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Stereoscopy News brings us a short Press Release from “Zecotek” announcing their newly granted patent #7,944,465 for a “Apparatus and System for Reproducing 3-Dimensional Images”.
The new patent covers the use of equipment for the reproduction of static and moving 3D stereo representations with the capability of recording and transmitting stereo representations of 3D scenes. Zecotek’s “patented” Real-Time 3D Display System is based on the auto-stereoscopic principle, but with substantial innovative. It has the capability of simultaneously presenting to multiple users both 3D and 2D images on the same screen with separate views and at different viewing angles. The 3D display system provides comfortable conditions for viewing a volumetric representation without eye strain. The viewing of such 3D images does not require the use of any supplementary means such as glasses, does not drastically limit the position of the viewer with respect to the display, and allows simultaneous viewing of the 3D display by many viewers from a sufficiently wide field of view.
But where’s the Beef? From reading the legalese-encrypted claims, it seems their technology is a collection of micro-lenses that separate the 2D screen behind it into 3D. This way it can present a uniform 3D image to multiple viewers in multiple locations simultaneously, by letting the lenses separate the two eyes out. It’s clever, but not altogether new, technology.
ZECOTEK strikes again.
Hardware 3d, patent, stereoscopic, zecotek
A new patent awarded to Apple reveals an interesting new way to create a 3D autostereoscopic display. Rather than a parallax barrier, their display uses tiny pixel-sized domes that can effectively ‘project’ different visuals in different directions, enabling a 3D effect when viewed and then have some true multi-viewing angle effects.
It states: “An exceptional aspect of the invention is that it can produce viewing experiences that are virtually indistinguishable from viewing a true hologram.
“Such a “pseudo-holographic” image is a direct result of the ability to track and respond to observer movements.
“By tracking movements of the eye locations of the observer, the left and right 3D sub-images are adjusted in response to the tracked eye movements to produce images that mimic a real hologram.
Of course, rumors abound that the iPhone4 will boast a holographic display, and other such extravagance. This technology is probably still a few years away from being producable, and then will require some interesting software development to make it work.
via Disinformation. and Telegraph
Hardware 3d, apple, patent, stereoscopic
Sources are pointing to a newly granted patent available at the USPTO website entitled “Accelerated Video Encoding Using a Graphics Processing Unit“, granted to Microsoft, that seems to cover not only GPU video encoding but motion estimation as well.
The systems and methods described herein are directed at accelerating video encoding using a graphics processing unit. In one aspect, a video encoding system uses both a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU) to perform video encoding. The system implements a technique that enables the GPU to perform motion estimation for video encoding. The technique allows the GPU to perform a motion estimation process in parallel with the video encoding process performed by the CPU. The performance of video encoding using such a system is greatly accelerated as compared to encoding using just the CPU.
In another aspect, data related to motion estimation is arranged and provided to the GPU in a way that utilizes the capabilities of the GPU. Data about video frames may be collocated to enable multiple channels of the GPU to process tasks in parallel. The depth buffer of the GPU may be used to consolidate repeated calculations and searching tasks during the motion estimation process. The use of frame collocation and depth buffer enables the GPU to be better utilized and to further accelerate video encoding.
This is a potentially damning patent for the industry, as companies like Adobe,NVidia, Cinnafilm and others have been releasing GPGPU-accelerated encoding systems for the last few years. Now Microsoft has the means to crush them all under patent violations.
So now’s the time, people, to start digging for Prior Art. Microsoft applied for this in 2004. Anyone know of any GPU-accelerated video encoders before then?
via Microsoft Patents GPU-Accelerated Video Encoding | ConceivablyTech.
Science microsoft, patent
A new patent from the brains at Google discusses the possibility of embedding real-time ads, similar to the currently popular Google Adsense system, into images from Google Street View, bringing outdated billboards and signage back to life with hyperlinked glory.
In the patent, the technology company also mentions creating an advertising auction for properties which remain ‘unclaimed’. It said: “The link can be associated with a property owner, for example the property owner which owns the physical property portrayed. The link can alternatively be associated with an advertiser who placed the highest bid on the image recognized within the region of interest (e.g., poster, billboard, banner, etc.).”
