Electronic press information dispatching system

• US 5,845,262 A
• Filed: 07/09/1996
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kasuya, Makoto, Nozue, Tatsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): PEESO, THOMAS R
• Application Number:
  US08/677,593
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/16, 705/18, 395/200.33, 395/200.47, 395/200.49, 395/200.68, 345/329, 345/335, 455/3.2, 455/4.2, 455/425, 455/427, 455/463
• US Class Current: 705/14.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like

Abstract

A system for mainly transferring various information of a newspaper, a magazine, an advertisement, and the like by dot data is provided. Data information provided from a newspaper company, publishing companies, and the like is converted into electronic press information via an electronic press producer 20. The electronic press information is dispatched from a center to an information vending machine through a satellite line or a terrestrial line. Dispatched press data is once accumulated to a recording unit in the information vending machine. When it is identified that an information fee has been paid by cash or a prepaid card, desired data in the information accumulated in the recording unit is written into a recording medium such as an IC card or the like of a consumer.

Claims

1. An electronic press information dispatching system which comprises a producing system, a distributing system, and a consuming system and executes a production and a distribution of electronic press information which a consumer uses by a terminal, wherein

said producing system is constructed by a publisher for producing press information and an electronic press information producer for producing the electronic press information,

said distributing system is constructed by an electronic press information distribution and sales trader for distributing the electronic press information,

said consuming system is constructed by consumers who consume the electronic press information,

said electronic press information distribution and sales trader of said distributing system is constructed by a center comprising a receiving system, a recording and editing system, a transmitting system, and a managing system and vending machines which are installed at places such as station, street, and the like where persons gather,

one electronic press information distribution and sales trader has a transactional connection with a plurality of electronic press information producers of said producing system and is connected by a terrestrial line such as ISDN, public telephone line or the like,

said electronic press information producer has a function for converting newspaper, a magazine, or the like formed by said publisher into electronic press information of a predetermined format, and

said electronic press information distribution and sales trader receives specified electronic press information by the receiving system of the center, accumulates the received electronic press information into a recording unit, classifies the press information which is received from each of said electronic press information producers and has been classified on a unit basis of each electronic press information producer in accordance with district characteristics of the information, adds codes including a code to designate all districts and/or a code to designate a plurality of districts in a lump,. to identify a corresponding district to a unit of the press information every district, independently installs a transmission data recording unit every transmitter of each line so that the press information classified per district is dispatched by at least one line sequentially or in parallel, records the electronic press information to be dispatched in accordance with the transmitting order, prepares a command to remotely operate the vending machine from the center and a dispatching procedure data of the electronic press information to be dispatched, and dispatches the electronic press information to the plurality of vending machines by the transmitting system in accordance with said dispatching procedure.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein as one of said electronic press information, a press such as advertisement and town information or the like that is published by a small scale publishing company and which is effective in only a narrow district and in which the number of pages is relatively small is converted into electronic advertisement and town information by an electronic press forming system provided in the small scale publishing company and is transmitted to the center.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein as one of said electronic press information, the electronic press information distribution and sales trader also performs works of the electronic press information producer in the center, a publisher brings information by "papers" to the center, and the information is converted into electronic press information by an electronic press information forming apparatus provided in the center.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein a transmission and a reception of the electronic press information between the electronic press information producer and the electronic press information distributing and sales trader are executed by a recording medium such as a magnetooptic disk or the like, the electronic press information distribution and sales trader obtains the electronic press information by a recording medium reading apparatus installed in the center, and if necessary at that time, a re-edition such as format conversion, addition of annexed information, and the like is executed.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of electronic press information vending machines are installed in a certain narrow range, at least one of said electronic press information vending machines has a function to receive the electronic press information from the center, and said electronic press information vending machine having the receiving function and the other electronic press information vending machines are connected by a local area network.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein as for the information accumulated in the recording unit in the electronic press information vending machine, when a payment of an information fee is discriminated, desired data in the accumulated information is written to a recording medium such as an IC card or the like.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein commands to remotely operate the electronic press information vending machine from the center include:

(a) a command receiving request indicative of a transfer of the command from now on;

(b) a vending machine ID for allocating a number to each vending machine;

