Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Donald Wenskay
-
Patent number: 6330666Abstract: A pipeline video decoder and decompression system handles a plurality of separately encoded bit streams arranged as a single serial bit stream of digital bits and having separately encoded pairs of control codes and corresponding data carried in the serial bit stream. The pipeline system employs a plurality of interconnected stages to decode and decompress the single bit stream, including a start code detector. When in a search mode, the start code detector searches for a specific start code corresponding to one of multiple compression standards. The start code detector responding to the single serial bit stream generates control tokens and data tokens. A respective one of the tokens includes a plurality of data words. Each data word has an extension bit which indicates a presence of additional words therein. The data words are thereby unlimited in number.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 1997Date of Patent: December 11, 2001Assignee: Discovision AssociatesInventors: Adrian P Wise, Martin W Sotheran, William P Robbins, Anthony M Jones, Helen R Finch, Kevin J Boyd, Anthony Peter J Claydon
-
Patent number: 6263422Abstract: A plurality of processing stages interposed between an input and an output of a system including a pipeline machine interconnect for conveyance of tokens along the pipeline. Control and or data tokens in the form of universal adaptation units interface with all of the stages in the pipeline and alternatively interact with selected stages in the pipeline so that the processing stages in the pipeline are afforded enhanced flexibility in configuration and processing. In one embodiment of the system, the stages accept a data stream having portions encoded according to respectively different video formats. At least one of the stages includes circuitry for generating signals to indicate an end-of-picture data decoding. The stage includes state machine logic that is responsive to the generated signals for effecting an end of picture data decoding by clearing the pipeline.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1995Date of Patent: July 17, 2001Assignee: Discovision AssociatesInventors: Adrian P. Wise, Martin W. Sotheran, William P. Robbins
-
Patent number: 6240565Abstract: A conveniently deployable arm-shield safety-pad uniquely configured to protect a professional waiter's arm-surface from injurious heat-exposure to hot dinner-plates during routine arm-borne restaurant serving procedures. The fixed inward-end of the elongated arm-shield is secured to one's forearm via a hook-&-loop fastening-strap; -the opposite outward-end having convenient finger-tip and thump retention-pockets, facilitating quick and easy roll-out deployment of the normally rolled-up protective pad material. Also set forth is a preferred flexile-laminate material employing at least one layer of reflective Mylar-film material; and including an outwardly exposed layer of high-coefficient of friction surfacing material,—serving to reduce slippage of the balanced dinner-plates.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 1999Date of Patent: June 5, 2001Inventor: Helen Terry Spear
-
Patent number: 6201630Abstract: The present invention preferably includes a shading band which is suitably electro-optically created in a grid pattern formed through a photolithographic process, so consequently, the electro optic shading band is easily eliminated or re-configured dynamically to substantially eliminate its shading effect for lower density optical disks which do not experience substantial adjacent track crosstalk (ATC). Eliminating or reconfiguring the shading effect also helps in accommodating different media types and generations and those of different manufacturers. Moreover, the electro-optic shading band suitably adjusts the amplitude, phase, frequency, polarization and/or the like of the light beam to compensate for possible material property variations, defects, misalignments or other imperfections in the reading process. The present electro-optic shading band substantially restricts or alters any portion of a light beam containing signal information read from an optical disk.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 1998Date of Patent: March 13, 2001Assignee: Discovision AssociatesInventor: Kunjithapatham Balasubramanian
-
Patent number: 6198717Abstract: An improved system for recording and playing back digital information in a special pulse-length modulation format on a disc-shaped record. The digital information is stored in a succession of alternating marks and spaces, both having lengths that are discretely variable in accordance with a succession of multi-bit binary code blocks.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 1993Date of Patent: March 6, 2001Assignee: Discovision AssociatesInventor: Jack H. Bailey
-
Patent number: 6195502Abstract: A video record medium, such as a record disc, for recording a composite video and audio signal suitable for stop-motion playback, with accompanying audio. Discrete segments of analog audio signal are digitized and compressed in time and recorded on alternate tracks on the disc, and corresponding frames of a video signal are recorded on the tracks located therebetween. During playback of the disc, a selected audio track is scanned initially and the digital audio data recovered therefrom is entered into a memory device, after which the track for recording the corresponding video frame is scanned in a repeated fashion, to produce a stop-motion display of the frame, while the stored audio data is extracted from the memory device and converted back to an analog format, for simultaneous playback at its original speed.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 1994Date of Patent: February 27, 2001Assignee: Discovision AssociatesInventor: Wayne R. Dakin
-
