An exemplary method includes a media service provider system 1) providing an end user of an integrated media service with access to a media program by way of a plurality of different media distribution models, 2) maintaining a catalog that includes comprehensive information about the media program, the comprehensive information being an aggregate of non-redundant information about the media program obtained from a plurality of independent source catalogs corresponding to the plurality of different media distribution models, and 3) providing, based on the comprehensive information included in the catalog, a media service user interface that supports discovery of the comprehensive information about the media program regardless of a user interface context from which a user request for information about the media program is received. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.

Video thumbnail electronic program guide (EPG) systems and methods are operable to include a video thumbnail. An exemplary embodiment receives a media content stream at a media device; picks a plurality of still image video frames from the received media content stream, wherein each still image video frame has information that is sufficient to construct the still image video frame; generate a plurality of still image video frame thumbnails, wherein each of the still image video frame thumbnails correspond to one of the still image video frames; generate a video thumbnail from the plurality of still image video frame thumbnails; and incorporate the video thumbnail with at least one program descriptor and a channel identifier associated with the media content stream into the video thumbnail EPG.

A system and method are described that provide television content broadcast system subscribers with convenient access to aggregated web feed content. In one embodiment, a television content broadcast system (20) maintains a database (21) linking one or more particular subscribers with one or more sources of web feed content. The television content broadcast system (20) downloads web feed content for a subscriber from the one or more sources associated with the subscriber, either at the user's request or to a cache (22). The television content broadcast system (20) sends the downloaded web feed content through a web content interface (30(2)) to a television receiver (41), or through a web content interface (30(3)) to a local memory (51) in a set-top box (50). In another embodiment, the television content broadcast subscribers also have accounts on a web content aggregation system (10). Web content aggregation system (10) retrieves web feed content associated with the user, and sends the web feed content to television content broadcast system (20) for forwarding to the appropriate subscriber.

A display device such as a TV has both HDMI and IP network interfaces and uses the HDMI interface to exchange IP network parameters with an audio video application module (AVAM) upon HDMI connection. In this way, an IP-based peer-to-peer or client-server network connection can be automatically established to promote faster communication when sharing and executing applications between the devices than is typically available over the CEC link of HDMI.

A method for virtual channel management is provided. The method includes the following steps. In response to a command, a control unit of a network-based multimedia reproduction system determines whether the command is associated with virtual channel switching. When the command is associated with virtual channel switching, the control unit checks whether a channel value corresponding to the command exists in an application virtual channel table. When the channel value exists in the application virtual channel table, the control unit determines an application corresponding to the channel number from the application virtual channel table, and executes the application. According to a first operation parameter set corresponding to the application, the control unit sets the executed application to retrieve digital contents through a network unit of the network-based multimedia reproduction system.

An interactive television program guide system with program series reminder and recording capabilities is provided. The system allows a user to set a reminder or schedule a recording for a single episode or for each episode of a program series. In addition, other options may be provided that allow the user to determine, for example, whether to schedule reminders/recordings for episodes on all channels on which the program airs or only on a selected channels, whether to schedule reminders/recordings for all episodes including reruns or only new episodes, whether to schedule reminders/recordings for network or syndicated episodes, and whether to schedule reminders/recordings for episodes on all days or only on selected days of the week. Before the scheduled broadcast time of each episode of each selected program series, the system sends a reminder message to the user that reminds the user of the program episode or sends a record command to a videocassette recorder to initiate recording of the episode. The system allows a user to view a list of all currently requested program reminders and scheduled program recordings. The user may update, change, or cancel any entry in either list or the system may automatically update the lists to match new broadcast schedule information. If the user sets a reminder or schedules a recording that conflicts with an existing reminder or recording, the system may inform the user of the conflict and allow the user to resolve the conflict or the system may resolve the conflict.

An inflight entertainment (IFE) system preloads from head end equipment onto seat end video caches subsets of prerecorded video entertainment programs from a library of prerecorded video entertainment programs stored on the head end equipment. Preloading is done independent of play requests made by passengers using the IFE system. The selected subsets are selected using selection metrics such as program popularity, passenger demographics and/or passenger preferences. The same or a different subset may be selected for different passengers. As a result of the selective preloading of the seat end video caches, if the head end equipment or the distribution system becomes inoperable during the flight, the IFE system is able to continue to deliver a limited offering of popular, demographically indicated and/or passenger preferred video entertainment from the seat end video caches, without requiring a large multiplier in storage capacity or loading time.

System and method for providing a probabilistic order of tiles relative to a current section of a video that a user is viewing. A cache implementation uses this ordering to decide what tiles to evict from the cache, i.e. which tiles will probably not be accessed within a particular timeframe, but not when to evict (this is up to the cache implementation). A cache implementation can also use the prioritized list of the present embodiment to pre-fetch tiles.

Disclosed is a method for linking MMT media and DASH media. A method for linking MMT media and DASH media comprises the steps of: generating MPD information by extracting an MPD linking information from a home media server, the MPD linking information, which has been transmitted from an MMT transmission server to an MMT, being information comparable to an MPD of DASH for interconnecting DASH and MMT; and transmitting the MPD information to a mobile terminal so that the mobile terminal can replay as DASH media by means of the MPD information.

An electronic device with one or more processors, memory and a display receives a first request to display a first video stream on the display. In response to receiving the first request, the electronic device displays the first video stream on the display. While displaying the first video stream on the display, the electronic device receives a second request to display a second video stream on the display. In response to receiving the second request, the electronic device displays at least a portion of the first video stream on the display concurrently with at least a portion of the second video stream, where the second video stream was received, at least in part, from a content source in response to a request from the electronic device to the content source for delivery of the second video stream from the content source.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for measuring multicast latency are disclosed. According to one method, the method includes emulating one or more Internet protocol television (IPTV) user devices by generating channel leave and join requests. The method further includes monitoring network responses to the channel leave and join requests and calculating, during a cycle of channel leave and join requests for a user device and prior to repeating the cycle, at least one metric of latency associated with the channel leave and join requests.

Methods, devices, and computer program products for providing instant messaging in conjunction with an audiovisual, video, or audio program are provided. The methods include providing an audiovisual, video, or audio program to a user. Viewer/listener input is received requesting activation of a program-based instant messaging function. A viewer/listener identifier corresponding to the viewer/listener is associated with a program identifier that uniquely identifies the audiovisual, video, or audio program being provided to the user to thereby generate a program viewer/listener record. The program viewer/listener record is transmitted to an electronic database. A list of other users who are viewing or listening to the program in addition to the viewer/listener is acquired from the electronic database. The list of other users is transmitted to the viewer/listener.

Systems and methods for optimizing system performance of capacity and spectrum constrained, multiple-access communication systems by selectively discarding packets are provided. The systems and methods provided herein can drive changes in the communication system using control responses. One such control responses includes the optimal discard (also referred to herein as “intelligent discard”) of network packets under capacity constrained conditions. Some embodiments inspect a video stream to determine priorities for various elements of the video stream. The elements may be discarding using the priorities. In various embodiments, the elements include frames, slices, macroblocks, and data partitions.

Methods, devices, and storage mediums provide for selecting a remote control mode of operation for a mobile device to allow the mobile device to remotely control a program receiving device. Additionally, methods, devices, and storage mediums provide for a proxy service to allow the mobile device to remotely control a program receiving device, an over-the-top service to allow the mobile device to remotely control a program receiving device, and a direct link service to allow the mobile device to remotely control a program receiving device. Methods, devices, and storage mediums also provide for a notification protocol.

