CONTENT TRANSMISSION SYSTEM, TRANSMISSION SERVER, COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, AND CONTENT TRANSMISSION METHOD

• US 20070143441A1
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yabe, Toshiyasu
• Granted Patent: US 8,302,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

In a CP server, when a copyright determination unit determines that requested content is copyrighted content, a set up unit sets up a copyrighted content public URL comprising information that can specify a memory region where copyrighted content is stored, and corresponding to a content delivery request by a cellular phone, a transmission unit transmits the copyrighted content public URL together with the copyrighted content, to the cellular phone. Then, a cellular phone acquires the copyrighted content public URL together with the copyrighted content, and attaches the copyrighted content public URL to an electronic mail message which is transmitted to another cellular phone. The other cellular phone can use the received copyrighted content public URL to request the CP server to deliver the copyrighted content.

Claims

1. A content transmission system comprising a plurality of communication terminals that can be individually identified and a transmission server connected to a communication network to which the communication terminals belong, wherein

the transmission server comprises:

determination module that determines whether or not content is copyrighted content with an established copyright;

set up module that sets up access address information comprising information that can specify a memory region where the content determined to be copyrighted content by the determination module is stored;

reception module that receives delivery requests requesting delivery of content from the communication terminals; and

transmission module that replies the copyrighted content and the applicable access address information, in accordance with the delivery request, and

the communication terminals comprise;

request module that transmits the delivery requests to the transmission server;

information acquisition module that acquires from the transmission server, in accordance to the delivery requests, copyrighted content and the applicable access address information;

storing module that associates and stores the copyrighted content acquired by the information acquisition module with access address information; and

transmission module to transmit the access address information stored in the storing module, to another communication terminal.

2. The content transmission system according to claim 1, wherein

the other communication terminal comprises:

reception module that receives access address information transmitted from the communication terminals,

request module that executes delivery requests for the content using the access address information that the reception module has received; and

information acquisition module that acquires copyrighted content and the applicable access address information, from the transmission server, in accordance with the delivery request.

3. A transmission server comprising:

determination module that determines whether or not content provided to communication terminals is copyrighted content with an established copyright;

set up module that sets up access address information comprising information that can specify a memory region where the content determined to be copyrighted content by the determination module is stored;

reception module that receives content delivery requests from the communication terminal; and

transmission module that replies the copyrighted content and the applicable access address information, in accordance with the delivery requests.

4. The transmission server according to claim 3, wherein

the set up module sets up the access address information for every communication terminal or every user that provides the content, and

the transmission server further has a storing module that, in relation to the address information, associates and stores information that specifies the communication terminal or user to which the transmission server provides the access address information with information that specifies the communication terminal or user that has requested content using the applicable access address information.

5. A communication terminal comprising:

request module that transmits delivery requests that request delivery of copyrighted content with an established copyright, to the transmission server;

information acquisition module that acquires copyrighted content and access address information that contains information that can specify a memory region where the copyrighted content is stored, from the transmission server, in accordance with the delivery requests;

storing module that associates and stores the copyrighted content with access address information, which have been acquired by the information acquisition module; and

transmission module that transmits the access address information stored in the storing module, to another communication terminal.

6. The communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein when the information acquisition module of the communication terminal acquires copyrighted content corresponding to a request for content executed using the access address information and the access address information associated with the applicable copyrighted content, the storing module deletes the access address information used in the request for content, and stores the acquired copyrighted content and access address information.

7. A communication terminal comprising:

reception module that receives information that has been set up by a transmission server that provides copyrighted content with an established copyright, said information comprising access address information containing information that can specify the memory region where copyrighted content is stored, from a communication terminal;

virtual attachment determination module that, when the access address information is contained in the information that the reception module has received, determines that the information is virtual content that comprises the access address information and does not comprise the content itself; and

display module that, when the virtual attachment determination module has determined that there is virtual content, displays the fact that the virtual content has been received.

8. A content transmission method in a content transmission system comprising a plurality of communication terminals that can be individually identified and a transmission server connected to a communication network to which the communication terminals belong, the method comprising:

a requesting step in which the communication terminal transmits a delivery request that requests delivery of content;

a reception step in which the transmission server receives the delivery request transmitted in the requesting step;

a determining step in which the transmission server determines whether or not the content to be provided is copyrighted content with an established copyright;

a set up step in which the transmission server sets up access address information comprising information that can specify a memory region where the content determined, in the determining step, to be copyrighted content in the transmission server is stored;

a transmitting step in which the transmission server transmits the copyrighted content and the applicable access address information, to the communication terminals, in accordance with the delivery request received in the reception step;

an information acquiring step in which the communication terminal acquires the copyrighted content and the applicable access address information, in accordance with the delivery request;

a storing step in which the communication terminal associates and stores the copyrighted content with access address information, which have been acquired in the information acquiring step; and

an information transmitting step in which the communication terminal transmits access address information stored in the storing step, to another communication terminal.