Interesting Patents
TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2022
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) grants hundreds of new patents every week, showcasing the most exciting developments in technology and innovation.
In this article, we highlight several interesting US patents recently issued by the USPTO.
Looking for more information on patents? Visit our Patents Page here. We also recommend that you check out our Intellectual Property Resources page for guides, videos, and insight on patents and inventorship. We also provide Tips on Choosing a Patent Lawyer.
US PAT. NO. 11,308,698
INVENTION OVERVIEW:
Facebook has been granted a patent to enable a machine-learning algorithm to predict a user’s gaze in a virtual reality environment. The machine learning algorithm takes in inputs from the virtual reality headset, the virtual reality controller, and data from the virtual reality environment itself to predict the user’s gaze. The virtual reality environment can then determine focal points for the user whiting the virtual reality environment is based on the prediction from the machine learning model.
PATENT ABSTRACT:
“In one embodiment, a computing system may generate and display a virtual reality environment to a user. The computing system may determine a head pose of the user based on headset tracking data associated with a headset worn by the user. The computing system may determine a hand pose of the user based on hand tracking data associated with a device held or worn by a hand of the user. The computing system may access scene information associated with the displayed virtual reality environment. The computing system may determine a predicted focal point of the user within the virtual reality environment by processing the head pose, the hand pose, and the scene information using a machine-learning model.”
PATENT BACKGROUND:
“Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of an environment (e.g., a 3D environment) that users can interact with in a seemingly real or physical way. A virtual reality system, which may be a single device or a group of devices, may generate this simulation for display to a user, for example, on a virtual reality headset or some other display device. The simulation may include images, sounds, haptic feedback, and/or other sensations to imitate a real or imaginary environment. As virtual reality becomes more and more prominent, its range of useful applications is rapidly broadening. The most common applications of virtual reality involve games or other interactive content, but other applications such as the viewing of visual media items (e.g., photos, videos) for entertainment or training purposes are close behind. The feasibility of using virtual reality to simulate real-life conversations and other user interactions is also being explored.”
INVENTION OVERVIEW:
Sony has been granted a patent for rendering three-dimensional virtual scenes. The system first captures three-dimensional data and translates real-world measurements into the virtual environment to render the virtual scenes. Using the captured data, the system then generates a three-dimensional avatar and incorporates it into the virtual scene. The system can then incorporate the avatar into the scene with the correct proportions to properly convey a user’s telepresence. Some uses of this system may include fitness classes, collaborative classrooms, interactive virtual environments, and other virtual spaces where users might interact.
PATENT ABSTRACT:
“A telepresence communication uses information captured by a first capture device about a first user and information captured by a second capture device about a second user to generate a first avatar corresponding to the first user and a second avatar corresponding to the second user. A scene can be rendered locally or by a remote server in which the first avatar and the second avatar are both rendered in a virtual space. The first avatar is rendered to move based on movements made by the first user as captured by the first capture device, and the second avatar is rendered to move based on movements made by the second user as captured by the second capture device. The avatars may be realistic, based on avatar templates, or some combination thereof. The rendered scene may include virtual interactive objects that the avatars can interact with.”
PATENT BACKGROUND:
“The present invention generally concerns telepresence technologies. More particularly, the present invention concerns generating three-dimensional avatars of multiple telepresence participants and rendering the avatars in a virtual three-dimensional space.”
US PAT. NO. 11,305,598
INVENTION OVERVIEW:
Yamaha was granted a patent for an off-highway vehicle. This vehicle is unique because the rear differential is connected to the rear axle to allowing for an extensive range of motion while remaining connected to the drivetrain. The extensive range of motion of the rear axle enables the vehicle to navigate over rugged terrain while retaining the vehicle’s ability to drive the rear wheels.
PATENT ABSTRACT:
“A recreational off-highway vehicle includes a vehicle frame, at least one front wheel, a pair of rear wheels, a solid rear axle, a pair of trailing arms, a rear differential and a motor. The solid rear axle rotatably supports the rear wheels at its opposite ends. Each of the trailing arms is pivotally connected to the vehicle frame and the solid rear axle. A shock absorber is coupled between the vehicle frame and each of the trailing arms. The rear differential is supported on the solid rear axle and connected to the rear wheels. The transmission has a propeller shaft connected to the rear differential to drive the rear wheels. The motor is connected operatively to the transmission. The propeller shaft includes first and second drive sections that articulates relative to each other. The second drive section is connected to the rear differential.”
PATENT BACKGROUND:
Hitherto, a game system is known which more appropriately matches players who have play skills close to each other, against each other (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2014-144367). In such a game system, a value representing a player’s play skill that is strength of play is used as an ability rating. Players having ability rating values close to each other are selected and determined as players who perform match-up play against each other.
In the above game system, the rates are merely used for opponent selection.
Therefore, it is an object of the exemplary embodiments to provide an unprecedented new game system that uses rates as described above.
PATENT BACKGROUND:
“Generally, recreational off-highway vehicles are designed to be operated over rough terrain. Basically, a recreational off-highway vehicle is considered to be any small vehicle that is not street legal. In other words, a recreational off-highway vehicle is not equipped and licensed for use on public roads, while a street legal vehicle is equipped and licensed for use on public roads. These recreational off-highway vehicles are often driven on uneven terrain such as rough roads, steep inclines and declines. As a consequence of these considerations, the design of a recreational off-highway vehicle can be quite different from vehicles designed for driving on paved roads.
Various types of recreational off-highway vehicles that are designed to be primarily driven on unpaved surfaces and typically have one or more seats. One example of a recreational off-highway vehicles is a side-by-side off-road vehicle in which the driver and a passenger are seated side-by-side. Some side-by-side recreational off-road vehicles also have a second row of seats to accommodate one or more additional passengers. These recreational off-highway vehicles typically have a frame with an open cockpit, a roll cage, a steering wheel and four wheels. In the case of these side-by-side recreational off-highway vehicles, a drive source such as an internal combustion engine is utilized to drive one or more of the wheels. Typically, the drive source will be configured to drive two of the wheels or all four of the wheels. Typically, the engine is provided with a transmission that transfers power to an output shaft from the crankshaft of the engine. The output shaft drives the wheels through a drivetrain.
Since the recreational off-highway vehicles are often driven on rough terrains, suspension assemblies are needed that have a large amount of travel to handle the rough terrain. However, as the wheels move up and down in a vertical direction by the suspension assemblies, the wheel orientations also tend to change. For example, the camber and the toe of the wheels may change as the wheels move up and down in the vertical direction. Camber is the extent that the wheel tracks away from perpendicular ground contact through the full suspension stroke, while toe is that the wheel tracks in and/or out away from a vehicle centerline through the full suspension stroke. If the change in camber and/or toe of the wheels are too large, then handling of the recreational off-highway vehicle may be adversely affected. Scrub is the extent that the wheel slips along the ground plane perpendicular to the direction of vehicle travel through full suspension stroke.”
