JP2001345766A - Contents distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a contents distribution system capable of building the same environment as the audiovisual program available in home environments even in accommodations such as hotel and the like while on a travel. SOLUTION: Key-information is transmitted from a portable terminal in the distribution system in which contents can be watched by releasing scramble with key information collation. This makes it possible to release scramble to watch contents with only the portable terminal at not only at his/her own home 2 but also at staying in accommodations such as hotel 3 and the like. Consequently any desirable program can be watched (any program to be watched by contract) as at home.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a content distribution system, and more particularly to a content distribution system capable of viewing a content contracted in advance by releasing scramble by collating key information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are the following conventional examples of a content distribution system for distributing information. First, information distribution using the Internet (including music data, image data, document data, and the like) and distribution by broadcast using digital satellite broadcasting (video, moving image, audio, and the like) are known. For those using digital satellite broadcasting, s
typefecPC (registered trademark), MegaWave
A method of designating a download file via the Internet, such as a registered trademark, and downloading information via satellite broadcasting has also been realized.

FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of a conventional content distribution system. As shown in FIG. 1, in the conventional content distribution system, an electronic program guide including a television broadcast and its program guide is transmitted from a broadcast facility 8 via a satellite 10a to each subscriber. These can be received by the information terminal (game machine, set-top box, etc.) 22 and displayed on the television receiver 21.

When a program or data for a personal computer (PC) is requested, it is transmitted via another satellite 10b. These can be used by a PC, displayed on a monitor screen, or printed by the printer 23. In order to view television broadcasts and receive programs and data, it is necessary to make a contract with a broadcasting company or a content provider in advance. For the content for which a contract has been made in advance, the scramble is released by collating the key information, and the content can be viewed.

As described above, by utilizing the digital satellite broadcasting technology, a favorite program can be selected from a huge number of programs and can be viewed on a television receiver. In addition, the television receiver is connected to the Internet (hereinafter referred to as Internet TV), and a program guide and contents can be viewed on the same television receiver screen.

[0006] In recent years, portable telephones that can display various kinds of information by connecting to the Internet have been increasing. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-355468 describes a technique for controlling an Internet terminal with a mobile phone. In this method, a mobile phone connects to the Internet via a base station and a public telephone network, and distributes necessary data from a content provider.

[0007] As described above, application proposals regarding a portable telephone as a versatile user interface capable of connecting to a network have been actively made. For example, JP-A-10-2
As described in Japanese Patent No. 76480, a proposal has been made to switch the function of a mobile phone and use it instead of a remote controller (hereinafter, referred to as a remote controller). Thus, the mobile phone can be used as a remote control for a television receiver or the like in addition to the telephone call. It is also conceivable to control an information terminal connected to a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a game machine, and the like by using a mobile phone in addition to the television receiver. In this case, short-range wireless technologies such as infrared communication and Bluetooth
There is also a proposal for a use in which a command is transmitted to each device by incorporating the information in a mobile phone.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-187376 discloses a technique for performing billing processing for satellite broadcasting using a portable telephone. As described above, the application of the mobile phone not only in the role of the user interface but also as a billing terminal is being studied. This is because a mobile phone can be authenticated by a telephone number, and the above-described short-range wireless technology enables the transfer of cryptographic key information by the authentication / charging.

As described above, an environment for controlling other devices using a portable telephone as a universal controller is being prepared.

[0010]

In the above-described conventional content distribution system, a subscriber can enjoy watching a television program at his / her home. However, in an accommodation facility such as a travel destination or a business trip, a separate charge is required. If you do not pay, you will not be able to watch the same program. In other words, there is a drawback in that the user cannot watch a program that he / she wants to see (a program which has already been subscribed and should be able to be watched). Even if the technology described in each of the above publications is used, this drawback cannot be solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to construct the same environment as a program viewing environment at home in an accommodation facility such as a hotel at a travel destination. It is to provide a content distribution system that can do it.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A content distribution system according to the present invention is a content distribution system which allows viewing of pre-contracted content by canceling scramble by collating key information, wherein the key information is transmitted from a portable terminal. It is characterized by doing.

[0013] Another content distribution system according to the present invention includes a distribution means for distributing content, and an information terminal for receiving the content to be distributed. A content distribution system that enables viewing and listening, wherein the key information is transmitted from a portable terminal different from the information terminal.

