Patents by Inventor Nicholas Cross Wodtke

Nicholas Cross Wodtke 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: 8032905
    Abstract: In a system and method for providing a television broadcast that displays different content for different viewers, a pool of content items, or particular items from a pool of content items, is integrated with a signal for a television program. The combined signal is transmitted or broadcast in any suitable way, such as by satellite, antenna, cable, or the like. Once the combined signal has been transmitted, or while the signal is being transmitted, different items from the pool of content items are displayed to different viewers. The items may be displayed to viewers during a broadcast of a pre-recorded television program. Rules may be integrated into the combined signal governing how and when items from the pool of content items are displayed. The rules may also govern which items from the pool of content items are displayed. A return channel may be provided so that a viewer may communicate to a content provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Nizar Allibhoy, Nicholas Cross Wodtke
  • Publication number: 20100199304
    Abstract: In a system and method for providing a television broadcast that displays different content for different viewers, a pool of content items, or particular items from a pool of content items, is integrated with a signal for a television program. The combined signal is transmitted or broadcast in any suitable way, such as by satellite, antenna, cable, or the like. Once the combined signal has been transmitted, or while the signal is being transmitted, different items from the pool of content items are displayed to different viewers. The items may be displayed to viewers during a broadcast of a pre-recorded television program. Rules may be integrated into the combined signal governing how and when items from the pool of content items are displayed. The rules may also govern which items from the pool of content items are displayed. A return channel may be provided so that a viewer may communicate to a content provider.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Nizar Allibhoy, Nicholas Cross Wodtke
  • Patent number: 7725910
    Abstract: In a system and method for providing a television broadcast that displays different content for different viewers, a pool of content items, or particular items from a pool of content items is/are integrated with a signal for a television program. The combined signal is transmitted or broadcast in any suitable way, such as by satellite, antenna, cable, or the like. Once the combined signal has been transmitted, or while the signal is being transmitted, different items from the pool of content items are displayed to different viewers. The items may be displayed to viewers during a broadcast of a pre-recorded television program. Rules may be integrated into the combined signal governing how and when items from the pool of content items are displayed. The rules may also govern which items from the pool of content items are displayed. A return channel may be provided so that a viewer may communicate to a content provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Nizar Allibhoy, Nicholas Cross Wodtke
  • Patent number: 6824469
    Abstract: A system and method for awarding prizes in a contest consisting of multiple sub-contests in which prizes are awarded to contestants based on the contestants' relative skill, even where some of the sub-contests may be known to some of the contestants in advance of the contest. Points are awarded to contestants for correct responses to the sub-contests. Contestants are ranked by the number of points they were awarded. The number of points awarded in the various sub-contests, or the weighting, causes the ranking to approximately correlate to the contestants' performance on a particular sub-set of the sub-contests. Sub-grouping of contestants and multi-tiered prizing structures are also employed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventors: Nizar Allibhoy, Nicholas Cross Wodtke
  • Publication number: 20030013528
    Abstract: A system and method for awarding prizes in a contest consisting of multiple sub-contests in which prizes are awarded to contestants based on the contestants' relative skill, even where some of the sub-contests may be known to some of the contestants in advance of the contest. Points are awarded to contestants for correct responses to the sub-contests. Contestants are ranked by the number of points they were awarded. The number of points awarded in the various sub-contests, or the weighting, causes the ranking to approximately correlate to the contestants' performance on a particular sub-set of the sub-contests. Sub-grouping of contestants and multi-tiered prizing structures are also employed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2002
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Nizar Allibhoy, Nicholas Cross Wodtke
  • Publication number: 20030009755
    Abstract: In a system and method for providing a television broadcast that displays different content for different viewers, a pool of content items, or particular items from a pool of content items, is integrated with a signal for a television program. The combined signal is transmitted or broadcast in any suitable way, such as by satellite, antenna, cable, or the like. Once the combined signal has been transmitted, or while the signal is being transmitted, different items from the pool of content items are displayed to different viewers. The items may be displayed to viewers during a broadcast of a pre-recorded television program. Rules may be integrated into the combined signal governing how and when items from the pool of content items are displayed. The rules may also govern which items from the pool of content items are displayed. A return channel may be provided so that a viewer may communicate to a content provider.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Nizar Allibhoy, Nicholas Cross Wodtke