Digital broadcasting system for providing program and data to a vehicle

• US 6,978,152 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2000
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawamata, Yukihiro, Yamaashi, Kimiya, Horita, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMOS FELICIANO, ELISEO
• Application Number:
  US09/635,449
• Time in Patent Office: 1,958 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/345, 455/456, 455/457, 455/414, 455/419, 455410-412, 455/517, 455/558, 455/557, 455/426, 455/99, 455/95, 455/66, 455/575, 455/351, 455/3.02, 455/456.1, 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 455/426.1, 455/66.1, 455/575.1, 455/74, 455/526, 701/200, 701/213, 701/211, 701/208, 731/78.R, 340/989, 340/990, 340/993, 342/454, 342/457, 709/219, 709/328, 709/329, 370/529, 370/527, 370/476, 370/342, 370/335
• US Class Current: 455/526
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/85 which are mobile communication networks

Abstract

Ordinary data groups and index information indicating data names and memory locations of broadcasted data are transmitted in multiplex mode from the data broadcasting station 101, and received by the onboard terminal 103 and/or the information service station 104 through the data distribution part 102. The onboard terminal 103 detects the information which it does not hold by referring to the index information, and presents a list of data names at the onboard display part 133. The service station 104 stores separately the data groups and the index information provided from the broadcasting station 101, and in response to the download request from the onboard 103, it examines whether the required data is located in SS memory part 147 by referring to the index data, and captures the required data from external memory locations defined in the index information if the required data is not stored.

Claims

1. A digital broadcasting system comprising:

a digital broadcasting transmission apparatus for broadcasting data groups; and

a digital broadcasting receive apparatus for receiving said data groups;

wherein the digital broadcasting data groups contain in a multiplexed form;

ordinary data to be broadcasted as present programs;

identification data for identifying the data broadcasted in the past or that is to be broadcasted in the future; and

index data multiplexed to ensure that said identification data for identifying the data broadcasted in the past or that is to be broadcasted in the future is associated with the time of broadcast and the storage location permitting downloading of the broadcast data, thereby forming the data groups for digital broadcasting;

wherein the index data is repeatedly broadcast; and

wherein said digital broadcasting receive apparatus comprises;

a data receiving means for receiving said digital broadcasting data groups;

a data storage means for storing said ordinary data and said index data separately from each other, obtained from the received digital broadcasting data;

an input means for receiving a request for downloading the broadcasting data;

a data control means for searching a storage location permitting downloading of broadcasting data, when said broadcasting data requested to be downloaded is not stored in said storage means, by referencing the index data corresponding to the requested broadcasting data, and for capturing the broadcasting data from said storage location through the network; and

a distribution means for sending the data requested to be downloaded, to the requested destination.

2. A digital broadcasting system of claim 1, wherein said digital broadcasting transmission apparatus adds distinctive identifiers individually to said ordinary data and said index data.

3. A digital broadcasting system of claim 2, wherein said digital broadcasting receive apparatus is an information service station and has a data receiver for receiving said digital broadcasting contents, and a data memory means for storing said ordinary data and said index data separately among received data groups.

4. A digital broadcasting system of claim 1, wherein said digital broadcasting receive apparatus has a data separation means for identifying said ordinary data and said index data separately among the received data groups of digital broadcasting.

5. A digital broadcasting system of claim 4, wherein said digital broadcasting receive apparatus has a judge means for determining whether an original data are downloaded in the apparatus itself or not by referring to a data ID in said received index data.

6. A digital broadcasting system of claim 5, wherein said digital broadcasting receive apparatus is a mobile terminal, and has a download request means for allowing to select the necessity for downloading by displaying index data of an original data not downloaded yet.

7. A digital broadcasting system of claim 6, wherein said mobile terminal has a transmission means for putting out contents requested by said download request means, and a receive means for receiving digital broadcasting contents or download data selectively.

8. A digital broadcasting system of claim 7, wherein said transmission means of said mobile terminal adds and puts out said requested contents with a public-key used exclusively for an individual user or an individual terminal.

9. A digital broadcasting system of claim 1, wherein said digital broadcasting receive apparatus has a security management means for encrypting said download data by using a cipher key specified by said requester.

10. A digital broadcasting system of claim 1, wherein said digital broadcasting receive apparatus transmits a verification information for verifying a fact that said requester obtains an distributed information along with said download data, and acknowledges a response to said verification information, and processes a billing operation.

11. A digital broadcasting system of claim 1, wherein said digital broadcasting receive apparatus is an information service station and has a data receiver for receiving said digital broadcasting contents, and a data memory means for storing said ordinary data and said index data separately among received data groups.