Television system for the interactive distribution of selectable video presentations

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for selectively distributing video presentations via a television network from a central location to individual remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

establishing a communications connection between said central location and one of said remote terminals;

upon establishing said connection, transmitting a transmission path identification from said terminal to the central location by means of said connection, said transmission path identification identifying a particular transmission path in said network for transmitting video information from said central location to the remote terminal;

transmitting from said remote terminal to said central location, via said connection, a selection for a particular video presentation;

retrieving video data related to the selected presentation at said central location, encoding the video data with an address associated with the terminal and with said transmission path identification; and

transmitting the encoded data from the central location to the remote terminal over said particular transmission path.

2. An interactive television system, comprising a centrally located presentation system for transmitting video presentations via a television distribution network over at least one channel on said network, where each presentation includes a plurality of individual images and an optional audio segment, and a plurality of remotely located terminals for receiving the video presentations transmitted over said network and for transmitting information to said presentation system via telephone lines designating desired presentations to be transmitted, said presentation system comprising:

a storage system for storing, in digital form, individual images and audio segments;

an audio system for receiving the information transmitted from said remote terminals via the telephone lines and for receiving audio segments from said storage system and transmitting said audio segments to the remote terminals via said telephone lines;

a video system including means for retrieving individual images stored in said storage system, means for encoding each image with an identification code, and means for transmitting said encoded images via said network; and

means responsive to the information received by said audio system for controlling said audio system and said video system to retrieve selected audio segments and images, respectively, from said storage system and to transmit the retrieved segments and images to designated terminals;

each of said remote terminals comprising:

means for receiving television signals transmitted via said network;

means for examining video images transmitted over said one channel to determine whether they are encoded with a designated identification code and for storing individual images encoded with said designated identification code;

means for retrieving an image stored in said storing means at a standard television frame rate and forming a continuous, still-frame, video signal;

means for connecting said terminal to a telephone line;

means for transmitting information to said presentation system via the telephone line in response to viewer commands, including a telephone interface circuit which automatically dials a telephone number associated with the presentation system in response to a viewer command to thereby establish a telephone connection with said presentation system, and means responsive to the establishment of said telephone connection for transmitting, to the presentation system, a transmission path identification which defines a particular transmission path in said network for transmitting video information from said presentation system to the remote terminal;

means for receiving audio segments transmitted via the telephone lines from said presentation system; and

means for combining said continuous, still-frame, video signal with received audio segments to form a composite television signal for presentation to a television receiver.

3. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein said transmission path identification includes an indication of a particular television channel within said network.

4. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein said television distribution network comprises a cable television system having plural trunk lines, and said transmission path identification includes an indication of a particular one of said trunk lines to which the remote terminal is connected.

5. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein a transmission path identification is transmitted from said presentation system to each of the remote terminals as data encoded in video images that are distributed to said terminals prior to the establishment of the telephone connection.

6. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein said presentation system encodes each video image transmitted to a terminal with the transmission path identification received from that terminal, and further including a frame gate for receiving encoded images from said presentation system and for directing said images along respective transmission path sin accordance with the transmission path identification encoded therein.

7. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein said identification code comprises an address identifying at least one of said terminals.

8. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein each of said remote terminals includes a tuner for tuning to different television channels available on said net work, and said presentation system includes means for sending commands to said remote terminals over telephone lines to instruct the tuners in respective terminals to automatically tune to a designated channel.

9. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein said audio system includes means for dialing telephone numbers over said telephone lines and for bridging a remote terminal connected to said presentation system on one line with a telephone connected on another line.

10. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein each of said remote terminals includes a tuner for tuning to different television channels available on said network, and said presentation system includes means for sending command to said remote terminals by means of data encoded in the vertical blanking intervals of video frames transmitted to the respective terminals to instruct the tuners in said respective terminals to automatically tune to a designated channel.

11. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein said video system includes a plurality of video processors for retrieving respective individual images from said storage system and encoding the retrieved images with the addresses of the respective terminals to which they are to be transmitted, and a multiplexer for assembling the retrieved and encoded images into a continuous signal that is transmitted to the terminals via said network.

