Tuning mode arrangement useful for restricting channel selection to certain channels
AssigneeRCA Corporation
InventorsJohn B. George, William J. Testin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A television tuning system includes a memory for storing tuning information with first and second groups of memory locations for storing different tuning information for the same group of predetermined channels. A mode switch, in a first mode, allows memory locations in the first group to be addressed when channels in the predetermined group are selected and in a second mode allows memory locations in the second group to be addressed when channels in the predetermined group are selected. Such an arrangement is useful in a motel, hotel or hospital to allow certain channels in a list of channels to be selected when a rental fee has been paid and to exclude those certain channels when the rental fee has not been paid.
Claims10
In a receiver, apparatus for tuning said receiver to various channels comprising:
- channel number register means for storing coded groups of binary signals representing channel numbers of selected channels;
- user operable channel selection means for selectively causing said channel number register means to change said binary signals in a given order when operated;
- tuner means responsive to said binary signals for tuning said receiver to corresponding channels;
- memory means including a plurality of memory locations addressed in response to said binary signals, each for storing at least one tuning control signal associated with the tuning of said receiver to a respective channel;
- utilization means responsive to the tuning control signal stored in an addressed one of said memory locations for controlling said apparatus in a predetermined manner;
- and
- mode selection means interposed between said channel number register means and said memory means in a first mode for selectively causing memory locations in a first group of said memory locations to be addressed in response to said binary signals when said binary signals represent channel numbers in a predetermined group of channel numbers and in a second mode for causing memory locations in a second group of memory locations to be addressed when said binary signals represent channel numbers in said same predetermined group in a second mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.