Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm William S. Frommer
  • Patent number: 6792539
    Abstract: The present invention provides a data processing method and apparatus capable of shortening the processing time required when editing previously encrypted track data. An example of a transfer of audio track data between a portable player and a storage device is provided. The track data is comprised of one or more parts, each of which in turn is comprised of a series of data blocks. Each block of the track data is encrypted prior to transfer using a block key. The block keys are determined in such a manner that subsequent editing of the track data which results in redistribution of the parts does not require full decryption of the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tateo Oishi, Ryuji Ishiguro, Takumi Okaue, Nobuyuki Kihara, Teppei Yokota
  • Patent number: 6792413
    Abstract: This invention provides a data processing apparatus which can store and recall more complicated time-series data than those processed in related art technologies. In the data processing apparatus, a recurrent neural network (RNN) of higher layer generates long-period parameter and supplies it to an input layer of RNN of lower layer via a computing block. The RNN uses this input as a parameter and computes short-period input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Jun Tani
  • Patent number: 6792577
    Abstract: Style sheets which define the expression form, etc., of documents in a meta-language (for example, XML) format in which tags which can be defined arbitrarily are used are managed appropriately. A style sheet is given a unique style ID. Since a receiving system is capable of storing style sheets separately from XML documents and managing them, it is unnecessary to add a style sheet to each XML document body and to transmit it, and thus the amount of the data to be transmitted can be reduced. Also, it is possible to protect the style sheets from unauthorized use by attaching key data to the XML document body, so that the style sheets can be managed as authored works. Furthermore, by specifying the other party or by providing a device for performing authentication, limited use of the style sheet becomes possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yosuke Kimoto
  • Patent number: 6792541
    Abstract: A code range which is the range of usable identification codes (corresponding to file names or directory names) is stored in an area defining area corresponding to a directory, and a layer structure in which the area defining area concerned is set as a parent layer and the other area defining areas are set as child layers is constructed on the basis of the code range. Further, the capacity (empty capacity) of the usable storage area is stored in the area defining area, and the capacity and identification codes which are usable in the layer of an area defining area are restricted by the empty capacity and the code range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Kusakabe, Masayuki Takada, Masachika Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6791621
    Abstract: A line doubling processing system has an input signal switching output section for receiving sequential input fields and for outputting, based on the sequential input fields, a plurality of fields obtained from the same image, and a line doubling device for generating one line-doubled field using the plurality of fields that are output from the input signal switching output section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muzaffar Husain Bin Fakhruddin, Seiko Imai, Toshio Sarugaku
  • Patent number: 6791552
    Abstract: Digital video processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of render processors arranged in an operational sequence, each operable to render an output result relating to an image of a video signal from input data relating to that and/or other images received from a preceding render processor in the operational sequence; and a render controller for controlling rendering operation of the render processors; each render processor being operable to communicate dependency data to the render controller, indicating which images must be rendered by a preceding render processor in order for that render processor to render output data relating to a required image; and the render controller being operable to control operation of the render processors so that images required by each render processor are rendered by preceding render processors in the operational sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Antony James Gould, Jonathan James Stone
  • Patent number: 6788604
    Abstract: A recording apparatus for facilitating data erasure operations involving data recorded on a recording medium. Each piece of data recorded on the recording medium may be examined to determine whether it is rerecordable by determining whether the data is already stored in another storage medium. When data erasure is requested, erasure processing may be controlled in accordance with the result of the determination. For example, original data based on data captured by a microphone or a camera (namely, non-rerecordable data) may not be erased (without specific approval by the user). Conversely, rerecordable data copied from another recording medium such as a CD may be erased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Teppei Yokota, Nobuyuki Kihara
  • Patent number: 6787358
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of forming a pattern of cells on a surface, the surface being prepatterned in having a pattern of cell-growth-promoting molecules and/or cell-growth inhibiting molecules attached thereon. The invention also relates to patterns of cells, artificial tissues and to a use thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignees: Sony International (Europe) GmbH, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Zur Forderung der Wissenschaften E.V.
