Monitoring and reporting system for remote terminals

A terminal for monitoring and accumulating data indicative of viewer authorized pay per view programs as are displayed on a television set, said terminal protected against removal of normal energization therefrom by the viewer, said terminal comprising:

• (a) a real time clock;
• (b) memory means;
• (c) means for monitoring the pay per view programs displayed upon said television set and for storing program data indicative thereof in said memory means;
• (d) a back-up battery for energizing said real time clock and said memory means if normal energization is removed therefrom;
• and
• (e) means operable only when normal energization is applied to said terminal for accessing said real time clock to obtain a current time, for comparing said current time with a predetermined time and, if said current time is greater than said predetermined time, adopting said greater current time as an end of viewing time corresponding to the restoration of normal energization to said terminal.

A terminal for monitoring and accumulating data indicative of viewer authorized pay per view programs to be displayed on a television set, said terminal accumulating pay per view program data in a manner to permit the viewer to preview an authorized pay per view program for a given preview period before being billed therefore, said terminal comprising:

• (a) a real time clock;
• (b) memory means;
• (c) viewer actuable means for authorizing and deauthorizing a pay per view program for viewing on said television set, and for accessing said real time clock to obtain an on-time and an off-time corresponding to the viewer's authorizing and deauthorizing, respectively;
• and
• (d) means responsive to successive viewer authorizing and deauthorizing for calculating a most recent viewing time segment as the difference between corresponding, successive on- and off-times, and for storing and accumulating each of said viewing time segments in said memory means to provide a total viewing time, which if greater than said preview period indicates that said viewer be billed for said pay per view program.

A remote terminal for use in a system for monitoring and accumulating data indicative of events occurring at each of a plurality of remote terminals, each of said remote terminals connected by a detachable, non-dedicated telephone line for transmitting said accumulated event data over said telephone lines to a host computer at a central station, each of said remote terminals comprising:

• (a) means for detachably connecting said remote terminal to said telephone line;
• (b) memory means for storing event data indicative of said events;
• (c) means for transmitting over said telephone lines to said host computer a report message including said event data;
• (d) means connected to said memory means and said transmitting means for initiating said transmitting means to transmit said report message;
• and
• (f) means connected to said initiating means and said connecting means, and responsive to said initiating means initiating said transmitting means for sensing whether the telephone line is detached from said remote terminal and, if detached, for providing a detach signal indicative thereof.

A system for monitoring events occurring at a plurality of remote terminals and reporting event data indicative thereof over transmission lines to a host computer disposed at a central station, said monitoring system comprising:

• (a) a plurality of said remote terminals, each comprised of:
• (1) means for monitoring said events to provide event data indicative thereof;
• (2) memory means connected to said monitoring means for storing said event data therefrom;
• and
• (3) transmitting means connected to said memory means and to one of said transmission lines for establishing a connection with said host computer and thereafter for accessing said event data in said memory means and for transmitting over said transmission line to said host computer a report message including said event data, said transmitting means comprising means for determining whether said connection was completed and, if not, for incrementing a number indicative of the unsuccessful transmissions of said report message, said number is stored in said memory means, and means for incorporating said number in said report message;
• and
• (b) said host computer comprising means for receiving said report message from each of said plurality of remote terminals.

A remote terminal for use in a system for monitoring events occurring at each of a plurality of remote terminals and reporting same to a host computer, an initialization computer for storing initializing data for each of said plurality of remote terminals and addressable by each of said remote terminals over conventional telephone lines at a first known telephone number, each of said remote terminals comprising:

• (a) means for monitoring said events at said remote terminal and providing event data indicative thereof;
• (b) memory means for storing said initializing data, said known first telephone number, and said event data;
• (c) first transmitting means for incorporating said event data into a report message and transmitting said report message to said host computer;
• (d) means for examining said initializing data in said memory means and, if defective, for providing a request transmit signal;
• and
• (e) second transmitting means responsive to said request transmit signal for accessing said first telephone number in said memory means and for transmitting a request message over said conventional telephone lines to said initialization computer to request the downloading of new initializing data from said host computer to said requesting remote terminal.

A method of monitoring and accumulating data indicative of viewer authorized pay per view programs on a television set at each of a plurality or remote terminals, each of said remote terminals connected by non-dedicated telephone lines for transmitting said accumulated program data over said telephone lines to a host computer, said host computer processing said transmitted data to provide bills to the viewers, the steps of said method comprising;

• (a) authorizing the viewing of pay per view program upon the television set;
• (b) monitoring in response to said authorizing of said pay per view program the viewing of said pay per view program and providing program data indicative thereof;
• (c) storing said program data;
• and
• (d) responding to the said authorizing of said pay per view program by accessing said stored program data and transmitting a report message including said program data to the host computer.

A method of monitoring and accumulating data at a terminal indicative of viewer authorized pay per view programs in a manner to protect the terminal against removal of normal energization therefrom, the terminal comprising a real time clock and a memory, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) monitoring the pay per view programs authorized by the viewer and storing program data indicative thereof in the memory;
• (b) applying backup energization to the real time clock and the memory if normal energization is removed from the terminal;
• and
• (c) when normal energization is applied to the terminal, accessing the real time clock to obtain a current time and comparing the current time with an expected end of program time and, if greater, for adopting the greater current time as the end of program time corresponding to the restoration of normal energization to the terminal.

A method of monitoring and accumulating data at a terminal indicative of events occurring at the terminal in a manner to protect the terminal against removal of normal energization therefrom, the terminal comprising a real time clock and a memory, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) monitoring the events and storing data indicative thereof in the memory;
• (b) applying backup energization to the real time clock and the memory if normal energization is removed from the terminal;
• (c) when normal energization is applied, periodically accessing the real time clock at a regular interval and for storing the current time in the memory, whereby a series of current times including a new current time and a last current time are stored in the memory;
• and
• (d) when normal energization is applied to the terminal, accessing the real time clock to obtain the new current time and determining the difference between the new current time and the last current time and, if greater then the regular interval, providing an indication of a power outage.

A method for monitoring and accumulating data at a terminal indicative of viewer authorized pay per view programs to be displayed on a television set, the viewer permitted to preview an authorized pay per view program without charge for a given preview period before being billed for an authorized pay per view program, the terminal comprising a real time clock and a memory, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) responding to viewer actuation of the terminal for authorizing and deauthorizing a pay per view program and accessing the real time clock to obtain an on-time and off-time corresponding to the viewer's authorizing and deauthorizing, respectively;
• (b) responding to successive viewer authorizing and deauthorizing for calculating a most recent viewing time segment as the difference between corresponding, successive on- and off-times;
• (c) storing and accumulating each of said viewing time segments in the memory to provide a total viewing time;
• and
• (d) comparing the total viewing time with said preview period and, if the total viewing time is greater than the preview period, billing the viewer for the pay per view program.