Amazon US Patent 9,554,096 Automated garment photography with fit adjustment

BACKGROUND 

Online shopping has transformed retail in many areas. But apparel is one area where consumers have not fully adopted the online shopping model. Clothing returns are high, and it is believed that many customers abandon online clothing purchases prior to completing them. As a result, some online retailers have generous return policies for clothing that does not fit in order to make the customer more comfortable with purchasing clothing online. 

Compounding this problem is the fact that there is no size standardization in the apparel industry. For example, a size "8" from one clothing manufacturer is not necessarily the same as a size "8" from another manufacturer, making it difficult for a consumer to know whether a garment purchased online will fit. Also, a pant size reported by the manufacturer to be 32 inches in the waist and 34 inches in the inseam does not provide information about how much room the pants have in the thigh, for example. 

Book: Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy by Tim Harford

by Tim Harford (Author)

A lively history seen through the fifty inventions that shaped it most profoundly, by the bestselling author of The Undercover Economist and Messy.

Who thought up paper money? What was the secret element that made the Gutenberg printing press possible? And what is the connection betweenThe Da Vinci Code and the collapse of Lehman Brothers? 

Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable story. 

Invention by invention, Harford reflects on how we got here and where we might go next. He lays bare often unexpected connections: how the bar code undermined family corner stores, and why the gramophone widened inequality. In the process, he introduces characters who developed some of these inventions, profited from them, and were ruined by them, as he traces the principles that helped explain their transformative effects. The result is a wise and witty book of history, economics, and biography.

Book: The Secret Life: Three True Stories of the Digital Age by Andrew O'Hagan

A trio of reported essays exploring identity and the Internet

The slippery online ecosystem is the perfect breeding ground for identities: true, false, and in between. The Internet shorthand IRL―“in real life”―now seems naïve. We no longer question the reality of online experiences but the reality of selfhood in the digital age.

In The Secret Life: Three True Stories, the essayist and novelist Andrew O’Hagan issues three bulletins from the porous border between cyberspace and IRL. “Ghosting” introduces us to the beguiling and divisive Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, whose autobiography the author agrees to ghostwrite with unforeseen―and unforgettable―consequences. “The Invention of Ronnie Pinn” finds the author using the actual identity of a deceased young man to construct an entirely new one in cyberspace, leading him on a journey deep into the Web’s darkest realms. And “The Satoshi Affair” chronicles the strange case of Craig Wright, the Australian Web developer who may or may not be the mysterious inventor of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto―and who may or may not be willing, or even able, to reveal the truth.

O’Hagan’s searching pieces take us to the weirder fringes of life in a digital world while also casting light on our shared predicaments. What does it mean when your very sense of self becomes, to borrow a term from the tech world, “disrupted”? Perhaps it takes a novelist, an inventor of selves, armed with the tools of a trenchant reporter, to find an answer.

Book: Edison vs. Tesla: The Battle over Their Last Invention

by Joel Martin (Author), William J. Birnes (Author)

Thomas Edison closely following the alternative physics work of Albert Einstein and Max Planck, convincing him that there was an entire reality unseen by the human eye. This led to the last and least-known of all Edison’s inventions, the spirit phone. His former associate, now bitter rival, Nikola Tesla, was also developing at the same time a similar mysterious device. Edison vs. Tesla examines their quest to talk to the dead. It reveals:

Edison’s little-known near-death experience formed his theory that animate life forms don’t die, but rather change the nature of their composition. It is this foundational belief that drove him to proceed with the spirit phone.
Tesla monitored Edison’s paranormal work, with both men racing to create a device that picked up the frequencies of discarnate spirits, what today is called EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon).
Both men were way ahead of their time, delving into artificial intelligence and robotics.
Although mystery and lore surround the details of the last decade of Edison’s life, many skeptics have denied the existence of the mysterious spirit phone. The authors have researched both Edison’s and Tesla’s journals, as well as contemporary articles and interviews with the inventors to confirm that tests were actually done with this device. They also have the full cooperation of the Charles Edison fund, affording them access to rare photos and graphics to support their text. Edison vs. Tesla sheds light on this weird invention and demonstrates the rivalry that drove both men to new discoveries.

