3D PRINTING WITH CUSTOM SURFACE REFLECTION
Granted: March 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150079327
A method for fabricating custom surface reflectance and spatially-varying bi-directional reflectance distribution functions (BDRFs or svBRDFs). The 3D printing method optimizes micro-geometry to produce a normal distribution function (NDF) that can be printed on surfaces with a 3D printer. Particularly, the method involves optimizing the micro-geometry for a wide range of analytic NDFs and simulating the effective reflectance of the resulting surface. Using the results of the simulation,…
CHARGING AND COMMUNICATING WITH BATTERY OPERATED TOYS
Granted: March 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150077065
Methods and a system for the recharging of battery-operated devices, whereby the recharging process is made less burdensome and inconvenient to the users of the devices. Embodiments provide for incorporating recharging into the normal usage patterns for the devices using activities consistent with predetermined intended usage of the devices, thereby causing the user to perceive less inconvenience. Other embodiments provide for systematically detecting and wirelessly recharging devices,…
SPATIO-TEMPORAL VIDEO COMPOSITING
Granted: March 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150071612
Embodiments provide techniques for creating a composite video stream. Additionally, a first selection of pixels from the first video stream and a second selection of pixels from the second video stream are received. Here, both the first selection of pixels and the second selection of pixels indicate pixels that are to be included in the composite video stream. Embodiments identify a plurality of spatiotemporal seams across the first video stream and the second video stream, based at…
Method and System for Rendering Virtual Views
Granted: March 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150070346
A method including receiving a first image of a scene captured from a first perspective, the first image including an object and a background; segmenting the first image to extract a first two-dimensional contour of the object; approximating a plurality of three-dimensional locations of a plurality of points on the first contour; generating a three-dimensional billboard of the object based on the three-dimensional locations; and projecting the first image onto the three-dimensional…
ANIMATED DOCUMENT USING AN INTEGRATED PROJECTOR
Granted: March 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150070264
The embodiments presented herein describe integrating a projector in a book to display images or animations on one or more pages of the book. Specifically, the book may include a projector that is arranged in the form factor of the book. The book may also contain one or more mirrors that reflect an image from the projector onto a desired location on a page in the book. In one embodiment, the image is projected from the rear of the book onto a back side of the page that is opposite the…
METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TRACKING SPORTS PLAYERS WITH CONTEXT-CONDITIONED MOTION MODELS
Granted: March 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150066448
A method and device generates a trajectory. The method includes receiving a plurality of tracklets indicative of movement of a plurality of targets over a predetermined temporal interval. The method includes determining a plurality of context data for a pair of tracklets based upon at least one additional tracklet. The method includes computing a probability that the pair of tracklets relate to a first one of the targets. The method includes generating a trajectory for the first target…
NON-LINEAR NAVIGATION OF VIDEO CONTENT
Granted: March 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150063781
Disclosed is a method for non-linear navigation of video content comprising receiving a video content asset comprising a plurality of video content clips tagged with information tags, the information tags connecting the video content clips to form a plurality of navigation paths; presenting a first video clip from the plurality of video clips; displaying a set of navigation options for selection by a user, each of the navigation options corresponding to a particular navigation path;…
METHODS AND SYSTEMS OF DETECTING OBJECT BOUNDARIES
Granted: March 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150063709
Methods and systems described herein detect object boundaries of videos. A window around the pixel may be followed in adjacent image frames of the image frame to determine object boundaries. Inconsistencies in image patches over a temporal window are detected, and each pixel of the image frame of a video is assigned an object boundary probability. The pixel may belong to a texture edge if the window content does not change throughout the adjacent image frames, or the pixel may belong to…
Device and Method for Calibrating a Temporal Contrast Sensor with a Frame-Based Camera Sensor
Granted: March 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150062351
A device and method incorporates features of a temporal contrast sensor with a camera sensor in an imager. The method includes registering the camera sensor with the temporal contrast sensor as a function of a calibration target. The method includes receiving camera sensor data from the camera sensor and temporal contrast sensor data from the temporal contrast sensor. The method includes generating a plurality of images as a function of incorporating the temporal contrast sensor data…
ELECTRONIC REACH ENVELOPE INTRUSION EXAMINER
Granted: February 26, 2015
Application Number:
20150055124
A system for examining intrusions of a physical environment into a reach envelope of a vehicle traveling along a length of track. The system includes a test skid including a chassis with front and rear wheel assemblies each adapted for rollably engaging the track. The test skid may further include a laser measuring scanner supported on an upper surface of the chassis and adapted for scanning a vertical plane orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the chassis to measure a plurality of…
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING A POLYGON MESH
Granted: February 26, 2015
Application Number:
20150054844
Methods and systems are disclosed for generating polygon meshes. One example of a method for generating a polygon mesh includes scanning a plurality of lines of an image to determine one or more pixel run lengths of interest, building a collection of rectangles based on the one or more pixel run lengths from the plurality of lines, and simplifying the collection of rectangles by combining rectangles with similar widths and/or heights.
