Apple Inc. (Cupertino, CA)
What is a Patent for Multi-layered projection allows for point cloud compression
Search Patent for Multi-layered projection allows for point cloud compression
Technical Field
This disclosure is general in nature and relates to compression and decompression point clouds, which contain a plurality points with associated spatial information and attributes.
Description of the Related Art
Various types of sensors, like light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems 3D-cameras, 3-D scanners and others. could capture data that indicates the position of three-dimensional points space, such as positions in the X the Y, X, and Z planes. Additionally, such systems can collect attribute information as well as spatial information for the respective points including colors (e.g. RGB values) as well as texture information, reflection attributes, intensity attributes, motion relatedattributes, modality attributes, or different attributes. In some circumstances, additional attributes may be added to the specific points, such as the time of the moment the point was captured. Points captured by such sensors can form a “pointcloud” consisting of a collection of points, each with its own with spatial information, and some or all of the attributes associated with them. A point cloud can contain thousands, hundreds of thousand millions or even more , depending on the situation. Also, in some circumstances, point clouds may be created, for instance in software, as opposed to being captured by one or several sensors. In either scenario, point clouds may include large amounts of information and can be expensive and take a long time to store and transmit.
Click here to view the patent on USPTO website.
Get Patents with PatentPC
What is a patent?
Patents are issued by the government to protect an invention. The patent grants the inventor the rights to develop, use and market the idea. Society gains when new technologies are brought to market. The benefits can be realized directly as people can achieve previously impossible feats, or indirectly via the economic opportunities which innovation can bring (business expansion, job creation).
A lot of pharmaceutical companies and university researchers seek patent protection for their work and research. Patents can be granted for the creation of a product, process or method of creating new materials. In order to be granted protection under a patent the invention must be useful or novel, as well as not readily apparent to anyone else within the same area.
Patents are a way to give inventors a reward for commercially profitable inventions. They are an incentive to inventors to invent. Patents permit entrepreneurs and inventors to know that there is an excellent chance that they will be paid back for their efforts, time and money spent on technology development. It means that they can make a living by their work.
Patents play essential roles in firms and can be used to:
Make sure you protect your unique products and services.
Increase the value, popularity, and appeal of your products market;
Your business and your products should be distinguished from the competition;
Access to business and technical knowledge and other information;
Beware of the possibility of accidentally using proprietary third-party content, or losing valuable information, innovative outputs, or other creative output.
Patents can transform an inventor’s information into a tradeable asset, which creates new opportunities for employment creation and expansion of businesses through joint ventures or licensing.
Investors who are involved in the commercialization and development of technology may find small-scale businesses that have patent protection appealing.
Patenting can lead to innovative ideas and inventions. This information could be protected by patents.
Patents can be used as a deterrent to untrustworthy third parties who profit from the invention’s success.
Patent-protected technology revenues that are commercially profitable could be used for financing technological research and development (R&D) that increases the likelihood of better technology in future.
You can use the intellectual property rights of your company to convince lenders and investors that your product is a viable commercial value. Sometimes, one powerful patent can open the door to a variety of financing possibilities. Patents as well as other IP assets can be used as collateral or security to finance debt. Investors are also able to view your patent assets to boost the value of their company. Forbes and other sources have pointed out that every patent can boost the value of your company by as much as $500,000 to $1 million.
Start-ups need a well-constructed business plan that leverages the IP to prove your product or service is unique and innovative, superior, or superior. Investors will also be amazed if your IP rights are secure or are on the verge of being secured, and they support your business plan.
It is crucial to keep an invention secret before submitting a patent application. Making an invention public prior to filing can often destroy its novelty and render it unpatentable. Disclosures that are filed prior to filing, like for investors, test marketing, or other business partners, should only be done after the signing of a confidentiality agreement.
There are many types of patents. Understanding the different types of patents is vital for protecting your invention. Patents for utility are used to protect inventions and processes that are new. Design patents cover ornamental designs. Utility patents are best to protect the owner from copycats and other competitors. Most often, utility patents are issued for alterations or improvements to existing inventions. Utility patents also cover enhancements and modifications in existing inventions. For instance, a procedure patent will cover acts or methods of performing an action, while a chemical composition will include the combination of ingredients.
What is the typical length of patents? Although utility patents are valid up to 20 years from the initial filing, they may be extended by delay in the Patent Office.
Are you considering the patenting of your idea? Patents are granted only for first-to-file applicants and you must start filing quickly. Call PatentPC to speak with a patent attorney PatentPC to patent your idea now!
Patent searches are an essential step when you are preparing an application for patent. This will allow you to view different ideas and give you an insight into their inventions. You’ll be able to reduce the nature of your idea. Additionally, you’ll be able to discover the latest technological advancements in your field of invention. You’ll have a better idea of what your invention should be, and you’ll be more prepared to submit your patent application.
How to Search for Patents
The first step to get your patent is to perform an internet search for patents. You can do a google patent search or do a USPTO search. After the patent application has been filed, the item covered by the application can be called patent-pending, and you will be able to locate the patent application on a public pair. Once the patent office approves the application, you can conduct a patent number search to locate the issued patent which means that your product has been granted patent. Alongside the USPTO search engine, you can use other search engines, such as espacenet, as detailed below. A patent lawyer or attorney can advise you on the process. In the US patents are issued by the US trademark and patent office, or the United States patent and trademark office, which also examines trademark applications.
Are you looking for similar patents? Here are the steps you should follow:
1. Think of terms to describe your invention, based on its purpose, composition, and application.
Write down a brief, but precise explanation of your invention. Avoid using generic terms like “device”, “process” and “system”. Consider synonyms for the terms you chose initially. Next, note important technical terms and keywords.
To help you recognize terms and keywords, you can use the following questions.
- What is the objective of the invention? Is it a utilitarian device or an ornamental design?
- Is the invention a method of creating something or performing some function? Or is it a product or procedure?
- What is the structure of the invention? What is the physical composition of the invention?
- What is the purpose of the invention?
- What are technical terms and key words that define the essence of an invention? To assist you in finding the correct terms, consult a technical dictionary.
2. Use these terms to find relevant Cooperative Patent Classifications on the Classification Text Search Tool. If you’re unable to determine the correct classification to describe your invention, go through the class Schemas (class schedules). Consider substituting the words you use for describing your invention, if you fail to receive any results from the Classification Text Search with synonyms like the ones you used in the first step.
3. Go through 3. Check the CPC Classification Definition for confirmation of the CPC classification you’ve found. The link to a CPC classification definition will be provided when the classification you have selected is a blue square with a “D” on its left. CPC classification definitions will help you determine the applicable classification’s definition so that you can choose the one that is most appropriate. In addition they can provide some tips for searching and other information that may be useful to further study.
4. The Patents Full-Text Database and the Image Database allow you to find patent documents that are accompanied by the CPC classification. By focusing on abstracts and representative drawings you can narrow your search to find the most relevant patent publications.
5. This collection of patent publications is the most appropriate to check for similarity to your idea. Pay close attention to the claims and specifications. You may find additional patents by consulting the patent examiner and the applicant.
6. Retrieve published patent applications with the CPC classification you selected in Step 3 of the Applications Full-Text and Image Database. It is also possible to use the same strategy of searching you employed in Step 4 to narrow down your search results to the most relevant patent applications by reviewing the abstracts and representative drawings on each page. The next step is to review all published patent applications carefully and pay particular attention to the claims, and other drawings.
7. Locate additional US patents using keywords searching in PatFT or AppFT databases, classification search of non-U.S. patents as per below, and searching for non-patent literature disclosures of inventions using internet search engines. Here are a few examples:
- Add keywords to your search. Keyword searches may turn up documents that are not well-categorized or have missed classifications during Step 2. For example, US patent examiners often supplement their classification searches with keyword searches. Think about the use of technical engineering terminology rather than everyday words.
- Search for foreign patents using the CPC classification. Then, re-run the search using international patent office search engines such as Espacenet, the European Patent Office’s worldwide patent publication database of over 130 million patent publications. Other national databases include:
- European Patent Office (EPO) provides esp@cenet to access a network of Europe’s patent databases with access to machine translation of European patents.
- Japan Patent Office (JPO) – with access to machine translations of Japanese patents.
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) offers PATENTSCOPE with a full-text search of published international patent applications and machine translations for some documents, as well as a list of international patent databases.
- Korean Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS)
- State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) with machine translation of Chinese patents.
- Other International Intellectual Property Offices with online patent databases include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan.
- Search non-patent literature. Inventions can be made public in many non-patent publications. It is recommended that you search journals, books, websites, technical catalogs, conference proceedings, and other print and electronic publications.
To review your search, you can hire a registered patent attorney to assist. A preliminary search will help one better prepare to talk about their invention and other related inventions with a professional patent attorney. In addition, the attorney will not spend too much time or money on patenting basics.