WO1993010626A1

WO1993010626A1 - Sca/vbi interface adapter

Info

Publication number: WO1993010626A1
Application number: PCT/US1992/010123
Authority: WO
Inventors: David L. Tseng; Ling-Yuan Tseng
Original assignee: Tseng David L; Tseng Ling Yuan
Priority date: 1991-11-22
Filing date: 1992-11-23
Publication date: 1993-05-27

Abstract

Data transmitted over radio frequency SCA (subsidiary communication authority) and VBI (vertical blanking interval) of television signals is adapted for input to an external device. The external device can be a data processing device (140) and/or a facsimile machine (160). The invention includes a receiver for receiving and demodulating radio frequency SCA or VBI data from an antenna (122) and a microprocessor (213) for establishing and controlling communication between the receiver and an external device.

Description

SCA/VBI INTERFACE ADAPTER

Background of the Invention

Field of the Invention:

The present invention generally relates to systems that use subsidiary communication authority (SCA) or television vertical blanking interval (VBI) signal formats for data broadcast and reception. More particularly, the present invention relates to an interface adapter for systems that use SCA or VBI signal formats for data reception and transmission to an external device, such as a data processor or facsimile machine.

Description of Related Art:

One-way broadcasting has typically been used for broadcasting information of general interest such as weather reports, headline news, stock market prices, and so forth. However, groups of users having esoteric interests and unique information distribution requirements are becoming more prevalent. If the number of users interested in a particular type of information is large enough, the use of one-way data broadcasting proves an economic and efficient method for distributing the information.

The use of the relatively new subsidiary communication authority (SCA) signal formats is becoming more prevalent because the FM subcarrier used for data broadcasting easily covers a range or a radius of thirty to sixty miles (fifty to one hundred kilometers) . This facilitates regional application of one-way radio frequency data communication because SCA is very economical and efficient, particularly in instances where the necessary equipment is already in place for conventional stereo voice broadcasting purposes.

A primary advantage of SCA radio frequency data broadcasting is that hundreds or even thousands of users can receive the same data simultaneously and without significant delay. The data transmission speed for typical SCA data broadcast systems is 9,600 baud for commercial applications.

In practice, however, there are some drawbacks to conventional SCA systems. For example, at a typical data broadcast rate, an SCA system receives such large amounts of information so quickly that it is not always practical for a human to read the data in any detail in - real time.

A system that uses SCA for receiving data is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,991,201 issued to the inventors of the present invention. The SCA adapter disclosed in this patent adapts the SCA signal for printing out on a facsimile machine.

An alternative form of one-way broadcasting is television transmissions. Various programs are virtually continuously broadcast by television stations and, since television stations are normally equipped with very powerful transmitters, television signal coverage may range from sixty miles to one hundred miles (one hundred kilometers to one hundred sixty kilometers) . Due to the transmission power allowed by the FCC for television stations, the signal is clearer and stronger than other commercial broadcast media within the united States. Various data broadcasting formats using commercial radio frequency are available today, such as the frequency modulated SCA mentioned above. However, the use of the vertical blanking interval (VBI) in a television formatted signal is becoming more popular as a data broadcasting medium. When considerations such as cost of operation and signal coverage range are included, the use of this television VBI may be even more attractive than frequency modulated SCA in certain applications. This is due in part to the existence of commercial business enterprises which already broadcast SCA and VBI signals and because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has already provided designated frequency channels for these media.

Summary of the Invention

Generally speaking, the present invention provides a system that employs an interface adapter for extracting data from either a vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a television signal to transmit data for reproduction on a facsimile machine and/or a data processor, or extracts data from a radio frequency, subsidiary communication authority (SCA) signal for input into a data processor.

In operation, the present invention provides screening and searching of information transmitted by SCA data transmission by adapting a signal from an SCA radio frequency receiver for input to a data processing device. Preferably, the data processing device has a large enough memory capacity to store information as rapidly as it is transmitted by SCA. A keyboard may be provided for indexing and text searching the received data, as well as providing sorting functions and display of the selected information. A printer port may be provided for connection to a printer, preferably in the form of a facsimile machine or facsimile card in a personal computer, for producing hard copy for on¬ line data transmissions.

