Showing papers by "Sony Broadcast & Professional Research Laboratories published in 1997"

Integrated search of electronic program guide, internet and other information resources

Abstract: A power search tool that enables a user to search an electronic program guide and other information resources with one search. A search tool window is displayed that enables a user to select filter elements used to search. Alternately, in one embodiment, the filter elements are automatically selected from predetermined program elements, such as title or subject, of a selected program in the electronic program guide. The search tool performs a search of the electronic program guide and information resource and modifies the display of the electronic program guide to identify those programs that are filtered from the search. Similarly, a window displays information indicating those portions of the information resource that have been filtered during the search. Preferably the information resource is the world wide web and the URLs of the web sites that include information relative to the filter elements are displayed. The user can then view the electronic program guide and select broadcasts of programs to display as well as proceed to the web sites indicated simply by selection of the corresponding elements on the display.

Rotary menu wheel interface

Abstract: An internet on-demand system for television presents internet content and traditional television programming as part of a single coherent interface. The user can select a channel from a rotary menu wheel. The system includes a server and a client capable of providing a dynamic graphical user interface. The system can display an internet gateway interface which actively scrolls through and highlights links to selected web pages which are organized according to templates corresponding to their content. The web pages are presented on the graphical user interface as channels as part of the same milieu as channels of traditional television programming. An intelligent agent passively filters selected web pages for a user to explore based on the user's past pattern of usage of the client. The server queries the client regarding its available data stream connections, including telephone modems, cable modems, and digital satellite broadcasting, in order to determine the most efficient delivery of different types of data through all of the available bandwidth connections. The efficient delivery of data allows the client to present text, graphics, video, audio and other multimedia information from a web page over the internet as a coordinated presentation.

Combined digital audio/video on demand and broadcast distribution system

Abstract: An in-flight passenger entertainment system has a first digital network for communication among components of a headend system including a data server, media controller, one or more media servers, system interface unit, system manager unit and attendant control panel. The in-flight entertainment system is coupled to an aircraft's existing systems through the system interface unit and the system manager unit. The components of the headend system are all coupled to a network switch for routing data within the first network. The network switch is also coupled to one or more zone bridge units, each of which is coupled to multiple seat electronics units. The zone bridge units and the seat electronics units together form a second digital network. The first digital network is preferably an ATM network with fibre optic cables used to carry the data. The second digital network is preferably an IEEE 1394 serial bus network. The zone bridge units control all communications between the networks, converting all communications into the format required by the respective network. A first audio path for transmitting audio content from the headend system is routed to predetermined seat entertainment units through the network switch and the zone bridge units. A second audio path for transmitting audio from the system interface unit is routed to the seat entertainment units through the zone bridge units.

User interface and rule processing for a personal communications routing system

Abstract: A user interface provides a uniform control scheme among different devices in a personal communications routing system. The system allows devices such as a personal computer, personal information communicator, pager, fax machine and base station to be operated with a standard twelve key telephone keypad controller for the purpose of accessing electronic messages such as e-mail, voice-mail, fax transmissions, etc. Handheld communicators are docked with the devices to provide wireless transmission between a base station and numerous devices in a multi-user environment. The base station receives electronic messages for the users in, e.g., an office and routes the messages to a device as the user instructs. The user is able to perform operations on the messages such as reading, responding, deleting, etc., by using the keypad. A visual indication of user designated message bins, along with icons to represent messages received, is used to special advantage by coordinating the bin layout with the arrangement of keys on the keypad. Another feature of the system is that rules can be predefined to route, screen or otherwise manipulate the messages. The rules are applied by the base station to each incoming message. Different users can have different rules such as automatic forwarding of messages, automatic paging upon receipt of a message and sorting of messages by sender's name or time of day.

Three-dimensional virtual reality space display processing apparatus, a three-dimensional virtual reality space display processing method, and an information providing medium

Abstract: To allow a user to quickly and surely recognize whether an object is chat-enabled or not. A pointer is displayed on a three-dimensional virtual reality space image and, when the pointer is placed onto any of objects displayed in the three-dimensional virtual reality space image to specify the pointed object, it is determined whether that object is chat-enable based on the attribute information thereof. If the object is found chat-enabled, the pointer having a normal shape of an arrow is changed to a pointer 201a having a shape resembling a human face. This novel constitution allows a user to intuitively understand whether each of the objects displayed in the three-dimensional virtual reality space is chat-enabled or not.

Image icon associated with caller ID

Abstract: A person receiving a telephone call to identifies a caller in advance of answering the telephone call by means of a image associated with the caller's Caller ID. The image is displayed on a telephone display device, television set, personal computer or other display coupled to the telephone system. The calling party may define the image to be associated with their Caller ID. The calling party transmits a image over the telephone line prior to, or concurrently with, a telephone call intended to be answered by the receiving party. The image is stored in a storage device coupled to the receiving party's telephone system along with an indication of the Caller ID of the calling party. The next time that the calling party calls the receiving party the previously stored image is accessed and displayed.

Automatic update of file versions for files shared by several computers which record in respective file directories temporal information for indicating when the files have been created

Abstract: A computer program/software determines the latest version for one or more data files used by several interconnected computers or workstations, and selectively updates each file version stored in individual directories on the computers or workstations. The program allows sharing of the data files among a group of users working on a large project, for example, by determining, based on the system date/time information obtained from each computer, when a data file was created or last updated in each computer directory. Those data files with the less recent date/time are selectively either replaced or merged with the most recent version of the file via the interconnection structure among the computers. As a result, each computer directory always maintains the most recent version of the data file.

3D virtual reality multi-user interaction with superimposed positional information display for each user

Abstract: Positions of users other than a particular user in a virtual reality space shared by many users can be recognized with ease and in a minimum display space The center (or intersection) of a cross of radar map corresponds to the particular user and the positions of other users (to be specific, the avatars of the other users) around the particular user are indicated by dots or squares colored red for example in the radar map This radar map is displayed on virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner

Device control with topology map in a digital network

Abstract: A topology map for a digital system is generated and displayed on a display device to indicate the various components which make up the system. The various components are indicated using icons each of which represent a respective one of the components. A user specifies a source device and a receive device by manipulating the corresponding icons so as to cause a data transfer between the source device and the receive device. The data transfer may include the transfer of video data, audio data, or both. In a preferred embodiment, the digital network corresponds to the IEEE 1394 Serial Bus Standard.

Near video-on-demand signal receiver

Abstract: A video signal receiver receives a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying, offset by a transmission interval, a single video program, selects one channel from which to obtain the program for display to a user, and achieves a pause function in the display of the transmitted video program by temporarily storing a segment of the video program equal to the length of the transmission interval and obtaining the remainder of the program at a later time from the same or another channel.

Method for displaying on a screen of a computer system images representing search results

Abstract: Images representing search results are displayed on a screen of a computer system. The search results are responsive to a search in a database initiated by a user by entering a keyword or keywords via an input device. The images are displayed in such a way that an image corresponding to the highest match value is the largest in size, while remaining matches are represented by images which are smaller in size, in direct proportion to their relevance to the keyword. In addition, the relevance of an image is indicated by its proximity to the keyword displayed on the screen: the closer the displayed image to the keyword, the more relevant the match represented by that image is to that keyword. This display operation is equivalent to two simultaneous searches with boolean operators "OR" and "AND", such as "keyword1 OR keyword2" and "keyword1 AND keyword2".

Automatic configuration system for mapping node addresses within a bus structure to their physical location

Abstract: An automatic configuration system maps a device address of each node coupled to a bus structure to a network protocol address corresponding to the physical location of the node. A configuration database is built which includes the network protocol address of each node and its corresponding device address. A wiring database, including each device position within the network, is maintained within a network server. Preferably, the network is an IEEE 1394 serial bus network. A topology map, including the device addresses of the nodes within the network and their relationship to each other, is generated during a self-ID sequence and is maintained by the network server. This information is then compared to the wiring database by the network server in order to build a restored topology map including the corresponding device address for each device at each position. A DHCP database is then generated which includes each device address and its corresponding network protocol address. The network protocol address corresponds to the position of the respective device. Using the DHCP database, the network protocol address is maintained for the devices at each position, in order to monitor the positions of the devices and communications from the devices.

Position measuring apparatus, position measuring method, navigation apparatus, navigation method, information service method, automotive vehicle, and audio information transmitting and receiving method

Abstract: A position measuring apparatus includes a first position measuring device for position measuring a first position by receiving a first radio wave, a second position measuring device for position measuring a second position by receiving a second radio wave, an evaluating unit for evaluating uncertainty of data derived from the first position measuring device and/or the second position measuring device, and a selecting element for selecting data from the first position measuring device or the second position measuring device based on an output signal of the evaluating unit.

