Facebook Patents

Facebook, Inc. operates a social media website and mobile app that enables people to connect, share and discover opinions, ideas, photos and videos. The company also owns Instagram, a mobile application for sharing photos and videos, as well as WhatsApp, a mobile messaging application.

Facebook Patents by Type
  • Facebook Patents Granted: Facebook patents that have been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Facebook Patent Applications: Facebook patent applications that are pending before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Preferred contact channel for user communications
    Patent number: 10841387
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes sending a request from a first user for communication-channel information associated with a second user to a computing device, and receiving one or more user-selectable elements corresponding to each communication channel of a plurality of communication channels from the computing device, wherein the plurality of communication channels are determined based on an affiliation coefficient between the first user and the second user, wherein each communication channel is associated with a score calculated based on a social proximity between the first user and the second user, and wherein the one or more user-selectable elements corresponding to each communication channel of the plurality of communication channels are presented in an order ranked based on the respective score associated with the communication channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Erick Tseng
  • Modular electromechanical device
    Patent number: 10842034
    Abstract: Various embodiments of a modular electromechanical device are described herein. The modular electromechanical device includes a chassis and a plurality of functional modules that can be connected to the chassis. Each module is associated with a different functionality. The functionality of the modular electromechanical device is defined based on various attributes including the functionality of the different functional modules that are connected to the electromechanical device, the sequence in which the different functional modules are connected to the electromechanical device, the specific attachment structures used to attach the functional modules to the electromechanical device, or a pattern of traces formed within the chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Baback Elmieh, Alexandre Jais, Rex Wenters Crossen, Andrew Alexander Robberts
  • Systems and methods for determining television consumption behavior
    Patent number: 10841651
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes determining television content that a particular user is currently watching on a television. The method further includes determining, using one or more of a plurality of sensors, an attention level for the particular user. The attention level indicates an amount of attention paid by the particular user to the television content on the television. The method further includes determining, using one or more of the plurality of sensors, demographic information for the particular user. The method further includes storing the determined demographic information for the particular user and the particular user's attention level for the television content in the storage media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Timon Arya Karnezos, Marco Antonio Matos, Nathan John Davis
  • Enabling identification of online identities between different messaging services
    Patent number: 10841269
    Abstract: A method and system for populating identities in a message service involves registering a user of a first messaging service with a second messaging service. User identities for users other than the registered user may be identified. These user identities may be associated with the first messaging service and may be stored in a list associated with the registered user. It is determined if each identified user identity has a matching user identity associated with the second messaging service. If so, a database associated with the second messaging service is populated with the matching user identities. Determining whether a matching user identity exists may be performed, for example, by making character strings comparisons between user identities or using a database that stores a mapping of first messaging service user identities to second messaging service user identities. The mapping database may be generated as corresponding user identities are discovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: George Fletcher
  • Events discovery context
    Patent number: 10841404
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes identifying one or more social network events that satisfy a query condition in a social-networking system, determining an event score for each of the identified events, where the event score is based on one or more signals that are each related to a first interaction between a target user and the social-networking system, and the first interaction associates the target user with the identified event, and presenting one or more of the identified events to the target user in an order based on the event score of each identified event. The interaction may establish an association between the target user and an entity associated with the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Andrew Howard, Jasper Reid Hauser, Scott Joseph Robert Horsfall, Vijay Sivakumar, Dan Ionut Fechete, Zhiyuan Zhang, Xuan Jiang, Xun Gong
  • Sequence-to-sequence convolutional architecture
    Patent number: 10839790
