System and method for the delivery of digital video and data over a communication channel
First Claim
1. A system for delivering digital video and data over a single communication channel, comprising:
- a programming center configured to receive a plurality of video signals representing a plurality of video programs, said programming center also configured to process at least one bi-directional data signal;
a central office in communication with said programming center, said central office configured to receive said plurality of video signals representing said plurality of video programs and place said plurality of video signals simultaneously on a bus, said central office also configured to process said at least one bi-directional data signal, said at least one bidirectional data signal including a telephone channel; and
means located in said central office for simultaneously delivering and terminating any of said plurality of video signals representing said plurality of video programs to any of a plurality of end user locations and supporting communication of said at least one bidirectional data signal to said any of said plurality of end user locations over a single communications channel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A novel digital video and data delivery system makes possible the delivery of digital video content, bi-directional data services such as Internet data, and plain old telephone service (POTS) to an end user over a communications channel. The channel is typically the copper wire pair that extends between a telephone company central office and a residential premises, but may be any communication medium that supports the communication of compressed digital video, bi-directional data, such as Internet data, and POTS, and indeed, may be a wireless connection. The digital video and data delivery system capitalizes on a bus, or broadcast backplane, created by circuitry contained within the central office. The broadcast backplane enables a plurality of video program data to be available to each end user, and allows a plurality of end users access to a plurality of video programming content without the necessity of delivering the entire program content to each end user. A user requests a particular program and, if authorized, receives at least that program over the communication channel. Simultaneous with the digital video content supplied on the channel is both bi-directional data service (such as for example, Internet data) and POTS.
249 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A system for delivering digital video and data over a single communication channel, comprising:
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a programming center configured to receive a plurality of video signals representing a plurality of video programs, said programming center also configured to process at least one bi-directional data signal; a central office in communication with said programming center, said central office configured to receive said plurality of video signals representing said plurality of video programs and place said plurality of video signals simultaneously on a bus, said central office also configured to process said at least one bi-directional data signal, said at least one bidirectional data signal including a telephone channel; and means located in said central office for simultaneously delivering and terminating any of said plurality of video signals representing said plurality of video programs to any of a plurality of end user locations and supporting communication of said at least one bidirectional data signal to said any of said plurality of end user locations over a single communications channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for providing a plurality of video channels and bi-directional data over a single communication channel, comprising the steps of:
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a) simultaneously placing a plurality of video channels each representing a video program on a bus; b) receiving a request from at least one of a plurality of user locations for at least one of said plurality of video channels; c) processing said request in order to determine whether said at least one user location is authorized to receive said at least one of said plurality of video channels; and d) simultaneously delivering said at least one of said plurality of video channels representing said at least one video program over a single communications channel to any of said plurality of user locations if said at least one user location is authorized to receive said at least one of said plurality of video channels, said at least one of said plurality of video channels representing said at least one video program and said bi-directional data terminating at said at least one user location. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification