Video distribution system

• US 5,767,894 A
• Filed: 03/08/1995
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LodgeNet Interactive Corporation
• Original Assignee: Spectradyne, Inc.
• Inventors: Pugh, Joel, Fuller, William H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US08/401,071
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 348/384, 348/390, 348/409, 348/410, 348/412, 348/571, 348/578, 348/584, 348/589, 348/588, 348/720, 348/721, 348/722, 348/723, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/9, 348/12, 348/13 , 348/385-387, 370/58.1, 370/60, 370/61, 370/69.1, 370/73, 370/124, 370/85.7, 370/91, 370/92, 370/93, 370/94.1, 370/95.1, 382/232, 382/233, 382/235, 395/153, 395/154, 375/240, 375/241, 375/257, 380/15, 380/20
• US Class Current: 725/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive video services system for enabling store and forward distribution of digitized video programming comprising merged graphics and video data from a minimum of two separate data storage devices is disclosed. In a departure from the art, an MPEG converter operating in tandem with an MPEG decoder device that has buffer capacity merges encoded and compressed digital video signals stored in a memory of a video server with digitized graphics generated by and stored in a memory of a systems control computer. The merged signals are then transmitted to and displayed on a TV set or monitor connected to the system. In this manner, multiple computers are able to transmit graphics or multimedia data to a video server to be displayed on the TV set or to be superimposed onto video programming that is being displayed on the TV set.

Claims

1. An interactive video services systems for enabling the combination of images originating from two or more data sources for delivery on selected transmission channels to selected televisions, the system comprising:

a distribution network for delivering video programming to a plurality of selected video monitors over said selected transmission channels;

a plurality of computers connected to said network for storing and generating digitized data from first sources comprising data screens for presentation on one or more said selected televisions;

a video server (VS) for storing digitized data from a second source comprising data screens for presentation on one or more said selected televisions;

converter circuitry electrically connected to said VS for converting said first source data received from one or more of said plurality of computers from a first digital format to a second digital format, said second source data stored in said video server also being stored in said second digital format, said converter circuitry comprising a memory having multiple windows each associated with a separate one of said channels and comprising sufficient memory space to store one of said first source data screens, wherein each of said first source data screens is stored in one of said windows prior to conversion thereof to said second digital format;

decoder circuitry electrically connected to said converter circuitry and said VS comprising at least one screen buffer for receiving and merging said second format data from said first and second sources, each said buffer for association with a specific transmission channel to one or more said selected televisions, and for converting said merged data to a format suitable for presentation on one or more said selected televisions, whereby said presentation on said one or more said selected televisions appears as a combined image of said first source data from one or more of said plurality of computers and second source data of said video server.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a telecommunications network for connecting said plurality of computers to said VS.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a telecommunications network for connecting said decoder circuitry to said televisions.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a cable television network for connecting said decoder circuitry to said televisions.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said converter circuitry is electrically connected to said VS by an internal bus of said VS.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the said first source data is transmitted as graphics primitives commands from said plurality of computers to the said converter circuitry.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said second selected digital format is a Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) format.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said first source data comprises language subtitles corresponding to audio content of said second source data.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a control computer for controlling the timing of transmission of said first source data to said VS.

10. An interactive video services systems for enabling the combination of images originating from two or more data sources for delivery on selected transmission channels to selected televisions, the system comprising:

a distribution network for delivering video programming to a plurality of selected video monitors over said selected transmission channels;

a systems control computer (SCC) connected to said network for storing and generating digitized data from a first source comprising data screens for presentation on one or more said selected televisions;

a video server (VS) electrically connected to said SCC for storing digitized data from a second source comprising data screens for presentation on one or more said selected televisions, said first source and second source data being of the same digitized format;

a memory connected to said SCC for storing said first source data, said memory having multiple windows each associated with a separate one of said channels and comprising sufficient memory space to store one of said first source data screens;

decoder circuitry electrically connected to said memory and said VS comprising at least one screen buffer for receiving and merging said data from said first and second sources, each said buffer for association with a specific transmission channel to one or more said selected television, and for converting said merged data to a format suitable for presentation on one or more said selected televisions, whereby said presentation on said one or more said selected televisions appears as a combined image of said first source data and said second source data.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said same digitized format is a Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) format.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said SCC is connected to said VS utilizing a telecommunications network.

13. A system for digitally switching screen images originating from at least two different sources and outputting the screen images on selected transmission channels to selected televisions, the system comprising:

means for writing picture element (PEL) data originating from a first source to a selected window of a memory, said memory having multiple windows each associated with a separate one of said channels, each said window comprising sufficient memory space to store a first screen comprised of multiple PELs;

means for writing picture element (PEL) data originating from a second source to a different selected window of a said memory;

means for encoding said first and second screens written to said selected windows from a first digital format to a second digital format and outputting said first and second screens on different ones of selected transmission channels;

means for decoding said first and second screens from said second format to a third format; and

means for transmitting said decoded first and second screens on said selected transmission channels for display on different ones of said selected televisions.

14. A method for digitally switching screen images originating from at least two different sources and outputting the screen images on selected transmission channels to selected televisions, the method comprising:

writing picture element (PEL) data originating from a first source to a selected window of a memory, said memory having multiple windows each associated with a separate one of said channels, each said window comprising sufficient memory space to store a first screen comprised of multiple PELs;

writing picture element (PEL) data originating from a second source to a different selected window of a said memory;

encoding said first and second screens written to said selected windows from a first digital format to a second digital format and outputting said first and second screens on different ones of selected transmission channels;

decoding said first and second screens from said second format to a third format; and

transmitting said decoded first and second screens on said selected transmission channels for display on different ones of said selected televisions.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the said first and said second sources are separate files within the same memory of a computer or video server.