JPH10242874A - Digital broadcast receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inhibit a screen for output inhibition resetting from being displayed continuously and to prevent unnecessary electric power from being wasted by holding the output of a program which does not meet permitted audience age conditions and performing automatic switching to another channel or turning OFF the power. SOLUTION: When a decision means decides that a user does not meet the previously set permitted audience age conditions according to audience age information, the channel is stored in a storage means unless the user makes an output inhibition reset operation. A channel switch means avoids switching to the stored channel and performs switching to another promotion channel or powers OFF only the television monitor while continuing internal processing such as the reservation processing of the receiver. Further, the receiver is equipped with a function which turns ON or OFF the operation regarding a parental lock to make it possible to properly set control in absence.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiver transmitted via a satellite, a cable, or the like.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiver that allows a user to set a viewing allowable age condition for program output.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, digital satellite broadcasting PerfecTV
!, The parental age value information of the program (in 1-year increments from the age of 4 to 20) is transmitted along with the video and audio of the broadcast program. The parental age value can be set in the digital broadcast receiver accordingly. Thus, the parental age value Ab of the program to be output by the digital broadcast receiver (the parental age value Ab in PerfecTV!)
Means that this program is unsuitable for people under the age of Ab. ), The parental age value As preset in the digital broadcast receiver is given by Ab>
In the case of As, the output of the program is suspended, an output prohibition canceling screen is displayed on the television monitor, and the program output is started only when the user inputs a password.

[0003]

In the conventional digital broadcast receiver for PerfecTV !, the program of the output channel changes, and the parental age value Ab of the program is set in the digital broadcast receiver by the user's preset pair. If the relationship of Ab> As is satisfied with respect to the rental age value As, the output prohibition canceling screen remains displayed as long as the user does not input the personal identification number, and the output is useless.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital broadcast receiver that performs effective processing when a digital broadcast program being output changes and does not satisfy a user's preset viewing allowable age condition. It is.

[0005]

A digital broadcast receiver (20) of the present invention receives a broadcast in which viewing adaptive age information is transmitted together with video and audio of a broadcast program, and a user sets a viewing allowable age condition. it can. According to the digital broadcast receiver (20), when the viewing adaptation age of the program of the channel being output does not satisfy the viewing allowable age condition, the output of the program is suspended and the output channel is changed to
At the time of output, output processing for switching to another channel that does not require user operation is performed.

[0006] The digital broadcast receiver (20) is not limited to a satellite broadcast, but also includes a cable broadcast.

[0007] The viewing adaptation age includes not only a specific age value in one-year intervals in the range of 4 to 20 years such as PerfecTV!
It includes the age of junior high school students and above, high school students and above, and adults. In addition to the age-specific conditions set by the user on the digital broadcast receiver (20), in addition to setting specific age values in increments of one year, such as PerfecTV! It also includes the setting by.

[0008] The output process of channel switching includes a case where the process is performed immediately when the allowable viewing age condition is satisfied, and a case where the process is performed at a predetermined time thereafter.

In this way, even when the program does not satisfy the viewing allowable age condition set by the user, an appropriate screen can be displayed without being left on the channel at that time with output suspended.

Another digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention (20)
According to the above, another channel that does not require user operation at the time of output is a promotion channel.

[0011] The promotion channels include a multi-promotion channel (for example, in the case of the PerfecTV! Multi-promotion channel, a channel for displaying a promotion image of a 16-channel program on one screen) and a single promotion channel (for a predetermined one-channel program). Channel for displaying an advertisement image).

Another digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention (20)
According to this, another channel that does not require user operation at the time of output is a channel that broadcasts a program whose program is already in a descrambling allowable state.

[0013] Channels in digital broadcasts are generally classified into the following channels with respect to descrambling. The user contracts with the broadcaster in advance for viewing and pays
Non-per-view channels Channels for which the user has no contract with the broadcaster for viewing Channels for which the viewing fee is free Channels that broadcast programs for which the user has accepted payment Broadcast programs for which the user has not accepted payment Channel

The programs in which the program is already in the descrambling allowable state include programs of the and channels.

In this manner, a predetermined program can be continuously output without leaving the digital broadcast receiver (20) with the program output on hold.

The digital broadcast receiver (20) of the present invention receives a broadcast in which viewing-adaptive age information is transmitted together with video and audio of a broadcast program, and allows a user to set a viewing-permissible age condition. Then, this digital broadcast receiver (2
According to (0), when the viewing adaptation age of the program of the channel being output does not satisfy the permissible viewing age condition, the output of the program is suspended and the program guide is displayed on the program output unit (22). Perform output processing.

Thus, by displaying the program table,
The digital broadcast receiver (20) can be prevented from being left unattended while the output of the program is suspended.

In the digital broadcast receiver (20) of the present invention, the broadcast in which the viewing adaptation age information is transmitted together with the video and audio of the broadcast program is received, and the user can set the permissible viewing age condition. Then, this digital broadcast receiver (2
According to (0), when the viewing adaptation age of the program of the channel being output does not satisfy the permissible viewing age condition, the output of the program is suspended and the program output unit (22) is turned off. Perform

Thus, when the program output section (22) is turned off,
The digital broadcast receiver (20) can be prevented from being left unattended while the output of the program is suspended.

Another digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention (20)
According to the above, the output process outputs the output prohibition release screen to the program output unit (22), and is executed after a predetermined time has elapsed without the output prohibition release operation being performed by the user.

Even if the permissible viewing age condition is not satisfied, the output prohibition canceling screen is displayed without immediately performing the channel switching output process. Then, when the user desires to view the program, by performing an output prohibition canceling operation such as input of a password within a predetermined time,
The output prohibition is released, and the program is output. Therefore, after switching to another channel, it is possible to prevent the user from having to select the original channel again.

Another digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention (20)
According to the method, the user can freely set the execution time band of the output processing.

For example, even if the parent is away during the day and a function related to parental lock is required, the parent is at the side of the digital broadcast receiver (20) at night and can monitor the viewing situation of the child. The function related to the rental lock may be unnecessary or obstructive. In such a case, the execution time band of the output processing can be appropriately set by the user to cope with the situation.

According to the digital broadcast receiver (20) of the present invention, it is possible to receive a broadcast in which the viewing-adaptive age information is transmitted together with the video and audio of the broadcast program, and set the viewing-permissible age condition by the user. And a digital broadcast receiver (20)
Has the following (a) to (c). (A) discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the viewing adaptation age of the program of the channel to be output satisfies the permissible viewing age condition. Storage means for storing (c) channel switching means for switching to a channel other than the storage channel of the storage means when the determination means makes a negative determination

The channel once determined by the determining means that the viewing allowable age condition is not satisfied is stored by the storage means. Since the channel switching unit switches to another channel while avoiding switching of the output channel to the channel stored by the storage unit, it is possible to quickly switch to an effective channel.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a digital broadcast receiving system. The transmission signal of the digital broadcasting receives radio waves or electric signals from an artificial satellite (not shown) and a cable broadcasting station to a digital broadcasting receiver 20 such as each home 14 via a parabolic antenna 10 and a cable 12. Then, the received signal is signal-processed in the digital broadcast receiver 20 and supplied to the television monitor 22.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the digital broadcast receiver 20. The tuner module 26 selects the frequency of the received digital broadcast transmission signal and outputs it to the channel receiver 28. Channel receiver 28 is QPSK
(QAM) demodulation, analog / digital conversion (ADC)
And a digital data demodulation circuit for performing FEC (Forward Error Correction) error correction and the like, and generates a data stream in a format called a transport stream (FIG. 4). MPEG2 transport demultiplexer 32
Converts the input transport stream into an MPEG2 Video transport packet, an Audio transport packet, and a PSI (Program Specific I / O).
nformation) and reconstructs it. One transport stream is multiplexed with programs of 4 to 8 channels.
A plurality of transport streams are transmitted from a broadcasting company. To select a channel, data such as which transport stream an arbitrary channel is transmitted in and which packet ID is multiplexed in the transport stream is selected from the PSI. MPEG2 decoder & OSD (OnScr
eenDisplay) 34 is MPEG2 video stream, MPE
The G2 audio stream is decoded, and the video signal and the audio signal are respectively
Output to AC38. The OSD converts EPG character data and the like into a video signal and outputs the video signal to the video encoder. A video signal such as an NTSC signal is output from the video encoder 36, and the video is reproduced (output) on the television monitor 22.

Each channel or program can be reproduced (output) by subscribing, and the information is transmitted to the IC card interface 44 by sending data (EMM or ECM) in the transport stream to the IC card interface 44.
The card interface 44 sends predetermined data to the transport descrambler 30 in light of the data read from the IC card, and the video and audio can be decoded by the transport descrambler 30 if the conditions are met. The CPU 40 is for controlling each component device of the digital broadcast receiver 20. User interface
Reference numeral 42 is for selecting and operating a channel from the EPG screen, to which a remote controller and a keyboard are connected. The modem 46 transfers the history data of the use of the pay program to the broadcaster.

In digital broadcasting, a program of 100 channels or more is used by utilizing the image compression technology of MPEG2.
It has the advantage of broadcasting over a wide area. In this case, by increasing the number of channels, it is possible to search for a program on the same day, the next day, one week later, etc. from a program table on a print medium such as a newspaper or a magazine, and make a channel selection or recording reservation.
This can be very messy for many viewers. Therefore, as a countermeasure, the data necessary for creating a program table, such as program information, is also stored in an MPEG2 transport stream (for the MPEG2 transport stream, later) so that the viewer can search and select a program on the TV screen. 4 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4). This program guide is called EPG (Electronic Program Guide).

The data necessary to construct the EPG is MPEG2
It is transmitted by the data structure specified by System, and consists of tables and descriptors. The SDT (Ser
viceDescription Table), EIT (Event Information Ta
ble) (Note that SDT and EIT are not general terms used in digital broadcasting,
This is a term specific to ecTV! ), The data of the additional information relating to the channel and the additional information relating to the program are extracted by the MPEG2 transport demultiplexer 32 and processed by a microcomputer or the like to form an EPG (the data structure of SDT and EIT will be described later). EPG is a display on the TV screen or the receiver itself,
Alternatively, it is displayed on a display of a remote controller. T
OSD (On Screen Display) when displaying on V screen
An IC having the above function is required, but in most cases, it is built in the audio / video decoder of the MPEG2 decoder 34 in FIG. Here, the decoded MPEG2 video is overlaid and output.

Perfe as an example of digital satellite broadcasting
cTV! transmits a transmission signal by MPEG2-TS. FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of an MPEG2 transport stream employed in PerfecTV !. In FIG.
The definitions of (1) to (5) and PID are as follows. (1) Unit start indication This means that a new packet starts from the payload of this transport stream. (2) Transport packet priority Indicates the importance of this packet. (3) Scramble control Indicates whether or not this packet is scrambled and its type. (4) Adaptation field control Indicates the presence or absence of an adaptation field and the presence or absence of a payload in this packet. The above (1) to (4) indicate that there is no adaptation field and that there is a payload. (5) Tour counter Information for detecting whether a packet having the same PID has been partially rejected on the way. Detect from count continuity. PID Program ID If the EIT or the like described above exceeds 184 bytes in the payload (PID = program ID) of the transport packet in FIG. 4, the transport packet is divided into two or more transport packets and transmitted. If a plurality of payloads of the transport packet having the target PID are connected, a bit stream such as the target EIT can be obtained.

The SDT (Service) used in PerfecTV!
The structure of Description Table) is as follows. If the PID is 0 from the transport stream transmitted from the satellite
By collecting and collecting x0011 transport packets, a bit stream according to the following format is completed. The SDT contains information about each Service, that is, each channel. This table (section) is configured for each transport stream.

