Transmitter

• US 20030171095A1
• Filed: 04/01/2003
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujinami, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• 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 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

The present invention is associated with a transmitting apparatus adapted to effectively use the band for transferring programs of television broadcasting for example. A program of channel A transmitted from the transmitting side can be viewed in real time on the receiving side. A program of channel B is transmitted to the receiving side in advance in a time zone of lower audience rate than other time zones and stored in a storage device of the receiving side. Each program to be stored is encrypted. Program X is provided to viewers from 19:00 and, when a provision time comes, the data such as a key are transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side along with the program data of channel A. The receiving side extracts the data such as a key and, by use of the extracted data, provides the program stored in the storage device to viewers. The present invention is applicable to apparatuses which transmit or receive programs of television broadcasting for example.

Claims

1. A transmitting apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting data of a program;

encrypting means for encrypting said data inputted from said input means by use of a predetermined key;

first transmitting means for transmitting, in a predetermined time zone, said data encrypted by said encrypting means; and

second transmitting means for transmitting said key after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling said program to be viewed on the receiving side at a viewing time intended by the transmitting side.

2. The transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined time zone is lower in audience rate than other time zones.

3. The transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting means for detecting an intra-picture from said data inputted from said input means; and

creating means for creating associating information for associating a position of said intra-picture detected by said detecting means with an elapsed time from a starting time of said program;

wherein said first transmitting means transmits said associating information along with said encrypted data.

4. The transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first transmitting means, by use of a transmission channel for transmitting data of a first program to be viewed by a viewer in a first program channel, transmits, in said predetermined time zone, data of a second program to be viewed by said viewer in a second program channel;

and

said second transmitting means transmits said key by use of a same transmission channel as said transmission channel to be used by said first transmitting means.

5. The transmitting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

first generating means for generating a first EPG associated with both said first program and said second program; and

second generating means for generating a second EPG associated with said second program;

wherein said first EPG includes a flag indicative of said first program or said second program.

6. A transmitting method comprising:

an encrypting step for encrypting program data by use of a key;

a first transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said data encrypted by said encrypting step in a predetermined time zone; and

a second transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said key after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling said program to be viewed on the receiving side at a viewing time intended by the transmitting side.

7. A recording medium recording a computer-readable program comprising:

an encrypting step for encrypting program data by use of a predetermined key;

a first transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said data encrypted by said encrypting step in a predetermined time zone; and

a second transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said key after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling said program to be viewed on a receiving side at a viewing time intended by a transmitting side.

8. A program for causing a computer to execute:

an encrypting step for encrypting program data by use of a predetermined key;

a first transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said data encrypted by said encrypting step in a predetermined time zone; and

a second transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said key after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling said program to be viewed on a receiving side at a viewing time intended by a transmitting side.

9. A receiving apparatus comprising:

storage means for receiving and storing, as data of a second program of a second program channel, encrypted program data supplied in a predetermined time zone by use of a transmission channel for transmitting data of a first program of a first program channel;

receiving means for receiving a key for decrypting said program data, said key being transmitted after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling the viewing, on the receiving side, of said second program at a viewing time intended by the transmitting side; and

reproducing means for reproducing said second program by decrypting said data of said second program stored in said storage means by use of said key received by said receiving means.

10. A receiving method comprising:

program channel and controlling the storage of the supplied data as data of a second program of a second program channel;

a reception control step for controlling the reception of a key for decrypting said program data, said key being transmitted after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling the viewing, on the receiving side, of said second program at a viewing time intended by the transmitting side; and

a reproducing step for reproducing said second program by decrypting said data of said second program in which the storage is controlled in said storage control step by use of said key received by said reception control step.

12. A program for causing a computer to execute:

a storage control step for controlling the reception of encrypted program data supplied in a predetermined time zone by use of a transmission channel for transmitting data of a first program of a first program channel and controlling the storage of the supplied data as data of a second program of a second program channel;

a reception control step for controlling the reception of a key for decrypting said program data, said key being transmitted after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling the viewing, on a receiving side, of said second program at a viewing time intended by a transmitting side; and

a reproducing step for reproducing said second program by decrypting said data of said second program in which the storage is controlled in said storage control step by use of said key received by said reception control step.

13. An information transmitting/receiving system having a transmitting apparatus for transmitting data and a receiving apparatus for receiving said data transmitted from said transmitting apparatus,

said transmitting apparatus comprising:

encrypting means for encrypting data of a program by use of a predetermined key;

first transmitting means for transmitting, in a predetermined time zone, said data encrypted by said encrypting means to said receiving apparatus; and

second transmitting means for transmitting, to said receiving apparatus, said predetermined key after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling said program to be viewed on the receiving side at a viewing time intended by said transmitting apparatus;

said receiving apparatus comprising;

storage means for receiving and storing said data of said program transmitted from said first transmitting means;

receiving means for receiving said key transmitted from said second transmitting means; and

reproducing means for reproducing said program at a viewing time on said receiving apparatus intended by said transmitting apparatus by decoding said data of said program stored in said storage means by use of said key received by said receiving means.

14. An information transmitting/receiving method for an information transmitting/receiving system having a transmitting apparatus for transmitting data and a receiving apparatus for receiving said data transmitted from said transmitting apparatus,

the information transmitting/recording method for said transmitting apparatus comprising:

an encrypting step for encrypting data of a program by use of a predetermined key;

a first transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said associating information created in said creating step and said data encrypted in said encrypting step to said receiving apparatus in a predetermined time zone; and

a second transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said predetermined key to said receiving apparatus after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling said program to be viewed on the receiving side at a viewing time intended by said transmitting apparatus;

the information transmitting/receiving method for said receiving apparatus comprising;

a storage control step for controlling the reception and storage of said data of said program in which the transmission is controlled in said first transmission control step;

a reception control step for controlling the reception of said key in which the transmission is controlled in said second transmission control step; and

a reproducing step for reproducing said program at a viewing time on said receiving apparatus intended by said transmitting apparatus by decoding said data of said program in which the storage is controlled in said storage control step by use of said key in which the reception is controlled in said reception control step.

15. A recording medium recording a computer-readable program for an information transmitting/receiving system having a transmitting apparatus for transmitting data and a receiving apparatus for receiving said data transmitted from said transmitting apparatus,

said program for said transmitting apparatus comprising:

an encrypting step for encrypting data of a program by use of a predetermined key;

a first transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said associating information created in said creating step and said data encrypted in said encrypting step to said receiving apparatus in a predetermined time zone; and

a second transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said predetermined key to said receiving apparatus after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling said program to be viewed on the receiving side at a viewing time intended by said transmitting apparatus;

said program for said receiving apparatus comprising;

a storage control step for controlling the reception and storage of said data of said program in which the transmission is controlled in said first transmission control step;

a reception control step for controlling the reception of said key in which the transmission is controlled in said second transmission control step; and

a reproducing step for reproducing said program at a viewing time on said receiving apparatus intended by said transmitting apparatus by decoding said data of said program in which the storage is controlled in said storage control step, by use of said key in which the reception is controlled in said reception control step.

16. A program for a computer for controlling an information transmitting/receiving system having a transmitting apparatus for transmitting data and a receiving apparatus for receiving said data transmitted from said transmitting apparatus,

said program causing said computer for controlling said transmitting apparatus to execute:

an encrypting step for encrypting data of a program by use of a predetermined key;

a first transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said associating information created in said creating step and said data encrypted by said encrypting step to said receiving apparatus in a predetermined time zone; and

a second transmission control step for controlling the transmission of said predetermined key to said receiving apparatus after said predetermined time zone and at a time for enabling said program to be viewed on the receiving side at a viewing time intended by said transmitting apparatus;

said program causing said computer for controlling said receiving apparatus to execute;

a storage control step for controlling the storage of said data of said program in which transmission is controlled in said first transmission control step;

a reception control step for controlling the reception of said key in which the transmission is controlled in said second transmission control step; and

a reproducing step for reproducing said program at a viewing time on said receiving apparatus intended by said transmitting apparatus by decoding said data of said program stored in said storage control step by use of said key received by said reception control step.