Television advertising editing system

A television advertising editing system including a detector for sampling the video signal in a television set to charge a capacitor negatively during which the system is inactive but which permits the capacitor to be charged positively in the brief period wherein the video signal is interrupted between the television program material and commercial material for providing triggering output voltage which permits a relay, connected to the television audio output, to be energized either discontinuing or diminishing the audio output for a predetermined period of time.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A television set has become today a basic ingredient in everyday living and 
it is rare to find a home today which does not have at least one 
television set. With this wide audience available to television network 
companies and the attendant advertising revenue source, the use of 
commercial messages during the broadcasting of program material is 
increasing with greater and greater frequency so that a substantial 
portion of the entertainment program material is being preempted by 
commercial messages for advertising purposes. While the interruption of 
such program material for commercial material messages has always been 
somewhat disturbing to the viewing audience, the increase in preemption of 
time of the program material for advertising is beginning to bring about a 
strong adverse reaction by the viewing audience and a disillusionment or 
dissatisfaction with television in general. Very little has been done in 
the past to eliminate the disturbing aspects of commercial messages in 
television broadcasting since, to the broadcasting network, such a 
reduction in commercial messages would be accompanied by a loss of 
advertising revenue. On the other hand, the television viewer with a 
typical lack of skill in electronic matters can do very little to 
ameliorate the distasteful aspects of television advertising broadcasting. 
One such effort in the past, which has met with very little success, has 
been to use the increased sound volume accompanying a commercial message 
to trigger a suitable device for shutting off the set or for eliminating 
the sound. The only recourse left for the typical television viewer is 
simply to cut off the set or turn down the audio in the set manually or by 
some type of remote control, such an approach being highly inconvenient 
and seldom practiced. 
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a new and 
novel device for automatically controlling the audio output of a 
television set during the broadcasting of commercial messages on the set. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel automatic 
television advertising editing system which responds immediately to the 
presentation of a commercial message on the set either to disconnect or to 
diminish the audio output of the set during the commercial message. 
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and novel television 
advertising editing system which may be easily attached to any 
commercially available television set for diminishing or discontinuing the 
audio output of the set during commercial messages which is simple and 
inexpensive in construction and which utilizes a minimum of readily 
available commercial parts to instantaneously and without fail respond to 
the beginning of one or more commercial messages to remove the audio 
output from the set. 
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a new and novel 
television advertising editing system in which the video signal in the set 
is utilized to interrupt the audio output from the set during a commercial 
message and which may be applied easily to both color and black and white 
television sets. 
The objects of the invention and related objects are accomplished by the 
provision of relay means for controlling the audio output of a television 
set and video signal detecting means connected to the television set for 
receiving the video signal in the set together with means connected to the 
detecting means for monitoring the video signal received by the detecting 
means to provide an output voltage signal which indicates the absence of 
picture information in the video signal during the interval between the 
program material and commercial material. Voltage responsive means are 
connected to the relay means which respond to the output voltage signal 
indicating the absence of picture information in the video signal. The 
voltage responsive means being adapted to actuate the relay means and 
either diminish or discontinue the audio output for a predetermined period 
of time.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a typical commercially available 
television set designated generally by the letter S which is arranged to 
be connected by means of conductors 11 to a unit designated generally by 
the letter A which is constructed in accordance with the invention. The 
unit A comprising the television advertising editing system of the 
invention is preferably enclosed in a suitable housing 12 and is arranged 
to be connected by means of the conductors 11 to that part of the circuit 
of the television set S at which the video signal from a broadcasting 
station appears. The television set S may be either of the black/white or 
color type and the connection by the conductors 11 may be made to either 
the cathodes or the grids of the set S depending on where the video signal 
is applied to the CRT tube of the set. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a typical video signal including 
picture information designated by the letter P. As is well known, just 
prior to the beginning of a commercial message, the video signal picture 
information P is interrupted for a brief moment indicated by a blanking 
pulse B during which period of time the video goes dark as indicated at D. 
