Apparatus for controlling the reception of transmitted programs

• US 4,598,288 A
• Filed: 12/20/1983
• Issued: 07/01/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1979
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Codart Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Codart Incorporated
• Inventors: Strachan, Alan F., Yarbrough, Charles J., Weisman, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Faber, Alan
• Application Number:
  US06/563,878
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 360/60, 360/69, 360/15, 360/35.1, 358/122, 358/123, 358/117, 358/908, 358/86, 358/194.1, 455/26, 369/47, 369/84, 178/22.08, 340/825.34
• US Class Current: 340/5.74
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/023 remotely controlled
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/00 Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00702 said measures preventing that data are recorded on the recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0084 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific time or date
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91321 the copy protection signal being a copy protection control signal, e.g. a record inhibit signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence

Abstract

A control system for use with recording apparatus enables the recording of programs simultaneously desired by a user and authorized by a program provider, typically a broadcaster. The broadcaster attaches a code signal to each program segment which the user'"'"'s control system recognizes. The control system contains a second code indicative of a preselected program and of authorization to record the program. When the codes correspond the control system activates the user'"'"'s recorder to record the desired program.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use with receiving means for enabling the receiving of programs desired by a user and authorized by a program provider, a program provided by said provider being accompanied by a program signal including a transmitted program identification code identifying the program and indicative of restricted authorization to receive said program if the program has restricted authorization, said apparatus comprising:

signal-sensing means for sensing the transmitted program identification code in said program signal;

input means for inputting a purchased program identification code which is different from the transmitted program identification code if the program has restricted authorization;

storage means for storing the input program identification code;

apparatus identification means for storing an apparatus identification code substantially uniquely indicative of the identity of the apparatus; and

logic means connected to said signal-sensing means to receive the transmitted program identification code and connected to said storage means to receive the input program identification code stored therein, the logic means including comparison means which operates if the transmitted program identification code indicates that the program has restricted authorization to transform at least one of the input or transmitted program identification codes based on the apparatus identification code in a manner substantially unique to the apparatus for comparison of the uniquely transformed code to the other code, said logic means providing an enabling signal to said receiving means only when the authorization codes, subsequent to the unique transformation of one of them if the program has restricted authorization, conjointly indicate the receiving is authorized.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said program being accompanied by a signal including an authorization-challenging code, wherein:

said logic means provides a signal for disabling said receiving means when said signal-sensing means senses said authorization-challenging code and said program identification codes do not conjointly indicate the receiving is authorized.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transmitted program identification code is further indicative of the time period in which said program is provided;

and said logic means provides said enabling signal only when said input program identification code is further indicative of said time period.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said logic means comprises a microprocessor.

5. The appratus of claim 4, wherein said signal-sensing means comprises:

an audio decoder adapted to receive an audio-frequency transmission accompanying the program and including the program signal, said decoder recognizing the program signal admist the audio-frequency transmission; and

buffer means connected to said decoder at an output thereof for introducing the transmitted program identification signal to said microprocessor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said buffer means comprises a semiconductor memory connected to said microprocessor and a keyboard connected to said buffer means for entering data into said memory.

7. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the program signal includes a protocol code, and wherein the logic means includes a plurality of transformation protocols and means for selecting the transformation protocol based upon the protocol code.

8. A method of controlling means for receiving a transmitted program desired by a user and authorized by a program provider comprising the steps of:

transmitting a program signal accompanying the transmitted program, said signal including a transmitted program identification code which identifies the program and is indicative of restricted authorization to receive said program if the program has restricted authorization;

receiving said transmitted program and accompanying program signal;

electronically sensing said transmitted program identification code admist said transmitted program and accompanying program signal and determining if the program has restricted authorization;

storing a purchased program identification code indicative of authorization to receive said program, the purchased program identification code being different from the transmitted program identification code if the program has restricted authorization;

transforming at least one of the program identification codes based upon a stored code unique to the user'"'"'s apparatus if the program has restricted access so that the transformed code is transformed in a manner substantially unique to the user'"'"'s apparatus;

comparing said program identification codes, subsequent to transforming if the program has restricted authorization; and

providing an enabling signal only when said compared codes conjointly indicate that receiving is authorized, whereby said enabling signal enables the receiving means.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said transmitting step includes transmitting a program signal including a protocol code, and wherein said transforming step includes utilizing a transforming protocol determined by the protocol code.

10. An apparatus for use with a receiving means for enabling the receiving of programs desired by the user and authorized by a program provider, a program provided by said provider being accompanied by a program signal including a transmitted program identification code identifying the program and indicative of restrictive authorization to receive said program if the program has restricted authorization, and a transmitted protocol code indicative of the transformation protocol to be used, said apparatus comprising:

signal-sensing means sensing the transmitted program identification code and the protocol code in said program signal;

input means for inputting a purchased program identification code which is different from the transmitted program identification code if the program has restricted authorization;

storage means for storing the input program identification code;

apparatus identification means for storing an apparatus identification code, substantially uniquely indicative of the identity of the apparatus; and

logic means connected to the signal-sensing means to receive the transmitted program identification code and connected to said storage means to receive the input program identification code stored therein, the logic means including comparison means which operates if the transmitted program identification code indicates that the program has restricted authorization to transform at least one of the input and transmitted program identification codes, using a transformation protocol dictated by the protocol code, based on the apparatus identification code in a manner substantially unique to the apparatus, for comparison of the uniquely transformed code to the other code, said logic means providing an enabling signal to said receiving means only when the program identification codes, subsequent to the unique transformation of one of them if the program has restricted authorization, conjointly indicate that receiving is authorized.

11. A method of controlling means for receiving a transmitted program desired by a user and authorized by a program provider comprising the steps of:

transmitting a program signal accompanying the transmitted program said signal including a transmitted program identification code which is indicative of restricted authorization to receive said program if the program has restricted authorization and a protocol code;

receiving said transmitted program and accompanying program signal;

electronically sensing the transmitted program identification code and said protocol code amidst said transmitted program and accompanying program signal and determining if the program identification code indicates that the program has restricted authorization;

storing a purchased program identification code indicative of authorization to receive said program, the purchased program identification code being different from the transmitted program identification code if the program has restricted authorization;

transforming at least one of the program identification codes based upon a stored code unique to the user'"'"'s apparatus utilizing a transformation protocol determined by the protocol code if the program has restricted authorization so that the transformed code is transformed in a manner substantially unique to the apparatus;

comparing said program identification codes subsequent to transforming if the program has restricted authorization; and

providing an enabling signal only when said compared codes conjointly indicate that receiving is authorized, whereby said enabling signal enables the receiving means.