Device for the intelligible consultation of data relating to the fees programs of a subscription television and/or radio service
First Claim
1. In a subscription television and/or radio system in which a subscriber can purchase selected items of at least one television and/or radio program broadcast by said system, each subscriber owning a security processor in which pieces of data relative to said selected items are written in a coded form, a device for the intelligible consultation of said data relative to said selected items written in said security processor, said device including:
- means for expressing by said subscriber a request for an intelligible message concerning at least one of said selected items;
means for receiving at least one correspondence table, said at least one correspondence table being multiplexed with said at least one television and/or radio program and being regularly transmitted, said at least one correspondence table associating to each piece of data susceptible to be written in said security processor a corresponding intelligible piece of message;
means for processing said request of the subscriber, transcribing pieces of data written in a coded form in said security processor and corresponding to said request in an intelligible message, using said at least one correspondence table; and
means for supplying said intelligible message to said subscriber, so as to make it known by said subscriber.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device for allowing fee paying subscribers access to television or radio programs includes a keyboard unit for requesting messages concerning the programs. Information describing the program fees and account status is contained in a subscriber held security processor such as a smart card. As a function of the content of the requests a mechanism converts the information contained in the security processor into intelligible messages as a function of complementary information transmitted regularly within television and/or radio signals.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. In a subscription television and/or radio system in which a subscriber can purchase selected items of at least one television and/or radio program broadcast by said system, each subscriber owning a security processor in which pieces of data relative to said selected items are written in a coded form, a device for the intelligible consultation of said data relative to said selected items written in said security processor, said device including:
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means for expressing by said subscriber a request for an intelligible message concerning at least one of said selected items; means for receiving at least one correspondence table, said at least one correspondence table being multiplexed with said at least one television and/or radio program and being regularly transmitted, said at least one correspondence table associating to each piece of data susceptible to be written in said security processor a corresponding intelligible piece of message; means for processing said request of the subscriber, transcribing pieces of data written in a coded form in said security processor and corresponding to said request in an intelligible message, using said at least one correspondence table; and means for supplying said intelligible message to said subscriber, so as to make it known by said subscriber. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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2. A system for broadcasting a signal including at least one subscription program, in which a subscriber can purchase selected items of said at least one subscription program broadcast by said system, each subscriber owning a security processor in which pieces of data relative to said selected items are written in a coded form,
wherein said signal further includes at least one correspondence table multiplexed with said at least one subscription program and regularly transmitted, said at least one correspondence table associating to each piece of data susceptible to be written in a coded form in a security processor a corresponding intelligible piece of message, said at least one correspondence table being used in a device for the intelligible consultation of said data relative to said selected items written in a coded form in said security processor, said device including: -
means for expressing by said subscriber a request for an intelligible information concerning at least one item written in a coded form in said security processor; means for extracting said at least one correspondence table from said signal; means for processing said request of the subscriber, transcribing pieces of data written in a coded form in said security processor and corresponding to said request in an intelligible message, using said at least one correspondence table; and means for supplying said intelligible message to said subscriber, so as to make it known by said subscriber.
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12. A device for presenting messages to a subscriber to a subscription broadcast system that allows selectable purchase of programs broadcast by the system, with the subscriber having a security processor in which coded information relative to the programs can be stored, the device comprising:
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a keyboard input unit for requesting information concerning programs; a receiver configured to accept at least one regularly transmitted correspondence table multiplexed with at least one program, the at least one correspondence table associating coded information in the security processor with a message; a processor configured to use the at least one correspondence table for selecting the message associated with the coded information present in the security processor, the message being responsive to a request by the subscriber for information concerning programs; and a display unit for presenting the message selected by the processor in response to the request for program information by the subscriber.
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13. A system for broadcasting a subscription program only receivable by subscribers having a security processor with coded information concerning the subscription program, the subscription program further including a multiplexed transmitted correspondence table associating coded information in the security processor and a message transmitted as a portion of the correspondence table,
wherein the message is displayed by a device for presenting information related to the coded information in the security processor in response to subscriber inquiry, said device comprising: -
means for requesting a message concerning a program identified by coded information in the security processor; means for extracting the multiplexed correspondence table from the subscription program; means for converting coded information in the security processor into the message using the correspondence table; and means for displaying the message to the subscriber.
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Specification