12. The interactive television system of claim 11 wherein each of said video processors includes means for converting each retrieved image into analog video comprising at least one field of video information, and said multiplexer assembles the analog video from said processors into a continuous analog video signal.

13. The interactive television system of claim 11 wherein the individual images are compressed in accordance with different respective compression algorithms and stored in said storage system in compressed formats, and said video processors include means for decompressing each retrieved image in accordance with different respective decompression algorithms corresponding to their compression formats.

14. The interactive television system of claim 13 wherein information identifying the decompression algorithm to be used for a particular image is stored with the image in said storage system and supplied to a video processor when that image is retrieved from the storage system.

15. The interactive television system of claim 13 wherein some of said individual images contain a combination of pictorial information and fixed textual information, with the textual information for an image being stored in the disk storage system in an uncompressed format separately from the compressed pictorial information, and wherein a video processor retrieves the compressed pictorial information and related textual information for an image from said storage system, decompresses the pictorial information and overlays the textual information on the decompressed pictorial information to form an image corresponding to at least one video field.

16. The interactive television system of claim 15 wherein said controlling means includes means for supplying variable textual information to said video processors to be overlayed on an image in addition to the fixed textual information retrieved from said storage system.

17. The interactive television system of claim 13 further including an image cache associated with said video processors for storing compressed images retrieved from the storage system and for receiving and storing decompressed images generated by a video processor for presentation to said multiplexer.

18. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein said encoded images are transmitted via said network in digital form, and wherein each of said remote terminals includes a video processor for converting each stored image into an analog video image.

19. The interactive television system of claim 18 wherein said images are stored in said storage system in a compressed format and transmitted via said network in the compressed format, and wherein said video processors include means for decompressing each stored image.

20. The interactive television system of claim 2 wherein each remote terminal includes means for determining whether video frames received from said presentation system contain errors and for notifying said presentation system when a received frame contains an error.

21. The interactive television system of claim 20 wherein said notifying means provides a signal to said presentation system via a telephone line each time that a video frame is received at said terminal.

22. The interactive television system of claim 21 wherein said signal indicates whether the received frame contains any errors.

23. The interactive television system of claim 20 wherein said notifying means provides a signal to said presentation system via a telephone line when a received video frame contains an error.

24. The interactive television system, comprising a centrally located presentation system for transmitting video presentations via a television distribution network over at least one channel on said network, where each presentation includes a plurality of individual images and an optional audio segment, and a plurality of remotely located terminals for receiving the video presentations transmitted over said network and for transmitting information to said presentation system via telephone lines designating desired presentations to be transmitted, said presentation system comprising:

a storage system for storing, in digital form, individual images and audio segments;

an audio system for receiving the information transmitted from said remote terminals via the telephone lines and for retrieving audio segments from said storage system and transmitting said audio segments to the remote terminals via said telephone lines;

a video system including means for retrieving individual images stored in said storage system, means for encoding each image with an identification code and means for transmitting said encoded images via said network; and

means responsive to the information received by said audio system for controlling said audio system and said video system to retrieve selected audio segments and images, respectively, from said storage system and to transmit the retrieved segments and images to designated terminals, means responsive to an identification of at least one of a terminal and a viewer for selecting an initial video presentation determined by said identification for transmission to a terminal and display on a television receiver connected to said terminal;

each of said remote terminals comprising:

means for receiving television signals transmitted via said network;

means for examining video images transmitted over said one channel to determine whether they are encoded with a designated identification code and for storing individual images encoded with said designated identification code;

means for retrieving an image stored in said storing means at a standard television frame rate and forming a continuous, still-frame, video signal;

means for connecting said terminal to a telephone line;

means for transmitting information to said presentation system via the telephone line in response to viewer commands, including means for transmitting said identification of at least one of the terminals and the viewer;

means for receiving audio segments transmitted via the telephone lines from said presentation system; and

means for combining said continuous, still-frame, video signal with received audio segments to form a composite television signal for presentation to a television receiver.

