System for processing a video signal via series-connected high speed signal processing smart cards
First Claim
1. A video signal processing system comprising:
- a source of a video signal including first and second signal components representative of respective first and second video programs;
said first and second signal components including control information for identifying said different respective video programs therein and for enabling access to said programs;
coupling means for coupling said video signal to an input of a first smart card for coupling an output signal produced by said first smart card to an input of a second smart card and for receiving an output signal produced by said second smart card;
said output signal from said first smart card being produced in response to said video signal and said output signal from said second smart card being produced in response to said output signal from said first smart card; and
means responsive to said output signal from said second smart card for providing a signal suitable for coupling to an image display device for producing an image including a first image portion representative of said first video program and including a second image portion representative of said second video program.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system processes a video signal that includes a plurality of signal components representing respective ones of a plurality of video programs such as various pay-TV programs. Each of the signal components is processed, e.g., descrambling a pay-TV program, by one of a plurality of series connected high speed signal processing integrated circuit (IC) cards, or "smart" cards. An output signal from the last smart card in the series connection includes a plurality of processed signal components. The plurality of processed signal components are processed further to produce a signal suitable for producing a displayed image that includes multiple image portions, such as a picture-in-picture (PIP) or picture-outside-picture (POP) image in a television system. Each portion of the image is produced in response to one of the processed signal components.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A video signal processing system comprising:
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a source of a video signal including first and second signal components representative of respective first and second video programs;
said first and second signal components including control information for identifying said different respective video programs therein and for enabling access to said programs;coupling means for coupling said video signal to an input of a first smart card for coupling an output signal produced by said first smart card to an input of a second smart card and for receiving an output signal produced by said second smart card;
said output signal from said first smart card being produced in response to said video signal and said output signal from said second smart card being produced in response to said output signal from said first smart card; andmeans responsive to said output signal from said second smart card for providing a signal suitable for coupling to an image display device for producing an image including a first image portion representative of said first video program and including a second image portion representative of said second video program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for producing a signal suitable for coupling an image to an image display device comprising the steps of:
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processing a video signal in a first smart card to produce a first processed signal;
said video signal comprising a first and a second signal component including control information for identifying said different respective programs therein and for enabling access to said programs;processing said first processed signal in a second smart card to produce a second processed signal; and processing said second processed signal to provide an image signal suitable for coupling to an image display device for producing an image including a first image portion representative of said first video program and including a second image portion representative of said second video program. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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Specification