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US 5,124,795 AGranted
Tier selection control for a television set
AssigneePrecision Industries, Inc.
InventorScott D. Brusaw
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneePrecision Industries, Inc.
InventorScott D. Brusaw
Estimating the term…
A cable-ready television set having a controller with first and second sets of leads for scanning a plurality of push-button switches and, in response to actuation of the switches, entering into a tuner memory designations defining which channels may be selected for viewing and which channels may not be selected, is modified by disconnecting the switches and connecting the first and second sets of leads to a first connector accessible from the exterior of the set. A hand-held programming module includes a plurality of programming switches connected to a second connector so that each programming switch is connected between one lead in each of the first and second sets of leads when the connectors are mated. The hand-held module includes a non-volatile memory for storing tier data and a microprocessor responsive to actuation of tier selection switches on the module for applying the tier data to the programming switches. Actuation of the programming switches causes the tuner controller to load the tuner memory with designations indicating which channels may or may not be viewed.
A programming system for limiting access to channels which may be viewed on a television receiver, said television receiver having therein a tuner controller, a tuner memory and first and second sets of leads, the tuner controller producing output signals on said first set of leads for scanning programming switches and having inputs connected to said second set of leads and responsive to scanning signals passing through said switches for accessing said tuner memory, said first and second sets of leads being connected to a first connector accessible from the exterior of said television receiver;
The combination comprising:
A method of restricting viewer access in a television receiver having a tuner memory, a plurality of viewer-actuated switches including an Enter switch, a Skip switch, digit switches and a Channel Up switch, a tuner controller responsive to said switches for storing programming data in said tuner memory and controlling a tuner in accordance with said programming data to display only certain ones of available channels, a first plurality of leads connected between said tuner controller and said switches for applying scanning signals to said switches, and a second plurality of leads connected between said switches and said tuner controller for sensing which of said switches may be actuated, said method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.