Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
205 words
A communications apparatus comprising: a host computer having a scrambled data body, descrambling data, and a loader program; a plurality of terminals, each of said plurality of terminals having an external memory device; a unidirectional communications link between said host computer and each of said plurality of terminals; and a bidirectional communications link between said host computer and each of said plurality of terminals; wherein said host computer sends said scrambled data body to a first one of said plurality of terminals having a first external memory device, over said unidirectional communications link, and said host computer, in response to a request from said first terminal, downloads said descrambling data and said loader program to said first terminal over said bidirectional communications link, wherein said first terminal stores, in said first external memory device, said scrambled data body sent from said host computer, said descrambling data downloaded from said host computer and said loader program downloaded from said host computer one time, and wherein said first terminal downloads said descrambling data and said loader program to available space of a main memory of said first terminal, and said first terminal executes said loader program to descramble said scrambled data body corresponding to said descrambling data.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
205 words
A communications apparatus comprising: a host computer having a scrambled data body, descrambling data, and a loader program; a plurality of terminals, each of said plurality of terminals having an external memory device; a unidirectional communications link between said host computer and each of said plurality of terminals; and a bidirectional communications link between said host computer and each of said plurality of terminals; wherein said host computer sends said scrambled data body to a first one of said plurality of terminals having a first external memory device, over said unidirectional communications link, and said host computer, in response to a request from said first terminal, downloads said descrambling data and said loader program to said first terminal over said bidirectional communications link, wherein said first terminal stores, in said first external memory device, said scrambled data body sent from said host computer, said descrambling data downloaded from said host computer and said loader program downloaded from said host computer one time, and wherein said first terminal downloads said descrambling data and said loader program to available space of a main memory of said first terminal, and said first terminal executes said loader program to descramble said scrambled data body corresponding to said descrambling data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said unidirectional communications link is a satellite communication link.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bidirectional communications link is a public communications network.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bidirectional communications link is an interactive CATV network.