Patents Represented by Attorney Pasquale Musacchio, Esq.
  • Patent number: 5745109
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a graphical user interface which displays a window on a display where the window comprises plural pages. Only one of the pages can be displayed at one time and each of the pages has at least one icon therein selectable by a user to carry out a function corresponding thereto. The graphical user interface also displays miniature windows simultaneously with the window being displayed on the display. Each of the miniature windows corresponds to each of the pages of the window and each of the miniature windows has miniature icons therein. The number of the miniature icons in each of the miniature windows is equal to the number of the icons included in a corresponding page of the window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1998
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Nakano, Takashi Sugiyama, Brian Bakoglu, George Cossey
  • Patent number: 5726436
    Abstract: An optical pick-up apparatus includes a light source, an objective lens, a beam splitter, a detector, a first optical compensating device and a second optical compensating device. The objective lens converges a light beam emitted from the light source at one point on an optical axis. The beam splitter separates the light beam emitted from the light source from a returning light reflected on an optical disc. The detector detects the returning light separated from the light beam emitted from the light source. The first optical compensating device has a convex aspherical surface represented by X.alpha.R.sup.4 and is located on an optical path where the light beam is emitted from the light source. The second optical compensating device has a concave aspherical surface represented by +.alpha.R.sup.4 and is located on an optical path where the light beam is emitted from the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Michio Oka, Naoya Eguchi, Hiroshi Suganuma
  • Patent number: 5713503
    Abstract: A film transport mechanism for transporting film having perforations including a motor that drives sprockets for transporting the film in increments defined by a pull down stroke. In addition, the mechanism includes a pin element having at least one pin, the pin element being rotatable to a first position wherein the pin is inserted into an associated perforation to stabilize the film without contacting a perforation edge to generate a first sound level when the pull down stroke substantially equals a perforation pitch. Further, when the pitch is not equal to the pull down stroke, the pin contacts a perforation edge to generate a second sound level. The mechanism also includes a microphone positioned adjacent the pin element and the film for detecting a range of sound levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1998
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: John James Galt, James Bernard Pearman
  • Patent number: 5706261
    Abstract: An optical disc recording device in which RF signals reproduced from a write-once optical disc are detected during track jump for detecting the boundary between a recorded area and an unrecorded area on the write-once optical disc. This defines a roughly defined boundary between the recorded and unrecorded areas which may be searched quickly. A more strictly defined boundary between the recorded and unrecorded areas, may be searched quickly by subsequently employing a binary search method to the roughly detected boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Osamu Udagawa
  • Patent number: 5697060
    Abstract: A portable wireless voice message transmitter over packet switched network for transmitting a voice message is provided. The transmitter is capable of transmitting a voice message and text-based information when a user makes an emergency call to a special address with which the text-based information is associated. The transmitter includes text-based information setting circuit for setting text-based information, a first memory for storing the text-based information, a special address setting circuit for setting a special address which is associated with the text-based information and a second memory for storing the special address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Masaaki Akahane
  • Patent number: 5691737
    Abstract: An exhibit explaining system to enable a plurality of visitors to receive an explanation of an exhibit at their own pace. Spectacle-type displays 51-1 to 51-10 are provided, the frequencies f1 to f10 of a carrier wave being set to be different from each other. Image generating devices 61-1 to 61-10 are provided to correspond to the spectacle-type displays 51-1 to 51-10. When operating explanation request button 52-1 of the spectacle-type display 51-1, a VTR 76-1 of the image generating device 61-1 with the corresponding channel is reproduced, which is output from a transmitter-receiver circuit 72-1 to the spectacle-type display 51-1 through an antenna 71-1 on a radio wave. In the spectacle-type display 51-1, this radio wave is demodulated to observe an image on an LCD thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Ito, Akira Shimazu
  • Patent number: 5674367
