Method and system for subscription television billing and access

• US 4,528,589 A
• Filed: 02/01/1984
• Issued: 07/09/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IPPV Enterprises, LLC
• Original Assignee: Telease Incorporated
• Inventors: Block, Robert S., Martin, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, S. C.
• Application Number:
  US06/575,761
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 358/84, 358/114, 358/117, 358/122-124
• US Class Current: 380/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/167 Systems rendering the television signal unintelligible and subsequently intelligible
• 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

A subscription television system and method in which billing information regarding programs actually viewed by a subscriber of the system is accumulated over non-dedicated telephone lines. A scrambled television program signal containing a block of television program material, a program identification code unique to the block of program material, and a program category code, is broadcast. The codes are preferably included in the vertical retrace interval of the video portion of the program signal and the transmitted program signal is selectively received at a subscriber station and selectively unscrambled to permit viewing of the block of program material being transmitted in response to subscriber action indicating acceptance for viewing of the block of program material. The received program category code is compared with a locally generated category code to determine whether the program is acceptable for viewing. The program identification code is detected and stored for subsequent transmission in response to the subscriber action indicating acceptance for viewing of the received block of program material.

The program identification code stored at the subscriber station is selectively accessed from a remote location over telephone lines on other than a real time basis (e.g., a periodic basis) to thereby provide billing information at the remote location as to programs actually viewed by the subscriber. The subscriber can thus be billed monthly or on some desired periodic basis for programs actually viewed during the preceding period. The billing period can be varied from the remote location to provide a means to control the number of programs which a subscriber can receive.

Claims

1. In a television system in which subscription program signals containing subscription program material are transmitted to subscribers, a program selection system comprising:

means at a location remote from the subscriber location for transmitting the subscription program signals with an associated signal indentifying the program signal as containing subscription program material in at least one of a plurality of subscriber accessible categories of subscription program material;

means at the subscriber location for receiving the subscription signals and the associated category identifying signal;

subscriber-actuated means at the subscriber location for selecting at least one category of subscription program material and producing a local category signal identifying said selected category of subscription program material;

means for comparing said local category signal and said received category identifying signal to produce a control signal for limiting selection of program material to said at least one category identified by said local category signal.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each subscription program signal contains a scrambled video portion and is transmitted with an identifying signal unique to program material in said video portion and including means for unscrambling the video portion of the received subscription program signal in response to said control signal.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said associated category indentifying signal is an identifying number unique to the program material in the program signal and wherein said comparing means comprises means for comparing said local category signal and said identifying number and producing the control signal in response to said number being within a range of numbers associated with said local caregory signal.

4. In a television system in which program signals containing subscription program material, and associated signals identifying the program signals as containing at least one of a plurality of categories of subscription program material, are transmitted so as to be available to all subscribers, apparatus at each subscriber location for restrictive access to the subscription program material comprising:

means for receiving a program signal and an associated category identifying signal and detecting the associated category identifying signal;

means for selecting at least one of said plurality of categories of subscription program material;

means for identifying the at least one of the plurality of categories of subscription program material in the received program signal in response to the detected category identifying signal; and

,

means responsive to said identifying means for restricting access to the selected category of subscription program material in the received program signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said identifying means comprises:

means for generating a local category signal identifying the selected one of the plurality of categories of subscription program material; and

,

means for comparing the detected category identifying signal and the local category signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said received program signal includes a scrambled video portion and wherein said access restricting means comprises means for unscrambling said video portion and enabling display thereof in response to the identification of the selected one of the plurality of categories by said identifying means.

7. A method for program selection in a television system in which subscription program signals containing subscription program material are transmitted to subscribers with associated category signals each identifying an associated program signal as containing subscription program material in at least one of a plurality of categories of subscription program material, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a subscription program signal and an associated category identifying signal;

selecting at least one category of subscription program material at the subscriber location;

producing at the subscriber location a local category signal identifying the selected category of subscription program material; and

comparing the local category signal and the received category identifying signal to produce a control signal for limiting subscriber selection of program material to said at least one category identified by said local category signal.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the program signal is scrambled and including the step of

enabling the unscrambling of the program signal in response to the control signal.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the local category signal is produced by manually setting a control at the subscriber location to one of a plurality of positions related to different categories of program material.