Patents by Inventor Frank Coppa

Frank Coppa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20130254803
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for sending advertising data to an end user device. The system includes but is not limited to a processor in data communication with a computer readable medium; and a computer program embedded in the computer readable medium, the computer program including but not limited to instructions to send first password data to a first group of end user devices that have exchanged a first advertising key data in a first advertising category; and instructions to send first advertising data encoded using the first password to the first group of end user devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Inventors: James Huffman, Larry Kennedy, Frank Coppa
  • Patent number: 8533766
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may operate according to, for example, a method involving recording audio feedback from a plurality of subscribers commenting on media content supplied by a media communication system on at least one of a plurality of media channels, detecting one or more trigger words in the recorded audio feedback having an association with a disruption of one or more media services supplied by the media communication system, selecting one or more network elements of the media communication system in at least one transmission path that supplies media services to one or more of the plurality of subscribers that supplied audio feedback matching the one or more trigger words, and directing the selected one or more network elements to record media content on one or more media channels selected from the plurality of media channels. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Douglas Medina, Jeffrey W. Zimmerman, Frank Coppa
  • Patent number: 8406134
    Abstract: The disclosed subject matter relates to an architecture that can scale content resolution in order to mitigate errors in a provisioned service of a communication network, such as a wireless service or a femtocell service that integrates with DSL or other broadband carriers. The architecture can identify fault conditions relating to e.g., bandwidth oversubscription or symbolization integrity. Based upon such identification, the architecture can alter encoding format codecs of certain types of content in order to reduce their resolution/quality, thereby mitigating bandwidth oversubscription fault conditions or freeing up space (without necessarily increasing bandwidth) to insert additional FEC code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Douglas Medina, Frank Coppa, Robert Johnston
  • Patent number: 8380564
    Abstract: A system, computer program product and method are disclosed for sending advertising data to an end user device. The system includes but is not limited to a processor in data communication with a computer readable medium; and a computer program embedded in the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions to monitor video data for advertising key data, instructions to monitor end user data exchanged between end user devices for the advertising key data, instructions to receive data from an end user device indicating a product selected from a selected data segment in the video data and instructions to send advertising data relating to key data in the selected data segment to the end user device. The computer program product executes a computer program to perform the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: James Huffman, Larry Kennedy, Frank Coppa
  • Patent number: 8370890
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for frequency agile band-pass filtering of broadcast signals are disclosed. An example method to receive a broadcast signal for distribution to a plurality of reception sites disclosed herein comprises processing the broadcast signal with a frequency agile band-pass filter to receive the broadcast signal at a headend site for distribution to the plurality of reception sites, monitoring reception quality of the broadcast signal at an operating center separate from the headend site and included in the plurality of reception sites, and sending commands to the frequency agile band-pass filter from the operating center based on the monitored reception quality of the broadcast signal, the commands controlling at least a tuned operating frequency of and an attenuation provided by the frequency agile band-pass filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Brian Wilson, Douglas Medina, Frank Coppa
  • Publication number: 20110317020
    Abstract: A particular method may include detecting at a first network device of a video distribution network a fault in transmission of a stream of media data with a media channel. The method also includes, in response to detecting the fault, transmitting a notification that includes fault information corresponding to the detected fault and the stream of media data corresponding to the media channel from the first network device to a second network device of the video distribution network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Douglas Medina, Frank Coppa, Christopher Heck
  • Publication number: 20110317543
    Abstract: The disclosed subject matter relates to an architecture that can scale content resolution in order to mitigate errors in a provisioned service of a communication network, such as a wireless service or a femtocell service that integrates with DSL or other broadband carriers. The architecture can identify fault conditions relating to e.g., bandwidth oversubscription or symbolization integrity. Based upon such identification, the architecture can alter encoding format codecs of certain types of content in order to reduce their resolution/quality, thereby mitigating bandwidth oversubscription fault conditions or freeing up space (without necessarily increasing bandwidth) to insert additional FEC code.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Douglas Medina, Frank Coppa, Robert Johnston
  • Patent number: 8042143
