US 5,600,364 · Granted 1997-02-04

The Patent That Turned Cable Boxes Into Data-Collecting Machines

Back in the 1990s, cable companies needed a way to manage hundreds of TV channels and figure out what people were actually watching. This patent describes the control system that runs the cable headend—the central hub that sends signals to every set-top box in a network—and how it collects viewing data and serves targeted ads based on what each household watches.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a network controller system that sits at the cable headend and modifies program control signals before sending them to individual set-top terminals. What's protected here is the method of monitoring which channels viewers select, gathering that upstream data back through the cable network, compiling viewer demographics and watch history, and then using that data to generate targeted advertisement packages and billing reports customized for each household's set-top box.

Why it matters

This patent captures the infrastructure that made cable television interactive and data-driven. Before systems like this, cable operators had no way to know what their customers actually watched or to serve advertisements tailored to individual households. The ability to collect and process viewer data at scale became a core business asset for cable companies and set the blueprint for how digital television networks would operate for decades. It essentially enabled the modern cable TV advertising model.

Real-world use

Every time you pressed buttons on your cable remote in the 1990s and 2000s, your set-top box was sending data back up the line through systems governed by this patent, reporting which channels you selected and what you watched.

Original USPTO abstract

A novel network controller for use with a digital cable headend capable of monitoring and controlling set top terminals in a television program delivery system is described. The invention relates to methods and apparatus for a network controller that manages a configuration of set top terminals in a program delivery system. The invention is particularly useful in program delivery systems with hundreds of channels of programming, a menu driven program selection system, and a program control information signal that carries data and identifies available program choices. Specifically, the invention modifies a program control information signal at the cable headend before the modified signal is transmitted to each set top terminal. This signal is used with polling methods to receive upstream data from the set top terminals. The invention initiates such upstream data retrieval, gathers all data received and compiles viewer demographics information and programs watched information. The invention processes this data and information to generate packages of advertisements, as well as account and billing reports, targeted towards each set top terminal. The invention uses upstream data reception hardware, databases and processing hardware and software to accomplish these functions.

Patent details

Publication number: US 5,600,364
Filing date: 1993-12-02
Grant date: 1997-02-04
Assignee: Discovery Communications, Inc.
Inventor(s): HENDRICKS; JOHN S., BONNER; ALFRED E.
CPC class: H04N21/4786

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