TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns an antenna strap for a mobile device according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention concerns a mobile de¬ vice for receiving a broadcast service. Yet furthermore, the invention con¬ cerns a system for receiving the broadcast service.

BACKGROUND ART

Digital broadcast has created a great deal of interest as a delivery way. For example, broadcast can offer quite a big data transfer speed, therefore mak¬ ing the system relatively tempting. Environments and situations in the broadcasting systems like digital video broadcasting, which itself has a long history in television and radio even as a digitalised one, have created a need for evaluating the broadcasting technique in a situation where it was not originally designed. An example of this kind of situation can be a mobile reception or more generally a mobile world. Thus, the broadcasting tech¬ nique is facing the arisen mobility challenge. Because of the complicated and heavy radio-technical nature of the broadcast transmission, an antenna of the mobile device needs to cope with it.

Normally, a broadcast receiver receives all free content that is available. However, some broadcast services require subscription of the service and therefore the receiver should have an enabling conditional access for that particular service or services. This is currently only possible with compli¬ cated subscription procedures, by e.g. visiting WEB pages and request there subscription Ids etc. Furthermore, these must be entered manually into the terminal. In the PC world, big and bulky dongles are used for that purpose. However, they are clearly not applicable for being used in mobile world.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide an antenna enabling mo¬ bile broadcast reception in the mobile device. Furthermore, the access to the desired, e.g. subscribed, service should be more simple and easy for the

user of the mobile device. This object is achieved by an antenna strap for the mobile device according to claim 1. In accordance with a further aspect of the invention the object is also achieved by a mobile device for receiving a broadcast service according to claim 17. In accordance with yet further aspect of the invention the object is also achieved by a system for mobile broadcast reception as claimed in claim 18.

In the antenna strap according to the invention the mobile device is being provided with antenna means for receiving wireless broadcast in the mobile device. The antenna means of the antenna strap extends beyond the tradi- tional antenna of the mobile device so that the mobile broadcast is more feasible. Furthermore, the antenna strap comprises parameters for initializ¬ ing an access to the subscribed service delivered by the wireless broadcast. The parameters set the initializing phase for accessing and eventually ob¬ taining at least one subscribed broadcast service. The parameters do not necessarily contain all the necessary parameters for obtaining the broadcast service, but they can relate to the initializing phase. There is no need to ad¬ ditionally enter any parameters etc. Therefore, the user can more comforta¬ bly obtain subscribed broadcast services in his mobile device. Thus the an¬ tenna strap for the mobile device simplifies the initializing of the access to the service delivered to the mobile device by broadcasting.

Further embodiment of the invention can advantageously utilize a plug-in strap as antenna for mobile broadcast in mobile devices. Preferably, the fur¬ ther embodiment extends that antenna strap with means for electronic iden¬ tification of subscribed broadcast services. Thus, the combination of em- bedded subscription service identification inside electronic antenna straps provides advantageous broadcast service reception way.

In various embodiments of the invention the means for electronic identifica¬ tion of subscribed broadcast services may be many kinds of additional pa¬ rameters beside the ones to simplify the initialising of the access to the ser- vice. For example, the antenna strap can have parameters for receiving al¬ ternative frequencies, information about service availability time, and infor¬ mation about service availability geographical position. Furthermore the an¬ tenna strap can include information on the tuning parameters of the sub¬ scribed broadcast service so that when the strap is attached or plugged into the device, the receiver can tune into that particular channel (or channels). Yet furthermore, the user may be even asked if he wants to be connected to

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that service when attaching the strap or having attached it to the mobile de¬ vice.

Further embodiments of the invention have been specified in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with refer¬ ence to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 depicts an example of a subscription antenna strap coupled with a mobile device according to further embodiments of the invention,

Figure 2a depicts an example of a knob of an antenna strap containing the parameter for initializing the access to the broadcast service in accordance with various further embodiments of the invention,

Figure 2b depicts an example of a mobile device for an antenna strap re¬ ceiving the broadcast service in accordance with various further embodi- ments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF FURTHER EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 depicts a concept of a mobile device (100) and the antenna strap (101). The mobile device (100) can be a cellular mobile phone having a ca¬ pability to receive broadcast transmission such as DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast for Handheld device), DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting), DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), FM-DARC (Data Radio Channel) etc. For enabling broadcast reception in the mobile device (101), a feasible antenna should be available in order to achieve proper reception of the broadcast bearer. The antenna strap (101) can be used for receiving the mobile broadcast transmission. The antenna strap (101) can be a plug-in strap. Furthermore, the antenna strap (101) can be designed for carrying the mobile device (100), and still be used as antenna. With that antenna and an embedded broadcast receiver, free broadcast content can be received.

Some broadcast services require subscription of the service and enabling the conditional access or the like for that service on the mobile device (100).

The antenna strap (101) has means (102) for electronic identification of subscribed broadcast service(s). With the help of the electric identification

means (102), initializing the service access is very much simplified and can be almost invisible to the mobile user. Thus, an embodiment of the invention can provide the combination of embedded subscription service and identifi¬ cation within electronic antenna straps (101). The electronic identification means (102) can be included in a knob (102) of the antenna strap (101).

The embodiment combines the antenna strap (101) with the electronic Iden¬ tification means, which is build into the antenna strap (101) generally invisi¬ bly.

In various further embodiments of the invention, with the help of the identifi- cation means and an application (103) such as JAVA midlet (103) running on the mobile device (100), a key is derivable. The key can enable the ac¬ cess to conditional access protected broadcast content (i.e. the subscription service) by de-scrambling the data.

