Cable television system with two-way telephone communication path
First Claim
1. Addressable television signal converter apparatus for providing impulse pay-per-view service on a cable television system or the like comprising:
- means for receiving a band of signals from a television signal transmission path including scrambled television program signals for viewing on a pay-per-view basis;
data retrieval means coupled to said receiving means for retrieving converter data superimposed with said band of signals;
microprocessor means for processing converter data addressed thereto and retrieved by said data retrieval means;
tuner means coupled to said microprocessor and said receiving means for enabling a user to select a pay-per-view program and for descrambling the selected program for viewing by the user;
memory means coupled to said microprocessor for storing data indicative of pay-per-view programs selected by a user;
modem means for interfacing said microprocessor to a telephone line;
auto-dial means responsive to converter data retrieved by said data retrieval means from said band of signals and processed by said microprocessor for dialing a telephone number, thereby enabling said converter apparatus to establish a separate telephone communication path independent of said television signal transmission path over which the microprocessor can communicate with a remote computer via said modem;
means operatively associataed with said microprocessor for forwarding data stored in said meory means to a remote computer via a telephone communication path established by said auto-dial means;
means operatively associated with said microprocessor for maintaining a time-out count;
means for inhibiting the viewing of pay-per-view programs if the time-out count expires; and
means for reinitializing said time-out count in response to an initialize signal received from a remote computer.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus to enable billing of subscribers of pay-per-view television systems or the like on a non-real-time basis. A scrambled television signal is received at a subscriber terminal from a headend. The received signal is selectively descrambled in response to subscriber action indicating acceptance for viewing of a program contained in the signal. A record is maintained at the subscriber terminal of the billable programs accepted for viewing by the subscriber. The signal received from the headend is monitored by the subscriber terminal for a call-in command which instructs the subscriber terminal to forward the record of billable programs to the headend. A telephone communication path is established between the subscriber terminal and the headend in response to the call-in command. The record of billable programs is transmitted to the headend over the telephone communication path, and the subscriber is billed in accordance therewith. A plurality of transaction credits can be downloaded from the headend to the subscriber terminal, stored therein, and debited in response to the acceptance by a subscriber of a billable program for viewing. The descrambling of a program is prevented if there are not sufficient stored transaction credits available to pay for the program. A time-out count can be maintained in the subscriber terminal and reinitialized in response to a signal received from the headend. Descrambling of billable programs is prevented at the subscriber terminal if the time-out count expires.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. Addressable television signal converter apparatus for providing impulse pay-per-view service on a cable television system or the like comprising:
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means for receiving a band of signals from a television signal transmission path including scrambled television program signals for viewing on a pay-per-view basis; data retrieval means coupled to said receiving means for retrieving converter data superimposed with said band of signals; microprocessor means for processing converter data addressed thereto and retrieved by said data retrieval means; tuner means coupled to said microprocessor and said receiving means for enabling a user to select a pay-per-view program and for descrambling the selected program for viewing by the user; memory means coupled to said microprocessor for storing data indicative of pay-per-view programs selected by a user; modem means for interfacing said microprocessor to a telephone line; auto-dial means responsive to converter data retrieved by said data retrieval means from said band of signals and processed by said microprocessor for dialing a telephone number, thereby enabling said converter apparatus to establish a separate telephone communication path independent of said television signal transmission path over which the microprocessor can communicate with a remote computer via said modem; means operatively associataed with said microprocessor for forwarding data stored in said meory means to a remote computer via a telephone communication path established by said auto-dial means; means operatively associated with said microprocessor for maintaining a time-out count; means for inhibiting the viewing of pay-per-view programs if the time-out count expires; and means for reinitializing said time-out count in response to an initialize signal received from a remote computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14)
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9. Addressable television signal converter apparatus for providing impulse pay-per-view service on a cable television system or the like comprising:
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means for receiving a band of signals including scramble television program signals for viewing on a pay-per-view basis; tuner means coupled to said receiving means for enabling a user to select a pay-per-view program for viewing; memory means for storing data indicative of pay-per-view programs selected by a user via said tuner means; modem means for interfacing said converter apparatus to a user'"'"'s telephone line; auto-dial means coupled to said modem means for seizing the user'"'"'s telephone line and dialing a telephone number, thereby establishing a telephone communicatioan path over which the converter apparatus can communicate with a remote computer via said modem; means operatively associated with said memory means and said modem for forwarding data stored in the memory means to a remote computer via a telephone communication path established by said auto-dial means; said auto-dial means further comprising; means for detecting an incoming ring signal on the user'"'"'s telephone line; and means for preventing the auto-dial means from seizing the user'"'"'s telephone line to dial a telephone number if an incoming ring signal is detected by said detecting means. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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15. Apparatus for storing and forwarding billing information as to transactions completed using a remote subscriber terminal comprising:
