Joseph N. Jackson the African Inventor Who invented A TV Remote Control

Joseph N. Jackson (1929 – ) holds 6 U.S. patents for telecommunications and fertility prediction inventions. Jackson’s first patent was for his contribution to a v-chip device that allowed users to block selected content on cable television. This type of technology is commonly used for parental controls. He also holds patents for TV remote control devices. Jackson was not the first person to invent the remote control. The first TV remote controls introduced in the U.S. were created by Zenith in 1950. The remote was called, “Lazy Bones”. However it was not wireless. It was attached to the TV by a long cord. Consumers didn’t like it because it was a frequent trip hazard. Development of a remote control patent goes back much further than 1950. The first wireless remote control device, the “Flash-Matic” was developed in 1955 by Zenith engineer, Eugene Polley. Joseph N. Jackson the African Inventor Who invented A TV Remote Control

Another one of Jackson’s patents was for a biorhythmic cycle indicator which was a personal fertility predictor. Jackson also holds several patents in the area of air traffic security and tracking systems. Jackson was born in Harvey (Jefferson Parish), Louisiana. His parents were Ernest and Octavia Jackson. At the age of 17, he began working as a maintenance helper at an oil field. At 18, he joined the United States Army where he worked as a ship loader and a military police officer. Jackson received his GED in 1961. He attended television repair school at night and operated a radio repair business part time. He completed a business administration degree at Columbia College in Maryland and also holds a doctorate in Applied Science and Technology, from Glendale University in Santa Fe, New Mexico. TV Remote Control

Jackson founded Protelcon, in 1993. The company was launched to distribute the Telecommander. The Telecommander allowed parents to have more control over the content their children were watching on TV. In 1996 Jackson launched another company, Choice Technologies as a research and development group. Jackson is also the co-founder of the Black Inventions Museum. The museum is a traveling exhibition that highlights the achievements of African American scientists and inventors. The museum was founded in 1994. Jackson currently works as Patent Consultant and resides in California.

On October 29, 2009, Dr. Jackson received an endorsement from the Los Angeles unified school districts, student health and human services, district nursing services, for his Fem-Choice ®

Presently, he serves as patent consultant to many potential inventors throughout the country.

Patents by Inventor Joseph N. Jackson

Joseph N. Jackson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Apparatus and method of providing a controller for selective blocking of cable television programming

Patent number: 6094194

Abstract: The present invention is a controller for selectively blocking cable television programming provided by a cable converter that is contained within the controller. The cable converter downconverts an input signal and provides one or more channels as an output to a viewing screen. The controller includes an input unit that transmits at least one command and a transmitter that transmits at least one remote control signal to the cable converter. The controller further includes a processor coupled to the input unit and the transmitter. The processor is adapted to block viewing of at least one selected channel when configured to operate in a first state. The processor controls the transmitter to transmit the at least one remote control signal to the cable converter to change from a first channel to a second channel in response to said at least one command from said input unit when said processor is configured to operate in a second state.

Type: Grant

Filed: October 16, 1997

Date of Patent: July 25, 2000

Inventor: Joseph N. Jackson

Apparatus and method of providing a personal biorhythmic cycle indicator

Patent number: 6022323

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus of determining a biorhythmic using a processor-based system. The apparatus comprises a housing and a control panel enclosed within the housing that has a plurality of function keys for entering information related to a biorhythmic cycle. The apparatus further comprises a memory that stores instruction sequences and a processor coupled to the memory, for executing the stored instruction sequences. The stored instruction sequences cause the processor to: to compute a period of a month corresponding to a biorhythmic cycle in progress and to compute a corresponding period for a predetermined number of following months. A display is coupled to the processor, the memory and the control panel. The display displays a calendar showing days in the period of the month, each day being marked to indicate the biorhythmic cycle in progress. The display is scrollable to display the corresponding period for the predetermined number of following months.

Type: Grant

Filed: September 30, 1998

Date of Patent: February 8, 2000

Inventor: Joseph N. Jackson

Apparatus and method of providing a personal fertility predictor

Patent number: 5836890

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus of predicting fertility using a processor-based system. The apparatus comprises a housing and a control panel enclosed within the housing that has a plurality of function keys for entering information related to a fertility cycle. The apparatus further comprises a memory that stores instruction sequences and a processor coupled to the memory, for executing the stored instruction sequences.

Type: Grant

Filed: May 30, 1997

Date of Patent: November 17, 1998

Assignee: Joseph N. Jackson

Inventor: Joseph N. Jackson

Video viewing censoring supervision system

Patent number: 5548345

Abstract: A TV/video viewing supervision system that enables a supervisor, typically a parent controlling children’s viewing, to selectably preprogram the hours, programs and/or channels of television, VCR, cable TV, satellite TV and/or game viewing that are allowed and/or blocked from viewing. The system features a channel/time matrix that can be programmed with a keypad-controlled cursor of a hand-held remote unit to set up a viewing schedule for future time period, for example a coming week.

Type: Grant

Filed: January 5, 1995

Date of Patent: August 20, 1996

Assignee: Protelcon, Inc.

Inventors: James M. Brian, Joseph N. Jackson

Programmable television receiver controllers

Patent number: 4228543

Abstract: Programmable television receiver controllers which may be manually programmed by a user to select or to limit the viewing selections for random times, typically in one-half hour intervals, throughout a predetermined time period such as a one week time period. Program selections may be made by setting suitable controls for the day, AM or PM, the half hour of the day and the channel desired, and entered into a memory by a push-button control. Thereafter a digital control clock automatically selects the pre-entered information at the appropriate times and provides a control signal which may be used to automatically select the identified channels to the exclusion of all others. Alternatively, the signal may be used to exclude the selected channel from selection manually.

Type: Grant

Filed: March 24, 1978

Date of Patent: October 14, 1980

Inventor: Joseph N. Jackson

Programmable television receiver controllers

Patent number: 4081754

Abstract: Programmable television receiver controllers which may be manually programmed by a user to select or to limit the viewing selections for random times, typically in one-half hour intervals, throughout a predetermined time period such as a one week time period. Program selections may be made by setting suitable controls for the day, AM or PM, the half hour of the day and the channel desired, and entered into a memory by a push-button control. Thereafter a digital control clock automatically selects the pre-entered information at the appropriate times and provides a control signal to the channel selector of the television receiver. This signal may be used to automatically select the identified channels to the exclusion of all others, or in the alternative, to exclude the selected channel from selection manually at the receiver. Alternate embodiments include means for controlling other functions such as the ON-OFF function of the receiver.

Type: Grant

Filed: January 31, 1977

Date of Patent: March 28, 1978

Inventor: Joseph N. Jackson

Sources:

“Joseph N. Jackson Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications – Justia Patents Search” (Justia.com2021) <https://patents.justia.com/inventor/joseph-n-jackson> accessed October 19, 2021.

https://www.reference.com/history/joseph-n-jackson-did-patent-1958cb3f7f002d97

http://www.risingafrica.org/success-stories/business/dr-joseph-n-jackson-african-american-inventor-who-created-the-remote-control/

http://inventorsconsultant.com/inventorsconsultant/default.aspx?pg=6347efd6-50da-474b-b088-6282f47d9c0e

Mildred Europa Taylor, “Joseph Jackson; the Inventor Who Created the TV Remote to Enhance Your TV Viewing Experience” (Face2Face AfricaFebruary 12, 2020) <https://face2faceafrica.com/article/joseph-jackson-the-inventor-who-created-the-tv-remote-to-enhance-your-tv-viewing-experience> accessed October 19, 2021.