25. A method for selectively distributing video presentations via a television network from a central location to individual remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

transmitting non-selected video data from said central location to the remote terminals and encoding said non-selected data with an identification of the path over which it is being transmitted;

establishing a communications connection between said central location and one of said remote terminals;

detecting said identification of the transmission path at the remote terminal;

upon establishing said connection, transmitting the detected identification from said terminal to the central location by means of said connection;

transmitting from said remote terminal to said central location, via said connection, a selection for a particular video presentation;

retrieving video data related to the selected presentation at said central location, encoding the video data with an identification code and with said transmission path identification; and

transmitting the encoded data from the central location to the remote terminal over said identified transmission path.

26. A method for selectively distributing video presentations via a television network from a central location to individual remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

initiating a telephone call from one of said remote terminals to establish a telephone line connection with said central location;

upon establishing said connection, transmitting a transmission path identification from said terminal to the central location by means of the telephone line connection, said transmission path identification identifying a particular transmission path in said network for transmitting video information from said central location to the remote terminal;

transmitting from said remote terminal to said central location, via said telephone line connection, a selection for a particular video presentation;

retrieving video data related to the selected presentation at said central location, encoding the video data with an address associated with the terminal and with said transmission path identification; and

transmitting the encoded data from the central location to the remote terminal over said particular transmission path.

27. The interactive television system of claim 26 wherein said step of transmitting said selection comprises the steps of storing information at said central location which associates at least one of a remote terminal and an individual viewer with a particular video presentation, transmitting an identification of at least one of the terminal and the viewer from the terminal to the central location, and automatically retrieving said particular video presentation in response to said identification for transmission to said terminal and display on a television receiver connected to said terminal.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein said transmission path identification includes an indication of a particular television channel within said network.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein said television distribution network comprises a cable television system having plural trunk lines, and said transmission path identification includes an indication of a particular one of said trunk lines to which the remote terminal is connected.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein said television network includes a frame gate having plural output paths, and further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the encoded video data from said central location to said frame gate over at least one predetermined path;

detecting the transmission path identification encoded in the video data; and

directing the video data to one of said output paths in accordance with the detected transmission path identification.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said plural output paths comprise different respective channels available on said television network.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein said plural output paths comprise different physical paths in said television network.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said different physical paths are different trunk lines in a cable television system.

34. The method of claim 26 wherein said selections are transmitted from said remote terminal to said central location by means of numeric characters and alphabetic characters.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein each numeric character is transmitted over said telephone line by means of single DTMF tone comprised of a pair of predetermined frequencies, nd each alphabetic character is transmitted by means of two sequential DTMF tones wherein at least the first tone includes a unique frequency which identifies it as a non-numeric character.

36. An interactive television system, comprising a centrally located presentation system for transmitting video presentations via a television distribution network over at least one channel on said network, where each presentation includes a plurality of individual images and an optional audio segment, and a plurality of remotely located terminals for receiving the video presentations transmitted over said network and for transmitting information to said presentation system to designate desired presentations to be transmitted, said presentation system comprising:

a storage system for storing, in digital form, individual images and audio segments;

an audio system for retrieving audio segments from said storage system and transmitting said audio segments to the remote terminals;

a video system including means for retrieving individual images stored in said storage system, means for encoding each image with an identification code and means for transmitting said encoded images via said network; and

means responsive to the information received from said remote terminals for controlling said audio system and said video system to retrieve selected audio segments and images, respectively, from said storage system and to transmit the retrieved segments and images to designated terminals;

each of said remote terminals comprising:

means for receiving television signals transmitted via said network;

means for examining video images transmitted over said channel to determine whether they are encoded with a designated identification code and for storing individual images encoded with said designated identification code;

means for retrieving an image stored in said storing means at a standard television frame rate and forming a continuous, still-frame, video signal;

means for transmitting information to said presentation system in response to viewer commands, including means for transmitting, to the presentation system, a transmission path identification which defines a particular transmission path in said network for transmitting video information from said presentation system to the remote terminal;

means for receiving audio segments transmitted from said presentation system; and

means for combining said continuous, still-frame, video signal with received audio segments to form a composite television signal for presentation to a television receiver.

37. The interactive television system of claim 36 wherein said transmission path identification includes an indication of a particular television channel within said network.

38. The interactive television system of claim 36 wherein said television distribution network comprises a cable television system having plural trunk lines, and said transmission path identification includes an indication of a particular one of said trunk lines to which the remote terminal is connected.

39. The interactive television system of claim 36 wherein a transmission path identification is transmitted from said presentation system to each of the remote terminals as data encoded in video images that are distributed to said terminals.

40. A method for selectively distributing video presentations via a television network from a central location to individual remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

transmitting non-selected video data from said central location to the remote terminals and encoding said non-selected data with an identification of the path over which it is being transmitted;

initiating a telephone call from one of said remote terminals to establish a telephone line connection with said central location;

detecting said identification of the transmission path at the remote terminal at the time the telephone call is initiated;

upon establishing said connection, transmitting the detected identification from said terminal to the central location by means of the telephone line connection;

transmitting from said remote terminal to said central location, via said telephone line connection, a selection for a particular video presentation;

retrieving video data related to the selected presentation at said central location, encoding the video data with an identification code and with said transmission path identification; and

transmitting the encoded data from the central location to the remote terminal over said identified transmission path.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein said television distribution network comprises a cable television system having plural trunk lines, and said transmission path identification includes an indication of a particular one of said trunk lines to which the remote terminal is connected.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein said transmission path identification includes an indication of a particular television channel within said network.

43. An interactive television system, comprising a centrally located presentation system for transmitting video presentations via a television distribution network over at least one channel on said network, where each presentation includes a plurality of individual images and an optional audio segment, and a plurality of remotely located terminals for receiving the video presentations transmitted over said network and for transmitting information to said presentation system to designate desired presentations to be transmitted, said presentation system comprising:

a storage system for storing, in digital form, individual images and audio segments;

an audio system for retrieving audio segments from said storage system and transmitting said audio segments to the remote terminals;

a video system including means for retrieving individual images stored in said storage system, means for encoding each image with an identification code and means for transmitting said encoded images via said network; and

means responsive to the information received from said remote terminals for controlling said audio system and said video system to retrieve selected audio segments and images, respectively, from said storage system and to transmit the retrieved segments and images to designated terminals, including means responsive to an identification of at least one of a terminal and a viewer for selecting an initial video presentation determined by said identification for transmission to the terminal associated with said identification and display on a television receiver connected to said terminal;

each of said remote terminals comprising:

means for receiving television signals transmitted via said network;

means for examining video images transmitted over said one channel to determine whether they are encoded with a designated identification code and for storing individual images encoded with said designated identification code;

means for retrieving an image stored in said storing means at a standard television frame rate and forming a continuous, still-frame, video signal;

means for transmitting information to said presentation system in response to viewer commands, including means for transmitting said identification of at least one of the terminal and the viewer;

means for receiving audio segments transmitted from said presentation system; and

means for combining said continuous, still-frame, video signal with received audio segments to form a composite television signal for presentation to a television receiver.

44. An interactive television system, comprising a centrally located presentation system for transmitting video presentations via a television distribution network over at least one channel on said network, and a plurality of remotely located terminals for receiving the video presentations transmitted over said network and for transmitting information to said presentation system to designate desired presentations to be transmitted, said presentation system comprising:

a storage system for storing information in digital form, including information describing individual images which form a video presentation;

means for receiving information transmitted from said remote terminals;

a video system including means for retrieving individual images stored in said storage system, means for encoding each image with an identification code, and means for transmitting said encoded images via said network; and

means responsive to the information received from said remote terminals for controlling said video system to retrieve selected images from said storage system and to transmit the retrieved images to designated terminals;

each of said remote terminals comprising:

means for receiving television signals transmitted via said network;

