JPH08129826A - Information reproducing or recording and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To regulate the number of reproducing times of chargeable information. CONSTITUTION: When video software is to be transmitted to be charged from a transmitter 1 via a cable TV line 2 to, for example, a domestic video tape recorder 3, video software and its desired reproducing times are notified by the user over a telephone 9 to the supplier, and a video signal of the specified video software and information of limited reproducing times are transmitted by the supplier to the user. Since the information of limited reproducing times is different from other each individual video software, an IC memory 6 for recording this information is added to a video cassette 5. The video software is recorded by the user, and whenever it is reproduced, one time is subtracted from allowable reproducing times in the information of the limited reproducing times, and when the allowable reproducing times becomes zero, the reproduction of the video signal is stopped by a reproducing circuit 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for recording / reproducing information provided via a communication line or by mail.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various information providing systems such as a dial Q2 that uses a telephone line have been established to reflect the advanced information society. In addition, cases where video software such as cassette tape is provided by mail are increasing.

Here, when the information provided is related to copyright such as music and movies, it is an important factor related to the success or failure of the information providing system that the illegal copying of the information is definitely prohibited. ing. Particularly in digital information, signal deterioration due to copying is extremely small, and therefore its importance is extremely high.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-288582 discloses a VTR in which a pseudo signal is mixed during a blanking period of a video signal.
Discloses a method of malfunctioning the automatic gain control system of the above and disturbing the video recording of a television signal.

[0005]

On the other hand, in cable television, a system for providing information such as video to a user by using a digital signal is being studied. Since new movies, etc. immediately after the release have a particularly high information value among video software, it is necessary to prohibit the production of a large number of illegal video software by unlimited copying. Establishing a method to limit the number of times software is played is emphasized. The above-mentioned publicly known example cannot cope with such regulation of the number of times of reproduction.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information reproducing or storing / reproducing apparatus capable of solving the above problems by limiting the number of times of reproduction of provided information.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a device for reproducing information or for reproducing the information recorded on the information medium is provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus subsequent to the reproduction of the information.

Further, means for recording the allowable number of reproduction times of the information recorded on the information medium in the information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus, and means for detecting a coincidence between the executed number of reproduction times and the allowable number of reproduction times. Means is provided for rendering the information recorded on the information medium unreproducible by the coincidence between the number of times of reproduction executed as described above and the allowable number of times of reproduction.

Further, it is assumed that the reproduction disable means erases at least a part of the signal recorded on the information medium, or rewrites the signal recorded on the information medium with another signal.

Further, there are provided means for judging an operation abnormality of the reproduction disabling means, and means for prohibiting reproduction of information when the judgment means judges an abnormality.

Further, the operation abnormality determining means of the reproduction disabling means determines the operation confirmation signal before the signal recorded on the information medium, and the presence or absence of the operation confirmation signal at the time of the next reproduction. And a means for checking.

When the information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus is of a helical scan type, the reproducing disabling means is provided at a position for scanning the track before the track scanned by the recording / reproducing head. To

When the information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus is of a time-division recording / reproducing system of information, the reproduction disabling means is arranged to reproduce the time-division data after reproducing the time-division data. Is erased or erased at the time of reproducing the time-division data next to the reproduced time-division data.

Further, a receiving means for receiving information to be recorded on the information medium and information on the permissible number of times of reproduction thereof is provided in the above-mentioned information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus.

[0015]

The above-described information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus renders the information recorded on the information medium unreproducible upon reproduction or when the executed reproduction count and the allowable reproduction count match.

Further, the reproduction disabling means erases at least a part of the signal recorded on the information medium or rewrites it to another signal.

Further, the operation abnormality judging means of the reproduction disabling means detects the abnormality of the reproduction disabling means and operates the reproduction disabling means.

Further, the operation abnormality judging means of the reproduction disabling means records an operation confirmation signal in front of the signal recorded on the information medium, and confirms the presence or absence of this operation confirmation signal at the next reproduction. However, if there is an operation confirmation signal, it is judged that the reproduction disabling means is abnormal.

When the information recording / reproducing apparatus is a helical scan system such as a VTR, the reproduction disabling means (erasing head) is arranged on a track before the track scanned by the recording / reproducing head. to erase.

In the time-division data reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus, the reproduction disabling means is provided for each time-division data.
The data is erased after its reproduction or the next time division data reproduction.

