Selective viewing

• US 4,381,522 A
• Filed: 12/01/1980
• Issued: 04/26/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Original Assignee: Adams-Russell Co., Inc. (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lambert, Trevor
• Primary Examiner(s): ORSINO JR, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US06/211,759
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 358/86, 358/84, 358/116, 455/3, 455/4, 455/5, 455/6, 455/2
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17345 Control of the passage of the selected programme

Abstract

A cable television system includes a minicomputer that responds to signals from viewers desiring to see particular television program material to provide a schedule video signal that is broadcast over a program schedule channel carrying a video signal representative of television programs to be broadcast, the time of broadcast and the channel where broadcast. The computer also provides selecting control signals that causes a particular television signal source, such as on a video tape cassette, disc or film, to provide a video signal that is coupled by a video switch controlled by switching control signals from the computer for modulating a television transmitter associated with a channel selected for broadcasting the selected television program material. A television signal combiner combines the signals from the different television transmitters for broadcast over a cable to the remote receiving locations. A viewer at a remote receiving location may select a particular television program for viewing by dialing a telephone number to connect the telephone at the remote receiver location by the telephone system to the minicomputer and then dial a number corresponding to the desired program on a schedule made available to each person at the remote receiving locations.

Claims

1. Apparatus for remotely viewing selected television program material at remote receiving locations comprising,

television transmitting means at a central location for providing a plurality of television signals on a plurality of channels,

means at said central location for combining said television signals to provide a combined signal for transmission over a common transmission path to said remote receiving locations,

means for transmitting said combined signal over said common path to said remote receiving locations,

a plurality of sources of selectable television program video signals,

computer means coupled to said sources and said television transmitting means and responsive to a selecting signal from a remote receiving location designating a selected television program for viewing for providing selecting control signals for enabling a corresponding one of said program sources to provide the corresponding television video signal at a predetermined time and for providing switching control signals for coupling the latter video signal for broadcast by said television transmitting means on a designated one of said channels,

video switching means responsive to said switching control signals for coupling the television program video signals from the enabled sources to said television transmitting means for broadcast on designated ones of said channels,

said computer means also continuously providing a schedule video signal to said television transmitting means on a predetermined program schedule channel of said channels representative of the selected television programs to be transmitted, the time of transmission and the transmission channel,

whereby a viewer at a remote receiving location may tune a television receiver thereat to said program schedule channel, observe the time and channel for transmission of a selected television program and switch said television receiver to the designated channel at the designated time.

2. A method of remotely viewing selected television program material at remote receiving locations which method includes the steps of,

providing at a central location a plurality of television signals on a plurality of channels,

combining at said central location said television signals to provide a combined signal for transmission over a common transmission path to said remote locations,

transmitting said combined signal over said common path to said remote receiving locations,

enabling computer means coupled to a source of selectable television program video signals and television transmitting means for providing said plurality of television signals on said plurality of channels to respond to a selecting signal from a remote receiving location designating a selected television program for viewing to provide selecting control signals for enabling a corresponding one of said program sources to provide the corresponding television video signal at a predetermined time and for providing switching control signals for coupling the latter video signal for broadcast by said television transmitting means on a designated one of said channels,

delivering said switching control signals to a video switching means for coupling the television program video signals from the enabled sources to said transmitting means for broadcast on designated ones of said channels,

continuously providing with said computer means a schedule video signal to said television transmitting means on a predetermined program schedule channel of said channels representative of the selected television programs to be transmitted, the time of transmission and the transmission channel,

whereby a viewer at a remote receiving location may tune a television receiver thereat to said program channel, observe the time and channel for transmission of a selected television program and switch said television receiver to the designated channel at the designated time,

said viewer at said remote receiving location tuning a television receiver threat to said program schedule channel,

observing a schedule of selectable television programs,

observing the time of transmission and transmission channel for the latter selected television program,

and switching said television receiver to the latter designated channel and observing the latter selected television program at the latter designated time.

3. A method of remotely viewing selected television program material at remote receiving locations in accordance with claim 2 and further including the step of,

said viewer at said remote receiving location providing a selecting signal designating a selected television program for viewing to said computer means.