Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for disabling anti-copy protection system in video signals

US5194965A · kind A · utility

60Cited by
4References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 13, 1990
Grant dateMar 16, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 13, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N2005/91314
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for disabling the effect of copy-protect signals placed in a recording video signals which is based on differences in the characteristics of television and VCR circuitry. Copy-protect signals include pseudo-sync pulses and/or added AGC pulses in the blanking interval of a video signal. The specific method described includes altering the level of the video signal during the vertical blanking interval, e.g., level-shifting, so as to render the copy-protect signals ineffective to prevent unauthorized copying by a VCR. A circuit for achieving the method includes a sync separator for detecting the vertical blanking interval, pulse generating circuits for producing pulses of predetermined widths during this interval, and a summing circuit for summing the predetermined pulses with copy-protect signals thereby to shift their level. An alternative method includes increasing the effective frequency of the copy-protect signals during the vertical blanking interval so as to achieve attenuation and/or low-pass filtering in the VCR circuitry to thereby render the signals ineffective in preventing copying. A circuit for achieving this method includes pulse narrowing and/or …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.