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PATENTS ISSUED by US Patent Office
Patent #7,739,335,
granted June 15, 2010 (Sony)
Method & Apparatus for providing a customized selection of audio content
over the Internet
A method and apparatus is provided for providing selected media files,
which are chosen from among a plurality of media files, to a user over a
packet-switched network such as the Internet. The method begins by
receiving over the packet-switched network a request from the user to
receive media content. Next, a user profile associated with the user is
retrieved from a database. The user profile reflects user preferences in
media content to be received over the packet-switched network. The
plurality of media files are ranked based at least in part on the user
profile. At least one highly ranked media file is selected from among
the ranked plurality of media files. At least one of the highly ranked
media files is forwarded to the user over the packet-switched network.
Patent #7,472,104,
granted December 30, 2008 (Sony)
Method & System for
Distributing Product Information
A method and system of associating product codes with product
characteristics, and using those product codes to send and receive
information about those characteristics to destinations on a network
when the values of those characteristics change.
Patent #7,373,671,
granted May 13, 2008 (Sony)
Method & System for User Information Verification
A system and method for authenticating users based on personal
information. The personal information may include age-related data where
the users are interested in receiving age-restricted content. The
personal information may include an address and a permission request is
sent to the address. Biometric information may also be associated with
the personal information.
Patent #7,313,621,
granted December 25, 2007 (Sony)
Personalized Interface with Adaptive Content Presentation
An apparatus, program product and method to personalize an
on-line interface by identifying and tracking a computing environment of
a user so that on-line content is tailored to the subjective preferences
of the user.
Patent #7,216,095,
granted May 8, 2007 (Sony)
Method and system for
distributing product information
A method and system of associating product codes with product
characteristics, and using those product codes to send and receive
information about those characteristics to destinations on a network.
Patent #7,140,045,
granted November 21, 2006 (Sony)
Method and system for user information verification
A system and method for authenticating users based on personal
information. The personal information may include age-related data where
the users are interested in receiving age-restricted content. The
personal information may include an address and a permission request is
sent to the address. Biometric information may also be associated with
the personal information.
Patent #7,140,032,
granted November 21, 2006 (Sony)
System and method for establishing TV channel
A system for automatically establishing at least one TV channel
or electronic program guide (EPG) based on a location of a TV with
respect to a dwelling, comprising: a TV; a processor coupled to the TV
and receiving information representative of a location of a TV within a
building, the processor highlighting at least one of: a morning news
show, or a cooking show, on the EPG if the TV is located in the kitchen;
and wherein the processor accesses a set of heuristics to undertake the
highlighting act.
Patent #7,055,737,
granted June 6, 2006 (Sony)
Network and Method for Obtaining Topic-Specific Product Information
A method of obtaining, from a remote location, topic-specific
information regarding a product includes: electronically receiving one
of a plurality of machine-readable codes electronically navigating to an
information resource at a remote location; and displaying the
information resource's topic-specific information about the product on
an electronic display device.
Patent #7,009,659,
granted March 7, 2006 (Sony)
System and Method for Establishing TV Settings
A system and method for automatically establishing TV audio/video/closed
captioning, based on time/date/geographic location/location of the TV
within the home.
Patent #6,967,588,
granted November 22, 2005 (Sony)
System for controlling a home entertainment system
A system and method for controlling a home entertainment system includes
a television having one more peripheral electronic entertainment devices
connected thereto. Also, the system includes a single remote control
unit for controlling all of the system components. The television, the
peripheral devices, and the remote control unit include respective
memory slots with which a portable memory media can be engaged.
Accordingly, the memory media can be engaged with the television or the
peripheral devices so that control commands and user defined preferences
are downloaded thereto. Thereafter, the memory can be engaged with the
remote control unit so that the control commands and user defined
preferences for each component are uploaded thereto.
Patent #6,874,037,
granted March 29, 2005 (Sony)
Method and apparatus for synchronizing device information
Two electronic devices automatically perform a synchronization session
when one of the electronic devices is brought in proximity to the other
electronic device. The synchronization session is initiated without user
intervention based simply on the fact that the two devices have recently
been brought within a predetermined distance of each other. The two
electronic devices communicate in a wireless manner. The two devices may
determine that they are within a predetermined distance of each other
using global positioning technology, via which one of the devices
determines its own position and compares it to a known position of the
other electronic device. Alternatively, one of the electronic devices
may output a low level signal that can be received by the other
electronic device when within a certain range. Once the low level signal
is received, the recipient of the low level signal outputs a stronger
signal to ensure that it is received by the other electronic device
requesting a synchronization session, which once established enables
synchronization of information between the two devices.
Patent #6,851,092,
granted February 1, 2005 (Sony)
System and method for establishing viewer shopping
preferences
A system and method for establishing recommended items for purchase or
rental at a shopping kiosk, based on TV/DVD/CD etc. viewing profiles. A
removable media such as a flash memory device can be inserted into an
entertainment device receptacle, and the viewer's subsequent viewing (or
listening) habits, including selected programming and related data such
as TV program category, title, etc., recorded to establish a profile.
The media can be removed and taken to the shopping kiosk, where it is
inserted and used by the kiosk to present a list of recommended items
for purchase or rental, based on the viewing habit profile of the
viewer.
Patent #6,809,779,
granted October 26, 2004 (Sony)
Auto
configuration of remote control device using removable storage media
A system and method for allowing a viewer to easily program a remote
control device with the parameters of various home entertainment
components such as TVs, VCRs, DVDs, etc. A removable media is inserted
into each component, with the remote control parameters or model
identification of the component being downloaded to the media. The media
is then removed from the component and inserted into the remote control
device, which uploads the model data or control parameters so that the
remote control device can be used to control the component without
requiring a person to manually set or configure, for each component, the
"universal" master remote.
Patent #6,687,671,
granted February 3, 2004 (Sony)
Automatic collection and summarization of meeting information
A method is applied for providing electronically collected and
summarized meeting information. First, verbal sounds are electronically
collected. The verbal sounds are transmitted to a processor. The
processor automatically converts the verbal sounds, as collected, into
an electronic text file. The text from the file is then automatically
scanned and summarized, in accordance with a predetermined algorithm for
identifying one or more key terms in the text file, into an electronic
summary file. The text file and/or the summary file are then
automatically and electronically distributed to a predetermined number
of users.
Patent #6,313,887,
granted November 6, 2001 (Sony)
Television remote commander with data reception capability
A novel television remote control unit receives transmissions from a
paging system and incorporates a display device to provide data delivery
to television viewers. Data may be gather for dissemination by a service
provider from any public or proprietary source, preferably including the
Internet. The receiver may also be incorporated into a television set
and provide a display of received data on the display device of the
television set.
Patent #5,603,077, granted February 11, 1997
(Chaparral)
Satellite system and method for remote control of a satellite signal
receiver
A satellite broadcast system using an airwave message signal to remotely
control a signal receiver. The system includes a system manager to issue
a message, a message service to broadcast the message in the airwave
message signal, and a signal receiver to select a satellite and a
channel of a downlink signal from the satellite carrying a desired
program. The program may include audio/video, text, pictures, software,
or data. In the preferred embodiment, the message service is a pager
service.
PATENTS PENDING at US Patent Office
