Data transmission process in a CATV system

• US 4,361,903 A
• Filed: 07/30/1980
• Issued: 11/30/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Electronic Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Electronic Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohta, Yoshitsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Application Number:
  US06/173,597
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2, 455/3, 455/4, 455/5, 455/6, 455/34, 455/67, 358/86, 358/84, 358/139, 340/291, 340/505, 340/533, 340/534, 340/152 R
• US Class Current: 725/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/17372 the upstream transmission being initiated or timed by a signal from upstream of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

In a bidirectional CATV system, terminal devices at individual subscriber locations are arranged in sets, with each terminal device in a set being coupled to an intermediate polling processor which includes means for storing status data as to each of the terminal devices. The head end system polls the intermediate processors for their consolidated reports, with the result that tens of thousands of subscriber locations can be serviced without inordinate delays by a single head end system.

Claims

1. The method of interrogating terminal devices by a head end in a cable television system comprising the steps of:

addressably interrogating a set of addressable terminal devices at each of a plurality of addressable data transmitting and processing devices, each addressable terminal device being coupled to an associated data transmitting and processing device by a conductor, receiving a plurality of selectable television signals over the conductor, receiving interrogation signals over the conductor, and transmitting terminal information over the conductor in response to an interrogation signal containing an address of said addressable terminal device,

receiving and storing at each addressable data transmitting and processing device, terminal data transmitted by each addressable terminal device coupled thereto over the conductor device in response to an interrogation;

addressably interrogating each addressable data transmitting and processing device at a head end, each addressable data transmitting and processing device being coupled to the head end by a conductor and transmitting over the conductor in response to a single addressable interrogation containing a respective address thereof stored terminal data for each addressable terminal device associated therewith.

2. A bidirectional CATV system comprising:

a head end system transmitting polling signals, each polling signal indicating a data transmitting and processing device address, and also transmitting different program materials on various channels;

a plurality of terminal devices, each associated with a different subscriber, and each including addressable means for providing data as to the status of the terminal device including an indication of whether at least certain channels are being used by the associated subscriber;

a number of transmitting and processing devices, each including means for polling a different associated set of terminal devices, means for storing data received from the polled terminal devices, and addressable means including transmitting means for providing consolidated status reports from the stored data as to the set of associated terminal devices in response to a polling signal indicating an address of the transmitting and processing device; and

bidirectional cable network means coupling the head end system to the transmitting and processing devices, and each transmitting and processing device to the set of terminal devices associated therewith.