Information dissemination using various transmission modes

• US 5,590,195 A
• Filed: 01/12/1994
• Issued: 12/31/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Command Audio Corporation
• Inventors: Ryan, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US08/181,394
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 380/4, 380/9, 380/49, 380/50, 380/28, 380/48, 380/19, 379/88, 379/100, 348/473, 381/29, 381/30, 381/34, 381/59, 381/110, 455/151.1, 455/151.2, 455/151.4, 455/186.1, 455/56.1, 455/45, 375/200, 340/825, 340/44, 364/401, 364/408, 364/409, 364/424.01, 364/401 R
• US Class Current: 380/237
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• 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 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00224 wherein the key is obtained from a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00231 wherein the key is obtained from a local external medium, e.g. a card
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00246 wherein the key is obtained from a local device, e.g. device key initially stored by the player or by the recorder
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00413 wherein the key is input by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/34 using an out-of-band subcarrier signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/95 characterised by a specific format, e.g. an encoded audio stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/17 on recording information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/04 : Systems for the transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by a single carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/06 : Systems for the simultaneous transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by more than one carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/081 : the additional information signals being transmitted by means of a subcarrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0881 : the signal being time-compressed before its insertion and subsequently decompressed at reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 : for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A system and method of information dissemination that permits the user to listen to the specific content of information when and where he or she wants to. A radio or television receiver system receives information from an FM subcarrier, a television vertical blanking interval transmission, a television separate audio program transmission or a dedicated radio channel and stores the transmitted information in a memory. A user interface allows selection from the memory of the stored information via a set of menus controlling a hierarchical database, so as to access particular items of information. Typically the system includes RAM and/or a storage medium such as a digital audio tape, a magneto-optical mini-disk, a magnetic disk or optical disk, sufficient to store information for 10 hours of audio. A decompression device accepts the accessed compressed digital audio information items (which may have been encrypted) and transforms them into spoken speech. The user interface is either by voice or a single or multi-position switch allowing scanning through and selection from the menu items. The signal to be received is generated by converting analog audio signals into a digital audio data stream which may be encrypted. The encrypted digital data stream is compressed and inserted into the radio or television carrier via an FM Subcarrier, the television vertical blanking interval or the separate audio program channel of a television transmitter. The system is also capable of transmitting alphanumeric data and converting this alphanumeric data to a voice form using a speech synthesizer.

Claims

1. A receiver to receive data in a transmitted signal comprising:

a tuner for extracting the data from the transmitted signal;

a memory coupled to the tuner for storing the extracted data as a database;

a user interface for providing a set of menus describing the database, and for accepting selections from the set of menus;

a controller coupled to the database for selecting data from the database in response to the accepted selections and providing the selected data in a digital form; and

a speech producing sub-system for converting the selected data to an analog signal representing an original audio signal.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the tuner provides data from an FM broadcast radio station carrier.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the tuner extracts data from a television carrier.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the tuner extracts the data from a vertical blanking interval of the television carrier.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the tuner extracts data from a Separate Audio Programming channel of the television carrier.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the entire database.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises

a combination of a volatile RAM memory and a non-volatile memory.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the non-volatile memory is selected from the group consisting of an audio tape, a magneto-optical mini-disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the received data is audio data that has been converted from analog form to digital form.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the received digitized audio data is digitized and has been compressed.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the digitized audio data has been encrypted.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the received data is alphanumeric data that has been converted from analog form to digital form.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the alphanumeric data is converted to voice data by a speech synthesizer.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the extracted data is in digital form, has been encrypted and compressed, and further comprising a decryptor for providing conditional access and decrypting the provided data.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said system has a decompression algorithm to decompress data that has been compressed at a transmitter.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein the decryptor is enabled by a key received by the tuner.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the decryptor is enabled by a key device connected to the decryptor.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface is voice activated.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes:

a manual input device mounted on an automobile steering wheel; and

a link from the manual input device to the controller.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a control for determining a speed at which the speech output device outputs the analog signal.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the tuner includes means for channel skip tuning to a particular transmitter.

22. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an amplifier connected to the speech producing device for amplifying the analog signal; and

means for converting the amplified signal to sound.

23. The device of claim 1, further comprising means for connecting the receiving system to an automobile radio set.

24. The device of claim 1, further comprising means for designating by a data gatherer a hierarchy for the database.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein a power saving technique comprises storing said digital data received in a RAM memory up to the capacity of the RAM before transferring said digital data to a storage means from the group consisting of disk medium or tape medium.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein said tape medium is a digital audio tape.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein said disk medium is a magnetic disk.

