Disney Patent Applications

System and method for number of players determined using facial recognition

Granted: August 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120214585
There is provided a system and method for determining a number of players present using facial recognition. There is provided a method comprising capturing an image of the players present, and determining the number of players present based on the image. In this manner, players may more easily configure game settings, whereas spectators may be presented a more engaging experience.

Performance Metrics Gathering From Multiple Video Game Platforms

Granted: August 16, 2012
Application Number: 20120209571
A system and method for performing performance testing of video game software from a host computer or external to the game platforms. The system includes a plurality of game platforms, of one, two, or more configurations, running a video game and a communications hub communicatively linked with the game platforms. The testing system includes a metrics gathering framework linked with the communications hub. During operation, the metrics gathering framework requests a metric value from the…

System and method for synchronizing on-air commercial programming with interactive applications

Granted: August 16, 2012
Application Number: 20120210339
There is provided a system and method for the synchronizing on-air commercial programming with interactive applications, providing interactive content synchronized with on-air television programming. There is provided a system comprising a client device with a display device and an input device and running a synchronization application. The client device receives digital data transmitted from a server, and transmits user feedback information generated from user interactions with the…

SIMULATED SPORTS EVENTS UTILIZING AUTHENTIC EVENT INFORMATION

Granted: August 9, 2012
Application Number: 20120202594
Described herein are methods, systems, apparatuses and products for simulating events utilizing authentic event information. One aspect provides receiving event data associated with one or more real-world events at one or more event data software modules being executed on a computing device; and formatting the event data via the one or more event data software modules into a form utilized by one or more video game applications operable on the computing device. Other embodiments are…

Optimized video streaming to client devices

Granted: August 9, 2012
Application Number: 20120203886
There is provided a system and method for determining an optimal bandwidth for a communication between a networked client device and a server. There is provided a method comprising identifying the networked client device, identifying a location of the networked client device, obtaining a client device profile for the networked client device corresponding to the location, and determining the optimal bandwidth using the client device profile. In this manner, client devices may almost…

AUTOMATED TESTING ON MULTIPLE VIDEO GAME PLATFORMS

Granted: August 9, 2012
Application Number: 20120204153
A system and method for performing external and automated testing of video game software. A video game testing system includes a testing farm with game platforms and a communications hub communicatively linked with the game platforms. The system includes test scripts stored in memory that each defines test functions to be performed on the game platforms. The test scripts are platform neutral such that they can be written once and run on game consoles regardless of hardware or software…

STEREOSCOPIC IMAGES GENERATED BY ADDING CONTENT TO ALTERNATE EYE IMAGES FOR RETINAL RIVALRY

Granted: August 2, 2012
Application Number: 20120194653
A method for generating stereoscopic images with retinal rivalry effects. The method includes retrieving primary eye images and alternate eye images from memory. These images are filmed from horizontally offset cameras but include the same content. The method continues with processing the alternate eye images to introduce retinal rivalry such as by including a set of frames that have differing content from a corresponding set of frames from the primary eye images. The differing content,…

UNIVERSAL PUZZLE PIECE FOR INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Granted: August 2, 2012
Application Number: 20120196661
An interactive entertainment system that includes a universal puzzle piece for each game or activity participant. The puzzle piece includes an updatable display displaying a first graphic image. The system includes an interactive display device with a display surface with an update mechanism that is operable such as by a controller, when the puzzle piece is in a predefined proximate position, to program the updatable display to update the first graphic image into a second graphic image.…

COMMUNICATION HUB FOR VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS

Granted: August 2, 2012
Application Number: 20120196687
A video game development system for enhancing communications between development tools and video game platforms or running games. The system includes a communications hub module running on a computer or server and communicatively linked with first and second video game platforms to allow the communications hub module to forward messages to and receive messages from the game platforms. Memory accessible by the communications hub module stores communication data sets or libraries…

THREE DIMENSIONAL DISPLAY WITH MULTIPLANE IMAGE DISPLAY ELEMENTS

Granted: July 26, 2012
Application Number: 20120188637
An apparatus is provided for generating or creating an autostereoscopic or three-dimensional (3D) display. The apparatus has a foreground display assembly including a display element such as a transparent projection screen film and a projector projecting a first set of two-dimensional (2D) content onto a rear surface viewable by a viewer via a front surface. The apparatus includes a background display assembly including a display element displaying a second set of 2D content. The…

