KR100239768B1 - Remote lease system and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a remote rental system for title rental control and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to construct a network using a public communication network between one provider station and a plurality of playbacks, It relates to a comprehensive system that can automatically control the fee collection service and other advertising services according to the title company.

The present invention provides a plurality of information storage media each having a unique number for each medium; A reproducing apparatus for reproducing the information storage medium; In addition, the plurality of playback devices are connected to the public communication network, and provides a remote rental system comprising a server for controlling the playback of the information storage medium in the new device.

Through such a remote rental system, a customer who has rented an information storage medium can remotely manage various types of rental work even while the media is being stored.

Therefore, the user can watch the video at a lower price than purchasing and owning the disk, and there is no need to visit the rental shop again for the return even after a certain period of rental.

Description

Remote loan system and its control method.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for remote rental of video titles, such as movies, and more particularly, to an information storage medium storing a title and adding a unique number, and capable of reproducing the information storage medium and providing a supplier station and a public communication network. The present invention relates to a playback apparatus connected to a network using a network, and to a system for automatically controlling title rental management, billing according to viewing of a disc title, and other advertisement services through a network.

Digital Video Disk (DVD), which is gaining popularity as a new information recording medium, is an optical disk with a diameter of 12 centimeters. Its appearance is similar to that of a conventional compact disk, but the structure of the disk, signal modulation technology, and recording density of the disk Further, it is a next-generation information storage medium having improved capacity of a playback device and the like and having a capacity of about 5 gigabytes (5 GBytes) in cross section.

DVDs have a capacity of about 135 minutes of video when using MPEG-2 (Moving Picture Experts Group-2) technology to store video information, which is large enough to record an entire movie title. Subsequently, it has become a multimedia medium replacing the conventional video tape, CD, and the like.

However, the market is not actively formed yet, and in the next generation, the disk is more likely to be distributed as a rental rather than a sale. Currently, videotape, which is a magnetic recording medium, is used, but multimedia titles such as movies, educational titles, and music videos are being rented.

In terms of cost, the customer is required to spend a large amount of money on the purchase and ownership of the videotape, but it is possible to find such a rental store because renting, watching, and returning the video can be relatively inexpensive.

The current video rental business proceeds as follows. The video rental store has a large number of videos displayed in anticipation of the type desired by the customer. The user visits the store, selects the video he / she wants, and enters into a rental agreement. These contracts typically specify the target video, set rental periods, and include content such as payment methods and methods.

The customer should watch the rented video and return the video after the contract period has passed for a certain period of time. It is common to visit the rental shop again.

The following problems exist in the rental service of the conventional method described above. From the customer's point of view, the video must be returned after the band has expired. Therefore, even if you do not watch the video after the rental must pay. In addition, since the customer has to visit the store for returning the video after the rental period has passed, it is cumbersome with time spent.

On the other hand, the customer has a desire to own the video in the case of his favorite video, but in the form of a conventional video rental service, it is difficult to meet the needs of the consumer. There are also problems in terms of video rental companies or video producers.

The lender must make every effort to prevent theft of the video at the store, and special attention must be paid to the unauthorized copying of the rented video, and even if it occurs, all titles have the same information. It is impossible to trace whether there was a copy.

In particular, in the case of DVD, since the data is processed digitally, even if repeated many times, the original picture quality does not deteriorate, so special care is required. In addition, the video rental company must continuously manage the rental schedule for smooth collection and re-renting of the rented video.

Conventionally, video on demand (VOD) has been proposed to solve these problems.

VOD refers to a system in which a plurality of video information is stored at a provider station, and when a specific video is requested to be viewed, a telephone line is used to transmit the video information, and a customer receives and watches a movie.

However, the VOD system has a technical burden of transmitting a large amount of image information only by using a telephone line, and at the same time, it is inconvenient in that it cannot solve all the problems of the conventional rental service.

In order to solve the problems of the conventional video title rental as described above, the present invention provides a remote rentable medium and a playback device in which various rights of the rental business can be remotely performed even when the customer owns the rented multimedia medium. And to provide a remote control system.

1 is a configuration diagram of a disk for explaining the type of information stored in the disk.

2 is a diagram showing an architecture for explaining the logical structure of a disk.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the playback device of the remote rental disk proposed in the present invention.

4 is a block diagram showing a detailed view of the reproduction authorization unit of the present invention, the remote rental disk player.

