Patents Examined by Mary A Kay
  • Patent number: 8209721
    Abstract: A method of providing program recommendations is disclosed that includes receiving a plurality of recommendations related to a television program listed by an electronic program guide from a plurality of first set-top box devices. Further, the method includes receiving a request for the electronic program guide from a second set-top box device. The method also includes determining an aggregated total of the plurality of recommendations, wherein a weighting factor is applied to each recommendation received from one of the plurality of first set-top box devices that is associated with a community related to the second set-top box device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Kurt Trauth
  • Patent number: 8185921
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method for blocking scenes with objectionable content comprises receiving incoming content, namely a scene of a program. Thereafter, using closed captioning information, a determination is made if the scene of the program includes objectionable content, and if so, blocking the scene from being displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Brant L. Candelore
  • Patent number: 8169546
    Abstract: A technique for providing stable tracking performance to an AGC loop circuit comprises amplifying a wideband radio frequency signal; detecting signals and blockers adjacent to the radio frequency signal; lowering a gain of the radio frequency signal; mixing a local oscillator signal with the radio frequency signal; shifting a frequency of the radio frequency signal from a radio frequency to an intermediate frequency; continuously varying a gain of the intermediate frequency signal; converting the intermediate frequency signal into a digital output signal; comparing the digital output signal with predefined thresholds comprising an upper threshold and a lower threshold; switching a post mixer amplifier (PMA) to a high gain state when an input of a variable gain amplifier (VGA) is greater than the upper threshold, and switching the PMA to a low gain state when an input of the VGA is lower than the lower threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Newport Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaoyu Fu, Jun Ma, Waleed M. Younis, Nabil Yousef, Janakan Sivasubramaniam, Edward Youssoufian
  • Patent number: 8115867
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing device that converts an interlace image signal into a progressive signal so as not to cause degradation of image quality in edge parts of letters or the like, when performing an IP conversion with respect to an image that is mixed with an OSD such as a caption and a telop. The image processing device includes: an OSD mix part that mixes an on-screen display with an input interlace image signal; a motion detecting part that detects a motion by comparing pixel data between different fields; and an interpolation pixel generating part that generates a new pixel between lines of the interlace image signal by interpolating calculation with an interpolation method that depends on an OSD mix ratio of the OSD mix part and a result of the motion detection by the motion detecting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shingo Miyauchi, Takao Hasegawa, Yutaka Nio
  • Patent number: 6148598
    Abstract: It comprises a bowl (2) driven positively in rotation and a guide finger (3) which is spaced from the bowl (2) and is mounted on an arm (6) articulated relative to a support (7) mounted on the frame of the machine.The shaft (8) supporting the bowl (2) is equipped with a drive roller (12) which, in the working position, bears against a drive shaft extending over the entire length of the machine and common to all the workstations which the latter comprises.The articulated arm (6) is associated with means which, on the one hand, hold the drive roller (12) in bearing contact, with adjustable pressure, against the drive shaft during normal operation and, on the other hand, are neutralized when the articulated arm is moved away from said drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: ICBT Yarn
    Inventors: Carlos Matas Gabalda, Jean-Claude Dupeuple