Pay-per-view television delivery system

Claim 1

An apparatus for controlling and delivering television programming to one or more television substations from a control station, wherein each substation transmits television programming on one or more channels in a scrambled form and a program schedule on a separate barker channel over a multi-channel cable or over-the-air distribution system to all of a plurality of remote subscriber receiving locations on a pay-per-view basis, comprising: a) means for receiving television programming at the substation; b) a plurality of television program record and playback means at the substation; c) first audio and video transmitting means at the control station for transmitting television programming to the substation to be recorded on the record and playback means; d) second audio and video transmitting means at the substation for transmitting the television programming from the record and playback means over the one or more channels to the remote subscriber locations, the second transmitting means including one or both of audio and video signal scrambling means on one or more of the channel outputs; e) first computer means at the control station for generating record schedule information and playback schedule information; f) second computer means at the substation; g) data communications means for transferring signals indicative of the record and playback schedule information between the first and second computer means; and h) control interface means at the substation connected to the second computer means operative to switch the record and playback means, the second transmitting means and scrambling means in response to the signals indicative of the record and playback schedule information from the second computer, wherein the record and playback means at the substation are controlled in accordance with the record and playback schedule information transmitted from the control station, and i) means at the substation for selectively enabling descrambling of the television programming to individual subscriber receiving locations in response to a request from the individual subscribers for a particular television program on a pay-per-view basis.

Claim 2

An apparatus for controlling and delivering television programming to one or more television substations from a control station, wherein each substation transmits television programming on one or more channels in a scrambled form and a program schedule on a separate barker channel over a multi-channel cable or over-the-air distribution system to all of a plurality of remote subscriber receiving locations on a pay-per-view basis, comprising: a) means for receiving television programming at the substation; b) a plurality of television program record and playback means at the substation; c) first audio and video transmitting means at the control station for transmitting television programming to the substation to be recorded on the record and playback means; d) second audio and video transmitting means at the substation for transmitting the television programming from the record and playback means over the one or more channels to the remote subscriber locations, the second transmitting means including one or both of audio and video signal scrambling means on one or more of the channel outputs; e) first computer means at the control station for generating record schedule information and playback schedule information; f) second computer means at the substation; g) data communications means for transferring signals indicative of the record and playback schedule information between the first and second computer means; and h) control interface means at the substation connected to the second computer means operative to switch the record and playback means, the second transmitting means and scrambling means in response to the signals indicative of the record and playback schedule information from the second computer, wherein the record and playback means at the substation are controlled in accordance with the record and playback schedule information transmitted from the control station, and i) means at the substation for selectively enabling descrambling of the television programming to individual subscriber receiving locations in response to a request from the individual subscribers for a particular television program on a pay-per-view basis.

Claim 9

A method of controlling and delivering programming to a television transmission substation from a control station, wherein the substation transmits television programming in a scrambled form on one or more channels and a program schedule on a separate barker channel over a multi-channel cable or over-the-air distribution system to all of a plurality of remote subscriber receiving locations on a pay-per-view basis, comprising the steps of: a) transmitting television programming from the control station for reception on receiving means at the substation; b) recording the television programming on one or more audio video record and playback means at the substation; c) generating record schedule information on a first computer means at the control station; d) generating playback schedule information on the first computer means at the control station; e) transmitting data signals indicative of the record and playback schedule information and of the playback schedule from the control station to a second computer means at the substation; f) controlling the record and playback of the audio video record and playback means at the substation in accordance with the record and playback schedule information transmitted from the control station; g) transmitting the television programming in a scrambled form from the substation to the subscriber receiving locations in accordance with the playback schedule information on the one or more channels; h) transmitting information indicative of the playback schedule in the form of one or both of text and graphics from the substation to the subscriber receiving locations on the separate barker channel; and i) selectively enabling descrambling of the television programming from the substation to individual subscriber receiving locations in response to a request from the individual subscribers for a particular television program on a pay-per-view basis.

Claim 10

A method of controlling and delivering programming to a television transmission substation from a control station, wherein the substation transmits television programming in a scrambled form on one or more channels and a program schedule on a separate barker channel over a multi-channel cable or over-the-air distribution system to all of a plurality of remote subscriber receiving locations on a pay-per-view basis, comprising the steps of: a) transmitting television programming from the control station for reception on receiving means at the substation; b) recording the television programming on one or more audio video record and playback means at the substation; c) generating record schedule information on a first computer means at the control station; d) generating playback schedule information on the first computer means at the control station; e) transmitting data signals indicative of the record and playback schedule information and of the playback schedule from the control station to a second computer means at the substation; f) controlling the record and playback of the audio video record and playback means at the substation in accordance with the record and playback schedule information transmitted from the control station; g) transmitting the television programming in a scrambled form from the substation to the subscriber receiving locations in accordance with the playback schedule information on the one or more channels; h) transmitting information indicative of the playback schedule in the form of one or both of text and graphics from the substation to the subscriber receiving locations on the separate barker channel; and i) selectively enabling descrambling of the television programming from the substation to individual subscriber receiving locations in response to a request from the individual subscribers for a particular television program on a pay-per-view basis.