Further, the portable terminal is a portable telephone. Then, the distribution unit transmits related information related to the content in response to a command from the mobile terminal. Further, the related information is print data suitable for printing, and may further include a printing unit that prints the print data, and further includes a display unit that has a screen that simultaneously displays the content and the related information. May be included.

[0015] In short, in the present system, an operation for an information terminal or an Internet TV can be performed by a portable terminal such as a portable telephone. Further, according to this system, a mobile phone or the like is positioned as a personal data information storage / control device, and the same operation can be performed with the same mobile phone in any location and any combination of devices to perform a printing operation. An environment can be realized. Further, it is possible to realize an environment construction in which an information list different from the broadcast screen associated with the broadcast information is printed and distributed to a mobile phone as an instruction device.

[0016]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the same parts as those in the other drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a content distribution system according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the content distribution system according to the present embodiment includes a broadcast facility 8 and a cable television provider 11.
And the television receiver 21, the information terminal 22, and the printer 23
Is installed. In the house 2 contracted with the cable television provider 11, various television programs transmitted from the broadcasting equipment 8 can be displayed on the screen of the television receiver 21 via the satellite 10 and the cable television provider 11. it can.

Also, in accommodation facilities such as a hotel 3,
If the television receiver 31, the information terminal 32, and the printer 33 are installed, various television programs transmitted from the broadcasting equipment 8 via the satellite 10 are transmitted to the television receiver 21 in the same manner as in the house 2. Can be displayed on the screen.

Further, the present system includes a portable terminal such as the portable telephone 1, an image distribution server 7 and a content provider 9. Various types of portable terminals such as PHS are known. If the most popular mobile phone among these mobile terminals is used, the spread of the present system will increase.

A request from the portable telephone 1 or the like is sent to a broadcasting facility 8, an image distribution server 7, and a content provider 9 via a base station 4, a public telephone network 5, and the Internet 6. The billing process and the authentication process are performed using a telephone number.

It is assumed that data can be exchanged between the mobile phone 1 and the information terminal 22 or 32 by a well-known short-range wireless device 100 such as Bluetooth.

In the present system having the above configuration, when data is requested by the portable telephone 1, the request is sent to the broadcasting equipment 8 via the base station 4, the public telephone network 5 and the Internet 6. The broadcasting equipment 8 includes an image distribution server 7 that stores and holds various images.
And the content provider 9 and can distribute various data in response to a request.

If the owner of the portable telephone 1 has made a contract with the cable television provider 11, data corresponding to the request is transmitted from the provider 11 to his / her home 2 via the satellite 10. If there is the information terminal 22 and the television receiver 21 in the house 2, the scramble of the requested content can be released and displayed on the screen for viewing. Further, if the printer 23 is connected to the information terminal 22, the screen display contents can be printed.

Also, at the travel destination hotel 3, the data corresponding to the request can be received via the satellite 10, the scramble can be canceled, and the data can be displayed on the television receiver 31. Then, the screen display contents can be printed by the printer 33 via the information terminal 32 as necessary.

Here, the portable telephone 1 and the information terminal 22 or the information terminal 32 exchange data via the short-range wireless device 100. A configuration for realizing this data transfer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A shows the short-range wireless device 100, and FIG. 1B shows the mobile phone 1. Referring to FIG. 1A, the short-range wireless device 100
Is a UART (universal Asy
n), a baseband (BASEBAND) unit 102 including a CPU for controlling each unit, a memory 103, and an RF for wireless transmission and reception.
(Radio frequency) unit 104 and antenna 105.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 1B, the portable telephone 1 includes a control CPU 1a, an LCD 1b, a memory 1
c and baseband LSI1 including CPU and CODEC
d, an RF unit 1e for wireless transmission and reception, and an antenna 1f
And speaker 1g and microphone 1h required for a call
It is comprised including. Note that the mobile phone 1 has G
It is assumed that a PS (Global Positioning System) function is mounted, the current position can be easily specified, and information indicating the current position can be transmitted. By transmitting the information indicating the current location, the image distribution server can transmit a map around the location.

Here, various data can be transmitted and received by connecting the portable telephone 1 of FIG. 1B and the short-range wireless device 100 of FIG. 1A by a serial interface.

It is assumed that the short-range wireless device 100 shown in FIG. 1A is built in the information terminals 22 and 32 described above. Then, short-range wireless communication is performed between the built-in short-range wireless device and the short-range wireless device connected to the mobile phone.

FIG. 3 shows the information terminal 22 (32) described above.
Is shown. In the figure, an information terminal 22 (32) includes a receiving unit 2a, a scramble control unit 2b for descrambling the received signal, a modulation unit 2c, a data processing unit 2d, and a short-range wireless control unit 2e.
It is comprised including. The short-range wireless control unit 2e
It is assumed that the configuration is the same as that of the short-range wireless device 100 described above. The short-range wireless controller 2e can exchange data with the short-range wireless device 100 as shown in FIG.
Data can be exchanged with (32) by short-range wireless communication.

The modulation section 2c includes a television receiver 21 (31).
Is connected to Thereby, the television receiver 21 (3
Various data can be displayed on the screen of 1).

The data processing unit 2d includes a CPU 2d1, a memory 2d2, a display panel control unit 2d3, and an interface control unit 2d4. The interface control unit 2d4 in the data processing unit 2d is connected to the external printer 23 (33), and can print screen display contents and the like. In other words, the necessary tourist information can be printed using the printer 23 of the own house,
Printing can also be performed using a printer 33 installed in an accommodation facility such as a hotel at the destination.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the image distribution server 7. The image distribution server 7 is connected to a cable television provider 11 via the Internet 6. The cable TV line 110 provided by the cable TV provider 11 is connected to an information terminal 22 (32) with a built-in modem.
It is connected to the. The information terminal 22 (32) is connected to a printer 23 (33) in addition to the television receiver 21 (31). The printer 23 (33) may be an ink jet printer or a laser printer. The mobile phone 1 is connected to an image distribution server 7 via a base station 4 and a public telephone network 5. Further, the mobile phone 1 can exchange data with the information terminal 22 (32) via the short-range wireless device 100 such as Bluetooth.

As shown in the figure, the image distribution server 7 includes an image database 70 for storing and holding images to be distributed in a state of being digitized by a scanner or a digital camera, and a client (user). Authentication server 71 for performing authentication, and charging server 7 for performing charging processing for customers
2, a customer management database 73 for managing customer registration and the like, a print data generation engine 74 for generating print data to be distributed, and an image simplification engine 75 for simplifying images for distribution. It is comprised including. Further, in the present system, a service screen 700 described later is referred to by referring to a www server.
Can be realized.

Next, an example of using the present system having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5A shows a display example of a television screen. As shown in the figure, on the television screen, a moving image 41 that is the content of the program, an information image 42 that introduces the channel, and all the contracted channels 4
And 3 are displayed at the same time. In the state shown in the figure, for the currently selected channel, "car", the channel number "7ch", the program "car chase", the date (April 3) and The time zone (8:00 to 9:00) is displayed as the information image 42. In addition, of all channels 43 subscribed to, the currently selected channel number “7c
The portion “h” is highlighted or highlighted. Since the content and the related information are simultaneously displayed on one screen as described above, the content can be enjoyed sufficiently and easily.

FIG. 3B shows the display contents of a display screen of a portable telephone as a portable terminal. As shown in FIG. 1, a mobile phone 1 includes a controller 1i for selecting a menu on a display screen and a key button 1
j and the display screen 1k. The key button 1j is composed of left-pointing triangles and right-pointing triangle keys for scrolling left and right, in addition to numeric keys from 0 to 9.

In FIG. 3, the display screen 1k displays the date “April 3” in addition to the display “Channel list”.
And the contracted program name "ch1 soccer"
"Ch5 music", "ch7 car", "ch25
Movie, ch101 sport, ch109
“Travel” and “ch206 drama” are displayed on the menu. In this state, when the "channel list" is selected and the key "1" corresponding to "print" is pressed, the program guide can be printed as shown in FIG. This program table is a program table related only to the contracted program. Printing a program listing for all of the vast number of channels requires more paper and ink. In contrast,
In the present system, since the program guide is printed only for the programs subscribed to (that is, the programs that match the user's preference), paper and ink consumption can be minimized. Also, 1
It is also virtually impossible to print a program guide with more than 00 channels.

As described above, the user can obtain three synchronized media, that is, the television screen, the screen of the mobile phone, and the printed matter, and can obtain necessary information while complementing each other.

