Data transmitting method, data transmitting system, data receiving method and receiving terminal

• US 7,574,720 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2000
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Uchiyama, Yoshinori, Takeda, Yoshiharu, Yamazaki, Tomotaka, Baba, Hiromitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/496,769
• Time in Patent Office: 3,477 Days
• Field of Search: 725/36, 725/50, 725/132, 725/152, 725/140, 725/31, 725/111, 713/173, 713/190, 713/193, 713/162, 380/264, 380/277, 380/278, 380/286, 711/3
• US Class Current: 725/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/91 broadcasting computer programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/70 characterised in that receivers can be addressed
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

In a method and system for transmitting and receiving data, specified data can be transmitted only to a specific receiving terminal by assigning unique terminal information to the receiving terminal. When transmitted with data, the unique terminal information identifies the specific receiving terminal as the destination of transmission from among a plurality of receiving terminals. An update program for changing the processing of the receiving terminal may be transmitted to the specific receiving terminal along with the unique terminal information. The unique terminal information and the update program are stored in a prescribed storage location in the specific receiving terminal. Thus, a one-to-one broadcasting system is achieved.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data from a transmission apparatus to one of a plurality of receiving terminals, comprising:

communicating between said one receiving terminal and the transmission apparatus via an Internet system, said one receiving terminal being operable to receive a digital broadcasting signal;

receiving authentication data associated with said one receiving terminal;

authenticating said authentication data;

upon authentication, transmitting unique terminal information identifying said one receiving terminal as a destination of transmission and an update program to change the processing of said one receiving terminal, said unique terminal identification information being selected in a manner unrelated to said authentication data and comprising a MAC address of said one receiving terminal, and said transmitting step including converting said unique terminal information into converted unique terminal information comprising a key ID representing an encoded version of said MAC address and transmitting said converted unique terminal information to said one receiving terminal;

storing said transmitted key ID in a first storage location so that it is not recognizable as said encoded version of said MAC address and falsification is preventable;

at said one receiving terminal validating the transmitted key ID to determine whether the transmitted key ID is a legal key ID; and

upon validation;

updating the processing of said one receiving terminal, said updating including receiving at said one receiving terminal said unique terminal information and said update program;

storing said update program in a second storage location;

decoding said transmitted key ID to obtain said MAC address;

upon decoding, storing said MAC address in a location different than said first and second storage locations;

transmitting from said one receiving terminal to said transmission apparatus a transfer request based on said update program and said unique terminal information; and

supplying data responsive to said transfer request from said transmission apparatus to said one receiving terminal based on said unique terminal information.

2. The data transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said supplying step includes supplying said data from said transmission apparatus to said one receiving terminal via a communication satellite based on said unique terminal information.

3. The data transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said supplying step includes supplying said data using an Internet connection from said transmission apparatus to said one receiving terminal based on said unique terminal information.

4. The data transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said supplying step includes supplying said data from said transmission apparatus to said one receiving terminal through a terrestrial circuit based on said unique terminal information.

5. The data transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said data supplied by said transmission apparatus is displayed on a display apparatus of said one receiving terminal based on said unique terminal information.

6. A system for transmitting data comprising:

a plurality of receiving terminals; and

a transmission apparatus operable to receive authentication data associated with one of said plurality of receiving terminals, to authenticate said authentication data, and to transmit unique terminal information identifying said one receiving terminal as a destination of transmission and an update program to change the processing of said one receiving terminal;

said one receiving terminal being operable to output said authentication data, to receive said unique terminal information and said update program, to communicate with said transmission apparatus via an Internet system, and to receive a digital broadcasting signal, and said one receiving terminal including storage operable to store said unique terminal information and said update program to update said processing;

wherein said unique terminal identification information is selected in a manner unrelated to said authentication data and comprises a MAC address of said one receiving terminal, said transmission apparatus transmits said unique terminal information converted into a key ID to said one receiving terminal, said one receiving terminal stores said key ID in a first storage location so that it is not recognizable as a converted version of said MAC address and falsification is preventable, said one receiving terminal stores said update program in a second storage location, said one receiving terminal validates the transmitted key ID to determine whether the transmitted key ID is a legal key ID, and upon validation, said one receiving terminal converts said transmitted key ID back to said MAC address and then stores said MAC address in a location different than the first and second storage locations; and

wherein said one receiving terminal transmits to said transmission apparatus a transfer request based on said update program and said unique terminal information and said transmission apparatus supplies data responsive to said transfer request to said one receiving terminal based on said unique terminal information.

7. The data transmitting system according to claim 6, wherein said transmission apparatus supplies said data to said one receiving terminal via a communication satellite based on said unique terminal information.

8. The data transmitting system according to claim 6, wherein said transmission apparatus supplies said data using an Internet connection to said one receiving terminal based on said unique terminal information.

9. The data transmitting system according to claim 6, wherein said transmission apparatus supplies said data to said one receiving terminal through a terrestrial circuit based on said unique terminal information.

10. The data transmitting system according to claim 6, wherein data supplied from said transmission apparatus is displayed on a display apparatus of said one receiving terminal based on said unique terminal information.

11. A receiving system for receiving data transmitted from a transmission apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of receiving terminals, one of said plurality of receiving terminals being operable to communicate with the transmission apparatus via an Internet system, to receive a digital broadcasting signal, to output authentication data associated with said one receiving terminal, and, upon authentication of said authentication data by said transmission apparatus, to receive unique terminal information identifying said one receiving terminal as a destination of transmission and an update program for changing the processing of said one receiving terminal;

storage for storing said unique terminal information and said update program received by said receiving terminal;

a transfer request generated based on said update program and transmitted to the transmission apparatus along with said unique terminal information; and

data responsive to said transfer request supplied by the transmission apparatus to said one receiving terminal based on said unique terminal information;

wherein said unique terminal information is selected in a manner unrelated to said authentication data and comprises a MAC address of said one receiving terminal, and converted unique terminal information is obtained by converting said unique terminal information into a key ID;

wherein said one receiving terminal stores said key ID in a first storage location so that it is not recognizable as a converted version of said MAC address and falsification is preventable; and

wherein when said one receiving terminal validates the received key ID to determine whether the received key ID is a legal key ID, and upon validation, said one receiving terminal is operable to store said update program in a second storage location, to generate said transfer request, to decode said received key ID into said MAC address, and to store said MAC address in a location different than said first and second storage locations.

12. The receiving system according to claim 11, wherein said data is transmitted via a communication satellite based on said unique terminal information.

13. The receiving system according to claim 11, wherein said data is transmitted using an Internet connection based on said unique terminal information.

14. The receiving system according to claim 11, wherein said data is transmitted through a terrestrial circuit based on said unique terminal information.

15. The receiving system according to claim 11, wherein said data transmitted from the transmission apparatus is displayed on a display based on said unique terminal information.

16. A method of receiving data transmitted from a transmission apparatus to one of a plurality of receiving terminals, comprising:

communicating between said one receiving terminal and the transmission apparatus via an Internet system, said one receiving terminal being operable to receive a digital broadcasting signal;

receiving unique terminal information identifying said one receiving terminal as a destination of transmission and an update program for changing the processing of said one receiving terminal, said unique terminal identification information being selected in a manner unrelated to authentication data associated with said one receiving terminal and comprising a MAC address of said one receiving terminal;

converting said unique terminal information into a key ID;

at said one receiving terminal validating said key ID to determine whether the key ID is a legal key ID;

storing said key ID and said update program received by said one receiving terminal in respective first and second storage locations so that said key ID is not recognizable as a converted version of said MAC address and falsification is preventable; and

upon validating the key ID;

retrieving said key ID from said first storage location;

decoding said key ID to obtain said MAC address;

storing said MAC address in a location different than said first and second storage locations;

transmitting said unique terminal information and a transfer request based on said update program from said one receiving terminal to said transmission apparatus; and

receiving data transmitted from said transmission apparatus in response to said transfer request based on said unique terminal information.

17. The data receiving method according to claim 16, wherein said data is transmitted from said transmission apparatus via a communication satellite based on said unique terminal information.

18. The data receiving method according to claim 16, wherein said data is transmitted from said transmission apparatus using an Internet connection based on said unique terminal information.

19. The data receiving method according to claim 16, wherein said data is transmitted from said transmission apparatus through a terrestrial circuit based on said unique terminal information.

20. The data receiving method according to claim 16, wherein said data transmitted from said transmission apparatus is displayed on a display based on said unique terminal information.