JPH09130771A - Pay broadcast receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a view charge management function easily used for the user of a pay broadcast by summing a view charge total sum of a user at purchase of a program and a view charge of the purchased program and comparing the total sum with a set view limit amount. SOLUTION: When the user makes a selection command for a pay program (s11), a program purchase menu is displayed (s12), and an individual code and a password are entered (s13). In this case, an in-period view charge limit amount, a view charge up to now, and a view charge of a program purchased this time are displayed on a prescribed location corresponding to the personal code in numerals and a graph relating to the view charge is plotted (s14). The sum between the total sum of the view charge up to now and the view charge of the program going to be purchased now is obtained and the sum and the view charge limit amount are compared (s15). When the sum is less than or equal to the view charge limit amount, the view charge sum is updated into the sum. The user is confirmed whether he renews the purchase and when the user agrees, the program is purchased (s17).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pay broadcast receiving apparatus that uses pay broadcast, for example, pay television broadcast of a type in which a charge is collected for each program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In satellite broadcasting or CATV broadcasting, a broadcasting mode is conceivable in which a reception contract is made for each program and a fee is paid (for example, see JP-A-5-176320). In the receiver of the DSS system implemented in the United States, a user can purchase a pay program such as a movie for each program while referring to the screen of a television receiver. The user can set and register the charge limit for one program, and it has a viewing charge management function although it is simple.

Further, although it is not directly related to a pay broadcasting system such as television broadcasting, it is disclosed in JP-A-3-23786.
No. 4 gazette discloses that communication fee information is cumulatively added and stored in a communication device connected to a communication network that notifies the terminal of the communication fee information at the end of communication, and a user is notified based on a separately set upper limit fee. A configuration for issuing a warning is shown.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and proposes a pay broadcast receiving apparatus having a viewing charge management function, which is easier to use for pay broadcast users. It is what

[0005]

According to the present invention, a means for setting an in-period viewing charge limit for pay broadcasting in relation to a user, and a means for storing the user's total up-to-date viewing charge. Comparing means for summing the viewing charges and the viewing charges of the programs to be purchased and comparing the viewing charges with the viewing charges limit after confirming the user at the time of purchasing the programs in the pay broadcast. A display means for displaying a warning when the amount exceeds the amount is provided in the pay broadcast receiving device. Therefore,
According to the present invention, it is possible to store the maximum amount of the viewing fee in a predetermined period in relation to the user, and to notify the user of the purchase status at the time of new purchase, so that the viewing of the pay broadcast can be performed. More useful in managing fees.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a schematic operation of the receiving apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a program purchase screen,
3 is an explanatory diagram of a program guide screen, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a budget management screen of a pay program, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a budget management screen, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a user setting screen, and FIG. 6 is reception. It is a block diagram which shows the apparatus principal part.

The subject of this embodiment is the above-mentioned DSS system which is currently put into practical use in the United States. In this DSS system, a receiver called a set top box is usually installed in each home, and this receiver is used. Therefore, an analog video signal that can be displayed on a conventional television receiver, for example, an NTSC signal is output. In the DSS system, information such as the broadcast time of each program to be broadcast, the title, brief contents, and the fee for purchasing is transmitted from the broadcasting satellite at the same time as the program,
By utilizing this, a service convenient for the user can be realized.

First, the structure of the receiving apparatus will be briefly described with reference to FIG. A high frequency signal from a parabolic antenna (not shown) is input from the antenna terminal 1. The tuner 2 inputs this high frequency signal and performs frequency conversion,
Processing such as QPSK demodulation is performed, and a stream of digital video signals is output. The video processing circuit 3 MPEG-decodes the output of the tuner 2 and converts it into an analog video signal for displaying on a television receiver, for example, an NTSC signal.

The CPU 6 is a microcomputer for controlling the entire receiving apparatus, and stores programs and data in the memory 9. In the present embodiment, the memory 9 is an electrically rewritable EP-ROM, but a combination of a RAM to which power is always supplied and a ROM containing a program, or another storage medium (hard disk or floppy disk). Etc.) can also be used.

