Bell Telephone Laboratories

Bell Communications Research, Inc.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Other

At&t Bell Laboratories

Terence J Nelson

Lanny Starkes Smoot

David Alan Braun

Raymond Wolfe

Dirk Joachim Muehlner

Peter Istvan Bonyhard

Lars C Luther

Roy Conway Le Craw

William A Nilson, Iii

Joseph E Geusic

Andrew H Bobeck

Junichi Kanai

Barry Russell Vaning

The present invention is a personal programmable universal remote control apparatus comprising an input module receptive of command sets operable to control devices. The apparatus further comprises an interface module receptive of manual input from a user, and an organization module operable to organize the command sets into groups based on the manual input. The apparatus further comprises an output module operable to communicate commands to the devices based on the groups. According to one aspect, the groups are operable to define operating conditions for interrelated devices based on at least one of user preference and intelligence regarding device interactions. According to another aspect, the groups are operable to define a command sequence operable to perform an action requiring one or more devices that involves use of multiple commands of the associated command sets.

Personal programmable universal remote control

A method for protecting a DVD video includes deriving a distinct version of the video data from sequential distinct data objects contained in a content database. Each data object has at least one member and selected data objects have at least two members that produce discernibly different analog output signals. In the exemplary embodiment, the members of a data object correspond to alternate 'camera angles' in the DVD context. By selecting among alternate data objects available in the content database, the identity of an agent who is to be responsible for that copy is encoded in the particular copy. A modified player encodes the identity of the player into the reproduced analog video signal by making choices from among the members of the selected multi-member data objects.

Method and system for tracing an analog copy of a digital work to a unique digital copy and a particular digital player

A method for customizing a copyrighted digital work that is distributed in multiple data objects on, for example, a writable media, such as an optical disc, or across a global network, such as the Internet, so that an unauthorized second-generation copy can be traced to the licensee. Bits of the license-enforcement data are embedded in a licensed copy by choosing one of two previously prepared versions of each data object. These two versions both have the effect that the artist intended. The licensor can read the enforcement data more easily when digital fingerprints of the application data are carried along with the data objects. In order to remove the enforcement data with a degree of reliability, it would be necessary to introduce subtle changes in the application data and then recompute the fingerprints. This may constitute willful infringement rather than just careless copying. To discourage such determined piracy, the fingerprints are computed using a one-way hash function and encrypted using a public-key encryption algorithm. Public notice is given of the selected one-way hash function and public-key cryptography algorithm along with the value of the public key in use. Consequently anyone can authenticate a copy of the work, and persons who traffic in pirate copies can therefore be held accountable. Certain weaknesses of the method are overcome by concatenating the fingerprints before encryption and overwriting the fingerprints from the same bit positions after encryption.

Method and apparatus for rendering unauthorized copies of digital content traceable to authorized copies

A low-cost, large-area display system having a backlight in segments each positioned to illuminate a subfield of M rows of a fast supertwisted-nematic (STN) display of N rows. Fields of Q&plus;1 subfields are addressed by the method known as Active Addressing using orthogonal waveforms of period MT/N where T is the frame time. A subfield is addressed for Q&plus;1 periods MT/N of the row waveforms and illuminated during the last one. Fast STNs allow Q to be small leading to a small effective multiplex ratio with improved contrast and horizontal viewing-angle range. A few additional leading and trailing rows may be addressed to overcome vertical parallax. The row drivers are periodically connected by switches that simply ground un-addressed rows. With Q&plus;1 also a divisor of N, subfield contributions to the column waveforms can be calculated once and used Q&plus;1 times in each frame. For example, N&equals;240, M&equals;16, L&equals;4 and Q&equals;2 provide an effective multiplex ratio of 57 and allow at least 2.2 msec for pixels to turn on when the frame rate 1/T is 60 Hz. The viewing-angle range can also be expanded by moving subfields a few rows in the scan direction and advancing the integration time to equalize the brightness of pixels illuminated by the next segment. For example, if the turn-off time is 0.76 T and the integration time is shortened to 0.33 MT/N, equalization is possible with turn-on times as large as &frac34; of the turn-off time without decreasing pixel transmittance by more than 50%. Dual-scan configurations using N&equals;240, for example, can display VGA or 480 p formats.

Large-area, active-backlight display

Apparatus for establishing eye contact between communicating parties during video conferencing comprises mirrors, a directionally transmissive layer, such as a louver assembly, and a camera are positioned, with respect to one another such that more intimate communication is realized between the parties without substantially reducing the transmissivity of the apparatus. Internal to this apparatus, the louver assembly is located in front of the terminal screen and passes an image of the distant party radiated from the terminal screen which is substantially parallel to microlouvers of the louver assembly. A first mirror, which is partially silvered, reflects the image of the local party and transmits the image of the distant party that is radiated from the terminal screen and passed by the louver assembly. The reflected image of the local party is directed toward a second mirror located below the first mirror. The second mirror is positioned to capture the image of the local party from the first mirror and to reflect this image into a miniature camera. An outstanding advantage of our inventive apparatus is that improved contrast at the camera between the desired image of the local party and the undesired image of the remote party, is achieved. This advantage is achieved without significantly compromising the transmissivity of the image radiated from the terminal screen and viewed by the local party and the transmissivity of the image of the local party captured by the camera. Prior apparatuses employing polarizers tradeoff transmissivity for improved contrast.

