Patents by Inventor Russell D. N. MacKinnon

Russell D. N. MacKinnon 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: 6016158
    Abstract: A communication system comprising: a transmitter having means for transmitting an object stream comprising a plurality of objects; each of said objects having an identifier or ID which is unique in said communication system and which is independent of the time of transmission of said object; a plurality of receivers each including means for receiving said object stream, and each including means for selecting any of said objects from said object stream; means for providing a receiver profile at each of said receivers independently from said object stream transmission, said transmitter having no means for addressing any of said objects to any of said receivers; each of said receiver profiles comprising a list of objects of interest for one of said receivers; said means for selecting being responsive to said profile and said unique ID for selecting objects from said object stream corresponding to objects of interest and for storing said objects of interest; characterized in that said system includes sequencer me
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2000
    Assignee: Pelmorex Media Inc.
    Inventor: Russell D. N. Mackinnon
  • Patent number: 5140419
    Abstract: A communications system having centralized management and multiply-hierarchical addressing schemes is disclosed. The system may be used in connection with supplying video, audio and data such as weather-related text, graphics, and information to affiliated receivers in a network for broadcast or display. Receivers may be addressed singly or in groups and allowed to determine their own addresses from information keyed, directly or indirectly, to a receiver characteristic such as the unit serial number. Lists of commands denominated "scripts" and transmitted to receivers are used for controlling the various modes or states of the receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1992
    Assignee: The Weather Channel, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan D. Galumbeck, Russell D. N. MacKinnon, Douglas G. Pincock, Frederick A. Reid