A digital broadcast receiver on a mobile body includes: a tuner that receives a broadcast signal of a physical channel; a signal intensity detector that detects a signal intensity of the broadcast signal; a current position detector that detects a current position of the mobile body; a movement direction detector that detects a movement direction of the mobile body; a reception judging unit that controls the tuner to judge whether the physical channel can be received; an area information storage unit that stores receivable area information indicating a receivable area of the physical channel; and an area information updating unit that determines, when it is judged that the physical channel can be received, a position apart from the current position in the movement direction according to the signal intensity as a receivable position, and updates the receivable area information to extend the receivable area to the receivable position.

A method and apparatus for extracting advertisement keywords in association with situations of scenes of video include: establishing a knowledge database including a classification hierarchy for classifying situations of scenes of video and an advertisement keyword list, segmenting a video script corresponding to a received video in units of scenes, and determining a situation corresponding to each scene with reference to the knowledge database, and extracting an advertisement keyword corresponding to the situation of a scene of the received video with reference to the knowledge database.

Thumbnail images representative of recorded TV programs are generated and presented to aid a user in browsing the recorded TV programs. In one implementation, a temporary thumbnail image is generated when a TV program first starts recording. The temporary thumbnail is used to populate any user interface (UI) screens that reference the recoded TV program. Once the TV program has reached a threshold amount of recording (e.g., a prescribed duration of recording, or completion of the recording), a permanent thumbnail image is generated and associated with the TV program. The permanent thumbnail is then presented in any subsequent UI screens, replacing the temporary thumbnail. In another implementation, display of the thumbnail images in the UI screens may be further controlled by setting preferences, such as parental controls.

Aspects of a method and system for data processing in a device with integrated set-top-box and femtocell functionality are provided. Data may be received via an integrated femtocell and set-top-box device and may be synchronously processed, utilizing a common clock, to perform one or more femtocell functions and/or set-top-box functions. The common clock may be derived from global navigation satellite system signals. The integrated femtocell and set-top-box device may convert the received data from a first to a second format. The converted data may be transmitted to a cellular enabled communication device via a cellular transmitter within said integrated femtocell and set-top-box device and/or to a multimedia device via a multimedia interface within said integrated femtocell and set-top-box device. The received data may comprise multimedia content. The integrated femtocell and set-top-box device may be operable to encode, decode, transcode, encrypt, decrypt, scramble, descramble, and present the received multimedia content.

A video-on-demand (VOD) content delivery system has a VOD Application Server which manages a database of templates ordered in a hierarchy for presentation of video content elements of different selected types categorized in hierarchical order. The templates include those for higher-order displays which have one or more links to lower-order displays of specific content. The VOD Application Server, in response to viewer request, displays a high-order templatized display, and in response to viewer selection of a link, displays the lower-order display of specific content. The hierarchical templatized displays enable viewers to navigate to an end subject of interest while having a unique visual experience of moving through a series of displays to the end subject of interest.

A video-on-demand (VOD) content delivery system has a VOD Application Server which manages a database of templates ordered in a hierarchy for presentation of video content elements of different selected types categorized in hierarchical order. The templates include those for higher-order displays which have one or more links to lower-order displays of specific content. The VOD Application Server, in response to viewer request, displays a high-order templatized display, and in response to viewer selection of a link, displays the lower-order display of specific content. The hierarchical templatized displays enable viewers to navigate to an end subject of interest while having a unique visual experience of moving through a series of displays to the end subject of interest. For example, the higher-order display may be a product ad and the lower-order display may be an ad for a local retailer of the product. Similarly, a viewer can navigate from national product to local product ad, or classified ad category to specific classified ad, or bulletin board topic category to specific posting. In another embodiment, the VOD content delivery system is used to deliver consumer-generated classified ads on TV. A web-based Content Management System receives consumer-generated content uploaded online in industry-standard file formats with metadata for title and topical area, and automatically converts it into video data format compatible with the VOD content delivery system indexed by title and topical area. A User Interface for the system delivers listings data to the viewer's TV indexed by title and topical area, and displays a requested classified ad in response to viewer selection.

