Interactive video distribution systems – Video distribution system with upstream communication – Receiver
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-23
2003-03-11
Faile, Andrew (Department: 2611)
Interactive video distribution systems
Video distribution system with upstream communication
Receiver
C725S037000, C725S086000, C725S091000, C725S098000, C725S114000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06532591
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a software download system in which a computer software product such as a computer program is downloaded with a broadcasting program from a center station to each terminal through a communication satellite, a broadcasting satellite or a terrestrial television broadcasting service in a digital broadcasting.
2. Description of the Related Art
A broadcasting system, in which a video signal and an audio signal composing a broadcasting program are digitized and the digital signals of the broadcasting program are transmitted from a transmitting station to a receiving apparatus through a broadcasting satellite, has been spread. Because digital data is transmitted through a satellite or a terrestrial television broadcasting service, it becomes possible that a digitized computer program is transmitted through a satellite or a terrestrial television broadcasting service in addition to the digital video signal and the digital audio signal and is stored in a storing unit of the receiving apparatus.
2.1. Previously Proposed Art
A broadcasting method, in which a computer program (or a computer software product) transmitted through a satellite is received in a receiving apparatus and is stored in a storing unit of the receiving apparatus, is disclosed in a Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. H8-195952 (1996). The broadcasting method is described with reference to FIG.
1
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, in a digital data receiving and processing apparatus
2000
of a user, an electric wave indicating a broadcasting signal is transmitted through a satellite and is received in an antenna
2001
, the electric wave received in the antenna
2001
is converted into the broadcasting signal in a converter
2002
by changing a frequency of the electric wave, the demodulation and error correction are performed for the broadcasting signal in a front end
2003
to obtain a digital signal, and the digital signal is transmitted to a transport block
2004
. In the transport block
2004
, the digital signal is divided into video data, audio data and conditional access data including a computer program. Because the broadcasting signal is enciphered, the conditional access data is transmitted to an IC card
2006
through an IC card interface
2005
, and the judgement whether or not the user has an access right for the broadcasting signal is performed according to the conditional data by the IC card
2006
. In cases where the user has an access right for the broadcasting signal, a cryptograph key used for the cryptanalysis is delivered from the IC card
2006
to the transport block
2004
, and the video data, the audio data and the conditional access data are deciphered in the transport block
2004
by using the cryptograph key. The video data deciphered is decoded in a video decoder
2007
to produce decoded video data, the decoded video data is encoded in an NTSC encoder
2008
to produce an National Television System Committee (NTSC) type video signal, and the NTSC type video signal is output. The audio data deciphered is decoded in an audio decoder
2009
to produce audio signal, and the audio signal is output. Also, the computer program included in the deciphered conditional access data is stored in an electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM)
2100
under control of a central processing unit (CPU)
2101
. The processing of the CPU
2101
is performed according to a processing program stored in a ROM
2102
, and data necessary for the processing of the CPU
2101
is stored in a RAM
2103
.
2.2. Problems to be Solved by the Invention
However, because the computer program is included in the conditional access data and because the computer program included in the conditional access data is always broadcasted with the video and audio data, a special frequency band used only for the computer program is required. Therefore, there is a problem that a frequency band required for the transmission of the broadcasting signal is widened.
Also, because any computer program (or any computer software product) for presenting a broadcasting program guide including a broadcasting schedule and downloading one broadcasting program is not transmitted to the digital data receiving and processing apparatus
2000
, the user cannot select a desired broadcasting program from a plurality of broadcasting programs by watching a plurality of broadcasting program guides displayed on an image screen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide, with due consideration to the drawbacks of such a conventional broadcasting method, a software download system in which a software product such as a computer software product is downloaded to user's terminal without requiring a special frequency band used only for the software product.
The object of the present invention is achieved by the provision of a software download system, comprising:
broadcasting program guide preparing means of a center station for preparing a guide of a broadcasting program accompanied by a software product corresponding to a first version number, a version number of the software product being changed each time the software product is revised in the center station;
broadcasting program data storing means of the center station for storing data of the broadcasting program which is listed in the guide prepared by the broadcasting program guide preparing means;
software storing means of the center station for storing data of the software product which is listed in the guide prepared by the broadcasting program guide preparing means;
transmitting means of the center station for transmitting the guide of the broadcasting program with the software product prepared by the broadcasting program guide preparing means, and transmitting the data of the software product stored in the software storing means with the data of the broadcasting program stored in the broadcasting program data storing means during a transmission time period of the broadcasting program through the same transmission channel as that of the broadcasting program under the control of the broadcasting program guide preparing means;
receiving means of a terminal for receiving the guide of the broadcasting program with the software product from the transmitting means, and receiving the data of the software product with the data of the broadcasting program during the transmission time period from the transmitting means;
output means of the terminal for outputting the data of the broadcasting program received by the receiving means during the transmission time period;
version number managing means of the terminal for managing a second version number corresponding to the software product previously downloaded from the center station to the terminal;
download judging means of the terminal for checking whether or not the first version number of the software product of the guide received by the receiving means differs from the second version number of the software product managed by the version number managing means and judging to download the data of the software product received by the receiving means to the terminal in cases where the first version number of the software product listed in the guide differs from the second version number of the software product managed by the version number managing means; and
downloading means of the terminal for extracting the data of the software product from the broadcasting program received by the receiving means during the transmission time period in cases where the downloading of the software product is judged by the download judging means and storing the data of the software product to download the software product received by the receiving means from the center station to the terminal and to use the software product on user's side.
In the above configuration, a guide of a broadcasting program is prepared in the broadcasting program guide preparing means. In the guide, a software product to be transmitted with the broadcast
Arai Yuko
Hikita Hiroyuki
Karibe Tomoyuki
Shinohara Hiroki
Suzuki Takayuki
Bui Kieu-Oanh
Faile Andrew
Lowe Hauptman & Gilman & Berner LLP
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