Customer premise device for controlling data transmissions by storing a limited number of operation algorithms and receiving operation instructions from external sources
First Claim
1. A customer premise device for controlling transmissions, including data streams representing interactive services information carried over a communications medium, between a central information source configured to administrate the interactive services information and customer premise equipment housed at a remote station, comprising:
- a first interface linked to the communications medium;
a second interface linked to the customer premise equipment; and
an interface controller linking said first interface and said second interface, said interface controller comprising;
an operations memory for storing a limited number of operations algorithms;
an instructions memory for temporarily storing operation instructions received via at least one of said interfaces; and
a processor for accessing any of said operations memory, said instructions memory and said interfaces,for processing the operations algorithms and operation instructions, thereby generating prompt signals and processing results,for routing the prompt signals to at least one of said interfaces or one of said memories in accordance with the processing results, whereby said processor routes at least a portion of the prompt signals to the communications medium via said first interface for the purpose of soliciting at least a portion of the operation instructions from the central information source, andfor routing the data streams, supplied over the communications medium, from said first interface to said second interface, in accordance with the processing results.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Customer Premise Devices (CPDs) and associated methods according to the invention allow subscribers to send diverse subscriber requests and to receive incoming information such as movies, videogames, educational, business and consumer information, and scientific and other reasearch-related database information. The CPD controls transmissions, carried over a communications medium, between a central information source and customer premise equipment, such as TVs and computers, housed at a remote station. The CPD has (a) a first interface linked to the communications medium; (b) a second interface linked to the customer premise equipment; and (c) an interface controller linking the first interface and the second interface. The interface controller includes (c1) an operations memory for storing a limited number of operations algorithms; (c2) an instructions memory for temporarily storing operation instructions received via at least one of the interfaces; and (c3) a processor that (i) accesses any of the operations memory, the instructions memory and the interfaces, (ii) that processes the operations algorithms and operation instructions, thereby generating prompt signals and processing results, (iii) that routes the prompt signals to at least one of the interfaces or one of the memories in accordance with the processing results, and (iv) that routes data streams, supplied from the central information source, from the first interface to the second interface, in accordance with the processing results.
106 Citations
49 Claims
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1. A customer premise device for controlling transmissions, including data streams representing interactive services information carried over a communications medium, between a central information source configured to administrate the interactive services information and customer premise equipment housed at a remote station, comprising:
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a first interface linked to the communications medium; a second interface linked to the customer premise equipment; and an interface controller linking said first interface and said second interface, said interface controller comprising; an operations memory for storing a limited number of operations algorithms; an instructions memory for temporarily storing operation instructions received via at least one of said interfaces; and a processor for accessing any of said operations memory, said instructions memory and said interfaces, for processing the operations algorithms and operation instructions, thereby generating prompt signals and processing results, for routing the prompt signals to at least one of said interfaces or one of said memories in accordance with the processing results, whereby said processor routes at least a portion of the prompt signals to the communications medium via said first interface for the purpose of soliciting at least a portion of the operation instructions from the central information source, and for routing the data streams, supplied over the communications medium, from said first interface to said second interface, in accordance with the processing results. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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19. A method for supplying a remote station with transmitted interactive services information originating from a central station configured to administrate the information, comprising the steps of:
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providing a communications link between the central station and the remote station, the communications link having a remote station end; connecting a customer premise device to the communications link at the remote station end and connecting the customer premise device to customer premise equipment; providing the customer premise device with a limited amount of control logic sufficient to; generate prompt signals in response to command signals input by a customer via the customer premise equipment, forward the prompt signals to the communications link to be supplied to the central station, for the purpose of soliciting control signals from the central station, generate processing signals in response to the solicited control signals input from the central station via the communications link, and route the transmitted information to the customer premise equipment in accordance with the processing signals. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A customer premise device for controlling transmissions that include informational data representing interactive services information between a central information source and customer premise equipment housed at a remote station, which are carried over a communications medium, comprising:
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interface means (i) for linking the customer premise equipment with the communications medium, (ii) for routing the informational data received via the communications medium to at least one destination within the customer premise equipment, (iii) for outputting prompt signals, and (iv) for receiving operation instructions; memory means (i) for storing a limited number of internal operations algorithms and (ii) for storing only temporarily the operation instructions received via said interface means; processing means, operating in accordance with the operations algorithms and the received operation instructions (i) for generating the prompt signals and outputting the prompt signals via said interface means, at least some of the prompt signals being output to the communications medium for the purpose of soliciting at least a portion of the operation instructions from the central information source and (ii) for generating and utilizing processing results, at least some of the processing results being utilized for the purpose of controlling the routing of the informational data by said interface means. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method of receiving interactive services information, originating from an information source, at a customer premise location remote from the information source and having user-operated customer premise equipment, comprising the steps of:
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utilizing operations algorithms stored at the customer premise location to generate prompt signals in response to command signals input by the user into the customer premise equipment; outputting the prompt signals to a central station that is configured to administrate the interactive services information and that is remote from the customer premise location, for the purpose of soliciting information control instructions from the central station; receiving the solicited information control instructions from the central station; receiving the interactive services information from the information source; utilizing the received information control instructions to process the received interactive services information and output the processed interactive services information to the customer premise equipment. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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Specification