Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for communication of video, audio, teletext, and data to groups of decoders in a communication system

US4866770A · kind A · utility

162Cited by
26References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 14, 1986
Grant dateSep 12, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 14, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N21/4882
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A communication system enabling transmission of individual subscriber teletext messages, audio and video to individual subscribers and permitting group communications of audio, video, teletext and data information from a single central subscriber location, such as a corporate head office to a plurality of satellite offices, such as field or sales offices of the corporation, is disclosed. A composite signal including the information to be transmitted as well as system wide, individual decoder and group decoder control signals is transmitted. The system-wide control signals include data germane to operation of each of the decoders of this system, including key information needed to decode the composite signal. The system-wide control data is transmitted at a first relatively high frequency. The group decoder information includes information permitting individual groups of decoders to receive information portion of the composite signal being transmitted at a given time. In this way, for example, an audio and video signal can be transmitted at a convenient time from a central location to a number of satellite locations. The group decoder control signal can also include signals used by …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.