SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT EUROPE LTD. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20130201185 | BOOK OBJECT FOR AUGMENTED REALITY - A method for interfacing with an interactive program is provided. The method includes: capturing images of first and second pages of a book object, the first and second pages being joined along a fold axis defined along a spine of the book; analyzing the captured images to identify a first tag on the first page and a second tag on the second page; tracking movement of the first and second pages by tracking the first and second tags, respectively; generating augmented images by replacing, in the captured images, the book object with a virtual book, the virtual book having a first virtual page corresponding to the first page of the book object, the virtual book having a second virtual page corresponding to the second page of the book object; rendering first and second scenes on the first and second virtual pages, respectively; and presenting the augmented images on a display. | 08-08-2013 |
20110029609 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING MATERIAL - A method of transferring a preview version of material from a first entertainment apparatus to a second entertainment apparatus is disclosed. In said first entertainment apparatus, said method comprises the steps of: extracting said preview material from a package containing both a full version of the material and said preview version of the material, said preview version being an illustration of said full version of the material; and uploading at least part of said preview material to said second apparatus over a network. | 02-03-2011 |
20100048290 | IMAGE COMBINING METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS - A method of rewarding an end-user of a product. The method comprises supplying, in association with the product, an augmented reality marker for use with an augmented reality application. The augmented reality marker is provided as a free promotional supplement to the product. | 02-25-2010 |
20100045869 | Entertainment Device, System, and Method - An entertainment device for combining virtual images with real images captured by a video camera so as to generate augmented reality images. The device comprises receiving means operable to receive a sequence of video images from the video camera via a communications link. The device further comprises detecting means operable to detect an augmented reality marker within the received video images, and processing means operable to generate a virtual image plane in dependence upon the detection of the augmented reality marker by the detecting means. The virtual image plane is arranged to be substantially coplanar with a real surface upon which the augmented reality marker is placed so that virtual images may be generated with respect to the real surface. The processing means is operable to generate the virtual image plane within the captured video images such that the virtual image plane is defined with respect to the detected augmented reality marker, and the virtual image plane has an area which is greater than an area which corresponds to the augmented reality marker. | 02-25-2010 |
20100030660 | APPARATUS AND METHOD OF ON-LINE TRANSACTION - An entertainment device includes a display generator arranged to generate for display a representation of an online virtual environment, and to generate for display within said representation of the online virtual environment at least one avatars corresponding to users of at least one remote entertainment devices interacting with the online virtual environment. A data communications arrangement is operable to receive respective configuration data for at least one of the avatars that determines their appearance, and is operable to receive data identifying purchasable items visibly associated with a respective avatar; a query arrangement operable to initiate a query of an avatar and to identify to a user of the entertainment device purchasable items visibly associated with the avatar; and in which the data communications arrangement is operable to transmit a purchase initiation request identifying an item for purchase, selected in response to a purchasable item visibly associated with the queried avatar. | 02-04-2010 |
20100017424 | DATA COMPRESSION AND DECOMPRESSION - Data decompression apparatus is disclosed which is arranged to act on compressed data comprising: an ordered stream of references to groups of previously decoded data items; an ordered stream of direct representations of data items to be decoded; and an ordered stream of flags indicating whether each successive decompression operation should act on a reference or a direct representation. The apparatus comprises an output memory area; a detector to detect the number n of consecutive flags indicating that a decompression operation should act on a direct representation; and a data copier for copying to the output memory area either a next referenced group of previously decoded data or a group of n consecutive direct representations from the ordered stream of direct representations. | 01-21-2010 |
20090268040 | CONTROL OF DATA PROCESSING - Data processing apparatus arranged to receive successive images from a video camera comprises means for detecting inter-image motion for selected points in an image region associated with a control function of the data processing apparatus; and means for executing the control function if inter-image motion is detected in the image region; in which the detecting means is arranged to select points in an image region of a current image that are validated by selecting test points in a currently received image based upon their correspondence with points in a preceding received image, the points in the preceding received image themselves corresponding with the points originally selected in the currently received image, and deselect points in the current image whose corresponding test points do not to substantially coincide. | 10-29-2009 |
20090251553 | CONTROL OF DATA PROCESSING - Data processing apparatus arranged to receive successive images from a video camera comprises means for detecting inter-image motion for selected points in an image region associated with a control function of the data processing apparatus; and means for executing the control function if inter-image motion is detected in the image region; in which the detecting means is arranged to detect inter-image motion by detecting the cumulative inter-image motion for the points in the image region over a group of m consecutive images, where m is at least three. | 10-08-2009 |
20090143139 | AUDIO PROCESS AND APPARATUS - An audio apparatus is suitable for generating crowd sounds from an audio signal is disclosed in which the apparatus comprises modulation means operable to modulate a noise signal in response to the audio signal to generate a modulated noise signal, and diffusion delay means. The diffusion delay means is operable to apply a series of two or more delay operations, the input signal to a first such delay operation in the series being the modulated noise signal, and input to each subsequent delay operation in the series being the output signal generated by a preceding delay operation. Each delay operation comprises modifying that operation's input signal by the addition of a delayed version of that operation's input signal. | 06-04-2009 |
20090123899 | ENTERTAINMENT DEVICE, ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REPRODUCING MEDIA ITEMS - A method for reproducing media items using a first entertainment device, the first entertainment device being operable to communicate with a portable entertainment device via a wireless communication link, and the first entertainment device comprising media reproduction means operable to reproduce one or more media items stored on a removable storage medium comprises: reproducing a first media item using the media reproduction means, the first media item being stored on a first removable storage medium; generating, using a user interface associated with the portable entertainment device, a media list of one or more media items for reproduction by the first entertainment device; collating the media list at the first entertainment device, whilst the first media item is being reproduced by the media reproduction means; designating, at the first entertainment device, a second media item as the next media item to be reproduced by the media reproduction means after completion of the reproduction of the first media item, the second media item being selected from the media list collated at the first entertainment device; and detecting, whilst the first media item is being reproduced by the media reproduction means, whether the second media item is stored on the first removable storage medium, and, if the second media item is detected as not being stored on the first removable storage medium, storing media data relating to the first media item to a local storage medium, so that the first media item may be reproduced in dependence upon the media data stored in the local storage medium to allow the first removable storage medium to be exchanged with a second removable storage medium associated with the second media item whilst the first media item is being reproduced by the media reproduction means. | 05-14-2009 |
20090010335 | Control of data processing - Data processing apparatus arranged to receive successive images from a video camera and to receive audio data from a microphone comprises means for detecting inter-image motion in the video images; means for detecting audio signals in the associated audio data satisfying one or more predetermined audio criterion; and activation means, for activating a control function of the data processing apparatus in response to a predetermined sequence of a detection of inter-image motion satisfying one or more predetermined motion criterion and a detection of an audio signal in the associated audio data which satisfies the predetermined audio criteria. | 01-08-2009 |