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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8185921 | Parental control of displayed content using closed captioning According to one embodiment, a method for blocking scenes with objectionable content comprises receiving incoming content, namely a scene of a program. Thereafter, using closed captioning information, a determination is made if the scene of the program includes obje... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8184699 | Method of reducing computations in intra-prediction and mode decision processes in a digital video encoder A method of improving the computation speed of the sum of absolute transformed distances (SATD) for different intra-prediction modes is described. Determining the SATD quicker provides the benefits of better coding performance without suffering the drawbacks of long... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8184657 | Reliable audio-video transmission system using multi-media diversity A system and method for switching data packet traffic distribution across diverse transmission medium according to detected quality of service characteristics for a given data packet rate from server to client. It should be recognized that diverse medium are not int... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8184124 | Automatic color adjustment of a template design The present invention generates a color template design to format a presentation. According to one aspect, a plurality of template designs are provided on a visual display. A selection of one of the plurality of template designs is received from a user. A plurality ... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8181120 | TV widget animation An example television Widget movement method involves receiving a dedicated command from a remote controller that activates the plurality of Widget programs, wherein the Widget programs, when in Display mode, display Widget representations on a display; receiving a ... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179474 | Fast iterative motion estimation method on gradually changing images A fast iterative motion estimation method enables motion estimation to take place with fewer computations. The motion estimation and error determination steps are combined, each position in the search area is monitored to determine whether error value reaches the mi... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8176514 | Expanded playlist for TV video player An Internet TV video guide shows thumbnails of video assets available from one or more providers, and one or more of the assets may represent a playlist with two or more associated video clips. When a viewer selects a playlist asset, the thumbnail is expanded to sho... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8176065 | System and method for automatic selection of digital photo album cover A photograph in an album of photographs is selected as the cover for the album based on metadata, e.g., most frequently viewed, last viewed, EXIF data, etc. ... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8176059 | System and method for effectively implementing a personal channel for interactive television A system and method for effectively implementing a personal channel for interactive television comprises a personal channel manager that may include a configuration module, a search module, and a content packaging module. A system user may utilize the configuration ... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8175335 | Content adaptive detection of images with stand-out object Content adaptive detection of images having stand-out objects involves block variance-based detection and determining if an object includes a stand-out object. The images with a stand-out object are further processed to isolate an object of interest. The images with... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8171507 | Using network server to establish TV setting TV settings such as brightness can be established by sending from a TV signals from an ambient light sensor to a network server, with the network server establishing settings such as brightness in response for a program being played on the TV. ... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8170097 | Extension to the AVC standard to support the encoding and storage of high resolution digital still pictures in series with video A codec configured to operate in a sequential mode extends the current AVC standard in order to provide support for coding high resolution still image pictures within the AVC coding of a lower resolution video. The sequential mode codec is configured according to th... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8167253 | Flat panel TV stand providing floating appearance A TV stand for a flat panel TV includes a base with plural shelves and a translucent frame on the top shelf. A rear support holds the TV juxtaposed with the translucent frame with the bottom of the TV above the top shelf, so that the TV appears as though it is float... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8166514 | Hardware module for adding functionality to television using mechanical and wireless links A set-box (SBB) is advanced into a receptacle on the rear of a TV to add functionality to the TV. Digital video information is conveyed from the SBB to the TV using respective HDMI connectors on the SBB and TV that mechanically engage each other, whereas bi-directio... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8166513 | TV receiver using cable card for abstracting open cable application platform (OCAP) messages to and from the head end A TV receiver such as a set-top box has an Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP) programming interface that communicates with interactive digital video applications such as pay-per-view applications to enable a viewer to communicate requests, purchase orders, and t... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8166502 | Downloading TV channel map based on location and provider A network-enabled TV sends a geographic location to an Internet server and in response receives back a list of TV service providers for the location. A user selects a provider and the server in response downloads the channel map pertaining to the selected provider. | 04/24/2012 |
| 8166193 | File transfer protocol for mobile computer A method is disclosed for communicating using a device having a Palm OS. SMB is preferentially used to communicate with a node, and if use of SMB is not possible, FTP is used, and if use of FTP is not possible, Bluetooth is used. If FTP or Bluetooth is selected as t... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8165395 | Automatic image color tone correction A method of image color tone correction is disclosed, which may include the steps of (a) providing a reference image and one or more source images, wherein all images are comprised of pixels of a scene; (b) correcting a designated portion of one of the source images... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8165302 | Key table and authorization table management In certain embodiments, a player device that receives and plays content stored on packaged media, the player device has a media reader that receives a packaged media to read digital data stored thereon. The player device has a secure persistent storage device storin... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8165205 | Natural shaped regions for motion compensation A method of irregular motion compensation includes using contours of objects in a reference image to tile the reference image into a plurality of irregular shapes, and mapping each irregular shape to a location in a target image by assigning a motion vector to each ... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8160418 | Methods for content redistribution within networked recording devices Systems and methods are described for personal video recorders (PVRs) and other devices configured for recording and playing back media content from a data storage unit, preferably a random access unit such as a hard drive. A system is described having network conne... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8156545 | Method and apparatus for authorizing a communication interface A method and system for authorizing a communication interface between a first and second module comprises detecting a coupling between a first module and a second module, certifying a first pairing certificate is valid between the first module and the second module,... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8156266 | Consumer electronics control (CEC) line enhancement method for HDMI network that selects a transfer rate from a plurality of transfer rates A method for determining transfer rate comprising selecting a first transfer rate of a plurality of transfer rates, transmitting a message at the first transfer rate over a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) line of a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) netw... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8155598 | System and method for power control in MIMO systems The return channel in a multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) communication system is used to provide signal information on an individual-channel basis. In one embodiment, in a controlled factory environment, this information may be used to incrementing up or do... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8155184 | Video coding system using texture analysis and synthesis in a scalable coding framework An apparatus or method of efficiently coding high resolution video using texture analysis and synthesis techniques in a scalable video coding framework. A high-resolution video signal is spatially downsampled and encoded into a base-layer. Texture and structure info... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8155183 | Power-line communication based surveillance system A surveillance system configured for communicating with video cameras and other devices connected over a power-line communication network, such as within a residence, or alternatively a commercial building. The system may be manufactured and installed at low cost wi... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8154617 | Method of detecting the existence of visually sensitive thin lines in a digital image A method of detecting existence of visually thin lines in images is described herein. The method includes profile generation, profile analysis and deciding the existence of thin lines. The profile generation includes generating a profile in each direction of the inp... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8151215 | Favorite GUI for TV A favorites GUI for a TV includes a carousel-type display of icons representing user-defined favorites that is overlaid on the current background video of the TV, with the center-most icon being the “current” icon and being enlarged relative to the other icons. ... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8151209 | User input for an electronic device employing a touch-sensor A graphical text entry system for an electronic device is provided. The electronic device may be, for example, a portable or hand-held electronic device such as a cellular telephone, PDA, or the like. The system includes a graphical text entry screen and a graphical... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8150195 | Adaptive prediction using a dimensionality reduction process Multi-field taps are defined based on a decimated field. The multi-field taps are used to generate correlation matrices, the elements of which are used to generate covariance matrices. A principal component space is obtained by projecting the correlation matrix elem... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8150097 | Concealed metadata transmission system System and method for embedding and concealing data within a video signal such that the embedded data is displayed within an unused portion of a video display area such that the embedded data is not visually offensive. In one embodiment the encoding of metadata may ... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8146166 | System and method for providing content in two formats on one DRM disk A DRM disk such as a Blu-ray stores content in a high resolution version for playing by a disk player. The disk also stores the same content in a lower resolution version for playing by a secondary device such as a Playstation Portable (PSP). The disk can be engaged... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8144985 | Method of high dynamic range compression with detail preservation and noise constraints A method for high dynamic range compression uses a modified cumulative histogram as a compression curve. This curve is computed from the cumulative histogram of the image with constraints that the local derivative on the curve does not exceed a certain limit. The li... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8144948 | Method and apparatus for transporting images A portable image transport device and corresponding techniques for image transport are disclosed. The portable image transport device accommodates an automatic initiation of image transport when the device is in a designated location by automatically recognizing the... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8144766 | Simple next search position selection for motion estimation iterative search A next position selector for motion estimation iterative search improves the efficiency and quality of the integer-pel motion estimation iterative search by easily and quickly determining the center point of the next search area. By taking a position of the SAD valu... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8144652 | System and method for multi-link communication in home network A client in a home entertainment network can communicate with other components, including the server, over both a wired and a wireless link, with the particular path being selected based a component preference, and/or a bandwidth capability, and/or an occupancy rati... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8144266 | Module system for permitting storage device interface with TV In a TV system with a modular configuration that permits licensed primary modules such as disk players and personal video recorders to be removably slid into engagement with receptacles in the TV housing, an adapter primary module is provided that is formed with sec... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8144261 | Systems and methods for optical block level adjustment of rear projection TVs In a rear-projection TV system in which the image is generated by an optical engine and projected through a mirror towards a diffusion plate screen, picture quality adjustment is undertaken at the optical block level to reduce the distance between the adjustment dev... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8144251 | Overlaid images on TV An ambient, beautiful, entertaining visual experience that can be displayed on a TV requiring little or no user interaction beyond initiation. Multiple image layers that may be still or moving video, photos, etc, or a combination thereof can be overlaid on each othe... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8139883 | System and method for image and video encoding artifacts reduction and quality improvement Reducing artifacts and improving quality for image and video encoding is performed in one pass to preserve natural edge smoothness and sharpness. To reduce artifacts and improve quality, several steps are implemented including spatial variation extraction, determini... | 03/20/2012 |
