Scientific-atlanta, Inc.

M Kent Ivey

Gregory S Durden

Curt M Kuban

Robert J Beyers, Ii

A system and method are provided for selecting groups of one or more cable television subscribers remotely from a billing computer using data fields in either the billing computer database or a system control computer database. A selection criteria language may be used for selecting subscribers based on data fields in the system control database. Once a group of cable subscribers has been selected, an on-screen message may be remotely created and transmitted to the selected subscribers using cable transmission apparatus. The method provides a way of correlating subscriber information in a comprehensive subscriber database (such as may exist on a billing computer) with other subscriber information in a more limited database stored on a system control computer to allow on-screen messages to be targeted at subscribers selected on the basis of criteria from either database. It also allows message attributes (such as duration of display, colors, and message alerts) to be specified remotely from a billing computer rather than requiring the presence of a human operator at the system control computer.

System and method for remotely selecting subscribers and controlling

A method of transmitting addressed messages to subscribers comprises the steps of defining the group or individual subscriber to be addressed, creating the message, assigning the message to the individual or group to be addressed, scheduling the message for transmission, transmitting the message, and recording the transmission of the message. The message creating step further includes the steps of defining message attributes such as background color, creating sets of instructions for the subscriber, if required, setting a data field related to alerting the subscriber and compressing the data length of the message using a predetermined compression code. A system control computer, according to the present invention, comprises a billing computer interface for interfacing with a billing computer and a user interface for providing access to messaging services to a system operator, each of the billing and user interfaces for providing data to a group queuing subsystem and a system event scheduler, respectively. The user interface further accesses a database, the database shared by the system event scheduler and a message, device and group manager. The device manager in turn, when scheduled by the system event scheduler, coordinates the transmission of addressed messages via either a headend controller (via an inband channel) or an addressable data transmitter (via an out-of-band channel).

Addressed messaging in a cable television system

A method of selecting individual subscribers for inclusion in groups by means of certain selection criteria comprises the steps of storing criteria related to terminals of a subscription television system, defining criteria which characterizes a group, logically linking the criteria in a predetermined manner to form a group criteria definition statement, comparing the stored terminal criteria with the group criteria definition statement, and assigning an individual or group of terminals to the group when the stored terminal criteria matches the group criteria definition statement. The selection criteria, for example, may include a range of terminal serial numbers, a range of terminal addresses, the status of the terminal, the service codes for the terminal, subscriber terminal features, a code determining the headend to which a terminal is associated, a terminal model number, and the current orders (for example, pay-per-view events subscribed to). The logical operators may include logical AND, logical OR, logical NOT, equal to, greater than, less than, greater than or equal to, parentheticals for joining operators and brackets and separators for service codes.

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Chamblee, GA, United States of America

M Kent Ivey