International Business Machines Corporation

Antonio Ruiz

Louis Paul Herzberg

Barry Edward Willner

Frank Andre Schaffa

Marc Hubert Willebeek-LeMair

Baiju V Patel

Alan G Ganek

Richard Steven Chernock

Milan Milenkovic

Alan George Ganek

Chatschik Bisdikian

Paolo Dettori

Kung-Shiuh Huang

Deepak Rana

Tam M Nguyen

Steven Peter Monti

An interactive presentation system receives a plurality of series of digital data segments (e.g., image frames), each series of digital data segments appearing at the video presentation system on a repetitive, cyclic basis. Each digital data segment includes a first data portion from which an image can be constructed and a second data portion which includes information relating to the image and further includes, if required, information which links an active area of the image to another data source. The system includes an interface for receiving the repetitively transmitted series of digital data segments and a switch for selecting at least one of the received series of digital data segments. A display presents an image that is constructed from the first data portion of a data segment that is included in a series of digital data segments. A processor is responsive to a user's selection of an active area on a displayed image to employ information from the second data portion that is associated with the displayed image to operate the switch to access another data source. The other data source can be another data segment, a video presentation, or an audio presentation. The video presentation system is operable without requiring a reverse channel for communications with the transmission head end.

System and method for enabling a user to move between cyclically transmitted image streams

A video presentation system receives a plurality of series of digital data segments (e.g., image frames) that are cyclically transmitted, wherein certain of the digital data segments manifest a higher priority and are present in the form of plural, time-spaced copies during a series of the digital data segments. The system includes an interface for receiving the repetitively transmitted series of digital data segments and a switch for selecting at least one of the received series of digital data segments. A display presents an image that is constructed from a digital data segment that is selected by a user. By providing plural copies of higher priority digital data segments in each series, a reduction in image access time results when the user selects one of the higher priority digital data segments. A set-top box which serves as the receiver can also be provided with sufficient memory to buffer a certain number of the higher priority digital data segments.

System and method for enabling a user to rapidly access images in

A system, method and apparatus for Video-on-demand (VOD) satisfying the desire of `surfers`. The process entails a server operating in a standard Near-Video-on-demand (NVOD) mode, whereby it repeatedly transmits multiple copies of each program on separate channels. Each copy is delayed by a staggered time interval. The server also repeatedly transmits a beginning portion of each NVOD program of a duration up to the staggered time interval. The invention provides a way to fulfill a VOD user requests asynchronous with the start of a NVOD transmission but which still makes primary use of the NVOD transmission for that requestor. The invention further advantageously provides fixed asset utilization in a predictable manner.

Fixed video-on-demand

A system and method for Video-on-Demand (VOD) satisfying the desire of `surfers`. The process entails a server operating in a standard NVOD mode, whereby it continuously sends multiple copies of each program on separate channels. Each copy is delayed by a staggered time interval. The invention provides a way to fulfill a VOD user request asynchronous with the start of a NVOD transmission but which still makes primary use of the NVOD transmission for that requestor. The system and method combines independent server service satisfying an asynchronous request for only a short duration, usually less than or equal to the NVOD staggered time interval, and then aligns that requestor with an immediately previously commenced NVOD transmission.

Hybrid video-on-demand based on a near-video-on-demand system

This invention provides a method and apparatus for providing easily adaptable and select transmission and reception rates between a number of clients and a server. With this invention a broadband signal is transmitted/received from the server to the clients, who individually may need to receive/transmit only a small portion of the composite signal. More specifically, this invention uses discrete multiple tone coding to provide the easily adaptable and selected transmission rates to the clients.

Variable rate discrete multiple tone bidirectional transmission

A multimedia distribution network combines the flexibility of digital video and digital networks with the low cost, high bandwidth, and isochronous capabilities of analog video distribution. At the heart of the network is a hybrid digital/analog multimedia hub, called a C-box, which provides connectivity to digital networks, both local area and wide area, with the necessary video compression and decompression, composition engines for multiple video streams and analog/digital conversions of the multiple video streams for connectivity to an analog video distribution network for delivery to end user workstations. The C-box receives multiple compressed digital video streams, decompresses the video streams, converts the decompressed video streams to analog, and delivers the converted analog signals to workstations via an analog cable television (CATV) network. The amount of video processing (e.g., compression and decompression) power required is proportional to the number of active video streams instead of the number of attached end user workstations. The analog channels over which the converted analog signals are transmitted are dynamically allocated, and once the analog signals have been transmitted to a requesting client terminal, the channels are released for reuse.

Hybrid digital/analog multimedia hub with dynamically allocated/released

A rights controlling concentrator (RCC) is an apparatus for separating and controlling 'rights of receiving' and 'rights of transmitting' of a group of stations or groups of stations on a ring-of-trees local area network. RCC elements perform collectively to separately control, limit and/or make available the 'rights of receiving' and the 'rights of transmitting' of a group of stations or groups of stations. Control of the 'rights of receiving' ensures that its membership is only forwarded frames transmitted by an external station which has a destination within the membership, and that the external stations only be forwarded frames transmitted by the membership which have a destination within the external stations. Frames that are transmitted to a destination in one group traverse only stations within that group. Frames that are deemed by the RCC not to be of interest to any group of stations are withheld from that group by the RCC controlling both frame receiving and transmitting rights. This significantly reduces the workload of groups of stations, because frames are not passed through station groups that are not necessary for the frames to reach their destination. Furthermore, since data frames are handled by fewer stations, the reliability of the main ring is increased. Control of the 'rights of transmitting' ensures that the token is, or can be, withheld from stations that are 'listen only' and need not be given the rights to transmit. This reduces the travel time of the token around the ring (and the Token Target Rotation Time (TTRT)), providing faster repeating opportunities for the transmitting stations to transmit.

Apparatus for fiber distributed data interface dynamic station bypass

In standard token-based LANs (e.g., FDDI, Token Ring) an equal share of the ring bandwidth is made available to each node. Certain nodes (e.g., bridges, routers, servers) require a larger representation (bandwidth) than other nodes. A surrogate (bridge/router) node is presented which achieves this in a standard compliant manner. The bridge/router may serve as a surrogate on each ring representing multiple stations from the other ring. The multiplicity of stations is adjusted either statically or dynamically to provide sufficient added bandwidth to the surrogate to reduce delay and packet loss characteristic of the conventional single station bridge or router. The increased bandwidth utilization and FDDI ring performance resulting from the implementation of this invention is transparent to the individual stations and the ring in a way that is advantageous to both single media and multimedia usages within defined network local and non-local areas.

Apparatus for connecting two fiber distributed data interface rings

A method and apparatus allow the interoperability of a token ring packet data network managed by the timed-token protocol (FDDI-I) and a TDM network (FDDI-II) with a given bandwidth allocation assigned to the packet data timed-token protocol. Only a single token is used, and the delay and loss of packets which cannot be transmitted on account of limited bandwidth is reduced. The flow of packets into the slots of the communications ring following the TDM protocol is controlled by varying the amount of time in which the token is held by the interface between the two communication rings. That is, the time in which the token is held by the interface is a function of the number TDM slots allocated to the transmission of packet data.

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Yorktown Heights, NY, United States of America

Antonio Ruiz