Tandy Corporation

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation

Other

Csr Technology Inc.

Smithkline Instruments, Inc.

Zoran Corporation

Wavetek Indiana, Inc.

Polaroid Corporation

Dts Canada, Ulc

Advanced Imaging Devices, Inc.

Paul R Goldberg

Martin John Richards

Bryan K Clark

Joel D Finegan

Robert Guerra

Douglas E Mandell

Mark Franklin Davis

Richard J Beaton

Mark Leighton Atherton

Darrell P Klotzbach

Michael I Neidich

Mitchell A Golner

Dmitri V Chmounk

Donald Francis Specht

Alon Ironi

Alfredo G Kniazzeh

Aharon Gill

Philip L Millstein

Ram Ofir

Allan E Ames

Miri Fraenkel

David Anisman

Colin J Doward

Elan Rosenthal

A method, system, and apparatus for consumer authorized collection and communication of consumer data, while facilitating compliance with government consumer privacy legislation and regulations, is provided. Authorization is obtained from a user of a network connected appliance to collect and communicate to other entities consumer data resulting from the user's use of the appliance. The data is encrypted, linked with an appliance user anonymous identifier and communicated to a first entity, where it is analyzed by the use of defined parameters. Based on this analysis, the anonymous identifier of the appliance user is aggregated with anonymous identifiers linked with the consumer data of other appliance users whose consumer data has at least one parameter in common with the consumer data of the appliance user. The aggregate set of anonymous identifiers is provisioned to a second entity by the first entity. Subsequent interaction with the first entity provides the second entity with access to the appliance user of the appliance without revealing the identity of the appliance user or providing access to the appliance user's consumer's data.

Secure consumer data exchange method, apparatus, and system therfor

Techniques for controlling the use of data stored on a media or integrated circuit sample are provided. A sample identifier is created at the point of sample use. The type of sample could range from storage media, such as a Digital Video Disc, or DVD, on which, for example, data representing a motion picture is recorded, to an integrated circuit in which computer code is stored. The sample identifier is stored at a location that is different from where the data is to be employed, and compared with other sample identifiers. The use of the data is controlled based on the results of the comparison.

Method and apparatus for controlling the use of data stored on a media sample

Techniques for reducing coloration artifacts visible in digital images acquired under flash lighting conditions are provided. The coloration artifact problem is addressed by capturing two images of the scene, a first image illuminated by a limited spectral bandwidth flash light source, and a second image illuminated by broad spectral bandwidth flash light source. Pixels of the second image are replaced with selected counterpart pixels from the first image that do not contain the coloration artifact.

Coloration artifact reduction

A virtual multichannel sound system is presented to improve audio reproduction by statically or dynamically conforming signal processing to specific speaker characteristics and/or arrangements. According to one such aspect, one or more dynamic signal processing algorithms driving two or more speakers are altered in response to the relative physical characteristics or arrangements of these speakers, where parameter information for these algorithms is either factory set, user input, or automatically supplied to the processor. Examples of such relative speaker differences include speaker spacing or alignment, speaker or enclosure compliance, and enclosure configuration. Another aspect is to alter the processing algorithms in response to common speaker characteristics for certain conditions of input signals. An example of this aspect is to alter the signal processing to improve bass response as a function of bass content in the signals being presented to the speakers and speaker size as well as relative speaker position.

Virtual multichannel speaker system

Methods and apparatus are provided for the creation and utilization of unique compressed data stream compositions, structures and formats which allow for the alteration of the data stream's data rate without first decoding the data stream back to its uncompressed form and then re-encoding the resulting uncompressed data at a different data rate. Such methods and apparatus perform this data rate alteration, known as scaling, such that optimal quality is maintained at each scaled data rate, while performing said scaling with low computational complexity. In addition, the present invention provides for data rate alteration in small increments. A unique application for the disclosed bit rate scaling method and apparatus is also described.

Modular scalable compressed audio data stream

A method and apparatus for adding watermark data to an input signal is provided. For this method watermark data is embedded into the input signal by modulating elements of the input signal to predefined relationships in reference to other elements of the input signal. By using referential relationships and by using patterned sequences, one or more bits of data can robustly be embedded. Further, a method and apparatus for recovering data embedded by the method and apparatus of the present invention, are also provided. To recover the embedded data, differences between elements of the input signal to reference elements of the signal are calculated and checked against predefined relationships. Predefined relationships thus found are used to recover pieces of the embedded information.

Method and apparatus for embedding digital watermarking into compressed multimedia signals

A system and method for decoding and displaying a video bitstream representing video images and displaying the video images. The present invention discloses a split memory manager design which is particularly adapted to display MPEG-2 format video images. In addition, the present invention discloses a novel way of managing the video memory used in a video decode and display system. Finally, an intraframe video data compression system and method is disclosed to complement the disclosed video decoding and displaying system.

Video memory management for MPEG video decode and display system

An apparatus and method receive and process information, and adapt the operational characteristics of the processing in response to material included in the received information. More particularly, the apparatus and method embody a software-controlled process which adapts or modifies the software in response to the received information. One embodiment is described in connection with a motion picture film which carries a conventional analog SVA soundtrack and a digital soundtrack with a digital representation of software required to properly process the digital soundtrack. An apparatus and a method according to one embodiment establishes what version of software is required to properly process the digital soundtrack, optionally modifies its software from information carried with the digital soundtrack if the current version on hand is not adequate and uses the updated version of software to process the digital soundtrack on the remainder of the current film and other future films until such time as another software update is required.

Dynamic loader

Analog sound tracks are recorded on a single one of the three dye layers present in a color motion picture film, one of the same dye layers that is used for the color picture information. The single dye layer, preferably the cyan dye layer, is read out using a narrow spectrum, substantially monochromatic light source, preferably a red light-emitting diode (LED), the spectrum of which is such as to be maximally absorbed by the dye layer and to remain well within the absorption range of the dye layer even when the dye layer color characteristics vary among film batches. The resulting lower-cost and environmentally-safer silverless analog-audio soundtracks have playback characteristics extremely close to conventional analog audio soundtracks prepared with silver.

Apparatus and method for reading motion picture film photographic dye

The invention relates generally to an apparatus and a method for receiving and processing information, and for adapting the operational characteristics of the processing in response to material included in the received information. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and a method embodying a software-controlled process which adapts or modifies the software in response to the received information. Although the invention has many applications, the invention is more particularly described in connection with a motion picture application in which film stock carries a conventional analog SVA soundtrack and a digital soundtrack with a digital representation of the software required to properly process the digital soundtrack. An apparatus and a method according to one embodiment establishes what version of software is required to properly process the digital soundtrack, optionally modifies its software from information carried with the digital soundtrack if the current version on hand is not appropriate, and uses the updated version of software to process the digital soundtrack on the remainder of the current film and other future films until such time as another software update is required.

Recovering digital information represented by multi-dimensionally

An optical storage medium is disclosed. In general, the storage medium includes a substrate, with a first, expansion layer, a second, reflective layer bonded to the first layer, and a third, retention layer bonded to the second layer, opposite the first layer. An opto-electronic system for recording data is also disclosed, along with a method of manufacture of the storage medium.

Recording method and apparatus

Apparatus and medium for recording erasable information

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Paul R Goldberg