Sony Corporation

Sony Group Corporation

Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Marvin DeMerchant

David Andrew Young

Lindsay Miller

Steven Friedlander

Hyehoon Yi

David George Thiele

Lobrenzo Wingo

James Richard Milne

Gregory Carlsson

Carsten C Schwesig

Yuko Nishikawa

Aran London Sadja

Nobukazu Sugiyama

Hiroki Takakura

Brian W Johnson

Jason Clement

William Arthur Schupp

Max Wu

Tracy Barnes

Norifumi Takaya

Allison Joi Burgueno

Allison Marlene Chaney

Hye Hoon Yi

Takeshi Suzuki

Benjamin Roe Powers

Sebrina Yeh

A remote commander (RC) for a TV or other entertainment system component has a microphone. A device can query the RC for its serial number, access the Internet with the serial number to look up characteristics of the microphone, and then knowing the characteristics, use the RC microphone to detect sound such as speaker test chirps to calibrate an audio system in a convenient and user-friendly manner while achieving the accuracy of calibration that can only be obtained by using a calibrated microphone system.

Using entertainment system remote commander for audio system calibration

A robot in a location interacts with a user. The robot includes a camera, an image recognition processor, a microphone and a loudspeaker, a voice assistant, and a wireless transceiver. The robot moves around and creates a model of the location, and recognizes changes. It recognizes objects of interest, beings, and situations. The robot monitors the user and recognizes body language and gesture commands, as well as voice commands. The robot communicates with the user, the TV, and other devices. It may include environment sensors and health status sensors. It acts as a user companion by answering queries, executing commands, and issuing reminders. It may monitor to determine if the user is well. The robot may monitor objects of interest, their placement and their status. When necessary, it communicates with the user.

Autonomous robot

Implementations generally relate to configuring settings of a television. In some implementations, a method includes receiving a signal at a television, where the signal is associated with a television program. The method further includes determining the television program. The method further includes determining a plurality of variations of television settings based on the television program. The method further includes displaying a plurality of windows on a display of the television. The method further includes displaying the television program in each window of the plurality of windows, where the television program is displayed in each window based on a different variation of the plurality of variations of the television settings.

Configuring settings of a television

Implementations generally relate to setting up a new television linked with an existing television. In some implementations, a method includes detecting, by a first television, a presence of a second television. The method further includes establishing communication with the second television. The method further includes sending a setup information request to the second television. The method further includes receiving setup information from the second television. The method further includes modifying one or more settings of the first television based at least in part on the setup information from the second television.

Setting up a new television linked with an existing television

Implementations generally relate to monitoring the health condition of a television user. In some implementations, a method includes detecting one or more activities of a user, wherein the one or more activities include watching television. The method further includes monitoring one or more health vitals of the user. The method further includes tracking a health status of the user based on the one or more activities and based on the monitoring of the one or more health vitals. The method further includes detecting one or more health anomalies based the health status. The method further includes responding to the one or more health anomalies based on one or more predetermined policies.

Monitoring and reporting the health condition of a television user

A robot in a location interacts with a user. The robot includes a camera, an image recognition processor, a microphone and a loudspeaker, a voice assistant, and a wireless transceiver. The robot moves around and creates a model of the location, and recognizes changes. It recognizes objects of interest, beings, and situations. The robot monitors the user and recognizes body language and gesture commands, as well as voice commands. The robot communicates with the user, the TV, and other devices. It may move around to monitor for regular and non-regular situations. It anticipates user commands based on a situation. It determines if a situation is desired, and mitigates the situation if undesired. It can seek immediate help for the user in an emergency. It can capture, record, categorize and document events as they happen. It can categorize and document objects in the location.

Situation-aware robot

An audio-video (AV) reproduction device that comprises at least one audio capturing device, at least one speaker, a memory, and circuitry. The memory stores setup information associated with first-time device setup of the audio-video reproduction device. The first-time device setup is associated with a plurality of configuration settings of the AV reproduction device. The circuitry controls the at least one speaker to output a message in the setup information, and controls the at least one audio capturing device to receive a user input based on the message. The circuitry compares the user input with at least one condition associated with the message. The circuitry configures a configuration setting from the plurality of configuration settings based on the comparison. The circuitry controls at least a function of the AV reproduction device based on the configured configuration setting.

Audio-video reproduction device setup using interview-based voice control

An electronic device includes one or more processors for executing instructions. A communication device detects wake words and instructions from a smart assistant. Upon detecting wake words, the communication device generates a detection signal. An infographics agent is coupled to the communication device and generates a control signal in response to the detection signal. A power controller is coupled to the infographics agent and the one or more processors and provides a power control signal in response to the control signal, where the power control signal changes the power setting of the electronic device from a low power state to a full power state. When the electronic device is in the full power state, it sends and receives graphical data relating to the instructions and displays received graphical data.

Method and apparatus for software agent on TV constructs infographics and displays based on overheard information

Disclosed are approaches for user interface control. In one embodiment, a method can include: indicating a highlight of a first object of a plurality of objects displayed on a display screen; accepting a signal deriving from a first gesture input of a user indicating a neutral position relative to the highlighted first object; accepting a signal deriving from a second gesture input of the user indicating a directional position at least a predetermined distance from the neutral position; and indicating, in response to the second gesture input, a movement of the highlight from the first object to a second object adjacent to the first object, and where the directional position of the second gesture input correlates to a position on the display screen of the second object relative to the first object.

Visual feedback for highlight-driven gesture user interfaces

Various aspects of a speaker system and a method for auto-configuration of the speaker system is disclosed herein. The speaker system includes an electronic device, which reproduce a first audio in a first speaker configuration. A first sound reproduction device is detected within a pre-defined range of the electronic device. Based on the detection, the first audio is communicated to the first sound reproduction device by the electronic device. The first speaker configuration is modified to a second speaker configuration to reproduce the communicated first audio at the first sound reproduction device.

Auto-configurable speaker system

A mobile apparatus determines whether it is disposed in a vehicle and, based on a determining that it is in the vehicle, automatically presents a first user interface (UI) that is simplified and/or easier to manipulate while driving relative to a second UI that would otherwise be presented.

Configuring user interface (UI) based on context

An audio video display device (AVDD) can present recorded content that can be paused. During pausing, ancillary AV content is shown until such time as a play or other signal is received.

Providing audio video content during playback pause

A user can search for photographs or videos and deep linking rules may be applied to images to discern images that might be desired by the user that otherwise would not be returned using conventional photo categorization and metadata searching.

Deep context photo searching

A user is enabled to assign channel numbers to his favorite content, including TV stations, Internet sites, local applications, and recorded content. In this way, the user's favorite content sources are grouped so that they can be quickly accessed using channel up/down commands regardless of, e.g., the actual channel number of a favorite TV station.

User assigned channel numbering for content from multiple input source types

Two friends can pair wireless communication devices which subsequently exchange positional information peer-to-peer or through a cloud server. Each device presents a map showing its location and the location of the paired device. Instructions can be provided to the device playing a follower role of how to reach the current location of the other device, which plays a leader role. In turn the leader device can present information as to the location of the follower device so that a user of the leader device can ascertain if the follower is off-track.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Marvin DeMerchant