Patents by Inventor John William Richardson
John William Richardson 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).
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Patent number: 9219917Abstract: There are provided apparatus and methods for parallelizing an encoding process across multiple processors. An apparatus includes a computing resource balancer and a splitter. The computing resource balancer is for assigning encoder instances to respective ones of the multiple processors based on at least one of thread affinity and process affinity. The splitter is for temporally dividing an incoming video sequence into discrete GOPs such that each of the encoder instances is capable of encoding the incoming video sequence in parallel so that each of the discrete GOPs is encoded on a respective one of the multiple processors.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2006Date of Patent: December 22, 2015Assignee: THOMSON LICENSINGInventors: John William Richardson, Richard Edwin Goedeken, Jens Cahnbley
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Patent number: 9014059Abstract: In a network having routing elements for routing information through the network, there is provided a method for providing an ability to set up a Quality of Service contract for a videoconference session between clients. A reservation is received for a time period for the videoconference session. Configuration information, for filtering real-time traffic corresponding to the videoconference session from other traffic traversing the network, is sent to at least one of the routing elements after the time period is reserved.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2002Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: John William Richardson, Jens Cahnbley, Kumar Ramaswamy
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Patent number: 8994879Abstract: There are provided methods and apparatus for audio and video synchronization timestamp rollover correction. A synchronization apparatus includes a synchronizer for providing synchronization information for synchronizing a video stream with an audio stream during any point in a broadcast thereof irrespective of whether the video stream and the audio stream have different rollover points for their respective timestamps. The synchronization information is encoded for an out of band transmission with respect to the broadcast of the audio and video streams.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2006Date of Patent: March 31, 2015Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: John William Richardson, Jens Cahnbley
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Patent number: 8879641Abstract: There is provided a method for employing Parameter Set information corresponding to an Advanced Video Coding (AVC) file. The method includes the step of embedding the Parameter Set information into a Hint Track of the AVC file.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2004Date of Patent: November 4, 2014Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: John William Richardson, Jens Cahnbley
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Patent number: 8739235Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed in which a buffer receives a first content stream carrying a content channel signal. The first content stream carries the content channel signal at a rate substantially greater than the streaming content playout rate, for initially loading the buffer. The buffer switches its reception of the content channel signal from the first content stream to a second content stream. The second content stream is at a rate substantially the same as the streaming content playout rate. Generally, this switch occurs when some predefined threshold of the content channel signal is buffered.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2012Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: Thomas Anthony Stahl, John William Richardson
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Patent number: 8352991Abstract: A Video Server (VS 100) encodes a video stream according to the values of parameters and transmits the video stream over a Network to a Video Client (VC 200) that decodes the received video stream for presentation to a user. As the video stream is being received, (VC 200 continually gathers data regarding at least the condition of Network sends this data to (VS 100). (VS 100) modifies the values of the parameters based on the data received from (VC 200), which in turn modifies the encoding of the video stream.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2002Date of Patent: January 8, 2013Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: Jens Cahnbley, John William Richardson
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Publication number: 20120222076Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed in which a buffer receives a first content stream carrying a content channel signal. The first content stream carries the content channel signal at a rate substantially greater than the streaming content playout rate, for initially loading the buffer. The buffer switches its reception of the content channel signal from the first content stream to a second content stream. The second content stream is at a rate substantially the same as the streaming content playout rate. Generally, this switch occurs when some predefined threshold of the content channel signal is buffered.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2012Publication date: August 30, 2012Inventors: Thomas Anthony Stahl, John William Richardson
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Publication number: 20120222078Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed in which a buffer receives a first content stream carrying a content channel signal. The first content stream carries the content channel signal at a rate substantially greater than the streaming content playout rate, for initially loading the buffer. The buffer switches its reception of the content channel signal from the first content stream to a second content stream. The second content stream is at a rate substantially the same as the streaming content playout rate. Generally, this switch occurs when some predefined threshold of the content channel signal is buffered.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2012Publication date: August 30, 2012Inventors: Thomas Anthony Stahl, John William Richardson
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Patent number: 8144690Abstract: A method that provides for multicast delivery of information in a DSL network includes creating transmission paths between a single source port and multiple destination ports in a DSL network; receiving information at the source port; determining which of the destination ports is to receive the information; and distributing the information from the source port to selective ones of the destination ports based on the prior referencing step. A DSL system for providing multicast delivery of information includes an ATM network layer for sending information, a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) coupled to the ATM network layer for receiving the information, and a network control system for controlling selective multiplexing of the information through the digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM).Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2001Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.Inventors: John William Richardson, Kumar Ramaswamy
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Patent number: 7656824Abstract: A method for providing a private conversation channel in a videoconference session between at least three participants includes the steps of providing an ability to receive a private acceptance in response to the private invitation and providing an ability to exclude non-parties to the private conversation from receiving private messages corresponding to the private conversation.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2002Date of Patent: February 2, 2010Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: Charles Chuanming Wang, Jens Cahnbley, John William Richardson
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Publication number: 20090295992Abstract: There are provided methods and apparatus for audio and video synchronization timestamp rollover correction. A synchronization apparatus includes a synchronizer for providing synchronization information for synchronizing a video stream with an audio stream during any point in a broadcast thereof irrespective of whether the video stream and the audio stream have different rollover points for their respective timestamps. The synchronization information is encoded for an out of band transmission with respect to the broadcast of the audio and video streams.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2006Publication date: December 3, 2009Applicant: THOMSON LICENSINGInventors: John William Richardson, Jens Cahnbley
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Patent number: 7619973Abstract: An apparatus and a method for managing service traffic in a communications network capable of providing voice, data, and A/V services to a plurality of customers. In particular, the present invention is a digital subscriber line system (DSL), preferably based on ADSL, having a plurality of customer premise equipment (CPEs) coupled to voice, data and A/V services via network system equipment comprising a DSLAM, an ATM switch and a DSL terminator for connecting the system to the internet. The invention provides a network control system that includes a plurality of databases including a provisioning database and a real time database indicative of the actual bandwidth being utilized.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2001Date of Patent: November 17, 2009Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: John William Richardson, Thomas Anthony Stahl
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Patent number: 7512650Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) digital document delivery system is provided. A customer premise unit is configured to permit a customer to order and receive a data stream. A buffer is coupled to the customer premise unit to store the data stream before transmitting the data stream to a customer. A server includes digital documents stored thereon for delivery to customers through a switched ATM network. A control mechanism is employed to control a data rate of the data stream between the server and the buffer to ensure maintenance of a steady data stream from the customer premise unit to a customer during a loss of a physical layer between the server and the customer premise unit.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2002Date of Patent: March 31, 2009Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventor: John William Richardson
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Patent number: 7483451Abstract: A method and an apparatus using a system level clocking scheme to remove jitter from multi-media packets distributed over an asynchronous network, in particular an asynchronous network. The present invention overcomes the problems associated with jitter introduced in an asynchronous network by using various time stamps to synchronize a client device clock to a headend clock and to control the data flow in the client device to match the rate that the data is received by a broadband receiver coupled to the headend. A first time stamp is prepended to the transport packets when the packets are received from the headend. A second time stamp is placed in the data frame when the data frame is placed on the network. A third time stamp is placed in the data frame when the data frame is received from the network. The second and third time stamps are used for synchronizing the client clock to the server clock, which is in turn frequency locked to the headend clock.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2001Date of Patent: January 27, 2009Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: Terry Wayne Lockridge, Thomas Edward Horlander, John William Richardson
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Publication number: 20090003454Abstract: A device incorporates a software-based H.264 video encoder for providing compressed, or encoded, video data. The H.264 encoder incorporates a timer algorithm such that the time available to the H.264 encoder within the macroblock mode decision and motion estimation framework is constrained, or restricted. The particular amount of time available to the H.264 encoder then determines a subset of available encoding modes that the H.264 encoder can use to encode a macroblock.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 24, 2006Publication date: January 1, 2009Inventors: John William Richardson, Richard Edwin Goedeken
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Publication number: 20080253465Abstract: There is provided a method for employing Parameter Set information corresponding to an Advanced Video Coding (AVC) file. The method includes the step of embedding the Parameter Set information into a Hint Track of the AVC file.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 10, 2004Publication date: October 16, 2008Inventors: John William Richardson, Jens Cahnbley
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Publication number: 20080158337Abstract: A method for adjusting parameters of a videoconference session involving client devices includes the step of providing an ability to adjust bandwidth characteristics corresponding to at least one of the client devices based on a location of the at least one of the client devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2002Publication date: July 3, 2008Inventor: John William Richardson
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Publication number: 20080137736Abstract: There are provided apparatus and methods for parallelizing an encoding process across multiple processors. An apparatus includes a computing resource balancer and a splitter. The computing resource balancer is for assigning encoder instances to respective ones of the multiple processors based on at least one of thread affinity and process affinity. The splitter is for temporally dividing an incoming video sequence into discrete GOPs such that each of the encoder instances is capable of encoding the incoming video sequence in parallel so that each of the discrete GOPs is encoded on a respective one of the multiple processors.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 17, 2006Publication date: June 12, 2008Applicant: Joseph J. Laks, Patent OperationsInventors: John William Richardson, Richard Edwin Goedeken, Jens Cahnbley
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Patent number: 7203187Abstract: System and method for providing a messaging service, such as a voice mail service over a digital subscriber loop are presented. An incoming call is first routed to a service processor. The incoming call is to be delivered over the digital subscriber loop to a receiving device. A determination is made as to whether or not the incoming call is answered by the receiving device. The incoming call is routed to a message processor if the incoming call is not answered by the receiving device. The incoming call is stored at the message processor for later retrieval.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2000Date of Patent: April 10, 2007Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: John William Richardson, Kumar Ramaswamy
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Patent number: 7092384Abstract: A system and method for providing a voice and/or data service is thus presented, comprising the following. A connection request is detected. The connection request is formatted into a data cell. The data cell is sent to a service control point. The service control point determines in real time whether a connection to public switch network is available. If the connection to a public switch network is available, the requested connection is set up as a virtual circuit connection to the public switch network.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2000Date of Patent: August 15, 2006Assignee: Thomson LicensingInventors: Kumar Ramaswamy, Robert Andrew Rhodes, Robert Jay Kniskern, John William Richardson, Arthur Dean Haldeman