Television character crawl display method and apparatus

• US 3,891,792 A
• Filed: 06/25/1974
• Issued: 06/24/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hisao Kimura
• Original Assignee: Hisao Kimura
• Inventors: Kimura, Hisao
• Primary Examiner(s): Trafton, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/482,922
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 340/324A,324AD 315/367 178/DIG.6,6.8,5.6,5.8R
• US Class Current: 348/622
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/346 for systems having a bit-mapped display memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0885 for the transmission of subtitles

Abstract

A method and apparatus for superimposing printed characters of any such nature as may be transmitted upon a received television image, at the will of the viewer at the receiver. The character information is incrementally transmitted during the vertical blanking interval of the television scanning format. The receiver is especially constructed to have a dynamic shift register, also means to manually select one or none of plural character programs; such as news, stock market, or weather. The characters may be made to crawl horizontally to present an extended message, which crawl may be halted by the viewer. The mandatory display of emergency messages is possible by a control located at the transmitter.

Claims

1. The method of displaying characters upon a television screen in addition to displaying a television image, which includes the steps of;

a. incrementally formulating character-forming information (8) during the interval of time not required for forming television image information, b. temporarily storing said character-forming information, c. gating-out said stored character-forming information at a time other than during said interval of time, d. combining the gated-out character-forming information with said television image information, and e. displaying said characters and said television image for simultaneous viewing.

2. The method of claim 1 which additionally includes;

a. recirculating (35) the temporarily stored character-forming information.

3. The method of claim 1 in which;

a. said interval of time not required for forming television image information is the vertical blanking interval of the television image-scanning raster.

4. The method of claim 1 in which;

a. said interval of time not required for forming television image information is that occupied by only one horizontal line (57) of the television image-scanning field.

5. The method of claim 1, which additionally includes;

a. incrementally formulating plural groups (52) of character-forming information at different times during one said interval of time not required for forming television image information, b. selectively gating-out only one said group (1W), and c. displaying only characters reproduced from said group with said television image.

6. The method of claim 2, which additionally includes;

a. adding new information and discarding old information at each said recirculating of the stored character-forming information to cause the reproduced character to move with respect to the reproduced television image, and b. adding control information for selectively inhibiting the moving of said reproduced characters.

7. The method of claim 6 in which said temporarily storing step includes;

a. successively temporarily storing (1 Wo) an increment of said control information, and b. subsequently temporarily storing (1 W1) plural increments of said character-forming information.

8. The method of claim 1, which additionally includes;

a. selectively forming a mandatory control pulse during said interval of time not required for forming television information, and mandatorily gating-out character-forming information following the occurrence of said mandatory control pulse.

9. The method of claim 8 in which;

a. said mandatory control pulse effects gating-out said character-forming information following the occurrence of said mandatory control pulse independent of a setting of the manual control of the character-displaying apparatus to the off, freeze, condition.

10. Apparatus for displaying characters upon image display means in addition to displaying a television image thereon, comprising;

a. first means (23) to form television image information, b. second means (14-21) to formulate character-forming information, and control information, c. third means (22) to incrementally combine said character-forming information and said control information with said television image information, during an interval not required for forming said television image information, d. fourth means (150) to subsequently separate said character-forming information and said control information from said television image information, e. fifth means (160) coactive with said fourth means to accept said character-forming information during an interval of time not required for displaying television image information, and to temporarily store said character-forming information, f. sixth means (180) connected to and coative with said fifth means to read-out said character-forming information during the display of television image information, and g. display means (190,

     125) coactive with said first means and said sixth means to reproduce both said characters and said television image for simultaneous viewing.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, in which said second means includes;

a. a buffer-register (20) to accept character-forming information in successive bits, b. a clock (60,

     61) to actuate said buffer-register, and c. a counter (63) to time the acceptance of said bits by said buffer-register (20).

12. The apparatus of claim 10, in which said third means includes;

a. a decoder (86) to render said character-forming information available, and b. three-terminal isolative mixer means (22) to combine said television image information and said character-forming information.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, in which said fourth means includes;

a. a first flip-flop (154), b. differentiating means (155) connected thereto, and c. a second flip-flop (156) connected to said differentiating means to block out said television image information from the output of said fourth means.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, in which said fifth means includes;

a. a small plurality bit buffer register (160) to accept said character-forming information during said interval not required for forming said television image information. b. a larger plurality bit shift register (180), and c. clock means (170) to actuate said shift register during the display of said television image information.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, in which said sixth means includes;

a. gate means (191) connected to said fifth means and to said display means (125), and b. flip-flop means (171) connected to said gate means and to counter means (172), to cause saiD read-out to occur during the display of said television image information.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, in which;

a. said second means includes a plurality of means for data bits (66-70) and for control bits (90-94) to sequentially form a corresponding plurality of separate character-messages, and b. said fourth means additionally includes channel selective means (150) for the selective display of one of said channels upon said display means (125).

17. The apparatus of claim 10, in which;

a. said second means includes control-pulse-forming means (90-94, re 54,

     55) of selective output, and b. said sixth means includes readout means (402,

     406) responsive to a selected control pulse configuration, whereby read-out of said character-forming information is mandatory.