Television burst service

• US 4,422,093 A
• Filed: 01/27/1983
• Issued: 12/20/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Interactive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: EECO Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Pargee, Robert W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Richard
• Application Number:
  US06/461,316
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 358/12, 358/85, 358/86, 358/102, 358/142, 358/143, 358/145, 358/146, 360/35
• US Class Current: 725/115
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00098 via a television channel, e.g. for a series of still pictures with or without sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2179 Interfaces allowing access to a plurality of users, e.g. connection to electronic image libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A visual service that employs the full facilities of a television communication channel on an intermittent basis. A user chooses certain still picture television frames that contain subject matter of interest to him, and conveys these choices to a central transmitting facility. These are then contiguously assembled for transmission to the user, perhaps with frames of other users as well, in a "burst" of such video frames.

These frames are stored at the user'"'"'s location, and can be brought up for viewing as often as desired. A vertical interval code may be used in the system for frame identification and to reproduce only what the user has chosen.

Claims

1. The method of distributing for storage and subsequent elective viewing plural dissimilar individually specified complete color images simultaneously to an unlimited number of remote receivers, which includes the method steps of:

3. The method of claim 1, which includes the additional steps of;

(a) entering into the non-visible portion of the video signal prior to transmission an address code sequentially numbering each of the plural dissimilar frames chosen,

(b) storing each code with its video frame at a receiver, and

(c) subsequently reproducing the stored address codes and automatically controlling the storage device to match the code to locate and display the specified frame.

4. The method of claim 1, in which;

(a) the burst of frames of video signal is inserted into the wide band communication channel upon an empirically scheduled basis based upon user demand and transmission convenience.

5. The method of claim 1, which includes the additional steps of;

(a) inserting on a mutually exclusive basis plural contiguous frames of video signal of the specified subject matter into an otherwise continuous video picture transmission, and

(b) concommitantly inserting a sequential address code unique to each such frame in the vertical interval thereof.

7. The television apparatus of claim 5, in which said means to form a video signal of each frame includes a central controller means having;

(a) plural sources of specified images (3,4,-n),

(b) sequential assembler means (3) connected to said central controller means to form a contiguous video signal representing said specified images, and

(c) I/O control means (32,33) to sequentially contiguously output said specified contiguous video signals in a burst from said sequential assembler means.

9. The television apparatus of claim 5, in which said local controller means (43) further includes;

(a) a microprocessor (47), having memory means (49,50),

(b) I/O control means (51) connected to said means to store (41),

(c) vertical interval code reading means (54) connected to said means to contiguously store (41) to retrieve the transmitted and stored vertical interval code for control thereof,

(d) a bus (48) interconnecting the recited entities of the local controller means for control by said microprocessor, and

(e) panel control means (52) and panel I/O means serially connected to bus (48) for supplying the vertical interval address codes of the frames selected by the user.

2. (a) forming plural frames of video signal, each of dissimilar specified subject matter,

(b) contiguously storing in a manner allowing reproduction of each successive frame at video speed said frames prior to transmission,

(c) transmitting only once all said contiguously stored frames of video signal in a continuous burst over a wide band communication channel at video speed,

(d) contiguously storing at video speed all said frames of video signal at all remote receivers simultaneously during transmission, and

(e) at any later time upon demand, locating and repeatedly reproducing at the original video speed a selected said frame of specified subject matter from the contiguous storage, after transmission, for viewing.

6. Television apparatus for distributing plural dissimilar individually specified complete color images simultaneously to an unlimited number of remote receiving means for storage and subsequent elective viewing, comprising;

(a) means to form (1-7) a video signal of each frame representing said complete specified images,

(b) means to contiguously store (8) said video signals of said plural frames prior to transmission as a burst,

(c) television transmitting means (9) having a bandwidth sufficient to transmit once said burst of video signals of said specified images at video speed,

(d) television receiving means (40) for accepting video signals from said transmitting means,

(e) means to contiguously store (41) at video speed all said video signals representing said plural specified images at each of said plural receiving means (40), said means to store connected to said television receiving means,

(f) means to reproduce television images (44), and

(g) local controller means (43) connected to said means to contiguously store and to said means to reproduce, to electively select and locate in said means to contiguously store any one of said specified images for continuous reproduction.

8. The television apparatus of claim 6, in which said central controller means (1) further includes;

(a) a microprocessor (14) having memory means (16,19),

(b) recorded computer program means (18),

(c) means to communicate with the user (20,21,22),

(d) means to control (26,27,28) plural video storage means to locate and reproduce specified video frames in accordance with the communication with said user,

(e) means to switch said plural video storage means to insert (30,31) a vertical interval sequential frame address code for each frame into the assembled video signal, and

(f) a bus (15) interconnecting the recited entities of the central controller means, for control by said microprocessor.