Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm F. A. Wein
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Patent number: 6365855Abstract: An illuminated button for use with a shuttle knob mechanism. The mechanism includes an actuator disposed through a resilient member that is captured by a first retainer and supported by a second retainer and a light guide. The light guide is disposed through the light pipe and functions to illuminate on the face of the button.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2000Date of Patent: April 2, 2002Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.Inventors: Donald Edward Sutter, Mike William Toana
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Patent number: 6347181Abstract: Recording is carried out with time compression at an increased tape longitudinal speed and an increased head drum speed of rotation. Reproduction is carried out at a set tape longitudinal speed and at the same increased or slightly reduced head drum speed of rotation. Conversion into real time and the frequency position for real time reproduction are ensured by electronic memories into which the signal repeatedly generated by overscanning is written and from which it is read out during reproduction.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1995Date of Patent: February 12, 2002Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventors: Jürgen Kaaden, Klaus Oldermann
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Patent number: 6327014Abstract: The invention relates to a special structure of an electro-optic cell or pixel in a liquid crystal screen that improves the transmittance compared with prior-art screens. The pixel is formed by two substrate layers, on one of which there is a pixel electrode and on the other a counter-electrode, with a layer of liquid crystal molecules between these electrodes, in which the counter-electrode is divided into two parts by a groove, wherein a non-zero polarization voltage is applied between the electrode and the counter-electrode when the pixel is not addressed.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 1996Date of Patent: December 4, 2001Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.Inventors: Laurence Mulatier, Gunther Haas, Bruno Mourey
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Patent number: 6304542Abstract: A dual wavelength optical pickup head in which as many same parts as possible are used as well to direct light beams incident than light beams reflected from a reflective layer of an optical disk. The reuse of as many parts as possible allows to and a second wavelength emitted by a first and a second light source to an optical disk, a dual focus lens objective for focusing said light beams on a layer of said optical disk and a single detector which allows to detect light beams of either said first or said second wavelength.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 1998Date of Patent: October 16, 2001Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventors: Lieu-Kim Dang, Christoph Dietrich, Hartmut Richter, Heinz-Joerg Schroeder
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Patent number: 6293771Abstract: An apparatus includes a manually operable air pump for providing a compressed flow of air to an air motor. An electrical generator is coupled to the air motor and is powered thereby. The generator in turn provides electrical power to a portable electrical device. In one embodiment, device is disposed in a shoe and the air pumping is manually provided by the user's walking or running. In another embodiment, the air pump comprises squeegy devices for each hand of a runner or walker.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1999Date of Patent: September 25, 2001Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.Inventors: Paul Steven Haney, Ronald Leroy Lytel, Paul Michael Pierce, David Evan Schultz
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Patent number: 6271894Abstract: According to the invention, parts of the setting mechanism are integrated into the housing and/or setting mechanisms are arranged in such a way that they assume not only the setting function of one axis but also the guiding function of a further axis. The setting mechanisms are formed by eccentric bolts. Guiding pins serve for guidance in one axis. Clamping screws serve for fixing the adjusted axes. Slots serve as guiding aids in the various axes.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 1997Date of Patent: August 7, 2001Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventor: Martin Storz
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Patent number: 6240177Abstract: The subject of the invention is a communications device connected in parallel with at least one item of communications apparatus on a transmission line (L1, L2). The device and the apparatus conform to a given template in terms of DC components. The device in accordance with the invention is characterized in that it comprises means (18, R1, R2, R3, D5, DZ) setting the operating point (X) in terms of DC component of the said device alone outside regions of the said template where the DC component of the current may be zero, means (R2, D6, D7, R4, 19, 20) of determining the DC component of the current flowing in the said device, means (20) of detecting a variation in the said DC current component. The invention applies particularly in the field of communication via the switched telephone network.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 1998Date of Patent: May 29, 2001Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.Inventors: Philippe Guntzburger, Jean-Yves Moraillon
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Patent number: 6225579Abstract: A gimbal mounted multifunction button has a selector button that can selectively actuate one or more microswitches in response to a biasing force. The multifunction button has a selector button mounted to a gimbal contained in a plate. The selector button has a plurality of protruding actuators that pass through the plate and align with a plurality of microswitches mounted to a printed circuit board. The selector button may be biased to selectively cause one of the of actuators to actuate a corresponding switch, or alternately selectively cause an adjacent pair of actuators to actuate a corresponding pair of adjacent switches.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 1999Date of Patent: May 1, 2001Assignee: Thomson licensing S.A.Inventors: Darin Bradley Ritter, William Hofmann Bose
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Patent number: 5523735Abstract: A high voltage transformer for a television receiver includes a coil former supporting a primary winding on a magnetic core. The primary winding has an axial length L. A compartmentalized coil former supports a high voltage coil radially surrounding the primary winding. The high voltage coil has a radial outer diameter D with the ratio of L/D being less than one. A plurality of diodes are supported by the compartmentalized coil former and connect the high voltage coils in series. The diodes are supported on the compartmentalized coil former at substantially the same axial position and are equally spaced about the periphery of the compartmentalized coil former.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 1993Date of Patent: June 4, 1996Assignee: Deutsche Thomson Brandt GmbHInventors: Walter Goseberg, Hane-Werner Sander, Rolf Heidrich
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Patent number: 5517252Abstract: An apparatus for recording/reproducing television signals transmitted in the letter-box format whereby 16:9 aspect ratio picture information is sandwiched between black areas corresponding to the top and bottom portions of the display, and wherein auxiliary items of information can be modulated onto the color sub-carrier of the television signal. The apparatus includes a luminance channel, an adaptive filter and a digital chrominance decoder for separating the television signal into a chrominance component and a luminance component. First apparatus digitally demodulates the auxiliary information from the color sub-carrier. Second apparatus applies the auxiliary signals to the luminance channel during the scanning of the black areas.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 1993Date of Patent: May 14, 1996Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventor: Martin Plantholt
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Patent number: 5517678Abstract: A satellite radio receiver obtains signals from a satellite receiving installation comprising one or more frequency converters which may, for example, undergo a frequency drift as a result of temperature variations which cannot be compensated for by an AFC circuit which is located in the satellite radio receiver and which controls a carrier oscillator for carrier regeneration in a demodulator circuit. A local oscillator for a mixer is designed as a PLL local oscillator (44) which can be tuned in large or small increments. The AFC circuit (1) and a synchronizing signal evaluation circuit (40) are coupled to a control circuit (34) so that the PLL local oscillator (44) is tuned: 1) outside the control range of the AFC circuit (1), with a large tuning increment in the case of undetected synchronizing signals, and 2) with a small tuning increment in the case of detected synchronizing signals, until the control range of the AFC circuit (1) is reached.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 1995Date of Patent: May 14, 1996Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventors: Otto Klank, Klaus Eilts-Grimm, Jurgen Laabs
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Patent number: 5438689Abstract: A radio receiver having switching-over to traffic announcement wherein the bass and treble frequency responses and the volume are changed to a value which is subjectively optimum for the respective actual driver and the announcement becomes more pleasant and easier to understand for him/her without the necessity for the driver to manually change the bass and treble controls. The switching-over of the bass and treble audio frequencies preferably occurs a short time before the switching-over of the announcement. Additionally, further switchings-over can be carried out which are advantageous for the attention of the driver. For example, switching off acoustically disturbing devices such as fans.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 1992Date of Patent: August 1, 1995Assignee: Deutsche Thomson Brandt GmbHInventor: Hans-Jurgen Kluth
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Patent number: 5421848Abstract: The invention presents a method for the fabrication or production of three-dimensional lenses with a variable refractive index by wrapping a material with a given refractive index. It is preferred, that this material has the shape of a thread, which might be cylindrical. The preferred shape of the lens to be produced is spherical or semi-spherical, which can be achieved by an appropiate wrapping process or by cutting the spherical shape. By the inventive method it is possible to produce the said lenses with a smooth varying of the refractive index. It is preferred to use the produced lenses as part of a microwave antenna system.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 1993Date of Patent: June 6, 1995Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics, S.A.Inventors: Gerhard Maier, David Harrison, Masahiro Fujimoto
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Patent number: D442940Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2000Date of Patent: May 29, 2001Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.Inventor: Todd James Huthmaker
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Patent number: D449593Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2000Date of Patent: October 23, 2001Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.Inventor: David Evan Schultz
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Patent number: D451117Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2000Date of Patent: November 27, 2001Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.Inventor: Todd James Huthmaker
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Patent number: D451506Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2000Date of Patent: December 4, 2001Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.Inventor: David Evan Schultz
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Patent number: D452242Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2000Date of Patent: December 18, 2001Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.Inventor: Paul Steven Haney
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Patent number: D456788Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 1999Date of Patent: May 7, 2002Assignee: Thomson Licensing, S.A.Inventors: Paul Steven Haney, Mark Allen Smith