Information service control point which retreives information as blocks of data

A method of communicating data, the data together forming a title in an interactive services information database, from a central station configured to administrate the information database to a remote station over a communications path, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing the data in the information database as a plurality of data blocks over a plurality of storage devices, each data block being a sequential segment of the data;
• retrieving the stored data blocks from the plurality of storage devices as retrieved data blocks;
• and
• transmitting the retrieved data blocks from the central station to the remote station.

A method of communicating data, the data together forming a title in an interactive services information database, from a central station configured to administrate the information database to a remote station over a communications path, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing the data in the information database on at least one storage device;
• retrieving the stored data, which together form the title, as a sequence of data blocks, each data block being a segment of the stored data;
• and
• transmitting the retrieved data blocks from the central station to the remote station;
• wherein said storing step comprises circulating the stored data at a predetermined clock rate in at least one data storage ring.

A method of communicating data from a central station configured to administrate an interactive services information database, wherein the data are composed of at least

• first title data together forming a first title in the information database and
• second title data together forming a second title in the information database,
• said method comprising the steps of:
• storing the first title data and the second title data in the information database on at least one storage device;
• retrieving the first title data and the second title data as first title data blocks and as second title data blocks from storage, wherein
• each data block is a sequential segment of either the first title data or the second title data, and
• said retrieval is performed such that retrieval of any given one of the first title data blocks is independent of retrieval of all others of the first title data blocks, and retrieval of any given one of the second title data blocks is independent of retrieval of all others of the second title data blocks;
• and
• transmitting the retrieved first title data blocks independently and the retrieved second title data blocks independently from the central station.

A method of communicating data from a central station configured to administrate an interactive services information database, wherein the data are composed of at least

• first title data together forming a first title in the information database and
• second title data together forming a second title in the information database,
• said method comprising the steps of:
• storing the first title data and the second title data in the information database as a plurality of first title data blocks and a plurality of second title data blocks, respectively, on at least two storage devices, wherein each data block is a sequential segment of either the first title data or the second title data, and wherein each of the storage devices stores at least a portion of the first title data blocks and a portion of the second title data blocks;
• retrieving the stored first title data blocks as retrieved first title data blocks;
• transmitting the retrieved first title data blocks from the central station;
• retrieving the stored second title data blocks as retrieved second title data blocks;
• and
• transmitting the retrieved second title data blocks from the central station.

A system for communicating data, the data together forming at least one title in an interactive services information database, from a central station configured to administrate the information database, said system comprising:

• storage means in the information database for storing the data;
• retrieving means operatively connected to said storage means for retrieving at least a portion of the stored data, the portion together forming at least one title;
• and
• a communications link operatively connected to said storage means and said retrieving means for transmitting the retrieved portion from the central station;
• wherein said storage means comprises:
• a plurality of shift registers interconnected in series to form a ring;
• a clock source connected to each of said shift registers for clocking said shift registers;
• and
• wherein the data are shifted from one of said shift registers to the next of said shift registers according to the clocking of said clock source, such that the data circulate continuously in said ring at a rate governed by said clock source.

A system for communicating data, the data together forming at least one title in an interactive services information database, from a central station configured to administrate the information database, said system comprising:

• storage means in the information database for storing the data as a plurality of data blocks, wherein each data block is a sequential segment of the data;
• retrieving means operatively connected to said storage means for retrieving the stored data blocks as retrieved data blocks;
• and
• a communications link operatively connected to said storage means and said retrieving means for transmitting the retrieved data blocks from the central station.