Apparatus and method for creating distribution content

• US 20020065816A1
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsusaka, Yuko, Kajimoto, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• 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 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A distribution content provided with conditions only effective to part of a content body is created. On a time axis 204, a section t1 to t2 of a content body 206 is specified. Management data 208 is then created, indicating use conditions only effective to the specified section, and provided to the content body 206 for distribution.

Claims

1. A distribution content creating apparatus comprising:

content storage means for storing content bodies;

distribution content creating means for creating a distribution content by reading a content body from said content storage means and providing the content body with a use condition; and

content storage means for storing the distribution content created by said distribution content creating means, wherein

said distribution content creating means includes management data editing means for editing management data indicating the use condition effective to a specific section of the read content body, and

said distribution content creating means creates the distribution content by providing the content body with at least one piece of management data edited by the management data editing means.

2. The distribution content creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the use condition indicated by said management data prohibits use of the section specified by the management data, allows the use of the section specified by the management data for free, or allows the use of the section specified by the management data in return for payment of a predetermined fee.

3. The distribution content creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said management data further indicates a replay order of the section specified by the management data.

4. The distribution content creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said distribution content creating means creates the distribution content by further providing the content body with a plurality of pieces of management track data, and

each piece of management track data defines a collection of at least one piece of said management data indicating at least one section used for a predetermined purpose as one management track corresponding to the purpose.

5. The distribution content creating apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

character input means for supplying a character input; and

GUI input means for supplying a GUI input, wherein

said management data editing means makes a GUI screen displayed, the GUI screen including a plurality of management tracks provided along a time axis,

said management data editing means edits the management data of the specific section by receiving, through said character input means, a start time and an end time for defining the specific section of said content body on the time axis, and the use condition for the predetermined purpose, and

said management data editing means places, based on the edited management data, a bar on the management track corresponding to the purposes in said GUI screen.

6. The distribution content creating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said distribution content creating means further includes management data storage means for storing the management data edited by said management data editing means.

7. The distribution content creating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

said management data editing means reads the management data previously edited from said management data storage means, and places, based on the read management data, a bar on the management track in said GUI screen, and

said management data editing means edits the management data by moving one end and/or the other end of the bar along the time axis through an operation by said GUI input means.

8. The distribution content creating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said distribution content creating means further includes replay means for reading the distribution content from said distribution content storage means and replaying, based on said management data, the specific section of the said content body.

9. The distribution content creating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said replay means selects one of the plurality of pieces of management track data included in the read distribution content and, based on at least one piece of the management data included in the management track defined by the management track data, and replays at least one specific section of said content body.

10. A method of creating a distribution content including a content body provided with a use condition, said method comprising:

a step of storing content bodies;

a step of creating a distribution content by reading a content body stored in said content body storing step and providing the content body with the use condition; and

a step of storing the distribution content created in said distribution content creating step, wherein

in said distribution content creating step,

management data indicating the use condition for a specific section of the content body is edited, and

the distribution content is created by providing the content body with at least one piece of the edited management data.

11. A content distribution system comprising:

a distribution content creating apparatus for creating a distribution content including a content body provided with a use condition;

a distributing apparatus for distributing the distribution content created by said distribution content creating apparatus; and

a terminal for receiving and using the distribution content distributed by said distributing apparatus, wherein

said distribution content creating apparatus includes;

content storage means for storing content bodies;

distribution content creating means for creating the distribution content by reading a content body from said content storage means and providing the content body with the use condition; and

first distribution content storage means for storing the distribution content created by said distribution content creating means,

said distribution content creating means includes management data editing means for editing management data indicating the use condition for a specific section of the content body,

said distribution content creating means creates the distribution content by providing the content body with at least one piece of the management data edited by the management data editing means, and

said terminal includes

receiving means for receiving the distribution content distributed by said distributing apparatus;

second distribution content storage means for storing the distribution content received by said receiving means; and

replay means for reading the distribution content from said second distribution content storage means, and replaying, based on said management data, the specific section of said content body.

13. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein

the use condition indicated by said management data prohibits use of the section specified by the management data, allows the use of the section specified by the management data for free, or allows the use of the section specified by the management data in return for payment of a predetermined fee,

said terminal further comprises billing means for billing based on said management data, and

when the use condition allows the use of the section for free, said replay means replays the section, and when the use condition allows the use of the section in return for payment of the predetermined fee, the replay means replays the section after said billing means charges the fee.

14. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein

said management data further indicates a replay order of the section specified by the management data, and

said replay means replays at least one section specified by the management data in the replay order indicated by the management data.

15. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein

said distribution content further includes a plurality of pieces of management track data defining a collection of at least one piece of said management data indicating at least one section used for a predetermined purpose as one management track corresponding to the purpose, and

said replay means selects one of the plurality of pieces of management track data included in the read distribution content and, based on at least one piece of the management data included in the management track defined by the management track data, replays at least one specific section of said content body.

17. The distribution content according to claim 16, wherein

the use condition indicated by said management data prohibits use of the section specified by the management data, allows the use of the section specified by the management data for free, or allows the use of the section specified by the management data in return for payment of a predetermined fee.

18. The distribution content according to claim 16, wherein

said management data further indicates a replay order of the section specified by the management data.

19. The distribution content according to claim 16, further comprising

a plurality of pieces of management track data, wherein

each piece of management track data defines a collection of at least one piece of said management data indicating at least one section used for a predetermined purpose as one management track corresponding to the purpose.

12. A terminal for receiving and using a distribution content including a content body, and management data indicating a use condition for a specific section of the content body, said terminal comprising:

receiving means for receiving said distribution content;

distribution content storage means for storing the distribution content received by said receiving means; and

replay means for reading the distribution content from said distribution content storage means, and replaying, based on said management data, the specific section of said content body.

16. A distribution content comprising:

a content body; and

at least one piece of management data, wherein

said management data indicates a use condition for a specific section of said content body