JP2006191698A - Scramble broadcasting system, scramble apparatus, scramble method, descramble apparatus, and descramble method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make viewing control regardless of a pay broadcast contract type. <P>SOLUTION: An encrypted contract key corresponding to a prescribed program is supplied from a broadcast providing side to a receiver terminal while containing individual information and in the receiver terminal, the contract key is decoded by a first decoder 23 using an individual key inherent for the receiver terminal. When prescribed operation is performed on the receiver terminal, in a second decoder 22, a scramble key in program information added to the program is decoded using the decoded contract key, and supplied to a descrambler 21 and in the descrambler 21, the program is descrambled. Furthermore, the broadcast providing side is notified of having viewed the program. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a scramble broadcast system, a scramble device, a scramble method, a descramble device, and a descramble method, for example, a scramble broadcast system suitable for use in a pay broadcast system, a scramble device, a scramble method, a descramble device, and a descramble device The present invention relates to a scramble method.

  In pay broadcasting, a broadcasting system called scramble broadcasting is often used. In this scrambled broadcast, the original signal is intentionally disrupted by a predetermined method on the broadcast station side, so that even if a person who is not contracted with the broadcast station receives the broadcast, normal images, sound, data, etc. It is to prevent it from being used. That is, the decoder of the person who has contracted with the broadcasting station is given a key signal for canceling this scramble, and the decoder scrambles the data scrambled to the original form by this key signal so that a normal image can be obtained. , Voice, data and so on. The case where the contract is made on a channel basis is called flat, and the case where the user is charged according to the program viewed is called pay per view. Among pay-per-views, even if the viewer suddenly wants to watch a predetermined program, those that can be viewed by simply performing a predetermined operation and that do not require prior contact are particularly called impulse pay-per-views.

  As a method for controlling pay broadcasting, “Consultation No. 17“ Technical Conditions Related to Pay System in Television Broadcasting by Broadcasting Satellite ”” of “Report of the Telecommunications Technology Council” in 1988 is well known. However, in this Advisory No. 17 report, although a temporary framework of the above technical conditions is specified, a specific control procedure and a method for realizing impulse pay-per-view are not specified.

  In addition, for example, an effective method for preventing illegal viewing and a method of immediately collecting viewing information for a high-priced program such as a new movie or a title match have not been proposed.

  In recent years, video / audio compression techniques such as MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group Phase 2) have been established, and digitized video / audio signals can be transmitted at a low bit rate. As a result, it has become possible to realize digital broadcasting in which multi-channel video / audio is multiplexed by a transmission path that transmits one channel of conventional analog broadcasting.

  However, the above No. 17 report has been studied for conventional analog broadcasting, and has a problem in that it is not suitable for multi-channel control.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and even a program without a viewing contract can be viewed with a pay-per-view with a simple operation, thereby suppressing unauthorized viewing. At the same time, quick viewing information can be collected.

  In the scrambled broadcasting system of the present invention, the scrambled program is charged according to the first type of program that is contracted in units of channels and the program that is viewed, and is charged at a predetermined cycle. Billing is performed according to the two types of programs and the programs that have been viewed, and the billing process is performed at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time according to the predetermined period. The broadcast supply side scrambles the program, encrypts the scramble information to descramble the scrambled program, and encrypts the scramble information. And an adding means for adding program type information indicating the type of the program to the program, and a decryption information for decrypting the scramble information encrypted by the encryption means. And output means for outputting predetermined contract information corresponding to the contract form, decryption information from the output means, supply means for supplying the contract information to the receiving terminal, and viewing information provided from the receiving terminal side Charging means for performing charging processing, and the receiving terminal stores storage information for decoding information and contract information from the broadcast supply side, and extraction means for extracting scramble information added to the program from the broadcast supply side; Decoding means for decoding the scramble information based on the decoding information stored in the storage means, instruction means for the viewer to instruct which program among the scrambled programs is to be viewed, and program type information Based on the determination means for determining the type of program, and the contract information can be viewed by the type of program determined by the determination means for the program instructed by the instruction means. The descrambling means for descrambling the program using the scramble information decoded by the decoding means, and when the second type program is instructed by the instructing means, When viewing information is provided to the billing means on the broadcast supply side in a predetermined cycle, and when a third type program is instructed by the instruction unit, the predetermined viewing information related to the program is given more than the provision time point in the predetermined cycle. Providing means for providing to the billing means on the broadcast supply side at the previous time.

  The decoding information assigned to the third type program can be different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program.

  Different decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program may be assigned to a plurality of third type programs, and common decoding information may be assigned.

  Different decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program can be assigned to the third type program of a plurality of channels, and common decoding information can be assigned.

