JPH1144785A - Time setting apparatus and decoding device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a decoding device capable of controlling the number of software regenerations with a time setting apparatus and prohibiting regenerative decoding after the prescribed time. SOLUTION: This decoding device decodes the regenerated signal regenerated from an external software medium storing the video signal and audio signal and outputs it to an output device as the visible and audible output signal. The decoding device is provided with a termination time comparing means 22 comparing the time and date counted by a clock means with the allowed visual/audio termination time inputted from the outside in response to the regenerated software and giving output permission, a decoding means 17 outputting the visible/audible output signal in response to the output permission, and a count instructing means 23 instructing a reading/writing means 18 to incrementally increase the count value of the regeneration number memory section of an external medium 10 each time the software is regenerated. The number of software regenerations is controlled, and the regenerative decoding after the allowed visual/audio termination time is prohibited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a time setting device and a decoding device using the same, and more particularly, to a system for managing a copyright expiration date of rental software or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a rental system for video software or the like, a rental is performed for a very short period of time, for example, about two to three days. Includes copyright protection. No matter how many times the software is played and viewed during this short lending period, the lending fee is generally constant, but this is mainly for lending for individuals who are not for business purposes.

[0003] Recently, an industry targeting an unspecified number of customers, such as hotels, karaoke shops, and coffee shops, has demanded the use of video software for business use. Therefore, it is desirable to distribute the latest movie software as much as possible, and in this case, the rental fee including the royalty fee is not based on the rental period, but based on the number of times the software is played It is considered to use.

[0004]

Incidentally, for example, in a movie company or the like that distributes the above-mentioned software, it is of course necessary to be able to accurately collect a copyright fee corresponding to the number of times of reproduction. Due to the sales strategy, there is a case where it is desired to limit the period during which the software can be rented and viewed from a certain period to, for example, only three months or only six months. For example, with respect to a new movie software, it can be rented only for six months from the end date of screening in a movie theater, or if it is scheduled to be broadcast on television, You may want to allow a loan only until the day before.

In such a case, it is possible to collect a rental fee based on the number of reproductions of the software until the last day of the lending permission, and the reproduction of the software after the last day of the lending permission is forcibly performed. Must be unable to do so. As a means to prohibit the reproduction of the software after the last day of lending allowance, a clock means for ticking the date, time, etc. is provided in the software reproduction device or this accessory device, and the date, time, etc. of this clock means It is also conceivable that the program is compared with the last day of lending permission of the software to be reproduced, and whether or not the software can be reproduced is determined according to the result.

However, such a clock means is operated by a battery or an AC power supply. Therefore, in the case of a battery, the capacity of the battery is insufficient. Driving is stopped, and the date and time become out of order, resulting in lack of reliability. In this case, the correct date and time can be reset by the user or the like, but it is not preferable because there is room for impropriety. The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems and effectively solving them. A first object of the present invention is to provide a time setting device in which an internal clock means can be set by an external medium. A second object of the present invention is to provide a decoding apparatus which can manage the number of times software is reproduced using the time setting device and can inhibit reproduction decoding after a predetermined time.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a time setting device having a clock means for counting time, wherein an external medium storing time information is detachably mounted. And a start time setting means for setting the time information read by the reading means as a start time for counting time in the clock means.

According to this, time information such as date is stored in advance in an external medium such as a magnetic card, a memory card, an IC card or the like, and the external medium is mounted on reading means of a time setting device. Read this information. The start-time setting means writes the contents of this information into the clock means, so that the time is ticked with the start date and time indicated by the time information. The decoding device defined in claim 2 is a device to which the time setting device is applied, and decodes a reproduction signal reproduced from an external software medium storing a video signal and an audio signal, and outputs the decoded signal to an output device. In a decoding device that outputs as a viewable output signal, a time information storage unit that stores time information corresponding to a medium issue date and a software ID information storage unit that stores software ID information for identifying rental software are leased. Reading / writing means for reading / writing information from / to an external medium having at least a reproduction number storage unit for storing the number of reproductions of the software, clock means for ticking time, and time information read out, Start setting means for setting as the start of engraving,
End-comparison means for comparing the date and time stamped by the clock means with an externally-applied viewing permission end corresponding to the software being played, to give output permission; Decoding means for outputting an output signal; and count instruction means for instructing the read / write means to increment the count value of the number-of-times-of-reproduction storage unit of the external medium every time the software is reproduced. Things.

