Patents Assigned to The Magnavox Company
  • Patent number: 3945003
    Abstract: A channel number display device for a television receiver for displaying the numerals of the channel to which the receiver is tuned with the display being initially bright immediately after a channel change, and then after a predetermined time of several seconds, being reduced in brightness so as not to distract from the program material. Through the use of a thyristor, regardless of the number of individual elements in the numerical display, the brightness levels may be held to predetermined quantities.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONOver the years, it has been a desire of television manufacturers to provide a display of the channel numbers on the television receiver so that they can be easily read, especially immediately after tuning to a new station so that the viewer can determine if he is at the desired station. This is especially true for television receivers having remote control, wherein the viewer is spaced at the viewing distance from the receiver while tuning to a new station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1974
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1976
    Assignee: The Magnavox Company
    Inventors: Arthur N. Borg, Bruce E. Smith
  • Patent number: 3937877
    Abstract: A TV channel indicator wherein the tuner shaft carries a program disc having a plurality of cam sticks, each of which has a cam surface corresponding to a respective channel. There is a panel of leaf switches which play against the cam surfaces to close the switches in a manner dictated by the cam surface configuration, thereby selectively energizing the segments of a seven-segment numerical display to provide illuminated channel numbers corresponding to the tuner shaft position. Tuning of the tuner shaft brings the cam surfaces into registration with the switch ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1974
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1976
    Assignee: The Magnavox Company
    Inventor: Hien Vodinh
  • Patent number: 3931597
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for phase-encoding electro-acoustic electro-acoustic elements, elements of an acoustic surface wave device to provide preselected transducer characteristics. By altering the position of a transducer element or portions of a transducer element, the phase of the acoustic wave propagated from, or the phase of the electrical signal received by the transducer element can be varied by an amount determined by the velocity of propagation of the acoustic wave.By altering the location of the electro-elements, or portions thereof, from a position determined for example by amplitude-encoding techniques, a resultant signal produced by a plurality of electro-acoustic elements, element portions, or combination of elements and element portions can provide the preselected transducer characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1974
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1976
    Assignee: The Magnavox Company
    Inventors: Frederick Y. Cho, Bill J. Hunsinger