  In the scrambled broadcasting system of the present invention, the scrambled program is charged according to the first type of program for which a contract is made on a channel-by-channel basis and the program that has been viewed, and is charged at a predetermined cycle. Is charged according to the second type of program and the program that has been viewed, and charging processing is performed at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time according to the predetermined period. The broadcast supply side scrambles the program, scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program is encrypted, the encrypted scramble information, and the program Program type information indicating the type is added to the program, decryption information for decrypting the encrypted scramble information, and predetermined contract information corresponding to the contract form Billing processing is performed based on viewing information supplied to the receiving terminal and provided from the receiving terminal side. In the receiving terminal, decoding information from the broadcast supply side and contract information are stored, and a program from the broadcast supply side is stored. The scramble information added to is extracted, the scramble information is decoded based on the decode information stored in the storage means, and the viewer instructs which program among the scrambled programs is to be viewed, and the program type information If the program type is determined and the contract information indicates that the type of program determined by the specified program determination unit can be viewed, the scramble information obtained by decoding the program is used. When the second type of program is instructed, predetermined viewing information on the program is provided to the billing means on the broadcast supply side at a predetermined cycle. Is, when the third type of program is instructed, predetermined viewing information related to the program is provided to the accounting unit of the broadcast supply side at the time of the prior provision time point by a predetermined period.

  In the scramble apparatus of the present invention, the scrambled program is charged according to the first type of program that is contracted in units of channels and the program that is viewed, and the charging process is performed at a predetermined cycle. And a charge process is performed at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time according to the predetermined cycle. Scramble means for scrambling the program, encryption means for encrypting scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program, encrypted scramble information, and program type Applicable means for adding the program type information shown to the program, decryption information for decrypting the scramble information encrypted by the encryption means, and contract form The billing process is performed based on the output means for outputting the predetermined contract information, the decryption information from the output means, the supply means for supplying the contract information to the receiving terminal, and the viewing information of the program provided from the receiving terminal side. And charging means.

  The decoding information assigned to the third type program can be different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program.

  Different decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program may be assigned to a plurality of third type programs, and common decoding information may be assigned.

  Different decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program can be assigned to the third type program of a plurality of channels, and common decoding information can be assigned.

  According to the scramble method of the present invention, the scrambled program is charged according to the first type of program that is contracted in units of channels and the program that has been viewed, and the charging process is performed at a predetermined cycle. And a charge process is performed at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time according to the predetermined cycle. A scramble step for scrambling the program, an encryption step for encrypting scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program, an encrypted scramble information, and a program type. An adding step for adding the program type information shown to the program, and decryption information for decrypting the scrambled information encrypted in the encryption step, An output step for outputting predetermined contract information corresponding to the contract form, a decryption information output in the processing of the output step, a supply step for supplying contract information to the receiving terminal, and a program provided from the receiving terminal side And a billing step for performing billing processing based on viewing information.

  In the scramble apparatus and method of the present invention, the scrambled program is charged according to the first type of program that is contracted in units of channels and the program that is viewed, and is charged at a predetermined cycle. Is charged according to the second type of program and the program that has been viewed, and charging processing is performed at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time according to the predetermined period. The program is scrambled, the scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program is encrypted, the encrypted scramble information, and the program type information indicating the type of the program Is added to the program, and decryption information for decrypting the encrypted scramble information and predetermined contract information corresponding to the contract form are output and output. The decryption information and the contract information are supplied to the receiving terminal, and charging processing is performed based on the viewing information of the program provided from the receiving terminal side.

  According to the descrambling apparatus of the present invention, the scrambled program is charged according to the first type of program that is contracted in units of channels and the program that is viewed, and the charging process is performed at a predetermined cycle. Billing is performed according to the two types of programs and the programs that have been viewed, and the billing process is performed at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time according to the predetermined period. Decoding information for decrypting encrypted scrambled information for descrambling the scrambled program from the broadcast supply side, and predetermined contract information corresponding to the contract form Storage means for storing, extraction means for extracting scramble information added to the program from the broadcast supply side, and decoding of the scramble information based on the decoding information stored in the storage means A program type based on program type information indicating the type of program added to the program, an instruction unit for the viewer to instruct which program among the scrambled programs is to be viewed And when the contract information indicates that the program of the type determined by the program determination means specified by the instruction means can be viewed, the scramble information obtained by decoding the program by the decoding means When a second type of program is instructed by the descrambling means for descrambling and using the instruction means, predetermined viewing information related to the program is sent to the broadcast supply side at a predetermined cycle for accounting. When the third type program is instructed by the instruction means, the predetermined viewing information related to the program is given at a time before the provision time in a predetermined cycle. Characterized in that it comprises a providing means for providing the broadcast supplier for billing.

  The decoding information assigned to the third type program can be different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program.

  Different decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program may be assigned to a plurality of third type programs, and common decoding information may be assigned.

  Different decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program can be assigned to the third type program of a plurality of channels, and common decoding information can be assigned.

