JP4669320B2 - Paid channel viewing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pay channel viewing system capable of viewing a pay channel.

  Paid broadcasts are provided to viewers through satellite broadcasts, CATV (Community Antenna Television), and the like. One form of pay broadcasting is a service called PPV (Pay Per View). PPV is a method in which viewers pay only when watching a program.

  Recently, not only public broadcasting but also hospitals and hotels have built their own broadcasting systems and provide pay channels on TVs (televisions) installed in hospital rooms and rooms. TVs with such broadcasting systems offer programs on both paid and free channels. These programs include not only TV programs but also programs recorded on videotapes and DVDs (Digital Video Discs).

In pay broadcasting, when a viewer views a pay channel program, it is necessary to charge the viewer. As a system for realizing this billing, a system is known in which a prepaid card device having a billing function is connected to a TV main body and billing is performed in conjunction with the TV and the prepaid card device. In this system, viewing of a pay channel program is allowed for the number of times recorded on a prepaid card (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3482659

  Recently, operations such as turning on / off the TV and switching channels are generally performed by a remote controller. In particular, in hospitals and the like, inpatients frequently switch TV channels from the bed by remote control.

  The standard remote control used in a home TV has both a button for selecting a channel directly and a button for selecting a channel in ascending or descending order one by one. In general, the remote controller is provided with only the latter channel selection button so as not to put a burden on the channel selection operation of an inpatient (hereinafter referred to as a user).

  In a TV where channels are selected with such a remote control, if pay channels and free channels are mixed, even if there is no intention to select a pay channel, the pay channel is selected until the desired free channel is selected. May occur.

  In the case of a paid channel, there is a form in which charging is performed when a channel is selected. When the hospital TV broadcasting system provides such a form of pay channel, the user has watched the pay channel program without being aware of it, and is charged for the pay channel viewing fee. It will be. In the process of selecting and operating the free channel, the pay channel program is broadcast for a short time, but due to unintended accumulation of the pay channel viewing time, the pay channel viewing fee may not be overlooked.

Also, there are cases where a program is viewed without knowing that it is a pay channel, and in such a case, a large viewing fee may be charged later.
An object of the present invention is to realize a pay channel viewing system that can prevent viewing of a pay channel unintended by the user, prevent illegal pay channel viewing, and reliably collect charges for the pay channel.

The pay channel viewing system of the present invention is premised on a pay channel viewing system including a television and a billing machine.
In the pay channel viewing system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the television has channel selection means for selecting a channel, and determination means for determining whether or not the channel selected by the channel selection means is a pay channel. A first display control means for causing a display unit to display a charge confirmation screen for confirming a user's intention to view the pay channel when the determination means determines that a pay channel has been selected; and the charge confirmation screen Based on the response result to the charging approval information generating means for generating charging approval information indicating whether or not the charging is approved, channel information indicating the channel selected by the channel selecting means, and the charging approval information generating means Notification means for transmitting the created billing approval information to the billing machine, and a billing channel from the billing machine A receiving unit that receives a viewing permission / inhibition signal indicating whether or not listening is possible; and when the viewing permission / inhibition signal received by the receiving unit is set to be viewable, a program on a pay channel is displayed on the display unit, And second display control means for performing control so that the program of the pay channel is not displayed on the display section when the signal is set to be unviewable, and the charging device is transmitted from the notification means of the television Receiving means for receiving channel information and billing approval information; first judging means for judging whether or not a pay channel is selected on the television by referring to channel information received by the receiving means; The second judging means for judging whether or not the frequency required for viewing the pay channel remains when it is judged by the judging means that the pay channel is selected. If, based on the determination result of the determination means of the second generates the viewing enabling signal indicating whether or not viewing the pay channel, characterized in that it comprises a notifying means for sending it to the television.

  According to the pay channel viewing system of the first aspect, the program of the pay channel is displayed on the TV only when the user approves the pay channel viewing and the frequency required for watching the pay channel remains. Therefore, it is possible to prevent illegal paid channel viewing and to reliably collect paid channel viewing fees.

  A pay channel viewing system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the pay channel viewing system according to the first aspect, wherein the charging device stores storage means for storing the charge frequency of the pay channel, and sets the charge frequency of the storage means to the pay channel. Subtracting means for subtracting according to the viewing time is provided.

According to the pay channel viewing system of the second aspect, it is possible to prevent unauthorized rewriting of the accounting frequency.
The pay channel viewing system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the pay channel viewing system according to the first aspect, wherein the billing machine is capable of inserting and removing a prepaid card capable of rewriting the billing frequency, and the prepaid card. Is provided with a rewriting means capable of rewriting the accounting frequency held by.

According to the pay channel viewing system of the third aspect, wasteful viewing of the pay channel can be prevented.
A pay channel viewing system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the pay channel viewing system according to the third aspect, wherein when the television transmits the billing approval information of the billing approval to the billing device, the billing channel from the billing device. And a third display control means for displaying a screen for prompting insertion of the prepaid card on a display section when receiving a viewing permission / prohibition signal for prohibiting viewing.

  According to the pay channel viewing system of the fourth aspect, when the user approves viewing of the pay channel but the prepaid card is not attached to the billing machine, the user is prompted to insert the prepaid card. Can do.

  The pay channel viewing system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the pay channel viewing system according to the third aspect, wherein the notifying means of the billing machine includes the above-mentioned prepaid card remaining frequency when there is a chargeable frequency. A viewing permission signal is set to be viewable, and when the remaining number of prepaid cards is less than a chargeable frequency, the viewing permission signal is set to be unviewable.

  According to the pay channel viewing system of the fifth aspect, when the remaining number of prepaid cards inserted in the billing machine is less than the required number, the broadcast of the pay channel on the television can be stopped immediately.

  The pay channel viewing system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the pay channel viewing system according to the third aspect, wherein the notifying means of the billing device views the view permission signal when the prepaid card is not attached. It is set to be impossible.

According to the pay channel viewing system of the sixth aspect, when the prepaid card is not attached to the billing machine, it is possible to prevent broadcast on the pay channel of the television.
The pay channel viewing system according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the pay channel viewing system according to the first aspect, wherein the television determining means indicates whether or not the channel selected by the channel selecting means is a pay channel. A table storing information is provided, and it is determined whether or not the selected channel is a pay channel by referring to the table.

According to the pay channel viewing system of the seventh aspect, the setting of the pay channel or the free channel can be freely changed for each channel of the television by changing the setting of the table.
The pay channel viewing system according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the pay channel viewing system according to the first aspect, wherein the first judging means of the billing machine is such that the channel indicated by the channel information received by the receiving means is a pay channel. A table storing information indicating whether or not the channel information is stored, and by referring to the table, it is determined whether or not the channel indicated by the channel information is a pay channel.

According to the pay channel viewing system of the eighth aspect, changing the setting of the table can immediately cope with the change of the setting of the pay channel of the television.
The pay channel viewing system according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the pay channel viewing system according to the first aspect, the channel selection means has means for moving the channel to the channel before and after the channel selection means.

  According to the pay channel viewing system of the ninth aspect, free viewing of the pay channel can be prevented even when the pay channel must be selected in the middle of selecting the desired free channel.

  According to the present invention, when a pay channel is selected, the user confirms that he / she wishes to view the pay channel and confirms that the frequency necessary for watching the pay channel remains. To start broadcasting on paid channels. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a user views a pay channel program regardless of his / her intention. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent illegal paid channel viewing and to reliably collect paid channel viewing fees from the user.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a TV with a charging function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The TV with a billing function shown in the figure is composed of a monitor 10, a billing machine 20, a remote controller 30, and the like, and can view a plurality of channels. The plurality of channels are divided into a pay channel on which a pay program is aired and a free channel on which a free program is aired.

  The monitor 10 includes a display control unit 11, a display unit 12, an IF (interface) control unit 13, a power switch 14, an input selector switch 15, a video signal input terminal 16, a charging machine interface 17, and a remote control interface 18. .

  The monitor 10 can be switched to three modes: a TV mode, a video mode, and a PC mode. In the TV mode, the monitor 10 is used as a display for displaying a TV program movie screen, and in the video mode, a video playback screen is displayed. Used as a display, and in the PC mode, it is used as a display of a PC (personal computer) (not shown).

The power switch 14 is a switch for turning on / off the main power supply of the monitor 10.
The input changeover switch 15 is a switch for switching the monitor 10 to a broadcast program display screen or a PC monitor screen.

The display unit 12 is a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display or a liquid crystal display.
The display control unit 11 is connected to the power switch 14 and the input changeover switch 15, controls the power circuit (not shown) of the monitor 10, and displays the image displayed on the display unit 12 as a TV program or video program video, Alternatively, control for switching to a PC monitor image is performed.

  The IF control unit 13 is connected to the video signal input terminal 16, the accounting machine interface 17, and the remote control interface 18, and controls video signal input through these interfaces, and further, the accounting machine 20 and the remote control 30. Controls signal input and output.

The video signal input terminal 16 is a terminal to which a video video signal or TV broadcast program video is input, and is connected to a VTR, a TV antenna, or the like with a cable.
The accounting machine interface 17 is connected to the monitoring interface 27 of the accounting machine 20 via the control signal line 40, and “channel information” and “accounting approval” are connected to the monitoring interface 27 via the control signal line 40. bit ”and“ viewing permission / inhibition signal ”.

  The billing machine 20 includes a communication IF control unit 21, a billing control unit 22, a hardware timer 22 a, a card reader / writer 23, a display control unit 24, a remaining frequency display unit 25, a monitor interface 27, and a card removal switch 29. .

The communication IF control unit 21 exchanges “channel information”, “charging approval bit”, “viewing permission / inhibition signal” and the like with the monitor 10 via the monitor interface 27.
The charging control unit 22 is connected to the display control unit 24, the card reader / writer 23, and the card removal switch 29. The charging control unit 22 transmits a predetermined command to the card reader / writer 23 to update the “charging count” stored in a card (a prepaid card such as a magnetic card or an IC card) attached to the card reader / writer 23. (Subtract). In addition, the latest charge frequency (remaining frequency) of the card mounted on the card reader / writer 23 is displayed on the remaining frequency display unit 25 via the display control unit 24. When the card removal switch 29 is operated, an operation signal is input to detect the operation of the card removal switch 29. Then, a predetermined command is sent to the card reader / writer 23, and the card attached to the card reader / writer 23 is ejected from the card reader / writer 23.

  The card reader / writer 23 reads / writes “billing frequency” with respect to the card inserted into the insertion slot. Further, in response to an instruction from the charge control unit 22, the card attached to the attachment slot is discharged.

The display control unit 24 receives the remaining frequency data from the charging control unit 22 and causes the display unit 25 to display the remaining frequency data.
The display unit 25 is, for example, a 7-segment display unit, and displays the remaining number of cards attached to the card reader / writer 23 under the control of the display control unit 24.

The hardware timer 22a is a timer that counts date and time information held by the billing machine.
The monitor interface 27 is controlled by the communication IF control unit 21, and “channel information”, “charging approval bit”, and “viewing permission / inhibition” with the charging device interface 17 of the monitor 10 through the control signal line 40. It is an interface for sending and receiving signals.

  The card removal switch 29 is a switch for taking out a card attached to the card reader / writer 23. When operated, the card removal switch 29 outputs an operation signal to the charging control unit 22.

  The remote controller 30 includes a button for selecting a channel of a program displayed on the display unit 12 of the monitor 10, a button for controlling the volume of a speaker (not shown), and the like. The remote controller 30 is connected to the monitor 10 by a cable.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a control signal flowing through the control signal line 40 of FIG.
In FIG. 2, the right arrow indicates transmission from the monitor 10 to the billing machine 20, and the left arrow indicates transmission from the billing machine 20 to the monitor 10.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, “channel information” and “charging approval bit” are sent from the monitor 10 to the charging machine 20 via the control signal line 40. Also, as shown in FIG. 4B, a “viewing permission / inhibition signal” is sent from the billing machine 20 to the monitor 10 via the control signal line 40.

The channel information is information indicating the channel selected by the remote controller 30.
The charging approval bit is 1-bit binary information for instructing whether or not the charging machine 20 can perform charging. If ON (“1”), the charging approval is OFF (“0”). If there is any, the denial of charge is indicated.

  The viewing permission / inhibition signal is a signal indicating whether or not the user is permitted to view the program of the currently selected pay channel. If the viewing permission / inhibition signal is “permitted”, the pay is selected by the user on the monitor 10. If the channel program is displayed and “impossible”, the monitor 10 displays a billing confirmation screen for the pay channel selected by the user.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the display control unit 11 of the monitor 10 illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 3, the same components as those in FIG.
The display control unit 11 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, and a video processing unit 114.

The CPU 111 is connected to the ROM 112, RAM 113, IF control unit 13, power switch 14, input changeover switch 15, and video processing unit 114.
The ROM 112 stores a program (firmware) 112a executed by the CPU 111.

  The RAM 113 stores a display enable / disable flag 113a, an area 113b for storing channel information selected by the remote controller 30 (hereinafter referred to as selected channel information 113b for convenience), and an area 113c used as the charging approval bit (hereinafter referred to as convenience). A billing approval bit 113c), a channel information table 113d, and an area used as a work area when the CPU 111 executes the firmware 112a.

  The display permission / prohibition flag 113a is a flag indicating whether or not display of the pay channel program on the monitor 10 is permitted. If the viewing permission / inhibition signal received from the billing machine 20 is “permitted”, the display permission / prohibition flag 113a is “display permitted”. If it is “impossible”, it is set to “not displayable”.

  When the monitor 10 is used as a TV, the channel information table 113d is a table that stores information on whether each channel of the TV is a pay channel or a free channel. The setting of whether it is a paid channel or a free channel can be changed for each user. This change is performed by the CPU 111.

  The CPU 111 performs processing described later using a flowchart by executing the firmware 112 a stored in the ROM 112. A power switch 14 and an input switch 15 are connected to the CPU 111. When these switches are operated, a signal indicating that the operation has been performed is input as an interrupt signal.

  The CPU 111 transmits the “channel information” and the “accounting approval bit” and the “viewing permission / inhibition signal” shown in FIG. 2 described above with the charging device 20 via the IF control unit 13. Further, operation information of the remote controller 30 is also input via the IF control unit 13.

