The Weather Channel, Inc.

Alan D Galumbeck

Pryce Neilson Hales

Douglas George Pincock

Duane I Fetters

Russell D MacKinnon

Everett W Otto, Jr

Nicholas E Worth

Frederick A Reid

Roger S Simister

A communications system having centralized management and multiply-hierarchical addressing schemes is disclosed. The system may be used in connection with supplying video, audio and data such as weather-related text, graphics, and information to affiliated receivers in a network for broadcast or display. Receivers may be addressed singly or in groups and allowed to determine their own addresses from information keyed, directly or indirectly, to a receiver characteristic such as the unit serial number. Lists of commands denominated 'scripts' and transmitted to receivers are used for controlling the various modes or states of the receivers.

Communications system

A communications system having programmable, addressable receivers that receive, store, process and send digital and conventional video, audio and control signals for use in, among other things, a cable video network. Receivers in this system may receive conventional audio and composite video and digital data signals from sources such as a satellite transponder and video and audio from local sources. The digital data may be processed into textual video data by character generation techniques, as may be other digital data received from a local keyboard, local weather sensors or other digital data communications interfaces. The receivers may be addressed in units or groups for purposes of receiving individually, locally or regionally tailored text information and are typically controlled simultaneously from one control source. The receivers may also be addressed and controlled in classes that do not correspond to such hierarchical structure. The system of the preferred embodiment is particularly well adapted for a weather cable network, since it fulfills the needs of data consumers throughout a large geographic area to have continual, current local and national weather information.

Communications system having receivers which can be addressed in

A communications system having programmable, addressable receivers that receive, store, process and send digital and conventional video, audio and control signals for use in, among other things, a cable video network. Receivers in this system may receive conventional audio and composite video and digital data signals from sources such as a satellite transponder and video and audio from local sources. The digital data may be processed into textual video data by character generation techniques, as may be other digital dtat received from a local keyboard, local weather sensors or other digital data communications interfaces. The receivers may be addressed in units or groups for purposes of receiving individually, locally or regionally tailored text information and are typically controlled simultaneously from one control source. The system of the preferred embodiment is particularly well adapted for a weather cable network, since it fulfills the needs of data consumers throughout a large geographic area to have continual, current local and national weather information.

Communications system having an addressable receiver

Growing community of inventors

Smyrna, GA, United States of America

Alan D Galumbeck