Multi server, interactive, video-on-demand television system utilizing a direct-access-on-demand workgroup
First Claim
1. An interactive television system comprising:
- a plurality of workgroup systems each having a media server connected to a plurality of Channel-processors, each of said Channel-processors being connected through an internal link to a plurality of control panels, each said control panel being connected to a television receiver;
said Channel-processors of each said workgroup system being interconnected to each other and to all Channel-processors of each other said workgroup system whereby each said television receiver can be controlled to receive video signals from any media server of any workgroup system of said plurality of workgroup systems.
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Abstract
An interactive television system that renders on-demand interactive multimedia services for a community of users. The interactive multimedia is delivered to each user on a TV or on a LAN-node (Local-Area-Network) computer through an "interactive TV channel" created and controlled by a Channel-processor, which can be implemented as either a PC or a high-end workstation. The system employs a direct-access on-demand workgroup server. It is equipped with the primary on-demand multimedia data base stored on a hard disk subsystem that is connected directly to the Channel-processors through an internal workgroup link. Using a no-overhead server technology, the connected workgrouped Channel-processors can all concurrently retrieve and process the data directly from the hard disk subsystem without resorting to a stand-alone server system for data retrieving and downloading. The system also employs peer-to-peer workgroup connectivity, so that all of the workgrouped Channel-processors that are connected to the workgroup server through the internal workgroup link, can communicate with one another.
711 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An interactive television system comprising:
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a plurality of workgroup systems each having a media server connected to a plurality of Channel-processors, each of said Channel-processors being connected through an internal link to a plurality of control panels, each said control panel being connected to a television receiver; said Channel-processors of each said workgroup system being interconnected to each other and to all Channel-processors of each other said workgroup system whereby each said television receiver can be controlled to receive video signals from any media server of any workgroup system of said plurality of workgroup systems. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An interactive television system comprising:
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a plurality of set-top boxes for local control of channel selection, said plurality being segregated into a plurality of local groups of set-top boxes; a plurality of Channel-processors forming a workgroup, each such Channel-processor being associated with a respective local group of set-top boxes by a first link connection; a direct-access workgroup server connected to said Channel-processors by a second link for operating said Channel-processors interactively as a workgroup; and a channel-oriented interactive multimedia LAN server connected to said plurality of Channel-processors by said first link connection. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An interactive multimedia system comprising:
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a plurality of first-group computers for local control of channel selection, said plurality being segregated into a plurality of local groups of first-group computers; a plurality of second-group computers forming a workgroup, each such second-group computer being associated with a respective local group of first-group computers by a first link connection; a direct-access workgroup server connected to said second-group computers by a second link for operating said second-group computers interactively as a workgroup; and a LAN server connected to said plurality of second-group computers by said first link connection. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification