JP4348723B2 - CATV system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a CATV system that can minimize running costs.

  A CATV system installed in a hotel or inn generally provides a paid program.

  Therefore, a system that allows a person who wants to watch a paid program to purchase a prepaid card using a dedicated vending machine and inserts the prepaid card into a television receiver in his / her room to view the paid program has been put into practical use. . Note that the prepaid card in this case can watch a paid program for one night by paying, for example, about 500 to 1000 yen.

  On the other hand, it is common for contractors to provide paid programs and collect prepaid card sales. That is, for example, the trader collects the sales price once a month, collects the sales price, reports the sales amount to a hotel or the like, and returns a part of the sales amount as a facility installation fee to the hotel or the like.

  According to such a conventional technique, there is a problem that the running cost for operating the system tends to be excessive. Magnetic cards used as prepaid cards have a high cost per card, and it is difficult to completely collect used prepaid cards. Even if the collected used prepaid cards are reused, data can be rewritten. Because it requires a considerable amount of money.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a CATV system capable of minimizing the necessary running cost by using a viewing ticket with an ID number that can be printed on plain paper, in view of the problems of the prior art. There is.

  The configuration of the present invention for achieving such an object includes a program supply device, a plurality of terminal devices, one or more ticket machines that issue viewing tickets with ID numbers in response to bill insertion, and a ticketing data memory. Each ticket vending machine sends ticketing data to the management device every time it issues a viewing ticket, and when the management device receives ticketing data from the ticket vending machine, The included ID number is set to be unused and stored in the ticket issuing data memory. When the ID number attached to the viewing ticket is input, the terminal device sends the input ID number to the management device for management. Waiting for the viewing permission signal from the device to arrive, the viewing of the paid program is started, and the management device receives the ID number from the specific terminal device, and the ID number identical to the ID number from the terminal device is the ticketing data memory When finding be present as unused, and its gist that with rewritten to dirty the ID number of the ticket data in the memory and sends a viewing permit signal to the terminal device.

  In addition, when sending a viewing permission signal to a terminal device, the management device can store the number of the terminal device and the date and time of use in the ticketing data memory in association with the ID number.

  Also, the ticket vending machine may issue a viewing ticket that also serves as a receipt.

  When the ID number from the terminal device does not exist as unused in the ticketing data memory, the management device sends a viewing non-permission signal to the terminal device, and the terminal device is within the specified number of times. The ID number re-input operation can be permitted on the condition. In addition, an ID number can be input to the terminal device via a remote controller that operates the television receiver.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the viewing ticket with an ID number issued by the ticket vending machine is sufficient if the viewer can recognize the necessary ID number, and the ID number printed on plain paper may be used. In addition, there is no need for collection and reuse, and running costs can be minimized. It is assumed that the viewer can view the paid program for one night, for example, by entering the ID number of the viewing ticket into the terminal device, and the viewable state of the paid program set in each terminal device is, for example, the next day Forcibly reset at the same time. However, when the ID number is input, each terminal device sends it to the management device. The management device receives the ID number from each terminal device, checks the validity, and permits viewing to the terminal device. A signal shall be sent out.

  Each time a ticket is issued, the ticket vending machine sends the ID number of the viewing ticket to the management device, and the management device receives it and stores it as unused. Therefore, when receiving the ID number from each terminal device, the management device can check the validity of the ID number from the terminal device by collating it with the stored ID number. However, the management device can determine that it is valid by finding the ID number from the terminal device in the list of unused ID numbers stored. In addition, when the management device determines that the ID number from the terminal device is valid, the management device sets the corresponding stored ID number as used, thereby receiving the same ID number from a plurality of terminal devices in duplicate. However, there is no fear that a plurality of terminal devices are simultaneously set in the payable program viewing enabled state, and illegal use of the viewing ticket can be prevented.

  The management device can easily construct a system that limits the viewing time of a pay program with one viewing ticket to a certain time by storing the number of the terminal device that sends the viewing permission signal and the use date and time. This is because, when the management device receives the ID number from the terminal device, the terminal device can be forcibly returned to a state in which the original pay program cannot be viewed as the viewing time elapses. Note that the ticket vending machine at this time may issue, for example, a plurality of types of viewing tickets with different viewing times, and include information indicating the type of viewing ticket as part of the ID number. When receiving the ID number from the terminal device, the management device can set the viewing time corresponding to the type of the viewing ticket in the terminal device.

  A viewing ticket issued by a ticket vending machine can print arbitrary information including an ID number on plain paper. Therefore, if the viewing ticket is additionally printed with necessary information such as the date and time of ticket issuance, the amount of receipt, the issuer, etc., it becomes a form that also serves as a receipt, and is less discarded as garbage.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The pay program viewing method in the CATV system is implemented in the CATV system in which the program supply device 1 and a plurality of terminal devices 2, 2,... Are connected to the network N (FIG. 1). In addition to the management device 3, one or more ticket machines 4, 4,... Are connected to the network N.

