Patent CA1123948A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
CA1123948A
Expired / Lapsed
CA
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System arrangement for distribution of television games and the like
Assignee: Jerrold Electronics Corp
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Filing: 1980-02-01
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Granted: 1982-05-18
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Expires: 2000-02-01
Abstract
Abstract F.8229 IMPROVED SYSTEM ARRANGEMENT FOR DISTRIBUTION OF TELEVISION GAMES AND THE LIKE ABSTRACT An ensemble of video game controlling programs are multiplexed (e.g., on a time division, word-interleaved basis) and distributed over a common communications link, e.g., a CATV cable. Each authorized user station connected to the cable has an adapter with a read/write (RAM) memory disposed between a stored program controlled video game player and the cable. A particular game specified at an input device of the user station selects the corresponding game program listing for reception and loading into the adapter RAM. Once loaded, the RAM causes the microprocessor controlled player to execute the selected game in a per se conventional fashion. When a new game is desired, the input device setting is changed to appropriately replace the adapter RAM contents with the instruction set for the new game.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas E. O'brien, Jr.
- 👤 Charles L. Dages
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
CA
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 01:25
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/10; A; A63; A63F; A63F2300/00; A63F2300/40; A63F2300/409
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
149 words
In combination in terminal means for recovering and utilizing a digital television game controlling program instruc-tion set serially transmitted on a common transmission medium; program controlled television game playing means including a microprocessor, and a modulator coupled to said microprocessor for frequency converting an output of said microprocessor to the television radio frequency spectrum; a data bus and a further bus connected to said microprocessor; a program demodulator for recovering the transmitted digital program instruction set information; a plural stage shift register having an input connected to said demodulator for receiving, storing and shifting said recovered program information; means selectively connecting the outputs of said shift register stages with said data bus; and read and write memory means connected to said data bus and to said further bus and controlled by said micro-processor for storing the program instruction set recovered by said demodulator in said read and write memory.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
149 words
In combination in terminal means for recovering and utilizing a digital television game controlling program instruc-tion set serially transmitted on a common transmission medium; program controlled television game playing means including a microprocessor, and a modulator coupled to said microprocessor for frequency converting an output of said microprocessor to the television radio frequency spectrum; a data bus and a further bus connected to said microprocessor; a program demodulator for recovering the transmitted digital program instruction set information; a plural stage shift register having an input connected to said demodulator for receiving, storing and shifting said recovered program information; means selectively connecting the outputs of said shift register stages with said data bus; and read and write memory means connected to said data bus and to said further bus and controlled by said micro-processor for storing the program instruction set recovered by said demodulator in said read and write memory.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
71 words
A combination as in claim 1 wherein said terminal means includes selection means for recovering a desired one of plural time division multiplexed transmitted game program instruction sets, said selection means including input means for entering the designation of a particular one of said plural program instruction sets, and means actuated at spaced time intervals for loading successive instructions of the desired program instruction set in said read and write memory.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
A combination as in claim 2 further comprising a coaxial signal distribution cable having said terminal means connected thereto, and head end means for impressing on said coaxial distribution cable a program carrier modulated with said plural time division multiplexed, interleaved digital television game controlling program instruction sets.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A combination as in claim 3 wherein said program instruction sets are modulated onto said carrier with an embedded clock, and further comprising clock recovery means connecting the output of said program demodulator and a clock input of said plural stage shift register.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
59 words
A combination as in claim 2 further comprising a first read only memory included in said television game playing means and connected to said data and said further buses for storing television game program utilization instructions, and second read only memory means connected to said data and further buses for containing read and write memory means loading program instructions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
A combination as in claim 2 further comprising additional read and write memory means included in said tele-vision game playing means and connected to said data bus and said further buses, said additional read and write memory means being in part employed by said microprocessor as scratch pad memory during utilization of a digital television game.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
A combination as in claim 2 further comprising counter means selectively changing its count responsive to complete incoming program instruction words being contained in said plural stage shift register, and means for connecting the output of said additional counter means with said data bus.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A combination as in claim 7 further comprising means for presetting said additional counter means to a count state dependent upon the number of time division multiplexed game programs received by said terminal means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
A combination as in claim 3 further comprising a standard television receiver, and means for connecting the input of said receiver to one of said television game playing means or to said cable.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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