The CPU 111 constantly monitors the channel selected by the remote controller 30 and notifies the video processing unit 114 of the latest channel selected by the remote controller 30.
The video processing unit 114 controls the display unit 12 to display the video of the program of the channel currently selected by the remote controller 30 on the screen of the display unit 12.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of the channel information table 113d in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the channel information table 113d stores information on whether each of the channels 1 to n is “paid channel” or “free channel” individually. Furthermore, information indicating that the “video” broadcast channel is a “free channel” is stored.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the charging control unit 22 of the charging machine 20 illustrated in FIG.
The charging control unit 22 includes a CPU 221, a ROM 222, and a RAM 223.

The CPU 221 is connected to the ROM 222, the RAM 223, the IF control unit 13, the card removal switch 29, the display control unit 24, and the card reader / writer 23.
The ROM 222 stores a program (firmware) 222a executed by the CPU 221. The CPU 221 executes the firmware 222a stored in the ROM 222, thereby performing processing described later using a flowchart.

  The RAM 223 includes a charged flag table 223a, a channel information table 223b, a remaining card count 223c, selected channel information 223d, received channel information 223e, and an area used as a work area when the CPU 221 executes the firmware 222a. ing.

  The charged flag table 223a is a table that stores a charging flag indicating whether or not each of the channels 1 to n in the TV mode and the video broadcast channel in the video mode has been charged individually. is there.

  Similarly to the channel information table 113d of the monitor 10, the channel information table 223b is a pay channel or a free channel for each of the channels 1 to n in the TV mode and the video broadcast channel in the video mode. It is a table that stores information on whether there is any, and the setting contents of the information are the same as the channel information table 113 d of the monitor 10. Similarly to the channel information table 113d of the monitor 10, the channel information in the channel information table 223b can be changed for each user, and the change is performed by the CPU 221. The channel information table 223b stores the charge frequency of the pay channel in addition to the channel information.

  The remaining card count 223c is a memory area for storing the remaining card count mounted on the card reader / writer 23. The remaining card count 223c is updated by the CPU 221 according to the viewing fee of the pay channel.

  The selected channel information 223d is a memory area for storing channel information received from the monitor 10 last time. The reception channel information 223e is a memory area for storing channel information newly received from the monitor 10.

  The CPU 221 receives the “channel information” and “charging approval bit” shown in FIG. 2 and transmits the “viewing permission / inhibition signal” with the monitor 10 via the IF control unit 13. Further, the CPU 221 inputs an operation signal of the card removal switch 29 and detects the operation of the card removal switch 29. When an operation of the card removal switch 29 is detected, an eject command is transmitted to the card reader / writer 23. When the card reader / writer 23 receives the eject command, the card reader / writer 23 ejects the loaded card.

  The CPU 221 also reads / writes the frequency of the card mounted on the card reader / writer 23, determines whether the frequency of the card has become “0”, and rewrites the frequency of the card.

  Further, the CPU 221 sends information on the frequency (remaining frequency) of the card mounted on the card reader / writer 23 to the display control unit 24. Based on the remaining frequency information received from the CPU 221, the display control unit 24 causes the remaining frequency display unit 25 of FIG. 1 to display the remaining frequency of the card attached to the card reader / writer 23.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the charged flag table 223a of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the charged flag table 223a stores the state of the charged flag for each of the channels 1 to n in the TV mode and the broadcast channel in the video mode. The charged flag is set to OFF when not charged, and set to ON when charged. The charged flag for all channels is automatically reset to the initial value (off) by the CPU 221 every time a preset time (for example, one day or one minute) elapses.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the billed flag for the three channels in the TV mode is set to on, and all other channels are set to off.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the channel information table 223b of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, for each channel 1 to n in the TV mode and the video broadcast channel in the video mode, “information indicating whether it is a pay channel or a free channel” and “charge amount” are stored individually. is doing.

  In the example shown in the figure, channel 2 and channel 3 are pay channels, and “100” and “200” are set as the billing frequencies, respectively. For the free channel 1 and the video broadcast channel, “0” is set as the billing frequency.

FIG. 8 is an external view of the monitor 10 of FIG.
The display unit 12 of the monitor 10 is disposed on the front surface and occupies almost the entire surface. An input changeover switch 15 and a power switch 14 are disposed in the lower right of the front of the monitor 10. These switches are all push button type switches.

FIG. 9 is an external view of the remote controller 30 of FIG.
The remote controller 30 includes a monitor power button 31, an input switching button 32, a cursor button 33, a channel button 34, a volume button 35, an F1 button 36, and an F2 button 37.

The monitor power button 31 is a button for turning on / off the power of the monitor 10.
The input switching button 32 is a button for switching the display screen of the monitor 10 to each mode of TV / video / PC.

  The cursor button group 33 is a button group for moving the mouse cursor when the monitor 10 is used as a PC display in the PC mode, and is composed of four cursor buttons for moving the mouse cursor in the horizontal and vertical directions. ing.

