Patents Examined by Oschta Montoya
  • Patent number: 8230457
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention create a novel system for rating an event in a media based on the strength of the emotions viewers feel towards the event. The viewer's responses to the media can be measured and calculated via physiological sensors. The metric for rating the strength of the media is created based on the mathematical coherence of change (up or down) of all pertinent physiological responses across multiple viewers. Such rating offers an objective ability to compare the strengths of events of the media, as there is a strong correlation between high coherence of physiological responses (all viewers feel the same thing at the same time) and strong ratings of emotionality, engagement, likeability, success in the marketplace/on screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC.
    Inventors: Hans C. Lee, Timmie T. Hong, William H. Williams, Michael R. Fettiplace
  • Patent number: 8220028
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a content transmission apparatus connected to a content reception apparatus at a remote place via a network, the content transmission apparatus including: a broadcast signal reception section configured to receive a broadcast content on one or more channels; a recording/reproducing section configured to compress and record data of at least 24 hours of broadcast content on each channel, and reproduce the recorded compressed data; a communication section configured to transmit the compressed data to the content reception apparatus via the network; and a delay control section configured to control the recording/reproducing section to control a delay time between a broadcasting time of the content and a time at which the compressed data is transmitted. The delay time is set in accordance with time difference information indicating a time difference between places where the content transmission apparatus and the content reception apparatus are placed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Norio Ohga, Satoru Maeda
  • Patent number: 8212924
    Abstract: A multimedia processor includes an audio processor configured to process an audio input signal to generate an audio output signal and an assistant signal, and a video processor coupled with the audio processor and configured to process video input signal and the assistant signal to generate a video output signal simultaneously according to the video input signal and the assistant signal. Provided with the assistant signal, the video processor acquires more video processing-related information for rendering video content in a more realistic manner. Mal-motion detection can thus be prevented, and video quality can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Himax Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Tzung-ren Wang
  • Patent number: 8208071
    Abstract: A method for determining the aspect ratio of an image signal and an image apparatus using the same is provided. The image apparatus includes a sync signal separation unit which separates a sync signal from an image signal, an aspect ratio determination unit which determines an aspect ratio of the image signal using a voltage level of the separated sync signal, and a signal processing unit which processes the image signal according to the aspect ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Deok-jin Yang
  • Patent number: 8209725
    Abstract: A method for providing a GUI for selecting a broadcast program, and an AV apparatus are provided. According to the method for providing a GUI, a user selection regarding the broadcast programs that cannot be simultaneously selected is set according to a user operation that is input in an area containing graphics representing broadcast programs that cannot be simultaneously selected by a user. Therefore, if a user makes errors in selecting broadcast programs, for example, if a user selects two or more broadcast programs that cannot be simultaneously selected, the errors may be corrected more easily, instantly and intuitively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-yoon Jung, Hye-young Seong
  • Patent number: 8205227
    Abstract: A method is provided to designate visual content that is accessible from a computer readable storage device and that correspond to programs distributed according to a predetermined schedule comprising: comparing attribute information of a respective program metadata record with respective attribute information of multiple respective content metadata records to measure similarity between corresponding attributes; determining respective program-content attribute match scores for each of the compared content metadata records as a function of the measure of similarity between the program attributes of the respective compared program metadata record and corresponding visual content attributes of respective content metadata records and of relative weighting of respective attribute comparisons; and selecting a respective visual content based upon the determined program-content attribute match score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Frontier Communications Corporation
    Inventors: Eric E. Del Sesto, Tony T. Chan, Michael Luton
  • Patent number: 8201195
    Abstract: In a particular embodiment a method is disclosed for inserting data objects into a video stream including but not limited to decomposing using a compression technique video content into a plurality of video portions, a low-quality video portion of the plurality of video portions capable of reproducing a low quality version of the video content, the other video portions capable of reproducing higher quality versions of the video content when combined with the low quality portion; sending the low-quality video portion to the subscriber terminal for storage at the subscriber terminal; and receiving from the subscriber terminal a selection request corresponding to the video content after sending the low-quality video portion to the subscriber terminal. A computer readable medium and apparatus for performing the method are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventor: Brad A. Medford
  • Patent number: 8201196
    Abstract: SMS messages are conveyed via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique ID. The SMS messages are sent by a cellular telephone to a cellular service provider and are encoded with a unique ID of a destination TV subscriber's TV set-top box so as to be identifiable as destined for the TV communication infrastructure. After identifying that an SMS message is destined for the TV communication infrastructure, the cellular service provider forwards the SMS message to a TV communication gateway, which processes the SMS message, including identifying the unique ID of the TV subscriber's TV set-top box, and forwards data relating to the SMS message to the TV subscriber's TV set-top box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Comverse, Ltd.
