Receiver set, information apparatus and receiving system

• US 8,856,819 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Maxell, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Akamatsu, Chiyo, Shinagawa, Tetsuo, Kudo, Yoshimichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US13/428,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20120180096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 725/8, 725/25
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4108 characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• 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 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

An information apparatus connectable with plural external apparatuses including an audio visual data outputting portion, a command input portion which inputs a command from an external apparatus for requesting audio visual data, an information managing portion which manages a number of external apparatuses to audio visual data can be distributed to be simultaneously viewed or recorded and a controller portion which controls distribution of the data to the external apparatus which sent the command depending upon a distributing condition. The controller portion makes a decision on whether the number of external apparatuses to which data can be distributed is equal to or smaller than a limited number, and controls the distribution of data to the external apparatus based on a result of the decision.

Claims

1. A digital data transmitting/receiving system comprising:

a transmitter apparatus configured to transmit digital data, the digital data including video and audio; and

a plurality of external apparatuses, each of the plurality of external apparatuses being connected to the transmitter apparatus via a network and being configured to receive the digital data transmitted from the transmitter apparatus,

wherein the transmitter apparatus comprises a digital data transmitter configured to transmit the digital data, simultaneously, to the plurality of external apparatuses, and

wherein each of the plurality of external apparatuses comprises a digital data receiver configured to receive the digital data transmitted from the digital data transmitter of the transmitter apparatus, and

wherein the digital data transmitter of the transmitter apparatus transmits the digital data, simultaneously, to the plurality of external apparatuses, each of the plurality of external apparatuses being addresses of transmission of the digital data, when the plurality of external apparatuses, being the addresses of transmission of the digital data, are authenticated to be regular apparatuses, and when a number of the plurality of external apparatuses, being the addresses of transmission of the digital data, is confirmed within a predetermined limit number.

2. A digital data transmitting/receiving method in a digital data transmitting/receiving system, the digital data transmitting/receiving system including a transmitter apparatus configured to transmit digital data including a video and audio, and a plurality of external apparatuses, each of the plurality of external apparatuses being connected to the transmitter apparatus via a network and being configured to receive the digital data transmitted from the transmitter apparatus, the method comprising:

transmitting the digital data, simultaneously, from the transmitter apparatus to the plurality of external apparatuses that are connected to the network; and

receiving the digital data transmitted from the transmitter apparatus,

wherein the digital data is transmitted, simultaneously, to the plurality of external apparatuses, the plurality of external apparatuses being addresses of transmission of the digital data, when the plurality of external apparatuses, being the addresses of transmission of the digital data, are authenticated to be regular apparatuses, and when a number of the plural numbers of external apparatuses, being the addresses of transmission of the digital data, is confirmed within a predetermined limit number.

3. A transmitter apparatus for transmitting digital data, the digital data including video and audio, to a plurality of external apparatuses, the plurality of external apparatus being connected via a network, the transmitter apparatus comprising:

a digital data transmitter configured to transmit the digital data, simultaneously, to the plurality of external apparatuses,

wherein the digital data transmitter transmits the digital data, simultaneously, to the plurality of external apparatuses, the plurality of external apparatus being addresses of transmission of the digital data, when the plurality of external apparatuses, being the addresses of transmission of the digital data, are authenticated to be regular apparatuses, and when a number of the plurality of external apparatuses, being the addresses of transmission of the digital data, is confirmed within a predetermined limit number.

4. A digital data transmitting method for transmitting digital data, the digital data including video and audio, to a plurality of external apparatuses connected via a network, the digital data transmitting method comprising:

transmitting the digital data, simultaneously, to the plurality of external apparatuses,

wherein the digital data is transmitted, simultaneously, to the plurality of external apparatuses, the plurality of external apparatuses being addresses of transmission of the digital data, when the plurality of external apparatuses, being the addresses of transmission of the digital data, are authenticated to be regular apparatuses, and when a number of the plurality of external apparatuses, being the addresses of transmission of the digital data, is confirmed within a predetermined limit number.

5. A digital data transmitting apparatus for transmitting digital data, the digital data including video and audio, to a plurality of external apparatuses connected via a network, the digital data transmitting apparatus comprising:

a digital data receiver configured to receive the digital data; and

a digital data transmitter configured to transmit the digital data received by the receiver, to said the plurality of external apparatuses connected via the network,

wherein the digital transmitter conducts processes for confirming a number of addresses of transmission of the digital data and for an authentication, when a transmission request of the digital data is made from the external apparatuses,

wherein the digital data received by the receiver is transmitted to the external apparatuses, when the number of the addresses of transmission of the digital data is equal to or lower than a predetermined limit number, and when the external apparatuses making the transmission request are authenticated to be regular apparatuses,

wherein the digital data, which is received by the receiver, is transmitted to the external apparatuses, when the number of the addresses of transmission of the digital data is less than or equal to the predetermined limit number, and when the external apparatuses making the transmission request are authenticated to be regular apparatuses, and

wherein the digital data is not transmitted to the external apparatuses, when the number of the addresses of transmission of the digital data is larger than the predetermined limit number, and when the external apparatuses making the transmission request are not authenticated to be regular apparatuses.

6. A digital data transmitting method for transmitting digital data, the digital data including video and audio, to a plurality of external apparatuses connected via a network, the digital data transmitting method comprising:

receiving the digital data;

conducting a confirmation of a number of addresses of transmission and an authentication process, when a transmission request is made of the digital data from the external apparatuses; and

transmitting the digital data received to the external apparatuses, when the number of the addresses of transmission of the digital data is confirmed to be less than or equal to a predetermined limit number and the external apparatuses making the transmission requests are authenticated to be regular apparatuses,

wherein the digital data is not transmitted to the external apparatuses, when the number of the addresses of transmission of the digital data is confirmed to be greater than the predetermined limit number, or when the external apparatus making the transmission requests are not authenticated to be the regular apparatuses.