Patents by Inventor Kevin T. Collier

Kevin T. Collier 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: 8918612
    Abstract: A system and method of verifying a content of a non-volatile reprogrammable memory communicatively coupled to a microprocessor is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of reading at least a portion of the data stored in the non-volatile reprogrammable memory via a second communication path secured by encryption, generating a computed integrity value according to at least a portion of the contents of the non-volatile reprogrammable memory, and reading an integrity value, and comparing the computed integrity value with the read integrity value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald P. Cocchi, Christopher P. Curren, Kevin T. Collier
  • Patent number: 8122215
    Abstract: A system and method of verifying a content of a non-volatile reprogrammable memory communicatively coupled to a microprocessor is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of reading at least some of the data stored in the non-volatile reprogrammable memory, computing a value related to contents of the non-volatile reprogrammable memory, and comparing the value with a stored integrity value. The apparatus comprises a microprocessor, a non-volatile reprogrammable memory communicatively coupled to the microprocessor via a first communication path, the non-volatile memory for storing microprocessor program instructions, and a logical module, communicatively coupled to the non-volatile memory via a communication path independent from the first communication path, the logical module for verifying the data stored in the non-volatile reprogrammable memory by comparison of the contents of the non-volatile reprogrammable memory with a stored integrity value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald P. Cocchi, Christopher P. Curren, Kevin T. Collier
  • Patent number: 7530108
    Abstract: A system and method of controlling access to a media program via a receiver communicably coupleable to a conditional access module is described. The apparatus comprises a first processor, a second processor, and an interface module, communicatively coupled to the first processor and the second processor, the interface module for processing all communications with the conditional access module and externally manifesting a single virtual processor to the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald P. Cocchi, Christopher P. Curren, Kevin T. Collier
  • Patent number: 5404405
    Abstract: A digital FM stereo decoder uses the phase characteristics of linear phase FIR filters, together with a trignometric operation, to generate a 38 kHz subcarrier signal from a 19 kHz pilot. The subcarrier signal is mixed with the input composite signal from which the pilot has been removed to shift its L-R component to baseband; the linear phase FIR filters also maintain phase coherence between the subcarrier and the composite signals. A low distortion output is obtained without the use of a phase locked loop for the regeneration of the subcarrier signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1995
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Kevin T. Collier, Kevin T. Chan