Contents distributing method and distributing system

• US 20030233281A1
• Filed: 04/09/2002
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Tadashi, Nomura, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

According to the present invention, there are disclosed a contents distributing method and a system which permits distribution of contents held by the client to the other clients, irrespective of the operating status of the client, and allows certain billing. In this system, a plurality of storage servers storing contents held by the individual clients are arranged on a network. The client issues a contents distributing request to the corresponding storage server, and acquires the contents. The storage server inquires, when the requested contents are not held, the retrieving server, and collects the contents from the other servers holding the contents. The storage server sends a billing requests, together with the billing information, to the service use fee billing server and the contents use fee billing server.

Claims

1. A method for distributing contents, comprising the steps of:

previously arranging, connectably via a network, a plurality of storage server each having a storage unit for storing contents and a retrieving server for retrieving location of the contents stored by said each storage servers, and;

coordinating one or more clients to each said storage server;

causing the storage unit of each storage server to store contents held for correlated client;

receiving, in any storage server, a contents distribution request from a client correlated to the storage server;

distributing said contents to the requesting client when there exist the requested contents in said storage server; and

transmitting a request for retrieving a location of the requested contents to said retrieving server by means of said storage server when the requested contents do not exist in said storage server;

requesting transmission of said requested contents to any of the storage servers holding said requested contents as shown in the result of retrieval through receipt by the storage server having transmitted said retrieving request of the result of retrieval in the retrieving server;

storing, upon receipt of the contents, the received contents in the storage unit for the requesting client, and notifying said retrieving server of holding of said contents; and

distributing said received contents to the requesting client.

2. A contents distributing method according to claim 1, wherein:

collecting, when distributing contents to a client, information for billing the fee for distribution of the contents in the storage server to which said client is correlated.

3. A contents distributing method according to claim 2, comprising the steps of:

connectably arranging, via a network, a service use fee billing server for calculating a use fee of the contents distributing service, and a contents use fee billing server for calculating a use fee of the contents; and

transmitting information for fee calculation collected in said storage server to said service use fee for billing server and said contents use fee server, together with a billing request for requesting billing of a fee.

4. A contents distributing method according to claim 3, comprising the steps of:

connectably arranging, via a network, an origin server for supplying original contents; and

noticing the information specifying the contents held by said origin server and, upon receipt of contents transmitting request from any of storage servers, transmitting said contents from said origin server to a storage server having received said transmitting request, in said origin server.

5. A contents distributing method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

connectably arranging an origin server for supplying original contents via a network, and simultaneously notifying said retrieving server of the contents held by said origin server; and

transmitting, when there exist contents distribution-requested by any client in the origin server, the same to a storage server having received the distribution request from a client from said origin server.

6. A contents distributing system for distributing contents, comprising:

a plurality of storage servers connectably arranged via a network, and each having a storage unit for storing contents;

wherein;

each of said storage servers has;

a storage unit for storing contents held by each client for each of one or more clients previously correlated; and

a computer for achieving a contents collection/distribution module which, when a contents distributing request from any of said correlated clients is received and said storage server holds the requested contents, distributes the contents to the requesting client, and when said storage server does not hold the requested contents, acquires requested contents from any of storage servers holding the requested contents, stores the contents in said storage unit, and distributes said contents to the requesting client.

7. A contents distributing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said contents collection/distribution module collects information for billing the fee resulting from contents distribution, when contents are distributed to a client, in a storage server to which said client is correlated.

8. A contents distributing system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a service fee billing server for calculating a use fee of a contents distribution service, and a contents use fee billing server for calculating a content use fee;

wherein;

said service use fee billing server and said contents use fee billing server receive information for fee billing collected in said storage server, and a fee billing request requesting fee payment, and each has a computer for materializing calculation of said service use fee billing and a fee calculating module presenting the contents use fee billing, respectively.

9. A contents distributing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said contents collection/distribution module receives a contents distributing request from any of clients not correlated, requests transmission of the requested contents to a storage server to which said client is correlated, and upon receipt of the contents, distributes the received contents to the requesting client.

10. A contents distributing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said contents collection/distribution module receives a contents distributing request from any of clients not correlated, requests transmission of the requested contents to a storage server to which said client is correlated, and upon receipt of the contents, distributes the received contents to the requesting client.

11. An apparatus for distributing contents, comprising:

a computer, connectable to other information processing units via a network, performing processing relating to distribution of contents; and

a storage unit connected to said computer;

wherein;

said storage unit stores the contents for a plurality of information processing units performing distribution of contents;

said computer performs;

receiving, via said network, a distributing request from any of the information processing units;

distributing said contents to the information processing unit requesting distribution of said contents, when said requested contents are stored in said storage unit;

acquiring said contents via said network from the other information processing unit, when said requested contents are not stored in said storage unit;

causing said storage unit to store said acquired contents; and

distributing, via said network, said requested contents to said requesting information processing unit.

12. An apparatus for distributing contents according to claim 11, wherein:

the computer performs the steps of;

collecting information for fee billing resulting from distribution of contents when distributing contents to any of said information processing units; and

transmitting, via said network, the information collected for fee billing and a fee billing request to an information processing apparatus performing fee billing.