In contrast to U.S. Patent No. 4,991,201, the present invention permits the SCA interface adapter 110 to provide a connection to a data processing device 140 as an alternative to a facsimile machine 160.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention uses the VBI of a television signal for carrying information to common facsimile machines. One advantage of the present invention is the low investment required for enabling a TV station to modulate data onto the TV signal, and the cost of building the VBI adapter is also very low.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention can be further understood with reference to the following description in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a functional schematic of a system incorporating an SCA adapter in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a detailed functional schematic of an SCA adapter in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 is a functional schematic of an SCA receiver module in accordance with the present invention; Figure 4 is a functional schematic of a system incorporating a VBI adapter in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 5 is a detailed functional schematic of a VBI adapter in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 6 is a detailed functional schematic of a system incorporating a VBI adapter in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 7 is a detailed functional schematic of a VBI adapter in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

In the system in Figure 1, a data processing device .140 and a facsimile machine 160 are provided for receiving facsimile or data signals from an antenna 122. The signals are received as radio-frequency (RF) signals and are converted in an SCA adapter 110. Additionally, the data processing device 140 and facsimile machine 160 can receive facsimile or data signals from, or direct facsimile or data signals to, a telephone line 150 in a conventional manner. In practice, facsimile machine 160 can be in the form of a facsimile card in a personal computer or a stand alone GUI and/or GIV facsimile machine. In practice, the facsimile machine can operate as a printer.

More particularly in the system in Figure 1, the FM subcarrier signal 120 received by an FM antenna 122 is demodulated to extract digital data 130. The digital data 130 is transferred to the data processing device 140 by the SCA adapter 110, which acts as an interface device. The data processing device 140 provides for further processing such as text searching, editing, storage, display, formatting, and so forth.

The physical connection between the SCA adapter 110 and the data processing device 140 can be an RS-232 connector, an RJ-11 connector or other commercially available I/O port connector. Typically, the data processing device 140 is a notebook personal computer, a lap-top personal computer, a portable personal computer or any such device with I/O and processing capabilities. In practice, the data processing device 140 operates a software controlled operating system to handle data input, output, storage and processing.

When the data processing device 140 has a fixed location, communication with the outside world is normally accomplished through a telephone line, i.e., wired services for sending and receiving messages and data. However, when mobility is required or accessibility to a power line socket and/or telephone lines is not readily available, then the use of an SCA interface adapter 110 provides an efficient and valuable option. This is partially due to the fact that two-way communication is not always desired or necessary. The raw data can be received for studying, but it is not typical that action need be taken immediately. Usually, the analysis time will.permit accessing some other form of communication device, and therefore one-way data broadcasting is sensible and attractive. However, the ability of the data processing device 140 to receive only radio frequency data might not justify its expense, so the system also has the ability to communicate with the outside world through telephone lines 150. The system also permits, in some embodiments, wireless SCA data receiving and wired data transmission to be handled simultaneously through the two communication channels 120 and 150. With such a capability, the operating system of the data processing device 140 is relatively powerful. If it is not desirable to use a data processing device 140 with this degree of power, then the data processing device 140 is provided with the capability to handle one channel at a time through operation of a switch (not shown) associated with the SCA adapter 110 to allow users to choose the priority of the communication channels. The SCA interface adapter 110 is also coupled to a power supply 170.

Figure 2 discloses the operational and peripheral components of the system. In this embodiment, an antenna 122 receives and sends SCA signals over a data channel 120. The SCA signals are input to an SCA receiver module 211. The SCA receiver module 211 outputs a signal to a microprocessor 213. The microprocessor 213 is associated with the memory 212 for selectively storing and retrieving information and programs. The memory 212 stores, for example, the SCA interface adapter system program, system parameters, error messages and also serves as a data buffer.

The microprocessor 213 is also connected by a two- way communication link to a channel controller 218. The channel controller 218 also can receive data directly from memory 212. The channel controller 218 is connected by a two-way communication link to an I/O driver 243. The channel controller 218 is a module which can involve a simple 4-bit computer and serves to arrange the wireless and wired data channel set up and to handle physical data transmission to and from a data processing device via I/O port 242.

The I/O driver 243 can be conventional hardwired driver circuitry. The I/O driver 243 establishes two- way communication with a facsimile machine 160 or, alternatively or simultaneously, with one of two or more I/O ports 241 and 242 of a data processing apparatus 140. The first I/O port 241 is a port for I/O transmission of SCA data. Usually, the first I/O port 241 is an RS-232 port. The second I/O port 242 is a port for data files and facsimile file transmissions. This port can be another RS-232 port or can alternatively be an RJ-11 port.

The microprocessor 213 also receives information from and sends information to an I/O switches and displays unit 219. The I/O switches and display unit 219 can include the keys, switches, LCD displays, LED displays, and so forth, for inputting parameters and displaying messages.