According to this, data such as video information and audio information is encrypted and recorded by scrambling on an external software medium, and this information is reproduced by a reproducing apparatus to reproduce a reproduced signal. When the reproduction signal is input to the decoding device, the reproduction signal is decoded under a certain condition and output to the output device as a viewable output signal. The certain condition refers to a case where the date and time of the clock means has not reached the end of viewing permission. That is, the time information corresponding to the date of issue of the medium is stored in the external medium in advance, and the information is read out when the time information is attached to the reading / writing means. The read time information is set in the clock means by the start time setting means, and thereafter, the clock means counts the time from the start time.

In this state, when a reproduction signal is input to the decoding apparatus, the end comparison means compares the end of the viewing permission of the software, which is input from the outside, with the date and time recorded by the clock means. If the end of the viewing permission has elapsed, the output from the decoding means is stopped. Conversely, if the end of the viewing permission has not elapsed, the decoded viewable signal is output to the subsequent stage as an output signal. Then, when the decryption processing is completed, the count instructing unit issues an instruction to the reading and writing unit, and records the number of times of reproduction of the software by one in an external medium. This makes it possible to manage the number of times the software is reproduced and to prohibit the reproduction of the software after the end of the viewing permission. The external medium is collected by, for example, a software management company, and the latest external medium is distributed together with the rented software, for example, every month.

The end of the viewing license may be stored in an external software medium and included in a reproduction signal when the reproduction is reproduced, or may be stored in an external medium and stored together with time information and the like. You may make it read. In order to prevent unauthorized use of an external medium issued to another decryption device, different identification information is added for each decryption device, and a legitimate information to be used for the external medium is added. Decoder information of the decoding device is stored in advance.
This makes it possible to determine whether the external medium is correct by comparing the identification information stored in the decoding device with the decoder information input from the external medium. Also, in order to recognize the name of the software to be reproduced, soft ID information is added to the external software medium, and the lent software ID information is also stored in the external medium. Then, both software I
By comparing the D information, the decoding device can recognize which software is to be reproduced.
If the two pieces of software ID information do not match, reproduction is not performed.

As the external medium, a magnetic card, a memory card, an IC card without a battery, or the like can be used. However, if an IC card having card-side clock means operated by a battery is used as the external medium, the card side can be used. The clock means can set the current date and time, so that it is sufficient to compare the above-mentioned viewing-permissible end with reference to this date and time. Note that the date and time or time used in this embodiment is a concept including at least the date.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a time setting device and a decoding device using the same according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a time setting device of the first invention. The time setting device 1 is a device that needs to set a start time for ticking time from outside for some reason. Inside the device 1, a clock means 2 for counting time, a reading means 4 for detachably taking in an external medium 3 having a memory function such as a magnetic card and storing time information and storing the time information, Start time setting means 5 for setting the time information in the clock means 2 as the start time.

The external medium 3 is made of, for example, a magnetic card, a memory card, an IC card, or the like, and a fixed start time is stored in the external medium. The clock means 2 is operated by turning on the power of the device 1 itself by a switch (not shown), and the time is counted, and the operation is stopped by turning off the power. Therefore, the clock means 2 does not always indicate the actual time. Here, the time or the time is a concept including at least the year, month, and day, and includes hours, minutes, and seconds as necessary. This clock means 2
Includes a flash memory, for example, and the time including the date and time when the power was turned off is stored in this memory.When the power is turned on again, the time interval starts based on the time stored in this memory. Is done.

