Patents by Inventor Teppei Yokota
Teppei Yokota 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).
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Publication number: 20090252477Abstract: A reproducing apparatus has three reproducing modes that are a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode. In the first mode, when a program that has been reproduction restricted is tried to be reproduced, the reproducing operation is paused and the user is asked whether he or she wants to reproduce the program. Corresponding to the user's reply, the reproducing operation is performed or prohibited. In the second mode, a program that has been reproduction restricted is prohibited from being reproduced. In the third mode, a program that has been reproduction restricted is unconditionally reproduced. When the power of the apparatus is turned on at step S31, a prompt that causes the user to select one of the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode is displayed. At step S33, a process for designating a mode is performed. Information of the designated mode is stored in a nonvolatile memory.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2009Publication date: October 8, 2009Inventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara, Takumi Okaue
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Patent number: 7600085Abstract: An apparatus for determining erasability of content data. The apparatus includes: a receiver configured to receive content data to be stored in a first storage medium; a comparator configured to compare a remaining storable capacity of the first storage medium with an amount of the received content data; a determining unit configured to determine whether first data already stored in the first storage medium is re-recordable by determining whether a copy of the first data is retrievable from the second storage medium; and a controller configured to control an erase process for the first data according to the comparison made by the comparator and the determination made by the determining unit.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2005Date of Patent: October 6, 2009Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara
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Patent number: 7526086Abstract: An editing apparatus and method for dividing or combining a data file(s) that is segmented into blocks of a predetermined data length and recorded in a non-volatile memory. An attribute file having a predetermined length is modified so as to reflect such dividing or combining. Such attribute file is recorded in the non-volatile memory.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2005Date of Patent: April 28, 2009Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Nobuyuki Kihara, Teppei Yokota
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Patent number: 7519277Abstract: An editing apparatus and method for dividing or combining a data file(s) that is segmented into blocks of a predetermined data length and recorded in a non-volatile memory. An attribute file having a predetermined length is modified so as to reflect such dividing or combining. Such attribute file is recorded in the non-volatile memory.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2005Date of Patent: April 14, 2009Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Nobuyuki Kihara, Teppei Yokota
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Patent number: 7512320Abstract: A reproducing apparatus has three reproducing modes that are a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode. In the first mode, when a program that has been reproduction restricted is tried to be reproduced, the reproducing operation is paused and the user is asked whether he or she wants to reproduce the program. Corresponding to the user's reply, the reproducing operation is performed or prohibited. In the second mode, a program that has been reproduction restricted is prohibited from being reproduced. In the third mode, a program that has been reproduction restricted is unconditionally reproduced. When the power of the apparatus is turned on at step S31, a prompt that causes the user to select one of the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode is displayed. At step S33, a process for designating a mode is performed. Information of the designated mode is stored in a nonvolatile memory.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2001Date of Patent: March 31, 2009Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara, Takumi Okaue
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Publication number: 20080292121Abstract: An audio reproduction system includes: a first speaker arranged near a listener and behind a head of the listener with a speaker unit being held by first holding means to make it possible to mix sounds emitted from front and rear of a vibration plate of the speaker; second and third speakers held by second holding means and arranged near the listener and on left and right of the first speaker; separating means for separating and obtaining low-frequency components and medium- and high-frequency components for left and right channels from an input audio signal; means for supplying the low-frequency components separated by the separating means to the first speaker; and means for supplying the medium- and high-frequency components for the left and right channels separated by the separating means to the second and third speakers.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2008Publication date: November 27, 2008Applicant: Sony CorporationInventor: Teppei Yokota
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Publication number: 20080260174Abstract: A noise reduction apparatus includes: a speaker with a speaker unit held by holding means to make it possible to mix sounds emitted from front and rear of a vibration plate of the speaker; a microphone provided in an area where the sounds emitted from the front and rear of the vibration plate of the speaker are mixed and cancelled; and means for supplying a noise reduction audio signal obtained by phase-inverting an audio signal collected by the microphone to the speaker.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2008Publication date: October 23, 2008Applicant: Sony CorporationInventor: Teppei Yokota
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Publication number: 20080187156Abstract: A sound reproducing system includes a first speaker that is supplied with audio signals of a first channel and that is placed so that a reproduced sound image generated by the audio signals of the first channel is localized in a position in a front direction of a listener; a pair of second speakers that are supplied with audio signals on which a virtual sound source process is performed; a virtual sound source processing unit to perform the virtual sound source process on the audio signals of a plurality of channels; a volume detecting unit to detect the volumes of the first channel and the other channels; a volume comparing unit to compare the volume of the first channel with each of the volumes of the other channels; and a control unit to control the gains of the audio signals of the first channel and the other channels.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2007Publication date: August 7, 2008Applicant: Sony CorporationInventor: Teppei Yokota
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Patent number: 7317389Abstract: An audio apparatus includes a converter having a sound-output mode in which the converter functions as a sound-output device for converting a sound signal into an audio output and a sound-pickup mode in which the converter functions as a sound-pickup device for converting an audio signal into a sound output, a controller switching the converter to the sound-output mode or the sound-pickup mode, an analyzing section analyzing the sound output generated from the converter that is switched to the sound-pickup mode by the controller, and an alarm section generating an alarm signal based on an analysis result from the analyzing section.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2005Date of Patent: January 8, 2008Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Teppei Yokota
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Publication number: 20070195964Abstract: An audio reproducing apparatus includes the following elements: an output circuit operable to generate audio signals to be supplied to first and second speakers placed near the ears of a listener; and a detector operable to detect the presence of sound output from other speakers placed at positions further away from the listener than the first and second speakers. When it is determined that there is no sound output from the other speakers on the basis of a detection result obtained by the detector, the output circuit performs a control operation so that audio signals to be supplied to the other speakers are supplied to the first and second speakers.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2007Publication date: August 23, 2007Applicant: Sony CorporationInventor: Teppei Yokota
