Atsushi Suzuki

US Patent:

6381507, Apr 30, 2002

Filed:

May 31, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/585706

Inventors:

Hisato Shima - Tokyo, JP
Atsushi Suzuki - San Diego CA
Takuya Nishimura - Kanagawa-ken, JP

Assignee:

Sony Corporation - Tokyo
Sony Electronics, Inc. - Park Ridge NJ

International Classification:

G05B 1900

US Classification:

700 83

Abstract:

A command pass-through mechanism for allowing a set of pre-defined user command codes to be passed directly to the target device. By using the command pass-through mechanisms of the present invention, cumbersome control and manipulation of the user interface of the panel subunit can be avoided. In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, commands that are not represented as control objects on the user interface can be easily communicated to the target device. Furthermore, Command pass-through can be used to communicate the focus navigation commands to the target. In this way, additional control flexibility is provided to the panel subunit. Further, command pass-through is also useful for communicating commands from specialized keys associated with the controller, such as dedicated remote control buttons (e. g. , guide key, selection up, selection down, selection right, selection left, etc. ). The command pass-through mechanism of the present invention may also be used in conjunction with an exact bitmap image transfer mechanism to create a more advanced graphical user interface for the panel subunit.

US Patent:

6429885, Aug 6, 2002

Filed:

Oct 30, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/183153

Inventors:

Joseph Saib - Englewood CO
Atsushi Suzuki - San Diego CA

Assignee:

Sony Corporation - Tokyo
Sony Electronics Inc. - Park Ridge NJ

International Classification:

G09G 500

US Classification:

345854, 345419, 345851, 345835, 345765, 345840, 345762, 345780

Abstract:

A technique for converting displayable objects of a graphics user interface (GUI) display into a code representation with minimal user intervention. The technique includes creation of the GUI display and analysis of each displayable object when prompted by the user to convert to a code representation. The analysis features accessing parameters of each displayable object to produce an object data file, a color data file storing colors used by the displayable objects of the GUI display and a bitmap data file to contain bitmaps of logos or images featured in the GUI display. These data files are complied with an implementation file featuring a software library to generate an executable program having the code representation of the GUI display.

US Patent:

6556221, Apr 29, 2003

Filed:

May 31, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/585889

Inventors:

Hisato Shima - Tokyo, JP
Atsushi Suzuki - San Diego CA
Takuya Nishimura - Kanagawa-ken, JP

Assignee:

Sony Corporation - Tokyo
Sony Electronics, Inc. - Park Ridge NJ

International Classification:

G09G 500

US Classification:

345764

Abstract:

Methods for realizing advanced graphical user interface (GUI) in panel subunit. The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a button GUI element descriptor that defines a bitmap to be displayed when a button is out of focus and another bitmap to be displayed when the button is in focus. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a table GUI element descriptor that defines a table-like on screen display to be displayed on the contoller device. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a panel GUI element descriptor that includes a focused identifier attribute indicating a pre-determined element of the on-screen display as default focus. In this way, the target device would be able to control the default focus of the controller device when displaying an on-screen display. In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a text GUI element descriptor that includes a font style attribute that dictates whether the text GUI element should be displayed as bold, underlined and/or reversed. By using these extended elements in panel subunit, more complicated and advanced GUI, such as an electronic programming guide (EPG) can be achieved.

US Patent:

6615293, Sep 2, 2003

Filed:

May 31, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/585883

Inventors:

Hisato Shima - Tokyo, JP
Atsushi Suzuki - San Diego CA
Takuya Nishimura - Kanagawa-ken, JP

Assignee:

Sony Corporation - Tokyo
Sony Electronics - Park Ridge NJ

International Classification:

G06F 300

US Classification:

710 30, 710 15, 713 1, 709236, 345327

Abstract:

A method and system for providing an exact image transfer and root panel list within the panel subunit graphical user interface mechanism of networked electronic devices. The exact image transfer mechanism allows a target device to send a networked controller device a bitmap image of the exact display required of the target device. By transferring an exact bitmap of what is to be displayed, the target device can guarantee that the display rendered by the controller will not be modified or altered. This is useful in cases where the display represents an electronic program guide (EPG) or other suitable display that should be displayed with a predetermined arrangement and should not be altered by the controller. This is also useful in cases where the controller does not have a robust processing capability and therefore merely displays the exact bitmap sent by the target. Focus navigation is communicated from the controller to the target which then can alter the bitmap to illustrate an updated focus.

