JP3092038B2 - Hotel CATV equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a TV game service in a hotel CATV device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, hotel CATV devices have provided pay broadcasting and various hotel services to guests using terminals installed in each guest room.
There is a demand for a system capable of distributing game software for TV games in order to increase the income of TV operators and improve services to guests.

FIG. 1 shows a hotel CATV in which the present invention is implemented.
FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a configuration of the device. In FIG. 1, A
Is a transmission side that connects the center side A and the terminal side B.

In the center side A, 1 is a hotel C
It is a line controller for controlling and managing the terminal 8 on the terminal side B connected to the ATV device, and is constituted by a computer. Reference numeral 2 denotes an RF modem (data modem) for performing data communication between the line controller 1 and the terminal 8, and 3 denotes a TV modulator for transmitting video and audio to a hotel CATV device. is set up. Reference numeral 4 denotes a mixer for transmitting output signals of the TV modulator 3 and a data modulator 6 to be described later and input / output signals to / from the RF modem 2 to a transmission line (for example, a coaxial cable) 13; Is a data modulator for modulating an output signal of the game transmitter 5 into an RF signal.

On the terminal side B, reference numeral 7 denotes a branch distributor for branching and distributing a signal to each guest room. In the example shown in FIG. Reference numerals 8 to 11 denote a terminal 8, a TV receiver 9, a data decoder 10, and game operation keys 11 installed in each guest room. The terminal 8 and the data decoder 10 have a system configuration controlled via a control line 12.

Further, a coaxial cable 13 is used as a transmission line in the transmission system C, and an amplifier 14 for compensating for transmission loss of a transmission signal to the center side A and the terminal side B is arranged.

[0007] Hotel CATV devices have been trying to improve services and increase income by delivering paid channel services and game software. Here, the operation of the conventional game service will be described.

First, the game sending device 5 has a function of sending out menu data of at least one or more game cassettes and a group of game software in a fixed capacity unit via the data modulator 6. Has been delivered.
On the guest room side, when the guest presses the game start switch of the data decoder 10 in order to receive the game service, the data decoder 10 starts sampling the menu screen cyclically sent from the game sending machine 5, and starts sampling. Is completed, the menu screen is displayed on the TV receiver 9.

Next, when the guest selects the game software that the guest wants to play with the operation keys 11 or the like for the game, the data decoder 10 extracts the selected game software from the distributed game software group. The extracted game is automatically started, and thereafter the game can be enjoyed by the same operation as a commercially available game machine.

The video signal selected by the terminal 8 is connected to the TV receiver 9 via the data decoder 10 and displayed.

The data decoder 10 has a function of detecting and storing data transmitted from the game transmitter 5 on the center A, a function of executing the detected game software, and generating and outputting a video signal for a game. And a switching function of outputting either the video output signal from the terminal 8 or the created signal.

When the power of the data decoder 10 is turned on, the terminal 8 is notified via the control line 12 that a game service has been started, and the video is switched. Is switched to be connected to the TV receiver 9, and the above-described menu screen and game screen are displayed on the TV receiver 9.

The terminal 8 that has input the start of the use of the game via the control line 12 notifies the line controller 1 on the center side A that the game service has been started via the RF modem 2. I do. The line controller 1 receiving this notification performs a charging process for the guest room where the game has started.

[0014]

However, in the above configuration, it is possible to provide a game service in the guest room, but there is a problem that it is impossible to know at all which game is used. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a hotel CATV apparatus that can detect which game is being used by a center line controller in view of the above problems.

[0016]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a hotel CATV apparatus according to the present invention uses a control line 12 connecting a data decoder 10 of FIG. The game number selected in the menu is notified from the data decoder 10 via the terminal 8 to the line controller 1 on the center side, and various processes are performed here.

[0017]

According to the present invention, when a guest uses a game with the above-described structure, the center controller can charge the usage of each game and the usage rate of each game distributed can be grasped. it can.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a hotel CATV apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the hotel CATV apparatus shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the processing functions of the line controller 1 on the center side A, the terminal 8 on the terminal side B, and the data decoder 10 are improved, and the control line 12 connecting the data decoder 10 and the terminal 8 is used. , The game number selected in the menu from the data decoder 10 via the terminal 8,
This is a configuration for notifying the line controller 1 on the center side A.

The operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the service sequence diagram when the game is used in FIG.

First, the game sending device 5 shown in FIG. 1 has a function of sending out menu data of at least one or more game cassettes and a group of game software cyclically at a fixed capacity. It is distributed via the modulator 6.

On the guest room side, when the guest presses the game start switch of the data decoder 10 shown in FIG. 1 to receive the game service (S1), the data decoder 10 is transmitted cyclically from the game transmitter 5 to the guest. The extraction of the menu screen is started (S2). When the extraction is completed, the menu screen is displayed on the TV receiver 9 (S2).
3).

Next, when the guest wants to play the game software he or she wants to play with the game operation keys 11 or the like (S4), the data decoder 10 extracts the selected game software from the distributed game software group (S5). When the extraction is completed, the extracted game is automatically started (S6).
Thereafter, the game can be enjoyed by the same operation as that of a commercially available game machine.

On the other hand, the transmission system is divided into two by the coaxial cable 13 and connected to the terminal 8 and the data decoder 10, or
It is connected to a data decoder 10 via a terminal 8. The system configuration in FIG. 1 shows a two-partition system.

The video signal selected by the terminal 8 is connected to the TV receiver 9 via the data decoder 10. The data decoder 10 has a function of detecting and storing data transmitted from the game transmitter 5, a function of executing the detected game software, a function of generating and outputting a video signal for a game,
It has a switching function of outputting either the video output signal from the terminal 8 or the created signal.

When the power of the data decoder 10 is turned on, the switching of the video is switched so that the output of the data decoder 10 is connected to the TV receiver 9, and the above-described game screen where the menu screen starts to be extracted is displayed on the TV. The game number is displayed on the receiver 9, and at the same time, the selected game number is notified to the terminal 8 via the control line 12 (S7).

The terminal 8 that has input the start of the game through the control line 12 notifies the line controller 1 of the selected game number via the RF modem 2 (S8). The line controller 1 that has received the notification performs a charging process for the guest room where the game is started, and performs a statistical process of the game usage rate (S9).

[0028]

As described above, the hotel C of the present invention is used.
When a guest uses a game, the ATV apparatus performs a usage charging process for each game, and can grasp the usage rate of each distributed game software. Furthermore, when replacing game software, it greatly helps in selecting software and leads to improvement of service to guests,
The utilization rate can be improved and the profit can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a hotel CATV device in which the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 2 is a service sequence diagram when a game is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Line controller, 2. RF modem, 3. T
V modulator, 4 ... Mixer, 5 ... Game transmitter, 6 ...
Data modulator, 7: branch distributor, 8: terminal, 9: T
V receiver, 10 ... data decoder, 11 ... operation keys,
12 ... Control line.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshikazu Ishimi 1-1, Matsushita-cho, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Inside Matsushita Avicy Technology Co., Ltd. Reference No. 18 Within MF Information Systems Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-7-203419 (JP, A) JP-A-63-16793 (JP, A) JP-A-5-49028 (JP, A) JP-A-4 −225695 (JP, A) Hikaru 3-113579 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 7/10 H04N ^7/ 14-7/173 H04N 7/20 -7/22

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A line controller for controlling a terminal installed in each guest room, an RF modem for transmitting and receiving data between the line controller and the terminal via a transmission line, and video and audio to the terminal. A plurality of TV modulators for transmitting the game software, a game transmitter for transmitting game software, a data modulator for modulating an output signal of the game transmitter into an RF signal, and each of the TV modulator and the data modulator. A terminal provided in a center including a mixer for transmitting an output signal and an input / output signal to the RF modem to the transmission line, and a terminal installed in each guest room branched and connected via the transmission line; CATV device comprising a plurality of terminals, each of which comprises a device, a data decoder, and operation keys, using a control line connecting the data decoder and the terminal on the terminal side. The game number selected in the menu by the data decoder, via a terminal and a transmission line through the control line from the data decoder, hotels CATV system and notifies to the center side of the line controller. 2. The hotel CATV device according to claim 1, wherein the line controller on the center side performs statistical processing of a utilization rate for each game number. 3. The hotel CATV apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line controller on the center side performs a charging process for use for each guest room and game number on the terminal side.