Peter J Wonfor

6381747, Apr 30, 2002

Aug 31, 1998

09/142039

Peter J. Wonfor - El Granada CA
Derek T. Nelson - Menlo Park CA

Macrovision Corp. - Sunnyvale CA

H04N 7173

725104, 386 94, 380201, 380203

A method and system of providing copy protection of video analog and digital signals and the like, wherein the signals are transmitted via a digital delivery network, and may comprise, for example, pay per view (PPV) program materials protected by copyrights of respective program rights holders. The right holders authorize video service providers ( ) to apply copy protection to the program material. The copy protection process is supplied to the rights holders or the service providers ( ) by a copy protection process licensor. The video service providers ( ) supply suitable copy protection control software via respective control and billing (tracking) centers to generate commands which activate, control and reconfigure the copy protection process being applied to the programs being transmitted. A settop box ( ) is provided to each consumer and contains a copy protection circuit which is adapted to apply selected anticopy waveforms to the video signal corresponding to the program material in response to the commands from the service providers ( ). Usage data pertinent to each consumer is returned by the settop box ( ) to the service providers ( ), which then report the copy protection usage to the respective rights holders and process licensor.

7298962, Nov 20, 2007

May 12, 2003

10/436008

Ronald Quan - Cupertino CA, US
John O Ryan - Woodside CA, US
Peter Wonfor - El Granada CA, US

Macrovision Corporation - Santa Clara CA

H04N 5/91

386 46, 725 32

A method and apparatus is disclosed which reduces or removes the effectiveness of commercial skip systems such as presently found in VCRs, PVRs, etc. which are designed to delete commercials from signal material upon playback of a previously recorded version of the signal material. In an embodiment, the effectiveness of the commercial skip system is reduced or removed by adding a flat field of selected signal level to active line portions of video lines of the signal material. Other embodiments modify the normal fade to black signal indicative of a commercial to provide a fade to non-black signal. In further embodiments, a fade to non-black signal is inserted in an overscan area of the signal picture. Still further embodiments modify audio signals or selected signals in the horizontal blanking interval which may be used in commercial skip systems to detect the presence of commercials. Still other embodiments provide techniques for overcoming the commercial skip system altering effects of the previously mentioned embodiments to at least partially restore the commercial skip system, or to enhance the reliability or effectiveness of an existing commercial skip system which has not been altered.

7395545, Jul 1, 2008

Feb 15, 2002

10/077397

Peter J. Wonfor - El Granada CA, US
Derek T. Nelson - Menlo Park CA, US

Macrovision Corporation - Santa Clara CA

H04N 7/16

725 25, 386 94, 380201, 380203, 725104

A method and system of providing copy protection of video analog and digital signals and the like, wherein the signals are transmitted via a digital delivery network, and may comprise, for example, pay-per-view (PPV) program materials protected by copyrights of respective program rights holders. The right holders authorize video service providers () to apply copy protection to the program material. The copy protection process is supplied to the rights holders or the service providers () by a copy protection process licensor. The video service providers () supply suitable copy protection control software via respective control and billing (tracking) centers to generate commands which activate, control and reconfigure the copy protection process being applied to the programs being transmitted. A set-top box () is provided to each consumer and contains a copy protection circuit which is adapted to apply selected anticopy waveforms to the video signal corresponding to the program material in response to the commands from the service providers (). Usage data pertinent to each consumer is returned by the set-top box () to the service providers (), which then report the copy protection usage to the respective rights holders and process licensor.

7620178, Nov 17, 2009

May 7, 2007

11/801099

Peter J. Wonfor - El Granada CA, US
Alistair J. Knox - Reading Berk, GB
Jeremy J. Corcoran - Middlesex, GB
John O. Ryan - Cupertino CA, US
Ronald Quan - Cupertino CA, US

Macrovision Corporation - Santa Clara CA

H04N 7/167

380204, 380221, 380224, 380226

Enhancements to a video anticopying process that causes an abnormally low amplitude video signal to be recorded on an illegal copy. In one version, positive going pulses are added to the video signal. The enhancements in one version introduce into the overscan portion of the television picture, just prior to the horizontal or vertical sync signals but in active video, a negative going waveform that appears to the television receiver or videotape recorder to be a sync signal, thereby causing an early horizontal or vertical retrace. One version provides (in the right overscan portion of the picture), a checker pattern of alternating gray and black areas which causes the TV set on which the illegal copy is played to horizontally retrace earlier than normal in selected lines with a consequential horizontal shift of the picture information on those lines. This substantially degrades picture viewability. In another version a gray pattern at the bottom overscan portion of the picture causes vertical picture instability.