The microprocessor 213 is also connected to a data modem 216 and a facsimile modem 217 by two-way communication links. The data modem 216 can be a conventional 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600 or 14400 baud rate data modem for modulation and demodulation functions. The facsimile modem 217 can be a standard CCITT facsimile modem for Gil, GUI, GIV or newer version modem with built-in communication protocol.

The microprocessor 213 also controls and receives the signals corresponding to a switch 215. Finally, the switch 215 is connected to a telephone line interface 214 which, in turn, is connected to a telephone line 150. The switch 215 is a module which will be able to detect whether an incoming file is a data file or a facsimile file. Normally, it would be verified by detecting the facsimile carrier frequency. If the transmitted file is a data file, then the switch 215 switches the data flow to the data modem 216. Otherwise, the switch 215 is set to send the file to the facsimile modem 217. The telephone line interface 214 can be a conventional digital access arrangement (DAA) interface.

The microprocessor 213 is used to determine and handle several tasks including the following. The microprocessor 213 establishes a communication channel based on the configuration set up and the channel switching sequence which is programmed in the microprocessor 213. The microprocessor 213 also tests the line, i.e., whether calls are currently being processed on the line 150. In absence of such a communication, or in the event that signals from the SCA adaptor 110 are assigned a higher priority, the signals received by the microprocessor 213 are applied to the facsimile machine 160 or the data processing device 140.

The microprocessor 213 also establishes priority between the wireless channel involving the receiver module 211 and the wired channel 150 involving the telephone line interface 214. In a preferred embodiment, the program of the microprocessor 213 is responsive to the absence of the reception of signals from the SCA receiver to control the switch 215 to enable normal communication between the facsimile machine 160 or data processing machine 140 and the telephone line 150. However, if an SCA signal is received and decoded, .and the facsimile machine 160 or data processing device 140 is not currently communicating via the telephone lines, the SCA interface adapter 110 will proceed with a handshaking procedure with the data processing device 140 or facsimile machine 160 to establish the communication channel therebetween.

Furthermore, the microprocessor 213 separates and stores, if necessary, the wireless data and the wired data. The conversion of the facsimile file received from a facsimile modem 217 into a data file for input into the data processing device 140, or vice versa, is also controlled by the microprocessor 213. Finally, the microprocessor 213 communicates with the data processing device 140 and coordinates operations through operating system software.

Figure 3 is a functional schematic of the SCA receiver module 110. The SCA receiver module 110 includes an RF amplifier 310 which receives the FM subcarrier signal over communication channel 120 from the antenna 122. The RF amplifier 310 inputs the amplified radio frequency signal to a mixer 320 for mixing the received RF signals with the oscillations from a local oscillator 330 to produce intermediate frequency oscillations. The intermediate frequency signal is output from the mixer 320 and input to an IF (intermediate frequency) amplifier 340. After amplification, the intermediate frequency signal is input to an SCA detector 350 to detect intermediate frequency transmissions for SCA transmissions. Once detected, the intermediate frequency signal is input to an SCA decoder 360 to extract digital data from the received signal whereupon the SCA data is output to the microprocessor 213. With this arrangement, various communication channels can be set up, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Communication Channel Switching Set Up

(1) SCA File > SCA Interface Adapter — > Fax

(2) SCA File > SCA Interface Adapter — > Data processing device

Fax

(3) SCA File > SCA Interface Adapter

< — > Data processing device

(4J Lined Fax File <— > SCA Interface Adapter < — > Data processing device

(5) Lined Fax File <-> SCA Interface Adapter < — > Fax

Fax

{6) Lined Fax File <-> SCA Interface Adapter

< — > Data processing device

(7) Lined Data File <— > SCA Interface Adapter < — > Data processing device

(8) SCA File > < — > Fax

SCA Interface Adapter

Lined Fax File — > < — > Data processing device

(9) SCA File > < — > Fax

SCA Interface Adapter

Lined Fax File <-> < — > Data processing device

(10) SCA File > < — > Fax

SCA Interface Adapter

Lined Data File <-> < — > Data processing device

(11) SCA File > < — > Data processing device

SCA Interface Adapter

Lined Data File <— > < — > Data processing device For instance, data received via SCA (SCA file) can be transmitted to the SCA interface adapter 110 and directly to a facsimile machine 160, or can be transmitted to the data processing device 140 for further data processing. The data stored and/or processed in the data processing device 140 can be transmitted through the SCA interface adapter 110 to the facsimile machine 160 and vice versa, and/or be re¬ transmitted to a remove device which could be a fax machine or another data processing unit via the telephone line. Also, a facsimile file transmitted over the telephone line 150 can be transferred through the SCA interface adapter 110 to the data processing device 140 for further processing or directly to the facsimile device 160. Data communication over the telephone line 150 can be two-way. Data transmitted over the telephone line 150 can be transmitted through the SCA interface device 110 to the data processing device 160 and vice versa. Various other combinations of this data transfer are shown in Table 1.

When the telephone line 150 is not in use (i.e., when the wired communication channel is not initiated) , the SCA interface adapter 110 is placed in a standby status for receiving frequency modulated SCA data. Once an SCA signal has been received and identified as valid data, then the wireless communication channel is set up. When there is no radio frequency modulated SCA signal, then the telephone line 150 is connected so that the SCA interface adapter 110 will be prepared to receive and/or transmit data from the data processing device 140.

Since an attempt might be made to set up two channels at the same time, or one channel might be activated while the other one is in operation, and if the data processing device cannot handle two communication channels simultaneously, then a priority between the channels is determined. The communication channel with a higher priority will interrupt the lower priority channel and reestablish the channel in due course. The interrupted communication channel can generate an error message to alert the parties or delay the presentation of this message for later communication.

A data processing device 140 that can handle two communication channels simultaneously will possess multi-tasking capabilities so that the microprocessor 213 is capable of handling two I/O channels. Multi¬ tasking operating systems for personal computers are conventional. For use in the SCA interface adapter 110, a dedicated driver program is preferred. This driver program would be loaded into the data processing device 140 to ensure that jobs raised or responded to by the data processing device 140 will be properly processed by the SCA interface adapter 110.

Depending on the desired level of comprehensive services provided by the SCA interface adapter 110, the data received from the SCA could be stored in a memory 212 (either primary or secondary) for later use. Later uses would include search, query, sorting, editing, and so forth. The file created in the data processing device 140 could be transferred to other parties via wired communication channels in addition to the telephone line 150. Alternatively, in some cases, if the user subscribed to a special SCA program, the need to print out on a real time basis would be fulfilled by the GUI facsimile machine, or other conventional printing device, by directing the SCA file thereto in order to have the file printed out. Normally, if two communication channels must be prioritized, the wireless channel will have the higher priority due to the nature of one-way communication. An error message can be generated for transmission over the telephone line 150 to inform the sender of the disruption and to instruct him to re-establish the communication link at a later time. If wired communications are given priority and an SCA transmission is disrupted, then a message can be transmitted over the telephone line 150 to the SCA operator to request re-transmission of the SCA signal, if desired. Of course, if the operating system is capable of handling two channels at the same time, such prioritization is unnecessary.

In an alternative embodiment, as will now be described, the SCA uses the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a television signal.

As background to this embodiment, it should be understood that a television picture is formed by having an electronic gun bombard a phosphorus screen cathode ray tube (CRT) . In order to keep the picture in motion, the electron beam is scanned. The scanning starts from the upper left corner of the screen and proceeds across the screen from the left to the right and slightly downward in most conventional televisions. When the right-hand side margin is reached, the scanning spot retraces rapidly to the position below its starting position and repeats the scanning motion. This scanning motion proceeds until the electron beam ultimately reaches the bottom of the screen. At that point, the spot returns to the top left corner and repeats the process, except that the line of the second scanning field falls between the lines of the first scanning field. Thus, successive fields are interlaced, one on top of the other. This arrangement permits two picture fields for each frame, thus greatly reducing the tendency of flicker to appear on the screen.

The choice of the number of scanning lines in the image depends on the resolving capability of the screen and the viewing distance. In the United States, a standardized screen has 525 lines using 30 frames and 60 fields per minute. This is normally referred to as the NTSC (National Television System Committee) standard. In Europe, a standard screen has 625 lines at 25 frames and 50 fields per minute.

To prevent the retraced lines from being observed by the television viewer, a blanking technique is used. In a horizontal direction, the portion of the screen on the right-hand side will be blanked out. In a vertical direction, a portion of the bottom will be blanked out. The vertical blanking area is about 21 horizontal scan lines. However, of these 21 lines, the first 12 lines and the last three lines are reserved for dedicated purposes. This leaves six lines for data transmission such as proposed herein. The digital data is modulated onto the TV signal during the vacant vertical blanking interval.

As shown in Figure 4, the SCA adapter of U.S.

Patent No. 4,991,201 can be replaced with a vertical blanking interval (VBI) adapter 410, thus offering another vehicle for carrying information to common facsimile machines. The investment involved for establishing such a system is minimal since TV stations for modulating the data onto the TV signal already exist and the VBI adapter 410 is relatively inexpensive to construct and operate. This provides the general public with another, efficient and cost effective source of receiving various data and information programs.

The VBI adapter 410 as shown in Figure 4 is adapted to receive radio frequency signals from an antenna 422 via communication channel 420 for transmission to a conventional GUI or GIV facsimile machine 460. The facsimile machine 460 can be any conventional facsimile machine including the Gil, the GUI, or the GIV facsimile machines, or a facsimile card in a personal computer. The VBI adapter 410 is also coupled to a power supply 470.

The facsimile machine 460 can receive facsimile signals from, and direct facsimile signals to, the telephone line 450 in a conventional manner. In addition, the facsimile machine 460 can receive facsimile signals that have been received from antenna 422 as radio frequency signals and converted in the VBI interface adapter 410. In the United States, the FCC has assigned 82 television channels for commercial use, each channel occupying a 6 megahertz bandwidth. The 82 channels are divided into two groups, i.e., VHF (very high frequency) channels 2 through 13 with a frequency spectrum from 54 megahertz to 216 megahertz and UHF (ultra high frequency) channels 14 through 82 with a frequency spectrum of 470 megahertz to 890 megahertz. In the 6 megahertz bandwidth of each channel, 1.25 megahertz frequency is used for picture carrier transmission and 5.75 megahertz is used for sound carrier transmission.

For receiving a television signal, a TV tuner is required. The TV tuner locks onto a frequency which the TV signal has broadcast. For VHF and UHF, separate tuners are often required, but a full range tuner can cover both VHF and UHF.

A video synchronous separator circuit 517 is phased in to match and lock onto the vertical blanking line pulses. After locking onto the VBI signal, the signal of the 13th line through the 18th line, i.e, the vacant vertical blanking interval, will be demodulated. The digital data is thus extracted through demodulation.

More specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the antenna 422 receives data which is input to a radio frequency amplifier 511. The amplified radio frequency signal is then input to a mixer 512 which also receives a signal from a local oscillator 513. The mixer 512 mixes the received signal with the locally generated oscillations to produce an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, which is input in a picture IF amplifier 514. The picture IF amplifier 514 separates a sound signal and a picture signal. The picture signal is passed to a picture band pass filter 515, then through a video amplifier 516 to a video synchronous separator 517.

The adapter 410 of Figure 5 further includes a microprocessor 530 connected to receive the output of the video synchronous separator 517. The program of the microprocessor 530, stored in a memory 531, controls the operation of the changeover switch 532 for connecting either the telephone line 450 or the telephone line interface 540 to the facsimile machine connected to port 541 of the adapter 410. A program of the microprocessor 530 tests the signals received from the VBI for presence of a signal header corresponding to the received facsimile signal. The microprocessor 530 also tests the line 541 to determine the present status of the line, i.e., whether calls are currently being processed thereon via telephone line 450. In the absence of such communications, or in the event that the signals from the VBI adapter 410 are assigned to a higher priority, signals received by the microprocessor 530 (after error checking, if desired) are applied to the facsimile modem 550 for application to changeover switch 532 via the telephone line interface 540. At this time, the changeover switch 532 is controlled to connect the interface 540 to the communication line 541 to the facsimile machine. In addition, the microprocessor 530 controls the interface 540 to apply a ring current from the generator 551 to the telephone line interface 540 for application to the facsimile machine 460. Upon answering by the facsimile machine

460, the signals fed back on line 541 are sensed by the microprocessor 530 to disconnect the ringing current generator 551. The microprocessor 530 is also connected to control an LCD display 560 and to receive and control programming instructions from a keyboard 561.

Preferably, the program of the microprocessor 530 is responsive to an absence of reception of facsimile signals from the VBI receiver to control the changeover switch 532 to enable normal communications between the facsimile machine 460 and the telephone line 450.

If, however, the facsimile message is received from the VBI adapter 410 and the facsimile machine 460 is not currently communicating via telephone lines 450 (either receiving or transmitting) , the adapter 410 will proceed with a handshaking procedure with the facsimile machine 460 to establish a communication channel from the VBI adapter 410 to the facsimile machine 460 via the changeover switch 532. In this instance, there is sufficient time remaining to establish the communication link for receiving the VBI file after the file header of the television broadcast facsimile message has been detected by the VBI adapters 410.

