JPH07336664A - Pay television set - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an illicit practice viewing of television without settling a charge and to prevent an erroneous charge to a person not viewing the television. CONSTITUTION:A pay television set is provided with a toll charging device 4 outputting a signal based on the amount of coins put in or the amount indicated by the recorded data recorded on an inserted card, a television set 2 in which electric power is supplied independently of the charging device 4 and a viewing control means 17 for controlling the television set 2 to be viewed based on the signal from the charging device 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pay television device used in hospitals, hotels and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, pay televisions provided in each room such as a hospital or a hotel, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-91080, throw money into a billing device installed around the television. Alternatively, you can insert a prepaid card, etc. and watch TV only for the time according to the price.

In such a pay television device, a billing device is connected between the television and the commercial AC power source. For example, an outlet connected to the commercial AC power source is provided in the billing device, and a power cord of the television is provided. The plug is plugged into an outlet in the billing device to take power. A contact is provided between the outlet in the billing device and the commercial AC power supply, and when money is not inserted into the billing device or a card is not inserted, the contact is opened to turn off the television so that the television can be viewed. I try not to. When money is inserted into the billing device or a prepaid card is inserted, the contacts are closed and the television is energized for a time corresponding to the charge, so that the television can be viewed.

[0004]

However, in the case of controlling the viewing of the television by taking the power of the television from the billing device and turning on or off the power to the television, the power cord of the television is pulled out from the billing device and the commercial AC power source is directly used. There was an illegal act of watching TV without paying the usage fee by directly supplying power to the TV, such as connecting to.

[0005] Further, when the television is in the viewing state by inserting money or inserting a card into the billing device, the power switch on the television is turned off to turn off the power on the television side, or the television power cord is disconnected from the outlet. Sometimes, the billing device could not detect that the TV was turned off even though the TV was not being watched, and the charge could be settled because of the disconnection.

Further, in the case where the television can be viewed depending on whether or not the television is energized, power is not supplied to the television when the television is not viewed. Therefore, a TV provided with a device such as a clock function that requires constant power supply cannot be used because it is reset every time viewing is stopped. Also, even if a battery for such a device is provided in the TV, if the TV is not watched for a long time, the battery power will decrease and it will not be possible to supply stable power, for example, the clock will go crazy. The functions such as did not work correctly.

Further, in the case of controlling the viewing of television by a billing device, a program which can be viewed free of charge, such as a self-produced broadcast produced by a hotel or a hospital, is a free program due to a breakdown of the billing device. There were times when I couldn't watch it.
In addition, with the conventional device, it is not possible to watch an emergency broadcast or a broadcast that informs the user of how to respond when a disaster such as a fire or an earthquake occurs while watching another channel.

An object of the present invention is to prevent a fraudulent act of watching TV without paying the usage fee, and to propose a pay TV device in which a clock function or the like is not easily deviated. Further, the present invention proposes a pay television device which prevents miscollection in which the fee is settled even though the television is not viewed.

[0009] Further, the present invention proposes a pay television device that can watch free channels even if the charging device is out of order. Further, the present invention proposes a pay television device capable of watching an emergency broadcast or a simultaneous broadcast while watching other programs.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a billing system which outputs a signal based on the amount of money inserted into a coin or the amount of money indicated by the record data recorded on an inserted card. Device, a television that is independently powered without going through the billing device, and the television is provided with viewing control means for allowing the television to be viewed based on a signal from the billing device. It is a device.

A charging device that outputs a viewing enable signal based on the amount of money inserted and the amount of money indicated by the record data recorded on the inserted card, and power is supplied independently without going through the charging device. And a viewing signal generating means for outputting a viewing signal to the billing device during viewing, the viewing control means allowing the television to be viewed based on the viewing enable signal from the billing device. The billing device is provided with a time counting means for measuring a viewing time based on the viewing signal, a subtracting means for performing a subtraction operation from the input amount when the time counting time of the time measuring means exceeds a predetermined time, and the subtracting means according to the subtraction result. It is a pay television device provided with a viewable signal output control unit for controlling the output of the viewable signal.