(c) a district code designation indicating that a district code is designated for each vending machine;

(d) a district code indicative of a code per district;

(e) a channel switching request to request a channel switching;

(f) a channel number indicative of a channel switching destination;

(g) a press information receiving request;

(h) an ID of the press information and a press information ID indicative of a file name;

(i) press information;

(j) a transmission end indicating that the transmission of the press information has been finished;

(k) a channel resetting request to request so as to switch the channel to channel one; and

(l) a host to target data transfer request for requesting to transfer the press information or the like from the host to a target by an LAN of the vending machine, and

the dispatching procedure of said commands and said electronic press information is executed in a manner that;

(a) a synchronization (sync) code is transmitted and a frame synchronization or the like is performed on the assumption that power sources of all of the vending machines are ON and the vending machines are in a receivable state;

(b) a command receiving request is issued to a specified vending machine, ordinarily, to all of the vending machines;

(c) a vending machine ID and a district code to designate a district code are designated for all of the vending machines,

although the whole command transmitting procedure so far is executed by channel one, since parallel processes are executed for the data transmission;

(d) a channel is allocated to the district code and, after that, the channel switching request is issued and the channels are separated;

(e) the sync code and the press information receiving request are issued to each channel and, after that, the data transmission is executed every channel;

(f) after completion of the transmission of all data, each channel issues the channel resetting request and again returns the channel to channel one; and

(g) a data transfer to the target vending machine is requested from the host vending machine.

8. An electronic press information dispatching system which comprises a producing system, a distributing system, and a consuming system and executes a production and a distribution of electronic press information which a consumer uses in a home, wherein

said producing system is constructed by a publisher for producing press information and an electronic press information producer for producing the electronic press information,

said distributing system is constructed by an electronic press information distribution and sales trader for distributing the electronic press information,

said consuming system includes a home-use receiving terminal set in a home, receives the electronic press information after making a contract, and displays a news item by using a television set or the like in the home,

said electronic press information distribution and sales trader of said distributing system has a center comprising a receiving system, a recording and editing system, a transmitting system, and a managing system,

one electronic press information distribution and sales trader has a connection of contract with a plurality of electronic press information producers of said producing system and is connected by a line such as ISDN, public telephone line, or the like,

said electronic press information producer has a function for converting press information such as newspaper, magazine, or the like formed by said publisher into electronic press information of a predetermined format, and

said electronic press information distribution and sales trader receives specified electronic press information by the receiving system of the center, accumulates the received electronic press information into a recording unit, classifies the press information which is received from each of said electronic press information producers and has been classified on a unit basis of each electronic press information producer in accordance with district characteristics of the information, adds codes including a code to designate all districts and/or a code to designate a plurality of districts in a lump, to identify a corresponding district to a unit of the press information every district, independently installs a transmission data recording unit every transmitter of each line so that the press information classified per district is dispatched by at least one line sequentially or in parallel, records the electronic press information to be transmitted in accordance with the transmitting order, prepares a command to remotely operate the vending machine from the center and a data of dispatching procedure data of the electronic press information to be dispatched, and distributes and transmits the electronic press information to the plurality of home-use receiving terminals by the transmitting system in accordance with said dispatching procedure.

9. An electronic press information dispatching system which comprises a producing system, a distributing system, and a consuming system and which executes a production and a distribution of electronic press information which a consumer uses in a home, wherein

said producing system is constructed by a publisher for producing press information and an electronic press information producer for producing the electronic press information,

said distributing system is constructed by an electronic press information distribution and sales trader for distributing the electronic press information,

said consuming system is constructed by a receiving terminal set in a bookstore and transmits the electronic press information received by said receiving terminal from the bookstore via a facsimile communication,

said electronic press information distribution and sales trader of said distributing system has a center comprising a receiving system, a recording and editing system, a transmitting system, and a managing system,

one electronic press information distribution and sales trader includes a connection with a plurality of electronic press information producers of said producing system and is connected by a line such as ISDN, public telephone line, or the like,

said electronic press information producer has a function for converting press information such as newspaper, magazine, or the like formed by said publisher into electronic press information of a predetermined format, and

