FR2783117A1 - Access to Internet using television receivers fitted with decoding circuits with keyboards and memory circuits interfacing with telephone network - Google Patents

Abstract

Each television set (TW) on the network has a decoder circuit (DC) and a keyboard (CI) which may have a remote link with the television set. Code cards (CA) may be issued to enable operation of the individual decoders. Memory cards (E(C)) may also be issued. Each of the decoders communicates with the public telephone network (RT) which may be connected via a server (FA) to the Internet (RC). Signals from a keyboard may pass to a given website (S(PC)) which may then send signals along the reverse path to the television set.

Description

- 1 - "Method and system for providing a set of users with a

  access on a communication network such as the Internet "

DESCRIPTION

  The present invention relates to a method for providing a set of users with access over a communication network such as the Internet. She aims

  also a system for its implementation.

  This invention is part of the current development of Internet access for new layers of potential users of the World Wide Web who are not equipped with computer means. It is in this context that the concept of WebTV was developed allowing access to the Web from a television set. There are thus various WebTV equipment available on the market. Such equipment generally comprises: - an electronic decoding box supplied by sector and connected on the one hand to the telephone network and on the other hand, to the television set via a socket

Scart, -

- an infrared keyboard, and

- a remote control.

  Some decoders implemented in these devices are equipped with smart card readers for controlling access to the Internet, generally within the framework of subscriptions subscribed with

access providers.

  To recruit subscribers, they use advertising and communication techniques that have proven their effectiveness on communicating and informed audiences, who in general are already equipped with IT means or intend to equip themselves in the short term. However, it is essential to design -2- other methods of recruiting subscribers which are better suited to other segments of the population not yet connected to the Internet, and which can show immediately

  the usefulness of the Internet for everyday life.

  The objective of the present invention is precisely to propose a method for providing access to a set of users on a communication network such as the Internet, which can contribute to a massive recruitment of subscribers to Internet access services , and thus allows a real democratization of

network usage.

  The aforementioned objectives are achieved with a method for providing a set of users with access to a communication network such as the Internet from television sets each equipped with a decoding device comprising means for interfacing with a communication network. telephony, remote control and keyboard means, and

  memory card read / write means.

  According to the invention, this method is characterized by the emission of a set of memory cards each containing data constituting an off-line home page providing on each television set one or more access doors to of the services available on this communication network, this set of memory cards consisting of sub-assemblies each attached to a separate issuing entity or partner and endowed with

  a specific home page for this entity.

  Thus, for an Internet access provider implementing this process, it is to recruit new Internet subscribers via commercial partners. The new subscriber recruited for example at a point of sale of a commercial partner, is given - free of charge or not - decoding equipment and a subscription kit including a 3-chip card containing the link or URL of an off-line home page in the colors and brand of the business partner. Whenever the subscriber wishes to start a browsing session on the Internet, this access is made through the off-line page of the business partner. The implementation of this subscriber recruitment concept, which targets a very large clientele equipped with a television set but without a computer, is therefore based on a partnership between the access provider and a set of commercial groups and of the large distribution which can find with this concept an effective vector of communication with their customers (technology "push

and email).

  Thus, the. cooperation between one or more business partners and an access provider in the context of the method according to the invention, contributes to building loyalty, generating traffic, making electronic commerce, and more generally, for the partners

  to communicate with their customers.

  In addition, mechanisms for distributing sources of revenue between access provider and

partners can be expected.

  With the method according to the invention, subscribers can access the services offered on the Internet without any other prior material investment than the TV set and the telephone line or technical knowledge required, on the one hand thanks to the use of equipment decoding and secondly, thanks to the provision of a dedicated home page offering them several possibilities of access to predetermined sites, free to them then to navigate on the

  network by the usual means of navigation.

  -4- Access providers such as Wanadoo, Infonie or AOL, already offer specific or dedicated on-line or off-line home pages containing in particular a set of dynamic links allowing access to websites. However, these home pages are not linked to the use of memory cards dedicated to

  business partners issuing these.

  In a preferred mode of use of the method according to the invention, the starting of a decoder provided with a dedicated access memory card causes an operation of automatic connection of this decoder with

  server equipment from a partner access provider.

