Bizarre Patents
Pet Toilet-Like Water Disk and Food Storage
One pet-friendly inventor patented "a device for watering pets, e.g., a dog or cat." The device, he helpfully noted, "has the general shape of a toilet."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7406530 | Method and system for restricting access to user resources A user's set top box (STB), or other client, executes a shell and has an application program interface (API) by which certain features of the client can be controlled. The client is in communication with a walled garden proxy server (WGPS), which controls access to ... | 07/29/2008 |
| 7383243 | Systems and methods for creating and evaluating content and predicting responses to content A method of creating new content based on previously experienced content and content ratings, in which content attributes are obtained and analyzed against set-top box events collected as the content is experienced. Analysis includes determining effects of various c... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7373654 | System, apparatus and method for updating security configurations of a plurality of servers from a centralized directory server A system, apparatus and method for updating security configurations of a plurality of servers from a centralized directory server. The system includes a centralized directory server and a plurality of servers that provide resources and store files for use by users o... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7366495 | Prepaid reservation-based rating system A billing system comprising servers, routers, and processors programmed to provide reservation based prepaid billing is disclosed. The billing system is also programmed to concurrently process multiple billing events on a single, prepaid subscriber account. ... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7346581 | Copyright management apparatus, copyrighted-work distribution apparatus, and copyrighted-work distribution and receiving system A TV music broadcasting program is distributed from a distribution apparatus through a ground station and a satellite, and a musical-piece program is also distributed through a plurality of audio channels. A subscriber looks for the desired musical piece from a musi... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7346917 | Trusted transactional set-top box A set top box (STB) includes a trusted transactional cache and associated transactional protocol and enables e-commerce transactions to be securely committed to a remote server extremely quickly and with little network overhead. The invention does away with the user... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7310810 | Broadcasting apparatus and method, receiving apparatus and method, and medium To compensate a failure in downloading of music piece data. For example, when a viewer instructs purchase of a music pieceC to an IRD at a timing t0 during the sixth transmission of music piece data, the music piece data to be transmitted for the seventh time... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7296283 | Two-tiered authorization and authentication for a cable data delivery system Apparatus for a cable television subscriber to log onto a computer network with a modem over an upstream path using a USERID and password. The network validates the subscriber USERID and subscriber password with a stored database of valid USERIDs and associated pass... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7254312 | Digital broadcast transmitter, receiver and method of receiving thereof A receiver for the digital broadcasts with which an appropriate copy regulation is executed for a temporal recording. Regarding the temporal recording of the programs of the digital broadcasts, either of the signals of the system including at least the signals, whic... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7249148 | System and method for adaptive user settings A system and method for adaptive user settings is presented. A server sends a requested web page and a collector program to a client. The collector program non-invasively collects user event data, and sends the user event data to the server. In turn, the server anal... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7140016 | Media accelerator quality of service Integration of DSP running algorithms with general purpose processor running applications including plugin objects as proxies for the DSP algorithms and with quality of service including application controls of algorithm scheduling and algorithm events reported to t... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7096201 | Copyright management apparatus, copyrighted-work distribution apparatus, and copyrighted-work distribution and receiving system A TV music broadcasting program is distributed from a distribution apparatus through a ground station and a satellite, and a musical-piece program is also distributed through a plurality of audio channels. A subscriber looks for the desired musical piece from a musi... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7039928 | Method and device for obtaining audience data on TV program The TV program table data in the area where a viewer resides are received through the Internet or a broadcasting medium by using the TV set with an internet connection function at the viewer. While the viewer is watching a TV program, the audience data including vie... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7020891 | Internet domain and time index based video email system A device is provided that includes a first processor connected to a communications channel device. The communications device is capable of receiving and transmitting information to a video-on-demand (VOD) service provider. A VOD content decoder is provided that is c... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6985586 | Distributed information and storage system The aim of the present invention is to propose a method that allows the reduction of the bandwidth needs in a structure that implements an operating center and a plurality of user units, ensuring the availability for the final user, of a product amongst a vast choic... | 01/10/2006 |
| 6980971 | Copyright management apparatus, copyrighted-work distribution apparatus, and copyrighted-work distribution and receiving system A TV music broadcasting program is distributed from a distribution apparatus through a ground station and a satellite, and a musical-piece program is also distributed through a plurality of audio channels. A subscriber looks for the desired musical piece from a musi... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6928423 | Copyright management apparatus, copyrighted-work distribution apparatus, and copyrighted-work distribution and receiving system A TV music broadcasting program is distributed from a distribution apparatus through a ground station and a satellite, and a musical-piece program is also distributed through a plurality of audio channels. A subscriber looks for the desired musical piece from a musi... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6810525 | Impulse pay per use method and system for data and multimedia services A method and system are provided for impulse purchasing of services over a communication network, such as a cable or satellite television network. Such services can include games or information accompanying television programming, home-shopping, e-mail services, str... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6802077 | Method for a pay-per-view referral A method for a PPV referral that provides to a subscriber the time, date, and channel of the next showing of a PPV event if the subscriber tries to purchase the PPV event after the purchase window is closed for the current showing. The subscriber is provided informa... | 10/05/2004 |