  The channel button 34 includes a channel up button 34u and a channel down button 34d. The channel up button 34u is a button for increasing one TV channel each time it is operated, and the channel down button 34d is a button for decreasing one TV channel each time it is operated. This channel button 34 functions as a left mouse button in the PC mode.

  The volume button 35 includes a volume up button 35u and a volume down button 35d. Each time the volume up button 35u is operated, the volume of the monitor 10 increases by a certain level, and the volume down button 35d is operated. Every time the volume of the monitor 10 decreases by a certain level.

The F1 button 36 is used as an application button in the PC mode.
The F2 button 37 is used as a “billing approval button” in the TV mode. In the PC mode, it is used as an application button.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of the billing machine 20.
The billing machine 20 shown in the figure is a horizontal type, and a card removal switch 29 and a remaining frequency display section 25 are arranged on the left side of the front of the apparatus. An insertion slot (card insertion slot) 26 for inserting a card is provided on the left side of the front of the apparatus. The card is inserted into the billing machine 20 by inserting the card into the card insertion slot 26.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the appearance of the billing machine 20.
The billing machine 20 shown in the figure is of a vertical type, and a remaining frequency display section 25 and a card removal switch 29 are disposed below the front of the apparatus. An insertion slot (card insertion slot) 26 for inserting a card is provided on the upper side of the front of the apparatus.

Next, the operation of the embodiment having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a main part of processing of the monitor 10.
The process of the flowchart shown in the figure is performed by the CPU 111 executing the firmware 112 a stored in the ROM 112.

  First, when a channel (CH) is selected by the remote controller 30 (step S1), the selected channel is stored in the selected channel information 113b of the RAM 113 (step S2). Then, the charging approval bit 113c is set to off (step S3).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the selected channel is a free channel (step S4). If it is a free channel, the process proceeds to step S12, and if not, the process proceeds to step S5. The determination in step S4 is made by the CPU 111 referring to the channel information table 113d. The same applies to the determination processing in step S13 described later.

  In step S5, it is determined whether or not the display enable / disable flag 113a is set to “display enabled”. If it is not set to “display enabled”, the process proceeds to step S6, and if it is set to “display enabled”, the process proceeds to step S12. move on.

In step S6, a “billing confirmation screen” is displayed asking the user whether to approve the charging on the selected pay channel.
FIG. 14A shows an example of the charge confirmation screen.

  In the billing confirmation screen 60 shown in FIG. 11A, for the 12 channels, an inquiry message “This channel (12) is charged. Will you charge?” And you may charge (Yes) Displays a guidance message to change the channel when the user presses the F2 button or refuses to charge (No).

Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the F2 button has been pressed (step S7). If it has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S9, and if not, the process proceeds to step S8.
In step S8, an operation of moving (changing) the channel is performed by the remote controller 30. Then, the process returns to step S1.

  In step S9, the charging approval bit 113c is set to ON. Then, it is determined whether or not the display enable / disable flag 113a is set to “display enable” (step S10). If it is not set to “display enable”, the process proceeds to step S11. If it is set to “display enable”, step S12 is executed. Proceed to

In step S11, a “card insertion screen” for prompting the card reader / writer 23 to insert (install) a card is displayed on the monitor 10, and then the process returns to step S10.
FIG. 14B shows an example of the card insertion screen.

  On the card insertion screen 70 shown in FIG. 5B, a warning message “Please check the billing card” is displayed. In accordance with this warning message, the user checks whether or not a card is inserted (attached) into the card insertion slot 26 of the card reader / writer 23. If a card is inserted, the display of the remaining frequency display unit 25 is further confirmed. And confirm that the required frequency remains. If either of them is not satisfied, a new card is inserted into the card insertion slot 26.

  As will be described later, when a card whose remaining number is not “0” is inserted into the card insertion slot 26 of the billing machine 20, a viewing permission / inhibition signal set to “possible” is transmitted from the billing machine 20 to the monitor 10. When receiving the viewing permission / inhibition signal, the display control unit 11 of the monitor 10 sets the display permission / inhibition flag 113a to “displayable”.

Thus, when a card is inserted into the card insertion slot 26 of the billing machine 20, it is determined in step S10 that the display enable / disable flag 113a is “display enabled”, and the process proceeds to step S12.
In step S12, a TV (video) program is displayed on a free channel or a pay channel. Further, when displaying a pay channel, measurement of the display time is started. The display time is measured by software processing using a work area in the RAM 113.