  In practice, a home page contained in the decoder and accessible thanks to the information contained in the card. with access memory dedicated to an entity issuing this card contains graphical elements selectable from the keyboard and providing, after connection to the access provider, access to predetermined sites on the communication network, in particular to

  a site controlled by the entity issuing the card.

  It is also advantageous to provide a dedicated home page which also provides access to a

  electronic mail managed by the access provider.

  The method of providing access according to the invention may also comprise personalization of a dedicated access card, taking into account in particular parameters of frequency of consultation of certain sites by a subscriber and many other data relating to the 'user. According to another aspect of the invention, a system is proposed for providing a set of users with access to a communication network such as the Internet from television sets each equipped with a decoding device comprising means - interface with a telephone network, remote control and keyboard means, and memory card read / write means, this system comprising equipment connected on the one hand to the telephone network and on the other hand to the network communication, and

  implementing the method according to the invention.

  This system is designed to manage requests for Internet access from users of television sets thus equipped, these requests being sent from home pages stored off-line in the decoder and triggered by memory cards belonging to subsets of cards dedicated to a

partner entity.

  This access supply system finds its application in the recruitment of Internet subscribers and in electronic commerce for the benefit of entities

  companies issuing dedicated access cards.

  Other features and advantages of the invention

  will appear further in the description below. To the

  annexed drawings given by way of nonlimiting examples: - Figure 1 is a block diagram of an access supply system according to the invention; - Figure 2 illustrates the information flows implemented in the access supply method according to

the invention.

  We will now describe, with reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a supply system

access according to the invention.

  An access supply system according to the invention S is mainly built around a server computer equipment FA of an Internet access provider having directly or indirectly an access gateway to the Internet network. This FA server equipment is notably designed to manage 6 - ME electronic messaging, to provide a Minitel MN service and to manage

GA subscriber accounts.

  Each subscriber has decoding equipment comprising: - a DC decoder provided with an LC memory card reader and including an interface module with the RT telephone network and an interface module with the TV television set to which it is connected, - an infrared CI keyboard, and

- a TC remote control.

  Each television installation IT, IT1, .., ITn thus equipped, is allocated a dedicated access memory card CA, CAl, .., CAn which is issued (EC) by a commercial partner PC and supplied to each subscriber recruited through this commercial partner's channel. The set E (C) of the memory cards thus distributed represents the set of subscriptions taken out with the access provider

  which exploits the method according to the invention.

  - We can obviously provide that the same FA access provider can manage several subsets of subscriptions corresponding to - several partners

separate sales representatives.

  The DC decoder is designed to send access requests sent by the subscriber by means of the infrared keyboard CI to the access provider FA, in order to receive the web pages sent by the consulted sites Sl, .., Sm, and view these pages on the screen of the

TV TV.

  In particular, the off-line home page contained in the memory of the decoder and triggered by the dedicated access card CA and displayed as soon as the DC decoder is started, is arranged to offer a link to access the website. S (PC) of the PA business partner who issued this card. This website is generally designed to provide a CO function for customer communication, a CE function for electronic commerce or online commerce and a GC function for managing customer accounts. The implementation of the method can be carried out as follows. A commercial partner distribution group PC of an access provider FA implementing the method according to the invention offers its customers to subscribe to a subscription contract with this access provider and gives the subscribing customers a smart card dedicated CA access. This card can be specific to the access function or be a multi-service card or even a loyalty card. Upon receipt of the contract documents sent by the commercial partner PC or by the subscriber himself, the access provider FA sends to this subscriber decoding equipment including the DC decoder, the CI infrared keyboard and the

TC remote control.

  - The CA dedicated access smart card includes:

  - data to view an off home page

  line comprising a set of icons associated with dynamic links to sites preselected by the commercial partner, - and optionally, confidential data associated with the card holder, relating to his subscription contract and to the services to which the latter

  can access and other features.

  By way of nonlimiting example, a distribution group can issue smart cards containing a PW home page in the colors of this group, reproducing its logo or its EC sign, and offering access, on the one hand, to the group site and, on the other hand, to sites presenting a commercial or cultural synergy of a nature likely to offer attractive services to targeted customers. Subscription to the services of an access provider managing the method according to the invention can, for example, provide the following functions, directly accessible on the television set: - Internet access (for example, unlimited connection), electronic messaging ,

- Minitel.

