Patents
I'm an inventor on fifteen granted United States patents. They are listed newest first. Each one includes the grant date, a short summary, a link to the Google Patents record, and the drawing from the front page.
Granted patents
Methods and apparatuses for combining and distributing user enhanced video/audio content
US 11,582,507 · Granted February 14, 2023
A program shows reference content, captures a video of the person watching it, and ties that video to a timecode in the reference content. It then marks which other people may view it and delivers the video so they can watch a composite of the user video and the reference content.
Event state monitoring for multiple platforms associated with a user account
US 10,271,005 · Granted April 23, 2019
The patent describes monitoring the state of events across platforms tied to a user account, then sending event information suited to an electronic device so the user of that account can see it. The user can submit inputs about those events on the device, and the inputs are sent on to the platforms.
User input handling for digital video playback device
US 9,959,897 · Granted May 1, 2018
User inputs from several sources, including a remote control and an on-screen keyboard, arrive at an input interpreter. That interpreter is separate from the digital video player, and it passes the inputs on to the player.
System and method for an interactive device for use with a media device
US 9,522,341 · Granted December 20, 2016 · Continuation of US 8,548,613
An interactive device communicates with a server that stores the current state of a media device while media is playing, then picks an action for that state and carries it out on its own hardware. It can operate independently of the server, or alongside other interactive devices connected to the same server.
System and method for providing a peripheral control interface for extending media device functions
US 9,247,007 · Granted January 26, 2016
A media device that already has its own functions connects to a network, finds a server, and obtains a peripheral control interface for a peripheral device. Commands sent through that interface make the peripheral do something the media device cannot do by itself.
Media playback system and method for monitoring usage of media contents
US 9,077,858 · Granted July 7, 2015
A media playback system keeps an analytic log for each piece of media, records events about how that media is used, and stores those events in the log. When a network connection is available, it sends the log to a remote server.
Method and system for pairing a medium to a user account
US 9,065,870 · Granted June 23, 2015 · Continuation of US 8,781,115
A media player reads an identifier from a medium and an identifier from its own memory, sends both to a server, and receives a key that ties them together. A computer can then send that key with a user account so the server can pair the account with the medium. The player and the computer both reach the server over the Internet.
Messaging with user generated content related to video object timecode
US 9,055,269 · Granted June 9, 2015
Someone builds a message from their own content and attaches it to a timecode on a video, along with when the message was created and who it is for. The message is then sent to electronic devices associated with that other person.
System and method for transfering [sic] data to and from a standalone video playback device
US 8,949,376 · Granted February 3, 2015
A server transfers data over a network to and from standalone media players, which can save and retrieve settings such as user preferences. The same arrangement can let a user share a favorite scene from a movie with other users.
Method and system for pairing a medium to a user account
US 8,781,115 · Granted July 15, 2014
A media player reads identifiers from a medium and from its own memory, sends them to a server, and gets back a key associated with both. After the player provides that key to a user, a computer can send the key and a user account to the server so the account is paired with the medium.
System and method for dynamic video placement on a display
US 8,693,846 · Granted April 8, 2014
A video playback device stores several video streams, each associated with different display coordinates. It takes a requested position on the screen, selects the matching stream, and plays that stream so the video appears in the chosen place.
System and method for an interactive device for use with a media device
US 8,548,613 · Granted October 1, 2013
An interactive device and a media device both communicate with a server that stores the media device's current playback state. The interactive device reads that state, chooses an action, and runs it on its own hardware, and it can operate independently of the server or together with other interactive devices on the same server.
Methods and apparatuses for managing assets stored in local memory of an optical disc player device
US 8,521,004 · Granted August 27, 2013
An optical disc player reads instructions from a disc that set up a visual file manager for data kept in the player's memory. The manager groups those stored assets into packages, tags them, and lets a user manage the packages.
Method and system for providing real-time streaming media content
US 8,327,009 · Granted December 4, 2012
A media player receives streaming audio as a series of clips and stores them in a circular queue large enough for at least two clips. Once the queue is full, it plays the clips in order and keeps writing the next clip into the slot that was just read.
Playback of episodic content recorded on a packaged media set
US 8,280,223 · Granted October 2, 2012
Episodes on a packaged media set play back in order. The player stores a marker for where a session stopped, and the next session uses that marker to jump to the following portion so the viewer does not have to remember where they left off.