John L Platt

US Patent:

6360023, Mar 19, 2002

Filed:

May 5, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/565217

Inventors:

Claude Betrisey - Redmond WA
Bodin Dresevic - Bellevue WA
John C. Platt - Bellevue WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 1500

US Classification:

382260, 382266

Abstract:

Methods and systems for increasing the contrast with which thin-stemmed characters can be displayed in sub-pixel rendering processes are disclosed. Some fonts, such as Courier New, have relatively thin stems and other character features that would otherwise be rendered with low contrast when displayed using an oversampling process combined with a rendering process that treats individual pixel sub-components as separate luminous intensity sources. In order to avoid such low contrast features and to avoid the need for revising the font itself, the alpha values for the pixel sub-components that correspond to the character features are selectively increased to simulate larger dimensions of the character features and to increase the contrast with which the character dimensions are displayed. The methods involve oversampling image data representing a character by obtaining multiple samples for each of a plurality of pixel sub-components of a pixel. The alpha values associated with pixel sub-components at or near the position of the character features are increased to give the appearance of larger dimensions of the character features and greater contrast in the displayed image.

US Patent:

6393145, May 21, 2002

Filed:

Jul 30, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/364365

Inventors:

Claude Betrisey - Redmond WA
Bodin Dresevic - Bellevue WA
Donald P. Mitchell - Bellevue WA
John C. Platt - Bellevue WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06K 900

US Classification:

382162, 382167

Abstract:

Techniques for improving the resolution of images (either analog images, analytic images, or images having a higher resolution than that of a display device) to be rendered on patterned displays. In one aspect of the present invention, an overscaling or oversampling process may accept analytic character information, such as contours for example, and a scale factor or grid and overscale or oversample the analytic character information to produce an overscaled or oversampled image. The overscaled or oversampled image generated has a higher resolution than the display upon which the character is to be rendered. Displaced samples of the overscaled or oversampled image are then combined (or filtered). An analytic image, such as a line drawing for example, may be applied to the oversampling/overscaling process as was the case with the character analytic image. However, since the analytic image may have different units than that of the character analytic image, the scale factor applied may be different.

US Patent:

6624828, Sep 23, 2003

Filed:

Jul 30, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/364648

Inventors:

Bodin Dresevic - Bellevue WA
William Hill - Carnation WA
Gregory Hitchcock - Woodinville WA
Leroy B. Keely - Portola Valley CA
John C. Platt - Bellevue WA
J. Turner Whitted - Pittsboro NC

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 300

US Classification:

345771, 345765, 345600, 345594

Abstract:

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for increasing the perceived quality of displayed images. This is achieved in a variety of ways including the use of a plurality of device specific display characteristics when preparing images for display. It is also achieved through the monitoring of display device and/or ambient light conditions, e. g. , on a periodic basis, and using the obtained information when controlling display output. Another approach to improving the perceived quality of displayed images involves the use of information relating to a specific users ability to perceive image characteristics such as color. By customizing display output to an individual users own physical perception capabilities and/or viewing characteristics it is possible to enhance the image quality perceived by the individual viewer as compared to embodiments which do not take into consideration individual user characteristics.

US Patent:

6674436, Jan 6, 2004

Filed:

Jul 30, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/364649

Inventors:

Bodin Dresevic - Bellevue WA
William Hill - Carnation WA
Gregory Hitchcock - Woodinville WA
Leroy B. Keely - Portola Valley CA
John C. Platt - Bellevue WA
J. Turner Whitted - Pittsboro NC

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G09G 526

US Classification:

345472, 345 31, 345667

Abstract:

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for increasing the perceived quality of displayed images. This is achieved in a variety of ways including the use of a plurality of device specific display characteristics when preparing images for display. It is also achieved through the monitoring of display device and/or ambient light conditions, e. g. , on a periodic basis, and using the obtained information when controlling display output. Another approach to improving the perceived quality of displayed images involves the use of information relating to a specific users ability to perceive image characteristics such as color. By customizing display output to an individual users own physical perception capabilities and/or viewing characteristics it is possible to enhance the image quality perceived by the individual viewer as compared to embodiments which do not take into consideration individual user characteristics.

US Patent:

6694301, Feb 17, 2004

Filed:

Mar 31, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/540255

Inventors:

David E. Heckerman - Bellevue WA
D. Maxwell Chickering - Bellevue WA
John C. Platt - Bellevue WA
Christopher A. Meek - Kirkland WA
Bo Thiesson - Woodinville WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06N 502

US Classification:

706 45, 706 26, 706 20, 706 25

Abstract:

Clustering for purposes of data visualization and making predictions is disclosed. Embodiments of the invention are operable on a number of variables that have a predetermined representation. The variables include input-only variables, output-only variables, and both input-and-output variables. Embodiments of the invention generate a model that has a bottleneck architecture. The model includes a top layer of nodes of at least the input-only variables, one or more middle layer of hidden nodes, and a bottom layer of nodes of the output-only and the input-and-output variables. At least one cluster is determined from this model. The model can be a probabilistic neural network and/or a Bayesian network.

US Patent:

6728690, Apr 27, 2004

Filed:

Nov 23, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/448408

Inventors:

Christopher A. Meek - Kirkland WA
John C. Platt - Bellevue WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06N 302

US Classification:

706 25, 706 12

Abstract:

A training system for a classifier utilizes both a back-propagation system to iteratively modify parameters of functions which provide raw output indications of desired categories, wherein the parameters are modified based on a weighted decay, and a probability determining system with further parameters that are determined during iterative training. A margin error metric may be combined with weight decay, and a sigmoid is used to calibrate the raw outputs to probability percentages for each category. A method of training such a system involves gathering a training set of inputs and desired corresponding outputs. Classifier parameters are then initialized and an error margin is calculated with respect to the classifier parameters. A weight decay is then used to adjust the parameters. After a selected number of times through the training set, the parameters are deemed in final form, and an optimization routine is used to derive a set of probability transducer parameters for use in calculating the probable classification for each input.

US Patent:

6738526, May 18, 2004

Filed:

Jul 30, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/364647

Inventors:

Claude Betrisey - Redmond WA
Bodin Dresevic - Bellevue WA
John C. Platt - Bellevue WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06K 940

US Classification:

382260, 358 19, 358462

Abstract:

Methods and apparatus for displaying images, e. g. , text characters, on display devices which have multiple separately controllable luminance elements per pixel are described. Multiple alpha values are generated per pixel, e. g. , one per pixel sub-component. Filtering is then performed to generate a filtered alpha value for each pixel sub-component. The filtering operation uses as its input multiple alpha values, e. g. , 5 per pixel. The alpha values used for the filtering operation may come from neighboring pixels. Accordingly, in the case where character glyphs are combined to form larger images, e. g. , text strings, the filtering operation performed on glyph edge pixels depends on the content of a neighboring character glyph. In one embodiment unfiltered alpha values used to represent character glyphs are stored in a glyph cache. After caching, the unfiltered alpha values from multiple glyphs are combined and then the filtering operation is performed.

US Patent:

6894701, May 17, 2005

Filed:

May 14, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/146424

Inventors:

David C. Brown - Redmond WA, US
John C. Platt - Bellevue WA, US
Michael Duggan - Kirkland WA, US
Gregory Hitchcock - Woodinville WA, US
Beat Stamm - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G09G005/00

US Classification:

345613, 382269

Abstract:

Methods and systems for selecting different anti-aliasing filters to be applied to objects of image data rendered with pixel sub-component precision based on the attributes of the objects of the graphics image. For example, when rendering a character traditional anti-aliasing applied in the direction parallel to the striping of the pixel sub-components is adapted to the unique requirements of different character font sizes such that a large amount of anti-aliasing is applied to large font sizes while a small amount of anti-aliasing is provided for characters at small font sizes. Displaced sampling is utilized to determine the alpha values for a plurality of vertical samples for each RGB pixel sub-component. The selected anti-aliasing filter is applied to the alpha values to determine the luminous intensity values of the RGB pixel sub-components.