Remote control for menu driven subscriber access to television programming

Abstract

An expanded television program delivery system is disclosed which allows viewers to select television and audio program choices from a series of menus. Menus are partially stored in a set-top terminal in each subscriber's home. The menus may be reprogrammed by signals sent from a headend or from a central operations center. The system allows for a great number of television signals to be transmitted by using digital compression techniques. An operations center with computer-assisted packaging allows various television, audio and data signals to be combined, compressed and multiplexed into signals transmitted on various channels to a cable headend which distributes the signals to individual set-top terminals. Various types of menus may be used and the menus may incorporate information included within the video / data signal received by the set-top terminal. A remote control unit with icon buttons allows a subscriber to select programs based upon a series of major menus, submenus, and during program menus. Various billing and statistics gathering methods for the program delivery system are also disclosed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This patent application is a Continuation of commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07 / 991,074, filed Dec. 9, 1992, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The invention relates to television entertainment systems for providing television programming to consumer homes. More particularly, the invention relates to cable television packaging, delivery and presentation systems which provide consumers with many television programming options. [0003] Advances in television entertainment have been primarily driven by breakthroughs in technology. In 1939, advances on Vladmir Zworykin's picture tube provided the stimulus for NBC to begin its first regular broadcasts. In 1975, advances in satellite technology provided consumers with increased programming to homes. [0004] Many of these technology breakthroughs have produced inconvenient systems for consumers. One example is the ubiquito...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is an expanded cable television program delivery system that increases programming capacity by using compressed transmission of television program signals. The system employs digital bandwidth compression technology to compress and combine the program signals, allowing for a six-fold increase in program delivery capability. The system includes a program delivery system in conjunction with a conventional cable television system, with a digital compression system at the cable headend and a decompression system in the set-top terminal. The system uses a menu-driven program selection system with a combined alpha, numeric, and iconic remote control device for easy selection of programs. The network controller at the cable headend monitors and controls all compressors and decompressors in the network. The system provides a one-way path from the operations center to the cable headend, with program monitoring and selection control taking place only at the cable headend. The individual compressed signals can be demultiplexed and sent to the subscriber's set-top terminal for decompression and viewing. The system allows for easy access to programs and optimizes marketing of programs to subscribers."

Problems solved by technology

Many of these technology breakthroughs have produced inconvenient systems for consumers.

This increased program capacity is beyond the ability of many consumers to use effectively.

No method of managing the program choices has been provided to consumers.

Consumers want products incorporating new technology that are useful, and will no longer purchase new technology for the sake of novelty or status.

Consumers do not wish to pay for one hundred channels when due to lack of programming information, they seldom, if ever, watch programming on many of these channels.

The problem is that TV programming is not being managed, packaged, delivered, and presented to consumers in a user friendly manner.

Any further increase in TV entertainment choices, without a user friendly presentation and approach, will likely bewilder viewers with a mind-numbing array of choices.

The TV industry is unable to sell its programming in large quantities on a unit per unit basis, such as the ordering of one program.

Additionally, viewership fragmentation, which has already begun, will increase.

Programming not presented in a user friendly manner will suffer with a decrease in viewership and revenue.

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