Interactive video distribution systems – Billing in video distribution system – Payment method or scheme
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-16
2001-02-06
Faile, Andrew (Department: 2611)
Interactive video distribution systems
Billing in video distribution system
Payment method or scheme
C725S025000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185735
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of operating an apparatus intended to permit access to services provided on subscription by a first provider, which method enables access to services offered by a second provider.
The invention also relates to an apparatus provided with means intended to permit access to services provided on subscription by a first provider, which apparatus enables access to services offered by a second provider.
2. Description of the Related Art
To develop the market for receivers/decoders enabling access to pay-TV programs, the providers of these programs want the price of these apparatuses to be as low as possible for the user. To obtain an artificially low price, certain providers either offer a subsidy on the purchase of these apparatuses, or buy them themselves so as to offer them for hire. In either case, they want their investments to produce profits by preventing an apparatus subsidized by a first provider from receiving programs supplied by a second provider, and to this end, certain receiver/decoders are provided with means for verifying whether the provider of a program which a subscriber wants to receive is the provider who has let or owns the apparatus. On the other hand, manufacturers of apparatuses prefer selling multipurpose apparatuses and users do not want to be obliged to be furnished with several apparatuses of the same type, which is expensive and cumbersome: an apparatus based on the use of several smart cards for television programs offered by several providers is known from the document EP 0 562 295 in which several card readers are connected and controlled by a single processor.
The same kind of problem is likely to occur in mobile telephony (“GSM”).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a solution eliminating the contradiction between the providers and users' wishes.
To this end, access to services offered by a second provider is refused by the apparatus, except when the subscription taken out by the first provider has a certain period or length of service.
In this way, a compromise is obtained between the contradictory requirements stated above.
In a preferred embodiment of the method, the apparatus, making use of scrambled communication, verifies two conditions, namely, on the one hand, if the scrambling method is the same for the two providers and, on the other hand, if the period of the subscription taken out by the first provider exceeds a given period of time, and authorizes access to services offered by the second provider if these two conditions are satisfied.
Advantageously, the date of first use of the subscription is automatically registered by the apparatus when it is put into use for the first time.
An apparatus according to the invention is provided with control means for authorizing or prohibiting access to services offered by a second provider, means for computing the difference between the date of first use of the subscription taken out by the first provider and the current date, and the control means are arranged to authorize access to services offered by the second provider if said difference between the dates exceeds a given value.
This apparatus is advantageously provided with means for automatically registering the date of first use of the subscription when the apparatus is put into use for the first time, and means for delivering a warning message when the subscription period is not sufficient to authorize access to certain services.
These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4115662 (1978-09-01), Guinet et al.
patent: 4797918 (1989-01-01), Lee et al.
patent: 5287181 (1994-02-01), Holman
patent: 5488423 (1996-01-01), Walkingshaw et al.
patent: 5604528 (1997-02-01), Edwards et al.
patent: 0562295A1 (1993-09-01), None
patent: 0 562 295 (1993-09-01), None
patent: 0 656 728 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 95 20294 (1995-07-01), None
Faile Andrew
Srivastava Vivek
U.S. Philips Corporation
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