Program data transmission checking method and apparatus

Interactive video distribution systems – Commercial or program airing verification system

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C725S009000, C725S020000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06279157

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a program data transmission checking apparatus suitable for use in a transmission system of program data such as that of a commercial message. Specifically, in a system in which whether a program has been transmitted is checked by using identification data that is added to transmission data, it is intended to generate identification data having no possibility of duplicated generation and add it to transmission data by generating the identification data by using data indicating the time of an encoding process and a serial number specific to an encoder used for the encoding process.
In broadcasting programs, they need to be identified. This will be explained below for the case of commercial broadcast. In commercial broadcast, commercial messages are broadcast in the midst of each program. Usually, program data of commercial messages and the like are edited, subjected to compression coding of MPEG
2
, for instance, and then stored in a commercial server, for instance. Those program data are read out from the server and broadcast in a desired manner according to a program transmission list.
In checking, for the purpose of charging or the like, whether a commercial message has been broadcast, specific identification data added to the commercial message is used. Therefore, identification data assigned to respective commercial messages to be handled by a certain broadcasting apparatus should be unique to the respective commercial messages. If identification data are used in a duplicated manner, the number of times of broadcast of each program cannot be recognized correctly and hence charging data becomes incorrect.
In view of the above, conventionally it is a common procedure to use automatically generated data as identification data. This is because type-in identification data produced by an operator has a considerably high risk of duplicated generation. For example, an automatic generation process is known which uses the encoding time (for instance, the encoding start time) of encoding a commercial message program. This may be done by utilizing time information of a clock that is incorporated in an encoder. That is, the time information is used as identification data and is added to program data of commercial messages, movies, etc.
In addition to a case in which program data of commercial messages are compression-coded by an encoder incorporated in a commercial server and then stored in the commercial server, there is another case in which program data are encoded by an encoder that is outside the commercial server. Therefore, there is a possibility that program data processed by different encoders are stored in the commercial server.
Where different encoders are used, commercial messages may be encoded at the same time point of the same day, which leaves a possibility that the same identification data is generated for different commercial messages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the above problem in the art, and an object of the invention is therefore to provide a program data transmission checking apparatus that facilitates checking whether program data has been transmitted by enabling identification data unique to the program data to be added to it.
The invention provides a program data transmission checking apparatus for checking whether program data has been transmitted, comprising identification data generating means for generating unique program identification data; encoding means for encoding program data together with the program identification data corresponding to the program data; decoding means for decoding encoded data that is output from the encoding means; and output means for outputting decoded program identification data that is output from the decoding means.
In the above program data transmission checking apparatus, the program identification data may include time data relating to an encoding process and data specific to the encoding means.
The above program data transmission checking apparatus may further comprise input means for allowing external input of program data and program identification data corresponding to the program data.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for generating identification data to be used for checking whether program data transmission information coincides with actually transmitted program data, comprising identification data generating means for generating unique program identification data; first output means for outputting the program identification data to encoding means for encoding program data together with the program identification data corresponding to the program data; and second output means for outputting the program identification data to transferring means for transferring the program identification data generated by the identification data generating means.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a comparing apparatus for checking whether program data transmission information coincides with actually transmitted program data, comprising first input means for receiving data that is output from transferring means for transferring program identification data generated by identification data generating means for generating unique program identification data; second input means for receiving data that is output from decoding means for decoding encoded data that is output from encoding means for encoding program data together with the program identification data corresponding to the program data; and comparing means for comparing the program identification data that has been transferred via the transferring means with decoded program identification data that is output from the decoding means.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a program data transmission checking method for checking whether program data transmission information coincides with actually transmitted program data, comprising the steps of generating unique program identification data; transferring the program identification data; encoding program data together with the program identification data corresponding to the program data to produce encoded data; decoding the encoded data to produce decoded program identification data; and comparing the transferred program identification data with the decoded program identification data.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a program data transmission checking apparatus for checking whether program data transmission information coincides with actually transmitted program data, comprising identification data generating means for generating unique program identification data; encoding means for encoding program data together with the program identification data corresponding to the program data; decoding means for decoding encoded data that is output from the encoding means; transferring means for transferring the program identification data generated by the identification data generating means; and comparing means for comparing the program identification data that has been transferred via the transferring means with decoded program identification data that is output from the decoding means.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5450122 (1995-09-01), Keene
patent: 5526427 (1996-06-01), Thaomas et al.
patent: 5584050 (1996-12-01), Lyons
patent: 5650994 (1997-07-01), Daley
patent: 5737025 (1998-04-01), Dougherty et al.
patent: 5826165 (1998-10-01), Echeita et al.
patent: 5850249 (1998-12-01), Massetti et al.

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