Abstract: Techniques described herein enable parents to establish a child-protective “kids zone” on a DVR. According to one technique, a DVR receives, from a parent, identities of DVD content items that the parent does not want children to view. The DVR maps the identities to a kids zone. During times that the DVR is set to operate in the kids zone operational mode, the DVR prevents itself from presenting any content from DVDs that are associated with the identities. At other times, during which the DVR is not set to operate in the kids zone operational mode, the DVR may allow itself to present DVD content that are associated with the identities.

Abstract: Techniques described herein enable parents to establish a child-protective “kids zone” on a DVR. According to one technique, a DVR receives, from a parent, identities of content items that the parent does not want children to view. The DVR maps the identities to a kids zone. During times that the DVR is set to operate in the kids zone operational mode, the DVR prevents itself from presenting any content items that are associated with the identities. However, during these times, the DVR still may obtain and store these content items. At other times, during which the DVR is not set to operate in the kids zone operational mode, the DVR may allow itself to present the content items that are associated with the identities, including content items that the DVR obtained and stored during times that the DVR was set to operate in the kids zone operational mode.

Abstract: A molding composition formulation is provided that includes a thermoset cross-linkable polymeric resin and an ultraviolet light absorber. A shrinkage-reducing polymeric additive is present in the formulation from between 3 and 30 total weight percent, such that upon cure a linear shrinkage rate of within ±1.0% is obtained. Shrinkage-reducing polymeric additives include a condensation polyester of glycol and a polyacid or acid anhydride, polyvinyl acetate, polymethylmethacrylate, or polyether polyol. A vehicle body component formed through a sheet molding composition formulation is provided as recited above, and includes a fiberglass filler. A process for producing a vehicle body component exposed to ultraviolet light upon environmental exposure of a vehicle includes molding at an elevated temperature above 20° C. the vehicle component from the formulation as detailed above. The process is followed by trimming the molded vehicle component prior to assembly.

Abstract: In an interactive network-based personal video recording system, a user interface is provided that allows viewers to search a database of program guide information according to program title, indexed program attributes such as actor and director, and key workd. Viewer interaction is by way of a remote control unit.

Abstract: A molding composition formulation includes a thermoset cross-linkable polymeric resin. Glass microspheroids are present such that upon cure of the resin the resulting article has a linear shrinkage of less than ±0.06% and a density of less than 1.65. An article formed from such a composition is further strengthened by the addition of a surface activating agent bonded to the surface of the glass microspheroids. Conventional particulate fillers when added to an inventive formulation provide enhanced performance when the filler particle has a size sufficiently small to insert within adjacent microspheroid interstitial voids. An unsaturated polyester resin so formed is particularly well suited for the formation of sheet molding compound formulations.

Abstract: Sheet molding composition formulation includes a thermoset cross-linkable polymeric resin. A moisture reducing polymeric additive includes at least one of polystyrene; poly C1-C4 alykylmethacrylate; a copolymer of styrene with at least one of butadiene, acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride; or a combination of polystyrene, polyaklymethacrylate and or a styrene copolymer. Moisture reducing polymeric additive is present within the formulation from between 1 and 20 total weight percent. An article formed from such a sheet molding composition formulation defines an article shape and has a surface that sets the article shape with less than 0.5 total weight percent water after 96 hours exposure and 100° F. 100% humidity. The article shape is amendable to receiving a vapor barrier coating applied to the articles shape surface. A powder prime coating over lies the barrier coating and achieves surface finish results comparable to article shapes formed of steel.

Abstract: A multimedia mobile personalization system provides a remote control that detects a user's electronic tag, e.g. an RFID tag. The remote control notifies a multimedia device of the user's identity. The multimedia devices tailors it operations to the user's preferences stored locally. Multimedia content such as broadcast or recorded television programs, music play lists, and the like could be sorted, displayed, or restricted, depending on the user identifier.

