Content distribution systems, distribution method, content processing device, and processing method

• US 20060190320A1
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: 7-35, Kitahinagawa 5-chome,, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Dewa, Yoshiharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention provided a contents delivery system (11) that can deliver contents by way of the Internet. In the system, a browser (23) requests a contents server (75) to delivery a startup file. The contents server (75) transmits the startup file to the browser (23). The startup file describes that the contents are to be delivered by streaming or that they are to be delivered by downloaded files. A contents reproducing section (24) determines if the contents are those to be delivered by streaming or those to be delivered by downloaded files according to the description of the startup file it receives from the browser (23). A television receiving set (3) may be used as contents processing apparatus for receiving the delivery of the contents from a contents delivery apparatus of such a system.

Claims

1. A contents delivery system for delivering contents from a contents delivery apparatus to a contents processing apparatus by way of a network, the system comprising:

presenting a list of a plurality of sets of contents including at least a set of contents to be delivered by streaming and a set of contents to be delivered by downloaded files from the contents processing apparatus to a user thereof;

inputting specifying information specifying the set of contents, from the sets of contents on the list, to be delivered to the user of the contents processing apparatus from the contents processing apparatus; and

acquiring by the contents processing apparatus the set of contents delivered from the contents delivering apparatus according to delivery information specifying the set of contents as one to be delivered by streaming or one to be delivered by downloaded files, the delivery information being provided by the contents delivery apparatus by way of the network.

2. A contents delivery method for a contents delivery system for delivering contents from a contents delivery apparatus to a contents processing apparatus by way of a network, the method comprising:

presenting a list of a plurality of sets of contents including at least a set of contents to be delivered by streaming and a set of contents to be delivered by downloaded files from a contents processing apparatus to a user thereof;

inputting specifying information specifying the set of contents, from the sets of contents on the list, to be delivered to the user of the contents processing apparatus from the contents processing apparatus; and

acquiring by the contents processing apparatus the set of contents delivered from the contents delivering apparatus according to delivery information specifying the set of contents as one to be delivered by streaming or one to be delivered by downloaded files, the delivery information being provided by the contents delivery apparatus by way of the network.

3. A contents processing apparatus adapted to receive deliveries of contents from a contents delivery apparatus by way of a network, the apparatus comprising:

presentation means for presenting a list of a plurality of sets of contents including at least a set of contents to be delivered by streaming and a set of contents to be delivered by downloaded files;

input means for inputting specifying information specifying the set of contents to be delivered from the sets of contents on the list; and

acquisition means for acquiring the set of contents delivered from a contents delivering apparatus by way of a network according to delivery information specifying each set of contents as one to be delivered by streaming or one to be delivered by downloaded files, the delivery information being provided by the contents delivery apparatus by way of the network.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the delivery information is correlated with the license of the sets of contents.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the delivery information further includes information for accessing the sets of contents.

6. A contents processing method to be used for a contents processing apparatus adapted to receive deliveries of contents from a contents delivery apparatus by way of a network, the method comprising:

a presentation step of presenting a list of a plurality of sets of contents including at least a set of contents to be delivered by streaming and a set of contents to be delivered by downloaded files;

an input step of inputting specifying information specifying the set of contents to be delivered from the sets of contents on the list; and

an acquisition step of acquiring the set of contents delivered from a contents delivering apparatus by way of a network according to delivery information specifying each set of contents as one to be delivered by streaming or one to be delivered by downloaded files, the delivery information being provided by the contents delivery apparatus by way of the network.

7. A program recorded on a recording medium so as to be installed in a contents processing apparatus for receiving contents delivered from a contents delivery apparatus by way of a network, the program comprising:

a presentation step of presenting a list of a plurality of sets of contents including at least a set of contents to be delivered by streaming and a set of contents to be delivered by downloaded files;

an input step of inputting specifying information specifying the set of contents to be delivered from the sets of contents on the list; and

an acquisition step of acquiring the set of contents delivered from a contents delivering apparatus by way of a network according to delivery information specifying each set of contents as one to be delivered by streaming or one to be delivered by downloaded files, the delivery information being provided by the contents delivery apparatus by way of the network.

8. A program to be installed in a contents processing apparatus for receiving contents delivered from a contents delivery apparatus by way of a network, the program being adapted to cause a computer to execute:

a presentation step of presenting a list of a plurality of sets of contents including at least a set of contents to be delivered by streaming and a set of contents to be delivered by downloaded files;

an input step of inputting specifying information specifying the set of contents to be delivered from the sets of contents on the list; and

an acquisition step of acquiring the set of contents delivered from a contents delivering apparatus by way of a network according to delivery information specifying each set of contents as one to be delivered by streaming or one to be delivered by downloaded files, the delivery information being provided by the contents delivery apparatus by way of the network.