System for delivering contents and method of doing the same

• US 20040083494A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sakurai, Akira
• Application Number:
  US10/685,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083494A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/126
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for delivering contents to a user, includes (a) a content server which provides a content a user selected, to the user, (b) a user'"'"'s terminal which transmits an indication of a user'"'"'s desired content among contents provided by the content server, to the content server, and (c) a network system which assigns a band necessary for transmission of the content to a channel through which the content is transmitted from the content server to the user'"'"'s terminal, only during the content is being transmitted, receives a content fee from the user, pays the content fee to the content server, and receives a fee for assuring the band and transmitting the content to the user on behalf of the content server, from the content server.

Claims

1. A system for delivering contents to a user, comprising:

(a) a content server which provides a content a user selected, to said user;

(b) a user'"'"'s terminal which transmits an indication of a user'"'"'s desired content among contents provided by said content server, to said content server; and

(c) a network system which assigns a band necessary for transmission of said content to a channel through which said content is transmitted from said content server to said user'"'"'s terminal, only during said content is being transmitted, receives a content fee from said user, pays said content fee to said content server, and receives a fee for assuring said band and transmitting said content to said user on behalf of said content server, from said content server.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said content server shows said content fee to said user, guaranteeing to assure said band and transmitting said content to said user, and provides said content at said content fee to said user.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said network system includes a first server for assigning said band to said channel.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said user'"'"'s terminal is comprised of a wireless terminal, and receives said content from said content server through a wireless base station and one or more routers.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said content server detects traffic in a channel between said content server and said user'"'"'s terminal, and calculates a higher content fee as the detected traffic is higher, as a band necessary for reproducing said content is broader than a band usually acquired during a time zone in which said content is transmitted, or as transmission of said content needs a longer period of time, the thus calculated content fee being shown to said user'"'"'s terminal.

6. The system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said user'"'"'s terminal designates a fee at which said user determines to purchase said content, and said network system makes a contract with said user when said content fee becomes equal to or smaller than said user'"'"'s designated fee.

7. The system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said user'"'"'s terminal designates a fee at which said user determines to purchase said content, and informs said content server that said user purchases said content when informed that said content fee becomes equal to or smaller than said user'"'"'s designated fee, and wherein said network system informs said user'"'"'s terminal that said content fee becomes equal to or smaller than said user'"'"'s designated fee, and considers that a purchase contract of said content is established when said user'"'"'s terminal informs said network system that said user determines to purchase said content.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said network system includes content-relay devices arranged in said network system, said content-relay devices each temporarily storing said content transmitted from said content server, by predetermined volume, and transmitting said content stored therein to a designated address by said predetermined volume, and

said network system selects one of said content-relay devices having a band at which a content can be transmitted to a group of user'"'"'s terminals which jointly purchase a particular content, assures a band resource used for a single user for transmitting said particular content between said selected content-relay device and said content server, and further assures a band resource for transmitting said particular content between said selected content-relay device and each of said group of user'"'"'s terminals.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said content server indicates both a fee at which said user can solely purchase a content and a fee at which a predetermined number of users can jointly purchase said content, and provides said content to said user or users at a fee selected by said user or users.

10. A method of delivering contents to a user in a content-delivering system including a content server storing contents therein, a user'"'"'s terminal which purchases a content among said contents stored in said content server, and a network system through which said content server and said user'"'"'s terminal makes communication with each other, comprising:

(a) said user'"'"'s terminal transmitting an indication of a user'"'"'s desired content among said contents provided by said content server, to said content server;

(b) said network system assigning a band necessary for transmission of said content to a channel through which said content is transmitted from said content server to said user'"'"'s terminal, only during said content is being transmitted;

(c) said network system receiving a content fee from said user;

(d) said network system paying said content fee to said content server; and

(e) said network system receiving a fee for assuring said band and transmitting said content to said user on behalf of said content server, from said content server.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising (f) said content server showing said content fee to said user, guaranteeing to assure said band and transmitting said content to said user, said content being provided at said content fee to said user.

12. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said user'"'"'s terminal is comprised of a wireless terminal, receiving said content from said content server through a wireless base station and one or more routers.

13. The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising:

said content server detecting traffic in a channel between said content server and said user'"'"'s terminal; and

said content server calculating a higher content fee as the detected traffic is higher, as a band necessary for reproducing said content is broader than a band usually acquired during a time zone in which said content is transmitted, or as transmission of said content needs a longer period of time, the thus calculated content fee being shown to said user'"'"'s terminal.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, further comprising:

said user'"'"'s terminal designating a fee at which said user determines to purchase said content;

and said network system making a contract with said user when said content fee becomes equal to or smaller than said user'"'"'s designated fee.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13, further comprising:

said user'"'"'s terminal designating a fee at which said user determines to purchase said content;

said user'"'"'s terminal informing said content server that said user purchases said content when informed that said content fee becomes equal to or smaller than said user'"'"'s designated fee;

said network system informing said user'"'"'s terminal that said content fee becomes equal to or smaller than said user'"'"'s designated fee; and

said network system considering that a purchase contract of said content is established when said user'"'"'s terminal informs said network system that said user determines to purchase said content.

16. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said network system includes content-relay devices arranged in said network system,

further comprising:

said content-relay devices each temporarily storing said content transmitted from said content server, by predetermined volume;

said content-relay devices each transmitting said content stored therein to a designated address by said predetermined volume;

said network system selecting one of said content-relay devices having a band at which a content can be transmitted to a group of user'"'"'s terminals which jointly purchase a particular content;

said network system assuring a band resource used for a single user for transmitting said particular content between said selected content-relay device and said content server; and

said network system assuring a band resource for transmitting said particular content between said selected content-relay device and each of said group of user'"'"'s terminals.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising said content server indicating both a fee at which said user can solely purchase a content and a fee at which a predetermined number of users can jointly purchase said content, providing said content to said user or users at a fee selected by said user or users.