  According to the descrambling method of the present invention, the scrambled program is charged according to the first type of program that is contracted in units of channels and the program that has been viewed, and is charged at a predetermined cycle. Billing is performed according to the two types of programs and the programs that have been viewed, and the billing process is performed at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time according to the predetermined period. Decoding information for decrypting encrypted scrambled information for descrambling the scrambled program from the broadcast supply side, and predetermined contract information corresponding to the contract form A storage step for storing, an extraction step for extracting the scramble information added to the program from the broadcast supply side, and a recovery step for storing the scramble information in the process of the storage step. A decoding step for decoding based on the information, an instruction step for the viewer to instruct which program among the scrambled programs is to be viewed, and program type information indicating the type of the program added to the program When the determination step for determining the type of the program and the contract information indicate that the program of the type determined by the processing of the determination step of the program instructed by the processing of the instruction step can be viewed, When the second type of program is instructed in the descrambling step for descrambling using the scramble information decoded in the process of the decoding step, and in the instruction step, Provided to the broadcast supply side at a predetermined cycle for billing, and when a third type program is instructed in the processing of the instruction step, Predetermined viewing information at the time of the prior provision time point by a predetermined period, characterized in that it comprises a providing step of providing the broadcast supplier for billing.

  In the descrambling apparatus and method of the present invention, the scrambled program is charged according to the first type of program for which a contract is made on a channel-by-channel basis and the program that has been viewed, and is charged at a predetermined cycle. Billing is performed according to the second type of program to be performed and the program that has been viewed, and the billing process is performed at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time according to the predetermined period. A third type program, and decryption information for decrypting the encrypted scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program from the broadcast supply side, and a predetermined type corresponding to the contract form The contract information is stored, the scramble information added to the program from the broadcast supply side is extracted, the scramble information is decoded based on the stored decode information, and the scramble information is extracted. The viewer instructs which program among the tuned programs is to be viewed, the program type is determined based on the program type information indicating the type of the program added to the extracted program, and the contract information is When the program type indicates that the program of the designated program type can be viewed, the program is descrambled using the decoded scramble information, and when the program of the second type is designated, The predetermined viewing information related to the program is provided to the broadcast supply side at a predetermined cycle for billing, and when the third type program is instructed, the predetermined viewing information regarding the program is based on the predetermined cycle. It is provided to the broadcast supply side for billing at a time before the provision time.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to broadcast a predetermined special program and view it in a pay-per-view regardless of the contract form. In addition, by preserving viewing of a program in advance, the broadcast supply side can quickly collect viewing information. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress unauthorized viewing by supplying the decryption information only to those who have reserved viewing of the program.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a pay broadcast system to which the present invention is applied. The encoder 1 of the transmission side system digitizes and compresses video signals and audio signals. The multiplexer 2 (addition means) time-division multiplexes a plurality of encoder outputs and a plurality of related information. Here, the related information refers to “program information” including information related to a program and a scramble key for descrambling, contract information for each subscriber (viewer) (for example, a contract form such as flat or pay-per-view), and common information. It shall consist of “individual information” including a contract key for decryption.

  The scrambler 3 selectively scrambles a predetermined output signal from the multiplexer 2 with a scramble key from a related information transmission device 4 (encryption means) described later.

The scramble control system 6 (output means, supply means) supplies the contract key to the related information sending device 4 and encrypts the contract key with the individual key unique to the receiving terminal, and the multiplexer 2 as a part of the individual information. It is made to supply to.

  The related information transmission device 4 supplies the scramble key to the scrambler 3 and encrypts the scramble key with the contract key supplied from the scramble control system 6, and the multiplexer 2 as a part of common information (program information). It is made to supply to.

  The program control system 5 generates a predetermined control signal and controls the encoder 1 according to the program. That is, it controls the digitization and compression method. Also, the program ID of the program encoded by the encoder 1 and the channel ID of the corresponding channel are generated and supplied to the related information transmitting device 4. The viewing information collection processing system 7 processes viewing information (for example, a channel ID corresponding to a viewed program and a viewing time) uplinked from a large number of receiving terminals and a contract request from the viewer, as contract information. The scramble control system 6 is supplied.

On the other hand, the decoder 8 (extraction means) of the receiving terminal uses a built-in descrambler to scramble a signal scrambled by a scramble key supplied from a security module 9 (storage means, determination means, descrambling means, providing means) described later. Is descrambled to the original signal. Also, individual information and program information added to the program are extracted and output.

  The security module 9 is composed of, for example, an IC card, stores an individual key unique to the terminal, takes in the unscrambled individual information supplied via the decoder 8, decrypts the individual information with the individual key, The contract information is retrieved and stored. Further, common information accompanying the program supplied via the decoder 8 is fetched, the common information is decrypted with the contract key, a scramble key is taken out, and supplied to the decoder 8.

