Patents Represented by Attorney Peter M. Emanuel
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Patent number: 5995160Abstract: Video signal processing apparatus provides for blanking main and auxiliary images in a multi-image display, e.g., a PIP or POP display, independently. The blanking may be part of a V-chip feature in which blanking occurs in response to auxiliary information, such as XDS data, that is included in a video signal to indicate the content of television programming. Main image blanking occurs only during active video intervals to prevent corrupting sync information. In a system that produces the main image from various types of video signals, e.g., composite video and s-video, that require separate signal processing paths, main image blanking capability is provided in one signal path only, such as the composite video path. The blanking capability is activated and the associated signal path is selected to provide main picture blanking regardless of which type of signal is providing the main picture.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 1996Date of Patent: November 30, 1999Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc.Inventor: Mark Francis Rumreich
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Patent number: 5990993Abstract: A display device having a backlighting system supplying collimated light, a transmissive electro-optical modulator of the liquid crystal display type and a means for distributing the light angularly. The distance between the means for distributing the light angularly and the display is chosen so as to obtain a spatial filtration effect. A layer of colored filters is positioned between the display and the means for distributing the light angularly.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 1996Date of Patent: November 23, 1999Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.Inventor: Gunther Haas
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Patent number: 5986989Abstract: A method is specified for processing the output signals A to F of an optoelectronic scanner (3) in a replay or recording appliance for replaying from or recording onto an optical recording medium having the following method steps: as well as an appliance with a corresponding input circuit of a digital servo controller: first of all, the output signals A to F are supplied directly to an A/D converter (2) without the interposition of a low-pass filter, and are digitized with n-times oversampling. The digitized output signals are then supplied to a k-th order comb filter (4) by means of which undersampling of the signals to the normal sampling frequency (44.1 kHz) is carried out. After this, the undersampled output signals A' to F' of the comb filter (4) are supplied to a trimming and correction circuit (6) in which trimming and correction, of OFFSET and BALANCE are respectively carried out.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 1997Date of Patent: November 16, 1999Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventors: Hirohito Takagi, Heinrich Schemmann
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Patent number: 5987141Abstract: A stereophonic audio processing system having left and right stereophonic sound channels with respective loudspeakers therefor is presented. The system is provided with spatial expansion of the stereophonic sound so that a first pair of spaced-apart loudspeakers will acoustically appear to be spaced further apart then they actually are. The audio system is provided with provisions for connecting a second pair of loudspeakers which can be spatially located at a distance between the loudspeakers which is larger than the first pair of loudspeakers. The audio system is provided with apparatus for providing stereo sound without spatial expansion when such secondary loudspeakers are used.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 1996Date of Patent: November 16, 1999Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc.Inventor: Alan Anderson Hoover
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Patent number: 5986585Abstract: A device for converting a mechanical deflection into a corresponding electrical variable which can be used to produce deflection. A cost-effective, energy-saving and good-resolution position measuring device, indicating transmitter or desired position value transmitter. One end of a pair of sliding contacts is driven by electrical drive signals over at least two contact surfaces, the other end of the pair of sliding contacts is displaced over conductor tracks led in parallel, as a result of which drive signals are transmitted via the contacted conductor tracks as evaluation signals. The device is usable in open-loop and closed-loop control technology, for example cursor control on a screen via an infrared remote control transmitter.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 1995Date of Patent: November 16, 1999Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventor: Olaf Pusch
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Patent number: 5983088Abstract: A tuner includes a conversion (or heterodyning) stage, including a local oscillator and a mixer, for converting an RF signal corresponding to a selected channel to an IF signal. The local oscillator has only one tunable oscillating portion for generating a signal, and a frequency converter, such as a controllable frequency divider, for converting the frequency of the signal generated by said oscillating portion, so that the receiver is able to tune through the UHF and VHF bands. The operation of the requency converter is responsive to a digital controller, such as a microprocessor.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 1997Date of Patent: November 9, 1999Assignee: RCA Thomson Licensing CorporationInventor: Felix Aschwanden
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Patent number: 5978883Abstract: A process for interleaving blocks of P packets each including L binary words, the interleaving being carried out by writing the data to an interleaving memory in a given order and by reading them back in an order corresponding to the interleaving. After having read, at a given address, a data item corresponding to a block b-1, a data item corresponding to the block b is written at the same address.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 1996Date of Patent: November 2, 1999Assignee: Thomson Multimedia SAInventor: Charaf Hanna
