Patents by Inventor Ralf Schaefer

Ralf Schaefer 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: 9386344
    Abstract: Within the context of the broadcasting of DVB services over an IP network, the trend is to separate the signalling information describing the network and the services offered from the services themselves. The signalling is made available to the terminals via XML files available on HTTP servers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: THOMSON LICENSING
    Inventors: Ralf Schaefer, Yves Maetz
  • Patent number: 9192936
    Abstract: A method for crushing and drying damp wood, wherein the wood is introduced into an impact reactor, which has a substantially cylindrical main body, in the closed interior space of which there rotates a rotor with at least one impact element, which contacts the wood and crushes it into part-constituents while generating a great transfer of momentum. The interior space of the cylindrical main body is assigned a suction removal device, which during the impact crushing removes the mist of moisture produced when the impact element makes contact with the material, and the interior space of the cylindrical main body has admitted to it hot gas, heated by waste heat from a combustion process, at a temperature of less than 95° C., in particular less than 80° C., or the exhaust gas from a combustion process, which after a collision of the impact element with a material constituent penetrates the material constituent in place of the moisture leaving. Also a device for carrying out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: PROACTOR SCHUTZRECHTSVERWALTUNGS GMBH
    Inventor: Ralf Schaefer
  • Publication number: 20140091164
    Abstract: An apparatus for crushing material, especially wood, comprising a main body, and an ejection box connected to the main body via an ejection opening, and a first conveying screw in the ejection box beneath the ejection opening for conveying the crushed material from the ejection box, characterized in that a first screen having a first mesh width is arranged beneath the ejection opening, which first screen extends from the ejection opening to the first conveying screw at an incline with respect to the horizontal, and that a sliding surface arranged in an inclined manner with respect to the horizontal or a second screen which has a second mesh width that is smaller than the first mesh width and which is inclined with respect to the horizontal is arranged beneath the first screen, which second screen extends from the main body to a second conveying screw which is arranged beneath the first conveying screw.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Inventor: Ralf Schaefer
  • Publication number: 20140008470
    Abstract: A method for crushing and drying damp wood, wherein the wood is introduced into an impact reactor, which has a substantially cylindrical main body, in the closed interior space of which there rotates a rotor with at least one impact element, which contacts the wood and crushes it into part-constituents while generating a great transfer of momentum. The interior space of the cylindrical main body is assigned a suction removal device, which during the impact crushing removes the mist of moisture produced when the impact element makes contact with the material, and the interior space of the cylindrical main body has admitted to it hot gas, heated by waste heat from a combustion process, at a temperature of less than 95° C., in particular less than 80° C., or the exhaust gas from a combustion process, which after a collision of the impact element with a material constituent penetrates the material constituent in place of the moisture leaving. Also a device for carrying out the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Inventor: Ralf Schaefer
  • Publication number: 20120266485
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for creating a fine-grained fuel from solid or paste-like raw energy materials by torrefaction. The apparatus including an impact reactor having a rotor and impact elements which is temperature resistant up to 350 degrees Celsius, a feed device for hot circulation gas in the lower region of the impact reactor, a feed device for solid or paste-like raw energy materials in the head region of the impact reactor. The apparatus further including at least one withdrawal device for a gas flow having comminuted and torrefacted raw energy particles and a separation and withdrawal device for crushed and torrefacted raw energy particles from the gas flow taken out of the impact reactor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicants: PROACTOR SCHUTZRECHTSVERWALTUNGSGMBH, THYSSENKRUPP UHDE GMBH
    Inventors: Ralf Abraham, Stefan Hamel, Ralf Schaefer
  • Patent number: 8015588
    Abstract: A method of managing auxiliary programs broadcast with main programs in a digital data stream, wherein the method is implemented by a receiver, involving receiving several digital data streams including the aforementioned digital data stream, detecting data identifying all the auxiliary programs contained in said digital data stream, extracting all the auxiliary programs identified in the stream, and storing all of the auxiliary programs identified and extracted from the digital data stream, wherein the extraction is followed by analyzing execution commands associated with the extracted auxiliary programs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.
