Conditional access system of CATV

• US 6,868,550 B1
• Filed: 04/10/2000
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoye, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US09/546,187
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/27, 725/91, 725/93, 725/109, 725/114, 725/116, 725/135, 725/138, 725143-144, 725/146, 725/95
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/42 for identifying broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

In a CATV system, a digital head end transmits both an area code and such data containing a management number and a channel contrastive table to a terminal of each of areas; each terminal stores thereinto both the area code and the channel contrastive table; and the digital head end retrieves the corresponding management number by comparing a channel display number of an analog program set every area with the channel contrastive table based on this area code, and then, displays the analog program of this retrieved management number.

Claims

1. A CATV conditional access system comprising:

a plurality of analog head ends for distributing picture signals of analog programs and picture signals of transmitted digital programs to terminals provided in respective areas; and

a digital head end for transmitting the picture signals of the digital programs to the plurality of analog head ends,

wherein said digital head end transmits to the terminals within the areas, via the analog head ends, data containing an area code used to recognize the area to which each terminal belongs, and data containing a channel contrastive table for comparing a management number that is uniquely allocated to each analog program and is commonly used in all the areas for each respective analog program and a channel display number used in each area for selecting an analog program, and

each of said terminals stores thereinto the area code and the channel contrastive table, and retrieves the corresponding management numbers from the channel contrastive table by comparing the channel display numbers for selecting the analog programs set for each area and the area code, and then displays the channel display number for selecting the analog program of the retrieved management number.

2. The CATV conditional access system as claimed in claim 1, wherein both the data indicative of the area code and the data indicative of the channel contrastive table are transmitted from said digital head end to the terminals of the respective areas respectively via a channel used to transmit the picture signal.

3. The CATV conditional access system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said digital head end transmits data about an analog channel transmission frequency contrastive table to the terminals of the respective areas, said analog channel transmission frequency contrastive table comparing the management number with a transmission frequency of an analog program within each of the areas, and

each of the terminals stores thereinto the analog channel transmission frequency contrastive table, such that when a channel display number for selecting an analog program is designated, said each terminal retrieves a management number corresponding to the designated channel display number from the channel contrastive table based upon the area code, and said each terminal retrieves a transmission frequency of an analog program corresponding to the retrieved management number from the analog channel transmission frequency contrastive table so as to be tuned to the retrieved transmission frequency.

4. The CATV conditional access system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the data indicative of the analog channel transmission frequency contrastive table are transmitted from said digital head end to the terminals of the respective areas respectively via a channel used to transmit the picture signal.

6. A CATV conditional access system according to claim 1, wherein both the data indicative of the area code and the data indicative of the channel contrastive table are transmitted from said digital head end to the terminals of the respective areas respectively via a data transmission channel which is separately provided with a channel for transmitting the picture signal.

7. A CATV conditional access system according to claim 3, wherein the data indicative of the analog channel transmission frequency contrast table are transmitted from said digital head end to the terminals of the respective areas respectively in a data transmission channel which is separately provided with a channel for transmitting the picture signal.

8. A CATV conditional access system according to claim 1, wherein said digital head end transmits EMM data that includes said area code, and said digital head end transmits NIT data that includes said channel contrastive table.

5. A CATV conditional access method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of analog head ends for distributing picture signals of analog programs and picture signals of transmitted digital programs to terminals provided in respective areas;

providing a digital head end for transmitting the picture signals of digital programs to the plurality of analog head ends;

transmitting to the terminals within the areas, via the analog head ends, data containing an area code used to recognize the area to which the area belongs, and data containing a channel contrastive table for comparing a management number that is uniquely allocated to each analog program and is commonly used in all the areas for each respective analog program, and a channel display number used in each area for selecting an analog program;

storing in each of said terminals the area code and the channel contrastive table;

retrieving the corresponding management numbers from the channel contrastive table by comparing the channel display numbers for selecting the analog programs set for each area and the area code; and

displaying the channel display number for selecting the analog program of the retrieved management number.

9. A CATV conditional access system comprising:

a digital head end for transmitting picture signals of digital programs to a plurality of analog head ends,

the plurality of analog head ends for distributing picture signals of analog programs and the picture signals of the transmitted digital programs to terminals provided in respective areas,

wherein said digital head end transmits to the terminals, via the analog head ends, data containing an area code used to recognize the area to which each terminal belongs, and data containing a channel contrastive table,

wherein the channel contrastive table compares a management number with a channel display number, the management number being uniquely allocated to each analog program and commonly used in all the areas for each respective analog program, and the channel display number used in each area for selecting an analog program.