EP0355697A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Multimedia bidirectional broadcast system
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1989-08-16
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2009-08-16
Abstract
Abstract A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system including a broadcast station (115) and subscriber terminals (116). The broadcast station (115) includes a main control unit (106) having therein a data base control table (134) in which program and commercial down load sequences are recorded depending on a setting effected by a subscriber, a motion picture program data base (102), a commercial data base (131), a program transmitter (103) for effecting accesses and transmissions of transmission programs onto transmission lines based on the setting of the main control unit (106), a commercial transmitter (132) for accessing the commercial data base (131) and for transmitting content thereof based on the setting of the main control unit (106), an image encoder (107) for achieving a bandwidth compression on a video signal, a cell assembler (108) for processing data to be transmitted onto a broadband transmission line so as to generate a cell of the data, and an asynchronous transfer mode exchange (109) for delivering the cell to a subscriber system (116) associated therewith. Each of the subscriber systems (116) includes a network terminal (111), a terminal control unit (113), a decoder (112) to decode the compressed video signal, and a television monitor (114).
Inventors
- 👤 Toru Baji
- 👤 Yukio Nakano
- 👤 Shiro Tanabe
- 👤 Tetsuya Nakagawa
- 👤 Hirotsugu Kojima
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 00:35
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04H; H04H60/00; H04H60/29; H04H60/31; H04H20/00; H04H20/28; H04H20/65; H04H20/76; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/25; H04N21/254; H04N21/2543; H04N21/40; H04N21/47; H04N21/472; H04N21/4722; H04N21/80; H04N21/81; H04N21/812; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17336; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L2012/5638
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 43
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system comprising: a broadcast station (115) including: a main control unit (106) having therein a data base control table (134) in which program and commercial down load sequences are recorded depending on a setting effected by a subscriber; a motion picture program data base (102); a commercial data base (131); a program transmitter (103) for effecting accesses and transmissions of transmission programs onto transmission lines based on the setting of said main control unit (106); a commercial transmitter (132) for accessing said commercial data base (131) and for transmitting content thereof based on the setting of said main control unit (106); an image encoder (107) for achieving a bandwidth compression on a video signal; a cell assembler (108) for processing data to be transmitted onto a broadband transmission line so as to generate a cell of the data; and an asynchronous transfer mode exchange (109) for delivering the cell to a subscriber system (116) associated therewith and subscriber systems (116) each including: a network terminal (111); a terminal control unit (113); a decoder (112) to decode the compressed video signal; and a television monitor (114).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
189 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system comprising: a broadcast station (115) including: a main control unit (106) having therein a data base control table (134) in which program and commercial down load sequences are recorded depending on a setting effected by a subscriber; a motion picture program data base (102); a commercial data base (131); a program transmitter (103) for effecting accesses and transmissions of transmission programs onto transmission lines based on the setting of said main control unit (106); a commercial transmitter (132) for accessing said commercial data base (131) and for transmitting content thereof based on the setting of said main control unit (106); an image encoder (107) for achieving a bandwidth compression on a video signal; a cell assembler (108) for processing data to be transmitted onto a broadband transmission line so as to generate a cell of the data; and an asynchronous transfer mode exchange (109) for delivering the cell to a subscriber system (116) associated therewith and subscriber systems (116) each including: a network terminal (111); a terminal control unit (113); a decoder (112) to decode the compressed video signal; and a television monitor (114).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 wherein said main control unit includes therein an access sequence table disposed for an adjustment of time associated with a commercial insertion so as to control an access sequence for each subscriber and for a group of video buffers related to said each subscriber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
73 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 wherein for an adjustment of time associated with a commercial insertion: each said subscriber system is provided with a mixer for effecting a change-over operation between a video signal of a program buffer and a video signal of a commercial buffer; and said main control unit in said broadcast station includes therein an access sequence table for controlling an access sequence for each subscriber.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
90 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 wherein in a free area of a motion picture frame or a still picture frame, there is recorded particular coordinates in an image and a command associated therewith such that data of the coordinates and the command are transferred, in a playback operation, to a visual command memory disposed as a content addressable memory so as to set a cursor to said coordinates and to instruct an execution of the command, thereby reading out the command from the content addressable memory.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 further including a remote controller for effecting a remote control of said each subscriber system, said remote controller having a tablet for controlling a cursor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 wherein said broadcast station further includes a data base in which, for each program of said motion picture program data base, a short version of said each program is stored.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
47 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 6 wherein said broadcast station further includes a data base for recording therein, for each program of said motion picture program data base and the short version of said each program, titles of said program and said short version.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
60 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 4 further including means for storing, through a down load operation, pointers to access title coordinates on a screen, a pertinent short version, and a motion picture in said vidual command memory such that when the cursor is operated to point a desired title, the short version and the program are accessed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
