US Patent No: 5,850,218
Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000
Inter-active program guide with default selection control
Stats
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Dec 15, 1998
Issued date -
Feb 19, 1997
filing date -
08/802,833
serial no -
In Force
status
Importance
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Abstract
A system and method are provided for providing a full service cable television system. The cable system incorporates a digital and analog transmission architecture capable of delivering a high number of high quality television programs, advanced cable services, and online services to a subscriber's home. The cable system comprises a cable headend, at least one fiber transport, at least one distribution hub, at least one hybrid fiber coax plant, and a plurality of set-top terminals. Programs and services are transmitted to the set-top terminals in both digital and analog formats to maintain downward compatibility with existing systems. The set-top terminal incorporates a central processing unit, a unified memory architecture, a memory management unit, communications circuitry, I/O control circuitry, and audio and video output circuitry. Through these components the set-top terminal provides advanced cable services such as a comprehensive channel navigator, an interactive program guide, Impulse Pay-Per-View activation, Near-Video-On-Demand and Video-On-Demand programming, and advanced configuration controls. The set-top terminal also provides online services such as World Wide Web browsing, Internet E-Mail, and Home Shopping.
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First Claim
Related Publications
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International Classification(s)
- [Classification Symbol]
- [Patents Count]
Cited Art
| Patent Info | (Count) | # Cites | Year |
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| 5,003,384 Set-top interface transactions in an impulse pay per view television system | 188 | 1988 | |
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| 5,657,414 Auxiliary device control for a subscriber terminal | 113 | 1992 | |
| 5,359,601 Apparatus providing dynamic virtual service selection in a multi-service communications system | 92 | 1993 | |
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| 5,481,542 Interactive information services control system | 441 | 1993 | |
| 5,425,101 System and method for simultaneously authorizing multiple virtual channels | 89 | 1993 | |
| 5,493,339 System and method for transmitting a plurality of digital services including compressed imaging services and associated ancillary data services | 106 | 1993 | |
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| 5,485,221 Subscription television system and terminal for enabling simultaneous display of multiple services | 200 | 1994 | |
| 5,539,822 System and method for subscriber interactivity in a television system | 238 | 1994 | |
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| 5,497,187 In-band/out-of-band data transmission method and apparatus for a television system | 76 | 1994 | |
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| 5,479,268 User interface for television schedule system | 511 | 1994 | |
| 5,532,754 Background television schedule system | 386 | 1994 | |
| 5,619,274 Television schedule information transmission and utilization system and process | 218 | 1994 | |
| 5,550,576 Method and apparatus for merging television program schedule information received from multiple television schedule information sources | 284 | 1995 | |
| 5,479,266 User interface for television schedule system | 285 | 1995 | |
| 5,684,525 Merging multi-source information in a television system | 202 | 1996 | |
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| 5,623,613 System for displaying programming information | 189 | 1994 | |
| 5,517,257 Video control user interface for interactive television systems and method for controlling display of a video movie | 137 | 1995 | |
| 5,585,838 Program time guide | 410 | 1995 | |
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| 5,654,748 Interactive program identification system | 125 | 1995 | |
| 5,677,708 System for displaying a list on a display screen | 128 | 1995 | |
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| 5,657,072 Interactive entertainment network system and method for providing program listings during non-peak times | 206 | 1996 | |
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| 4,691,351 Television signal receiving apparatus | 157 | 1985 | |
| 4,807,052 Remotely controllable electronic apparatus | 110 | 1987 | |
| 5,182,640 Program transmission system and method | 42 | 1990 | |
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| 5,444,499 Audio video apparatus with intelligence for learning a history of user control | 194 | 1993 | |
| 5,434,626 Display apparatus displaying operation menu | 60 | 1994 | |
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| 5,619,247 Stored program pay-per-play | 359 | 1995 | |
| 5,621,579 Method for selectively playing back programs recorded on a video tape | 95 | 1995 | |
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| 5,495,295 Use of transmitter assigned phantom channel numbers for data services | 23 | 1994 | |
| 5,436,676 Remote control unit code translation | 59 | 1994 | |
| 5,459,522 Method for acquisition and display of an on-screen program guide | 51 | 1994 | |
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| 5,448,568 System of transmitting an interactive TV signal | 130 | 1994 | |
| 5,539,920 Method and apparatus for processing an audio video interactive signal | 55 | 1994 | |
| 5,548,532 Apparatus and method for formulating an interactive TV signal | 100 | 1994 | |
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| 5,550,579 Two-way cable tv conversion system | 24 | 1994 | |
| 5,589,872 Compatible interactive TV and multimedia delivery system two-way cable TV conversion system for data transmission over a dedicated frequency band | 14 | 1995 | |
| 5,596,361 Two-way cable TV conversion system for data transmission over a dedicated frequency band | 24 | 1995 | |
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| 4,751,578 System for electronically controllably viewing on a television updateable television programming information | 513 | 1985 | |
| 5,038,211 Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving television program information | 486 | 1989 | |
| 5,293,357 Method and apparatus for controlling a television program recording device | 249 | 1990 | |
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| 5,473,609 Method and apparatus for processing a conditional access program guide as for a satellite TV service | 94 | 1994 | |
| 5,515,106 Method and apparatus for transmitting/receiving a program guide for television services | 91 | 1994 | |
| 5,625,406 Unified program guide interface | 53 | 1996 | |
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| 5,502,504 Video mix program guide | 132 | 1994 | |