The information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus receives the information to be recorded and the permissible number of reproduction times information via a communication line or the like.

[0022]

【Example】

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an information storage device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a video software provider transmits video software from a transmitter 1 to, for example, a home video tape recorder 3 via a cable television line 2 in response to a request from a user for a fee. A cassette tape 5 is attached to the user's video tape recorder 3, an IC memory 6 is added to the case of the cassette tape 5, and the IC tape 6 is connected to the video tape recorder 3 via the terminal portion.

The user uses the telephone 9 to request the video software from the provider. That is, the user transmits the required video software and the desired number of times of reproduction thereof to the provider. The charge at this time increases in proportion to the number of reproductions.

The provider transmits the video signal of the video software designated according to the above request from the transmitter 1 via the cable television line 2 together with the permitted number of times of reproduction, that is, reproduction number limit information.

The digital signal is input to the recording circuit 4 in the tape recorder 3 and separated into a video signal and reproduction number limiting information, the video signal is recorded on the tape, and the reproduction number limiting information is recorded in the IC memory 6 respectively. To be done.

The reproduction number limit information is video software,
That is, since each video cassette is different, the IC memory 6 is added to the video cassette 5 in this embodiment.

Next, when the user reproduces the video software of the tape, the video signal is converted from a digital signal to an analog signal by the reproduction circuit 7 and displayed on the display 8.

At this time, the reproduction number limiting information is also read from the IC memory 6 and input to the reproducing circuit 7, and the allowable reproduction number in the reproduction number limiting information is subtracted by one.

When the allowable number of reproduction times becomes zero, the reproduction circuit 7 stops the reproduction of the video signal. After the allowable number of reproduction times becomes zero, the video signal output from the reproduction circuit 7 to the display 8 is added to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-288582.
It is also possible to mix a pseudo signal similar to the method disclosed in the publication to cause the automatic gain control system of the video tape recorder 3 to malfunction to deteriorate the reproduced image quality of the copy tape.

Next, the video tape recorder 3 will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tape running path of the video tape recorder 3 according to the present invention.

The tape 50 is guided from the supply-side reel 51 to the input-side tape guide groups 52 to 59, and the rotary drum 103.
It is wound on the take-up reel 69 and guided by the output tape guide groups 61 to 68.

The recording / reproducing head 64 is provided in the output side tape guide groups 61 to 68. In the present invention, a full width erasing head 80 for erasing a recording signal is further provided.
4 is provided on the downstream side of the tape 4, for example, at a position close to the take-up reel 69 over the entire width of the tape.

Since the full width erasing head 80 does not operate while the allowable number of times of reproduction remains, the tape 50 is wound around the winding side reel 69 while recording the reproduced video signal. However, when the allowable number of times of reproduction is zero, the recorded signal that has been reproduced is erased, and subsequent reproduction is disabled.

When a full width erasing head is provided upstream of the recording / reproducing head 64, that is, in the input side tape guide groups 52 to 59, as in a VHS type VTR, the allowable number of reproduction times becomes zero. When a reproduction request is made after that, the full-width erasing head is used to completely erase the tape.
Further, when the allowable number of reproduction times becomes zero, the tape is rewound to erase the entire width.

[Embodiment 2] However, the full width erasing head 8 is used.
If 0 is broken or is illegally modified so that it will not operate, full-width erasure cannot be performed.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a confirmation signal 81 is recorded on the tape 50 at the final number of allowable reproduction times, and it is checked whether or not the confirmation signal 81 has been erased by the full width erasing head 80 to check whether the full width erasing head 80 is normal or abnormal. judge.

FIG. 3 is a development view of the tape 50 at the end of the above-mentioned allowable number of reproductions. The tape 50 is shown in FIG.
Move from left to right as shown in (c).

First, in FIG. 10A, the tape 50 is rewound to provide a section (operation confirmation section) for recording the confirmation signal 81 before the head position 90 of the reproduction information.

Next, the tape 50 is fed, and the rotary drum 1
The confirmation signal 81 is recorded in the above-mentioned operation confirmation section by the head on 03 as shown in FIG.

When the tape 50 is further sent, the confirmation signal 81 reaches the position of the full width erasing head 80 as shown in FIG. 7C, and if the full width erasing head 80 is normal, the confirmation signal 8
1 is erased.

