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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7379654 | Programmable video recorder backing store for non-byte stream formats The buffer of a programmable video recorder includes a backing store having a plurality of discrete temporary files that are configured to store non-byte streamed data, such as ASF data. The data stream includes a number of data samples that are each assigned a time... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7373652 | Server-centric search function in an interactive program guide Techniques for searching a program guide database. In accordance with a method, one or more search criteria (e.g., keywords) are received and a request for a search is then sent, along with the search criteria, to a head end of an information distribution system. In... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7370016 | Music distribution systems Music is blanket transmitted (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer's user station where selected music files are recorded. Customers preselect from a list of available music in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay only ... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7322038 | Program guide system for recording television programs An interactive program guide system is provided. The system facilitates recording of programs selected from the program guide. The system handles the recording and viewing of pay programs, parentally-controlled programs, consecutive programs on different television ... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7319808 | Input-output circuit, recording apparatus and reproduction apparatus for digital video signal A video signal input-output circuit and a recording-reproduction apparatus in which a digitally compressed video signal input in packet form can be recorded and reproduced efficiently and in stable fashion. In this apparatus, a clock reference is detected from a pac... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7293276 | Interactive television program guide for recording enhanced video content Interactive television systems and methods are provided for enhancing program guide content using recording and alert features for video related to promotions, advertisements, and other selectable displays presented in an interactive television application such as a... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7254824 | Encoding optimization techniques for encoding program grid section of server-centric interactive programming guide An interactive program guide (IPG) may include a program grid section and a multimedia section. The program grid section typically contains program information organized in a grid with a time axis and a channel axis. The multimedia section may include video for adve... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7242988 | Adaptive pattern recognition based controller apparatus and method and human-factored interface therefore The need for a more-readily usable interface for programmable devices is widely recognized. The present invention relates to programmable sequencing devices, or, more particularly, the remote controls for consumer electronic devices. The present invention provides a... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7233781 | System and method for emergency notification content delivery A method for disseminating emergency notification content from an emergency originating source. The method comprising: delivering the emergency notification content from the emergency originating source to at least one transmitting party; selecting a subset of users... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7218839 | Management of television presentation recordings A method for managing television presentation recordings includes determining if a television presentation corresponding to a television presentation listing is scheduled to be recorded, assigning a color to the television presentation listing responsive to determin... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7209900 | Music distribution systems Music is blanket transmitted (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer's user station where selected music files are recorded. Customers preselect from a list of available music in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay only ... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7194563 | Disk driver cluster management of time shift buffer with file allocation table structure A file allocation system for a hard disk drive includes a memory with driver logic and a processor configured with the driver logic to receive a request to allocate hard disk space of a defined size for a buffer file. In some embodiments, the processor is configured... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7159164 | Method and apparatus for recovery of particular bits of a frame A method and an apparatus for recovery of particular bits in a frame are disclosed. An origination station forms a frame structure with groups of information bits of different importance. All the information bits are then protected by an outer quality metric. Additi... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7127737 | Bandwidth management techniques for delivery of interactive program guide Methods for managing delivery of video sequences of an interactive program guide (IPG) over a communications network to a plurality of terminals are provided. In one embodiment, the method pre-allocates a broadcast bandwidth in the communications network for common ... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7120922 | Time-adaptive control of television viewing functionality A method for providing television functionality includes defining a time period, associating a user preference with the time period, providing a first result in accordance with the user preference if a request for television functionality is received during the defi... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7117440 | Method and apparatus for providing a menu structure for an interactive information distribution system A method and apparatus for providing an improved interactive menu structure for an on-screen program guide within an interactive information distribution system. The menu structure is generated in service provider equipment and delivered to subscriber equipment as a... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7096487 | Apparatus and method for combining realtime and non-realtime encoded content Methods for slice-based encoding of program guides and user interfaces. The program guides include multiple video streams for picture-in-picture and other applications. A method for encoding the program guide includes encoding a first set of slices for each of a plu... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7091968 | Method and apparatus for encoding a user interface A method and apparatus for combining video frame sequences with a video display of an interactive program guide (IPG). The apparatus comprises a plurality of compositors that combine background information, video frame sequences and program guide graphics into a sin... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7058965 | Multiplexing structures for delivery of interactive program guide Multiplexing structures presented overcome problems and disadvantages in the delivery of an interactive program guide. An apparatus for forming a multiplexed transport stream to deliver an interactive program guide includes: an encoder and packetizer adapted (i) to ... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7054256 | High capacity digital data storage by transmission of radiant energy through arrays of small diameter holes A storage media for storage of data thereon is provided. The storage media including: a first layer, the first layer being substantially transparent to a predetermined radiant energy used for reading the data; and a second layer formed on the first layer and being s... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7032176 | Method and apparatus for providing a menu structure for an interactive information distribution system A method and apparatus for providing an interactive menu structure within an interactive information distribution system. The menu structure is embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so-called navigator and a set top terminal that provides certain f... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7006976 | Apparatus and method for inserting data effects into a digital data stream The method includes receiving a signal to insert a data effect into a digitally encoded, framed data stream, retrieving a data effect having the same format as that of the data stream, detecting a first data stream frame boundary, inserting the data effect into the ... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6993245 | Iterative, maximally probable, batch-mode commercial detection for audiovisual content Identification of starting and ending times of commercial breaks and commercials within those commercial breaks found in audiovisual content is disclosed. A solution to a “batch optimization” problem is used in which commercial locations within a set of audiovis... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6971121 | Composite buffering A system is provided for managing and accessing media content received via a plurality of display channels and stored in a plurality of buffers in a storage device. The system associates the plurality of buffers with a composite buffer file. ... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6968567 | Latency reduction in providing interactive program guide Techniques presented reduce latencies or delays in the delivery of an interactive program guide. In accordance with a first technique, a method for providing an interactive program guide comprises: providing a plurality of transport streams; providing a group of int... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6961861 | Globally clocked interfaces having reduced data path length A interface, which connects memory and an integrated circuit, having a write path and read path that allow synchronous data propagation is provided. Further, a method for synchronizing data propagation through a read path and a write path of an interface is provided... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6959141 | Data reproduction apparatus and reproduction method A data reproduction apparatus and a data reproduction method can alleviate the workload of a special processing operation of fast forward or reverse data reproduction and improve the data access speed for fast reproduction of data. The data reproduction apparatus co... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6937658 | Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and distribution media An information processing apparatus capable of accurately detecting commercials included in a television broadcast. A commercial candidate section detector detects a commercial candidate section based on the characteristics of transitions between a program and a com... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6934466 | Buzz reduction circuit and TV/VCR combo using the same Buzz reduction circuit for eliminating a vertical period buzz without being influenced by amplifier circuits in an audio signal line. A video signal of a VCR video head is input to a vertical synchronizing signal separating circuit to separate a vertical synchronizi... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6934965 | System for generating, distributing and receiving an interactive user interface Method and apparatus for generating, transmitting and receiving a user interface for an interactive information distribution system. The user interface is generated in a head end of the system as a digital bitstream and transmitted to subscriber equipment for displa... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6925577 | Method for recording/storing multiple transport streams by dividing into series of packets A method for recording and storing independent and/or simultaneous transport streams of data is suggested. The inventive method comprises at least a recording mode in which at least a first transport stream of data to be recorded/stored is received. The transport st... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6904610 | Server-centric customized interactive program guide in an interactive television environment Techniques to create, generate, and deliver customized interactive program guide (custom-IPG). In one method, selections indicative of a set of channels to be included in the custom-IPG are received. In response, one or more custom-IPG screens having included therei... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6845213 | METHOD FOR DETECTING AND IDENTIFYING TIME-CONSTANT PATTERNS IN VIDEO SIGNALS OF ANY VIDEO SOURCE, PARTICULARLY FOR THE DETECTION OF ADVERTISING SPOTS IN TELEVISION BROAD-CASTINGS, AND DEVICE FOR PERFORMING SUCH A METHOD The invention relates to a method for detecting and identifying time-constant patterns in video signals of any video source, particularly for automatically identifying advertising spots in television broadcastings or the like transmissions by video signal analysis. ... | 01/18/2005 |
| 6628888 | Arrangement for superimposing two images without jittering In order to avoid, during trick mode, jittering of a second image superimposed on a first image, the arrangement is able to provide a signal including a vertical synchronisation signal and representative of a first image to a screen. The arrangement also ... | 09/30/2003 |
| 5936922 | Method and apparatus for sampling a synchronous pattern from data including an error using a random synchronous signal In a method for exactly sampling a synchronous pattern from read data including an error from a recording medium and an apparatus for carrying out the method, a system clock signal is received and the starting portion of each data region concerning the re... | 08/10/1999 |
| 5812732 | Method and apparatus for the classification of television signals The invention relates to the classification of such parts of television signals which are commercials so that those parts can be eliminated during recording or playback. Known methods for the detection of commercials during a TV program suffer from the dr... | 09/22/1998 |
| 5751886 | Video image processing apparatus A video image processing apparatus comprising with a frame memory for temporarily storing field video data from a recording medium, an interpolation processor module for interpolating the field video data stored in the frame memory and a memory control mo... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5568272 | Schedule display system for video recorder programming A system for programming the automatic operation of a video recorder over an extended time period uses an associated television receiver as a display device for alphanumeric messages to the operator to provide a self-explanatory, interactive programming r... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5495459 | Interactive training system and training material therefor An interactive training system is operated in combination with a training material including first recording medium for recording main training information composed of moving pictures, sub training information relating to the main training information and... | 02/27/1996 |
| 5398114 | Circuit for compensating for the drop-out of a reproduced video signal A drop-out compensator for a video reproducing apparatus comprises a switch device for selectively outputting a reproduced video signal and a 1H-delayed signal in response to a drop-out detecting signal, a 1H delay circuit for delaying a video signal whos... | 03/14/1995 |
