Programmable CATV system and terminal unit therefor
US5323234A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 30, 1989 |
| Grant date | Jun 21, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 30, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N5/765
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A CATV head end, terminal unit, and system permits time reservation of selected programs by the simple process of entering a program number at the terminal unit. At the head end selected programs are transmitted via cable to the terminal units and include a timer start command located at the start of a program, and a timer end command located at the end of a program. The commands identify the program by a program number, and the start command also identifies the channel on which the program is transmitted. At the terminal unit, the received commands are compared with the program number entered at the terminal unit. If the program numbers match, the power is turned on and the channel is selected, for a start command, or the power is turned off, for an end command.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.