Patents Examined by Charles E Parsons
  • Patent number: 6686952
    Abstract: A surveillance security system for detecting and monitoring movement upon one's property. The surveillance security system includes a base housing being adapted to be mounted upon a bracket which is attached to a building structure; and also includes a support base being disposed in the base housing and having a plurality of disc members; and further includes a pedestal assembly being mounted upon the support base; and also includes a monitoring assembly being mounted upon the support base and upon the pedestal assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Inventor: Darren R. Brazier
  • Patent number: 6684402
    Abstract: A hub that controls the acquisition of images from a plurality of image sources utilizes image acquisition logic that selectively applies a first set of control signals (e.g., “shutter” signals) to imaging devices, causing them to acquire images. The logic applies a second set of control signals (e.g., “readout” signals) to the devices, causing them to output the images to the hub. Those images are transferred by the hub to a host over an isochronous communications medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Cognex Technology and Investment Corporation
    Inventor: Robert Wolff
  • Patent number: 6678333
    Abstract: A method of transmitting digital data, which comprises the steps of obtaining first and second 8-bit word sequence data respectively based on luminance signal information data and chrominance signal information data which constitute a digital video signal, causing each of the first and second 8-bit word sequence data to be subjected to 8 bits to 10 bits conversion to produce first and second 10-bit word sequence data, obtaining third and fourth 8-bit word sequence data based on the first and second 10-bit word sequence data, respectively, inserting an additional word data group including 8-bit word synchronous data allotted a predetermined specific code into each of the third and fourth 8-bit word sequence data at predetermined word intervals to produce first and second composite 8-bit word sequence data, converting the first and second composite 8-bit word sequence data into first and second serial data, respectively, and transmitting the first and second serial data through first and second transmission lin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeyuki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 6675386
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for communicating multiple live video feeds over the internet. Users may be able to view a plurality of remote locations in real time. In another embodiment of the invention, users are able to remotely control a video picture of a distant location. The remote control may be either actual control of a remote video camera or perceived remote control by the manipulation of audiovisual data streams. In one embodiment, text, graphics, and other video information supplement one or more video pictures to provide an educational and entertaining system. In accordance with the present invention, information is accessible to users who are viewing multiple video pictures. The information relates and describes what is being viewed. Users who have different types of equipment, with different data rates, are able to access and use the system of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Discovery Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Hendricks, John S. McCoskey, Michael Asmussen
  • Patent number: 6628711
    Abstract: Apparatus (10) for compensating for jitter in a digital image forming part of a video sequence of such digital images includes a first motion estimation unit (13) having an input for receiving sensed image data and an output for providing a first plurality of motion vectors, each corresponding to one of a plurality of image blocks making up the digital image. A jitter estimation unit (14) determines a jitter vector from the first plurality of motion vectors for the digital image and a jitter compensation unit (15) adjusts the digital image using the jitter vector to compensate for jitter in the digital image. A second motion estimation unit (16) provides a second plurality of motion vectors, each corresponding to one of a plurality of image blocks making up the jitter compensated digital image. The second plurality of motion vectors are determined by utilizing the first plurality of motion vectors and the jitter vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Reji Mathew, Xing Zhang
  • Patent number: 6625220
    Abstract: An image capture and transmission system includes first and second imaging devices. A timing signal generator produces a timing signal. A common drive circuit operates for driving the first and second imaging devices at equal timings determined by the timing signal. A first signal processor operates for converting an output signal of the first imaging device into first digital video data. A second signal processor operates for converting an output signal of the second imaging device into second digital video data. The first digital video data and the second digital video data are processed into a stream of packets. The packet stream is transmitted to, for example, a network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kengo Tsuzuki, Toshiaki Shinohara
  • Patent number: 6597737
    Abstract: A motion determining apparatus for detecting a motion of a partial picture of an input picture signal is disclosed, that comprises a first motion detecting portion for comparing a frame difference detected for the partial picture with a predetermined threshold value and determining that the partial picture has a motion when the frame difference is larger than the threshold value, a second motion detecting portion for comparing a frame difference detected for the partial picture with a predetermined threshold value, comparing a field difference detected for the partial picture with a predetermined threshold value, and determining that there is a motion of an artificial picture when the frame difference and the field difference are larger than the respective threshold values, and an output portion for forming motion determination data with determination data that is output from the first motion detecting portion and the second motion detecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Yasushi Tatehira, Masashi Uchida, Nobuyuki Asakura, Takuo Morimura, Kazutaka Ando, Hideo Nakaya, Tsutomu Watanabe, Satoshi Inoue, Wataru Niitsuma
  • Patent number: 6549231
    Abstract: An imaging part and sensors are provided on an eyeglasses-shaped frame, which connects to a body through a cable. When a cameraman wears the frame just like eyeglasses, a taking lens is directed in the same direction that the face of the cameraman faces, so that a subject to be captured can be in the same direction as a line of sight of the cameraman. The sensors generate detection signals upon detecting movement of muscles at the temples of the cameraman by detecting myoelectric impulses. The image recording apparatus is controlled in accordance with the detection signals, which represent an arrangement of the movement for control. For example, when the cameraman closes the right eye to move the muscles at the right temple, the subject is zoomed in, and when the cameraman closes both eyes, the captured image is recorded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiichi Matsui
  • Patent number: 6542544
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for detecting fade of a video signal which can detect a fade state of an image from a video signal at a high speed. It is determined that an image based on an original video signal is in a fade state when the absolute value of the difference between the total luminance value of original video signal of one frame and the total luminance value of the neighboring video signal of one frame which are neighboring just before or after the original video signal is relatively large and the number of pixel data in which the absolute value of the difference between each pixel data in the original video signal of one frame and each pixel data in the neighboring video signal is relatively small with respect to pixels existing at the spatially same position is large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventor: Tsutomu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6519289
    Abstract: In analogue television systems, it is known to compensate for the receiver-end luminance defects which are caused by transmitter-end low-pass filtering of the gamma-predistorted chrominance signals, with the aid of transmitter-end correction signals. This method for luminance correction can also be used in connection with modern picture coding methods such as e.g. MPEG. To that end, the chrominance is encoded and decoded again in the encoder. A correction signal is derived from the decoded chrominance signal and is used during the encoding of the luminance. The macroblocks which are motion-compensated for prediction are based on the correspondingly decoded chrominance signal and on the decoded, corrected luminance signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.
    Inventor: Guido Bruck
  • Patent number: 6459733
    Abstract: Video images including a fade transition are encoded using inter-frame prediction. A fade detector is provided to detect a fade transition by way of analyzing incoming images successively applied thereto. The fade detector generates first information indicating if the fade transition is fade-in fade-out, and also predicts fade duration and then generates second information indicating the predicted fade duration. A bit amount adjuster is provided to adjust allocated bit amount during fade using the first and second information. A motion image encoder is provided to encode the incoming images using the number of bits which has been determined by the bit amount adjuster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Yokoyama, Yasushi Ooi