Patents by Inventor Robert C. Stein
Robert C. Stein 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).
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Patent number: 9736550Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for processing an emergency alert message (e.g., a national warning system message e.g., an Emergency Alert System (EAS) message). The methods may comprise a digital media server receiving the message. The digital media server may notify client devices (that are connected to that server via a residential Local Area Network) that it has received such a message. The client devices notified may be those that have requested (e.g., to the digital media server) that they are notified if the digital media server receives such a message. The digital media server may convert the message from being in a first format to being in a second format. The digital media server may acquire, and provide for use by the client device, information that may be used a client device to ascertain whether the message is a new, an updated, or a duplicate message.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2015Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLCInventor: Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20160105729Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for processing an emergency alert message (e.g., a national warning system message e.g., an Emergency Alert System (EAS) message). The methods may comprise a digital media server receiving the message. The digital media server may notify client devices (that are connected to that server via a residential Local Area Network) that it has received such a message. The client devices notified may be those that have requested (e.g., to the digital media server) that they are notified if the digital media server receives such a message. The digital media server may convert the message from being in a first format to being in a second format. The digital media server may acquire, and provide for use by the client device, information that may be used a client device to ascertain whether the message is a new, an updated, or a duplicate message.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2015Publication date: April 14, 2016Inventor: Robert C. Stein
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Patent number: 9137563Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for processing an emergency alert message (e.g., a national warning system message e.g., an Emergency Alert System (EAS) message). The methods may comprise a digital media server receiving the message. The digital media server may notify client devices (that are connected to that server via a residential Local Area Network) that it has received such a message. The client devices notified may be those that have requested (e.g., to the digital media server) that they are notified if the digital media server receives such a message. The digital media server may convert the message from being in a first format to being in a second format. The digital media server may acquire, and provide for use by the client device, information that may be used a client device to ascertain whether the message is a new, an updated, or a duplicate message.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2012Date of Patent: September 15, 2015Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLCInventor: Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20140059594Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for processing an emergency alert message (e.g., a national warning system message e.g., an Emergency Alert System (EAS) message). The methods may comprise a digital media server receiving the message. The digital media server may notify client devices (that are connected to that server via a residential Local Area Network) that it has received such a message. The client devices notified may be those that have requested (e.g., to the digital media server) that they are notified if the digital media server receives such a message. The digital media server may convert the message from being in a first format to being in a second format. The digital media server may acquire, and provide for use by the client device, information that may be used a client device to ascertain whether the message is a new, an updated, or a duplicate message.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 24, 2012Publication date: February 27, 2014Applicant: General Instrument CorporationInventor: Robert C. Stein
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Patent number: 8284761Abstract: A system and method for implementing dynamic end-to-end loss compensation in a VoIP communication system is provided. The invention utilizes standard signaling protocol to accommodate for the characteristics of various call endpoints, and in particular, provides for an SDP parameter that conveys terminal characteristics between endpoints of a VoIP connection.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2007Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: General Instrument CorporationInventors: Phillip Kent Freyman, Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20110029653Abstract: A computer-implemented method for a home network registers an application with a NetManager, and provides a handler to the NetManager to control discovery of desired devices or services for the application. In one aspect of the present invention, the home network is an OpenCable Application Platform home network, and the desired devices or services are Universal Plug and Play devices or services. The method receives an event notification from the NetManager when the NetManager discovers a device or service that is one of the desired devices or services, creates an object instance of NetModule for the device or service, and accesses a standard interface for the device or service through the object instance of NetModule. The method accesses the standard interface by posting an XML document to the device or service using an interface of the object instance of NetModule.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 3, 2010Publication date: February 3, 2011Applicant: GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATIONInventor: Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20090193474Abstract: A method is provided for rendering digital content items with a second media renderer in a network having at least one control point, at least one media server, and a plurality of media renderers. The method includes presenting a list of one or more digital content items currently being rendered by any media renderer in communication with the network. A user input is received selecting a digital content item that is currently being rendered by a first media renderer. In response to the user input, the second media renderer is caused to request transmission of the selected digital content item from a first media server associated with the first media renderer to the second media renderer. The network is configured to allow digital content items stored in any media server in communication with the network to be located by any control point of the network and to be transferred for rendering by any media renderer of the network.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 30, 2008Publication date: July 30, 2009Applicant: GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATIONInventor: Robert C. Stein
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Patent number: 7450561Abstract: A method is provided for allocating bandwidth over a cable network to establish a packet-switched telephony connection between two endpoints. The method begins by authorizing and reserving an allocation of bandwidth at the time of a call origination sufficient to establish a voice-band data connection between the endpoints. Next, only a portion of the allocation of bandwidth is committed. This committed portion, which is sufficient to establish a compressed voice traffic connection between the endpoints, is a subset of the reserved allocation of bandwidth. The reserved but uncommitted portion of the allocation of bandwidth is released so that it is available for another connection if at least one of the endpoints determines that the connection is to support voice traffic and not voice-band data. This bandwidth portion may be released after a prescribed period of time has elapsed since the establishment of a full send/receive connection without the detection of voice-band data.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2002Date of Patent: November 11, 2008Assignee: General Instrument CorporationInventors: Jay Strater, Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20080227462Abstract: A system obtains a plurality of locations respectively associated with a plurality of mobile devices that are in communication with the stationary access device. For each of the plurality of mobile devices, the system obtains a relative distance metric associated with that mobile device. Based on the plurality of locations and the relative distance metric, the computes a relative location of the stationary access device.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2007Publication date: September 18, 2008Applicant: GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATIONInventors: Phillip Kent Freyman, Gordon B. Beacham, Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20080037520Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for presenting information associated with a packet-switched telephony call received over a broadband communications network. The method includes receiving a packet-switched telephony call that includes an incoming machine-readable text string incorporated in a signal that conforms to a packet-switched telephony signaling protocol. The incoming machine-readable text string is translated to a predefined corresponding text string that represents the machine-readable text string in a human-readable language. Finally, the corresponding text string is presented to an end user. The aforementioned method may be performed by a residential gateway or the like.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2006Publication date: February 14, 2008Inventors: Robert C. Stein, Phillip Kent Freyman
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Patent number: 7142660Abstract: A method for configuring an access device that is coupled to an Internet Protocol network enables the access device to apply a desired signal to an access line, which signal is requested by a local exchange. Upon receiving a V5 protocol message from the local exchange requesting the desired signal to be applied to the access line, a voice gateway or Internet Protocol Access Terminal maps the V5 protocol message into a text message in NCS format containing one or more parameters associated with the desired signal and sends the text message to the access device over the Internet Protocol network. Upon receipt of the text message, the access device or media access terminal adjusts its configuration in accordance with the received text message using the one or more parameters included in the text message and one or more default values stored in a management information base accessible to the access device that defines the desired signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2003Date of Patent: November 28, 2006Assignee: General Instrument CorporationInventors: Phillip Kent Freyman, Robert C. Stein, Michael Patrick Ryan, Haneef B. Charania
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Patent number: 6963574Abstract: A broadband telephony network changes a number of users in a multiuser call. The network initially has active users. Each initial active user has a one-way connection as an origin and a one-way connection as a destination. In response to a change in the number of users, for each active user maintaining an active status, the destination of one of the connections where that active user is the origin is changed while that active user remains as that connection's origin.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2001Date of Patent: November 8, 2005Assignee: General Instrument CorporationInventor: Robert C. Stein
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Patent number: 6807676Abstract: A method of formatting data to maximize the readability of song identification (ID) information displayed on a monitor screen and a method of formatting data to maximize the amount of song ID information displayed on a limited number of lines on the monitor screen. The monitor screen is used to view in-band audio broadcast channel song ID information and out-of-band audio broadcast channel song ID information. The in-band ID information is associated with a song that is currently being played on a selected one of a plurality of channels. The out-of-band ID information is associated with all of the plurality of channels. To maximize readability, in-band ID information is abbreviated if the amount of information exceeds a maximum number of lines determined for the in-band ID information. To maximize the amount of in-band ID information, wraparound and abbreviation techniques are performed.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 1998Date of Patent: October 19, 2004Assignee: General Instrument CorporationInventors: Clyde Robbins, John F. Maraska, John Kamieniecki, Douglas W. Palmer, Tony Nasuti, Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20040028206Abstract: A method for configuring an access device that is coupled to an Internet Protocol network enables the access device to apply a desired signal to an access line, which signal is requested by a local exchange. Upon receiving a V5 protocol message from the local exchange requesting the desired signal to be applied to the access line, a voice gateway or Internet Protocol Access Terminal maps the V5 protocol message into a text message in NCS format containing one or more parameters associated with the desired signal and sends the text message to the access device over the Internet Protocol network. Upon receipt of the text message, the access device or media access terminal adjusts its configuration in accordance with the received text message using the one or more parameters included in the text message and one or more default values stored in a management information base accessible to the access device that defines the desired signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2003Publication date: February 12, 2004Applicant: General Instrument CorporationInventors: Phillip Kent Freyman, Robert C. Stein, Michael Patrick Ryan, Haneef B. Charania
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Publication number: 20030154488Abstract: A method is provided for allocating bandwidth over a cable network to establish a packet-switched telephony connection between two endpoints. The method begins by authorizing and reserving an allocation of bandwidth at the time of a call origination sufficient to establish a voice-band data connection between the endpoints. Next, only a portion of the allocation of bandwidth is committed. This committed portion, which is sufficient to establish a compressed voice traffic connection between the endpoints, is a subset of the reserved allocation of bandwidth. The reserved but uncommitted portion of the allocation of bandwidth is released so that it is available for another connection if at least one of the endpoints determines that the connection is to support voice traffic and not voice-band data. This bandwidth portion may be released after a prescribed period of time has elapsed since the establishment of a full send/receive connection without the detection of voice-band data.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2002Publication date: August 14, 2003Inventors: Jay Strater, Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20030056226Abstract: The creation of “virtual telephony endpoints” within a subscriber's location allows for diverse types of telephone sets, connected via different types of communication networks (e.g., PSTN, Ethernet, power line connections, etc.), to be grouped together and perform as “extensions” as in the sense of traditional wired telephone networks, with a “virtual” telephone number assigned to each virtual telephony endpoint (VTEP). The grouping of the telephone sets within each VTEP can be configured and continuously re-configured by the subscriber, as can the number of separate VTEPs within a single location.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2001Publication date: March 20, 2003Inventors: David B. Lazarus, Robert C. Stein
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Publication number: 20030016680Abstract: A Communication Gateway is capable of operating in broadband telephony networks having different Cable Modem Termination System and Call Agent implementations. The Communication Gateway has a set of parameters for use in defining the different implementations. Based on a selected implementation of the different implementations, values for parameters of the set are input into the Communication Gateway. The inputted values are stored. The Communication Gateway operates in the selected implementation using the stored values.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2001Publication date: January 23, 2003Applicant: General Instrument Corporation, A Delaware CorporationInventors: Robert C. Stein, David Lazarus
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Publication number: 20020176400Abstract: A broadband telephony network changes a number of users in a multiuser call. The network initially has active users. Each initial active user has a one-way connection as an origin and a one-way connection as a destination. In response to a change in the number of users, for each active user maintaining an active status, the destination of one of the connections where that active user is the origin is changed while that active user remains as that connection's origin.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2001Publication date: November 28, 2002Applicant: General Instrument CorporationInventor: Robert C. Stein
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Patent number: 5784095Abstract: The improved settop terminal of the present invention utilizes a subscriber's television as the preferred graphical interface to simultaneously provide channel in-band and out-of-band program information to a subscriber. A subscriber may tune, view and select from among a plurality of digital audio channels and analog video channels. In-band and out-of-band information is integrated into a multi-page program guide displayed on a subscriber's television. This integration permits subscribers to visually scan and view information about currently playing selections available on other channels without having to switch to them. While listening to a music selection, the subscriber may navigate through the program guide. Program information such as the title of a song, artist and record label are also displayed.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 1996Date of Patent: July 21, 1998Assignee: General Instrument CorporationInventors: Clyde Robbins, John F. Maraska, John Kamieniecki, Douglas W. Palmer, Tony Nasuti, Robert C. Stein