This period of time during which the picture information P goes dark is 
about 0.3 seconds or somewhat greater and it is this interruption in the 
video picture information P which is utilized in the operation of the 
advertising editing system of the invention as will be explained 
hereinafter. It has been found that nearly every commercial message in 
television broadcasting is preceded by this brief period when the video 
picture information goes dark. The video signal shown in FIG. 2 is 
particularly for a black/white television set which has the video signal 
drive applied to the cathode of the CRT. However, it should be understood, 
that the principle of operation of the invention is the same whether the 
television set is a color set or a black/white set and whether the video 
signal was applied to the cathodes or the grids of the CRT. The presence 
of picture information P is indicated by an increase in the peak negative 
amplitude of the video signal as shown in FIG. 2. It should be understood 
that in television sets where the video signal is applied to the grid or 
grids of the CRT, the polarity of the input is reversed. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a circuit which forms the 
advertising editing system of the invention which includes video signal 
detecting means designated generally by the numeral 16, means for 
monitoring the video signal received by the detecting means designated 
generally by the numeral 17, voltage responsive means connected to the 
video signal monitoring means 17 and designated generally by the numeral 
19 connected to the voltage responsive means 18 and to the audio output 
system of the television set designated generally by the numeral 20. 
As shown in FIG. 3, a portion of the video signal detecting means enclosed 
in broken lines and designated 16a is utilized together with the other 
components of the detecting means 16 for color sets which as well known, 
utilizes three electron guns. However, the principle of operation is the 
same whether the circuit of FIG. 3 is utilized for either a black/white 
set or a color set. The portion 16b only is used for a black/white set. In 
the description to follow, the video signal detecting means 16 will be 
described in relation to a color television set utilizing both portions 
16a, 16b. 
The video signal detecting means 16 in the circuit of FIG. 1 is connected 
to three terminals 21 through 23 in the television set in the well known 
manner at which the video signal appears in a color set and the video 
signal is coupled to the detecting means 16 by capacitors 26, 27, 28 in 
conductors 31, 32 33 respectively. As explained above, the connection to 
conductor terminals 21, 22, 23 is to the cathodes or grids of the 
television set depending on where the video signal is applied to the CRT 
and there are three connections for a color television set and one for a 
black/white set. The video signals are isolated from the DC voltage in the 
video signal by the capacitors 26, 27, 28 and resistors 36, 37, 38 are 
provided in the conductors 31, 32, 33 for isolating the detecting means 16 
and to prevent loading of the video signal. From the resistors 36, 37, 38, 
the conductors 31, 32, 33 are connected to the anodes of diodes 41, 42, 43 
respectively the cathodes of which are connected to ground 44 by a common 
conductor 45. The diodes 41, 42, 43 clamp the positive cycle of the video 
signal to the ground and thus form a negative reference voltage on the 
capacitors 26, 27, 28 respectively. 
The conductors 31, 32, 33 are also connected between resistors 36, 37, 38 
and diodes 41, 42, 43 through conductors 46, 47, 48 to the cathodes of 
diodes 51, 52, 53 respectively the anodes of which are connected together 
by a conductor 54 connected in turn by conductor 55 to conductor 56. 
Conductor 56 is connected to one side of a control capacitor 57 in the 
monitoring means 17, the other side of capacitor 57 being connected to 
ground 44. Conductor 56 is also connected to one side of a resistor 58, 
the other side of which is connected to conductor 59 to which the cathode 
of a diode 60 is connected. The anode of diode 60 is connected to the 
common conductor 45 and the junction point of conductors 56 and 59 is 
connected to the collector of a transistor 61 having its emitter connected 
through a resistor 62 to a source of positive DC voltage preferably, 12 
volts DC by conductor 63. Thus, capacitor 57 is negatively charged by the 
DC voltage on conductor 56 and if the negative cycles of the video signal 
exceed the negative charge already on capacitor 57, diodes 51, 52, 53 
conduct. When diodes 51, 52, 53 conduct, the result is a net negative 
charge on control capacitor 57 which varies with the amplitude of the 
video signal. Control capacitor 57 is discharged through resistor 58 and 
transistor 61. 
Transistor 61 is a constant circuit source having an output passing through 
resistor 58 to discharge capacitor 57. As current through resistor 58 is 
constant, the voltage across resistor 58 is constant. Therefore, changes 
in the voltage across control capacitor 57 appear at the collector of 
transistor 61 as long as transistor 61 is not saturation and as long as 
diode 60 does not conduct. A potentiometer 66 is provided in the circuit 
of FIG. 3, one side of which is connected to the positive power supply 
conductor 63 and the other side to the anode of a diode 67. The cathode of 
diode 67 is connected by means of conductor 68 to the base of transistor 
61. Therefore, potentiometer 66 serves as a sensitivity control by setting 
a predetermined tripping voltage across control capacitor 57. 
The voltage responsive means 18 of the invention which is connected to the 
monitoring means 17 include at least one and preferably two control gates 
71, 72 which are preferably Schmitt trigger gates. Gate 71 serves as a 
threshold detector and has an input connected by means of conductor 73 to 
conductor 56 at the junction of transistor 61, diode 60 and resistor 58. 
It is the setting on the potentiometer 66 which determines the voltage 
across control capacitor 57 which will trip the Schmitt trigger gate 71. 
It can be seen that the cathode of diode 67 connected to the potentiometer 
66 is connected by conductor 68 through resistor 76 to ground 44. 
In the circuit of FIG. 3, the Schmitt trigger gate 71 serves as a threshold 
detector such that when the picture information in the video signal 
disappears, as explained above, control capacitor 57 charges positive so 
that the input on conductor 73 to gate 71 goes positive to output a 
negative signal. The output of gate 71 is connected to the cathode of a 
diode 78, the anode of which is connected by conductor 79 to the input of 
the second control gate 72 also preferably the Schmitt trigger gate. The 
output of gate 72 is connected by conductor 81 through resistor 82 to the 
base of a control transistor 83 in the relay means 19. The relay means 19 
includes a relay 84 having a coil 86 connected at one side to the 
collector of transistor 83, the emitter of which is connected by conductor 
87 to ground at 44. The other side of relay coil 86 is connected to the 
positive power supply conductor 63. 
Conductor 79 between the gates 71, 72 is connected through a resistor 88 to 
the positive power supply conductor 63 and through a capacitor 89 to the 
power conductor 63 also. 
As explained above, when control capacitor 57 is charged positive by the 
disappearance of the video signal, the input to control gate 71 goes 
positive and the output of control gate 71 goes negative. When the output 
of control gate 71 is driven negative, diode 78 conduct to ground and 
charges capacitor 89 so that the input to gate 72 goes negative. When the 
input of gate 72 is negative, the output is positive to fire transistor 83 
so that transistor 83 conducts and current flows through the relay coil 
86. Relay 84 includes a double pole, single throw switch 91 which in the 
deenergized condition of the coil 86 moves into the solid line position of 
FIG. 3 to complete a circuit through conductors 92 and 93 to the audio 
output speaker 94 of the television set S connected in the well known 
manner by conductors 95 to the internal audio amplifier. When transistor 
83 conducts, relay coil 86 is energized and the switch 91 moves from the 
solid line to the dotted line position disconnecting the speaker 94 and 
eliminating the audio from the television set. If a diminished sound level 
is desired, a resistor 96 is connected across conductors 92, 93, so that 
when the relay 84 is actuated the audio from speaker 94 is diminished 
rather than discontinued. 
Transistor 83 will continue to conduct as long as the input to gate 72 is 
below the threshold level. The time during which the input of control gate 
72 remains below the threshold level is determined by the discharge of 
capacitor 89 through resistor 88 and preferably this time is set to about 
35 to 40 seconds. Capacitor 89 is recharged if during this time, the 
detecting means 16 detects another interruption in the picture 
information. Otherwise, the circuit of the invention deactivates the relay 
84 and releases the audio control at the end of the time period. 
Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention it should 
be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may 
be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.