Returning to FIG. 3B, when the key "2" corresponding to "remote control" is pressed, the television remote control operation becomes possible. In the case of this TV remote control operation, when "7ch" is selected, the "car" channel is displayed on the screen of the television receiver. By changing the remote control signal according to the screen displayed on the mobile phone, it is possible to cope with TV channels of hundreds of channels.

The key "1" corresponding to "print"
When is pressed, the program guide is printed. If it is 7ch, only the program of the "car" channel is printed.
When the key "3" corresponding to "contents" is pressed, a commentary or the like relating to the contents of the currently selected "car" channel (7ch) is displayed on the screen of the mobile phone.

FIG. 6A shows an initial display screen when the cellular phone is turned on with the power supply turned on. As shown in the figure, a “function menu” and an “Internet menu” are displayed on the initial display screen.

Here, when "Internet menu" is selected, the display is switched to the display contents shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the display screen in the Internet menu includes "weather" which is a weather forecast,
"Timetable" about trains and buses, URLs of other sites
In addition to various menus such as a menu for entering an address and a menu for bank transfer (not shown),
There is a menu of "TV remote control".

Here, when "TV remote control" is selected,
On the display screen of the mobile phone, as shown in FIG. 3C, “1. Program guide print”, “2. TVWEB”,
“3. Remote control”, “4. Tourist service”, “5. Print service”, and “6. Map service” are displayed. On this display screen, a necessary menu can be selected by scrolling the screen display.

When "1. Program guide printing" is selected here, the program contents list of each channel is displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 11D, and the program guide is printed as described above. Is done. That is, the program guide may be printed from this menu.

In FIG. 6C, an operation such as scrolling the display screen of the mobile phone is performed, and "5. Print service" is selected from these menus. Then, the image distribution server synchronizes with the television program,
Information related to the television program (a map at the time of sightseeing guidance, an idol photograph in a song program, etc.) is transmitted, and the printing data can be received by exchanging a key through a mobile phone. Thereby, printing can be performed for various images. This print data may be always transmitted as data selected in advance.

In the menu, "6. Map service" is selected. Then, the image distribution server distributes the simplified image to the mobile phone, and urges the user to select an image and specify a printer type. The user is the WE on the mobile phone
Select an image on site B. The selection information (usually UR
From the L address, the image distribution server generates print data and distributes the image to the mobile phone. The image is transmitted to a printer or information terminal equipped with a short-range wireless device using a short-range wireless technology.

The screen of the mobile phone displays a simplified image, but cannot display print data. (Of course, it cannot be displayed on a PC, etc.) The end of printing is sent from a printer or an information terminal, and the end information is sent to the image distribution server via the communication means of the mobile phone. The printing of the image is completed, and charging processing is performed in accordance with the telephone number of the mobile phone.

Further, not only channel switching but also character input at the time of displaying on the Internet can be realized by the same technique. A conventional WEBTV requires a dedicated keyboard or the like. On the other hand, if this system is used, simple mail can be transmitted with a mobile phone. The input on the WEB can be performed by using a key button of the mobile phone to input characters while displaying a homepage (HP) on a large screen.

The operation of the present system having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 7 and 8 show the operations of the image distribution server, the provider, the mobile phone, the short-range wireless communication device (between Bluetooth and Bluetooth), the information terminal, and the television receiver.

In FIG. 7, when the "remote control" of the television is selected by operating the portable telephone (step S601),
Dial-up processing is performed (step S602).
Thereby, the mobile phone is connected to the Internet. Here, when the viewer ID is transmitted to obtain a key for descrambling (step S603), the viewer ID is transmitted to the image distribution server via the provider, and the program list corresponding to the viewer ID is transmitted from the image distribution server. Generated (Step S604) and transmitted (Step S60)
5). The transmitted program list is displayed on the screen of the mobile phone (step S606). This display content is, for example, the content shown in FIG. 6D described above. The displayed program list changes according to the contract contents with the provider.

By referring to the program list display contents and operating a remote control button to select a pay channel (step S607), a program designation code and a viewer ID are transmitted (step S608). At this time, remote control data indicating which button of the mobile phone has been pressed and the like are also transmitted at the same time. When the free channel is selected, only the remote control data is transmitted, and the program designation code and the viewer ID are not transmitted.

