Information distributing method, information receiving method, information distribution system, information distribution apparatus, reception terminal and storage medium

• US 20020025777A1
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tomobe, Osamu, Ishida, Takaharu, Kawamata, Yukihiro, Yamaashi, Kimiya
• Granted Patent: US 7,024,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/24 Arrangements for distribution of identical information via broadcast system and non-broadcast system
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/12 wherein another information is substituted for the portion of broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4392 involving audio buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6375 for requesting retransmission , e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from serverARQ protocols H04L1/18; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]

Abstract

A broadcast content that is at least a part of an original content is broadcasted, and a differential content, which is at least a part of the original content, is transmitted in response to a request from a reception terminal. The differential content and the broadcast content are merged with each other to reproduce a perfect original content. Therefore, the perfect original content can be obtained at low price and in short time even when the original content contains a large amount of data.

Claims

1. An information distributing method comprising the steps of:

broadcasting a broadcast content which is at least a part of an original content; and

transmitting a differential content which is at least a part of the original content in response to a request from a reception terminal, wherein the differential content is differential data for reproducing the original content by being merged with the broadcast content.

2. The information distribution method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the broadcast content and the differential content contains at least some of packets which are obtained by dividing the original content into some pieces of data, the packets being added with serial codes corresponding to time sequence.

3. The information distribution method as claimed in claim 2, wherein no serial code is added to a packet containing data different from the original content, in the packets of the broadcast content.

4. The information distribution method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the differential content includes packets containing at least a part of data of the original content, the part of data corresponding to a missing part or an altered portion due to editing, in the broadcast content received by said reception terminal.

5. The information distribution method as claimed in claim 1, wherein charging is carried out in accordance with transmission/reception of the differential content, or the data amount of the differential content.

6. The information distribution method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a frequency or a schedule of the broadcast is determined in accordance with a status of the request from said reception terminal.

7. The information distribution method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an amount or a ratio of packets containing a same data as the original content in the packets of the broadcast content is determined in accordance with a status of the request from said reception terminal.

8. An information reception method comprising the steps of:

receiving through broadcast from a content distribution station a broadcast content that is at least a part of an original content;

detecting a missing/altered portion of the broadcast content thus received which is missing or altered due to editing, and requesting said content distribution station to transmit the portion concerned;

receiving the differential content corresponding to the missing/altered portion which is at least a part of the original content, the differential content having been transmitted in response to the request; and

merging the broadcast content with the differential content to reproduce the original content.

9. The information reception method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the reception of the differential content is carried out through a cellular phone.

10. An information distribution system comprising an information distribution apparatus for distributing a content and a reception terminal for receiving the content, wherein said information distribution apparatus includes a broadcast transmitting unit for transmitting a broadcast content which is at least a part of an original content, and a data communicating unit for transmitting a differential content which is at least a part of the original content in response to a request from said reception terminal, and said reception terminal include a content merging unit for merging the broadcast content with the differential content to reproduce the original content.

11. An information distribution apparatus comprising:

a broadcast unit for broadcasting a broadcast content which is at least a part of an original content; and

a data communicating unit for transmitting a differential content which is at least a part of the original content in response to a request from the external, wherein the differential content is differential data for reproducing the original content by being merged with the broadcast content.

13. The reception terminal as claimed in claim 12, further including a purchase button for accepting purchase of a received content during reproduction of the content.

14. The reception terminal as claimed in claim 13, further including a merge permission managing unit for permitting a merging processing.

12. A reception terminal comprising:

a broadcast receiver for receiving through broadcast from an information distribution apparatus a broadcast content which is at least part of an original content;

a lacking portion identifier for detecting a missing/altered portion that is missing or altered due to editing in the broadcast content thus received;

a differential packet requesting unit for requesting said information distribution apparatus to transmit the missing/altered portion;

a data communicating unit for receiving the differential content corresponding to the missing/altered portion, which is at least a part of the original content, transmitted in response to the request; and

a content merging unit for merging the broadcast content with the differential content to reproduce the original content.