Patents Assigned to Sony Corporations
  • Patent number: 7310249
    Abstract: Enhancement of the power conversion efficiency and reduction of switching noise of a power supply circuit are achieved. The power supply circuit includes, on the primary side, a composite resonance type converter formed from a current resonance type converter and a partial voltage resonance circuit in combination, and is configured so as to produce a plurality of secondary side DC output voltages. A particular one of the plural secondary side DC output voltages is controlled to a constant voltage by variably controlling the switching frequency of a primary side switching converter. Each of the remaining secondary side DC output voltages is controlled to a constant voltage by adjusting the level of control current to be supplied to a controlling winding of a control transformer in response to the level of the secondary side DC output voltage to adjust the inductance of a controlling winding of the control transformer inserted in a rectification current path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masayuki Yasumura
  • Patent number: 7310731
    Abstract: A first information processing unit stores identification information into a storage module, stores an encrypted contents signal into a mass storage unit, and supplies the encrypted contents signal and identification information to a second information processing unit through a communication section. In a receiving unit of the first information processing unit, log information generated by a purchase processing module is stored into the storage module every time the contents key is decoded, and the log information is transmitted at predetermined timing to a key management center through the transmission section. The second information processing unit receives the encrypted contents signal and the identification information through a communication section, and causes a contents processing section to decode the encrypted contents signal and to append the identification information thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihito Ishibashi, Tateo Oishi, Tomoyuki Asano, Yoshitomo Osawa
  • Patent number: 7310732
    Abstract: A content distribution system allowing user authentication to be performed to identify a user in content transaction, thereby permitting the content to be used. The content is distributed with a secure container. The secure container includes the content enciphered with a content key and container information in which the content transaction condition is set. The container information includes an identification certificate identifier list. An identification certificate contains a template serving as personal identification data of a user who is to receive the content and it is identified in accordance with the list. A service provider, a user device, or the like authenticates the user in accordance with the identified certificate, and then permits the content to be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shinako Matsuyama, Yoshihito Ishibashi, Ichiro Futamura, Masashi Kon, Hideaki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7310610
    Abstract: In a network auction, bidder clients are enabled to recognize ongoing auction sessions substantially on real time. An information image which integrates as a single handling unit an image information pertaining to an auction exhibit item and a related information which guides to establish communication with a particular network auction server through operation of the operator in accordance with this image information is created, and down-linked to the bidder clients to speed up the auction procedure. Thereby, enabling the bidder client to access to a bidding home page on the auction site simply and easily, and to know the ongoing bidding competitive situation almost on real time by tracking the information image created.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Fujita, Hitoshi Endoh, Nariaki Hatta, Yasufumi Fujikawa, Yutaka Sato
  • Patent number: 7310810
    Abstract: To compensate a failure in downloading of music piece data. For example, when a viewer instructs purchase of a music pieceC to an IRD at a timing t0 during the sixth transmission of music piece data, the music piece data to be transmitted for the seventh time immediately after the instruction is usually downloaded. When the downloading of the music piece data transmitted for the seventh time fails for some reason, downloading is re-executed on music piece data to be transmitted for the eighth time. The music piece data for the final transmission time in each of musical pieces is used for re-execution. Timing at which downloading of the music piece data transmitted for the time immediately preceding the final time can be instructed is set as purchase limit time by using elapsed time since program start time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ichiro Hamada, Susumu Nagano, Shintaro Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 7309176
    Abstract: A lens barrel including a base and a collapsible barrel provided so as to collapse into and expand out of the base, the barrel including a lens constituting an image-capturing optical system for introducing an image of an object, a lens frame for holding the lens, and an operational unit provided in the lens frame for performing an operation relating to image capture based on a control signal supplied thereto, the lens barrel including a flexible substrate provided within the lens barrel for supplying the control signal from an electric circuit provided outside the barrel to the operational unit; wherein the flexible substrate has a first interconnect section to which the control signal is supplied; and a second interconnect section provided separately from the first interconnect section and having an end connected onto the lens frame and another end electrically connected to a ground potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Shirakata, Hiroaki Tojo
  • Patent number: 7309877
    Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device capable of realizing a reduction in the area of each pixel without degrading noise resistance. A switching transistor (13) and a signal accumulation capacitor (15) are formed on a semiconductor substrate (base semiconductor region) (11) of a first conduction type, on the basis of each unit region for constituting a pixel Px. The switching transistor (13) has a structure in which a source region (13S) and a drain region (13D) of a second conduction type are formed on the semiconductor substrate (11), and a gate electrode (13G) is formed on the region between the source region (13S) and the drain region (13D), with an insulating layer (12a) therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Abe, Toshihiko Orii, Osamu Akimoto, Toshihiko Mochida, Shodai Nakayama
  • Patent number: 7310262