Therefore, when the tape 50 is rewound and reproduced next time, if the head on the rotary drum 103 cannot reproduce the confirmation signal 81, the full width erasing head 80 is normal and the confirmation signal 81 is reproduced. If so, the full-width erasing head 80 can be determined to be abnormal. Then, in the case of an abnormality, the reproduction is prohibited.

In each of the above embodiments, the entire width of the tape is erased. However, a part of the tape width is erased or the recording signal is intermittently changed in time according to the system signal and the recording format. Or erase the recorded signal to 50%
It is also possible to deteriorate the reproduced signal by incompletely erasing at the erasing rate of. Further, instead of the erasing head 80, for example, an audio head or the like may be used to overwrite the recording signal with another signal.

In a linear recording type tape recorder, the full width erasing head 80 is arranged downstream of the fixed head 91 as shown in FIG.

[Embodiment 3] In the present embodiment, the head on the rotary drum 103 is used instead of the full width erasing head 80 to render the recording signal unreproducible.

FIG. 5 is a top view showing the head arrangement on the rotary drum 103. The tape 50 runs in the direction of arrow B,
The rotary drum 103 rotates in the direction of arrow A.

Recording / reproduction of signals is performed by the first head 104 and the second head 10 mounted at a rotation phase of 180 °.
5 is performed. The recording signal is disabled by the third head 101. For example, a so-called 4-head mounted V
In the HS system VTR, an EP head can be used as the third head 101 during SP mode reproduction.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the rotary drum 103 shown in FIG. The tape 50 runs in the direction of arrow B, and the first head 104 and the third head 101 scan the tape 50 in the direction of arrow C by the rotation of the rotary drum 103.

FIG. 7 shows the head scanning direction C of each head.
It is a figure which shows the height relationship with respect to. The height of the head gap of the first head 104 and the second head 105 is the same in the head scanning direction C, and the upper end of the head gap of the third head 101 is the first head 104 and the second head 1.
No. 05 is located at the lower end of the head gap or below the lower end.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing recording signals on the tape 50.

In the reproducing state, if the first head 104 starts scanning from the position H1 of the track 109, the second head 105 is removed when the first head 104 leaves the tape 50 at the position H1 'or thereafter. Starts scanning the adjacent track 110 from the position H2. Then
When or after the second head 105 reaches the position H2 'and leaves the tape 50, the first head 104 starts scanning from the position H3 of the track 111, and thereafter, the same scanning is repeated to reproduce the signal.

In FIG. 8, since the position of the third head 101 is displaced by one track width with respect to the head traveling direction C, when the first head 104 reaches the position H3 ″ on the track 111, for example, At the position H2 of the track 110 which has already been reproduced by the second head 105,
The recording signal of this track 110 is erased.

At this time, instead of erasing the signal, the third head 101 may superimpose a signal different from the recording signal of the track 110 to make the recording signal of the track 110 substantially unreproducible. it can.

By repeating the above operation, the recorded signal can be erased or rendered unreproducible.

The first head 104 and the second head 10
Of course, 5 can be used for recording.

Further, if the gap width of the third head 101 is expanded below the position of FIG. 7 to be more than twice the gap width of the heads 104 and 105, the tracks recorded by the first head 104 and the second head 105 can be recorded. At the same time, it can be erased or rendered unplayable.

[Embodiment 4] The respective embodiments of the present invention are as follows.
The same effect can be obtained by applying to a recording medium other than the magnetic tape. In this embodiment, a case where the recording medium is a semiconductor memory will be described.

When the capacity of the semiconductor memory is sufficient to record all the data transmitted by the provider, all the data transmitted by the provider is temporarily recorded in the semiconductor memory, and the reproduced data is displayed. While the data is reproduced in No. 8, the reproduced data is sequentially erased.

Here, when the number of input / output terminals of the semiconductor memory used is one, the reproduced data is sequentially erased while reproducing the memory data from one input / output terminal to the display 8. To do.

FIG. 9A is a time chart of the memory data processing method when the number of input / output terminals is one. The data reproducing period and the data erasing period are alternately provided, the data is reproduced in the data reproducing period and transmitted to the display 8, and the reproduction completed in the next data erasing period. Data from memory.

