Videotex frame processing

• US 4,751,669 A
• Filed: 04/04/1985
• Issued: 06/14/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wang Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wang Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Haggerty, William T., Sturgis, Samuel P., Sangster, Barbara C.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/719,777
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 345/635
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/085 using a television receiver, e.g. viewdata system

Abstract

A videotex decoder apparatus which, in various aspects, displays a status line to indicate when connect charges are occurring; overlays menus over displayed videotex frames with portions of the displayed frames remaining visible; provides easily called log-on procedures; retrieves remote information frames by user-specified keywords names; prints information frames in selectable different overall sizes; provides selectable different character sets for display; is table-driven; is structured to include a device independent decoder and device dependent drivers; includes a controller which feeds bytes to the decoder for decoding without regard to the protocol-dependent information content of those bytes; and uses an added frame header on stored frames to indicate the videotex protocol for decoding the frames.

Claims

1. Apparatus for locally displaying frames of digital information received from a central supplier, comprising

a port connectable to the central supplier for receiving at least one of said information frames from the central supplier,

a display device connected to locally display at least one of the information frames received from the central supplier,

a storage device connected to locally store, after it has been displayed, as a stored frame for later redisplay, at least one of the information frames received from the central supplier, and

a processor connected to be responsive to said port and said storage device and comprising

means for displaying, while the port is connected to the central supplier, an indication that the port is connected.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an expense is incurred when said port is connected to said central supplier, and the means for displaying is further arranged to display an indication of said expense.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said indication of said expense is displayed on said display device simultaneously while an information frame is being displayed.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for displaying is further arranged to display an amount of time which has elapsed since the port was most recently connected.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor further comprises

means for enabling a user to selectively either display or not display the indication that the port is connected.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for displaying is further arranged to display an indication of whether a said information frame being displayed is a stored frame from the storage device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said processor further comprises

means for enabling a user to selectively either display or not display the indication of whether a said information frame being displayed is a stored frame from the storage device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for displaying is further arranged to display, while said port is unconnected to the central supplier, an indication that said port is unconnected.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a data entry device for enabling the entry of data into said apparatus, the data including commands representing actions to be taken with respect to the information frames, and wherein the processor further comprises

means for delivering to the display device at least one menu frame for visually indicating possible actions which may be taken with respect to the information frames, including the actions of switching back and forth between displaying the information frames as they are received from the supplier, and displaying stored frames from the storage device, and

means responsive to the data entry device for accepting and executing entered commands corresponding to the possible actions.

10. Apparatus for obtaining access via a switched communications network to a central supplier of frames of digital information for obtaining said frames to be visually displayed locally, comprising

means for delivering to the central supplier via the network stored coded information required by the central supplier as a condition to allowing access to the central supplier,

a display device connected to display the frames of digital information,

a data entry device connected to enable the entry of data into the apparatus, including commands, and

a processor comprising

menu means connected to send to the display device a menu frame identifying the central supplier as being accessible, and

log-on means connected to be responsive to the data entry device for accepting and executing an entered command to obtain access to the supplier, by triggering the delivering means to send the coded information.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the coded information delivered to the supplier includes a subscriber identifier.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising means for holding protocol information about a protocol specified by the supplier and governing the information frames of the supplier.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein each information frame comprises a collection of bytes, each comprising a number of bits, and the means for holding is arranged to hold protocol information which includes said number of bits in each byte.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the means for holding is arranged to hold protocol information which includes a table of commands each associated with an instruction specified by the supplier for retrieving information frames from the supplier, each command corresponding to a key on the data entry device, and the processor further includes means responsive to the data entry device for sending to the supplier, in responsive to a key being pressed, the instruction associated with the command corresponding to the key which was pressed.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said instructions specified by the supplier include instructions to retrieve a prior information frame, to repeat a presently retrieved information frame, to log off, and to go to a home frame.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor further comprises means for specifying and updating the protocol information held in the means for holding.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processor further comprises means for specifying and updating, by data entered through the data entry device, the coded information to be delivered to the supplier when access to the supplier is commanded.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein

the menu frame sent by the menu means identifies at least a plurality of central suppliers, and the log-on mens is responsive to the data entry device for accepting and executing an entered command to obtain access to one of said suppliers by triggering the delivering means to send to that one supplier the coded information required by it.

19. Apparatus for obtaining access via a switched communications network to a plurality of central suppliers of frames of digital information, each requiring its own coded information, for obtaining said frames to be visually displayed locally, comprising

means for delivering to one of said central suppliers via the network stored coded information required by said one central supplier as a condition to allowing access to said one central supplier,

a display device for displaying the frames of digital information,

a data entry device for enabling the entry of data into the apparatus, including commands, and

a processor comprising

menu means connected to send to the display device a menu frame identifying said one central supplier as being accessible, and

log-on means connected to be responsive to the data entry device for accepting and executing an entered command to obtain access to said one supplier, by triggering the delivering means to send the coded information.

20. Apparatus for retrieving selected frames of information from a central videotex supplier of the information frames, each information frame having an associated unique identifier assigned by the supplier for retrieving the frame, the apparatus comprising

a display device connected to display the information frames,

storage means connected to store the identifier and a unique keyword selected by an operator and associated with the identifier,

menu means connected to display on the display device a menu frame containing the keyword,

data entry means connected to enter into the apparatus a request for retrieval of a selected information frame by moving a cursor to the keyword associated with the selected information frame, and

a processor connected to be responsive to the data entry means for retrieving the information frame in response to the entry of the request by transmitting the associated identifier to the supplier.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the data entry means is further arranged for entering the request by typing in the keyword.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the processor comprises means for enabling specification and updating of each said keyword appearing on the menu frame and the identifier associated with each keyword by commands entered through the data entry means.

23. Apparatus for locally storing frames of digital information received from a central videotex supplier, comprising

a port connectable to the central supplier for receiving at least one of the information frames from the central supplier,

a display device connected to locally display at least one of the information frames received from the central supplier,

a storage device connected to locally store, after it has been displayed, as a stored frame for later redisplay, at least one of the information frames received from the central supplier,

a data entry device connected to enable the enable of data into the apparatus, and

a processor comprising

means connected to accept from the data entry device a name specified by a subscriber to be associated with a particular displayed information frame,

means connected to store the particular information frame in the storage device together with the associated name, and

means connected to retrieve the particular information frame from the storage device in response to entry through the data entry device of a command corresponding to the name specified for that frame.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the processor further comprises

means connected to group information frames into directories, and

means connected to accept from the data entry device commands designating in which one of said directories a particular displayed frame is to be stored.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the processor further comprises

means for displaying on the display device a menu listing by name the information frames stored in a given directory, and means for accepting from the data entry device a command corresponding to the name of an information frame for retrieval from the directory.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the command is entered by steps which include moving a cursor to the name of the information frame on the menu.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the command is entered by steps which include typing the name of the information frame on the data entry device.

28. Apparatus for locally storing frames of digital information received from one of a plurality of central videotex suppliers, comprising

a port connectable to said one central supplier for receiving at least one of the information frames from said one central supplier,

a display device connected to locally display at least one of the information frames received from said one central supplier,

a storage device connected to locally store, after it has been displayed, as a stored frame for later redisplay, at least one of the information frames received from said one central supplier,

a data entry device connected to enable the entry of data into the apparatus, and

a processor comprising

means connected to accept from the data entry device a name specified by a subscriber to be associated with a particular displayed information frame,

means connected to retrieve the particular information frame in the storage device together with the associated name, and

means connected to retrieve the particular information frame from the storage device in response to entry through the data entry device of a command corresponding to the name specified for that frame,

means connected to for group information frames into directories,

means connected to accept from the data entry device commands designating in which directory a particular displayed frame is to be stored, and

means connected to accept from the data entry device commands for storing in a single directory frames received from different suppliers.

