Data transmission-reception system and data transmission-reception method

• US 20020154759A1
• Filed: 11/09/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishii, Miruka
• Granted Patent: US 7,379,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/373.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems

Abstract

A data communication system is disclosed which comprises: first terminal devices for transmitting contents and content provider identification data identifying the providers of the contents; a server device for receiving and storing the transmitted contents and content provider identification data; and second terminal devices which transmit user identification data to the server device, which receive and store the contents from the server device based on the user identification data, and which reproduce the stored contents upon detection of an incoming call. The server device stores first account information corresponding to the content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to the user identification data. The server device increments first amount information in the first account information when receiving the contents from the first terminal devices; the server device decrements second amount information in the second account information when transmitting the contents to the second terminal devices.

Claims

1. A data communication system comprising:

a first terminal device for transmitting content and content provider identification data identifying the provider of said content;

a server device for receiving and storing the transmitted content and content provider identification data; and

a second terminal device which transmit user identification data to said server device, which receives and stores said content from said server device based on said user identification data, and which reproduces the stored content upon detection of an incoming call;

wherein said server device stores first account information corresponding to said content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to said user identification data, said server device incrementing first amount information in said first account information when receiving said content from said first terminal device, said server device decrementing second amount information in said second account information when transmitting said content to said second terminal device.

2. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said first account information includes first account data corresponding to said content provider identification data and said second account information includes second account data corresponding to said user identification data;

wherein said server device comprises communicating means for transmitting said first and said second account information to an external settlement center, said server device thereby prompting said external settlement center through said communicating means to settle account balances corresponding to said first account data based on the amounts represented by said first amount information and to settle account balances corresponding to said second account data based on the amounts represented by said second amount information.

3. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said second terminal device comprises:

storing means for storing said content transmitted from said server device;

reproducing means for retrieving said content from said storing means and reproducing the retrieved content;

incoming call detecting means for detecting an incoming call from other terminal device; and

controlling means which, if said incoming call detecting means detects an incoming call from other terminal device, causes said reproducing means to reproduce said content;

which proceeds to establish a connection with said other terminal device in response to an operation performed by a user while said content is being reproduced; and

which terminates the reproduction of said content once said connection with said other terminal device is established.

4. A data communication system according to claim 3, wherein said server device makes a larger decrement in said second amount information the greater the number of times said content has been reproduced on said second terminal device.

5. A data communication system according to claim 4, wherein said server device makes a larger decrement in said second amount information the higher a reproduction volume of said content is on said second terminal device.

6. A data communication system according to claim 5, wherein said server device decrements said second amount information only if the reproduction volume of said content on said second terminal device is greater than zero.

7. A data communication system according to claim 5, wherein said second terminal device comprises:

counting means for counting the number of times said content has been reproduced by said reproducing means; and

accumulating means for accumulating the reproduction volume in effect whenever said content is reproduced by said reproducing means;

wherein, in each predetermined period of time, said controlling means takes a counting result of said counting means as the number of times said contents have been reproduced and transmits the number of times to said server device;

said controlling means takes a division result of dividing an accumulation result of accumulating means by the counting result as a content reproduction volume and transmits the content reproduction volume to said server device.

8. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said server device selects those of said user identification data from said second terminal device which complies with distribution conditions applicable to said content transmitted from said first terminal device, said server device further transmitting said content to the second terminal device from which the selected user identification data has been received.

9. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said server device returns a list of said content to said second terminal device in response to access therefrom;

and

wherein said second terminal device has selecting means for selecting from the content list a content desired to be downloaded.

10. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said second terminal device comprises delete inhibit controlling means for inhibiting deletion of a content transmitted from said server device.

11. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said content is music data.

12. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said content is promotion video data.

13. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said provider is a content sponsor.

14. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said second terminal device is a mobile communication terminal device.

15. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said second terminal device comprises a plurality of portable telephones.

17. A server device according to claim 16, wherein said first account information includes first account data corresponding to said content provider identification data and said second account information includes second account data corresponding to said user identification data;

wherein said communicating means transmits said first and said second account information to an external settlement center thereby prompting said external settlement center to settle account balances corresponding to said first account data based on the amounts represented by said first amount information and to settle account balances corresponding to said second account data based on the amounts represented by said second amount information.

18. A server device according to claim 16, wherein said controlling means makes a larger decrement in said second amount information the greater the number of times said content has been reproduced on said second terminal device.

19. A server device according to claim 18, wherein said controlling means makes a larger decrement in said second amount information the higher a reproduction volume of said content is on said second terminal device.

20. A server device according to claim 19, wherein said controlling means decrements said second amount information only if the reproduction volume of said content on said second terminal device is greater than zero.

21. A server device according to claim 16, wherein said controlling means selects those of said user identification data from said second terminal device which complies with distribution conditions applicable to said content transmitted from said first terminal device, said controlling means further causing said communicating means to transmit said content to the second terminal device from which the selected user identification data has been received.

22. A server device according to claim 16, wherein said controlling means returns a list of said content to said second terminal device in response to access therefrom.

