Did You Know...
...that to encourage use of his new invention, the shopping cart, market owner Sylvan Goldman hired fake shoppers to push the carts around his store in Oklahoma City? Seems his customers were reluctant to give up their hand-carried baskets.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5724091 | Compressed digital data interactive program system An interactive cable television system is disclosed which utilizes a standard cable television distribution network for simultaneously providing a plurality of viewers with an interactive television program comprising a plurality of signals related in tim... | 03/03/1998 |
| 5721584 | Two-way broadcast system and receiving system A two-way broadcasting system and a receiving system which can be realized at a low cost and is not required to newly connect the connecting cables and extended wiring layout. A multiplexed broadcast signal is transmitted from the broadcasting side under ... | 02/24/1998 |
| 5721583 | Interactive television system for implementing electronic polling or providing user-requested services based on identification of users or of remote control apparatuses which are employed by respective users to communicate with the system 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 wit... | 02/24/1998 |
| 5714945 | Bidirectional communication method for CATV system An exciting command is transmitted from a center of a CATV system to a plurality of terminals in a block at the same time for exciting circuits in each terminal. A command to request each of the terminals to send response data is transmitted from the cent... | 02/03/1998 |
| 5715020 | Remote control system in which a plurality of remote control units are managed by a single remote control device A remote control system which can control a plurality of remote control units (RCUs). The remote control system includes a first memory for storing an RCU identification code for each of the remote control units, a second memory for storing a maker identi... | 02/03/1998 |
| 5715515 | Method and apparatus for downloading on-screen graphics and captions to a television terminal A method of downloading on-screen graphics and captions to a television terminal for display comprises a system manager computer and data transmission apparatus coupled thereto for transmitting program code, cube definition data and downloadable display c... | 02/03/1998 |
| 5712976 | Video data streamer for simultaneously conveying same one or different ones of data blocks stored in storage node to each of plurality of communication nodes A media streamer (10) includes at least one storage node (16) including mass storage for storing a digital representation of at least one video presentation. The mass storage is comprised of a plurality of mass storage units. The at least one video presen... | 01/27/1998 |
| 5697047 | Automated optoelectronic switched distribution system The present invention relates to an automated optoelectronic switched distribution system. A head end switching control center is provided. Optical fibers are connected to the head end switching control center. Subsidiary switching control centers (SCC) a... | 12/09/1997 |
| 5689800 | Video feedback for reducing data rate or increasing quality in a video processing system A video processing system and method for processing video signals in the video processing system. According to a preferred embodiment, the video processing system comprises a source system having a processor for encoding video data and a transmitter for t... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5673205 | Accessing a video message via video snapshots A multi-media messaging system (101) allows message recipients who lack full-motion video message-retrieval capability to retrieve at least some image content of video messages via video snapshots--image frames retrieved as still images. The system determ... | 09/30/1997 |
| 5671267 | Interactive system for communications between a cordless telephone and a remotely operated device An interactive communication system includes a portable unit of a cordless telephone for providing wireless telephone communications and integrating telephone functions and control of remotely operated devices, such as television sets, video cassette reco... | 09/23/1997 |
| 5668592 | Interactive television terminal responsive to user commands which combines static service data and recurrently broadcast dynamic service data to produce composite service display signals In an interactive TV system, information which can be left relatively unchanged for substantial periods of time is stored in CD-ROM at each subscriber site. Information which changes between CD-ROM replacements is transmitted from the head end to the subs... | 09/16/1997 |
| 5667440 | Bidirectional communication system A bidirectional communication system includes a center unit and one or more terminal units connected to the center unit via a communication line. The center unit includes: program executing unit for executing one or more programs utilizing operation data ... | 09/16/1997 |
| 5654751 | Testing jig and method of testing video using testing jig A testing jig is comprised of a circuit board which replaces and emulates the data transfer between a network interface module and a decoder engine of a settop box in a digital network. The testing jig receives the encoded video output of an encoder used ... | 08/05/1997 |
| 5649283 | Program verification for cable television at a consumer location Verifying that a correct program is being received and displayed on a television set of a consumer. In addition, video quality is checked to assure that transmission has not degraded the video quality. When the consumer requests a program by transmission ... | 07/15/1997 |
| 5649284 | Multiplex broadcasting system The present invention provides a multiplex broadcasting system and a multiplex broadcast signal receiver for receiving multiplex broadcast signals. The multiplex broadcasting system composes second broadcast information of multi-frequency signals each of ... | 07/15/1997 |
| 5644714 | Video collection and distribution system with interested item notification and download on demand A video jukebox service has a world-wide array of file servers interconnected by data links and having video input apparatus. Each file server has a plurality of connected clients. Video clippings input at the video input apparatus are shared with the oth... | 07/01/1997 |
| 5642154 | Cable maintenance system A cable system includes a cable head end and a plurality of distribution sites having equipment for supplying subscriber station receivers with digital video cable signals from the cable head end. The digital video signal includes a robust data component ... | 06/24/1997 |
| 5636139 | Information service control point which retreives information as blocks of data Various methods and associated apparatuses are provided for communicating data from a central station to a remote station over some form of communications path. The data, which together form at least one title, are stored on at least one storage device. T... | 06/03/1997 |
| 5631693 | Method and apparatus for providing on demand services in a subscriber system An on demand services feature for the provision of video, audio, and data services for a subscription system of the CTV type, or the like. The system comprises a headend coupled to a distribution network having a multiplicity of subscribers. Standard serv... | 05/20/1997 |
| 5625404 | Method and system for accessing multimedia data over public switched telephone network A public switched telephone network for providing information from a multimedia information server to any one of a plurality of subscriber premises, comprises a central office receiving multimedia information signals from a multimedia information server a... | 04/29/1997 |
| 5623422 | Method for prioritizing channels in a communication system Carriers (51) in a communication system (10) are prioritized (70) according to their usability. The carriers (51) that are below a usability threshold are placed on an ingress list (122). Those that exceed the threshold are placed on a preferred list (121... | 04/22/1997 |
| 5613192 | One-way data transmission device with two-way data transmission function When a song data group of a requested song comes in the normal mode ("Yes" in S230, ) the terminal 5 picks up that song data D5 in S240. When the song data group of the requested song does not arrive ("No" in S230,) the terminal first judges in S250 wheth... | 03/18/1997 |
| 5612681 | Data transmission system having dedicated clock channel The clock demodulator 25 continually demodulates the clock signal of the control CPU 7 transmitted from the clock modulator 10 of the center S. The terminal control CPU 23 performs processes such as transmission and reception of data with the demodulated ... | 03/18/1997 |
| 5608446 | Apparatus and method for combining high bandwidth and low bandwidth data transfer Data communications apparatus and methods employing a bidirectional low bandwidth channel and a unidirectional high bandwidth channel. A PC is coupled to an information source by a communications system which provides both a bidirectional low bandwidth ch... | 03/04/1997 |
| 5606726 | Receiving unit for a two-way broadcasting system In two-way broadcasting, the broadcasting side broadcasts a broadcast signal multiplexed with information for identifying a no-ringing response function of the destination. When the destination has the no-ringing response function, the receiving side dial... | 02/25/1997 |
| 5600573 | Operations center with video storage for a television program packaging and delivery system The present invention is an operations center that organizes and packages television programs for transmission in a television delivery system. The center is capable of receiving, storing, packaging and delivering countless programs in various signal form... | 02/04/1997 |
| 5594661 | Method for interfacing with a multi-media information system A method for processing selections identified by a user in an interactive multi-media information system. The interactive multi-media information system includes a processor, a memory, a display device and an input device having a plurality of alpha-numer... | 01/14/1997 |
| 5592477 | Video and TELCO network control functionality An Intelligent Signaling Transfer Point (ISTP) of the common channel interoffice signaling (CCIS) network provides high level control of signaling message routing and of processing of calls relating to telephone services, broadcast services, interactive b... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5592212 | Methods and systems for non-program applications for subscriber television A pay television gaming system including a pay television network having a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television, receiving apparatus for receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units, transmitting apparatus for ... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5587734 | User interface for selecting television information services through pseudo-channel access A cable system in which a plurality of non-interactive channels occupy a first group of carrier frequencies and a plurality of pseudo-channels, each assigned to an information service from a plurality of information services, are carried by a second group... | 12/24/1996 |
| 5585838 | Program time guide A program time guide for an interactive viewing system allows a user to control the time and channels for which program information is displayed. The user can navigate through the program time guide to identify and select desired programs. The program tim... | 12/17/1996 |
| 5583563 | Method and system for delivering an application in an interactive television network A method is disclosed for dynamically transferring an application from a server to a client station in an interactive television network. The method begins with the step of storing an application engine in the memory of the client station. The method furt... | 12/10/1996 |
| 5572517 | Configurable hybrid medium access control for cable metropolitan area networks The hybrid medium access control MAC system is configurable to the type of communication required to support a desired application or service. The MAC system analyzes services requested from a settop terminal, or a network controller client, and determine... | 11/05/1996 |
| 5559803 | Communication system using a bidirectional tree structure network A communication system includes a bidirectional tree network having a base end and a plurality of terminating ends, a central apparatus connected to the base end, a plurality of terminating equipment connected respectively to the terminating ends, and a p... | 09/24/1996 |
| 5557316 | System for distributing broadcast television services identically on a first bandwidth portion of a plurality of express trunks and interactive services over a second bandwidth portion of each express trunk on a subscriber demand basis An interactive television information system having a node in television communication between a source of television information services and a plurality of home interface controllers. Each subscriber television is associated with a home interface contro... | 09/17/1996 |
| 5557320 | Video mail delivery system A sender-subscriber based, transmission traffic control system for video mail, which includes the transmission of bulk electronic data primarily in the form of still or motion picture images, with or without audio track. There are variable bandwidth contr... | 09/17/1996 |
| 5553064 | High speed bidirectional digital cable transmission system A high speed bidirectional cable transmission system for CATV and other television systems includes unidirectional transmission of video signals from a head end unit to a plurality of transceivers or subscribers connected to a transmission line. The head ... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5550825 | Headend processing for a digital transmission system A headend method and apparatus for a digital transmission system is provided which includes inputs for receiving first and second program information from first and second program sources and inputs for receiving first and second control information from ... | 08/27/1996 |
| 5550578 | Interactive and conventional television information system An interactive television information system coupled to a cable television system having a headend for supplying information services and an information service distribution network for delivering information services to subscriber televisions. Each subsc... | 08/27/1996 |
