Importance

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Abstract

An interactive television system which can provide services such as entertainment programs to users or conduct electronic polls of users, formed of a central computer installation, a plurality of terminal apparatuses each bidirectionally communicating with the central computer installation via a CATV network and each providing video/audio inputs to a display apparatus, with each of the terminal apparatuses being linked to one or more remote control apparatuses whereby users can request services or participate in polling, and in which any message data such as a service request which is issued by a remote control apparatus is automatically accompanied by identifier information, read out from a memory of the remote control apparatus, for identifying that remote control apparatus, and may also be accompanied by personal information concerning a registered user of the remote control apparatus. User recognition can be implemented by an arrangement such as a plug-in IC card interface section or fingerprint recognition section, for enabling restriction of each remote control apparatus to use by only a specific registered user, or to enable only a specific registered user to access certain services.

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First Claim