  The program supply device 1 is a head-end device that sends out a multi-channel television program program. The television program program includes a pay program channel in addition to a free program for general broadcasting. On the other hand, each terminal device 2 has a television receiver (not shown), and can select and watch an arbitrary channel from among multi-channel television program programs transmitted via the network N. However, the terminal device 2 can view the free program at any time, but viewing of the pay program is a condition that the pay program can be viewed by, for example, a view permission signal from the management device 3. In the case of a hotel-use CATV system, the program supply device 1 and the management device 3 are installed, for example, in a management department space near the front, each terminal device 2 is installed in each guest room, and the ticket machine 4 is It is installed in a common space on each floor.

  The ticket vending machine 4 is configured by providing a bill insertion slot 41 and a viewing ticket discharge slot 42 on the front door 4a of the housing (FIG. 2A). A selling lamp 43 indicating normal operation of the ticket vending machine 4 is disposed above the bill insertion slot 41, and a lock 44 is attached to the front door 4a. The ticket vending machine 4 includes a bill discriminator for discriminating a bill to be inserted into the bill insertion slot 41, and a ticket issuing device with a printer for issuing a viewing ticket (FIG. 2B) with an ID number in response to the bill insertion. And built-in. However, the viewing ticket of FIG. 2B is given the title “Pay TV viewing ticket”, and a 4-digit ID number is printed on plain paper along with the display of “release ID”.

  The operation of each ticket machine 4 is as shown in the program flowchart of FIG. 3, for example. However, the program in FIG. 3 starts automatically when all preparations of the ticket vending machine 4 are completed and the front door 4a is closed and the lock 44 is locked.

  First, the program sends a sales possible signal to the management device 3 (program step (1) in FIG. 3; hereinafter, simply described as (1)), and waits for a sales permission signal from the management device 3. Wait (2). However, when the management apparatus 3 receives the sale possible signal from the ticket vending machine 4, the management apparatus 3 operates, for example, as program steps (1) to (3) in FIG. A sales permission signal is sent to the ticket vending machine 4. Therefore, when there is a sales permission signal from the management device 3 (2), the ticket vending machine 4 turns on the sales lamp 43 (3) and waits for a bill to be inserted into the bill insertion slot 41 ( 4).

  When a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 41 (4), the program issues a viewing ticket with an ID number and discharges it from the viewing ticket discharge slot 42 (5), and also issues ticketing data to the management device 3. Send out (6). Thereafter, the program confirms that the ticketing operation is normally performed (7), waits for the next bill insertion (4), and thereafter, the viewing ticket can be sold in the same manner. Note that the viewing tickets sold by the ticket vending machine 4 in this way have different ID numbers for each sheet. In addition, when a trouble occurs in the ticket issuing operation of the viewing ticket (7), the program turns off the selling lamp 43 (8), and stores in-store data such as the sales price accumulated in the ticket vending machine 4. Send to the management device 3 and finish (9).

  Here, the ticket issue data from the ticket vending machine 4 is data including the ID number currently attached to the viewing ticket issued by the ticket vending machine 4 and the date and time when the ticket is issued. The management device 3 issues the ticket issue data from the ticket vending machine 4. For example, according to program steps (1), (4), (5) of FIG. That is, when receiving the ticketing data from each ticket vending machine 4, the management device 3 sequentially stores the ticketing date and time and the ID number attached to the viewing ticket in the ticketing data memory together with the number of the ticketing machine 4 that issued the viewing ticket. (Fig. 5). However, in the ticket issuing data memory of FIG. 5, whether used / not used indicating whether or not a viewing ticket with a specific ID number has been used, the date and time of use when it is used, and the terminal device 2 used An area for storing the number is also prepared, and when the ticketing data is stored, the ID number is set to unused, the date of use, and the data of the number of the terminal device 2 used are blank. Is set.

  When the management device 3 receives the data from the ticket vending machine 4, it operates according to the program steps (1), (4), (6), (7) of FIG. Can be stored and used for later management. The management device 3 may send a sale prohibition signal individually or simultaneously to the ticket machines 4, 4,. Each ticket vending machine 4 executes the program steps (8) and (9) in FIG. 3 and stops the subsequent sales operation when it receives a sale prohibition signal for itself. Further, when the ticket vending machine 4 unlocks the lock 44 and opens the front door 4a for collecting work, for example, the program steps (8) and (9) of FIG. 4 are automatically executed. Further, each ticket vending machine 4 may start the program of FIG. 3 in response to a sales start signal from the management device 3.