Patent number: 6192017Abstract: The present invention includes a method and apparatus for reducing the width of a mark written in optical media. When forming a long mark, the prior art recording methods typically cause blooming at the edges of the mark, resulting in a wide mark pattern which may be sensed by the read focused spot reading an adjacent track causing increased adjacent track crosstalk (ATC). However, by removing every other pulse from the write pulse waveform, the cooling sequence of the writing process is sufficiently increased to allow for additional cooling between pulses. When forming marks with less pulses, the effects of blooming are substantially reduced. Thus, because of the reduction in the effect of blooming, the problems associated with ATC, whereby adjacent track information is recorded, is substantially reduced.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 1999Date of Patent: February 20, 2001Assignee: Discovision AssociatesInventors: Nob Kimura, Daniel Wu
-
Patent number: 6185514Abstract: A method and system for automatically collecting and for analyzing information about time and work performed on a computer includes a hardware abstraction layer for monitoring activity on various user input devices. The system also includes the following elements: a data collector for monitoring certain portions of a user's computer activity and for logging into a log file those certain portions of a user's computer activity; a data analyzer for determining by following user-defined rules showing which portions of those certain portions of a user's computer activity constitutes continuous work activities, and how this work should be categorized by project and task with project; and an external interface for building the rules defining work. The data collector includes a resident module, such as a TSR (terminate-and-stay-resident) module, which extends the file system of the computer so that detailed records are kept of file activities.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 1999Date of Patent: February 6, 2001Assignee: Ricos International, Inc.Inventors: Gary R. Skinner, Michael G. Lehman
-
Patent number: 6163645Abstract: A video record medium, such as a record disc, for recording a composite video and audio signal suitable for stop-motion playback, with accompanying audio. Discrete segments of analog audio signal are digitized and compressed in time and recorded on alternate tracks on the disc, and corresponding frames of a video signal are recorded on the tracks located therebetween. During playback of the disc, a selected audio track is scanned initially and the digital audio data recovered therefrom is entered into a memory device, after which the track for recording the corresponding video frame is scanned in a repeated fashion, to produce a stop-motion display of the frame, while the stored audio data is extracted from the memory device and converted back to an analog format, for simultaneous playback at its original speed.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 1995Date of Patent: December 19, 2000Assignee: Discovision AssociatesInventor: Wayne R. Dakin
-
Patent number: 6154871Abstract: The invention provides a decoder of symbols of received data, the data being encoded according to a convolutional encoding scheme and transmitted through a communications channel. The data is punctuated according to a puncturing matrix, and has a plurality of state values which describe a sequence of state transitions. The decoder has a generation unit that accepts the received data for calculating metrics of the transitions thereof. A selector responsive to the generation unit selects a path of transitions corresponding to the path produced by a transmitter of the data stream. A traceback unit maintains historical information representative of sequential decision operations of the selector. A counter is provided for counting illegal state transitions of the path selected by the selector, and a control unit, responsive to the counter, determines a puncture rate and adjusts a puncture phase of the received data.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 1997Date of Patent: November 28, 2000Assignee: Discovision AssociatesInventors: Anthony Peter John Claydon, Richard John Gammack, William Philip Robbins, Charles Dunlop MacFarlane, Thomas Foxcroft, Andrew Peter Kuligowski, Richard James Thomas
-
Patent number: 6114987Abstract: A system and method for generating a linear frequency sweep while also improving the phase noise characteristics of a microwave or millimeter wave signal source. The invention uses two phase lock loops. The first phase lock loop uses a linear frequency source to linearize a relatively low frequency VCO (typically around 100 MHz). The first phase lock loop has a bandwidth that is only wide enough to pass the radar modulation waveform with minimal distortion. The first phase lock loop includes a phase detector, narrow band loop filter, low noise HF VCO and a divide by M counter. The second phase lock loop is used to lock a millimeter wave VCO to the lower frequency of the low frequency VCO in the first loop. The low phase noise characteristics of this low frequency VCO are effectively impressed upon a microwave or millimeter wave, low noise high frequency VCO.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 1999Date of Patent: September 5, 2000Assignee: Sensor Technologies & Systems, Inc.Inventor: John E. Bjornholt
-
Patent number: D486144Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2002Date of Patent: February 3, 2004Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.Inventors: Hartmut Heinrich Esslinger, Po Yi Ng, Peter Kossev, Jon Christopher Lake
-
Patent number: D486169Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2002Date of Patent: February 3, 2004Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.Inventors: Hartmut Heinrich Esslinger, Nico Michler, Jon Christopher Lake
-
Patent number: D486799Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2002Date of Patent: February 17, 2004Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.Inventors: Orrin Shivey, Andy M. Ogden
-
Patent number: D487445Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2002Date of Patent: March 9, 2004Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.Inventors: Hartmut Heinrich Esslinger, Howard Geoffrey Nuk, Kevin Christian Coullahan, Jon Christopher Lake, Michael J. Slipy
-
Patent number: D489354Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2002Date of Patent: May 4, 2004Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.Inventors: Hartmut Heinrich Esslinger, Chris Green, Jon Christopher Lake