Patents by Inventor Jerald R. Howcroft

Jerald R. Howcroft 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: 10531143
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller configured to identify audio content of interest associated with an audio portion of a media program. Alternate audio content is identified. Responsive to a detection of the audio content of interest within a textual representation of the audio portion, an indicator including a pointer is inserted into the media program. The pointer points to the alternate audio content and is inserted at a start point of the occurrence of the audio content of interest within the media program. The alternate audio content is retrieved based on the pointer and substituted with the alternate audio content beginning at the start point. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Michael Raftelis
  • Publication number: 20180139483
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller configured to identify audio content of interest associated with an audio portion of a media program. Alternate audio content is identified. Responsive to a detection of the audio content of interest within a textual representation of the audio portion, an indicator including a pointer is inserted into the media program. The pointer points to the alternate audio content and is inserted at a start point of the occurrence of the audio content of interest within the media program. The alternate audio content is retrieved based on the pointer and substituted with the alternate audio content beginning at the start point. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Applicant: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Michael Raftelis
  • Patent number: 9906826
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller configured to identify audio content of interest associated with an audio portion of a media program. Alternate audio content is identified. Responsive to a detection of the audio content of interest within a textual representation of the audio portion, an indicator including a pointer is inserted into the media program. The pointer points to the alternate audio content and is inserted at a start point of the occurrence of the audio content of interest within the media program. The alternate audio content is retrieved based on the pointer and substituted with the alternate audio content beginning at the start point. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Michael Raftelis
  • Publication number: 20160100208
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller configured to identify audio content of interest associated with an audio portion of a media program. Alternate audio content is identified. Responsive to a detection of the audio content of interest within a textual representation of the audio portion, an indicator including a pointer is inserted into the media program. The pointer points to the alternate audio content and is inserted at a start point of the occurrence of the audio content of interest within the media program. The alternate audio content is retrieved based on the pointer and substituted with the alternate audio content beginning at the start point. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Michael Raftelis
  • Patent number: 9241185
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller configured to receive a selection from a computing device during presentation of a media program comprising at least one of audio content and textual content associated with the audio content, wherein the selection identifies media content of interest, receive a selection from the computing device identifying replacement content for the media program, detect whether the media program contains the identified media content of interest, and replace the identified media content of interest with the replacement content if the identified media content of interest is detected in the media program. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Michael Raftelis
  • Patent number: 9106937
    Abstract: A method includes sending a polling message from a management system to a set-top box device. The polling message requests service data related to quality of service associated with the set-top box device. The method includes receiving, at the management system, quality parameters from the set-top box device in response to the polling message. The method includes selecting a representative color that corresponds to the quality of service. The method also includes sending a quality indicator from the management system to a display. The quality indicator displays the representative color and an identification of the set-top box device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Zhi Li, Christine E. Bouamalay, Jeffrey Multach
  • Patent number: 8769264
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top-box having a controller to transmit a request to a remote management server for status information associated with a x.509 certificate intended for the STB, and receive the status information associated with the x.509 certificate from the remote management server, where events associated with the status information are received by the remote management server from at least one of the STB, a certificates proxy, an external certificate web service, and a certificate authority, and where the status information comprises at least a portion of the received events. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Benjamin Jahner
  • Patent number: 8631022
    Abstract: A repository receives metadata from databases associated with different service providers. The repository converts the received metadata to a common format, such as MPEG7, and stores the converted metadata in a central database. The repository can also receive a query from a client device. The repository retrieves metadata associated with the query from the central database and provides it to the requesting client device. The repository can also convert the provided metadata to an appropriate format for the requesting device. Because the metadata is stored at a common location in a common format, content from different providers can be efficiently identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, David Gibbon, Vishwa M. Prasad
  • Patent number: 8627380
    Abstract: A set-top box for an Internet protocol television (IPTV) network includes a radio interface module, a remote control interface module, and a display interface module. The radio interface module accesses an Internet radio service on the IPTV network and outputs a list of Internet radio stations received from the Internet radio service to a particular IPTV channel on the display interface module, receives a selection of an Internet radio station from the remote control interface module, retrieves an Internet radio stream associated with the selected Internet radio station from the Internet radio service in response to receiving the first selection, and outputs the Internet radio steam on the particular IPTV channel of the display interface module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Paul Van Vleck
  • Patent number: 8626898
    Abstract: A maintenance system for an IPTV network includes a logging module, a ticketing module, and an operations module. The logging module receives a fault alert from a service provider and sends the alert to the ticketing module. The ticketing module determines the urgency of the fault, generates a ticket, assigns priority to the ticket based upon the urgency, and sends the ticket to the operations module. The operations module allocates the ticket and sends a message to a mobile device regarding the ticket. A method includes receiving a fault alert from a service provider, sending the alert to a ticketing module, determining the urgency of the event, generating a ticket, assigning priority to the ticket based upon the urgency, sending the ticket to an operations module, allocating the ticket, and sending a message to a mobile device the ticket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventor: Jerald R. Howcroft
  • Publication number: 20130247097
