Television viewing center system

• US 4,488,179 A
• Filed: 09/23/1981
• Issued: 12/11/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blaupunkt-Werke GmbH (Aurelius AG)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Freienstein, Bernd, Kr/u/ ger, H. Eckhard, Sch/a/ fer, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, John C.
• Application Number:
  US06/304,982
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 358/188, 358/181, 358/143, 358/147, 358/191.1, 358/194.1, 358/183, 358/335, 358/193.1, 455/181, 455/186, 455/151, 455/132, 455/133, 455/70, 360/33.1, 360/69, 360/71, 360/74, 369/7, 369/19, 369/47, 340/709, 235/462
• US Class Current: 348/706
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

At least two television reception tuners are used in a viewing center system, one for the television signals and the other for supplementary information transmitted during the blanking intervals and separated in the reception center by a data separation stage. A programmable control stage including a microprocessor accepts information not only from the data separator, but also from a manual remote control input device and from a timing control stage. A signal source switching unit for both the audio part and the composite video part of television signals is controlled by the microprocessor and interconnects signal sources including the tuners and auxiliary equipment, such as recording devices, a local camera, television games, and so on, with audio and video output devices. A digital data bus provides control to the various input and output devices.

Claims

1. A television viewing center system having capability for receiving, along with radio-transmitted television signals, supplementary information signals radiotransmitted with the television signals from the same transmitter and relating to transmitted television signals, comprising, in combination:

a receiving stage for receiving television signals from a remote source by cable or an antenna, said stage including first and second television reception tuners (2,3) and tuner control means (31,32,37) for controlling the tuning of said tuners;

a data separateion stage (4) connected for receiving the output of said second tuner (3);

a programmable control stage (6,47) having three outputs and first, second and third inputs responsive to digital signals received from said data separation stage (4) and to other digital signals supplied from at least one source (30,34) within the viewing center system, for providing control signals from a first of said outputs to said tuner control means (31,32,37) and from a second and a third of said outputs to other components of the system, said programmable control stage including means for causing said second tuner to scan stepwise a set of receiving channels for obtaining said supplementary information signals therefrom and also means for evaluating supplementary signals thereby obtained with reference to information stored in said control stage;

a signal source transfer switching unit (7,47) for switching composite video signals and audio signals related thereto from any of a plurality of sources, including said first television reception tuner, to any of a plurality of outputs, said transfer switching unit being connected, for control of its operation, to said second output of said programmable control stage;

a television display unit (8) having a television picture screen (9) and connected to an output of said transfer switching unit;

means responsive to data separated from the output of said second television reception signals through said transfer switching unit to said television display unit (8) for displaying supplementary information on the television screen (9) thereof;

a sound reproduction system including at least one loudspeaker and at least one audio amplifier (10,11,12) and connected to an output of said transfer switching unit;

means for recording and reproducing television signals (13,14), connected to an output and to an input of said transfer switching unit;

a plurality of additional television signal sources (15,16,17) connected respectively to a plurality of inputs to said transfer switching unit;

output digital data bus means connecting said third output of said programmable control stage (6,47) for control purposes of said television display unit (8), said sound reproduction system (10,11,12), said television recording and reproducing means (13,14) and said additional television signal sources (15,16,17);

a remote control receiver (30), having its output connected with an input of said programmable control stage, for providing signals including signals to be stored in said programmable control stage, and

remote control manually operable programmable means (5), for providing signals to said remote control receiver (30) from locations in the general vicinity of said receiver, having therein means for sensing the display of said supplemental information on said screen for supplying said information through said remote control receiver (30) to said programmable control stage, and means for producing a controllable cursor signal for selecting supplementary information displayed on said screen in response to digital signals provided by said data separation stage (4) and causing the information selected by said cursor to be provided as an input to said programmable control stage.