Book: Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor's Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond by Chris Burniske, Jack Tatar

The innovative investor’s guide to an entirely new asset class―from two experts on the cutting edge

Cryptoassets potentially offer the greatest investment opportunity since the internet. Bitcoin was the first cryptoasset, but today there are over 500 and counting, including ether, ripple, litecoin, monero, and more. Cryptoassets and their associated blockchains are changing the way investors use and grow their money. This clear, concise, and accessible guide from two industry experts is the first book of its kind to explain this brave new blockchain world to innovative investors looking to explore the potential of this emerging asset class in their portfolios.

It gives readers an understanding of how these assets were created, how they work, and how they are evolving amid the blockchain revolution. It also provides an actionable framework within which to evaluate new cryptoassets and position investment portfolios in the coming wave of financial innovation. Investors will learn how to gain access to these assets, whether through familiar investment vehicles or bleeding edge techniques such as crowdsales, hardware wallets, and cryptoasset exchanges. This is the future of money.

Book: The Patent Guide: How You Can Protect and Profit from Patents 2nd Edition

The Patent Guide: How You Can Protect and Profit from Patents 2nd Edition 

by Carl W. Battle (Author), Andrea D. Small (Author) 

Coming up with a million-dollar idea is only the first step in what might seem like a long and difficult process. In The Patent Guide, Second Edition, experienced patent attorneys Carl W. Battle and Andrea D. Small deliver basic and comprehensive advice that is easy to understand and will allow you to protect, promote, and profit from your ideas. Chapters discuss such topics as:

How to commercialize your invention

Where to find sources of information and assistance

What guidelines you should follow when obtaining a patent

How to obtain foreign patent rights

How to maintain confidentiality of your ideas

When to use patent attorneys and agents

How to deal with invention brokers and promotion firms

How to enforce your patent against infringement

Fully updated and revised, this new edition includes information on inventor notebooks and records, updates to the patent filing process in the United States and abroad, the latest USPTO forms and templates, and changes to electronic filing and submission procedures.

With easy-to-use forms and step-by-step instructions, The Patent Guide is an indispensable tool to help minimize costs and maximize profits of your ideas and inventions.

Book: National Geographic 101 Inventions that Shaped the World by The Editors Of National Geographic

by The Editors Of National Geographic


Product details

Title: National Geographic 101 Inventions that Shaped the World

Paperback: 116 pages

Publisher: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC (July 7, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1683301706
ISBN-13: 978-1683301707

Samsung 360-degree camera for VR - US Patent Application 20170195533 Electronic Device for Image Photographing

(Samsung Patent Application 20170195533, Source: USPTO)

Samsung Gear 360 Real 360 4K VR Camera

Field of the Disclosure: The present disclosure generally relates to an electronic device that is able to perform 360-degree image photographing.

Description of the Related Art: An action camera is focused on usability, and is generally a camera device that performs 360-degree image photographing in order to photograph an image that may be watched on virtual reality (VR) 

Samsung Gear 360 High Resolution VR Camera

Apple patent - Airpods with biometirc sesnsor US Patent 9,699,546

FIELD

The described embodiments relate generally to the integration of biometric sensors into an earbud. More particularly, the present embodiments are directed towards positioning a biometric sensor along an exterior surface of the earbud so it can be placed in direct contact with a portion of a user's ear during use of the earbud.

BACKGROUND

Portable electronic device users have shown increasing interest in biometric tracking Biometric sensors often need to be in close or even direct contact with the skin to properly measure and track biometric parameters along the lines of heart rate, VO.sub.2, and core temperature. Requiring a user to place a sensor in direct contact with the skin to track these types of biometric data can be overly burdensome, making adoption of the biometric tracking more difficult. Consequently, mechanisms for unobtrusively measuring biometric parameters are desirable.

Apple Presence Sensing - US Patent 20170193282

TECHNICAL FIELD 

[0002] The present disclosure is generally related to devices having computing capabilities and, more particularly, to sensing the presence of a user in local proximity to the device. 

BACKGROUND 

Many computing devices are equipped with power saving features/modes intended to reduce power consumption when a user is not using the devices. Often, these power saving features are implemented though timers that count down a set amount of time from when the user last provides an input to the device. For example, a particular device may be configured to enter a sleep mode, or other mode that consumes less power than a fully operational mode, when a user has not provided input for five minutes. 

