: A data processing method is disclosed for processing hyperspectral image data of a scene. The method comprises sequentially receiving portions of the data at a data buffer to form a data set comprising a predefined number of data portions and calculating a set of global statistical parameters and data correction factors using the data forming the data set. The method further comprises receiving a further data portion at the data buffer and simultaneously removing the earliest received data portion at the data buffer, from the data set, and subsequently calculating a set of local statistical parameters using the data of the further data portion. The method further comprises updating the set of global statistical parameters using the set of local statistical parameters and correcting the data of the data portion removed from the data set using the correction factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: BAE Systems plc
    Inventors: Ainsley Killey, Philip Dale
  • Patent number: 9881357
    Abstract: A method of transforming an N-bit raw wide dynamic range (WDR) Bayer image to a K-bit raw red-green-blue (RGB) image wherein N>K is provided that includes converting the N-bit raw WDR Bayer image to an N-bit raw RGB image, computing a luminance image from the N-bit raw RGB image, computing a pixel gain value for each luminance pixel in the luminance image to generate a gain map, applying a hierarchical noise filter to the gain map to generate a filtered gain map, applying the filtered gain map to the N-bit raw RGB image to generated a gain mapped N-bit RGB image, and downshifting the gain mapped N-bit RGB image by (N?K) to generate the K-bit RGB image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Buyue Zhang, Aziz Umit Batur
  • Patent number: 9881358
    Abstract: A system and method of image processing is provided, including implementing adaptive pixel replacement techniques or reducing noise. The method includes obtaining a data map of an image frame, wherein the data map comprises good pixels and bad pixels at locations associated with the data map. The method also includes assigning different techniques to the bad pixels, wherein a first technique is assigned to a first bad pixel and a second technique is assigned to a second bad pixel. The method further includes adjusting information associated with the bad pixels for a chosen technique for each of the bad pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: DRS Network & Imaging Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Henry W. Neal, David C. Hutchison, Douglas A. Blettner
  • Patent number: 9881359
    Abstract: A video communication method and system implementing video communication between a first user and a second user in instant communication are disclosed. The method includes: receiving a request for video communication; determining whether to perform a blurred processing on a video image of the first user; and if affirmative, performing the blurred processing on the video image of the first user such that a blurred video image of the first user is displayed on a video dialog window of the second user. Using the present disclosure, convenient online interactions via video communication may be achieved while ensuring that respective privacies of users are not overly exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Limited
    Inventor: Shuyan Liu
  • Patent number: 9881360
    Abstract: System and method for active contour segmentation where an image for a structure and an initial position on the image are received, a multi-scale image representation including successive image levels each having associated therewith a representation of the image is computed, a representation of the image at a given image level having a different image resolution that that of a representation of the image at a subsequent level, a given one of the levels at which noise in the image is removed is identified, the initial position is set as a current contour and the given level as a current level, the current contour is deformed at the current level to expand into an expanded contour matching a shape of the structure, the expanded contour is set as the current contour and the subsequent level as the current level, and the steps are repeated until the last level is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: LABORATOIRES BODYCAD INC.
    Inventor: Geoffroy Rivet-Sabourin
  • Patent number: 9881361
    Abstract: A setting circuit sets a quantization value per input image on the basis of a noise value of the whole input image, and a quantization circuit performs quantization on first image data to generate second image data. Quantization value based on the noise value the whole input image can realize appropriate denoising depending on the noise level of the whole input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: MegaChips Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Daian, Takuya Sawada
  • Patent number: 9881362
    Abstract: An image processing device includes a point-image restoration processing unit 40 which receives a photographic image as input, and subjects the photographic image to a point-image restoration process based on point-image restoration information to generate a restored image, an area information output unit 45 which outputs area information relating to a specific area in the restored image where restoration strength of the point-image restoration process based on the point-image restoration information is equal to or greater than a threshold value, a display control unit 50 which receives the restored image and the area information as input and performs display control to highlight the specific area in the restored image based on the area information, and a display unit 55 which highlights at least the specific area based on the display control by the display control unit 50.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Kenkichi Hayashi, Masahiko Sugimoto, Yousuke Naruse
  • Patent number: 9881363
    Abstract: An image processing device includes a selection section adapted to select a first correction point among a plurality of correction points included in a correcting image, an identification section adapted to identify a second correction point and a third correction point adjacent to the first correction point, and a display control section adapted to emphasize a first line segment connecting the first correction point and the second correction point to each other, and a second line segment connecting the first correction point and the third correction point to each other, and display the correcting image on a display section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tatsuhiko Nobori
  • Patent number: 9881364
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a reflectivity image generation unit that generates a reflectivity image in which a reflectivity component of an original image is used as a pixel value, from the original image, a determining unit that determines a degree of maintenance of at least one of a dark part and a bright part of the original image using the original image and a degree of enhancement of the reflectivity component of the original image and an enhancement image generation unit that generates an enhancement image in which the reflectivity component of the original image is enhanced using the reflectivity image, the degree of enhancement, and the degree of maintenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shota Narumi, Makoto Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9881365
    Abstract: The present invention provides semiconductor defect classification equipment for classifying a defect in a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor defect classification equipment is provided with: a display unit; a storage unit that stores an inspection image including an inspection object portion on the semiconductor wafer and design data of the semiconductor wafer including a plurality of manufacturing steps; and an processing unit that displays the inspection image and the design data on the display unit. The processing unit acquires at least one first layout data and the inspection image from the storage unit, and displays the first layout data and the inspection image on the display unit in a superposed manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yutaka Tandai
  • Patent number: 9881366
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described that provide a fast and simple way of processing meat or food products. Information is compiled and analyzed regarding the condition of a carcass, meat product, styling of the meat product and associated tray or package. Information is used in various processes, including determining which further processing steps are required. The information is also stored for future reference and analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: JBS USA, LLC
    Inventor: John Erick Johnson
  • Patent number: 9881367
    Abstract: An automated visual inspection (AVI) system is described to measure the depth of plungers positioned within vessels. The AVI system implements various types of image processing as well as other techniques to identify, for a vessel, a reference point and the uppermost edge of the plunger. Because different inconsistencies and/or artifacts may be introduced within the vessel image, different processing techniques may be executed on the region containing the reference point versus the plunger region. In doing so, the AVI system provides a robust means to accurately measure plunger depth that is highly resilient to the aforementioned artifacts and consistently measures plunger depth for a wide variety and types of vessels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: AMGEN INC.
