Patents by Inventor Joseph F. Halgas, Jr.

Joseph F. Halgas, Jr. 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: 20130160050
    Abstract: A method and computing device for configuring devices connected to a home entertainment network by bidirectional audio/video interconnections. The method selects a profile for a user of a home entertainment network that includes a display device connected to audio/video source devices where the connection to each audio/video source device is a bidirectional audio/video connection, and where the display device includes a preferences manager. The method determines audio/video preferences for the user of the home entertainment network, where the audio/video preferences are based on a user-selected configuration of the preferences manager. The method sends the audio/video preferences to each audio/video source device for configuring each audio/video source device based on the audio/video preferences for the user of the home entertainment network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Joseph F. Halgas, JR.
  • Patent number: 8433926
    Abstract: A set top box is provided that includes a receiver/tuner for receiving programming content over a broadband communications network, a secure memory configured to store at least a first cryptography key to be used to encrypt and decrypt the programming content, and a digital storage medium for storing encrypted programming content. The set top box also includes a multimedia processor operationally associated with the receiver/tuner, the secure memory, and the digital storage medium. The multimedia processor is configured to: encrypt programming content using the first cryptography key stored in the secure memory and uniquely associated with the set top box; store the encrypted content on the digital storage medium; encrypt the first cryptography key using an asymmetric public encryption key to form an encrypted first cryptography key; and store the encrypted first cryptography key on the digital storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher J. Stone, Joseph F. Halgas, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8406426
    Abstract: A set top box is provided that includes a receiver/tuner for receiving programming content over a broadband communications network, an encrypter/decrypter for encrypting and decrypting the programming content, and a secure memory configured to store at least a first cryptography key to be used by the encrypter/decrypter to encrypt and decrypt the programming content. The set top box also includes a digital storage medium for storing encrypted programming content, a multimedia processor operationally associated with the receiver/tuner, the decrypter, and the digital storage medium, and a user interface operationally associated with the multimedia processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher J. Stone, Joseph F. Halgas, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20110055879
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system that configures a first DSG capable computing device that is connected to a home network, and includes a conditional access system that communicates data with the home network, and commits the first DSG capable computing device as a DSG proxy server. The method advertises DSG services to a second DSG capable computing device connected to the home network. The method establishes a tunnel for the second DSG capable computing device to filter DSG data for the second DSG capable computing device from the data, and forwards the DSG data to the second DSG capable computing device via the tunnel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher J. Stone, Edmund S. Choromanski, Joseph F. Halgas, JR., John P. Kamieniecki
  • Patent number: 7196734
    Abstract: A technique is described that allows a viewer to eliminate a fixed information band portion of a television image (e.g., a scrolling news “crawl” or fixed advertising band) from a television display by “stretching” the main program portion to fill the screen, effectively pushing the undesired crawl or advertising band off of the display. This eliminates a feature of many television broadcasts that many viewers find distracting and/or annoying, and helps to prevent phosphor burn on phosphor-based display screens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Raymond Bontempi, Joseph F. Halgas, Jr.