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Patent No. 6637447

Beerbrella

A small umbrella which may be removably attached to a beverage container in order to shade the beverage container from the direct rays of the sun.

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Chin, Tommy P.


Primary examiner statistics: 2359 patents; average approval time: 814 days
Assistant examiner statistics: 237 patents; average approval time: 716 days

Patents as Primary Examiner

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NumberTitleIssue Date
6356316Microkeyer: microcomputer broadcast video overlay device and method
Broadcast standard format video signals such as that adopted by the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) or the European standard format of Phase Alternating Line (PAL) and some broadcast "compatible" video signals are used as inputs to a microk...
03/12/2002
6137524Transmitter and receiver circuits for transmission of voice, data and video signals for extended distances
A communication system allows the transmission of voice, data, and non-compressed video signals over shielded or unshielded copper wire for extended distances. The system includes a transmitter, a wire link, and a receiver. The transmitter in the preferre...
10/24/2000
6081298MPEG decoder with reduced memory capacity
This MPEG Decoder relates to the decoding of an image that can be of a bi-directional type requiring data from two previously decoded images, each image being displayed in two successive fields corresponding to lines with different parities. Each bi-direc...
06/27/2000
6081295Method and apparatus for transcoding bit streams with video data
The coding or decoding of video data with the associated audio and/or other data can be performed, for example, on the basis of the standards ISO/IEC 11172 (MPEG1) or ISO/IEC 13818 (MPEG2). Such coding and decoding can include the conversion of a primary ...
06/27/2000
6078355Vehicle periphery monitoring system
A vehicle periphery monitoring system for enabling a driver of a motor vehicle to see traffic on either side of the motor vehicle without requiring the driver to look at a side view mirror includes a display monitor positioned concentrically within the ve...
06/20/2000
6069654System and method for far-field determination of store position and attitude for separation and ballistics
This invention relates to a system and method for far-field determination of store position and attitude for separation and ballistics. The aircraft is outfitted with two photogrammetric video cameras. The store is dropped from the aircraft and the camera...
05/30/2000
6069649Stereoscopic display
A stereoscopic display which enables plural persons to simultaneously observe stereoscopic images includes a color liquid crystal plate for displaying stereo-pairs composed of left and right eye perspectives in time-interlaced manner, a monochrome TV disp...
05/30/2000
6069656Method and apparatus for stabilization of images by closed loop control
A method of applying optical stabilization to the problem of laser designation is provided which simulates the action of a viscous damping mechanism while reducing the weight and cost of the tripod and angulation head used in laser designation application...
05/30/2000
6067441Coupling device to be used with a standard non-power providing directional tap for drawing and mixing AC power and RF signals therefrom
A device is to be coupled and used with a standard non-power providing directional tap and includes a power coupling unit and a power combining unit. The power coupling unit is adapted to be connected to an output port of the directional tap. The power co...
05/23/2000
6064428Automated track inspection vehicle and method
An automated track inspection vehicle for inspecting track for anomalies includes a self-propelled car equipped with cameras for creating images of the track. A driver and inspector visually inspect the track and right-of-way through a window in the vehic...
05/16/2000
6061503Method for resolving conflicts among time-based data
A method for assembling data by sorting and filtering new data records and old data records, such as data records that an Electronic Program Guide data provider typically transmits to a head end of a cable television system. New incoming data records are ...
05/09/2000
6049353Computer network, processing of digitized, compressed, security camera video, intelligently onto hard drives of personal computers
An apparatus and method encodes alarm condition data and other data into the vertical interval signals of a plurality security television cameras so that the data may be used to determine which security camera pictures should be stored and retrieved. Tele...
04/11/2000
6046780Broadcasting facility management system and method
The software of the system has a hierarchical structure. In the highest hierarchical level, a GUI 103, an automation and traffic control 104 that can be designated by the user are disposed. In the next hierarchical level, an application software program 1...
04/04/2000
6046784Method and apparatus for concealing errors in a bit stream
Bit streams are divided on a block-by-block basis based on information of bit numbers and a parity bit added to each bit stream is checked to generate a switching signal. Either each bit stream or a proximate bit stream for each bit stream is selected as ...
04/04/2000
6046774Device and method for variable length coding of video signals depending on the characteristics
An apparatus and a method of compressing and expanding a video signal. The apparatus includes a variable length coder controller and a quantizer. The coder controller compares a bit amount generated in the use of an optimum symbol with that in the use of ...
04/04/2000
6037975Image sensor for monitoring vehicle's forward view and method for setting aspect ratio for photosensitive portion of such image sensor
The photosensitive portion of an image sensor which is used for monitoring a forward view of a vehicle on a roadway is formed that is horizontally elongated with an aspect ratio in a range from 1:1.8 to 1:3.1 adjustable in correspondence with the design s...
03/14/2000
6037974Film scanner
A photographic film scanner for scanning a film strip containing a plurality of photographic images. The film strip is continuously advanced through the scanner and a digital image of the film strip is created. Individual images contained in the digital i...
03/14/2000
6034730Module switching type picture compressing and reproducing apparatus
A picture compressing apparatus compresses pictures which are classified into three types of pictures. They are an I picture that is intra-frame coded, a P picture that is forward inter-frame coded, and a B picture that is forward/backward inter-frame cod...
03/07/2000
6031567Method and apparatus for video lumber grading
A lumber video grading apparatus includes a vision system, processors, a grading station having visual displays, a storage and retrieval device, an identification device, and a timing system. The vision system may include cameras mounted proximate to a lu...
02/29/2000
6028638Half-pixel processing apparatus of macroblock for motion compensation of moving images
