Patent ID: 6204843
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: G06F,H04H,H04N

Abstract:
In an improved interactive television system having a plurality of subscriber television reception systems, each of said subscriber television reception systems comprising a television receiver, each of said television receivers having a plurality of reception channels, each reception channel having a different associated communication frequency, a television subscriber distribution network connected to said plurality of subscriber television reception systems; the improvement comprising:a television programming transmission means connected to said subscriber distribution network for providing transmitted interactive television programming thereto, said subscriber distribution network providing said transmitted interactive television programming to said plurality of subscriber television reception systems, said television programming transmission means comprising means for substantially simultaneously providing a multi-information interactive television program communication signal as said transmitted interactive television programming to said subscriber distribution network; said multi-information interactive television program communication signal comprising a plurality of simultaneously provided different program information message signals related in real time and content to each other;switching means for selecting one of said plurality of simultaneously provided different program information message signals responsive to a control signal corresponding to a particular television receiver for transmitting said selected signal to said particular television receiver, said control signal received over a transmission media, said means for substantially simultaneously providing a multi-information interactive program further comprising said switching means; each of said television receivers independently selecting and receiving any of said plurality of program formation message signals dependent on the program information message signal selected, each of said television receivers comprising signal selection means for generating and transmitting said control signal to said subscriber distribution network for signaling said switching means to transmit a particular program information message signal from said plurality of program information message signals to said television receiver, said switching means requiring an adjustment period in switching from a first selected channel to a next selected channel to properly reconstruct the signal on said next selected channel so that the switch from the first selected channel to the next selected channel results in transition without visually perceptible delay, said signal selection means further comprising means for providing a delay corresponding to said adjustment period during a switch from said first selected channel to said next selected channel, thereby enhancing the efficiency of said switching means during a switch from said first selected channel to said next selected channel;wherein flexible multi-information television programming is provided with a reduced number of television channels and subscribers in said interactive television system independently select and view multi-information interactive television programming and switch between the channels of said multi-information interactive television programs without a visually perceptible delay during said multi-information interactive television program.