Now, in such a configuration, when the power is not turned on to the time setting device 1, the clock means 2 is not driven, and therefore, the time is not counted. Here, when the power is turned on to the time setting device 1, the clock means 2 starts driving, and starts counting time based on the previously stopped time. In such a state, when the external medium 3 in which the time information is stored in advance is attached to a reading means such as a card reader, the reading means 4 reads the time information stored in the external medium 3, and as a result, The time setting means 5 sets this time information in the clock means 2 as a start time for counting time. As a result, the clock means 2 sets the time before the setting based on the time at which it stopped first, but immediately after the setting, sets the time based on the time (including the date) of the time information. become.

For example, the time at which the time setting device 4 was first stopped (including the date) is May 20, 1997, 20
If the time is 0:00:00, the next time the power is turned on to the device 4, the clock means 2 will start counting the time based on the time. Then, in this state, when the external medium 3 storing, for example, 00:00:00 on June 10, 1997 as time information is attached to the reading means 4 and the time information is read, the operation has been performed so far. The clock means 2 is reset, and the above-mentioned "00:00:00" on June 10, 1997 is newly set, and the ticking of time is started based on this time. As described above, the clock means 2 does not always match the actual time (including the date and time), but simply manages the internal time of the device 1. In this way, the time or time limit in the device 1 can be managed by the time information stored in the external medium 3.

Next, an example in which the time setting device described above is applied to a rental system such as video software will be described. In this rental system, in addition to knowing the number of times the software has been played in order to collect usage fees including copyright fees, the rental system is not limited to the date determined by the distribution company such as a movie company, that is, the playback after the end of the viewing license. Must be banned. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a reproduction system including the decoding device of the second invention, FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the decoding device shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an external medium.

As shown in the figure, the reproducing system includes a reproducing device 7 for reproducing the recorded contents of the external software medium 6, a decoding device 8 of the present invention, and an output device 9 for outputting an output signal from the device as video or audio. It is mainly composed of The external software medium 6 is, for example, a cassette tape, on which a video signal or audio signal of a specific software is modulated and scrambled, and the read signal is converted to a reproduction signal S1. Is output to the decoding device 8. The external software medium 6 also stores software ID information for identifying the software. The external software medium 6 is sent to the contractor periodically, for example, every month, together with the external medium 10 in which various information is stored as described later. The content of the distributed software is, of course, according to the order of the contractor.

The decoding device 8 decodes the reproduced signal S1 inputted thereto, converts it into a viewable signal, and sends it to the output device 9 as an output signal S2. The output device 9 includes a display unit 9A that displays a video signal.
And a speaker section 9B for converting an audio signal into sound. The external medium 10 has a memory function such as a magnetic card, a memory card, or an IC card, and specifically stores the contents as shown in FIG. That is, the external medium includes a decoder information storage unit 11 for storing the customer number of the contractor,
The information storage unit 12 stores information that the issuer wants to manage, such as the date of issue, the decryption key storage unit 13 that stores a decryption key for decryption that is different for each software, and the distribution source of the software is A viewing end ending storage unit 14 that records a specified last viewable date, that is, a viewing ending end, and software ID information that stores a software ID assigned corresponding to each software name currently held by the contractor. It has a storage unit 15 and a number-of-reproductions storage unit 16 for recording the number of reproductions for each software. When the decryption key is used in common for each software or when the decryption key is not used, the decryption key storage becomes unnecessary.

The contents stored in the number-of-times-of-reproduction storage unit 16 are naturally zero when the external medium 10 is sent out, and are incremented by one each time the software is reproduced. The external medium 10 has a capacity capable of storing, for example, information on up to about 100 pieces of software, depending on the storage capacity.

Next, the configuration of the decoding device 8 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 17 denotes a decoding means, which decodes the reproduced signal S1 in a scrambled state and converts the reproduced signal S1 into a viewable output signal S2. Numeral 18 denotes a reading / writing means for loading the external medium 10 and reading information stored therein or writing necessary information. The contents read by the read / write means 18 are:
For example, it is stored in a memory 19 such as a RAM. Numeral 20 is a clock means for counting time. The clock means 20A starts counting the time when the power is turned on, and interrupts the time when the power is turned off, and the clock section 20A when the power is turned off.
A time storage unit 20B made of, for example, a flash memory for storing the time A is provided. Here, the time engraved here is a concept including at least the year, month, and day, and including hours, minutes, and seconds as necessary.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a start setting means, which is an external medium 1
Only when the time information read from "0" is newer than the time in the clock section 20A, that is, when the time information is advanced, this time information is set in the clock section 20A, and thereafter, the time is counted based on this. Therefore, the time information is stored in the clock 2
When the time is later than the time of 0A, the time information is not set. Reference numeral 22 denotes an end comparison unit that compares the end of the viewing permission of the software to be reproduced with the time (including the date) of the clock unit 20A and decodes the time when the time has not reached the end of the viewing permission. Allow execution of processing.

Reference numeral 23 denotes count instructing means. Each time the software sent by the reproduction signal S1 is reproduced once, the fact is transmitted to the reading / writing means 18 and the corresponding number in the reproduction number storage section 16 in the external medium 10 is stored. The software reproduction count record is incremented by one. Reference numeral 24 denotes a control unit including, for example, a microcomputer, which controls the operation of the entire apparatus according to a predetermined program. An identification information storage unit 25, such as a ROM, stores the identification information assigned to the decoding device. This identification information has different contents for each decryption device, so that an unauthorized external medium cannot be used.

Reference numeral 26 denotes an identification information comparison unit which compares the identification information with the decoder information (customer number) stored in the external medium 10 and can execute a decoding process only when the two coincide with each other. It has become. 27 is a soft ID
The information comparing means compares the software ID information of the software to be reproduced included in the reproduction signal S1 with the software ID information in the external medium 10 to specify the reproduction software. The reading / writing means 18 and the clock means 20
In addition, the starting time setting means 21 has a function substantially equivalent to that of the first invention.

Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, the user of the software makes a use contract or the like with the administrator side, so that the decryption device 8 is lent to the user side, for example, and thereafter, the external software medium 6 on which the software requested by the user is recorded is transferred to the outside. The mail is periodically sent together with the medium 10 by mail or the like. The external medium 10 in which necessary information is stored as shown in FIG. 4 is stably sent to the user, for example, every month. At this time, the contents of the number-of-reproductions storage unit 16 are all set to zero. ing. As the time information stored in the time information storage unit 12, the date of issuance of the external medium 10 and the like are stored, and the actual shipment is made, for example, two to three days in advance in consideration of the delivery period to the user. Perform It should be noted that since this does not perform strict date and time management, there is no particular problem even if the time is shifted by about one to two days.

The external medium sent one month ago is collected by the administrator at the same time as the new external medium is sent, and the usage fee is charged to the user according to the number of reproductions recorded in the number-of-reproductions storage unit 16. Will do. In FIG.
The time information of the external medium 10 is 00 00 on May 1, 1997.
0:00:00, and the software management company will play the software A until June 30, 1997, the software B until July 31, 1997, and the software C until August 15, 1997. Are permitted, and each date is stored as the end of the viewing permission.

The user who has received the new external medium 10 turns on the power of the decryption device 8, loads the external medium 10 into the read / write means 18, and completes the preparation for reproduction. Thereafter, the external medium 10 may be left loaded for one month until the next new external medium is sent. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, a desired external software medium 6 is loaded into the playback device 7 from among the delivered software,
This software is reproduced and a reproduction signal S1 is output to the decoding device 8. Since the reproduced signal S1 is scrambled, the decoding device 8 decodes the reproduced signal S1 and converts it into a viewable signal under certain conditions as described later. Then, the converted signal is output to the output device 9 as the output signal S2, the video is displayed on the display unit 9A, and the audio is output from the speaker unit 9B.

Next, a specific operation of the decoding device 8 will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the power of the decoding device 8 is turned on, the clock section 20A of the clock means 20 is started.
Starts the time interval based on the time in the time storage unit 20B that stores the time (including the date) when the vehicle stopped first. The clock means 20 is an internal clock for managing the apparatus, and does not indicate the actual date and time, so that the user cannot change the contents without permission.

Next, the new external medium 10 sent
Is loaded into the read / write means 18, all the stored information is read and stored in the RAM 19. Note that the RAM may be omitted, and the storage contents of the external medium 10 may be read when necessary. First, the identification information comparison unit 26 compares the decoder information (customer number) stored in the decoder information storage unit 11 of the external medium 10 with the identification information in the identification information storage unit 25 that stores the identification information assigned to the customer. Are compared, and if they match, the process is continued as an appropriate external medium. If they do not match, the process is interrupted as an incorrect external medium. It is discharged from the read / write means 18.

Next, when the external medium 10 is appropriate,
The start-time setting means 21 stores the time information stored in the time information storage unit 12 (see FIG. 4) of the external medium 10 and the clock unit 20A.
Is compared with the time (including the date), and if the time information is more recent, the content of the time information is set in the clock unit 20A,
Thereafter, the time is counted as long as the power is turned on based on the time determined by the time information. Conversely, when the time of the clock unit 20A is more recent than the time information, for example, the newly sent external medium
When the power is turned on after a certain period of time has elapsed after the power is turned on after a certain period of time has been set in the timepiece 8 and the clock unit 20A keeps the time without resetting the time. Will be. In this case, while the power is turned off, the ticking of the time is stopped.
Is delayed from the actual time (including the date). In such a state, when the scrambled reproduction signal S1 is introduced, the soft ID information comparison means 27 outputs the soft ID signal included in the reproduction signal S1.
The software name is specified by comparing the D information with the contents stored in the software ID information storage unit 15 in the external medium 10. This result is transmitted to the control unit 24, and when the corresponding soft ID information is not included, the reproduction signal S1 is not decoded.

Next, when the software name is specified, the end comparison unit 22 determines the end of the viewing license corresponding to the software ID information (software name) and the time (including the date) in the clock unit 20A. If this time has not yet reached the end of the viewing license, since the reproduction is permitted, the control unit 24 drives the decryption means 17 while using the decryption key corresponding to the software ID to drive the decryption signal S1. Is decoded and converted into a viewable signal. Then, for example, when the decryption processing is completed, that is, when the reproduction of the software is completed, the count instructing means 23 issues an instruction to the reading / writing means 18 to count the number of times of reproduction of the corresponding software in the number-of-times-of-reproduction storage unit 16 of the external medium 10. Increment by one. As a result, the number of times of reproduction as the basis for calculating the usage fee is counted. The increment of the number-of-reproductions storage unit 16 is:
The decoding may be performed simultaneously with the start of the decoding.

If the result of the comparison by the end comparison means 22 indicates that the time of the clock section 20A has passed the viewing permission end time, the reproduction allowable time has passed, and the control section 24 operates the decoding means 17 to operate. In other words, normal reproduction is not performed by outputting a scrambled signal or not outputting a signal at all. If the power of the decoding device 8 is repeatedly turned on and off within one month in which the next new external medium 10 is sent out, the time (including the date) of the clock unit 20A ) May significantly deviate from the actual date and time, making it impossible to match the end of the viewing permission. However, the clock unit 20A is reset every fixed period, for example, every month in the above example. Therefore, the viewing permission state does not continue significantly beyond the viewing permission period.

Also, by incorporating a battery or the like which cannot be detached by the user as the clock means 20, it is possible to always keep the actual time (including the date) on the clock means 20. In this case, maintenance staff must be dispatched when the battery capacity is insufficient or the battery is exhausted, which is not preferable. As described above, according to the decoding device of the present invention, not only can the number of times the software is reproduced be counted, but also the reproduction of the software after the end of the viewing license specified by the software distributor can be prevented, and the software Copyrights can be strictly managed. Here, the time or hour information is described up to the hour, minute, and second. However, in practice, the management up to the date may be performed, and the management up to the hour, minute, and second is not so necessary.