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Patent number: 5978660Abstract: Wireless transmission process and apparatus include a frequency diversity process for carrying out spectral spreading of a modulated SHF (Super High Frequency) carrier. The modulated SHF carrier transports information between a transmitter and at least one receiver. The frequency of the SHF carrier is varied continuously in a specified band so as to transmit to the receiver a signal having a spectrum containing a plurality of frequencies representing a plurality of uncorrelated signals each transporting the information to be transmitted.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 1996Date of Patent: November 2, 1999Assignee: Thomas multimedia SAInventors: Gerard Haquet, David Harrison, Ali Louzir
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Patent number: 5973753Abstract: In analog color television transmission methods, the transmitted CVBS signal comprises luminance and chrominance signals which have to be separated from one another in a television receiver in order to permit separate further processing. Comb filters can be used for this, a picture contents-dependent controller frequently being worked with which switches over between different filter algorithms, that is to say different line combinations, as a function of the respective chrominance signals. In the case of conventional comb signals, the CVBS signal is split into the luminance signal and a chrominance signal which is still to be demodulated into the two color difference signals. In this case, the identification of color edges, in particular, is not always carried out in a manner free from errors. This can lead to only incomplete separation of the luminance and chrominance signals, so that cross effects cannot fully be avoided.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 1997Date of Patent: October 26, 1999Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventor: Ingo Huetter
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Patent number: 5970071Abstract: The disclosure concerns a procedure for insertion of samples representing digital data from a first source having a first bit rate in a digitized signal from a second source having a second bit rate, wherein the second bit rate is greater than the first bit rate, and each data of the first source is associated with at least one sample of a series of samples at the second bit rate, the samples being presented to a polyphase filter for which a set of coefficients is associated with a specific phase error previously introduced by said associations, the filtered samples being included in the digitized signal. The invention also includes a device that implements the above insertion procedure. The invention is applicable notably in the field of insertion of Teletext data into a digitized video signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 1995Date of Patent: October 19, 1999Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.Inventor: Thomas Le Garrec
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Patent number: 5969770Abstract: A digital television system which processes television information in the form of a stream data packets representing video and audio information in compressed form, such as MPEG, includes on-screen display (OSD) provisions for displaying sophisticated graphics, such as animation, by storing graphics data in a read only memory (ROM) in the same compressed form as that used for the video information. The graphics data is transported to the same video decoding and decompression unit which processes the video data contained in the video packets to form digital signals representing video information in uncompressed form, where it is converted in the same manner as the video data to form graphic image data. A multiplexing arrangement is provided so that digital signals representing animation graphics can be multiplexed with digital signals representing static graphics image data derived from bit-mapped representations.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 1997Date of Patent: October 19, 1999Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc.,Inventor: Raymond Scott Horton
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Patent number: 5963267Abstract: A delay correction circuit includes a source of a clock signal and a source of a timing signal asynchronous with the clock signal. A timing signal detector is responsive to the clock signal and the timing signal, and is properly operative only when the timing signal is stable for a predetermined time period around the clock signal. A control circuit conditions utilization circuitry to operate after a delay time after the timing signal is detected. Adjusting circuitry conditions the control circuit to adjust the delay time if the timing signal was not stable within the predetermined time period.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 1996Date of Patent: October 5, 1999Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc.Inventor: Greg Alan Kranawetter
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Patent number: 5963273Abstract: The circuit for the digital filtering of IF intermediate frequency video signals comprises an A/D (analog/digital) converter and a Nyquist filter (N); an analog prefilter, suitable for selecting the desired channel, is placed upstream of the A/D converter. The Nyquist filter (N) is a digital filter placed downstream of the A/D converter, composed of two IIR filters (15, 16) placed in cascade, one (16) of these IIR filters being produced in non-causal form with spectrum conjugate to the other IIR filter (15) produced in causal form, and of an FIR filter (17) in series, for correcting the IIR filters.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 1996Date of Patent: October 5, 1999Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.Inventors: Werner Boie, Elias Bou Sleiman
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Patent number: 5959687Abstract: A video signal processing system produces an output signal suitable for producing a closed caption display and is responsive to a "freeze" command from a user for modifying generation of the output signal such that the content of the closed caption region of the display does not change. The system provides for user selection of various freeze modes including one in which just the caption region of a display is frozen, another in which just the video region of the display is frozen, and another in which both the caption and video regions of the display are frozen.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 1997Date of Patent: September 28, 1999Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc.Inventors: Aaron Hal Dinwiddie, Robert Lawrence O'Brien