Occasionally, however, a device may enter the power saving features/modes while a user is still using the device. For example, the power saving features may be entered because the user failed to provide input within the time period set for the timer while reading content on the device, viewing a movie, or listening to music. Additionally, recovery from the power saving feature/mode may take time, may even require the user to enter credentials, and generally may be a nuisance to the user. 

US Patent 8,209,618 - Method of sharing multi-media content among users in a global computer network

Technical Field 

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method for sharing multi-media content among users in a global computer network. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for managing an interactive computer network involving user-submitted multi-media content in a competitively structured format.

Description of the Related Art

Social interaction on computer networks has increased in popularity since the time when computer users first communicated with one another over a telecommunication connection. What started with electronic messages exchanged on the dial-in bulletin board systems ("BBS") in the early 1980s has blossomed into a variety of "online communities," such as, for example, chat rooms, on-line forums, web logs ("blogs"), as well as specialty Web sites that are dedicated to particular subjects, e.g., digital photographs. As data transfer rates continue to increase in step with the improvements in high speed data transfer technology, so too does the demand for computer networks that provide individuals with more interactive and creative features.

Some computer networks have tried to incorporate these features. Some are set-up in a manner that provides the user with tools and functions that facilitate communication between the users. They permit individuals to meet, talk, share ideas, and become acquainted without the users ever leaving the comfort of their own home. Typically these computer networks allocate storage space so that users can create, store and share information. This space is hosted by the computer network and available to anyone in the public domain with access to the Internet. Even more advanced computer networks permit users to identify individuals with distinct labels, such as, "friends," "buddies," and "links," among others. These labels help the user to organize their contacts, whether personal friends, relatives, or individuals in which they share a common interest, into a "social network." Such social networks simplify communication because the user can choose the individuals to whom they communicate regularly. But, computer networks that simply offer the user an scheme to organize those individuals to whom they send messages, chat, and share personal information, does not meet the needs of the users that wish to use their social network for higher-level interaction that involves complex data and information, like audio, videos, and images.

Thus, there is a need for an improved interactive portal that permits users to share such content in a social network setting and that utilizes this content in a manner to increase the interaction between the users of the portal.

Book: Ethereum: Blockchains, Digital Assets, Smart Contracts, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations by Henning Diedrich (

As IBM´s official liaison to the Ethereum core developers I gave talks on blockchain topics pretty much around the world. After one keynote I was asked for a non-technical guide to understand blockchains. This is it.

The book aims to help you get your head around blockchains in general and around Ethereum specifically. Since Ethereum is currently the pre-imminent blockchain, it makes sense as reference point. The essential stuff is the same for any blockchain.

This text was written for people with a fast grasp, who are not programmers. Reading this should give you the basics to cut through the hype and to identify blockchain opportunities in your professional domain. There are tiny bits of code, which can be admired and skipped.

We´ll look at Ethereum´s benefits first, how it is used and what can be done with it; then explain blockchain machinery, visiting the terms that you´ll be confronted with in every discussion about its application. Exactly what you need to tell the signal from the noise in the echo chamber of honest misunderstandings and desperate marketing.

We take a good hard look at limitations, throw in some history and names and give a realistic outlook.

The index reads like an FAQ and you can use the book like that. However, there is a strong build up, one chapter leading to the next, as optimized path to understanding all the interconnected, moving parts. There´s quite a number of them.

Blockchains are not a trivial topic. The fact that blockchain client programs are small has fooled many people into believing it can´t possibly be that hard. The challenges are in the implications though.

But what’s in this book will put you ahead of almost everyone outside the core bubble.

A deep dive into this field now – at least getting started – will help you to become part of the fun ahead. It should allow you to stand out, land deals or a great job.

It will also make you see first hand how early we are in the game.

Hopefully, we will find a contributor to the blockchain community in you, strengthening the portfolio of real-world use cases. Ideally, you´ll learn to navigate your own uncharted course through your domain and revolutionize it.

