Digital data processing apparatus and method, data reproducing terminal apparatus, data processing terminal apparatus, and terminal apparatus

• US 20070214090A1
• Filed: 03/06/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sako, Yoichiro, Inokuchi, Tatsuya, Kudo, Junichi, Kijima, Kaoru
• Application Number:
  US11/714,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20070214090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/52
• 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 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems

Abstract

A digital data processing apparatus which receives digital data whose use is charged for through a data recording medium or a network and uses the received digital data by using use right data, wherein the apparatus has memory means in which use history information of the digital data has been stored, and an accumulation of uses of the digital data is monitored by use history information, and when the accumulation of the uses reaches a preset value, a transfer of the use history information is promoted.

Claims

1. A digital data processing method which is used for one of a medium and a network in which first digital data having one of a signal and a reproduction charged for and second digital data having one of a decoding and a reproduction not charged for exist concurrently, comprising the steps of:

determining whether distributed digital data is one of the first and the second digital data when the distributed digital data are one of decoded, reproduced, and obtained; and

inhibiting one of the decoding, the reproduction, and the obtaining of the first digital data.

2. The digital data processing method according to claim 1, wherein the determination is made based on an identifier added to the first digital data.

3. The digital data processing method according to claim 1, wherein the determination is made one of before, simultaneously with, and after one of the decoding, the reproduction, and the obtaining.

4. The digital data processing method according to claim 1, wherein

an identifier indicating one of a presence and an absence of a charge and information of a fee have been added to the first digital data;

and

when the distributed digital data is the first digital data a threshold value regarding whether the notification is performed is set for the fee.

5. The digital data processing method according to claim 1, wherein the notification is performed one of visually, audibly, and by one of a presence and an absence of a vibration.

6. The digital data processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second digital data are one of audio data, video data, still image data, character data, computer graphics data, game software, and a computer program.

7. The digital data processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second digital data are distributed by using one of a satellite broadcast, a ground wave broadcast, an Internet, a cable television broadcast, a cellular phone, a PHS, and a package media.

8. A digital data processing apparatus used for one of a medium and a network in which first digital data having one of decoding and reproduction charged for and second digital data having one of decoding and reproduction is not charged for exist concurrently, comprising:

determining means for determining whether distributed digital data are one of the first and the second digital data when the distributed digital data are one of decoded, reproduced, and obtained; and

inhibiting means for inhibiting one of the decoding, the reproduction, and the obtaining of the first digital data when the determining means determines that the distributed digital data are the first digital data.

9. The digital data processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

an identifier indicating one of a presence and an absence of a charge and information of a fee have been added to the first digital data;

and

when the distributed digital data are the first digital data a threshold value for the fee is set and when the fee is one of equal to and larger than a predetermined value one of the decoding, the reproduction, and the obtaining of the first digital data is inhibited.

10. The digital data processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising selecting means for selecting one of a mode to validate a function for inhibiting one of the decoding, the reproduction, and the obtaining of the first digital data and a mode to invalidate the function.