Teletext communication system with timed multipage local memory

• US 4,388,645 A
• Filed: 04/13/1981
• Issued: 06/14/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zenith Electronics Corporation (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zenith Radio Corporation
• Inventors: Thomas, William L., Cox, Charles M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Application Number:
  US06/253,330
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 358/147, 358/141, 358/142, 358/146, 358/12, 358/86
• US Class Current: 348/468
• 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

Abstract

A teletext communications system comprises a transmitter, e.g. an orbiting satellite, transmitting multiple pages of a teletext encoded data service at selected times of the day, each teletext page including a first non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row defining a selected time interval and a unique page memory address code. The transmitter also continuously transmits a second non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a time of day code. A teletext decoder is adapted for acquiring and storing each transmitted teletext page at a page memory defined by said page memory address code and automatically rebroadcasts each of the stored pages for which the stored selected time interval coincides with the transmitted time of day code.

Claims

1. A teletext communications system comprising:

means transmitting multiple pages of a teletext encoded data service at selected times of the day, each of said teletext pages comprising a first non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a time-on code and a time-off code together defining a selected time interval and also including a unique page memory address code, said transmitting means continuously transmitting a second non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a current time of day code;

a teletext decoder having a plurality of page memories, each of said memories corresponding to the page memory address code of one of said teletext pages, said teletext decoder including means for acquiring and storing each of said transmitted teletext pages at the page memory corresponding to the page memory address code associated with the first auxiliary data row of the respective teletext page; and

means for automatically rebroadcasting each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with the time of day code of said second auxiliary data row.

2. The teletext communications system of claim 1 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for rebroadcasting said stored teletext pages in the form of a standard NTSC television signal.

3. The teletext communications system of claim 1 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for sequentially rebroadcasting in a repetitive manner, each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code for a predetermined time period.

4. In a teletext communications system having means transmitting multiple pages of a teletext encoded data service at selected times of the day, each of said teletext pages comprising a first non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a time-on code and a time-off code together defining a selected time interval and also including a unique page memory address code, said transmitting means continuously transmitting a second non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a current time of day code:

a teletext decoder having a plurality of page memories, each of said page memories corresponding to the page memory address code of one of said teletext pages, said teletext decoder including means for acquiring and storing each of said transmitted teletext pages at the page memory corresponding to the page memory address code associated with the first auxiliary data row of the respective teletext page; and

means for automatically rebroadcasting each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with the time of day code of said second auxiliary data row.

5. The improvement according to claim 4 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for rebroadcasting said stored teletext pages in the form of a standard NTSC television signal.

6. The improvement according to claim 4 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for sequentially rebroadcasting in a repetitive manner, each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code for a predetermined time period.

7. A teletext communications system comprising:

means transmitting multiple pages of a teletext encoded data service at selected times of the day, each of said teletext pages comprising a first non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a time-on code with a time-off code together defining a selected time interval and a unique page memory address code;

a teletext decoder having a plurality of page memories each identifiable by one of said page memory address codes, said teletext decoder including means for acquiring and storing each of said transmitted teletext pages at the page memory identified by the associated page memory address code;

means developing a time of day code; and

means for automatically rebroadcasting each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code.

8. The teletext communications system of claim 7 wherein said transmitting means is operative for continuously transmitting a second non-displayable auxiliary teletext row including a current time of day code, said teletext decoder including means responsive to said transmitting means for developing said time of day code.

9. The teletext communications system of claim 7 whereinsaid rebroadcasting means comprises means for rebroadcasting said stored teletext pages in the form of a standard NTSC television signal.

10. The teletext communications system of claim 7 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for sequentially rebroadcasting in a repetitive manner, each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code for a predetermined time period.

11. In a teletext communications system having means transmitting multiple pages of a teletext encoded data service at selected times of the day, each of said teletext pages comprising a first non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a time-on code and a time-off code together defining a selected time interval and a unique page memory address code;

a teletext decoder having a plurality of page memories each identifiable by one of said page memory address codes, said teletext decoder including means for acquiring and storing each of said transmitted teletext pages at the page memory identified by the associated page memory address code;

means developing a time of day code; and

means for automatically rebroadcasting each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code.

12. The improvement according to claim 11 wherein said transmitting means is operative for continuously transmitting a second non-displayable auxiliary teletext row including a current time of day code, said teletext decoder including means responsive to said transmitting means for developing said time of day code.

13. The improvement according to claim 11 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for rebroadcasting said stored teletext pages in the form of a standard NTSC television signal.

14. The improvement according to claim 11 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for sequentially rebroadcasting in a repetitive manner, each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code for a predetermined time period.

15. For receiving multiple pages of a teletext encoded data service transmitted at selected times of the day, each of said teletext pages comprising a first non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a time-on code and a time-off code together defining a selected time interval and also including a unique page memory address code, a second non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a current time of day code being transmitted in a continuous fashion, apparatus comprising:

a teletext decoder having a plurality of page memories, each of said page memories corresponding to the page memory address code of one of said teletext pages, said teletext decoder including means for acquiring and storing each of said transmitted teletext pages at the page memory corresponding to the page memory address code associated with the first auxiliary data row of the respective teletext page; and

means for automatically rebroadcasting each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with the time of day code of said second auxiliary data row.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for rebroadcasting said stored teletext pages in the form of a standard NTSC television signal.

17. Apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said rebroadcasting means comprises means for sequentially rebroadcasting in a repetitive manner, each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code for a predetermined time period.

18. For receiving multiple pages of a teletext encoded data service transmitted at selected times of the day, each of said teletext pages comprising a first non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a time-on code and a time-off code together defining a selected time interval and a unique page memory address code, apparatus comprising:

a teletext decoder having a plurality of page memories each identifiable by one of said page memory address codes, said teletext decoder including means for acquiring and storing each of said transmitted teletext pages at the page memory identified by the associated page memory address code;

means developing a time of day code; and

means for automatically rebroadcasting each of said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said means developing a time of day code is responsive to a continuously transmitted second non-displayable auxiliary teletext row including a time of day code.

20. For receiving multiple pages of a teletext encoded data service transmitted at selected times of the day, each of said teletext pages comprising a first non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a time-on code and a time-off code together defining a selected time interval and also including a unique page memory address code, a second non-displayable auxiliary teletext data row including a current time of day code being transmitted in a continuous fashion, apparatus comprising:

a teletext decoder having a plurality of page memories, each of said page memories corresponding to the page memory address code of one of said teletext pages, said teletext decoder including means for acquiring and storing each of said transmitted teletext pages at the page memory corresponding to the page memory address code associated with the first auxiliary data row of the respective teletext page; and

means responsive to said second auxiliary data row for automatically rebroadcasting, in a repetitive sequential manner, said stored teletext pages for which said selected time interval coincides with said time of day code.