TiVo Expands Intellectual Property with Two New DVR Patents

Reprinted from a TiVo press release:

December 11, 2001 - San Jose, CA – TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO)
the creator and leader of television services for digital video
recording, today announced it has been granted additional
patents for its technology and service. The first patent
protects the functions that are the core of digital recording
devices. The second patent covers inventions that enable
simple and reliable networking of multiple streaming media
devices in the home.

The TrickPlayTM patent issued by the United States Patent
office as number 6,327,418, describes a method of
controlling streaming media in a digital device. In today’s
implementation of a TiVo DVR, the TrickPlay patent covers
the functions that enable TiVo subscribers to pause live TV
as well as rewind, fast forward, play, play faster, play slower,
and play in reverse television signals cached by the DVR.
Storing, editing and manipulation of video are also among
the 64 claims supported by the TrickPlay patent.

Combined with TiVo’s landmark Time Warp patent [USPTO
No. 6,233,389] which enables the simultaneous recording
and playback of multiple streams as well as efficient and
low-cost processing, synchronization, and storage of
multimedia streams, the TrickPlay patent ensures that
TiVo’s patent portfolio covers the key functions that are
essential to operate the TiVo DVR.

“The ability to pause live TV is one of the most desirable
DVR functions. The combination of TiVo’s TimeWarp patent
issued earlier this year and the TrickPlay patent we are
announcing today protects all the basic inventions that make
TiVo the revolutionary product our customers enjoy today
and insures it will be the product of the future,” said Jim
Barton, Chief Technology Officer for TiVo. “These patents
further bolster our licensing business and protect current and
future licensees using TiVo technology.”

The Home Networking patent issued as USPTO number
6,310,886 describes a simple and reliable method for
connecting TiVo DVRs and other streaming media devices
to a network in the home. This technology allows TiVo to
extend the ease of use of its current product and service to
digital entertainment that can be enjoyed throughout the
home. “Our foundation technology for DVRs is just the
beginning, and we continue to extend that technology
looking forward to the networked multimedia home of the
future,” continued Barton. “Televisions, radios, telephones
and the PC are some of the products that could access
media on an easy to use home network. We look forward to
not only the continued proliferation of TiVo DVR’s but to the
future of home entertainment.”