...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Application No. | Application Title | Issue Date |
| 20110047572 | INTEGRATED USER INTERFACE FOR INTERNET-ENABLED TV A user interface (UI) for an Internet enabled TV lists content genre such as photos, music, and video, and for each genre a sub-list of content is provided regardless of the source of the content, i.e., regardless of whether the content in the particular genre is stored... | 02/24/2011 |
| 20110047568 | TV USER INTERFACE WITH RECOMMENDED CONTENT ENTRY IN FAVORITES MENU A “recommendation” genus entry is added to the list of other genre in a TV “favorites” menu. Entries in the recommendation genus entry are depicted in a stack and sorted by recommendation strength and channel number. A user can elect to hide the recommendation e... | 02/24/2011 |
| 20110040873 | HOME NETWORK USING WIRELESS MODULE Methods and apparatus for implementing a home network including a wireless module. In one implementation, a home network includes: two or more host devices, where at least one host device includes a wireless module port, and where the host devices are connected in a loc... | 02/17/2011 |
| 20110039504 | MATCHING CIRCUIT FOR ADAPTIVE IMPEDANCE MATCHING IN RADIO An impedance matching circuit for a radio receives antenna signals and has its matching elements, such as capacitors, progressively switched into the circuit, with the matching element configuration resulting in the highest RSSI being subsequently used until a succeedin... | 02/17/2011 |
| 20110032423 | ADAPTIVE USER PROFILING FOR TV-CENTRIC HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEM A TV seamlessly connects to and controls home automation equipment such as lighting, audio/video control, climate control, etc. The TV provides users with a friendly UI to control the equipment, and furthermore the TV adapts to observed user behavior to automatically es... | 02/10/2011 |
| 20110029236 | GPS-BASED WIRELESS NETWORK CONNECTION SELECTION AND NETWORK TOPOLOGY OVERLAY ON SATELLITE GEOGRAPHIC MAP A method enables users to automatically switch available network connections for the current position as indicated by GPS while maintaining Internet connection. The selection of the network connection depends on a network connection profile which may be built up gradual... | 02/03/2011 |
| 20110026157 | SECURE DATA DISPOSAL FOR DISK DRIVE When a disk sector is written to, a bit for the sector is set indicating that the sector will require secure data disposal (SDD) to be run on it To saw time during end of life disposal, SDD is executed only on sectors whose bits indicate that they have been written to. ... | 02/03/2011 |
| 20110025477 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING ACCESS IN POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS (PLC) NETWORK To facilitate simultaneous PLC communication using first and second PLC protocols that are different from each other, frequency bands are dynamically assigned on demand to first and second PLC home networks that use the respective first and second PLC protocols.... | 02/03/2011 |
| 20110024371 | COMPUTER RETAIL DISPLAY STAND A computer retail display stand includes a base with an adjustable rear locking bracket assembly that can be engaged with an in-store locking bar, adjusted as necessary for the particular configuration of the in-store locking bar. A support platen on which a computer ca... | 02/03/2011 |
| 20110019516 | 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 wit... | 01/27/2011 |
| 20110019103 | REMOTE ANTENNA WITH TUNER FOR TV An antenna unit for a TV. The antenna unit, which can be roof-mounted, includes a tuner and a demodulator so that it outputs a baseband signal containing IP packets representing a TV signal, requiring only a twisted pair Ethernet-type connection between the antenna unit... | 01/27/2011 |
| 20110016186 | MESSAGING AND SERVICE SYSTEM FOR MOBILE COMPUTER A service sends rich content messages including text and photos between any mobile device and potentially across a heterogeneous network. Furthermore, to enhance the user experience, content can be delivered based on personal preferences and device display capabilities.... | 01/20/2011 |
| 20110007226 | ACTIVE SUPPRESSION BY TV OF WHITE SPACE DEVICE INTERFERENCE A digital TV (DTV) incorporates a TV white space device capable of operating on plural TV frequencies and responsive to the DTV processor to send a signal to an interfering white space device nearby the DTV that is interfering with a TV channel being presented on the TV... | 01/13/2011 |
| 20110001878 | EXTRACTING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION FROM TV SIGNAL TO SUPERIMPOSE MAP ON IMAGE A TV uses optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text from a TV image and/or voice recognition to extract text from the TV audio and if a geographic place name is recognized, displays a relevant map in a picture-in-picture window on the TV. The user may be given... | 01/06/2011 |
| 20100325979 | SKYLIGHT COVER WITH PRISMATIC DOME AND CYLINDER PORTIONS A skylight cover has an upper dome portion formed with plural prism elements and a lower cylindrical portion extending from the open periphery of the dome portion down to terminate in an open lower end through which light can pass. A cylindrical prism ring is positioned... | 12/30/2010 |
| 20100325680 | STEERING MIRROR FOR TV RECEIVING HIGH FREQUENCY WIRELESS VIDEO In a home system in which a TV receives video from various sources over directional wireless links such as 60 GHz links, a mirror apparatus is provided that can be configured to physically steer a signal toward a receiver on the TV to optimize received signal strength. ... | 12/23/2010 |
| 20100317402 | SET UP LOGIC FOR DUAL INTERFACE WIRELESS IP COMMUNICATION DEVICE A communication interface device includes a wireless Internet packet (IP) transceiver and a PCMCIA card electrically connected to the transceiver. Also, a universal serial bus (USB) connector is plugged into a hub that holds the PCMCIA card, with a cord extending from t... | 12/16/2010 |
| 20100309556 | SKYLIGHT COLLIMATOR WITH MULTIPLE STAGES A non-specular skylight collimator has at least two axially successive collimator segments from top to bottom, with the segments becoming successively less flared from top to bottom. A skylight diffuser assembly typically covers the open end of the bottom segment.... | 12/09/2010 |
| 20100301583 | BOAT ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT DEVICE A boat engagement and support device having a boat hull engagement assembly to engage the boat hull, a lever pivotally attached to the boat hull engagement assembly and at least one wheel associated with both the boat hull engagement assembly and the lever whereby rotat... | 12/02/2010 |
| 20100299698 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENSURING SECURE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TV AND SET BACK BOX A random number or HDCP key is sent from a TV to a set back box (SBB) over a HDMI channel, and unless the SBB returns the same random number/key to the TV over a USB link, the TV will not communicate further with the SBB.... | 11/25/2010 |
| 20100289957 | Bezel Color Coordination A processor, such as a TV processor, determines which one of at least two audio-video components is sending signals to a TV for display. Based on the determining act, the processor establishes a color of a bezel of the TV.... | 11/18/2010 |
| 20100289942 | FEEDBACK SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING EXPOSURE A processor disposed inside of a display device analyzes the image received by a camera mounted on the display device to determine the optimum output intensity of a light source also mounted on the display device.... | 11/18/2010 |
| 20100289666 | BEZEL ILLUMINATION FOR DIGITAL DEVICES First, a user may select an illumination color for a bezel framing a display of an electronics device. Second, the illumination of a digital picture frame may be established based on sensed motion nearby and/or ambient light. Third, the color of a user interface present... | 11/18/2010 |
| 20100284375 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING DATA TO A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE A system and method allowing a mobile device user to initiate a transaction over the most widely used network such as a CDMA or GSM network and then have the device complete the transaction over a specialized data network such as Wi-Fi. The system includes a server comm... | 11/11/2010 |
| 20100280313 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ENDOSCOPIC INVERSION AND REMOVAL OF DIVERTICULA Systems and methods are disclosed for the inversion of gastro intestinal diverticula and repair of associated intestinal wall tissue by means of endoscopy through a natural orifice such as the mouth or anus without making incisions in the abdominal wall or opening the p... | 11/04/2010 |
| 20100258693 | MOUNTING BRACKET WITH MULTIDIMENSIONAL STABILITY A support bracket that is stable in multiple dimensions includes a flat support platform and a coupling flange connected to an end of the support platform. A mount flange is connected to an end of the coupling flange, with a hole being formed in the mount flange. An L-s... | 10/14/2010 |
| 20100253844 | ESTABLISHING TV INPUT AT POWER-ON A TV presents a user interface (UI) to allow a user to select which one of plural input sources is to able used as the source of content to be presented on the TV at TV power-on.... | 10/07/2010 |
| 20100253612 | DYNAMICALLY ESTABLISHED BACKLIGHT FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION IN LCD Backlighting lamps in an LCD are extinguished when they are in regions beyond the area of the demanded image produced by an associated LCD cell matrix that overlays the lamps. In some cases the size of the demanded image may be reduced according to a user-input energy s... | 10/07/2010 |
| 20100251785 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTAINER SECURITY A shipping container includes internal computer-operated locks that cannot be accessed from outside the container. A satellite receiver inside the container can receive position signals and other commands from a satellite to unlock the locks.... | 10/07/2010 |
| 20100245668 | PC DOCK FOR TV A computer dock communicates with a TV over a HDMI link and a USB and/or Ethernet link. The dock can include a keyboard and mouse and the user can select whether the keyboard/mouse signals are sent to the computer or the TV. The input devices of the computer in the dock... | 09/30/2010 |
| 20100245667 | NON-STANDALONE TV PC A TV includes a TV processor and a TV display and a PC includes a PC processor but no PC monitor. A HDMI link is established between the processors for conveying multimedia content from the PC to the TV for display thereof on the TV display. Also, a link such as a USB l... | 09/30/2010 |
| 20100245082 | Backlighting for Computer Fingerprint Reader A fingerprint reader (FPR) on a computer is illuminated when an operational context of the computer renders the FPR useful for receiving tactile input from a user.... | 09/30/2010 |
| 20100243340 | EASY MOUNT BASE FOR MOBILITY SCALE A base for a scale tilts slightly when a wheel is rolled onto it, to facilitate rolling the wheel onto a central ovular or elliptical concave mat surface. Opposed handgrips forming grippable loops may be provided on the base.... | 09/30/2010 |
| 20100241201 | INDWELLING HEAT EXCHANGE CATHETER AND METHOD OF USING SAME A catheter is adapted to exchange heat with a body fluid, such as blood, flowing in a body conduit, such as a blood vessel. The catheter includes a shaft with a heat exchange region disposed at its distal end. This region may include hollow fibers which are adapted to r... | 09/23/2010 |
| 20100236112 | STORE INFORMATION MOUNT APPARATUS A store information mount apparatus for flippably displaying substrates bearing information pertaining to a consumer electronic device. The apparatus has amount flange, a display flange made integrally with the store mount flange, a clamp flange bearing plural ring clam... | 09/23/2010 |
| 20100225809 | ELECTRONIC BOOK WITH ENHANCED FEATURES An electronic book synchronizes visual segments in a visual file with the start of respective sentences in an audio file corresponding to the visual segments so that if the user switches from visual to audio the audio does not start mid-sentence. Visual segments in the ... | 09/09/2010 |
| 20100211978 | 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.... | 08/19/2010 |
| 20100205644 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTENT DELIVERY Based on a user profile, content that is predicted to be desired by the user, including past episodes of a series that may have been missed by the user, is downloaded to the user's home system during periods of low bandwidth usage in the home system. A determination is ... | 08/12/2010 |
| 20100205417 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURING PLURAL SOFTWARE PROFILES A computer with multiple software applications has defined for it plural software profiles for selection of one of the profiles in response to a system and/or user signal. Each profile when selected enables a respective set of applications to run on the system.... | 08/12/2010 |
| 20100204950 | AUTOMATED TEST FOR CONSUMER ELECTRONICS A method for testing a consumer electronics (CE) product that wirelessly receives user commands from an IR remote control includes obtaining command codes from the remote and correlating the command codes to respective functions. A tester can generate a test script desi... | 08/12/2010 |