During the period that the communication channel is set up in this manner, the adapter 410 will continue to control the changeover switch 532 to activate the facsimile machine 460 just as if a conventional facsimile message were being received via a telephone line. The VBI facsimile file has a header at the start of the file, as well as a coded message at the end of the file, which includes the sender's telephone nximber (voice number and/or facsimile number) , ID, file serial number, and so forth, for example.

If required, after the completion of the VBI facsimile transmission, a feedback to the sender via the wired telephone line 450 can be activated to form a closed communication loop with a feedback.

If a file has been aborted, or the message transmission has not been completed, or the error rate exceeds a given level, or a skip in the serial number has been detected, an error message can be resent to the information operator for transmission via the TV VBI again, or wired lines via a telephone facsimile. The display 560 can display any desired messages, for example, messages concerning miscalls, calls to be resent, and so forth.

In order to avoid conflicts that can occur if the VBI file is received via the VBI adapter 410 when the facsimile machine 460 is either in a transmitting or a receiving mode via the telephone line 450, the program can be configured to control which of the communication channels has higher priority. If the higher priority has been given to the VBI reception (which is appropriate considering the lack of ready two-way communication) , the adapter will interrupt the communication link of the facsimile machine via the telephone line 582 and establish a communication channel with the VBI adapter 410 to resolve the conflict. In this case, the interrupted file can generate a feedback message to the other party so that the file can be either resent later or the other party may be asked to try again later. If the VBI communication has been set to a lower priority, then the adapter 410 can be set to do nothing upon reception of a VBI signal when the facsimile machine is currently . in use. When the next VBI message is received, a skip in the serial number of the message due to the loss of the previous message will be noted, thereby providing the user of the facsimile machine with a prompt to request that the earlier message be resent. Alternatively, the sender's information in the header of the received file can be stored to effect the generation and sending of a feedback message to the sender via a wired telephone line 450 when the telephone line is released. Alternatively, sufficient memory can be provided to store the entire VBI message.

The VBI adapter 410 can stand alone or be integral with the facsimile machine 460, or circuit board/module mounted inside a facsimile machine 460 or a personal computer. When the PC/facsimile machine 460 receives a VBI signal, it will affect protocol conversion directly and apply the signal to the output of the computer. When the switch control returns the message back to the sender, he uses the facsimile modem 550 to do the communication set up.

A facsimile wired communication network can be used in a PSTN (public switch telephone network) or on a leased line.

The system in Figure 6 is yet another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the VBI interface adapter is also capable of inputting data into a data processing device 640 in addition to a facsimile machine 660. The data processing device 640 and a facsimile machine 660 are provided for receiving facsimile or data signals from a TV antenna 622. The signals are received as radio-frequency television signals and are converted in a VBI interface adapter 610. Additionally, the data processing device 640 and facsimile machine 660 can receive facsimile or data signals from, or direct facsimile or data signals to, a telephone line 650 in a conventional manner. In practice, facsimile machine 660 can be in the form of a facsimile card in a personal computer or a stand alone GUI and/or GIV facsimile machine. In practice, the facsimile machine can operate as a printer.

More particularly in the system in Figure 6, the TV signal 620 received by a TV antenna 622 is demodulated to extract digital data 630. The digital data 630 is transferred to the data processing device 640 by the VBI adapter 610, which acts as an interface device. The data processing device 640 provides for further processing such as text searching, editing, storage, display, formatting, and so forth.

The physical connection between the VBI adapter 610 and the data processing device 640 can be an RS-232 connector, an RJ-11 connector or other commercially available I/O port connector. Typically, the data processing device 640 is a notebook personal computer, a lap-top personal computer, a portable personal computer or any such device with I/O and processing capabilities. In practice, the data processing device 640 operates a software controlled operating system to handle data input, output, storage and processing.

When the data processing device 640 has a fixed location, communication with the outside world is normally accomplished through a telephone line, i.e., wired services for sending and receiving messages and data. However, when mobility is required or accessibility to a power line socket and/or telephone lines is not readily available, then the use of a VBI interface adapter 610 provides an efficient and valuable option. This is partially due to the fact that two-way communication is not always desired or necessary. The raw data can be received for studying, but it is not typical that action need be taken immediately. Usually the analysis time will permit accessing some other form of communication device, and therefore one-way data broadcasting is sensible and attractive. However, the ability of the data processing device 640 to receive data only from the VBI signal might not justify its expense, so the system also has the ability to communicate with the outside world through telephone lines 650.