    Inventors: Mary-Luc Champel, Ralf Schaefer
  • Patent number: 7971224
    Abstract: A method for activating several applications, where a received start up application determines whether a first application or a second application will be activated. The first application, which is received, along with the start up application, is activated if a file of additional data is not present in a memory. Conversely, the second application will be activated if the file is present in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Yves Maetz, Ralf Schaefer
  • Patent number: 7895619
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling of the display of audio-visual program by a receiver provided with means of receiving and recording audio-visual programs. The method comprises a step of recording a first program selected by the user; and subsequent to an action by the user to display the recorded program, a step of playback a program of a second type pre-recorded in the recording means (this program being for example of an advertising type), and a step which consists in displaying the second type program before the end of the first program display for a time interval stored in the receiver, the display of the first program being conditional to the display of the second-type program. The invention is characterized in that it comprises an improvement, whereby the receiver keeps an account of the duration of display of programs of the second type and authorizes unconditionally the display of programs after a certain duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Ralf Schaefer, Mary-Luc Champel
  • Patent number: 7774800
    Abstract: An information processing system or a digital decoder (5) makes it possible to process data originating from at least one application (3), for example, by way of a bouquet of television programs, and comprises an operating system (1), a virtual machine (10) and an application manager (4) executing one or more variable management instruction sets (11) so as to influence the operating system (1) and the virtual machine (10) during the execution of the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Philippe Letellier, Eric Diehl, Pierre Houeix, Ralf Schaefer
  • Patent number: 7770187
    Abstract: An information processing system or a digital decoder (5) makes it possible to process data originating from at least one application (3), for example, by way of a bouquet of television programs, and comprises an operating system (1), a virtual machine (10) and an application manager (4) executing one or more variable management instruction sets (11) so as to influence the operating system (1) and the virtual machine (10) during the execution of the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Philippe Letellier, Eric Diehl, Pierre Houeix, Ralf Schaefer
  • Patent number: 7627762
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a device and a process for signing digital streams, each of them comprising contents, related to audiovisual information, and a signaling. The device applies encrypting to selectively determined descriptors of the signaling, called authenticated descriptors, to obtain signature. The invention also concerns corresponding authentication device and process. Application to authentication of DVB/MPEG digital streams, notably for MHP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Ralf Schaefer, Alain Durand, Laurent Lesenne, Frédéric Pasquier
  • Publication number: 20090222871
    Abstract: Within the context of the broadcasting of DVB services over an IP network, the trend is to separate the signalling information describing the network and the services offered from the services themselves. The signalling is made available to the terminals via XML files available on HTTP servers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2005
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Inventors: Ralf Schaefer, Yves Maetz
  • Patent number: 7293101
    Abstract: Broadcast based information systems like Teletext use a unidirectional communication scheme in order to get access to information. This means that requests for data objects are not transmitted from a client to a server. Instead the receiver part of the client has to listen for the requested object on the broadcast medium and copy it to the local storage when it goes by. The access time from the receiver point of view is defined as the difference between the reception point in time of the object and the point in time when the request was made. Nowadays realized broadcast based information systems are not able to determine precisely when a requested object will be available. The present invention uses a repetition distance which defines an additional parameter which has to be transmitted with each broadcast data object at the transmitter side. The receiver can use this information to determine the precise repetition point in time of a requested object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Sony International (Europe) GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Schaefer, Rudolf Bittner, Markus Zumkeller
  • Patent number: 7279658
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for cleaning the gas nozzle (12) of a welding torch (14) and for spraying the gas nozzle (12) or a welding wire located in the gas nozzle (12). The inventive device comprises a clamping/holding device (16) for the gas nozzle (12), a cleaning device (18) for mechanically removing welding residues from the gas nozzle (12), wherein the cleaning device (18) can be moved in the direction of a first axis (20) towards the clamping/holding device (16) or away from the latter. The device also comprises a spraying device (22) for applying an anti-stick medium. The spraying device (22) can be moved in the direction of a second axis (24) that is arranged in a substantially transversal manner with respect to a first axis (20) and relative to the clamping/holding device (16). Preferably, the spraying device (22) is mechanically coupled to a cutting device (44) for the welding wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Alexander Binzel Schweisstechnik
    Inventor: Ralf Schaefer
  • Publication number: 20070220574
    Abstract: Within the framework of the transmission of DVB services over an IP network, the tendency is to separate the signalling information describing the network and the services offered from the services themselves. The signalling is made available to the terminals via XML files available on HTTP servers. In contradistinction to this approach, the invention consists of a method of discovery, by a terminal connected to an IP type network, of DVB services on the IP type network, where the terminal uses a first IP address and a first port number to receive a transport stream transmitted to this IP address on this port. The terminal extracts from the said stream the signalling tables including the networks information table (NIT).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventors: Ralf Schaefer, Yves Maetz, Jean-Luc Philouze
  • Patent number: 7183712
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lamp for a vehicle headlight with low-beam function, which lamp has an outer envelope and emits at least visible light of different colors from several regions of the outer envelope, characterized in that in that a partial coating is at least provided on the outer envelope such that, when the low-beam function is being realized, at least that region of the traffic space which lies above the bright-dark cut-off can be at least partly illuminated with visible colored light which is scattered at said partial coating, while at the same time that region of the traffic space which lies below the bright-dark cut-off can be illuminated with visible light of a different color in defined regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.
    Inventors: Klaus Schoeller, Colette Knight, Ralf Schaefer, Lukas Kuepper
  • Publication number: 20060249498
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for cleaning the gas nozzle (12) of a welding torch (14) and for spraying the gas nozzle (12) or a welding wire located in the gas nozzle (12). The inventive device comprises a clamping/holding device (16) for the gas nozzle (12), a cleaning device (18) for mechanically removing welding residues from the gas nozzle (12), wherein the cleaning device (18) can be moved in the direction of a first axis (20) towards the clamping/holding device (16) or away from the latter. The device also comprises a spraying device (22) for applying an anti-stick medium. The spraying device (22) can be moved in the direction of a second axis (24) that is arranged in a substantially transversal manner with respect to a first axis (20) and relative to the clamping/holding device (16). Preferably, the spraying device (22) is mechanically coupled to a cutting device (44) for the welding wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2004
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Inventor: Ralf Schaefer
  • Publication number: 20060156371
    Abstract: The invention relates to an interactive television process applicable to a system where one or more transmitting stations transmit programmes to receivers. This process provides for: a) reception in one of the receivers, of a startup application and of a normal application; b) testing for the presence in a memory of the receiver of at least one file of additional data; c) in the absence of this file or of these files in this memory, starting up of the normal application; d) if the files of additional data are present, starting up of an improved application using the files of additional data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2003
    Publication date: July 13, 2006
    Applicant: THOMSON LICENSING S.A.
    Inventors: Yves Maetz, Ralf Schaefer
  • Publication number: 20060126551
    Abstract: The invention allows a user, wanting to receive, on the one hand, a digital television offer broadcast in a conventional manner, and, on the other hand, an offer of video services on an IP network, to have a conventional receiving device capable of redistributing on the local network the services that he receives. This receiver will therefore be seen on the network as an additional source of IP services. The conventional service offer will be incorporated into the IP services offer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Publication date: June 15, 2006
    Inventors: Christophe Delaunay, Mary-Luc Champel, Ralf Schaefer
  • Publication number: 20060048187
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for drawing up a list of contents in a controller device connected to a domestic network, said list enumerating the contents provided by various devices connected to the domestic network. The inventive method consists in transmitting a command specifying a filtering criterion from the controller device; in drawing up a local list in each device upon reception of said command; in transferring each local list to the controller device from the device in which the last was drawn up; and in assembling the local lists in the controller device in order to form a list of contents. The user can thus select a filtering criterion such as sports for example and can view the list of contents which enter into said filtering category and which are available for all devices. Quick content searches can also be carried out by the user. The invention also relates to a device enabling a list of contents to be drawn up according to said message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2003
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Inventors: Willem Lubbers, Yves Maetz, Ralf Schaefer