US 5,247,575 AGranted

Information distribution system

OwnerPeter J. Sprague, Thomas H. Lipscombinventors

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An information distribution system provides information to a user, when the information corresponds to criteria individually selected by the user, and then charges the user only for the selected information thus provided. Encrypted information packages (IP's) are provided at the user site, via high and/or low density storage media and/or by broadcast transmission. The IP's selected by the user are decrypted and then printed or displayed for viewing by the user. The charges for the IP's thus displayed are accumulated within the user apparatus and periodically reported by telephone to the system's central accounting facility which issues encryption keys. The encryption keys, used to decrypt the IP's, are changed periodically. If the central accounting facility has not issued a new encryption key for a particular user station, the station is unable to retrieve information from the system when the key is changed.

Claims10

Dependent claims

In a system for distributing information to a subscriber location, said system including a broadcasting station and a central billing station, said broadcasting station including transmitting a serial data stream including a plurality of information blocks, each information block including an encrypted information portion and a charge code portion, a method comprising:

receiving said serial data stream;
storing a search key word selected by said subscriber, said search key word representing a desired word pattern contained in information blocks of interest to said subscriber;
searching said received serial data stream at said subscriber location using said stored search key word to select an information block by finding a match between said search key word and said information block;
decrypting said encrypted information portion of said received information block;
storing said information portion of said received information block;
storing said charge code portion of said received information block;
retrieving said stored information portion of said received information block by said subscriber;
and
reporting said stored said charge code portion to said central billing station;
whereby said subscriber is billed for said received information block.

7 more elements

In a system for distributing information to a subscriber location, said system including a broadcasting station and a central billing station, said broadcasting station including means for transmitting a serial data stream including a plurality of information blocks, each information block including an encrypted information portion and a charge code portion, an apparatus comprising:

means for receiving said serial data stream;
means for storing a search key word selected by said subscriber, said search key word representing a desired word pattern contained in information blocks of interest to said subscriber;
means for searching said received serial data stream at said subscriber location using said stored search key word to select an information block by finding a match between said search key word and said information block;
means for decrypting said encrypted information portion of said received information block;
means for storing said information portion of said received information block;
means for storing said charge code portion of said received information block;
means for retrieving said stored information portion of said received information block by said subscriber;
and
means for reporting said stored said charge code portion to said central billing station;
whereby said subscriber is billed for said received information block.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/874,991Filed 24 Apr 1992 · continuation
Priority: 16 Aug 1988
Granted: 21 Sep 1993
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04L 12/1804
For broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast: for stock exchange and similar applications
G06F 21/10
Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity: protecting distributed…
G06Q 30/04
Commerce: billing or invoicing
G06F 2211/007
Indexing scheme relating to details of data-processing equipment not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00: encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher,…