[0012] A charging device that outputs a viewing enable signal based on the amount of money inserted and the amount of money indicated by the record data recorded on the inserted card, and power is supplied independently without going through the charging device. The television includes a viewing control means for allowing the television to be viewed based on a viewing enable signal from the billing device, a clocking means for measuring a viewing time, and a clocking time of the clocking means for a predetermined time. When a time elapses, a subtraction signal generating means for outputting a subtraction signal to the billing device, a subtraction means for performing the subtraction operation on the charging amount based on the subtraction signal in the billing device, and The pay television device is provided with a viewable signal output control means for controlling output.

[0013] A charging device for outputting the amount of money inserted or the amount of money indicated by the record data recorded on the inserted card, a television to which power is independently supplied without going through the accounting device, and the television. Includes a balance storage means for storing the amount of money input from the billing device, a viewing control means for enabling the television to be viewed based on the amount of money in the balance storage means, a clock means for clocking a viewing time, and the clock timing. The pay television apparatus is provided with subtraction means for performing a subtraction operation from the amount of money in the balance storage means when the time measured by the means has passed a predetermined time.

A charging device capable of inserting money or inserting a card, and power supplied independently without going through the charging device, and the amount of money inserted into the charging device or the inserted card. A television that can be viewed according to the amount of money indicated by the recorded data recorded in, a channel selection means for selecting a channel of the television, and a preset free channel provided in the television and stored. , A judging means for judging whether or not a channel selection signal from the channel selecting means is a free channel, and when the result of the judging means is a free channel, the television can be viewed regardless of the amount of money charged by the charging device. It is a pay television device provided with viewing control means.

[0015] The inserted amount storage unit for storing the input amount in the input currency or the input amount indicated by the record data recorded in the inserted card, and to be viewed when the amount in the input amount storage unit is not zero. And a subtraction means for performing a subtraction operation from the amount stored in the input amount storage unit when the television viewing time exceeds a predetermined time,
Detecting means for detecting emergency broadcast or broadcast, switching means for switching the viewing channel of the television to emergency broadcast or broadcast by a detection signal from the detecting means, and subtraction means for the subtracting means while watching the emergency broadcast or broadcast. It is a pay television device provided with a subtraction prohibition unit for prohibiting the subtraction operation.

[0016]

The electric power is supplied to the television independently without going through the billing device, and the viewing control means in the television makes it possible to watch the television based on the signal from the billing device, thereby preventing the illegal use of the television. The clock function of the TV is hard to get out of order. The viewing signal generation means in the television outputs the viewing signal to the billing device while watching the television, the time counting means in the billing device measures the viewing time based on the viewing signal, and the subtracting means makes the viewing time exceed a predetermined time. Since the subtraction operation is performed from the input amount of money, it is possible to prevent miscollection when not watching the television.

The viewing time is timed by the timekeeping means in the television, and the subtraction signal generating means outputs a subtraction signal to the billing device when the viewing time has passed a predetermined time, and the subtraction means of the billing device outputs the subtraction signal of the billing device based on the subtraction signal. Since the subtraction operation is performed from the input amount of money, it is possible to prevent erroneous collection when not watching the television. The charging amount is output from the billing device to the TV, the input amount is stored in the balance storage means, the viewing time is measured by the time counting means in the TV, and the balance storage means is set when the viewing time exceeds a predetermined time by the subtraction means in the TV. Since the subtraction operation is performed from the amount of money, it is possible to prevent miscollection when not watching the television.

A channel of the television is selected by the channel selection means, a preset free channel is stored in the television side, and the determination means in the television determines whether the channel selection signal from the channel selection means is a free channel. However, when the result of the judgment means by the viewing control means is a free channel, the television can be viewed regardless of the charging amount of the charging device, so that the free channel can be viewed even if the signal cannot be exchanged with the charging device. it can.

The subtracting means performs a subtracting operation when the television viewing time exceeds a predetermined time, the detecting means detects an emergency broadcast or a simultaneous broadcast, and the switching means detects the television watching channel by the detection signal from the detecting means. To the emergency broadcast or broadcast, and the subtraction prohibition unit prohibits the subtraction operation of the subtraction unit while watching the emergency broadcast or broadcast, so that you can watch the emergency broadcast or broadcast even if you are watching another channel. In addition, the usage fee while watching the emergency broadcast or broadcast is not settled.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is an external view of the pay television device. Reference numeral 1 is a cable for transmitting a broadcast signal to the television 2, such as VHF or UH.
In addition to F general TV broadcasting, pay broadcasting such as satellite broadcasting is transmitted. In addition, hospitals and hotels transmit self-produced broadcasts and the like for advertising and guidance to users, so that users can use various programs.

A remote controller 3 is connected to the television 2 so that the power of the television 2 can be turned on and off, and a desired channel can be selected. In the embodiment, the remote controller 3 and the television 2 are connected by a cord, but the method of operating the television is not limited to the embodiment, and the television 2
It may be a remote controller that operates the infrared ray or the like, or a button that is directly operated on the television 2.

Around the television 2, a billing device 4 for paying the usage fee of the television 2 is provided, and an insertion slot 5 for inserting a card and a display portion 6 for displaying the current balance are provided. . The billing device 4 and the television 2 are connected by a signal line so that signals can be exchanged. TV 2 in the embodiment
The card is used to settle the usage fee of, but this may be money.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a pay television device. Reference numeral 7 denotes a tuner section, which sends the broadcast signal transmitted from the cable 1 to the intermediate frequency amplifier circuit 8. Then, the video signal is taken out by the video detection circuit 9 from the broadcast signal sent to the intermediate frequency amplification circuit 8, and an image is displayed on the picture tube 12 via the video amplification circuit 10 and the synchronous deflector 11. At the same time, an audio signal is taken out by the audio detection circuit 13, and audio is output from the speaker 16 via the FM detection circuit 14 and the low frequency amplification circuit 15.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a television control circuit provided in the television, which includes a viewing control section for allowing the television 2 to be viewed, a channel setting section for setting a television channel corresponding to each broadcast, and a free channel. It includes a free channel storage unit for storing and a determination unit for determining whether or not the channel selected by the user is a free channel. The television control circuit 17 is also connected to the tuner section 7 and the remote controller 3.

Reference numeral 18 is a detection circuit provided between the cable 1 and the tuner section 7, and judges whether the broadcast signal transmitted by the cable 1 is an emergency broadcast or a simultaneous broadcast. When the emergency broadcast and the simultaneous broadcast are detected, a detection signal is sent from the detection circuit 18 to the switching unit provided in the television control circuit 17. 19 is a charging device control circuit provided in the charging device 4, and 20 is a card reader / writer. The charging device control circuit 19 includes a time counting unit for measuring the viewing time of the television 2, a deposit amount storage unit for storing the frequency of the card read from the card reader / writer 20, and a subtraction unit for subtracting the frequency of the insertion amount storage unit. A view enable signal output control unit that outputs a view enable signal by determining whether or not the view is possible based on the frequency of the input amount storage unit is provided. The charging device control circuit 19 is connected to the television control circuit 17,
It is possible to exchange signals with the TV 2.

When the card is inserted into the card reader / writer 20, the frequency of the card is read and the frequency is stored in the deposit amount storage unit. At this time, the frequency is displayed on the display unit 6. Then, when the frequency of the inserted amount storage unit is subtracted, the frequency is written on the card by the card reader / writer 20 and displayed on the display unit 6. Reference numeral 21 is a rectifier circuit of the television 2, 22 is a rectifier circuit of the billing device 4, and each device supplies electric power from a commercial AC power supply provided separately to each circuit in each device.

FIG. 4 shows the charge data set according to the channel, and the viewable time is set according to the broadcast charge. For example, it is produced for advertisement or communication to the user at the hospital or hotel side. Free-channels created by themselves can be viewed without subtracting cards, general broadcasts such as VHF and UHF can be viewed with one card for 40 seconds, BS broadcasting with one card for 25 seconds, and CS broadcasting with one card for 20 seconds. This makes it possible to watch broadcasts with different charges.

