Signal processing apparatus and methods

A method of communicating signals in a television communications network, said television communications network including at least one origination station and a plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations having a receiver, at least one signal generator operatively connected to said receiver, a transmitter, an automatic control unit operatively connected to said at least one signal generator, and a detector operatively connected to said at least one signal generator, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving in each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations an information transmission, including at least one generation instruction related to television programming and at least one signal for comparison from said at least one origination station;
• detecting in each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations said at least one generation instruction and said at least one signal for comparison;
• passing in each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations said at least one generation instruction and said at least one signal for comparison to said automatic control unit;
• generating in each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations a respective generated signal in accordance with said at least one generation instruction;
• comparing, under control of said automatic control unit at each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, said at least one signal for comparison with stored information;
• and
• transferring in each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations said respective generated signal and said television programming to at least one respective receiver station based on a result of said step of comparing, wherein a first of said respective generated signals when generated by a first of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations is different from a second of said respective generated signals when generated by a second of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations,
• wherein said at least one respective receiver station receives and displays said television programming along with information having a predetermined relationship to said television programming to supplement said television programming by processing said respective generated signal received at said at least one respective receiver station.

A method of communicating and controlling at least one of the reception and presentation of television programming in a network, said network including a programming origination station, an intermediate television transmission station, and at least one subscriber station, said intermediate television transmission station including a receiver and a transmitter, and said at least one subscriber station including at least one output device, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing computer program code at said intermediate television transmission station related to first television programming;
• inputting to a computer at said intermediate television transmission station data related to said first television programming;
• receiving a first control signal and a comparison signal at said intermediate television transmission station from said programming origination station;
• detecting said first control signal at said intermediate television transmission station and passing said first control signal to said computer;
• executing said stored computer program code in response to determining the composition of said first control signal;
• generating at said intermediate television transmission station downloadable computer program code by processing said data based on determining the contents of said stored computer program code;
• comparing said comparison signal with stored information at said intermediate television transmission station;
• and
• transmitting said generated downloadable computer program code to said at least one subscriber station based on a result of the comparison;
• receiving said first television programming at said intermediate television transmission station from said programming origination station;
• and
• transmitting a third control signal and said first television programming from said intermediate television transmission station to said at least one subscriber station;
• said generated downloadable computer program code controlling said at least one subscriber station to receive second programming and display said second programming along with said first television programming at said at least one output device, wherein said third control signal instructs said at least one subscriber station to execute said generated downloadable computer code.

A method of communicating signals in a television communications network, said television communications network including at least one origination station and a plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, each of said intermediate television transmission stations having a receiver, at least one signal generator operatively connected to said receiver, a transmitter, an automatic control unit operatively connected to said at least one signal generator, and a detector operatively connected to said automatic control unit, wherein each said automatic control unit is programmed to perform in a station-specific fashion, said method comprising the steps of:

• transmitting information content of at least one first signal from said at least one origination station to each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, said information content of at least one first signal including at least one generation instruction related to television programming;
• transmitting information content of at least one transmission control signal from said at least one origination station to each of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations;
• receiving at each one of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations said information content of at least one first signal;
• detecting, at each one of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, said at least one generation instruction;
• receiving, at each one of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, said information content of at least one transmission control signal;
• passing, at each one of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, said at least one generation instruction to said automatic control unit;
• generating, at each one of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, in accordance with said generation instruction, information content of a second signal;
• including, at each one of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations, said information content of a second signal in said second signal;
• and
• transmitting from each intermediate television transmission station of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations to at least one respective receiver station in accordance with said information content of at least one transmission control signal said second signal, such that the transmission time of said second signal when transmitted from a first of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations is different from the transmission time of said second signal when transmitted from a second of said plurality of intermediate television transmission stations,
• wherein said at least one respective receiver station receives and displays said television programming along with information having a predetermined relationship to said television programming to supplement said television programming by processing said second signal received at said at least one respective receiver station.