Method for downloading content from a server onto a recording medium as well as recording medium being suitable therefor

• US 20060242262A1
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony DADC Austria AG (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony DADC Austria AG (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Riegler, Andreas, Hoepoldseder, Erich
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for transferring content from a server (2) onto a recording medium (14), said server (2) being accessable via a communication network (4), comprises the following steps:

a) connecting said recording medium (14) to a networkable device (3),

b) establishing a connection between the networkable device (3) and said server (2) via said communication network (4), and

c) transferring content from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14) via said networkable device (3),

wherein at least one of steps b) and c) is managed by an application which is provided on said recording medium (14) and which is activated or is activateable after said recording medium (14) has been connected to said networkable device (3).

Claims

1. Method for transferring content from a server (2) onto a recording medium (14), said server (2) being accessable via a communication network (4), comprising the following steps:

a) connecting said recording medium (14) to a networkable device (3),

b) establishing a connection between the networkable device (3) and said server (2) via said communication network (4), and

c) transferring content from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14) via said networkable device (3),

wherein at least one of steps b) and c) is managed by an application which is provided on said recording medium (14) and which is activated or is activateable after said recording medium (14) has been connected to said networkable device (3).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said application is activated automatically when said recording medium (14) is connected to said networkable device (3).

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said application reads access information which is stored on said recording medium (14) and which is needed to access downloadable content being stored on said server (2).

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein said access information determines which amount and/or kind of content may be transferred from said server (2) onto said recoding medium (14) during said transferring process.

5. Method according to any one of the claims 3 to 4, wherein, in order to establish said connection between said networkable device (3) and said server (2), a network software (10) included within said networkable device or within said application is activated which connects said networkable device (3) to said server (2) according to communication network address information being contained within said access information.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein said network software (10) sends authentication information being contained within said access information to said server (2).

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein an authentication procedure is performed on said said server (2), said authentication procedure denying access to at least a part (A, B, C) of said content to be transferred from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14) if said authentication information being sent to said server (2) does not match a predetermined authentication pattern stored or generated within said server (2).

8. Method according to any one of the claims 3 to 7, wherein an authentication procedure is performed on said networkable device (3), said authentication procedure denying access to at least a part (A, B, C) of said content to be transferred from said server onto said recording medium if authentication information being input by a user into said networkable device (3) does not match authentication information being included within said access information.

9. Method according to any one of the claims 3 to 8, wherein said access information comprises encrypted internet address information and/or encrypted authentication information.

10. Method according to any one of the claims 3 to 9, wherein said server (2) and/or application activates a content selection user interface enabling a user to select specific content items to be transferred from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14) wherein the kind and/or amount of content items is determined by said authentication information and/or internet address information.

11. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 10, wherein said application is a software program which is read out of said recording medium (14) and executed on said networkable device (3).

12. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 11, wherein said recording medium (14) is a recordable CD, a recordable DVD, a recordable blue ray disk, a hybrid CD, a harddisk, a memory stick, a memory card, a memory part of a MP 2/3/4 player, or the like.

13. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 12, wherein said server (2) creates and/or changes application specific status information each time when content is transferred or has been transferred from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14), said status information allowing said said server (2) to decide how much content and/or which kind of content still is allowed to be transferred by a specific application from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14).

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein said status information comprises a certain amount of credit and/or credit points specifying which amount and/or type of content is allowed to be transferred from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14).

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein said change of status information comprises the step of decreasing the amount of credit and/or credit points stored within said server (2) according to the amount and type of transferred content.

16. Method according to any one of the claims 13 to 15, wherein application specific initial status information is prestored within said server (2) and/or is generated according to said access information when the corresponding application contacts said server (2) for the first time.

17. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 16, wherein said application updates said access information each time when content is transferred or has been transferred from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14), said updating of access information allowing said application and/or said server (2) to decide how much content and/or which kind of content still is allowed to be transferred from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14).

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein said update of access information is done by changing access information being stored on said recording medium (14).

19. Method according to any one of the claims 17 to 18, wherein said updating of access information is initiated by said server which notifies said application each time when content is transferred from said server onto said recording medium.

20. Method according to any one of the claims 17 to 19, wherein said access information comprises a certain amount of credit and/or credit points, wherein the amount of credit and/or the number of credit points specifies which amount and/or type of content is allowed to be transferred from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14).

21. Method according to claim 20, wherein said updating of access information comprises the step of decreasing the amount of credit and/or credit points stored on said recording medium according to the amount and/or type of transferred content.

22. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 21, wherein said transformation process of content from said server (2) onto said recording medium (14) is realized as a direct downloading process, wherein parts of a content item which have already been transferred from said server to said networkable device are written onto said recording medium before all remaining parts of the content item have been transferrred from said server to said networkable device.

23. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 17, wherein at least a part of said communication network is the internet.

24. Recording medium (14), comprising a data storage area having available data storage capacity, and an application which, upon connection of said recording medium (14) with a networkable device (3), can manage to establish a network connection between said networkable device (3) and a server (2) being connectable to said networkable device (3) by a communication network (4), and to transfer content from said server (2) to said data storage area (4).

25. Recording medium (14) according to claim 24, wherein said application is a software program which is pre-stored within said data storage area, and which can be read out of said data storage area and be executed on said networkable device (3).

26. Recording medium (14) according to claim 24 or 25, wherein said application is adapted to be activated automatically when said recording medium (14) is connected to said networkable device (3).

27. Recording medium (14) according to any one of the claims 24 to 26, wherein access information is pre-stored within said data storage area, said access information being readable by said application and being needed to access downloadable content stored within said server (2).

28. Recording medium (14) according to claim 27, wherein said access information determines which amount and/or kind of content may be transferred from said server (2) during said transferring process.

29. Recording medium (14) according to any one of the claims 24 to 28, wherein said recording medium is a recordable CD, a recordable DVD, a hybrid CD, a recordable blue ray disk, a harddisk, a memory stick, a memory card, a memory part of a MP 2/3/4 player, or the like.

30. Recording medium (14) according to any one of the claims 24 to 29, wherein said application comprises graphical user interface software allowing a user to graphically control said application when said graphical user interface is executed on said networkable device or said recording medium.

31. Server being accessable via a communication network, comprising:

means for storing content which is downloadable by a networkable device from said server via said communication network,

means for creating or changing device specific status information each time when content is transferred or has been transferred from said server (2) onto said device, said status information allowing said said server (2) to decide how much content and/or which kind of content still is allowed to be transferred by a specific device from said server (2) onto said device.

32. Server according to claim 31, comprising notifying means for sending a notification to said networkable device, said notification specifying which amount and/or kind of content has already been transferred or is presently transferred to said networkable device.

33. Server according to claim 31 or 32, wherein said status information and/or said notification comprises credit and/or credit point information, wherein the amount of credit or the number of credit points specifies which amount or type of content has already been transferred and/or is presently transferred from said server to said networkable device.

34. Method for providing a backup, wherein content is transferred from a computing device onto a recording medium, comprising the following steps:

a) connecting the recording medium to the computing device,

b) transferring content from the computing device onto the recording medium,

wherein step b) is managed by an application which is provided on the recording medium and which is activated or is activateable after said recording medium has been connected to the networkable device.

35. Computer program product comprising computer program means adapted to perform the tasks of said application according to any one of the preceeding claims when it is executed on a computer or a digital signal processor.