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input connector means for coupling the apparatus to a source of video signals; a microprocessor coupled to receive data signals, including transaction credits, superimposed with video signals input to said connector means; means for storing a plurality of transaction credits received by said microprocessor; means coupled to said connector means for enabling a subscriber to selectively receive a video signal and thereby complete a billable transaction; means operatively associated with said microprocessor for debiting stored transaction credits in response to the occurrence of a billable transaction; means operatively associated with said microprocessor for preventing the completion of a billable transaction if sufficient stored transaction credits are not available for the transaction; means for maintaining a record of completed billable transactions; means operatively associated with said microprocessor for selectively accessing records of billable transactions from said maintaining means and transmitting the records on other than a real-time basis to a remote location in response to a command received from the remote location as a data signal superimposed with video signals input to said connector means; means operatively associated with said microprocessor for maintaining a time-out count; means for preventing the completion of a billable transaction if the time-out count expires; and means for re-initializing the time-out count in response to an initialize signal received from said remote location. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. Headend apparatus for an impulse pay-per-view cable television service or the like comprising:
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a television signal transmitter; controller means for generating data signals containing telephone call-in instructions for each of a plurality of television signal converters and for interrogating television signal converters that have called in, to obtain billing data indicative of pay-per-view programs received by the converters; means for storing billing data retrieved from said converters; means for transmitting data signals from said controller means together with television signals output from said transmitter; means for enabling said television converters to establish a separate telephone communication link independent from said television signal transmitter between said controller and a plurality of television signal conerters calling in via a telephone network in response to telephone call-in instructions transmitted by said transmitter; means for detecting a power failure that impedes the operation of the apparatus; means responsive to said power failure detecting means for maintaining billing data stored in said billing data storing means upon the occurence of a power failure; and means responsive to said power failure detecting means for directing a group of converters interrupted during a power failure to again call-in to resume interrogation after power is restored; whereby two-way communication between the headend and a plurality of television signal converters can take place over a telephone network. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A one-way cable television system for providing impulse pay-per-view service and the like comprising:
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a cable television transmitter; a plurality of addressable cable television convertes coupled to receive cable television signals from said transmitter; headend controller means for generatiang data embodying instructions to be executed by converters together with address codes for directing said instructions to individual converters; means for superimposing data and address codes from said controller means onto cable television signals output from said transmitter; microprocessor means associated with each of said converters for executing instructions embodied in data addressed to the converter and received from said transmitter; communication means associated with each of said converters and responsive to instructions embodied in data received by the converter via the transmitter for establishing a telephone communication path between the converter and the headend controller means; means associated with each of said converters for maintaining a record of billable transactions completed by a user of the converter; means for transferring daa from said record maintaining means to said headend controller via said telephone communication path; means operatively associated with said microprocessor for maintaining a time-out count; means for preventing the completion of a billable transaction if the time-out count expires; and means for reinitializing the time-out count in response to data received by the microprocessor from the headend controller. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A method for billing a subscriber of a pay-per-view television system on a non-real-time basis for billable programs viewed by the subscriber comprising the steps of:
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receiving a scrambled television signal at a subscriber terminal from a headend; selectively descrambling the received signal in response to subscriber action indicating acceptance for viewing of a program contained in the signal; maintaining a time-out count in said subscriber teminal; reinitializing said time-out count in response to a signal received from the headend; preventing the descrambling of billable programs at the subscriber terminal if the time-out count expires; maintaining a record at the subscriber terminal of billable programs accepted for viewing by a subscriber; monitoring the signal received from the headend for a call-in command instructing the subscriber terminal to forward the record of billable programs to the headend; establishing a telephone communication path between the subscriber terminal and the headend in response to the call-in command; transmitting the record of billable programs to the headend over said telephone communication path; and billing the subscriber in accordance with the record of billable programs transmitted to the headend. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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Specification