Addressable cable television control system with video format data transmission

• US 4,862,268 A
• Filed: 04/18/1985
• Issued: 08/29/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Campbell, John G., Lemburg, John R., Fogle, Richard M., Schoeneberger, Carl F., Bundens, Allan B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US06/708,236
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 358/141, 358/142, 358/114, 358/122, 358/146, 358/147, 358/86
• US Class Current: 348/463
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/03 Subscription systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0888 Subscription systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17363 at or near the user terminal

Abstract

An addressable cable television control-system controls television program and data signal transmission from a central station to a plurality of user stations. The data signals include both control and text signals in video line format which are inserted on the vertical interval of the television signals, thereby freeing all channels for transmission of both television and data signals. Moreover, full-channel teletext data in video line format may be transmitted on dedicated text channels with the modification of only head end processors. An intelligent converter at each remote user location uses the data signals to control access to the system on the basis of channel, tier of service, special event and program subject matter. The converter uses a graphics display generator to generate display signals for the presentation of the text data on the television receiver and for the generation of predetermined messages for the viewer concerning access, emergencies and other functions. The converter processes vertical interval text data and selected full-channel text data, both transmitted in video line format. The keyboard of the subscriber provides a number of different functional inputs for the subscriber to interface with the system. The converter also includes apparatus for interfacing with two-way interactive data acquisiton and control systems.

Claims

1. A television communications system for transmitting data signals on a frequency channel from a headend station to a plurality of user stations comprising:

data means for generating data signals at said headend station;

control means for generating a control signal at said headend station;

video format means for generating video line timing signals at said headend station;

first headend processing means in communication with said data means and said video format means for combining said data signals with said video line timing signals to generate full-field data signals in video line format for transmission to said user stations, each line of said full-field data signals in video line format corresponding to one or more individual pages of data for viewing;

second headend processing means in communication with said control means and said first headend processing means for injecting said control signal in a vertical interval of said full-field data signals in video line format;

transmitting means in communication with said second headend processing means for transmitting said full-field data signals in video line format injected with said control signal to said user stations;

receiver means at each of said user stations for selectively receiving said full-field data signals in video line format injected with said control signal;

extractor means connected to said receiver means for removing said control signal from the vertical interval of said full-field data signals in video format injected with said control signal;

text and/or graphics generator means at each user station connected to said receiver means for generating text and/or graphics data from said data signals; and

logic means for activating said text and/or graphics generator means in response to said control signal.

2. In a television communication system for transmitting data signals on a television frequency channel from a headend station to a plurality of user stations, the method comprising:

generating data signals at said headend station;

generating a control signal at said headend station;

generating video line timing signals at said headend station;

combining said data signals with said video line timing signals to generate full-field data signals in video line format;

formatting said control signal in response to said video line timing signals to generate a vertical interval data signal in video line format;

inserting said vertical interval data signal in video line format into the vertical interval of each of said full-field data signals in video line format to generate data-loaded full-field data signals, said data-loaded full-field data signals in video line format corresponding to an individual page of data for viewing;

transmitting said data-loaded full-field data signals to one of said user stations;

extracting said control signal from the vertical interval of the transmitted data-loaded full-field data signals at said one of the user stations; and

generating text and/or graphics data based on said data signals in response to said extracted control signal.