Masahiro Nakano710 Bounty Dr UNIT 1012, Foster City, CA 94404

7150034, Dec 12, 2006

Apr 9, 2001

09/827950

Masahiro Nakano - Los Altos CA, US

Sony Corporation
Sony Electronics, Inc. - Park Ridge NJ

H04N 5/445
H04N 7/173

725110, 725 40, 725114, 725116, 725134

A software application that filters specific messages from an e-mail server is disclosed. A user specifies filtering criteria within the application, which then detects the arrival of an e-mail fulfilling the specified criteria, and notifies the user accordingly. The notification can consist of blinking an icon on a Set Top Box (STB) TV screen, making an audible sound, or activating a pager. The subject of the filter criteria can be an Instant Message or telephone call using Caller ID, instead of an e-mail message.

2002005, May 9, 2002

Jan 20, 1999

09/233765

MASAHIRO NAKANO - LOS ALTOS CA, US
ROLF TOFT - PALO ALTO CA, US
TOSHIYA FUJII - MENLO PARK CA, US
KENT LAWRENCE HEADLEY - SAN JOSE CA, US
ROBERT BRADLEY ROSIN - LOS ALTOS CA, US

G06F017/60

705/001000, 705/056000, 705/074000

A method of, and apparatus for, doing business transactions on a network, such as the Internet, is described. Purchases are carried out in a secure way such that there is a minimum possibility that the customer's financial or billing information can be stolen. An input device, such as a set top box, television browser, is provided at a customer's location. The input device has a unique identification code. This code is stored on a first server connected to a network, such as the Internet, prior to conducting any transactions. Customer specific financial and/or billing information is also stored on the first server. The customer is then connected to the desired location on the network through a second server to conduct a transaction. The identification code of the input device is also provided to the second server connected to the network. The second server has secure access to the customer specific information located on the first server, for billing the customer. Where the input device is a set top box browser, a smart card port may be provided. As a marketing device, the smart card can be provided by a vendor. The smart card is encoded with the URL location of the vendor's website. A user inserts the smart card into the input device, such as a television set top box browser, to automatically connect to the vendor's website. By using a smart card, information can be downloaded from the vendor's website to the customer's smart card.

2002015, Oct 24, 2002

Apr 21, 2001

09/839000

Masahiro Nakano - Los Altos CA, US
Tsutomu Akiyama - San Diego CA, US
Tadamasa Kitsukawa - San Diego CA, US
Shigeharu Kondo - San Diego CA, US

SONY CORPORATION - Toyko

H04N007/173

725/110000, 725/109000, 725/111000

A system and method for interactive television (ITV) includes presenting both TV channels and “virtual channels” on an ITV. A virtual channel can be a Web page stored in memory of the ITV (or remote therefrom) and accessed by a microprocessor in the ITV when a user selects the virtual channel number using a conventional TV remote control. The particular Web page can be established based on consumer data, such as demographic data supplied by the consumer or consumer responses to prompts displayed along with a channel. The Web page associated with the virtual channel can be updated or changed by sending data to the ITV through the VBI of a TV signal or via the Internet, through a modem on the ITV.

2002019, Dec 19, 2002

Jan 22, 1999

09/235315

KENT LAWRENCE HEADLEY - SAN JOSE CA, US
MASAHIRO NAKANO - LOS ALTOS CA, US
ROLF HENRI TOFT - SAN FRANCISCO CA, US
ROBERT BRADLEY ROSIN - BOSTON MA, US
TOSHIYA FUJII - MENLO PARK CA, US

G06F015/16

709/203000

A method executed in a data processing system is provided for generating a list of media for playback from different types of audio and video media. Initially, a list of different types of media available for playback is identified. Based on the identification, the list of media is displayed. Using this list of media, a multimedia playlist is created including audio and video media from the list of media. Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for playing different types of audio and video media on different audio and video devices. Initially, a multimedia playlist having a list of audio and video media is loaded. The first entry of media in the multimedia playlist is selected for playback. This first entry of media is processed and played back on a device compatible with the first entry of media. A subsequent entry of media in the multimedia playlist is also selected for playback. This subsequent entry of media is processed and played back on a device capable of processing the subsequent entry of media.