Richard D Conover, 734315 Davisville Rd, Hatboro, PA 19040

2003001, Jan 16, 2003

Oct 4, 2001

09/971202

Richard Conover - Hatboro PA, US
Richard DePaolis - Coventryville PA, US
Kevin Donaghy - Malvern PA, US
Michael Guiher - Warminster PA, US
Mary Stabenau - Yardley PA, US
Robert Stack - Douglassville PA, US
Christopher Miller - Audubon PA, US
Scott Kreisler - Boyertown PA, US

H04N007/173

725/110000, 725/109000, 725/111000

A cable television system having bidirectional capability has subscribers with “set-top” converters which have no web browser capability. A server at the head-end or hub of the cable television system is equipped with one or more web browsers. The video representing each web page is applied to a cable modem termination system and combined with identification of the address or identifier of the subscriber for whom the web page is destined. The cable modem converts the data into a form suitable for transmission over the downstream function of the cable to the subscribers. At each subscriber, the web information is applied to a cable modem, which extracts the web page information and its destination information, and couples the information onto a bus. That subscriber whose memorized unique address corresponds to the destination uses the web page video information to update a memory buffer, which in general contains or stores a complete web page. The subscriber controls the web browser by a user input device such as a keyboard or mouse, and the commands are ultimately applied to the subscriber's cable modem for transmission over the upstream cable path to the head end. At the head end, the cable modem termination system routes the commands from each subscriber to the web browser server, so that each subscriber can control his individual browser ().

4982430, Jan 1, 1991

Apr 24, 1985

6/726676

William A. Frezza - Warminster PA
Richard D. Conover - Richboro PA
David Kaufman - Torrance CA

General Instrument Corporation - New York NY

H04L 900

380 50

Apparatus and a method are disclosed to enable on-line modification and upgrading of terminal software in a communication network while maintaining the integrity of communication between a service provider and a subscriber using the network. Software is downloaded on a booter channel on the communication network. A subscriber terminal, coupled to the network initiates a communication with the network to receive downloaded booter data. The downloaded data is stored, and a checksum is computed from at least a portion of the downloaded data. The checksum is tested for validity, and control of the subscriber terminal is released to the downloaded software only if the checksum is valid.