Digital broadcasting receiving apparatus

• US 6,195,642 B1
• Filed: 04/09/1998
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Izumi, Shinobu, Maruo, Jun, Banba, Tatsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga B.
• Application Number:
  US09/057,532
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 370/487, 370/522, 370/485, 370/523, 370/535, 370/537, 370/490, 348/6, 348/7, 348/12, 455/511, 455/63, 455/414, 455/462, 455/463, 455/464, 455/411, 343/895, 343/702
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A digital broadcasting receiving apparatus that can be installed without regard to the location of the telephone outlet where a signal is received by a front-end, reception data is decoded by an A/V decoder, and a video signal and an audio signal are outputted from a D/A converter. Monitor information has been stored in an IC card and is periodically read into a memory by a CPU. Further, the monitor information is transmitted from the memory to a management system by the control of the CPU through a telephone line. A modem and a slave module of a cordless telephone are connected. The monitor information is transmitted between the slave module and an external master unit in a wireless manner. The monitor information is transmitted from the master unit to the management system through the telephone line.

Claims

1. A digital broadcasting receiving apparatus for receiving a broadcasting signal including a pay-per-view program, comprising:

storing means for storing information regarding a viewing history of said pay-per-view program; and

transmitting means including an interface unit connected to said storing means, a modem connected to said interface unit, a slave module of an analog cordless telephone connected to said modem, and a first antenna connected to said slave module for transmitting in a wireless manner said viewing history information stored in said storing means to a transceiver including a master unit of the analog cordless telephone connected to a public telephone line and a second antenna connected to said m aster unit for executing two-way communication with said first antenna.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transceiver transmits said viewing history information received from said transmitting means to an accounting management system via said public telephone line.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transceiver is integrally provided in a telephone.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said modem comprises:

modulating means for modulating said viewing history information for transmission to said transceiver.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said modulating means transmits said viewing history information to said receiver using analog modulation.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said modulating means transmits said viewing history information to said receiver using digital modulation.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pay-per-view program is subjected to a scrambling process to produce a scrambled pay-per-view new program before it is transmitted, and said receiving apparatus further comprises:

a descrambler for descrambling said scrambled pay-per-view program using a descrambling process; and

control means for storing said viewing history information in said storing means in accordance with said descrambling process of said descrambler.

8. A method of transmitting viewing history information of a pay-per-view program of a digital broadcasting receiving apparatus, comprising the steps of:

reading out said viewing history information stored in a memory;

modulating said viewing history information read from said memory;

using a slave module of an analog cordless telephone with a first antenna connected thereto for transmitting said viewing history information in a wireless manner;

receiving at a second antenna connected to a master unit of the analog cordless telephone said viewing history information transmitted in said wireless manner; and

transmitting said received viewing history information to an accounting management system via a public telephone line.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

descrambling a scrambled pay-per-view program using a descrambling process; and

storing said viewing history information in said memory in accordance with said descrambling process.