Patents on the soles of your shoes...: Google

Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Oh, patents! Inventors and artists: What's the difference?

Inventors take creative leaps, called inventive steps! Artists also leap, and are creative by definition, so what’s the difference?

Below, inventors as perceived by the inventors themselves, in a community of inventors at the occasion of the 2011 EPO (European Patent Organisation) awards in Budapest, Hungary:

And below, a link to a GoogleDoodle post by Mark Holmes, a Google, Inc.; in house artist explaining how he designed the February 18 2015, Google Doodle celebrating Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Volta's 270th birthday by Mark Holmes @ Google, Inc

Kinda different species, aren’t they!

We will be examining in great details what is involved in the disclosure of an invention, working backwards to what counts as an invention, so that these differences will become even more substantiated.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Oh, Google Doodle! February 18, 2015

Check out today's Google Doodle at www.google.com (and click on the Doodle)! Today's Google Doodle celebrates Alessandro Volta's 270th birthday on Feb. 18, 1745, the inventor of the voltaic pile (i.e.;battery)!

Google Doodles are the delightful and beautifully crafted daily changes to the Google logo posted on the Google.com splash search page. For an archive of the Doodles, search for GoogleDoodles. Perhaps that one day there might be a Google Doodle exhibit to light up MOMAs worldwide! This is charming, whimsical, highly technical and amazingly participatory art!

Google’s Doodle is linked to a Wikipedia article about Alessandro Volta. In the article you will find out that Volta’s invention was reported to The Royal Society in 1880, and then to the Institut de France, two of the oldest learned societies on record, founded respectively in 1660 and 1795, where the invention was granted Letters patent.

In the Wikipedia article, you will also learn that Alessandro Volta’s invention concerned the production of electricity using a chemical reaction at a time when electricity was thought to be produced exclusively by living beings, according to Galvani’s “frog leg” experiments identifying animal electricity. Volta’s pile or battery placed two metals in contact with a liquid electrolyte (sulfuric acid mixed with water, or soaked saltwater brine paper), creating a voltaic cell where electricity flows as result of a series of electrochemical transfers and reactions.

You will also find out that Alessandro Volta is credited with the discovery of methane, and subsequently the study of electrical capacitance where his experiments resulted in Volta’s law of capacitance, and electrical potential became known as the “volt”. This work in experimental physics was carried out at the University of Pavia, in Italy where Alessandro Volta was chair and professor for 40 years.

Below, today's animated Google Doodle celebrating Alessandro Volta's sparks of genius

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Oh, patents! Google AR (augmented reality) image recognition

Just take a picture of a real world object with an AR app that superimposes virtual information in the form of text or graphics onto the real world object for real time interaction. Voila! This is Augmented Reality! The real world object acquires new properties and more depth in the virtual world, where conversely, the user can experience the virtual world as part of the real world, resulting in an augmented impression of the real world.

Easy said… but how does it work? How do you get the application to recognize an image (i.e.; bring information to the image)? How does the application differentiate among the multiple objects of an image (e.g.; a street with all of its different overlapping buildings)? How does the application provide you with information about the parts of an image that are hidden or actually non visible, and for what purposes?

For example, how does the application provide information about the closest restaurant, or hair salon, or post-office when the actual shops or business are not visible on the image? And even if the objects are visible (e.g.; the TransAmerica or the Francis Ford Coppola buildings in San Francisco), how does the application recognize them, and supply relevant information about the sites?

Google patent US 8810599, titled Image recognition in augmented reality discloses an invention that precisely addresses these issues. Specifically, the invention seeks to match position information attached to an acquired image with stored geo-coded images, in view of both characterizing the acquired image and matching it against the descriptive information known for the stored images, and finally superimposing Augmented Reality display data (graphic or text) on the captured image for querying by the user.

The invention includes a number of additional aspects, including: means for adjusting position or location, when for example the image was acquired at a slightly different angle from the geo-coded stored image, or when the coordinates obtained for the position data are slightly different from what was previously stored virtually for that location; means for re-calibrating a compass tool on the computing device, and using the compass for determining aim and direction sensed when the image was taken; means for ordering the search and display of information according to popularity (e.g. coffee vs tobacco shop), among many additional aspects.

Below appears the abstract for US 8810599, titled Image recognition in augmented reality, and above Figure 1 of this patent depicting use of GPS compass coordinates for determining location of the image objects, using a mobile device and front camera.

A computer-implemented augmented reality method includes obtaining an image acquired by a computing device running an augmented reality application, identifying image characterizing data in the obtained image, the data identifying characteristic points in the image, comparing the image characterizing data with image characterizing data for a plurality of geo-coded images stored by a computer server system, identifying locations of items in the obtained image using the comparison, and providing, for display on the computing device at the identified locations, data for textual or graphical annotations that correspond to each of the items in the obtained image, and formatted to be displayed with the obtained image or a subsequently acquired image.

Of course, when reading the above-cited abstract, you will have already noticed that in a world of patents where computer programs that transform everyone’s life cannot be patented, US 8810599 is a “computer-implemented augmented reality method…” where “an image is acquired by a computing device, running an augmented reality application…”.

Consequently, and elsewhere in the specifications of the patent, since the coded instructions of a computer program cannot be patented, you will discover that this invention also includes "tangible non-transient recordable computer storage media” that “stores the instructions which once executed make it possible to acquire an image with a device, running an augmented reality program”.

Finally, in addition to the media support for this method, the patent also covers the means for acquiring the image, means for sending the image data wirelessly to a server containing geo-coded image data; means for comparing and matching acquired data with stored data, means for extracting and displaying the virtual data for an augmented impression of reality..., plus much more, in terms of the scope of the invention and its variations: of input modes (voice, stylus, keyboard), of operating systems (Android, iOS, Rim Blackberry, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Symbian…), of the means for determining location of user, and position of image; of the networks supporting transmission of information etc! (The patent runs 26 pages.)

Cheers, and thanks Google!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Oh, patents! Do you heart?

The verb to “google” was included in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) in 2006. It now looks as though the googlese verb to “heart” might be next!

Indeed Google Inc., filed for a patent titled “Hand gestures to signify what is important”, and in particular, the heart hand-gesture, used to frame a field of view (FOV) that you “heart”, and that Google Glass can recognize as your own, extract from the video data, tag as liked, before sending the image that your hands surround in the shape of symbolic heart, to a dedicated application on a connected server.

So go ahead heart away all day… tomorrow is Valentine’s day. And you can probably steal this heart hand-gesture without fearing that you are infringing on US8558759, since Google Inc.,’s patented heart hand-gesture includes visual recognition means, video analysis and extraction means, plus lots of hardware and wireless technology driven by proprietary algorithms!

US8558759 also includes the “L” shaped hand gesture (with attached recognition, analysis and extraction algorithms, and soft and hard wiring), performed with your index and forefinger, and used to frame an image, in the similar manner that you form a symbolic heart with both your hands, to enclose a FOV.

Below you will find the abstract of the Google Inc., patent titled: Hand gestures to signify what is important, with a patent image of the heart hand gesture, and above the patent “L” shaped hand gesture, and a Google hand heart image.

Abstract

In accordance with example embodiments, hand gestures can be used to provide user input to a wearable computing device, and in particular to identify, signify, or otherwise indicate what may be considered or classified as important or worthy of attention or notice. A wearable computing device, which could include a head-mounted display (HMD) and a video camera, may recognize known hand gestures and carry out particular actions in response. Particular hand gestures could be used for selecting portions of a field of view of the HMD, and generating images from the selected portions. The HMD could then transmit the generated images to one or more applications in a network server communicatively connected with the HMD, including a server or server system hosting a social networking service.

--------

xox

Monday, January 6, 2014

Oh, patents! Google strips....

Trust Google, Inc., to change the world and to bring in new modes of communication! Here’s another one of these brilliant ideas

Patent US 8621366, titled Self-creation of comic strips in social networks and other communications, awarded just a few days ago, on December 31, 2013 to Satish Kumar Sampath in the UK, and assigned to Google, Inc. in Mountain view, brings you the capacity to communicate in comic strips on social networks, without having to resort to another program or third party site.

Embedded pictures and videos were a great improvement on plain text… But, now you can try out your expression in comic strips! The patent discloses how to embed a comic strip generator into a social media platform so that you can easily say it all much more succinctly in bubbles, and disguised as your favorite alter ego.

The Abstract and cover page drawing for US8621366 sum it all up really nicely:

Abstract US8621366

"Commununications to be shared on social networks and other electronic modes of communication are presented in comic strip form. The comic strips are created with a simplified user interface and are formatted to be well-suited for display on a selected social network or other electronic facility. The comic strips are displayed in an embedded form directly in the social network or other facility, without the need for a user to go to a separate site to view the comic strip".

So, once this application has gone viral on the social networks, just proceed per the Figure 4 algorithm: “Select a theme for comic strip; Enter a title for comic strip; Enter text for comic strip; Preview the comic strip; Share the comic strip” as illustrated in Figure 5 of the patent below, and you probably can stay home for the day!

Personally, I cannot wait for launch day!

I also hope this application will be seamlessly embedded in Blogger and Chrome! It will beat jpeg-ing bubbles for wraparound text.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Oh, Patents! - Google's wearable computer (US2013002724)

Have you seen anyone sporting Google Glass, a wearable, head-mounted computer?

The very first models are to be released this March 2013 to 1000 selected applicants who composed to the prompt:”If I had Glass….” , and then later this year, to the rest of the world. They come in 5 different colors: Tangerine, Charcoal, Shale, Cotton and Sky. With this featherweight, head-mounted computer in a tiny glass cube suspended over your right eye, you will be able, for example, to share what you are seeing in real time, take a picture, ask for directions and see them in front of you, record a message, or ask for a translation – all of this, hands free, voice-activated or with a few taps to the Glass side-arm!

Indeed, this is ubiquitous computing, at a whole new level of omnipresence and Amplifed Reality (AR). This Space-Age looking pair of spectacles has no lenses (and no plural) - Google Glass refers to the tiny glass cube embodying the computer- although eventually, you will be able to add your own prescription or sun lenses to the frame, and remove the Glass cube and its arm to dock it onto your own eyewear. Here is the official picture of the Google Glass, head-mounted computer... perfected for the ’hood :

The patent for this invention, USUS2013002724, filed by Google. Inc, titled: WEARABLE COMPUTER WITH CURVED DISPLAY AND NAVIGATION TOOL, was awarded on January 3, 2013, to a team of inventors:HEINRICH MITCHELL [US]; TAUBMAN GABRIEL [US]; GEISS RYAN[US]; BRAUN MAX [US]; HO CASEY [US]. It comes complete with …..

“….systems, methods, and devices for interfacing with a wearable heads-up display via a touch-operable input device. The wearable heads-up display may include a display element for receiving and displaying display information received from a processor, and may also include a wearable frame structure supporting the display element and having a side-arm extending away from the display element. In some embodiments, the display information may appear at least partially curved to a user. In some embodiments, only a portion of the display information is shown on the at least one display element. The side-arm may be configured to secure the heads-up display to a user's body in a manner such that the display element is disposed within a field of view of the user. The touch-operable input devices secured to the wearable frame structure is configured to sense at least one of a position and movement of a touch or finger along a planar direction relative to a surface of the input device, and to provide corresponding input information to the processor. A navigation tool may also be displayed on the at least one display element for indicating the location of the touch on the touch-operable input device”. [US2013002724]

And, here are some of the patent drawings of the wearable spectacled computer, and a picture of the final marketed product. You will notice the leap in styles from fiction to AR, from Harry Potter to state of the 21^stcentury runway fashion and the ‘hood…enough to trump all the optometrists of the world during the long patent examination process…!