METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING DOWNLOAD AND INSTANTANEOUS VIEWING OF MEDIA FILES
Granted: April 7, 2011
Application Number:
20110082914
Methods and arrangements for replacing segments or portions of a media file that was received via adaptive streaming or other transfer mechanism, to obtain a media file for local storage and further playback as if it came from a download. This maximizes the experience of both instant viewing and delayed viewing, and additionally provides a capability to extend the viewing experience to in-home streaming and copying to other devices. Accordingly, there is provided herein a capability to…
Magnetic Levitation Novelty Device
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110074237
An apparatus for animating a magnetically levitated object. The apparatus includes a display with an overhead housing. A magnetic levitation and oscillation assembly is included with an electromagnet in the overhead housing. A levitated object with a body in which a magnetic element is embedded is positioned proximate to the electromagnet and levitated within the display. The levitation and oscillation assembly includes a levitation actuator driving the electromagnet with a control…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CREATING DEPTH AND VOLUME IN A 2-D PLANAR IMAGE
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110074778
Implementations of the present disclosure involve methods and systems for creating depth and volume in a 2-D image by utilizing a plurality of layers of the 2-D image, where each layer comprises one or more portions of the 2-D image. Each layer may be reproduced into a corresponding left eye and right eye layers that include a depth pixel offset corresponding to a perceived depth. Further, a volume effect may also be applied to one or more objects of the 2-D image by associating a volume…
GRADIENT MODELING TOOLKIT FOR SCULPTING STEREOSCOPIC DEPTH MODELS FOR CONVERTING 2-D IMAGES INTO STEREOSCOPIC 3-D IMAGES
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110074784
Implementations of the present invention involve methods and systems for creating depth and volume in a 2-D planar image to create an associated 3-D image by utilizing a plurality of layers of the 2-D image, where each layer comprises one or more portions of the 2-D image. Each layer may be reproduced into a corresponding left eye and right eye layers, with one or both layers including a pixel offset corresponding to a perceived depth. Further, a depth model may be created for one or…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR UTILIZING PRE-EXISTING IMAGE LAYERS OF A TWO-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE TO CREATE A STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110074925
Implementations of the present invention involve methods and systems for converting a 2-D multimedia image to a 3-D multimedia image by utilizing a plurality of layers of the 2-D image. The layers may comprise one or more portions of the 2-D image and may be digitized and stored in a computer-readable database. The layers may be reproduced as a corresponding left eye and right eye version of the layer, including a pixel offset corresponding to a desired 3-D effect for each layer of the…
Apparatus and method for removing ink lines and segmentation of color regions of A 2-D image for converting 2-D images into stereoscopic 3-D images
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110075922
Implementations of the present invention involve methods and systems for converting a 2-D image to a stereoscopic 3-D image by segmenting one or more portions of the 2-D image based on one or more pixel color ranges. Further, a matte may be created that takes the shape of the segmented region such that several stereoscopic effects may be applied to the segmented region. In addition, ink lines that are contained within the segmented region may be removed to further define the…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING IMAGES TO GENERATE GAMEPLAY CONTENT
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110077076
Systems and methods for using images to generate gameplay content are disclosed herein. Specifically, for example, one aspect of the present disclosure involves a method for altering a virtual world generated by a video game system. The method includes obtaining one or more images from sources external to the video game system and processing the one or more images to obtain one or more inputs. The one or more inputs are provided to a gameplay engine to alter an output of the gameplay…
Risk profiling system and method
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110077950
There is provided a risk profiling system and method. The risk profiling system comprises a system processor, a system memory storing a risk profile unit configured to be controlled by the processor. The risk profile unit includes a risk features database comprising a plurality of risk features corresponding to the adverse event, an aggregation module configured to group risk features detected by the risk profiling system, and a risk analysis engine configured to estimate the likelihood…
USER-DRIVEN MOBILE DEVICE PROFILING FOR A MOBILE WEBSITE
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110078582
Various embodiments of systems, methods, and computer programs are provided. One embodiment is a method for providing a mobile website. The method comprises: enabling a plurality of first users of a mobile website to define a preferred presentation configuration for presenting the mobile website to a corresponding first mobile communication device; storing each preferred presentation configuration in association with mobile device information related to the corresponding first mobile…
System and method for providing media content enhancement
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110078753
