Software usage measurement apparatus for imposing a proper charge in accordance with number of times multimedia unit data of a software is being processed

• US 5,887,192 A
• Filed: 07/24/1995
• Issued: 03/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nishio, Nobuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Lun, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US08/506,031
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 395/184.01, 395/827, 395/840, 395/854, 380/4, 380/5, 348/13, 348/231, 348/390, 364/464.01, 364/385, 370/517, 386/109
• US Class Current: 710/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering

Abstract

A DES decrypting unit decrypts video data frames encrypted and compressed based on MPEG standards, when receiving them. The decrypted video data frames are expanded one by one in a MPEG expansion circuit. Each time the single frame is expanded, the MPEG expansion circuit outputs a completion-of-frame-expansion signal to a host control CPU. The host control CPU counts the completion-of-frame-expansion signals and reduces an accounting count value in an accounting data memory in accordance with this count value. The host control CPU outputs character pattern image data from a pattern generator and prohibits the decryption by the DES decrypting unit when the accounting count value becomes 0. The character pattern image data is superimposed on a video signal in an adder circuit.

Claims

1. A software usage measurement processor for obtaining usage data of software which contains plural items of unit data indentifiable from each other, said processor comprising:

processing means for processing the software by each of the unit data;

counting means for counting a number of times the unit data processed by said processing means whenever each of the unit data is processed by said processing means; and

determining means for determining an amount of the usage data of the software in accordance with the number of times the unit data is counted by said counting means.

2. A software using quantity measurement processor according to claim 1, wherein the unit data is compression-processed beforehand, and said processor further comprises expanding means for restoring the unit data by expanding the compressed software.

3. A software usage measurement processor according to claim 2, wherein said processing means detects that the expansion of the unit data by said expanding means is completed and thus detects that the software is employed.

4. A software usage measurement processor for obtaining usage data of software which contains plural items of unit data indentifiable from each other, said processor comprising:

processing means for processing the software by each of the unit data;

counting means for counting a number of the unit data processed by said processing means whenever each of the unit data is processed by said processing means; and

determining means for determining the usage data of the software in accordance with the number of unit data counted by said counting means, and said determining means including a second count value indicating a software using quantity, and the second count value is changed corresponding to a variation in a first count value by said counting means.

5. A software usage measurement processor according to claim 4, further comprising usage hindering means for hindering the usage of the software when the second count value becomes a predetermined value.

6. A software usage measurement processor according to claim 5, wherein the unit data is image data for displaying an image, and said usage hindering means superimposes a video signal for hindering a normal display of the image on the image data.

7. A software usage measurement processor according to claim 5, wherein the unit data is encrypted beforehand, and said processor further comprises decrypting means for decrypting the encrypted unit data only when the second count value is not the predetermined value.

8. A software using quantity measurement processor for obtaining using quantity data about a usage of software which contains plural items of unit data identifiable from each other, said processor comprising:

detecting means for detecting the usage of the unit data;

counting means for counting a total number of usages of the unit data that are detected by said detecting means; and

determining means for determining the using quantity of the usage of the software in accordance with a counting result of said counting means,

wherein said determining means has a second count value indicating a software using quantity, and the second count value is changed corresponding to a variation in as first count value by said counting means, and

wherein the software is composed of plural items of unit image data for regenerating A moving picture,

said processor further comprises mode switching means for selectively switching a first mode for reproducing the moving picture as it is by consecutively outputting the plural items of unit image data and a second mode for reproducing the moving picture at a high speed by skip-outputting the plural items of software, and

said determining means sets a variation rate of the second count value corresponding to the change in the first count value during the second mode smaller than a variation rate of the second count value corresponding to the change in the first count value during the first mode.

9. A software using quantity measurement processor according to claim 8, wherein the unit image data is compression-processed beforehand,

said processor further comprises restoring means for restoring the compressed software, and

said processing means detects that the unit image data is employed by detecting that the restoration of the software by said restoring means is completed.

10. A multimedia information outputting apparatus for outputting information composed by plural items of data containing at least image data and audio data, said apparatus comprising:

integration processing means for integration-processing data about a using quantity corresponding to the number of outputs each time one unit of the image data is outputted; and

hindering means for hindering the outputs of at least some items of data among the plural items of data constituting the information when the integration-processed using quantity data reaches a predetermined value.

11. A multimedia information outputting apparatus for outputting information composed by plural items of data containing at least image data and audio data through different output terminals with a separation into at least the image data and the audio data, said apparatus comprising:

a circuit for generating an output signal each time one unit of the image data is outputted;

an integration processing circuit for calculating using quantity data corresponding to the number of generations of the unit by integration-processing the number of generations of the output signal; and

output control means for processing at least one item of data and supplying the processed data to the corresponding output terminal when the using quantity data reaches a predetermined using quantity.

12. A multimedia information outputting apparatus for inputting information consisting of at least a first item of image data undergoing predetermined processing and a second items of image data undergoing no predetermined processing, converting these items of image data into a before-processing status and outputting the respective items of converted data through output terminals, said apparatus comprising:

converting means for converting said first item of image data into the before-processing status;

first supplying means for supplying the first item of image data converted by said converting means to the output terminal;

second supplying means for supplying the second item of image data to the output terminal through no intermediary of said converting means;

integration processing means for integrating a using quantity of the image data on the basis of the number of outputs each time one unit of the first item of image data is outputted; and

hindering means for hindering the supply of the first item of image data by said first supplying means when the using quantity integrated by said integration processing means reaches a predetermined using quantity.

13. A multimedia information outputting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said hindering means causes said second supplying means to supply the second item of image data to the output terminal corresponding to the fact that the using quantity integrated by said integration processing means reaches the predetermined using quantity.

14. A multimedia information outputting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said multimedia information outputting apparatus has a plurality of output modes of outputting the image data in different modes, and

said integration processing means changes a value of the using quantity as a result of the integration processing in every output mode.

15. A multimedia information outputting apparatus for inputting information consisting of at least a first item of image data undergoing predetermined processing and a second item of image data undergoing no predetermined processing, converting these items of image data into a before-processing status and outputting the respective items of converted data through output terminals, said apparatus comprising:

converting means for converting said first item of image data into the before-processing status;

first supplying means for supplying the first item of image data converted by said converting means to the output terminal;

second supplying means for supplying the second item of image data to the output terminal through no intermediary of said converting means;

integration processing means for integrating a using quantity of the image data on the basis of the number of outputs each time one unit of the first item of image data is outputted; and

hindering means for hindering the supply of the first item of image data by said first supplying means when the using quantity integrated by said integration processing means reaches a predetermined using quantity; and

wherein said hindering means causes said second supplying means to supply the second item of image data to the output terminal corresponding to the fact that the using quantity integrated by said integration processing means reaches the predetermined using quantity,

wherein said hindering means includes;

alarm generating means for generating an alarm information signal displaying an alarm;

generation time managing means for managing a generating period of the alarm information signal; and

actuating means for causing said second supplying means co supply the second image data to the output terminal when the generating period is made to reach a predetermined period by said generating time managing means.