Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N7/00—Television systems
  • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
  • H04N7/173—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
  • H04N7/17345—Control of the passage of the selected programme
  • H04N7/17363—Control of the passage of the selected programme at or near the user terminal

Definitions

• This invention relates to entertainment systems and more particularly to so called pay-television systems of the kind that are installed in hotels to enable a guest to view a feature film (or other programme) by the payment of a fee or to view the normal television programmes without the payment of a fee.
• a film (or other programme) is run at a central location usually on a video player and signals representative of the film (or other programme) are connectable to a number of receiving units (usually television sets) in the guests bedrooms through an associated number of switches which are normally open.
• signals representative of the film (or other programme) are connectable to a number of receiving units (usually television sets) in the guests bedrooms through an associated number of switches which are normally open.
• a control which has the effect of closing the aforementioned associated switch to allow the signal to be received by the television set and at the same time to automatically cause the guest's account to be debited by a predetermined sum.
• the automatic debiting is effected by means of a computer which forms part of the system.
• the control which has to be operated by the guest is located in the guest bedroom and normally takes the form of a separate control panel positioned on or adjacent the television set.
• the present invention is concerned with providing a system which is cheaper to install and therefore is suitable for cheaper hotels.
• a system of the kind which comprises:
• control means associated with each television receiver and switch whereby an operator can close the associated switch so that the receiver will receive a signal
• (e) means to enable the operator to view television broadcast programmes through the television receiver without being billed; characterised in that the switch is embodied in a telephone handset so that when the operator "dials" a pre-determined number, the switch is closed and a signal is sent to the automatic billing system.
• the hotel's existing automatic telephone exchange and its associated computer system for automatically billing guests when they use the telephone is incorporated into the system of the present invention instead of having a separate computer.
• the hotel has a private automatic branch exchange, known as a PABX and indicated at 1 in the drawing.
• PABX a private automatic branch exchange
• Associated with the PABX is a management system and billing computer 2 which logs the telephone calls and those which are to be charged to a guest have signals representative of them fed to a front-of-desk computer 3.
• central unit 4 which consists of one or more so-called video players upon which one or mopre films or other programmes can be played, the unit 4 being electrically connected by line 5 to coaxial cable 6 which runs from a central television aerial 7.
• the coaxial cable 6 is connected to an aerial socket in each of the guests bedrooms, only one of which is shown in the drawing.
• the aerial socket is combined with a filter unit (described later) to form a combined unit 8.
• Each guest bedroom is provided with a television set 9 and a telephone handset 10, the latter being connected to the PABX via a telephone socket 11.
• the guest can view the broadcast television programmes in the normal way without making a payment to do so.
• the essence of the present invention is that access to the central video unit 4 is controlled by the telephone handset 10 and a single channel filter unit 11 which acts as a normally open switch so that the signal from the video unit 4 would not normally reach the television set 9, the filter unit being part of the combined unit 8.
• the first operation has the effect of automatically billing the guest's account for accessing the video unit 4.
• the second function has the effect of closing the normally open filter unit 8 to thus enable the signals from the video unit 4 to reach the television set 9.
• the telephone handset 10 thus in effect controls signals going to the management system 2 and also signals coming from that system to the filter unit 8. This use of the telephone handset 10 to control two-way signals between itself and the telephone management system 2 is a key element of the present invention.
• the filter unit 8 is designed so that the signals from the television aerial 7 will normally pass to the television set 9 thus enabling the hotel guest to view normal television programmes without having to pay a fee in order to do so.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
• Two-Way Televisions, Distribution Of Moving Picture Or The Like (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10654539

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (5)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1989
  • 1989-04-06 GB GB8907725A patent/GB2230160A/en not_active Withdrawn
• 1990
  • 1990-04-05 EP EP19900905582 patent/EP0465542A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1990-04-05 JP JP50534690A patent/JPH04506285A/ja active Pending
  • 1990-04-05 WO PCT/GB1990/000518 patent/WO1990012473A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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