Abstract: An IPPV technique is provided for a cable system having one-way addressable converters. Each of several central offices in a metropolitan area will provide ANI information representing the cable subscriber's phone number and a code representing the cable event to be viewed or cancelled. The data is sent asynchronously to a respective telephone communication unit located at the central office. This telephone communication unit (TCU) does some buffering, eliminates unnecessary data, and sends data synchronously to a telephone communication controller (TCC) located at the cable headend station. The TCC will acknowledge the data. There will be several TCCs located at the cable headend station corresponding to the several central offices who may give telephone service to the cable operator's subscribers. All of these TCCs at the headend station are coupled through a multiplexer to a system controller. Each TCC provides intermediate processing which converts the subscriber's telephone number into binary.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 29, 1985
Date of Patent:
February 21, 1989
Assignee:
Zenith Electrics Corporation
Inventors:
Charles B. Bestler, Gordon E. Reichard, Jr., Semir Sirazi