Data transmission method and apparatus

A system for transmitting data from a first location to at least one receiver location comprising:

• means for receiving a plurality of data messages having varying bit rates at said first location;
• means for organizing said data messages into a mutltiframe matrix, said matrix including a plurality of columns, each column representing a period of time, and a plurality of rows, each row representing a frame of said matrix, individual characters of said data messages being selectively inserted into said columns of said matrix in real time;
• means for transmitting over a transmission medium, for each successive frame of said matrix, the characters in successive columns at a defined bit rate greater than the bit rate of any of said data messages;
• and
• means for decoding at each receiver location the transmitted matrix, messages which are addressed to a receiver location being available for display at said receiver location.

A method for transmitting data from a first location to at least one receiver location comprising the steps of:

• receiving a plurality of data messages of varying bit rates at said first location;
• organizing said data messages into a multiframe matrix, said matrix including a plurality of columns, each column representing a period of time, and a plurality of rows, each row representing a frame of said matrix, individual characters of said data messages being selectively inserted into said columns of said matrix in real time, the first row of said matrix containing information associated with the bit rates and the addresses of said data messages;
• transmitting over a transmission medium, for each successive frame of said matrix, the characters in successive columns at a defined bit rate greater than the bit rates of any of said data messages;
• and
• decoding at each receiver location the transmitted matrix, messages which are addressed to a receiver location being available for display at said receiver location.

A system for transmitting data from a first location to at least one receiver location comprising:

• means for receiving a plurality of data messages having varying bit rates at said first location;
• means for organizing said data messages into a multiframe matrix, said matrix including a plurality of columns, each column representing a period of time, and a plurality of rows, each row representing a frame of said matrix, individual characters of said data messages being selectively inserted into said columns of said matrix in real time, the first row of said matrix containing information associated with the bit rates and the addresses of said data messages;
• means for transmitting over a transmission medium, for each successive frame of said matrix, the characters in successive columns at a defined bit rate greater than the bit rate of any of said data messages;
• and
• means for decoding at each receiver location the transmitted matrix, messages which are addressed to a receiver location being available for display at said receiver location.