At this time, when the continuity of the output information is required as in the case of the video signal, the time axis of the signal is compressed and recorded in the semiconductor memory as shown in FIG. 9B, and the data is reproduced. In the period, the time axis of the signal is expanded so as to fill the information loss in the erasing period and temporarily stored in the buffer memory or the like so that the reproduction data and the like are continuous.

When the number of input / output terminals is plural, the input / output terminals are divided into input terminals of the source data and output terminals of the reproduction signal, and are dedicated, and as shown in FIG. 9 (c). , The data from the terminal is segmented into lengths according to the IC memory capacity and sequentially reproduced, and the reproduced signal is output in the next data reproduction period, and at the same time, in the previous data output period. Erase the data.

Further, the reproduction number limitation information, the number of erases executed, etc. are recorded at a predetermined position of the IC memory, and the subsequent reproduction is prohibited by the coincidence judgment of both.

[Embodiment 5] In this embodiment, a case where a disk is used as a recording medium will be described.

When the number of heads is 1, the same track is divided into 2
The head sequentially accesses the disk in the radial direction while tracing each time.

When the reproduction allowable number reaches zero, the recording signal is reproduced at the first tracing of the same track and erased at the second tracing.

In a system that requires continuity of information,
Similar to the case of the semiconductor memory described with reference to FIG. 9B, the time base expansion processing of the signal is performed.

When the number of heads is plural, an erasing head is provided on the downstream side of the reproducing head to sequentially erase the recorded signal after reproduction.

Further, the reproduction count limit information, the erase execution count information and the like are recorded in a predetermined track in the disc.

[0071]

According to the present invention, a VTR and other recording / reproducing apparatus capable of preventing information such as pay video provided via a communication line from being illegally reproduced beyond the contracted reproduction frequency. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an information storage device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a tape running system of a VTR used in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the tape running path for explaining a method of recording a normal / abnormality confirmation signal of the full width erasing head in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a tape running system of a fixed head type tape recorder according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a head layout view of a rotary drum according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5;

7 is a relative positional relationship diagram of each head in FIG. 5 with respect to a head traveling direction.

FIG. 8 is a table for recording / erasing by the rotary drum of FIG.
FIG. 7 is a recording pattern diagram on the recording medium.

FIG. 9 is a timing diagram showing signal processing of the device of the present invention using an IC memory.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Provider transmission device, 2 ... Cable television line, 3 ... Video tape recorder, 4 ... Recording circuit, 5 ... Cassette tape, 6 ... IC memory, 7 ... Reproducing circuit, 8 ... Display, 9 ... Telephone, 50 ... tape, 64 ... recording / playback head,
80 ... Full width erasing head, 81 ... Confirmation signal, 101 ... Third head, 103 ... Rotating drum, 104 ... First head,
105 ... second head.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Shinya Fujimori 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Inside the Hitachi Media Visual Media Laboratory (72) Inventor Jiro Owase 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Hitachi, Ltd. Visual Media Research Center

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus, characterized in that, in the information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus, means for disabling reproduction of the information recorded on the information medium is provided subsequent to the reproduction of the information. 2. In an information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus, means for recording a permissible number of times of reproduction of information recorded on an information medium, means for detecting coincidence between the number of times of reproduction executed and the permissible number of reproduction times, An information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus comprising means for disabling reproduction of information recorded on an information medium when the executed reproduction count matches the allowable reproduction count. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reproduction disabling means erases at least a part of the signal recorded on the information medium, or writes the signal recorded on the information medium to another signal. An information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus characterized by being replaced. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein
An information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: means for judging an operation abnormality of the reproduction disabling means; and means for prohibiting reproduction of information when the judgment means judges an abnormality. 5. The operation abnormality determining means of the reproduction disabling means according to claim 4, wherein the operation confirmation signal is recorded in front of the signal recorded on the information medium, and the operation confirmation is performed at the next reproduction. An information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: means for confirming the presence or absence of a use signal. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In the case where the information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus is of a helical scan type, the reproduction disabling means is provided at a position for scanning the track before the track scanned by the recording / reproducing head. Playback or recording / playback device. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When the information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus is of a time-division recording / reproducing system of information, the reproduction disabling means erases the time-division data after reproducing the time-division data, or , The time division data next to the reproduced time division data
An information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus characterized by being erased at the time of reproducing. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein
An information reproducing or recording / reproducing apparatus comprising a receiving unit for receiving information recorded on the above information medium and information on the number of times of permissible reproduction thereof.