    Inventors: Erez Michael, Shlomi Kringel
  • Patent number: 8111324
    Abstract: A method for film reconstruction includes identifying motion tear artifacts within a plurality of video fields of a stream of video fields. The motion tear artifacts identified by analyzing the video fields using fuzzy logic. The method also includes comparing the analysis of one video field to the analysis of an immediately preceding video field to determine whether there is a relatively high level of motion tear artifacts within the video field or a relatively low level of motion tear artifacts within the video field. The method further includes identifying a pattern of temporal periodicity for the comparisons. The method also includes determining the cadence of the stream of video fields based on the pattern of temporal periodicity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Jeffrey M. Kempf
  • Patent number: 8089560
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a correction interval setting unit for setting a correction interval; a correction interval dividing unit for dividing the correction interval into a black side interval and a white side interval; histogram calculating units for calculating a total number of luminance histograms of the black side interval and the white side interval, respectively; gain setting units for setting gains of a ? curve for raising the luminance and a ? curve for lowering the luminance, respectively; gamma curve generating units for generating a gamma curve for raising the luminance and a gamma curve for lowering the luminance, respectively; a gamma curve combining unit for combining the gamma curve for raising the luminance and the gamma curve for lowering the luminance; and a luminance conversion unit for performing the luminance conversion process using the combined gamma curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomonori Tsutsumi, Shigeru Harada
  • Patent number: 8087056
    Abstract: A method of effectively operating a Content-On-Demand (COD) system is disclosed. Requests for content are received from COD clients. If the requested content exists in a COD server and the content is content for one-to-one transmission, a session is set up between the COD server and one of the COD clients by providing access information for one-to-one transmission. Thereafter, the requested content is transmitted to the corresponding COD client in a one-to-one transmission manner, and then the session is terminated when the transmission is completed. If the requested content is content for one-to-N transmission, sessions are set up between the COD server and the respective COD clients by providing access information for one-to-N transmission. Thereafter, the requested content is transmitted to the corresponding COD clients in a one-to-N transmission manner when a one-to-N transmission requirement is met, and then the sessions are terminated when the transmission is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Alticast Corporation
    Inventor: Joo Hyeon Ryu
  • Patent number: 8087047
    Abstract: Methods and systems for remotely accessing user equipment implementing an interactive media guidance application are provided. In particular, a method includes the steps of receiving user equipment identification information and receiving a user request from a user device indicating instructions for the user equipment. The user request is cross-referenced with an action request in a user equipment format selected from a plurality of formats to be compatible with the user equipment. The action request is transmitted for receipt by the user equipment for enabling execution of the indicated instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: United Video Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Alan Olague, Kuan Hidalgo Archer, Christopher Strader, Henry C. Chilvers, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8085347
    Abstract: A technology is provided that suppresses a noise that an image forming apparatus makes in the course of an operation thereof from interfering with a user who is watching television. When a printer 203 receives a print command, the printer 203 performs a print job as per a normal mode if a commercial is being displayed on a digital TV 201. If what is being displayed on the digital TV 201 is not the commercial, the printer 203 suspends the print job until the commercial begins to be displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichi Yoshikawa, Kosuke Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8065701
    Abstract: When advertising information is included in a received broadcasting wave, viewer attributes which have previously been registered in an IC card is collated with a target ID added to the advertising information, and the advertising information (icon) in which both of them coincide is selected and displayed (S3, S4). When there is a requesting operation of detailed information, the detailed information is obtained by link information. The detailed information can be obtained from the broadcasting wave (S11, S12) or can be obtained from a homepage via the internet (S17, S18). The detailed information is displayed in place of the picture plane of a program. When a viewer requires to finish the display, the display of the detailed information is finished (S14, S20). When the detailed information is displayed, the presence of the request for the detailed information is recorded as a history.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshitsugu Hattori, Hitoshi Yoshinobu, Teruyuki Shitara, Kei Amano, Masanori Ishigaki
