US5790198A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Television schedule information transmission and utilization system and process
Assignee: Adeia Guides Inc
•
Filing: 1994-05-04
•
Granted: 1998-08-04
•
Expires: 2014-05-04
Abstract
Abstract Television schedule information transmission and utilization systems (50A-50D) transmit TV schedule data and associated network control messages provided by computer (54) as packets via the Video Blanking Interval (VBI) lines in the TV signal from various television program providers (51). This data is acquired by regional data processing systems and forwarded by the regional data processing systems to subscriber units (52) and used to construct an internal database. This internal database can be accessed by the subscriber unit (52) to display a TV schedule for the channels that are received by the user's TV.
Inventors
- 👤 John H. Roop
- 👤 Alan R. Ebright
- 👤 Jeffrey J. Kochy
- 👤 David P. Warden
- 👤 Konstantine Sokolik
- 👤 Giambattista A. Alegiani
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 04:51
CPC Classifications
G; G04; G04G; G04G15/00; G04G15/006; B; B64; B64C; B64C30/00; G04G21/00; G04G21/02; G04R; G04R20/00; G04R20/14; G04R20/18; G11; G11B; G11B15/00; G11B15/02; G11B15/023; G11B27/00; G11B27/10; G11B27/102; G11B27/107; G11B27/11; G11B27/19; G11B27/28; G11B27/30; G11B27/3027; G11B27/3036; G11B27/3054; G11B27/32; G11B27/322; G11B27/324; G11B27/327; G11B27/328; G11B27/34; G11B27/36; G11B33/00; G11B33/10; H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/41; H04N21/4104; H04N21/4135; H04N21/43; H04N21/431; H04N21/4312; H04N21/4314; H04N21/4316; H04N21/433; H04N21/4334; H04N21/434; H04N21/4345; H04N21/435; H04N21/436; H04N21/43622; H04N21/45; H04N21/462; H04N21/4622; H04N21/47; H04N21/472; H04N21/47214; H04N21/482; H04N21/4821; H04N21/4828; H04N21/485; H04N21/4858; H04N21/80; H04N21/83; H04N21/84; H04N21/85; H04N21/858; H04N5/00; H04N5/76; H04N5/765; H04N5/775; H04N5/78; H04N5/782; H04N7/00; H04N7/025; H04N7/08; H04N7/087; H04N7/088; H04N7/0884; H04N7/0887; H04N7/0888; H04N7/16; H04N7/162; H04N7/163; H04N7/165; G11B2220/00; G11B2220/40; G11B2220/41; G11B2220/60; G11B2220/65; G11B2220/80; G11B2220/90; H04N21/422; H04N21/42204; H04N5/44; H04N5/445; H04N5/44504
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 44
Claim 1
Independent Claim
316 words
A television schedule information transmission system, which comprises a central data processing system, means connected to said central data processing system for providing schedule information data for a predetermined territory to said central data processing system, said central data processing system including means for formatting the schedule information data for the predetermined territory for incorporation into a predetermined schedule information transmission format, means coupled to said central data processing system for transmitting the schedule information data for the predetermined territory in the predetermined schedule information transmission format, a plurality of regional data processing systems, each located in a region of the predetermined territory, said plurality of regional data processing systems each including means for receiving the schedule information data for the predetermined territory, means for selecting the schedule information data for the region in which each of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the region in a television signal, and a plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems including means for extracting at least a portion of the schedule information data for the region from the television signal, means for storing the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system, means for assembling portions of the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system for display to a user of the subscriber data processing system and a display connected to said means for assembling portions of the schedule information data to display the portions of the schedule information data, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule information, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
316 words
A television schedule information transmission system, which comprises a central data processing system, means connected to said central data processing system for providing schedule information data for a predetermined territory to said central data processing system, said central data processing system including means for formatting the schedule information data for the predetermined territory for incorporation into a predetermined schedule information transmission format, means coupled to said central data processing system for transmitting the schedule information data for the predetermined territory in the predetermined schedule information transmission format, a plurality of regional data processing systems, each located in a region of the predetermined territory, said plurality of regional data processing systems each including means for receiving the schedule information data for the predetermined territory, means for selecting the schedule information data for the region in which each of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the region in a television signal, and a plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems including means for extracting at least a portion of the schedule information data for the region from the television signal, means for storing the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system, means for assembling portions of the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system for display to a user of the subscriber data processing system and a display connected to said means for assembling portions of the schedule information data to display the portions of the schedule information data, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule information, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
147 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 in which said system additionally includes at least one intermediate data processing system between at least one of said plurality of regional data processing systems and a portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in a region in which said at least one of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located, said intermediate data processing system including means for receiving the schedule information data for the region, means for selecting schedule information data for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region from the schedule information data for the region and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region, said means for transmitting being coupled to the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 2 in which said at least one intermediate data processing system is a cable operator data processing system.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
62 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 in which the schedule information data is transmitted in the form of commands, the commands including instructions for the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each region and television schedule information used by the commands to assemble portions of the television schedule information to display the portions of the schedule information data.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