The SDT has the following meaning depending on the table_id. table_id = 0x42 (SDT_a) Information about the channel in the currently received transport stream = 0x46 (SDT_o) Information about the channel in another transport stream

The information included in descriptor () of the above data structure includes the following. DM_name_descriptor () Describes the service name (channel name). DM_content_descriptor () Service contents DM_logo_descriptor () Logo of the channel is a bitmap image NVOD_reference_descriptor () near Information on video-on-demand service time_shifted_service_descriptor () Screen display information DM_service_type_descriptor () Video, audio, data, etc. service type DM_event_range_descriptor () Information on schedule_EIT existing in the same TS

As an example, EIT (Event) in PerfecTV!
Information Table) has the following data structure. When a transport packet with a PID of 0x0012 is collected and collected, a bit stream according to the following format is completed. The EIT includes information on each Event, that is, information on each program. This table (section) is configured for each service (channel).

The EIT has the following meaning depending on the table_id. table_id = 0x4E (EIT_p / a) active_transport_stream, present_following_EIT Information on the currently or next executed program of the currently received TS 0x4F (EIT_p / o) other_transport_stream, present_following_EI T Executed at the current or next of another TS Program information 0x50 to 57 (EIT_g / a) active_transport_stream, general_EIT All program schedule information of currently received TS (other than program contents) 0x60 to 67 (EIT_g / o) other_transport_stream, general_EIT All program schedules of other TS Information (other than program contents) 0x58 to 5F (EIT_d / a) active_transport_stream, detail_EIT All program schedule information of currently received TS (program contents only) 0x68 to 6F (EIT_d / o) other_transport_stream, detail_EIT All other TS Program schedule information (program content only)

The information included in descriptor () of the data structure shown in the above figure includes the following. DM_name_descriptor Describes the program name. In the case of DM_ts_event_descriptor time_shifted_event, the service_id and event_id of the parent event are described. DM_component_descriptor Describes a stream that matches the component_tag of stream_identifier_descriptor of PMT. content_descriptor Describes the program genre. parental_rating_descriptor Describes the parental level. DM_fee_descriptor Describes the PPV fee. DM_content_descriptor Describes the program content. DM_copy_control_descriptor Information about MACROVISION is described. DM_function_descriptor Describes a function to be implemented by the receiver. DM_voting_descriptor Information about voting is described. DM_series_descriptor Describes the series number to which the program belongs.

Digital satellite broadcasting PerfecTV currently being broadcast
The data structure of NIT (Network Information Table) in! When transport packets having a PID of 0010h are collected from a transport stream transmitted from a satellite, a bit stream according to the following format is completed. The NIT includes the physical information of the transmission path such as the modulation frequency and the organization channel information. This table is organized for each network (currently there is only one network, that is, only for PerfecTV!).

[0039]

The NIT has the following meaning depending on the table_id. table_id = 40h (NIT_a) Physical information of the transmission line of the network currently being received and information on the organization channel. 41h (NIT_o) Physical information of the transmission line of another network and information on the organization channel.

Descriptor () of the data structure in the above figure includes ne
There are twork_descriptors and transport_descriptors, and the information included includes the following. network_descriptors DM_name_descriptor () Describes the network name. DM_offset_time_descriptor () Offset when daylight savings time is in effect DM_message_descriptor () Message to all network recipients DM_copy_management_descriptor () MACROVISION process_configuration_data transport_descriptors service_list_descriptor () The existing service_ids and their types are listed. satellite_delivery_system_descriptor () Transmission specifications

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process for displaying a digital broadcast EPG. In S50, an instruction to display the EPG is input by the user interface 42 of the digital broadcast receiver 20, for example, a remote controller. In S52, the SDT data is received, the presence or absence of a program table is confirmed, and the service names of the own and other streams are acquired. Next, in S54, the EIT data is received, and information such as the program name, the start time, the category, and the like in each service of the own and other streams is obtained. In S56, an EPG is constructed from these acquired data. The EPG can be configured in various formats, depending on how the microcomputer program is assembled. For example, it is possible to display by channel or program genre.

To receive a desired channel, use MPEG2S
ystem, PAT (Program Association Tabl
e), PMT (Program Map Table), CAT (Conditional Access
Table) and NIT (Network Information Table). These data are all given IDs. The ID of the video or audio stream (PID: Packet ID) required for a certain program is described in the PMT,
The PID of the PMT for the program is described in the PAT. CAT is the key for conditional access. The NIT describes physical information on a transmission line of a broadcast, a channel included in one transport stream, and the like. The stream number such as video or audio of the selected channel is determined from these data, and the video or audio is received by receiving the stream of the PID.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for receiving a desired channel. When the channel number is selected in S60, the PAT is received in S62, and it is determined whether or not the channel number selected in S64 exists. If there is, the PMT of the PID described in the PAT is received (S
66). Since the PMT describes PIDs such as video and audio required for the program, the program can be viewed by receiving and decoding the PID (S68). If the channel number selected in S60 does not exist,
In S70, the NIT is received, and in S72, it is determined whether or not the target channel exists in another RF. If there is, S74
Change the RF (Radio Frequency) being received by
To receive. If not, usually, a default RF and a default channel are received (S76).

Since digital broadcasting is basically pay broadcasting, limited reception is possible according to the contents of a receiving contract between a digital broadcasting company and a viewer. The video and audio transport streams are scrambled, and the key to unlock them is also transmitted as one of the transport streams. Further, the information of this key is also scrambled, and an individual key for deciphering the information is stored in an IC card inserted into the digital broadcast receiver 20.

The contract between the operator and the viewer is usually made for each channel, so that the contracted channel can always be viewed. However, a major feature of this digital broadcasting is a contract form called “pay-per-view (PPV)”. This PPV is, for example, a contract method that allows only a certain two-hour movie program to be watched for a fee.
That is, a contract is made for each program.

In the case of PerfecTV !, the provision of a function related to parental lock is compulsory for the digital broadcast receiver 20. In other words, in addition to video and audio for outputting a broadcast program, parental age value information of the program is transmitted to the transmission signal of PerfecTV! In increments of one year in the range of 4 to 20 years. If the user presets the parental age value in the range of 4 to 20 in one-year increments according to the age of the child in the digital broadcast receiver 20, the output of the program with the parental age value information is performed. Means that the parental age Ab (in PerfecTV !, the parental age Ab means that this program is not suitable for an underaged user) is the parental age set by the user If the relationship of Ab> As with the value As is satisfied, the output of the program is suspended, and a password input screen is displayed on the television monitor 22. More specifically, a program A is being broadcast on a certain channel, the next program B on the same channel is a program with a parental lock, and the parental age value Ab indicates that the user has received a digital broadcast. Ab> As with respect to parental age value As preset in machine 20
In this case, the output of the program B is suspended, and the personal identification number input screen is automatically displayed on the television monitor 22.

Leaving the password input screen displayed while it is being displayed is a waste of the screen display of the television monitor 22. Therefore, as an appropriate measure,
For example, a channel on which a program without a parental lock is automatically broadcasted, or a program for which the parental lock can be released (= the parental age value A of the program)
b automatically switches the output channel to a channel on which a program where Ab ≦ As with respect to the parental age value As set by the user is being broadcast.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a process for a function related to parental lock. This processing is applied to the currently broadcast PerfecTV !. The digital broadcast receiver 20 is configured so that a user can appropriately set a time zone in which the operation regarding the parental lock is performed. For example, the parental lock is activated only during the daytime when the parent is away from home, and the parental lock operation is released during the period from night to morning when the parent is at home and the child's viewing status can be monitored by the side. In S80, it is determined whether it is within the set time during which the function related to the parental lock is operating, for example, during the daytime. If Yes, the process proceeds to S82; if No, the process ends.
In S82, the currently received channel (in this digital broadcast receiver 20, the received channel matches the output channel. In some cases, the digital broadcast receiver
The digital broadcast receiver 20 may include a receiving unit for output and a receiving unit for receiving data of each channel separately from the output only for internal processing. That is, the reception channel mentioned here refers to a channel being received for output to the television monitor 22. ) Detects that the program has changed. Prese of actual_transport_stream of the program currently being broadcast on the current channel
The nt_following_EIT (PID = 12h, table_id = 4Eh) is constantly monitored, and if the event_id in it is changed, it can be determined that the program has been changed.

