Method for expanding interactive CATV displayable choices for a given channel capacity

摘要

The present invention relates to an interactive communication system, such as an interactive cable television system (10), for providing an interactive information output over a common output channel from a plurality of remotely transmitted different information inputs (22, 24, 26, 28, 30) and, more particularly, relates to a method for expanding the interactive displayable choices for a given channel capacity whereby multiple users of a one-way television signal distribution network (60) may obtain an individualized program information content for a television programming sequence, with the quantity of available interactively selectable program information contents for the television programming sequence being greater than the quantity of available channels (300, 302, 304, 306) of contemporaneous message transmission. The improved method of the present invention comprises the step of transmitting a plurality of different spatially adjacent multichannel television message stacks (308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324) over a plurality of contemporaneous channels (300, 302, 304, 306) with each of the adjacent multichannel stacks comprising a simultaneously transmitted plurality of different separately selectable substantially complete prerecorded television messages in real time over the plurality of contemporaneous television channels to the plurality of multi-channel television receivers (20) through the one-way distribution network (60), a single substantially complete television message being interactively selectable from the plurality of adjacent stacks for providing the real time interactive television message for the multi- channel television receiver (20).