Patents by Inventor Toru Nakada

Toru Nakada 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).

  • Publication number: 20100156617
    Abstract: Even when a driver is not directing his or her line of sight to objects in the surroundings, the amount of attention of the driver to the peripheral visual field can be determined, and safe driving assistance in accordance with the result of determination can be provided. A driving attention amount determination apparatus includes: an electroencephalogram measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram signal of a driver; an attention amount determination section for determining an amount of attention of the driver to a peripheral visual field by utilizing an event-related potential in the electroencephalogram signal, the event-related potential being based on a starting point which is a time point of occurrence of a visual stimulation occurring in the peripheral visual field of the driver; and an output section for calling attention of the driver by outputting a signal based on a result of the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Inventors: Toru NAKADA, Koji Morikawa
  • Publication number: 20100130882
    Abstract: The electroencephalogram distinction method adjustment apparatus is used for adjusting a distinction method in an electroencephalogram interface section whichâ„¢ is provided in an electroencephalogram interface system. The apparatus includes a category determination section and a distinction method adjustment section. The category determination section prestores reference data for classifying a characteristic feature of an electroencephalogram signal, and determines which one of a plurality of classified categories the measured electroencephalogram signal belongs to by using the reference data and a characteristic amount which is common to electroencephalogram signals with respect to two or more options presented by the output section. Based on the result of categorization, the distinction method adjustment section adjusts the distinction method for an electroencephalogram signal with respect to the option selected by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Inventors: Toru NAKADA, Koji Morikawa
  • Patent number: 7685202
    Abstract: An event importance adjustment device which extracts events which reflect a course of video contents, and extracts scenes which reflect the course of the video contents. The event importance adjustment device comprises a digest scenario information storing unit that manages a digest scenario information indicative of an extraction condition and an extraction order of an event. The event importance adjustment device further comprises a scenario importance adjusting unit that inputs event information with importance containing the events and situation information to extract an appropriate event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kasahara, Yoshihisa Terada, Toru Nakada, Norihiko Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20090289895
    Abstract: An electroencephalogram interface system includes: sections for measuring an electroencephalogram and an eye movement; an output section for presenting on a screen an option related to a device operation; a highlight determination section for, if a predetermined time has elapsed since a rotational angular velocity of the eye movement becomes equal to or less than a threshold value, identifying a region of the screen in which the user is fixing one's gaze based on the eye movement, and determining an option to be highlighted; an interface section for highlighting the determined option, and determining an operation of the device based on an event-related potential in the signal based on the timing of highlighting the option; and a timing adjustment section for adjusting a timing of beginning highlighting based on the eye movement after a process of displaying the option on the screen is begun and until the option is displayed on the screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventors: Toru Nakada, Koji Morikawa
  • Publication number: 20090202217
    Abstract: A scene segment dividing device which can precisely specify a break segment and an in play segment based on a sports image and can precisely manage a series of offenses in the in play segment as each scene segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2006
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Yoshikawa, Toru Nakada, Wenli Zhang
  • Publication number: 20080196058
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an input unit to which replay information including a broadcasting section of a replay video and a reference section representing an actual filming time zone, and information for designating a length of a digest are input; a replay importance degree computing unit that obtains the number of replays, an interval between predetermined positions of the replay broadcasting section and the replay reference section, a time length of replay broadcasting, speed of replay broadcasting, the number of cut switches of the replay from the replay information, and computes the importance degree of the replay video on the basis of these items; and a digest creating unit that sets the replay video as a digest candidate, and selects a combination of the digest candidates based on a length condition of the digest and a composite importance degree of the combination of digest candidates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2005
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Inventors: Yoshihisa Terada, Hiroshi Kasahara, Toru Nakada
  • Publication number: 20080154932
    Abstract: An index imparting system is capable of avoiding reconditioning work, automatically generating accurate metadata, and automatically imparting information relevant to a program. The index imparting system is provided with: a control signal detecting section to identify a type of each control signal and an identifier for uniquely specifying each control signal following the detection of various kinds of control signals and obtain time of the detection. An index generating section generates metadata following the acquisition of a type, an identifier, and time identified at the control signal detecting section and, in the meantime, imparts attribute information to the metadata.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Norihiko Kobayashi, Toru Nakada, Masaaki Yoshikawa
  • Publication number: 20080052315
    Abstract: The present invention has an object to provide an event importance adjustment device which is able to extracting events which reflect a course of video contents, and to extract events in correlation thereto to allow thereby extracting scenes which reflects the course of the video contents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kasahara, Yoshihisa Terada, Toru Nakada, Norihiko Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20070217680
    Abstract: A digital image pickup device is provided with an input unit that inputs a photographed digital image, a predetermined information detector that detects predetermined information, a predetermined information embedding unit that embeds the detected predetermined information in the digital image and a browse restriction applying unit that executes a process for applying browse restriction to the digital image in which the predetermined information is embedded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2005
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventors: Yasuaki Inatomi, Toru Nakada, Yoshiaki Tomioka
  • Publication number: 20070029298
    Abstract: A temperature sensor of a simple construction using PTC devices which efficiently detects a temperature in a wide area of a planar heater is realized. The temperature sensor has excellent durability, manufacturability and installability and can be manufactured at reduced cost. For this purpose, the temperature sensor comprises a plurality of temperature detection chips formed flat, each using a PTC device, enclosed by a pressure resisting member, and connected in series by a temperature detection signal cable. The temperature sensor is further laminated between layers of an insulating film and, as a whole, formed like a ribbon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Publication date: February 8, 2007
    Applicant: JBH CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Kazunori Takagi, Toru Nakada, Shigeru Sugita
  • Patent number: 7076793
    Abstract: A program guide information producing apparatus outputs self-produced program guide information and other broadcaster's program guide information. In the program guide information producing apparatus, a common program guide information producing section generates self-produced common program guide information. Furthermore, a program guide information output section unites the self-produced common program guide information with other broadcaster's common program guide information received from a program guide information collecting/transmitting apparatus and outputs the united common program guide information. Thus, the self-produced common program guide information is surely output even when the program guide information collecting/transmitting apparatus or the like is in trouble.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Nakada, Takeshi Nagao, Kenichi Fujita, Yoshiyasu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20020161822
    Abstract: A program control information generator for realizing functions of high-speed generation and transmission of program control information and of an automatic adjustment of program information without interrupting the generation. In a broadcasting station system for broadcasting program control information, the program control information generator comprises an input section 101, a schedule adjustment section 102, a band adjustment section 103, a storage section 104, a difference detecting section 105, and a section generating section 106 in generating section data from program information and program schedule information inputted from a program organization apparatus, by which it is possible to provide a program control information generator which realizes a high-speed program control information generation and an automatic schedule adjustment method with a schedule overlap or an effective adjustment method of program control information in which a band over may occur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventors: Asako Hamada, Aki Nakagawa, Masaaki Yoshikawa, Toru Nakada, Mitsuko Fujita
  • Publication number: 20020157104
    Abstract: Disclosed is a transmitting apparatus including: a contents information storing part for storing contents information; a basic schedule creating part for creating a basic schedule as a model of a broadcast schedule on the basis of the contents information; a broadcast schedule creating part for creating a broadcast schedule on the basis of the basic schedule; a broadcast schedule storing part for storing the broadcast schedule; a contents storing part for storing contents; and a transmitting part for transmitting the broadcast schedule and contents, wherein a contents transmitting schedule for managing a storing state in a storage area of a receiving apparatus from the transmitting apparatus is created, accompanying information of contents is added to the schedule, and the resultant is transmitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2002
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Nakada, Mitsuhiro Kageyama, Hiroki Shinohara, Takeshi Nagao, Satoshi Fujitsu, Yuko Arai