29. Apparatus for printing frames of digital information received from a central videotex supplier, comprising

a port connectable to the central supplier for receiving at least one of the information frames from the central supplier,

a printing device connected to locally print at least one of the information frames received from the central supplier and,

a processor comprising

means connected to deliver to the printer digital information corresponding to an information frame to be printed, and

means connected to configure the digital information to cause the printed information frame to be one of a plurality of selectable overall sizes.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 further comprising

a data entry device for enabling the entry of data into the appratus, and wherein

the processor further comprises

means for accepting from the data entry device commands corresponding to the different selectable overall sizes.

31. Apparatus for locally decoding a stream of bytes representing a frame of information received from a videotex supplier, comprising

means for receiving each byte in turn for decoding,

means connected to store a table of entries each indicating what action is to be performed with respect to each byte based on the byte and on a current state of the apparatus, and

means connected to decode each byte by finding an entry in the table corresponding to the action to be performed and thereafter performing that action.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 further comprising

means for updating the current state of said apparatus, after each byte is decoded, in accordance with the current state of said apparatus and the decoded byte.

33. The apparatus of claim 31 further comprising

means connected to store an index array indicating, for each said byte, a location in said table wherein said action to be performed will be found, given said current state.

34. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said current state is a display state and said action to be performed is to display a character corresponding to said byte.

35. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said current state is other than a display state and said action to be performed is to implement a visual attribute of said frame as specified by said byte.

36. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein, when said apparatus occupies a particular state, certain said bytes, according to a predetermined protocol for encoding said bytes, cannot properly appear in said stream of bytes, and

wherein said entries in said table corresponding to:

(1) said certain bytes, and (2) said particular state, indicate that said action to be performed is to display a space.

37. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the entries in said table correspond to a Prestel encoding protocol.

38. Apparatus for locally processing frames of information received from central videotex suppliers, different frames being encoded in accordance with different protocols, comprising

means connected to locally store the information frames,

means connected to locally display the frames,

means connected to decode the locally stored frames as they are displayed, and

means connected to tag each stored frame with a header indicating one of said different protocols as having been used for encoding the frame,

the means connected to decode being arranged to decode each frame in accordance with the protocol indicated by the header of the frame.

39. Apparatus for displaying a frame of information represented by a stream of bytes received from a videotex supplier, said bytes being encoded in accordance with a particular videotex protocol, comprising

a device for visually displaying said frame based on bit images that are encoded in accordance with a display device protocol different from said videotex protocol,

means for decoding said bytes into alphanumeric and mosaic characters that are based on said videotex protocol and are independent of said display device protocol, and

device dependent driver means for converting said characters into said bit images in accordance with said display device protocol.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein

said display device is arranged to display said bit images in accordance with visual attributes that are encoded in said stream of bytes in accordance with said videotex protocol, said visual attributes being conveyed to said display device in accordance with said display device protocol,

said means for decoding is arranged to decode said stream of bytes into visual attributes that are based on said videotex protocol and are independent of said display device protocol, and

said device dependent driver means is arranged to convert said visual attributes into visual features of said bit images in accordance with said display device protocol.

41. The apparatus of claim 39 comprising

a plurality of said display devices having different display device protocols, and

a plurality of said device dependent driver means, one for each said display device, for converting said characters into said bit images in accordance respectively with said different display device protocols.

42. Apparatus for decoding a frame of information represented by a stream of bytes received from a videotex supplier, said bytes being encoded in accordance with a videotex protocol, said apparatus comprising

means for decoding said bytes into alphanumeric and mosaic characters based on said videotex protocol, and

means for controlling said decoding by accepting said stream of bytes from said supplier and delivering each said byte to said decoding means,

said controlling means being arranged to accept and deliver said bytes to said decoding means without regard to the protocol-dependent information content of said bytes.