  The television receiver included in the terminal device 2 in each room can be operated, for example, via the infrared remote controller 10 (FIG. 6). The remote controller 10 includes a general power button, a volume button, etc., a group of numeric buttons 11 for selecting a channel of a free program for general broadcasting, and selection buttons 12 and 12 for selecting a channel of a paid program. In addition, a P button 13 and a clear button 14 that are operated at the start of pay viewing of the pay program are provided. The terminal device 2 can view a channel of an arbitrary free program by turning on the power of the television receiver via the power button and operating the numeric buttons 11.

  When any one of the pay program selection buttons 12 and 12 is operated during viewing of the free program, an arbitrary channel of the pay program can be previewed for a certain preview time. When the preview time has elapsed, the screen of the television receiver is automatically switched to the guidance screen of FIG. Therefore, the viewer operates the P button 13, the numeric button 11, and the clear button 14 of the remote controller 10 according to the procedure on the screen, and sets the ID number attached to the viewing ticket purchased through the ticket vending machine 4. By inputting to the terminal device 2, paid viewing of the paid program can be started. Note that “ID” on the screen indicates an ID number displayed on the viewing ticket.

  When the P button 13 is pressed according to the guidance screen of FIG. 7A, the terminal device 2 operates according to the program flowchart of FIG. However, it is assumed that the program of FIG. 8 operates even when the clear button 14 is pressed.

  When the P button 13 is pressed, the program confirms that paid viewing of the paid program has not started (program step (1) in FIG. 8, hereinafter simply referred to as (1)), for example, 4 digits If it is confirmed that the ID number is not being entered (2), if it is not the clear button 14 (3), the fact that the ID number is being entered is set (4), and the screen of the television receiver is displayed. Switch to the guidance screen of 7 (B) (5). Note that a blinking cursor C is displayed in the lower frame of the guidance screen in FIG. 7B in order to display the first digit of the ID number to be input next. However, it is assumed that the ID number is entered one digit at a time from the first digit by operating one of the numeric buttons 11, and can be re-entered from the beginning by pressing the clear button 14 in the case of an input error. ((1), (2), (6), (7), (5)). When the clear button 14 is pressed twice in succession, the terminal device 2 returns to the viewing state of the channel selected at the end of the original free program ((1), (2), (6) , (7), (5), (1) to (3), (8)).

  After pressing the P button 13 to set the ID number input (4), when any of the number buttons 11 is pressed to input the first digit of the ID number, the terminal device 2 operates according to the program flowchart of FIG. To do.

  That is, the program confirms that the ID number is being entered (program step (1) in FIG. 9; hereinafter, simply described as (1)), and the number button 11 pressed is any of 0-9. (2). Next, since the program has not finished inputting the four digits of the ID number (3), the program displays the input number at the position of the blinking cursor C within the frame of the guide screen in FIG. ) The blinking cursor C is shifted to the right by one character (5), and the process is terminated. The program repeats the same operation every time a number after the second digit of the ID number is input ((1) to (5)), and when the four-digit number input of the ID number is completed (3), After resetting that the input is in progress (6), the guidance screen of FIG. 7C is displayed on the television receiver (7), and the input ID number is sent to the management apparatus 3 (8). The program then waits for the viewing permission signal from the management device 3 to arrive ((9) to (11), (9)).

  When the viewing permission signal from the management apparatus 3 has arrived normally (9), the program sets that the paid program has already started paid viewing (12), and automatically selected the channel of the paid program (13). ),finish. The channel of the pay program that is automatically selected here is the channel that was last selected within the previous preview time. However, after that, the viewer can view the channel of any pay program via the pay program selection buttons 12, 12 of the remote controller 10. In addition, even after the start of viewing a pay program, any one of the numeric buttons 11 can be operated to select and view any free program channel ((1), (14)). By operating the program selection buttons 12 and 12, it is possible to resume viewing any channel of the pay program without re-inputting the ID number.

  9 waits for the viewing permission signal from the management device 3 to arrive ((9) to (11), (9)), the viewing non-permission signal from the management device 3 arrives (10). If the viewing permission signal does not arrive within the predetermined time (11), and if it is within the specified number of times (15), the guidance screen of FIG. 7 (A) is redisplayed to prompt the user to re-enter the ID number. (16) When the specified number of times is exceeded (15), the guidance screen of FIG. 7D is displayed (17), and the process shifts to manual complaint processing.

  When the ID number input by the viewer arrives from the specific terminal device 2, the management device 3 operates according to the program flowchart of FIG. 10 and checks the validity of the ID number from the terminal device 2.