It would be an impressive combination of mechanical turk and automatic image recognition, attempting to detect then align such information. If anyone’s got the money and horsepower to pull if off, Google does.
via Google Street View ‘to carry real-time ads’ – Telegraph. via Gizmodo
Science advertising, google, patent, street view
In a victory for software patent haters everywhere, a patent on “improving 3D computer graphics through provision of an improved method for performing visibility calculations” was recently overturned because it was considered related to calculations and algorithms, and therefore not patentable.
Patents “directed to improving 3D computer graphics through provision of an improved method for performing visibility calculations” were invalid under In re Bilski, 545 F.3d 943 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (en banc), cert. granted, — U.S. —, 129 S.Ct. 2735 (2009) because they failed to claim patentable subject matter. “[Plaintiff] concedes that its patent claims are not transformative, but nevertheless argues that they are tied to a particular machine; to wit, a computer. . . . The claim language clearly states that these claims are drawn to mathematical calculations and algorithms for calculating whether certain surfaces are visible or invisible in 3D computer graphics. This is exemplified by the language of the claims, which specify a sequence of calculations that involve identifying,comparing,determining, and ignoring; data. Though the calculations may be performed on a computer, they are not tied to any particular computer. For these reasons, the claims of the [patents-in-suit] fail to pass muster under the Bilski machine implementation test for patentability under 35 U.S.C. § 101.”
Fuzzysharp Technologies Inc. v. 3DLabs Inc. Ltd., 4-07-cv-05948 (CAND December 11, 2009, Order) (Armstrong, J.)
See some of the legal documents here.
via 3D Computer Graphics Patents Deemed Invalid Under In re Bilski | Patent Infringement Blog.
Science algorithm, legal, patent
A new patent application (hasn’t been awarded yet, I believe) from Microsoft bears stark resemblence (in both form and name) to Edward Tufte’s Sparklines. I don’t think anyone would doubt that Tufte created the popular visualization algorithm, however the inventor list completely excludes him:
Radakovitz, Samuel Chow (Redmond, WA, US) Buerman, Adam Michael (Bellevue, WA, US) Garg, Anupam (Redmond, WA, US) Androski, Matthew John (Bellevue, WA, US) Becker, Matthew Kevin (Kirkland, WA, US) Ruble, Brian S. (Bellevue, WA, US)
Meant to be included in Microsoft Excel as a new charting method, it’s left many wondering what recourse Tufte has (aside from claiming prior art). Tufte is himself entertaining ideas on his forum.
What do you think?
Sparklines for Excel: United States Patent Application 20090282325.
Science microsoft, patent, sparklines, tufte
iRise, makers of visualization and simulations products for prototyping software, has settled the lawsuit against Axure over US Patent 7,349,837. The patent, ‘Systems and methods for a programming environment for a simulation of computer application’ has been in dispute since 2008, and the settlement comes after the U.S. District Court found that Axure infringed on multiple claims of the patent. Financial details were not released, but the motion to invalidate the patent was denied.
So if any of you out there simulate software, your time is limited.
iRise Settles Patent Suit | socalTECH.com.
Science axure, irise, legal, patent
Every week, the US Patent Office publishes an XML data feed of various patent data including companies, inventors, classifications, and more. Over at Typologies.org, they’ve taken this data and assembled it into an interactive visualization and exploration tool that does a great job of showing some fascinating trends. You can click on any of the icons (shown above) and then see a great graph layout of how various categories interconnect.
A visualization of the United States Patent and Trademark Office data. via Infosthetics
Science flash, interactive, patent
Pixar has long claimed that “Monsters, Inc”, from 2001, was the first animation which showed hair and fur realistically. This got Steve van Dulken wondering, and after some research he found some patents from Pixar dating to 2003, such as:
Steve van Dulken’s Patent blog: Pixar’s patents for animating hair and fur.
Graphics, Science fur, hair, patent, pixar
VizWorld.com 
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