The system also permits, in some embodiments, wireless VBI data receiving and wired data transmission to be handled simultaneously through two communication channels 620 and 650. With such a capability, the operating system of the data processing device 640 is relatively powerful. If it is not desirable to use a data processing device 640 with this degree of power, then the data processing device 640 is provided with the capability to handle one channel at a time through operation of a switch (not shown) associated with the VBI adapter 610 to allow users to choose the priority of the communication channels. The VBI interface adapter 610 is also coupled to a power supply 670.

Figure 7 discloses the operational and peripheral components of the system. In this embodiment, the TV antenna 622 receives and sends signals over a data channel 620. The VBI signals are input to a VBI receiver module 711. The VBI receiver module 711 outputs a signal to a microprocessor 713. The microprocessor 713 is associated with the memory 712 for selectively storing and retrieving information and programs. The memory 712 stores, for example, the VBI interface adapter system program, system parameters, error messages and also serves as a data buffer.

The microprocessor 713 is also connected by a two- way communication link to a channel controller 718. The channel controller 718 also can receive data directly from memory 712. The channel controller 718 is connected by a two-way communication link to an I/O driver 743. The channel controller 718 is a module which can involve a simple 4-bit computer and serves to arrange the wireless and wired data channel set up and to handle physical data transmission to and from a data processing device via I/O port 742.

The I/O driver 743 can be conventional hardwired driver circuitry. The I/O driver 743 establishes two- way communication with a facsimile machine 660 or, alternatively or simultaneously, with one of two or more I/O ports 741 and 742 of a data processing apparatus 140. The first I/O port 741 is a port for I/O transmission of VBI data. Usually, the first I/O port 741 is an RS-232 port. The second I/O port 742 is a port for data files and facsimile file transmissions. This port can be another RS-232 port or can alternatively be an RJ-11 port.

The microprocessor 713 also receives information from and sends information to an I/O switches and displays unit 719. The I/O switches and displays unit 719 can include the keys, switches, LCD displays, LED displays, and so forth, for inputting parameters and displaying messages.

The microprocessor 713 is also connected to a data modem 716 and a facsimile modem 717 by two-way communication links. The data modem 716 can be a conventional 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600 or 14400 baud rate data modem for modulation and demodulation functions. The facsimile modem 717 can be a standard CCITT facsimile modem for Gil, GUI, GIV or newer version modem with built-in communication protocol.

The microprocessor 713 also controls and receives the signals corresponding to a switch 715. Finally, the switch 715 is connected to a telephone line interface 714 which, in turn, is connected to a telephone line 650.

The switch 715 is a module which will be able to detect whether an incoming file is a data file or a facsimile file. Normally, it would be verified by detecting the facsimile carrier frequency. If the transmitted file is a data file, then the switch 715 switches the data flow to the data modem 716. Otherwise, the switch 715 is set to send the file to the facsimile modem 717. The telephone line interface 714 can be a conventional digital access arrangement (DAA) interface.

The microprocessor 713 is used to determine and handle several tasks including the following. The microprocessor 713 establishes a communication channel based on the configuration set up and the channel switching sequence which is programmed in the microprocessor 713. The microprocessor 713 also tests the line, i.e., whether calls are currently being processed on the line 650. In the absence of such a communication, or in the event that signals from the VBI adaptor 610 are assigned a higher priority, the signals received by the microprocessor 713 are applied to the facsimile machine 660 or the data processing device 640.

The microprocessor 713 also establishes priority between the wireless channel involving the receiver module 711 and the wired channel 650 involving the telephone line interface 714. In a preferred embodiment, the program of the microprocessor 713 is responsive to the absence of the reception of signals from the VBI receiver to control the switch 715 to enable normal communication between the facsimile machine 660 or data processing machine 640 and the telephone line 650. However, if a VBI signal is received and decoded, and the facsimile machine 660 or data processing device 640 are not currently communicating via the telephone lines, the VBI interface adapter 610 will proceed with a handshaking procedure with the data processing device 640 or facsimile machine 660 to establish the communication channel therebetween. Further ore, the microprocessor 713 separates and stores, if necessary, the wireless data and the wired data. The conversion of the facsimile file received from a facsimile modem 717 into a data file for input into the data processing device 640, or vice versa, is also controlled by the microprocessor 713. Finally, the microprocessor 713 communicates with the data processing device 640 and coordinates operations through operating systems software.

The foregoing has described the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention. However, the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments discussed. Instead, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and it should be appreciated that variations may be made in those embodiments by workers skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An SCA interface adapter for adapting SCA data for input to a data processor, comprising: means for receiving and demodulating radio frequency SCA data from an antenna; and control means for establishing and controlling communication between the receiving means and a data processor.

2. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 1, wherein the receiving means includes means for detecting SCA data signals, and means for decoding detected SCA signals.

3. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 2, wherein the receiving means further includes means for amplifying radio frequency signals received from the antenna, means for generating an oscillating signal, means for mixing the amplified radio frequency signals with oscillations generated by the generating means to produce an intermediate frequency signal, and means for amplifying the intermediate frequency signal, wherein the amplified intermediate frequency signal is input to the SCA detector means.

4. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 1, wherein the control means includes a microprocessor operating a system program, channel controller for controlling channels of communication between the microprocessor and a data processor according to the system program, and

I/O driver for driving I/O ports of the data processor.

5. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 4, wherein the channel controller controls channels of communication between the microprocessor and a facsimile machine, and the I/O driver drives I/O ports of a facsimile machine.

6. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 1, further comprising means for interfacing with a telephone line.

7. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 6, wherein the control means includes a microprocessor operating a system program, and the interface means includes a data modem, a facsimile modem and a means, controlled by the microprocessor, for switching between the data modem and the facsimile modem depending upon the character of the information input to the interface means via the telephone line.

8. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 1, further comprising an input means for inputting user commands and a display means for displaying data.

9. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 6, wherein the control means establishes and controls simultaneous communication between the receiving means and a data processor, and between the interface means and a data processor.

10. An SCA interface adapter according to Claim 6, wherein the control means establishes and controls communication between the receiving means and a facsimile machine, and between the interface means and a facsimile machine.

11. A VBI interface adapter for adapting VBI data for input to a facsimile machine, comprising: means for receiving and demodulating television VBI data from an antenna; and control means for establishing and controlling communication between the receiving means and a facsimile machine.

12. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 11, wherein the receiving means includes means for detecting VBI data signals, and means for decoding detected VBI signals.

13. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim -12, wherein the receiving means further includes means for amplifying television signals received from the antenna, means for generating an oscillating signal, means for mixing the amplified television signals with oscillations generated by the generating means to produce an intermediate frequency signal, and means for amplifying the intermediate frequency signal, wherein the amplified intermediate frequency signal is input to the VBI detector means.

14. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 11, further comprising means for interfacing with a telephone line.

15. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 14, wherein the control means includes a microprocessor operating a system program for establishing communication between the VBI receiving means and an external device and establishing communication between the telephone interface means and an external device.

16. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 14, wherein the interface means includes a facsimile modem for connecting the telephone interface to a facsimile machine, and a ring current generator, the control means further includes means for applying an output of the ring current generator to the facsimile machine.

17. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 15, wherein the control means terminates communication between the telephone interface means and a facsimile machine in response to detection of receipt of a VBI signal to establish communication between the receiving means and a facsimile machine and for re-establishing communication between the telephone interface and a facsimile machine in response to detection of an absence of a VBI signal.

18. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 11, further comprising an input means for inputting user commands and a display means for displaying data.

19. A VBI interface adapter for adapting VBI data for input to an external device, comprising: means for receiving and demodulating radio frequency VBI data from an antenna; and control means for establishing and controlling communication between the receiving means and an external device.

20. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 19, wherein the receiving means includes means for detecting VBI data signals, and means for decoding detected VBI signals.

21. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 20, wherein the receiving means further includes means for amplifying radio frequency signals received from the antenna, means for generating an oscillating signal, means for mixing the amplified radio frequency signals with oscillations generated by the generating means to produce an intermediate frequency signal, and means for amplifying the intermediate frequency signal, wherein the amplified intermediate frequency signal is input to the VBI detector means.

22. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 19, wherein the control means includes a microprocessor operating a system program, a channel controller for controlling channels of communication between the microprocessor and an external device according to the system program, and I/O driver for driving I/O ports of the external device.

23. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 22, wherein the channel controller controls channels of communication between the microprocessor and a facsimile machine, and the I/O driver drives I/O ports of a facsimile machine.

24. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 19, further comprising means for interfacing with a telephone line.

25. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 24, wherein the control means includes a microprocessor operating a system program, and the interface means includes a data modem, a facsimile modem and a means, controlled by the microprocessor, for switching between the data modem and the facsimile modem depending upon the character of the information input to the interface means via the telephone line.

26. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 19, further comprising an input means for inputting user commands and a display means for displaying data.

27. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 24, wherein the control means establishes and controls simultaneous communication between the receiving means and a data processor, and between the interface means and a data processor.

28. A VBI interface adapter according to Claim 24, wherein the control means establishes and controls communication between the receiving means and a facsimile machine, and between the interface means and a facsimile machine.