  Next, the operation will be described. First, an operation when individual information is transmitted from the transmission side system to the reception terminal will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the individual information includes a contract key number corresponding to the contract key, a contract key, a channel ID corresponding to the contracted channel, a contract type, and the like. The individual information also includes information corresponding to the ID number of the destination receiving terminal.

  The contract key is transmitted together with, for example, an 8-bit contract key number so that a plurality of contract keys can be used properly. The contracted channel ID is represented by, for example, 16-bit Service_id. The contract type can identify flat, pay-per-view, and special contract, and is 4 bits, for example.

  This individual information is encrypted in the scramble control system 6 by using a specific key unique to the receiving terminal to which the individual information is to be transmitted. The scramble control system 6 stores, for all receiving terminals, an individual key unique to the receiving terminal corresponding to the ID number of the receiving terminal, and searches for the individual key from the ID number of the receiving terminal of the transmission destination. Can be done. Accordingly, the individual key corresponding to the ID number of the destination receiving terminal is searched, and the individual information is encrypted based on the retrieved key. The encrypted individual information is supplied to the multiplexer 2.

  In the multiplexer 2, the digitized and compressed video and audio signals corresponding to the predetermined program supplied from the encoder 1 and the individual information supplied from the scramble control system 6 are time-division multiplexed. , Supplied to the scrambler 3. Only the program portion of the digital signal supplied to the scrambler 3 is scrambled using the scramble key supplied from the related information sending device 4, and the individual information portion is sent to the transmission line 10 without being scrambled.

  The transmission of the individual information to the receiving terminal is performed as needed when the individual information needs to be updated. This individual information includes the contract information described above.

  Next, an operation when a normal program and program information added thereto (components of common information) are transmitted from the transmission side system to the reception terminal will be described.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the program information includes a contract type, a contract key number indicating a contract key number, an encrypted scramble key, a Service_id corresponding to a channel ID, a program ID for identifying a program, and the like. It is out. Further, the contract type includes a flag for identifying whether or not the program is a special program.

  The predetermined program information having the above-described configuration generated in the related information transmitting device 4 is encrypted with the contract key supplied from the scramble control system 6 and then supplied to the multiplexer 2. In the multiplexer 2, the digitized and compressed video signal and audio signal corresponding to the predetermined program supplied from the encoder 1 and the program information supplied from the related information transmitting device 4 are time-division multiplexed. Supplied to the scrambler 3.

  In the scrambler 3, a compressed video signal or audio signal constituting the program supplied thereto and a digital signal in which program information is time-division multiplexed are program parts by a scramble key supplied from the related information sending device 4. Only the program information part is sent to the transmission line 10 without being scrambled.

  In this way, a predetermined program and program information associated therewith are transmitted from the transmitting system to the receiving terminal.

  Next, the operation on the receiving terminal side will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a principle operation in the case where viewing permission control is performed in the receiving terminal. The decoder 8 includes, for example, a descrambler 21, a second decoder 22 (decoding means), and a first decoder 23.

  The individual information is transmitted to the receiving terminal of the viewer who has formally contracted. When a receiving terminal receives a scrambled predetermined program transmitted via the transmission path 10 and a digital signal in which individual information that is not scrambled is time-division multiplexed from the transmission side system, the scrambled program is received. A digital signal corresponding to is supplied to the descrambler 21.

  On the other hand, the individual information that has not been scrambled is first compared with the ID number of the receiving terminal added to the non-encrypted part and the ID number of the receiving terminal stored in advance in the security module 9, and the two match. In the case, it is supplied to the first decoder 23.

  The individual information supplied to the first decoder 23 is decrypted with the individual key unique to the receiving terminal stored in the security module 9, the contract key and the contract information are extracted, supplied to the security module 9, and stored. Is done. This contract key is used for decoding program information to be described later. The contract information is used when determining whether or not the received program is a contracted program.

  When the viewer is watching the program at the receiving terminal, the receiving terminal receives the scrambled predetermined program transmitted through the transmission path 10 and the program information associated therewith. A digital signal corresponding to the scrambled predetermined program is supplied to the descrambler 21, and program information associated therewith is supplied to the second decoder 22.

  When the contract key corresponding to the channel of the predetermined program is extracted from the individual information already decrypted by the first decryptor 23 and stored in the security module 9 as described above, the second decryptor 22 The program information is decrypted by the contract key supplied from the security module 9. After the program information is decrypted, the scramble key included in the program information is extracted.

  Next, the program information is read by the security module 9 and collated with the contract information already stored. As a result, when it is recognized that the program to which the program information is added is a contracted program, the scramble key obtained in the second decoder 22 is supplied to the descrambler 21. In the descrambler 21, the scrambled digital signal of the predetermined program is descrambled by the scramble key supplied from the second decoder 22, returned to the original signal that can be normally viewed, and then output. .

