Dipakkumar R Patel

6707917, Mar 16, 2004

Jun 9, 1999

09/328906

Henry S. Landgraf - Cherry Hill NJ
Anthony Troiano - Princeton Junction NJ
Dipakkumar R. Patel - Hatboro PA

General Instrument Corporation - Horsham PA

H04H 500

381 11, 381 1

A monaural and stereo audio signal control system for use in cable-signal set-top boxes selects signal processing paths as a function of the monaural and stereo nature of the incoming audio component of the television signal and an indication as to whether the audio component is a âclearâ or âmaskedâ signal. A clear audio signal is a signal that conforms to a NTSC or BTSC standard that can be processed by a conventional television receiver while a âmaskedâ signal is one in which the carrier frequency has been changed or otherwise modified so that a conventional television receiver cannot extract the audio content. A signal-processing path is provided for conventional clear monaural and stereo audio and for a masked monaural signal and for a masked stereo signal. Monaural clear and masked processing is addressed by microprocessor controlled switching in accordance with control information provided in the television signal and stereo masked processing is addressed by the presence or absence of energy corresponding to the masked stereo carrier.

7039941, May 2, 2006

Oct 30, 1998

09/182519

Louis Caporizzo - North Wales PA, US
Dipakkumar R. Patel - Hatboro PA, US

General Instrument Corporation - Horsham PA

H04N 5/445
H04N 7/173

725127, 725 38, 725128, 348726, 348734, 348738

In a cable television converter terminal, NICAM signal passthrough is achieved using an alignment-free passthrough circuit including a NICAM SAW filter. The alignment-free passthrough circuit directly taps the output of the converter terminal's tuner to obtain the NICAM signal. As a result, the NICAM signal is not distorted by the components involved in obtaining the other signal components of the cable television signal. Consequently, sound quality is improved and rendered less vulnerable to degradation due to component aging, temperature fluctuations, and human error. The passthrough circuit can be implemented as a removable circuit module.

20040216166, Oct 28, 2004

May 21, 2004

10/850671

Louis Caporizzo - North Wales PA, US
Dipakkumar Patel - Hatboro PA, US

H04N007/173
H04N007/16

725/131000, 725/139000, 725/150000

In a cable television converter terminal, NICAM signal passthrough is achieved using an alignment-free passthrough circuit including a NICAM SAW filter. The alignment-free passthrough circuit directly taps the output of the converter terminal's tuner to obtain the NICAM signal. As a result, the NICAM signal is not distorted by the components involved in obtaining the other signal components of the cable television signal. Consequently, sound quality is improved and rendered less vulnerable to degradation due to component aging, temperature fluctuations, and human error. The passthrough circuit can be implemented as a removable circuit module.

48089486, Feb 28, 1989

Sep 28, 1987

7/101839

Dipakkumar I. Patel - Elkins Park PA
Randall S. Giampa - Horsham PA

Kulicke and Soffa Indusries, Inc. - Willow Grove PA

H03L 700

331 4

Apparatus for periodically sweeping a voltage controlled oscillator over a range of frequencies which includes a resonant frequency of a transducer being supplied with power by the voltage controlled oscillator through a power amplifier. The apparatus includes a digital phase detector having a voltage input coupled to the output of the power amplifier and a second voltage input coupled to a current sensor indicative of the phase of the current flowing through the supply circuit of the transducer to provie at the output of the phase detector a voltage signal indicative of phase difference between the voltage and the current in the transducer. The output of the phase detector is coupled to a processor and to the input of a summing circuit. The output of the processor is also coupled to the summing circuit to provide an offset voltage which adjusts the voltage controlled oscillator to the resonant frequency of the transducer.