Patents by Inventor Mary C. McCarthy

Mary C. McCarthy 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: 9961396
    Abstract: An apparatus for recording multimedia content transmitted over a network including a reception interface for receiving the multimedia content from the network, a user input interface for receiving user inputs, and a storage resource including executable instructions including a recording module for recording the multimedia content in accordance with the user inputs. The user inputs also include a multimedia selection signal for indicating the multimedia content to be recorded, and a segmenting signal for indicating a size of at least one of a plurality of segments in which the multimedia content is recorded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy, Elizabeth Lopez, Valerie H. Montalvo
  • Publication number: 20150208118
    Abstract: An apparatus for recording multimedia content transmitted over a network including a reception interface for receiving the multimedia content from the network, a user input interface for receiving user inputs, and a storage resource including executable instructions including a recording module for recording the multimedia content in accordance with the user inputs. The user inputs also include a multimedia selection signal for indicating the multimedia content to be recorded, and a segmenting signal for indicating a size of at least one of a plurality of segments in which the multimedia content is recorded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy, Elizabeth Lopez, Valerie H. Montalvo
  • Patent number: 8995824
    Abstract: An apparatus for recording multimedia content transmitted over a network including a reception interface for receiving the multimedia content from the network, a user input interface for receiving user inputs, and a storage resource including executable instructions including a recording module for recording the multimedia content in accordance with the user inputs. The user inputs also include a multimedia selection signal for indicating the multimedia content to be recorded, and a segmenting signal for indicating a size of at least one of a plurality of segments in which the multimedia content is recorded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy, Elizabeth Lopez, Valerie H. Montalvo
  • Patent number: 8789110
    Abstract: A multimedia processing device (MPD) includes a relevance engine that is adapted to track a user's viewing preferences over time and to automatically determine which of the programs available in a given time slot is most probably preferred by that user. The relevance engine can then create a sequential play list, with each entry in the list corresponding to the program the user most likely wants to watch at that time. The user can thus be provided with a personalized multimedia channel (PMC) with the play list providing the program for each time slot. The user may be enabled to “tune” to the PMC like any other channel. When the user “tunes” to the PMC, the MPD will take the appropriate action to display the program selected by the PMC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy, Roland Noll
  • Patent number: 8365225
    Abstract: A multimedia processing device (MPD) includes a relevance engine that is adapted to track a user's viewing preferences over time and to automatically determine which of the programs available in a given time slot is most probably preferred by that user. The relevance engine can then create a sequential play list, with each entry in the list corresponding to the program the user most likely wants to watch at that time. The user can thus be provided with a personalized multimedia channel (PMC) with the play list providing the program for each time slot. The user may be enabled to “tune” to the PMC like any other channel. When the user “tunes” to the PMC, the MPD will take the appropriate action to display the program selected by the PMC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy, Roland Noll
  • Patent number: 8143508
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing lyrics with streaming music. A music stream is accessed that includes timing information for a song. Lyrics and other textual information such as song title, song artist, and album title are also accessed. A lyric file may be accessed that includes further timing information. The timing information is used to synchronize the song lyrics and music stream. A user may be permitted access to the synchronized lyrics and music stream by presentation on a display through a digital television set-top box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Daniel George Jean, Mary C. McCarthy, Ledley Lewis Yaussy
  • Publication number: 20100050853
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing lyrics with streaming music. A music stream is accessed that includes timing information for a song. Lyrics and other textual information such as song title, song artist, and album title are also accessed. A lyric file may be accessed that includes further timing information. The timing information is used to synchronize the song lyrics and music stream. A user may be permitted access to the synchronized lyrics and music stream by presentation on a display through a digital television set-top box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Daniel George Jean, Mary C. McCarthy, Ledley Lewis Yaussy
  • Publication number: 20090187943
    Abstract: A multimedia processing device (MPD) includes a relevance engine that is adapted to track a user's viewing preferences over time and to automatically determine which of the programs available in a given time slot is most probably preferred by that user. The relevance engine can then create a sequential play list, with each entry in the list corresponding to the program the user most likely wants to watch at that time. The user can thus be provided with a personalized multimedia channel (PMC) with the play list providing the program for each time slot. The user may be enabled to “tune” to the PMC like any other channel. When the user “tunes” to the PMC, the MPD will take the appropriate action to display the program selected by the PMC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Applicant: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
    Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy, Roland Noll
  • Publication number: 20090187951
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments help prevent recording duplicate instances of multimedia programs on digital video recorders (DVRs). In response to a request to schedule the broadcast and recording of a multimedia event, a network-based scheduler pings a DVR to determine whether a duplicate instance of the requested multimedia program is stored on the DVR. In some cases, metadata associated with recorded programs on the DVR is analyzed and compared to metadata associated with the requested multimedia event. If an exact match, or a match that meets a threshold value, is determined by comparing the metadata, the scheduler may notify the user of the potential for storing the duplicate instance of the multimedia program. In some embodiments, the scheduler processes user requests to override the prevention of recording duplicates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2008
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Applicant: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
    Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy, Elizabeth Lopez, Valerie H. Montalvo
  • Publication number: 20090180763
    Abstract: An apparatus for recording multimedia content transmitted over a network including a reception interface for receiving the multimedia content from the network, a user input interface for receiving user inputs, and a storage resource including executable instructions including a recording module for recording the multimedia content in accordance with the user inputs. The user inputs also include a multimedia selection signal for indicating the multimedia content to be recorded, and a segmenting signal for indicating a size of at least one of a plurality of segments in which the multimedia content is recorded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Applicant: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
    Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy, Elizabeth Lopez, Valerie H. Montalvo