Content distribution device and method

• US 20050197908A1
• Filed: 05/19/2003
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Asami, Akiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

An information processing apparatus and method, information management apparatus and method, recording medium, and program that permit efficient use of hardware resources and distribute contents with ease are provided. When communication can be established via a network (when the line is available), clients 11-1 through 11-3, which have acquired contents from a contents distribution server and stored them, transmit the stored contents to remote clients in accordance with destination designation information attached to the contents. For example, client 11-1 transmits the contents, which have been acquired from the contents distribution server and stored, to clients 12-1 and 12-2, which are designated as destination clients by the destination designation information. The present invention can be applied, for example, to a router or a personal computer providing a communication section and a hard disk or other storage medium.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. An information processing apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing contents that are supplied from an information management apparatus that manages the supply of contents;

transmission means for transmitting contents to a first remote information processing apparatus that is specified by designation information, which accompanies said contents stored by said storage means and specifies the destination of said contents;

distribution cost calculation means for calculating a distribution cost of said contents that are transmitted by said transmission means; and

management means for managing price information indicating a price for use of said contents that corresponds to said distribution cost calculated by said distribution cost calculation means.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising acquisition means for acquiring contents from any one of said information management apparatus or a second remote information processing apparatus that receives the supply of said contents from said information management apparatus, wherein said storage means stores said contents that are acquired by said acquisition means.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising reproduction means, which, when an instruction is issued to reproduce said contents stored by said storage means, reproduces said contents in accordance with said price information managed by said management means.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said distribution cost calculation means calculates the time during which said contents are transmitted by said transmission means, and regards the calculated time as said distribution cost.

20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said distribution cost calculation means calculates the data amount of said contents transmitted by said transmission means and regards the calculated data amount as said distribution cost.

21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising detection means for detecting a communication status of the information processing apparatus and communication control means for controlling transmission of said contents from said transmission means in accordance with said communication status detected by said detection means.

22. An information processing method comprising:

storing contents supplied from an information management apparatus, which manages the supply of contents;

transmitting said contents to a remote information processing apparatus that is specified by designation information that accompanies said contents stored and specifies the destination of said contents;

calculating the distribution cost of said contents that has been transmitted; and

managing price information indicating a price for the use of said contents that corresponds to said distribution cost calculated.

23. A recording medium for recording a computer-readable program, the program comprising:

a storage control step of controlling the storage of contents supplied from an information management apparatus that manages the supply of contents;

a transmission control step of controlling the transmission of said contents to a remote information processing apparatus that is specified by designation information that accompanies said contents stored in said storage control step and specifies the destination of said contents;

a distribution cost calculation control step of controlling calculation of the distribution cost of said contents transmitted in said transmission control step; and

a management control step of controlling the management of price information indicating a price for the use of said contents, which corresponds to said distribution cost calculated in said distribution cost calculation control step.

24. A program for causing a computer to execute:

a storage control step of controlling the storage of contents supplied from an information management apparatus that manages the supply of contents;

a transmission control step of controlling transmission of said contents to a remote information processing apparatus that is specified by designation information that accompanies said contents stored in said storage control step and specifies the destination of said contents;

a distribution cost calculation control step of controlling the calculation of the distribution cost of said contents transmitted in said transmission control step; and

a management control step of controlling the management of price information indicating a price for the use of said contents that corresponds to said distribution cost calculated in said distribution cost calculation control step.

25. An information management apparatus for managing distribution of contents to information processing apparatuses connected via a network, the information management apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing contents that are available with information acquired by said information processing apparatus used as a price when contents are sent from said information processing apparatus to a remote information processing apparatus;

generation means for generating, for said information processing apparatus that has acquired contents, designation information that specifies a remote information processing apparatus to which the contents are to be transmitted; and

supply means for supplying the contents stored by said storage means and said designation information generated by said generation means to said information processing apparatus.

26. The information management apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising management means for managing the location of said information processing apparatus within said network, wherein, when said information processing apparatus notifies that the contents cannot be transmitted to said remote information processing apparatus, said generation means generates said designation information that includes information indicating the current location of said remote information processing apparatus, which is managed by said management means.

27. The information management apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said generation means generates said designation information so that said information processing apparatus transmits contents to said remote information processing apparatus when the period during which said information processing apparatus can communicate is longer than the period during which said remote information processing apparatus can communicate.

28. An information management method exercised by an information management apparatus that manages the distribution of contents to information processing apparatuses connected via a network, the information management method comprising:

a storage step of storing contents that are available with the information acquired by said information processing apparatus used as a price when the contents are transmitted from said information processing apparatus to a remote information processing apparatus;

a generation step of generating, for said information processing apparatus that has acquired contents, designation information that specifies a remote information processing apparatus to which the contents are to be transmitted; and

a supply step of supplying contents stored in said storage step and said designation information generated in said generation step to said information processing apparatus.

29. A recording medium for recording a computer-readable program that controls an information management apparatus for managing distribution of contents to information processing apparatuses connected via a network, the program comprising:

a storage control step of controlling the storage of contents that are available with the information acquired by said information processing apparatus used as a price when the contents are transmitted from said information processing apparatus to a remote information processing apparatus;

a generation step of generating, for said information processing apparatus that has acquired contents, designation information that specifies a remote information processing apparatus to which the contents are to be transmitted; and

a supply control step of controlling the supply of contents stored in said storage control step and said designation information generated in said generation step to said information processing apparatus.

30. A program for causing a computer for controlling an information management apparatus, which manages the distribution of contents to information processing apparatuses connected via a network, to execute:

a storage control step of controlling the storage of contents that are available with the information acquired by said information processing apparatus used as a price when the contents are transmitted from said information processing apparatus to a remote information processing apparatus;

a generation step of generating, for said information processing apparatus that has acquired contents, designation information that specifies a remote information processing apparatus to which the contents are to be transmitted; and

a supply control step of controlling supply of contents stored in said storage control step and said designation information generated in said generation step to said information processing apparatus.