JP2002305734A - Pay program charging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pay program charging system that imposes no charging on video recording by reserved video recording but imposes charging on a program recorded by the reservation recording when the program is later viewed. SOLUTION: A center unit 1 broadcasting pay programs and a terminal 2 receiving a release signal from the center unit 1 to decrypt a key so as to view the received pay program are interconnected via a communication channel 3 in two-way. The terminal 2 once stores a pay program whose video recording is reserved onto a HDD 24, reproduces a digest version of the recorded program by the operation of a viewer after video recording, displays confirmation menu for confirming the viewer whether or not the viewer views the recorded program on a monitor 23, transmits a selection confirmation signal denoting the selection of viewing of the program to the center unit 1 when the viewer selects viewing on the confirmation menu, and the center unit 1 receives the selection confirmation signal to apply charging processing to the terminal 2 at that point of time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a center device for broadcasting a pay program in a locked state, a key device receiving the pay program, and releasing a key by receiving a release signal from the center device. The present invention relates to a pay program charging system in which a terminal device for viewing a received pay program is bidirectionally connected via a communication line. The present invention relates to a program accounting system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, pay programs have been broadcast using a CATV system. In recent years, a service for distributing pay programs on the Internet has also been provided.

In the broadcasting of such pay programs, the billing system is generally as follows. That is, when viewing a pay program, first, the center device that broadcasts the program checks whether or not to view the program, and transmits a confirmation signal to the effect that the user views the program.
At that point, you are charged. In other words, the user actually pays the fee or decides to pay the fee, and then actually watches the program (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-64196, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-16798, etc.).

[0004] Further, in such a charging system, there is a problem that even if it is desired to make a recording reservation, it is necessary to transmit a confirmation signal at the start of recording, so that the recording reservation cannot be made. Therefore, as a technique for solving such a problem, there is a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2840507. With this technology, when the set time for recording is reached,
By transmitting the confirmation signal to the CATV broadcasting station within a predetermined time, the subsequent recording is enabled.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION When making a recording reservation,
The user looks at a program table or the like, and selects a program to watch with reference to a synopsis or the like described therein. Then, after the recording is completed, the recorded program is reproduced and viewed at an appropriate time. In this case, there is a problem in that even if the program that has already been paid and recorded is not as expected as expected, the user cannot pay for the viewing because the fee has already been paid.

[0006] In addition, there is a problem that if a program recorded by recording reservation is not interesting because of a story from a friend or the like, and if the program is deleted without being viewed, the fee already paid becomes useless. Was. In addition, even though you recorded a program with a recording reservation, you often missed the opportunity to watch it because you were busy and recorded another program by overwriting without knowing it.
There was a problem that the fees already paid were wasted.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem. The purpose of the present invention is not to charge for a recording operation by recording reservation, but to charge for the first time when a program recorded by the recording reservation is viewed later. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pay program accounting system that eliminates waste of payment fees by performing processing.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a pay program charging system according to the present invention comprises: a center device for broadcasting a pay program in a locked state; A pay program charging system having a configuration in which a key is released by receiving a release signal from the device and a terminal device for viewing the received pay program is bidirectionally connected via a communication line. The paid program reserved for recording is temporarily recorded on the built-in recording / reproducing disc, and during recording, the reproduction of the recorded program is prohibited. After recording, the digest version of the recorded program is reproduced by the viewer's operation. Then, a confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to view the recorded program is displayed on the display unit. If the viewer selects viewing on this confirmation screen, the viewing is selected. If the viewer selects not to view on the confirmation screen while transmitting a selection confirmation signal indicating the The device, by receiving the selection confirmation signal,
A release signal is transmitted to the terminal device, and a billing process is performed on the terminal device at this time.

According to the present invention having such features,
The viewer can temporarily record the pay program by recording reservation without being charged. Then, after watching the digest version at your preferred time, determine whether the recorded program is the program you really want to view, and if it is the program you want to watch, select a confirmation signal from the confirmation screen at that time. To the center device. The center device executes the charging process for the first time at this time by receiving the selection confirmation signal. In addition, since the release signal is transmitted from the center device, the terminal device releases the key by this release signal and views the recorded program.

