Weekly edition
2026-W40
Read 2026-10-02. Window 2026-06-04 → 2026-10-02 (rolling 120 days by publication date). Filings by Disney or Lucasfilm as assignee or applicant, from the USPTO Patent Public Search.
New this week
- Pose-aware neural inverse kinematics New
Uses a neural network to solve a virtual character's joint poses from constraints — inverse-kinematics tech relevant to robotics/animatronic motion control.
- SYSTEM FOR GENERATING COLLIMATED NON-COHERENT BRIGHT LIGHT USING A PLURALITY OF OPTICAL ELEMENTS New
Combines two laser arrays with a phosphor converter to produce bright, non-coherent collimated light — projector/show-lighting hardware worth watching for prop and stage applications.
Set aside this week
Filings published 2026-09-26 → 2026-10-02 that the sweep read and chose not to keep — business methods, streaming plumbing, ad-tech and the like. Listed so the record is complete; each has its own page.
- DOMAIN SPECIFIC INTELLIGENCE USING NATURAL LANGUAGE
Set aside: nlp/localization, business-ops
- Machine learning model-based image noise synthesis
Set aside: dropped in weekly review
Ranked by kinship to the crafts of Batuu
Everything in the window whose mechanism ties to saber, droid, animatronic or show-effect work. Disney never names Star Wars in a patent — the ranking is judged from mechanism and inventor history.
High (25)
- Pose-aware neural inverse kinematics New
Uses a neural network to solve a virtual character's joint poses from constraints — inverse-kinematics tech relevant to robotics/animatronic motion control.
- DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING WIDE-ANGLE, RETROREFLECTIVE REAL IMAGES
A ring of beamsplitter/retroreflector stations that projects a real, glasses-free 3D image floating in space that a whole crowd can walk around and view from any angle — a scalable Pepper's-ghost-style theme-park effect.
- THEMED AERIAL VEHICLE ENTERTAINMENT PLATFORM FOR PROVIDING DYNAMICALLY-COORDINATED SHOW
Show drones wrapped in themed shells (e.g. a spacecraft or flying character) fly dynamically-coordinated routines with onboard lights instead of a fixed flight plan — direct animatronics/show-tech interest.
- AUTONOMOUS HUMAN-ROBOT INTERACTION VIA DIFFUSION-BASED OPERATOR IMITATION
Trains a diffusion model so a robot can autonomously read and respond to a human's actions — the control layer for a free-roaming character droid.
- Stable pose estimation with analysis by synthesis
Analysis-by-synthesis pose estimation that stays stable frame to frame — tracking tech for guests, performers, or robots.
- Environmental factor-based surface maintenance system
Autonomous surface-maintenance robot that adapts its cleaning to detected environmental factors.
- Versatile motion priors for artist-directable physical characters
Motion priors that let artists direct a physical (robotic) character's movement while keeping it physically plausible — Bächer's bipedal-droid line.
- Ride system featuring a free-range vehicle platform
Ride system with a free-range vehicle platform driving over uneven terrain rather than a fixed track path.
- OPPORTUNISTIC PROJECTION ONTO DYNAMIC LIGHT REFLECTIVE MATERIAL
Camera-tracked projection onto light-reflective material that moves through a space (costumes, props, set pieces) — Smoot.
- METHODS FOR ALIGNMENT OF PLAN TO EXECUTION USING MULTIMODAL CUES FOR SCRIPT-BASED PERFORMANCE MONITORING
Aligns a scripted performance plan to its live execution using multimodal cues — show-control for animatronic/robot performances.
- SKIN EMBEDDED MARKERS FOR DYNAMIC PROJECTION MAPPING OF ANIMATRONIC FIGURES
A system includes an animatronic skin having one or more embedded markers configured to provide a light signature, a camera configured to detect the light signature, a projector configured to project content onto the an…
- HYBRID APPROACH TO PERFORM DYNAMIC PROJECTION MAPPING ONTO ROBOTIC FIGURES IN REAL-TIME
Systems, methods and apparatuses for a hybrid approach to perform dynamic projection mapping onto robots in real-time are discussed herein.
- HYBRID APPROACH TO PERFORM DYNAMIC PROJECTION MAPPING ONTO ROBOTIC FIGURES IN REAL-TIME
Systems, methods and apparatuses for a hybrid approach to perform dynamic projection mapping onto robotic figures in real-time are discussed herein.
- DYNAMIC MECHANICAL SKIN STRUCTURES FOR ANIMATRONIC FIGURES
An animatronic may include a shell, a skin coupled to the shell, and an actuator configured to selectively create a deformation of the skin, wherein the deformation is configured to complement content projected onto the…
- PROJECTION MAPPING USING DYNAMIC BLEND MAPS
A computer-implemented technique for projecting light includes generating, based on a pose of an object within the scene, projector calibration data associated with one or more projectors, and scene geometry data associ…
- DATA-DRIVEN CONTENT INTERACTION
Interprets user input across LED, haptic and wearable channels to drive content — new inventor cluster, worth a look.
- DYNAMIC WEIGHT ADJUSTMENT FOR MOTION CONTROL VIA MULTI-OBJECTIVE REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for controlling motion in an articulated object.
- ADAPTIVE MOTION CONTROL VIA MULTI-OBJECTIVE REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for controlling motion in an articulated object.
- System for generating a 360 degree viewable image on laminar fog screen
A system may comprise a fog generating unit configured to generate fog; a fog distributing unit comprising: an intake component configured to receive the fog generated by the fog generating unit, a fog manifold configur…
- TECHNIQUES FOR CONTROLLING ACTUATED SYSTEMS USING NON-DETERMINISTIC DATA
A method for controlling an actuated system includes receiving one or more data points, where each data point included in the one or more data points associates animation data with a different point in time, computing a…
- METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ROBOT KEYFRAMING AND LEARNING LOCOMOTION WITH HIGH-LEVEL OBJECTIVES
Methods and systems for animated figure keyframing or physical robot keyframing and learning locomotion with high-level objectives are discussed herein.
- ATTENTION-BASED MAP ENCODING FOR GENERALIZED ROBOT LOCOMOTION
The present invention sets forth techniques for generating robot action commands directed to robot locomotion.
- AUTOMATED PARALLELIZED TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS
A method for determining a trajectory of an object includes: determining, via a processing element, the object of the moving device; generating, via the processing element, a physics model of a moving device including t…
- Wireless Power Delivery in a Fluid Environment
A system includes a reservoir containing a fluid, one or more objects in physical contact with the fluid, each of the one or more objects having a respective induction coil embedded therein, at least one conductive coil…
- Projection System Including a 3-D Extendable Projection Surface
A system includes a computing platform having a hardware processor and a system memory storing software code, as well as a projection unit controlled by the computing platform, the projection unit including a three-dime…
Medium (17)
- SYSTEM FOR GENERATING COLLIMATED NON-COHERENT BRIGHT LIGHT USING A PLURALITY OF OPTICAL ELEMENTS New
Combines two laser arrays with a phosphor converter to produce bright, non-coherent collimated light — projector/show-lighting hardware worth watching for prop and stage applications.
- RIDER INCLUSIVE TRANSPORT AIDE
A self-leveling platform on a theme-park ride vehicle that stays flat (for wheelchairs/gear) as the vehicle tilts over water or uneven ground.
- TRAINING OF MACHINE LEARNING MODELS WITH HARDWARE-IN-THE-LOOP SIMULATIONS
Trains fault-tolerant control-system models by injecting simulated faults into hardware-in-the-loop sensor emulations — relevant to robotics/animatronic control tuning.
- Water harp with optical sensing of the break of flowing water streams
A themed 'water harp' show prop: light beamed through falling water streams plays a musical note when a hand breaks the beam — classic interactive show-tech hardware.
- Memories for virtual characters
Gives a virtual character persistent memories of past interactions so later encounters with a guest reference them.
- INTERACTIVE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES USING MACHINE LEARNING
Machine learning that tunes an interactive immersive experience to how guests are engaging with it.
- HIGH-RESOLUTION VIRTUAL VEHICLE PRESENCE SENSOR
High-resolution virtual presence sensor that tells a ride system exactly where a vehicle is without physical trip sensors.
- ELEVATION CHANGE ILLUSION THROUGH SET DESIGN
Set-design trick that makes a track section feel like a bigger elevation change than it is.
- SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AN IMAGE USING A NATURAL PROJECTION MEDIUM
A system includes a light source configured to emit light; a lens assembly including an optical component and at least one lens; a fiber optic cable configured to transmit the light emitted from the light source to the …
- VISUALLY CONSISTENT MULTI-VIEW NOVEL VIEW SYNTHESIS WITH VIDEO DIFFUSION
Methods and systems for performing novel view synthesis in addition to various image-to-image diffusion processes using machine learning models are disclosed.
- METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PERFORMING NOVEL-VIEW SYNTHESIS
Methods and systems for performing novel view synthesis in addition to various image-to-image diffusion processes using machine learning models are disclosed.
- METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GENERATING TRAINING DATA FOR EFFICIENT AND ACCURATE TRAINING OF NOVEL VIEW SYNTHESIS MODELS
Methods and systems for performing novel view synthesis in addition to various image-to-image diffusion processes using machine learning models are disclosed.
- PATH GUIDING USING NEURAL RADIANCE CACHING WITH DEFENSIVE RESAMPLED IMPORTANCE SAMPLING AND ADAPTIVE CANDIDATE ALLOCATION
The present disclosure relates to computer-implemented path guiding in a rendering system.
- System for generating collimated non-coherent bright light using a plurality of optical elements
A system, comprising: a first array of lasers; a first linear polarizer; a second array of lasers; a second linear polarizer provided at an angle with respect to the first linear polarizer; a first beamsplitter coupled …
- COMPLIANT MECHANISM SUSPENSION SYSTEM
A suspension system may include a plate, a frame extending at least partially around the plate, and a resilient member extending between to connect the plate to the frame.
- CONTENT PROJECTION SYSTEM FOR PROJECTING CONTENT ONTO RIDE VEHICLES
A content projection system may include a projector configured to project content onto a first ride vehicle, a tracking system configured to track (e.g., a position and an orientation of) the first ride vehicle within a…
- Clearance envelope management for regulating vehicle movement
A method may include comparing, using a virtual map, a position of a ride vehicle to a position of an obstacle in an operating environment; and querying a virtual map of an operating environment, the virtual map includi…
Full 120-day window
Hardware (33)
- DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING WIDE-ANGLE, RETROREFLECTIVE REAL IMAGES
A ring of beamsplitter/retroreflector stations that projects a real, glasses-free 3D image floating in space that a whole crowd can walk around and view from any angle — a scalable Pepper's-ghost-style theme-park effect.
- THEMED AERIAL VEHICLE ENTERTAINMENT PLATFORM FOR PROVIDING DYNAMICALLY-COORDINATED SHOW
Show drones wrapped in themed shells (e.g. a spacecraft or flying character) fly dynamically-coordinated routines with onboard lights instead of a fixed flight plan — direct animatronics/show-tech interest.
- AUTONOMOUS HUMAN-ROBOT INTERACTION VIA DIFFUSION-BASED OPERATOR IMITATION
Trains a diffusion model so a robot can autonomously read and respond to a human's actions — the control layer for a free-roaming character droid.
- Environmental factor-based surface maintenance system
Autonomous surface-maintenance robot that adapts its cleaning to detected environmental factors.
- Versatile motion priors for artist-directable physical characters
Motion priors that let artists direct a physical (robotic) character's movement while keeping it physically plausible — Bächer's bipedal-droid line.
- Ride system featuring a free-range vehicle platform
Ride system with a free-range vehicle platform driving over uneven terrain rather than a fixed track path.
- OPPORTUNISTIC PROJECTION ONTO DYNAMIC LIGHT REFLECTIVE MATERIAL
Camera-tracked projection onto light-reflective material that moves through a space (costumes, props, set pieces) — Smoot.
- SKIN EMBEDDED MARKERS FOR DYNAMIC PROJECTION MAPPING OF ANIMATRONIC FIGURES
A system includes an animatronic skin having one or more embedded markers configured to provide a light signature, a camera configured to detect the light signature, a projector configured to project content onto the an…
- HYBRID APPROACH TO PERFORM DYNAMIC PROJECTION MAPPING ONTO ROBOTIC FIGURES IN REAL-TIME
Systems, methods and apparatuses for a hybrid approach to perform dynamic projection mapping onto robots in real-time are discussed herein.
- HYBRID APPROACH TO PERFORM DYNAMIC PROJECTION MAPPING ONTO ROBOTIC FIGURES IN REAL-TIME
Systems, methods and apparatuses for a hybrid approach to perform dynamic projection mapping onto robotic figures in real-time are discussed herein.
- DYNAMIC MECHANICAL SKIN STRUCTURES FOR ANIMATRONIC FIGURES
An animatronic may include a shell, a skin coupled to the shell, and an actuator configured to selectively create a deformation of the skin, wherein the deformation is configured to complement content projected onto the…
- PROJECTION MAPPING USING DYNAMIC BLEND MAPS
A computer-implemented technique for projecting light includes generating, based on a pose of an object within the scene, projector calibration data associated with one or more projectors, and scene geometry data associ…
- System for generating a 360 degree viewable image on laminar fog screen
A system may comprise a fog generating unit configured to generate fog; a fog distributing unit comprising: an intake component configured to receive the fog generated by the fog generating unit, a fog manifold configur…
- TECHNIQUES FOR CONTROLLING ACTUATED SYSTEMS USING NON-DETERMINISTIC DATA
A method for controlling an actuated system includes receiving one or more data points, where each data point included in the one or more data points associates animation data with a different point in time, computing a…
- METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ROBOT KEYFRAMING AND LEARNING LOCOMOTION WITH HIGH-LEVEL OBJECTIVES
Methods and systems for animated figure keyframing or physical robot keyframing and learning locomotion with high-level objectives are discussed herein.
- ATTENTION-BASED MAP ENCODING FOR GENERALIZED ROBOT LOCOMOTION
The present invention sets forth techniques for generating robot action commands directed to robot locomotion.
- AUTOMATED PARALLELIZED TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS
A method for determining a trajectory of an object includes: determining, via a processing element, the object of the moving device; generating, via the processing element, a physics model of a moving device including t…
- Wireless Power Delivery in a Fluid Environment
A system includes a reservoir containing a fluid, one or more objects in physical contact with the fluid, each of the one or more objects having a respective induction coil embedded therein, at least one conductive coil…
- Projection System Including a 3-D Extendable Projection Surface
A system includes a computing platform having a hardware processor and a system memory storing software code, as well as a projection unit controlled by the computing platform, the projection unit including a three-dime…
- SYSTEM FOR GENERATING COLLIMATED NON-COHERENT BRIGHT LIGHT USING A PLURALITY OF OPTICAL ELEMENTS New
Combines two laser arrays with a phosphor converter to produce bright, non-coherent collimated light — projector/show-lighting hardware worth watching for prop and stage applications.
- RIDER INCLUSIVE TRANSPORT AIDE
A self-leveling platform on a theme-park ride vehicle that stays flat (for wheelchairs/gear) as the vehicle tilts over water or uneven ground.
- Water harp with optical sensing of the break of flowing water streams
A themed 'water harp' show prop: light beamed through falling water streams plays a musical note when a hand breaks the beam — classic interactive show-tech hardware.
- HIGH-RESOLUTION VIRTUAL VEHICLE PRESENCE SENSOR
High-resolution virtual presence sensor that tells a ride system exactly where a vehicle is without physical trip sensors.
- ELEVATION CHANGE ILLUSION THROUGH SET DESIGN
Set-design trick that makes a track section feel like a bigger elevation change than it is.
- SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AN IMAGE USING A NATURAL PROJECTION MEDIUM
A system includes a light source configured to emit light; a lens assembly including an optical component and at least one lens; a fiber optic cable configured to transmit the light emitted from the light source to the …
- System for generating collimated non-coherent bright light using a plurality of optical elements
A system, comprising: a first array of lasers; a first linear polarizer; a second array of lasers; a second linear polarizer provided at an angle with respect to the first linear polarizer; a first beamsplitter coupled …
- COMPLIANT MECHANISM SUSPENSION SYSTEM
A suspension system may include a plate, a frame extending at least partially around the plate, and a resilient member extending between to connect the plate to the frame.
- CONTENT PROJECTION SYSTEM FOR PROJECTING CONTENT ONTO RIDE VEHICLES
A content projection system may include a projector configured to project content onto a first ride vehicle, a tracking system configured to track (e.g., a position and an orientation of) the first ride vehicle within a…
- Clearance envelope management for regulating vehicle movement
A method may include comparing, using a virtual map, a position of a ride vehicle to a position of an obstacle in an operating environment; and querying a virtual map of an operating environment, the virtual map includi…
- User responsive augmented reality enhancement of moving images
AR headset that augments a moving image (film/show) in response to what the wearer does.
- TRIGGER FOR CAMERA TRAP
A system and method for capturing fames (e.g., images) in an environment.
- BALL AND SOCKET MOUNT WITH PERMANENT BALL LOCKING
In some implementations, an assembly may comprise a ball comprising one or more first channels provided on an outer surface of the ball.
- Torque value adjustment system for use with click type torque wrenches to minimize repetitive motions
A system for adjusting torque value settings on click type torque wrenches.
Notable software (28)
- Pose-aware neural inverse kinematics New
Uses a neural network to solve a virtual character's joint poses from constraints — inverse-kinematics tech relevant to robotics/animatronic motion control.
- Stable pose estimation with analysis by synthesis
Analysis-by-synthesis pose estimation that stays stable frame to frame — tracking tech for guests, performers, or robots.
