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 Title: |
EP0314572B1:
Closed circuit television system having seamless interactive television programming and expandable user participation[German][French]
[ Derwent Title ]
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Country:
Kind: |
EP European Patent Office (EPO)
B1 PATENT SPECIFICATION i
(See also:
EP0314572A2,
EP0314572A3 )
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| Inventor: |
Freeman, Michael J.;
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| Assignee: |
ACTV, INC.
News, Profiles, Stocks and More about this company
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| Published / Filed: |
1994-05-04
/ 1988-10-26
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| Application Number: |
EP1988000402701
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| IPC Code: |
Advanced:
G09B 5/06;
G09B 7/04;
H04H 20/38;
H04H 20/63;
H04H 20/78;
H04H 60/13;
H04H 60/33;
H04N 7/14;
H04N 7/16;
H04N 7/173;
H04N 7/18;
Core:
G09B 5/00;
G09B 7/00;
H04H 1/00;
H04H 1/04;
more...
IPC-7:
H04N 7/16;
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| ECLA Code: |
H04N7/16; G09B5/06C; G09B7/04; H04H20/38; H04H20/63; H04H20/78; H04H60/13; H04H60/33;
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| Priority Number: |
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| Abstract: |
[From equivalent
EP0314572A2]
A closed circuit interactive television system (10) provides a multichannel television signal from a localized head end (12) which is used for individualized interactive selections by a plurality of users (22, 24, 26). Each user station contains a conventional television receiver (32a, 32b, 32c) and a smart box or interface and selection device (30a, 30b, 30c). The smart box or interface and selection device (30) is disposed between the television receiver (32) and the RF distribution amplifier (36). The number of user stations (22, 24, 26) on the system (10) is virtually unlimited. The system (10) provides the audio/video television signals (14, 16, 18, 20) in at least frame accurate synchronization to enable seamless video switching between channels, which seamlessness is enhanced through the view of a pair of tuners in the interface selection box (30a, 30b, 30c) which are alternately commanded to pretune to the channel of the next actual choice made prior to the changeover under control of a microprocessor in response to command signals embedded in the television signals being received.
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| Attorney, Agent or Firm: |
Thévenet, Jean-Bruno et al ;
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| INPADOC Legal Status: |
Show legal status actions
Family Legal Status Report
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| Designated Country: |
AT BE CH DE ES FR GB GR IT LI LU NL SE
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| Family: |
Show 15 known family members
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First Claim:
Show all claims |
1. A multichannel interactive television system (10) for providing individualized interactive television programming to a plurality of users connected into said interactive television system, said system comprising multichannel television signal transmission means (12) for transmitting a multichannel television signal comprising a plurality of selectable channels, a plurality of conventional television receiver means (32a, 32b, 32c) for selectively receiving individualized television programming on a common program display channel, and an interface and selection means (30a, 30b, 30c) disposed between each of said television receiver means and said multichannel television signal transmission means for receiving said transmitted multichannel television signal comprising said plurality of selectable channels and converting it into an individualized selected television channel for display of said selected channel on said common program display channel on the television receiver means associated with a given user in response to an independent user selection of a given interactive response to a plurality of selectable interactive responses in said multichannel television signal transmission, each of said interactive responses being associated with a different channel in said plurality of selectable channels, each of said users having an associated television receiver means and interface and selection means for making said independent interactive user selection for providing said individualized television programming on said common program display channel, said multichannel television signal transmission comprising a plurality of different interactively selectable audio/video television signals (14, 16, 18, 20) respectively associated with each of said plurality of selectable channels comprising said transmitted multichannel television signal, said interactively selectable television signals being in at least frame accurate synchronization with respect to each other, characterized in that said interactively selectable television signals further comprise command signals embedded therein for controlling provision of said individualized television programming on said common program display channel, said interface and selection means being responsive to said embedded command signals for enabling switching of said individualized television channel between said plurality of interactively selectable television channels for display of said associated audio/video television signal corresponding to said selected one of said plurality of selectable channels on said common program display channel in a substantially instantaneous seamless interactive television display presentation on said common program display channel of said associated television receiver means, different television receiver means in said system being capable of displaying different individualized associated audio/visual television signals on said common program display channel at substantially the same time dependent on the various independent interactive user selections of respective ones of said plurality of selectable channels by said plurality of users at any given time, said interface and selection means comprising a microprocessor means (40) and a television signal tuner means (44, 46), said television signal tuner means comprising a pair of tuners, one of which is tuned to a currently selected channel of said transmitted multichannel television signal, and the other of which is tunable in advance of receipt of a next successive frame to the next selected channel of said transmitted multichannel television signal (14, 16, 18, 20) for providing selective next channel tuning before each channel switching between said plurality of selectable channels, said microprocessor means responding to said individualized independent user interactive selection and said embedded command signals for pretuning said other tuner in said associated television receiver means to a television signal frequency corresponding to said next selected channel for providing a display on said associated television receiver means (32a, 32b, 32c) common program display channel dependent on said independent user selection before an actual change in said television display on said common program display channel from said currently selected channel in said plurality of selectable channels occurs in response to said independent user interactive selection; whereby said seamlessness is maintained for said television display on said common program display channel despite interactive changes in said television channel selected for display from said plurality of channels comprising said multichannel television signal.
[German]
[French]
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Description
Expand description |
This application is related to previously issued U.S. Patents Nos. 4,507,680 entitled "One Way Interactive multisubscriber Communication System"; 4,573,072 entitled "Method for Expanding Interactive CATV Displayable Choices for a Given Channel Capacity"; 4,602,279 entitled "Method for Providing Targeted Profile Interactive CATV Displays" 4,264,924 entitled "Dedicated Channel Interactive Cable Television System", and 4,264,925 entitled "Interactive Cable Television System", the contents of all of which are specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, and is an improvement thereon to enable the provision of discrete closed circuit interactive television systems, such as for training or educational purposes, as opposed to a larger scale cable television or broadcast system such as described in the aforementioned related patents.
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| Forward References: |
Go to Result Set: Forward references (27)
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