Patents Examined by Michael L. Lee
  • Patent number: 5168356
    Abstract: A vide signal encoding system includes apparatus for segmenting encoded video data into transport blocks for signal transmission. The transport block format enhances signal recovery at the receiver by virtue of providing header data from which a receiver can determine re-entry points into the data stream on the occurrence of a loss or corruption of transmitted data. The number of re-entry points are maximized by providing secondary transport headers embedded within encoded video data in respective transport blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alfonse A. Acampora, Robert J. Siracusa
  • Patent number: 5166781
    Abstract: A source responsive to a composite video input signal provides line and burst frequency related timing signals. A measuring circuit responsive to the timing signals provides measurement values which tend to repeat when the video input signal is of a given color television standard and tend to exhibit a pseudo-random distribution otherwise. A histogram processor provides a histogram of the measurements occurring within a given time interval and provides an output signal identifying standard and non-standard video input signal based on the histogram of the measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1992
    Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark D. Walby, Todd J. Christopher
  • Patent number: 5150209
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for encoding interframe error data in an image transmission system, and in particular in a motion compensated image transmission system for transmitting a sequence of image frames from a transmitter to a receiver, employ hierarchical entropy coded lattice threshold quantization to increase the data compression of the images being transmitted. The method and apparatus decimate an interframe predicted image data and an uncoded current image data, and apply hierarchical entropy coded lattice threshold quantization encoding to the resulting pyramid data structures. Lossy coding is applied on a level-by-level basis for generating the encoded data representation of the image difference between the predicted image data and the uncoded original image. The method and apparatus are applicable to systems transmitting a sequence of image frames (or other pattern data, such as speech) both with and without motion compensation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1992
    Assignee: PictureTel Corporation
    Inventors: Richard L. Baker, Jeffrey Bernstein, Bernd Girod, Xiancheng Yuan, Edmund Thompson
  • Patent number: 5144427
    Abstract: An decoder apparatus for use in a TV receiver, for processing a MUSE bandwidth-compressed television signal, in which a field of that signal which occurs one frame interval prior to the currently received field is used as a reference field for motion vector compensation operation in which images in static regions of every four successive frames are combined, to obtain high display definition for such regions during overall motion of the television picture. As a result, the apparent central position of a moving region in the displayed picture (when that region is incorrectly processed as a static region) and the central position of that moving region (when it is correctly processed) are made closely adjacent, thereby substantially eliminating adverse effects in a display picture which can occur due to such erroneous processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Kitaura, Tomoaki Uchida
  • Patent number: 5142604
    Abstract: A picture interphone system uses existing an TV and camcorder without any special equipment. The system is able to record a picture of a visitor while the user is not at home or when the user wants to record the picture of the visitor. The camcorder and the TV are turned on by the signal of a switch pushed by the visitor and automatically turns off after the visitor has left.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1992
    Assignee: Gold Star Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seoung E. Lee
  • Patent number: 5134473
    Abstract: In an image pickup system which is used on a craft flying over an object zone and comprises a first (photelectric) transducer (21) for producing a first partial (electric) signal representtive of a partial image of a partial zone lying forwardly of the craft flying at a first position and a second transducer (22) for producing a second partial signal representative of another partial image of the partial zone lying directly under the craft flying, an interval of time later, at a second position spaced from the first position by a distance between two partial zones picked up by the first and the second transducers when the craft is at the first position, a compression unit (90) compresses the first and the second partial signals into first and second compressed signals. A delay circuit (54-1) gives the first compressed signal a delay equal to the interval of time and produces a delayed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1992
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Riichi Nagura
  • Patent number: 5122875
    Abstract: Apparatus for encoding/decoding a HDTV signal for e.g., terrestrial transmission includes a compression circuit responsive to high definition video source signals for providing ierarchically layered codewords CW representing compressed video data and associated codewords T, defining the types of data represented by the codewords CW. A priority selection circuit, responsive to the codewords CW and T, parses the codewords CW into high and low priority codeword sequences wherein the high and low priority codeword sequences correspond to compressed video data of relatively greater and lesser importance to image reproduction respectively. A transport processor, responsive to the high and low priority codeword sequences, forms high and low priority transport blocks of high and low priority codewords respectively. Each transport block includes a header, codewords CW and error detection check bits. The respective transport blocks are applied to an forward error check circuit for applying additional error check data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1992
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Dipankar Raychaudhuri, Joel W. Zdepski, Glenn A. Reitmeier, Charles M. Wine