68 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 8 further including a 2-port cache memory and control means thereof, said cache memory being disposed, for a high-speed preview of the short version, to store beforehand therein, through a down load operation, data of short versions in the neighborhood of the short version which is read out from the short version data base and which is being currently previewed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
73 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 8 wherein said terminal control unit of the subscriber system includes a playback control function, said playback control function being employed to effect a remote control of a fast feed, a normal playback, a slow playback, a still picture display, a slow rewind, and a normal rewind on the short version data base and on the motion picture program data base in the broadcast station.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
100 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 wherein a commercial environment comprises seven kinds of environments for selection thereof including (1) without a commercial, (2) a commercial between programs and a selective commercial type, (3) a commercial between programs and without a commercial type, (4) a commercial in a program and a selective commercial type, (5) a commercial in a program and without a commercial type, (6) a commercial broadcast, and (7) a commercial retrieval such that a charge computation is achieved so as to reduce a charged amount as an item number of the environment is increased.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 wherein said broadcast station includes an external communication port for transferring request information issued from a subscriber to a financial facility.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 wherein said subscriber system includes a mixer for displaying a program and a commercial on a screen.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 13 wherein a mixing of said mixer is indicated by an index in data of a commercial frame.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
63 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 wherein said broadcast station includes a video mail file and a video mail control unit in which a commercial sponsor or a subscriber registers desired data in the video mail file in the broadcast station so as to deliver the data to a specified subscriber and to display the data for a general use.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
181 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system comprising: a broadcast station including: a main control unit for transmitting an identification code of a subscriber system and for issuing information to be employed to descramble a control signal and broadcast data of a video recorder in the subscriber system, said main control unit having therein data base control data in which program and commercial down load sequences are recorded depending on a setting effected by a subscriber; a motion picture program data base; a commercial data base; a program transmitter for effecting accesses and transmissions of transmission programs onto transmission lines based on the setting of said main control unit; and a commercial transmitter for accessing said commercial data base and for transmitting content thereof based on the setting of said main control unit; and subscriber systems each including: a terminal control unit for separating the control signal received from the broadcast station so as to judge the terminal identification code and for decoding the control signal; a first terminal control unit to be controlled by said terminal control unit; and a television monitor.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
181 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system comprising: a broadcast station including: a main control unit for transmitting an identification code of a subscriber system and for issuing information to be employed to descramble a control signal and broadcast data of a video recorder in the subscriber system, said main control unit having therein data base control data in which program and commercial down load sequences are recorded depending on a setting effected by a subscriber; a motion picture program data base; a commercial data base; a program transmitter for effecting accesses and transmissions of transmission programs onto transmission lines based on the setting of said main control unit; and a commercial transmitter for accessing said commercial data base and for transmitting content thereof based on the setting of said main control unit; and subscriber systems each including: a terminal control unit for separating the control signal received from the broadcast station so as to judge the terminal identification code and for decoding the control signal; a first terminal control unit to be controlled by said terminal control unit; and a television monitor.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
64 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 or 16 wherein in a free area of a data frame signal of said motion picture program data base, there is located index information indicating a number of remaining frames up to a commercial insertion such that the number is read out therefrom so as to set a commercial playback operation to a standby state.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
62 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 or 16 wherein in a free area of a data frame signal of said commercial data base, there is located index information indicating a number of remaining frames up to a commercial termination such that the number is read out therefrom so as to set a program playback operation to a standby state.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
52 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 further including a channel for effecting a down load operation of a program to the subscriber system in a state where a commercial is inserted into the program depending on a commercial and program transmission sequence stored in the data base control table.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 further including a channel dedicated to an operation in which down load operations of a commercial and a program are achieved in an independent fashion.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
27 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 further including a second motion picture recorder dedicated to a commercial on a side of the subscriber system.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
48 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 further including a channel dedicated to down-link information so as to deliver therethrough a packet comprising an identification code of a subscriber terminal, a control signal of an image recorder in the terminal, and descramble information of broadcast data.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
36 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 22 further including means for crystalographically encoding the down-link control information packet such that the packet can be decoded only by a terminal associated with the identification code.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 22 further including a dedicated channel for a desired program and desired commercial environment setting information to be transferred to the broadcast station.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
