Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8176534 | Method and apparatus for provisioning a device to access digital rights management (DRM) services in a universal plug and play (UPnP) network A method and apparatus are provided for enabling a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) device to be automatically provisioned to access services without the need for manual interaction. In accordance with the invention, when a UPnP device needs to be provisioned, it auto... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8171527 | Method and apparatus for securing unlock password generation and distribution A process may be utilized for securing unlock password generation and distribution. A first set of exclusive responsibilities, assigned to a trusted authority, includes random generation and encryption of an unlock password to compose a randomly generated encrypted ... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8166518 | System and method providing session aware remote access A computer implemented method provides remote access to a plurality of sessions at a computer. The method includes initiating a master process in a context independent from the sessions, establishing a first slave process in a context of a first session, and maintai... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8160161 | Method and apparatus for performing motion compensated temporal filtering in video encoding A method (50) and apparatus (40) for reducing noise in a video signal calculates (53) a discrimination value of a filter based on a magnitude difference between a current frame and a prior frame of a sequence of frames and modifies (54) t... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8159962 | Method and apparatus for optimizing home network interface selection in home networking applications Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method and apparatus for optimizing home networking interface selection in home networking applications. One embodiment of a method for selecting, at a set top box in a network, an active home networking interface fro... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8156560 | Method and apparatus for providing a border guard between security domains The present invention discloses an apparatus and method for defining and enforcing rules of transition between two security domains, e.g., a transport domain and a persistent security domain. In turn, a border guard, e.g., a security device, is provided between thes... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8154656 | Capture buffer control methodology for caption carriage switch A system, method, and computer readable medium for avoiding underflow of a caption buffer in a digital video encoding device. The method receives a sequence of digital video frames, and captions that correspond to the digital video frames in the sequence. The method... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8145869 | Data access and multi-chip controller A single data bus to a memory device can be split up into a number of data bus portions, each of which is managed by a different respective controller chip of multiple controller chips. During a memory access to a respective memory device, each of the multiple contr... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8144719 | Methods and system to manage data traffic A system includes multiple input ports that forward received data (e.g., data packets) to each of multiple queues. Data received at the input ports of the system can be somewhat random or “bursty” at times. That is, the input ports can receive data at a variable... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8140439 | Method and apparatus for enabling digital rights management in file transfers Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method and apparatus for enabling digital rights management in file transfers. One embodiment of a method for transferring digital content from a first user to a second user, includes transferring ownership of an inst... | 03/20/2012 |
| 8122476 | System and method for reducing interlace artifacts during trick mode playback A system and method for reducing interlace artifacts during trick mode playback of pre-encoded content. The system and method operate a decoder to receive a video signal, configured as frames, with each frame having a plurality of interlaced fields, and to provide a... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8121600 | Wide area mobile communications over femto-cells A method and apparatus is provided for hand-off of a mobile User Equipment (UE) across a femto cellular network. The method includes dynamically clustering a plurality of neighboring femto cells in a vicinity of a first femto cell to which a mobile UE is currently a... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8116738 | Method and system for managing information within a network A method and system for managing information using a gateway (130) is disclosed. The network includes a gateway (130) and at least one wireless device (110, 115). The method includes (304) downloading information from a predefined source ... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8111757 | Method and apparatus for video signal processing A first video signal processor (103) receives a first encoded video signal from which a video unit (201) generates a second encoded video signal, where the second encoded video signal is a reduced data rate version of the first encoded video signal. An... | 02/07/2012 |
| 8107956 | Providing over-the-top services on femto cells of an IP edge convergence server system A method is provided for enabling an over the top (OTT) service over a broadband network. The method includes receiving a registration request from a mobile User Equipment (UE) over a femto cell to register with a cellular operator of a cellular network. The registr... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8081674 | Methods and system for determining a dominant impairment of an impaired communication channel Methods are described for identifying a dominant impairment on a communication channel impaired by an interference issue. The methods include systematic examination of total power loading, systematic examination of signal power reduction, statistical examination of ... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8068610 | Method and system for providing security within multiple set-top boxes assigned for a single customer Two or more set-top boxes are installed in a household. A communications link, preferably a physical link, is provided between or among the set-top boxes. One of the boxes is designated as a “master” box while the other box or boxes are “slaves.” The slave b... | 11/29/2011 |
| 8068175 | Method for detecting interlaced material and field order Field order in a sequence of video frames is determined based on magnitude or relative motion of a motion vector between a bottom field of a current frame and a top field of a next frame, and magnitude or relative motion of a motion vector between a top field of the... | 11/29/2011 |
| 8054880 | Parallel rate control for digital video encoder with multi-processor architecture and picture-based look-ahead window A method of operating a multi-processor video encoder by determining a target size corresponding to a preferred number of bits to be used when creating an encoded version of a picture in a group of sequential pictures making up a video sequence. The method includes ... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8045688 | Method and system for presenting customized caller options via a communication device A method and a system for presenting customized caller options via a communication device (104) are disclosed. The method includes receiving (404) an incoming call from a calling party at the second communication device. The method further includes com... | 10/25/2011 |
| 8037541 | System, device and method for interoperability between different digital rights management systems A system, device and method for allowing protected content to be transferred to end user communication devices that support different digital rights management (DRM) formats or schemes than the DRM format of the content provider. The method includes providing a Limi... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8036237 | System and method for transparent virtual routing A transparent routing device disposed within an access network configured in accordance with one or more lower-layer protocols is disclosed herein. The device includes a set of subscriber-side ports. Each of the subscriber-side ports is associated with a plurality o... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8032917 | Method and system for directing the download of software and firmware objects over a network such as a cable television system A Download Control Message instructs a set-top terminal in a cable television system to located and immediately begin downloading a code or other data object available over the cable system. The Download Control Message specifies, for example, the size, name, versio... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8010985 | Method and system for resource management in a video on-demand server An on-demand server configured to dynamically control and optimize memory utilization while minimizing access to disk storage by monitoring content addressable memory (CAM) usage so as to remove the content from resident CAM memory and page the same adaptively and t... | 08/30/2011 |
| 8000254 | Methods and system for determining a dominant impairment of an impaired communication channel Methods are described for identifying a dominant impairment on a communication channel impaired by an interference issue. The methods include systematic examination of total power loading, systematic examination of signal power reduction, statistical examination of ... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7987504 | System and method for routing signals intended for one device through another device connected to a shared access network A system (100) and method (200) for delivering conditional access information to a conditional access controlled device (120) incompatible with the conditional access transmission protocol. The conditional access information is delivered through... | 07/26/2011 |
| 7953668 | Method and apparatus for reserving digital rights The present invention discloses an apparatus and method for reserving a set of requested rights. In one example, the digital rights data associated with digital content information is found in a remaining rights file using a license index. A portion of the digital r... | 05/31/2011 |
| 7953155 | Methods of selecting an encoding mode Information needed to generate an encoded version of a matrix of j transform coefficients c0 . . . cj−1 representing a block of digital video data is determined by forming a numerical signature σ of the matrix and looking up a value for the information needed in ... | 05/31/2011 |
| D638812 | Set-top box | 05/31/2011 |
| 7929701 | Multiple level public key hierarchy for performance and high security Multiple public/private key pairs of varying levels of security are used to provide a high level of security while still allowing fast processing of encrypted information. The lower-security level includes keys that are small in length, that are changed relatively o... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7929483 | Method and apparatus for providing a secure system time The present invention discloses a system and method for providing a secured system time reference to a subscriber device, e.g., a set top box or a receiver. In one embodiment, the system time reference is provided in a secure system time message that is broadcasted ... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7924456 | Data distribution and buffering An on-demand server system herein includes a memory controller that coordinates access to one or more flash-based memory devices. The flash devices store large amounts of video content that can be selectively viewed on-demand by each of multiple destinations over a ... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7923938 | System and method for providing inductive power to improve product marking and advertising A system and method are described in which power is inductively supplied to a product or a package containing a product. This power is received via a coil and used by a light source to further enhance the presentation of the product or packaging. The illuminated lig... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7916633 | Variable response message length for master-slave communications A method for sending a variable length response message in a master-slave communication system begins by issuing a command from a master device to a slave device. A response message is generated by the slave device. The length of the response message is determined b... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7911513 | Simulating short depth of field to maximize privacy in videotelephony An arrangement for simulating a short depth of field in a captured videophone image is provided in which the background portion of the image is digitally segregated and blurred to render it indistinct. Thus, the displayed video of a user in the foreground is kept in... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7881463 | Wireless digital subscriber line device having reduced RF interference A system and method for wireless DSL routing without signal interference is disclosed herein. The system includes a DSL interface, a WLAN interface, and a power system. The WLAN interface is isolated from the rest of the system by various isolation and signal interf... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7872590 | Remote control having extended functionality A system and method for providing expanded functionality from a remote control handset, wherein multiple command functions are effected by the actuation of a single key or control surface. A remote control handset is programmed to recognize the actuation of keys or ... | 01/18/2011 |
| 7836095 | Method, system and apparatus for dynamically creating content channel based on end user wish lists A system (10), apparatus (12) and method (40) for providing content channels to end users based on end user wish lists. The method includes a domain channel manager apparatus accessing a plurality of end user wish lists maintained at end user de... | 11/16/2010 |
| 7831992 | Method and apparatus for forwarding television channel video image snapshots to an auxiliary display device A method of processing television content metadata in a communications system. The system includes a consumer device (e.g., a set-top box and/or television) in communication with an auxiliary display device (e.g., webpad). A broadcast television channel video image ... | 11/09/2010 |
| 7818792 | Method and system for providing third party authentication of authorization A method and system (100) for providing third party authentication when requesting content and/or services from an application server (106). The method is applicable to key management protocols that utilize the concept of tickets. The method and system... | 10/19/2010 |