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments relate to improvements to neural networks for translation and other sequence-to-sequence tasks. A convolutional neural network may include multiple blocks, each having a convolution layer and gated linear units; gating may determine what information passes through to the next block level. Residual connections, which add the input of a block back to its output, may be applied around each block. Further, an attention may be applied to determine which word is most relevant to translate next. By applying repeated passes of the attention to multiple layers of the decoder, the decoder is able to work on the entire structure of a sentence at once (with no temporal dependency). In addition to better accuracy, this configuration is better at capturing long-range dependencies, better models the hierarchical syntax structure of a sentence, and is highly parallelizable and thus faster to run on hardware.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Jonas Gehring, Michael Auli, Yann Nicolas Dauphin, David G. Grangier, Dzianis Yarats
  • System, method, and apparatus for battery cell-stack compression
    Patent number: 10840487
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the manufacture of battery packs/assemblies and more specifically, the manufacture of battery packs/assemblies for use in aircraft. A lightweight battery assembly with cell compression and/or pressure management system is disclosed herein. The cell compression and/or pressure management system can employ a sealed container housing a volatile vapor. The sealed container can be positioned within the battery enclosure and configured to impart a force to compress the cell-stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventor: Jason Wallace
  • Method and system for presenting a subset of messages in a modular inbox
    Patent number: 10841264
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments relate to improvements in the design of a messaging inbox. The inbox may display different units or “modules” for providing a user with quick access to different inbox functionalities. After a number of recent or unread messages are shown in the inbox's initial interface, the messages end and are replaced with modules. A threshold may be defined for the number of recent/unread messages to display before transitioning to modules. The threshold may be determined dynamically based on a minimum and/or maximum number of messages to display. The determination may be based on the current time, whether there is an active conversation in a thread, whether there are unread messages in a thread, etc. The determination may vary from user to user based, for example, on whether the user is a relatively active user, and/or how the user has used the messaging application in the past.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Vinodh Jayaram, Andrew Yaoshu Song, Jonathan Perlow
  • Proximity synchronizing audio gateway device
    Patent number: 10841146
    Abstract: A digital audio gateway device for use in a wireless network of digital audio playback devices. The gateway device is wirelessly linked to one or more digital audio playback devices to provide a gateway to the Internet for the digital audio playback devices. In addition to functioning as a gateway, the device provides additional functionality and may act as a cache of digital audio data for the various digital audio players connected in the wireless network and may also act to automatically update digital audio content on the audio players, synchronize digital audio content and playlists between the digital audio players and continue automatically or upon user request a particular playlist as the user moves from one digital audio player to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Jonathan Spurgat, Stephen Christopher Gladwin, Hoyet Harrison Andrews, III
  • Lateral electrical connector
    Patent number: 10840643
    Abstract: A chassis is configured to receive a movable component inserted in the chassis. A lever arm is housed at least in part within the chassis and configured to rotate about a pivot point from a force applied on the lever arm by a contact portion of the movable component inserted in the chassis. At least a portion of an electrical connector is coupled to the lever arm and configured to rotate and mate with a mating portion located on a lateral side of the moveable component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Tiffany Jin
  • Fabricating parabolic-shaped LEDs
    Patent number: 10840418
    Abstract: Systems and methods for fabricating parabolic LEDs are provided. The parabolic shape of the LEDs is precisely-controlled and highly-uniform across a substrate. By precisely controlling the shape, and providing a high-uniformity across the substrate, the luminance and process yield of the LEDs is enhanced. The precise-control and high-uniformity of the shape is enabled via a precisely-shaped and highly-uniform mask formed on the substrate. The ability to precisely-control both the shape and uniformity the mask is achieved by forming the mask utilizing three-dimensional (3D) patterning and/or machining methods. The mask includes a precisely-shaped boss with the same shape as the LED, and a cylindrical protrusion extending beyond the boss. The combination of the boss and cylindrical protrusion allows for the mask to be over-etched, without significantly effecting the shape of the LED. Thus, any non-uniformities etching process do not decrease the luminance, nor uniformity, of the LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Massoubre, Daniel Brodoceanu, Oscar Torrents Abad, Vaishali Chopra
  • Initiating real-time games in video communications
    Patent number: 10835827