72 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 4 in which the schedule information commands for the predetermined territory include region commands each identifying channels which are available in one of the regions in the territory and a region identification, each of said regional data processing systems having a region identification for comparing with the region identification of each region command to recognize region commands intended for that regional data processing system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
90 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 4 in which said plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions includes: a means for determining if certain of the television schedule information in the schedule information commands has already been stored within the subscriber data processing system, and a means for acquiring the certain of the television schedule information from the schedule information commands if it is determined that the certain of the television schedule information has not already been stored within the subscriber data processing system.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 6 in which the certain of the television schedule information includes show titles.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 7 in which the show titles include character strings that have previously been acquired.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 6 in which the certain of the television schedule information includes missing data for future time periods.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
177 words
In a television schedule information transmission system including a central data processing system for a predetermined territory having means for transmitting schedule information data for the predetermined territory and subscriber data processing systems in the predetermined territory, the improvement which comprises a plurality of regional data processing systems, each located in a region of the predetermined territory, said plurality of regional data processing systems each including means for receiving the schedule information data for the predetermined territory, means for selecting the schedule information data for the region in which each of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the region in a television signal to a plurality of said subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule information, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
177 words
In a television schedule information transmission system including a central data processing system for a predetermined territory having means for transmitting schedule information data for the predetermined territory and subscriber data processing systems in the predetermined territory, the improvement which comprises a plurality of regional data processing systems, each located in a region of the predetermined territory, said plurality of regional data processing systems each including means for receiving the schedule information data for the predetermined territory, means for selecting the schedule information data for the region in which each of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the region in a television signal to a plurality of said subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions, each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each of the regions including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule information, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
105 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 in which each of said plurality of subscriber data processing systems including means for extracting at least a portion of the schedule information data for the region from the television signal, means for storing the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system, means for assembling portions of the schedule information data received by the subscriber data processing system for display to a user of the subscriber data processing system and a display connected to said means for assembling portions of the schedule information data to display the portions of the schedule information data.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
147 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 in which said system additionally includes at least one intermediate data processing system between at least one of said plurality of regional data processing systems and a portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in a region in which said at least one of said plurality of regional data processing systems is located, said intermediate data processing system including means for receiving the schedule information data for the region, means for selecting schedule information data for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region from the schedule information data for the region and means for transmitting the schedule information data for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region, said means for transmitting being coupled to the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
169 words
In a television schedule information transmission system, the method which comprises transmitting schedule information data for a predetermined territory to a plurality of regional data processing systems each located in a region of the territory, selecting the schedule information data for each region with its regional data processing system, transmitting via a television signal the schedule information data to a plurality of subscriber data processing systems each having a memory in each region, storing database items comprising the television schedule information data in the memory, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle, assembling portions of the schedule information data in the television signal received by each subscriber data processing system from the memory using the handle as an index to locate the portions of the schedule information data in the memory for display to a user of each subscriber data processing system, and displaying the portions of the schedule information data to the user.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
169 words
In a television schedule information transmission system, the method which comprises transmitting schedule information data for a predetermined territory to a plurality of regional data processing systems each located in a region of the territory, selecting the schedule information data for each region with its regional data processing system, transmitting via a television signal the schedule information data to a plurality of subscriber data processing systems each having a memory in each region, storing database items comprising the television schedule information data in the memory, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle, assembling portions of the schedule information data in the television signal received by each subscriber data processing system from the memory using the handle as an index to locate the portions of the schedule information data in the memory for display to a user of each subscriber data processing system, and displaying the portions of the schedule information data to the user.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
