Business management method, business management apparatus and data broadcast delivery method

• US 20020007328A1
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Saito, Tadashi, Sakao, Katsutoshi, Mitsuhashi, Takamichi, Hisamatsu, Ryuichiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,467,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/19 digital satellite radio [DSR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 : Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 : Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

A business management method, a business management apparatus and a data broadcast delivery method are disclosed which allows contents to be broadcast over an unused bandwidth in satellite broadcasting so that the contents are stored and later reproduced as needed for quick access to a desired destination recorded in the contents. A data broadcast is assigned to an unused broadcast bandwidth over a broadcast band for transmitting programs in satellite broadcasting. The data broadcast over the unused bandwidth are stored onto a storage medium in a TV set. The stored data contents are sorted out by category for selective viewing by operation of the TV set. If the selected content offers e-commerce, a virtual shop handing desired offerings is accessed as per the content.

Claims

1. A business management method comprising the steps of:

obtaining information about earnings and expenses based on expenses incurred by content providers supplying users with recording devices compatible with contents offered by the providers, on content subscription fees paid by said users for receiving said contents, and on earnings derived from services and/or advertisements included in said contents; and

controlling fees to be paid for said services and/or said advertisements in accordance with said information about said earnings and expenses thus obtained.

2. A business management method according to claim 1, wherein said services constitute electronic commerce practiced by virtual shops.

3. A business management method according to claim 1, wherein a share of said earnings is passed on to manufacturers of said recording devices in accordance with said information about said earnings and expenses.

4. A business management method according to claim 3, wherein said recording devices are leased free of charge to said users.

5. A business management method according to claim 1, wherein said content subscription fees paid by said users are controlled based on said information about said earnings and expenses.

6. A business management method according to claim 1, wherein the business management method further comprises the steps of managing the number of recording devices compatible with said contents provided by said content providers to said users, and determining fees to be paid for said services and/or said advertisements included in said contents in accordance with the managed number of recording devices.

7. A business management method according to claim 1, wherein said recording devices each include a hard disc drive.

8. A business management apparatus comprising:

information processing means for obtaining information about earnings and expenses obtained based on said expenses incurred by content providers supplying users with recording devices compatible with contents offered by said providers, on content subscription fees paid by said users for receiving said contents, and on said earnings derived from services and/or advertisements included in said contents; and

controlling means for controlling fees to be paid for said services and/or said advertisements in accordance with said information about said earnings and expenses thus obtained.

9. A business management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said services constitute electronic commerce practiced by virtual shops.

10. A business management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said controlling means further allows a share of said earnings to be passed on to manufacturers of said recording devices in accordance with said information about said earnings and expenses.

11. A business management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said controlling means further controls said content subscription fees paid by said users based on said information about said earnings and expenses.

12. A business management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the business management apparatus further comprises:

managing means for managing the number of recording devices compatible with said contents provided by said content providers to said users; and

determining means for determining fees to be paid for said services and/or said advertisements included in said contents in accordance with the managed number of recording devices.

13. A data broadcast delivery method comprising the steps of:

allocating a data broadcast to any unused bandwidth over a broadcast band used by a broadcasting station to broadcast programs;

causing a receiving side to receive said data broadcast for storage onto a storage medium in each of television sets installed;

sorting out contents in the stored data broadcast; and

allowing viewers to operate said television sets for selective viewing of the sorted-out contents.

14. A data broadcast delivery method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

if a content selected by said receiving side is related to electronic commerce practiced by a virtual shop, then permitting access to said virtual shop associated with the selected content.

15. A data broadcast delivery method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of storing said data broadcast successively onto said storage medium in such a manner that when a storage capacity of said storage medium either drops below a predetermined level or is completely exhausted, the initially recorded broadcast data are deleted from said storage medium to make room for the most recently received broadcast data.

16. A data broadcast delivery method according to claim 13, wherein the data broadcast that may be stored onto said storage medium is delivered only to viewers having subscribed to membership in advance.

17. A data broadcast delivery method according to claim 16, wherein the subscription to said membership is chargeable.

18. A data broadcast delivery method according to claim 13, wherein said data broadcast includes audio data and video data.

19. A business management method comprising the steps of:

obtaining information about earnings and expenses based on costs incurred by equipment manufacturers supplying users either free of charge or for a fee below cost with recording devices compatible with contents offered by content providers to said users, on content subscription fees paid by said users for receiving said contents, and on earnings derived from services and/or advertisements included in said contents; and

controlling amounts of money to be paid back to said equipment manufacturers in accordance with said information about said earnings and expenses.

20. A business management method according to claim 19, wherein said business management method further comprises the step of controlling fees to be paid for said services and/or said advertisements in accordance with said information about said earnings and expenses.

21. A business management apparatus comprising:

information processing means for obtaining information about earnings and expenses based on costs incurred by equipment manufacturers supplying users either free of charge or for a fee below cost with recording devices compatible with contents offered by content providers to said users, on content subscription fees paid by said users for receiving said contents, and on earnings derived from services and/or advertisements included in said contents; and

controlling means for controlling amounts of money to be paid back to said equipment manufacturers in accordance with said information about said earnings and expenses.

22. A business management apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said controlling means further controls fees to be paid for said services and/or said advertisements in accordance with said information about said earnings and expenses.