Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Jerry A. Miller
  • Patent number: 5606726
    Abstract: In two-way broadcasting, the broadcasting side broadcasts a broadcast signal multiplexed with information for identifying a no-ringing response function of the destination. When the destination has the no-ringing response function, the receiving side dials the no-ringing dialing number before the telephone number of the destination on the basis of the function identifying information. Thus, a telephone service station transmits the specified no-ringing dialing signal such as an NCNG or NRS signal. Moreover, when a broadcasting side having a plurality of destinations corresponding to a plurality of replies broadcasts a signal multiplexed with the information for identifying a plurality of destinations corresponding to a plurality of the replies, the receiving side selectively dials a plurality of the destinations on the basis of the destination identifying information, and terminates the line connection upon reception of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Yoshinobu
  • Patent number: 5602388
    Abstract: A super high resolution rotary optical encoder having as its disk an optical disk, i.e., a disk employing the optical principle of non-contact readout based on diffraction theory. The encoder is adapted to be coupled to a device of which it is desired to measure the rotational motion thereof. The encoder includes an optical disk having, at a fixed radial distance, at least one track of pits and lands; a coupler for coupling the optical disk to the device such that rotary motion of the device results in a corresponding rotary motion of the optical disk; and an optical disk pick-up for generating an output in response to the pits and lands indicative of the rotary motion of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventor: Glenn J. Maenza
  • Patent number: 5602598
    Abstract: A television receiver selects an audio signal corresponding to one of a plurality of video signals and a caption signal respectively accompanying one of the plurality of video signals. At least one picture and the selected caption are displayed on a screen, the selected sound is output from a speaker. The video, audio and caption may be independently selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Peter Shintani
  • Patent number: 5602923
    Abstract: An improved theater surround sound system incorporates a screen top speaker and an overhead speaker driven by corresponding upper surround channels to more accurately reproduce sounds produced from above the listener. These top surround channels are encoded along with the left and right surround channels. A pilot signal is used to direct the sound from the side surround channels to the upper surround channels when needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Cinema Products Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshio Ozaki, Michael J. Kohut
  • Patent number: 5598776
    Abstract: A screen printing apparatus has a base frame 1 in the shape of a convex-rectangle, four, tensioning rods 2 attached a printing screen fabric 5, four pair of collars 4 and four pair of bearing blocks 3. The bearing blocks 3 are attached to the base frame 1 to hold the tensioning rods 2 in place. The tensioning rods 2 are rotated in a predetermined direction to increase tension of the printing screen fabric 5. The collars 4 lock the tensioning rods in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventor: Slobodan Casl
  • Patent number: 5594745
    Abstract: A laser light generating apparatus has a first light source generating a light beam of a fundamental wavelength, a resonator made up of a plurality of reflection devices having high reflectance with respect to the fundamental wavelength of the light beam and a non-linear optical crystal element located within the resonator and generating a light beam of harmonic when the light beam of the fundamental wavelength is input thereto. Further, the laser light generating apparatus an amplifier element located within the resonator and amplifying the light beam of the fundamental wavelength therein and an energy source for exciting the amplifier element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Michio Oka
  • Patent number: 5594499
    Abstract: Analog-to-digital conversion and the CIF format conversion are performed by the video camera whose pixel number is an integral multiple or its reciprocal of that of the CIF. Therefore, it is not necessary to employ the line interpolation circuit using a large-sized memory, so that the circuit arrangement of the television conference system, the video-telephone system and so on using the codec can be simplified and the production costs thereof can be reduced. Since the video camera output is digital, even if the sampled phase fluctuates, the compression efficiency in the codec (or the coder) is prevented from being lowered and the compression efficiency can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Watanabe, Hiroyuki Yasui
  • Patent number: 5592596
