EP0624039A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Integrated television services system
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1994-04-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2014-04-20
Abstract
Abstract A system is disclosed for delivering audio and/or video signals to users in connection with the provision of interactive television services. Various sources of such signals are connected to a digital network (10), such as a packet network. Also connected to such network are control (100) and application (102) processors and interfaces (112,114) to distribution arrangements such as cable television systems (116) and telephone subscriber loops (118). Each user has a signal converter (130,150) for receiving a digital signal from the distribution arrangement, converting such signal for viewing on a conventional television receiver (134) and transmitting control packets to other elements of the system. The signal sources can include a data cache (104) for storing recorded video and audio materials, a broadcast source (108) for receiving broadcast signals, apparatus (106) for composing multimedia signals from multiple sources, and apparatus (110) for running games. The various elements of the system can be situated at different geographical locations and operated by the control and/or application processors (100,102) under software control to provide a variety of interactive television services.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald Edgar Blahut
- 👤 Edward Stanley Szurkowski
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 04:34
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L49/00; H04L49/40; H04L49/405; H04L49/25; H04L49/253; H04L49/255; H04L49/30; H04L49/3081; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318; H04N7/17336; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L2012/5603; H04L2012/5609; H04L2012/561; H04L2012/5672
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
99 words
A system for delivering digital signals to users over at least one distribution system in response to digital commands received from said users over said distribution system, which comprises: a digital network; at least one means for transmitting said digital signals from said network to said distribution system and said digital commands from said distribution system to said network; at least one means for applying said digital signals to said network; control means connected to said network for interacting with said users, controlling said network and controlling said applying means by digital signals transmitted and received over said network.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 1 in which said digital network comprises a packet network.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 1 in which said distribution means comprises means for transmitting digital signals over a cable television network.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 1 in which said distribution means comprises means for transmitting digital signals over telephone subscriber loops.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 1 in which at least one of said applying means comprises memory means for storing audio and/or video signals in digital form.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 5 in which said means for storing is a random access memory.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of claim 6 in which said random access memory comprises a data cache and said means for storing further comprises means connected to said data cache for long-term storage of audio and/or video signals in digital form.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 1 in which at least one of said applying means comprises at least one means for composing audio and/or video signals for application to said network from at least one other audio and/or video signal received from said network.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of claim 8 in which said control means further comprises means for assigning each said composing means when a demand for one of said composing means arises.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 1 in which at least one of said applying means comprises a source of broadcast audio and/or video signals in digital form.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of claim 1 in which said audio and/or video signals in digital form are compressed and in which said converting means further comprises: means for decompressing said audio and/or video signals.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 1 in which said control means is at least one processor connected to said digital network for sending control signals to other elements in said system through said control network.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
69 words
A method of delivering digital signals from at least one source to at least one user in response to commands from said user, which comprises: transmitting said commands to processing means; at said processing means, transmitting one or more control signals to said at least one source in accordance with said received commands; at said source, transmitting said digital signals to said user in response to said control signals.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 13 which further comprises: transmitting said commands, said control signals and said digital signals in the form of digital packets.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 13 wherein said digital signals represent audio and/or video signals, which further comprises: for each user, converting said digital signals received from said source to audio and/or video signals.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method of claim 13 wherein at least one of said digital signals delivered to a user is a combined digital signal made up of multiple component digital signals, which further comprises: transmitting said component digital signals from multiple ones of said sources to combining means; at said combining means, combining said component digital signals to form said combined digital signal and transmitting said combined digital signal to said user.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 16 wherein said combined signal is a multimedia signal and said component signals are video and/or audio signals in digital form.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 13 wherein a digital signal from one of said sources is transmitted to multiple users, which further comprises: storing said given digital signal in said source and retrieving said stored digital signal and transmitting said stored digital signal separately for each one of said multiple users.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
74 words
Apparatus for delivering digital signals from at least one source to at least one user in response to commands from said user, which comprises: means for transmitting said commands to processing means; at said processing means, means for transmitting one or more control signals to said at least one source in accordance with said received commands; at said source, means for transmitting said digital signals to said user in response to said control signals.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 19 which further comprises: means for transmitting said commands, said control signals and said digital signals in the form of digital packets.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said digital signals represent audio and/or video signals, which further comprises: for each user, means for converting said digital signals received from said source to audio and/or video signals.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
54 words
The apparatus of claim 19 wherein at least one of said digital signals delivered to a user is a combined digital signal made up of multiple component digital signals, which further comprises: means for combining said component digital signals to form said combined digital signal and transmitting said combined digital signal to said user.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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