Broadcasting system and receiving apparatus

• US 8,151,302 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Tadao, Kanota, Keiji, Yokota, Junichi, Fujino, Toyomi, Yano, Hajime, Oishi, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raman, Usha
• Application Number:
  US09/725,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,143 Days
• Field of Search: 725 44- 49, 725 34- 35, 725/89, 725/28, 725/36, 725/58, 725/8, 725/131, 386/83
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• 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 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 : using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 : using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 : for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

The broadcast station 1 provides the digital contents to be put on the air with the attributive information of the digital contents thereof. The selective information showing the user'"'"'s taste is set out in the filter unit 12. The filter unit 12 filters the attributive information on the basis of the selective information to select the digital contents which suits the user'"'"'s taste among the digital contents which were put on the air. According to the broadcast station 1, the user may listen and view the selected digital contents after recording the digital contents in the recording medium, or the user may listen and view the digital contents which suits the user'"'"'s taste among the digital contents which were put on the air.

Claims

1. A receiver comprising:

receiving means for receiving digital content and attributive information from a broadcast station, the attributive information including an accounting amount for the digital content, and the receiving means including an infra-red radiation receiving unit;

remote controller means, which includes an infra-red radiation emitting unit, for remotely controlling the receiving means by transmitting an infra-red radiation signal from the infra-red radiation emitting unit to the infra-red radiation receiving unit in the receiving means, the remote controller means having a display unit and a removable recording medium,

wherein the remote controller means is separate from the receiving means;

selecting means for comparing first selective information with the attributive information,

a filtering means for filtering the attributive information on the basis of the first selective information to select the digital content;

a code decoding means for decoding a code of the digital content filtered by the filtering means using a predetermined cipher key, the cipher key being possessed by a registered user of the broadcast station, wherein upon decoding the code of the digital content by the code decoding means, transmitting an accounting data to the broadcast station;

recording means for recording digital content on the receiver, said digital content selected on the basis of the first selective information; and

removable recording medium control means for recording at least one of said selected digital content, and for storing address information of digital content to the broadcast station, on the removable recording medium,

wherein the selected digital content recorded on the removable recording medium is reproducible on the display unit of the remote controller means,

wherein the broadcast station carries out accounting for the user on the basis of the transmitted accounting data,

wherein the broadcast station changes the accounting amount for the digital content based on the using environment of each user, amount of commercial messages listened to and viewed by each user, and number of requests for the digital content by users, the accounting amount further being variable when a first user introduces the digital content to a second user and the second user uses the introduced digital content, and

wherein the using environment is determined by at least the type of display unit coupled to the receiver, the type of display unit selected from the group consisting of cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display, plasma display, plasma addressing liquid crystal display, and field emission display.

2. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the removable recording medium control means is configured to store client identification.

3. A receiver comprising:

a receiver unit configured to receive digital content and attributive information from a broadcast station, the attributive information including an accounting amount for the digital content, and the receiver unit including an infra-red radiation receiving unit;

a remote controller, which includes an infra-red radiation emitting unit, configured to remotely control the receiver unit by transmitting an infra-red radiation signal from the infra-red radiation emitting unit to the infra-red radiation receiving unit in the receiver unit, the remote controller having a display unit and a removable recording medium,

wherein the remote controller is separate from the receiver unit;

a selector configured to compare first selective information with the attributive information,

a filter configured to filter the attributive information on the basis of the first selective information to select the digital content;

a cipher key unit for decoding a code of the digital content filtered by the filter using a predetermined cipher key, the cipher key being possessed by a registered user of the broadcast station, wherein upon decoding the code of the digital content by the cipher key unit, transmitting an accounting data to the broadcast station;

a recorder configured to record digital content on the receiver unit, said digital content selected on the basis of the first selective information; and

a removable recording medium controller configured to record at least one of said selected digital content, and to store address information of digital content to the broadcast station, on the removable recording medium,

wherein the selected digital content recorded on the removable recording medium is reproducible on the display unit of the remote controller,

wherein the broadcast station carries out accounting for the user on the basis of the transmitted accounting data,

wherein the broadcast station changes the accounting amount for the digital content based on the using environment of each user, amount of commercial messages listened to and viewed by each user, and number of requests for the digital content by users, the accounting amount further being variable when a first user introduces the digital content to a second user and the second user uses the introduced digital content, and

wherein the using environment is determined by at least the type of display unit coupled to the receiver, the type of display unit selected from the group consisting of cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display, plasma display, plasma addressing liquid crystal display, and field emission display.

4. The receiver of claim 3, wherein the removable recording medium is configured to store client identification.

5. The receiver of claim 3, wherein the controller compiles the attributive information of the digital content that is reproduced by a user, analyzes a taste of the user based on the compiled attributive information, and changes a weighting of a value of a parameter of the first selective information based on the analysis of the user'"'"'s taste, thereby changing the filter configured to filter the attributive information to select the digital content.

6. The receiver of claim 3, wherein a parameter of the first selective information is set to exclude programs from being recorded and reproduced.

7. The receiver of claim 4, wherein the digital content includes commercial information and the controller records selected commercial information based on the first selective information in a dedicated area of the recording medium.

8. The receiver of claim 7, wherein the selected commercial content is reproduced within a predetermined time frame of the commercial message in a program.

9. A method of receiving digital content comprising:

receiving digital content and attributive information at a receiver from a broadcast station, the attributive information including an accounting amount for the digital content, and the receiver including an infra-red radiation receiving unit;

remotely controlling the receiver with a remote controller having an infra-red radiation emitting unit, a display unit and a removable recording medium, by transmitting an infra-red radiation signal from the infra-red radiation emitting unit to the infra-red radiation receiving unit in the receiver,

wherein the remote controller is separate from the receiver;

comparing first selective information with the attributive information,

filtering the attributive information on the basis of the first selective information to select the digital content;

decoding a code of the digital content filtered using a predetermined cipher key, the cipher key being possessed by a registered user of the broadcast station, wherein upon decoding the code of the digital content, transmitting an accounting data to the broadcast station;

recording selected digital content on the receiver, said digital content selected on the basis of the first selective information;

recording said selected digital content on the removable recording medium,

storing address information of digital content to the broadcast station on the removable recording medium; and

reproducing the selected digital content recorded on the display unit of the remote controller,

wherein the broadcast station carries out accounting for the user on the basis of the transmitted accounting data,

wherein the broadcast station changes the accounting amount for the digital content based on the using environment of each user, amount of commercial messages listened to and viewed by each user, and number of requests for the digital content by users, the accounting amount further being variable when a first user introduces the digital content to a second user and the second user uses the introduced digital content, and

wherein the using environment is determined by at least the type of display unit coupled to the receiver, the type of display unit selected from the group consisting of cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display, plasma display, plasma addressing liquid crystal display, and field emission display.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising storing client identification on the removable recording medium.

11. A digital content distribution method comprising:

transmitting digital content and attributive information, the attributive information including an accounting amount for the digital content;

receiving the digital content and the attributive information on a remotely located first receiver from a broadcast station, the receiver including an infra-red radiation receiving unit;

remotely controlling the receiver with a first remote controller having an infra-red radiation emitting unit, a display unit and a removable recording medium, by transmitting an infra-red radiation signal from the infra-red radiation emitting unit to the infra-red radiation receiving unit in the receiver,

wherein the first remote controller is separate from the first receiver;

comparing first selective information by the first receiver based upon the attributive information,

filtering the attributive information on the basis of the first selective information to select the digital content;

decoding a code of the digital content filtered using a predetermined cipher key, the cipher key being possessed by a registered user of the broadcast station, wherein upon decoding the code of the digital content, transmitting an accounting data to the broadcast station;

recording selected digital content on the first receiver, said digital content selected on the basis of the first selective information;

recording said selected digital content on the removable recording medium,

storing address information of digital content to the broadcast station on the removable recording medium; and

reproducing the selected digital content recorded on the display unit of the first remote controller,

wherein the broadcast station carries out accounting for the user on the basis of the transmitted accounting data,

wherein the broadcast station changes the accounting amount for the digital content based on the using environment of each user, amount of commercial messages listened to and viewed by each user, and number of requests for the digital content by users, the accounting amount further being variable when a first user introduces the digital content to a second user and the second user uses the introduced digital content, and

wherein the using environment is determined by at least the type of display unit coupled to the receiver, the type of display unit selected from the group consisting of cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display, plasma display, plasma addressing liquid crystal display, and field emission display.

12. The transmitting method of claim 11 further comprising storing client identification on the removable recording medium.

13. The transmitting method of claim 12 further comprising:

providing the removable recording medium to a second remote controller associated with a second receiver; and

automatically receiving, without user intervention, at the second remote controller, digital content based on the address information of digital content and client identification stored on the removable recording medium.