    Abstract: A storage device including a ferroelectric memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells; sense amplifiers connected to the bit lines and selected by a column address; an internal counter able to generate the column address; and a control part controlling data access, wherein the control part accesses data by a first processing of reading out a plurality of words of data from memory cells of a word line and a plate line selected according to a row address and storing it in the sense amplifiers, a second processing of selecting sense amplifiers from the column address and inputting/outputting data with the outside, and a third processing of writing back the data of the sense amplifiers into the memory cells, with data being continuously input or output and transferred by repeatedly executing the second processing using the column address generated in the internal counter for a group of words read out to the sense amplifiers at the first processing, and a file storage device and a computer system util
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Nishihara, Katsuya Nakashima, Yukihisa Tsuneda
  • Patent number: 7310422
    Abstract: A method consistent with certain embodiments carried out at a television provider headend involves receiving a feed of scrambled television content in the form of a stream of packets; descrambling the scrambled television content to produce a stream of clear packets; selecting a packet for multiple encryption; duplicating the packet to provide first and second packets; re-mapping the first and second packets to first and second packet identifiers; encrypting the first packet under a first encryption algorithm to produce a first encrypted packet; encrypting the second packet under a second encryption algorithm to produce a second encrypted packet; and re-mapping clear packets to the first packet identifier. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Brant L. Candelore, Robert Allan Unger, Leo M. Pedlow, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7309545
    Abstract: Provided is a battery with a higher capacity and superior charge-discharge cycle characteristics. A cathode contained in a package can and an anode contained in a package cup are laminated with a separator in between. The separator is impregnated with an electrolyte solution formed by dissolving lithium salt in a solvent. The anode comprises a tin-containing material including metallic tin and an intermetallic compound including tin in the same particle. A higher capacity and superior charge-discharge cycles can be obtained by the tin-containing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Tanizaki, Atsuo Omaru
  • Patent number: 7310236
    Abstract: A casing that has an electronic component housed therein has a conductive layer made of a mixture of carbon fibers and a thermoplastic resin and an insulating layer where only the thermoplastic resin is exposed on a surface of the conductive layer. The casing prevents leakage of unwanted electromagnetic waves from inside, is not affected by external electromagnetic waves, has small thickness, light weight, high strength and high rigidity, and has excellent contactability with a coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshitake Takahashi, Yoshihisa Tsuchida, Masayoshi Morikawa
  • Patent number: 7310808
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for supporting and enabling the selection and mixing of multiple input data streams from multiple sources within a receiving device allowing external control includes a receiving device, a control device and one or more source devices. The receiving device receives input data streams from the source devices. The input data streams are provided as inputs to selectors within the receiving device. The selectors output selective ones of the input data streams to a mixer, based on control information received from a control device. The mixer then combines the selected input data streams into an output stream, based on control information received from the control device. The interfaces and functions of the selectors and the mixer are provided to the control device in response to a request from the control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Sho Kou
  • Publication number: 20070287486
    Abstract: In a content reproduction system including a plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, at least one of the plurality of content reproduction apparatuses may include a reproducing unit configured to reproduce content by reading out content data recorded in a recording medium, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the content data representing the content being reproduced by the reproducing unit by way of wireless communication, and each of the other apparatuses of the plurality of content reproduction apparatuses may include a receiving unit configured to receive the transmitted content data, and a reproducing unit configured to decode the content data received by the receiving unit and reproduce the content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Machimura, Tetsujiro Kondo
  • Publication number: 20070285818
    Abstract: An ECC block is constituted by RS(248, 216, 33). Of a data length of 216 bytes (symbols), only 16 bytes are allocated to BCA data and the remaining 200 bytes are used for fixed data having a predetermined value. Using the fixed data of 200 bytes and the BCA data of 16 bytes, parities of 32 bytes (symbols) are calculated. Only the BCA data of 16 bytes and the parities of the former 16 bytes of the 32-byte parities, that is, a total of 32 bytes only, are recorded in a burst cutting area of an optical disc. In decoding, error correction processing is carried out by using the fixed data of 200 bytes. The unrecorded parities of 16 bytes are processed as having been erased. Thus, the error correction capability in a burst cutting area of an optical disc can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicants: Sony Corporation, MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL, KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V.
    Inventors: Shoei KOBAYASHI, Susumu Senshu, Tamotsu Yamagami, Makoto Usui, Hideshi Ishihara, Mitsurou Moriya, Cornelis Schep, Jakob Nijboer, Aalbert Stek
  • Publication number: 20070285520
    Abstract: A zoom lens including a plurality of lens groups and varying magnification by changing a distance between lens groups, wherein a last lens group positioned on an image side closest thereto with a negative part group having negative refractive power and a positive part group arranged adjacent on the image side thereof and having positive refractive power, wherein the positive part group is shifted in a direction vertical to an optical axis to shift an image, and Equations (1) and (2) are satisfied, ?0.30<fgn/(Ngn·fT)<?0.05??(1) vgn?vgis>30??(2) where, fgn: focal length of the negative part group, Ngn: average refractive index of the negative part group, fT: focal length of the entire system at a telephoto end, vgn: composite Abbe number of the negative part group, and vgis: composite Abbe number of the positive part group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2007
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Daisuke Kuroda
  • Patent number: D557683
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Satoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: D557719
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Yasutomi
  • Patent number: D557720
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Minoru Shimizu
  • Patent number: D557721
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shin Miyashita
  • Patent number: D557726
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsu Sumii