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Publication number: 20070183617Abstract: An audio reproducing system includes a pair of speaker units, a mounting unit for mounting the pair of speaker units, without being attached to a baffle board, to the vicinity of a listener's ears in a manner such that sounds emitted from the front and back of a diaphragm of each speaker unit are mixed, and an audio signal output unit for virtual sound imaging an input audio signal and outputting the virtual sound imaged signal to the pair of speaker units in a manner such that the listener listens to a sound reproduced by the pair of speaker units feeling as if the sound is emitted from a different speaker device.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 30, 2007Publication date: August 9, 2007Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara
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Patent number: 7230898Abstract: This invention relates to a reproducing apparatus compatible with a storage medium storing copyright-protected and copyright-unprotected files, the reproducing apparatus being capable of reproducing any one of the files stored on the medium, the reproducing apparatus comprising: demodulating means for demodulating any one of the copyright-protected files in one way and any one of the copyright-unprotected files in a different way; selective operation executing means operated to select either any one of the copyright-protected files or any one of the copyright-unprotected files as a file to be reproduced; and controlling means for causing the demodulating means to select one of the two different ways of demodulation depending on whether a copyright-protected file or a copyright-unprotected file has been selected by operation of the selective operation executing means.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2000Date of Patent: June 12, 2007Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara
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Patent number: 7193916Abstract: A recording apparatus for facilitating data erasure operations involving data recorded on a recording medium. Each piece of data recorded on the recording medium may be examined to determine whether it is re-recordable by determining whether the data is already stored in another storage medium. When data erasure is requested, erasure processing may be controlled in accordance with the result of the determination. For example, original data based on data captured by a microphone or a camera (namely, non-re-recordable data) may not be erased (without specific approval by the user). Conversely, re-recordable data copied from another recording medium such as a CD may be erased.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2004Date of Patent: March 20, 2007Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara
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Patent number: 7167561Abstract: A recording apparatus is disclosed, that comprises a compression process means for compressing an input digital signal corresponding to a predetermined compression process and segmenting the compressed digital signal into blocks, a fixed value generating means for generating a predetermined fixed value, an adding means for adding the fixed value generated by the fixed value generating means at a predetermined timing to the blocks of the digital signal compressed by the compression process means, an encrypting means for encrypting the fixed value and the compressed digital signal added by the adding means, and a recording means for recording the fixed value and the compressed digital signal encrypted by the encrypting means to a record medium.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2000Date of Patent: January 23, 2007Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Nobuyuki Kihara, Teppei Yokota, Takumi Okaue
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Publication number: 20070009225Abstract: An editing apparatus wherein the editing of content is controlled according to its supply source. Identification information for identifying a content supply source is recorded in a recording medium in correspondence with the content supplied from the content supply source and recorded in the recording medium. When editing of the content is requested by a user, the identification information corresponding to that contend is checked. According to the content supply source identified by the identification information, the editing of the content is enabled or disabled.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 14, 2006Publication date: January 11, 2007Inventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara
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Patent number: 7155013Abstract: A recording apparatus is disclosed, that comprises a compression process means for compressing an input digital signal corresponding to a predetermined compression process and segmenting the compressed digital signal into blocks, a fixed value generating means for generating a predetermined fixed value, an adding means for adding the fixed value generated by the fixed value generating means at a predetermined timing to the blocks of the digital signal compressed by the compression process means, an encrypting means for encrypting the fixed value and the compressed digital signal added by the adding means, and a recording means for recording the fixed value and the compressed digital signal encrypted by the encrypting means to a record medium.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2005Date of Patent: December 26, 2006Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Nobuyuki Kihara, Teppei Yokota, Takumi Okaue
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Patent number: 7155108Abstract: An editing apparatus wherein the editing of content is controlled according to its supply source. Identification information identifying a content supply source is recorded in a recording medium in correspondence with the content supplied from the content supply source and recorded in the recording medium. When editing of the content is requested by a user, the identification information corresponding to that content is checked. According to the content supply source identified by the identification information, the editing content is enabled or disabled.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2005Date of Patent: December 26, 2006Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara
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Publication number: 20060269068Abstract: A sound reproduction system includes low frequency speaker units for reproducing low frequency sounds by receiving audio signals on low frequency channels among a plurality of channels, and a holder for holding the low frequency speaker units so as to be disposed in the vicinity of both ears of a listener without being mounted on baffle boards so that sounds from front and back surfaces of diaphragms of the low frequency speaker units are added.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2006Publication date: November 30, 2006Inventor: Teppei Yokota
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Patent number: 7124436Abstract: A security unit to prevent unauthorized retrieval of data includes an encrypting unit for encrypting data in accordance with commands received by the security unit, and a common register for storing both intermediate results and final results of the data encryption. A switching element operatively coupled to the register selectively outputs the contents of the register. The switching element is controlled to prevent external access to the intermediate results of the encryption. The security unit is particularly useful as part of a memory unit that is attachable to a recording/reproduction device such as a digital audio recorder/player.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2004Date of Patent: October 17, 2006Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Takumi Okaue, Yoshihito Ishibashi, Yukihiro Sakamoto, Asami Mizuno, Nobuyuki Kihara, Teppei Yokota
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Patent number: 7099558Abstract: An editing apparatus wherein the editing of content is controlled according to its supply source. Identification information for identifying a content supply source is recorded in a recording medium in correspondence with the content supplied from the content supply source and recorded in the recording medium. When editing of the content is requested by a user, the identification information corresponding to that content is checked. According to the content supply source identified by the identification information, the editing of the content is enabled or disabled.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2005Date of Patent: August 29, 2006Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara