Patents by Inventor Levi Pearson

Levi Pearson 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: 9860658
    Abstract: A media apparatus for selecting a media source to provide media content to a playback device that plays back the media content as at least one of audio and video content may include a controller programmed to detect a media zone that includes a playback device, detect a presence of a portable user device that provides media content, determine a number of media sources that are available in the media zone, select a first media source of the number of media sources as a preferred media source based on a hierarchy table, determine whether the preferred media source includes the media content that is provided by the portable user device, and control the preferred media source to provide the media content to the playback device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventor: Levi Pearson
  • Patent number: 9794618
    Abstract: An apparatus for switching media content playback from a first playback device to a second playback device across a plurality of playback devices may include a controller programmed to detect a change in location of a portable device from a first media zone including a first playback device to a second media zone including a second playback device, determining a playback position of currently played media content provided from a first media source to the first playback device, identify a second media source that is available at the second media zone, and control the second media source to transmit the currently played media content to the second playback device to switch playback from the first playback device to the second playback device at the playback position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventor: Levi Pearson
  • Patent number: 9686091
    Abstract: A network communication system includes a network address management and functional object discovery system. The network address management and functional object discovery system includes a network manager that manages network addresses for functional objects of electronic devices that communicate with each other over a network. The network manager may maintain a database that maps or associates unique IDs of the functional objects with associated network addresses. The network manager may provide non-conflicting instance IDs and network addresses to the electronic devices. The network manager may also provide instance IDs and/or network addresses for other electronic devices so that the electronic devices may communicate with each other over the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Levi Pearson, David Olsen, Craig Gunther
  • Publication number: 20170078811
    Abstract: A media apparatus for selecting a media source to provide media content to a playback device that plays back the media content as at least one of audio and video content may include a controller programmed to detect a media zone that includes a playback device, detect a presence of a portable user device that provides media content, determine a number of media sources that are available in the media zone, select a first media source of the number of media sources as a preferred media source based on a hierarchy table, determine whether the preferred media source includes the media content that is provided by the portable user device, and control the preferred media source to provide the media content to the playback device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventor: Levi PEARSON
  • Patent number: 9521496
    Abstract: A media apparatus for selecting a media source to provide media content to a playback device that plays back the media content as at least one of audio and video content may include a controller programmed to detect a media zone that includes a playback device, detect a presence of a portable user device that provides media content, determine a number of media sources that are available in the media zone, select a first media source of the number of media sources as a preferred media source based on a hierarchy table, determine whether the preferred media source includes the media content that is provided by the portable user device, and control the preferred media source to provide the media content to the playback device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Levi Pearson
  • Publication number: 20160239508
    Abstract: A media apparatus for mapping a plurality of media files across multiple media sources may include a database of previously stored content information including a plurality of previously stored content entries, each content entry including a previously stored filename and previously stored metadata. The apparatus may also include a controller programmed to receive first content information representative of at least one first media file from at least one first media source, the first content information including a first media filename for the at least one first media file, determine if the first media filename matches the previously stored filename, derive first metadata from the first content information, and determine if the first metadata matches any of the previously stored metadata in response to determining that the first media filename failed to match the previously stored filename to associate the first media file with one of the previously stored content entries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventor: Levi PEARSON
  • Publication number: 20160241907
    Abstract: An apparatus for switching media content playback from a first playback device to a second playback device across a plurality of playback devices may include a controller programmed to detect a change in location of a portable device from a first media zone including a first playback device to a second media zone including a second playback device, determining a playback position of currently played media content provided from a first media source to the first playback device, identify a second media source that is available at the second media zone, and control the second media source to transmit the currently played media content to the second playback device to switch playback from the first playback device to the second playback device at the playback position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventor: Levi PEARSON
  • Publication number: 20160241976
    Abstract: A media apparatus for selecting a media source to provide media content to a playback device that plays back the media content as at least one of audio and video content may include a controller programmed to detect a media zone that includes a playback device, detect a presence of a portable user device that provides media content, determine a number of media sources that are available in the media zone, select a first media source of the number of media sources as a preferred media source based on a hierarchy table, determine whether the preferred media source includes the media content that is provided by the portable user device, and control the preferred media source to provide the media content to the playback device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventor: Levi PEARSON
  • Patent number: 9232026
    Abstract: A system that includes a transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus may communicate over an Ethernet Audio/Video Bridging network. The transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus may each include an application layer module in communication with an application interface module. The application layer module of the transmitting apparatus may interface with the application interface module to send a control message over the network to control flow of a data stream over the network. The application layer module of the receiving apparatus may interface with the application to interface module to receive the control message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: David Olsen, Levi Pearson, Craig Gunther
  • Patent number: 8977759
    Abstract: A system that includes a talker, a listener, and a controller may communicate over an Ethernet Audio/Video Bridging network. The controller may communicate control messages to manage data streams between the talker and the listener through one or more application layer interfaces of the talker and the listener. Based on the control messages, the talker and the listener may communicate using a Stream Reservation Protocol to reserve connection for, or remove connection from, the data streams. The talker and listener may communicate the success of reserving or removing the connections to the controller through the application layer interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: David Olsen, Levi Pearson, Craig Gunther
  • Publication number: 20140222987
    Abstract: A network communication system includes a network address management and functional object discovery system. The network address management and functional object discovery system includes a network manager that manages network addresses for functional objects of electronic devices that communicate with each other over a network. The network manager may maintain a database that maps or associates unique IDs of the functional objects with associated network addresses. The network manager may provide non-conflicting instance IDs and network addresses to the electronic devices. The network manager may also provide instance IDs and/or network addresses for other electronic devices so that the electronic devices may communicate with each other over the network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Levi Pearson, David Olsen, Craig Gunther
  • Patent number: 8699646
    Abstract: Media Clock Negotiation (MCN) Advertise packets may advertise one or more media clock streams. Each media clock stream may include values of a real-time clock sampled according to a first media clock. A second media clock may be recoverable from the media clock stream such that the second media clock is synchronized with the first media clock. One or more transmitters that receive the packets may determine whether the advertised media clock stream meets a set of media clock conditions. If the advertised media clock stream meets the set of media clock conditions, then the transmitter may add the advertised media clock stream to a set of qualified streams. Each transmitter may select a reference media clock stream from the set of qualified streams. By selecting the same reference media clock stream, media clocks at two or more transmitters may be synchronized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: David Olsen, Levi Pearson
  • Patent number: 8619803
    Abstract: A listener system, or listener, may be used with an Ethernet Audio-Video Bridging (“AVB”) network. The listener may include various components, such as an upper layer application and a stream reservation protocol stack. The upper layer application and stream reservation protocol stack may be in communication with each other. The stream reservation protocol stack may receive stream advertisements on or across the Ethernet AVB network. The stream reservation protocol stack may operate in a sparse mode and may operate in a full mode. When operating in a sparse mode, the stream reservation protocol stack may transmit one subset of the received stream advertisements to the upper layer application, and may not transmit another subset of the received stream advertisements to the upper layer application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Craig Gunther, Levi Pearson, Dong He
  • Publication number: 20130339483
    Abstract: A system that includes a talker, a listener, and a controller may communicate over an Ethernet Audio/Video Bridging network. The controller may communicate control messages to manage data streams between the talker and the listener through one or more application layer interfaces of the talker and the listener. Based on the control messages, the talker and the listener may communicate using a Stream Reservation Protocol to reserve connection for, or remove connection from, the data streams. The talker and listener may communicate the success of reserving or removing the connections to the controller through the application layer interfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: David Olsen, Levi Pearson, Craig Gunther
  • Patent number: 8516130
    Abstract: A system that includes a talker, a listener, and a controller may communicate over an Ethernet Audio/Video Bridging network. The controller may communicate control messages to manage data streams between the talker and the listener through one or more application layer interfaces of the talker and the listener. Based on the control messages, the talker and the listener may communicate using a Stream Reservation Protocol to reserve connection for, or remove connection from, the data streams. The talker and listener may communicate the success of reserving or removing the connections to the controller through the application layer interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: David Olsen, Levi Pearson, Craig Gunther
  • Publication number: 20130166674
    Abstract: A system that includes a transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus may communicate over an Ethernet Audio/Video Bridging network. The transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus may each include an application layer module in communication with an application interface module. The application layer module of the transmitting apparatus may interface with the application interface module to send a control message over the network to control flow of a data stream over the network. The application layer module of the receiving apparatus may interface with the application to interface module to receive the control message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: David Olsen, Levi Pearson, Craig Gunther
  • Publication number: 20130007288
    Abstract: A system that includes a talker, a listener, and a controller may communicate over an Ethernet Audio/Video Bridging network. The controller may communicate control messages to manage data streams between the talker and the listener through one or more application layer interfaces of the talker and the listener. Based on the control messages, the talker and the listener may communicate using a Stream Reservation Protocol to reserve connection for, or remove connection from, the data streams. The talker and listener may communicate the success of reserving or removing the connections to the controller through the application layer interfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: David Olsen, Levi Pearson, Craig Gunther
  • Publication number: 20120310465
    Abstract: A navigation system may include a positioning device for generating a position data signal, a geographical data storage device for generating a digital map data signal, a processing device for generating navigation information based on the position data signal and the digital map data signal, and a turn control device for generating output signals to activate and/or deactivate turn signals of the vehicle and/or to enable an autonomous vehicle control system to perform a driving maneuver. The turn control device may analyze the navigation information to detect when the distance to an approaching turn fails to exceed a predetermined limit or when the turn has been completed or bypassed. The turn control device may analyze the navigation information and a velocity data signal generated by a velocity sensing device to detect when the time to the approaching turn fails to exceed a predetermined limit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert Boatright, David Olsen, Levi Pearson
  • Publication number: 20120284739
    Abstract: A listener system, or listener, may be used with an Ethernet Audio-Video Bridging (“AVB”) network. The listener may include various components, such as an upper layer application and a stream reservation protocol stack. The upper layer application and stream reservation protocol stack may be in communication with each other. The stream reservation protocol stack may receive stream advertisements on or across the Ethernet AVB network. The stream reservation protocol stack may operate in a sparse mode and may operate in a full mode. When operating in a sparse mode, the stream reservation protocol stack may transmit one subset of the received stream advertisements to the upper layer application, and may not transmit another subset of the received stream advertisements to the upper layer application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Inventors: Craig Gunther, Levi Pearson, Dong He
  • Publication number: 20120263263
    Abstract: Media Clock Negotiation (MCN) Advertise packets may advertise one or more media clock streams. Each media clock stream may include values of a real-time clock sampled according to a first media clock. A second media clock may be recoverable from the media clock stream such that the second media clock is synchronized with the first media clock. One or more transmitters that receive the packets may determine whether the advertised media clock stream meets a set of media clock conditions. If the advertised media clock stream meets the set of media clock conditions, then the transmitter may add the advertised media clock stream to a set of qualified streams. Each transmitter may select a reference media clock stream from the set of qualified streams. By selecting the same reference media clock stream, media clocks at two or more transmitters may be synchronized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Olsen, Levi Pearson