User interface for selecting television information services through pseudo-channel access

• US 5,587,734 A
• Filed: 11/03/1994
• Issued: 12/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ICTV, Inc.
• Inventors: Hoarty, W. Leo, Lauder, Gary M., Soske, Joshua W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US08/333,957
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/9, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/11, 348/563, 348/569, 348/725, 348/731, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/3.3, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1
• US Class Current: 725/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/48 using compressed domain processing techniques other than decoding, e.g. modification of transform coefficients, variable length coding [VLC] data or run-length data motion estimation in a transform domain H04N19/547; processing of decoded motion vectors H04N19/513
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/90 using coding techniques not provided for in groups H04N19/10-H04N19/85, e.g. fractals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/17372 the upstream transmission being initiated or timed by a signal from upstream of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 : Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 : Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 : Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 : Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17345 : Control of the passage of the selected programme
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/22 : Adaptations for optical transmission

Abstract

A cable system in which a plurality of non-interactive channels occupy a first group of carrier frequencies and a plurality of pseudo-channels, each assigned to an information service from a plurality of information services, are carried by a second group of carrier frequencies. A tuner is controlled by a processor in response to a channel selector. If the selected channel number represents a non-interactive channel the tuner is set to that channel. If the selected channel number is a pseudo-channel representing an interactive service, the tuner is set to an assigned carrier frequency in the second group of carrier frequencies. The assigned carrier frequency is provided from a cable control mode to a data receiver at the subscriber'"'"'s television interface controller. Channels are selected from a single numerical sequence of channel numbers.

Claims

1. A television interface controller connected to a cable carrying a plurality of non-interactive channels on a first group of carrier frequencies and a plurality of pseudo-channels, each assigned to an information service from a plurality of information services, on a second group of carrier frequencies, said interface controller comprising:

means for receiving a channel selection;

means for communicating with a cable control node when the channel selection is one of said pseudo-channels;

a tuner having an input connected to said cable and an output; and

processor means, in communication with said channel selection receiving means and said communicating means, for controlling said tuner to tune to the carrier frequency of the channel selection if the channel selection is a non-interactive channel and to tune to one of said second group of carrier frequencies in accordance with said communicating means if the channel selection is one of said pseudo-channels.

2. The television interface controller of claim 1 wherein said means for receiving comprises an infrared receiver interface.

3. A cable television system comprising:

a cable carrying a plurality of non-interactive channels on a first group of carrier frequencies and a plurality of pseudo-channels, each assigned to an information service from a plurality of information services, on a second group of carrier frequencies;

a channel controller for selecting one channel number from a single numerical sequence of channel numbers, each channel number representing one of said non-interactive channels or one of said pseudo-channels;

means for communicating with a cable control node when the channel number represents one of said plurality of pseudo-channels;

a tuner having an input connected to said cable and an output; and

processor means, in communication with said communicating means, for controlling said tuner to tune to the carrier frequency of the channel number if the channel number represents a non-interactive channel and to tune to one of said second group of carrier frequencies in accordance with said communicating means if the channel number represents one of said plurality of pseudo-channels.

4. The cable system of claim 3 wherein the non-interactive channels are represented by a consecutive sequence of channel numbers in the single sequence of channel numbers.

5. The cable television system of claim 3 further comprising means, at the cable control node, for assigning a carrier frequency from said second group of carrier frequencies to a user whose channel controller has selected a channel number representative of a pseudo-channel.

6. The cable television system of claim 5 further comprising means, at the cable control node, for placing an information signal representative of one of said pseudo-channels on the assigned carrier frequency in response to said channel controller of the user.