On the other hand, as a result of viewing the digest version, if the user does not wish to view the recorded program, an erasure confirmation signal indicating that he does not want to view the program is transmitted to the center device. In addition, the terminal device executes the erasing process of the pay program recorded on the recording / reproducing disc in response to the erasure confirmation signal indicating that the user does not want to view the recorded program.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to temporarily record a pay program by recording reservation, and determine whether or not to view and view the digest version at any time desired by the viewer. Since such an operation can be performed without being charged, only the program that the user really wants to watch among the programs recorded by the recording reservation can be paid and viewed thereafter. Conversely, if the recorded program is deleted without being viewed, there is no charge, so that unnecessary payment of fees can be eliminated.

Further, the pay program charging system of the present invention comprises:
A center device for broadcasting a pay program in a locked state,
A pay program having a configuration in which the pay program is received and a key is released by receiving a release signal from the center device, and a terminal device for viewing the received pay program is bidirectionally connected via a communication line. A charging system, wherein the terminal device temporarily records a paid program for which recording reservation has been made on a built-in recording / reproducing disc, and operates a viewer to display a confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to view the recorded program. Displayed on the display unit, when the viewer selects viewing on this confirmation screen, transmits a selection confirmation signal indicating selection of viewing to the center device, and the center device transmits the selection confirmation signal , A release signal is transmitted to the terminal device, and charging processing is performed on the terminal device at this time.

According to the present invention having such features,
The viewer can temporarily record the pay program by recording reservation without being charged. Then, determine whether the recorded program is the one you really want to watch,
If the program is to be viewed, a selection confirmation signal is transmitted from the confirmation screen to the center device at that time. The center device executes the charging process for the first time at this time by receiving the selection confirmation signal. Also, since the release signal is transmitted from the center device, the terminal device
The key is released by this release signal, and the recorded program is viewed.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to temporarily record a paid program by recording reservation and determine whether to view the recorded program by watching the digest version at a time desired by the viewer. Since such an operation can be performed without being charged, only the program that the user really wants to watch among the programs recorded by the recording reservation can be paid and viewed thereafter. Conversely, if the recorded program is deleted without being viewed, there is no charge, so that unnecessary payment of fees can be eliminated.

[0015] Further, according to the pay program billing system of the present invention, before the terminal device displays a confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to view the recorded program by the operation of the viewer on the display unit, The digest version of the recorded program is reproduced. This allows the viewer to determine whether to view the recorded program after viewing the digest version.

Further, according to the pay program accounting system of the present invention, the terminal device prohibits the playback of the recorded program while the pay program is being recorded by recording reservation. When the viewer selects not to view on the confirmation screen, the terminal device executes a process of deleting a pay program recorded on the prerecorded / reproducible disc. In this case, the erasing process is
It is assumed that the recording area of the pay program recorded on the recording / reproducing disc is set as an overwritable recordable area. As a result, when the viewer records a pay program, the program is recorded from this recordable area, so that the recorded program for which the fee has not been paid is automatically deleted.

Further, according to the pay program accounting system of the present invention, when executing the erasing process, the terminal device transmits an erasure confirmation signal to the center device. As a result, the center device can also confirm that the recorded pay program that has not been paid is deleted.

According to the pay program billing system of the present invention, the digest version may be edited in advance in the center device and transmitted together with the pay program, or the digest program recorded in the terminal device may be used. Use the first part or random parts extracted from and edited. In the case of transmission from the center device side, for example, in the case of a drama or the like, a trailer of the next week is broadcasted, so that the trailer can be used as it is.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a pay program accounting system according to the present invention. The pay program charging system includes a center device 1 that broadcasts a pay program in a locked state, a pay program that receives the pay program, releases a key by receiving a release signal from the center device 1, and releases the received pay program. The terminal device 2 for viewing programs is bidirectionally connected via a communication line 3 such as a public line or the Internet.

