Television – Special applications – Manufacturing
Patent
1996-06-11
2000-01-18
Casler, Brian L.
Television
Special applications
Manufacturing
348 6, 348 10, H04N 710
Patent
active
060161582
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a non-hierarchial network in which receivers are responsive to data objects which are broadcast network wide.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the prior art, there are communications systems for supplying video, audio and data to affiliated receivers in a network for broadcast or display.
These known systems usually comprise some form of addressing to identify the destination, i.e. receiver, for the video, audio or data transmission. The addressing scheme produces a single to multi-point network in which communication is provided between a transmitter and one or more receivers.
These known systems have drawbacks. By its very nature, the addressing scheme requires that the transmitter must know the addresses of all the receivers. This implies that the transmitter must have considerable intelligence or processing power. In addition, each receiver must also include sufficient processing power to identify and decode transmissions which are addressed to it. Furthermore, the capacity of the systems is dependent on the addressing scheme. Each additional receiver will be seen by the transmitter as an additional address which must be serviced.
Certain systems are also known which do not require addressing. In particular, EP, A, O 190 837 (THORN EMI FERGUSON LTD.) published Aug. 13, 1986 discloses a teletext display system in which, to reduce storage capacity and to speed updating, each teletext page contains an identification or ID code, and each receiver has a local interest list which is created based on those pages which are selected most frequently by the user. If a page with an ID on the interest list is received, it is stored so that it can be more rapidly displayed. The pages of interest are then displayed on user request.
Similarly, CH, A, 665 516 (MARCEL MULLER) granted May 13, 1988 discloses a system in which no addressing is required, but rather in which each transmitter transmits a data sequence (e.g. weather reports) from various regions, each report having an ID associated with it. Each receiver can store only a small part of the data stream and chooses reports to store by a local interest list entered by the user on its own keyboard. Stored objects are displayed on request by the user.
Neither of these systems discloses an automated communication system in which a central transmitter can transmit objects to a plurality of receivers, without the need for point-to-point addressing, and in which each receiver can select objects and then automatically retransmit them at desired times and in a desired sequence (usually for display on a customer's television set or the like).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A feature of the present invention is that the receivers process data independent of the transmitter. The system does not require the transmitter to address any of the receivers. Instead, the transmitter broadcasts a stream of objects and each receiver selects any object according to a local profile, and stores the selected objects. Each receiver then retransmits the stored objects in a desired sequence at specifically selected times.
It is another feature of the present invention that the receivers can provide a number of different services.
A communication system comprising: a transmitter having means for transmitting an object stream comprising a plurality of objects; each of said objects having an identifier or ID which is unique in said communication system and which is independent of the time of transmission of said object; a plurality of receivers each including means for receiving said object stream, and each including means for selecting any of said objects from said object stream; means for providing a receiver profile at each of said receivers independently from said object stream transmission, said transmitter having no means for addressing any of said objects to any of said receivers; each of said receiver profiles comprising a list of objects of interest for one
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Hans-Jochen Schneider, Lexinkon der Informatik und Daten-verarbeitung (Dictionary of Computer Science and Data-Processing) 1991, pp. 166-167 ("Darstellungsbereich"), p. 569 ("Overlay"), p. 654 ("Rasterbild)").
Casler Brian L.
Din Luanne P.
Pelmorex Media Inc.
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