The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 30, 2001
Filed:
Nov. 04, 1997
Michael Wyndham Heller, Carthage, IN (US);
Jack Elden James, Indianapolis, IN (US);
Byron Lynn Johnson, Indianapolis, IN (US);
Ronald Lee Katz, Indianapolis, IN (US);
Stephen Gratzer McWilliams, Greenwood, IN (US);
AT&T Corp., New York, NY (US);
Abstract
Apparatus for interdicting television channels of a cable television system comprises a plurality of oscillators dedicated to jamming the audio portion of television channels to be interdicted, and a further plurality of different oscillators dedicated to jamming the video portion of television channels to be interdicted. The number of jamming oscillators for jamming the audio is less than or equal to the number of jamming oscillators for jamming the video. The hopping rate for video jamming is greatly in excess of the hopping rate for audio jamming. On the other hand, the dwell time for audio jamming is greatly in excess of the dwell time for video jamming. At least two levels of jamming effectiveness of both audio and video portions can be addressably controlled from the headend of a system including such interdiction apparatus. If shared oscillators according to prior art techniques are used to jam both audio and video, this form of jamming engine may be selectively actuated in preference to or as an alternative for a jamming engine comprising both an audio jamming oscillator and a video jamming oscillator.