said electronic press information distribution and sales trader receives specified electronic press information by the receiving system of the center, accumulates the received electronic press information into a recording unit, classifies the press information which is received from each of said electronic press information producers and has been classified on a unit basis of each electronic press information producer in accordance with district characteristics of the information, adds codes including a code to designate all districts and/or a code to designate a plurality of districts in a lump to identify a corresponding district to a unit of the press information every district, independently installs a transmission data recording unit every transmitter of each line so that the press information classified per district is dispatched at least one line sequentially or in parallel, records the electronic press information to be transmitted in accordance with the transmitting order, prepares a command to remotely operate the vending machine from the center and a data of dispatching procedure of the electronic press information to be dispatched, and distributes and transmits the electronic press information to the plurality of receiving terminals by the transmitting system in accordance with said dispatching procedure.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the received electronic press information is recorded to a magnetooptic disk and is sold in the bookstore or is recorded to a recording medium which a purchaser brought, thereby selling the information.

11. An electronic press information dispatching system which comprises a producing system, a distributing system, and a consuming system and which executes a production and a distribution of electronic press information which a consumer uses by a terminal, wherein

said producing system has a function to produce press information and convert the produced press information to electronic press information,

said distributing system has a function to rearrange the electronic press information produced by said producing system, a function to dispatch the rearranged electronic press information to a plurality of electronic press vending machines for selling said information, and an electronic press vending machine to sell the electronic press information,

said consuming system is constructed by consumers who purchase the electronic press information to a recording medium from the electronic press vending machine,

said rearranging function and said dispatching function are constructed as a center comprising a receiving system to receive the electronic press information from said producing system, a recording and editing system for recording and rearranging the electronic press information, a transmitting system for dispatching the rearranged electronic press information, and a managing system,

said distributing system has a connection with said producing system of the electronic press information and is connected by a line such as ISDN line or public telephone line or the like, and

said center has means for accumulating the received electronic press information, a function for again classifying the received press information classified on a unit basis of each electronic press information producer on the basis of district characteristics of the information, a function for adding a code to identify a corresponding district every district on a press information unit basis, a function for dispatching the press information classified per district by one or a plurality of lines sequentially or in parallel, a transmission data recording unit independently provided for every transmitter of each line, a command to remotely operate an electronic press vending machine from the center, and a data of dispatching procedure of the electronic press information to be dispatched, and the electronic press information to be transmitted is recorded into said transmission data recording unit in accordance with the transmitting order, and the electronic press information is dispatched to a plurality of vending machines by the transmitting system in accordance with said dispatching procedure.

12. An electronic press information dispatching system, wherein even in case of district editions having a same name, when a dispatching district differs depending on each newspaper company, information of a name of the newspaper company or a name of the district edition is possessed to electronic press information to be transmitted from an electronic press producer to a center or is added as a specified district code, thereby converting said specified district code into a district code which corresponds to a vending machine ID in a one-to-one corresponding relation in a signal processing unit of the center and dispatching the electronic press information to a desired district.

13. An electronic press information vending machine in a system comprising a center for collecting and editing electronic press information and dispatching the information by a satellite communication, electronic press information vending machines which are installed at places such as station, street, and the like where persons gather, and a portable terminal using said electronic press information, wherein

said electronic press information vending machine comprises an electronic press information sales system constructed by a communicating system, a signal processing system, a displaying system, and a data writing system and a vending machine common system constructed by a charging system, a money charging system, a sheath, and a power source system,

said communicating system is constructed by an antenna, a communication satellite (CS) digital tuner, and the like,

said signal processing system is constructed by a data processing unit and a recording unit,

a press portion display, a title display, and a date display of each of a plurality of display system which are arranged, tens of sets each comprising a press button, an old edition button, and a write instructing button of a data writing system, an IC memory card inserting port as a part of an IC memory card writing mechanism, a cash inserting port and a change ejecting port as parts of a cash processing unit of a charging system, a no-change display unit, a display unit indicating an input money amount which corresponds the remaining amount of a prepaid card, and a prepaid card inserting port and a cancelling button as parts of a prepaid card processing unit are arranged on a front side of a sheath of said electronic press information vending machine,

a terminal for a local area network (LAN) and an antenna terminal are arranged on a rear side of said sheath and an antenna terminal is also provided on an upper surface,

