Patents Assigned to Pixel Instruments
  • Patent number: 8330859
    Abstract: Measurement of the relative timing between images and associated information, for example video and audio. Image mutual event characteristics are recognized in the images and associated mutual event characteristics are recognized in the associated information. The image mutual events and associated mutual events are compared to determine their occurrences, one relative to the other as a measure of relative timing. Particular operation with audio and video signals is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: J. Carl Cooper, Mirko Vojnovic, Maynard Grimm, Christopher Smith
  • Publication number: 20120041762
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for tracking dialogue and other sound signals in film, television or other systems with multiple channel sound is described. One or more audio channels which is expected to carry the speech of persons appearing in the program or other particular types of sounds is inspected to determine if that channel's audio includes particular sounds such as MUEVs, including phonemes corresponding to human speech patterns. If an improper number of particular sounds such as phonemes are found in the channel(s) an action such as a report, an alarm, a correction, or other action is taken. The inspection of the audio channel(s) may be made in conjunction with the appearance of corresponding images associated with the sound, such as visemes in the video signal, to improve the determination of types of sounds such as phonemes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: J. Carl Cooper, Mirko Vojnovic, Christopher Smith
  • Publication number: 20100247065
    Abstract: Improvements in program viewing apparatus and methods, some of which are now commonly referred to as personal video recorder (PVR) and program guide features in television sets, set top boxes and other video devices. The invention provides for a user display such as a flat panel program display device, a user remote for the user to control operations and features, program data storage for storing programs and related information, removable data storage for storing programs and related information on removable storage media. Also included is a data manager which functions include response to the user's desires via the user remote to control receiving and storing programs and select received or stored programs to be displayed on the user display device. The data manager may also be responsive to receive, store and display other services such as programming guide services to provide enhanced program viewing and storage management as directed by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: J. Carl Cooper, Steve Anderson
  • Patent number: 7773152
    Abstract: Measurement of the relative timing between images and associated information, for example video and audio. Image mutual event characteristics are recognized in the images and associated mutual event characteristics are recognized in the associated information. The image mutual events and associated mutual events are compared to determine their occurrences, one relative to the other as a measure of relative timing. Particular operation with audio and video signals is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: J. Carl Cooper
  • Patent number: 7499104
    Abstract: Measurement of the relative timing between images and associated information, for example video and audio. Image mutual event characteristics are recognized in the images and associated mutual event characteristics are recognized in the associated information. The image mutual events and associated mutual events are compared to determine their occurrences, one relative to the other as a measure of relative timing. Particular operation with audio and video signals is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: J. Carl Cooper
  • Publication number: 20080180573
    Abstract: Measurement of the relative timing between images and associated information, for example video and audio. Image mutual event characteristics are recognized in the images and associated mutual event characteristics are recognized in the associated information. The image mutual events and associated mutual events are compared to determine their occurrences, one relative to the other as a measure of relative timing. Particular operation with audio and video signals is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: J. Carl Cooper, Mirko Vojnovic, Maynard Grimm, Christopher Smith
  • Publication number: 20080129872
    Abstract: Measurement of the relative timing between images and associated information, for example video and audio. Image mutual event characteristics are recognized in the images and associated mutual event characteristics are recognized in the associated information. The image mutual events and associated mutual events are compared to determine their occurrences, one relative to the other as a measure of relative timing. is Particular operation with audio and video signals is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments, Corp.
    Inventor: J. Carl Cooper
  • Patent number: 7382929
    Abstract: In an image replication circuit, the improvement of replicating a given element at a certain location with the most similar of surrounding sets of image elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignees: Pixel Instruments Corporation, IP Innovation LLC
    Inventor: Carl Cooper
  • Publication number: 20080111887
    Abstract: Method, system, and program product for measuring audio video synchronization. This is done by first acquiring audio video information into an audio video synchronization system. The step of data acquisition is followed by analyzing the audio information, and analyzing the video information. Next, the audio information is analyzed to locate the presence of sounds therein related to a speaker's personal voice characteristics. The audio information is then filtered by removing data related to a speakers personal voice characteristics to produce a filtered audio information. In this phase filtered audio information and video information is analyzed, decision boundaries for Audio and Video MuEv-s are determined, and related Audio and Video MuEv-s are correlated. In Analysis Phase Audio and Video MuEv-s are calculated from the audio and video information, and the audio and video information is classified into vowel sounds including AA, EE, OO, silence, and unclassified phonemes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Publication date: May 15, 2008
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments, Corp.
    Inventors: J. Carl Cooper, Mirko Dusan Vojnovic, Jibanananda Roy, Saurabh Jain, Christopher Smith
  • Patent number: 7333150
    Abstract: Measurement of the relative timing between images and associated information, for example video and audio. Image mutual event characteristics are recognized in the images and associated mutual event characteristics are recognized in the associated information. The image mutual events and associated mutual events are compared to determine their occurrences, one relative to the other as a measure of relative timing. Particular operation with audio and video signals is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: J. Carl Cooper
  • Publication number: 20070153125
    Abstract: Method, system, and program product for measuring audio video synchronization. This is done by first acquiring audio video information into an audio video synchronization system. The step of data acquisition is followed by analyzing the audio information, and analyzing the video information. In this phase audio and video information is analyzed, decision boundaries for Audio and Video MuEv-s are determined, and related Audio and Video MuEv-s are correlated. In Analysis Phase Audio and Video MuEv-s are calculated from the audio and video information, and the audio and video information is classified into vowel sounds including AA, EE, OO, silence, and unclassified phonemes This information is used to determine and associate a dominant audio class in a video frame. Matching locations are determined, and the offset of video and audio is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Publication date: July 5, 2007
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments, Corp.