Next, the above operation will be described with reference to a flow. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the overall flow of the operation of the decoding device, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the flow of the starting set process, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the flow of the decoding process. As shown in FIG.
When the power of the decoding device 8 is turned on (S1), the internal clock means 20 starts counting time based on the date and time stored in the hour storage unit 20B (S2).

Next, an external medium 10 such as a magnetic card
Is loaded into the read / write means 18 of the decryption device 8 (S3), all the information stored therein is read and stored in the RAM 19 (S4). Note that once the external medium 10 is loaded in the read / write means 18, it remains loaded until the next new external medium is delivered, and the information is read every time the power is turned on. It is stored in the RAM 19.

Next, the identification information comparing means 26 stores the identification information assigned to the decoding device 8 in the identification information storage unit 2.
5 and compares this identification information with the decoder information stored in the external medium 10 (S5). If the two do not match (NO in S6), it is an invalid external medium. This is discharged and the process is stopped (S7).
If the two pieces of information match (YES in S6), the process is continued because the medium is an appropriate external medium, and then a start setting process is performed (S8). As shown in FIG. 6, the setting process at the start is performed first by the clock unit 20 of the clock unit 20.
The time including the date in A is compared with the hour information stored in the external medium 10 (S81). If the hour information is not the latest, that is, if the date of the clock unit 20A is the latest, etc. (NO in S82), the clock unit 20A continues to increment the time (S83).

On the other hand, if the time information is the latest in S82 (YES), the time information
The time is set in the clock unit 20A of 0 (S84), and the time is continued based on the time information (S34). Returning to FIG. 5, when the start setting process is completed as described above, next, an input of a reproduction signal S1 is waited for (S10).
9) If the reproduction signal S1 is input, a decoding process is performed (S10), and the process ends. This decryption process
As shown in FIG. 7, the soft ID information in the reproduction signal S1 is read (S101), and the soft ID information is stored in the soft ID information storage unit 15 in the external medium 10 by the soft ID information.
It is detected whether there is anything that matches the D information (S102).
When there is no matching software ID information (NO),
Interrupts processing and ends. If the matching software ID information exists, that is, if YES, the viewing permission end corresponding to the software is read from the storage information of the external medium 10 (S103).

Next, the end comparison unit 22 compares the end of the viewing permission of the software with the time (date and time) including the date of the clock unit 20A of the clock unit 20 (S104). As a result, if the date and time of the clock section 20A has passed the end of the viewing permission (YES in S105), the reproduction is not permitted, and thus the processing is terminated without decoding the reproduced signal. I do. On the other hand, when the date and time of the clock unit 20A has not passed the viewing permission end time (S10
No. 5), since the viewing is permitted for a valid period, a decoding operation instruction is set, whereby the decoding means 17 decodes the reproduction signal using the corresponding decoding key and starts outputting the viewable output signal. (S106). At the same time, the count instructing means 23 gives a predetermined instruction to the read / write means 18 so that the number of times of reproduction of the corresponding software is incremented by one and stored in the external medium 10 (S10).
7), thereby ending the processing.

In this way, the number of times the software is played can be managed, and the playback decoding process after the end of the viewing license can be prohibited. When the decryption key for decryption is made different for each software, the decryption key is stored in the external medium 10 corresponding to each software, and the decryption key corresponding to the software ID is reproduced at the time of reproduction. Since the data is sent to the decoding means 17 to enable decoding, it is possible to eliminate illegal reproduction and the like. Here, the external medium 1
0 is provided with the end-of-view license storage unit 14, but the present invention is not limited to this.
May be provided, and the decoding device 8 may incorporate the information regarding the end of the viewing license into the reproduction signal S1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the decoding apparatus 8 is provided with a viewing permission end reading unit 28 for reading the viewing permission end from the reproduction signal S1, and the read information regarding the viewing permission end is compared with the end comparing means. 22. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the viewing permission end storage unit 14 in the external medium 10.

Also, here, the external medium 10 has been described as an example of a medium that does not have a clock function for counting time including the date, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a card operated by a built-in battery An IC card including a side clock unit may be used as an external medium, and the clock unit may be set to engrave the current time including the date. In this case, the clock means may be used, and the clock means 2 in the decoding device may be used.
0 may be unnecessary. Also, regardless of the form of the external software medium, for example, a cassette tape, a CD, a DVD,
It can correspond to all forms such as LD.