    Abstract: A target assembly for use in a sputtering system used for forming a thin film on a substrate is disclosed. The target assembly includes a mounting element having an interior wall which defines an aperture. The target assembly further includes a target for providing material for forming the film on the substrate. In particular, the target is affixed within the mounting element by an interference fit between the aperture and the target. Furthermore, the mounting ring includes a groove for holding an O-ring which serves to maintain a vacuum in the sputtering system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Materials Research Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas Hunt, Paul S. Gilman
  • Patent number: 5664052
    Abstract: A method and a device for discriminating a voiced sound from an unvoiced sound or background noise in speech signals are disclosed. Each block or frame of input speech signals is divided into plural sub-blocks and the standard deviation, effective value or the peak value is detected in a detection unit for detecting statistical characteristics from one sub-block to another. A bias detection unit detects a bias on the time scale of the standard deviation, effective value or the peak value to decide whether the speech signals are voiced or unvoiced from one block to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Nishiguchi, Jun Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 5646608
    Abstract: Each of plural electronic devices, e.g., a television receiver, a video disc player, a video tape recorder, an audio amplifier, and a compact disc player which are placed in an audiovisual room has a light emitter and a light detector. Identification signals corresponding to the respective electronic devices are outputted from the light emitters thereof to a single remote control unit. When the remote control unit detects the identification signals, the remote control unit displays on its display unit information required to selectively operate the electronic devices corresponding to the detected identification signals. The remote control unit displays only the information relative to the electronic devices disposed in the audiovisual room. The single remote control unit can control the plural electronic devices in the audiovisual room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Peter Shintani
  • Patent number: 5625633
    Abstract: A resonator length can reliably be set in its locked state in the laser light generating apparatus having the resonator. The laser light generating apparatus has a nonlinear optical crystal device disposed in the resonator, at least one of reflection devices composing the resonator can be moved by an actuator to lock the resonator length with the frequency of the fundamental wave laser light. A sample-held resonator length error signal and a resonator reflected light intensity signal are used as the setting signal when the resonator length is locked by the frequency of the fundamental wave laser light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Isao Ichimura, Atsushi Fukumoto
  • Patent number: 5608730
    Abstract: There is disclosed a communication system using a bi-directional bus, which includes a plurality of devices (e.g., TV image receiver or video tape recorder, etc.) connected to each other. Each device includes a transmit signal formation unit having a frame structure including an address field for specifying addresses of devices between which communication is carried out, a control field for specifying whether communication is carried out in the state where device on the receiving side is locked or in the state where that device is unlocked, and a data field for specifying data to be transmitted. For transmitting data having a data quantity greater than data capacity of the data field, the data is divided into a plurality of frames, an indication to lock device on the receiving side is given to control field of a frame transmitted first, and an indication to unlock that device is given to control field of a frame transmitted last.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshio Osakabe, Shigeo Tanaka, Akira Katsuyama, Hiroshi Yamazaki, Yasuo Kusagaya, Noriko Kotabe, Kouichi Sugiyama, Makoto Sato
  • Patent number: 5596557
    Abstract: A disc skew detecting apparatus having a skew sensor for detecting skew of a disc in which information signals are recorded and reproduced with an optical pickup device, the skew sensor being located on a track on which a beam spot of the optical pickup device is positioned. Preferably, the disc skew detecting apparatus has two skew sensors for detecting skew of a disc in which information signals are recorded and reproduced with an optical pickup device, the skew sensors being located in preceding and succeeding positions of an objective lens of the optical pickup device and along a track which is incident a recording/reproducing light beam. The skew sensor being located with its measuring direction toward the center of the disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshinori Matsumoto
  • 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 5557465
    Abstract: A laser plate making apparatus is disclosed for forming a press plate from a form plate sheet. The apparatus includes a laser light source for providing a laser beam, a collimator lens, an objective lens and an anamorphic prism. The laser light source serves to emit a laser beam onto the form plate sheet through the collimator lens, the objective lens and the anamorphic prism. The anamorphic prism serves to shape the laser beam such that even if a focal stripe width is made small the focal depth is not substantially shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsumi Ito, Soichi Kuwahara