111 words
The method of claim 13 additionally comprising the steps of transmitting the schedule information for at least one the regions to at least one intermediate data processing system between at least one of the plurality of regional data processing systems and a portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in a region in which the at least one of the plurality of regional data processing systems is located, and transmitting the schedule information data in the television signal for the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in the region from the intermediate data processing system to the portion of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 14 in which the schedule information data is transmitted in the form of commands, the commands including instructions for the plurality of subscriber data processing systems in each region and television schedule information used by the commands to assemble portions of the television schedule information to display the portions of the schedule information data.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method of claim 15 in which the schedule information commands for the predetermined territory include region commands each identifying channels which are available in one of the regions in the territory and a region identification, each of the regional data processing systems comparing a stored region identification with the region identification of each region command to recognize region commands intended for that regional data processing system.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 13 in which at least some of the plurality of regional data processing systems transmit the schedule information data in different places of the television signal and each of the plurality of subscriber data processing systems locates the schedule information data in the television signal.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 17 in which the different places in the television signal comprise different lines of a vertical blanking interval.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 18 in which the different places in the television broadcast signal comprise different lines of a vertical blanking interval.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 wherein the schedule information data is transmitted in a blanking interval of the television signal.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
24 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 wherein the schedule information data is transmitted in a blanking interval of the television signal.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 13 in which the schedule information data is transmitted in a blanking interval of the television signal.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
42 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
28 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 23 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
24 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 1 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
42 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
28 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 26 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
24 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 10 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
42 words
The television schedule information transmission method of claim 13 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
28 words
The television schedule information transmission method of claim 29 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
24 words
The television schedule information transmission method of claim 13 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
88 words
In a television schedule information transmission system including a central data processing system having means for transmitting television schedule data, and a subscriber data processing system having means for receiving at least some of the television schedule data transmitted by said central data processing system, the improvement which comprises said subscriber data processing system including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule data, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
88 words
In a television schedule information transmission system including a central data processing system having means for transmitting television schedule data, and a subscriber data processing system having means for receiving at least some of the television schedule data transmitted by said central data processing system, the improvement which comprises said subscriber data processing system including a memory for storing database items comprising the television schedule data, each of the database items having a handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
42 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 32 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
28 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 33 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
24 words
The television schedule information transmission system of claim 32 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
64 words
In a television schedule information transmission system, the method which comprises transmitting television schedule data, receiving at least some of the television schedule data at a subscriber data processing system as database items comprising the television schedule data, each of the database items having a handle, and using the handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
64 words
In a television schedule information transmission system, the method which comprises transmitting television schedule data, receiving at least some of the television schedule data at a subscriber data processing system as database items comprising the television schedule data, each of the database items having a handle, and using the handle as an index into a handle table identifying memory locations corresponding to the handle.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
42 words
The television schedule information transmission method of claim 36 in which the database items are arranged hierarchically in descending order as a list of channels and a list of show titles, show descriptions, show start times and show durations for each channel.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
28 words
The television schedule information transmission method of claim 37 in which the database items are further arranged hierarchically in descending order to include show titles and show descriptions.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
24 words
The television schedule information transmission method of claim 36 in which said handle table references memory blocks comprising the memory locations with the handles.
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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) | 2001-08-03 | 2002-02-02 | 2002-08-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-08-03 | 2006-02-02 | 2006-08-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-08-03 | 2010-02-02 | 2010-08-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |