Patent Publication Number: US-6904567-B1

Title: Portable electronic device updated via broadcast channel

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a method and device for updating a system, and in particular, to a portable device that receives content via a broadcast channel. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The prior art includes two different categories of systems. These include systems such as electronic books which receive substantially static content (e.g., books, music, movies, newspapers and magazines) from a specialized server via a serial link, line-of-sight link, or telephone line and systems (such as car radios) which receive small size information (e.g. travel information) via a broadcast channel. Such systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,761,485 to Munyan and U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,091 to Yamazaki et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The size of these messages, however, is limited due to bandwidth constraints. 
   In Europe, the normal radio signal provides additional digital traffic messages (TMC), which are received and stored in a car radio for later retrieval. The Philips™ car radio &lt;&lt;CARIN 520&gt;&gt;™, for example, has a voice synthesizer that reads relevant traffic information to the driver of a car. Such a TMC-enabled radio comprises a decoder which decodes the received TMC messages. 
   Current electronic books (&lt;&lt;e-books&gt;&gt;) such as the &lt;&lt;ROCKET EBOOK&gt;&gt;, the &lt;&lt;SOFTBOOK ELECTRONIC TABLET&gt;&gt;, OR THE &lt;&lt;EVERYBOOK ELECTRONIC BOOK&gt;&gt; constrain the user by requiring the use of either a modem and a phone line to connect directly or over the Internet to a special server or the use of a serial connection (cable-based or infrared) to a host PC running a special &lt;&lt;librarian&gt;&gt; program for downloading media to the e-book. 
   Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that updates a device with static media and which does not rely on direct or line-of-sight connection for updating purposes, but which can be updated by other means not requiring a constrained locational relationship between the receiving unit and the transmitting unit. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a system and a method of updating the contents of a portable electronic device which processes and displays large static media (e.g., electronic literature), by receiving Digital Audio Broadcast (&lt;&lt;DAB&gt;&gt;) signals of updating information. Use of a broadcast medium to transmit the updating information thus permits the distribution of electronic content to a large audience simultaneously. 
   In a feature of the invention, a smart card is used for metered access to content distributed via a broadcast medium. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of the presently preferred but nonetheless illustrative embodiments in accordance with the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view partially in block diagram form of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating the method of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   There exist many examples of media of a non-interactive and generally static nature (e.g., electronic editions of newspapers, magazines, books, music and movies), in that they include pages which do not change due to a consumer input. Books, music and movies are examples of long-term static media, whereas newspapers and magazines are examples of short-term static media. 
   With non-interactive, static media that is of an appeal to a wide audience, the broadcast over a broadcast channel of this media, and the subsequent reception and decoding by a user, provides the user with generally appealing content while eliminating the need that the user establish constrained one-to-one connections. The more uses there are which have the hardware to receive such broadcasts, the more efficient such a means of distributing digital content becomes. 
   Now referring to  FIG. 1 , the invention is a system  10  by which a user may receive generally static and non-interactive media using an electronic device such as an electronic book (&lt;&lt;e-book&gt;&gt;)  12 . Such media includes digitized audio data, program-associated data such as program titles, program notes, CD cover images, and pure data broadcast using a Digital Audio Broadcast Transmitter (&lt;&lt;DAT&gt;&gt;)  14 . The e-book  12  includes a CPU  16 , a storage medium  18 , a display  20 , a user interface  22  (such as buttons or a touch screen for inputting navigation commands), a storage/retrieval device such as a floppy disc drive  24  by which programs and supplemental literature may be loaded to and unloaded from the device, and a Digital Audio Broadcast Receiver  26  (&lt;&lt;DAR&gt;&gt;) which receives and decodes the digital signal shown as  32 . 
   The DATA  14  broadcasts content to device  12 . The digital audio broadcast provides dynamically changing channel configurations : after identification of the nature of the media being transmitted, the likely available excess bandwidth is calculated and the channel dynamically adapted to such media. For example, when music is being transmitted, the full bandwidth of the channel is required. However, if merely the news is being broadcast, the allocated bandwidth can be substantially reduced, thus providing sufficient bandwidth for transient subchannels, which utilize the residual bandwidth. 
   The DAR  26  is a radio receiver which extracts and delivers a digital data stream from a broadcast channel. Optionally, the radio connection is used as the only communication channel for the e-book  12 . 
   In an alternate embodiment, the broadcast includes content identifiers associated with the type-media broadcast. The e-book  12  includes a screening device  40  which, using appropriate software  42 , blocks and permits the downloading of certain broadcasts according to a profile derived from a user questionnaire or by direct and selective control of the user. Information is &lt;&lt;pushed&gt;&gt; to the user. The user uses his user profile or specific reception or program requests to limit the media which can be &lt;&lt;pushed&gt;&gt; to his display. 
   Alternatively, the screening device  40  scans the broadcast channel periodically for specific content and, depending on the priority of the information indicated by the user, presents the information to the user via the display  20 . 
   In a particular embodiment utilizing the screening device  40  of the invention, the e-book  12  is a portable data base of medical records used by physicians and nurses in a hospital or clinic environment. The broadcast medium updates medical records of a patient, while the physician is going about this normal business of visiting other patients. The updated records may then be selectively displayed to physicians. 
   In another embodiment of the invention, the e-book  12  includes a smart card reader  46  and processing software, in order to provide metered access to the broadcast media. Although some media may be transmitted free of charge to users (e.g., newspapers financed by advertising), other media may now be provided only on a subscription basis. Because the broadcast model is inherently a one-to-many relationship in which there is no feedback channel, the publisher of a magazine, for example, cannot directly control access to the distributed media and neither can he charge for it directly. Therefore, having a means of obtaining payment by conventional channels is essential, such as by post or by modem connection to the accounting service of the entity providing the broadcast. A smart card  50 , having a cryptographic decryption key  52  encoded thereon, provides this means when, for example, one of the following representative payment methods is used. 
   In a first representative payment method, the broadcaster of, for example, a newspaper, may charge a set fee for unlimited access of the information, for an unlimited period. This would involve the broadcaster providing the user with a decryption key  52 , for example, encoded on the smart card  50 , or permitting the use of an existing key. The decryption key  52  is used to decrypt the encrypted content broadcast to the user. Although such a system is simple, hackers would likely take advantage of the simplicity and break the code after a short period of time. Therefore, the Broadcaster should be expected to change the encryption key periodically so as to minimize the likelihood of decoding through hacking. A subscriber simply purchases a smart card  50  encoded with the decryption key  52  for the current period. The broadcast is broadcast with the matching key, thus enabling those having the proper key  52  to decode the broadcast, without limitations. Once this period ends, the broadcaster changes the encryption code, thus preventing further access using the decryption key  52  encoded on the expired smart card  50  and necessitating the purchase by the user of a new card having the new matching key encoded thereon. However, this method has limitations, in that the cost of the service cannot be associated with the frequency of usage during the period of validity of the smart card  50 . 
   In another representative payment method, the publisher likewise encrypts part or all of the media to be distributed with a cryptographic key. To subscribe to broadcast media, the user obtains a smart card  50  from the publisher (or uses a previously obtained smart card) which contains a decryption key  52  suitable for decrypting the broadcast media. Optionally, each cryptographic decryption key  52  on the smart card  50  is associated with a count registered in a counter  54 . The e-book  12  then uses the smart card  50  to decrypt the encrypted broadcast content. In case a counter  54  is associated with the cryptographic decryption key  52  on the smart card  50 , the smart card itself will decrement that counter each time a new issue (e.g. marked through appropriate header information) is decrypted. Optionally, the counter  54  is decremented for each decryption process. Once the counter  54  is null, the subscription becomes invalid and must be renewed by acquiring a counter-recharge or a new cryptographic decryption key  52 . A smart card  50  with a null counter is no longer able to decrypt the broadcast content. Payment to the broadcaster could then be paid out of a pool, paid into an association including all or most broadcasters as members. A rating system could then determine the distribution of funds from this pool to each broadcaster. However, other means of payment are possible. 
   Optionally, debiting with the smart card  50  can be based upon a fee for each page downloaded (in which the counter  54  is decremented for each page downloaded). Further, a credit card may also be used and charged according to connect time in a manner known in the art, provided that an optional backchannel to charge the credit card is available. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 2 , using the system  10  of the invention, the method  60  of the invention includes the following steps. In a first step  62 , the DAT  14  broadcasts the DAB including static media over a certain broadcast area. In a second optional step  64 , using a scanning device (which is optionally always powered on so as to maximize the reception of the DAR), the DAR  26  scans the DAB for desired content which matches a user profile, a specific user request or subscription. In a third step  66 , after any scanning device detects desired broadcast media and using the DAR  26  and profile-matching software  42 , the e-book  12  receives the desired static media so broadcast. In an optional fourth step  70 , where the DAB is encrypted, the system  10  uses cryptographic technology to limit access and obtain payment for the broadcast. Step  70  is made up of substeps  72 ,  74 ,  76  and  80 . In the first substep  72 , the device  12  decrypts at least a portion of the DAB using a decryption key  52  encoded on a smart card  50 . In the second substep  74 , concurrently with the reception, the device  12  registers the DAB received. In the third substep  76 , the device  12  associated a debit, indicated for example by a decrementing counter on the smart card  50 , with the registered DAB. In the fourth substep  80 , the associated debit is used to decide whether to disable further decryption. 
   An advantage of the invention is that, instead of the constraints of a direct, cable- or line-of-sight-based connection, radio broadcast and reception is used, which is, by comparison, unconstrained, unobtrusive, easy to use, and thus more convenient. 
   Another advantage is that now, using the invention, a range of media such as newspapers, magazines, leaflets, traffic reports, weather reports, and books (e.g., bestsellers), may now be broadcast digitally, and thus are available to the user anywhere within the range of the digital broadcast. 
   Another advantage is that a smart card  50  is used to provide metered access to the content of a digital broadcaster, thus permitting the broadcaster to widely broadcast media while enabling the collection of funds from subscribers in order to recover the costs of the broadcast. 
   Another advantage is that no explicit update function is triggered by the user; this takes place in the background whenever data becomes available. 
   INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
   The invention is industrially applicable as it is used in a telecommunications system which provides digital content to a user wherever he might be, provided he is in range of the DAT  14 . 
   A latitude of modification, change, and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. For example, the system of the invention may use PCs, PDAs, laptops, and other electronic devices besides e-books. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed.