Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Robert D. Shedd
  • Patent number: 8352991
    Abstract: A Video Server (VS 100) encodes a video stream according to the values of parameters and transmits the video stream over a Network to a Video Client (VC 200) that decodes the received video stream for presentation to a user. As the video stream is being received, (VC 200 continually gathers data regarding at least the condition of Network sends this data to (VS 100). (VS 100) modifies the values of the parameters based on the data received from (VC 200), which in turn modifies the encoding of the video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jens Cahnbley, John William Richardson
  • Patent number: 8351765
    Abstract: A system for recording television programs for subsequent viewing by a user includes a preference determination module which is responsive to attribute information associated with television programs viewed by the user. The preference determination module categorizes the attribute information in accordance with categorization parameters to generate recordation preference information, indicative of television program viewing preferences of the user. The system also includes a recordation module which is responsive to the recordation preference information, for causing recordation on a storage medium of subsequently transmitted television programs, having attribute information corresponding to the recordation preference information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Labeeb K. Ismail, Amar N. Gogoi, Yuri Stupak
  • Patent number: 8352810
    Abstract: Detection of faults in a transmitted signal stream occurs by recovering, from the information stream, a water mark embedded in the stream prior to transmission. The embedded watermark has data characteristic of stream quality. Thereafter, the at least one watermark property is analyzed to detect faults in the received information stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Are Olafsen, Jeffrey Adam Bloom, Kumar Ramaswamy
  • Patent number: 8351763
    Abstract: A system for recording television programs for subsequent viewing by a user includes a preference determination module which is responsive to attribute information associated with television programs viewed by the user. The preference determination module categorizes the attribute information in accordance with categorization parameters to generate recordation preference information, indicative of television program viewing preferences of the user. The system also includes a recordation module which is responsive to the recordation preference information, for causing recordation on a storage medium of subsequently transmitted television programs, having attribute information corresponding to the recordation preference information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Labeeb K. Ismail, Amar N. Gogoi, Yuri Stupak
  • Patent number: 8351730
    Abstract: A system and method for scaling images are provided. An upscaling algorithm or function is employed that increases the size of an image and then filters the upscaled image to remove aliasing artifacts. The system and method provides for acquiring an image of a first size, detecting the geometry of the image, scaling the image to a second size, and filtering the scaled image with at least one filter based on the detected geometry. During the filtering process, the edges of objects in the upscaled image are detected and different filter frequency responses are provided for the detected edges. Providing different filter frequency responses for the detected edges preserves more details for line images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Dong-Qing Zhang, Ingo Tobias Doser, Marco Antonio Vasquez, Xueming Henry Gu
  • Patent number: 8352984
    Abstract: Television program availability and recordings are personalized by learning the program preferences of the TV and PDR user. This is effected over a period of time by observing, recording and processing user activity. A viewing record module agent (VRM) and a program information viewing history agent (CDM) are software agents that, according to built-in algorithms, operate on user activity and other events to ultimately produce preference profile information in special purpose relational databases (CDB, viewing history database).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Amar Gogoi, Labeeb Ismail, Santosh Godbole, Richard Humpleman
  • Patent number: 8345872
    Abstract: The local digital network comprises: access devices (1), for receiving data originating from outside the network and transmitting them at a point of the network; and presentation devices (2,3) for receiving the data flowing in the network and presenting them at a point of the network. The data flow in the network in encrypted form and all the devices of the network use a single key, the local key of the network, for the encryption and decryption of the data. Preferably, the local key of the network is formed by a pair of public and private keys. The purpose of this network is to make it possible to copy data in the local network whilst preventing pirate copies destined for other local networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Florence Ques, Jean-Pierre Andreaux, Teddy Furon
  • Patent number: 8345762
    Abstract: The invention relates to spatially scalable encoding and decoding processes using a method for deriving coding information. More particularly, it relates to a method for deriving coding information for high resolution pictures from the coding information of low resolution pictures. The method mainly comprises the following steps: Computing geometrical parameters characterizing the position of said high layer macroblock relatively to the corresponding base layer macroblocks and deriving from these parameters a macroblock class; Deriving a partition and possibly sub-partitions for each partition of said high layer macroblock from corresponding base layer macroblocks partition and sub-partitions on the basis of the geometrical parameters and HL MB class; and Deriving motion information for said high layer macroblock from motion information of corresponding base layer macroblocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jérôme Vieron, Edouard Francois, Gwenaelle Marquant, Nicolas Burdin, Patrick Lopez, Guillaume Boisson
  • Patent number: 8345975
    Abstract: A method of segmenting regions of an image wherein a number of partitions are determined based on a range of an image histogram in a logarithmic luminance domain. Regions are defined by the partitions. A mean value of each region is calculated by K-means clustering wherein the clustering is initialized, data is assigned and centroids are updated. Anchor points are determined based on the centroids and a weight of each pixel is computed based on the anchor points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Zhe Wang, Jiefu Zhai, Joan Llach
  • Patent number: 8340159
    Abstract: A multipath searcher and method includes a programmable decimation filter configured to adjust a sample rate of a received pilot signal. A plurality of correlators is configured to compare the received pilot signal to a reference code in a first mode and in a second mode. The first mode includes a low resolution search of a search window performed such that the plurality of correlators encompass an entire search window concurrently and the plurality of correlators receives a delayed reference code delayed to correspond with a portion of the search window in which a corresponding correlator performs correlation to identify peaks in the received pilot signal. The second mode includes a high resolution search of a refined search window only at or near identified peaks discovered in the first mode. The high resolution search is focused at the peak location by adjusting delays in the plurality of correlators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Benyuan Zhang, Paul Gothard Knutson
  • Patent number: 8340313
    Abstract: A subwoofer is equipped with a wireless receiver to receive signals containing information for a Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel and information for both surround channels. In one form, the LFE is added to one or both surround channels to provide a stereo surround signal (containing both surround channels) including a multiplexed LFE channel. The subwoofer utilizes the LFE channel, powers surround speakers, and passes the surround signals to respective surround speakers. A receiver multiplexes LFE signals into either one or both surround sound audio channels. A digital RF transmitter of the receiver transmits the combined subwoofer/surround channels to the wireless receiver of the subwoofer. The remote subwoofer is connected to a power source. The surround speakers are connected to the subwoofer so as to receive the surround channels and be powered thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventor: John Justin Caffrey
  • Patent number: 8339928
    Abstract: An optical disc structure for playback by a read-out device is described. The optical disc structure includes a first layer with first content recorded thereon. A second layer is coupled to the first layer. The second layer has first content and second content recorded thereon. The disc of the present principles makes use of the fact that a less than full capacity DVD9 disc leaves available recording space after the end of program area and required lead-out area on the second of the two data layers of a DVD9 disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignees: Thomson Licensing, OPSEC Security Group, Inc.
