Teleglobe Pay-tv System, Inc.

Fred M. Schildwachter & Sons, Inc.

A.c.c. Systems

Intra-video, Inc.

Telecue Systems

Marc Chomet

Louis Salvatore Addonisio

George Sintchak

A magnetically coupled antenna range extender structured to be interposed between an RF antenna and an electronic device. The antenna range extender is positioned between and proximate to one of the RF antenna and the electronic device, for extending the operating range over which information may be communicated and exchanged between the RF antenna and the electronic device.

Magnetically coupled antenna range extender

A subscriber broadcast system broadcasts encrypted fax (facsimile) messages on an FM subcarrier. The subcarrier is received by an FM data receiver which includes an FM receiver tuned to a selected FM subcarrier, a subcarrier detector and a demodulator. A fax message, having the subscriber's address, is received, decrypted, and stored in memory. When the subscriber's fax machine is not busy, i.e., not receiving a fax over a telephone line, the FM data receiver transmits handshake signals and then transmits the stored fax message to the subscriber's fax machine.

FM broadcast fax system

A circuit for actuating a door chime has a dc power source in series with a resistor and in shunt with a capacitor. A remote push button transmits a radio signal to the circuit, to connect a solenoid in series with the power source and the resistor and in shunt with the capacitor, which causes a relatively large pulse of current from the instantaneous combination of the power source current and the current from the charge of the capacitor to be applied to the solenoid which is arranged to strike a tone bar. The resistor in series with the capacitor has a time constant that charges the capacitor adequately between cycles of the operation of the push button and the resistance of the resistor limits the current flow from the power source.

Electronic door chime

A scrambling and descrambling system and method for the video and/or audio portions of a broadcast TV signal, for example, broadcast by cable, microwave or communication satellite, includes a telephone modem at the descrambling receiver decoder box which is periodically, for example once per month for a few seconds, connected to a central computer of the head end operator. The decsrambling decoder box is enabled to receive the telephone call by a digital identification code broadcast periodically and associated with each decoder box. Each decoder box has a digital serial number in its Read-Only Memory (ROM) portion of its CPU (central processing unit) and an Electrically Alterable Read-Only Memory (EAROM) containing an alterable look-up table having for each program code a corresponding descrabling code to enable the descrambler. The central computer calls the descrambler box, receives its temporary serial number code and then, by digital code translated into electrical signals, changes the look-up table to provide a new temporary identification code, unique to that box, for the nex period. Simultaneously, the central computer polls the EAROM to record, by program number, those pay-per-view programs which had been viewed, for billing purposes.

Secure anti-piracy encoded television system and method

A transactional system serves subscribers in a plurality of localities, and includes a national data base having a plurality of groups of addressed segments of data storage. Each group stores data pertaining to an associated locality, and each group is addressed by a locality number. There are provided a plurality of access-number addressed segments of data storage, and a device for linking the access-number addressed segments of data storage to the groups of locality-number addressed segments of data storage. At least one locality includes a plurality of sublocalities, and each locality number has a predetermined number of digits signifying the respective locality, and at least one additional digit for identifying the sub-locality; the latter may identify the zip code number. The groups of addressed segments of data storage preferably include classified ad sections. The linking device includes an apparatus for retrieving the subscriber zip code from the zip code addressed segments of data storage, a device for counting the number of ads in addressed segments of data storage, and a device for transmitting to a subscriber controlled data access unit the counted ads. The subscriber controlled data access unit includes a plurality of subscriber units, each having a locality number corresponding to its geographic location. Each subscriber has an access number, a device for transmitting the access number to the national data base, a display for displaying locality data, and a device for the national data base to receive and process the access-numbers.

Transactional telecommunication system

Selected interference frequency signals are inserted into the video or RF signal at the transmitter for scrambling purposes, either singly or in pairs. At the receiving end the signals are decoded by use of filters matched to the transmitted signal. The system allows different scrambling for each pay program thereby increasing the security relative to the prior art single frequency system.

Pay television system utilizing multi-frequency passive filters

At the television transmitting end, the program audio signals to be encoded are limited to a range of 50 to 7,500 Hz. A 202 KHz signal is modulated by the so-limited audio signal and the resultant upper side-band is heterodyned against an upper side-band derived from modulating the 202 KHz signal by video horizontal drive signals. Only the lower side-band created by the heterodyning process is transmitted. At the receiver, the received single sideband signal is applied to a product detector whose other input receives the output of a horizontal drive oscillator operating in synchronism with the corresponding oscillator at the transmitter. The baseband audio signal is separated from the upper sideband signal at the product detector output by means of a low pass filter.

Method and apparatus for encoding audio signals in television systems

The standard composite television signal is modulated onto an intermediate frequency carrier signal. The so-modulated signal is applied to the input of a first and second frequency converter for conversion respectively to a first or second UHF or VHF output frequency. The two converters are enabled alternately, each for a predetermined number of frames. The resultant signals are summed and transmitted to a receiver location. At the receiver location, the power is split along two channels. Two tuner-mixers, one in each channel, and tuned, respectively, to the first and second output frequency, respectively convert the incoming signal components having the first and second frequency to the same intermediate frequency. The two intermediate frequency signals are summed and converted to the proper frequency for reception on standard television receiver. A program code detector at the receiver counts the number of consecutive outputs from at least one of the tuner-mixers and enables the billing system if the correct number of counts for a given program is present or disables the tuner-mixers if the number is incorrect.

Pay television system

The computer at the central office is connected to the automatic answering system either with or without ringing the subscriber's telephone. Tones sent by the computer to the subscriber system are filtered and compared to a reference signal and a connect signal is furnished when the comparator outputs indicate that the tones signifying the particular billing system have been received. The connect signal energizes a relay which connects the billing system to the telephone line. A holding circuit for the relay is also energized. A first time delay circuit furnishes a signal to start data transmission from the billing system to the computer a short time after receipt of the connect signal. A billing system furnishes an 'access complete' signal deenergizing the holding circuit when billing data transmission is complete. To prevent voice signals from activating the comparators, an untuned differential amplifier has an input connected to the telephone line and furnishes a variable reference signal to the tone comparators, the output of the differential amplifier being less than the output of the filters when the correct tones are received and exceeding the output of the filters upon receipt of voice signals.

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Huntington, NY, United States of America

Marc Chomet