Book: Handbook of Digital Currency: Bitcoin, Innovation, Financial Instruments, and Big Data 1st Edition by David LEE Kuo Chuen

Incorporating currencies, payment methods, and protocols that computers use to talk to each other, digital currencies are poised to grow in use and importance. The Handbook of Digital Currency gives readers a way to learn about subjects outside their specialties and provides authoritative background and tools for those whose primary source of information is journal articles. Taking a cross-country perspective, its comprehensive view of the field includes history, technicality, IT, finance, economics, legal, tax and regulatory environment. For those who come from different backgrounds with different questions in mind, The Handbook of Digital Currency is an essential starting point.

• Discusses all major strategies and tactics associated with digital currencies, their uses, and their regulations
• Presents future scenarios for the growth of digital currencies
• Written for regulators, crime prevention units, tax authorities, entrepreneurs, micro-financiers, micro-payment businesses, cryptography experts, software developers, venture capitalists, hedge fund managers, hardware manufacturers, credit card providers, money changers, remittance service providers, exchanges, and academics
• Winner of the 2015 "Outstanding Business Reference Source" by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)

Book: Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and Dapps 1st Edition by Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Gavin Wood

If you’re looking to get started with the Ethereum protocol—or are among the many open source developers, integrators, and system administrators already working with this platform—Mastering Ethereum is the definitive book on the topic. Authors Gavin Wood and Andreas Antonopoulos provide everything you need to know about building smart contracts and decentralized autonomous organizations on the Ethereum blockchain.

By bridging the world of cloud computing, grid computing, and blockchains, Ethereum has create a massive decentralized computing platform that many people are calling a "world computer." Ethereum has also spawned a rapidly growing ecosystem of software startups vying to build decentralized applications, known as "dapps".

With this practical guide, you’ll learn how to create markets, store registries of debts or promises, move funds in accordance with instructions given long in the past (like a will or a futures contract), and many other things that have not been invented yet, all without a middle man or counterparty risk.

Discover why IBM, Microsoft, NASDAQ, and other organizations have announced interest and/or development in this Turing-complete decentralized computing platform with Mastering Ethereum.

Google's stereo camera for smartphone -US Patent Application 20170171456, Stereo Autofocus

BACKGROUND 

Digital cameras have focusable lenses usable to capture sharp images that accurately represent the details within a scene. Some of these cameras provide manual focus controls. Many cameras, however, such those as in wireless computing devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets) use automatic focus (autofocus or AF) algorithms to relieve the user of the burden of having to manually focus the camera for each scene. 

Existing autofocus technologies capture an image, estimate the sharpness of the captured image, adjust the focus accordingly, capture another image, and so on. This process may be repeated for several iterations. The final, sharpest image is stored and/or displayed to the user. As a consequence, autofocus procedures take time, and during that time the scene may have moved, or the sharpness may be difficult to estimate given the current scene conditions. 

A stereo camera, such as a smartphone with two or more image capture components, can simultaneously capture multiple images, one with each image capture component. The stereo camera or a display device can then combine these images in some fashion to create or simulate a three-dimensional (3D), stereoscopic image. But, existing autofocus techniques do not perform well on stereo cameras. In addition to the delays associated with iterative autofocus, if each individual image capture component carries out an autofocus procedure independently, the individual image capture components may end up with incompatible focuses. As a result, the stereoscopic image may be blurry. 

IBM's Internet multiple round crowdfunding US Patent Application 20170178241

BACKGROUND 

With the advent of the Internet, a unique approach to funding projects has been developed that did not exist prior to the Internet's ability to network multitudes of people across the globe together. This approach is Internet crowdfunding. In various crowdfunding web sites, a person who wishes to receive funding for his or her project posts the project, along with the amount of money needed. Users of the web site can then pledge amounts of money towards the project. If the pledged amounts from the users satisfy the amount listed by the project's owner, the project becomes funded, and the users pay the amount of money they pledged. Typically the owner of a project provides incentives at different levels of pledged amounts, to entice people to pledge money towards the project. Such incentives can be in the form of the product that is the subject of the project itself, for instance, discounts for the product, and so on. 

