Patents Examined by Huy Nguyen
  • Patent number: 7352958
    Abstract: There are provided an information storage medium capable of real-time recording/playback of digital moving picture information, and a digital information recording/playback system using this medium. In a medium that records/plays back data including video data and control information, the control information (DA21 in FIG. 4; RTR_VMG in FIG. 30) includes information (VOBU entry in FIG. 31) for accessing a specific portion (VOBU) of the video data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, You Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 7349623
    Abstract: According to the invention, techniques for recording data onto recording media at relatively high transfer rates for relatively long periods of time. Embodiments according to the present invention include systems and apparatus capable of an improved sustained rate of data recording onto disk type-recording media, for example. Many embodiments can remove the upper limits of both recording capacity and the number of media that can be used. Select embodiments can be used with different kinds of recording media as well. In a specific embodiment, the area on a hard disk is divided into three areas. A first area can be suitable for sequential recording of continuous data. A second area can be suitable for random recording of discontinuous data. A third area can be used for recording logical sector numbers, coupling logical sector numbers, and file information that are used for marking each of the first and second areas, so that continuous data can be recorded on the hard disk at a high data rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouji Fujita, Hideo Nishijima, Kazuya Yamashita
  • Patent number: 7346266
    Abstract: In a DVD recording/playback system, a set top box STB receives an MPEG transport stream constituted by a plurality of transport packets, and a formatter extracts support information indicating if management information included in the transport packets includes predetermined items. A disc drive that records data on a recording medium having a management area and data area records the support information in the management area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuyuki Uyama, Shinichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7343081
    Abstract: A method of generating data for identifying a video storage media comprising the steps of (1) generating from the contents of the media a data sequence representing the picture and/or the audio and/or data content of the video medium, (2) combining said data sequence with position information and/or picture and/or text and/or data or other information. It also provides a system for controlling a video recorder or other media device for selective enabling and disabling of associated functions. A graphical user interface is adapted to display information relating to television program content and/or data content from other sources such as the Internet and video recorder or other media device content and to display information relating to one or more video tapes or other media contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: 4TV Limited
    Inventor: Kenneth Austin
  • Patent number: 7343082
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed which provides an efficient tool for performing post-production synchronization of a video source. In the preferred embodiment, the graphemes of a detected audio source are synchronized with a script and are shown through a user interface. The user interface enables a user to perform the post-synchronization easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Ryshco Media Inc.
    Inventors: Jocelyne Côté, Howard Ryshpan
  • Patent number: 7340155
    Abstract: With this invention, at least one of a video file containing video information, a still picture file containing still picture information, and an audio file containing audio information and a management file having management information on a control method of reproducing the information in the file are recorded on an information storage medium. This realizes a data structure that causes the recording and deleting places on the information storage medium to correspond spuriously to places on a single tape, such as a VTR tape. Use of the data structure provides users with an easy-to-use interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Hiroaki Unno
  • Patent number: 7333715
    Abstract: In the case that the video and audio information obtained from the digital broadcast or a digital recording medium coded according to a predetermined information processing rule is digitally transmitted, the normal reproduction and special reproduction are performed reproducibly as in the case of an analog signal processing equipment. A data reproduction transmission apparatus for reproducing the video and audio information coded according to a predetermined information processing rule provided with a decoding means 2 for decoding the coded data that includes the video and audio information, a data conversion means 3 for converting the digital data obtained from the decoding means 2 to the video and audio information that is acceptable for an analog signal processing equipment, and a data restructuring means 4 for restructuring coded data or decoded digital data that includes at lease the video and audio information to the coded data that is acceptable for a digital signal processing equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7333720
    Abstract: An information storage medium capable of recording and playing back still picture information is provided with a first information unit having one still picture information, and a first group unit which is composed of a set of first information units, and has a plurality of pieces of still picture information having different contents. Information is recorded in the first group unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Shinichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiko Taira, Yuji Ito
  • Patent number: 7333719
    Abstract: An information storage medium capable of recording and playing back still picture information is provided with a first information unit having one still picture information, and a first group unit which is composed of a set of first information units, and has a plurality of pieces of still picture information having different contents. Information is recorded in the first group unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Shinichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiko Taira, Yuji Ito
  • Patent number: 7330638
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating content codes for the scenes of a program includes a scene detector that detects the start of new scene, and a selector that allows a viewer to enter one or more content codes for the scene. The content code(s) and data identifying the scene are then stored for later use. The apparatus also includes a new-scene indicator that is activated when a new scene begins and is then deactivated after content code(s) have been inputted for the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Lewis S. Ostrover
  • Patent number: 7330641
    Abstract: An information storage medium capable of recording and playing back still picture information is provided with a first information unit having one still picture information, and a first group unit which is composed of a set of first information units, and has a plurality of pieces of still picture information having different contents. Information is recorded in the first group unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Shinichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiko Taira, Yuji Ito
  • Patent number: 7330642
    Abstract: An information storage medium capable of recording and playing back still picture information is provided with a first information unit having one still picture information, and a first group unit which is composed of a set of first information units, and has a plurality of pieces of still picture information having different contents. Information is recorded in the first group unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Shinichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiko Taira, Yuji Ito
  • Patent number: 7327937
    Abstract: A storage medium which stores catalog information and a catalog information recording and/or playback apparatus and method therefor. Using the method, catalog information including a still picture and additional information together with audio data are recorded on a storage medium such as a digital versatile disk (DVD), which is an optical record storage medium, and the catalog information is played back during playback of the audio data, to thereby provide various information on the audio data. Also, the apparatus includes a buffer memory for catalog playback which maintains a predetermined standard and compatibility, and is capable of real-time reading during playback of the audio data, and automatically plays back the catalog content, corresponding to the playback state of the audio data, when there is no additional selection of a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jung-wan Ko, Jung-kwon Heo, Jae-hoon Heo, Jung-seuk Kang
  • Patent number: 7327932
    Abstract: A picture to be reproduced and displayed on a television monitor (10) is discerned as a plurality of partitioned areas in correspondence to keys labeled “1” to “9” disposed on a remote control unit (R). After having zoomed in a picture in a partitioned center area by operating a zoom key disposed on the remote control unit, a partial picture in a partitioned area corresponding to a given one of the keys “1” to “9” is zoomed in with a desired magnification factor in response to operation of the given key. Position of the zoomed-in partial picture on a full screen and the magnification factor thereof can be visually recognized by displaying cursors correspondingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Ulsi Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsugutaro Ozawa, Yuzuru Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7327940
    Abstract: An information storage medium capable of recording and playing back still picture information is provided with a first information unit having one still picture information, and a first group unit which is composed of a set of first information units, and has a plurality of pieces of still picture information having different contents. Information is recorded in the first group unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Shinichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiko Taira, Yuji Ito
  • Patent number: 7321718
    Abstract: A method for generating additional information for guaranteeing seamless playback of data streams includes generating data stream information for each of two or more data streams, which includes packet data to which information on an arrival time of the respective packet data is added. The data stream information includes seamless playback information, which indicates whether a corresponding data stream is to be seamlessly reproduced after playback of a preceding data stream, and/or seamless time control information for controlling an output time of the corresponding data stream to be seamlessly reproduced. Therefore, data streams can be seamlessly reproduced without interruption between the data streams, by using data stream information which includes seamless information and/or seamless time control information including reference time, an offset value and/or a gap length value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-wook Park, Seong-jin Moon, Bong-gil Bak, Jung-kwon Heo
  • Patent number: 7321719
    Abstract: A digital audio recording device is provided with an audio recorder adapted to receive sound waves and to provide in response a digital audio data stream. The recording device also includes an image recorder which provides digital representations of multiple still frame images. A synchronizer receives the digital audio data stream and the digital representations of the still frame images and provides as an output the digital audio data stream synchronized with the still frame images. An image selection input provides interactive synchronization of particular still frame images with particular portions of the audio data stream. In addition, methods of synchronizing the audio data stream and the still frame images are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Jonathan C. Kagle
  • Patent number: 7321717
    Abstract: The absence of MPEG processing in a consumer digital recorder player may preclude on-screen message display of recorder status. Various methods are disclosed which facilitate the on-screen display of recorder player status meassages. A first embodiment returns a reproduced decoded, analog video signal (102) to the digital recorder player (200) for insertion of status messages. In a further embodiment recorder message data (221) is coupled to the digital signal decoder (100, 117, 520) for inclusion with the decoded analog video signal (102). In another embodiment a recorder message command (TAG/CMD) is coupled to the decoder (100, 510) to access recorder specific graphical messages. In yet a further embodiment, recorder message data (221) is tagged and coupled to the decoder (100, 510) to select recorder specific graphical messages if available or to display recorder (200) message data. In yet another embodiment, digital or analog operating mode determines recorder message display position and timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.
    Inventors: Harold Blatter, Michael Francis Kvintus, Jr., Michael Joseph McLane
  • Patent number: 7315690
    Abstract: Data is recorded in a data area of a disk in a hierarchical structure of program chains, programs, cells and packs, each pack is constructed by a pack header for identifying the pack and a packet having a data stream recorded therein, the packet has a packet header having a stream ID indicating at least a private stream and a sub-stream ID indicating the classification of the private stream described therein, and the classification indicates packet data of Dolby AC3 audio data, packet data of linear audio data, packet data of sub-picture data, or packet data of computer data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shinichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiko Taira, Tomoaki Kurano, Hideki Mimura
  • Patent number: 7313315
    Abstract: Broadcast data received in MPEG Transport Stream format (TS) is processed (8) to produce a modified transport stream for recording on an optical disc (3) to record the content of a selected audio-visual program. Various techniques are disclosed for permitting random access within the recording, but without re-packetizing or remultiplexing the audio and video elementary streams, for example into program stream format. The received TS (DVIN) occasionally includes stream mapping information (PAT/PMT) identifying a transport packet ID code associated with each elementary stream, said stream mapping information being subject to change throughout the received TS. The packet IDs in the modified transport stream can be re-mapped to a uniform set of values to permit random entry to the recorded stream. Alternatively, the current stream mapping information may be inserted at every potential entry point in the modified stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.
    Inventors: Octavius J. Morris, Declan P. Kelly, Wilhelmus J. Van Gestel