MULTI-LAYER PLENOPTIC DISPLAYS THAT COMBINE MULTIPLE EMISSIVE AND LIGHT MODULATING PLANES

Granted: July 19, 2012
Application Number: 20120182334
A multi-planar plenoptic display assembly is provided that includes multiple spatially-varying light emitting and light modulating planes. The display assembly includes at least one light emitting device and may include, but does not require, a modulating device used in conjunction according to display methods taught herein to display light field data. A display assembly controller may be used to render a light field with depth into a multi-planar plenoptic display assembly by assigning…

PHYSICAL FACE CLONING

Granted: July 19, 2012
Application Number: 20120185218
A computer-implemented method is provided for physical face cloning to generate a synthetic skin. Rather than attempt to reproduce the mechanical properties of biological tissue, an output-oriented approach is utilized that models the synthetic skin as an elastic material with isotropic and homogeneous properties (e.g., silicone rubber). The method includes capturing a plurality of expressive poses from a human subject and generating a computational model based on one or more material…

COMPUTATIONAL STEREOSCOPIC CAMERA SYSTEM

Granted: July 19, 2012
Application Number: 20120182397
A closed-loop control system for stereoscopic video capture is provided. At least two motorized lenses are positioned in accordance with specified parameters to capture spatially-disparate images of a scene. The motorized lenses focus light on a corresponding one of the at least two sensors, which generate image streams. One or more processors execute instructions to provide a stream analyzer and a control module. The stream analyzer receives the image streams from the sensors and…

Counting system for vehicle riders

Granted: July 19, 2012
Application Number: 20120182390
There is provided a system and method for counting riders arbitrarily positioned in a vehicle. There is provided a method comprising receiving, from at least one camera filtered to capture non-visible light, video data corresponding to the vehicle passing through a light source filtered for non-visible light, converting the video data into a 3D height map, and analyzing the 3D height map to determine a number of riders in the vehicle. The camera and light source may be mounted in a…

Electronic Art System and Related Method

Granted: July 12, 2012
Application Number: 20120176337
There is presented a system and method for producing art electronically. In one embodiment, an electronic art system comprises an electrically sensitive art surface, an art brush having bristles, a voltage reference coupled to the bristles of the art brush, and an at least lightly conductive liquid for moistening the bristles. An electrical pattern formed by an interaction between a plurality of the moistened bristles of the art brush executing a brushstroke and the electrically…

PROCESSING IMAGE DATA FROM MULTIPLE CAMERAS FOR MOTION PICTURES

Granted: July 12, 2012
Application Number: 20120176481
An approach is disclosed for generating stereoscopic image sequences. The approach includes receiving a plurality of image sequences, each image sequence captured from a distinct camera or other capture device in a multi-camera array. One image sequence is a primary image sequence and the other image sequences are secondary image sequences. The approach further includes generating, from the primary and at least one or more of the secondary image sequences, depth maps corresponding to…

ROUND RIDE WITH LATERAL FLIGHT

Granted: July 5, 2012
Application Number: 20120172138
A round ride configured to provide lateral flight or movement of the passenger vehicle. The ride includes a vehicle support or boom arm that includes a four-bar linkage with: a base link affixed to the rotating hub; a crank or driver link rotating about a pivotal connection with this base link by a rotary actuator; a vehicle support link pivotally connected at one end to the crank or driver link to move with this link and at a second or outboard end to a coupler that supports the…

ROUND RIDE WITH CONTOURED AND ROTATING TRACK

Granted: July 5, 2012
Application Number: 20120172139
A round ride that creates a rotating ride experience with a varying frequency of vehicle elevations. The round ride includes a central hub assembly with a hub and a hub drive that rotates the hub about a central axis at a hub rotation rate. The drive assembly includes support arms extending outward from the hub, upon which are mounted passenger vehicles. The support arms are pivotally mounted to the hub. The round ride includes a track structure with a ring-shaped running surface…

System and method enabling content navigation and selection using an interactive virtual sphere

Granted: July 5, 2012
Application Number: 20120174038
There is provided a system and method for enabling navigation and selection of content using an interactive virtual sphere. The system comprises a content database accessible via a content server, the content database configured to store a first plurality of content units, and an aggregator linked to the content database, the aggregator configured to update the first plurality of content units. The system also includes a spherical graphics rendering module and a content navigation…

System and method for audio video pattern sequence diagnostic tool

Granted: June 28, 2012
Application Number: 20120163442
There is provided a system and method for confirming correct encoder processing for a media file. There is provided a method comprising preparing a diagnostic clip, embedding the diagnostic clip in the media file to create a modified media file, encoding the modified media file according to a set of encoder settings to create an encoded media file embedded with an encoded diagnostic clip, displaying the encoded diagnostic clip to a user, and assessing the accuracy of the encoder settings…