SUMMARY 

An exemplary method for multiple round crowdfunding includes receiving, by a computing device, a list of projects. Each project has a fundable amount. The method includes receiving, by the computing device from investors, an investable amount of an investor wallet of each investor. The method includes adding, by the computing device, the projects to a queue of fundable projects. The method includes repeating the following until the computing device determines that a number of investing rounds is equal to a maximum number of investing rounds, the computing device determines that the fundable amount of the project remaining in the queue having a smallest fundable amount of any project remaining in the queue is greater than a remaining total of the investor wallets of the investors, or the computing device determines that the queue of fundable projects is empty. The computing device begins a new investing round, and receives pledged amounts of the investor wallets of the investors towards the fundable projects within the queue. The computing device moves each fundable project from the queue for which the pledged amounts of the investors the computing device has received towards the fundable project met the fundable amount of the fundable project, as determined by the computing device, to a fully funded queue. The computing device ends the new investing round, and after ending the new investing round, removes each fundable project from the queue for which the pledged amounts the computing device has received towards the fundable project is less than the fundable amount of the fundable project and less than a threshold for the fundable project to advance to a next investing round, as determined by the computing device. 

An exemplary computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions executable by a computing device of an investor participating in multiple round crowdfunding to cause the computing device to perform the following. The computing device sends to a server computing device managing the multiple round crowdfunding an investable amount of an investor wallet of the investor. The computing device repeats the following until the computing device determines that the investor wallet of the investor has been depleted, or the server computing device sends an indication that no more investing rounds will be conducted. At a beginning of a new investing round, the computing device receives from the server computing device a list of fundable projects. Each fundable project has a fundable amount. While the new investing round is ongoing, the computing device sends to the server computing device a pledged amount for each fundable project that the investor has selected to fund. At an end of the new investing round, the computing device receives from the server computing device a status of each fundable project within the list as one of: successfully funded such that the fundable amount of the fundable project was met, and unsuccessfully funded such that the fundable amount of the fundable project was not met. 

An exemplary system for multiple round crowdfunding includes a network adapter to communicatively connect with client computing devices of investors over a network. The system includes a processor, and a storage device storing program instructions executable by the processor to perform the following. The processor receives from the client computing devices over the network, an investable amount of an investor wallet of each investor, and adds a list of projects having fundable amounts to a queue of fundable projects. The processor repeats the following until the instructions determine that a number of investing rounds is equal to a maximum number of investing rounds, the instructions determined that the fundable amount of the project remaining in the queue having a smallest fundable amount of any project remaining in the queue is greater than a remaining total of the investor wallets of the investors, or the instructions determine that the queue of fundable projects is empty. The processor begins an investing round, and receives from the client computing devices over the network, pledged amounts of the investor wallets of the investors towards the fundable projects within the queue. The processor moves each fundable project from the queue for which the pledged amounts of the investors towards the fundable project met the fundable amount of the fundable project to a fully funded queue, and ends the investing round. After ending the investing round, the processor removes each fundable project from the queue for which the pledged amounts towards the fundable project is less than the fundable amount of the fundable project and less than a threshold for the fundable project to advance to a next investing round. 

Amazon''s Patent Application for reducing sound generated by an aerial vehicle/drone

Once Amazon's thousands or millions of drones takes off for delivery from their beehive shaped fulfillment center, it's a matter of time before people starting to complaint about buzzing noise. The ultimate test of the noise reduction method described in this patent application will be the end of year holiday shopping.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:  The present disclosure is directed to controlling, reducing, and/or altering sound generated by an aerial vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle ("UAV"), while the aerial vehicle is airborne. For example, one or more propellers of the aerial vehicle include propeller blade treatments that alter the sound generated by the propeller. For example, the propeller blade treatments may disrupt the airflow around the propeller blades as they rotate and/or absorb sound generated by the propeller blade as it rotates. By using propellers with different propeller blade treatments on the same aerial vehicle, the propellers may generate sounds that destructively interfere with each other, thereby reducing or altering the overall sound generated by the aerial vehicle. Likewise, some of the propeller blade treatments, in addition to altering the sound, reduce and/or otherwise alter the total sound generated by a propeller.

Facebook's new patent application hints at multi-user video conferencing through their social network platform - US Patent Application 20170187610

TECHNICAL FIELD 

The following description relates to using switching technologies to stream media in digital conferencing applications. 

BACKGROUND 

Video conferencing generally describes a process whereby conferencing participants can communicate remotely with one another through the use of video equipment that typically includes some form of camera and a video display. Increased usage of the Internet has resulted in an increased demand for video conferencing and a corresponding need for cost effective multimedia communications solutions. 

Amazon's voice-controlled light switches US Patent Application 20170188437

BACKGROUND 

Homes are becoming more wired and connected with the proliferation of computing devices such as desktops, tablets, entertainment systems, and portable communication devices. As computing devices evolve, many different ways have been introduced to allow users to interact with these devices, such as through mechanical means (e.g., keyboards, mice, etc.), touch screens, motion, and gesture. Another way to interact with computing devices is through speech. 

Facebook's advertisement in virtual reality social network, US Patent Application 20170186232

Facebook's latest patent application hints at offering advertisements for products and services in virtual world.  This opens up another huge venue of advertisers to reach out to consumers in the 3D where the VR market revenue to reach $150 billion by 2020.

"15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: identifying the additional information about the virtual object, wherein the additional information about the virtual object comprises a description of a product or service represented by the virtual object, an image of the product or service, information about alternative products or services, or a combination thereof; and providing the additional information to the interested party." 

TECHNICAL FIELD 

This disclosure generally relates to using three-dimensional virtual objects to interact with and guide users in virtual environments. 

BACKGROUND 

A social-networking system, which may include a social-networking website, may enable its users (such as persons or organizations) to interact with it and with each other through it. The social-networking system may, with input from a user, create and store in the social-networking system a user profile associated with the user. The user profile may include demographic information, communication-channel information, and information on personal interests of the user. The social-networking system may also, with input from a user, create and store a record of relationships of the user with other users of the social-networking system, as well as provide services (e.g., wall posts, photo-sharing, event organization, messaging, games, or advertisements) to facilitate social interaction between or among users. 

The social-networking system may send over one or more networks content or messages related to its services to a mobile or other computing device of a user. A user may also install software applications on a mobile or other computing device of the user for accessing a user profile of the user and other data within the social-networking system. The social-networking system may generate a personalized set of content objects to display to a user, such as a newsfeed of aggregated stories of other users connected to the user. 

A mobile computing device--such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or laptop computer--may include functionality for determining its location, direction, or orientation, such as a GPS receiver, compass, gyroscope, or accelerometer. Such a device may also include functionality for wireless communication, such as BLUETOOTH communication, near-field communication (NFC), or infrared (IR) communication or communication with wireless local area networks (WLANs) or a cellular-telephone network. Such a device may also include one or more cameras, scanners, touchscreens, microphones, or speakers. Mobile computing devices may also execute software applications, such as games, web browsers, or social-networking applications. With social-networking applications, users may connect, communicate, and share information with other users in their social networks. 

Samsung's simultaneous video display for smartphone - US Patent Application 20170188087

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 

Field of the Invention 

Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present disclosure relate to a user terminal, a method for controlling the same, and a multimedia system, and more particularly, to a user terminal capable of simultaneously viewing image contents displayed by a display device, a method for controlling the same, and a multimedia system. 

Description of the Related Art 

Currently, display devices provide various contents to users. Particularly, viewers intend to simultaneously confirm various image contents and select contents that they want to view among the confirmed image contents. 

Conventionally, there was a method for simultaneously confirming a plurality of image contents using a picture in picture (PIP) function. In this case, a viewing hindrance phenomenon that one image content hides other image contents may occur. In addition, a problem that it is difficult to simultaneously control an original image content and a PIP image content using one remote controller has occurred. 

Further, there was a method for simultaneously confirming a plurality of image contents using a plurality of display devices. For example, there was a method for confirming image contents using a television (TV) and a smart phone, respectively. In this case, the plurality of display devices do not interwork with each other, such that the plurality of display devices should be individually controlled, which is troublesome. 

Sony's VR head-mount display authentication by using a video see-through display - US Patent Application 20170186236

BACKGROUND ART 

An image display device that is mounted on the head or the face to be used for viewing an image, that is, a head-mounted display is known. The head-mounted display includes an image display unit for each of left and right eyes, for example, and may enable a user to observe a realistic image by forming an enlarged virtual image of a display image by a virtual image optical system. The head-mounted display is highly popular. If mass-produced in the future, the head-mounted display may become widespread like mobile phones, smartphones and portable game consoles, and it is conceivable that every person will own one head-mounted display. 

The head-mounted display is equipped with a high-resolution display panel of liquid crystal or an organic electro-luminescence (EL) element, for example, as a display unit for left/right eye. Also, the head-mounted display may be categorized as a transmissive type or an opaque type. 

A transmissive head-mounted display enables a wearer to observe the surrounding scene, while mounted on the head and displaying an image (for example, see Patent Document 1), and thus, the user may avoid dangers of running into obstacles and the like at the time of use outdoors or of use during walking. 

On the other hand, an opaque head-mounted display directly covers the eyes of a wearer when mounted on the head, and the sense of immersion at the time of viewing an image is increased. By enlarging and projecting a display image by using a virtual image optical system, and enabling a user to observe an enlarged virtual image with an appropriate angle of view, and also, by reproducing multichannel sound by headphones, a realistic feeling of viewing in a movie theater may be recreated (for example, see Patent Document 2). Furthermore, also with the opaque head-mounted display, there is known a video see-through method according to which a camera for capturing the front of a wearer is built in and an external image obtained by capturing is displayed, and the wearer is enabled to observe the surrounding scene through the external image (for example, see Patent Documents 3 and 4). Additionally, in contrast to video see-through, the term "optical see-through", or simply "see-through", is used for the aforementioned transmissive head-mounted display. 

Now, with information appliances such as multifunctional terminals, such as mobile phones, smartphones and tablets, and personal computers, whose users are limited to individuals or specific user groups, input of a passcode or a password, or an authentication process using biometric information or the like is generally performed at the time of start of use. 

For example, there is proposed an electronic appliance which is provided with a touch panel display of a depression amount detection type which displays a user authentication screen for an authentication required function, checks input number information indicating a plurality of different numbers input by a user on the user authentication screen against passcode information that is stored, and releases the lock on the authentication required function in the case of match (for example, see Patent Document 5). 

Also with the head-mounted display, if users are limited, such as in the case of personal use, an authentication process has to be performed at the time of start of use. 

For example, there is proposed a glass-type or head-mounted image display device which allows display of an image on a display on the condition that biometric authentication, such as iris recognition, retina recognition, face morphing (morphing) or skeleton recognition, has been performed (for example, see Patent Document 6). 

Furthermore, there is proposed a head-mounted display which performs user identification or an authentication process by detecting movement of the gaze position or gaze point of a user by using a myoelectric sensor or an electrooculogram sensor for detecting a muscle potential or an eye potential, and by using a movement pattern of movement of the gaze position or the gaze point of the user (for example, see Patent Document 7). 

Generally, with a system which is set with an authentication function, an authentication screen is displayed at the time of start of use, and a normal operation screen is not displayed until the authentication process has been performed. 

In the case of the opaque head-mounted display, both eyes of the user are covered, and the user is placed in a state of being blindfolded with no view. If a built-in camera is turned on and a captured image is in the manner of video see-through, the user regains view, and may observe the surrounding scene. However, if the authentication function is set, a video see-through image cannot be observed until the authentication process is performed, and a state of blindfold is kept. If the authentication process is disrupted by erroneous input of a password, for example, the user is placed in a dangerous state because the view becomes lost for a long time. 

Apple's Gesture Based User Interface US Patent Application 20170185161

United States Patent Application	20170185161
Kind Code	A1
Hoffnung; Amir ;   et al.	June 29, 2017

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Gesture Based User Interface 

Abstract A gesture based user interface includes a movement monitor configured to monitor a user's hand and to provide a signal based on movements of the hand. A processor is configured to provide at least one interface state in which a cursor is confined to movement within a single dimension region responsive to the signal from the movement monitor, and to actuate different commands responsive to the signal from the movement monitor and the location of the cursor in the single dimension region.