For example, a user buying or ordering a particular subscription service may receive the following deliverables:

• A plug-in strap (101) as broadcast antenna and carry handle

• A seamlessly embedded electronic identification means (102, 103), which may communicate with the mobile device (101) and give access to one or more subscription services.

The antenna strap (101) may contain conductive wires (104), which operate as an antenna for broadcast receiver of the mobile device (100). The wires (104), or additional, independent and isolated wires can be used for con¬ necting the embedded identification means of the antenna strap (101) with the mobile device (100).

Optionally the communication between the identification means of the an¬ tenna strap and the mobile device can be wireless short-range communica¬ tion. In one embodiment of the invention the identification means of the an¬ tenna strap (101) may be a contactlessly readable data carrier, such as a RFID tag and the mobile device (100) is provided with appropriate reading means, e.g. with a RFID reader.

Various further implementations

There are several implementation options for the identification means.

• The access key or access key data can be directly located within the an¬ tenna strap (101), but only the JAVA midlet (103) can access it. For ex¬ ample, after the antenna strap (101) has been attached to the mobile de¬ vice (100), the JAVA midlet (103) requests the key from the antenna strap (101). Thereafter, the JAVA midlet (103) obtains the key for condi¬ tional access for receiving a service associated with the key .

• The access key or corresponding data is directly located within the an¬ tenna strap (101), but only the JAVA midlet (103) in combination with the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) can access the key. The IMSI can be used to increase the level of security so that the antenna strap (101) can be more user specific. For example, the antenna strap (101) does not give the key if the IMSI is not appropriate. Thereby, the antenna strap (101) having the key is user-specific working only with the appropriate IMSI of the particular user of the mobile device (100).

• The key is calculated within the antenna strap (101), on a request by the JAVA midlet (103). This can provide even more security by making it dif¬ ficult to tamper the de-scrambling key.

• The key is calculated within the antenna strap (101), on a request by the JAVA midlet (103), in combination with the IMSI.

Thus the identification means can be placed in the mobile device (100) or inside the attachable knob (102) of the antenna strap (101).

Operating power for the identification means can be supplied over wires (104) in case of wired connection. The operating power may be supplied us¬ ing electromagnetic waves in case of wireless connection during the ID re- quest-response.

In a further embodiment, user can advantageously acquire the antenna strap (101)e.g. by buying. The antenna strap (101) (i.e. the broadcast an¬ tenna for mobile device) can be acquired as a mobile enhancement product for accessing some digital broadcast services. Thus the user receives thereby the unique subscription key and/or means for accessing certain broadcast service(s). The unique subscription key can be included in the an¬ tenna strap (101) as parameters for accessing to the particular service de¬ livered by the wireless broadcast. For example, the key can be electrically embedded into the antenna strap (101).

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In a further embodiment, the service delivered by the wireless broadcast can be user-specific. As the strap (101) is a plug-in solution, the access to the service can advantageously move with the user in case of using certain de¬ vices for different reasons. For example, the antenna strap (101) can iden- tify the service in various different mobile devices. Thus the particular an¬ tenna strap (101) entitles for a particular service, and the strap (101) can operate in different mobile devices (100's).

In a further embodiment, the identification can be advantageously bound to the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity). If the electronic antenna strap (101) is lost, others cannot abuse it for illegal access to subscribed services. Thus the antenna strap (101) may not work in a mobile device (100), which does not have a particular IMSI etc.

In still further embodiment, an antenna strap (101) can make the reception of the broadcast bearer possible. Thus the antenna strap (101) can have pa- rameters initializing the access for an entire broadcast bearer.

Various parameters

In various embodiments of the invention many kinds of additional parame¬ ters (102) beside the means (102) for electronic identification of subscribed broadcast services can be applied to simplify the initialising of the access to the service. For example, the antenna strap (101) can have parameters (102) for receiving alternative frequencies, information about service avail¬ ability time, and information about service availability geographical position. Furthermore the antenna strap (101) can include information on the tuning parameters of the subscribed broadcast service so that when the strap is at- tached or plugged into the device, the receiver can tune into that particular channel (or channels). Yet furthermore, the user may be even asked if he wants to be connected to that service.

Furthermore the parameters (102) can be at least partly adjustable. For ex¬ ample, a retailer etc. can adjust the parameters (102) in the knob (102) to adapt the parameters to fit for the user's needs or user profile. Thus, content the user wishes to receive and watch in his mobile device (100) or home lo¬ cation can be adjusted.

Still furthermore the parameters (102) can be updated or adjusted via cellu¬ lar mobile network (e.g. GPRS). For example, once the service access is authenticated the parameters can be reloaded via GPRS.

In Figure 2a there is being depicted the knob (102) of the antenna strap (101) containing one or more parameters (102) for initializing the access to the broadcast service in accordance with various further embodiments of the invention. The knob (102) may contain means (102) for initializing the ac¬ cess to the mobile broadcast service in an electric container (201) such as Flash or EEPROM card or the like. The electric container (201) is coupled with an interface (202) of the knob (102) for interfacing with the mobile de¬ vice (100).

Also Figure 2b depicts an interface (203) contained in the mobile device (100) for attaching the antenna strap (101) to the device (100). Also the JAVA midlet (103) is coupled with the interface for communicating with the antenna strap (101). The JAVA midlet can be stored in the memory of the mobile device (100).

Ramifications and Scope

Although the description above contains many specifics, these are merely provided to illustrate the invention and should not be construed as limita- tions of the invention's scope. It should be also noted that the many specif¬ ics can be combined in various ways in a single or multiple embodiments. Thus it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the apparatuses and processes of the pre¬ sent invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.