Wired broadcasting systems

In apparatus for selectively addressing and controlling from a central station one or more power-consuming control devices associated with each of a plurality of power-consuming terminals remote from said central station to achieve one or more desired control functions at each of the remote terminals, wherein said power-consuming terminals are supplied with power from a common power unit, and a transmitter arrangement is adapted to transmit controlling signals from said central station to said power unit, each controlling signal being representative of a desired control function to be effected at one particular remote terminal coupled to said power unit, the combination comprising:

• an encoder associated with said power unit for encoding in accordance with said controlling signals the power supplied from said power unit to said remote terminals,
• a decoder at each remote terminal adapted to receive said encoded power and to derive therefrom power for energizing said decoder and said remote terminal control devices,
• said decoder also being adapted to derive from said encoded power the particular signal representative of the desired control function for the respective terminal,
• at least one of said control devices at said terminal being responsive only to said derived signal for performing said desired control function,
• said apparatus including a plurality of such power units, and wherein said remote terminals are subdivided into groups, each group receiving power from a respective one of said power units and wherein
• said transmitted signals are data signal words, each data word having an address portion representative of the location of a respective remote terminal and a command portion representative of the desired control function to be effected at that remote terminal,
• each said data word also includes a power-unit address portion;
• and
• each said power unit includes a power unit decoder responsive only to data words containing the address portion representative of its own power unit for enabling functioning of its power unit encoder only in response to reception of its respective data word address portion wherein
• said terminal decoder is responsive only to data words having the address portion representative of its respective terminal for actuating said control devices, said
• said control devices are responsive to only the data word command portion associated with said representative address portion, and wherein
• said central station is a program source for a wired broadcast system, having a cable system and said power-consuming devices are supplied by said power units over said cable system, and
• said terminals are included in tap devices for supplying one or more subscriber stations with said programs, and
• said transmitter arrangement also transmits program signals from said central station to said subscriber stations via said power units and under the control of said terminal control devices.

In apparatus for selectively addressing and controlling from a central station one or more power-consuming control devices associated with each of a plurality of power-consuming terminals remote from said central station to achieve one or more desired control functions at each of the remote terminals, wherein said power-consuming terminals are supplied with power from a common alternating-current power unit, and a transmitter arrangement is adapted to transmit controlling signals from said central station to said power unit, each controlled signal being representative of a desired control function to be effected at one particular remote terminal coupled to said power unit, the combination comprising:

• an encoder associated with said power unit for encoding in accordance with said controlling signals the power supplied from said power unit to said remote terminals,
• a decoder at each remote terminal adapted to receive said encoded power and to derive therefrom power for energizing said decoder and said remote terminal control devices,
• said decoder also being adapted to derive from said encoded power the particular controlling signal representative of the desired control function for the respective terminal,
• at least one of said control devices at said terminal being responsive only to said derived signal for performing said desired control function, wherein
• said encoder causes said power to shift between a first power frequency and a second power frequency in accordance with said transmitted signals,
• said signals are in the form of binary data, and
• said encoder produces for each binary "1" a single power cycle of said first power frequency and for each binary "0" a single power cycle of said second power frequency and of the same polarity,
• said encoder also producing full cycles of power of said first frequency in the absence of any binary data,
• said remote terminal decoder includes a circuit responsive to a cycle of said encoder power having a first duration for producing a first decoded signal and a cycle of a second duration for producing a second decoded signal,
• said control devices being responsive to said first and second decoded signals.

An addressable tap device for use in a wired broadcast cable system for disseminating program materials from a central station to subscribers at any of a plurality of remote terminals included in said tap device and adapted to be coupled to respective controlled devices to achieve any of a plurality of desired control functions at each controlled device, said system including power-cunsuming units at differing locations along said cable system and at least one power-supply unit for supplying power to said power-consuming units, said supplied power from each power-supply unit being encoded in accordance with data signals each representative of a particular controlled device and of a particular set of desired control functions for the controlled device,

• said tap device being adapted to be coupled to said cable system at a desired location interposed between said central station and one or more of said controlled devices and also being adapted to be energized by said supplied power;
• said tap device comprising:
• a decoder responsive to said coded supplied power for deriving power to energize said tap device and for deriving signals representative of desired control functions to be provided at the respective tap device, and
• one or more further control devices responsive to said derived control function signals for determining the functions obtainable at one or more of said terminals included in the tap device,
• said system further including means for transmitting said program materials to said taup device independently of transmission of said coded power, and
• said further control devices including switching devices for controlling access by said subscribers to said program materials.

A cable system comprising:

• a power cable;
• a plurality of subscriber devices;
• a source of a plurality of command signals;
• a plurality of addressable tap devices coupled to said cable and each assigned an individual address, each tap device being adapted to be coupled to a group of one or more subscriber devices;
• a controlling device included in each tap device and adapted to cause each coupled subscriber device to assume at least one functional condition in response to a respective predetermined command signal;
• a power supply unit coupled to said cable and adapted to supply power for energizing said tap devices and their controlling devices, said power supply unit being adapted to provide alternating power with individual cycles of either of two fixed durations, in predetermined sequences of said cycles, certain of said sequences being representative of the addresses of individual tap devices and also being representative of particular command signals for determining the functional condition of said subscriber devices;
• a decoder included in each said tap device and responsive to those of such sequences of power cycles which are representative of the address of said tap device and also representative of a command signal for a particular subscriber device coupled to said tap device, for causing said latter subscriber device to assume a functional condition corresponding to said command signal.

In a program-transmitting cable system having a cable, a plurality of power units coupled to said cable, a plurality of addressable tap devices also coupled to said cable, and at least one individual device adapted to be controlled by each tap device, the method comprising:

• (a) encoding the power supplied by each said power unit with encoding signals each representing the address of an individual tap device, each encoding signal also representing a desired condition of at least one of said individual devices to be controlled by said individual tap device;
• (b) receiving said encoded power at each tap device;
• (c) causing said encoded power to energize said tap device;
• (d) causing only that tap device having an address corresponding to the address portion of a particular encoded power signal to respond to that signal;
• (e) causing the tap device thus responsive to the encoded signal to respond to the condition-representing portion of the encoded power signal having said latter address portion, to produce the desired corresponding condition of said controlled device.

In a subscriber cable television system for selectively addressing and controlling from a central station any of a plurality of subscriber devices to achieve any of a plurality of desired control functions at each subscriber device, said cable system including power-consuming units at different locations along said cable system and a power-supply unit for supplying power to said power-consuming unit, said supply power from said power-supply unit being encoded in accordance with data signals each representative of a particular group containing at least one of said subscriber devices and of a particular set of desired control functions for one of said group of subscriber devices, by causing each full cycle of said encoded power to have one of a plurality of durations in accordance with said data signals, the invention comprising a tap device adapted to be coupled to said cable system at a desired location between said central station and said group of subscriber devices, said tap device being also adapted to be energized by said supplied power, said tap device comprising:

• a decoder responsive to said encoded supplied power for deriving therefrom power to energize said tap device and also for deriving signals from said encoded power representative of at least one desired control function to be provided for said group of subscriber devices coupled to said tap device, and
• at least one controlling device responsive to said derived control-function signals for determining the control functions to be performed on a selected one of said group of subscriber devices.