Access system and method for providing interactive access to an information source through a television distribution system
First Claim
1. An access system for providing interactive access to information available from an information source through a television distribution system which includes:
- a television distribution network having a network headend, a plurality of terminal ends, a plurality of upstream channels, and a plurality of downstream channels, each downstream channel for carrying a television transmission;
headend distribution equipment interfaced to the network headend of the television distribution network for distributing the television transmissions over the respective downstream channels of the television distribution network; and
a plurality of terminals, each terminal being interfaced to a terminal end of the television distribution network for receiving the television transmissions over the respective downstream channels of the television distribution network, each terminal also being interfaced to a display device for displaying a selected one of the television transmissions;
the access system comprising;
an input device associated with one of the terminals for inputting into the terminal a command for information from the information source;
an upstream transmitter associated with the terminal and interfaced to the respective terminal end of the television distribution network for transmitting the inputted command on an upstream channel of the distribution network;
a headend server associated with the headend distribution equipment, the headend server being interfaced to the information source;
an upstream receiver associated with the headend distribution equipment and interfaced to the headend server for receiving the inputted command on the upstream channel of the distribution network and for forwarding the received command to the headend server, the headend server transmitting a command based on the forwarded received command to the information source, the information source transmitting the information to the headend server in response to the command transmitted to the information source;
a data encoder associated with the headend distribution equipment, the data encoder being interfaced to the headend server for receiving the information from the headend server and for encoding the received information into at least one of the television transmissions; and
a data decoder interfaced to the terminal for decoding the encoded information from the television transmissions, the decoded information being displayed on the display device.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An access system and method for providing interactive access to an information source through a television distribution system is disclosed. The distribution system includes a television distribution network, headend distribution equipment at the headend of the distribution network, and a plurality of terminals at terminal ends of the distribution network. An input device and an upstream transmitter are associated with one of the terminals to input a command for the information source and to transmit the inputted command on an upstream channel of the distribution network, respectively. A headend server, upstream receiver, and data encoder are associated with the headend distribution equipment. The headend server is interfaced to the information source. The upstream receiver is interfaced to the headend server to receive and forward the command to the headend server. The headend server transmits the forwarded command to the information source, and the information source transmits responsive information to the headend server. A data decoder is interfaced to the terminal for decoding the encoded information from the television transmissions. The decoded information is then displayed on a display device.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. An access system for providing interactive access to information available from an information source through a television distribution system which includes:
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a television distribution network having a network headend, a plurality of terminal ends, a plurality of upstream channels, and a plurality of downstream channels, each downstream channel for carrying a television transmission;
headend distribution equipment interfaced to the network headend of the television distribution network for distributing the television transmissions over the respective downstream channels of the television distribution network; and
a plurality of terminals, each terminal being interfaced to a terminal end of the television distribution network for receiving the television transmissions over the respective downstream channels of the television distribution network, each terminal also being interfaced to a display device for displaying a selected one of the television transmissions;
the access system comprising;
an input device associated with one of the terminals for inputting into the terminal a command for information from the information source;
an upstream transmitter associated with the terminal and interfaced to the respective terminal end of the television distribution network for transmitting the inputted command on an upstream channel of the distribution network;
a headend server associated with the headend distribution equipment, the headend server being interfaced to the information source;
an upstream receiver associated with the headend distribution equipment and interfaced to the headend server for receiving the inputted command on the upstream channel of the distribution network and for forwarding the received command to the headend server, the headend server transmitting a command based on the forwarded received command to the information source, the information source transmitting the information to the headend server in response to the command transmitted to the information source;
a data encoder associated with the headend distribution equipment, the data encoder being interfaced to the headend server for receiving the information from the headend server and for encoding the received information into at least one of the television transmissions; and
a data decoder interfaced to the terminal for decoding the encoded information from the television transmissions, the decoded information being displayed on the display device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for providing interactive access to information available from an information source through a television distribution system which includes:
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a television distribution network having a network headend, a plurality of terminal ends, a plurality of upstream channels, and a plurality of downstream channels, each downstream channel for carrying a television transmission;
headend distribution equipment interfaced to the network headend of the television distribution network for distributing the television transmissions over the respective downstream channels of the television distribution network; and
a plurality of terminals, each terminal being interfaced to a terminal end of the television distribution network for receiving the television transmissions over the respective downstream channels of the television distribution network, each terminal also being interfaced to a display device for displaying a selected one of the television transmissions;
the method comprising the steps of;
inputting a command for information from the information source into one of the terminals;
transmitting the inputted command from the inputted-into terminal on an upstream channel of the distribution network;
receiving the inputted command on the upstream channel of the distribution network at the headend of the television distribution network;
forwarding the received command to a headend server at the headend;
transmitting a command based on the forwarded received command from the headend server to the information source;
transmitting information from the information source to the headend server in response to the command transmitted to the information source;
encoding the transmitted information into at least one of the television transmissions, the encoding step being performed at the headend;
decoding the encoded information from the television transmissions, the decoding step being performed at the terminal; and
displaying the decoded information on the display device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for providing real-time interactive access in a television distribution system which includes:
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a television distribution network having a network headend, a plurality of terminal ends, a plurality of upstream channels, and a plurality of downstream channels, each downstream channel for carrying a television transmission to the terminal ends, each upstream channel for carrying data transmissions to the network headend;
headend distribution equipment interfaced to the network headend of the television distribution network for distributing the television transmissions over the respective downstream channels of the television distribution network; and
a plurality of terminals, each terminal being interfaced to a terminal end of the television distribution network for receiving the television transmissions over the respective downstream channels of the television distribution network, each terminal also being interfaced to a display device for displaying a selected one of the television transmissions;
the method comprising the steps of;
inputting first data into one of the terminals;
transmitting the inputted first data from the inputted-into terminal on an upstream channel of the distribution network;
receiving the transmitted first data on the upstream channel of the distribution network at the headend distribution equipment;
transmitting a first acknowledgment of the received first data from the headend distribution equipment on a downstream channel of the distribution network;
receiving the transmitted first acknowledgment on the downstream channel of the distribution network at the terminal;
transmitting second data from the headend distribution equipment on a downstream channel of the distribution network;
receiving the transmitted second data on the downstream channel of the distribution network at the terminal;
transmitting a second acknowledgment of the received second data from the terminal on an upstream channel of the distribution network; and
receiving the transmitted second acknowledgment on the upstream channel of the distribution network at the headend distribution equipment;
wherein each of the transmitting steps on a downstream channel includes the step of encoding information into at least one of the television transmissions; and
wherein each of the receiving steps on a downstream channel includes the step of decoding the encoded information from the television transmissions.
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Specification