Nagravision S.a.

Kudelski S.a. Fabrique D'engregistreurs Nagra

Nagra Plus S.a.

Laurent Laffely

Andre Kudelski

Marco Sasselli

Philippe Stransky

André Kudelski

In a pay television system, the choice and the confirmation of an impulse purchase are performed by the user on presentation, by means of a screen, of a grid of programmes. The selection by this user of a particular programme of his choice from the grid is subsequently confirmed in the system by an entitlement management message, this message being specific to an impulse purchase. In order to authorize the immediate screening of the selected transmission, the entitlement management message specific to an impulse purchase is contained in the data tied to the presentation of the grid.

Impulse purchase system for pay-television

A decoder comprising a microprocessor connected to a receiver of data of teletext and to a text generator for displaying information on the screen of a television receiver. Further, a CPTV-card (card pay-television) is associated with the microprocessor, this card managing the credit necessary for the purchase of emissions, for the memorization of the emissions purchased and for permitting the unscrambling of the emissions purchased by delivering to the microprocessor the input pointer in the sequence which is calculated by the microprocessor by means of the information which has been memorized as well as the information delivered by the decoder. The programs of the forecasted emissions are transmitted by the head station and memorized in the microprocessor of the decoder. Another memory of the microprocessor contains the instructions for the manipulations to be effected for selecting an emission and for purchasing it as well as for recharging a credit in the CPTV-card. A keyboard permits selection and display on the screen of the television receiver of the forecasted emissions as well as the instructions of manipulation which enormously facilitates the dialog between the user and the decoder and contributes to avoiding errors of manipulation. The decoder according to the invention operates as a guide for the user, for all operations to be effected.

Method of interactive communication between a subscriber and a decoder

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Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland

Laurent Laffely