Information relating to the above-mentioned program is also extracted from the video processing circuit 3, and this is supplied to the CPU 6 via the on-screen guide generation circuit 4 and the generation circuit 4.
The input unit 5 includes an operation button of a keyboard or a remote controller, a predetermined code is input to the CPU 6, and the receiving device is controlled according to the input code. The on-screen guide generation circuit is a circuit that generates an on-screen display screen based on the tuner 2 output and the CPU 6 output, and the generated screen signal is supplied to the display 8 of the television receiver via the multiplexer 7. The signal generated by the on-screen guide generation circuit 4 is for performing a desired display on the display 8, and its generation method is conventionally performed, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The user of this receiving device performs operations such as channel selection of programs, purchase of pay programs and input setting of the viewing limit within a predetermined period according to the instruction on the on-screen screen displayed on the display 8. It can be interactively performed by an input from the input unit 5.

For example, on the program guide screen shown in FIG. 3, the user can view information about a program being broadcast or to be broadcast in the future by operating the cursor button of the input section. At the same time, by pressing the tuning button, the channel with the cursor mark can be selected. In addition, for programs that are not currently broadcast, paid procedures can be purchased in advance.

FIG. 4 is a setting screen for budget management. Budget control of pay programs can be performed for each user. That is, the name, the limit amount, the personal identification number, and the password are displayed for each individual, and the viewing charge limit amount within a predetermined period can be set. In this embodiment, the viewing charge limit amount can be set for four users. At the time of this setting, you must move the cursor to the limit amount of the user you want to change, enter the new limit amount, and then enter the password of that user. This is to prevent anyone other than the person himself from changing the limit amount. Although not described here, registration of the password is performed on another screen.

Further, in this embodiment, depending on the user,
It is also possible to set that the limit cannot be changed without entering the password of another user. This is to allow only parents to set / change the limit for children of the family. By doing so, the parents can manage the viewing of the pay broadcast by the child.

The structure of personal data is as follows. That is, a personal identification number, a name (up to 8 single-byte characters), a viewing fee limit amount within a period, a password (4 single-byte characters), a total viewing fee amount within a period, and a management level identification code are assigned as individual data. Then, four sets of this data can be stored. These data are stored in the memory 9 and read / written by the CPU 6. The personal identification numbers 01 to 04 are set in advance,
The CPU 6 manages the user with this personal identification number. The name is simply entered for the convenience of the user. The password is input and set on the user setting screen shown in FIG. Of course, at the time of this input, the password is not displayed on the screen.

The maximum amount of viewing charges within a period is the maximum amount of viewing charges for a predetermined period, for example, one month. Then, this value is input and stored in association with the user on the screen shown in FIG. The management level identification code is the above-described data used for managing the child by the parents. If this data is set to 0 (zero), you can correct or change the limit amount by the screen of FIG. 4 by entering your own password, but if this data is set to 1, The user is set to be a child (managed person), and cannot be changed unless the password of the user code 01 (administrator) is entered. In the user setting screen shown in FIG. 7, Yes or No is selected and input. This user setting screen is not displayed unless the administrator password of the user code 01 is entered (except when the receiving device is purchased). In any case,
When the enter button of the input unit is pressed after the necessary input is made on a predetermined portion of the screen, the final input operation is to be performed.

The total viewing fee within the period is the total amount of the viewing fees viewed during the predetermined period, for example, one month. This update of the total amount is performed by the flowchart of FIG. 1 and FIG.
This is performed according to the operation on the program purchase screen shown in.

Next, the general operation of the receiving apparatus of the present invention when purchasing a program will be described with reference to FIGS. In the program guide screen shown in FIG. 3, when the user gives an instruction to select a pay program through the input section 5 (step 11), a program purchase screen (FIG. 2) is displayed (step 12). . On this program purchase screen, a personal identification number (personal code) and a password corresponding to this personal identification number are entered (step 13), and if the combination is the same as the stored one, then the program is basically purchased. Will be recognized by.