Eye contact apparatus employing a directionally transmissive layer for

A system and method for accessing directory information over a telephony network employing the ADSI protocol and for presenting the directory information at the user's conventional TV monitor are described. The system includes a directory service unit, a telephony network, such as the public switched telephony network, and multiple user interface units. The directory service unit receives, processes, and stores in memory directory information from directory information providers which information is transmitted to the user interface unit of requesting users on demand. The directory service unit is connected to user interface units via the telephony network and uses the ADSI protocol to communicate data and voice signals containing directory information to users. Each user interface unit converts directory information in the form of data signals into signals for display on the user's TV screen and transmits audio directory information, such as audio program description, to the audio input of the user's TV monitor. The user interface unit also converts requests and interactive inputs generated by the user at the infrared remote of the TV monitor into local display commands for locally controlling the appearance of directory information on the user's TV monitor or into DTMF digits for transmission to the directory service unit. On receiving a user's request for directory service, the directory service unit transmits to the user menus of directory information in ADSI format, which menus are processed at the user interface unit for display on the user's TV screen. On receiving the user's interactive inputs in the form of DTMF digits for a specific directory or a program description, the directory service unit retrieves the appropriate information from memory, and transmits it in ADSI format to the user interface unit where the requested information is processed for presentation at the user's TV monitor.

System and method for providing directory information over a telephony

A flat-panel display device 500, 600 with an active array of parallel longitudinal row backlights 520, 620 disposed in a first plane is disclosed. The row backlights sequentially emit a row of light for a fixed-duration row-interval of time t in successive row periods of duration p. Each row is illuminated once in each frame. The flat panel display device also has an array of longitudinal parallel liquid-crystal column shutters 531, 631 disposed in a second plane parallel to the first plane. The column shutters are oriented orthogonally to the row backlights so as to define pixels at each intersection of a column shutter and a row backlight. A driver 590, 690 is provided for causing the column shutters to make, at most, one transition from the 'off' state to the 'on' state or vice-versa every row period.

Driver circuit for shutters of a flat panel display

Our video-conferencing system comprises stations which are remotely located from one another and interconnected by a transmission system. Each station includes a camera, a projector, and a screen, which is simultaneously translucent with respect to the projector and transparent with respect to the camera. The projector as well as the camera are placed behind and in line with the screen, thus allowing greater viewing reciprocity and eye-contact and projecting a stronger feeling of reality to the video-conferencing parties. Our screen includes segments which discriminates between projected light and light to be captured by the camera based upon polarization or angle.

Eye contact video-conferencing system and screen

A front projection video display system achieves high contrast without darkened ambient room conditions by a specific combination and arrangement of the components of this system. These components include a front-projection video projector which projects an image of particular direction of polarization; polarizing lenses which polarize light radiated from room light fixtures in a direction orthogonal to that of the projected image; a polarizing filter which substantially transmits light polarized parallel to the projected image and substantially blocks light orthogonal to the projected image; and a projection screen which is polarization maintaining and which receives the projected image for viewing by the viewing audience.

High-contrast front projection video display system

Active row backlight, column shutter LCD with one shutter transition per

A television system (100) comprises a sending station (70), a composing system (80) and a receiving station (90). The sending station (70) comprise a sequence of cameras (1,2,3, . . . ,N) arranged so that the fields of view merge contiguously to form an aggregate field of view. The composing station (80) includes circuitry which enables a local viewer at the receiving station (90) to select an arbitrary and continuously variable subsection of the aggregate field of view for display on a local monitor (200).

Television system for displaying multiple views of a remote location

Apparatus to establish eye contact between communicating parties during video conferencing comprises mirrors, polarizers and a camera which are positioned with respect to one another in a special, well-defined manner such that the apparatus protrudes a minimal distance from the terminal screen. Internal to this apparatus, a first polarizer located directly in front of the terminal screen passes a polarization of the image of the distant party radiated from the terminal screen. A first mirror, which is partially silvered, reflects the image of the local party and transmits the image of the distant party that is radiated from the terminal screen and passed by the first polarizer. The reflected image of the local party is directed toward a second mirror located below the first mirror. The second mirror is positioned to capture the image of the local party from the first mirror and to reflect this image into a miniature camera. A second polarizer is located between the second mirror and the camera and cross-polarized with the first polarizer to minimize extraneous light from the terminal screen entering the camera.

Eye contact apparatus for video conferencing

In a row-backlight column-shutter display, an array of sequentially illuminated leaky lightguides is utilized as the row-backlight component of the display. Light is coupled into each guide from a small high-peak-brightness source such as a light-emitting diode. Each guide is designed to leak light in a substantially uniform manner along the entire extent of a longitudinally extending edge of the guide. By combining such a row back light with an orthogonally disposed column shutter such as an array of ferroelectric liquid crystals, an advantageous flat panel display is realized.

Flat panel display utilizing leaky lightguides

A flat panel display is disclosed which comprises a row backlight assembly, e.g. a vacuum fluorescent device, and a column shutter assembly, e.g. a ferroelectric liquid crystal device, in front of the row backlight for forming luminous images. Color is achieved in the display by providing varying phase retardation of light passing through the ferroelectric shutter assembly. This is done by selectively varying the thickness of the ferroelectric liquid crystal at adjacent columns so as to correspond to the primary colors required to form a color display.

Flat panel color display comprising backlight assembly and ferroelectric

Yttrium-iron magnetic domain materials having bismuth ions on dodecahedral sites are suitable for the manufacture of high-density, high-speed magnetic domain devices for operation at high and especially at very low temperatures. In these devices magnetic domain velocity is greater than 2000 centimeters per second per oersted, and magnetic domain diameter is less than 3 micrometers. A specified operational temperature range may extend from -150 to 150 degrees C.; accordingly, such devices are particularly suitable for operation aboard satellites, e.g., in satellite communications systems.

Growing community of inventors

New Providence, NJ, United States of America

Terence J Nelson