28. The device of claim 25, wherein said disk medium is a magnetic-optical disk.

29. The device of claim 25, wherein said disk medium is an optical disk.

30. The device of claim 1, wherein a speed of transmission of said data is variable.

31. The device of claim 1, wherein the data is transmitted faster than real time.

32. The device of claim 1, wherein the data is transmitted slower than real time.

33. The device of claim 1 which comprises a receiving and storing subsystem and a separate portable playback subsystem.

34. A method for information dissemination for transmitting alphanumeric or audio data comprising the steps of:

selecting audio data to be transmitted to subscribers;

converting said audio data to digital audio data;

converting said alphanumeric data to digital alphanumeric data;

establishing a data base of digitized data with menus for selection of particular segments of said data base;

compressing said digital audio data;

encrypting said compressed digital data;

encrypting said digitized alphanumeric data;

selecting between digital alphanumeric data and compressed audio data;

selecting between digital alphanumeric data and compressed audio data;

transmitting said selected data at a rate to most efficiently use available bandwidth, the rate may be faster than real time or slower than real time;

extracting the data from the transmitted signal;

providing a memory;

storing the extracted data in the memory as a database;

providing a set of menus describing the database;

selecting items from the set of menus;

providing portions of the stored data in response to the selected items from said menus;

decrypting said encrypted data;

selecting digitized alphanumeric data or compressed data;

decompressing said compressed digital data;

converting the provided portions from the digital form to a first analog signal representing audio signals;

converting alphanumeric digitized data to second analog signal representing spoken words; and

outputting said first and second analog signals for human hearing.

35. A receiver comprising:

means for extracting data from a transmitted signal;

means for storing the extracted data as a database;

means for providing a set of menus describing the database, and for accepting selections from the set of menus;

means for selecting data from the database in response to the accepted selections;

means for providing the selected data in encrypted, compressed and digital form;

means for decrypting the selected data;

means for decompressing the decrypted data;

means for converting the digital data to analog audio data; and

means for outputing audio originally transmitted for human hearing.

36. A system for information dissemination to transmit audio data comprising:

a data producing sub-system for converting analog audio information to digital data and a database with menus;

a data compressor for compressing the encrypted audio data; and

an encryptor for encrypting the digital audio data;

a means for inserting the compressed encrypted digital audio data into a transmission channel;

a tuner means for receiving the transmitted compressed encrypted digital audio data;

a memory means for storing the selected data in the database;

a means for providing a set of menus to a user describing the database, and a means for updating the data in the database;

a controller means for selecting data from the database in response to the accepted selections and providing the selected data in the encrypted compressed digital form; and

a decrypting means for decrypting the encrypted compressed digital audio data;

a decompressing means for decompressing the compressed digital audio data; and

a means for converting the digital audio data to analog audio data representing the audio originally transmitted.

37. A receiver for receiving a transmitted signal including compressed data, comprising:

a tuner connected to receive the transmitted signal at an input terminal thereof and having an output terminal;

a decryptor having an input terminal connected to the output terminal of the tuner, and having an output terminal;

a user interface connected to the decryptor;

a memory having an input port connected to the output terminal of the decryptor, and having an output port;

a decompression circuit having an input terminal connected to the output port of the memory and having an output terminal; and

a converter having an input terminal connected to the output terminal of the decompression circuit, and having an output terminal for providing an analog signal.

38. The receiver of claim 37, further comprising:

a voice synthesizer circuit having an input terminal connected to the output port of the memory and having an output terminal;

a switch having two input terminals connected respectively to the output terminals of the voice synthesizer and of the converter, the switch having an output terminal for providing an analog signal, and further having a control terminal operatively connected to the decryptor.

39. The receiver of claim 37, wherein the decryptor includes:

access circuitry connected between the output terminal of the tuner and the input port of the memory, and having a control terminal; and

a microcontroller coupled between the control terminal of the access circuitry and the user interface.

40. A method for receipt of transmitted digital encrypted compressed data, comprising the steps of:

tuning to a transmitted signal which includes the digital data;

providing the digital data from the transmitted signal;

decrypting the provided digital data;

storing the decrypted data;

accessing portions of the stored data in response to user commands;

decompressing the accessed portions of the data; and

converting the decompressed data to an analog signal.

41. A receiver to receive data in a transmitted signal, comprising:

a tuner for providing the data from the transmitted signal;

a memory coupled to the tuner, thereby storing the provided data;

a user interface providing a set of descriptions of the stored data, and accepting from the set of descriptions;

a controller coupled to the memory and user interface, wherein the controller selects from the data in response to the accepted selections and provides the selected data in digital form; and

a speech producing sub-system coupled to the memory, thereby converting the selected data from the digital form to an analog form.

42. A method for receipt of transmitted encrypted digital data, comprising the steps of:

tuning to a radio-frequency transmitted carrier signal which includes the encrypted digital data;

providing the encrypted digital data from the transmitted signal;

decrypting the encrypted digital data;

storing the encrypted digital data;

accessing portions of the stored data in response to user commands; and

converting the accessed portions of the stored data to an analog signal.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein at least the step of tuning is carried out by a base unit, and at least the steps of accessing and converting are carried out by a portable unit which detachably connects to the base unit.