Apparatus and method for diplaying an alert to an individual personal computer user via the user's television connected to a cable television system
First Claim
1. A method for providing a user of a cable television system with an alert notice generated by a service provider of information subscribed to by the user, the method comprising the steps of:
- using a demodulator to demodulate radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted via a high speed data channel on a cable that carries cable television channels, said demodulator translating encoded packets of data carried as said RF signals into digitally formatted packets;
identifying ones of said digitally formatted packets having a predetermined address associated with customer premises equipment of the user;
transmitting data derived from said ones of digital formatted packets to a user'"'"'s personal computer;
monitoring said ones of digitally formatted packets for the receipt of an alert flag;
determining a television channel currently selected for viewing by the user;
transmitting to the user'"'"'s personal computer channel data defining said television channel currently selected by the user;
upon receiving said alert flag, using a modulator to superimpose an alert message on the cable television channel which has been selected for viewing by the user in order to provide a visual alert message to the user.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A user'"'"'s personal computer is coupled to a home controller which is, in turn connected to the input cable from a cable television system and to a set top box which determines the channel to be delivered to an associated television. The service provider transmits over a conventional modem communication link the alert message to the user'"'"'s personal computer. If an acknowledgment by the user is not transmitted to the service provider, a command message is transmitted by the dial-up communication link to the personal computer instructing the personal computer to activate a modulator contained in the home controller to provide an RF encoded signal representing the alert message to be displayed on the television associated with the set top box. In order to determine the channel to which the set top box is tuned, the home controller receives such information from the set top box and relays the information to the personal computer which can then instruct the modulator contained in the home controller to tune to the correct channel being viewed on the television associated with the set top box. This permits the service provider to effectively display an alert message over the television served by the cable television system thereby, providing a greater likelihood of alerting the user or someone in the user'"'"'s household that an alert has been received.
340 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for providing a user of a cable television system with an alert notice generated by a service provider of information subscribed to by the user, the method comprising the steps of:
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using a demodulator to demodulate radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted via a high speed data channel on a cable that carries cable television channels, said demodulator translating encoded packets of data carried as said RF signals into digitally formatted packets; identifying ones of said digitally formatted packets having a predetermined address associated with customer premises equipment of the user; transmitting data derived from said ones of digital formatted packets to a user'"'"'s personal computer; monitoring said ones of digitally formatted packets for the receipt of an alert flag; determining a television channel currently selected for viewing by the user; transmitting to the user'"'"'s personal computer channel data defining said television channel currently selected by the user; upon receiving said alert flag, using a modulator to superimpose an alert message on the cable television channel which has been selected for viewing by the user in order to provide a visual alert message to the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A controller adapted for coupling to a cable of a cable television system that carries packets of data transmitted over at least one channel in addition to other channels containing television broadcasts, the controller comprising:
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a demodulator that demodulates radio frequency (RF) signals carried by said one channel of said cable television system, said demodulator translating encoded packets of data carried as said RF signals into digitally formatted packets; receiver means coupled to said demodulator for identifying ones of said digitally formatted packets having a predetermined address associated with a user; means for transmitting data derived from said ones of digital formatted packets to a user'"'"'s personal computer; means for monitoring said ones of digitally formatted packets for the receipt of an alert flag; means for determining the television channel currently selected for viewing by the user; means coupled to the determining means for transmitting to the user'"'"'s personal computer channel data defining said television channel currently selected by the user; modulator means responsive to receipt of said alert flag for superimposing an alert message on the cable television selected for viewing by the user in order to provide a visual alert to the user. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A method for providing a user of a cable television system with an alert notice generated by a service provider of information subscribed to by the user, the method comprising the steps of:
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using a demodulator to demodulate radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted via a high speed data channel on a cable that carries cable television channels, said demodulator translating encoded packets of data carried as said RF signals into digitally formatted packets; identifying ones of said digitally formatted packets having a predetermined address associated with customer premises equipment of the user; monitoring said ones of digitally formatted packets for the receipt of an alert flag; receiving channel data defining television channel for viewing from the user'"'"'s personal computer; controlling the television channel currently selected for viewing by the user based on said received channel data, whereby the channel being viewed can be controlled by the channel data; upon receiving said alert flag, using a modulator to superimpose an alert message on the cable television channel which has been selected for viewing by the user in order to provide a visual alert message to the user. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A controller adapted for coupling to a cable of a cable television system that carries packets of data transmitted over at least one channel in addition to other channels containing television broadcasts, the controller comprising;
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a demodulator that demodulates radio frequency (RF) signals carried by said one channel of said cable television system, said demodulator translating encoded packets of data carried as said RF signals into digitally formatted packets; receiver means coupled to said demodulator for identifying ones of said digitally formatted packets having a predetermined address associated with a user; means for transmitting data derived from said ones of digital formatted packets to a user'"'"'s personal computer; means for receiving channel data defining a television channel for viewing from the user'"'"'s personal computer; means coupled to said receiving means for controlling the television channel currently selected for viewing by the user based on said received channel data, whereby the channel being viewed can be controlled by the channel data; means for monitoring said ones of digitally formatted packets for the receipt of an alert flag; modulator means responsive to receipt of said alert flag for superimposing an alert message on the cable television channel selected for viewing by the user in order to provide a visual alert to the user. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A method implemented in an end user'"'"'s equipment for facilitating the communication of information between a user'"'"'s personal computer (PC) and the user'"'"'s cable television system, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining one of a plurality of cable television channels selectable by the user, said one channel currently selected for viewing by the user; transmitting channel data to the user'"'"'s PC, the channel data defining said television channel currently selected by the user, thereby enabling the PC to communicate information to the user on the one channel. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A method implemented in an end user'"'"'s equipment for facilitating the communication of information between a user'"'"'s personal computer (PC) and the user'"'"'s cable television system, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving channel data from the user'"'"'s PC, said channel data defining one of a plurality of cable television channels selectable by the user; controlling the television channel currently selected for viewing by the user based on said received channel data, whereby the channel being viewed can be controlled by the channel data. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A controller adapted for coupling to a cable of a cable television system that carries packets of data transmitted over at least in said cable television system in addition to other channels containing television broadcasts, the controller comprising:
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means for determining one of a plurality of cable television channels selectable by the user, said one channel currently selected for viewing by the user; means coupled to the determining means for transmitting channel data to the user'"'"'s PC, the channel data defining said television channel currently selected by the user, thereby enabling the PC to communicate information to the user on the one channel. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A controller adapted for coupling to a cable of a cable television system that carries packets of data transmitted over at least one channel in said cable television system in addition to other channels containing television broadcasts, the controller comprising:
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means for receiving channel data from the user'"'"'s PC, said channel data defining one of a plurality of cable television channels selectable by the user; means coupled to said receiving means for controlling the television channel currently selected for viewing by the user based on said received channel data, whereby the channel being viewed can be controlled by the channel data. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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Specification