    Inventors: J. Cooper, Mirko Vojnovic, Jibanananda Roy, Saurabh Jain, Christopher Smith
  • Publication number: 20070153089
    Abstract: Method, system, and program product for measuring audio video synchronization. This is done by first acquiring audio video information into an audio video synchronization system. The step of data acquisition is followed by analyzing the audio information, and analyzing the video information. Next, the audio information is analyzed to locate the presence of sounds therein related to a speaker's personal voice characteristics. In Analysis Phase Audio and Video MuEv-s are calculated from the audio and video information, and the audio and video information is classified into vowel sounds including AA, EE, OO, B, V, TH, F, silence, other sounds, and unclassified phonemes. The inner space between the lips are also identified and determined. This information is used to determine and associate a dominant audio class in a video frame. Matching locations are determined, and the offset of video and audio is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Publication date: July 5, 2007
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments, Corp.
    Inventors: J. Cooper, Mirko Vojnovic, Jibanananda Roy, Saurabh Jain, Christopher Smith
  • Patent number: 7083094
    Abstract: The apparatus and method described herein provides for creating multiple spatial patterns, such as magnetic patterns on credit cards. The invention includes storage of information from which patterns may be created, a pattern creation device for creating the spatial patterns, and control whereby the information which is stored is selectively utilized to cause the pattern creation. This allows multiple desired patterns to be simulated, allowing convenient replacement of a number of separate pattern carrying devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: J. Carl Cooper
  • Patent number: 7058189
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is described for electronic signal monitoring and conversion to differing form. The preferred embodiment includes automatic selection of an audio signal from a plurality of input signals which may be in differing form, and conversion and processing of the selected signal to place it into one or more desired form to be output for further use. Further operations include delaying and mixing a plurality of signals may take place automatically or under operator control. Visual and/or audible monitoring of the signal(s) is also shown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments Corp.
    Inventors: Maynard Grimm, Joe Wellman
  • Patent number: 6989869
    Abstract: This invention is an apparatus and method for digital processing of television like signals and in particular the use of oversampling and interpolation to achieve improved resolution of the digital version of such signals as compared to a digital version obtained by the use of simple A/D conversion or processing at the desired sample rate. The preferred embodiment utilizes oversampling, interpolation and various filtering in recursive and nonrecursive form to provide output video signals wherein the artifacts and distortion of the video are kept to low levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments Corp.
    Inventors: J. Carl Cooper, Howard Loveless, David Wallen, Mirko Vojnovic
  • Publication number: 20060015348
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods are described for receiving, storing, and recovering from storage one or more television program while maintaining proper audio to video synchronization or lip sync when the program is displayed. Preferably the audio and video portions are in digital form and may be compressed or uncompressed. The audio and video may be recorded on a physical storage medium such as tape, an optical or magnetic computer disk, or solid state memory or other such device providing user control functions including start, stop, record, play and search, with increased reproduction capability of such stored programs being facilitated by the present invention. Timing information is recovered from the audio and video to be displayed utilized to alter the time duration of a contiguous signal block (the alpha length) of the audio and/or video to correct for any timing errors therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments Corp.
    Inventors: J. Cooper, Steve Anderson
  • Patent number: 6973431
    Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for converting an input signal having frequency related information sustained over a first duration of time into an output signal sustained over a second duration of time at substantially the same first frequency by adding or subtracting to the effective wave length of the output signal. Preferably, the signals are converted in digital form with samples added or subtracted to frequency convert the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments Corp.
    Inventors: J. Carl Cooper, Steve Anderson
  • Patent number: 6901209
    Abstract: The present disclosure teaches a method and apparatus for allowing a user to select and view one or multiple programs at random whenever he desires and to suspend viewing in the middle of a program to accommodate an interruption and to continue viewing after the interruption without missing any of the program. In addition, previously stored programs may be viewed at accelerated or decelerated speed, or repeated or portions reviewed, to allow the user to review such in other than real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Pixel Instruments
    Inventors: J. Carl Cooper, Steve Anderson
  • Publication number: 20050093891
    Abstract: A digital imaging system, such as a digital camera or video recorder, including an image sensor, an orientation sensor, and an image manipulator. The image manipulator receives image sensor orientation data (camera orientation data), and real image orientation; and adjusts the virtual image orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2003
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Applicant: Pixel Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: J. Carl Cooper
  • Patent number: 6870964
    Abstract: In an image replication circuit, the improvement of replicating a given element at a certain location with the most similar of surrounding sets of image elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignees: Pixel Instruments Corporation, IP Innovation LLC
    Inventor: Carl Cooper