Wideband on-demand video distribution system and method
First Claim
1. An on-demand video distribution system for multiple users at a remote location comprising:
- data storage for storing multiple digital encoded video programs to be transferred to the users;
a controller coupled to the data storage for repetitively reading the contents of at least one portion of the data stored in the data storage in a cyclic manner with a repeating data distribution cycle;
a plurality of microcells for processing user commands and connected to receive and interact with video programs for distribution to the users at remote locations;
a plurality of buses interconnecting the data storage and the plurality of microcells for providing thereto the data read from the data storage in a cyclic manner during each repeating data distribution cycle;
said controller disposed to sequentially and repetitively transmit on the plurality of buses said data independently of requests therefor;
a microcell access switch selectively coupling one of the plurality of microcells to one of the multiple users for operative interaction with a selected video program; and
wherein said microcell access switch includes a plurality of signal ports at which the plurality of microcells and one of the multiple users are connected, and said microcell access switch includes a processor coupled to the signal ports for controlling the coupling of the plurality of user stations with the plurality of computing units in response to said user commands.
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Abstract
A system and method for distributing video or audio or other interactive program information to multiple users includes master files of such program information that can be selectively distributed to community systems in which individual users are selectively coupled with computing microcells that process the selected program information from within the entire set of programs that are all contained in moving memory modules which cyclically and recurringly distribute the entire set of programs to multiple computing microcells. A microcell access switch controls coupling of users to computing microcells, and controls selective interaction between master files and moving memory modules for updating the set of programs stored therein. The microcell access switch provides network programs to users without requiring a computing microcell for enhanced versatility and reduced system costs.
264 Citations
11 Claims
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1. An on-demand video distribution system for multiple users at a remote location comprising:
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data storage for storing multiple digital encoded video programs to be transferred to the users; a controller coupled to the data storage for repetitively reading the contents of at least one portion of the data stored in the data storage in a cyclic manner with a repeating data distribution cycle; a plurality of microcells for processing user commands and connected to receive and interact with video programs for distribution to the users at remote locations; a plurality of buses interconnecting the data storage and the plurality of microcells for providing thereto the data read from the data storage in a cyclic manner during each repeating data distribution cycle; said controller disposed to sequentially and repetitively transmit on the plurality of buses said data independently of requests therefor; a microcell access switch selectively coupling one of the plurality of microcells to one of the multiple users for operative interaction with a selected video program; and wherein said microcell access switch includes a plurality of signal ports at which the plurality of microcells and one of the multiple users are connected, and said microcell access switch includes a processor coupled to the signal ports for controlling the coupling of the plurality of user stations with the plurality of computing units in response to said user commands. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for distributing video programs on demand to multiple users at remote locations in a system including data storage for storing multiple digital encoded video programs to be transferred to ones of the multiple users and including microcells at a selected location for processing user commands and selected video programs, the method comprising the steps of:
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repetitively reading the contests of at least one portion of the data stored in the data storage in a cyclic manner with a repeating data distribution cycle and sequentially and repetitively transmitting to said microcells said at least one portion of the data stored in the data storage independently of requests therefor; activating a microcell at the selected location to operatively interconnect one of the multiple users at a remote location with a selected stored video program in response to the user'"'"'s commands for providing successive portions of the data read from the data storage in cyclic manner to one of the multiple users at a remote location during each repeating data distribution cycle; providing a microcell access switch having multiple switch ports; assigning a first microcell access switch port to one of the multiple users and assigning a second microcell access switch port to one of the multiple users; and creating a communication pathway between said first and second microcell access switch ports to selectively couple one of the multiple users to one of the plurality of microcells for operative interaction with a selected video program in response to said user commands. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification