Billing method and system for a subscriber of a pay television system

• US 4,163,255 A
• Filed: 06/15/1978
• Issued: 07/31/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teleglobe Pay-Tv System Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teleglobe Pay-Tv System Incorporated
• Inventors: Pires, H. George
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, S. C.
• Application Number:
  US05/915,935
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 358/84, 358/86, 358/122, 358/124
• US Class Current: 380/233
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/17381 the upstream transmission being initiated by the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17363 at or near the user terminal

Abstract

Each decoder has a random access memory storing program code numbers, a security number, a customer identification number, and program identification numbers utilized for billing purposes. Communication between each decoder and a central computer is subscriber-initiated. The program code numbers must be updated periodically by means of a computer-decoder transmission which takes place only after the program identification numbers have been transmitted from the decoder to the computer. During predetermined cycles in the system sequence, the read-out of the random access memory takes place in reverse order and starting at an arbitrary start point hard-wired into each decoder. Confusion signals are transmitted while program identification numbers already transmitted to the computer are erased in the decoder memory. The communication through the telephone network takes place by frequency shift keying.

Claims

1. In a pay television system furnishing television programs to a plurality of subscribers each having receiving-decoding means for receiving encoded television signals and furnishing corresponding decoded television signals, each of said receiving-decoding means having decoder storage means having a plurality of decoder storage locations including a first set of decoder storage locations for storing billing data indicative of charges to be billed to said subscriber and a second set of decoder storage locations for storing a subscriber identification number, said pay television system having central computing means for computing the charge to each of said subscribers in response to billing signals applied thereto, said central computing means having computer storage means having a plurality of computer storage locations:

a billing method of one of said subscribers, comprising, in combination, the steps of;

at said receiving-decoding means;

generating billing signals and subscriber identification signals, corresponding, respectively to said billing data and said subscriber identification number; and

transmitting said billing and subscriber identification signals to said central computing means in a first predetermined sequence;

at said central computing means;

receiving said billing and subscriber identification signals and storing corresponding billing data;

furnishing an arbitrary start point number signifying a predetermined bit in said billing data in said first predetermined sequence in response to said subscriber identification signals;

transmitting billing signals starting at said arbitrary start point and said subscriber identification signals back to said receiving-decoding means in a second sequence having a predetermined relationship to said first sequence, whereby only selected ones of said billing signals determined in accordance with said arbitrary start point number are transmitted back to said receiving-decoding means; and

transmitting confusion signals in place of the remaining one of said billing signals;

at said receiving-decoding means;

reading-out data from said decoder storage locations starting at said arbitrary start point number in said second predetermined sequence, thereby furnishing read-out signals;

receiving said billing and customer identification signals transmitted by said central computing means and furnishing corresponding decoder-received signals;

comparing said read-out signals to said decoder-received signals; and

erasing said billing data stored in said first set of decoder storage locations only upon correspondence between said read-out signals and said decoder received signals, thereby clearing said first set of decoder storage locations for new billing data.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting said billing signals and said subscriber identification signals to said central computing means comprises transmitting said billing signals and said subscriber identification signals to said central computing means in response to subscriber initiation.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2, wherein said decoder storage means further comprises a third set of decoder storage locations for storing a security number;

wherein said central computing means has computer storage locations addressable by said subscriber identification number for storing said security number;

wherein said step of furnishing said arbitrary start point number in response to said subscriber identification signals comprises furnishing said arbitrary start point number and said security number;

wherein said step of transmitting said subscriber identification signals back to said receiving-decoding means comprises transmitting said subscriber identification signals and security number signals corresponding to said security number back to said receiving-decoding means, whereby said decoder-received signals include security number signals;

wherein said step of reading out said subscriber identification number from said decoder storage locations further comprises reading out said security number, whereby said read-out signals include security number signals and erasure of billing data takes place only upon receipt of correct computer-originated security number signals.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein said second sequence is the reverse of said first sequence.

5. A method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising the step of transmitting confusion signals from said receiving-decoding means to said central computing means while erasing billing data starting at said arbitrary start point number to the end of said billing data arranged in said first sequence.

6. In a pay television system furnishing television programs to a plurality of subscribers each having receiving-decoding means for receiving encoded television signals and furnishing corresponding decoded television signals, said pay television system further having central computing means for computing the charge to each of said subscribers in response to billing signals applied thereto, a billing system comprising, in combination,

in each of said receiving-decoding means:

decoder storage means having a plurality of decoder storage locations including a first set of decoder storage locations for storing billing data indicative of charges to be billed to said subscriber and

a second set of decoder storage locations for storing a subscriber identification number;

decoder addressing means connected to said decoder storage means for addressing said decoder storage locations in a selected one of a first or second sequence under control of clock signals applied thereto, said decoder addressing means including means for starting said first or said second sequence at a subscriber-assigned arbitrary start point address signifying a predetermined one of said decoder storage locations;

means for furnishing said clock signals;

decoder read-out and writing means operatively associated with said decoder storage means for selectively reading out or recording data into so-addressed storage location, said read-out means furnishing decoder read-out signals corresponding to the data in the so-addressed decoder storage locations;

decoder transmitting and receiving means connected to said read-out means for transmitting billing signals and subscriber identification signals corresponding, respectively, to said billing data and subscriber identification number in said selected one of said first or second sequences to said central computing means, and receiving signals from said central computing means;

at said central computing means;

computer transmitting and receiving means for receiving said billing signals and subscriber identification signals in said selected one of said first or second sequence and furnishing corresponding received billing and subscriber identification signals;

computer storage means connected to said computer transmitting and receiving means for storing billing data corresponding to said received billing signals and for furnishing arbitrary start point address signals corresponding to said subscriber-assigned arbitrary start point address in response to said received subscriber identification signals;

computer addressing means connected to said computer storage means for addressing said computer storage locations in said selected one of said first or second sequence under control of clock signals applied thereto and under control of said arbitrary start point address signals;

computer read-out and writing means operatively associated with said computer storage means for selectively reading out or recording data into the so-addressed storage locations, said computer read-out means furnishing computer read-out signals corresponding to the data in the so-addressed computer storage locations; and

wherein said computer transmitting and receiving means comprises transmitting means for transmitting said computer read-out signals to said receiving-decoding means, whereby communication between said receiving-decoding means and said central computing means corresponds only if said subscriber-assigned arbitrary start point address at said receiving-decoding means corresponds to said arbitrary start point address signals stored in said central computing means.

7. A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said decoder addressing means comprises a counter, each count on said counter addressing a corresponding one of said decoder storage locations, a predetermined count on said counter constituting said arbitrary start point address.

8. A system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said predetermined count on said counter is hard-wired into said counter.