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to receive a digital signal representative of media content where the digital signal includes a main profile version of the media content and one or more lower profile versions of the media content and where the one or more lower profile versions have higher error correction than the main profile version, monitor the main profile version for an undesired condition that jeopardizes video continuity for a viewer of the media content, and transmit one of the one or more lower profile versions over an internet protocol television system to the viewer when the undesired condition is detected, where the transmission of the lower profile version to the viewer maintains video continuity for the viewer. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Douglas Medina, Nicholas Nicas, Frank Coppa
  • Publication number: 20110142417
    Abstract: A method is disclosed including but not limited to, receiving a video data stream at a multimedia processor end user device; storing the video data stream at a digital video recorder; monitoring a playback of the stored video data stream at the multimedia processor end user device; detecting an advertising trigger in the playback of the video data stream at the multimedia processor end user device; logging a time for the trigger detected in the video data stream in a trigger log at the multimedia processor end user device; sending the trigger log including data to an advertising server so that the advertising verification system can correlate the time the trigger occurred with an advertising schedule; receiving a replacement advertising data stream from the advertising server based on the advertising trigger; and receiving a replacement advertising data stream during the playback of the video data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2009
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Inventors: Brian Wilson, Frank Coppa, Larry Kennedy
  • Publication number: 20110067058
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a mobile device having a controller to present media content provided by an interactive television (iTV) network, select a function during presentation of the media content to store at least a remaining portion of the media content, wherein the function is selected when the presentation of the media content is to be interrupted, store the media content in a memory location of the mobile device, select the function to retrieve the remaining portion of the media content from the memory location, and present the remaining portion of the media content. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2009
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, LP
    Inventors: Robert Johnston, Frank Coppa, James Wood
  • Publication number: 20100077440
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to receive a digital signal representative of media content where the digital signal includes a main profile version of the media content and one or more lower profile versions of the media content and where the one or more lower profile versions have higher error correction than the main profile version, monitor the main profile version for an undesired condition that jeopardizes video continuity for a viewer of the media content, and transmit one of the one or more lower profile versions over an internet protocol television system to the viewer when the undesired condition is detected, where the transmission of the lower profile version to the viewer maintains video continuity for the viewer. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Douglas Medina, Nicholas Nicas, Frank Coppa
  • Publication number: 20100058420
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to monitor spectral characteristics of a target channel, a first channel and a second channel, where the target channel is of a digital terrestrial television system, where the first channel is an upper adjacent channel to the target channel, and where the second channel is a lower adjacent channel to the target channel. The controller is adapted to generate an emission mask based on the monitored spectral characteristics and detect interference between the target channel and at least one of the first and second channels based at least in part on the emission mask. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Douglas Medina, Larry Kennedy, Frank Coppa
  • Publication number: 20100030642
    Abstract: A system, computer program product and method are disclosed for sending advertising data to an end user device. The system includes but is not limited to a processor in data communication with a computer readable medium; and a computer program embedded in the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions to monitor video data for advertising key data, instructions to monitor end user data exchanged between end user devices for the advertising key data, instructions to receive data from an end user device indicating a product selected from a selected data segment in the video data and instructions to send advertising data relating to key data in the selected data segment to the end user device. The computer program product executes a computer program to perform the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: ATT Knowledge Ventures L.P.
    Inventors: James Huffman, Larry Kennedy, Frank Coppa
  • Publication number: 20100017835
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for frequency agile band-pass filtering of broadcast signals are disclosed. An example method to receive a broadcast signal for distribution to a plurality of reception sites disclosed herein comprises processing the broadcast signal with a frequency agile band-pass filter to receive the broadcast signal at a headend site for distribution to the plurality of reception sites, monitoring reception quality of the broadcast signal at an operating center separate from the headend site and included in the plurality of reception sites, and sending commands to the frequency agile band-pass filter from the operating center based on the monitored reception quality of the broadcast signal, the commands controlling at least a tuned operating frequency of and an attenuation provided by the frequency agile band-pass filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Inventors: Brian Wilson, Douglas Medina, Frank Coppa