Home movie maker

Abstract: The home movie editor of the present invention provides a simple but effective user interface and control mechanism which enables the user to edit video. The editor is preferably operable on a personal computer found in many homes today. The home movie editor consists of the graphical user interface and device control modules which interface via a bus to the video playback and recording hardware. The editor scans in video clips as thumbnails and displays the thumbnails in the clip window of the display. Using a cursor and cursor control device, the user can drag and drop clips into the edit window which visually depicts a sequence of edited clips showing the sequence of thumbnails. The clip insertion function is simplified by the insertion pointer that points to the clip boundary closest to the location of the cursor.

Information processing device and method

Abstract: In an information processing device, when an operation button is pushed, a menu is displayed on the screen of an LCD When the whole portable type information processing device (PDA) is rotated around the X-axis, the Y-axis or the Z-axis with the operation button being pushed, the rotation is detected by a triaxial gyro sensor, and on the basis of the detection result a cursor displayed on the screen is moved on the menu By releasing the operation button when the cursor is located on a desired menu item, the selection of the menu item at which the cursor is located is settled, and the processing corresponding to the selected menu item is started

Text input device and method

Abstract: A text input device and method is disclosed which enables efficient and high-speed input of text in a pen-input computer. A pen-input computer has a liquid crystal display panel, a ROM storing plural words and plural exemplary phrases, a pressure-sensitive tablet and an input pen for performing input to a soft keyboard displayed on the liquid crystal display panel and selection of candidate words displayed as a pull-down menu or pop-up menu, and a CPU for retrieving a candidate word displayed on the liquid crystal display panel on the basis of the input from the pressure-sensitive tablet and the input pen and/or a determined character array, so that text input is performed by selecting a desired word by the pressure-sensitive tablet and the input pen from the candidate words displayed on the liquid crystal display panel.

Information processor, method of updating a program and information processing system

Abstract: BIOS updating is performed after saving an old BIOS to a spare storage area. A current version BIOS stored in a first bank of a flash ROM is moved to a second bank of the flash ROM, and a new BIOS supplied from a home server to a network interface card is stored in the first bank to complete BIOS updating. If the new BIOS does not run well, the old BIOS in the second bank of the flash ROM is moved to the first bank through a RAM to be reinstalled.

Television/internet system having multiple data stream connections

Abstract: An internet on-demand system for television presents internet content and traditional television programming as part of a single coherent interface. The system includes a server and a client capable of providing a dynamic graphical user interface. The server queries tLe client regarding its available data stream connections, including telephone modems, cable modems, and digital satellite broadcasting, in order to determine the most efficient delivery of different types of data through all of the available bandwidth connections. The system can display an internet gateway interface which actively scrolls through and highlights links to selected web pages which are organized according to templates corresponding to their content. The web pages are presented on the graphical user interface as channels as part of the same milieu as channels of traditional television programming. The user can select a channel from a rotary menu wheel. An intelligent agent passively filters selected web pages for a user to explore based on the user's past pattern of usage of the client. The efficient delivery of data allows the client to present text, graphics, video, audio and other multimedia information from a web page over the internet as a coordinated presentation.

Editing system and editing method

Abstract: Video signals input to a hybrid recorder are output to the main unit of a computer as video signals. The hybrid recorder records the video signals in a built-in hard disk, and also replays the signals from the hard disk, the signals being output to a picture effects device as video signals. The picture effects device applies certain effects to the video signals, which are then output to the main unit as video signals. The main unit displays the image of the video signals and the image of the video signals on a monitor. Thus, editing can be performed easily and speedily, while adding effects.

Music channel graphical user interface

Abstract: The present invention relates to an entertainment system and method for selectively adjusting an audio parameter of a currently broadcast audio program. The system comprises a display monitor, having a screen menu including an information area on a first portion of the display. The information area displays a plurality of textual information regarding a currently broadcast audio program. The screen menu also includes a parameter area on a second portion of the display, which displays a status of a parameter corresponding to the currently broadcast audio program. An adjustment mechanism adjusts the status of the parameter, so that the parameter area is updated to display the corresponding adjusted status of the parameter. A broadcast receiver coupled to the display monitor includes a front-end unit capable of receiving and broadcasting programming data associated with an audio program and corresponding video information for viewing on the display monitor.

Control of multimedia information with interface specification stored on multimedia component

Abstract: Multimedia components for reproducing/recording information in a data storage medium are controlled via a personal computer. By selecting graphical representations of the multimedia components and of their control switches, the user enters instructions on the personal computer to perform various operations by the components. The representative operations include turning the component on/off, setting its volume, adjusting its bass/treble, etc. Another operation may include finding a particular track/scene in the user library displayed on the screen and reproducing the track/scene on the corresponding multimedia component by selecting on the screen the graphical representation corresponding to the reproducing operation. An interface specification is transferred from the multimedia component (e.g. VTR, DAT player, CD player) to an intelligent A/V receiver.

Apparatus and method for detecting signal points using signal point-mapping

Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting signal points transmitted over a transmission line. A data transmitter encodes input data and maps this data in accordance with a Trellis Code Modulation technique. The mapped data is then modulated onto a particular carrier wave, and transmitted to a data receiver. The data receiver compensates for any detected phase shift in the carrier wave, and decodes the phase-corrected data to quickly detect parallel path information of the received data.

Non-volatile memory cell having dual gate electrodes

Abstract: A non-volatile memory device in which gate electrodes are formed on an upper surface and a lower surface of the channel via insulating layers, respectively, one of them is used as a read electrode and the other is used as a write electrode, whereby, at a read operation, the reading is carried out with a reduced influence upon stored charges stored at the time of writing. Particularly, it has a structure in which a source and drain region of the non-volatile semiconductor memory device is formed in the semiconductor layer formed on the insulating layer and, at the same time, one of the read electrode and write electrode is buried in the insulating layer.

Internet event timer recording for video and/or audio

Abstract: A system for automatically recording an event transmitted over a network is provided. A network client is programmed to automatically access a network server at a first specified time, download data from the server to a specified destination device or file, stop the download at a second specified time, and automatically disconnect from the network server. The network client is further programmed to execute additional command sequences required to access the data, and execute diagnostic routines in case of transmission error.

Display of multiple images based on a temporal relationship among them with various operations available to a user as a function of the image size

Abstract: Multiple images are displayed on a screen of a computer system to reflect a temporal relationship among them. Based on date and time when an image is obtained in relation to other displayed images, its size is set accordingly. Namely, the more recent the image, the larger its size on the screen. In addition, the larger the size of the image, the more processing operations, including graphical or text processing functions, are available to a user to be performed on that image.

Method and system for allowing users to access and/or share media libraries, including multimedia collections of audio and video information via a wide area network

Abstract: Using a music oriented Web site, a “student” user requests a tutorial or tour of a musical artist or genre on the World Wide Web portion of the Internet. The “expert” user peruses the “student” personal music library and creates a playlist for that library to assist in further understanding of the music by the “student” user. The playlist is transferred to a server which generates a command file. This command file is sent to the “student” user to control various multimedia components according to the “expert” user's selection. This tutorial may be accompanied by the “expert” user's personal commentary on his/her selections.

A system and method for distributing information throughout an aircraft

Abstract: A passenger entertainment system of an aircraft utilized to distribute audio and/or video in a digital format throughout a vehicle The passenger entertainment system includes an Asynchronous Transfer Mode ('ATM') network interconnected to a high speed, serial distribution network propagating information in a predetermined format Collectively, these digital networks support the broadcast of audio and/or video in real-time as well as actual 'video on demand' services

Program guide controller

Abstract: A program table guide control apparatus according to this invention generates program table picture including date and hour information, program title information and genre information to display only title of the program relating to broadcasting channel being received in connection with the title information, and to permit user to arbitrarily register genre information displayed. In addition, programs of high viewing frequency of user are automatically registered, thus permitting registered programs to be included in genre information. Thus, Electronic Program Guide (EPG) extremely easy for user to use can be provided.

Hierarchical processing apparatus and hierarchical processing method for video and audio data

Abstract: A hierarchical processing apparatus and method for video and audio data for producing, modifying or deleting a playlist formed from information of reproduction times, channels and so forth of programs in the form of video and audio data is disclosed. The hierarchical processing apparatus includes an image of a first hierarchy for displaying a plurality of playlists formed from a plurality of clips which are video and audio data and additional information corresponding to the clips in a list and selecting one of the playlists to determine a playlist of an object of modification or a playlist of an object of deletion, and an image of a second hierarchy for selecting one of the plurality of clips and adding, to the selected clip, corresponding additional information to produce or modify the playlist. The image of the first hierarchy and the image of the second hierarchy allow transition therebetween in a series of operations. Further, they allow reproduction of the video and audio data of a clip included in the selected playlist at any time. Consequently, while a result of a work is confirmed, editing of a playlist can be performed, thereby improving the efficiency in editing.