Sony Corporation

Kunio Nagai

Toshio Amano

Akira Yamazaki

Takashi Tsurumoto

Hitoshi Yoshinobu

Osamu Oda

Yoshitsugu Hattori

Tooru Akutagawa

Daisuke Kozakai

Yoshihisa Fujioka

Shinichi Mikami

Juri Honma

Naoki Tamada

A video telephone (1) includes a communication block (2) having a telephone communication function and a display block (3) assembled so as to be mounted on the communication block (2) and having a television function. The display block (3) includes a display screen (4) and a television camera. The display block (3) can be adjusted in tilt with respect to the communication block (2).

Video telephone

A bidirectional broadcasting method and system allows, even when an existing telephone voting service is used to respond to a bidirectional broadcast, broadcasting wherein a plurality of questions are related to each other. A broadcasting station broadcasts questions, answer choices for a response to each question and responding destination telephone numbers for the individual answer choices, and successively broadcasts evaluation information for allowing receiver apparatus to perform evaluation of histories of responses to the questions and determine whether or not the responding persons of the individual receiver apparatus are response allowed persons. Each receiver apparatus stores the history of responses to the questions into a memory and, based on the evaluation data from the broadcasting station, evaluates the history of responses to the questions. Then, based on the selection data from the broadcasting station and a result of the evaluation, it determines whether or not a given person is allowed to respond to a later question. When it is determined that such person is not a response-allowed person, the receiver apparatus prevents origination of a call for a later response therefrom.

Bidirectional broadcasting method, bidirectional broadcasting system and

An electronic appliance, which can facilitate operation of a commander for transmitting a remote control signal for the electronic appliance, includes a receiver for receiving a remote control signal from a commander, a plurality of input terminals for receiving video signals from external signal sources, a signal selection switch for selecting one of the signals received at the input terminals and a broadcast signal and for delivering the selected signal as an output video signal therefrom, a code converter operable in response to the condition of the signal selection switch for converting a signal received at the receiver into a code by which the pertaining signal source can be controlled, and an output terminal for supplying an output of the code converter therefrom to the pertaining signal source via a signal cable.

Remote control system

A picture display apparatus has respective modes in which it displays at least three different types of pictures in sequence in response to actuations of a single switch. The picture display apparatus may be incorporated within a conventional television receiver having a programmable timer, and in such case the first type of picture is the normal television picture, the second type of picture is a display of the current day of the week and current time, and the third type of picture is a display of programming information stored in the programmable timer. When the switch is actuated within a predetermined time from the occurrence of a characteristic event in the respective mode, the next type of picture in the sequence is displayed. When the switch is actuated after the predetermined time has elapsed, the first type of picture in the sequence is displayed.

Picture display device

A single, hand held remote control unit produces command signals used to control all operational aspects of a video tape recorder and an associated television receiver, and the video tape recorder and television receiver include switches that upon actuation can provide various interconnections so that all operating modes of the two units are possible. Actuation of the switches is performed by controllers, arranged at the particular units, and which receive the coded command signals from the remote control unit to set the switches in accordance with any of several keys that can be actuated on the remote control unit. In one aspect, depressing a single playback key at the remote control unit will produce coded signals received by the controllers to set the television receiver to an unused channel frequency and cause the video tape recorder to reproduce a prerecorded video tape, with the reproduced signal fed to the television receiver over that unused channel for display.

Apparatus for demodulating a multiplexed sound signal comprised of a first sound signal formed by the sum of a left channel signal and a right channel signal in a first language, a second sound signal formed by the difference of the left channel signal and the right channel signal, and a third sound signal in a second language, comprising a single demodulation circuit for producing either the second sound signal or third sound signal in response to the multiplexed sound signal; a selector switch for selectively changing the center frequency of the demodulation circuit to control the latter to produce either the second sound signal or third sound signal in response to the multiplexed sound signal; a matrix circuit for producing a stereo sound signal in response to the first and second sound signals; a pair of output terminals; and a switch device for supplying the third sound signal as a second language monaural sound signal from the demodulation circuit to one output terminal when the selector switch controls the demodulation circuit to produce the third sound signal and for supplying the stereo sound signal to both output terminals from the matrix circuit as a first-language stereo signal when the selector switch controls the demodulation circuit to produce the second sound signal.

Television receiver for demodulating a two-language stereo broadcast

Apparatus for demodulating a multiplexed sound signal comprised of a first sound signal formed by the sum of a first channel signal and a second channel signal, a second sound signal formed by the difference of the first channel signal and the second channel signal, and a third sound signal formed by the sum of a third channel signal and a fourth channel signal, includes a pair of loudspeakers; a first switch device for supplying a monaural sound signal or a stereo sound signal to the loudspeakers; a matrix circuit for producing a first stereo sound signal in a first language or a second stereo sound signal in a second language in response to the second sound signal and the first sound signal or third sound signal, respectively, and for supplying the respective first stereo sound signal or the second stereo sound signal to the first switch device; and a second switch device for selectively supplying the first sound signal or the third sound signal to the matrix circuit or to the first switch device as a first monaural sound signal in the first language or as a second monaural sound signal in the second language, so that the loudspeakers can produce monaural sound in the first language, stereo sound in the first language, monaural sound in the second language or stereo sound in the second language.

A remote control system capable of selectively controlling a desired one of plural devices in response to the transmission of remote control signals from a transmitter. A central control includes a decoder decoding a remote control signal so as to produce a corresponding device control signal, this device control signal being coupled to the plural devices so as to control a desired one thereof in accordance with the decoded signal. The central control includes at least one, and preferably plural, input terminals. Plural receiving elements, spatially separated from each other, are coupled to respective ones of the input terminals, preferably by a conducting lead, and, preferably, a receiving element is provided directly at the central control. The receiving elements are capable of receiving a remote control signal transmitted, for example, by infrared transmission, from the transmitter. A combining circuit, such as an OR-type circuit, in the central control is coupled to the respective input terminals and also to the one receiving element which may be disposed directly at the central control, so as to supply a remote control signal received by any of the receiving elements to the decoder. Hence, a desired device is controlled regardless of the particular receiving element to which the remote control signal is transmitted.

In a television receiver for selectively displaying a received television picture and an audio signal waveform on the screen of a cathode ray tube, an audio signal to be displayed is applied to a pulse generation circuit where it is converted to a waveform display pulse signal having the phase position corresponding to the audio signal and this waveform display pulse signal is applied through a video amplifier having a brightness control circuit to the cathode ray tube during the display of the audio signal waveform. In this case, the background level of the screen of the cathode ray tube is changed to be lowered so that a viewer can clearly see the audio signal waveform.

Television receiver with display of audio signals

In a television receiver for selectively displaying a received television picture and an audio signal waveform on the screen of a cathode ray tube, an audio signal to be displayed is applied to a pulse generation circuit where it is converted to a waveform display pulse signal having the phase position corresponding to the audio signal and this waveform display signal is applied to a video amplifier every other field during the display of the audio signal waveform, whereby a viewer can clearly see the audio signal waveform on the screen of the cathode ray tube.

A control circuit used in a color television receiver for controlling a reproduced picture in response to an ambient light level has a photo-sensitive device, a transistor whose base electrode is connected to the photo-sensitive device, a variable resistor connected in series to the transistor, a voltage controlled contrast control circuit and a voltage controlled color saturation control circuit both controlled by a control voltage obtained at a movable contact of said variable resistor, and a switch connected in parallel to the transistor which is adapted to be manually closed.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Kunio Nagai