Apple's Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic Device with Display - US Patent Application 20170187855

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United States Patent Application	20170187855
Kind Code	A1
Hoellwarth; Quin C.	June 29, 2017

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Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic Device with Display 

Abstract Head-mounted display systems and methods of operation that allow users to couple and decouple a portable electronic device such as a handheld portable electronic device with a separate head-mounted device (e.g., temporarily integrates the separate devices into a single unit) are disclosed. The portable electronic may be physically coupled to the head-mounted device such that the portable electronic device can be worn on the user's head. The portable electronic device may be operatively coupled to the head-mounted device such that the portable electronic device and head mounted device can communicate and operate with one another. Each device may be allowed to extend its features and/or services to the other device for the purpose of enhancing, increasing and/or eliminating redundant functions between the head-mounted device and the portable electronic device.

Tessera - US Patent 6,856,007 - High-frequency chip packages

United States Patent	6,856,007
Warner	February 15, 2005

**Please see images for: ( Certificate of Correction ) **

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High-frequency chip packages 

Abstract A packaged semiconductor chip includes features such as a chip carrier having a large thermal conductor which can be solder-bonded to a circuit board so as to provide enhanced thermal conductivity to the circuit board and electromagnetic shielding and a conductive enclosure which partially or completely surrounds the packaged chip to provide additional heat dissipation and shielding. The packaged unit may include both an active semiconductor chip and a passive element, desirably in the form of a chip, which includes resistors and capacitors. Inductors may be provided in whole or in part on the chip carrier. A module includes two circuits and an enclosure with a medial wall between the circuits to provide electromagnetic shielding between the circuits.

IBM - US Patent 6,133,136 Robust interconnect structure

United States Patent	6,133,136
Edelstein ,   et al.	October 17, 2000

**Please see images for: ( Certificate of Correction ) **

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Robust interconnect structure 

Abstract A structure comprising a layer of copper, a barrier layer, a layer of AlCu, and a pad-limiting layer, wherein the layer of AlCu and barrier layer are interposed between the layer of copper and pad-limiting layer.

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Inventors:	Edelstein; Daniel Charles (New Rochelle, NY), McGahay; Vincent (Poughkeepsie, NY), Nye, III; Henry A. (Brookfield, CT), Ottey; Brian George Reid(Poughkeepsie, NY), Price; William H. (Cortlandt Manor, NY)
Assignee:	International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)
Appl. No.:	09/314,003
Filed:	May 19, 1999

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Current U.S. Class:	438/618; 257/750; 257/751; 257/762; 257/E21.508; 257/E23.021; 438/627; 438/628; 438/637
Current International Class:	H01L 21/02 (20060101); H01L 21/60 (20060101); H01L 23/485 (20060101); H01L 23/48 (20060101); H01L 021/4763 ()
Field of Search:	;438/618,637,688,627,628,643,644 ;257/762,765,751,750

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US Patent 6,849,946 - Planarized semiconductor interconnect topography and method for polishing a metal layer to form interconnect

United States Patent	6,849,946
Sethuraman ,   et al.	February 1, 2005

**Please see images for: ( Certificate of Correction ) **

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Planarized semiconductor interconnect topography and method for polishing a metal layer to form interconnect 

Abstract The present invention advantageously provides a substantially planarized semiconductor topography and method for making the same by forming a plurality of dummy features in a dielectric layer between a relatively wide interconnect and a series of relatively narrow interconnect. According to an embodiment, a plurality of laterally spaced dummy trenches are first etched in the dielectric layer between a relatively wide trench and a series of relatively narrow trenches. The dummy trenches, the wide trench, and the narrow trenches are filled with a conductive material, e.g., a metal. The conductive material is deposited to a level spaced above the upper surface of the dielectric layer. The surface of the conductive material is then polished to a level substantially coplanar with that of the upper surface of the dielectric layer. Advantageously, the polish rate of the conductive material above the dummy trenches and the wide and narrow trenches is substantially uniform. In this manner, dummy conductors spaced apart by dielectric protrusions are formed exclusively in the dummy trenches, and interconnect are formed exclusively in the narrow and wide trenches. The topological surface of the resulting interconnect level is substantially void of surface disparity.

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Inventors:	Sethuraman; Anantha R. (Fremont, CA), Seams; Christopher A. (Pleasanton, CA)
Assignee:	Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (San Jose, CA)
Family ID:	22505307
Appl. No.:	09/779,123
Filed:	February 7, 2001

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