Method and apparatus for combining adjacent channel television signals

A method of combining a plurality of immediately adjacent channel television signals, each of said channels including a visual signal and a separate aural signal, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a main transmission line for transmitting said plurality of television signals in a predetermined direction of transmission;
• b. inserting the visual signal of a first television channel into said main transmission line in said predetermined direction;
• c. then inserting the visual signal of a second, immediately adjacent television channel into said main transmission line in said predetermined direction, using a frequency band otherwise occupied by the aural signal of the first television channel as a guard band to separate the combined visual signals of said first and second television channels;
• d. then sequentially inserting each visual signal of the remaining television channels into said main transmission line in said predetermined direction of transmission, using a frequency band otherwise occupied by the aural signal of an immediately adjacent and previously inserted television channel as a guard band to separate the visual signal of each remaining television channel from the previously inserted television channel;
• e. then inserting the aural signal of said first television channel into said main transmission line in said predetermined direction;
• f. then inserting the aural signal of said second television channel into said main transmission line in said predetermined direction;
• and
• g. then sequentially inserting each aural signal of the remaining television channels into said main transmission line in said predetermined direction of transmission.

An apparatus for combining a plurality of immediately adjacent channel television signals, each of said channels including a visual signal and a separate aural signal, said apparatus comprising:

• a. a main transmission line adapted to transmit a plurality of television signals therethrough in a predetermined direction of transmission;
• b. a first visual directional filter connected to said main transmission line and adapted to transmit only the visual signal of a first television channel through said main transmission line in said predetermined direction of transmission;
• c. a second visual directional filter connected to said main transmission line at a location immediately downstream of said first visual directional filter with respect to said predetermined direction of transmission, with said second visual directional filter adapted to transmit only the visual signal of a second television channel through said main transmission line in said predetermined direction of transmission, and with said second television channel being immediately adjacent to said first television signal;
• d. a first aural directional filter connected to said main transmission line at a location downstream of said visual directional filters with respect to said predetermined direction of transmission, with said first aural directional filter adapted to transmit only the aural signal of said first television channel through said main transmission line in said predetermined direction of transmission;
• and
• e. a second aural directional filter connected to said main transmission line at a location downstream of said first aural directional filter with respect to said predetermined direction of transmission, with said second aural directional filter adapted to transmit only the aural signal of said second television channel through said main transmission line in said predetermined direction of transmission.

Apparatus for combining a plurality of immediately adjacent channel television signals, each of said channels including a visual signal and a separate aural signal, said apparatus comprising:

• a. a main transmission line adapted to transmit a plurality of television signals therethrough in a predetermined direction of transmission;
• b. a plurality of visual directional filters which are each connected to said main transmission line and are each adapted to transmit only the visual signal of a particular television channel through said main transmission line in said predetermined direction of transmission, with a first visual directional filter adapted to transmit only the visual signal of a first television channel, with a second visual directional filter positioned immediately downstream of said first visual directional filter with respect to said predetermined direction of transmission and adapted to transmit only the visual signal of a second television channel immediately adjacent to said first television channel, and with each remaining visual directional filter positioned immediately downstream of an immediately preceding visual directional filter and adapted to transmit only the visual signal of the next television channel immediately adjacent to the television channel associated with the immediately preceding visual directional filter;
• and
• c. a plurality of aural directional filters, equal in number to the plurality of visual directional filters, and which are each connected to said main transmission line at locations downstream of said plurality of visual directional filters and are each adapted to transmit only the aural signal of a particular television channel through said main transmission line in said predetermined direction of transmission, with a first aural directional filter adapted to transmit only the aural signal of said first television channel, with a second aural directional filter positioned immediately downstream of said first aural directional filter with respect to said predetermined direction of transmission and adapted to transmit only the aural signal of said second television channel, and with each remaining aural directional filter positioned immediately downstream of an immediately preceding aural directional filter and adapted to transmit only the aural signal of the next television channel immediately adjacent to the television channel associated with the immediately preceding aural directional filter.