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Patent number: 5960090Abstract: The present invention relates to a process and a device for the wireless transmission of a signal S.sub.1 between a transmitter and at least one receiver.According to the invention, at the sending end:a first carrier S.sub.2, of frequency F.sub.2, situated in the VHF (Very High Frequency) range, is frequency-modulated by the signal S.sub.1 to be transmitted, and thena second carrier S.sub.3 of frequency F.sub.3, situated in the SHF (Super High Frequency) frequency range, is amplitude-modulated by a modulating signal S.sub.2m. resulting from the frequency modulation of the carrier S.sub.2 so as to transmit an amplitude-modulated signal S.sub.3m to the receiver,and at the receiving end:amplitude demodulation of the signal S.sub.3m is performed so as to recover the signal S.sub.2m, and thenfrequency demodulation of the signal S.sub.2m is performed so as to recover the signal S.sub.1.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 1996Date of Patent: September 28, 1999Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.Inventors: David Harrison, Christopher Howson, Ali Louzir
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Patent number: 5959539Abstract: A method for the remote control of at least one electronic device (10 to 25) is proposed in which the control data are transmitted from a remote control device (27) to the electronic device (10 to 25). In the method, information data at least regarding the remote control functions of the electronic device (10 to 25) to be controlled are transmitted to the remote control device (27). These information data are stored in the remote control device (27) and called on during a control operation in order to select and transmit the control data necessary for the respective control operation. At least the device identification number (GID) and the device type are transmitted to the remote control automatically, for example after the connection of the electronic device to the power supply system.Furthermore, an apparatus for the remote control of an electronic device is proposed, as well as an electronic device.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 1996Date of Patent: September 28, 1999Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventors: Dirk Adolph, Carsten Herpel, Ingo Huetter
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Patent number: 5956455Abstract: A Videocassette Recorder including VPS (Video Program System) and VPT (VCR Programmed by Teletext) automatic programming capability continuously compares preprogrammed VPS data to incoming VPS time codes for the currently running program, and to VPS program schedule information. In this way, the VPS and VPT controller in the VCR can detect errors in the original schedule pages from which it was programmed, and correct for those errors in its own record programming memory. Moreover, circuitry according to the subject invention can detect an error in the VPS code of a currently-running television show, correct for the error, and properly record the show.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 1995Date of Patent: September 21, 1999Assignee: RCA Thomson Licensing CorporationInventor: Bruno Emanuel Hennig
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Patent number: 5956097Abstract: A video receiving device (A) that includes a circuit for receiving first video signals from a remote transmitter, a circuit for receiving second video signals from another video receiver (TVS), a circuit (TU1) for automatic searching for transmission channels, and a circuit (PC) for phase comparison between the vertical synchronization signals of the first video signals and the vertical synchronization signals of the second video signals that can output an "outphasing" signal that is used for controlling the operation of the automatic channel search circuit, wherein the video receiving device (A) also includes a control circuit (CC) that enables the video signals that it is receiving to be displayed for a pre-determined time on the other video receiver (TVS). The invention is applicable notably to the programming of video recorders, and to the automatic tuning of such a recorder to the channel being viewed on a TV receiver in order to enable simple and immediate recording of this channel.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 1996Date of Patent: September 21, 1999Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.Inventors: Jino Nguyen, Yves Maetz
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Patent number: 5956262Abstract: A digital sample filtering device comprising storage device including ROM and RAM memory for storing in an interlaced manner, coefficients of at least two filters along with for each coefficient, data indicating to which of the filters the each coefficient belongs; a multiplier for multiplying at least one of the coefficients by a sample and an accumulator for adding the partial sums of the multiplication results for each of the filters.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 1996Date of Patent: September 21, 1999Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.Inventors: Martial Comminges, Francis Dell'ova, Frederic Paillardet
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Patent number: 5953304Abstract: A device for corrected-focus scanning of information while recording on and/or replaying information from a recording medium is based on a radiation source which provides a scanning beam, a focusing objective lens and a radiation-sensitive detector system. A diffraction element for deriving a focus error signal is arranged in the space between the focusing objective lens and the detector system, at a predetermined, fixed distance, the diffraction element being designed such that two focus planes result which are physically separated from one another. The detector system is located between the separate focus planes such that the size ratios, which change in the event of defocusing, of the symmetrically imaged focus spot can be used to derive the focus error signal.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 1997Date of Patent: September 14, 1999Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbHInventors: Lieu Kim Dang, Christian Buechler