5 is a block diagram of a disk rental playback apparatus of the present invention and a remote rental system for remotely controlling the same.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

31340: Disc 33: Spindle motor

35 optical pickup device 43 analog signal processing unit

37,334: Digital signal processor 39,338: Output processor

51: servo controller 41,336: controller

61: BCA processor 53: On-Screen Display

100,332: reproduction part 57: decryption circuit part

55: key input section 63: data interface

65: decryption circuit for exclusive use of remote loan 67: sub-control unit

310: server 71,312,331: modem

200: public communication network 350: monitor device

330,330A, 330B: Disc Rental Device for Remote Rental

The present invention provides a plurality of information storage media each having a unique number for each medium; A plurality of reproducing apparatuses for reproducing the information storage medium; In addition, the plurality of playback devices are connected through a central communication network, the playback device provides a remote rental system comprising a server for controlling the playback of the information storage medium.

Through such a remote rental system, various management of the rental business can be remotely handled while the customer himself or herself who has rented the information storage medium has stored the medium. In addition, through a new type of information storage medium, special information for management of the remote control system of the present invention can be stored, and security of management tasks such as approval or restriction of rental can be maintained.

In addition, the playback apparatus of the present invention, the playback unit for reading the multimedia information read from the information storage medium; And a reproducing section for controlling information reproducing in the reproducing section in accordance with a reproducing control signal from the server. Through such a reproducing apparatus, remote control operation from the stand can be made.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described the technical configuration and its operational effects of the present invention.

1 is a configuration for explaining the type of data used in the present invention.

First, it is divided into video title data areas 110, 112, and 114 that contain audio and video information such as movies and remote rental control data areas for remote rental. Since video title data is recorded in the DV standard so as to be compatible with a normal DVD, the reproduction signal processing of the data is also possible in a normal reproduction circuit.

The remote rental control data refers to the remote control of the title, and includes a unique number information area 104 for storing the disco-specific data in which the title is stored, a security information area 108 for preventing illegal copying, and a menu screen of the title. Menu data 102, a playback script 106 that is control information for playback processing of a title, and the like. Playback scripts are written in Java Scripts, a popular programming language that allows you to manipulate the interactive playback of titles.

Since the remote control information is prepared differently from the conventional DVD format, the data of this part cannot be shared with a normal DVD player. In order to be played in a different way from the DVD, data can be encoded to perform ECC for remote rental only.

2 shows an example of a logical configuration of a disk storing data of the present invention.

In the present invention, the data area of the disc is divided into three parts in consideration of compatibility with a normal DVD player. Open ECC area 210 composed of ECC coded data proposed by the standard DVD standard, ECC area 220 composed of ECC encoded data for remote rental, and located at the boundary of the two types of data areas. Thus, the ECC type of adjacent data is separated into the transition ECC region 230 indicating the change.

3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the playback apparatus of the remote rental disk proposed in the present invention.

An optical pickup unit 35 for reading a signal from the disc 31, a signal processor 43 for processing data read into the optical pickup unit 35, and extracting and processing rental control data from the signal-processed data And a reproduction authorization unit 100 which temporarily stores the remote control controller transmitted or transmitted and thereby transmits a signal indicating whether data is reproduced to the digital signal unit, and receives reproduction from the reproduction authorization unit 100. An output processor 39 which outputs the data decoded by the processor for display or audio output, and a servo controller which controls the rotation of the pickup unit 35 or the disk 31 by a signal received from the signal processor 39. (51), and a control unit 41 for controlling the respective components. Reference numeral 55 denotes a key input unit, 53 denotes an on-screen display, and 57 denotes a description circuit unit for decrypting encrypted data to prevent illegal duplication of a disc.

The detailed configuration and operation of each component device are as follows.

When the user inserts the disc 31 to be played back into the playback apparatus, the optical pickup unit 35 reads out the information. The rotation control of the disc 31 and the servo of the optical pickup 35 are performed by the servo control unit 51 in a conventional manner.

The read information is decoded by the signal processor, and the first operation determines whether the input disk is a general DVD or a disk for remote rental.

That is, the checking operation of whether the inserted disk is a remote rental disk or an open format DVD disk is performed by checking whether a "remote rental only" directory exists in the root directory of the disk. If it is found to be a "remote rental" disk, the playback authorization unit 100 transmits the disk unique number transmitted from the signal processor 43 and the keypad information input by the user to the server through a modem and a public communication network. Wait for a rental control command from the system.

