Home interface controller for providing interactive cable television
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method for providing interactive service on a cable television system that distributes television signals from a cable headend over an information service distribution network to a plurality of subscriber television sets, said method comprising:
- detecting at a node on the information service distribution network a request, from a home interface controller associated with one of the subscriber television sets, for an information service in an interactive mode;
controlling at a processor in the node, in response to detection of the request, an interactive session with the requesting home interface controller;
providing an information signal capable of full motion video responsive to the interactive session through the information service distribution network to the subscriber television set associated with the requesting home interface controller for display of an image produced by the information signal; and
receiving data communications at the processor from the requesting home interface controller during the interactive session representative of commands interactive with the image on the associated subscriber television set.
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Litigations
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interactive television information system coupled to a cable television system having a headend for supplying information services and an information service distribution network for delivering information services to subscriber televisions. Each subscriber television is associated with a home interface controller. The home interface controllers receive the television information signals and include a data transceiver for data communications. A subscriber selection device associated with a home interface controller permits subscriber interaction through the data transceiver with an assigned interactive controller from a plurality of interactive controllers. The assigned interactive controller is in communication with the information sources and in television communication with its assigned home interface controller. Selection of an information source nay be made through channel selection of an apparent channel from any of a first group of apparent channels and a second group of apparent channels. Different information services on different apparent channels from the first group of apparent channels are provided to a given home interface controller via the same television information signal as the subscriber changes channel selection from one of the apparent channels in the first group of apparent channels to another apparent channel in the first group of apparent channels. To receive apparent channels from the second group of apparent channels, a home interface controller simply selects the television information signal at its input corresponding to the selected channel.
473 Citations
55 Claims
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1. A method for providing interactive service on a cable television system that distributes television signals from a cable headend over an information service distribution network to a plurality of subscriber television sets, said method comprising:
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detecting at a node on the information service distribution network a request, from a home interface controller associated with one of the subscriber television sets, for an information service in an interactive mode; controlling at a processor in the node, in response to detection of the request, an interactive session with the requesting home interface controller; providing an information signal capable of full motion video responsive to the interactive session through the information service distribution network to the subscriber television set associated with the requesting home interface controller for display of an image produced by the information signal; and receiving data communications at the processor from the requesting home interface controller during the interactive session representative of commands interactive with the image on the associated subscriber television set. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An interactive television information system for use over an information service distribution network that delivers information services from a headend to subscriber televisions, the interactive television information system comprising:
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a plurality of home interface controllers, each such home interface controller being associated with a subscriber television and having a data transceiver, the plurality of home interface controllers, each operative over a data communications link; activity detection means, at a node on the information service distribution network, for determining from communications received over the data communication link whether a given home interface controller is to be placed in an interactive mode; and a processor, responsive to said activity detection means, coupled to the data communication link and in communication with the information service distribution network for providing an information signal, the information signal being capable of full motion video in the interactive mode, for transmission on the information service distribution network and viewable reception only in the subscriber television associated with the home interface controller to be placed in interactive mode, said processor controlling an interactive session with the home interface controller to be placed in interactive mode. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An interactive television information system, for providing interactive cable television service when coupled to a cable television system having (i) an information source available at a headend for supplying a plurality of information services and (ii) an information service distribution network in communication with the headend for delivering the information services to subscriber televisions, the interactive television system comprising:
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a plurality of home interface controllers, one such home interface controller associated with each subscriber television and having an interactive mode as well as (a) a data transceiver, operative over a data communication path to the headend; and
(b) a selection input for receiving signals from a subscriber selection device; anda processor, disposed at the headend and available to the data communication path, providing an information signal for transmission via the information service distribution network, so that when a given one of the home interface controllers is in the interactive mode (i) signals at the selection input of the given home interface controller resulting from subscriber input via a subscriber selection device generate control data, (ii) the processor receives the control data over the communication path from the data transceiver of the given home interface controller, (iii) the information signal provided by the processor is transmitted on the network to the subscriber television with which the given controller is associated so that the information signal is made available to said subscriber television, the information signal being capable of full motion video, and (iv) the content of the information signal is modified in response to control data resulting from subscriber input via the subscriber selection device. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An interactive television information system, for providing interactive cable television service when coupled to a cable television system having (i) an information source available at a headend for supplying a plurality of information services and (ii) an information service distribution network in communication with the headend for delivering the information services to subscriber televisions, the interactive television system comprising:
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a plurality of home interface controllers, one such home interface controller associated with each subscriber television and having an interactive mode as well as (a) a data transceiver, operative over a data communication path to the headend; and
(b) a selection input for receiving signals from a subscriber selection device;node means, disposed at the headend and available to the data communication path, providing information signals for transmission via the information service distribution network, so that when a given one of the home interface controllers is in the interactive mode (i) signals at the selection input of the given home interface controller resulting from subscriber input via a subscriber selection device generate control data, (ii) the node means receives the control data over the communication path from the data transceiver of the given home interface controller, (iii) the node means transmits a given information signal being capable of full motion video on a television information signal on the network to the subscriber television with which the given controller is associated so that the given information signal is made available to said subscriber television, and (iv) the content of the given information signal is modified in response to control data resulting from subscriber input via the subscriber selection device. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification