Patents by Inventor Akira Urakoshi

Akira Urakoshi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20040117841
    Abstract: There is provided a digital broadcasting receiver capable of reducing the occurrence of situations where a charge for purchase is forced to be paid, although a purchased pay program cannot be viewed due to worsened weather, power failure, or the like. When a channel is turned in to a pay per view (PPV) program, a part of the program can be viewed free of charge in a preview period. When a user performs a purchase operation in an attempt to purchase the program, a digital broadcasting receiver 30 does not immediately perform purchase processing but waits until the preview period is almost terminated, and performs the purchase processing for an IC card 21A only when the receiving condition is within an allowable range at this time point. On the other hand, it does not perform purchase processing when the receiving condition is not within the allowable range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Inventor: Akira Urakoshi
  • Patent number: 6067564
    Abstract: A pay program broadcasting receiver apparatus that receives pay programs, in accordance with the present invention, has a device that stores a limit total viewing charge for a specified period of time, a device that stores a total viewing charge within a predetermined period of time, a display device, and a signal generation device that, in response to an instruction by a user, generates a signal for simultaneously displaying at least the limit total viewing charge for a specified period of time and the total viewing charge within a predetermined period of time, wherein an output from the signal generation device is displayed on the display device. As a result, data relating to charges for pay broadcast programs is appropriately provided to users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Urakoshi, Akihiko Yamashita, Takahiro Kondo, Masako Otsuki