Other

Rovi Guides, Inc.

Adeia Guides Inc.

Richard E Miller

Lucas Waye

Clayton Kim

Matthew John Emerson

James L Muhlfelder

Steven J McClure

Systems and methods are provided reducing storage space occupied by a media asset by adjusting quality levels of the media asset downward over time. This may be accomplished by a media guidance application that store, at a given time, the media asset in a first format having a first quality level. The media guidance application retrieves, from a database, a data entry corresponding to the media asset and determines, based on the data entry, a threshold period of time for storing the media asset in the first format. The media guidance application detects whether the threshold period of time since the given time has passed and responds by altering a first portion of the media asset from the first format having the first quality level to a second format having a second quality level that is inferior to the first quality level.

Systems and methods for intelligently managing storage space occupied by media assets

Methods and systems are described herein for notifying a user about content that the user has previously missed in media. Users may get easily distracted when viewing media by mobile device notifications or other users viewing the media with the user. Consequentially, the user may miss content in media. The user may miss the same content in the media when consuming the media for a second time if the distractions are still present. An interactive media guide determines when the user has previously missed content in media and alerts the user when the content is going to be missed for a second time.

Systems and methods for alerting a user to missed content in previously accessed media

Swinging gate

A steering shaft lock for heavy-duty trucks having a steering shaft and accessible universal joint. The steering shaft lock has an elongated member and a flexible member attached to one end of the elongated member. The elongated member is steel bar-like member and the flexible member is a link-chain type member having one or more apertures or links. The elongated member is adapted to engage a spaced defined in the universal joint and protrude therefrom. The flexible member is adapted to lockingly engage the outer perimeter of the elongated member (at the point of its protrusion) with a locking device, such as a padlock. The steering shaft is locked by moving the flexible member toward the protrusion of the elongated member and placing the shackle of a locking device through one aperture of the flexible member and over the outer perimeter of the elongated member. Another method of locking is by moving the flexible member toward the protrusion of the elongated member, wrapping the flexible member around the elongated member near to its point of protrusion, and placing the shackle of a locking device through at least two adjacent apertures of the flexible member in a pinching relationship around the elongated member.

Steering shaft lock and method

Dog leash

A sealing device for sealing a side of a slideable door. The sealing device includes a seal member, a striker plate attached to the sealing member, an outer wall, and a plurality of links in the form of resilient ribs positioned between the seal member and the outer wall. The resilient ribs force the seal member downwardly and laterally against the side of the door when the door engages the striker plate. A web may be attached to the resilient ribs, the seal member and the outer wall. The web prevents the passage of air between the ribs, and retracts the seal member from the door when the door ceases to exert a force against the striker plate.

Sealing device

A safety device for attachment to a wiper arm assembly to prevent metal from contacting and scratching the windshield if the wiper blade is lost or damaged. The device includes a body which is attached to a wiper arm and has a wheel member journalled to the body. The wheel is positioned to contact the windshield and freely roll across the glass with the wiper arm if the wiper blade is missing.

Wiper arm safety device

A game ball for playing baseball or softball, and the method for making the ball. The ball is formed of a hollow plastic shell filled with an expanded plastic material, and a cover completes the ball. The weight of the ball is provided by the weight of the shell, the expanded plastic filling the shell, and the cover. The COR, sound, and feel off the bat are provided almost entirely by the plastic shell. The material of the shell is an ionomer or a polyolefin, and the preferred material is an ethylene acid copolymer, the material for the shell being selected to have a hardness in the range of Shore D 30 to 65. The expanded plastic filling the shell may be any self-initiating material. The method for forming the ball is to mold two hemispheres, place a liquid mix for forming the expanded plastic into the lower hemisphere, weld the upper hemisphere to the lower hemisphere, the upper hemisphere having a vent hole at the top, and let the shell rest while the material expands to fill the shell. The cover is then placed over the shell to complete the ball.

Method of forming foam filled baseball or softball

A unitary, one-piece device for gripping threaded objects without damage to the threads. The device can be utilized for a number of functions including grippingly engaging and securing a threaded member for performing various operations on it. The device is also adaptable for use as a thread chaser to clean and/or rehabilitate damaged threads on a bolt or stud. Additionally, the device of the present invention is utilizable as a stud remover.

Thread vise

A baseball or softball having a size, weight, sound and rebound in accordance with standards set for the game. The ball is formed of a spherical plastic shell covered with a conventional sewn cover. The plastic shell is a thermoplastic consisting of a mixture of 'Surlyn' ionomer with about 50% ethylene vinyl acetate. The proportions are variable to achieve the desired characteristics, the 'Surlyn' providing strength and sound while the EVA provides softness and ease of thermo-welding. The shell is made by injection molding hemispheres and thermally welding two hemispheres together. As an alternative, the shell can be formed with a hole, and liquid components of an expanded plastic placed into the shell and expanded to fill the shell. The shell still provides all characteristics desired, and the expanded plastic is for weight only.

Game ball

A game ball and method for making the ball. The game ball is for use as a conventional, standard baseball or softball having the desired size, rebound and sound when hit. The ball includes a conventional preformed core of cork or the like, and a plastic shell covering the preformed core in lieu of the conventional windings. The conventional leather cover is received over the shell to complete the ball. The shell may be molded of 100% ionomer resin, or ethylene vinyl acetate may be added up to 25% to reduce the rebound, the ionomer resin and EVA being mixed together before molding the shell. The thickness of the shell is at least one-sixteenth inch to provide the desired rebound, and the shell is spherical with a diameter such that the covered ball will have the standard diameter. A liquid anti-bonding agent may cover the preformed core between the core and the shell, the anti-bonding agent being sodium oleate, silicone or urethane.

A vehicle protector utilizes a plurality of plastic sheets each having one surface thereof covered with a soft resilient material. The soft side of the sheets are disposed covering the outermost surface of the front fenders, the front door panels and the remaining side panels of a motor vehicle. The sheets are cut so as to have their marginal edges substantially conform to the marginal edges of the portions of the vehicle which they are adapted to cover. A pair of elastic bands straddle the front grille portion of the vehicle and are secured to the leading marginal edges of the pair of sheets covering the front fenders. Another pair of elastic members join the pair of sheets covering the front fenders, residing on the hood of the vehicle. Snap fasteners secure the trailing edge of the front fender cover sheets to the body of the vehicle adjacent the leading edge of the front doors. Another pair of sheets cover the front doors and are adapted with openings accommodating door handles and sideview mirrors. The cover sheets for the doors utilize snap fasteners to secure to the leading edge of the front doors and hook-like plastic members to secure the remaining marginal edges of the door cover sheets by capturing portions of the marginal edges of the front doors. A third pair of sheets cover the remaining side panels of the vehicle utilizing plastic hook-like members to capture portions of the marginal edges of the remaining side panels and a third pair of elastic bands, joining to each of the third pair of cover sheets straddling the rear portion of the vehicle.

Vehicle protector

Devices for covering up the effect of a pockmark in the outer layer of a safety glass windshield or the like include means for evacuating the atmosphere around the pockmark; sealing off the immediate area surrounding the pockmark; applying a highly-penetrating transparent liquid under pressure to the sealed area to force the liquid to penetrate the crevices of the fracture surrounding the pockmark. The transparent liquid fills the microscopic crevices surrounding the pockmark and then is hardened to make the pockmark permanently transparent and effectively invisible as one looks through the safety glass.

Growing community of inventors

Douglasville, GA, United States of America

Richard E Miller