The center apparatus 1 accumulates and manages video information (hereinafter, also referred to as program information) of various programs in order to distribute pay programs to the terminal device 2 of a user who is a viewer. A distribution control unit 12 that controls distribution of various program information from the program distribution unit 11 and transmits and receives various control signals to and from the terminal device 2; program information transmitted from the program distribution unit 11 and a distribution control unit The control signal (release signal, etc.) transmitted from the communication device 12 is multiplexed and transmitted to the communication line 3, and the control signal (confirmation signal, etc.) transmitted from the terminal device 2 via the communication line 3 is transmitted to the distribution control unit 12. And a charging processing unit 14 that executes a charging process under the control of the distribution control unit 12. Although these components are the same as those of a conventional center device for broadcasting a pay program, in the present invention, the timing at which the distribution control unit 12 causes the charging processing unit 14 to execute the charging process is different from the conventional timing.

On the other hand, the terminal device 2 has a built-in tuner circuit for receiving program information transmitted via the communication line 3 and a transmitting / receiving unit 21 for transmitting a control signal to the center device 1. A digital demodulation unit 22 that performs information compression processing and decompression processing of compressed program information; a hard disk drive (HDD) 24 that temporarily records (in this embodiment, referred to as recording) program information compressed by the digital demodulation unit 22; Digital demodulation unit 22 and HDD2
And a monitor 23 for displaying program information read from the HDD 24 and subjected to decompression processing by the digital demodulation unit 22;
1, a control unit 26 for controlling the operation of the entire terminal device 2 including the digital demodulation unit 22 and the interface unit 25, a key receiving unit 27 for receiving various key operation signals, and a remote controller 28 for operating various keys (buttons). ing.
Note that the monitor 23 is usually a television receiver externally attached to the terminal device 2, but in the present embodiment, the monitor 23 is illustrated as being included in the terminal device 2. Also, this terminal device 2
Since it has a recording reservation function, it has a clock function for measuring the current time and a timer function for measuring the set recording reservation time, but these are not shown.

In the above-described configuration, the present invention is characterized by a billing process particularly when a recording reservation is made. Hereinafter, the charging process when a recording reservation is made will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. However, FIG. 2 shows a processing operation on the terminal device 2 side, and FIG. 3 shows a processing process on the center device 1 side.

The user (viewer) selects a pay program to be recorded based on, for example, a program guide of a booklet distributed in advance or EPG data indicating a broadcast schedule of a program distributed electronically. Make a reservation for recording. Since the operation of the recording reservation itself is not different from the conventional operation, the detailed description is omitted.

Thereafter, when the recording reservation time comes, the video signal (program information) of the corresponding program is transmitted from the center device 1, so that the terminal device 2 starts the recording operation (step S1). That is, the control unit 26 temporarily records the paid program information for which recording reservation has been made in the built-in HDD 24. At this time, the program information recorded at this time is locked, and cannot be reproduced unless the key is released. The terminal device 2 is configured to prohibit reproduction of the recorded program during recording (step S
1).

After the end of the recording operation by the scheduled recording (step S2), if the user performs a reproduction operation of the recorded program using the remote controller 28 during a time when the viewer can view (Yes in step S3). The control unit 26 receiving the operation signal reads out the digest version of the recorded program from the HDD 24, performs a decompression process in the digital demodulation unit 22, demodulates the original video signal, and displays it on the monitor 23. (Step S4).

Here, the digest version to be reproduced may be, for example, the one edited in advance in the center device 1 and transmitted together with the pay program, reproduced from the HDD 24 and displayed. In this case, for example, in the case of a drama or the like, a trailer for the next week is broadcast at the end of the program, so that the trailer can be used as it is. When the digest version is generated on the terminal device 2 side, for example, the first part (for example, the first minute) from the recorded program information is used.
Playback only, and use it as a digest version on monitor 23
Alternatively, a plurality of portions may be extracted at random from the recorded program information, and the extracted portions may be connected and edited to be displayed on the monitor 23 as a digest version.

Thereafter, when the reproduction of the digest version ends, the control unit 26 displays a confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to view the recorded program on the monitor 23 (step S).
5). The viewer sees the digest version, determines whether he / she wants to view the main part, and selects viewing on this confirmation screen (for example, selects an “OK” button displayed on the confirmation screen) when he / she wants to view it. Then, the control unit 26 transmits the selection confirmation signal to the distribution control unit 12 of the center device 1 via the digital demodulation unit 22, the transmission / reception unit 21, and the communication line 3 (Step S7).