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CREATING A HULL THAT MAY HAVE CONCAVITIES
Granted: February 26, 2015
Application Number:
20150054832
Methods and systems are disclosed for generating a hull that may have concavities. One example of such a method includes creating a collection of columns representing a first hull, growing the first hull by increasing a height of one or more columns, creating a collection of rows representing a second hull, growing the second hull by increasing a width of one or more rows, and creating a third hull by combing the first and second hulls.
CROSS PLATFORM SHARING OF USER-GENERATED CONTENT
Granted: February 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150052458
Systems and methods for cross platform sharing of user-generated content. The system may comprise a first user device of a first platform type including one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules. A space module may be configured to effectuate display of a virtual space on the first user device and facilitate interaction of a user of the first user device with the virtual space. A content creation module may be configured to configure user-generated virtual…
PERCEPTION SYSTEM
Granted: February 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150051000
System and methods to guide interaction of characters with objects in a virtual space include determining how objects near a particular character are perceived by that character. Based on proximity, position, the manner of possible interaction, and/or other considerations, objects are ranked for interaction with the character.
SYSTEM USING RULE BASED TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING GAMEPLAY RESTRICTIONS
Granted: February 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150050996
Systems and methods employing rule based techniques for handling virtual entity manifestation into gameplay modes in accordance with gameplay restrictions of the individual gameplay modes. The system may comprise a host server including one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules. The computer program modules may comprise a game module configured to execute an instance of the online game and to facilitate participation in one or more gameplay modes, a rule…
UNLOCKING OF VIRTUAL CONTENT THROUGH GEO-LOCATION
Granted: February 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150050995
This disclosure relates to a system configured to manage virtual content within a virtual space based on information associated with objects. The information associated with the objects may be updated responsive to detecting the objects at various real world physical geographic locations. The system may be configured to enhance a user's gaming experience by enabling location based unlocking of the virtual content in the virtual space. In some implementations, the locations may be…
LIGHT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN USER DEVICES AND PHYSICAL OBJECTS
Granted: February 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150050994
Systems and methods for communicating information between user devices and physical objects which are separate from the user devices. The physical objects may store information related to one or more online games associated with the physical objects. The user devices may obtain the information stored by the physical objects via light communication. The user devices may use the obtained information in order to effectuate presentation of a virtual character and/or virtual object in an…
TIME-LINE BASED DIGITAL MEDIA POST VIEWING EXPERIENCE
Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150046949
Disclosed are a digital media asset selection interface and method. The interface may comprise a plurality of digital media assets that are displayed to a user such that the user can navigate the digital media assets in a first direction and a second direction, such as a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. In a more particular embodiment, the digital media assets are listed horizontally such that assets listed to the left of a selection pane represent a “past” aspect and…
METHODS AND SYSTEMS OF JOINT PATH IMPORTANCE SAMPLING
Granted: February 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150035831
Methods and systems of joint path importance sampling are provided to construct light paths in participating media. The product of anisotropic phase functions and geometric terms across a sequence of path vertices are considered. A connection subpath is determined to join a light source subpath with a light receiver subpath with multiple intermediate vertices while considering the product of phase functions and geometry terms. A joint probability density function (“PDF”) may be…
SALES PROPOSAL MIX AND PRICING OPTIMIZATION
Granted: February 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150039395
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture to generate sales proposals, by determining, for a customer, a level of preference for each of a plurality of items of inventory, classifying each item of inventory into one of a plurality of categories, determining, for the customer, a price range for each item of inventory, computing a demand for each of a plurality of items of media content, selecting a subset of the items of advertising inventory based on: (i) the demand for each of a…
