Communications TV monitoring and control system

• US 4,057,829 A
• Filed: 08/06/1975
• Issued: 11/08/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank National Association (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Spectradyne, Inc.
• Inventors: Moorehead, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US05/602,315
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 178/DIG. 13, 178/DIG. 23, 325/308, 325/309, 325/31, 340/280, 340/151, 358/84, 358/86
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A communications control system applicable to an existing master antenna television (MATV) system normally installed in a building, or CATV systems that use special entertainment feature inputs including movies and/or sporting events and special services on a controlled pay or non-pay basis, as desired. The system employs one-way intelligence transmission from TV set locations to a central processor receiver and opposite direction program transmission in a selective control monitored mode with minimal additional equipment requirements over those of a basic TV cable system.

Claims

1. In a communications television monitoring and control system for a video signal distribution system constructed to transmit a plurality of video signal program channels from a head end through a common cable section connected through a distribution section to a plurality of television sets at various viewing locations:

a plurality of control devices, including an RF switch and a video signal converter at various television set locations;

a plurality of return RF signal transmitters, each connected for message activation by an associated one of said RF switches with one of said plurality of control devices;

with said RF signal transmitters connected to feed message RF signaling, including preassigned RF signal transmitter location message signalling, back through said video signal distribution system when said RF switch is switched to a message activate state with video channel selection; and

, return RF signal receiver means connected to said video signal distribution system for receiving return RF signals from said plurality of return RF signal transmitters for application to central message processing means.

2. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 1, wherein a common AC power source is connected to said plurality of control devices and to said RF signal transmitters.

3. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 2, wherein said distribution section includes signal feed splitter means;

and with individual ones of said plurality of television sets being series coupled to individual output lines of respective ones of said signal feed splitter means.

4. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 3, wherein signal input means are connected to feed signals generated thereby to said return RF signal transmitters for signal message transmittal back to said RF signal receiver means for message processing.

5. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 4, wherein said signal input means includes room housekeeping message input means subject to activation by personnel servicing a room.

6. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 4, wherein said signal input means includes an alarm sensing and signal generating device.

7. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 6, wherein said alarm sensing and signal generating device is a fire detection and alarm device.

8. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 6, wherein said alarm sensing and signal generating device is a door opening detection and signaling device.

9. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 6, wherein said alarm sensing and signal generating device is an electrical article electrical disconnect sensing and signal generating device.

10. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 1, wherein said RF signal receiver means includes connections to a signal message demodulator for signal message processing.

11. The communications television monitoring and control system of claim 10, wherein a filter constructed for selectively passing signal message modulated RF signalling from said RF signal transmitters and blocking video signals fed to the video signal distribution system is connected to the common cable section of the video signal distribution system;

and with said filter output connected to said RF signal receiver means.