Sag in ceiling tiles is reduced by the present coated ceiling tile and method which decreases sag in the coated ceiling tiles. Calcined gypsum and water are combined to form a coating which is applied to the back side of a base ceiling tile in a thin layer of about 100 micrometer to about 1000 micrometers. The coating optionally includes a set time modifier. This method makes a coated ceiling tile from a base ceiling tile having a front side and a back side opposing the front side. The coating is applied to the back side of the base ceiling tile, the coating comprising an interlocking matrix of calcium sulfate dihydrate. Optionally, remnants of the set time modifier are present within interstices in the gypsum matrix. The remnants of the set time molecule include ions, molecules, particles or combinations thereof.

Provided is an adhesive composition for a protective film including an acrylic emulsion resin capable of providing contamination resistance on the film and low peel strength and minimizing generation of static electricity during peeling of the protective film. The acrylic emulsion resin includes a mixture including 80 to 99.9% by weight of a polymer of a (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer including a C1-C14 alkyl group and a (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer including an alkylene oxide unit, and 0.1 to 20% by weight of a monomer including a carboxyl group and/or a hydroxyl group or a combination thereof, and 5 to 30 parts by weight of a reactive emulsifier having a double bond structure radical-polymerizable with the polymer and including an alkylene oxide unit based on 100 parts by weight of the mixture.

This invention relates to whitlockite and a method for manufacturing the same. The method includes adding, to water, a calcium ion supplying material and a cation supplying material containing a cation (X) other than the calcium ion to prepare a cation aqueous solution, adding a phosphoric acid supplying material to the cation aqueous solution, and aging the cation aqueous solution including the phosphoric acid supplying material. As a result, whitlockite having high purity and high crystallinity can be mass produced using a simple process.

In one aspect, hollow nanoparticles are described herein. In some embodiments, a hollow nanoparticle comprises a metal shell and a cavity substantially defined by the shell, wherein the shell has a thickness greater than or equal to about 5 nm and the cavity has a curved surface. In another aspect, methods of making hollow nanoparticles are described herein. In some embodiments, a method of making hollow nanoparticles comprises forming a plurality of gas bubbles and forming a shell on the surface of at least one of the plurality of gas bubbles, wherein at least one of the gas bubbles is electrochemically generated. In another aspect, composite particles are described herein. In some embodiments, a composite particle comprises at least one nanoparticle and a polycrystalline metal shell substantially encapsulating at least one nanoparticle, wherein at least one surface of at least one nanoparticle is not in contact with the shell.

A generic route for synthesis of asymmetric nanostructures. This approach utilizes submicron magnetic particles (Fe3O4—SiO2) as recyclable solid substrates for the assembly of asymmetric nanostructures and purification of the final product. Importantly, an additional SiO2 layer is employed as a mediation layer to allow for selective modification of target nanoparticles. The partially patched nanoparticles are used as building blocks for different kinds of complex asymmetric nanostructures that cannot be fabricated by conventional approaches. The potential applications such as ultra-sensitive substrates for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) have been included.

A protective sheet for a solar cell module that includes a cycloolefin resin layer laminated to one surface of a substrate film with a polyolefin resin layer disposed therebetween, wherein the polyolefin resin layer and the cycloolefin resin layer are formed by co-extrusion molding.

The invention relates to multi-layer elastic thermoplastic films, which consist of at least one layer of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPE-U), at least one further layer of thermoplastic polyurethane which is blended with modified acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (MABS), and optionally at least one support layer of thermoplastic polymer which is incompatible with TPE-U, and to the use thereof.

Self-assembled silica condensates are described as well as their use in coating compositions. The self-assembled silica condensates can be formed from the hydrolysis of medium to long chain trialkoxy silane compounds. Coating compositions containing the self-assembled silica condensates can provide coatings having improved scratch and mar resistance and can have excellent recoat adhesion.

A solar cell sealing film contains an ethylene-unsaturated ester copolymer, a crosslinker, and crosslinking auxiliary agents, wherein the solar cell sealing film contains a polyfunctional (meth)acrylate having 5 or more (meth)acryloyl groups in the molecule and triallyl isocyanurate as the crosslinking auxiliary agents, and a mass ratio of the polyfunctional (meth)acrylate to the triallyl isocyanurate is 0.06 to 0.3 parts of polyfunctional (meth)acrylate per 1 part of triallyl isocyanurate.

A flat steel product having a base layer of a steel material and a multilayer coating applied thereto, and a method for producing the flat steel product. The method having the following steps: providing a steel base layer; applying a zinc layer to the base layer by electrolytic coating; applying an aluminum layer to the surface of the zinc layer, wherein no treatment is made to the surface of the zinc layer in regard to the oxides and sulfides present thereon at the end of the electrolytic zinc coating step or occurring during the course of the aluminum coating step; applying a magnesium layer to the aluminum layer; and subsequently heat treating the flat steel product in such a way that an MgZn2 layer forms in the coating above the Al layer.

The present invention discloses a new fluorene compound and organic EL device using the compound. The organic EL device employing the new fluorene compound as host material can lower driving voltage, prolong half-lifetime. The fluorene compound can functions as blue emitting host material of a light emitting layer and improve CIE color purity in blue emitting device. The fluorene compound are represented by the following formula(A): Wherein R1 to R6 are identical or different. R1 to R6 are independently selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a halide, alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms. R7˜R13 are identical or different R7 to R13 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atom, halide, alkyl group, aryl group, heteroaryl group. m and n are independently an integer of 0 to 3, X is selected from carbon or nitrogen.

A perpendicular magnetic recording disk has a graded-anisotropy recording layer (RL) formed of at least two ferromagnetically exchange coupled CoPtCr-oxide magnetic layers (MAG1 and MAG2) with two nucleation films (NF1 and NF2) between the magnetic layers. NF1 is a metal film, preferably Ru or a Ru-based alloy like RuCr, sputter deposited on MAG1 at low pressure to a thickness between about 0.1-1.5 nm. NF2 is a metal oxide film, preferably an oxide of Ta, sputter deposited on NF1 at high pressure to a thickness between about 0.2-1.0 nm. MAG2 is sputter deposited over NF2. NF1 and NF2 provide a significant reduction in average grain size in the RL from a graded-anisotropy RL without nucleation films between MAG1 and MAG2, while also assuring that MAG1 and MAG2 are strongly exchange coupled.

In some embodiments, an improved mechanical adhesion of copper metallization to dielectric with partially cured epoxy fillers is presented. In this regard, a substrate build-up film is introduced having epoxy material and a plurality of epoxy microspheres, wherein an interior of the microspheres is not fully cured. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

An optical film has a cellulose acylate film base material containing cellulose acylate and a plurality of sugar ester compounds having different ester substitution degrees in which an average ester substitution degree of the plurality of sugar ester compounds is from 60 to 94%, and an antistatic hardcoat layer formed from a coating composition containing at least an organic antistatic agent and a curable compound having a (meth)acryloyl group in a molecule of the curable compound.

A low profile, wrappable spacer and method for maintaining a pair of elongate members in fixed, spaced relation to one another is provided. The wrappable spacer includes a flexible elongate body having oppositely facing inner and outer faces extending along laterally spaced, lengthwise extending edges between opposite ends. The inner face has an adhesive surface. At least one member extends between the edges transversely to the lengthwise extending edges. The member extends outwardly from the adhesive surface, wherein the adhesive surface is configured for adhesion to at least one of the member, the elongate members or the outer face.

Provided is a zinc-plated steel sheet for hot pressing having outstanding surface characteristics, comprising: a steel foundation plate comprising a metal surface diffusion layer of which the Gibbs free energy reduction per mole of oxygen during oxidation is less than that of Cr; an aluminum-rich layer containing at least 30 wt. % of aluminum formed on the surface diffusion layer, and a zinc plating layer formed on the aluminum-rich layer. In this way, a metal having a low affinity for oxygen is coated to an effective thickness prior to annealing and thus the creation of annealing oxides at the surface of the steel sheet is suppressed and a uniform zinc plating layer is formed, and alloying of the zinc plating layer is promoted during press-processing heat treatment. Cracking in the steel foundation plate during hot press molding is prevented.

The printed image on a major face of a flexible food packaging film is covered by a shellac barrier coating.

A method of controlling a pump for a hybrid transmission includes commanding a first line pressure of the transmission and deriving a first torque value—an open-loop torque value—from the first line pressure command, and commanding the pump to operate at the first torque value. The method monitors actual speed of the pump and derives a second torque value—a closed-loop torque value—therefrom. A third torque value is derived from the first and second torque values, and the pump commanded to operate at the third torque value. A first speed value may be derived from the first line pressure command, and the second torque value derived from the difference between the monitored and the first speed values. Deriving the third torque value may include a substantially-linear combination of the first and second torque values.

A belt drive arrangement for an auxiliary unit of a motor vehicle includes, but is not limited to a belt pulley for receiving a drive belt, a shaft of the auxiliary unit that can be driven with the torque of the belt pulley, and a clutch device for the releasable torque transmission between the belt pulley and the shaft of the auxiliary unit. The clutch device includes, but is not limited to an electromagnet and a spring element. The spring element is preloaded in such a manner that the clutch in a currentless state of the electromagnet is closed.

A method for controlling a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission and engine includes automatically engaging a brake, locking the transmission in neutral and starting the engine, in response to a signal whose origin is remote from the vehicle representing a desired engine start; and automatically engaging a brake and locking the transmission in neutral in response to a second signal indicating that the driver has exited the vehicle while the engine is running.

Methods and systems are provided for performing a multiple gear downshift of a transmission gear by transiently operating in an intermediate gear. In response to air mass flow not reaching a threshold for CAC self-cleansing for a set duration, the transmission gear may be downshifted from a higher gear to an intermediate gear, and then to a requested lower gear. Downshifting through an intermediate gear may also be controlled based on the gear shift request and maximum air mass flow levels for engine misfire.

In a motor vehicle having a manual transmission, for, in particular, limiting the engine speed during the start-up operation when fulfilling at least one permission criterion for the engine torque, the criterion depending on the driving state of the motor vehicle, a default engine torque is preset, which is specified according to at least one engine characteristic value and which can be reduced with regard to the set engine torque called for by the position of the accelerator pedal of the motor vehicle.

Systems and methods are disclosed for aircraft braking and taxiing systems for use in, for example, an aircraft. In this regard, system comprising an electric motor coupled to a first transmission, a first clutch for selectively engaging the first transmission to a propulsion transmission and a brake clamping system, wherein, in response to engagement with the propulsion transmission, the electric motor drives an aircraft wheel, wherein, in response to engagement with the actuator ram, the electric motor drives the brake clamping system to apply force to an aircraft brake disk stack.

A method for operating a brake system for a work machine that includes at least one operating brake acting directly or indirectly on at least one ground engagement element of the work machine and at least one operating brake actuator which is movable between a fully engaged position and a fully released position and an accelerator actuator for activating propulsion of the work machine. In an activated state of the brake system the operating brake actuator is moved automatically to its fully engaged position when the accelerator actuator is released.

A control apparatus for a vehicle including a second clutch capable of switching between input and output shafts connecting state in which a motor-generation is connected. The control apparatus drives the wheels by the motor-generation so a torque transmitted to the wheels does not fluctuate in case the gear shift is executed to the transmission when is in the output shaft connecting state of the second clutch, and synchronizes the input and output shafts at the gear shift by the motor-generation in case the gear shift is executed to the transmission when the second clutch state is in the input shaft connecting state. The second clutch state is switched to the output shaft connecting state when a drive power to the vehicle is equal or less than a value. The second clutch state is switched to the input shaft connecting state when the drive power is greater than the value.

A transmission assembly in a vehicle includes a transmission configured to receive a transmission fluid. A controller operatively connected to the transmission and configured to store a first look-up table defining respective warm-up calibration factors (Fw) for a respective first set of ambient temperatures. The controller has a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method for determining a current temperature (TTF) of the transmission fluid. The vehicle is keyed off and then keyed on after a key-off time duration (te), the controller being deactivated when the vehicle is keyed off and activated when the vehicle is keyed on. The controller is configured to determine the current temperature of the transmission fluid (TTF) based at least partially on the first look-up table and a key-on temperature (TTFkey-on) of the transmission fluid.

A torque converter (1) connecting an engine (14) and a transmission (15) of a vehicle is provided with a lockup clutch (2), and a controller (5) is programmed to increase an engagement force of a lockup clutch (2) under open loop control before shifting to feedback control of the engaging force using a target slip rotation speed. When an engine output torque rapidly decreases during open loop control (S59, S60), the controller (5) decreases the engaging force according to a variation amount of the engine output torque (S61, S65), thereby preventing an unintentional sudden engagement of the lockup clutch (2) due to decrease in the engine output torque.

The invention relates to a method for operating a drive device (1) of a motor vehicle, said drive device (1) comprising at least one combustion engine (3) and at least one electric machine (9), as well as a dual clutch transmission (4) which can be functionally connected to the combustion engine (3) and which comprises a first sub-transmission (5), a first clutch (6) being associated therewith, and a second sub-transmission (7), a second clutch (8) and the electric machine (9) being associated therewith. In a purely electrical driving operation, the electric machine (9) is operated in a motorized manner, a driving gear is engaged in the second sub-transmission (7), and both clutches (6, 8) are disengaged. According to the invention, in order to start the combustion engine (3) during the electric driving operation, the second clutch (8) is engaged so as to drive the combustion engine (3) by means of the electric machine (9), a gear is engaged in the first sub-transmission (5), said gear having a lower gear ratio than the engaged driving gear of the second sub-transmission (7), the first clutch (6) is brought into a slip position and the second sub-transmission (7) is subsequently brought into a neutral position, the rotational speed of the electric machine (9) is increased at least to a starting rotational speed for the combustion engine (3) with the slip of the first clutch (6) being adjusted to maintain a forward torque of the motor vehicle, and the combustion engine (3) is started once its starting rotational speed has been reached. In addition, the invention relates to a device for operating a drive device of a motor vehicle.

A system for determining disablement of driving of a hybrid vehicle is disclosed. The system for determining disablement of driving of a hybrid vehicle may include: power electronic components having a battery at which DC electricity is stored, an inverter converting the DC electricity of the battery into AC electricity, and a motor receiving the AC electricity from the inverter and generating driving torque; an engine burning a fuel so as to generate driving torque and being selectively connected to the motor; an engine clutch selectively connecting the engine to the motor; a transmission connected to the motor to receive the driving torque of the motor or the driving torque of the engine; and a control portion controlling operations of the power electronic components, the engine, and the engine clutch, wherein the control portion turns off a system ready indication in a case that driving of the vehicle is disabled.

Control apparatus for hybrid vehicles are described which reduce the heat generated by a clutch and improve the response of the hybrid vehicle when an operator requests a high degree of acceleration while starting the engine and the transmission is required to perform a shift-down. In one embodiment, when the engine is required to start while the transmission is required to perform a shift-down action, the control apparatus holds a hydraulic pressure of a releasing side clutch of the transmission at a predetermined lowest stand-by value preventing a slipping action of the releasing side clutch, while a clutch K0 between the motor and engine is placed in a slipping state, and reduces the hydraulic pressure of the releasing side clutch from the lowest stand-by value in the slipping state of the clutch K0 after the clutch K0 is placed in the fully engaged state.