Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7990472 | Generalized VBI waveform generator Herein described are at least a method and a system for processing vertical blanking interval (VBI) data such that the VBI data is suitable for transmission to a receiver. The method comprises generating one or more digital symbols at a first frequency, shaping the ... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7697066 | Method and apparatus for detecting data in a vertical blanking interval An apparatus (10) and method (40) is provided for detecting data within the vertical blanking interval (VBI) lines of a video or television signal. The VBI data detection (18) samples (42) at least one point from the VBI lines of a video ... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7599004 | Digital video signal processing apparatus and method for extracting data in a vertical blanking interval A digital video signal processing apparatus and method for detecting data in a vertical blanking interval (VBI) includes a re-sampler generating, from input video data, first re-sample data at a VBI data rate and second re-sample data with a data rate twice as high ... | 10/06/2009 |
| 7415718 | Receiving and processing vertical blanking interval data A system and method for receiving, processing, and storing electronic data transmitted in the vertical blanking interval of a video signal. The system provides a flexible mechanism for reading electronic data from video signals including those in National Television... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7394499 | Data transmitting method, data receiving method, data transmitting device, and data receiving device This invention provides a data transmission method and a data receiving method which enable audio data to be multiplexed into video data and be transmitted using a DVI standard cable or the like satisfactorily with a simple configuration. From a data transmit... | 07/01/2008 |
| 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 |
| 7367042 | Method and apparatus for hyperlinking in a television broadcast A system and method of adding hyperlinked information to a television broadcast. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded form,... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7352864 | Display device A display device comprises a nonvolatile memory for storing an amount of adjustment obtained in a blanking adjustment most recently performed for a particular video signal, means for judging whether or not the particular video signal is inputted, means for masking a... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7349552 | Connected audio and other media objects Media objects are transformed into active, connected objects via identifiers embedded into them or their containers. In the context of a user's playback experience, a decoding process extracts the identifier from a media object and possibly additional context inform... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7342488 | System and method for providing home awareness A system and method for providing home awareness are disclosed. In one embodiment, a sensor is associated with a household amenity. In response to the occurrence of an event, a wireless signal is transmitted to a monitoring unit which, in turn, superimposes a text m... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7336318 | Synthetic insertion of clear codes during video program changes An apparatus and method for facilitating program changes. The apparatus and method include a controller for detecting a change program request and for outputting change event data when a change event is detected. A non-active video information replacement module is ... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7337462 | System and method for providing timing data for programming events A video production facility system may produce closed caption data that includes text data and timing data. The system may receive script data for a video program. The system may then determine identifiers for individual programming events that make up the program. ... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7336788 | Electronic book secure communication with home subsystem The invention, an electronic book selection and delivery system, is a new way to distribute books and other textual information to bookstores, libraries and consumers. The primary components of the system are a subsystem for placing text in a video signal format and... | 02/26/2008 |
| 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 |
| 7312831 | Re-inserting VBI data using OSD apparatus and method A method of reinserting Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) data in a digital video signal includes creating a gray scale palette in a an On Screen Display (OSD) memory; sizing a VBI area in an OSD memory; locating a VBI area in an OSD memory; generating a VBI luma wav... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7260151 | Dual phase pulse modulation system A system configured to transmit and receive data signals over a data link in serial fashion using dual phase pulse modulation (DPPM) is described. The data link may be, for example, a one or two wire unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable. An exemplary system includes ... | 08/21/2007 |
| 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 |
| 7248739 | Semiconductor device for compressing video signals with copy protection information A semiconductor device capable of deleting data already recorded on a recording medium when information indicative of prohibition of copying is detected from picture signal. Input portion receives an input picture signal, and copy protection information detecting po... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7249367 | Method and apparatus for switching between multiple programs by interacting with a hyperlinked television broadcast A system and method of adding hyperlinked information to a television broadcast. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded form,... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7236686 | Method and apparatus for transmitting a signal, method and apparatus for receiving a signal, VBI signal generating apparatus, video signal transmitting apparatus, video signal processing apparatus, video signal receiving apparatus, decoding apparatus, and recording medium for recording a video signal Additional information is transmitted by means of assigning a code to a particular scanning line in a VBI (vertical blanking interval). An initial value of a CRCC (Cyclic Redundancy Check Code) or a formula used to generate a CRCC is switched depending upon the type... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7233307 | Display controller, image display and method for transferring control data A decoder includes a first bank and a second bank. The first bank is supplied with dynamic control from a microcomputer via a data bus, and the second bank is supplied with static control data from the data bus via the data bus. The dynamic control data or the stati... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7230650 | Data transmission method, data receiving method, video data transmission apparatus and video data receiving apparatus The present invention is relative to a video signal transmitting/receiving system in which digital video signals are transmitted from a transmitter (30) to a receiver (50) using a line (9) as a transmission channel. The transmitter (30) c... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7210159 | System and method for transmitting and utilizing electronic programs guide information Television schedule information transmission and utilization systems transmit TV schedule data and associated network control messages provided by computer as packets via the Video Blanking Interval (VBI) lines in the TV signal from various television program provid... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7203366 | Video retrieval method and apparatus A method of characterizing a video includes the steps of extracting frame images from an input video, calculating a time length between each of the frame images and a next one of the frame images, assigning index information determined by the calculated time length ... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7170546 | Television system distributing a dynamically varying number of concurrent video presentations over a single television channel A system for providing, in a television system, the combination, transmission, and reception of multiple video presentations over a single channel of a television distribution system. Presentations may be concurrently broadcast for viewing by many users, as well as ... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7162083 | Image segmentation by means of temporal parallax difference induction An image compositing and compression method based on the creation and processing of parallax differences in motion photography. A parallax scanning MOE lens creates discrete parallax differences in the objects in the recorded scene that are perceived by the viewer a... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7158185 | Method and apparatus for tagging media presentations with subscriber identification information A system that inserts subscriber identification information includes, in a preferred embodiment, a system with a memory for storing subscriber identification information and a processor configured to insert the subscriber identification information into a media pres... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7149309 | Time-dependent authorization An access control method for use with a broadcast communication network is described. The access control method includes the steps of receiving an encoded program at a subscriber unit via the broadcast communication network, and preventing decoding of the encoded pr... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7150028 | Method and system for downloading, storing and displaying coupon data using the horizontal overscan portion of a video signal A method and system for decoding and storing encoded coupon data delivered via the horizontal overscan area of a video signal. An electronic coupon displays representations of coupons defined by coupon data that can be extracted from an encoded video signal that can... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7146008 | Conditional access television sound A digitally encrypted audio signal may be transmitted with an analog television signal. Access to the analog television video signal may be controlled by using graphics overlay techniques. The use of digital encryption techniques on the audio channel prevents improp... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7133456 | Modulation and demodulation format selectable system Modulation Demodulation (Modem) Format Selectable (MFS) and Code Selectable (CS) systems for new generations of wireless systems, including third generation “3G”, spread spectrum systems, CDMA,W-CDMA and GSM, OFDM systems having different bit rates, that is havi... | 11/07/2006 |
| 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 |
| 7124166 | Duplicating digital streams for digital conferencing using switching technologies Using switching technologies to duplicate packets of a digital stream (e.g., digital video stream) sent from one workstation to multiple recipient workstations, where the switching technologies enable the multiple streams sent from the switch to the recipient workst... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7120924 | Method and apparatus for receiving a hyperlinked television broadcast A system and method of receiving information hyperlinked to a television broadcast. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded fo... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7117517 | Method and apparatus for generating data structures for a hyperlinked television broadcast A system and method of adding hyperlinked information to a television broadcast. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded form,... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7117181 | Reproduction apparatus and reproduction method of digital video signal or audio signal Assuming that copying is permitted only once in broadcasting or the like, there is provided a reproduction apparatus and a reproduction method of digital video signal or audio signal for preventing a pirated edition disk which is produced by recording a signal onto ... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7116375 | Adaptive video image information processing system Video image information is received in a signal including conditional access information. The conditional access information is associated with one of a plurality of picture resolution formats for recording, reproducing and displaying the video image information. Th... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7106948 | Video signal transmission method, superimposed information transmission method, video signal output device, video signal reception device, and video signal recording medium A spread code string containing a plurality of chips per interval in one horizontal interval or containing a plurality of chips per interval in one vertical interval is generated synchronously with the vertical sync signal at the generation star timing having a peri... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7096485 | Method and apparatus for filtering data concerning an electronic program guide for a television receiver The method of filtering data concerning an electronic program guide (EPG) in a television receiver having a device for automatically searching television channels includes supplying a list of CNI codes of all or some of the channels received by the television receiv... | 08/22/2006 |
| 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 |
