General Instrument Corporation

Tocom Corporation

John S Chenoweth

Thomas F Martin

Paul R Tinguely

Carl F Schoenenberger

Robert W Storey

Remote control of subscriber access to premium programs on a cable television system or the like is provided. A signal path carriers program signals received from a cable television system. A switchable port coupled to the signal path is identified by a logical channel number. First data are received and stored from the cable television system assigning a service code to the logical channel. Second data are received and stored from the cable television system identifying authorized service codes. The assigned logical channel service code is periodically compared to the stored authorized service codes to determine if the logical channel is authorized. The port is switched to provide or deny access to a program signal carried on the signal path, depending on whether the service code assigned to the logical channel identifying the port is authorized. A plurality of ports can be provided to enable subscriber access to different premium services. Each port can couple a trap to the signal path, alternately bypass the trap, or alternately open the signal path to disconnect a subscriber.

Addressable control system for CATV program distribution

A multiple converter system is provided for a remote user in a cable communications system. The converters at the user location are linked together via a splitter. One converter operates as a master converter transmitting a master control signal to the other converters, designated as slave converters. The slave converters are actuated only upon reception of the master control signal. The master control signal is interrupted by the master converter only when it transmits data upstream to the central office or when one of the slave converters is required to transmit data. A slave converter notifies the master converter of the need to transmit data by a slave signal. A transmitter unit is automatically activated for transmitting data upstream upon the absence of the master signal on the bus.

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Denton, TX, United States of America

John S Chenoweth