Patents Assigned to Sony
  • Patent number: 6791546
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is comprised of a data input device for inputting informations, a memory for storing the informations input by the data input device, a processor for processing the informations in a form of a plurality of pages, a displaying device for displaying the informations formed in a unit of the pages, a device for registering image data in respect of owner name input by the data input device, a device for judging whether or not a predetermined process is done at one of the pages, and a device for storing the image data at a predetermined position of the one of the pages by a judged result of the judging device, wherein when the one of the pages is displayed, the stored image data is displayed with the informations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoshi Hirayama
  • Publication number: 20040177372
    Abstract: To facilitate programming a TV channel list, only digital channels are presented on an edit list so that the user need not parse through analog channels but only the digital channels to edit the channels (e.g., by putting the channels on a favorite list, or a skip list, or by labelling the channels, etc.).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Vincent Du, Sabrina Yeh, Marcelo Katsuzo Goto
  • Publication number: 20040173675
    Abstract: An integrated circuit card memory rewriting system comprises an integrated circuit card with built-in memory and a wireless terminal having an interface for being electrically connectable with the integrated circuit card. A base station is called by the wireless terminal while the integrated circuit card is being electrically connected to the interface of the wireless terminal. Data relating to internal data stored in the integrated circuit card is requested from the base station. The wireless terminal then updates the data of the memory of the integrated circuit card connected to the interface using received signals transmitted from the base station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shinya Haraguchi
  • Publication number: 20040176875
    Abstract: In a mobile robot, the actuator characteristics are dynamically or statically controlled, during motions of an entire robot body in the course of falldown or descent, to realize stable highly efficient motions. In each stage of the falldown motions, the characteristics of each joint site taking part in controlling the stable area are set so that the low range gain is low, the quantity of phase lead is large and the viscous resistance of the motor is large, in such a manner that these joint sites may be positioned to high accuracy in a controller manner to increase orientation stability. This assures the positioning accuracy of the joints as main component for controlling the quantity &Dgr;S/&Dgr;t as a reference in controlling the falldown motions of the robot body to increase the motion stability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2003
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Applicants: Sony Corporation, Jinichi Yamaguchi
    Inventors: Masatsugu Iribe, Jinichi Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20040174753
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus capable of reading out semiconductor information stored therein is provided. A semiconductor information storage section has semiconductor information unique to a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus stored therein. The unique semiconductor information includes, for example, an identification number for identifying the semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus and information for identifying the time of manufacture such as a lot number. An externally provided storage apparatus has a readout program stored therein for reading the semiconductor information of the semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2003
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takahito Nakano, Hiroyuki Kiba, Satoshi Akui
  • Publication number: 20040174440
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a medium which allow accurate control of an image pickup timing based on a result of image recognition with a simple construction. An image pickup section outputs picked up image data to an image recognition section and a delaying section. The image recognition section performs image recognition for the image data inputted thereto and, when it detects predetermined information from among the image data, outputs a trigger signal to an image fetching section to fetch an image. The delaying section delays the image data inputted thereto from the image recognition section to compensate for a delay corresponding to a time required for the image recognition by the image recognition section and outputs resulting image data to the image fetching section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kiyonobu Kojima, Naoki Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 6788372
    Abstract: A liquid crystal panel of any type is improved in display quality by adjusting a gap size with high accuracy and uniformity, a liquid crystal display and a liquid crystal projector adopting the liquid crystal panel of the present invention. A manufacturing method for such a liquid crystal panel at a low cost with high productivity is also disclosed. The liquid crystal panel is composed generally of first and second substrates opposed to each other with a given gap defined therebetween and a liquid crystal layer filling this given gap. One surface of the first substrate adjacent to the liquid crystal layer is formed with a planarizing film having a flat surface on the liquid crystal layer side. A plurality of pixels in the form of a matrix are formed on the flat surface of the planarizing film, and a light shielding region is formed between any adjacent ones of the pixels by a black matrix and a signal line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kikuo Kaise, Syuichi Shima
  • Patent number: 6788728
    Abstract: A reverse link modulator modulates the incoming data sequence for the I and Q channels of a wireless device such that the resulting spreading sequence never undergoes a transition through the origin. Consequently, the modulator has a reduced peak-to-average ratio and provides an improved battery life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohit K. Prasad, Sam Heidari
  • Patent number: 6788225
    Abstract: To reduce peak bandwidth requirements for a channel carrying several multiplexed MPEG-type programs, the generation of large intraframes is coordinated among the programs to avoid two program encoders simultaneously encoding an intraframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Allan Unger
  • Patent number: 6787785
    Abstract: To provide a mask able to prevent a drop in pattern position accuracy due to the influence of internal stress of a membrane and able to align patterns including complementary divided patterns precisely, a method of producing the same, and a method of producing a semiconductor device. A stencil mask having lattice-shaped struts formed by etching a silicon wafer on four regions of a membrane wherein the lattices are offset from each other in the four regions and all of the struts are connected to other struts or the silicon wafer around the membrane (frame), a method of producing a stencil mask, and a method of producing a semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Moriya, Shinji Omori
  • Patent number: 6789166
    Abstract: A specific-accessible service and a commonly accessible service can co-exist while ensuring the security thereof. It is assumed that a common area of a company A's issued IC card has registered therein an electronic value (corresponding to 1000 yen and a specific area thereof has registered therein a specific-accessible service point of 50 (corresponding to 50 yen). With respect to the commonly accessible electronic value and specific-accessible service point that are registered in the enterprise A's issued IC card, addition and subtraction can both be executed using a specific key A registered in the company A's terminal apparatus. However, in each of the respective cooperating companies' terminal apparatus, with respect to the commonly accessible electronic value, only subtraction processing is possible using a common key registered therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yojiro Kamise, Yasuo Fujita, Kazumasa Miyazawa, Makoto Yamada, Shintaro Hayatani
  • Patent number: 6789225
    Abstract: A bit error position is estimated. The estimation method includes generating data indicative of a substantial number of bit error locations in data frames. The generation of the data includes re-encoding decoded bit stream, mapping the bit stream to a first set of symbols, and determining a soft decision distance between a second set of symbols received through a data transmission channel and the first set of symbols. The generated data is then used to estimate the bit error locations. The estimation process includes capturing metric data for each bit in the data frame and obtaining derivative of the metric data. The derivative may be filtered for further processing. Error position estimation criteria may then be applied to estimate the bit error positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Robert L. Dorney, Joseph C. Chan
  • 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: 6788122
    Abstract: A circuit and method reduces the number of nodes that must be forced during a standby mode when using clocked latches. The circuit and method can be used for half-cycle latches and full cycle latches in conjunction with alternate power-gated circuitry, even when many stages are cascaded in a pipeline structure. The data state on a single forcing node can be passed through one or more cascaded latch stages as well as through additional circuitry. By forcing latch transmission gates to be conductive during standby mode, multiple stages can be set to a specific state, as determined by an earlier stage being set by a forcing transistor. A clock generation. circuit and method is also provided for controlling transmission gates within the latches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignees: United Memories, Inc., Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Oscar Frederick Jones, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6788590
    Abstract: A bitline reference voltage circuit according to the present invention includes a first transistor having a current path coupled between a first bitline and an intermediate node, and a gate for receiving a first control signal, a second transistor having a current path coupled between a second bitline and the intermediate node, and a gate for receiving a second control signal, a third transistor having current path coupled between the intermediate node and a source of constant voltage, and a gate for receiving a third control signal, and a capacitor coupled between the intermediate node and the source of constant voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignees: United Memories, Inc., Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Michael C. Parris, Kim C. Hardee
  • 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: 6788747
    Abstract: A receiver equipped with first and second mixer circuits for performing frequency conversion of a received signal into two intermediate-frequency signals, phases of which are orthogonal to each other, by means of two local oscillation signals, and a plurality of filter circuits for taking the intermediate-frequency signals out of the output signals of the first and the second mixer circuits. The receiver is further equipped with a demodulation circuit for taking a signal indicating broadcast contents of an analog broadcast or a digital broadcast out of the intermediate-frequency signals taken out by the filter circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Taiwa Okanobu
  • Patent number: 6788635
    Abstract: An optical recording medium having an information layer with a reflective film on which an information recording portion is formed by physical change of shape at least in one direction of thickness and track width, the reflective film having such a structure that additional recording can be performed by thermal recording, and that the reflectance of the reflective film changes in the range of 0.5%<(|R0−R1|/R0)×100%<17%, where R0 is reflectance of non-recording state and R1 is reflectance of recording state for reproducing beam. Such optical recording medium can be manufactured at low cost with additional recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhisa Aratani, Seiji Kobayashi, Masanobu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: D495551
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Teiyu Goto
  • Patent number: D495673
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
    Inventor: Joe Wada