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes, by a client system of a first user, receiving an input to initiate a first game within a first layer of a communication interface, wherein the communication interface comprises one or more layers containing a live video communication between the first user and a second user, wherein the first layer comprises a video communication of the second user; executing a gaming protocol associated with the first game; generating a game container in a second layer of the communication interface to contain the first game in a full-screen view of the communication interface; reducing the first layer containing the video communication of the second user to a thumbnail within the communication interface; and overlaying, by the client system, the first layer onto the second layer based on one or more parameters set by the gaming protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Shyamalan Pather, Pablo Jose Barvo, Dwayne B. Mercredi
  • Predicting performance of content item campaigns
    Patent number: 10839418
    Abstract: An online system predicts a performance of a content item campaign based on a set of received target parameters from a content item publisher and compares the predicted performance of the content item campaign to predicted performances of comparison campaigns. The comparison campaigns are selected by performing a plurality of simulations on prior content item campaigns to estimate campaign presentation results for each prior content item campaign if presented to users with the sets of test campaign parameters. After generating histograms based on the estimated results, the online system selects prior content item campaigns for the set of comparison campaigns based on changes in histogram positions of the prior content item campaigns. The online system generates a set of estimated campaign presentation results for the content item campaign and the set of comparison campaigns for comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Prathyusha Aragonda, Sumeet Kumar, Spencer Bingham Powell
  • Measuring quality of user interaction with third party content
    Patent number: 10839405
    Abstract: An online services system provides monitoring of user interaction with third-party content. The monitoring is performed by a script in a web page provided by the online services system, which script provides a timer invoked when the browser leaves the online services system's page for a page comprising third party content. When the online services system serves the page, the browser reads the HTML to render the page, including the script with the timer. When the user leaves the online services system page, the timer begins, and when the browser returns to a page provided by the online services system, the timer ends and duration information from the timer is provided to the online services system. Applications include measurement of the quality of interaction between users and a third party advertisers, in which time spent viewing third party content is a proxy for the quality of the interaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Giovanni Carriero
  • Apparatus, systems, and methods for display devices including local dimming
    Patent number: 10839609
    Abstract: An example device may include an electronic display configured to generate an augmented reality image element and an optical combiner configured to receive the augmented reality image element along with ambient light from outside the device. The optical combiner may be configured to provide an augmented reality image having the augmented reality image element located within a portion of an ambient image formed from the ambient light. The device may also include a dimmer element configured to selectively dim the portion of the ambient image in which the augmented reality image element is located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jasmine Soria Sears, Alireza Moheghi, Oleg Yaroshchuk, Douglas Robert Lanman, Andrew Maimone, Kavitha Ratnam, Nathan Matsuda, Lu Lu, Nicholas Diorio, Mengfei Wang
  • Augmented-reality game overlays in video communications
    Patent number: 10835828
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes, by a client system of a first user, receiving an input to initiate a game within a first layer of a communication interface, wherein the communication interface comprises one or more layers containing a live video communication between the first user and a second user, wherein the first layer comprises a video communication of the second user; executing a gaming protocol associated with the game; generating a game container in a second layer of the communication interface, wherein the second layer contains the game in an augmented reality overlay; and displaying the second layer as the augmented reality overlay over the first layer containing the video communication of the second user, wherein the game in the second layer contains one or more game elements that correspond to one or more features in the video communication of the second user in the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Shyamalan Pather, Michelle Ruby Hwang, Nora Micheva
  • Structured light sensing for 3D sensing
    Patent number: 10837765
    Abstract: Apparatus for structured light scanning. The structured light includes one or more projected lines or other patterns. At least two independent emitters emit light for each projected line or pattern. Typically the at least two independent emitters are arranged in a row. The apparatus also includes a pattern generator for causing light from respective emitters of a given row to overlap along a pattern axis to form a projected pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Guy Raz, Nadav Grossinger, Nitay Romano
  • Smooth scrolling of a structured document presented in a graphical user interface with bounded memory consumption
    Patent number: 10838608
    Abstract: In one embodiment, one or more main processors of a device detect an event corresponding to scrolling a structured document presented in a scrollable graphical user interface of an application executed by the one or more main processors. The main processors, in response to the event, determine a first set of elements and a second set of elements of the structured document; render the first set of elements of the structured document for presentation in the graphical user interface; and cause one or more graphics processors of the device to render the second set of elements for presentation in the graphical user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Dudley Johnson, Yohann Richard, Hsi Wang
  • Translation training with cross-lingual multi-media support
    Patent number: 10839169
    Abstract: An improved lecture support system integrates multi-media presentation materials with spoken content so that the listener can follow with both the speech and the supporting materials that accompany the presentation to provide additional understanding. Computer-based systems and methods are disclosed for translation of a spoken presentation (e.g., a lecture, a video) along with the accompanying presentation materials. The content of the presentation materials can be used to improve presentation translation, as it extracts supportive material from the presentation materials as they relate to the speech.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Alexander Waibel
  • Light source with plurality of waveguides
    Patent number: 10838299
    Abstract: A first waveguide emits first light and a second waveguide emits second light. A filter is configured to reflect the second light and pass the first light to an entrance facet of the second waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gareth John Valentine, James Ronald Bonar
  • Manufacturing three-dimensional diffraction gratings by selective deposition or selective etching
    Patent number: 10838121
    Abstract: A three-dimensional diffraction grating is generated by selective deposition and/or selective etching. The three-dimensional diffraction grating includes a substrate and a plurality of structures located at different positions on the substrate. The structures have different materials. Edges of at least some of the structures are aligned. The three-dimensional diffraction grating includes different materials and aligned edges in all three dimensions. With the different materials and aligned edges, the three-dimensional diffraction gratings is configured to eliminate display artifacts, such as ghost, rainbow, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Nihar Ranjan Mohanty, Giuseppe Calafiore, Matthew E. Colburn, Austin Lane, Matthieu Charles Raoul Leibovici
  • Multiple representations of a user in an embedding space
    Patent number: 10839014
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes preparing an initialized user-embedding matrix, where the user-embedding matrix includes multiple columns corresponding to a user, preparing an initialized concept-embedding matrix, constructing an interaction table representing interactions between entities, where an element (i,j) of the table indicates one or more directional interactions from an entity represented by row i to an entity represented by column j, running a training algorithm for the embeddings in the user-embedding matrix and in the concept-embedding matrix, where the training algorithm trains the embeddings such that embeddings representing entities with interactions are located nearby in the embedding space while embeddings representing entities without interactions are located far apart, and providing the embeddings in the user-embedding matrix and in the concept-embedding matrix to a downstream service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Dario Garcia Garcia, Henry Richman Ehrenberg
  • Angle compensating lens and display
    Patent number: 10838214
    Abstract: A display includes a display pixel array and a light bending assembly. The display pixel array is configured to generate display light. The light bending assembly is disposed over the display pixel array to receive the display light and generate compensated display light. The light bending assembly bends a given ray of the display light based on an incidence position that the given ray of the display light becomes incident upon the light bending assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Dong Chen, Fenglin Peng, Shizhe Shen, Babak Amirsolaimani, Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai, Lu Lu, Junren Wang
  • Systems and methods for compiled video generation
    Patent number: 10839221
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can determine one or more source video clips. A plurality of video segments are selected from the one or more source video clips based on video segment selection criteria. A compiled video is generated comprising the plurality of video segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin David Aguilar, John Samuel Barnett
  • Holographic pattern generation for head-mounted display (HMD) eye tracking using a prism array
    Patent number: 10838362
    Abstract: A system for making a holographic medium includes a light source configured to provide light, and a beam splitter configured to separate the light into a first portion of the light and a second portion of the light that is spatially separated from the first portion of the light. The system also includes a first set of optical elements configured to transmit the first portion of the light for providing a first wide-field beam onto an optically recordable medium, a second set of optical elements configured to transmit the second portion of the light for providing a second wide-field beam, and a plurality of prisms optically coupled with the second set of optical elements and configured to receive the second wide-field beam and project a plurality of separate light patterns onto the optically recordable medium for forming the holographic medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Ganghun Kim, Andrew Maimone, Alexander Jobe Fix, Robert Dale Cavin, Hee Yoon Lee, Matthieu Charles Raoul Leibovici, Brian Wheelwright, Douglas Robert Lanman
  • Identity prediction for unknown users of an online system
    Patent number: 10839313
    Abstract: For a visit of a user to a web page where the user's identity on an online system is not presently known to the online system, the online system uses a machine learning model to make a prediction of the user's identity. The online system obtains visit data about the visit of the user to the web page. The online system identifies candidate user IDs that may represent the user, based on the visit data and data known about previous visits of the candidate user IDs. The online system derives visit features for each candidate user ID based on a relationship between the current visit data and previous visit data for the candidate user ID. The online system provides the visit features for each candidate user ID to a prediction model that determines whether, or how likely, the candidate user ID accurately identifies the visiting user, and based on the determinations selects one of the candidate user IDs as the most likely user ID for the visiting user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Vladislav Belous
  • Diffractive gratings for eye-tracking illumination through a light-guide
    Patent number: 10838132
    Abstract: Techniques for eye-tracking in a near-eye display system are disclosed. One example of a near-eye display system includes a substrate transparent to visible light and configured to be placed in front of a user's eye, one or more light sources configured to emit illumination light invisible to the user's eye, one or more input couplers configured to couple the illumination light into the substrate, and one or more grating couplers each configured to couple a portion of the illumination light out of the substrate and towards the user's eye at a different direction. The illumination light coupled into the substrate propagates within the substrate through total internal reflection. The one or more grating couplers include at least one of a chirped surface-relief grating coupler or a volume Bragg grating coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Giuseppe Calafiore, Hee Yoon Lee, Robin Sharma
  • Mirror reconstruction
    Patent number: 10839560
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes accessing a digital image captured by a camera that is connected to a machine-detectable object, detecting a reflection of the machine-detectable object in the digital image, computing, in response to the detection, a plane that is coincident with a reflective surface associated with the reflection, determining a boundary of the reflective surface in the plane based on at least one of a plurality of cues, and storing information associated with the reflective surface, where the information includes a pose of the reflective surface and the boundary of the reflective surface in a 3D model of a physical environment, and where the information associated with the reflective surface and the 3D model are configured to be used to render a reconstruction of the physical environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Goesele, Julian Straub, Thomas John Whelan, Richard Andrew Newcombe, Steven John Lovegrove
  • Apparatus, system, and method for performing hardware acceleration via expansion cards
    Patent number: 10838902
    Abstract: An expansion card may include a printed circuit board and a hardware accelerator that is disposed on the printed circuit board. The hardware accelerator may include application-specific hardware circuitry designed to perform a computing task. The hardware accelerator may also offload a portion of the computing task from a central processing unit of a computing device by executing, via the application-specific hardware circuitry, the portion of the computing task. The expansion card may further include an edge connector, disposed on the printed circuit board, that is dimensioned to be inserted into an expansion socket of the computing device. The edge connector may couple the hardware accelerator to the central processing unit via a computing bus connected to the expansion socket. The edge socket may also include a pinout that is more compact than a pinout specification defined for the computing bus. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Narsing Krishna Vijayrao
  • Systems and methods for generating content
    Patent number: 10839574
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can receive a source content item. A crop window is automatically determined for the source content item based on framing criteria. A cropped media asset is automatically generated based on the source content item and the crop window. In certain embodiments, an object of interest is automatically identified in the source content item and the crop window is determined based on the object of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy Smallwood, Jacob Kyle Bruene, Tyler Michael Hattery, Kathryn Allen
  • Audio selection based on user engagement
    Patent number: 10838689
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving audio input during an audio-video communication session. The audio input is generated by a first sound source within an environment and a second sound source within the environment. The method includes receiving video input depicting the first sound source and the second sound source in the environment. The method includes identifying the first sound source and the second sound source using the audio input and the video input. The method includes predicting a first engagement metric for the first sound source and a second engagement metric for the second sound source based on the identifying. The method includes processing the audio input to generate an audio output signal based on a comparison of the first engagement metric and the second engagement metric. The method includes providing the audio output signal to a computing device associated with the audio-video communication session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Francis Harrison, Shahid Razzaq, Eric W. Hwang
  • Pressure actuated fluidic-device valve apparatuses, systems, and methods
    Patent number: 10838493
    Abstract: A fluidic-device valve having a valve guide with a guide wall surrounding a central axis. The guide wall may include a first guide section, a second guide section, and an interior surface that defines a valve cavity extending longitudinally along the central axis. The valve may also include a valve member disposed within the valve cavity, and the valve member may extend longitudinally along the central axis between a first end and a second end of the valve member. The valve member may be movable within the valve cavity in a first axial direction along the central axis to position a fluid conduit defined by the valve member at a first location by increasing a pressure applied to the second end of the valve member by a pressure source coupled to the second guide section. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Riccardo DeSalvo, Xavier Clark Talbot-Thiebaux, Jack Lindsay
  • Tracking using controller cameras
    Patent number: 10838515
    Abstract: A virtual reality (VR) system tracks the location and position of a controller using image sensors on a headset and a controller. The headset and controller provide a first and second view of a user's environment. Using its camera, the headset generates a map of the environment and identifies its location within it. Based headset's location, the VR system generates a simulated world of the environment and displays it to the user. The headset also estimates the location of the controller. Based on the estimated location, the headset sends a portion of the map to the controller. The controller determines its pose using the portion of the map, the image sensors, and additional sensors. The controller sends its pose and an updated portion of the map to the headset. Based on the controller's pose and updated portion of the map, the VR system modifies the content displayed to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Eldad Yitzhak, Oskar Linde, Andrew Melim, Samuel Redmond D'Amico
  • Depth sensing using grid light patterns
    Patent number: 10839536
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a first projector configured to project a first projected pattern having one or more first projected lighting characteristics, a second projector configured to project a second projected pattern having one or more second projected lighting characteristics, a camera configured to capture an image comprising first and second detected patterns corresponding to reflections of the first and second projected patterns, respectively, and one or more processors configured to: identify a detected point in the image that corresponds to a projected point in at least one of the first and second projected patterns by comparing detected lighting characteristics of the first and second detected patterns with the first and second projected lighting characteristics, and compute a depth associated with the detected point based on the projected point, the detected point, and a relative position between the camera and at least one of the projectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Nadav Grossinger, Ricardo Garcia, Robert Hasbun, Niv Kantor, Nitay Romano
  • Systems and methods for providing a service directory for automatic search engine indexing
    Patent number: 10839031
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can present a service directory landing page comprising a plurality of selectable service category options associated with a plurality of pre-defined service categories. A search results page is presented, including one or more search results based on search criteria. Each of the one or more search results is associated with an entity page of a social networking system. The service directory landing page and the search results page are accessible without logging into the social networking system. Each entity page on the social networking system is accessible only when logged into the social networking system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Komal Kapoor, Apaorn Tanglertsampan, Bradley Ray Green, Meiying Li, James Donovan, Hannah Marie Hemmaplardh
  • Generating a graphical representation of relationships among a set of articles and information associated with the set of articles
    Patent number: 10839013
    Abstract: An online system identifies articles containing factual reporting and information associated with the articles (e.g., authors, publishers, distributors, content, etc.). The online system extracts embeddings for the articles based on the information associated with the articles and generates nodes of a graph, in which each node corresponds to an article or information associated with an article. The online system then identifies relationships among the nodes using the embeddings and generates additional nodes of the graph indicating these relationships. Each of the additional nodes may correspond to any type of information that may be associated with an article. The online system may query the graph for information identifying publishers that published articles alleging a fact, information identifying articles containing editorialized content or clickbait, etc. or to identify and remove similar articles from a feed to be presented to an online system user, to highlight contradicting articles in the feed, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian Werris
  • Object tracking based on detected tracking patterns in a non-visible spectrum range
    Patent number: 10831286
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving light signals from an interaction device, where the captured light signals are processed into one or more images that include illumination patterns associated with one or more objects, accessing light signals only within a particular spectrum range, detecting one or more tracking patterns from the accessed light signals within the particular spectrum range, where each of the one or more tracking patterns indicates a particular portion of a first object, and where the first object is a part of the one or more objects, determining one or more characteristics of the first object based on the detected one or more tracking patterns, and sending one or more content items and instructions causing a projector to project the one or more content items on the first object to the interaction device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Franklin Pepose, Walter Luh, Alexander Mortimer, Rajesh Prasannavenkatesan
  • Systems and methods for using eye tracking to improve user interactions with objects in artificial reality
    Patent number: 10831268
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include: identifying, using an eye-tracking system, an object within a scene viewed by a user; identifying, within a database of object interaction commands, a subset of commands that apply to the object viewed by the user; and presenting, to the user, the subset of commands that apply to the object. Various other methods, systems, devices, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andre Golard, Bo Asp Andersen, Immo Andreas Schuetz, Karol Constantine Hatzilias, Kelly Ingham, Martin Henrik Tall, Neeraj Choubey, Thomas Scott Murdison, Sharvil Shailesh Talati, Robert Dale Cavin
  • Gradient backlight illumination
    Patent number: 10831061
    Abstract: A display includes a display pixel array, a backlight emitter, and a lightguide. The backlight emitter provides illumination light. The lightguide receives the illumination light from the backlight emitter and distributes the illumination light to illuminate the display pixel array. The lightguide is configured to illuminate a viewing boundary of the display pixel array with an illumination gradient that fades from fully illuminated along a viewing portion to unilluminated along a non-viewing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Nirav Rajendra Patel, Dong Chen
  • Techniques to respond to user requests using natural-language machine learning based on example conversations
    Patent number: 10831802
    Abstract: Techniques to response to user requests using natural-language machine learning based on example conversations are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a bot application interface component operative to receive an example-interaction repository, the example-interaction repository comprising a plurality of example user-to-bot interactions; and an interaction processing component operative to submit the example-interaction repository to a natural-language machine learning component; receive a sequence model from the natural-language machine learning component in response to submitting the example-interaction repository; and perform a user-to-bot conversation based on the sequence model. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Willy Blandin, Alexandre Lebrun
  • Systems and methods for online distributed embedding services
    Patent number: 10832165
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can receive JOINKEY information identifying a JOINKEY and embedding element information identifying a plurality of embedding elements associated with the JOINKEY. A training instance is created comprising a pre-determined number of embedding elements from the plurality of embedding elements. A plurality of negative samples from a sample cache are added to the training instance. One or more embeddings are updated based on the training instance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley Ray Green
  • Kinematic model for hand position
    Patent number: 10831272
    Abstract: A wearable device to be worn on a body part includes deformation sensors and a controller. The controller instructs the deformation sensors to measure deformation forces. The controller determines a position of the body part based on the measured deformation forces and a transfer function that maps deformation forces to positions of a same or corresponding body part. The transfer function is generated based on measurements from calibration and deformation sensors to sense corresponding positions of the body part and deformation forces. A calibration sensor may include a magnetic field generator and a magnetic flux sensor. The wearable device may be a glove and the body part may be a hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sean Jason Keller, Tristan Thomas Trutna, David R. Perek, Bruce A. Cleary, III, Brian Michael Scally, Raymond King
  • Dry-etching of carrier substrate for microLED microassembly
    Patent number: 10832933
    Abstract: A method of placing light emitting diodes (LEDs) includes embedding an array of LEDs in a polymer layer on a substrate. The method includes detaching at least one LED in the array of LEDs from the substrate by dry-etching the polymer layer in which at least one LED is embedded. A pick-up-tool (PUT) is brought into contact with at least one surface of at least one LED facing away from the substrate, responsive to dry-etching the polymer layer. The PUT is lifted with the at least one LED attached to the PUT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Brodoceanu, Oscar Torrents Abad
  • Multimedia search using reshare text on online social networks
    Patent number: 10831847
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a search query to search for multimedia objects of the online social network; searching an index to identify multimedia objects based on the search query, wherein the index indexes multimedia objects and associated keywords, each keyword being extracted from communications associated with a respective multimedia object, wherein each communication is of a particular communication-type, and wherein each identified multimedia object is indexed with keywords matching at least a portion of the search query; calculating, for each identified multimedia object, an object-score based on a communication-type of a communication from which one or more of the matching keywords were sourced; and sending instructions for presenting a search-results page to a client system, the search-results page including references to identified multimedia objects having an object-score greater than a threshold object-score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Anuj Bindal, Maxime Boucher, Sahil P. Thaker, Mahsa Ghafourian, Arpit Suresh Jain
  • Methods and devices for haptic communication
    Patent number: 10833245
    Abstract: A haptic stimulator includes a multilayer sheet with a piezoelectric or electroactive polymer layer adapted to mechanically deform upon application of voltage, the multilayer sheet secured to a substrate, and a source of electrical stimulation coupled to drive electrodes on the polymer layer with an AC signal to vibrate the polymer layer. In particular embodiments, the polymer contains polyvinylidene fluoride, and electrodes are patterned to control local electric fields. Another haptic stimulator has first and second electrodes with an air gap and an insulating sheet between first and second electrodes, with an AC voltage driver connecting to the electrodes. In a method of providing haptic stimulation to skin an alternating current supply drives first and second electrodes, the electrodes disposed upon either a piezoelectric or electroactive polymer sheet, vibrating the polymer layer by driving the electrodes; and coupling vibrations of the polymer layer to the sensate skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignees: THE TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Zi Chen, John X. J. Zhang, Frances Lau, Ali Israr
  • Systems and methods for virtually tagging objects viewed by friends and influencers
    Patent number: 10831267
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include (i) determining, using an eye-tracking system, an orientation of at least one eye of a user, (ii) identifying, based at least in part on the orientation of the user's eye, a point of interest within a field of view of the user, (iii) determining that the point of interest is a candidate for tagging, and (iv) performing, in response to determining that the point of interest is the candidate for tagging, a tagging action that facilitates tagging of the point of interest. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andre Golard, Bo Asp Andersen, Immo Andreas Schuetz, Karol Constantine Hatzilias, Kelly Ingham, Martin Henrik Tall, Neeraj Choubey, Sharvil Shailesh Talati, Robert Dale Cavin, Thomas Scott Murdison
  • Interest prediction for unresolved users in an online system
    Patent number: 10832167
    Abstract: Disclosed is an online system that infers interests of unresolved users for whom the interests are not known. The online system determines certain features about the unresolved users, but does not have certain information about the users themselves (e.g., their interests), so instead infers these attributes based on the features of the user. The online system provides the features as input to a classifier trained to predict a particular interest, and the classifier outputs a prediction of whether the user has the corresponding interest. In one embodiment, the online system trains a classifier for various interest values by forming training sets for the interests using the features for users who are logged into the online system and hence have known interests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Goran Predovic, Chaochao Cai
  • Display with built in 3D sensing capability and gesture control of tv
    Patent number: 10831278
    Abstract: Information from execution of a vision processing module may be used to control a 3D vision system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Matthew Bell
  • Display device with animated graphical user interface
    Patent number: D901532
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Agatha Yick Jun Yu, Matthew Alan Scott
  • Display panel of a programmed computer system with an animated graphical user interface
    Patent number: D902241
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Robin Maxime Clediere