  When a predetermined channel is contracted in a flat state, individual information including contract information corresponding to the contracted channel and Service_id corresponding to the channel, contract information including contract type, etc. is transmitted from the transmitting system to the receiving terminal. Is stored in the security module 9. If there are a large number of channels to be contracted, the above-described procedure is repeatedly executed.

  In the case of flat viewing, Service_id in the program information associated with the received program is stored in the security module 9, and the contract key indicated by the contract key number in the program information is stored in the security module 9, and When the contract type corresponding to Service_id is flat, the program information is decrypted by the second decoder 22, the obtained scramble key is supplied to the descrambler 21, and the descrambler 21 operates. As a result, video and audio in which a predetermined program is normally descrambled can be obtained, and the program can be viewed.

  In the case of a pay-per-view contract, when a contract is made, a contract key corresponding to the contracted channel, Service_id corresponding to the channel, and individual information including the contract type are transmitted from the transmitting system to the receiving terminal, and the security module 9 is connected via the decoder 8. To be stored and stored. If there are many channels to subscribe to, this procedure will be repeated.

  Even if you have a flat contract, when you want to be able to view a pay-per-view operation when viewing a special program with a large amount of money, you can use the receiving system to allow the receiving terminal to view the special program. The individual information including the contract key, the Service_id corresponding to the channel of the special program, and the contract type indicating the special contract are transmitted. This individual information is supplied to and stored in the security module 9. This procedure is repeated when there are many special programs and individual contract keys are assigned to them.

  High-priced special programs are often requested by program suppliers to promptly charge for viewing fees and to quickly collect audience ratings. In the normal pay-per-view method, for example, monthly viewing information is collected from the security module 9 on the receiving terminal side, and a monthly pay-per-view fee is calculated from the result. Therefore, it is not possible to quickly collect viewing fees for special programs.

  Therefore, this special program is preliminarily made only for the viewer who has previously notified the transmitting system that he / she wishes to view a predetermined special program by telephone contact or operating the receiving terminal. Send the corresponding contract key. As a result, the viewer who has made prior contact can view the special program by performing the same operation as in the pay-per-view. In this case, since the transmission side system recognizes the viewer who has made prior contact, it is possible to quickly grasp the audience rating and to promptly perform billing processing for these people. In addition, since the contract key is transmitted only to the viewer who has made prior contact, the possibility that the contract key is illegally decrypted can be reduced.

  On the other hand, since the viewer who has not made prior contact has not received the contract key for viewing the special program from the transmission side system, the viewer cannot view the special program.

  Even if a special program is requested to be viewed by prior notice, it can be canceled by contacting the sending system before the program starts. For example, when the viewer notifies the sending system of cancellation of an application for viewing a predetermined special program by telephone contact or operation of the receiving terminal, the sending system receives a special message based on this contact from the viewer. In order to delete the contract key for the program, the individual information including the predetermined information is transmitted again to the receiving terminal on the viewer side via the transmission path 10.

  For example, a dedicated flag indicating cancellation of reservation may be prepared in the individual information, but the value 000000000000000000 (hexadecimal number) is set in the contract key in the individual information, and this is assigned for cancellation. It is also possible to use it. In this case, the transmitting side system transmits individual information as shown in FIG. 5 to the receiving terminal. When the receiving terminal receives the individual information from the transmission side system, the receiving terminal recognizes that the value set in the contract key therein is 000000000000000000 (hexadecimal number), and can view the predetermined program corresponding to the contract key number. In addition to recognizing the cancellation by the viewer, the contract key number and the contract key corresponding to the contract key number already stored in the security module 9 are deleted.

  Accordingly, even when a special program is transmitted, the contract key number in the program information transmitted together with the special program and the contract key corresponding to the contract key number do not exist in the security module 9, and the reception of the viewer The terminal cannot descramble this special program, and the viewer cannot view the special program.

  If advance notification requesting viewing of a predetermined program is requested from a large number of viewers to the transmission side system at the same time, there is a possibility that the reception processing of the transmission side system may not be in time by the start time of the program. In addition, when a large number of applications are generated immediately before the start of the program in this way, it is necessary to transmit a large number of individual information in a short time, and there is a possibility that the start time of the program may not be in time.

  Therefore, a special program contract key is included in advance in individual information and transmitted to not only viewers who have made prior contact but also to other viewers, that is, all viewers. Like that. The receiving terminal that has received the individual information stores the contract key of the special program in the security module 9 together with the contract key number. Therefore, all receiving terminals that have received the special program already store the contract key corresponding to the contract key number of the special program in the security module 9.

  On the other hand, on the receiving terminal side, when the viewer makes a prior contact by operating the receiving terminal, the information that the prior contact has been made is stored in the security module 9 together with the applied channel ID and program ID. To keep. When the special program is received, the receiving terminal recognizes that it is a special program by the contract type in the program information transmitted together with the special program. In this case, the contract key corresponding to the contract key number of the special program is already stored in the security module 9, but if the receiving terminal is a special program, the channel stored together with the information that prior contact has been made It is determined whether or not the ID and the program ID match Service_id and the program ID in the program information, respectively, and only when they match, the descrambler 21 is descrambled to descramble the transmitted special program. Supply the scramble key in the program information. As a result, only the viewer who has made prior contact can view the special program.