the antenna for communication can be mechanically attached to said sheath, said electronic press information dispatched from the center is received by the antenna, a demodulation, a bit synchronization, a frame synchronization, an error correction, and a descramble are executed by the CS digital tuner, and thereafter, the electronic press information is recorded as one file into the recording unit on a press information unit basis by the data processing unit of the signal processing system, titles of latest editions of all kinds of newspapers, magazines, and advertisements recorded in the vending machine are displayed by a title display to display by an LED or a print such as a paper or the like, dates of said presses are displayed by a date display, prices are displayed on a press button, a purchaser presses a news item selecting button of a desired newspaper or magazine, a cover of the magazine and a predetermined part in the press such as a portion of right upper 1/4 of the first page of the newspaper or the like are displayed by a press portion display, thereby selecting a press to be purchased, a recording medium of a portable terminal such as an IC memory card or the like is inserted, cash or a prepaid card is inserted, a write instructing button is subsequently depressed, so that a write control unit and an IC memory card writing mechanism of a data writing system record the electronic press information to a recording medium which is inserted by a consumer, and when the old edition button is depressed, a one-old edition of the newspaper or magazine shown by the press button which was depressed latest is displayed by the press portion display on which said latest edition has been displayed so far, each time the old edition button is depressed, the edition which is old one edition by one is displayed, the press button is depressed to again display the latest edition, in a state in which an oldest edition is displayed, when the old edition button is further depressed, a message such as "No more old edition" or the like is displayed on the edition or the like which is displayed at present by the title display, the date which is shown by the date display is changed in accordance with the old edition, and a fee is charged in cash or by a prepaid card.

14. A vending machine according to claim 13, wherein as said press portion display, a liquid crystal panel of 7 inches or larger in which the number of pixels lies within a range from (320×

240) to (1280×

960) is used or a CRT or the like of 7 inches or larger is used, and data is displayed as a longitudinal or wide image by scanning lines of the number of 1000 or less like an NTSC used in a television broadcasting or the like.

15. A vending machine according to claim 13, wherein a plurality of press portion displays are attached and a part of the press is displayed in accordance with the depressing order of the press button, however, in a state in which it is displayed by all of the displays, when another press button is further depressed, display contents corresponding to the press button which was depressed oldest are deleted and changed to the press corresponding to the press designated by said another press button depressed.

16. A vending machine according to claim 13, wherein when the press button is not depressed for a predetermined time or longer, a part or all of a plurality of preset presses to be sold are sequentially displayed at a certain predetermined time interval.

17. A vending machine according to claim 13, wherein when the press button is not depressed for a predetermined time or longer, a summary, a commercial, or the like of newspaper, magazine, advertisement, or the like to be sold is displayed.

18. A vending machine according to claim 13, wherein after the electronic press information has been written into the IC memory card inserted, it is read out and collated with the written electronic press information which the vending machine has, and when they coincide, the recording medium is taken out from the vending machine, a fee is charged, and when the cancelling button has been depressed so far, a fee is set to be free and the recording medium is returned.

19. An electronic press information dispatching system which edits, distributes, transmits, and sells electronic press information converted into electronic information and uses by a terminal, comprising:

a center for receiving a plurality of electronic press information, editing said received electronic press information per dispatching district, and dispatching said electronic press information per district through a satellite line;

a plurality of vending machines for receiving the electronic press information dispatched from the center, recording the electronic press information to a portable recording medium, and selling the information; and

a plurality of portable terminals using the electronic press information through the portable recording medium on which the electronic press information has been recorded by said vending machine.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein said vending machines are connected to every plural machines by a local area network, and the electronic press information which has been dispatched from the center by a satellite line is transmitted to the other vending machines connected by said local area network.

21. A system according to claim 19, wherein said center transmits the electronic press information and a command to control said vending machines and remotely controls said vending machines.

22. A system according to claim 19, wherein said center receives the electronic press information by an ISDN line or a recording medium on which the electronic press information has been recorded, also receives press information by a paper which is not converted into electronic information, converts into the electronic press information in the center, and edits, distributes, and transmits said electronic press information together with other electronic press information.