8250597, Aug 21, 2012

Mar 19, 2008

12/077505

Peter J. Wonfor - El Granada CA, US
Derek T. Nelson - Menlo Park CA, US

Rovi Solutions Corporation - Santa Clara CA

H04N 7/167

725 31, 386252, 386254, 380201, 380203

A method and system of providing copy protection of video analog and digital signals and the like, wherein the signals are transmitted via a digital delivery network, and may comprise, for example, pay-per-view (PPV) program materials protected by copyrights of respective program rights holders. The right holders authorize video service providers () to apply copy protection to the program material. The copy protection process is supplied to the rights holders or the service providers () by a copy protection process licensor. The video service providers () supply suitable copy protection control software via respective control and billing (tracking) centers to generate commands which activate, control and reconfigure the copy protection process being applied to the programs being transmitted. A set-top box () is provided to each consumer and contains a copy protection circuit which is adapted to apply selected anticopy waveforms to the video signal corresponding to the program material in response to the commands from the service providers (). Usage data pertinent to each consumer is returned by the set-top box () to the service providers (), which then report the copy protection usage to the respective rights holders and process licensor.

8254756, Aug 28, 2012

Oct 17, 2007

11/975067

Ronald Quan - Cupertino CA, US
John O Ryan - Woodside CA, US
Peter Wonfor - El Granada CA, US

Macrovision Corporation - Santa Clara CA

H04N 9/80

386251, 348700

A method and apparatus is disclosed which reduces or removes the effectiveness of commercial skip systems such as presently found in VCRs, PVRs, etc. which are designed to delete commercials from signal material upon playback of a previously recorded version of the signal material. In an embodiment, the effectiveness of the commercial skip system is reduced or removed by adding a flat field of selected signal level to active line portions of video lines of the signal material. Other embodiments modify the normal fade to black signal indicative of a commercial to provide a fade to non-black signal. In further embodiments, a fade to non-black signal is inserted in an overscan area of the signal picture. Still further embodiments modify audio signals or selected signals in the horizontal blanking interval which may be used in commercial skip systems to detect the presence of commercials. Still other embodiments provide techniques for overcoming the commercial skip system altering effects of the previously mentioned embodiments to at least partially restore the commercial skip system, or to enhance the reliability or effectiveness of an existing commercial skip system which has not been altered.

20010026617, Oct 4, 2001

Dec 7, 2000

09/733659

Peter Wonfor - El Granada CA, US
Alistair Knox - Woodley, GB
Jeremy Corcoran - Uxbridge, GB
John Ryan - Cupertino CA, US
Ronald Quan - Cupertino CA, US

H04N007/167

380/203000

Enhancements to a video anticopying process that causes an abnormally low amplitude video signal to be recorded on an illegal copy. The enhancements in one version introduce into the overscan portion of the television picture, just prior to the horizontal or vertical sync signals but in active video, a negative going waveform that appears to the television receiver or videotape recorder to be a sync signal, thereby causing an early horizontal or vertical retrace. One version provides (in the right overscan portion of the picture), a checker pattern of alternating gray and black areas which causes the TV set on which the illegal copy is played to horizontally retrace earlier than normal in selected lines with a consequential horizontal shift of the picture information on those lines. This substantially degrades picture viewability. In another version a gray pattern at the bottom overscan portion of the picture causes vertical picture instability. In another version selected horizontal sync signals are narrowed, causing irregular vertical retraces. Also provided is apparatus for removing or attenuating these enhancements from the video signal, to allow copying.

20020018564, Feb 14, 2002

Sep 26, 2001

09/965345

Peter Wonfor - El Granada CA, US
Alistair Knox - Woodley, GB
Jeremy Corcoran - Cowley, GB
John Ryan - Cupertino CA, US
Ronald Quan - Cupertino CA, US

H04N007/167

380/210000, 380/201000

Enhancements to a video anticopying process that causes an abnormally low amplitude video signal to be recorded on an illegal copy. The enhancements in one version introduce into the overscan portion of the television picture, just prior to the horizontal or vertical sync signals but in active video, a negative going waveform that appears to the television receiver or videotape recorder to be a sync signal, thereby causing an early horizontal or vertical retrace. One version provides (in the right overscan portion of the picture), a checker pattern of alternating gray and black areas which causes the TV set on which the illegal copy is played to horizontally retrace earlier than normal in selected lines with a consequential horizontal shift of the picture information on those lines. This substantially degrades picture viewability. In another version a gray pattern at the bottom overscan portion of the picture causes vertical picture instability. In another version selected horizontal sync signals are narrowed, causing irregular vertical retraces. Also provided is apparatus for removing or attenuating these enhancements from the video signal, to allow copying.