  As a result, even if the application is inundated immediately before the start of the program, it is not necessary to transmit a lot of individual information to the receiving terminal in a short time, and the inconvenience that the start time of the program is not in time can be eliminated. In addition, it is possible to promptly charge a viewer who has made prior contact.

  Here, when the viewer cancels the reservation for viewing the program, that is, when the cancellation of the reservation for the predetermined program is instructed by operating the reception terminal, the reception terminal receives a predetermined signal corresponding to the reservation cancellation. Is transmitted to the transmission side system via the telephone line 11, and the channel ID and the program ID of the reserved program already stored in the security module 9 are deleted. This makes it impossible for the receiving terminal to view the program whose reservation has been canceled.

  In multi-channel digital broadcasting, when there are many special programs as described above, it is possible to assign different contract keys to each other, but in this case, the transmission side system transmits to the receiving terminal. The number of individual information to be increased. Thus, by using a common contract key for a plurality of special programs, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of individual information transmitted to the receiving terminal. Further, it is possible to shorten the time required until all necessary individual information is taken into the security module 9 and stored.

  In addition, an increase in the number of individual information can be suppressed by assigning a common contract key to a plurality of special programs even between a plurality of channels. In this case, since the channel ID cannot be specified, for example, a value 0000 (hexadecimal number) indicating unspecified is assigned to the Service_id transmitted together with the contract key. On the receiving terminal side, the contract key in which the value 0000 (hexadecimal) is set in Service_id is used for the special program having the corresponding contract key number regardless of the channel ID.

  The necessary individual information is captured in advance and stored in the security modules 9 of all the receiving terminals, and then the program can be viewed. However, the flow may vary depending on the viewing mode. As described above, the program information transmitted along with the program includes the encrypted scramble key, the contract key number indicating the contract key number corresponding to the encrypted scramble key, the Service_id corresponding to the channel ID, and the special program. A flag (included in the contract type) for identifying whether or not is included.

  Next, a method for performing viewing control by changing the form of transmitting the contract key for decrypting the scramble key according to the viewing form will be described.

  In the case of flat viewing, Service_id in the program information accompanying the received program is stored in the security module 9, and the contract key indicated by the contract key number in the program information is stored in the security module 9. When the contract type corresponding to Service_id is flat, the scramble key is decrypted and supplied to the descrambler 21 to operate the descrambler 21. The descrambler 21 descrambles the scrambled video / audio signal corresponding to a predetermined program supplied from the transmission system, obtains the original video / audio signal, and enables viewing of the program.

  For pay-per-view viewing, Service_id in the program information associated with the received program is stored in the security module 9, and the contract key indicated by the contract key number in the program information is stored in the security module 9. When the contract type corresponding to Service_id is pay-per-view, it is possible to view the program by performing a pay-per-view operation such as pressing a “pay confirmation” button 12 (instruction means) provided on the receiving terminal. it can.

  When a pay-per-view operation is performed, a viewing history including, for example, the channel ID, program ID, viewing time, and the like of the viewed program is stored in the security module 9 each time. The viewing information stored in the security module 9 is transmitted to the transmitting system via the telephone line 11 at predetermined intervals, for example, every month. The transmission side system performs a charging process for each reception terminal based on the viewing information transmitted from the reception terminal.

  In the case of special program viewing, Service_id in the program information accompanying the received program is stored in the security module 9, and the contract key indicated by the contract key number in the program information is stored in the security module 9. If the contract type in the program information indicates that the program is a special program, that is, if a flag indicating that the program is a special program is set, the same operation as in the pay-per-view described above is performed. Thus, it is possible to view a special program. In this case, the Service_id corresponding to the special program, the contract key number, and the contract key corresponding to the Service_id corresponding to the special program are transmitted from the transmitting system to the receiving terminal and are already stored in the security module 9.

  In this way, even if there is no prior contact, the special program can be viewed by performing the same operation as in the pay-per-view. In this case, the viewing history is transmitted to the transmission system at a predetermined cycle, for example, every month, as in the case of normal pay-per-view. Therefore, in this case, even if the transmission side system is a special program, the billing process is performed at a predetermined cycle as in the case of a normal program.

  Also, when the special program is operated so that the special program is not viewed when there is no prior contact, the channel ID and the program ID in the program information associated with the received special program are stored in the security module 9 at the receiving terminal. It is determined whether or not the channel ID and the program ID match each other. When it is determined that they do not match, the scramble key included in the program information is not supplied to the descrambler 21. As a result, the special program cannot be viewed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the channel ID and program ID in the program information associated with the received special program match the channel ID and program ID stored in the security module 9, they are included in the program information. Control is performed so that the scramble key is supplied to the descrambler 21. As a result, this special program can be viewed.