There are provided systems and methods for providing media content enhancement. A system for providing enhancement of media content displayed by a presentation unit of the system comprises the presentation unit configured to receive and display the media content, and a content enhancement module stored in a memory of the presentation unit. The presentation unit also includes a processor configured to control the content enhancement module to enhance the media content. A method for use by…
Amusement Park Ride Using Motion-Driven Positioning for 360-Degree Vehicle Orientation
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110067594
An amusement park ride adapted for fully rotating a passenger compartment in response to vehicle motion along a guide track. The ride includes a vehicle chassis that engages the guide track and travels along the ride path during operation of the ride. The ride further includes a cam-based positioning assembly that is supported by the vehicle chassis to move with it along the guide track. The positioning assembly operates in response to being moved along the guide track to rotate the…
System and method for variable time scale for multi-player games
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110072094
There is provided a system and method for facilitating variations in a time scale for a shared environment. There is provided a method for use by a processor of a server for facilitating variations in a time scale for a shared environment, the method comprising receiving a message generated by a first client of a plurality of clients in response to a variation in the time scale, for rendering the shared environment, caused by a user of the first client, and sending a second message to a…
System and method for unitized maneuvers for multi-player games
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110072072
There is provided a system and method for facilitating unitized maneuvers for a shared environment to mitigate the effects of network latency. There is provided a method for use by a processor of a server for facilitating unitized maneuvers for a shared environment, the method comprising receiving a first message generated by a first client of a plurality of clients in response to the first client initiating a first unitized maneuver on a first object for rendering the shared environment…
TRAVELING VIRTUAL PET GAME SYSTEM
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110070935
A traveling virtual pet game simulates a pet traveling between various geographic locations. As the pet travels, users interact with the virtual pet to aid the pet in acquiring traits associated with the geographic regions in which it travels and to observe traits that the pet has previously acquired.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ART-DIRECTABLE RETARGETING FOR STREAMING VIDEO
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110069224
An integrated system and method for content-aware video retargeting. An interactive framework combines key frame-based constraint editing with numerous automatic algorithms for video analysis. This combination gives content producers a high level of control of the retargeting process. One component of the framework is a non-uniform, pixel-accurate warp to the target resolution that considers automatic as well as interactively-defined features. Automatic features comprise video saliency,…
AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE WITH A VEHICLE DRIVE THAT DECOUPLES UPON LOSS OF POWER
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110061558
An amusement park ride with one or more evacuation zones. The ride includes a track with a rail defining a ride path. The ride path includes at least one evacuation zone along a first length of the track at a first height and a non-evacuation zone along a second length of the track with one or more portions at a second height greater than the first height. The track is sloped in the non-evacuation zone toward the evacuation zone. The ride includes a vehicle supported on the rail via…
MOBILE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AND DISPENSING A CHEMICAL
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110062086
A mobile system for generating and dispensing a chemical includes a portable platform comprising a source of a gaseous chemical, the gaseous chemical forming a solution in water, and a fluid coupling through which the gaseous chemical is delivered to a body of water.
System and method for three-dimensional video capture workflow for dynamic rendering
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110063410
There is provided a system and method for a three-dimensional video capture workflow for dynamic rendering. There is provided a method of generating three-dimensional video data comprising obtaining two-dimensional video data from a scene having a plurality of objects, identifying objects in the scene, obtaining relative positions of the plurality of objects, encoding the two-dimensional video data to generate encoded two-dimensional video data, generating relative positions metadata…
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED NETWORK SEARCH AND COMPANION DISPLAY OF RESULTS RELATING TO AUDIO-VIDEO METADATA
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110064387
Embodiments disclosed herein include systems and methods which allow consumers of audio-visual content (such as movies and television programs) to obtain dynamic additional content about programs and movies being watched, and customize that additional content to their personal preferences and behaviors.
Group-based communications between associated electronic devices
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110065462
Methods and systems are provided for managing a group of portable communication devices. In accordance with one implementation, a method is provided for initializing a portable communication device in a group of portable communication devices at a point of activation. The method includes the steps of acquiring, by an initialization computer, a device identifier of the portable communication device, acquiring, by the initialization computer, a group identifier of the group, and…
