Method, communications system and receiver device for the billing of access controlled programmes and /or data from broadcast transmitters

• US 7,895,126 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2000
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kudelski SA
• Original Assignee: Kudelski SA
• Inventors: Ritter, Rudolf, Trinchan, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin, Evens J
• Application Number:
  US10/221,136
• Time in Patent Office: 4,001 Days
• Field of Search: 380/239, 380/279, 370/313, 455/556.2, 705/1, 705/40, 705/50
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47805 Electronic banking banking in general G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method, a communications system and a receiving device are for billing of access-controlled programs and/or data which are broadcast by a broadcast transmitter unidirectionally and encrypted, and are received by at least one receiving device. A monetary value is stored in a data memory of the receiving device. The costs for access to the access-controlled programs and/or data are determined in the receiving device based on received cost data, and decryption of the access-controlled programs and/or data in the receiving device is prevented if the determined costs are greater than the stored monetary value. Billing records are generated in the receiving device for the allocation of credit items to the vendors of the access-controlled programs and/or data, and are transmitted to a billing center via various data channels.

Claims

1. A method for selective billing of at least one of a plurality of access-controlled programs and data which are encrypted and broadcast unidirectionally by a broadcast transmitter via a broadcasting network, comprising:

receiving at least one of a plurality of purchased encrypted and unidirectionally broadcast access-controlled programs and data, by a mobile receiving device, via the broadcasting network using a first channel, at least one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data being decrypted in the mobile receiving device for access to at least one the plurality of access-controlled programs and data by a user of the mobile receiving device upon received access conditions data for at least one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data coinciding with authorization data stored in the mobile receiving device;

storing, in the mobile receiving device, a monetary value in a data memory of the mobile receiving device;

determining, in the mobile receiving device, costs for access to a selected one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data in the mobile receiving device based on received cost data for the selected one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data;

preventing, in the mobile receiving device, access to the selected one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data in the mobile receiving device upon the determined costs being greater than the stored monetary value;

deducting, in the mobile receiving device, the costs for access to the selected one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data from the stored monetary value;

generating billing records in the mobile receiving device and storing the billing records in a data memory of the mobile receiving device, wherein billing records include at least one of the cost amounts and cost parameters for calculation of the cost amounts for the access to the selected one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data and an identification of the vendor of the selected one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data; and

transmitting the generated billing records, by the mobile receiving device via a mobile radio network using a second channel, to a billing center, which credits credit items to a vendor of the selected one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data.

2. The method according to the claim 1, wherein at least one of the monetary value and the billing records are stored in a data memory that is integrated into a chip card which is removable from the mobile receiving device.

3. The method according to the claim 2, wherein the chip card is removed from the mobile receiving device and inserted in an external data terminal outside the mobile receiving device, and said monetary value is at least one of reloaded and loaded with a reload amount by the data terminal.

4. The method according to the claim 1, wherein said monetary value is at least one of reloaded and loaded with the reload amount via the mobile radio network.

5. The method according to the claim 4, wherein a reload amount is received by the mobile receiving device from the external data terminal via the interface, and the monetary value is at least one of reloaded or loaded with the received reload amount.

6. The method according to the claim 1, wherein the programs include at least one of digital audio and video programs.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast transmitter, the mobile receiving device and the billing center are separate, and no subscription is maintained linking the broadcast transmitter and the mobile receiving device.

21. The method according to the claim 1, wherein generating billing records includes calculating costs amounts based on at least one of Start and End time, time length, and cost of time per unit of received program or data.

7. A communications system comprising:

at least one broadcast transmitter, which broadcasts at least one of programs and data unidirectionally via a broadcasting network; and

a receiving device, including;

a broadcast receiver connected to the broadcasting network for receiving at least one of the unidirectionally broadcast programs and data using a first channel,

an access control module designed in order that, decryption of a selected one of encrypted, unidirectionally broadcast, access-controlled programs and data is allowed when the access conditions data coincide with authorization data stored in the receiving device,

a decryption module for decrypting the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data,

a data memory in which a monetary value is stored,

a costs recording module which determines costs for access to the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data based on received cost data for the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data;

a credit control module which prevents access to the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data if the determined costs are greater than the stored monetary value, wherein

the costs recording module is set up in such a way that the costs recording module deducts the costs for access to the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data from the stored monetary value, and wherein the costs recording module is set up in such a way that the costs recording module generates electronically signed billing records and stores the billing records in a data memory of the receiving device the billing records including at least one of the cost amounts and cost parameters for calculation of the cost amounts for the access to the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data as well as an identification of the vendor of the selected one of these access-controlled programs and data, and

a communications module which transmits the generated billing records using a second channel, via a communications network, to a billing center which is set up in such a way that the billing center credits credit items to a vendor of the selected one of the plurality of access-controlled programs and data.

8. The communications system according to the claim 7, wherein at least one of the data memory in which the monetary value is stored, and the data memory, in which the billing records are stored, is integrated in a chip card which is removable from the mobile receiving device.

9. The communications system according to the claim 8, wherein the communications system includes at least one external data terminal outside the mobile receiving device, wherein the data terminal includes a card reading/writing device into which the chip card is insertable, and wherein the data terminal includes a reload module, which is set up in such a way that the reload module at least one of reloads or loads said monetary value with a reload value.

10. Communications system according to the claim 7, wherein the communications module is set up in such a way that the communications module receives a reload amount via the mobile telecommunication network, and the mobile receiving device includes a reload module that is set up in such a way that the reload module at least one of loads or reloads the monetary value with the received reload amount.

11. The communications system according to the claim 7, wherein the communications system includes at least one external data terminal outside the mobile receiving device, the mobile receiving device includes an interface for data exchange with the external data terminal and the mobile receiving module includes a reload module which is set up in such a way that the reload module receives a reload amount from the data terminal via the interface and at least one of reloads or loads the monetary value with the received reload value.

12. The communications system according to the claim 7, wherein the programs include at least one of digital audio and video programs.

18. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the at least one broadcast transmitter, the at least one receiving device and the billing center are separate, and no subscription is maintained linking the at least one broadcast transmitter and the at least one receiving device.

22. The communications system according to the claim 7, wherein the costs recording module generates billing records based on at least one of Start and End time, time length, and cost of time per unit of received program or data.

13. A mobile receiving device comprising:

a broadcast receiver configured to receive at least one of programs and data, using a first channel, which are broadcast unidirectionally by a broadcast transmitter via a broadcasting network;

an access control module which is set up in a way that the access control module releases decryption of at least one of encrypted broadcast access-controlled programs and data upon received corresponding access conditions data coinciding with authorization data stored in the mobile receiving device;

a decryption module which decrypts at least one of access-controlled programs and data;

a data memory in which a monetary value is stored;

a costs recording module which is set up in such a way that the costs control module determines costs for access to at least one of the access-controlled programs and data based on received cost data for at least one of the access-controlled programs and data; and

a credit control module which prevents access to the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data upon the determined costs being greater than the stored monetary value wherein the costs recording module is set up in such a way that the costs recording module deducts the costs for access to the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data from the stored monetary value, wherein the costs recording module is set up in such a way that the costs recording module generates electronically signed billing records and stores them in a data memory of the receiving device, wherein the billing records include at least one of the cost amounts and cost parameters for calculation of the cost amounts for the access to the selected one of the access-controlled programs and data as well as an identification of a vendor of the selected one of these access-controlled programs and data, and

a communications module which transmits the generated billing records to a billing center, using a second channel, via a communications network.

14. The mobile receiving device according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the data memory in which said monetary value is stored, and the data memory, in which the billing records are stored, is integrated in a chip card which is removable from the receiving device.

15. The mobile receiving device according to the claim 13, wherein the communications module is set up in such a way that the communications module receives a reload amount via the mobile telecommunications network, and wherein the mobile receiving device further comprises a reload module that at least one of reloads or loads the monetary value with the received reload amount.

16. The mobile receiving device according to the claim 13, wherein the receiving device further comprises,

an interface for data exchange with an external data terminal outside the mobile receiving device;

a reload module which is set up in such a way that the reload module receives a reload amount from the data terminal via the interface and at least one of reloads or loads the monetary value with the received reload amount.

17. The mobile receiving device according to the claim 13, wherein the programs include at least one of digital audio and video programs.

20. The mobile receiving device of claim 13, wherein no subscription is maintained linking the broadcast transmitter and the mobile receiving device.

23. The mobile receiving device according to claim 13, wherein the costs recording module generates billing records based on at least one of Start and End time, time length, and cost of time per unit of received program or data.