The remote rental disk player 330 and the server 310 are connected via the public communication network 200, as shown in FIG. 5, and the control command from the server 310 is the remote rental disk through the public communication network. Is passed to the player 330. When the server 310 receives the playback request signal from the remote rental disk player 330, after storing the unique number of the remote rental disk and the user's bill payment status, the server 310 issues a play permission or a prohibition of playback to the controller 336. send.

When the reproduction permission signal is issued, the control unit 336 controls the signal processing unit 334 to continue decoding, and the decoded data is applied to the output processing unit 338 so that the video data of the title is transmitted through the monitor 350. To be displayed.

When the reproduction prohibition command is issued, the control unit 336 notifies the user of a specific signal and prohibits output of the signal processing unit 334 to the output and the output processing unit 338.

4 is a detailed circuit diagram of one embodiment of a reproduction application circuit of the present invention, which reads data from the BCA processor 61 and the digital signal processing unit 37 for reading and processing unique information and performs decryption for remote rental according to whether or not the reproduction permission is allowed. Interface circuit unit 63 for outputting to a normal decryption circuit unit or outputting as it is to a normal decryption circuit unit, a modem 71 for transmitting or receiving unique disk information data, a memory 73 for temporarily storing the data, and controlling the respective components And a sub-control unit 67 for notifying the control unit 41 of the reproduction authorization signal.

The BCA processor 61 processes and decodes the unique number of the disc stored in the BCA, which is a specific area within the lead-in area, and the modem activated by the control unit 41 transmits it to the external server. When the reproduction permission signal is issued from the server, it is received by the module again and the sub-control unit 67 notifies the control unit 41 of the reproduction permission command therefrom.

The control section 41 starts playback of the title recorded on the disc, receives the digital signal processed data and decrypts it according to the data type and sends it to the output circuit section 39. The decryption unit 65 may be configured to be processed by the output circuit unit 39.

The memory 73 is used to temporarily store transmitted / received data. In some cases, the memory 73 may be used for receiving a specific message or advertisement from a server and providing the same to a user.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the remote rental control information, normal video data uses data processed according to the DVD standard, so that the signal processor 334 or the output processor 338 is a conventional DVD player. It can have the same circuit configuration as in.

Referring to FIG. 5, a configuration of the entire remote rental system that enables remote rental by configuring the playback apparatus as in the present invention by connecting to a business server using a communication means is configured.

The configuration of the remote rental system according to the present invention is broadly regarded as a server 310, a public communication network 320, a plurality of remote rental disk playback devices 330, 330A, 330B, a plurality of remote rental disks 340, and a disk for remote rental. It may be divided into a monitor device 350 connected 1: 1 with the player 330.

The server 310 is a host device that collectively controls the remote rental control system proposed in the present invention. The server 310 is formed by including a modem 312 as an interface device to be connected to a plurality of terminals using the public communication network 200, a processing apparatus for performing and processing various operations proposed by the present invention and It is comprised including a memory | storage device (shown in figure).

The public communication network 200 may use a telephone communication network that is currently widely used as an information communication network or may use a dedicated communication network. Such a communication network is not limited to a wired communication network, but may be configured by using a wireless communication network which is currently being promoted.

The disk rental apparatuses 330, 330A, and 330B as terminals of the remote rental control system of the present invention include a modem 331, a playback authorization unit 332, a digital signal processor 334, a controller 336, and an output processor ( 338). The modem 331 is an interface device for connecting the server 310 and the remote rental disk player 330 through the public communication network 200.

The modem 310 is responsible for receiving a signal from the server 310 and transmitting a signal from the remote rental disk player 330 to the server 310. The digital signal processor 334 is a signal processor for performing error correction, demodulation, and decoding of information read from the remote rental disk 340 to generate a reproduction signal of video and audio.

The digital signal processing unit 334 receives a signal from the optical pickup unit of the remote rental disk 340, and reads the signal from the remote rental disk 340 according to control commands of the reproduction authorizing unit 332 and the control unit 336. Is transmitted to the output processing unit 338 and the reproduction applying unit 332.

At this time, the digital signal processing unit 334 transmits the reproduction signal recorded by the normal DVD ECC to the output processing unit 338, and transmits the unique number information or the like recorded by the power rental ECC to the reproduction applying unit 332. The reproduction authorizing unit 332 performs a function of transmitting to the server 310 through control data necessary for remote lending such as a unique number, and after receiving and processing information from the server 10, the controller 336. To transmit. In some cases, the server may be configured to add a unique number to each terminal to request the unique terminal number.

You can also configure the memory on its own to temporarily store the information received from the server. The control unit 336 inputs a user's command signal, signals from the digital signal processing unit 334 and the playback application unit 332 to control the signal processing of the rotary drive device of the remote rental disk and the digital signal processing unit 334. do.

The output processor 338 receives a signal output from the digital signal processor 334 as an input and transmits the signal to the monitor apparatus 350 for processing. In addition, a circuit for decrypting the encrypted video data may be further configured to prevent piracy.

The monitor device 350 is for outputting the video and audio information output from the remote rental disk player (330, 330A, 330B) to the user. As one example of such a monitor device, the present system may be configured using a TV device, a computer monitor device, and the like, which are widely used.

Hereinafter, the present invention, the overall operation of the operation of the remote control system for disk rental control will be described.

When the user inserts the disc into the placer 330, the digital signal processor 334 of the player checks whether the inserted disc is for remote rental or an open format DVD disc. This check is made by verifying that a "remote-rental-only" directory exists in the root directory of the disk. If it is found that the disk is for "remote lending", the reproduction authorizing unit 332 transmits the disk identification number transmitted from the digital signal processing unit 334, the keypad information input by the user, and the like. It transmits to the server 310 through, and waits for a rental control command from the server 310.

The remote rental disk player 330 and the server 310 are connected through the public communication network 200, and the control command from the server 310 is transmitted to the remote rental disk player 330 through the public communication network 200. .

The exchange of information between the remote lending disc player 330 and the server 310 is performed only when there is an initial insertion of a disc or a disc playback request. This is to reduce the time to use the public communication network 200 to a minimum. When the server 310 receives a playback request signal from the remote rental disk player 330, the server checks information related to the rental, such as the disk's unique number, the player's unique number, and the user's bill payment status, and then permits playback or playback. Send a prohibition order.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the rental time is measured from the time when the user first uses the rented disk to determine whether the disc play request is received within a valid rental time. No additional charges will be added to the number of times played within the rental period. When a certain period of time as long as the paid fee has elapsed, playback of the disc is prohibited and the user is informed.

However, you can limit the number of playbacks or the playback time without limiting this method. In this case, the rental fee may be calculated in various ways.

For example, if a user recently purchased a disk, the user may be able to set a purchase price by including 48 hours of viewing rights. Alternatively, it is possible to make a disc available for free or at a minimal fee, and to specify a billing method when the user requires playback.

Such a payment method can be made to automatically pay in a bank account, for example, according to the user's approval order. This allows the modem to enter the user's account or credit card number and the server stores this information. After charging for a certain period of time or storing the user information as described above in the server may be automatically charged to the account without a separate user information request whenever the playback request from the terminal.

Server 310 checks the unique number of the input disk, if the payment is not made, or if the second rental request has been sent after the first rental period, the disk player (330) If no payment is made, a signal to prohibit regeneration is transmitted. If the rental period has passed, you can send a message asking if you want to re-rent.

On the other hand, when a user purchases a specific disk and wants to rent or own it permanently, the user may input such a command through a keypad of the remote rental disk player 330 or the like. When such a purchase command is transmitted to the server 310, the server 310 grasps the unique number of the disc and stores it in its own memory device (not shown), and then the disc having the unique number from the disc player 330. If the playback request of the incoming, the play permission signal may be transmitted to allow unlimited viewing.

In the memory of the server, all the information related to the unique number of the disk is stored in a database, and the contents of the loan are stored according to the user's request. can do.

In addition, the server 310 as an additional function, has a function to provide a variety of information to the user through a modem. The server 310 sends a minimum message to the remote rental disk player 330 by using its own transmission function. The contents of such a message may include, for example, a disk catalog, a communication order notice, or a rental history and a billing statement for a certain period.

The remote rental disk player 330 may preferably be configured to include a memory means (not shown) capable of storing such an advertisement message. Receiving such an advertisement message is possible when the disc is first played or when there is a command waiting state or a user's request. Even if there is no user's request, the modem can be operated at the request of the server to allow the player to enter the receiving state. have.

According to the rental control system of the present invention as described above, a user can watch a video at a lower price than purchasing and owning a disk, and even if a rental period of a certain period has elapsed, the user must visit the rental store again for return. no need.

In addition, compared to the conventional method of the present invention, since only a minimum amount of information is transmitted on the communication, the communication load is small, and thus data transmission is possible even when a large number of user requests enter at once.

In addition, the server can monitor the ID of the playback terminal, the ID of the disk, or two at the same time to request playback of the disk. Therefore, when the playback request of the disk having the same ID comes in or the playback request comes from other than the determined playback device, It can be determined that the disk is illegal copy, and in some cases, even the fact that the third party re-rented can be traced, so that efficient rental management is possible.

In addition, even when a pirated disc is found, information on a user who has purchased or played a disc at a minimum can be found, which is effective for prohibiting illegal copying. In addition, since data encoded by a separate dedicated ECC is used in addition to the normal ECC, it is more effective for data security.

Claims (22)

At least one reproducing apparatus for reproducing the information recorded on the recording medium, a server for receiving information of the recording medium from the reproducing apparatus, determining whether to reproduce the reproducing apparatus, and managing each reproducing apparatus and the government of the recording medium, the reproducing apparatus And a communication network connecting the server so as to enable data transmission by separate communication means respectively formed. The remote rental system according to claim 1, wherein the communication network is a public telephone network. 2. The remote rental system according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a disc. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reproducing apparatus comprises: a signal processing unit for processing a signal read from a recording medium, transmitting remote rental control information including specific information extracted from the processed data to the outside, or receiving and receiving data received from the outside. And a control unit for controlling the operation of the signal processing unit in accordance with a control signal of the reproduction application unit. The remote rental system according to claim 4, wherein the reproducing unit includes a modem that is responsible for transmitting and receiving data. 6. The remote rental system according to claim 5, wherein the reproducing unit further includes a memory for temporarily storing transmission / reception data. 5. The remote loan system according to claim 4, wherein the remote loan control information includes unique identification information recorded on a recording medium. 5. The remote rental system according to claim 4, wherein the remote rental control information includes unique identification information of a playback device. 5. The remote loan system according to claim 4, wherein the remote loan control information includes personal information of a user under a separate pressure. Extracting remote control information from a signal reproduced from the recording medium when the recording medium is inserted; determining whether to play or not the title stored on the recording medium based on the remote control information; The control method of the remote fishery system comprising the step of reproducing and outputting. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the remote control information is a unique identification number of an information recording medium. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of whether to apply the reproduction comprises: transmitting the extracted remote rental control signal to an external server, transmitting data received by the server based on the transmitted data. And generating a command for notifying whether or not the control is applied from the data. Receiving remote rental control information according to a reproduction request signal of a specific title generated from at least one remote leasable information reproducing apparatus, determining whether to reproduce a corresponding title from the remote rental information of the requested reproduction title, And transmitting the determination result back to the information reproducing apparatus. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining of whether to play the disc from the remote rental information of the requested title comprises: finding information of the title previously stored from the unique identification number of the remote rental information. A method of controlling a remote rental system, comprising: extracting play expiration information permitted at a play request of a title to determine whether the play expiration date is within a play valid period, and generating a play authorization signal if the play valid period has not expired. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the play expiration information is one of a play count, a play time, and a play period. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the title information corresponding to the title unique identification information is updated after determining a play authorization signal. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the remote rental control information of the disc includes a unique number of a playback device. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the disk remote rental control information includes user's personal information. A head unit for reading out a signal from a recording medium, a signal processing unit for processing the read signal, and remote rental control information including specific information extracted from the processed signal to the outside, and receiving and processing data received from the outside And a reproducing unit which notifies whether or not reproduction is performed, a control unit which controls the operation of the signal processing unit according to a control signal of the reproducing unit, and a servo unit which controls driving of the head and the recording medium. Playback device. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the signal processing unit comprises an RF processing circuit unit for a signal read from a recording medium, a digital signal processing unit for ECC and decoding the RF processed signal, and an output processing unit for output processing the digital processed signal. Remote rental disc playback device characterized in that. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the reproducing unit controls a modem for transmitting and receiving data, an additional signal processing unit for processing information extracted from the recording medium and a signal received from the outside, a memory for temporarily storing the transceiving data, and each unit. And a sub-control unit for notifying a signal for processing a play authorization signal. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the output processing unit further comprises a circuit unit for decrypting the digital signal processed data.

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