[0041]

As described above, according to the time setting device of the present invention and the decoding device using the same, the following excellent operational effects can be exhibited. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the time setting apparatus of this invention, the time information memorize | stored in the external medium can be set to the clock means inside an apparatus, and time can be tick, and time or time limit management can be performed. According to the decoding apparatus of the present invention, not only can the number of times of reproduction of the software of the external software medium be managed, but also the end of the viewing permission is managed by an internal clock means, so that the reproduction after the date and time when the reproduction is permitted Decryption can be prohibited, and software management can be strictly performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a time setting device of a first invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a reproduction system including a decoding device according to a second invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the decoding device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an external medium.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an overall flow of an operation of the decoding device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of a start-time setting process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flow of a decoding process.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a modification of the decoding device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Time setting apparatus, 2 ... Clock means, 3 ... External medium, 4 ...
Reading means, 5 start setting means, 6 external software medium, 7 reproducing apparatus, 8 decoding apparatus, 9 output apparatus,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... External medium, 11 ... Decoder information storage part, 12 ... Time information storage part, 14 ... Viewing permission end storage part, 15 ... Soft ID information storage part, 16 ... Reproduction number storage part, 17 ... Decoding means, 18 ... Reading 20 means clock means, 21 start setting means, 22 end comparison means, 23 count instruction means, 24 control section, 25 identification information storage section, 26 identification information comparison means, 28 viewing permission. End reading section, S1... Reproduced signal, S2... Output signal.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A time setting device having a clock means for counting time therein, wherein an external medium storing time information is detachably mounted to read time information, and read by said reading means. Start time setting means for setting the time information in the clock means as a start time for counting time. 2. A decoding device for decoding a reproduction signal reproduced from an external software medium storing a video signal and an audio signal and outputting the decoded signal as an output signal that can be viewed to an output device, comprising: An external device having at least a time information storage unit for storing corresponding time information, a software ID information storage unit for storing software ID information for identifying lent software, and a reproduction frequency storage unit for storing the number of reproductions of the lent software. Reading / writing means for reading / writing information from / to a medium, clock means for counting time, start time setting means for setting the read time information as a start time for counting time in the clock means, End-comparison means for comparing the engraved date and time with an externally input viewing permission end corresponding to the software being played back to give output permission; Decoding means for outputting the viewable output signal in accordance with the following, and count instructing means for instructing the read / write means to increment the count value of the number-of-times-of-reproduction storage unit of the external medium every time the software is reproduced. A decoding device comprising: 3. The external medium has a viewing permission end storage unit for storing the viewing permission end for each software, and the reading / writing means reads the viewing permission end from the external medium. The decoding device according to claim 2. 4. The external software medium stores a viewing permission end of the software, and the decoding device has a viewing permission end reading unit that reads information on the viewing permission end included in the reproduction signal. 3. The decoding device according to claim 2, wherein the decoding is performed. 5. The external medium has a decoder information storage unit for storing decoder information for identifying the decoding device, and the decoding device stores identification information for identifying this device. 3. An identification information storage unit, and identification information comparison means for comparing the identification information with the decoder information, wherein the output signal can be output when the two information match. 3. The decoding device according to 3. 6. The external software medium has software ID information for the software, the external medium has a software ID information storage unit for storing the software ID information, and the decoding device performs Software I that compares the soft ID information of the above with soft ID information from the external medium
The decoding device according to claim 2, further comprising a D information comparison unit. 7. The clock means has a time storage unit for storing time information when the power is turned off, and when the power is turned on, ticks the time starting from the time information in the time storage unit. 7. The decoding device according to claim 2, wherein 8. The decoding device according to claim 2, wherein the external medium is any one of a magnetic card, a memory card, and an IC card without a battery. . 9. The decoding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the external medium has a card-side clock unit operated by a battery.