    Inventors: Graham F. Milne, Thomas Clark Pearson, Erwin Freund
  • Patent number: 9881368
    Abstract: The invention provides an image processing method in a diagnostic apparatus of diagnosing a disease using a captured image of an affected area, comprising the steps of: (i) separating the captured image memorized into a brightness component and a color information component (Step S131); (ii) separating the brightness component into a base component and a detail component (Step S132); (iii) performing a highlighting process on the base component and/or the detail component (Step S133-S140); and (iv) restoring a brightness component from a highlighted base component and the detail component, and/or from the base component and a highlighted detail component, and using the restored brightness component and the color information component to generate a highlighted image (Step S141).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Mitsuyasu Nakajima
  • Patent number: 9881369
    Abstract: A smartphone that includes a microprocessor, a battery operably coupled to the microprocessor, a single button operably coupled to the microprocessor, a communication subsystem that receives messages from and sends messages to wireless networks in accordance with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a digital infrared sensor operably coupled to the microprocessor, the digital infrared sensor having ports that provide a digital signal representing a temperature, and a display device operably coupled to the microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor receives from the ports the digital signal that is representative of the temperature and the microprocessor generates a body core temperature from the digital signal that is representative of the temperature and the microprocessor also operably coupled to the display device displays the body core temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: ARC Devices Ltd.
    Inventors: Martin Crawley, Michael G. Smith, Irwin Gross, Mark Khachaturian, Steven Gerst, John Barrett, Michael Cronin, Derek Turnbull
  • Patent number: 9881370
    Abstract: Method of determining a rotation axis of an object during acquisition of projections obtained by a tomography characterization system, comprising the following steps, starting from said projections: Select zones on the projections along the presumed rotation axis; Reconstruct a structure of the object using data in the selected zones, Make reprojections of the reconstruction; Determine a total offset for each selected zone; Determine the real rotation axis using total offsets determined for all zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives
    Inventors: Tony Printemps, Pierre Bleuet
  • Patent number: 9881371
    Abstract: Certain aspects of an apparatus and method for automatic ER/PR scoring of tissue samples may include for determining a cancer diagnosis score comprising identifying a positive stained nucleus in a slide image of the tissue sample, identifying a negative stained nucleus in the slide image, computing a proportion score based on number of the positive stained nucleus identified and number of the negative stained nucleus identified and determining the cancer diagnosis score based on the proportion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ming-Chang Liu, Ximin Zhang
  • Patent number: 9881372
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for vascular disease detection and characterization using a recurrent neural network (RNN) is disclosed. A plurality of 2D cross-section image patches are extracted from a 3D computed tomography angiography (CTA) image, each extracted at a respective sampling point along a vessel centerline of a vessel of interest in the 3D CTA image. Vascular abnormalities in the vessel of interest are detected and characterized by classifying each of the sampling points along the vessel centerline based on the plurality of 2D cross-section image patches using a trained RNN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Mehmet A. Gulsun, Yefeng Zheng, Puneet Sharma, Bogdan Georgescu, Dorin Comaniciu
  • Patent number: 9881373
    Abstract: An image generating apparatus generates an edge image that is an image for which an edge has been enhanced or extracted from an original image obtained by imaging a subject. The image generating apparatus has a viewpoint image generating unit configured to generate a viewpoint image from the original image; and an edge processing unit configured to generate the edge image by applying edge processing to enhance or extract an edge with respect to the viewpoint image generated by the viewpoint image generating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomochika Murakami
  • Patent number: 9881374
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for establishing a prediction model based on a multidimensional texture of brain nuclear magnetic resonance images. Images are segmented using a region growing method, a contourlet transform method is used to extract an edge texture feature parameter of ROIs, a multidimensional database is established, and a prediction model is established using various data mining methods, comprising a Gaussian process, a support vector machine, a random forest, a Lasso regression and a semi-supervised support vector machine. The ROIs comprise a hippocampus region and an entorhinal cortex region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: CAPITAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Xiuhua Guo, Ni Gao, Jingjing Wang, Yanxia Luo, Jin Guo
  • Patent number: 9881375
    Abstract: A structured light projector includes an optical mask and a light emitter. The light emitter can be capable of illuminating the optical mask, and the optical mask can be capable of transforming the light from the emitter so as to provide structured light bi-dimensional coded light pattern that includes a plurality of feature types formed by a unique combination of feature elements. The projected light pattern includes one or more markers which include pairs of feature elements between which the epipolar distances are modified relative to distances between respective feature elements in non-marker areas of the pattern, and an appearance of feature elements within the marker and across the marker's edges is continuous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: MANTIS VISION LTD.
    Inventors: Eyal Gordon, Michael Slutsky, Yonatan Samet