| 6757909 | Internet set-top box having an in-band tuner and cable modem An apparatus and method thereof for communicating a scramble key (for descrambling scrambled digital signals) and service information (used in an electronic programming guide) to an intelligent transceiver (e.g., a set-top box) using a bi-directional digital broadca... | 06/29/2004 |
| 6732366 | Stored program pay-per-play A stored program pay-per-play system includes a high-capacity storage medium facilitating compilation of video, audio or other programs at a subscriber's site. While the recording of such programs may take place at any time preceding playback, billing occurs only wh... | 05/04/2004 |
| 6732179 | Method and system for restricting access to user resources A user's set top box (STB), or other client, executes a shell and has an application programming interface (API) by which certain features of the client can be controlled. The client is in communication with a walled garden proxy server (WGPS), which controls access... | 05/04/2004 |
| 6647411 | Secure cached subscription service A system and method for a secure cached subscription system is described. In one embodiment, the system comprises a content provider and a caching device connected to the content provider. The content provider speculatively downloads information into the ... | 11/11/2003 |
| 6618858 | Automatic identification of a set-top box user to a network Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media are disclosed for enabling a user of data services over a network to automatically register for such services by plugging in a set-top box, such as an advanced set-top box, or other IP clients such as a Web ... | 09/09/2003 |
| 6240401 | System and method for movie transaction processing A system and method for tracking and processing transactions for such purposes as creating billing record and detecting possible fraudulent activities. The system and method relates to processing transactions associated with viewing movies, e.g. a video c... | 05/29/2001 |
| 6067564 | Pay broadcasting receiver apparatus A pay program broadcasting receiver apparatus that receives pay programs, in accordance with the present invention, has a device that stores a limit total viewing charge for a specified period of time, a device that stores a total viewing charge within a ... | 05/23/2000 |
| 5886731 | Video data receiving apparatus, video data transmitting apparatus, and broadcasting system A video data receiving apparatus displays the program video inserted the CM vide with the desired timing and the desired from based on the demand of viewers. Further, a video data transmitting apparatus transmits the CM data and the program data to displa... | 03/23/1999 |
| 5798785 | Terminal for suggesting programs offered on a television program delivery system A novel reprogrammable set top terminal for a television program delivery system which suggests programs for viewing is described. The invention relates to methods and apparatus for reprogramming set top terminals, and selecting and displaying programs to... | 08/25/1998 |
| 5710605 | Remote control unit for controlling a television and videocassette recorder with a display for allowing a user to select between various programming schedules A universal remote control unit for controlling a television and videocassette recorder including a data input mechanism securable to a telephone line for receiving signals from an external supplier representing television programing schedule items; a dis... | 01/20/1998 |
| 5634848 | Video game system A video game system has a game supplier and a terminal device connected to the game supplier through a transmission line. The terminal device has a plurality of game units on which a video game program is played. A first memory is provided in the game sup... | 06/03/1997 |
| 5594935 | Interactive image display system of wide angle images comprising an accounting system An interactive image display system includes a user interface to select a portion of a wide-angle image sequence. An image processor processes the portion of the wide-angle image sequence selected by the user interface to produce a perspective corrected i... | 01/14/1997 |
| 5592551 | Method and apparatus for providing interactive electronic programming guide A subscription television system is provided that transmits a plurality of television signals to a plurality of subscribers. The television signals include pay-per-view programs (purchased by feature) or near-video-on-demand programs (purchased for a peri... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5592212 | Methods and systems for non-program applications for subscriber television A pay television gaming system including a pay television network having a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television, receiving apparatus for receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units, transmitting apparatus for ... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5523781 | System for controlling television and billing for its use A billing system for billing for the use of television sets in a hospital, hotel or the like includes a computer located in a billing office and television sets located in various rooms. Command signals from the computer, video signals, and power for powe... | 06/04/1996 |
| 5446488 | Television programme distribution signal having the capability to selectively block non-programme material Television programs interupted by non-program material, such as commercials, are broadcasted by the disclosed system over standard TV channels. An ecrypted indicating signal is also broadcasted by the system such that the ecrypted signal can be received a... | 08/29/1995 |
| 5247575 | Information distribution system An information distribution system provides information to a user, when the information corresponds to criteria individually selected by the user, and then charges the user only for the selected information thus provided. Encrypted information packages (I... | 09/21/1993 |
| 5144663 | Method of interactive communication between a subscriber and a decoder of a system of pay-television and decoder thereof A decoder comprising a microprocessor connected to a receiver of data of teletext and to a text generator for displaying information on the screen of a television receiver. Further, a CPTV-card (card pay-television) is associated with the microprocessor, ... | 09/01/1992 |
| 5003384 | Set-top interface transactions in an impulse pay per view television system An impulse pay-per-view system wherein a number of downloadable transactions may be utilized to effect increased control and diversity is disclosed. A preview time/free transaction permits a system subscriber to view portions of a pay-per-view event witho... | 03/26/1991 |
| 4975951 | IPPV programming distribution control system A distribution control system for controlling the distribution of scrambled impulse pay per view (IPPV) programming from a plurality of different IPPV programmers to a plurality of descramblers. The system includes a plurality of business data processing ... | 12/04/1990 |
| 4961109 | Chargeable program receiving limit setting system in two-way cable television system A CATV television system in which a subscriber can only charge a maximum number of events before the central facility polls the subscriber's terminal unit for charged events. The subscriber's terminal contains a credit limit register which contains the ma... | 10/02/1990 |