    Inventors: Gabriele Nelles, Akio Yasuda, Wolfgang Knoll, Andreas Offenhäusser, Chi-Kong Yeung, Lars Lauer
  • Patent number: 6786417
    Abstract: A memory card and apparatus used therewith. The memory card comprises a rectangular card body having terminals in the vicinity of one end and a storage device disposed in the card body for storing data. A switch on the card is operable to a state to prevent stored data from being erased; and a status signal representing the state of the switch is supplied to one or more of the terminals. The apparatus with which the card is used has mating terminals to receive the status signal. Depending upon the state of that status signal, the apparatus is selectively inhibited from writing data to the memory card or erasing data stored in the memory card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshio Kondo, Toshiharu Kobayashi, Takumi Okaue, Akira Sassa
  • Patent number: 6788711
    Abstract: A demultiplexer, capable of extracting specific individual data from among packets in which the specific individual data is stored in predetermined units with a high efficiency, for A packet demultiplexer demultiplexes first to third packets and an extractor extracts additional information from the third pocket. The extractor has a first comparator for comparing control data in a harder region of the third packet and first comparison data based on mask data, and a second comparing comparator for comparing the control data and second comparison data based on the first comparison data and the mask data. The additional information is extracted from the third packet when the result of comparison of the first comparator indicates coincidence and result of comparison of the second comparator indicates noncoincidence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuji Sumioka
  • Patent number: 6789196
    Abstract: A communication controlling system which permits plural broadcast programs from plural broadcast program providers to be viewed easily and inexpensively. For a case wherein plural broadcast signals containing a hierarchy in need of differential scrambling and a hierarchy that permits common demodulation, encoding or demultiplexing are transmitted/received on a bus 1, the system includes signal processing devices 3 to 5 for performing descrambling and a reception device 2 for performing common processing, such as demodulation, encoding and demultiplexing. The bus 1 is the IEEE1394 bus, so that, if any one of plural broadcast programs is designated, the signal processing device corresponding to the designated broadcast signals can be automatically set by the control node on the bus 1, at the same time as a path used for transmitting/receiving signals between the reception device 2 and the signal processing device as set can be set or cancelled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Michio Miyano
  • Patent number: 6788653
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to arrange so that the digital signal transmission between specific equipments connected with each other by the transmission line of a fixed standard can be performed securely and satisfactorily. When a digital signal destination is caused to receive a fixed digital signal sent out of a digital signal sender, the digital signal destination acquires at the request of the destination from the digital signal sender data on modes in which the digital signal sender is able to send out the digital signal, and a transmission mode of the digital signal is caused to be set by a command based on the acquired mode data from the digital signal destination. Moreover, when a digital signal destination is caused to receive a fixed digital signal sent out of a digital signal sender, a flag is added to the digital signal sent out of the digital signal sender, which indicates that the transmission rate is being adjusted based on the command from the digital signal destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ichiro Sakamoto, Kenji Tomizawa, Hiraku Inoue, Makoto Sato
  • Patent number: 6788739
    Abstract: The present invention provides an excellent waveform equalization apparatus and its method realizing a PR1 equalizer reducing circuit scale and reducing power consumption. It is known that in a high frequency region proximate to Nyquist frequency, emphasis of an amplitude characteristic is smaller in Class 1 (PR1) than in Class 4 (PR4) of Partial Response. Hence, there is constituted a waveform equalizing apparatus satisfying PR1 equalization reference by a combination of an integrator for low frequency region emphasis and a filter constituted for PR4. By such a constitution, circuit scale can be reduced more than that of conventional PR1 equalizer and power consumption can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Satoru Higashino
  • Patent number: 6785422
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and to realize improved lossless compression of images more efficiently. A first predictor 11 generates a prediction signal P out of peripheral pixel values supplied from a pixel sequence generator 2. A second predictor 12 generates a prediction signal Q out of the peripheral pixel values supplied from the pixel sequence generator 2. An adder 4 subtracts the prediction signal P from the current pixel value to thereby calculate a prediction error signal M. When the prediction signal Q is greater than the prediction signal P, an inverter 14 inverts the polarity of the prediction error signal M to consequently generate a prediction error signal N. And an entropy encoder 5 allocates a code word in accordance with the prediction error signal N generated by the inverter 14.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Frank Jan Bossen
