Patents by Inventor Motofumi Itawaki

Motofumi Itawaki 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: 10102283
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes: storing means for storing audio data and related information corresponding to the audio data; receiving means for acquiring electronic program guide information indicating programs scheduled to be broadcasted; and program selecting means for executing comparison processing for comparing predetermined related information corresponding to predetermined audio data among the audio data and the electronic program guide information and selecting, on the basis of a result of the comparison processing, a predetermined program from the broadcast-scheduled programs indicated by the electronic program guide information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ozawa, Takashi Nomura, Motofumi Itawaki
  • Publication number: 20140369667
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an information processing apparatus including: a display control section configured to display on a display section a picture based on a video signal and a caption synchronized with the picture and based on caption information attached to the video signal; and a character string information acquisition section configured to acquire character string information common to the caption information and to information related to music contents stored in a storage section, by comparing the caption information with the related information. The display control section displays on the display section the caption in which the common character string information acquired by the character string information acquisition section is highlighted in a predetermined manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ozawa, Takashi Nomura, Motofumi Itawaki
  • Patent number: 8879885
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an information processing apparatus including: a display control section configured to display on a display section a picture based on a video signal and a caption synchronized with the picture and based on caption information attached to the video signal; and a character string information acquisition section configured to acquire character string information common to the caption information and to information related to music contents stored in a storage section, by comparing the caption information with the related information. The display control section displays on the display section the caption in which the common character string information acquired by the character string information acquisition section is highlighted in a predetermined manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ozawa, Takashi Nomura, Motofumi Itawaki
  • Publication number: 20140236928
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes: storing means for storing audio data and related information corresponding to the audio data; receiving means for acquiring electronic program guide information indicating programs scheduled to be broadcasted; and program selecting means for executing comparison processing for comparing predetermined related information corresponding to predetermined audio data among the audio data and the electronic program guide information and selecting, on the basis of a result of the comparison processing, a predetermined program from the broadcast-scheduled programs indicated by the electronic program guide information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi OZAWA, Takashi Nomura, Motofumi Itawaki
  • Patent number: 8799945
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes: storing means for storing audio data and related information corresponding to the audio data; receiving means for acquiring electronic program guide information indicating programs scheduled to be broadcasted; and program selecting means for executing comparison processing for comparing predetermined related information corresponding to predetermined audio data among the audio data and the electronic program guide information and selecting, on the basis of a result of the comparison processing, a predetermined program from the broadcast-scheduled programs indicated by the electronic program guide information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ozawa, Takashi Nomura, Motofumi Itawaki
  • Publication number: 20080166106
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an information processing apparatus including: a display control section configured to display on a display section a picture based on a video signal and a caption synchronized with the picture and based on caption information attached to the video signal; and a character string information acquisition section configured to acquire character string information common to the caption information and to information related to music contents stored in a storage section, by comparing the caption information with the related information. The display control section displays on the display section the caption in which the common character string information acquired by the character string information acquisition section is highlighted in a predetermined manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2008
    Publication date: July 10, 2008
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ozawa, Takashi Nomura, Motofumi Itawaki
  • Publication number: 20080148313
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes: storing means for storing audio data and related information corresponding to the audio data; receiving means for acquiring electronic program guide information indicating programs scheduled to be broadcasted; and program selecting means for executing comparison processing for comparing predetermined related information corresponding to predetermined audio data among the audio data and the electronic program guide information and selecting, on the basis of a result of the comparison processing, a predetermined program from the broadcast-scheduled programs indicated by the electronic program guide information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Inventors: Takeshi Ozawa, Takashi Nomura, Motofumi Itawaki