means for examining video images transmitted over said one channel to determine whether they are encoded with a designated identification code and for storing individual images encoded with said designated code;

means for retrieving an image stored in said storing means at a standard television frame rate and forming a continuous, still-frame, video signal

an input device having keys for designating numeric characters and keys for designating alphabetic characters to enable a user to enter commands pertaining to the display of desired video presentations and to compose messages for transmission to other users in the system;

means responsive to actuation of the keys on said input device for transmitting user-entered commands and for transmitting user-generated messages to said presentation system;

said controlling means of said presentation system including means responsive to the transmission of a message from a remote terminal to store said messages in said storage system and to provide an indication to the user for whom the message is intended that there is a stored message to be transmitted to that user, and means responsive to an acknowledgement from the user for transmitting the stored message to the user.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein said input device is a remote control unit that communicates with said terminal via infrared light.

46. The system of claim 44 wherein each of said remote terminals includes an indicator light and said controlling means provides said indication to a user for whom a message has been stored by causing said indicator light on said intended user's terminal to be actuated.

47. The system of claim 44 wherein said controlling means provides said indication by examining the identity of each user who requests access to the system and, upon detecting that a user requesting access is one for whom a message has been stored, controlling said storage system and said video system to retrieve a predetermined video image stored in said storage system and transmit said image to the user's remote terminal for display on a television receiver to inform the user that a message is waiting.

48. The system of claim 44 wherein a stored message is transmitted to an intended user by means of one or more video fields which are transmitted to the intended user's remote terminal.

49. The system of claim 44 wherein the remote terminal includes a character generator and means responsive to the actuation of keys on said input device to control said character generator to display characters on a television receiver corresponding to the keys actuated on said input device, to thereby provide local echoing of the message being generated by a user.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein said presentation system is responsive to a command indicating that a user desires to transmit a message and provides a signal to said controlling means in said remote terminal in response to said command to selectively actuate said character generator.

51. An interactive television system, comprising a centrally located presentation system for transmitting video presentations via a television distribution network over at least one channel on said network, where at least some of the presentations include video images of one type have pictorial information and accompanying fixed textual information, and a plurality of remotely located terminals for receiving respective video presentations transmitted over said network and forwarding them to television receivers for display, said video presentation system comprising:

a storage system for storing video images in a digital form and having first memory locations for storing the pictorial information of said one type of video images in a compressed digital format and second memory locations for storing the accompanying fixed textual information of said one type of images in an uncompressed format separately from the compressed pictorial information;

a video processing system for receiving the stored compressed pictorial and uncompressed textual information of a video image of said one type, decompressing the pictorial information, and overlaying the textual information on the decompressed pictorial information to form an image corresponding to at least one video field; and

means for responsive to information describing a presentation desired to be viewed by a viewer for controlling said storage system to retrieve selected stored video images and present them to said video processing system.

52. The interactive television system of claim 51 wherein different images having pictorial information are compressed in accordance with different respective compression algorithms and decompressed in accordance with different respective decompression algorithms, and wherein information identifying the decompression algorithm to be used for a particular image is stored with the image in said storage system and supplied to a video processor when that image is retrieved from the storage system.

53. The interactive television system of claim 51 wherein said controlling means includes means for supplying variable textual information to said video processors to be overlaid on an image in addition to the fixed textual information retrieved from said storage system.

54. The interactive television system of claim 51 wherein said video processing system includes a plurality of video processors for retrieving respective individual images from said storage system and encoding the retrieved images with the addresses of the respective terminals to which they are to be transmitted, and a multiplexer for assembling the retrieved and encoded images into a continuous signal that is transmitted to the terminals via said network.

55. The interactive television system of claim 54 wherein each of said video processors includes means for converting each retrieved image into analog video comprising at least one field of video information, and said multiplexer assembles the analog video from said processors into a continuous analog video signal.

56. The interactive television system of claim 54 further including an image cache associated with said video processors for storing compressed pictorial information retrieved from the storage system and for receiving and storing decompressed images generated by a video processor for presentation to said multiplexer.