Patents by Inventor Christopher Howson

Christopher Howson 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).

  • Patent number: 8855133
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method at a file server for sending more than one file to more than one receiver, comprising the steps of aggregating the files into a container, splitting the container into more than one packet, and transmitting the more than one packet to the more than one receiver, wherein, the reception of at least one packet of the container enables a receiver to request the reception of lost packets of the container. To this end, the method comprises the steps of receiving an indication of the number of consecutive lost packets of the container per the more than one receiver and adapting the size of the container, in function of the number of consecutive lost packets at the receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Guillaume Bichot, Christopher Howson, Vincent Alleaume
  • Publication number: 20140237086
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for converting a data stream transporting content into a file on a server, the content including timestamps for its playback, the timestamps indicating the time elapsed since the start of said content, the method being wherein it includes steps for receiving, from a broadcast channel, streaming content, calculating at least one piece of temporal playback information from at least one of the timestamps and a reference clock, the reference clock being the time reference for a local area network, saving the content to a file on a server, the server file being accessible by a playback terminal connected to the local area network, and saving a piece of temporal playback information to a server file or to a description file associated with the server file.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventors: Yvon Legallais, Anthony Laurent, Christopher Howson, Gilles Straub
  • Publication number: 20140095652
    Abstract: A method for delivering content to at least two terminals for synchronous playback is described. The method includes providing a first association of content to a preamble sequence, providing a second association of content to an ending sequence, providing estimations of data delivery duration from a server to at least two terminals and a playback duration of the preamble sequence in at least one of the first and second association, delivering the first and second association to the terminals wherein the playback duration of the preamble sequence is greater than or equal to the largest difference between the estimations, and wherein the estimations of data delivery duration allows each of the at least two terminals to evaluate a local temporization duration for playing-back synchronous content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Inventors: Guillaume Bichot, Yvon Legallais, Christopher Howson
  • Publication number: 20130089156
    Abstract: The invention concerns a receiver, and a method for channel switching at the receiver, the method comprising the steps of switching to a channel transporting a program encoded into Groups of Pictures, receiving the program into a first stream and a second stream, the first stream being encoded with successive first Group of Pictures, first GoP, the second stream being encoded with successive second Group of Pictures, second GoP, each one of the second GoP corresponding to a first GoP and being a subset of the first GoP, each GoP starting with an Intra-frame picture, selecting, between the first stream and the second stream, the picture that is decoded, and displaying the picture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: THOMSON LICENSING
    Inventors: Eric Gautier, Anthony Laurent, Christopher Howson
  • Publication number: 20110093910
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a transmitting device adapted to send content in bursts in a channel, the channel comprising a plurality of bursts, wherein a burst comprises at least one time slot. The transmitting device comprises first communicating means for receiving content from a first network, second communicating means for sending the content to a second network, the content being successively sent over at least one time slot of the bursts of the channel, time slot means for assigning a channel, and at least one unfilled time slot in the bursts of the channel to at least one second transmitting device located on the second network and signaling means for indicating the channel and the unfilled time slots to the at least one second transmitting device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Inventors: Guillaume Bichot, Christopher Howson
  • Publication number: 20110019690
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method at a file server for sending more than one file to more than one receiver, comprising the steps of aggregating the files into a container, splitting the container into more than one packet, and transmitting the more than one packet to the more than one receiver, wherein, the reception of at least one packet of the container enables a receiver to request the reception of lost packets of the container. To this end, the method comprises the steps of receiving an indication of the number of consecutive lost packets of the container per the more than one receiver and adapting the size of the container, in function of the number of consecutive lost packets at the receivers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Inventors: Guillaume Bichot, Christopher Howson, Vincent Alleaume
  • Patent number: 6297714
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for transmission and/or reception of signals. It comprises a first waveguide (9) for the reception/transmission of signals and a second waveguide (23) for the transmission of a signal originating from an oscillator of the reception board, for example, to the transmission board. Particular application to the field of broadcasting signals exchanged between a station and a dwelling, in the scope of the MMDS, LMDS or MVDS, or between a satellite and a dwelling, in the scope of a satellite telecommunications system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.
    Inventors: Patrice Hirtzlin, Chaoying Guo, Christopher Howson
  • Patent number: 5960090
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process and a device for the wireless transmission of a signal S.sub.1 between a transmitter and at least one receiver.According to the invention, at the sending end:a first carrier S.sub.2, of frequency F.sub.2, situated in the VHF (Very High Frequency) range, is frequency-modulated by the signal S.sub.1 to be transmitted, and thena second carrier S.sub.3 of frequency F.sub.3, situated in the SHF (Super High Frequency) frequency range, is amplitude-modulated by a modulating signal S.sub.2m. resulting from the frequency modulation of the carrier S.sub.2 so as to transmit an amplitude-modulated signal S.sub.3m to the receiver,and at the receiving end:amplitude demodulation of the signal S.sub.3m is performed so as to recover the signal S.sub.2m, and thenfrequency demodulation of the signal S.sub.2m is performed so as to recover the signal S.sub.1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Thomson multimedia S.A.
    Inventors: David Harrison, Christopher Howson, Ali Louzir
  • Patent number: 5625368
    Abstract: An antenna system for receiving radiowaves includes a Lundeburg-type lens which reflects radiowaves to a focal point of the lens. A helical primary feed is located in the proximity of the focal point. Electronic circuitry for processing the radiowaves in a desired manner and the primary feed are supported in a hollow support structure in the proximity of the focal point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics, S.A.
    Inventors: Christopher Howson, Masahiro Fujimoto, Patrice Fremanteau, David Harrison