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专利名称：Method and apparatus for generating and
collecting viewing statistics for remoteterminals in a cable television system
发明人：Jay C. McMullan, Jr.申请号：US07/671532申请日：19910319公开号：US05251324A公开日：19931005
摘要：A method and apparatus for generating and collecting viewing statistics in acable television system is provided. For example, data relating to television channelsbeing viewed at remote terminals may be generated by each remote terminal and thencollected by a system manager. A system manager transmits one or more record timesdownstream to one or more remote terminals indicating a future point in time at whichthe terminal is to record the viewing statistics. The remote terminals store the one ormore record times in memory and when the record time matches the current real time,the remote terminals store in memory the viewing statistics. Thereafter, in response to apolling signal from the system manager, the set top terminals transmit the previouslyrecorded viewing statistics along with a time code corresponding to the time at which theviewing statistics were recorded upstream to the system manager, and the systemmanager processes this information accordingly. In one embodiment, the viewingstatistics are generated from status information within each remote terminal. In anotherembodiment, the viewing statistics are generated from user inputs to each remoteterminal. In one embodiment, several collection slots exist in each remote terminal for
receiving and maintaining more than one record time at a time. In another embodiment,the system manager transmits record times and polling signals for each particularcollection slot independently from and at different times than the other collection slots.
申请人：SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA, INC.
代理人：William A. Marvin,Frederick W. Powers, III
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