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The present invention relates to an interactive communication system, such as an interactive cable television system (10), for providing an interactive information output over a common output channel from a plurality of remotely transmitted different information inputs (22, 24, 26, 28, 30) and, more

The present invention relates to an interactive communication system, such as an interactive cable television system (10), for providing an interactive information output over a common output channel from a plurality of remotely transmitted different information inputs (22, 24, 26, 28, 30) and, more particularly, relates to a method for expanding the interactive displayable choices for a given channel capacity whereby multiple users of a one-way television signal distribution network (60) may obtain an individualized program information content for a television programming sequence, with the quantity of available interactively selectable program information contents for the television programming sequence being greater than the quantity of available channels (300, 302, 304, 306) of contemporaneous message transmission. The improved method of the present invention comprises the step of transmitting a plurality of different spatially adjacent multichannel television message stacks (308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324) over a plurality of contemporaneous channels (300, 302, 304, 306) with each of the adjacent multichannel stacks comprising a simultaneously transmitted plurality of different separately selectable substantially complete prerecorded television messages in real time over the plurality of contemporaneous television channels to the plurality of multi-channel television receivers (20) through the one-way distribution network (60), a single substantially complete television message being interactively selectable from the plurality of adjacent stacks for providing the real time interactive television message for the multi-channel television receiver (20).

대표청구항 ▼

In a method for enabling a plurality of different continuous real time interactive television messages to be substantially simultaneously provided during a given prerecorded television program from a plurality of multichannel television receivers comprising a one-way common television signal distrib

In a method for enabling a plurality of different continuous real time interactive television messages to be substantially simultaneously provided during a given prerecorded television program from a plurality of multichannel television receivers comprising a one-way common television signal distribution network, the improvement comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting in sequence a plurality of different multichannel television message stacks, with each stack comprising a plurality of time concurrent multichannel television messages, said plurality of stacks comprising a stacking array, said stacking array providing a plurality of selectable time and space multiplexed complete prerecorded television messages, said array being transmitted over a plurality of contemporaneous channels to said plurality of multichannel television receivers through said one way distribution network, a single substantially complete television message being interactively selectable from said array for providing said real time interactive television message for said multichannel television receiver, the quantity of available interactively selectable prerecorded television messages in said array being greater than the quantity of said plurality of available contemporaneous television channels, said array comprising a television programming sequence having an interactively variable program information content for a given television program, said program content for said given television program further comprising a common prerecorded television message commonly displayable during said given television program irrespective of any interactive selection of said interactively selectable television messages; (b) providing said array over said plurality of channels to said multichannel receiver through said one-way distribution network from a multichannel storage means; and (c) interactively selecting in real time multichannel message path through said array for providing said television programming sequence program information content, said interactive selection being multiplexed in both time and space in said array and selecting said message path through said array in reponse to a single interactive selection, a different interactive selection providing a different message path through said array and a different program information content for said television programming sequence, a different receiver being capable of independently selecting a different program information content from said array for said television programming sequence, whereby multiple users of said one way distribution network may obtain an individualized program information content for said television programming sequence, with the quantity of available interactively selectable program information contents in said array for said television programming sequence being greater than the quantity of available channels of contemporaneous message transmission.