Universal broadcast code and multi-level encoded signal monitoring system

An apparatus, which is located at an associated one of a plurality of levels of distribution of a program signal, for receiving said program signal from at least one preceding level of distribution, for passing on said program signal to a succeeding level of distribution or to an end user, and for encoding said program signal with a universal broadcast code (UBC), the apparatus comprising:

• input means for receiving said program signal from at least one level of distribution preceding the level of distribution associated with the apparatus;
• output means for providing said program signal to a level of distribution succeeding the level of distribution associated with the apparatus or to an end user;
• means for synchronizing to said program signal;
• and,
• encoding means responsive to said synchronizing means and to said input means for selectively encoding a unique source information data signal on at least one uniquely specified segment of a plurality of uniquely specified segments of said program signal and for supplying the encoded program signal to the output means, wherein said encoding means is arranged for said encoding independently of existing unique source information data on other uniquely specified segments of the UBC encoded program signal, and wherein said selectively encoded unique source information data is representative of said associated one of a plurality of levels of distribution of said program signal.

An apparatus located at an associated one of a plurality of levels of distribution of a program signal for receiving the program signal from a preceding level of distribution, for passing on the program signal to a succeeding level of distribution, and for encoding an information message into the program signal according to a universal broadcast code, wherein the universal broadcast code includes a plurality of segments of the program signal, wherein each distribution level of the plurality of levels of distribution has assigned to it at least one segment such that the at least one segment into which an information message is encoded uniquely identifies the distribution level in which the apparatus is being used, and wherein the program signal contains video and/or audio content, the apparatus comprising:

• input means for receiving the program signal from at least one level of distribution preceding the level of distribution associated with the apparatus;
• output means for providing the program signal to a level of distribution succeeding the level of distribution associated with the apparatus or to an end user;
• segment detecting means for detecting each of the plurality of segments of the universal broadcast code;
• segment selecting means for selecting at least one segment of the universal broadcast code into which an information message is to be encoded, the at least one selected segment being selected by the segment selecting means dependent upon the distribution level in which the apparatus is being used;
• and,
• encoding means responsive to the segment detecting means, to the input means, and to the segment selecting means for encoding the at least one selected segment with an information message identifying the video and/or audio content of the program signal and for supplying the encoded program signal to the output means, wherein the at least one selected segment into which the information message is encoded identifies the level of distribution in which the apparatus is being used.