Method and apparatus for efficient transmitting and receiving of information via information updating

• US 6,925,284 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Asami, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Application Number:
  US09/805,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20030124974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.02, 455/452.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/179.1, 455/180.1, 455/180.2, 455/188.1, 455/188.2, 455/45, 340/7.48
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/69 Optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/006 Fault tolerance and recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0066 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

Information transmitted through wireless communications formed by information transmission lines from artificial satellites and radio towers or through wired communications established by cables is categorized into four categories. The individual information is transmitted in a broadcasting mode in synchronization with the information transmission timing defined for each individual information category. The information receiver captures and edits the received information and provides output for the service client in the manner associated with the individual category corresponding to the received information. Category-4 information is transmitted with the highest priority immediately when the information is generated; Category-3 information is transmitted periodically, for example, every five minutes; Category-2 information is transmitted at a time slot when the transmission line is relatively unoccupied; and Category-1 information is transmitted at a time slot when the transmission line is least occupied.

Claims

1. An information transmission method wherein

an information to be transmitted by using an information transmission line is categorized;

said information is transmitted in a timing for information transmission predefined for an individual category;

said categorization is determined by update frequency and/or exigency of an information contents; and

said categorization is defined to be

(1) information having a large volume and updated in relatively low frequency;

(2) information updated more frequently than said information (1) is;

(3) information related to said information (1) and (2) or additional information changing an information contents more vastly than an information contents in (1) and (2), and an information sent out for broadcasting business; and

(4) information of importance having an extremely high exigency, and

an categorized information is transmitted at a designated timing for each category in a broadcast mode.

2. An information transmission method of claim 1, wherein

said information (1) is transmitted once in a designated number of days;

said information (2) is transmitted in night at a designated day;

said information (3) is transmitted at an appropriate timing after said information is generated; and

said information (4) is transmitted promptly when said information is generated.

3. An information receive method wherein

an information to be received by using an information transmission line is categorized;

said information is received and acquired in a timing for information transmission predefined for an individual category;

said categorization is determined by update frequency and/or exigency of an information contents; and

said categorization is defined to be at least

(1) information having a large volume and updated in relatively low frequency;

(2) information updated more frequently than said information (1) is;

(3) information related to said information (1) and (2) or additional information changing an information contents more vastly than an information contents in (1) and (2), and an information sent out for broadcasting business; and

(4) information of importance having an extremely high exigency, and

an categorized information is received and acquired at a designated timing for each category.

4. An information receive method of claim 3, where

said information (1) is received once in a designated number of days;

said information (2) is received in night at a designated day;

said information (3) is received at an appropriate timing after said information is generated; and

said information (4) is received promptly when said information is generated.

5. A receive-side information processing system for acquiring an information at a designated timing predefined for individual categories when acquiring a categorized information by using an information transmission line, wherein

based on a label information and a version information added to an transmitted information contents, whether said information is such an information as should be acquired into said information processing system or not is judged;

whether said information should be acquired, skipped or aborted is determined;

an information judged to be acquired is stored sequentially into a primary buffer device installed in said information processing system; and

in order to specify in advance an information so as to be able to be acquired in said receive-side information processing system, a registration information recording media storing said information is used.

6. A receive-side information processing system of claim 5, wherein

said registration information recording media is an IC card.

7. A receive-side information processing system of claim 5, wherein

an information specified by a user of said receive-side information processing system among information distributed free of charge is made registered in said registration information recording media;

a new free distribution information to be acquired into said receive-side information processing system is defined at said registration information recording media; and

a label information and version information of a free distribution information acquired in said receive-side information processing system is made recorded and registered on said registration information recording media.

