US 5,559,549 · Granted 1996-09-24

The Patent That Invented On-Demand Cable TV Menus

Imagine if your cable box could show you a custom menu of shows you actually want to watch, updated from a central office, instead of scrolling through a giant program guide. This 1996 patent describes the digital system that made that possible: satellite-beamed programming compressed into smaller data, sent to your set-top box, where local menus let you pick what to watch.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a complete system for delivering television programs digitally over cable networks using compression, satellite transmission to a headend, and then distribution to individual homes through set-top boxes. What's protected here is the specific architecture: an operations center sending compressed video and menu data via satellite to a cable headend, which then distributes that combined signal to subscriber terminals, where menus stored locally in each box let viewers select programs using a remote control with icon buttons.

Why it matters

This patent captures the foundational infrastructure for modern cable on-demand television. It describes the shift from broadcast-only schedules to interactive, subscriber-controlled program selection—a massive change in how people consumed TV. By locking down the system architecture (compression, satellite delivery, local set-top storage, and menu interactivity), Discovery Communications protected a category that became standard across the entire cable industry and paved the way for later on-demand services.

Real-world use

Every time you pick a show from an on-screen menu on your cable box instead of flipping through channels, you're using technology shaped by this patent's core architecture of menus, remote selection, and compressed digital delivery.

Original USPTO abstract

An expanded television program delivery system is described which allows viewers to select television and audio program choices from a series of menus. The primary components of the system include an operations center, a digital cable headend, and at least one set top terminal having a remote control. The system allows for a great number of television signals to be transmitted by using digital compression techniques. A combined signal is transmitted over satellite to a cable headend, which may modify the combined signal for changes or additions in programming or menu content. The combined or modified signal is subsequently distributed to individual set top terminals in the cable network. Menus are partially stored in a set top terminal in each subscribers home and may be reprogrammed by signals sent from the operations center or headend. Numerous types of menus may be used, incorporating information included within the video/data signal received by the set top terminal. A remote control unit with icon buttons allows a subscriber to select programs based upon a series of major menus, submenus, and during program menus. Various data gathering and analysis techniques are used to compile programs watched information that in turn is used in packaging programs, customizing menu selections, targeting advertisements, and maintaining account and billing information.

Patent details

Publication number: US 5,559,549
Filing date: 1993-12-02
Grant date: 1996-09-24
Assignee: Discovery Communications, Inc.
Inventor(s): HENDRICKS; JOHN S., BONNER; ALFRED E.
CPC class: H04N21/4786

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