CATV system provided with a digital broadcasting receiving unit and a bilateral remote controller

• US 7,337,461 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sata, Norifumi, Imada, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US11/010,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20050155078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 725/133, 725/141, 725/153, 725/120, 348/734
• US Class Current: 725/120
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/08 among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42615 involving specific demultiplexing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A digital broadcasting transmitting unit multiplexes a content exclusively used for remote controller in addition to contents of programs A and B and transmits the multiplexed contents. A digital broadcasting receiving unit separates the multiplexed contents and transmits the content exclusively used for remote controller to a bidirectional remote controller. The bidirectional remote controller displays the received content exclusively used for remote controller on a display thereof.

Claims

1. A CATV system comprising:

a digital broadcasting transmitting unit for multiplexing content exclusively used for remote controller and contents of broadcast programs, and transmitting the multiplexed contents;

a digital broadcasting receiving unit for receiving the multiplexed contents transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmitting unit;

a television receiver for displaying contents received by the digital broadcasting receiving unit; and

a bidirectional remote controller operable to communicate with the digital broadcasting receiving unit, wherein

the digital broadcasting receiving unit includes;

a separating device for separating the multiplexed contents from the digital broadcasting transmitting unit into the contents of the broadcast programs and the content exclusively used for remote controller;

a transmitter for transmitting the contents of the broadcast programs separated by the separating device to the television receiver; and

a communicator for transmitting the content exclusively used for remote controller separated by the separating device to the bidirectional remote controller,

the television receiver includes a display for displaying the contents of the broadcast programs transmitted from the transmitter,

the bidirectional remote controller includes a display for displaying the content exclusively used for remote controller transmitted from the communicator, and

the digital broadcasting transmitting unit includes;

a first multiplexer for multiplexing the content exclusively used for remote controller which does not contain service information related to general broadcast programs and contains service information set to watch pay-TV programs not related to general broadcast programs and transmitted by the CATV system, and information for displaying a screen used to purchase pay-TV programs on the display of the bidirectional remote control, and contents of general broadcast programs, and outputting a first transport stream of one channel;

a second multiplexer for multiplexing the content exclusively used for remote controller and contents of pay-TV programs, and outputting a second transport stream of one channel;

a first digital modulator for modulating the first transport stream outputted from the first multiplexer and outputting a first carrier wave corresponding to the first transport stream;

a second digital modulator for modulating the second transport stream outputted from the second multiplexer and outputting a second carrier wave corresponding to the second transport stream; and

a frequency multiplexer for multiplexing the first and second carrier waves outputted from the first and second digital modulators and transmitting a multiplexed signal of the multiplexed contents to the digital broadcasting receiving unit.

2. A CATV system according to claim 1, wherein the digital broadcasting receiving unit further includes a storage for saving the content exclusively used for remote controller separated by the separating device.

3. A CATV system according to claim 2, wherein the communicator reads and transmits the content exclusively used for remote controller saved in the storage to the bidirectional remote controller with a time delay from a time of reception from the digital broadcasting transmitting unit.

4. A CATV system according to claim 2, wherein the communicator reads and transmits the content exclusively used for remote controller saved in the storage to the bidirectional remote controller when the digital broadcasting receiving unit is turned on.

5. A CATV system according to claim 1, wherein the bidirectional remote controller further includes a storage for saving the content exclusively used for remote controller separated by the separating device.

6. A CATV system according to claim 5, wherein the bidirectional remote controller displays the content exclusively used for remote controller saved in the storage on the display with a time delay after a time of reception.

7. A CATV system according to claim 1, wherein the digital broadcasting receiving unit further includes a plurality of tuners, and one of the plurality of tuners is operable to select a signal of a frequency containing the content exclusively used for remote controller from the multiplexed signal from the digital broadcasting transmitting unit and transmit the selected signal to the separating device.

8. A CATV system according to claim 1, wherein a data capacity of the content exclusively used for remote controller transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmitting unit is smaller than that of the contents of the broadcast programs.

9. A CATV system according to claim 8, wherein the data capacity of the content exclusively used for remote controller is smaller than that of the contents of general broadcast programs.

10. A CATV system according to claim 9, wherein the content exclusively used for remote controller transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmitting unit contains information comprising text data as the service information.

11. A CATV system according to claim 1, wherein the content exclusively used for remote controller transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmitting unit contains electronic program guide information, and a data capacity of the content exclusively used for remote controller is smaller than that of contents of the general broadcast programs.

12. A CATV according to claim 1, wherein

the digital broadcasting receiving unit includes a tuner for selecting a carrier wave from the multiplexed signal transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmitting unit, and

the bidirectional remote controller does not display the service information contained in the content exclusively used for remote controller on the display if the second carrier wave is selected by the tuner and the service information of the pay-TV programs is displayed on the display of the television receiver.