8. A receive-side information processing system for acquiring an information at a designated timing predefined for individual categories when acquiring a categorized information by using an information transmission line, comprising

a primary buffer device for storing temporarily a transmitted information independently on an operation state of said receive-side information processing system;

a main memory unit for storing an information to be used as an output information from said receive-side information processing system;

an input and output device and others;

wherein

an information formed by editing and processing an information stored in said primary buffer device is used as an information to be stored in said main memory unit; and

a registration operation for a chargeable information and a registration operation for a free information are processed with an identical registration information recording media.

9. A receive-side information processing system for acquiring an information at a designated timing predefined for individual categories when acquiring a categorized information by using an information transmission line, comprising

a primary buffer device for storing temporarily a transmitted information independently on an operation state of said receive-side information processing system;

a main memory unit for storing an information to be used as an output information from said receive-side information processing system;

an input and output device and others;

wherein

an information formed by editing and processing an information stored in said primary buffer device is used as an information to be stored in said main memory unit; and

a registration operation for a chargeable information and a registration operation for a free information are processed individually with a separated registration information recording media.

10. A receive-side information processing system for acquiring an information at a designated timing predefined for individual categories when acquiring a categorized information by using an information transmission line, comprising

a primary buffer device for storing temporarily a transmitted information independently on an operation state of said receive-side information processing system;

a main memory unit for storing an information to be used as an output information from said receive-side information processing system;

an input and output device and others;

wherein

an information formed by editing and processing an information stored in said primary buffer device is used as an information to be stored in said main memory unit;

a registration operation for a chargeable information to be acquired into said receive-side information processing system is processed with a registration information recording media; and

a registration operation for a free information is processed with a write-enabled recording media installed in said receive-side information processing system.

11. An information transmission method wherein

a transmission information from a transmission source is received at a fixed receiving station;

a label information and a version information of all information, and a service recording and an operation recording of said fixed receiving station, both stored individually in plural said fixed receiving stations are defined so as to be acquired through a wireless or wired information transmission line into an information processing system formed for managing said plural fixed receiving stations so that a mobile station having a device for receiving said transmission information may acquire said transmission information also from said fixed receiving station; and

in case that information stored individually in each of said plural fixed receiving stations is not updated to a latest version, or is not complete, an information to be used for updating said information is transmitted out again from an information processing system for management in said individual fixed receiving station by using said wireless or wired information transmission system, and an information in said individual fixed receiving station is updated and revised.

12. An information acquisition method wherein

a transmission information from a transmission source is received at a fixed receiving station, and a mobile station having a device for receiving said transmission information is also allowed to receive said transmission information from said fixed receiving station;

and

in case that an information processing device at said mobile station includes only a receiving function, an registration information recording media set in said information processing device is made extracted and inserted into an information input device and an information rewrite device for a registration information recording media of an information processing device installed at said fixed receiving station, said fixed receiving station compares an information object registered in said registration information recording media and an information object stored in an information processing device at said fixed receiving station, and determines and transmits an information to be transmitted out to said information processing device of said mobile station after said registration information recording media is set back to said original information processing device at said mobile station.

13. An information acquisition method of claim 12, wherein

in case that an information not stored in said registration information recording media exists at said information processing device of said fixed receiving station, and when said information is being acquired to an information processing device at a mobile station upon request of a user at said mobile station, an accounting processing is initiated by inserting said registration information recording media into a device for reading and writing an information on a registration information recording media at a fixed station, if said information is chargeable.

14. An information acquisition method wherein

in case that an information processing device at said mobile station includes only a receiving function, an registration information recording media set in said information processing device is made extracted and inserted into an information input device and an information rewrite device for a registration information recording media of an information processing device installed at said fixed receiving station, said fixed receiving station compares an information object registered in said registration information recording media and an information object stored in an information processing device at said fixed receiving station, and determines and transmits an information to be transmitted out to said information processing device of said mobile station after said registration information recording media is set back to said original information processing device at said mobile station;

said transmission source is an artificial satellite or a radio tower; and

a transmission information from a transmission source is received at a fixed receiving station, and a mobile station having a device for receiving said transmission information is also allowed to receive said transmission information from said fixed receiving station.