Next, in steps S84 and S86, it is determined whether or not a personal identification number is required to view the newly started program due to the parental lock. Parental_rating_descriptor (descripto
r tag = 55h) is rated in advance by the digital broadcast receiver 20
If you are older than the parental age set in, you need to enter your PIN, otherwise you do not need to enter your PIN. If it is necessary to input a password, a screen for inputting the password is displayed on the television monitor 22 for a certain period of time, for example, 30 seconds (S88), and if a password is input during that time (S90), Without changing the receiving channel (S
92), if nothing is input, the receiving channel is changed (S94). After the change of the receiving channel, if even the program of the channel is caught by the parental lock (S96), the receiving channel is changed again (S9).
4). At this time, the channel of the channel
Store the service_id in memory and do not change it again for that channel. The memory contents stored at this time are cleared when the continuous channel change operation at that time is completed. Thus, finally,
The digital broadcast receiver 20 sets the output channel to (a)
Parental lock is not applied, and (b1) a channel in which the user has previously contracted for viewing with the broadcaster and is not pay-per-view, (b2) a channel whose viewing fee is free, and (b3) a pay-per-view channel. The view is changed to a channel or the like that is broadcasting a program for which the user has accepted the payment.

In S94, the receiving channel can be switched to a multi-promotion channel or a single promotion channel. In this case, S9
6 can be abolished and the routine of FIG. 1 can be terminated immediately after the processing of S94.

Steps S94 and S96 may be omitted, and instead of changing the channel, the power of the television monitor 22 may be turned off or a program guide may be displayed. The reason why the power supply of the television monitor 22 is turned off instead of the power supply of the entire digital broadcast receiver 20 is that the digital broadcast receiver 20 is turned off even when the operation of the television monitor 22 is stopped for a program output reservation processing or the like. This is because the main unit may receive radio waves and continue the internal processing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a process for a function related to a parental lock.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a digital broadcast receiving system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a digital broadcast receiver.

FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of an MPEG2 transport stream employed in PerfeTV !.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process for displaying a digital broadcast EPG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for receiving a desired channel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 digital broadcast receiver 22 television monitor (program output unit)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A digital broadcast receiver (20) which receives a broadcast in which viewing adaptation age information is transmitted together with video and audio of a broadcast program and allows a user to set a viewing allowable age condition. When the viewing adaptation age does not satisfy the permissible viewing age condition, the output of the program is suspended, and the output process is performed to switch the output channel to another channel which does not require the user's operation when outputting. Digital broadcast receiver 2. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the another channel that does not require user operation when outputting is a promotion channel. 3. The digital channel according to claim 1, wherein the another channel that does not require user operation at the time of output is a channel that broadcasts a program whose program is already in a descrambling allowable state. Broadcast receiver. 4. A digital broadcast receiver (20) which receives a broadcast in which viewing adaptation age information is transmitted together with video and audio of a broadcast program and allows a user to set a viewing allowable age condition. When the viewing adaptation age does not satisfy the permissible viewing age condition, output of the program is suspended and output processing for displaying a program guide on the program output section (22) is performed. Machine. 5. A digital broadcast receiver (20) that receives a broadcast in which viewing adaptation age information is transmitted together with video and audio of a broadcast program and allows a user to set a viewing allowable age condition. A digital broadcast receiver for performing output processing of suspending the output of the program and turning off the program output section (22) when the viewing adaptation age does not satisfy the permissible viewing age condition. 6. The output process outputs an output prohibition release screen to a program output unit (22), and executes the output process after a predetermined time has elapsed without an output prohibition release operation being performed by a user. The digital broadcast receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: 7. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein a user can freely set an execution time band of the output processing. 8. A digital broadcast receiver (20) which receives a broadcast in which viewing adaptation age information is transmitted together with a video and audio of a broadcast program and allows a user to set a permissible viewing age condition. Discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the viewing adaptation age of the program of the channel to be satisfied satisfies the permissible viewing age condition; (b) storage means for storing the channel when discrimination by the discriminating means is judged to be no And (c) channel switching means for switching to a channel other than the storage channel of the storage means when the determination means makes a negative determination.