  The use of the access supply method according to the invention will contribute to significantly developing communication between partner commercial groups and their customers, by creating new channels for transmitting information, as illustrated in

figure 2.

  Thus, a first flow of information COM emitted by the partner groups PC intended for the subscribers is carried out by the diffusion of the dedicated access cards CA. Indeed, each time the subscriber turns on his DC decoder, the off-line PO home page appears in the partner's colors on the television screen.

  who helped recruit this subscriber.

  This home page may, by way of non-limiting example, include EC graphics (logos, commercial signs, etc.) specific to the commercial partner, an AD address window and a bar containing

  IC icons for accessing predetermined functions or sites.

  If the subscriber 'clicks' using his infrared keyboard CI on an area corresponding for example to the EC logo of the trading partner, this DM request will be treated by the DC decoder as a request to consult the S (PC) website. business partner and be transmitted in the form of an RQU request to the site - 9 - concerned via the RT telephone network, the FA access provider and the Internet network. This transmission is of course conditioned on the situation of the subscriber and to the authorization for connection obtained from the access provider FA In response to the requests transmitted, the site consulted S (PC) delivers PWE Web pages which follow the reverse path and are finally received in the DC decoder to be viewed in the form of successive web pages PW (i) corresponding to successive URL addresses AD (i) By facilitating the consultation of the site of the commercial partner at the origin of the subscription, the method according to the invention cont even more to strengthen the link between the business partner and the subscriber, thus inducing

loyalty.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described and numerous modifications can be made to these examples without

depart from the scope of the invention.

- 10-

Claims (10)

  1. Method for providing a set of users with access to a communication network (RC) such as the Internet from television sets (TV) each equipped with a decoding device (DC) comprising interface means with a telephone network (RT), remote control (TC) and keyboard (CI) means, memory card read / write means (LC), characterized by the issuance of a set of memory cards dedicated access (E (C)) each containing data constituting an offline home page (PO) providing on each television set (TV) one or more access doors to services available on this communication network (RC), this set of memory cards (E (C)) consisting of sub-assemblies each dedicated to a separate sending or partner entity (PC) and provided with a   home page (PO) dedicated to this entity.   2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the starting of a decoder (DC) provided with a dedicated access memory card (CA) causes an operation of automatic connection of this decoder (DC ) with server equipment (FA) on a technical platform. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that a home page (PO) contained in a memory card (CA) of access dedicated to an entity (PC) issuing this card contains selectable graphic elements ( IC) from the keyboard (CI) and providing, after connection to the access provider (FA), access to predetermined sites on the - 11 -   communication (RC), in particular to a controlled site (S (PC))   by the entity (PC) issuing the card (CA).   4. Method according to one of claims 2 or 3,   characterized in that a dedicated home page (PO) also provides access to an electronic messaging (ME) managed by the access provider (FA) linked to the card (CA).   5. Method according to any one of the claims   previous, characterized in that it further comprises personalization of a dedicated access card (CA), taking into account in particular frequency parameters   consultation of certain sites by a subscriber.   6. System (S) for providing a set of users with access to a communication network (RC) such as the Internet from television sets (IT, I-Tl, .., ITn) each equipped with a decoding device (DC) comprising means for interfacing with a telephone network (RT), remote control (TC) and keyboard (IR) means, and memory card read / write (LC) means , this system (S) comprising an equipment (FA) connected on the one hand to the telephone network (RT) and on the other hand to the communication network (RC) and implementing the method according to any one of previous claims,   characterized in that it is arranged to manage Internet access requests from users   said television sets so equipped (IT, IT1, ..,.   ITn), these requests being sent from home pages (PO) stored off-line in memory cards (CA) belonging to card subsets   dedicated to a partner entity (PC).   - 12- 7. System according to claim 6, characterized in that it is arranged to manage Internet access requests issued from dedicated access cards issued specifically for Internet access operations.   8. System according to one of claims 6 or 7,   characterized in that it is arranged to manage Internet access requests sent from multi-service cards implementing in particular a function dedicated access.   9. System according to any one of the claims   6 to 8, characterized in that it is arranged to order personalization of the home page contained in   a dedicated access memory card.   10. Application of the access supply system   according to any one of claims 6 to 9 to   electronic commerce operations.