If the channel is moved by operating the remote controller 30 during the process of step S12 (step S17), the process returns to step S1.
On the other hand, if the channel moving operation is not performed, it is determined whether the currently selected channel is a free channel (step S13). If it is a free channel, the process returns to step S12 to display the program of the free channel. continue.
If it is determined in step S13 that the currently selected channel is a pay channel, it is determined whether the display enable / disable flag 113a is set to “display enabled” (step S14), and if it is set to “display enabled”. Returning to step S12, display of the pay channel program is continued.
On the other hand, if the display enable / disable flag 113a is not set to “display enable” in step S14, the charging approval bit 113c is set off (reset) (step S15). Then, it is determined whether or not the display time of the pay channel whose measurement is started in step S12 is less than 5 seconds (step S16). If it is less than 5 seconds, the process returns to step S6. Return to.
The determination in step S16 is that if the display time of the pay channel is less than 5 seconds, it is considered that the user has not yet responded to the “billing confirmation screen” described above. Although the F2 button is pressed in response to the above “billing confirmation screen”, it is assumed that the remaining number of cards is less than the required number thereafter.

  In this way, although the user has selected a paid channel, a billing condition (“A press operation of the F2 button indicating the intention to approve the billing is being executed” and “a card with a sufficient billing frequency in the billing machine 20” Is not satisfied ”), the charging approval bit 113c is reset to OFF, and the display unit 12 of the monitor 10 displays“ charging confirmation screen ”or“ card insertion ”according to the program broadcast time of the pay channel. Screen "is displayed.

  As described above, in the case of a free channel, a program can be viewed immediately upon selecting a channel. However, in the case of a paid channel, viewing by billing is confirmed, and a valid card (remaining frequency is set in the billing machine 20). The program can be viewed only when a sufficient card) is inserted.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing “repetition processing” performed by the CPU 111 of the monitor 10 executing the firmware 112 a stored in the ROM 112.
The “repetitive processing” shown in FIG. 5 is always executed while the monitor 10 is powered on.

  First, the state of the selected channel information 113b and the charging approval bit 113c is transmitted to the charging machine 20 (step S21). Then, a response from the billing machine 20 to the transmission is received (step S22).

  It is determined whether or not the viewing enable / disable signal received in the response is set to “enable” (step S23). If it is set to “enabled”, the display enable / disable flag 113a is set to “display enabled” (step S24). On the other hand, if the viewing permission / prohibition signal is not set to “permitted” in step S23, the display permission / prohibition flag 113a is set to “not displayable” (step S25).

  As described above, the latest state of the selected channel information 113b and the charging approval bit 113c is continuously transmitted to the billing machine 20, and the latest channel selected by the user and whether or not the user has approved the charging. Notify information.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are flowcharts showing processing performed when the CPU 221 of the billing machine 20 executes the firmware 222 a stored in the ROM 222.
The processing performed by the billing machine 20 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in both figures.

First, “channel information (selected channel information 113b)” and “charging approval bit (charging approval bit 113c)” transmitted from the monitor 10 are received (step S31).
Next, the channel information table 223b is searched using a channel (hereinafter referred to as a reception channel for convenience) set in the received channel information as a key to determine whether the reception channel is a free channel (step S32). . If it is not a free channel, the process proceeds to step S33, and if it is a free channel, the process proceeds to step S38.

  In step S33, it is determined whether or not the charged flag of the reception channel is set to “ON” by referring to the charged flag table 223a. If it is not set to “ON”, the process proceeds to step S34. If it is set to “ON”, the process proceeds to step S45 in FIG.

  In step S34, it is determined whether or not the received billing approval bit is set to “on”. If it is not set to “on”, the process proceeds to step S35, and if it is set to “on”, step S41 in FIG. Proceed to

  In step S35, "channel information" and "accounting approval bit" are received from the monitor 10, and then the previously received channel is compared with the channel received this time to determine whether the channel has been changed on the monitor 10 side. (Step S36). If there is no channel change, the process proceeds to step S37, and if there is a change, the process returns to step S32.

  The channel change determination in step S36 is performed by comparing the channel information stored in the selected channel information 223d with the channel information received in step S35 stored in the reception channel information 223e. If they are different, it is determined that the channel has been changed. If it is determined that the channel has been changed, the selected channel information 223d is rewritten with the received channel information 223e, and the selected channel information 223d is updated. This update process is also performed in step S40 and step S49 described later. Thus, the currently selected channel information 223d always stores the latest channel information selected by the user.

In step S37, the viewing permission signal set to “impossible” is transmitted to the monitor 10, and the process returns to step S34.
As described above, even if the user selects the pay channel, if the valid card is not inserted into the billing machine 20 and the charge is not approved, the user approves the charge or the user Until the channel is changed, the processing in steps S34 to S37 is repeated, and the viewing permission / prohibition signal set to “impossible” is continuously sent to the monitor 10. If the user approves charging, the process proceeds to step S41. If the user changes the channel, the process returns to step S32.

  In step S38, the viewing permission / inhibition signal set to “permitted” is transmitted to the monitor 10. Subsequently, “channel information” and “billing approval bit” are received from the monitor 10 (step S39), and based on the channel information, it is determined whether the channel is changed on the monitor 10 side (step S40). If the channel has not been changed, the process returns to step S38, and if the channel has been changed, the process returns to step S32.

  In this way, while the free channel is continuously selected, the viewing permission / non-permission signal set to “permitted” is continuously sent to the monitor 10. On the other hand, when the free channel is changed to another channel, the above-described processing is performed on the newly selected channel.

In step S41, it is determined whether or not a card is inserted into the card insertion slot 26 of the billing machine 20. If not inserted, the process proceeds to step S42, and if inserted, the process proceeds to step S51.
In step S42, the CPU 211 sends a read command to the card reader / writer 23, acquires the card billing frequency from the card reader / writer 23, and determines whether the card billing frequency has expired. If the frequency is not expired, the process proceeds to step S43. If the frequency is not expired, the process proceeds to step S49.

  In step S43, the billing frequency of the card mounted on the billing machine 20 is subtracted via the card reader / writer 23, and then the billed flag of the reception channel in the billed flag table 223a is set to “ON”. Set (step S44).

  In step S43, the CPU 211 subtracts the billing power set in the channel information table 223b, and the calculation result (equal to the card remaining power) is written to the card reader / writer 23 as write data. This is done by sending a write command. When the card reader / writer 23 receives the write command, the card reader / writer 23 writes the received write data (number of remaining cards) in the inserted card.

  Next, the remaining frequency (current charging frequency) of the card mounted on the charging machine 20 is displayed on the remaining frequency display unit 25 via the display control unit 24 (step S45). Next, measurement of viewable time corresponding to the subtracted accounting frequency is started (step S46). This time measurement is performed by the hardware timer 22a. Then, the viewing permission / inhibition signal set to “permitted” is transmitted to the monitor 10 (step S47).

  Subsequently, “channel information” and “accounting approval bit” transmitted from the monitor 10 are received (step S48), and it is determined whether the channel has been changed on the monitor 10 by referring to the received channel information (step S48). S49). If the channel has not been changed, the process proceeds to step S50, and if the channel has been changed, the process returns to step S32.

In step S50, it is determined whether the viewable time started in step S46 has elapsed. If it has elapsed, the process returns to step S41, and if not, the process returns to step S47.
As described above, when the pay channel is selected, the billing approval bit is set to “ON”, and the valid card is inserted in the billing machine 20, the processing of steps S41 to S50 is performed. Is repeated, and the billing frequency of the valid card is subtracted every time the viewable time elapses.

In step S51, the charged flag of the currently selected channel in the charged flag table 223a is set to “OFF”, and the process returns to step S37.
In this way, when a pay channel is selected and the charged flag is “on”, if the card is removed or the charge frequency of the card is expired, the charge channel The charged flag is set to “off”.

  In addition, a paid channel is selected, but the charged flag of the paid channel is still “off” and the charging approval bit is “on”, and the user approves the charging. However, when the card has not yet been inserted into the billing machine 20 or the invalid card that has expired has been inserted, the billed flag of the pay channel remains “off”.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the monitor 10 causes the billing machine 20 to display “currently selected channel information (selected channel information 113b)” and “whether or not the user has approved charging on the pay channel. (Charging approval bit 113c) "is sent, and the charging machine 20 inserts the card of the charging machine 20 when the pay channel is selected on the pay channel monitor 10 based on the above information sent from the monitor 10. Whether or not a valid card is inserted is monitored, and only when a valid card is inserted, the monitor 10 is notified by the “viewing permission / inhibition signal” that the user may be allowed to view on the pay channel.

  Therefore, it is possible to prevent free viewing of the paid channel by the user. In addition, when the user selects a pay channel, a “billing confirmation screen” is displayed on the display unit 12 of the monitor 10 to confirm whether or not to charge the user. It is possible to prevent a situation where a pay channel is watched without knowing it. If the user has not inserted a valid card into the billing machine 20 after confirming the user's intention to view the paid channel, a “card insertion screen” prompting the user to confirm the card is displayed on the display unit 12 of the monitor 10. Therefore, carelessness of the user can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, the monitor 10 and the remote controller 30 are connected by a cable. However, the monitor and the remote controller may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly.
In the present embodiment, a prepaid card is used as a means for storing the frequency at which the pay channel can be viewed. However, a means for storing the frequency at which the pay channel can be viewed may be provided inside the billing machine. . In this embodiment, the monitor 10 and the remote controller 30 are connected by a cable. However, the monitor and the remote controller may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly.