After confirming the viewer ID and the image distribution server, the image distribution server selects key information for descrambling the program and transmits the key information together with the program designation code and the remote control data (step S609). The key information, the program designation code, and the remote control data are transmitted to the information terminal via the mobile phone (step S610).
The information terminal descrambles the corresponding broadcast based on the received key information (step S611). The program designation code and the key information are in a paired relationship, and the scramble is released by these.

By releasing the scramble, the corresponding program is displayed on the screen of the television receiver (step S612). Thereby, the user can enjoy watching the program. Moreover, since the viewer ID is transmitted from a portable terminal such as a portable telephone, the scramble can be canceled not only at home but also at an accommodation facility on a travel or business trip, and the program on the channel can be viewed. In other words, in the past, even if a program was on a subscribed channel, the program could not be viewed on the go without paying a separate fee. If you bring a portable terminal, you can watch the program without paying a separate fee even when you are on the go.

In the case of a pay channel, when a certain time has elapsed or one program has ended, a message such as "Obtain a key" is displayed on the screen of the television receiver (step S614). Prompt for update of key information. In the case of a free channel, even if you do not use a mobile phone,
It can be operated with a normal remote control, and this message is not displayed. When this message is displayed and a key acquisition request is transmitted from the information terminal (step S615), the mobile phone responds to this and moves to step S606. Thereby, the corresponding program list is displayed on the screen (step S616). In this case, since the program list has already been saved, offline processing is performed.

Since the cellular phone often uses the packet communication system, there is no problem even if the key information is frequently changed in packet units. Then, step S60
7, S608, and S609, the pay broadcast can be continuously viewed by the same processing. Note that if a packet is used and a mobile phone is always connected, it is possible to automatically receive the key without displaying a message. In this case, the descrambling key is obtained by using a mobile phone instead of using a telephone line in a normal BS / CS broadcast.

Next, the operation of the remote control data will be described. Referring to FIG. 8, when the corresponding program list is displayed on the mobile phone (step S701), "ch7" is selected by the controller (step S702) and the remote control button ("2" of the key) is pressed (step S70).
3). Then, remote control data corresponding to "ch7" is selected and transmitted to the information terminal (step S704).
As a result, "ch7" is selected on the information terminal (step S705), and the contents of the car program, which is the content of "ch7", are displayed on the television receiver (step S706).

Here, the user presses the contents button ("3" of the key) of the portable telephone (step S707). Then
The URL address corresponding to “ch7” is transmitted to the image distribution server (Step S708). Upon receiving this, the image distribution server selects and transmits commentary data such as an explanation of the content of “ch7” (step S709). Then, the transmitted commentary data is displayed on the screen of the mobile phone (step S710).

Here, the image distribution server 7 is connected to the system of the broadcasting equipment 8 for satellite broadcasting. The image distribution server 7 distributes the simplified image to the mobile phone and urges the user to select an image and specify a printer type. The user can select an image on a WEB site on the mobile phone. From the selection information (usually a URL address or the like), the image distribution server generates print data suitable for print processing by the printer. Then, the print data is distributed to a user's printer or an information terminal connected to the printer via a satellite.

The user receives print data via a path such as a parabolic antenna or a conversion server for converting broadcast satellite information operated by a broadcast satellite to a cable television or the like. The received print data is sent to a printer to perform print processing. Thus, the user can receive the printed data. The accounting process and the authentication process for the distribution of the print data are performed based on the telephone number.

When the image of the print data is a TV program guide customized by the user, a WEB address list corresponding to the program guide may be transmitted as mail to a designated mobile phone.

Further, the print data may be always data that has been previously selected. For example, in synchronization with a television program, information related to the television program (a map at the time of sightseeing guidance, an idol photograph in a song program, etc.) is transmitted, and a key is exchanged through a mobile phone for printing. Enables data reception.

The data for printing or the data to be displayed on the television screen may be transmitted and received via a mobile phone. That is, even data that cannot be displayed on the screen of the mobile phone is received via the telephone and transmitted to the output device via short-range wireless communication. For example, image data that can be printed only by a corresponding printer may be sent by sending a program such as Jini (distributed object technology constructed based on Java technology) to the printer.

Next, the difference between the configuration of the conventional system and the configuration of the present system will be described. In the conventional system described above with reference to FIG. 10, a viewer ID used for descrambling is stored and held in an information terminal that is a tuner. So even if you ’re a subscriber to a channel,
At the place of staying abroad such as a trip, the viewer does not have a viewer ID and cannot scramble.