At this time, the maximum amount of viewing charges for the period corresponding to this personal code, the viewing charges for the paid broadcasts that have been viewed up to now (total viewing charges for the period), and the viewing charges for the programs purchased this time (new viewing charges) Is displayed at a predetermined place as a number, and a graph relating to the viewing fee is also displayed (step 1
4). In addition, the balance for the maximum viewing fee within the period is also displayed in numbers. In the graph display, it is possible to visually understand how much the total viewing charge is within the period and how much the balance is, as a whole, the maximum viewing charge. So, for the user,
You can check your purchase status up to now and the balance against your budget when you purchase a pay program. The information can be displayed not only when a new program is purchased but also when the user desires.

Then, the sum of the total viewing charges up to the present time and the viewing charges of the program to be purchased this time is obtained, and the sum is compared with the maximum viewing charges (step 15). If the sum is equal to or less than the viewing charge limit, the total viewing charge is updated to this sum, the user is again confirmed to purchase, and if the user agrees, the program is purchased (step 17). .

If the sum of the viewing charges to date and the viewing charges of the program to be purchased this time is larger than the viewing charge limit, a message indicating that the budget is over is displayed on the screen (step 16). . At this time, if necessary, the user
The program can be purchased again by calling the budget management screen and changing the viewing limit. However, if the user is a managed person, he / she cannot change the limit amount, and therefore cannot purchase it.

The in-period viewing fee is cleared to zero when the month changes by the calendar means provided in the receiving device. For example, it is set to be cleared when the date changes to one day. This allows

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to set the maximum amount of the viewing charge in a predetermined period in association with the individual user, so that more effective management of the viewing charge can be performed. It is convenient for people.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing of a receiving device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a program purchase screen.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a program guide screen.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a limit amount management screen.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a user setting screen.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an outline of a receiving device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna input terminal 2 Tuner 3 Video processing circuit 4 On-screen guide generation circuit 5 Input unit 6 CPU 7 Multiplexer 8 Display 9 Memory means

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Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A pay-broadcast receiving device capable of receiving pay-broadcasting, comprising storage means capable of setting a total viewing charge limit corresponding to an individual user within a predetermined period. Pay broadcasting receiver. 2. A pay-broadcast receiving device for receiving pay-broadcast, which displays at least the total amount of viewing charges and the accumulated amount up to now when the pay-broadcast is purchased. 3. A pay-broadcast receiving device for receiving a pay-broadcast and displaying it on a display connected to the pay-broadcast receiver, storing means for storing a user's viewing fee within a predetermined period, and storing a viewing-limit maximum amount within the period. And a user's instruction, at least a pay-broadcast receiving apparatus that creates a signal for displaying a viewing fee and a viewing fee limit within the predetermined period and displays the signal on the display. 4. In a pay broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving pay broadcast, at least personal identification information as personalized information of the user,
Storage means for storing a plurality of sets of passwords, maximum viewing charges within a period, and total viewing charges within a period; means for designating a newly purchased program; and viewing fee acquisition means for obtaining a viewing fee for this newly purchased program Using a means for calculating the sum of the viewing charge of the new program acquired and the viewing charge within the period when the new program is purchased, and an amount comparing means for comparing the calculated sum with the viewing charge limit within the period User's input means and screen signal creation means for realizing interactive input, and based on the comparison result of the price comparison means, if the sum is equal to or less than the in-period viewing fee limit, A pay broadcast receiving apparatus in which the sum is updated as an in-period viewing fee, and when the sum is greater than the in-period viewing fee limit, a signal indicating that fact is created by the screen signal creating means. 5. The pay broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said screen signal creating means outputs a signal for displaying a purchase status of a program when a new program is purchased. 6. The pay broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for changing the viewing fee limit within the period only when the input password and the corresponding stored password match. 7. The storage means further stores, as personalized information, information indicating whether or not the user is a managed person, and when the user is a managed person, the viewing fee limit amount within the period by the changing means. 7. The pay broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising means for prohibiting the change of.