  • Patent number: 8056113
    Abstract: A request to transfer a consumer electronics (CE) application from a consumer electronics device to a TV device is received at the TV device. The CE application is received from the consumer electronics device. Application state information associated with the CE application is received from the consumer electronics device. The CE application and the application state information are stored to a memory. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Guru Prashanth Balasubramanian, Kalyana Kota, Utkarsh Pandya
  • Patent number: 8040438
    Abstract: The present invention offers a method for channel change in digital broadcasting consisting of: a step 1 for recognizing a command for a channel change while the currently connected channel is being decoded at the digital broadcasting terminal; a step 2 for completing reception of the current stream while maintaining the received picture if there is a command for a channel change according to said step 1; a step 3 for receiving and analyzing the information of the newly concatenated stream without re-initializing the decoder and concatenating two streams; and a step 4 for renewing information of the newly concatenated stream in order to maintain continuity between the previous stream and the newly concatenated stream using the information obtained in said steps 2 and 3. Therefore, time delay during channel change will be minimized by changing channels without decoder re-initialization and without break in the channel changing time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Castis Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung Hak Kim, Bo Kyoung Yoon, Hoon Park
  • Patent number: 8037501
    Abstract: Methods for entertainment-programming distribution are provided. A set of entertainment programs is transmitted in real time over a public network for display on user computers in communication with the public network and identified as subscribers to the set of entertainment programs. A notification signal is transmitted with at least one of the entertainment programs to identify that entertainment program as available for download. A request is received from one of the user computers over the public network to download that entertainment program. It is verified that the user computer is authorized to receive downloaded entertainment programs in accordance with a subscriber agreement. The identified entertainment program is then downloaded to the user computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Starz Entertainment, LLC
    Inventors: Bob Greene, John C. Beyler, Rebecca R. Lim, John S. Fukuda
  • Patent number: 8032908
    Abstract: A system is presented having a graphical indicator in an interface screen of an electronic program guide. The graphical indicator is configured to focus a user's attention on a selectable program instance field. The indicator has a length that depends on the duration of the selectable program instance, thereby conveying the start and stop times of the selectable instance. At least one indicator attribute is controllable by the user. For example, the user may control the indicator height, weight, width or brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin John Staunton-Lambert, Irvan J. Krantzler
  • Patent number: 8028319
    Abstract: Techniques for delivering video on demand (VOD) channel content via streaming from a first edge aggregation device are provided. The first edge aggregation device receives the VOD channel content from a VOD server, and the streaming VOD channel content from the first edge aggregation device can stream down to a requestor. The streaming VOD channel content from the first edge aggregation device can also stream or up through a metro aggregation switch to a second edge aggregation device to reach the requestor. Techniques for buffering a cache of a video stream are also provided for bursting to a requestor, either after a request is made or before.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Thomas Bradley Scholl
  • Patent number: 8024767
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for storing a compressed video stream or an uncompressed video stream is disclosed. The uncompressed video stream may be ZOOM VIDEO data. The compressed video stream may be a TRANSPORT STREAM data from a High Definition Television (HDTV) broadcast. A video graphics adapter is configured to properly receive one of the two types of video data. The received data and control signals are monitored to provide a second set of control of data signal which are used by a packer and an window control to provide data of a predetermined width and control to an address generator. The data is buffered within a graphics memory such as a frame buffer. The graphics memory can be written to system memory when full, or accessed by the system memory controller during the fill operation if a multi-ported memory is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Ilya Klebanov, Edward G. Callway, Chun Wang, Ivan W. Y. Yang