Television signal transmission and reception system with multi-screen display for tuning operation

Claim 2

System as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: third transmission means (14,15) positioned in said program supplier side far generating and modulating control information which indicates a correspondence between each of said small screens and said plurality of channels and for transmitting the modulated control information to said program reception side; and selecting means (22) positioned in said program reception side for receiving and demodulating said modulated control information, and for providing a selecting operation by which one of said channels corresponding to said small screens in said multi-screen display is selected based on said control information when said modulated synthesis television signal is demodulated by said reception means.

Claim 3

System as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control information comprises at least frequency data for indicating a tuning frequency of each of said channels and channel data for indicating what channel is allocated to each of said small screens.

Claim 4

System as claimed in claim 2, wherein said selecting means (22) comprises: cursor display means (36) for superimposing a cursor image selectively on one of said small screens when said modulated synthesis television signal is demodulated by said reception means; input means (42,43) generating an operation signal in response to an external operation comprising one of a shifting operation and a deciding operation; and control means (41) for receiving said operation signal from said input means and causing said cursor display means (36) to superimpose said cursor image on another small screen when said operation signal corresponds to said shifting operation, and said control means detecting a selected channel corresponding to the small screen on which said cursor image is superimposed when receiving said operation signal corresponding to said deciding operation based on said control information, and causing said reception means to demodulate said received signal of said selected channel.

Claim 5

System as claimed in claim 4, wherein said control means (41) causes said reception means to demodulate an audio signal associated with said received signal of the channel corresponding to the small screen on which said cursor image is superimposed.

Claim 6

System as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: third transmission means (15) positioned in said program supplier side for generating and modulating control information which indicates a correspondence between each of said small screens in said multi-screen display and said plurality of channels and for transmitting the modulated control information to said program reception side; fourth transmission means (31) positioned in said program supplier side for generating and modulating a notification signal which is provided for displaying a notification program for at least one of said channels and transmitting the modulated notification signal as one of said modulated television signals to said program reception side, wherein said control information further indicates a correspondence between said notification signal and said channel; selecting means (22) positioned in said program reception side for receiving and demodulating said modulated control information, and for providing a selecting operation by which one of said channels corresponding to said small screens in said multi-screen display is selected based on said control information when said modulated synthesis television signal is demodulated by said reception means; and determining means (41) positioned in said program reception side for detecting a correspondence between said notification signal and the channel selected by said selecting operation based on said control information, and for determining whether one of said modulated television signals corresponding to said channel selected by said selecting operation and said modulated notification signal is demodulated by said reception means in order to be displayed.

Claim 7

Broadcasting system for providing programs corresponding to a plurality of channels as television signals for a transmission network, said broadcasting system comprising: first modulating means (26) for modulating image and audio signals of said programs corresponding to individual channels of said plurality of channels into television signals; and said system being characterised by: synthesizing means (28) for synthesizing a plurality of said image signals and producing at least one synthesis image signal by which a multi-screen display having a plurality of small screens in one screen is provided; second modulating means (29) for modulating said at least one synthesis image signal into a television signal; control information generating means (14) for generating control information which indicates a correspondence between each of said small screens and said plurality of channels; third modulating means (15) for modulating said control information; and transmitting means (27) for receiving output signals of said first, second and third modulating means, mixing said output signals and supplying the mixed signal to said transmission network.

Claim 8

Broadcasting system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control information comprises at least frequency data for indicating a tuning frequency of each of said channels and channel data for indicating what channel is allocated to each of said small screens.

Claim 9

Broadcasting system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising: notification signal generating means (30) for generating a notification signal which is provided for displaying a notification program on at least one of said channels; and fourth modulating means (31) for modulating said notification signal into a television signal, wherein said control information further comprises a correspondence between said notification signal and said plurality of channels, and wherein said transmitting means (27) mixes an output signal of said fourth modulating means with said mixed signal.

Claim 10

Broadcasting system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said synthesizing means (28) produces a plurality of said synthesis image signals by different combinations of a plurality of said image signals, and said control information further comprises a correspondence between each of said synthesis image signals and said plurality of channels.