On the other hand, in the present system, the viewer ID is stored in the portable terminal such as the portable telephone 1 as shown in FIG.
Can be taken out of the home. Therefore, the scramble can be canceled by the viewer ID even at an overnight destination such as a trip. For this reason, satellite 1
0a, and the program can be viewed via satellite 10a.
b, print data and the like can be received.

In the above-mentioned conventional system, since an electronic program guide is periodically sent, the electronic program guide is received and handled on a personal computer. However, in this case, the printer can print only an image corresponding to the screen of the personal computer. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, this system can receive print-only data,
You can print only the electronic program guides you need. Therefore, the amount of paper, ink, and the like used can be minimized.

By the way, the broadcasting equipment side of the cable television may be provided with a function of invalidating the use of the obtained key according to the current position information obtained by the GPS function of the portable terminal. Alternatively, the contents of the program menu may be changed. This function is effective in the following cases, for example.

First, if information is concentrated on a portable terminal such as a portable telephone, security becomes a problem. That is, when the mobile terminal is lost, the key itself may be invalidated when information other than the registered position is obtained. In this case, the use of the obtained key is invalidated by the current position information. This can prevent unauthorized use outside the home. Conversely, because the current location is transmitted to the broadcasting equipment, it is possible to develop a system that allows the user to know where the device was used.

The contents such as local news in the program menu are changed to the program menu corresponding to the position information. For example, sightseeing information on restaurants, shops, sightseeing spots, etc. should be viewed on a television screen as information suitable for the place. Usually, there is an annoyance that the user has to select from a pull-down menu or the like starting from "Japan". On the other hand, in the present system, if a user selects “local news” by using a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone that is familiar even when traveling, a program menu that matches the location information can be selected.
For example, if the user is currently located in Nagano Prefecture, "Shinano Mainichi Shimbun" is automatically selected. in this way,
This is highly effective because the information that will always be used often can be selected in the shortest time.

In the present system, descrambling of a pay program can be performed by using a portable terminal such as a portable telephone, and billing processing can be performed at the same time.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention, the key information for descrambling is transmitted from a portable terminal such as a portable telephone, so that if the user has the portable terminal, he / she can stay at home. Of course, even when staying at an accommodation facility such as a hotel, you can view the contents of programs you want to watch (programs that you have already subscribed to and can see), as if you were at home. This has the effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a content distribution system according to the present invention.

2A is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a short-range wireless device in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a mobile phone.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the information terminal in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image distribution server in FIG. 1;

5A is a diagram illustrating a display example of a television screen, FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating display contents of a display screen of a mobile phone as a mobile terminal, and FIG. 5C is a print example of a program guide; FIG.

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of an initial display screen when the mobile phone is turned on with a power source turned on, FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a display example of an Internet menu, and FIG. () Is a diagram showing a display example of a TV remote control menu, and FIG. (D) is a diagram showing a screen display example of a program content list of each channel.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present system.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present system, and shows a continuation of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a content distribution system that can be realized by the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a conventional content distribution system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile telephone 2 House 3 Hotel 4 Base station 5 Public telephone network 6 Internet 7 Image distribution server 8 Broadcasting equipment 9 Content provider 10 Satellite 11 Cable television provider 21, 31 Television receiver 22, 32 Information terminal 23, 33 Printer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 7/167 H04N 7/167 Z F-term (Reference) 5B085 AA08 AE29 5C064 BA01 BB01 BC01 BC20 BC22 BC23 BD02 CB06 5J104 AA01 AA07 AA16 EA04 EA16 NA02 NA05 PA02 PA07 5K067 BB04 DD51 EE02 EE35 FF02 FF23 HH36

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A content distribution system capable of viewing content subscribed in advance by releasing scramble by collation of key information, wherein the key information is transmitted from a portable terminal. . 2. A content distribution system including a distribution means for distributing content, and an information terminal for receiving the content to be distributed, wherein scramble is released by collation of key information so that the content contracted in advance can be viewed. Wherein the key information is transmitted from a portable terminal different from the information terminal. 3. The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone. 4. The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein said distribution means transmits related information relating to said content in response to a command from said portable terminal. 5. The content distribution system according to claim 4, wherein the related information is print data suitable for printing, and further includes a printing unit that prints the print data. 6. The content distribution system according to claim 4, further comprising display means having a screen for simultaneously displaying said content and said related information.