Abstract: A molding composition is provided that includes a thermoset cross-linkable polymeric resin, a fibrous filler and a thickener system. The thickener system includes an amine and an isocyanate that are reactive to form a polyurea. The polyurea is operative to thicken the molding composition formulation prior to polymeric resin thermoset with superior properties relative to conventional thickener systems. A molded article produced from a cross-linked thermoset polymeric resin containing fibrous filler and a polyurea present from 0.05 to 15 total weight percent of the article either forms an interpenetrating network between the resin and the polyurea or the resin and polyurea crosslink upon resin thermoset to further strengthen the resulting article.

Abstract: A distributed database management system provides a central database resident on a server that contains database objects. Objects to be replicated are gathered together into distribution packages called “slices,” that are encrypted using a short-lived symmetric key and broken into a succession of short, numbered data packets before being transmitted to client devices. Data packets are captured by client devices and held in a staging area until all packets in the sequence are present and are then reassembled into the correct slice, which is then decrypted, or discarded when an error is detected in the data packet. The source version, reference count, and dependencies of the received object are verified before adding it to the database. The invention provides a reaper that periodically examines all objects in the database and, depending on the object type, examines various attributes and attribute values to decide if the object should be retained in the database.

Abstract: A smart broadcast program recording padding and scheduling system provides a system for adjusting the start and end times of a broadcast program's recording schedule that has a predetermined start and end broadcast time and resolving any conflicts arising from conflicting scheduled program recordings. An on screen program guide is displayed to the viewer via a monitor or television that lists the predetermined scheduled broadcast times and channels of a plurality of broadcast programs. The viewer selects a particular broadcast program to record and the invention schedules the broadcast program to be recorded by inserting the program's information such as program identifier, start and end times, and storage duration into a recording schedule database.

Abstract: In an interactive network-based personal video recording system, a user interface is provided that allows viewers to search a database of program guide information according to program title, indexed program attributes such as actor and director, and key workd. Viewer interaction is by way of a remote control unit.

Abstract: A broadcast program recording overrun and underrun scheduling system provides a system for adjusting the start and end times of a broadcast program's recording schedule that has a predetermined start and end broadcast time. An on screen program guide is displayed to the viewer via a monitor or television and lists the predetermined scheduled broadcast times and channels of a plurality of broadcast programs. The viewer selects a particular broadcast program to record from the program guide using a remote input device. The invention schedules the broadcast program to be recorded by inserting the program's information such as program identifier, start and end times, and storage duration into a recording schedule database. The invention allows the viewer to adjust the scheduled start and/or end recording times for a broadcast program by specifying the time increment to add or substract from the start and/or end recording times of a specific program or series of programs.

Abstract: A data storage management and scheduling system schedules the recording, storing, and deleting of television and Web page program material on a client system storage medium. The invention accepts as input a prioritized list of program viewing preferences which is compared with a database of program guide objects which indicate when programs of interest are actually broadcast. A schedule of time versus available storage space is generated that is optimal for the viewer's explicit or derived preferred programs. The preferred programs include television broadcast programs and Universal Resource Locators (URLs). The viewer may request that certain programs be captured, which results in the highest possible priority for those programs, or express preferences using appurtenances provided through the viewer interface. Preferences may additionally be inferred from viewing patterns.

Abstract: A computer system having a shared system memory, and system software in the computer system, are described herein. The computer system has a general purpose, shared system memory that is used for all processing, including video input/output operations, image conversion operations, and rendering operations. In operation, a digital media (DM) Pbuffer is created. The DM Pbuffer is aliased as a DM buffer in the system memory. This is done by storing in a color buffer identifier of the DM Pbuffer an identifier of the DM buffer. Thereafter, all graphical rendering operations directed to the DM Pbuffer are actually performed using the DM buffer.

Abstract: A computer system having a shared system memory, and system software in the computer system, are described herein. One or more user applications execute in the computer system. The computer system has a general purpose, shared system memory that is used for all processing, including video input/output operations and image conversion operations. The computer system also has a multimedia access and control module (MACM), which is the input/output interface between the computer system and the external world. In operation, the MACM receives, at one of its video input ports, video data comprising a video image (such as a frame or a field). The MACM stores the video image in a first buffer contained in a first buffer pool of the system memory. The first buffer pool was previously created by a user application. The user application previously associated the first buffer pool with the MACM's video input port. A video imaging and compression module (VICM) performs image conversion operations.