It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the control signal transmitted to a charging machine from a monitor, (b) is a figure which shows the control signal transmitted to a charging machine or a monitor. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the display part of a monitor. It is a block diagram of the channel information table provided in RAM of a monitor. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the charging control part of a charging machine. It is a block diagram of the charged flag table provided in RAM of a charging machine. It is a block diagram of the channel information table provided in RAM of an accounting machine. It is an external view of a monitor. It is an external view of a remote control. It is the 1st external view (horizontal installation type) of a charging machine. It is a 2nd external view (vertical installation type) of a charging machine. It is a flowchart which shows the principal part of the process performed with a monitor. It is a flowchart which shows the repetition process performed by a monitor. (A) is a figure which shows a charge confirmation screen, (b) is a figure which shows a card insertion screen. It is a flowchart (the 1) which shows the process performed with a charging machine. It is a flowchart (the 2) which shows the process performed with a charging machine.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Monitor 11 Display control part 12 Display part 13 IF control part 14 Power switch 15 Input switch 16 Video signal input terminal 17 Interface for charging machine 18 Interface for remote control 20 Charger 21 Communication IF control part 22 Charge control part 23 Card reader / writer 24 Display Control Unit 25 Remaining Frequency Display Unit 22a Hardware Timer 27 Monitor Interface 29 Card Eject Switch 30 Remote Control 31 Monitor Power Button 32 Input Switch Button 33 Cursor Button Group 34 Channel Button 34u Channel Up Button 34d Channel Down Button 35 Volume Button 35u Volume up button 35d Volume down button 36 F1 button 37 F2 button 40 Control signal line 60 Billing confirmation screen 70 Card insertion screen 111 C U
112 ROM
112a Firmware 113 RAM
113a Display enable / disable flag 113b Selected channel information 113c Charge approval bit
113d Channel information table 114 Video processing unit 221 CPU
222 ROM
223 RAM
223a Firmware 223b Channel information table 223c Number of remaining cards 223d Selected channel information 223e Received channel information

Claims (9)

A pay channel viewing system with a TV and a billing machine,
The TV
Channel selection means for selecting a channel;
Determining means for determining whether or not the channel selected by the channel selecting means is a pay channel;
First display control means for causing a display to display a charge confirmation screen for confirming a user's intention to view the pay channel when the determination means determines that the pay channel is selected;
Charging approval information creating means for creating charging approval information indicating whether or not charging is approved based on a response result to the charging confirmation screen;
Channel information indicating the channel selected by the channel selection means; and notification means for transmitting the charging approval information created by the charging approval information creating means to the charging machine;
Receiving means for receiving a view permission / non-permission signal indicating whether or not the pay channel is viewable from the billing machine;
When the viewing permission signal received by the receiving means is set to be viewable, the pay channel program is displayed on the display unit, and when the viewing permission signal is set to be unviewable, the pay channel is displayed. Second display control means for performing control not to display the program on the display unit,
The billing machine is
Receiving means for receiving channel information and charging approval information transmitted from the notification means of the television;
First determining means for referring to channel information received by the receiving means to determine whether or not a pay channel is selected on the television;
A second determination means for determining whether or not a frequency required for viewing the pay channel remains when the pay channel is determined to be selected by the first determination means;
Notification means for generating a viewing permission / inhibition signal indicating whether or not the pay channel can be viewed based on the determination result of the second determination means, and transmitting it to the television;
Having
Pay channel viewing system featuring The paid channel viewing system according to claim 1,
The billing machine is
Storage means for storing the charge frequency of the paid channel;
Frequency subtraction means for subtracting the charge frequency of the storage means according to the viewing time of the pay channel,
It is characterized by providing. The paid channel viewing system according to claim 1,
The billing machine is
A mounting means for inserting and removing a prepaid card that can rewrite the billing frequency,
A rewriting means capable of rewriting the billing frequency held by the prepaid card;
It is characterized by providing. The pay channel viewing system according to claim 3, wherein
The TV
When transmitting the billing approval information of the billing approval to the billing device, if a viewing permission / prohibition signal indicating that the pay channel cannot be viewed is received from the billing device, a screen prompting the user to attach the prepaid card is displayed on the display unit. Third display control means for displaying is provided. The pay channel viewing system according to claim 3, wherein
The notifying unit of the billing machine sets the view permission / inhibition signal to be viewable when there is a chargeable frequency in the remaining frequency of the prepaid card, and the remaining frequency of the prepaid card is less than the frequency that can be charged. In this case, the viewing permission / inhibition signal is set to prohibit viewing. The pay channel viewing system according to claim 3, wherein
The notifying unit of the billing machine sets the viewing permission / inhibition signal to be unviewable when the prepaid card is not attached. The paid channel viewing system according to claim 1,
The judging means of the television is
A table storing information indicating whether the channel selected by the channel selection means is a paid channel;
Referring to the table, it is determined whether or not the selected channel is a pay channel. The paid channel viewing system according to claim 1,
The first determination means of the billing machine is:
A table storing information indicating whether or not the channel indicated by the channel information received by the receiving means is a pay channel;
By referring to the table, it is determined whether or not the channel indicated by the channel information is a pay channel. The paid channel viewing system according to claim 1,
The channel selection means includes means for moving a channel to the channel before and after the channel.