23. A server device according to claim 16, wherein said content is music data.

24. A server device according to claim 16, wherein said content is promotion video data.

25. A server device according to claim 16, wherein said provider is a content sponsor.

27. A communication terminal device according to claim 26, wherein said controlling means causes said reproducing means to reproduce said content upon detection of said incoming call data from other terminal device;

proceeds to establish a connection with said other terminal device in response to an operation performed by a user while said content is being reproduced; and

terminates the reproduction of said content once said connection with said other terminal device is established.

28. A communication terminal device according to claim 27, wherein said controlling means causes said communicating means to transmit to said server device the number of times said content has been reproduced by said reproducing means.

29. A communication terminal device according to claim 28, wherein said controlling means causes said communicating means to transmit to said server device a volume of said content reproduced by said reproducing means.

30. A communication terminal device according to claim 29, further comprising:

counting means for counting the number of times said content has been reproduced by said reproducing means; and

accumulating means for accumulating the reproduction volume in effect whenever said content is reproduced by said reproducing means;

wherein, in each predetermined period of time, said controlling means takes a counting result of said counting means as the number of times said contents have been reproduced and transmits the number of times to said server device;

said controlling means takes a division result of dividing an accumulation result of accumulating means by the counting result as a content reproduction volume and transmits the content reproduction volume to said server device.

31. A communication terminal device according to claim 26, wherein said controlling means causes said communicating means to transmit to said server device a request signal requesting said server device to transmit a list of said content;

said communication terminal device further comprising selecting means for selecting a content desired to be downloaded from the content list transmitted from said server device in response to said request signal.

32. A communication terminal device according to claim 26, further comprising delete inhibit controlling means for inhibiting deletion from said storing means of a content transmitted from said server device.

33. A communication terminal device according to claim 26, wherein said content is music data.

34. A communication terminal device according to claim 26, wherein said content is promotion video data.

35. A communication terminal device according to claim 26, wherein said provider is a content sponsor.

36. A communication terminal device according to claim 26, wherein said communication terminal device is a mobile communication terminal device.

37. A communication terminal device according to claim 36, wherein said communication terminal device is constituted by a plurality of portable telephones.

16. A server device comprising:

communicating means for receiving from a first terminal device content and content provider identification data identifying the provider of said content;

storing means for storing the content received through said communicating means in correspondence with said content provider identification data; and

controlling means for transmitting said content through said communicating means to a second terminal device based on user identification data received from said second terminal device;

wherein said storing means stores first account information corresponding to said content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to said user identification data; and

wherein said controlling means increments first amount information in said first account information when receiving said content from said first terminal device through said communicating means, and decrements second amount information in said second account information when transmitting said content to said second terminal device through said communicating means.

26. A communication terminal device comprising:

communicating means for transmitting user identification data to a server device and exchanging call data with said server device;

storing means for storing content which is offered by content provider and which is transmitted from said server device in accordance with said user identification data;

reproducing means for reproducing said content; and

controlling means which retrieves said content from said storing means upon detection of incoming call data and causes said reproducing means to reproduce the retrieved content.

38. A data communication method comprising the steps of:

allowing a first terminal device to transmit to a server device a content and content provider identification data identifying the provider of said content;

allowing a second terminal device to transmit user identification data to said server device;

allowing said server device to receive and store said content, said content provider identification data, and said user identification data;

allowing said server device which stores first account information corresponding to said content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to said user identification data;

to increment first amount information in said first account information when receiving said content from said first terminal device;

to transmit said content to said second terminal device based on said user identification data; and

to decrement second amount information in said second account information upon transmission of said content to said second terminal device;

allowing said second terminal device to receive and store the transmitted content; and

allowing said second terminal device to reproduce said content upon detection of an incoming call.

39. A data communication method comprising the steps of:

allowing a server device to receive from a first terminal device a content and content provider identification data identifying the provider of said content, and to receive and store user identification data from a second terminal device; and

allowing said server device which stores first account information corresponding to said content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to said user identification data;

to increment first amount information in said first account information when receiving said content from said first terminal device;

to transmit said content to said second terminal device based on said user identification data; and

to decrement second amount information in said second account information upon transmission of said content to said second terminal device.

40. A data communication method comprising the steps of:

allowing a communication terminal device to transmit user identification data to a server device;

allowing said communication terminal device to store a content which is offered by a content provider and which is transmitted from said server device in Accordance with said user identification data; and

allowing said communication terminal device to retrieve the stored content upon detection of incoming call data and to reproduce the retrieved content.

41. A storage medium which stores a data communication method program comprising the steps of:

allowing a server device to receive from a first terminal device a content and content provider identification data identifying the provider of said content, and to receive and store user identification data from second terminal device; and

allowing said server device which stores first account information corresponding to said content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to said user identification data;

to increment first amount information in said first account information when receiving said content from said first terminal device;

to transmit said content to said second terminal device based on said user identification data; and

to decrement second amount information in said second account information upon transmission of said content to said second terminal device.

42. A storage medium which stores a data communication method program comprising the steps of:

allowing a communication terminal device to transmit user identification data to a server device;

allowing said communication terminal device to store a content which is offered by a content provider and which is transmitted from said server device in accordance with said user identification data; and

allowing said communication terminal device to retrieve the stored content upon detection of incoming call data and to reproduce the retrieved content.