Switched channel system

• US 5,812,665 A
• Filed: 06/07/1996
• Issued: 09/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ICTV, Inc.
• Inventors: Hoarty, W. Leo, Hartson, Ted E., Lauder, Gary M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Application Number:
  US08/660,477
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 380/10, 380/20, 380/15, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/6.1, 455/6.2
• US Class Current: 380/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/46 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53-H04H20/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/78 CATV [Community Antenna Television] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/102 Circuits therefor, e.g. noise reducers, equalisers, amplifiers H04N7/108 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A switching apparatus and method for routing RF scrambled signals. One of a plurality of scrambled RF television information signals is selected. A processor assigns an output carrier frequency. The selected scrambled television information signal is output by the switching apparatus on the assigned output carrier frequency.

The plurality of scrambled RF television information signals is carried on an RF bus in the switching apparatus. The bus may consist of a plurality of cables. An RF switch connects a tuner to one of the cables. An amplifier is connected to the tuner. An amplitude information signal is decoded off the RF bus and is used for controlling gain of the amplifier. An up converter applies the output of the amplifier onto the assigned carrier frequency.

Claims

1. An RF scrambled signal switch comprising:

bus means for carrying a plurality of scrambled RF television information signals, said scrambled RF television information signals each having a suppressed synchronization signal;

receiving means for receiving a signal selecting one of said scrambled RF television information signals;

processor means, connected to said receiving means, for identifying the selected scrambled RF television information signal and for selecting one of a plurality of RF output carrier frequencies; and

means, coupled to said processor means and said bus means, for outputting the selected scrambled RF television information signal on the selected RF output carrier.

2. The switch of claim 1 wherein said carrying means comprises an RF bus.

3. The switch of claim 2 wherein said RF bus comprises a plurality of cables.

4. The switch of claim 3 wherein said outputting means comprises a tuner and an RF switch for connecting said tuner to one of said cables.

5. The switch of claim 1 wherein said outputting means comprises a tuner and an up converter responsive to said processor means.

6. The switch of claim 1 wherein said bus means further carries an amplitude information signal for each scrambled RF television information signal.

7. The switch of claim 6 further comprising a decoder means, connected to said outputting means, for receiving the amplitude information signal.

8. The switch of claim 7 wherein said outputting means includes means for amplifying the scrambled RF television information signal responsive to the amplitude information signal.

9. The switch of claim 6 wherein said bus means carries the amplitude information signal on an amplitude modulated carrier signal.

10. The switch of claim 9 wherein the amplitude modulated carrier signal is an aural carrier frequency for a channel lower and adjacent to the scrambled RF television information signal.

11. A switched channel system comprising:

a plurality of RF modulators, each producing a modulated scrambled television information signal;

a plurality of encoders, each associated with an RF modulator to produce an amplitude information signal;

an RF bus for carrying modulated scrambled television information signals provided by said plurality of RF modulators amplitude information signals provided by said plurality of encoders;

a plurality of tuners coupled to said RF bus;

a plurality of decoders, each associated with one of said tuners, for receiving the amplitude information signal associated with a modulated scrambled television information signal received by an associated tuner;

means for amplifying the modulated scrambled television information signal in response to the amplitude information signal; and

an up converter for modulating the amplified signal at a selected RF frequency.

12. The switched channel system of claim 11 wherein said RF bus comprises a plurality of cables and said switched channel system further comprises a plurality of RF switches, each RF switch being coupled between said plurality of cables and one of said tuners.

13. The switched channel system of claim 11 wherein said RF bus carries said amplitude information signals on amplitude modulated carriers.

14. The switched channel system of claim 13 wherein the amplitude modulated carriers comprise aural carrier frequencies.

15. A method for routing one of a plurality of RF television information signals onto a selected RF frequency comprising the steps of:

modulating and scrambling each of said RF television information signals;

transmitting the modulated scrambled RF television information signals on an RF bus;

tuning into one of said modulated scrambled RF television information signals on the RF bus onto an intermediate frequency;

amplifying the scrambled IF television information signal;

controlling gain in said step of amplifying in response to automatic gain control information corresponding to the one of said modulated scrambled RF television information signals; and

modulating the amplified scrambled IF television information signal onto the selected RF frequency.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the rf bus comprises a plurality of cables and further comprising switching a tuner into connection with one of said cables and wherein said step of tuning is performed by the tuner.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of controlling gain comprises decoding an amplitude modulated amplitude information signal on the RF bus corresponding to the one of said modulated scrambled RF television information signals.

18. An RF scrambled signal switch comprising:

at least one line carrying a plurality of scrambled RF television information signals;

a data communication receiver connected to receive a signal selecting one of said scrambled RF television information signals;

a processor connected to said receiver for identifying the selected scrambled RF television information signal and for selecting one of a plurality of RF output carrier frequencies;

a tuner, coupled to said processor and said at least one line, for tuning to the selected scrambled RF television information signal; and

a modulator, coupled to said tuner, for placing the selected scrambled RF television information signal on the selected RF output carrier.

19. The switch of claim 18 further comprising a plurality of pairs of said tuners and said modulators, each pair being individually assigned to a correspondingly selected scrambled RF television information signal.

20. The switch of claim 18 wherein said at least one line comprises a plurality of RF cables.

21. The switch of claim 20 further comprising an RF switch, responsive to said processor, for connecting said tuner to one of said cables.

22. The switch of claim 18 wherein said at least one line further carries an amplitude information signal for each scrambled RF television information signal.

23. The switch of claim 22 further comprising a decoder, coupled to said tuner for receiving the amplitude information signal of the selected scrambled RF television information signal.

24. The switch of claim 23 further comprising an amplifier, coupled between said tuner and said modulator, for amplifying the selected scrambled RF television information signal responsive to the amplitude information signal received by said decoder.

25. The switch of claim 22 wherein said at least one line carries the amplitude information signal on an amplitude modulated carrier signal.

26. The switch of claim 25 wherein the amplitude modulated carrier signal is an aural carrier frequency for a channel lower and adjacent to the scrambled RF television information signal.

27. An RF scrambled signal switch comprising:

an RF bus, including a plurality of cables, carrying a plurality of scrambled RF television information signals;

receiving means for receiving a signal selecting one of said scrambled RF television information signals;

processor means, connected to said receiving means, for identifying the selected scrambled RF television information signal and for selecting one of a plurality of RF output carrier frequencies; and

means, coupled to said processor means and said bus means, for outputting the selected scrambled RF television information signal on the selected RF output carrier, said outputting means comprising a tuner and an RF switch for connecting said tuner to one of said cables.

28. An RF scrambled signal switch comprising:

bus means for carrying a plurality of scrambled RF television information signals;

receiving means for receiving a signal selecting one of said scrambled RF television information signals;

processor means, connected to said receiving means, for identifying the selected scrambled RF television information signal and for selecting one of a plurality of RF output carrier frequencies; and

means, coupled to said processor means and said bus means, for outputting the selected scrambled RF television information signal on the selected RF output carrier, said outputting means comprising a tuner and an up converter responsive to said processor means.

29. An RF scrambled signal switch comprising:

bus means for carrying a plurality of scrambled RF television information signals;

receiving means for receiving a signal selecting one of said scrambled RF television information signals;

processor means, connected to said receiving means, for identifying the selected scrambled RF television information signal and for selecting one of a plurality of RF output carrier frequencies;

means, coupled to said processor means and said bus means, for outputting the selected scrambled RF television information signal on the selected RF output carrier; and

wherein said bus means further carries an amplitude information signal for each scrambled RF television information signal.

30. The switch of claim 29 further comprising a decoder, connected to said outputting means, for receiving the amplitude information signal.

31. The switch of claim 30 wherein said outputting means includes means for amplifying the scrambled RF television information signal responsive to the amplitude information signal.

32. The switch of claim 29 wherein said bus means carries the amplitude information signal on an amplitude modulated carrier signal.

33. The switch of claim 32 wherein the amplitude modulated carrier signal is an aural carrier frequency for a channel lower and adjacent to the scrambled RF television information signal.