Abstract: A sub-atmospheric pressure desalinating still employs a closed top, open bottom pipe filled with source water to be distilled, such as seawater, having a height greater than the height of a column of seawater that can be supported by the pressure at the bottom of the tank so that a subatmospheric pressure volume is formed at the top. Water from the source is also pumped into the subatmospheric volume and passed through an evaporator which enlarges its surface volume. A small percentage of the water is vaporized and the balance is cooled to provide the heat of vaporization and falls into the top of the seawater column, creating a downward flow. The vapor is drawn from the vacuum and condensed, preferably in a second subatmospheric volume above a column of fresh water.

Abstract: A stored program pay-per-play system includes a high-capacity storage medium facilitating compilation of video, audio or other programs at a subscriber's site. While the recording of such programs may take place at any time preceding playback, billing occurs only when, and if, the subscriber chooses to select a program for replay or actually enjoys the program substantially in its entirety. Billing is alternatively based on a store-credit or account debiting scheme. The recording of program materials may be directed automatically by subscriber-operated storage management facilities which scan program schedules and select materials to be recorded, based on title, cast, program genre or any other of a variety of viewer/listener preferences. Alternatively, the program provider may automatically download programs, either based upon actual or surmised viewer preferences, or at the provider's discretion, for example, using newly-available selections.

Abstract: A stored program pay-per-play system includes a high-capacity storage medium facilitating compilation of video, audio or other programs at a subscriber's site. While the recording of such programs may take place at any time preceding playback, billing occurs only when, and if, the subscriber chooses to select a program for replay or actually enjoys the program substantially in its entirety. Billing is alternatively based on a store-credit or account debiting scheme. The recording of program materials may be directed automatically by subscriber-operated storage management facilities which scan program schedules and select materials to be recorded, based on title, cast, program genre or any other of a variety of viewer/listener preferences. Alternatively, the program provider may automatically download programs, either based upon actual or surmised viewer preferences, or at the provider's discretion, for example, using newly-available selections.

Abstract: A system for programming the automatic operation of a video recorder over an extended time period uses an associated television receiver as a display device for alphanumeric messages to the operator to provide a self-explanatory, interactive programming routine. The video recorder system includes a digital memory, a real time digital clock, and an alphanumeric character generator, all connected to a central digital controller. A keypad allows the operator to initiate a programming routine in which previously stored programming messages are called up from memory and generated on the TV receiver's display tube using the character generator. The operator's responses entered via the keypad are stored in the memory and are called up at future times to generate control signals for the video recorder. The video recorder system further includes a memory storing digital data representing a schedule of programming available for a future period.

Abstract: To initialize a remote control device for use in a particular installation, initialization parameters are entered relating to the relationship between user input codes and equipment to be controlled. In the preferred embodiment involving video recorder equipment, the initialization procedure concerns the video channels available to the recorder and remote control codes associated with the operation of the recorder using a receive-only modem on the device attached to a phone jack, initialization is performed by dialing up a remote location with a touch tone phone. At the remote end a computer sends selected audio response signals to the telephone receiver requesting that the user key in information using the touch tone pad. The computer then transmits the appropriate signals to the memory of the remote device to initialize it.

Abstract: A stored program pay-per-play system includes a high-capacity storage medium facilitating compilation of video, audio or other programs at a subscriber's site. While the recording of such programs may take place at any time preceding playback, billing occurs only when, and if, the subscriber chooses to select a program for replay or actually enjoys the program substantially in its entirety. Billing is alternatively based on a store-credit or account debiting scheme. The recording of program materials may be directed automatically by subscriber-operated storage management facilities which scan program schedules and select materials to be recorded, based on title, cast, program genre or any other of a variety of viewer/listener preferences. Alternatively, the program provider may automatically download programs, either based upon actual or surmised viewer preferences, or at the provider's discretion, for example, using newly-available selections.

Abstract: A system for programming the automatic operation of a video recorder over an extended time period uses an associated television receiver as a display device for alphanumeric messages to the operator to provide a self-explanatory, interactive programming routine. The video recorder system includes a digital memory, a real time digital clock, and an alphanumeric character generator, all connected to a central digital controller. A keypad allows the operator to initiate a programming routine in which previously stored programming messages are called up from memory and generated on the TV receiver's display tube using the character generator. The operator's responses entered via the keypad are stored in the memory and are called up at future times to generate control signals for the video recorder. The video recorder system further includes a memory storing digital data representing a schedule of programming available for a future period.

Abstract: A system for programming the automatic operation of a video recorder over an extended time period uses an associated television receiver as a display device for alphanumeric messages to the operator to provide a self-explanatory, interactive programming routine. The video recorder system includes a digital memory, a real time digital clock, and an alphanumeric character generator, all connected to a central digital controller. A keypad allows the operator to initiate a programming routine in which previously stored programming messages are called up from memory and generated on the TV receiver's display tube using the character generator. The operator's responses entered via the keypad are stored in the memory and are called up at future times to generate control signals for the video recorder. The video recorder system further includes a memory storing digital data representing a schedule of programming available for a future period.

Abstract: In a television viewing system, a VCR adapted for use with a source of cable TV, a remotely controllable cable box and a remotely controllable TV receiver provides means to determine all channels tunable by the various tuners, including pay channels. A memory disposed within the VCR stores operative control codes for the cable box and TV. The VCR incorporates switches adapted to interconnect the various components in a variety of configurations. The VCR also incorporates an infrared transmitter operative to transmit control signals to the cable box and TV receiver. Upon receipt of user inputs specifying the desired mode of operation, a controller within the VCR adjusts the switching positions to achieve an optimum configuration for the system components to perform user selections options and transmits remote control codes to the cable box and the TV receiver to place them in condition to enable the user command.

Abstract: To initialize a remote control device for use in a particular installation, initialization parameters are entered relating to the relationship between user input codes and equipment to be controlled. In the preferred embodiment involving video recorder equipment, the initialization procedure concerns the video channels available to the recorder and remote control codes associated with the operation of the recorder. Using a receive-only modem on the device attached to a phone jack, initialization is performed by dialing up a remote location with a touch tone phone. At the remote end a computer sends selected audio response signals to the telephone receiver requesting that the user key in information using the touch tone pad. The computer then transmits the appropriate signals to the memory of the remote device to initialize it.

Abstract: In a video cassette recorder (VCR) adapted for use in conjunction with a television (TV) receiver, a audio signal generator is used to produce an audio signal in response to key closures made on the VCR's remote unit with the TV speaker being used as an audio output device. In an alternative embodiment, the audio generator is in the form of a speech synthesizer which generates a human-voice message in response to commands entered via the keypad. The main VCR housing may alternatively come equipped with its own speaker, obviating the need to feed the audio signals to the TV.

Abstract: A video recorder, adapted for use in conjunction with a remotely controllable unit associated with television recording and/or viewing, contains a remote-control signal transmitter to transmit control codes to the associated unit, and means to analyze the operation of the associated unit in response to the control codes. An electronic controller causes the transmitter to transmit test codes to the associated unit, then analyzes the resulting operation of the associated unit to determine its control codes, which it stores in a memory for later use.

Abstract: A single remote control transmitter can advantageously control three units including a cable tuner/descrambler, a video recorder/player and a television receiver. One of these three units, preferably the video recorder/player, is a master unit. It receives remote control signals from a hand held remote control transmitter. The master unit is initialized using on screen prompts to learn the remote control signals for the other units which are slaves. The prompts ask the user to operate various controls on the remote control transmitter of the proposed slave unit, while receiving and analyzing the remote control transmissions. This permits the master unit to build a translation table for control of the slave units. The master unit may include a read only memory of remote control codes for a number of possible slave units. The master unit can abort the initialization process if it recognizes the requested remote control transmission is according to one of the remote control codes stored in the memory.

Abstract: A video recorder, adapted to receive descrambled signals from a remotely controllable tuner/descrambler for multi-channel cable or satellite signals for recording or provision to a T.V. receiver, includes a future program memory which may be programmed by an operator to cause the system to record a predetermined channel at a predetermined future time. To ensure that the descrambler is tuned to the proper channel when a signal requiring descrambling is to be recorded, the video recorder is connected to a remote control transmitter which is energized at the time occurrence of a program to be recorded to send a signal to the remote control receiver of the tuner/descrambler causing it to select the appropriate channel for descrambling.

Abstract: A single remote control transmitter can advantageously control three units including a cable tuner/descrambler, a video recorder/player and a television receiver. One of these three units, preferably the video recorder/player, is a master unit. It receives remote control signals from a hand held remote control transmitter. The master unit is initialized using on screen prompts to learn the remote control signals for the other units which are slaves. The prompts ask the user to operate various controls on the remote control transmitter of the proposed slave unit, while receiving and analyzing the remote control transmissions. This permits the master unit to build a translation table for control of the slave units. The master unit may include a read only memory of remote control codes for a number of possible slave units. The master unit can abort the initialization process if it recognizes the requested remote control transmission is according to one of the remote control codes stored in the memory.