Patents Examined by Mark P Stanley
  • Patent number: 8010984
    Abstract: Redirection of streaming content is described. In an implementation, a method includes receiving a request at a client from another client, wherein the request is to redirect on-demand content being streamed from a head end to the other client and includes a bookmark that specifies a point in time during an output of the on-demand content by the second client. A communication is formed for being communicated to the head end to cause redirection of the streaming of the on-demand content to the client corresponding to the point in time specified by the bookmark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Vivek Thukral
  • Patent number: 7996875
    Abstract: An adaptive timeshift service is described. In embodiment(s), television content can be distributed from a live content server to television client devices, and the television content that is distributed from the live content server can be recorded at a timeshift server. Recorded television content can then be distributed from the timeshift server when requested by a television client device. An additional timeshift server can be allocated, and both the television content from the live content server and the recorded television content from the timeshift server can be written to a buffer of the additional timeshift server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Terry Q Guo, Hui Wan
  • Patent number: 7966632
    Abstract: A system, method and various user interfaces enable visually browsing multiple groups of video recommendations. A group of video recommendations includes a central video and a set of related videos displayed at its corresponding display distance from the central video and from each other. The corresponding display distance of a video is calculated as a function of the video's recommendation score and correlation with other videos of the group. The recommendation score is generated based on a weighted covisitation measure. Visually presenting recommended videos to a user provides a quick and intuitive way to find videos of interest and visualize the browsing of the recommended videos.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Yu Pan, Jasson Schrock
  • Patent number: 7895636
    Abstract: In a content output apparatus which is connected to at least one content playback apparatus, lists of content which are respectively reproducible by the connected content playback apparatuses are acquired. When the acquired lists of the content are output in order for a user to select any of the listed content, the content playback apparatus capable of playing back the selected content is specified, and a playback instruction signal for instructing the specified content playback apparatus to play back the selected content is output so as to output a signal which is pertinent to the content played back by the content playback apparatus. As a result, the content output apparatus is more convenient to use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Tsutomu Ogasawara
  • Patent number: 7797723
    Abstract: A transmission systems suitable for video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehmet U. Demircin, Petrus J. L. van Beek
  • Patent number: 7765574
    Abstract: A technique for automated analysis of multimedia, such as, for example, a news broadcast. A Broadcast News Editor and Broadcast News Navigator system analyze, select, condense, and then present news summaries. The system enables not only viewing a hierarchical table of contents of the news, but also summaries tailored to individual needs. This is accomplished through story segmentation and proper name extraction which enables the use of common information retrieval methodologies, such as Web browsers. Robust segmentation processing is provided using multistream analysis on imagery, audio, and closed captioned stream cue events according to a finite state model indicative of the presentation class.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: The Mitre Corporation
    Inventors: Mark T. Maybury, Andrew E. Merlino, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7681218
    Abstract: When a multi-directional antenna is connected to a digital TV broadcast signal receiver, the digital TV broadcast signal receiver measures a term suitable for switching or changing an effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna corresponding to kind or specification of the multi-directional antenna. Control signals are outputted at an interval suitable for switching or changing the effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna corresponding to the measured term so as to switch the effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna to an optimum signal receiving direction of a channel chosen by a user. Consequently, it is possible to shorten a term necessary for switching or changing the effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna to the optimum signal receiving direction of the channel chosen by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Takagi, Masanori Kawai, Naoki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7614071
    Abstract: Media data is distributed across multiple devices, and decentralized media data dissemination architecture is formed. Multiple respective senders are associated with multiple respective distributed portions of the media data. Multiple schedulers are associated with clients and are capable of scheduling the sending of media data thereto. Schedulers formulate send requests that stipulate particular media data portions and designate destination clients. These send requests are transmitted to the multiple senders in accordance with the associated respective distributed portions in conjunction with the stipulated particular media data portion of each send request. The senders are capable of sending the stipulated particular media data portions of the send requests to the designated destination clients without routing through the schedulers. In a described implementation, a sender and a scheduler are present on each device of the multiple devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Peter T. Barrett, James Armand Baldwin, Dustin L. Green
  • Patent number: 7509665
    Abstract: In a digital TV broadcast signal receiver connected to a multi-directional antenna called smart antenna and receivable not only digital TV broadcast signals but also analogue TV broadcast signals, an optimum signal receiving direction of an analogue TV broadcast signal of an optional channel can be decided with reducing affect of ghost due to reflection of the TV broadcast signal by such as a high-rise building, or the like. An NTSC decoder takes a still image data from an analogue TV broadcast signal in each signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna, and performs an A/D conversion processing and a JPEG compression processing to the image data. A controller decides a direction, in which a complexity, such as bit rate of the image data is the smallest, as an optimum signal receiving direction of the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Takagi, Masanori Kawai, Naoki Yamamoto