  • Patent number: 6784835
    Abstract: An array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna elements, multipliers for multiplying coefficients with transmission or reception signal and a calculator for calculating the coefficients for each multiplier. The calculator generates the coefficients in a proposed method such that the beampattern of the array antenna has a flat top mainlobe with an adjustable beamwidth and a predetermined sidelobe ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuji Kohno, Abreu Giuseppe
  • Patent number: 6785462
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to convert a signal from an arbitrary equipment into a signal at a data rate for used in a device. A semiconductor memory (7) is controlled by a control signal from a memory control section (8), thereby repeatedly reproducing recorded still image signals each corresponding to one frame. If a reproduction signal has a data rate of 4:4:4, the reproduction signal is supplied to a rate conversion circuit (9) for converting the data rate into 4:2:2 or 4:1:1. A digital video signal thus converted is supplied to a VTR section (6) through a change-over switch (5). One of the digital video signal from the rate conversion circuit (9) and the reproduction digital video signal from the VTR section (6) is selected by a switch (10). The selected digital video signal is supplied to a D/A conversion circuit (11) and fetched a digital output terminal (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 6783076
    Abstract: A memory card is disclosed which has a card body (2) having a concavity (9) formed at the forward end thereof in the inserting direction and in which terminals (5) are disposed and projections (10) are formed between the terminals (5) to prevent the terminals (5) from being touched or accessed from outside. A receptacle for the memory card is also disclosed. The memory card has a simple structure designed to positively protect the terminals and easily let out dust or the like from inside, thereby permitting to assure a positive connection with the receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshio Kondo, Toshiharu Kobayashi, Takumi Okaue, Akira Sassa
  • Patent number: 6784961
    Abstract: Provided is a projection type liquid crystal display apparatus, which can improve black-level display and thus can display a higher-contrast image as compared to the related art. An optical compensator is located on the light exit side with respect to the liquid crystal display device so as to compensate for the optical phase difference caused by liquid crystal molecules in a light-entry-side region of the liquid crystal layer. As the optical compensator is located on the light exit side with respect to the liquid crystal display device, birefringence, caused by the liquid crystal molecules present in the light-entry-side region, is compensated for without being influenced by a microlenses provided in the liquid crystal plane. Consequently, the apparatus can improve the black-level display and thus can display a higher-contrast image as compared to the related art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshio Suzuki, Sou Miyasaka, Yoshiki Shirochi, Takeshi Tanimoto
  • Patent number: 6785590
    Abstract: Robot-related information held at a robot user and data held at a robot manufacturer are used to enhance the user's sense of attachment to the robot. Each terminal device is operable to send information about the robot to a telecommunication line and to receive answer information sent from a server to the robot user via the telecommunication line. The server generates answer information on the basis of robot-related information sent from the personal terminal device and previously stored reference information corresponding to the robot-related information; and sends the answer information to the personal terminal device—via the telecommunication line. The answer information is for example a diagnostic report on the robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kasuga, Ayako Okita, Tsunetaro Matsuoka, Tetsuya Konishi, Tadashi Otsuki, Kunio Takemoto, Yaeko Fujita, Toshiya Ogura
  • Patent number: 6785464
    Abstract: Skipping reproduction of image data is performed while maintaining the continuity of a moving image before and after a skipping point, thereby preventing the video buffer in the decoder from failing. A moving image recording and reproducing apparatus for such skipping reproduction includes a decoder to decode an MPEG-2 video stream recorded on an optical disc and an encoder to re-encode the decoded video stream by editing. A multiplexer multiplexes the edited video stream and an audio stream, and an analysis controller controls the editing. To generate a multiplexed stream which can be reproduced by skipping from a first video stream to a second video stream, the analysis controller limits the re-encoding so that the bit occupancy in the video buffer is smaller than the capacity of the video buffer and larger than zero for a time period starting with the supply of the second video stream to the video buffer of the decoder and ending with the beginning of the decoding of the second video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Motoki Kato