When the distribution control unit 12 of the center device 1 receives the selection confirmation signal from the terminal device 2 (step S21)
Is determined to be Yes) at this point, the charging processing unit 14
Is executed, and a billing process for the corresponding terminal device 2 is executed (step S22). Further, the distribution control unit 12 transmits a release signal to the corresponding terminal device 1 (Step S
23). In other words, according to the present invention, the fee is not charged only for recording by the recording reservation, but is charged only when viewing the recorded program.

When the control unit 26 of the terminal device 2 receives the release signal (determined as Yes in step S8), the control unit 26 releases the key applied to the program information recorded on the HDD 24 by the release signal. (Step S
9) Make the recorded program information reproducible. Here, the key information for prohibiting the reproduction of the paid program information is HD
At the time of recording on D24, it is written in the TOC information of the hard disk (not shown).
By setting the key flag to “1”, the reproduction of the corresponding program information can be prohibited. In this case, the control unit 2
6 controls the HDD 24 by receiving the release signal, and the HDD 24 rewrites the key flag of the corresponding program information written in the TOC information of the hard disk from “1” to “0”, thereby recording the recorded program. The information can be made reproducible.

After releasing the key in this way, the control unit 2
Reference numeral 6 controls the HDD 24 to read out the recorded program information, perform a decompression process by the digital demodulation unit 22 to demodulate the original video signal, and display it on the monitor 23 (step S1).
0).

On the other hand, returning to step S6, the viewer
If the user decides not to view the recorded program as a result of viewing the digest version, and selects not to watch on the confirmation screen (for example, by selecting the “NO” button displayed on the confirmation screen), the control unit 26 H for recorded program information
A process of erasing from the DD 24 is executed (step S11), and an erasure confirmation signal is transmitted to the distribution control unit 12 of the center device 1 (step S12).

Here, in the erasing process, when the "NO" button displayed on the confirmation screen is selected, the recorded program information is not actually deleted from the hard disk, but is deleted.
The process of setting the recording area of the program information recorded on the hard disk to the overwritable recordable area is performed to perform the erasing process. That is, the TOC of the hard disk
This is realized by registering an area indicated by the start address and the end address of the recorded program information written in the information as an empty area.

Although the above embodiment does not describe the processing operation when the recording is not a recording reservation, when the recording is not a recording reservation, for example, when a direct recording operation is performed,
Watch the digest version sent first for free,
Judgment is made as to whether the program is to be recorded, and if the program is to be recorded, a confirmation screen is displayed thereafter. Will do. That is, in this case, as before, the user is charged before recording. Also, in the case of simply watching, not recording, the user is charged as before before viewing.

[0034]

According to the pay program billing system of the present invention, the terminal device temporarily records the reserved pay program on a built-in recording / reproducing disc, prohibits the reproduction of the recorded program during the recording, After recording, the digest version of the recorded program is played back by the viewer's operation, and then a confirmation screen for confirming whether to view the recorded program is displayed on the display unit. If the viewer selects to view, a confirmation signal indicating that the user has selected viewing is transmitted to the center device. It is configured to execute a program erasing process,
The center device is configured to transmit a release signal to the terminal device by receiving the confirmation signal, and to perform a charging process on the terminal device at this time. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to record a pay program for the time being by recording reservation and determine whether to watch the recorded program by watching the digest version at a time desired by the viewer. Since such an operation can be performed without being charged, only the program that the user really wants to watch among the programs recorded by the recording reservation can be paid and viewed thereafter. Conversely, if the recorded program is deleted without being viewed, there is no charge, so that unnecessary payment of fees can be eliminated.

Further, according to the pay program accounting system of the present invention, the terminal device temporarily records the pay program reserved for recording on a built-in recording / reproducing disk, and views the recorded program by a viewer's operation. A confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to display is displayed on the display unit, and when the viewer selects viewing in this confirmation screen, a selection confirmation signal indicating that the user has selected viewing is transmitted to the center device. Upon receiving the selection confirmation signal, the center device transmits a release signal to the terminal device, and performs a charging process on the terminal device at this time. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to record a pay program for the time being by recording reservation and determine whether to watch the recorded program by watching the digest version at a time desired by the viewer. Since such an operation can be performed without being charged, only the program that the user really wants to watch among the programs recorded by the recording reservation can be paid and viewed thereafter. Conversely, if the recorded program is deleted without being viewed, there is no charge, so that unnecessary payment of fees can be eliminated.

Further, according to the pay program accounting system of the present invention, the terminal device performs the recording before displaying the confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to view the recorded program by the operation of the viewer on the display unit. It is configured to reproduce the digest version of the program. This allows the viewer to determine whether to view the recorded program after viewing the digest version.

Further, according to the pay program charging system of the present invention, when the viewer selects not to view on the confirmation screen, the terminal device executes a process of deleting the pay program recorded on the recording / reproducing disc. Configuration. As a result, when the viewer next records a pay program, the program is recorded from this recordable area, so that the recorded program for which the fee has not been paid is automatically deleted.

Further, according to the pay program accounting system of the present invention, the terminal device transmits an erasure confirmation signal to the center device when the erasure process is executed. As a result, the center device can also confirm that the recorded pay program that has not been paid is deleted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a pay program accounting system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing operation on the terminal device side at the time of recording reservation.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing operation on the center device side at the time of recording reservation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 center device 2 terminal device 11 program distribution unit 12 distribution control unit 13 signal multiplexing unit 14 accounting unit 21 reception unit 22 digital demodulation unit 23 monitor 24 HDD 25 interface unit 26 control unit 27 key reception unit 28 remote control

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A center device that broadcasts a pay program in a locked state, receives the pay program, releases a key by receiving a release signal from the center device, and views the received pay program. A pay program charging system having a configuration in which a terminal device to be recorded is bidirectionally connected to the terminal device through a communication line, wherein the terminal device temporarily records a reserved program to be recorded on a built-in recording / reproducing disk, and performs recording. During playback, the playback of the recorded program is prohibited, after recording, the digest version of the recorded program is played back by the viewer's operation, and then a confirmation screen is displayed on the display unit to confirm whether to view the recorded program. Display, and when the viewer selects viewing on this confirmation screen, a selection confirmation signal indicating selection of viewing is transmitted to the center device, while the viewer If the user selects not to view on the front side, the center device executes the erasing process of the pay program recorded on the pre-recording / reproducing disc, and the center device receives the selection confirmation signal, A pay program billing system, which transmits a release signal and performs billing processing on the terminal device at this time. 2. A center apparatus for broadcasting a pay program in a locked state, and receiving the pay program, releasing a key by receiving a release signal from the center apparatus, and viewing the received pay program. A pay-per-view program having a configuration in which a pay-per-view terminal is bidirectionally connected via a communication line. A confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to view the recorded program is displayed on the display unit by an operation of the viewer, and when the viewer selects to watch on this confirmation screen, it indicates that the viewer has selected viewing. By transmitting a selection confirmation signal to the center device, the center device transmits the release signal to the terminal device by receiving the selection confirmation signal, Pay program charging system and performing the charging process for the terminal device at the point. 3. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:
3. The pay program billing system according to claim 2, wherein a digest version of the recorded program is reproduced before a confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to view the recorded program is displayed on the display unit. 4. The pay program charging system according to claim 2, wherein the terminal device prohibits reproduction of the recorded program during recording of the paid program by recording reservation. 5. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein when the viewer selects not to view on the confirmation screen, the terminal device executes a process of deleting a pay program recorded on the prerecorded / reproducible disc. A pay program charging system according to claim 2 or claim 3. 6. The pay program charging system according to claim 1, wherein the erasing process is a process of setting a recording area of a pay program recorded on a pre-recording / reproducing disc as a recordable area that can be overwritten. . 7. The pay program accounting system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device transmits an erasure confirmation signal to the center device when the erasure process is performed. 8. The digest version is edited in advance on the center apparatus side and transmitted together with the pay program, or the digest version is edited by extracting the first part or a plurality of parts at random from the pay program recorded on the terminal apparatus side. The pay program charging system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the pay program is charged.