Sony Corporation

Other

Peter Shintani

Naomasa Takahashi

Hirofumi Usui

A method and apparatus for securely restricting the viewing of television programs. When a television program has been received along with rating data associated with a rating of the television program; length data associated with a length of the program, a microcomputer determines whether the rating data are higher than a predetermined viewing restricting level. If the rating data have been found higher, a muting circuit mutes the television program until it ends with reference to the television program length data, and the program corresponding to the rating data is outputted from a tuner.

Viewing restricting method and viewing restricting apparatus

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic program guide system and an electronic program guide displaying method that allow a desired program to be selected in a short time and at a high degree of reliability. EPG data of programs received by an IRD,through a satellite and EPG data of programs transmitted as a ground wave and received by a TV receiver,are converted into EPG data with an integrated format by an EPG receiver,. The integrated EPG data is then output and displayed to the TV receiver

Electronic content guide system and electronic content guide displaying method

To enhance service to a user and the security and others of a computer system by managing the respective operations of plural computer terminals using a non-contact card, a user is authenticated by a communicating between the non-contact card storing the personal identification information of the user and peripheral equipment arranged in the vicinity of the user such that login to a computer is automatically executed according to the result of the authentication. By making communication with the non-contact card periodically it is determined whether the user has temporarily left his/her seat, in which case a screen saver is activated and a file is automatically stored.

Computer system using a portable card for managing security and

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic program guide system and an electronic program guide displaying method that allow a desired program to be selected in a short time and at a high degree of reliability. EPG data of programs received by an IRD 4 through a satellite and EPG data of programs transmitted as a ground wave and received by a TV receiver 5 are converted into EPG data with an integrated format by an EPG receiver 6. The integrated EPG data is then output and displayed to the TV receiver 5.

Electronic program guide system and electronic guide displaying method

Electronic program guide system and electronic program guide displaying

In a television receiver having a function of picture-in-picture, a character caption on a sub-screen is displayed at an easy-to-see position to enable the content of the sub-screen to be easily understood while looking at the main screen, wherein when either one or multiple sub-screens are displayed in the main screen, the character caption corresponding to the displayed sub-screen is displayed at a proper position to the main screen or on a position displaced from the main screen, it may also be displayed with a character having a shade or displayed with a blanched character or the like, thereby even while watching the main screen, the content of the sub-screen projected may easily be understand through the character caption.

Television receiver with picture-in-picture function displays titles of

A picture receiving apparatus wherein a received video signal is converted into digital video data which is further compressed before being recorded on a minidisk set in a disk mounting unit along with caption information superimposed on the video signal and index information is recorded. A remote commander is used to select a desired item from index information displayed on a display screen. Pictures of the selected item are displayed on a child screen and caption information associated with the pictures is displayed in a caption display area.

Picture receiving apparatus

A CPU is designed so as to put a demagnetizing circuit in an operative state in accordance with a result of detecting, among other quantities or events, the number of operations to turn on a power counted by a counter, the lapse of time under a predetermined condition measured by a timer since the pulling-out of an AC plug, the movement of the main body of a display device sensed by a sensor unit, an external magnetic field sensed by a sensor unit or a residual magnetism in a CRT itself sensed by a sensor unit. Instead of carrying out demagnetization each time the power is turned on, demagnetization is performed only under certain conditions when necessary, diminishing the problem of wasteful power consumption. On the top of that, the number of cases in which sound and picture vibration are generated due to a demagnetizing operation carried out right after the turning-on of the power is reduced, resulting in a product easy to handle by the user. In addition, the lives of components composing a demagnetizing circuit such as a positive thermistor can be prolonged.

Demagnetizing device is automatically energized after counting a set

An information terminal apparatus capable of ensuring enhanced operational facility and realizing easier maintenance of software required for a variety of services. The terminal apparatus includes an external information input port for receiving external software transmitted thereto by radio waves; a first memory for storing the software received by the external information input port; a first controller operated in accordance with the execution of the software stored in the first memory; a console for inputting predetermined data in conformity with the execution of the software; and a display for visually representing various kinds of information in conformity with the execution of the software. The software is obtained via a cable box for transferring a signal to or from the information terminal unit. The cable box includes an interface for transferring information to and from a host processor; a second memory for storing the software transmitted thereto from the host processor; and a second controller for controlling the signal transfer to or from the interface, the second memory and the information terminal unit.

Information terminal apparatus that is remotely programmed by radio

Each of plural electronic devices, e.g., a television receiver, a video disc player, a video tape recorder, an audio amplifier, and a compact disc player which are placed in an audiovisual room has a light emitter and a light detector. Identification signals corresponding to the respective electronic devices are outputted from the light emitters thereof to a single remote control unit. When the remote control unit detects the identification signals, the remote control unit displays on its display unit information required to selectively operate the electronic devices corresponding to the detected identification signals. The remote control unit displays only the information relative to the electronic devices disposed in the audiovisual room. The single remote control unit can control the plural electronic devices in the audiovisual room.

Apparatus and method for an electronic device control system

A television receiver selects an audio signal corresponding to one of a plurality of video signals and a caption signal respectively accompanying one of the plurality of video signals. At least one picture and the selected caption are displayed on a screen, the selected sound is output from a speaker. The video, audio and caption may be independently selected.

Television receiver with caption display

A television system which selectively receives additional information multiplexed in a video-signal source different from and other than a video-signal source currently being watched. A video signal V7 supplied to a CCD/EDS data extractor 7 is selected independently of a video signal V5 for a main screen of a CRT 10 or a video signal V6 for an auxiliary screen of the CRT 10 displayed by a PinP (PoutP) function. Accordingly, captions to be displayed are not limited to additional information multiplexed in the video signal V5 for the main screen displayed on the CRT 10. As a result, additional information multiplexed in a video signal for the auxiliary screen other than that for the main screen or multiplexed in an external video signal V2 can also be displayed as well.

Television receiver with decoder for decoding coded data from a video

A television signal receiving apparatus for a conventional television receiver capable of receiving a non-scrambled video signal and a related character signal inserted in a vertical blanking interval of the non-scrambled video signal comprises a tuner, a decoder, a video processor, a character generator, a controller, an input terminal and a scrambled signal decoder. The character generator 56 is set up at the television 2 and control signals for controlling this character generator 56 are inputted from the decoder 1. It is therefore not necessary to have a character generator on the side of the decoder 1 so that the construction of the system can be less complicated and the cost of the system can be reduced.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Peter Shintani