  Here, the channel ID and the program ID stored in the security module 9 are stored when the viewer applies for a reservation for viewing a predetermined special program in advance by operating the receiving terminal. is there. At that time, a signal corresponding to the advance application is also transmitted to the transmission side system. Therefore, in the transmission side system, it is possible to carry out a prompt charging process for the prior contact person.

  When sharing a contract key for a special program among a plurality of channels, the above-mentioned special program viewing is not stored in the security module 9 without Service_id in the program information accompanying the program received by the receiving terminal. When the contract key corresponding to the contract key number is stored in the security module 9 and the flag indicating the special program is set in the contract type in the program information, the same operation as in the pay-per-view is performed. By doing so, a special program can be viewed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, control of call-ahead pay-per-view that enables viewing only for flat, impulse pay-per-view, special programs, and pre-applicants is possible according to the contract key, Service_id, and contract-type transmission forms. It becomes possible to do it uniformly.

  In the above embodiment, the individual information is supplied to the receiving terminal by broadcast radio waves. However, the individual information is transmitted to the receiving terminal via a telephone line or by an IC card or other recording medium. It is also possible.

  In the above embodiment, the transmission line 10 is described as a broadcast wave. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an optical fiber cable or other transmission medium can be used.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as an example, 4 bits are assigned to the contract type, 8 bits are assigned to the contract key number, 64 bits are assigned to the contract key and the scramble key, and 16 bits are assigned to the Service_id and the program ID. The present invention is not limited, and any other arbitrary number of bits can be assigned.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the pay broadcasting system to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows a part of individual information. It is a figure which shows a part of program information. It is a figure for demonstrating the principle of operation | movement of a receiving terminal. It is a figure which shows a part of individual information transmitted when a program is canceled.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Encoder, 2 Multiplexer, 3 Scrambler, 4 Related information transmission apparatus, 5 Program control system, 6 Scramble control system, 7 Viewing information collection processing system, 8 Decoder, 9 Security module, 10 Transmission line, 11 Telephone line, 21 descrambler, 22 second decoder, 23 first decoder

Claims (14)

