System for transmitting a commercial program in a CATV system

• US 5,301,245 A
• Filed: 03/27/1992
• Issued: 04/05/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Incorporated (Pioneer Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Incorporated (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Endoh, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US07/858,742
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 380/10, 380/20, 358/86, 358/11
• US Class Current: 380/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/167 Systems rendering the television signal unintelligible and subsequently intelligible
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A CATV system includes a broadcasting station, a satellite, and a local center. Scrambled television signals transmitted from the broadcasting station to the local center through the satellite are descrambled and re-scrambled at the local center, and the re-scrambled TV signals are transmitted to terminal devices. A non-scrambled TV signal included in the TV signal transmitted from the broadcasting station to the local center is detected. The detected non-scrambled TV signal is transmitted to terminal devices without scrambling.

Claims

1. In a system for transmitting television signals in a CATV system wherein a television signal of a priority channel is selectively scrambled with an encoding at a broadcasting station to produce in the priority channel 1) a scrambled television signal for terminal devices of subscribers and 2) non-scrambled television signal for non-subscribers used for transmitting a commercial program, the scrambled and non-scrambled television signals are alternately transmitted from the broadcasting station to a local center in the priority channel, and the scrambled television signal is descrambled at the local center, the descrambled television signal is re-scrambled by an encoder with another encoding at the local center, the re-scrambled television signal and the non-scrambled television signal are alternately transmitted to terminal devices wherein the system comprises:

detector means, provided in the local center, for detecting said scrambled television signal and said non-scrambled television signal in the priority channel and said detector means for producing a scrambled signal and a non-scrambled signal in accordance with said detected signals;

switching means, responsive to said scrambled signal, for feeding said descrambled television signal to said encoder for re-scrambling said television signal, and responsive to said non-scrambled signal for passing said non-scrambled television signal without passing through said encoder; and

transmitting means for alternately transmitting said re-scrambled television signal and said non-scrambled television signal to subscriber and non-subscriber terminal devices.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the detector means comprises signal detector means for detecting nonexistence of a scramble state indicating signal included in the television signal and for producing the non-scramble signal, and decoding means for descrambling the television signal in accordance with the scramble state indicating signal.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein the transmitting means includes said encoder for re-scrambling a descrambled television signal in accordance with detection of the scramble state indicating signal.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein the transmitting means includes timing means responsive to the scramble state indicating signal for operating the encoder at a proper timing.

5. A system according to claim 3 wherein the transmitting means includes means for changing a frequency of the television signal to another frequency for terminal devices of non-subscribers.

6. A system for a local center to which 1) scrambled television signals through a plurality of priority channels of respective scrambling systems and 2) non-scrambled television signals through said plurality of priority channels are applied from broadcasting stations, wherein said scrambled television signal and the non-scrambled television signal of each priority channel are alternately transmitted, and the scrambled television signals are re-scrambled with a re-scrambling system at the local center, the system comprising:

detector means for detecting each of the scrambled television signals and for producing a scramble signal when detected;

descrambling means for descrambling the scrambled television signal;

re-scrambling means for re-scrambling the descrambled television signals with a re-scrambling system; and

transmitting means for transmitting the re-scrambled television signal to a plurality of terminal devices.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein

non-scrambled television signals are also applied to the terminal devices.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein

the scrambled television signals are transmitted to the local center through a satellite.