US Patent:

7865832, Jan 4, 2011

Filed:

Apr 7, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/409297

Inventors:

Hisato Shima - Tokyo, JP
Atsushi Suzuki - San Diego CA, US
Takuya Nishimura - Kanagawa-ken, JP

Assignee:

Sony Corporation - Tokyo
Sony Electronics, Inc. - Park Ridge NJ

International Classification:

G06F 17/00
G06F 3/048
G06F 3/00

US Classification:

715721, 715227, 715767, 715771, 715823, 715840, 715764, 715716, 725 39

Abstract:

Methods for realizing advanced graphical user interface (GUI) in panel subunit. The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a button GUI element descriptor that defines a bitmap to be displayed when a button is out of focus and another bitmap to be displayed when the button is in focus. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a table GUI element descriptor that defines a table-like on screen display to be displayed on the contoller device. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a panel GUI element descriptor that includes a focused identifier attribute indicating a pre-determined element of the on-screen display as default focus. In this way, the target device would be able to control the default focus of the controller device when displaying an on-screen display. In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a text GUI element descriptor that includes a font style attribute that dictates whether the text GUI element should be displayed as bold, underlined and/or reversed. By using these extended elements in panel subunit, more complicated and advanced GUI, such as an electronic programming guide (EPG) can be achieved.

US Patent:

20100293488, Nov 18, 2010

Filed:

Jul 27, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/844669

Inventors:

Hisato Shima - Tokyo, JP
Atsushi Suzuki - San Diego CA, US
Takuya Nishimura - Kanagawa-ken, JP

Assignee:

SONY CORPORATION - Tokyo

International Classification:

G06F 3/048
G06F 15/173

US Classification:

715764, 709224

Abstract:

Methods for realizing advanced graphical user interface (GUI) in panel subunit. The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a button GUI element descriptor that defines a bitmap to be displayed when a button is out of focus and another bitmap to be displayed when the button is in focus. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a table GUI element descriptor that defines a table-like on screen display to be displayed on the controller device. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a panel GUI element descriptor that includes a focused identifier attribute indicating a pre-determined element of the on-screen display as default focus. In this way, the target device would be able to control the default focus of the controller device when displaying an on-screen display. In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a text GUI element descriptor that includes a font style attribute that dictates whether the text GUI element should be displayed as bold, underlined and/or reversed. By using these extended elements in panel subunit, more complicated and advanced GUI, such as an electronic programming guide (EPG) can be achieved.

US Patent:

62926241, Sep 18, 2001

Filed:

May 13, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/854910

Inventors:

Joseph Saib - San Diego CA
Atsushi Suzuki - San Diego CA

Assignee:

Sony Corporation - Tokyo
Sony Electronics, Inc. - Park Ridge NJ

International Classification:

H04N 591

US Classification:

386 83

Abstract:

The present invention relates to a home entertainment system and method for selectively recording or purchasing a show broadcast for receipt by the home entertainment system to perform selective recording or purchasing an electronic guide screen is initially produced. Upon viewing the electronic guide screen, a viewer may select a show to be entered into timer memory. This selection prompts the viewer to select whether or not to record the show. Thereafter, the programming data associated with the show is loaded into timer memory along with information indicating whether the show is scheduled to be recorded.

US Patent:

59366672, Aug 10, 1999

Filed:

May 13, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/855264

Inventors:

Joseph Saib - San Diego CA
Atsushi Suzuki - San Diego CA

Assignee:

Sony Corporation - Tokyo
Sony Electronics, Inc. - Park Ridge NJ

International Classification:

H04N 1700

US Classification:

348180

Abstract:

A system and method for testing a system and method for testing a remote transmitter that controls a peripheral device and for updating control codes utilized by the remote transmitter. One embodiment of the system includes a peripheral device, a broadcast receiver such as an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) and a remote transmitter that receives signals from the IRD and generates control codes to the peripheral device to service a program event. The system supports automatic loading and updating of control codes used by the remote transmitter to control present and perhaps future peripheral devices. Likewise, the IRD supports testing of the remote transmitter through a testing screen.