Claim 11

Apparatus for receiving a plurality of television signals which are transmitted from a broadcasting center with control information and which include a majority of ordinary television signals corresponding to individual channels and at least one synthesis television signal corresponding to a guide channel by which a multi-screen display having a plurality of small screens in one screen is provided, each of said small screens being allocated to one of said individual channels, said apparatus comprising: tuning means (33,34) for receiving said television signals transmitted from said broadcasting center, and for tuning and demodulating one of said television signals; control information demodulating means (45) for receiving and demodulating said control information transmitted from said broadcasting center; input means (42,43) for generating an operation signal according to an external operation; control means (41) for receiving said operation signals from said input means and said control information from said control information demodulating means, causing said tuning means to tune in said guide channel and to demodulate said at least one synthesis television signal when said operation signal indicates a selection of said guide channel, for detecting a tuning frequency of a selected channel in accordance with said control information when said operation signal indicates a selection of said selected channel out of said individual channels corresponding to said small screens in said multi-screen display and for causing said tuning means (33,34) to tune in said selected channel and to demodulate said ordinary television signal of said selected channel; and output means (37) for outputting a demodulated television signal supplied from said tuning means.

Claim 12

Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising, cursor display means (36) for superimposing a cursor image selectively on one of said small screens when said at least one synthesis television signal is demodulated by said tuning means (33,34), wherein said control means (41) causes said cursor display means to shift said cursor image onto another small screen according to said operation signal and detects said tuning frequency of a selected channel corresponding to the small screen on which said cursor image is superimposed at the time when receiving said operation signal indicating a decision of said selected channel.

Claim 13

Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said control means (41) causes said tuning means (34) to tune in and demodulate an audio signal of the channel corresponding to the small screen on which said cursor image is superimposed.

Claim 14

Method for transmitting television signals corresponding to a plurality of channels from a program supplier side to a program reception side, said method comprising the step of: modulating said television signals into transmittable television signals in said program supplier side; and said method being characterised by the steps of: synthesizing said television signals to produce a synthesis television signal for a multi-screen display comprising a plurality of small screens corresponding to said channels in said program supplier side; modulating said synthesis television signal into a transmittable synthesis television signal in said program supplier side; generating a mixed television signal by mixing said transmittable television signals and said transmittable synthesis television signal in said program supplier side; transmitting said mixed television signal to said program reception side; receiving said mixed television signal in said program reception side; and selectively demodulating one of said transmittable television signals and said transmittable synthesis television signal in said program reception side.

Claim 15

Method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the steps of: generating control information for indicating a correspondence between each of said small screens and said channels in said program supplier side; modulating said control information into transmittable control information in said program supplier side; adding said transmittable control information to said mixed television signal in said program supplier side; demodulating said transmittable control information in said program supplier side; and providing a selecting operation by which one of said channels corresponding to said small screens is selected based on said control information when said transmittable synthesis television signal is demodulated in said program supplier side.

Claim 16

Method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said control a information comprises at least frequency data for indicating a tuning frequency of each of said channels and channel data for indicating what channel is allocated to each of said small screens.

Claim 17

Method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said selecting operation comprises the steps of: superimposing a cursor image selectively on one of said small screens when said transmittable synthesis television signal is demodulated; generating an operation signal according to an external operation corresponding to one of a shifting operation and a deciding operation; shifting said cursor image onto another small screen when receiving said operation signal corresponding to said shifting operation; detecting a decision channel corresponding to the small screen on which said cursor image is superimposed based on said control information when receiving said operation signal corresponding to said deciding operation; and demodulating said transmittable television signal of said decision channel.

Claim 18

Method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the step of: demodulating an audio signal associated with said transmittable television signal of the channel corresponding to the small screen on which said cursor image is superimposed.

Claim 19

Method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the steps of: generating a notification signal which is provided for displaying a notification program with regard to at least one of said channels in said program supplier side; modulating said notification signal into a transmittal, notification signal in said program supplier side; adding said transmittable notification signal to said mixed television signal in said program supplier side; detecting a correspondence between said notification signal and the channel selected by said selecting operation based on said control information in said program reception side, wherein said control information further comprises a correspondence between said notification signal and said channel; and determining whether one of said transmittable television signals corresponding to said channel selected by said selecting operation and said transmittable notification signal is demodulated.