Abstract: For providing a receiving contract service being convenient or friendly to both the broadcast service providers and the viewers, and in particular, for providing a digital broadcast receiver set, an information apparatus and a digital broadcasting receiving system, there is provided a system in which a digital broadcast receiver set 100, an output apparatus 110 and recording apparatuses 120 and 130 are connected with a control bus 10, wherein there are provided a designated program devising portion 203 for extracting a plurality of programs at the same time, a receiving contract managing portion 212 for managing information relating to receiving contacts, and a output destination supervising portion 213 for managing distributing destination of the broadcast programs at the present, thereby distributing the broadcast programs to the output apparatus 110 and/or the recording apparatuses 120 and 130, on a basis of the contents of the receiving contracts.

Abstract: In a system having two or more gateway apparatuses connected to both first and second networks having mutually different address systems, a gateway apparatus is provided with a translation table for associating IP addresses with node IDs. The gateway apparatus inquires other gateway apparatuses whether other gateway apparatuses are administering the same address as an IP address generated for a newly added device. If there is another gateway apparatus that is administering the same address, the IP address is prevented from being registered in the translation table.

Abstract: A copyright of a content is protected by preventing creation of illegal copies of the content and the content is prevented from being transmitted beyond a range of personal use in a process to transmit the content through a LAN. Before transmission of a content, a content transmission apparatus and a content reception apparatus perform a determination of authentication information available in a predetermined command accompanying authentication information, or an authentication determination based on a time until reception of a response to a predetermined command request accompanying predetermined authentication information. If the authentication is unsuccessful, the requested content is not transmitted to the content reception apparatus. With such arrangement, it is possible to effectively protect a copyright when a content is transmitted by way of a network.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to protect a copyright of a content by suppressing creation of illegal copies of the content and prevent a content from being transmitted beyond a range of personal use in a process to transmit the content through a wire or wireless LAN. Before transmitting a content from a content transmission apparatus to a content reception apparatus, the content transmission apparatus and the content reception apparatus authenticate each other. In the authentication, a timer measures a time interval between a transmission of an authentication request and a reception of an acknowledgement of a reception of the request or between a transmission of a response to a received authentication request and a reception of an acknowledgement of a reception of the response.

Abstract: An electronic device connected to a network corresponding to plug & play and hot plug functions and enabled to control other electronic devices is provided with communication route detecting unit for detecting a communication route between electronic devices being used or reserved for communication and notifying unit for notifying the user of a result of detection by the communication route detecting unit. The above-described electronic device is configured so as to detect a communication route between subject electronic devices to be used for communication and notify the user of the electronic devices on the communication route, which must not be disconnected from the network with use of the communication unit. Consequently, the user can be prevented from accidental disconnection of the cable of a subject electronic device, thereby preventing the disconnection of the device from the network.

Abstract: Before content transmission, the content transmitting device and the content receiving device mutually authenticate each other to verify that the other device respects copyright and rightfully handles content, and then content is encrypted by shared key data and transmitted. It is arranged that in an authentication process, a time from transmission of an authentication request or a time from transmission of an authentication response until arrival of receipt acknowledgement data is measured and only when a measured time is less than a fixed upper-limit value, content is transmitted.

Abstract: A gateway as a node of a local network and a wide area network includes a first command processor for processing a first command according to a first network protocol which is used in the local network, a network configuration storing unit for storing gateway specifying information for specifying another gateway connected via the wide area network and a second command processor for processing a second command according to a second network protocol which is used in the wide area network and executing protocol conversion between the first network protocol and the second network protocol, thereby controlling permission or inhibition of communication on the basis of the gateway specifying information stored in the network configuration storing unit.

Abstract: An encrypting conversion apparatus, a decrypting conversion apparatus, a cryptographic communication system and an electronic toll collection apparatus are provided which are capable of changing algorithms of cryptographic conversion to hide the algorithm in use from a third party so that the apparatuses and system are resistant against a cryptographic attack from the third party and can operate at high speed. In the cryptographic communication system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and an apparatus that, when a copying is limited as “Copy One Generation”, prevent the copying from being made into infinite number of storage media without limitation, and thereby protect the profit of a copyright holder concerned.

Abstract: A method and system for coordinating control of a remotely controllable electronic apparatus by a first and second control apparatus that use different standards to control the remotely controllable electronic apparatus. The remotely controllable electronic apparatus has a network connection and embedded software allowing a control apparatus to remotely control the remotely controllable electronic apparatus through a network. The first control apparatus has a network connection function and acquires the software from the remotely controllable electronic apparatus through the network. The first control apparatus remotely controls the remotely controllable electronic apparatus by execution of the software in the first control apparatus.

