Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for communicating information using a data tuner

US5946605A · kind A · utility

95Cited by
8References
1Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 24, 1996
Grant dateAug 31, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 24, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03J1/0008
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus allows a data tuner to communicate information. An identifier of the frequency used to transmit the data may be transmitted by a control center to a receiver coupled to the data tuner to notify a user to tune to that frequency to receive the data. The data tuner may transmit a frequency identifier to the control center to instruct the control center which frequency to use to broadcast the data. This frequency may be the frequency to which a user is already tuned, or a frequency meeting certain criteria, such as one having reception exceeding a threshold amount. The data tuner may scan header information provided by several frequencies to identify a frequency meeting certain criteria. The data tuner may provide information to a control center using a transmitter coupled to the data tuner in response to requests for information received by the data tuner.

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