23. A system according to claim 19, wherein a home-use receiving terminal for receiving the electronic press information which is dispatched from said center is further provided for each home, and said electronic press information received by said home-use receiving terminal is recorded to a recording medium and is used.

24. A system according to claim 19, wherein a receiving terminal for receiving the electronic press information which is dispatched from said center is further provided for a bookstore, and said electronic press information received by said receiving terminal is transmitted from the bookstore to a purchaser or is recorded to a recording medium and is sold.

25. A system according to claim 23, wherein a receiving terminal for receiving the electronic press information which is dispatched from said center is further provided for a bookstore, and said electronic press information received by said receiving terminal is transmitted from the bookstore to a purchaser or is recorded to a recording medium and is sold.

26. A center in an electronic press information dispatching system for editing, distributing, transmitting, and selling electronic press information converted into electronic press information and for using said information by a terminal, wherein the center for receiving a plurality of electronic press information formed by a plurality of electronic press producers and dispatching said electronic press information to a plurality of vending machines through a satellite line, comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving the electronic press information formed by said plurality of electronic press producers;

a recording and editing unit for recording the received electronic press information per producer, subsequently editing said electronic press information per dispatch district, and rearranging said information per dispatching district;

a transmitting unit for dispatching the electronic press information which has been rearranged per dispatch district to a plurality of vending machines through a satellite line; and

a managing unit for performing a fee management for said electronic press producers and a management and a remote operation of said vending machines.

27. A center according to claim 26, wherein the electronic press information received by said receiving unit includes a district code indicative of the dispatch district,

said managing unit gives a second district code to each of said vending machines,

said recording and editing unit converts said district code added to said electronic press information into said second district code, edits the electronic press information per said second district code, and rearranges said information, and

said transmitting unit dispatches the electronic press information which was rearranged per said second district code to the plurality of vending machines through a satellite line.

28. A vending machine in an electronic press information dispatching system for editing, dispatching, and selling electronic press information which has been converted into electronic press information and using said information by a terminal, wherein

the vending machine for receiving the electronic press information which has been dispatched through a satellite line, recording said electronic press information to a portable recording medium, and selling, comprising:

a communicating unit for receiving the electronic press information dispatched through the satellite line;

a signal processing unit for dividing said electronic press information on a unit basis of a group of press information and recording the divided information;

various buttons adapted for a user to select the electronic press information recorded by said signal processing unit;

a display unit for displaying the electronic press information;

a data write unit for writing the electronic press information selected by the user onto a portable recording medium;

a charge unit for charging a fee for sales of said electronic press information; and

a money collecting unit for recording an amount of money from the sales,

and wherein said vending machine is connected to the other vending machines by a local area network (LAN) and a transmission and a reception of the electronic press information are executed between the vending machines by said LAN.

29. A vending machine in an electronic press information dispatching system for editing, distributing, transmitting, and selling electronic press information converted into electronic press information and using said information by a terminal, wherein

said vending machine records said electronic press information to a portable recording medium and sells,

said vending machine is connected to the other vending machines by a LAN and comprises:

a receiving unit for receiving the electronic press information by said LAN;

a signal processing unit for dividing said electronic press information on a unit basis of a group of press information and recording the divided information;

various buttons adapted for a user to select the electronic press information recorded by said signal processing unit;

a display unit for displaying the electronic press information;

a data write unit for writing the electronic press information selected by said user to a portable recording medium;

a charge unit for charging a fee for sales of the electronic press information; and

a money collecting unit for recording an amount of money from the sales.

30. A home-use receiving terminal in an electronic press information dispatching system for editing, distributing, transmitting, and selling electronic press information converted into electronic press information and using said information by a terminal, wherein

a home-use receiving terminal for receiving the electronic press information dispatched through a satellite line and using in each home comprises:

a communicating unit for receiving the electronic press information dispatched through the satellite line;

a signal processing unit for dividing said electronic press information on a unit basis of a group of press information and recording the divided information;

a data write unit for writing the electronic press information selected by a user to a portable recording medium;

a control terminal adopted for the user to select and operate the electronic press information recorded by said signal processing unit or on said portable recording medium;

a display unit for displaying the electronic press information; and

a use history recording unit for recording the use of the electronic press information for charging.