EP0594350B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Interactive television multicasting
Assignee: AT&T Inc
•
Filing: 1993-10-13
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Granted: 1998-12-09
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Expires: 2013-10-13
Abstract
No abstract record available.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald Edgar Blahut
- 👤 Edward Stanley Szurkowski
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 06:53
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/43; H04N21/434; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
252 words
A method of providing a tailored program via a multi-channel
distribution network, the tailored program comprising a set of one or more program
segments, the method comprising: (a) receiving a request for the tailored program at
a central location (101); (b) in response to the request, transmitting from the central
location at least one control message, the control message identifying a set of one or
more tailored program channels over which the tailored program will be transmitted;
(c) transmitting the tailored program from the central location to the multi-channel
distribution network (102, 103, 104) on the set of one or more tailored program
channels ; (d) receiving a request for a second tailored program at the central
location, the second tailored program comprising a second set of one or more
program segments, the second tailored program and the tailored program having a
common program segment; CHARACTERIZED BY THE STEPS OF (e) identifying a set of one or more filler programs, the set of one or
more filler programs being able to substantially fill a time difference, the time
difference being an amount of time between a first time a first user requests to view
the tailored program and a second time a second user requests to view the second
tailored program; and (f) transmitting information to the multichannel distribution network,
the information identifying at least one channel on which the set of one or more filler
programs will be transmitted and a channel on which the common program segment
will be transmitted.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
70 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting the set of one or more filler programs on the at least one
channel; and (b) transmitting the common program segment on the channel, wherein
the first time and the second time are different and a device associated with the
second user receives a substantially continuous signal from the second time until the
second tailored program ends.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
259 words
Apparatus for providing a tailored program via a multi-channel
distribution network (102, 103,104), the tailored program comprising a set of one or
more program segments, the apparatus comprising: (a) means (121) for receiving a request for the tailored program at a
central location; (b) means (101) for transmitting from the central location at least one
control message, the control message identifying a set of one or more tailored
program channels over which the tailored program will be transmitted; (c) means (101) for transmitting the tailored program from the central
location to the multi-channel distribution network on the set of one or more tailored
program channels; and (d) means (121) for receiving a request for a second tailored program at
the central location, the second tailored program comprising a second set of one or
more program segments, the second tailored program and the tailored program
having a common program segment; CHARACTERIZED BY (e) means (120) for identifying a set of one or more filler programs, the
set of one or more filler programs being able to substantially fill a time difference,
the time difference being an amount of time between a first time a first user requests
to view the tailored program and a second time a second user requests to view the
second tailored program; and (f) means (101) for transmitting information to the multi-channel
distribution network, the information identifying at least one channel on which the
set of one or more filler programs will be transmitted and a channel on which the
common program segment will be transmitted.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
72 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 comprising: (a) means (101) for transmitting the set of one or more filler programs
on the at least one channel; and (b) means (101) for transmitting the common program segment on the
channel, wherein the first time and the second time are different and a device
associated with the second user receives a substantially continuous signal from the
second time until the second tailored program ends.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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