This charge data is stored in the charge setting section provided in the charging device control circuit 19, and the setting can be changed at any time. Further, when the charge data is set, the charging device control circuit 19 sends information about the set free channel to the free channel storage section of the television control circuit 17, and the free channel is stored in the television control circuit 17. Next, a series of operations of the embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. The present invention is not limited to this flowchart.

First, the power of the television 2 is turned on by the remote controller 3 and the channel is selected. Then, the selected channel selection signal is sent from the remote controller 3 to the television control circuit 17, and the determination section of the television control circuit 17 determines whether the channel is a pay channel or a free channel (S1). If the channel determined in S1 is a free channel, a channel signal is sent from the television control circuit 17 to the tuner unit 7,
You can watch free channels on TV (S2). Further, at this time, the viewing signal indicating that the viewing is in progress is not output to the charging device 4. Therefore, the charging device 4 does not settle the usage fee.

If the channel determined in S1 is a pay channel, the determination section of the television control circuit 17 outputs the selected channel signal to the billing device control circuit 19. The charging device control circuit 19 stores the output channel signal and checks the frequency of the card in the inserted amount storage unit (S3). If there is no frequency, the process returns to S1.
If there is a frequency, the viewing enable signal output control unit of the billing device control circuit 19 outputs a viewing enable signal indicating that viewing is possible to the television control circuit 17, and the television control circuit 17 receiving the viewing enable signal. The viewing control unit sends a channel signal to the tuner unit 7 so that the selected channel can be viewed (S4).

While watching the television 2, the television control circuit 1
From the viewing signal generator provided in 7 to the charging device control circuit 1
A viewing signal is sent at a fixed interval to 9. The timekeeping unit of the charging device control circuit 19 starts counting time when the viewing enable signal is output, and stops the timekeeping when the viewing signal generation unit stops outputting the viewing signal (S5). The charging device control circuit 19 reads the viewable time for the frequency of the channel currently being viewed from the charge setting unit, and when the time measured by the time counting unit exceeds the time set in the charge setting unit, the charging device control circuit 19 1 is subtracted from the frequency of the input amount storage section of (1), and the time measured by the time measuring section is set to zero (S6).

The card reader / writer 20 writes the frequency of the inserted amount storage unit on the card and displays the frequency on the display unit 6. Then, it is checked whether or not the frequency of the inserted amount storage section remains (S7), and when the frequency of the card becomes zero, a viewing-disapproval signal is sent to the television control circuit 17 so that the television 2 cannot be viewed (S9). When the frequency of the card remains, it moves to S8, and when watching the channel as it is, it returns to S5 and the timekeeping section starts timekeeping,
When another channel is selected, the process returns to S1.

When the emergency broadcast or the simultaneous broadcast is transmitted from the cable 1, the detection circuit 18 detects the emergency broadcast or the simultaneous broadcast, and the detection circuit 18 sends a detection signal to the switching section of the television control circuit 17. The switching unit sends a switching signal to the tuner unit 7 to switch the currently viewed channel to the emergency broadcast or the simultaneous broadcast, and the subtraction prohibition unit provided in the television control circuit 17 sends the viewing signal sent to the charging device control circuit 19. To stop. With this, the emergency broadcast or the simultaneous broadcast can be viewed even while watching other channels, and the usage fee is not settled by the charging device 4 while the emergency broadcast or the simultaneous broadcast is being watched.

When the television 2 is off, no viewing signal is sent from the television 2 to the billing device 4. Therefore, the usage fee is not miscollected when not watching TV. Next, a case is shown in which the television control unit 17 has a clocking means for measuring the viewing time of the television 2, and the billing device control circuit 19 has a subtracting means. Although the block diagram of FIG. 1 and the flowchart of FIG. 2 are the same, the TV control circuit 17 has a timekeeping unit for measuring the viewing time of the TV 2, a charge setting unit for setting a broadcastable time according to the broadcast, and a subtraction signal. A subtraction signal generation unit for generating is provided.