| 5,585,866 Electronic television program guide schedule system and method including virtual channels | 320 | 1995 | |
| 5,589,892 Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with data feed access | 559 | 1995 | |
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| 5,093,718 Interactive home information system | 359 | 1990 | |
| 5,220,420 Interactive home information system for distributing compressed television programming | 267 | 1991 | |
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| 5,583,560 Method and apparatus for audio-visual interface for the selective display of listing information on a display | 336 | 1993 | |
| 5,594,509 Method and apparatus for audio-visual interface for the display of multiple levels of information on a display | 380 | 1993 | |
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| 5,465,113 Programmable channel regulating cable television controller | 123 | 1993 | |
| 5,459,506 Enhanced pay per view system | 40 | 1993 | |
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| 5,465,385 CATV system with an easy program reservation | 153 | 1994 | |
| 5,416,508 CATV system with transmission of program schedules, linked program broadcasts, and permissive ordering periods | 166 | 1994 | |
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| 5,459,789 Packet TV program component detector | 78 | 1994 | |
| 5,642,153 Consumer interface for a digital television system | 71 | 1994 | |
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| 5,555,441 Interactive audiovisual distribution system | 78 | 1994 | |
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| 5,410,343 Video-on-demand services using public switched telephone network | 490 | 1993 | |
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| 5,499,046 CATV distribution system with each channel having its own remote scheduler | 114 | 1994 | |
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| 4,602,279 Method for providing targeted profile interactive CATV displays | 400 | 1984 | |
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| 4,862,268 Addressable cable television control system with video format data transmission | 234 | 1985 | |
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| 4,930,158 Selective video playing system | 270 | 1988 | |
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| 5,671,411 Method of searching an audio/visual programming database using selected criterion having implicit logical operation | 116 | 1995 | |
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| 5,027,400 Multimedia bidirectional broadcast system | 553 | 1989 | |
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| 5,635,989 Method and apparatus for sorting and searching a television program guide | 268 | 1996 | |
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| 5,412,720 Interactive home information system | 242 | 1992 | |
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| 5,410,344 Apparatus and method of selecting video programs based on viewers' preferences | 434 | 1993 | |
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| 4,264,925 Interactive cable television system | 236 | 1979 | |
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| 4,963,994 VCR programmer | 317 | 1990 | |
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| 5,528,304 Picture-in-picture feedback for channel related features | 139 | 1994 | |
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| 5,245,420 CATV pay per view interdiction system | 70 | 1990 | |
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| 5,671,276 Method and apparatus for impulse purchasing of packaged information services | 72 | 1995 | |
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| 5,144,663 Method of interactive communication between a subscriber and a decoder of a system of pay-television and decoder thereof | 223 | 1990 | |
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| 5,635,978 Electronic television program guide channel system and method | 207 | 1994 | |
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| 5,563,648 Method for controlling execution of an audio video interactive program | 91 | 1994 | |
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| 5,335,277 Signal processing appparatus and methods | 363 | 1993 | |
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| 5,412,416 Video media distribution network apparatus and method | 201 | 1992 | |
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| 5,440,336 System and method for storing and forwarding audio and/or visual information on demand | 168 | 1993 | |
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| 5,151,782 Control system for satellite delivered pay-per-view television system | 186 | 1989 | |
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| 5,371,795 Automatic censorship of video programs | 44 | 1992 | |
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| 5,544,354 Multimedia matrix architecture user interface | 124 | 1994 | |
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| 5,534,911 Virtual personal channel in a television system | 305 | 1994 | |
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| 5,172,413 Secure hierarchial video delivery system and method | 466 | 1990 | |
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| 4,461,205 Combination lighting and filtering unit for a clean room | 22 | 1982 | |
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| 5,555,549 Process for modifying a surface of a fluororesin product | 8 | 1995 | |
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| 5,629,733 Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with display and search of program listings by title | 253 | 1994 | |
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| 5,559,548 System and method for generating an information display schedule for an electronic program guide | 266 | 1994 | |
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| 5,253,066 TV recording and viewing control system | 465 | 1991 | |
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| 5,576,755 System and method for verification of electronic television program guide data | 93 | 1994 | |
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| 4,203,130 Information displaying system | 148 | 1977 | |
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| 5,168,353 Video distribution system allowing viewer access to time staggered indentical prerecorded programs | 126 | 1990 | |
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| 5,404,393 Method and apparatus for interactive television through use of menu windows | 256 | 1992 | |
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| 4,381,522 Selective viewing | 291 | 1980 | |
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| 5,491,748 Enhanced security for a cable system | 51 | 1994 | |
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| 4,896,347 Interactive video communications system | 19 | 1988 | |
| 5,446,488 Television programme distribution signal having the capability to selectively block non-programme material | 101 | 1993 | |