- METHODS FOR ALIGNMENT OF PLAN TO EXECUTION USING MULTIMODAL CUES FOR SCRIPT-BASED PERFORMANCE MONITORING
Aligns a scripted performance plan to its live execution using multimodal cues — show-control for animatronic/robot performances.
- DATA-DRIVEN CONTENT INTERACTION
Interprets user input across LED, haptic and wearable channels to drive content — new inventor cluster, worth a look.
- DYNAMIC WEIGHT ADJUSTMENT FOR MOTION CONTROL VIA MULTI-OBJECTIVE REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for controlling motion in an articulated object.
- ADAPTIVE MOTION CONTROL VIA MULTI-OBJECTIVE REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for controlling motion in an articulated object.
- TRAINING OF MACHINE LEARNING MODELS WITH HARDWARE-IN-THE-LOOP SIMULATIONS
Trains fault-tolerant control-system models by injecting simulated faults into hardware-in-the-loop sensor emulations — relevant to robotics/animatronic control tuning.
- Memories for virtual characters
Gives a virtual character persistent memories of past interactions so later encounters with a guest reference them.
- INTERACTIVE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES USING MACHINE LEARNING
Machine learning that tunes an interactive immersive experience to how guests are engaging with it.
- VISUALLY CONSISTENT MULTI-VIEW NOVEL VIEW SYNTHESIS WITH VIDEO DIFFUSION
Methods and systems for performing novel view synthesis in addition to various image-to-image diffusion processes using machine learning models are disclosed.
- METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PERFORMING NOVEL-VIEW SYNTHESIS
Methods and systems for performing novel view synthesis in addition to various image-to-image diffusion processes using machine learning models are disclosed.
- METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GENERATING TRAINING DATA FOR EFFICIENT AND ACCURATE TRAINING OF NOVEL VIEW SYNTHESIS MODELS
Methods and systems for performing novel view synthesis in addition to various image-to-image diffusion processes using machine learning models are disclosed.
- PATH GUIDING USING NEURAL RADIANCE CACHING WITH DEFENSIVE RESAMPLED IMPORTANCE SAMPLING AND ADAPTIVE CANDIDATE ALLOCATION
The present disclosure relates to computer-implemented path guiding in a rendering system.
- Interruption Response by an Artificial Intelligence Character
Gives a conversational AI character (think interactive droids/animatronics) the ability to notice when it's been interrupted mid-sentence and pick a smart way to respond instead of talking over people.
- BOOTSTRAPPED ROTOSCOPE-MATTING TRAINING
Trains a computer-vision model to auto-rotoscope/matte VFX footage by synthesizing composite training data from real and rendered foreground objects.
- Image-Space UV Map-Based Tracking of Image Regions in Video
Tracks a region on a moving object across video frames using AI-predicted UV maps so a mask can follow it automatically — a VFX/compositing tracking tool.
- AI generated creative content based on shared memories
An AI interactive character (AIIC) draws out a user's memories, then generates personalized creative content from them — Disney's memory-aware companion-bot tech.
- Emotionally responsive artificial intelligence interactive character
An AI interactive character (AIIC) reads emotional cues from what a user says and adjusts its responses to match — companion-bot emotional intelligence.
- Reducing domain shift in neural motion controllers
Trains a neural controller to translate a control signal into realistic character motion — locomotion-control ML relevant to animatronics/robot movement research.
- Providing assistance based on machine learning model analysis of video data
Computer-vision system that watches pool/water areas and flags a person in distress — real-time CV/tracking, relevant to anyone doing camera-based safety detection.
- NEURAL SHAPE DEFORMATION TRANSFER
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for generating a shape.
- DATA-DRIVEN MODELING OF SECONDARY MOTION DYNAMICS USING GAUSSIAN SPLATTING
The present invention sets forth techniques for predicting motion in a 3D model.
- Identity-preserving image generation using diffusion models
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for performing identity-preserving image generation.
- Interruption response by an artificial intelligence character
A system includes a hardware processor, a memory storing software code, and a machine learning (ML) model trained to detect an interruption to a conversation.
- PARAMETRIC LANDMARK DETECTION
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for performing landmark detection.
- PHYSICAL VARIANCE DETECTION AUTOMATA
The present invention sets forth a technique for performing automated physical variance detection.
- Graph simulation for facial micro features via pre-computed displacement texture maps
The present invention sets forth a technique for simulating wrinkles under dynamic facial expression.
- Depth-aware indexing of three-dimensional image depth bins
A system includes a hardware processor and a memory storing software code.