Television theft deterrence
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of locking a television against unauthorized use, comprising:
- operating the television to display television programming;
interrogating a signal received by the television from a remotely located head end, the interrogating step being performed by the television to detect a series of non-continuous time-spread pings, each ping comprising an identifying portion and a code portion;
continuing operation of the television to display television programming in accordance with user commands in response to detecting the presence of one of the pings in the received signal by a ping detector included in the television, the detecting of the ping including receiving the ping in the received signal, using the identifying portion of the received ping to identify the received ping as an identified ping, comparing the code portion of the identified ping to a stored code, and continuing operation of the television if the identified code portion matches the stored code;
locking the television against use in response to failing to detect the presence of the identified ping in the received signal, wherein the ping detector locks the television against use when the identified code portion fails to match the stored code, andrepeating the steps of interrogating and continuing and locking for subsequently remotely transmitted pings.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A signal received by a television over a communication medium is interrogated for the presence of a remotely transmitted ping. The television is operated in response to detection of the presence of the ping in the received signal. The television is locked against use in response to failing to detect the presence of the ping in the received signal.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of locking a television against unauthorized use, comprising:
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operating the television to display television programming; interrogating a signal received by the television from a remotely located head end, the interrogating step being performed by the television to detect a series of non-continuous time-spread pings, each ping comprising an identifying portion and a code portion; continuing operation of the television to display television programming in accordance with user commands in response to detecting the presence of one of the pings in the received signal by a ping detector included in the television, the detecting of the ping including receiving the ping in the received signal, using the identifying portion of the received ping to identify the received ping as an identified ping, comparing the code portion of the identified ping to a stored code, and continuing operation of the television if the identified code portion matches the stored code; locking the television against use in response to failing to detect the presence of the identified ping in the received signal, wherein the ping detector locks the television against use when the identified code portion fails to match the stored code, and repeating the steps of interrogating and continuing and locking for subsequently remotely transmitted pings. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A television, comprising:
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a tuner that tunes to a tuned channel; a video processor that processes video of the tuned channel; an audio processor that processes audio of the tuned channel; and a ping detector that detects a series of non-continuous time-spread pings in a received signal, each ping comprising an identifying portion and a code portion transmitted from a remotely located head end, the television remaining in an operating mode to display television programming in response to the ping detector detecting a presence of one of the pings in the received signal, the detecting of the ping including receiving the ping in the received signal, using the identifying portion of the received ping to identify the received ping as an identified ping, comparing the code portion of the identified ping to a stored code, and continuing operation of the television if the code portion of the identified ping matches the stored code, and the television assuming a locked mode against use in response to the ping detector failing to detect the presence of the identified ping in the received signal, wherein the ping detector locks the television against use when the code portion fails to match the stored code. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification