Patents by Inventor Nicholas Thexton

Nicholas Thexton 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).

  • Providing information about video content
    Patent number: 9160977
    Abstract: A method of providing information about video content to a client is disclosed. The method includes: receiving a request from a client requesting information about video content, the request including an internet protocol address of the client; establishing (a) a geographic location of the client from the internet protocol address; and (b) a time of the request; identifying one or more content providers available in the geographic location; in dependence on the one or more content providers and the time, retrieving information about the video content from a database; and providing the information to the client. Related apparatus and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Cisco Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Colin John Davies, James Geoffrey Walker, Nicholas Thexton, Simon John Parnall
  • Apparatus and methods for handling interactive applications in broadcast networks
    Patent number: 8370892
    Abstract: An interactive method includes receiving background video including a multiplicity of video frames, at least one of the multiplicity of video frames include a plurality of sub-pictures, each of the plurality of sub-pictures representing an alternative background (1200), and switching between a first sub-picture of the plurality of sub-pictures and a second sub-picture of the plurality of sub-pictures (1210).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: NDS Limited
    Inventors: Ian R. Shelton, Michael B Costello, Ronnie Israel Dan, Nicholas Thexton, Nicholas Ashton Hall, James Geoffrey Walker, Stuart P Ashby, Neil Cormican, Rahul Chakkara
  • APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR HANDLING INTERACTIVE APPLICATIONS IN BROADCAST NETWORKS
    Publication number: 20100225742
    Abstract: An interactive method includes receiving background video including a multiplicity of video frames, at least one of the multiplicity of video frames include a plurality of sub-pictures, each of the plurality of sub-pictures representing an alternative background (1200), and switching between a first sub-picture of the plurality of sub-pictures and a second sub-picture of the plurality of sub-pictures (1210).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Inventors: Ian R. SHELTON, Michael B. Costello, Ronnie Israel Dan, Nicholas Thexton, Nicholas Ashton Hall, James Geoffrey Walker, Stuart P. Ashby, Neil Cormican, Rahul Chakkara
  • Apparatus and methods for handling interactive applications in broadcast networks
    Patent number: 7752648
    Abstract: An interactive method includes receiving, at a display device, background video including a multiplicity of video frames, at least one of the multiplicity of video frames including a plurality of sub-pictures, each of the plurality of sub-pictures representing an alternative background, and switching, at the display device, between a first sub-picture of the plurality of sub-pictures and a second sub-picture of the plurality of sub-pictures. Related apparatus and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: NDS Limited
    Inventors: Ian R Shelton, Michael B Costello, Ronnie Dan, Nicholas Thexton, Nicholas Ashton Hall, James Geoffrey Walker, Stuart P Ashby, Neil Cormican, Rahul Chakkara
  • PROVIDING INFORMATIN ABOUT VIDEO CONTENT
    Publication number: 20100146077
    Abstract: A method of providing information about video content to a client is disclosed. The method includes: receiving a request from a client requesting information about video content, the request including an internet protocol address of the client; establishing (a) a geographic location of the client from the internet protocol address; and (b) a time of the request; identifying one or more content providers available in the geographic location; in dependence on the one or more content providers and the time, retrieving information about the video content from a database; and providing the information to the client. Related apparatus and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: NDS Limited
    Inventors: Colin John Davies, James Geoffrey Walker, Nicholas Thexton, Simon John Parnall
  • Digital video broadcast system
    Patent number: 6772435
    Abstract: Transmission synchronization and bandwidth adjustment in a broadcast system are described. At least one service tool in the broadcast system supplies service information useful for selecting, from a series of broadcast events, broadcast events to be viewed by subscribers of the broadcast system. A conditional access (CA) unit in the broadcast system applies conditional access attributes to the series of broadcast events. Transmission synchronizing apparatus in the broadcast system synchronizes the CA unit and the at least one service tool by instructing the CA unit to blackout a particular event from the series of broadcast events to subscribers that are refused access to the particular event and instructing the at least one service tool to provide a replacement service to the subscribers that are refused access to the particular event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: NDS Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Thexton, Martin Gold, Yorai Feldman