  The program searches the ticketing data memory and checks whether or not the ID number from the terminal device 2 exists in the ticketing data memory in an unused state (program step (1) in FIG. 10, hereinafter, simply (Write as (1)). When the program finds that the same ID number as the ID number from the terminal device 2 exists as unused in the ticketing data memory (2), it writes the ID number in the ticketing data memory from unused to used. (3) The date and time is used as the date and time of use, and the number of the terminal device 2 that sent the ID number is written as the use terminal No in the area corresponding to the ID number in the ticketing data memory (right 2 in FIG. 5). Column), a viewing permission signal is sent to the terminal device 2 (4), and the process ends. Therefore, the terminal device 2 can normally start viewing the pay program (program steps (9), (12), (13) in FIG. 9).

  On the other hand, when the ID number from the terminal device 2 does not exist in the ticketing data memory as unused (2), the management device 3 sends a viewing non-permission signal to the terminal device 2 (5). Therefore, the terminal device 2 at this time permits the re-input operation of the ID number on the condition that it is within the specified number of times (program steps (10), (15), (16) in FIG. 9).

  Note that the exemplary system is a case where the viewing fee for the paid program for one night is uniformly 1000 yen (FIGS. 7A and 7B). Therefore, the management device 3 indicates that paid program viewing has started for all terminal devices 2, 2,... Connected to the network N, for example, at regular times during the daytime, that is, the paid program can be viewed. The state shall be forcibly reset. Moreover, the management apparatus 3 at this time may erase all the data of the used ID numbers in the ticket issuing data memory at the same time. Note that the date and time of use in the ticketing data memory and the data of the number of the terminal device 2 can be effectively used as data for complaint processing in the case of troubles such as duplicate ticketing of the same ID number, for example. However, the date of use and the number of the terminal device 2 may be stored in the ticketing data memory as necessary, and may not be stored.

  In the above description, the ticket vending machine 4 may issue and sell a plurality of types of viewing tickets having different unit prices. However, it is assumed that each viewing ticket can view the pay program for a certain period of time that varies depending on the unit price. At this time, the ticket vending machine 4 includes, for example, information indicating the type of the viewing ticket in the ID number when the viewing ticket is issued, and the management device 3 decodes the ID number from the ticket vending machine 4. , And find the payable program viewing time with the viewing ticket of the ID number. Therefore, when the ID number is input to the terminal device 2, the management device 3 monitors the passage of time after the use date and time, and forcibly sets the viewable state of the pay program of the terminal device 2 according to the passage of the viewable time. Shall be reset. However, at this time, it is preferable that an appropriate guidance screen indicating a time-over is automatically displayed on the television receiver.

  Note that the ticket vending machine 4 may be a vending machine that sells other articles together, instead of a dedicated machine that sells only viewing tickets. Further, the ticket vending machine 4 may issue a viewing ticket that also serves as a receipt by printing the date and time of issuance, the amount of receipt, the issuer, etc. together with the viewing ticket.

Overall configuration block diagram Configuration diagram of ticket vending machine Program flow chart (1) Program flow chart (2) Memory area configuration diagram Front view of remote controller Guide screen illustration Program flow chart (3) Program flow chart (4) Program flow chart (5)

Explanation of symbols

N ... Network 1 ... Program supply device 2 ... Terminal device 3 ... Management device 4 ... Ticket vending machine

Patent applicant Kitahishi Electric Co., Ltd.
Attorney Tadaaki Matsuda, Attorney

Claims (5)

A program supply device, a plurality of terminal devices , one or more ticket vending machines that issue a viewing ticket with an ID number according to bill insertion, and a management device having a ticketing data memory , connected to a network, Each time the ticket vending machine issues a viewing ticket, it sends the ticketing data to the management device. When the management device receives the ticketing data from the ticket vending machine, the ID number included in the ticketing data is set to unused. And when the ID number attached to the viewing ticket is input, the terminal device sends the input ID number to the management device and permits viewing from the management device. to start paid programs waiting the arrival of the signal, the management device reaches the ID number from a specific said terminal apparatus, the ID number and the same ID number is the ticket data memory from the terminal device Not Existence finding that as used, CATV system, characterized by sending a viewing permit signal with rewritten to dirty the ID number of the ticket data in the memory for the terminal device. The management device, upon sends a viewing permit signal to the terminal device, in correspondence with the ID number of the terminal device number, according to claim 1, wherein Rukoto to store the date and time of use to the ticketing data memory CATV system. The ticket vending machine, according to claim 1 or CATV system according to claim 2, characterized in that ticketing view ticket format which also serves as a receipt. When the ID number from the terminal device does not exist as unused in the ticketing data memory, the management device sends a viewing non-permission signal to the terminal device, and the terminal device is within a specified number of times. 4. The CATV system according to claim 1, wherein a re-input operation of the ID number is allowed on the condition. The CATV system according to claim 1, wherein an ID number is input to the terminal device via a remote controller that operates a television receiver.

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