Abstract: An authentication information and a verification information are previously generated and the authentication information is stored to an authentication data generating apparatus, while the verification information is stored to a gateway. When a controller tries to make communication With a customer premises apparatus, the authentication data generating apparatus connected to the controller generates an authentication data using the authentication information and the gateway verifies the authentication data using the verification information. Moreover, the gateway restricts, when connected to the authentication data generating apparatus, the communication between the controller located in the outside of customer premises and the customer premises apparatus. Moreover, the gateway changes, while connected to the authentication data generating apparatus, an address of the customer premises apparatus and stores the changed address to the authentication data generating apparatus.

Abstract: In a system having two or more gateway apparatuses connected to both first and second networks having mutually different address systems, a gateway apparatus is provided with a translation table for associating IP addresses with node IDs. The gateway apparatus inquires other gateway apparatuses whether other gateway apparatuses are administering the same address as an IP address generated for a newly added device. If there is another gateway apparatus that is administering the same address, the IP address is prevented from being registered in the translation table.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide network devices and a network device control method which enable control network devices connected to an IP network, AV devices connected over 1394IF through gateway devices from the IP network, and home devices connected to ECHONET to be controlled without distinction among them. To achieve this object, a network device to serve as a controller comprises a controller application that detects a service of a target network device, using a message complying with an information exchange protocol common to the network, collects information such as an access method for the service, a function name, and parameters, and controls the network device upon request, and an information exchange protocol processing part that exchanges messages according to a protocol common to the network devices.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to simplify the user's initial setup operation when connecting a new network device to a network built in his/her house/room and prevent connection of a different network device unknown to said user. A network connection management device, when receiving a network connection request from a new network device, sends the request to other network devices connected already to the network so as to be displayed on their displaying means to prompt the user to make an operation for confirming the request. The confirmation data inputted by the user through the inputting means of the network device is sent to the network connection management device, which then determines whether to permit the connection to said network. When the decision result is YES (permit), the new network device is connected to the network.

Abstract: An AV-type network is connected to an information-type network. A controller of the AV-type network controls apparatuses connected to the AV-type and information-type networks without requiring user's operation such as address setting. A network controller to control network apparatuses connected to an AV-type network and a network for electric appliances for consumer use is connected to an IP network. A control transfer unit is disposed in the network controller to control apparatuses connected to the networks from the IP network. The network controller on the IP network obtains function information of the network apparatuses including the control transfer unit to conduct a control operation to thereby control any apparatuses connected to the networks.

Abstract: An encrypting conversion apparatus, a decrypting conversion apparatus, a cryptographic communication system and an electronic toll collection apparatus are provided which are capable of changing algorithms of cryptographic conversion to hide the algorithm in use from a third party so that the apparatuses and system are resistant against a cryptographic attack from the third party and can operate at high speed. In the cryptographic communication system.

Abstract: A method is provided for updating system components of all apparatuses on a network capable of exchanging data between apparatuses to the optimum generation system components. A system update manager of FAV collects system information, and identification information and generation information of system update modules, from each apparatus. By using this information, the system update manager calculates an optimum system component combination for each apparatus connected to the network. In accordance with this calculation results, the system update manager reads necessary system update modules from each apparatus, and supplies necessary modules to each apparatus to update the system.

Abstract: In transmission of stream data protected for copyright on a bus, transcription of stream data once recorded on a recording apparatus to a medium of another recording apparatus is realized. Authentication is carried out between a stream recording and playback apparatus and another recording apparatus to interchange a key for data scramble. By using this key, data is added with copy control information used when the data is recorded initially and thereafter the data is transmitted. After the data has been recorded on the recording apparatus, the data is deleted from an original recording medium. During transmission of the data, authentication from a different apparatus is rejected to prevent a plurality of copies from being made.

Abstract: A computer system replaces an input device, such as a mouse, with a video camera having an image recognizing function and an image extracting function to detect motions of the operator's body directly, and controls a computer apparatus to move a cursor and check on an icon on the basis of the output signals of the video camera. The computer system controls the computer apparatus also on the basis of a signal provided by the video camera upon the detection of light emitted by a particular object. The computer system is capable of making the computer apparatus understand an operator's intention without using any conventional input device, such as a mouse, and of facilitating an operator's input operation.

Abstract: A video camera including an imager and an analog-to-digital (A/D) convertor for converting video signals read out from the imager to digital image data, for applying the digital image data to an image input device for converting the digital image data to a data format used in an external information processing unit, through a signal line. The video camera further includes an input portion for inputting control data inputted thereto from the image input device through the signal line and producing an output, a control circuit for controlling operation states of the video camera in accordance with the control data from the input portion and a mode switching circuit.