Information processing system, information processing device, information processing method, program and recording medium

• US 20050146966A1
• Filed: 12/10/2003
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Makoto
• Application Number:
  US10/507,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20050146966A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/222
• 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 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content

Abstract

The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method, and to a program and a recording medium for preventing duplicated purchase of a license. A client 1 requests a license from a license server 4, acquires the license, and utilizes content based on the license. The license server 4 provides a license with which content is utilized. The client 1 determines whether or not the license requested from the license server 4 duplicates a license already held by the client 1. The client 1 informs its user that the license requested by the client 1 duplicates a license already held by the client 1 according to a determination result. The present invention is applicable to, for example, a computer which utilizes digital content by acquiring a license to utilize the content.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

a license server providing a license for utilizing content; and

a terminal requesting the license from the license server, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license,

wherein one of the license server and the terminal includes;

duplicate-license determination means for determining whether or not the license requested by the terminal from the license server duplicates a license already held by the terminal, and

wherein the terminal includes;

license-duplication reporting means for reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested by the terminal from the license server duplicates a license already held by the terminal according to the determination result by the duplicate-license determination means.

2. An information processing apparatus for requesting a license from a license server providing the license for utilizing content, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license, comprising:

duplicate-license determination means for determining whether or not a license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license; and

license-duplication reporting means for reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license according to the determination result by the duplicate-license determination means.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

purchase-requesting means for requesting a purchase of the license from the license server according to an operation of a user,

wherein the duplicate-license determination means determines whether or not the license to be purchased duplicates an already available license after or before the purchase-requesting means requests a purchase of the license from the license server.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

confirming means for confirming whether or not a license which duplicates an already available license is purchased when license duplication is reported by the license-duplication reporting means.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

license-identification-information acquiring means for acquiring license identification information of a license required to utilize content from the license server; and

license-list storage means for storing a license list of licenses already purchased,

wherein the duplicate-license determination means determines whether or not a license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license by comparing the license identification information acquired by the license-identification-information acquiring means with the license list stored by the license-list storage means.

6. A method for processing information for requesting a license from a license server providing the license for utilizing content, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license, the method comprising:

a duplicate-license determination step of determining whether or not a license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license; and

a license-duplication reporting step of reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license according to the determination result in the duplicate-license determination step.

7. A computer-executable program for processing information for requesting a license from a license server providing the license for utilizing content, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license, the program comprising:

a duplicate-license determination step of determining whether or not a license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license; and

a license-duplication reporting step of reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license according to the determination result in the duplicate-license determination step.

8. A recording medium recording a computer-executable program for processing information for requesting a license from a license server providing the license for utilizing content, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license, the program comprising:

a duplicate-license determination step of determining whether or not a license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license; and

a license-duplication reporting step of reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license according to the determination result in the duplicate-license determination step.

9. An information processing apparatus for requesting a license from a license server providing the license for utilizing content, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license, the information processing system comprising:

determination-result receiving means for receiving from the license server a result of determination as to whether or not a license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license; and

license-duplication reporting means for reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license according to the result of determination as to license duplication received by the determination-result receiving means.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

confirming means for confirming whether or not a license which duplicates an already available license is purchased when license duplication is reported by the license-duplication reporting means.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

content-identification-information sending means for sending to the license server content identification information for identifying the content to be utilized,

wherein the determination-result receiving means receives from the license server a result of determination as to whether or not the license required to utilize the content identified with the content identification information sent by the content-identification-information sending means duplicates an already available license.

12. A method for processing information for requesting a license from a license server providing the license for utilizing content, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license, the method comprising:

a determination-result receiving step of receiving from the license server a result of determination as to whether or not the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license; and

a license-duplication reporting step of reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license according to the result of determination as to license duplication received in the determination-result receiving step.

13. A computer-executable program for processing information for requesting a license from a license server providing the license for utilizing content, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license, the program comprising:

a determination-result receiving step of receiving from the license server a result of determination as to whether or not the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license; and

a license-duplication reporting step of reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license according to the result of determination as to license duplication received in the determination-result receiving step.

14. A recording medium recording a computer-executable program for processing information for requesting a license from a license server providing the license for utilizing content, obtaining the license, and utilizing the content based on the license, the program comprising:

a determination-result receiving step of receiving from the license server a result of determination as to whether or not the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license; and

a license-duplication reporting step of reporting license duplication indicating that the license requested from the license server duplicates an already available license according to the result of determination as to license duplication received in the determination-result receiving step.

15. An information processing apparatus for providing a license for utilizing content in response to a request by a terminal utilizing the content, comprising:

query means for making an inquiry about licenses already held by the terminal;

duplicate-license determination means for determining whether or not the license requested by the terminal duplicates a license already held by the terminal; and

determination-result sending means for sending a determination result by the duplicate-license determination means to the terminal.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

license-information storage means for storing information about the license provided to the terminal,

wherein the query means asks the license-information storage means for licenses already held by the terminal.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the query means asks a management server managing information about the license provided to the terminal for licenses already held by the terminal.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, when the duplicate-license determination means determines that the license requested by the terminal duplicates a license already held by the terminal and when a message confirming purchase of the license that duplicates the license already held by the terminal is sent from the terminal, the license requested by the terminal is provided to the terminal.

19. A method for processing information for providing a license for utilizing content in response to a request by a terminal utilizing the content, the method comprising:

a query step of making an inquiry about licenses already held by the terminal;

a duplicate-license determination step of determining whether or not the license requested by the terminal duplicates a license already held by the terminal; and

a determination-result sending step of sending a determination result in the duplicate-license determination step to the terminal.

20. A computer-executable program for processing information for providing a license for utilizing content in response to a request by a terminal utilizing the content, the program comprising:

a query step of making an inquiry about licenses already held by the terminal;

a duplicate-license determination step of determining whether or not the license requested by the terminal duplicates a license already held by the terminal; and

a determination-result sending step of sending a determination result in the duplicate-license determination step to the terminal.

21. A recording medium recording a computer-executable program for processing information for providing a license for utilizing content in response to a request by a terminal utilizing the content, the program comprising:

a query step of making an inquiry about licenses already held by the terminal;

a duplicate-license determination step of determining whether or not the license requested by the terminal duplicates a license already held by the terminal; and

a determination-result sending step of sending a determination result in the duplicate-license determination step to the terminal.