22 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 24 wherein said channel is of a carry sense multiple access/collision detect (CSMA/CD) system.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
49 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 wherein when a desired program and desired commercial environment setting information are transferred to the broadcast station, the broadcast station achieves a polling on each said terminal such that a terminal thus polled transmits setting information to the broadcast station.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
105 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 wherein in a free area of a motion picture frame or a still picture frame, there is recorded particular coordinates in an image and a command associated therewith such that data of the coordinates and the command are transferred, in a playback operation, to a visual command memory disposed as a content addressable memory so as to set a cursor to said coordinates and to instruct an execution of the command, thereby reading out the command from the content addressable memory so as to execute the command to initiate a graphic processor in the subscriber system.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
77 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 4 or 27 wherein in a case where data associated with input cursor coordinates is missing in the content addressable memory, a 2-dimensional bit map memory storing therein an image data area is accessed such that when the cursor coordinates are video data, a 3-dimensional rotation program is initiated so as to effect a computation of a rotation of a 3-dimensional object depending on a movement of the cursor.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
60 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 27 including a remote controller for effecting a remote control on a terminal having a ten key unit for selecting a television channel or a cable television channel and keys for controlling a motion picture recorder and a still picture recorder, said controller being provided with a tablet for controlling a cursor.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
49 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 5 or 29 wherein: depending on a direction in which a finger moves on said tablet, a direction of a movement of the cursor is determined; and depending on a pressure of the finger, an initiation of a command is judged.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
30 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 27 further including a terminal control unit for setting, while the command is being executed, the video recorder to a standby state.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
55 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 or 27 wherein said broadcast station includes a support information data base and a support information transmitter such that when a help key is depressed on the television monitor, an explanation text and/or an explanation voice is/are transmitted from the broadcast station at the same time.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
71 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 1 or 27 wherein said broadcast station and said subscriber system each is provided with an operator's terminal and voice transmit means such that an operator help key is depressed on the television monitor to call an operator in the broadcast station so as to interactively receive an explanation about selection branches, said terminal being charged depending on a connection period of time.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
121 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 further including means for preparing a channel without a commercial and a channel having a commercial field of a predetermined period of time for programs requiring a realtime feature such a news program, a sport program, an event program, and a weather forecast program such that a commercial which is accommodated by use of the commercial channel and which conforms to a commercial setting environment of a subscriber is stored, through a down load operation by use of a separate commercial dedicated line, in a video recorder or a motion picture recorder dedicated to a commercial in each said subscriber system so as to insert the commercial in the commercial time field.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
26 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 wherein said subscriber system includes a mixer for displaying a program and a commercial on a screen.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
26 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 35 wherein a mixing of said mixer is indicated by an index in data of a commercial frame.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
61 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 further including a standby frame for correctly setting a down load start timing of a program or a commercial, said standby frame including index information representing the number of remaining frames from a point of several hundred frames before the data down load start to a point of the down load start.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
100 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 wherein a commercial environment includes seven kinds of enironments for selection thereof including (1) without a commercial, (2) a commercial between programs and a selective commercial type, (3) a commercial between programs and without a commercial type, (4) a commercial in a program and a selective commercial type, (5) a commercial in a program and without a commercial type, (6) a commercial broadcast, and (7) a commercial retrieval such that a charge computation is achieved so as to reduce a charged amount as an item number of the environment is increased.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
44 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 further including a traffic monitor/channel exchange control unit and a channel exchange for monitoring a traffic of a realtime broadcast and a down load broadcast so as to effect an optimal allocation of dedicated channels.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
37 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 wherein said broadcast station includes an external communication port for transferring request information issued from a subscriber to organizations such as a financial facility and a sales agent.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
107 words
A multimedia bidirectional broadcast system according to Claim 16 wherein a commercial sponsor or a subscriber once registers registration data to be registered to a video mail file being subjected to a broadcast to a motion picture recorder or a still picture recorder in a terminal of the commercial sponsor or the subscriber such that the registration data thus registered is sequentially fed, through an up load operation, to the broadcast station so as to be stored in a data base by means of the main control unit and the video mail control unit of the broadcast station and the terminal control unit of the subscriber system.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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