Scientific-atlanta, Inc.

Ray T Haman, Jr

Gregory S Durden

David J Naddor

Randolph J Schaubs

Anthony John Wasilewski

Lamar E West, Jr

Jay C McMullan, Jr

Scott L Hamilton

Robert J Beyers, Ii

Emory L McGinty, Jr

Robert J Edwards

Donald R Huntley

John A Kennedy

Douglas J Hoder

Jesse M Still

Charles R Bramhall

Donovan S White

Jan L Christensen

Melvin Paulick

Richard B Frederick

A data controller which manages the flow of text and electronic program guide (EPG) information to a cable television viewer. The data controller of the invention receives text and EPG information from one or a plurality of authorized data sources via a communications link, processes the received data in its internal database manager to perform data compression and the like, and then provides this text information to the viewer under control of the head end controller. In a preferred embodiment, the text data is formatted on a screen basis into transactions of a predetermined length and the EPG data is formatted on a program basis into transactions of the same length. The transaction are then inserted into the vertical blanking interval of a channel to which the corresponding text or electronic program data has been assigned. At the viewer's television tuner, the text data and/or EPG data is extracted from the vertical blanking interval and mapped to a virtual channel of the viewer's television tuner for display. The viewer's television tuner includes an EPG memory in which the EPG data may be stored to allow the viewer to scroll forward and backward through the stored EPG. The viewer's television tuner also includes a text memory for storing a page of text data so as to allow automatic pagination of the text data on the display screen after a predetermined amount of time has passed during which the viewer may read the text data.

Electronic program guide and text channel data controller

A method of transferring a data message from a remote unit to a central location is provided. A plurality of data channels is selected for transmitting the data message from the remote unit to the central location. At least one random transmit time is generated for transmitting the data message for each of the plurality of data channels. The data message is transmitted over the plurality of data channels at the transmit times. An apparatus for transferring a data message from a remote unit to a central location is also provided.

Cable television radio frequency subscriber data transmission apparatus

Automatic level calibration apparatus for transmitting data from a cable television terminal to the headend of a cable television system comprises programmable transmitter apparatus of the terminal, programmable receiving apparatus at the headend and a calibration controller. Responsive to an addressed command from the headend, the programmable transmitter apparatus returns a sequence of levels at a particular calibration frequency. The programmable receiver apparatus determines an indication of the received signal strength of each of the levels of the sequence of levels. The controller determines an optimum level for transmissions from the terminal.

System for data channel level control

An impulse pay-per-view system wherein a number of downloadable transactions may be utilized to effect increased control and diversity is disclosed. A preview time/free transaction permits a system subscriber to view portions of a pay-per-view event without purchasing the event. A security transaction sent while a pay-per-view event is active may be used to prevent a subscriber from receiving events which have not been purchased. A telephone number transaction may include a special character representing an instruction to pause between the dialing of selected digits. A viewer statistic transaction may be use dot instruct a subscriber to record the channel he is viewing. Finally, a subscriber may pre-buy pay-preview events in order to facilitate VCR recording of the events while he is asleep or away from home.

Set-top interface transactions in an impulse pay per view television

Growing community of inventors

Duluth, GA, United States of America

Ray T Haman, Jr