A half-pixel processing apparatus of a macroblock for motion compensation of a moving image in which NxN pixel data selected for the motion compensation of the moving image is divided into a predetermined unit and half-pixel processed. The half-pixel proc...
02/22/2000
6023288Combination head-protective helmet and thermal imaging apparatus
Combination head-protective helmet which includes a cap and an outwardly extending brim and thermal imaging apparatus which includes an infrared camera for producing an infrared image of a scene or object and a display system which generates a visible ima...
02/08/2000
6020923Method and apparatus for coding and recording an image signal and recording medium for storing an image signal
A method and apparatus for coding and decoding an image signal, and also a recording medium for storing a coded image signal wherein low resolution image signal including a plurality of pixels and also a high resolution image signal including a plurality ...
02/01/2000
6018366Video coding and decoding system and method
A video encoder for quantizing format-transformed source input-pictures into quantized data, and for coding the quantized data into coded bitstream, for outputting the coded bitstream, comprises a plural-density format-transformer for transforming a sourc...
01/25/2000
6016164Image signal interpolating apparatus
An image signal interpolating apparatus with a simple structure which generates an interpolation picture element value near the real value without aliasing noise is realized. Predictive coefficients D8 which correspond to the class are read-out, and inter...
01/18/2000
6011587Packet video bitrate conversion system
An H. 261 encoder outputs coded video data together with a mode selection signal and a judging signal as to discarding or not of a packet. A packetizer receives the output signal from the H. 261 encoder and separately packetizes motion data and DCT data i...
01/04/2000
6008847Temporal compression and decompression for video
A temporal compression and decompression system is disclosed for color video. A video stream with red, green and blue pixel element values is input to a first computer. In the first computer, a new frame of video data is compared to the frame being displa...
12/28/1999
6008865Segmentation-based method for motion-compensated frame interpolation
A method of motion compensated frame interpolation wherein an intermediate image frame is generated between two image frames in a motion image sequence. The method includes the steps of: identifying a moving foreground or object and the background for two...
12/28/1999
6005609Method and apparatus for digital correlation object tracker using a shape extraction focalization technique
A method and an apparatus for tracking a target wherein a shape of a target is extracted from a former image which includes an initial image of the target for tracking, and then an area including the shape of the target is extracted as a correlation area....
12/21/1999
6005607Stereoscopic computer graphics image generating apparatus and stereoscopic TV apparatus
The stereoscopic CG image generating apparatus and a stereoscopic TV apparatus, has a projection transformation section which, based on three-dimensional structural information describing a three-dimensional shape of an object, generates a plurality of tw...
12/21/1999
6005620Statistical multiplexer for live and pre-compressed video
An apparatus for statistically multiplexing a plurality of video signals is provided with a complexity detector, coupled to receive a pre-compressed video signal, for generating a complexity signal which relates to the complexity of the pre-compressed vid...
12/21/1999
6005624System and method for performing motion compensation using a skewed tile storage format for improved efficiency
An MPEG decoder system and method for decoding frames of a video sequence. The MPEG decoder includes motion compensation logic which analyzes motion vectors in an encoded frame of the MPEG stream and uses prior decoded reference blocks to recreate the dat...
12/21/1999
5999212Method and apparatus for infrared detection of a moving target in the presence of solar clutter
A detection system for detecting a target flying over water, which includes a detector positioned to receive radiation reflected by the target off water, and producing a detector output signal having an amplitude proportional to the amount of received ...
12/07/1999
5999219Object-based digital image predictive coding transfer method and apparatus, and decoding apparatus
The optimum predictive image is selected as follows for the entire area of an image sequence comprising a luminance signal expressing each pixel value, and a transmittance signal expressing the transparency of each pixel value, and described by the transm...
12/07/1999
5995153Video processing system with real time program duration compression and expansion
The running real time length of combined video and audio signal programs is shortened or lengthened by deleting or repeating individual fields or frames and corresponding amounts of audio segments. The video and audio portions of the programming material ...
11/30/1999
5991500Copy control for a video signal with copyright signals superimposed as predetermined bits in the VBID data of the video signal
A video signal is processed to selectively permit copying by superposing in that portion of the video signal which does not contain useful picture information a copyright information signal indicative of whether the viewable picture that is displayed from...
11/23/1999
5986715Rate converter using a register postfix type transversal filter
(M-N) 0 data are inserted for every N data of the fSL input data by an interpolation circuit 20 for generating fSH rate data, while filter coefficients are sequentially generated by M coefficient generators 30A to 30D at the fSH...
11/16/1999
5982440Method and apparatus for producing slow-motion picture signal changing smoothly from compression coded picture signal
In a device for reproducing front MPEG 2 code a sequence of motion pictures, a slow-motion picture signal for N times slow motion playing is produced by combining the sequence of motion pictures reproduced and a plurality of interpolation picture sequence...
11/09/1999
5982420Autotracking device designating a target
An automatic tracking device is disclosed that extracts data from the comite video output signal of a camera and uses it to electronically isolate an object in the image information on the video output signal and follows the object with a crosshair added...
11/09/1999
5982442Method and filter for reducing the blocking effect in image transmission and storage
For image transmission, image data is compressed block by block, and the compressed data is transmitted and decompressed. Due to an information loss during transmission, discontinuities are visible in pictures thus restored, particularly at block boundari...
11/09/1999
5978030Method and apparatus for encoding a video signal using feature point based motion estimation
An apparatus for encoding a digital video signal to reduce a transmission rate of the digital video signal, which comprises a feature point based motion compensation circuit for selecting a set of feature points from the reconstructed reference frame to d...
11/02/1999
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