Two-way information transmission system, two-way information transmission method, and subscriber terminal

• US 20030037338A1
• Filed: 03/13/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Mitsuhiro
• Application Number:
  US10/096,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20030037338A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/98
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/33 by plural channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/69 Optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 using uplink of the CATV systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2625 for delaying content or additional data distribution, e.g. because of an extended sport event
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A subscriber terminal ms sends the demand including at least information for identifying the demand subscriber terminal and information for identifying the requested information to the information distribution transmission center HE through the going-up line. The information distribution transmission center HE makes a transmission plan of the information based on this demand, and sends the information transmission plan to the subscriber terminal ms prior to the actual information transmission. The subscriber terminal ms sends an information transmission request including a share information transmission request of the transmission information when desired transmission information is listed in the obtained transmission schedule. The information transmission center HE transmits the information requested according to the information transmission schedule to the subscriber terminal which made the information transmission request and, during a share information transmission request, transmits the information also to the subscriber terminal which made the share information transmission request. A video on-demand system can be realized with a relatively small investment, and the centralization of traffic is mitigated, the network resource is used efficiently, and rational charging for information transmission is enabled.

Claims

1. A two-way information transmission system comprising an information distribution transmission center and a plurality of subscriber terminals connected to an information distribution transmission center through going-up lines and going-down lines, said subscriber terminal requesting an information to said information distribution transmission center through said going-up line, and said information distribution transmission center transmitting the requested information in response to the request for the transmission;

said information distribution transmission center having;

transmission planning means for planning a transmission plan to transmit the information based on an information distribution transmission request from said subscriber terminal,

transmission implementation means for implementing the transmission of said requested information based on the transmission plan planned by said transmission planning means, and

going-down control data sending means for sending a going-down control data including an information involving the transmission implementation plan planned by said transmission implementation means to the subscriber terminal before said transmission implementation means implements the transmission; and

said subscriber terminal having;

transmission plan receiving analysis means for being informed of said transmission plan based on said going-down control data sent from said information distribution transmission center,

distribution transmission request sending means for sending said information distribution transmission request including at least information for identifying the demand subscriber terminal and information for identifying said requested information, and also including a request for information transmission shared with the information when said received information transmission plan contains own desired information.

2. A two-way information transmission system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information transmission center charges a more inexpensive fee for said share information transmission request than that for usual information transmission.

3. A method of two-way information transmission, wherein a subscriber terminal sends an information distribution transmission request including at least information for identifying the demand subscriber terminal and information for identifying said requested information to information distribution transmission center through a going-up line,

said information distribution transmission center makes the transmission plan of the information to be transmitted based on said information distribution transmission request from said subscriber terminal, and transmits the distribution transmission plan information including the plan information in the going-down control data to the subscriber terminal prior to the transmission of the main information,

said subscriber terminal is informed of said transmission plan by receiving and analyzing said going-down control data from said information distribution transmission center and sends said information transmission request including a request for information transmission shared with the information when the transmission plan contains own demand information, and

said information transmission center transmits said requested information according to said transmission plan to the subscriber terminal which makes said transmission request through the going-down line, and, during said share information transmission request, the center sends the requested information also to the subscriber terminal which makes the share transmission request.

4. A subscriber terminal in the two-way information transmission system which comprises an information distribution transmission center and a plurality of subscriber terminals connected to an information distribution transmission center through going-up lines and going-down lines, wherein said subscriber terminal requests an information to said information distribution transmission center through said going-up line, and said information distribution transmission center transmits the requested information in response to the request for the transmission;

each subscriber terminal of said plurality of subscriber terminals having;

transmission plan receiving analysis means for being informed of the transmission plan of information to be transmitted planned by said information distribution transmission center based on said information distribution transmission request from said subscriber referring to the control data sent from said information distribution transmission center, and

distribution transmission request sending means for sending said information distribution transmission request including at least information for identifying the demand subscriber terminal and information for identifying said requested information, and also including a request for information transmission shared with the information when said received information transmission plan contains own desired information.