    Inventors: John Matthew Town, Mark Timothy Turnage
  • Patent number: 8335191
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for content delivery, including receiving content from a first network, moving into a coverage area of a second network, performing a handover, receiving content from the second network and dropping any duplicate content packets. Also described are a method and apparatus for content delivery including receiving content from a first network, performing a handover, receiving content from a second network, determining if any content is missing and requesting the missing content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jun Li, Kai Xie, Yun Tao Shi, Si Nan Shangguan
  • Patent number: 8334935
    Abstract: A high resolution projection system has a light source for generating and emitting light and a plurality of digital micromirror device imagers configured to receive and reflect the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventor: Youngshik Yoon
  • Patent number: 8335164
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for calculating a routing metric for a wireless network including retrieving configured system parameters, selecting a form of a first weight factor based on channel load/utilization and parameters of the first weight factor, selecting a form of a second weight factor based on frame/packet error rate and parameters of the second weight factor, retrieving estimated link bit rate, measuring a channel/link busy time, estimating a channel/link load, estimating a packet/frame error rate of the link and calculating the metric are described. A method and system for determining a route/path between two nodes of a wireless network including calculating a weighted radio and load aware metric by each node in the wireless network, storing the metric and using the metric to select the route/path for communication between two nodes of the wireless network based on a sum of the metrics calculated by each node of the wireless network are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventor: Hang Liu
  • Patent number: 8331609
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, apparatus and system for temporal synchronization of digital content based on a marker symbol and a marker code. A marker symbol is inserted at an identifiable location of a payload (e.g., the beginning and/or end of a payload) at regular intervals in the digital content and the payload is marker coded to form a periodic sequence. The payload is marker coded such that the maker symbol is not repeated by the coded payload. The periodic sequence is then embedded into digital content. A decoder is able to re-synchronize the payload by determining the location of the marker symbol. As such, a method, apparatus and system is provided for robust temporal synchronization for, for example, content encoding and decoding for applications such as audio and video water-marking and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jun Tian, Jeffrey Adam Bloom
  • Patent number: 8331891
    Abstract: A television signal processing apparatus comprising a receiver comprises a distortion estimator and an automatic gain control signal generator. The automatic gain control signal generator generates a plurality of automatic gain control and filter response control signals in response to the magnitude or signal to noise ratio of an RF signal and a non-linear distortion figure generated from the information carried by said RF signal. The distortion estimator uses a plurality of statistical methods to generate a non-linear distortion figure from the signal constellation of the information carried by said RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventor: Maxim Borisovich Belotserkovsky
  • Patent number: 8331771
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for simultaneously recording two a/v input signals using only a single digital a/v compressor, and an apparatus for reading from and writing to recording media capable of performing such method. This object is achieved by a method for recording a first a/v input signal and a second a/v input signal on a first recording unit for recording compressed digital a/v data, having the steps of: recording the first a/v input signal on the first recording unit; recording the second a/v input signal on the second recording unit; after completing the recording of the first a/v input signal on the first recording unit, reading the second a/v input signal recorded on the second recording unit; and recording the second a/v input signal read from the second recording unit on the first recording unit and/or the second recording unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Frank Dumont, Chee Lam Tan
  • Patent number: 8332657
    Abstract: A method for providing local security of audio and video content during transmission and storage within digital home networks. Scrambled content may be recorded in all conditions, however, only authorized copies are processed for descrambling and viewing. Content is protected within a network by rebundling the keys required for descrambling, e.g., the TDES keys, into a new ECM (LECM), which is protected by a local public key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Ahmet Mursit Eskicioglu, David Emery Virag, David Jay Duffield, Michael Scott Deiss, Billy Wesley Beyers, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8326125
    Abstract: It is desired to link photo data and video data taken by a digital camcorder. Therefore, there is provided a device and method for linking multimedia data, wherein linking information is formed on the basis of first and/or second multimedia data. The linking information is stored on a recording medium together with the first multimedia data. The second multimedia data may be stored together with respective linking information to the first multimedia data on a second recording medium. Thus, a camera-man while recording is able to set up logo or index pictures for a video film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Hui Li, Dirk Adolph, Meinolf Blawat, Jobst Hörentrup, Uwe Janssen, Wolfgang Klausberger, Axel Kochale, Stefan Kubsch, Harald Schiller, Ralf Ostermann, Hartmut Peters, Marco Winter