    Abstract: A system and method of automatically printing a label for optical disk cartridges residing in an optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device, wherein each of a first number these optical disk cartridges is associated with a media ID. If the controller of the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device determines that a label flag is not associated with the selected optical disk cartridge, the controller will cause a printer to print a label including the media ID associated with the selected optical disk cartridge. The printer may be an external device connected to the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device, or it may be integrated within the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device. Once the controller has sent a command to the printer to print the label, a label flag is written to data storage within the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device to indicate that a label has been printed for the selected optical disk cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: James Balsom
  • Patent number: 5592301
    Abstract: A video camera has a time setting portion for setting a shot-time of one cut and a display member for displaying the information indicative of elapsed time. Further the video camera has a auto-stop mode which automatically stops the recording operation of the video camera stopped when the recording time exceeds the shot-time of one cut set by the time-set portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Shimada
  • Patent number: 5590094
    Abstract: A sound collecting system and a sound reproducing apparatus by means of which an actual audio image can be reproduced. The sound collecting system includes a plurality of microphones for producing sound signals and a plurality of position detecting apparatus for detecting locations of the microphones and/or positions of sound sources to produce position signals. The sound signals and the position signals are multiplexed by a plurality of multiplexers, and the multiplexed signals are stored into respective audio channels or different channels by a signal recording apparatus. The multiplexing may be performed by a frequency multiplexing method, a time division multiplexing method or the like. Since also position information is stored into corresponding audio channels together with acoustic sound signals, at the reproducing stage, reproduction is possible taking the positions into consideration and an actual audio image can be produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyofumi Inanaga, Yuji Yamada
  • Patent number: 5590009
    Abstract: A step h is provided between a recording region 2 including servo patterns Ps1, Ps2 and the recording track pattern Pw and a non-recording region 3 except the servo patterns Ps1, Ps2 and the recording track pattern Pw. A relation between a servo pattern width Ts and a track pitch Tp is set to be Tp(n-0.1).ltoreq.Ts.ltoreq.Tp(n+1), while a relation between a magnetic readout width Wr of the magnetic head and the track pitch Tp is set to be 0.9 Tp.ltoreq.Wr.ltoreq.1.1 Tp. A dead zone in a tracking error signal indicating a position of a magnetic head is to be eliminated, thus rendering it possible to position the magnetic head accurately and speedily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takehisa Ishida
  • Patent number: 5586906
    Abstract: An electrical connector having a planar gripping member which allows for improved manual gripping of the connector to facilitate easy connection/disconnection of the electrical connector from an interface point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Theodore Staros, Alan Flum
  • Patent number: 5587645
    Abstract: A battery charger having a night light is described for use with a cordless telephone. The battery charger is energized by being plugged into a standard AC outlet and includes a cradle for receiving a cordless telephone handset having rechargeable batteries. The battery charger includes a phototransistor for detecting the level of light impinging on the battery charger and a lamp for providing illumination. When AC power is cut off and the phototransistor detects that the light level is below a predetermined level, the lamp is powered by the handset battery to provide illumination and to enable a user to locate the handset during low light conditions while it is being charged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Eduardo Sciammarella, Michael Lang
  • Patent number: 5584066
    Abstract: A double superheterodyne receiver comprising a pair of first mixer circuits, a pair of second mixer circuits, a demodulator circuit, and a pair of detector circuits. The first mixer circuits are connected in an orthogonal relation to each other and acts to convert a received RF signal into a pair of first intermediate-frequency (IF) signals in the baseband. The second mixer circuits are connected in an orthogonal relation to each other and acts to convert the first IF signals into a pair of second IF signals of a given center frequency. The demodulator circuit arithmetically combines the second IF signals so as to create a third IF signal, and demodulates the original signal from the third IF signal. The output signals from the second mixer circuits are supplied to the detector circuits, which in turn detect the carrier component contained in the output signals. The output signals from the detector circuits are fed to the second mixer circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Taiwa Okanobu
  • Patent number: 5581395
    Abstract: A non-linear optical crystal element preferably of BBO or KDP arranged within a resonator for generating a light beam in the wavelength range of UV rays based on a radiated light beam of a basic wave. The non-linear optical crystal element is preferably hexahedral-shaped and has a protective film on its surface. The protective film is made up of at least two layers arranged on an incident surface and an outgoing surface of the non-linear optical crystal element. The layer of the protective film directly contacted with the incident surface or the outgoing surface is formed by ion plating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Minehiro Tonosaki, Hiroyuki Wada
  • Patent number: 5577820
    Abstract: A door for an electronic device, wherein enclosure includes an internal cavity and an aperture for providing access to the internal cavity. The door includes a planar element for opening and closing an aperture of the enclosure. The door is rotatably attached to the enclosure to enable outward rotation of the planar element away from the internal cavity to a first position wherein the aperture is closed by the planar element and to enable inward rotation of the planar element toward the internal cavity to a second position wherein the aperture is opened. The planar element further includes an edge which contacts an edge of the aperture to stop the outward rotation when the planar element is at the first position. In addition, the door includes a V-shaped spring element for biasing the planar element to urge the planar element to provide the outward rotation. Furthermore, the door includes a push catcher for releasably holding the planar element in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Brian J. Kim, Satoshi Miyajima
  • Patent number: 5579040
    Abstract: A color video printer having a printer head portion and a cartridge detachable for supplying a solid dye to the printer head portion. The head portion vaporizes the solid dye and transfers the vaporized dye to a substrate. The cartridge is attached to the printer head portion when the supply of the dye is necessary. When the dye is supplied from the cartridge, the solid dye in the cartridge is liquefied and the liquefied dye is supplied to the printer head portion by capillarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Sato, Masanori Ogata, Hiroyuki Shiota
  • Patent number: 5573317
    Abstract: A bracket for a cabinet, such as the type used for television sets or other electronic devices, wherein the cabinet includes a first flange having a predetermined flange thickness. The bracket includes a housing having top and bottom ribs and a mounting flange having an aperture. The top and bottom ribs are spaced apart from the mounting flange by a predetermined distance which is less than the flange thickness. As such, upon insertion of the first flange between the top and bottom ribs and the mounting flange, a press fit is formed. This removably secures the top and bottom ribs and the mounting flange to the first flange without the use of fasteners. In addition, the housing includes at least one clip element for removably securing a printed circuit board having a switch which is accessible through the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1996
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Barry A. Cavanaugh, Arthur H. Ozaki
  • Patent number: 5572210
    Abstract: An apparatus for operating a digital signal includes a digital filter, a rounding process unit, a rounding error detecting unit and a rounding error eliminating unit. The allowable input word length is (m) bits for the digital filter. For the input with (n) bits which is longer than the allowable input word length of (m) bits, the rounding process unit processes the rounding and supplies it to the digital filter. The rounding error detecting unit extracts the rounding error based on the (n) bits input signal and the output signal after the rounding process. Utilizing this rounding error detected by the rounding error detecting unit, the rounding error eliminating unit eliminates the rounding error which has been mixed with the filtering output signal of the digital filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Toyoda
  • Patent number: 5570782
    Abstract: A disk cartridge case is disclosed which has improved durability and which enables hanging for display or storage purposes. The disk cartridge case includes a case body and a cover for covering a cartridge inserting port provided on the case body. The cover has a cover back member superposed on a case body back member of the case body, a cover front member, a front forming plate, a closing member and a bottom member. The cover back member has a non-adhesion portion located on a side of the closing member and being capable of contacting and separating from the case body back member and an adhesion portion located at an opposite-side of the closing member and being adhered to the case body back member. Furthermore, the cover front member includes an insertion tab having a locking tab. The insertion tab and locking tab are received by a slot formed in the front forming plate. Then, by hooking the locking tab on edge of the slot, the cover front member is secured to the front forming plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Kikuchi, Yuji Iwaki, Toshiro Kobayashi