In-band/out-of-band data transmission method and apparatus for a television system

• US 5,497,187 A
• Filed: 12/22/1994
• Issued: 03/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yothment, Steven R., Banker, Robert O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Application Number:
  US08/361,465
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6-14, 348/17, 348/1, 348/478, 348/479, 348/477, 348/476, 348/474, 348/473, 348/482, 348/484, 348/483, 348/485, 348/729, 348/461, 348/468, 455/4.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/3.1, 380/10, 380/15, 380/17, 380/20
• US Class Current: 725/144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/081 the additional information signals being transmitted by means of a subcarrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• 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

Abstract

Data transmission for a cable television system includes transmitting data via a plurality of signals including, but not limited to, in-band audio, in-band video, and out-of-band signals. The in-band data signals are transmitted on scrambled or non-scrambled channels. In-band video data transmission further includes selecting certain lines of the vertical blanking interval for in-band video data transmission, omitting certain equalizing pulses during the selected lines and inserting in-band video data during the selected lines. The several data signals, in-band and out-of-band, have compatible transaction formats to facilitate decoding and data storage processes at a subscriber terminal of the cable television system. A data transmission apparatus includes a data inserter for inserting in-band data in non-scrambled channels, an addressable data transmitter for transmitting out-of-band data and a scrambler for inserting data in scrambled channels.

Claims

1. Data transmission apparatus for a television system comprising

a system controller for formatting a plurality of transactions to be transmitted to subscriber terminals, the transactions to be transmitted comprising in-band video data, in-band audio data and out-of-band data,

at least one in-band data inserter for transmitting data in a predetermined video channel comprising an audio carrier and a video picture carrier and

an out-of-band data transmitter for transmitting out-of-band data,

the transactions being of different types and having variable lengths, a first type of transaction having at least one transaction code and comprising a predetermined number of bytes between twelve and thirty-six where the predetermined number is M, a second type of transaction comprising a predetermined number of bytes between sixteen and forty-eight where the predetermined number is N, and a third type of transaction comprising a predetermined number of bytes between twenty-four and seventy-two, where the predetermined number of bytes is a multiple of M or N.

2. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second predetermined number of bytes is 1.5 to 2 times greater than said first predetermined number of bytes.

3. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein M and N are even numbers.

4. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein N is greater than M.

5. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined number of bytes of the third transaction type ranges from 2M to 8N.

6. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transactions includes a fourth type of transaction comprising a predetermined number of bytes, the predetermined number of bytes being a multiple of M or N and being greater than the predetermined number of bytes of the third type of transaction.

7. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined number of bytes for the fourth transaction type ranges from 2M to 8N, where N is greater than M.