In a scramble broadcasting system that receives a scrambled program of a predetermined channel transmitted from a broadcast supply side at a receiving terminal on the viewer side and descrambles the received program,
The scrambled program includes a first type of program that is contracted in units of channels, a second type of program that is charged according to the viewed program and that is charged at a predetermined cycle, and A third type of program that is charged according to the program that is viewed and that is charged at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time of the predetermined period. Including
The broadcast supply side
Scrambling means for scrambling the program;
Encryption means for encrypting scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program;
Adding means for adding the encrypted scramble information and program type information indicating the type of the program to the program;
Decryption information for decrypting the scramble information encrypted by the encryption means, and output means for outputting predetermined contract information corresponding to a contract form;
Supply means for supplying the decryption information from the output means and the contract information to the receiving terminal;
Charging means for performing charging processing based on viewing information provided from the receiving terminal side,
The receiving terminal is
Storage means for storing the decryption information from the broadcast supply side and contract information;
Extraction means for extracting the scramble information added to the program from the broadcast supply side;
Decoding means for decoding the scramble information based on the decoding information stored in the storage means;
An instruction means for the viewer to instruct which of the scrambled programs to view;
Determining means for determining the type of the program based on the program type information;
When the contract information indicates that the program of the type determined by the determination means of the program instructed by the instruction means can be viewed, the scramble information obtained by decoding the program by the decoding means Descrambling means to descramble using,
When the second type program is instructed by the instruction unit, predetermined viewing information regarding the program is provided to the billing unit on the broadcast supply side at a predetermined cycle, and the third unit is provided by the instruction unit. Providing means for providing predetermined viewing information related to the program to the billing means on the broadcast supply side at a time prior to the provision time according to the predetermined period when a program of this type is instructed A scrambled broadcast system. The scramble according to claim 1, wherein the decoding information assigned to the third type program is different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program. Broadcast system. The decoding information that is different from the decoding information that is assigned to the first type of program and the second type of program and that is common to the plurality of third type programs is assigned to the plurality of third type programs. Item 2. The scramble broadcasting system according to Item 1. The decoding information that is different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program and is assigned to the third type program of a plurality of channels is characterized in that: The scramble broadcasting system according to claim 1. In a scramble device for transmitting a scrambled program of a predetermined channel to a receiving terminal on the viewer side,
The scrambled program includes a first type of program that is contracted in units of channels, a second type of program that is charged according to the viewed program and that is charged in a predetermined cycle, and A third type of program that is charged according to the program that is viewed and that is charged at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time of the predetermined period. Including
Scrambling means for scrambling the program;
Encryption means for encrypting scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program;
Adding means for adding the encrypted scramble information and program type information indicating the type of the program to the program;
Decryption information for decrypting the scramble information encrypted by the encryption means, and output means for outputting predetermined contract information corresponding to a contract form;
Supply means for supplying the decryption information from the output means and the contract information to the receiving terminal;
A scrambler comprising: billing means for performing billing processing based on viewing information of the program provided from the receiving terminal side. 6. The scramble according to claim 5, wherein the decoding information assigned to the third type program is different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program. apparatus. The decoding information that is different from the decoding information that is assigned to the first type of program and the second type of program and that is common to the plurality of third type programs is assigned to the plurality of third type programs. Item 6. The scrambler according to Item 5. The decoding information that is different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program and is assigned to the third type program of a plurality of channels is characterized in that: The scramble apparatus according to claim 5. In a scramble method of transmitting a scrambled program of a predetermined channel to a receiving terminal on the viewer side,
The scrambled program includes a first type of program that is contracted in units of channels, a second type of program that is charged according to the viewed program and that is charged in a predetermined cycle, and A third type of program that is charged according to the program that is viewed and that is charged at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time of the predetermined period. Including
A scrambling step for scrambling the program;
An encryption step of encrypting scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program;
An additional step of adding the encrypted scramble information and program type information indicating the type of the program to the program;
An output step of outputting decryption information for decrypting the scramble information encrypted in the process of the encryption step, and predetermined contract information corresponding to a contract form;
A supply step of supplying the decryption information output in the processing of the output step and the contract information to the receiving terminal;
A scramble method comprising: a charging step of performing a charging process based on viewing information of the program provided from the receiving terminal side. In a descrambling device that receives a scrambled program of a predetermined channel transmitted from a broadcast supply side by a receiving terminal on the viewer side and descrambles the received program,
The scrambled program includes a first type of program that is contracted in units of channels, a second type of program that is charged according to the viewed program and that is charged at a predetermined cycle, and A third type of program that is charged according to the program that is viewed and that is charged at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time of the predetermined period. Including
Storage means for storing decryption information for decrypting encrypted scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program from the broadcast supply side, and predetermined contract information corresponding to a contract form;
Extraction means for extracting the scramble information added to the program from the broadcast supply side;
Decoding means for decoding the scramble information based on the decoding information stored in the storage means;
An instruction means for the viewer to instruct which of the scrambled programs to view;
Determining means for determining the type of the program based on program type information indicating the type of the program added to the program;
When the contract information indicates that the program of the type determined by the determination means of the program instructed by the instruction means can be viewed, the scramble information obtained by decoding the program by the decoding means Descrambling means to descramble using,
When the second type program is instructed by the instruction means, predetermined viewing information relating to the program is provided to the broadcast supply side at a predetermined cycle for billing, and the instruction means Providing means for providing predetermined viewing information relating to the program to the broadcast supply side for billing at a time before the provision time according to the predetermined period when a third type of program is instructed; A descrambling device comprising: The decoding information assigned to the third type program is different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program. Scramble device. The decoding information that is different from the decoding information that is assigned to the first type of program and the second type of program and that is common to the plurality of third type programs is assigned to the plurality of third type programs. Item 11. A descrambling device according to Item 10. The decoding information that is different from the decoding information assigned to the first type program and the second type program and is assigned to the third type program of a plurality of channels is characterized in that: The descrambling apparatus according to claim 10. In a descrambling method of receiving a scrambled program of a predetermined channel transmitted from a broadcast supply side by a receiving terminal on a viewer side and descrambling the received program,
The scrambled program includes a first type of program that is contracted in units of channels, a second type of program that is charged according to the viewed program and that is charged at a predetermined cycle, and A third type of program that is charged according to the program that is viewed and that is charged at the time after the contract request from the viewer on the receiving terminal side, even before the provision time of the predetermined period. Including
A step of storing decryption information for decrypting the encrypted scramble information for descrambling the scrambled program from the broadcast supply side, and predetermined contract information corresponding to a contract form;
An extraction step of extracting the scramble information added to the program from the broadcast supply side;
A decoding step of decoding the scramble information based on the decoding information stored in the processing of the storage step;
An instruction step for the viewer to instruct which of the scrambled programs to watch;
A determination step of determining the type of the program based on program type information indicating the type of the program added to the program;
When the contract information indicates that the program of the type determined in the determination step processing of the program instructed in the instruction step processing can be viewed, the program is decoded in the decoding step processing. A descrambling step for descrambling using the scrambled information,
When the second type of program is instructed in the process of the instructing step, predetermined viewing information regarding the program is provided to the broadcast supply side at a predetermined period for billing, and the instructing step When the third type of program is instructed in the process, predetermined viewing information related to the program is provided to the broadcast supply side for billing at a time prior to the provision time according to the predetermined period. And a providing step. A descrambling method comprising:

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