Content providing method, providing facility, and user facility

• US 20020180782A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Natsuno, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/743
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems

Abstract

A duplication/delivery center DDS records contents C11 and C12 on a recording medium M in accordance with requests from content providing apparatuses CP11 and CP12, duplicates the recording medium M, and delivers the recording medium M to users. When doing so, parts of the contents are encrypted. The content providing apparatuses CP11 and CP12 request a content control apparatus CC1 to control the contents on the recording media M. At the side of contents users, when a user sets a recording medium M in a video game console GM and tries to use a content that has been encrypted, the video game console GM requests, via a mobile packet communication network MPN, the content control apparatus CC1 to transmit a decryption key. The content control apparatus CC1 decides whether or not to transmit the decryption key based on the content of the request received from the content providing apparatus.

Claims

1. A content providing method, comprising:

a step of distributing from a content providing apparatus a recording medium, on which a content that can be reproduced by performing a specified process using specified usage-enabling information is recorded, to a user;

a step of determining in a content control apparatus a schedule for distributing said usage-enabling information to reception and reproduction equipment in accordance with an instruction from said content providing apparatus;

a step of push-delivering, from said content control apparatus, said usage-enabling information to said user equipment in accordance with said schedule; and

a step of reproducing in said user equipment said content from said recording medium using said usage-enabling information received via the push delivery.

2. A content providing method according to claim 1, wherein

at least part of said content is encrypted, and said usage-enabling information is key information that is required to restore said content to a pre-encryption state.

3. A content providing method according to claim 1, wherein

said content includes a program for providing a user interface used by said user for using said content on said user equipment.

4. A content providing method according to claim 1, wherein

said usage-enabling information is delivered via a communication network.

5. A content providing method according to claim 4, wherein

said step of push-delivering includes delivering said usage-enabling information in a form of electronic mail.

6. A content providing method according to claim 4, wherein

said communication network is a packet communication network.

7. A content providing method according to claim 4, wherein

said content includes a control program for having said user equipment communicate via said communication network.

8. A content providing method according to claim 4, wherein

said communication network is a mobile communication network.

9. A content providing method according to claim 8, wherein

said step of push-delivering said usage-enabling information includes:

transmitting from said content providing apparatus attribute information specifying said user equipment with desired attributes to said content control apparatus;

transmitting a request from said content control apparatus to said mobile communication network on the basis of said transmitted attribute information, said request asking the delivery of said usage-enabling information only to said specified user equipment; and

transferring from mobile communication network said usage-enabling information to said user equipment in question.

10. A content distributing method, comprising:

a step of distributing from a content providing apparatus a recording medium, on which a content that can be reproduced by performing a specified process using specified usage-enabling information is recorded, to a user;

a step of transmitting from said content providing apparatus to said content control apparatus, an instruction including information indicating a switch between whether or not a distribution of said usage-enabling information is permitted and information indicating a time for performing said switch;

a step of switching in said content control apparatus, at said time specified by and in accordance with said instruction received from said content providing apparatus, between whether or not said distribution of said usage-enabling information is permitted; and

a step of delivering said usage-enabling information when said delivery of said usage-enabling information is permitted and there has been a delivery request from said user, and rejecting said delivery of said usage-enabling information when delivery of said usage-enabling information is not permitted and there has been a delivery request from said user.

11. A content providing method according to claim 10, wherein

at least part of said content is encrypted, and said usage-enabling information is key information that is required to restore said content to a pre-encryption state.

12. A content providing method according to claim 10, wherein

said step of switching between whether or not said distribution of said usage-enabling information is permitted includes:

when said delivery of said usage-enabling information is not permitted,

multicasting from said content control apparatus an instruction to prohibit a reproduction of said content; and

deleting, on receiving said instruction, in a user apparatus, said usage-enabling information corresponding to said instructed content, said usage-enabling information having been stored in a memory of said user apparatus.

13. A content providing method according to claim 12, wherein

said instruction is multicast via a communication network.

15. Content providing facility according to claim 14, wherein

an apparatus in which said distributing means is provided and an apparatus in which said delivering means is provided are located apart from each other.

18. A user equipment according to claim 17, wherein

said receiving means receives said information via a mobile communication network;

and

said user equipment is configured by connecting a data terminal that is capable of using said content and a mobile communication terminal that is served by said mobile communication network.

14. Content providing facility, comprising:

distributing means for distributing a recording medium, on which a content that can be reproduced by performing a specified process using specified usage-enabling information is recorded, to a user;

schedule determining means for determining a schedule for distributing said usage-enabling information to user equipment; and

delivery means for performing a push delivery of said usage-enabling information to said user equipment in accordance with said schedule determined by said schedule determining means.

16. Content providing facility, comprising:

distributing means for distributing a recording medium, on which a content that can be reproduced by performing a specified process using specified usage-enabling information is recorded, to a user;

instructing means for giving an instruction that specifies a switch between whether or not a delivery of said usage-enabling information is permitted and specifies a time for performing said switch;

switching means for performing, at said time specified by said instruction, said switch between whether or not said delivery of said usage-enabling information is permitted in accordance with said instruction; and

means for delivering said usage-enabling information when said delivery of said usage-enabling information is permitted and there has been a delivery request from said user and rejecting said delivery of said usage-enabling information when said delivery of said usage-enabling information is not permitted and there has been a delivery request from said user.

17. User equipment, comprising:

reading means for reading contents that can be reproduced by performing a specified process using specified usage-enabling information, said contents having been recorded on a recording medium distributed by content providing facility;

storing means for storing initial state information for a content in a memory after reproducing said content, out of said contents that have been read by said reading means, that has not been subjected to said specified process;

receiving means for receiving said usage-enabling information from said content providing facility;

updating means for updating the state information stored in said memory by said storing means in accordance with the information received by said receiving means; and

reproducing means for reproducing a content that has been subjected to said specified processing in accordance with said state information.