Subscription television and the like systems

Claim 1

In a subscription television or radio distribution system of the kind in which program signals are supplied by way of a wire conductor network from a master station to a plurality of separate subscribers together with periodic signals for controlling the monetary charge to be levied for each program and which includes means for measuring the number of active subscribers taking any particular program and means for registering the total number of such active subscribers at a common recording point, the provision of a plurality of slave stations each of which is located in said network between said master station and a different group of said subscribers and each of which slave stations comprises timing clock means operative to commence each predetermined timing cycle thereof in response to a command signal from said master station, signal transmitter means controlled by said timing clock means for transmitting during each timing cycle an active subscribers measurement signal to the subscribers of the group served through such slave station, response measuring means also controlled by said timing clock means for measuring during each timing cycle the total number of subscribers responsive to said active subscribers measurement signal and data signal transmitter means for transmitting during each timing cycle to said common recording point a data signal operative in said registering means to register the number of active subscribers measured by said response-measuring means.