Method for expanding interactive CATV displayable choices for a given channel capacity

Claim 1

In a method for enabling a plurality of different continuous real time interactive television messages to be substantially simultaneously provided during a given prerecorded television program from a plurality of multichannel television receivers comprising a one-way common television signal distribution network, the improvement comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting in sequence a plurality of different multichannel television message stacks, with each stack comprising a plurality of time concurrent multichannel television messages, said plurality of stacks comprising a stacking array, said stacking array providing a plurality of selectable time and space multiplexed complete prerecorded television messages, said array being transmitted over a plurality of contemporaneous channels to said plurality of multichannel television receivers through said one way distribution network, a single substantially complete television message being interactively selectable from said array for providing said real time interactive television message for said multichannel television receiver, the quantity of available interactively selectable prerecorded television messages in said array being greater than the quantity of said plurality of available contemporaneous television channels, said array comprising a television programming sequence having an interactively variable program information content for a given television program, said program content for said given television program further comprising a common prerecorded television message commonly displayable during said given television program irrespective of any interactive selection of said interactively selectable television messages; (b) providing said array over said plurality of channels to said multichannel receiver through said one-way distribution network from a multichannel storage means; and (c) interactively selecting in real time multichannel message path through said array for providing said television programming sequence program information content, said interactive selection being multiplexed in both time and space in said array and selecting said message path through said array in reponse to a single interactive selection, a different interactive selection providing a different message path through said array and a different program information content for said television programming sequence, a different receiver being capable of independently selecting a different program information content from said array for said television programming sequence, whereby multiple users of said one way distribution network may obtain an individualized program information content for said television programming sequence, with the quantity of available interactively selectable program information contents in said array for said television programming sequence being greater than the quantity of available channels of contemporaneous message transmission.