Patent US3311104A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US5465113A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5465113A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Programmable channel regulating cable television controller
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1993-12-13
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Granted: 1995-11-07
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Expires: 2013-12-13
Abstract
Abstract The programmable cable controller in accordance with the invention is adapted to accept a time limit and a time period which are input by a viewer. A channel timer is provided to track the display time of the cable television channel and, upon reaching the preset time limit, display of the cable channel is blocked. The channel timer is reinitialized upon expiration of the preset time period. The programmable cable controller is also adapted to receive cable television programming listings and a viewer's programming preferences and to store them in memory. The viewer's programming preferences are applied to the cable television programming listings to produce a redacted listing of television programming which may be displayed on the television set.
Inventors
- 👤 Christopher P. Gilboy
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 18:13
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/25; H04N21/258; H04N21/25866; H04N21/25891; H04N7/00; H04N7/10; H04N7/16; H04N7/162; H04N7/167
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
188 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller, comprising: means for setting a time limit to be applied to the display of a cable television channel designated by a user and selected from a plurality of available cable television channels on a remotely located television set; means for setting a time period during which said time limit is to be applied; a channel timer for storing the amount of time available for display of said user designated cable television channel; means for decrementing said channel timer in accordance with the amount of time said cable television channel is displayed; means for disabling the display of said user designated cable television channel on said remotely located television set and for displaying a message for the viewer when said amount of time available for display reaches zero without disabling any other of said plurality of available cable television channels; means for reininitializing said channel timer upon expiration of said time period; and means for simultaneous display of a channel number associated with said user designated cable television channel, said time limit and said time period on said remotely located television set.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
188 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller, comprising: means for setting a time limit to be applied to the display of a cable television channel designated by a user and selected from a plurality of available cable television channels on a remotely located television set; means for setting a time period during which said time limit is to be applied; a channel timer for storing the amount of time available for display of said user designated cable television channel; means for decrementing said channel timer in accordance with the amount of time said cable television channel is displayed; means for disabling the display of said user designated cable television channel on said remotely located television set and for displaying a message for the viewer when said amount of time available for display reaches zero without disabling any other of said plurality of available cable television channels; means for reininitializing said channel timer upon expiration of said time period; and means for simultaneous display of a channel number associated with said user designated cable television channel, said time limit and said time period on said remotely located television set.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller according to claim 1 further comprising means to prevent unauthorized changes in said time limit, said time period and said user designated cable television channel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller according to claim 1, further comprising means for setting an activation time for said channel timer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying a message on said remotely located television set indicating that said time available for display has reached zero.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller according to claim 1, wherein said time limit may be applied to a plurality of said available cable television channels.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller according to claim 1, further comprising means for storing said amount of time available for display of said user designated cable television channel in a memory.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying said time available for display on said remotely located television set.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
102 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller according to claim 1 further comprising means for receiving cable television programming listings from a source of cable television programming listings, said cable television programming listings; means for entering a plurality of keywords corresponding to a viewer's programming preferences; a memory for storing said cable television programming listings, said plurality of keywords and said viewer's programming preferences; means for matching said plurality of keywords with said cable television programming lightings to generate a redacted listing of cable television programming reflecting said viewer's programming preferences; and means for displaying said redacted listing on a television set.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
A programmable channel regulating cable television controller according to claim 8, wherein said means for entering a plurality of keywords corresponding to a viewer's programming preferences further comprises means for sequencing through the alphabet to create said plurality of keywords.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-11-06 | 1999-05-08 | 1999-11-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-11-06 | 2003-05-08 | 2003-11-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-11-06 | 2007-05-08 | 2007-11-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |