Inserting television advertising spots automatically
First Claim
1. In a television transmitting system for retransmitting program video signals from a remote location having spot signals to indicate the beginning of a spot message interval in which the remote video program signal is interrupted for allowing local transmission of spot message video signals the improvement comprising,spot message storage means for storing a plurality of spot messages for transmission during spot message intervals,computer control means responsive to said spot message start signals for selectively transferring a predetermined sequence of said stored spot messages for transmission during a spot message interval,said computer control means comprising means for rescheduling transmission of sequences of said stored spot messages in response to spot signals occurring at times different from prescheduled times entered in said computer control means for effecting insertion of said recorded spot messages in spot message intervals in accordance with a new schedule.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A downlink dish receives television signals from a remote location transmitted by satellite. Satellite receivers demodulate these received signals and normally transmit them through a switch to modulators which modulate respective carrier signals to retransmit the remote program video signals over a cable to subscribers. The switch also transmits the demodulated signals to tone monitors that detect a tone indicating the beginning of a spot message interval. A computer control responds to these detected signals to enable one or more video tape machines to deliver recorded spot messages to a time base corrector that also receives portions of the program video signal adjacent the spot message interval from the switch. The time base corrector delivers the time-base-corrected video signals through the switch to the modulators for modulating a selected carrier signal with program video signals and spot message signals without flicker. The computer control also enables tape monitors to record the spot messages when they are transmitted with information on the time and channel of transmission in support of billing. A data entry means furnishes information signals to the computer control for properly scheduling the rescheduling the transmission of spot messages.
269 Citations
7 Claims
-
1. In a television transmitting system for retransmitting program video signals from a remote location having spot signals to indicate the beginning of a spot message interval in which the remote video program signal is interrupted for allowing local transmission of spot message video signals the improvement comprising,
spot message storage means for storing a plurality of spot messages for transmission during spot message intervals, computer control means responsive to said spot message start signals for selectively transferring a predetermined sequence of said stored spot messages for transmission during a spot message interval, said computer control means comprising means for rescheduling transmission of sequences of said stored spot messages in response to spot signals occurring at times different from prescheduled times entered in said computer control means for effecting insertion of said recorded spot messages in spot message intervals in accordance with a new schedule.
-
3. A method of creating a master spot message tape on a video tape recording machine which method includes the steps of,
leaving an interval of unrecorded video tape for a predetermined length at the beginning of the tape to create a snow interval thereon, recording color black including television synchronization signals while simultaneously recording on a predetermined audio channel a predetermined longitudinal time code, thereafter inserting frame-accurate video signals with longitudinal time code editing equipment responsive to the predetermined longitudinal time code recorded on said predetermined longitudinal time code recorded on said predetermined audio channel to create a plurality of message slots each comprising a sequence of black frames with said recorded video synchronization signals the first of which carries a predetermined signal identifying the beginning of the slot.
Specification