  • Patent number: 7130310
    Abstract: Disclosed are a statistical multiplex system, a statistical multiplex controller and a method of statistical multiplex, which can assign bit rates to program data and auxiliary data efficiently, and also improve image quality. A statistical multiplex system is provided with: a plurality of image encoders for encoding a plurality of program data; an information encoder for encoding the auxiliary data; a multiplexing apparatus for multiplexing output thereof, and a statistical multiplex controller for controlling each of the image encoders and the information encoder. The statistical multiplex controller is made to set the bit rate to be assigned to the information encoder first, and to assign the remaining bit rates to each of the image encoders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Motofumi Itawaki, Satoshi Miyazawa
  • Publication number: 20020085584
    Abstract: Disclosed are a statistical multiplex system, a statistical multiplex controller and a method of statistical multiplex, which can assign bit rates to program data and auxiliary data efficiently, and also improve image quality. A statistical multiplex system is provided with: a plurality of image encoders for encoding a plurality of program data; an information encoder for encoding the auxiliary data; a multiplexing apparatus for multiplexing output thereof, and a statistical multiplex controller for controlling each of the image encoders and the information encoder. The statistical multiplex controller is made to set the bit rate to be assigned to the information encoder first, and to assign the remaining bit rates to each of the image encoders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2001
    Publication date: July 4, 2002
    Inventors: Motofumi Itawaki, Satoshi Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 6275464
    Abstract: A disc changer is provided to support each of a plurality of bare discs for recording and/or regeneration on a separate disc rack board without requiring a cartridge. The disc rack boards are positioned so as to form a vertical stack. A carrier is provided which moves only in the vertical direction along the vertical stack of disc rack boards. Furthermore, a plurality of disc drives is provided in a vertical stack opposing the vertical stack of disc rack boards. A hand is provided which moves only in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the carrier moves, and operates to transfer one of the plurality of bare discs between one of the plurality of disc rack boards and the carrier and between one of the plurality of disc drives and the carrier. Thus, the number of discs which may be loaded is increased while the size of the disc changer is minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Nonaka, Masahiko Watanabe, Takahisa Hakoishi, Motofumi Itawaki, Masaharu Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5991256
    Abstract: A disc changer is provided to support each of a plurality of bare discs for recording and/or regeneration on a separate disc rack board without requiring a cartridge. The disc rack boards are positioned so as to form a vertical stack. A carrier is provided which moves only in the vertical direction along the vertical stack of disc rack boards. Furthermore, a plurality of disc drives is provided in a vertical stack opposing the vertical stack of disc rack boards. A hand is provided which moves only in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the carrier moves, and operates to transfer one of the plurality of bare discs between one of the plurality of disc rack boards and the carrier and between one of the plurality of disc drives and the carrier. Thus, the number of discs which may be loaded is increased while the size of the disc changer is minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Nonaka, Masahiko Watanabe, Takahisa Hakoishi, Motofumi Itawaki, Masaharu Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5450254
    Abstract: An automatic cassette changer wherein a plurality of types of cassettes having different recording formats can be used. The automatic cassette changer comprises a plurality of types of cassettes in which different types of record media having different recording formats are accommodated, a cassette storage rack having a plurality of bins for storing the cassettes therein, a plurality of recording and/or reproducing apparatus each provided for selectively recording and/or reproducing a format signal in accordance with a selected one of the recording formats of the plurality of types of cassettes, and a transport mechanism for selectively transporting the cassettes between the bins and the recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Sato, Motofumi Itawaki, Yoshitaka Otonomiya, Tetsuro Tsubota, Wataru Nonaka
  • Patent number: 5416650
    Abstract: An improved automatic cassette changer is disclosed, which comprises a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, an accommodating rack having a plurality of bins for individually accommodating therein a plurality of cassettes, and a transporting apparatus for selectively transporting one of the cassettes accommodated in the bins to the recording and/or reproducing apparatus or vice versa. The transporting apparatus includes holding means for holding a cassette thereon, and first feeding means for feeding the holding means in a first direction in which a cassette held by the holding means is inserted into or removed from any of the bins and the recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1995
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Otonomiya, Nobuo Uda, Motofumi Itawaki