The channel selected by the remote controller 3 is S1.
If it is determined to be a free channel in step S2, the television 2 can be viewed in step S2, and the timekeeping unit of the television control circuit 17 does not time the television viewing time. If it is determined in S1 that the channel is a pay channel, the television control circuit 17 causes the charging device control circuit 19 to operate.
The pay signal is sent to. Then, the billing device control circuit 17 checks whether or not the card frequency stored in the pay-in amount storage section is present (S3), and if there is a frequency, the view enable signal output control section outputs a view enable signal to the television control section 17. Then, the process proceeds to S4, and if there is no frequency, the process returns to S1.

When the viewing control section of the television control circuit 17 makes the television 2 viewable in S4, the viewing time is counted by the timing section of the television control circuit 17 (S5). When the viewing time exceeds the set time of the charge setting unit, the subtraction signal generation unit sends a subtraction signal to the charging device control unit 19. S
After subtracting the frequency of the input amount storage section in 6, the presence or absence of the frequency is checked in S7, and if the frequency does not remain, a viewing-disabled signal is sent to the television control circuit 17 so that the television 2 cannot be viewed (S9). , If the frequency remains, move to S8. In S8, if the channel currently being viewed is to be viewed as it is, the process proceeds to S5, and if another channel is to be viewed, the process proceeds to S1.

Further, from the detection circuit 18 to the television control circuit 17
When the detection signal is output to, the clocking of the clocking unit is stopped. With this, the usage fee while watching the emergency broadcast or the broadcast is not subtracted. Furthermore, when the TV is off,
The timekeeping by the timekeeping unit is stopped. This will not reduce the usage fee when you are not watching TV.

Next, the case where the television 2 has a clocking means and a subtracting means will be described. Although the block diagram of FIG. 1 and the flowchart of FIG. 2 are the same, the TV control circuit 17 includes a clock unit for measuring the viewing time of the TV 2, a charge setting unit for setting a broadcastable time according to the broadcast, and a card A balance storage unit that stores the frequency and a subtraction unit that performs the subtraction are provided. When the card is inserted into the billing device 4, the card reader / writer 20 reads the card frequency, outputs the frequency to the television control circuit 17, and is stored in the balance storage unit.

The channel selected by the remote controller 3 is S1.
If it is determined to be a free channel in step S2, the television 2 can be viewed in step S2, and the timekeeping unit of the television control circuit 17 does not time the television viewing time. If it is determined in S1 that the channel is a pay channel, the frequency of the balance storage section of the television control circuit 17 is checked (S3). When the frequency is not zero, the process proceeds to S4, and when it is zero, the process proceeds to S1.

When the viewing control unit enables the television 2 to be viewed in S4, the viewing time is counted by the time counting unit of the TV control circuit 17 (S5), and when the viewing time exceeds the set time of the charge setting unit, the TV control circuit 17 The subtraction unit subtracts the frequency of the balance storage unit (S6), and the balance is stored in the balance storage unit. Then, the frequency of the balance storage unit after the subtraction is output to the charging device control circuit 19, and the card reader / writer 20 records the new frequency on the card and displays it on the display unit 6.

In S7, the frequency of the balance storage unit is checked. If the frequency is zero, the television 2 cannot be viewed. If it is not zero, the process proceeds to S8. In S8, if the channel currently being viewed is to be viewed as it is, the process proceeds to S5, and if another channel is to be viewed, the process proceeds to S1. When a detection signal is output from the detection circuit 18 to the television control circuit 17, the timekeeping of the timekeeping unit is stopped. With this, the usage fee while watching the emergency broadcast or the broadcast is not subtracted.

Further, when the television is in the off state, the timing by the timing section of the television control circuit 17 is stopped. This will not reduce the usage fee when you are not watching TV.

[0043]

According to the present invention, the power supply of the television is independently provided without passing through the billing device, and the viewing control of the television is controlled by exchanging signals between the television and the billing device. It is possible to prevent an act of misusing the television by mischievously, and it is possible to use a function of a device such as a clock function that requires constant power supply.

Also, the viewing time of the television is timed by the billing device based on the viewing signal output during the viewing of the television,
Or, because the TV is equipped with a timekeeping unit that keeps track of the viewing time, the TV usage fee is charged when the TV itself is turned off, or when the TV power cord is disconnected from the outlet. Can be prevented from being collected incorrectly.

Further, since the television determines whether or not the channel selected by the user is a free channel, even if the charging device fails and the signal cannot be exchanged with the television,
Only free channels can be watched. A broadcast and emergency broadcast detection circuit is provided, and switching means for switching to emergency broadcast or broadcast based on the signal from the detection circuit and subtraction prohibition means for inhibiting subtraction operation while watching the emergency broadcast or broadcast are provided. Therefore, it is possible to watch the emergency broadcast or the simultaneous broadcast while watching other programs, and the usage fee is not settled while the emergency broadcast or the simultaneous broadcast is being viewed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a pay television device.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the pay television device.

[FIG. 3] Appearance of pay TV device.

[Figure 4] Charge data for each channel

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 TV 3 remote control 4 billing device 17 TV control unit 19 billing device control circuit 20 card reader / writer

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A charging device that outputs a signal based on the amount of money inserted and the amount of money indicated by the record data recorded in the inserted card; and the power is supplied independently without going through the charging device. And a television control means for enabling the television to be viewed based on a signal from the billing device. 2. A charging device that outputs a viewable signal based on the amount of money inserted and the amount of money indicated by the record data recorded in the inserted card; and a power supply independently of the charging device. Consists of the television supplied,
The television is provided with a viewing control means for allowing the television to be viewed based on a viewing enable signal from the billing device, and a viewing signal generating means for outputting a viewing signal to the billing device during viewing. Includes a time counting means for measuring a viewing time based on the viewing signal, a subtracting means for performing a subtraction operation from the input amount when the time counting time of the time measuring means has passed a predetermined time, and outputting the viewing enable signal according to the subtraction result. A pay television device, which is provided with a viewable signal output control unit for controlling the. 3. A charging device that outputs a viewing enable signal based on the amount of money inserted or the amount of money indicated by the record data recorded in the inserted card, and the power is independently supplied without going through the charging device. Consists of the television supplied,
The television has a viewing control means for allowing the television to be viewed based on a viewing enable signal from the billing device, a timekeeping means for measuring a viewing time, and a subtraction signal when the timekeeping time of the timekeeping means exceeds a predetermined time. To the billing device, subtraction means for performing the subtraction operation on the billing device from the amount of money to be paid based on the subtraction signal, and viewing for controlling the output of the viewing enable signal according to the subtraction result. A pay-TV device characterized in that it has a signal output control means. 4. A billing device that outputs a deposit amount of deposit money or a deposit amount indicated by recorded data recorded on an inserted card, and a television that is independently supplied with power without going through the billing device. In the television, balance storage means for storing the amount of money input from the billing device, viewing control means for enabling the television to be viewed based on the amount in the balance storage means, and timing means for timing the viewing time, A pay television device, characterized in that a subtracting means is provided for performing a subtracting operation from the amount of money in the balance storing means when the time measured by the time measuring means has passed a predetermined time. 5. A billing device capable of inserting money or inserting a card, and power is supplied independently without going through the billing device, and the amount of money inserted or the money inserted into the billing device is inserted. A television that can be viewed according to the amount of money shown by the recorded data recorded on the card, a channel selection unit that selects the channel of the television, and a preset free channel that is provided in the television and stored. At the same time, the judging means for judging whether or not the channel selection signal from the channel selecting means is a free channel, and when the result of the judging means is a free channel, the television can be watched regardless of the charging amount of the charging device. A pay-TV device characterized in that it is provided with a viewing control means. 6. A pay-in amount storage unit that stores a pay-in amount of input coins or a pay-in amount indicated by record data recorded on an inserted card, and viewing when the amount of money in the input-price storage unit is not zero. A possible television, subtraction means for performing a subtraction operation from the amount stored in the input amount storage section when the television viewing time exceeds a predetermined time, detection means for detecting an emergency broadcast or broadcast, Switching means for switching the viewing channel of the television to an emergency broadcast or a broadcast by a detection signal from the detection means,
A pay television apparatus, characterized in that a subtraction prohibition unit for prohibiting the subtraction operation of the subtraction unit is provided while viewing an emergency broadcast or a simultaneous broadcast.