    Abstract: A set-top box for an Internet protocol television (IPTV) network includes a radio interface module, a remote control interface module, and a display interface module. The radio interface module accesses an Internet radio service on the IPTV network and outputs a list of Internet radio stations received from the Internet radio service to a particular IPTV channel on the display interface module, receives a selection of an Internet radio station from the remote control interface module, retrieves an Internet radio stream associated with the selected Internet radio station from the Internet radio service in response to receiving the first selection, and outputs the Internet radio steam on the particular IPTV channel of the display interface module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Paul Van Vleck
  • Patent number: 8458749
    Abstract: A set-top box for an Internet protocol television (IPTV) network includes a radio interface module, a remote control interface module, and a display interface module. The radio interface module accesses an Internet radio service on the IPTV network and outputs a list of Internet radio stations received from the Internet radio service to a particular IPTV channel on the display interface module, receives a selection of an Internet radio station from the remote control interface module, retrieves an Internet radio stream associated with the selected Internet radio station from the Internet radio service in response to receiving the first selection, and outputs the Internet radio steam on the particular IPTV channel of the display interface module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Paul Van Vleck
  • Patent number: 8438604
    Abstract: A method of indicating quality of service includes determining values of a plurality of video quality parameters at a set-top box device. The method also includes selecting a color from a plurality of colors based on at least one of the values. The method also includes activating a video quality indicator, wherein the video quality indicator includes the selected color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Zhi Li, Christine E. Bouamalay, Jeffrey Multach
  • Patent number: 8359320
    Abstract: A repository receives metadata from databases associated with different service providers. The repository converts the received metadata to a common format, such as MPEG7, and stores the converted metadata in a central database. The repository can also receive a query from a client device. The repository retrieves metadata associated with the query from the central database and provides it to the requesting client device. The repository can also convert the provided metadata to an appropriate format for the requesting device. Because the metadata is stored at a common location in a common format, content from different providers can be efficiently identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, David C. Gibbons, Vishwa M. Prasad
  • Publication number: 20120011529
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, network device having a controller programmed to track a number of times that a particular service channel is distributed to a subscriber device from at least a network device selected from the group of a unicast stream server, a multicast stream router, or a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) which is used in an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network when the subscriber device is initially tuned to the particular service channel and to obtain real time viewership information by polling the network device in the IPTV network to determine how many subscriber devices are tuned to each service channel in the IPTV network. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: JERALD R. HOWCROFT, WILLIAM R. HURST, DAVID A. LEVINE
  • Publication number: 20110153749
    Abstract: A maintenance system for an IPTV network includes a logging module, a ticketing module, and an operations module. The logging module receives a fault alert from a service provider and sends the alert to the ticketing module. The ticketing module determines the urgency of the fault, generates a ticket, assigns priority to the ticket based upon the urgency, and sends the ticket to the operations module. The operations module allocates the ticket and sends a message to a mobile device regarding the ticket. A method includes receiving a fault alert from a service provider, sending the alert to a ticketing module, determining the urgency of the event, generating a ticket, assigning priority to the ticket based upon the urgency, sending the ticket to an operations module, allocating the ticket, and sending a message to a mobile device the ticket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventor: Jerald R. Howcroft
  • Publication number: 20110131600
    Abstract: A set-top box for an Internet protocol television (IPTV) network includes a radio interface module, a remote control interface module, and a display interface module. The radio interface module accesses an Internet radio service on the IPTV network and outputs a list of Internet radio stations received from the Internet radio service to a particular IPTV channel on the display interface module, receives a selection of an Internet radio station from the remote control interface module, retrieves an Internet radio stream associated with the selected Internet radio station from the Internet radio service in response to receiving the first selection, and outputs the Internet radio steam on the particular IPTV channel of the display interface module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, Paul Van Vleck
  • Publication number: 20100180308
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a controller to search a portal in response to a user query for a plurality of related content items of disparate formats accessible across a plurality of platforms, present search results and a graphical user interface for the consumption of the plurality of related content items of disparate formats from the single portal in response to the searching, and select a set of the plurality of related content items of disparate formats from the single portal for provisioning on a first device with a first disparate format and at least a second device with a second disparate format. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2009
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: JERALD R. HOWCROFT, Edward Walter
  • Publication number: 20090112808
    Abstract: A repository receives metadata from databases associated with different service providers. The repository converts the received metadata to a common format, such as MPEG7, and stores the converted metadata in a central database. The repository can also receive a query from a client device. The repository retrieves metadata associated with the query from the central database and provides it to the requesting client device. The repository can also convert the provided metadata to an appropriate format for the requesting device. Because the metadata is stored at a common location in a common format, content from different providers can be efficiently identified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Applicant: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, LP
    Inventors: Jerald R. Howcroft, David C. Gibbon, Vishwa M. Prasad
  • Publication number: 20080288996
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for provisioning media content in a multi-user environment is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a Set-Top Box having a controller element to: receive multimedia content from a communication system; configure individual access to the multimedia content among a group of users in accordance with individual user profiles, wherein each of the individual user profiles has a separate service package provided by one or more broadband providers; and provision a delivery of the multimedia content to a media device in accordance with access settings defined at least in part in the individual user profiles. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicant: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, LP
    Inventors: EDWARD WALTER, LARRY B. PEARSON, JERALD R. HOWCROFT