Editing arrangement for videotex system with public terminals

• US 4,575,579 A
• Filed: 11/29/1983
• Issued: 03/11/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Standard Electric Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Simon, Gerhard J., Schneider, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHREYER, STAFFORD
• Application Number:
  US06/555,906
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 178/2 R, 178/2 E, 178/2 F, 178/4, 178/17.5, 178/25, 178/31, 235/375, 340/709, 340/711, 340/717, 455/4, 358/84, 358/85, 358/86
• US Class Current: 178/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/153 using cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/085 using a television receiver, e.g. viewdata system

Abstract

In public videotex (Btx) terminals, different pages are displayed successively on the screen in the off-line mode (e.g., advertisements and user instructions). To be able to update such off-line pages at low cost, a page memory in the terminal is constructed as a random-access memory (46). A central operating facility contains an editing device in which the information and control characters required to display an off-line page are produced. These characters are transmitted to the terminal and written into the random-access memory (46). This may be effected automatically when the supply voltage is turned on.

Claims

1. Videotex system with public terminals whereby information is called up from a videotex center over a telecommunication network and presented in the form of videotex pages on a screen of the terminal, the terminal being provided with a memory containing information which is presented as off-line videotex pages on the screen, characterized in that the memory is a read/write memory (46), that a central operating facility (16) is provided which includes an editing device (17) in which information and control characters giving an off-line videotex page are produced, and that said characters are transmitted from the operating facility (16) to the videotex center (1), from which they are transmissible over the telecommunication network (2) to the read/write memory (46).

2. A videotex system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the editing device (17) produces operating parameters which are loaded into storage (6) of the videotex center (1) and transmitted over the telecommunication network (2) to the read/write memory (46).

3. A videotex system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the central operating facility (16) contains a diagnostic computer (18) in which test and diagnostic programs are produced which are loaded into the read/write memory (46) via the telecommunication network (2) and executed by a control computer (44) of the terminal (3, 4).

4. A videotex system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that results of the test and diagnostic programs are displayed by the control computer (44) on the screen (34) of the terminal (3) and/or transmitted by the control computer (44) to the videotex center (1).

5. A videotex system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the terminal (3) includes a secured switching device (50) which permits the information and control characters and/or the operating parameters to be fetched from the operating facility (16).

6. A videotex system as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the information and control characters and/or the operating parameters are fetched from the operating facility (16) by a controller (36) of the terminal (3) whenever the supply voltage is turned on.

7. A videotex system with public terminals whereby information is called up from a videotex center over a telecommunication network and presented in the form of videotex pages on the screen of the terminal, the terminal being provided with a memory containing information which is presented as off-line videotex pages on the screen, said system comprising:

controller means (36) including a read/write memory (46) in said terminal (3,4);

a control computer (44) in said controller means (36);

a central operating facility (16) including an editing device (17) for providing information and control characters for producing off-line videotex pages;

means at said central operating facility (16) for transmitting said information and control characters from said operating facility (16) to storage means (6) of the videotex center (1), from which they are transmissible over the telecommunication network (2) to said read/write memory (46);

a diagnostic computer (18) for providing test and diagnostic programs at said central operating facility (16); and

means at said central operating facility (16) for transmitting said test and diagnostic programs for loading into said read/write memory (46) via the telecommunication network (2) for execution by said control computer (44).