Method and apparatus for facilitating two way oral communications utilizing a television cable system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for facilitating a two way communication utilizing a cable television system comprising the steps of:
- registering a cable fixed access unit residing at a location within the cable television system following initial installation at the location, by carrying out the steps of;
the cable fixed access unit synchronizing with a particular communication time slot in a selected traffic channel;
the cable fixed access unit transmitting to a local access manager a request registration message in the communication time slot of the selected traffic channel;
in response to receiving the request registration message, the local access manager transmitting to the cable fixed access unit an alert phase indicative of a portion of a time frame when an alert directed to the cable fixed access unit may be transmitted, and an alert ID;
in response to the local access manager transmitting the alert phase and the alert ID, the cable fixed access unit storing the alert phase and alert ID in an internal memory; and
the cable fixed access unit transmitting on the selected traffic channel a release complete message causing the selected traffic channel to be released.
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Abstract
Video and two-way telephone services are provided via a cable distribution network. Video signals and one group of trunked telephone channels are coupled in the forward direction to the cable distribution network. A second group of trunked telephone channels are extracted, in the reverse direction, from the cable distribution network.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method for facilitating a two way communication utilizing a cable television system comprising the steps of:
registering a cable fixed access unit residing at a location within the cable television system following initial installation at the location, by carrying out the steps of; the cable fixed access unit synchronizing with a particular communication time slot in a selected traffic channel; the cable fixed access unit transmitting to a local access manager a request registration message in the communication time slot of the selected traffic channel; in response to receiving the request registration message, the local access manager transmitting to the cable fixed access unit an alert phase indicative of a portion of a time frame when an alert directed to the cable fixed access unit may be transmitted, and an alert ID; in response to the local access manager transmitting the alert phase and the alert ID, the cable fixed access unit storing the alert phase and alert ID in an internal memory; and the cable fixed access unit transmitting on the selected traffic channel a release complete message causing the selected traffic channel to be released. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for facilitating a two way communication utilizing a cable television system comprising the steps of:
signing in a cable fixed access unit residing at a location within the cable television system following a service outage, by carrying out the steps of; the cable fixed access unit synchronizing with a particular communication time slot on a selected traffic channel; the cable fixed access unit transmitting to a local access manager a request sign-in message in the communication time slot of the selected traffic channel; in response to receiving the request sign-in message, the local access manager transmitting to the cable fixed access unit an alert phase indicative of a portion of a time frame when an alert directed to the cable fixed access unit may be transmitted, and an alert ID; in response to the local access manager transmitting the alert phase and the alert ID, the cable fixed access unit storing the alert phase and alert ID in an internal memory; and the cable fixed access unit transmitting on the selected traffic channel a release complete message causing the selected traffic channel to be released. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
Specification