Billing method for the use of information and user-terminal managing billing of own use of information

• US 20030037005A1
• Filed: 07/03/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakaoka, Hideaki, Kusumi, Yuki, Ishikawa, Akira
• Application Number:
  US10/188,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20030037005A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

Service charges according to the number of use of information can be realized by managing service charges for the information with a user terminal. A control part 5 judges whether or not a script for reading out user'"'"'s attribution(s) exists in contents-data received by a receiving part 3. A data-distributor judges whether or not a permission for reading out user'"'"'s attribution(s) is provided with reference to a permitted URI table 9c when the script exists. In the case of provided the permission for reading out the user'"'"'s attribution(s), the user'"'"'s attribution(s) is read out from a user'"'"'s attribution table 9b and an attribution item number is recorded together with an ID for specifying a source of distribution in a history information table 9a while outputting the user'"'"'s attribution(s) to a designated destination. The control part 5 sends the history data to a billing server 11 at a desired time period. The billing server 11 calculates service charge(s) for user'"'"'s attribution for each tenant and send the charge(s) to a distributor'"'"'s computer 13.

Claims

1. A method of billing the use of information comprising the steps of:

A) transmitting from an information distributing device data to be distributed including a command for reading out user'"'"'s attribution;

B) at a user terminal, outputting information on user'"'"'s attribution being stored to a designated destination when the received data to be distributed includes the command for reading out the user'"'"'s attribution information, and storing history of the output together with information for specifying a source of transmitting the data to be distributed as history of use; and

C) at a billing server, billing for the use of information to the information transmission source specified by the information for specifying the source.

2. A billing method of claim 1, wherein the user terminal stores a processing program, and wherein the designated destination is the processing program.

3. A billing method of claim 2, wherein the processing program is transmitted so as to contained in the data to be distributed.

4. A billing method of claim 2, wherein the processing program is previously stored in the user terminal.

5. A billing method of claim 2, wherein a device to be controlled connected to the user terminal is controlled with the user'"'"'s attribution information.

6. A billing method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

outputting data to be recognized by a user using the user'"'"'s attribution information.

7. A billing method of claim 6, wherein the data to be recognized is image data.

8. A billing method of claim 6, wherein the data to be recognized is audio data.

9. A billing method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information to outside of the user terminal.

10. A billing method of claim 9, wherein a destination for the output of the user'"'"'s attribution information is the information distributing device.

11. A billing method of claim 9, wherein a destination for the output of the user'"'"'s attribution information is a device to be controlled connected to the user terminal

12. A billing method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

preparing a permission table for determining whether or not outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information.

13. A billing method of claim 12, wherein the permission table can be amended by a user.

14. A billing method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

providing degree of reliability for the information distributor to the user.

15. A billing method of claim 14, wherein the degree of reliability is previously determined by the information distributor.

16. A billing method of claim 13, wherein the permission table can be set whether or not outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information for each user'"'"'s attribution item.

17. A billing method of claim 12, wherein the permission table is automatically generated in accordance with degree of reliability for each information distributor.

18. A billing method of claim 17, wherein the permission table is set so that whether or not outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information for each user'"'"'s attribution item.

19. A billing method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

at the user terminal, making an inquiry to the user whenever user'"'"'s attribution information is about to output, and outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information when a permission to the inquiry is received.

20. A billing method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

at the user terminal, storing a permission list for determining whether or not outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information, judging whether or not at an information distributing device distributing a command for reading out the user'"'"'s attribution information exists on the permission list, and outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information when the user'"'"'s attribution information exists in the list.

21. A billing method of claim 1, wherein the permission list can be set whether or not permitting the output of the user'"'"'s attribution information for each character item.

22. In a user terminal managing billing of own use of information, wherein the user terminal outputs information on user'"'"'s attribution being stored to a designated destination when data to be distributed including a command for reading out the user'"'"'s attribution information is received from an information distributing device, and history of the output is stored together with information for specifying a source of transmitting the data to be distributed as history of use, and wherein the history of use is outputted to a billing server.

24. A user terminal of claim 22, wherein an inquiry is made to the user whenever user'"'"'s attribution information is output to outside of the terminal, and wherein the user'"'"'s attribution information is outputted when a permission to the inquiry is received.

25. A user terminal of claim 22, wherein the user terminal, stores a permission list for determining whether or not outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information and judges whether or not at an information distributing device distributing a command for reading out the user'"'"'s attribution information exists on the permission list, and outputs the user'"'"'s attribution information when the user'"'"'s attribution information exists in the list.

26. A user terminal of claim 22, wherein the user terminal is a set-top-box, the information-distributing device is a broadcasting station, and wherein the data to be distributed is described in a data format in a language for describing contents used in data telecast.

27. A television set for satellite broadcasting which comprises the user terminal defined in claim 22.

28. A user terminal of claim 22, wherein the user terminal carries out the following process;

1) data for displaying display images is outputted using the user'"'"'s attribution information when a program for switching display image is contained in the data to be distributed, and

2) the user'"'"'s attribution information is outputted to the data-distributing-server when a command for outputting the user'"'"'s attribution information to a data-distributing-server connected via a communication line is contained in the data to be distributed.

23. In a user terminal managing billing of own use of information, wherein the user terminal outputs information on user'"'"'s attribution being stored to a designated destination when data to be distributed including a command for reading out the user'"'"'s attribution information is received from an information distributing device, and wherein history of the output is stored together with information for specifying a source of transmitting the data to be distributed as history of use.

29. A billing server for billing the use of information on user'"'"'s attribution onto a data-distributor, wherein

the server reading out history of use for the information on user'"'"'s attribution from each of user terminals, the history of use being a record of outputting the user'"'"'s attribution to a designated destination according to a command for reading out user'"'"'s attribution contained in data to be distributed supplied from the data-distributor, and

the server carrying out billing onto a data-distributor specified by information for specifying a source of transmitting the data to be distributed, the information for specifying the transmission source being in association with the history of use.

30. A method of billing the use of information on user'"'"'s attribution onto a data-distributor comprising the steps of:

reading out history of use for the information on user'"'"'s attribution from each of user terminals;

wherein the history of use is a record of outputting the user'"'"'s attribution to a designated destination according to a command for reading out user'"'"'s attribution contained in data to be distributed supplied from the data-distributor, and

carrying out billing onto a data-distributor specified by information for specifying a source of transmitting the data to be distributed;

wherein the information for specifying the transmission source is in association with the history of use.

33. A computer-readable program for processing the method defined in claim 30 with a computer.

34. A storage medium storing the program defined in claim 33.

31. A method of receiving data to be distributed comprising the steps of:

outputting information on user'"'"'s attribution being stored to a designated destination when data to be distributed including a command for reading out the user'"'"'s attribution information;

storing history of the output together with information for specifying a source of transmitting the data to be distributed as history of use; and

transmitting the history of use to a server carrying out billing.

32. A method of receiving data to be distributed comprising the steps of:

outputting information on user'"'"'s attribution being stored to a designated destination when data to be distributed including a command for reading out the user'"'"'s attribution information; and

storing history of the output together with information for specifying a source of transmitting the data to be distributed as history of use.

35. A method of billing the use of information comprising the steps of:

reading out user'"'"'s attribution information when a command for reading out user'"'"'s attribution is received from a source of distributing the command;

storing history of the reading out together with information for specifying a source of transmitting the data to be distributed as history of use for user'"'"'s attribution information; and

billing onto the source of distribution specified by the information on source of transmission.