Contents billing system, contents acquiring apparatus, contents acquiring method and program therefor and contents providing apparatus, contents providing method and program therefor

• US 20090055213A1
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawahata, Satoshi
• Application Number:
  US12/229,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055213A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/20 Destination assistance within a business structure or complex
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser

Abstract

A contents billing system is disclosed. In the system, billing rate information for contents requested by a first user of a first terminal by calling is transmitted to the first terminal through a connection management server based on an instruction by a second user of a second terminal; the first terminal receives billing rate information and transmits agreement information according to an agreement operation on the billing rate by the first user to the second terminal through the connection management server; the connection management server notifies a billing server of the billing rate according to the agreement information and transmits the agreement information to the second terminal; the second terminal receives the agreement information, transmits recording permission information for the contents to the first terminal through the connection management server and transmits the contents to the first terminal; and the first terminal receives the recording permission information and acquires the selected contents from the second terminal.

Claims

1. A contents billing system that bills for contents provided between a first terminal and a second terminal establishing a session for calling and data communication through a connection management server, wherein:

billing rate information for contents requested to provide by a first user of the first terminal by calling is transmitted to the first terminal through the connection management server based on an instruction by a second user of the second terminal;

the first terminal receives billing rate information on the selected contents and then transmits agreement information according to an agreement operation on the billing rate by the first user to the second terminal through the connection management server;

the connection management server notifies a billing server of the billing rate according to the agreement information and transmits the agreement information to the second terminal;

the second terminal receives the agreement information on the billing rate information, then transmits recording permission information for the contents to the first terminal through the connection management server and transmits the contents to the first terminal; and

the first terminal receives the recording permission information for the contents and then acquires the selected contents from the second terminal.

2. A contents acquiring apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for performing calling and data communication with the other terminal;

a provision request notifying section that transmits provision request information for contents to the other terminal through calling with the other terminal;

a billing rate receiving section that receives billing rate information for the selected contents from the other terminal;

an agreement notifying section that transmits agreement information to the other terminal according to an agreement operation for the billing rate by the user; and

a contents acquiring section that receives recording permission information for the contents from the other terminal having received the agreement information and acquires the selected contents from the other terminal.

3. The contents acquiring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the agreement information transmitted from the agreement notifying section is transmitted to the other terminal through a connection management server, and the connection management server transmits the agreement information to the other terminal when the billing rate is notified to a billing server upon receipt of the agreement information.

4. The contents acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an image signal generating section that generates an image signal of a screen to be displayed on a display unit,

wherein the image signal generating section generates image signals of a screen for displaying the billing rate to be agreed and a screen displaying recording permission information for the contents.

5. A contents acquiring method comprising the steps of:

establishing a session for calling and data communication with the other terminal;

transmitting provision request information for contents to the other terminal through calling with the other terminal;

receiving billing rate information for the selected contents from the other terminal;

transmitting agreement information to the other terminal according to an agreement operation for the billing rate by the user; and

receiving recording permission information for the contents from the other terminal having received the agreement information and acquiring the selected contents from the other terminal.

6. A program causing a computer to perform a contents acquiring method comprising the steps of:

establishing a session for calling and data communication with the other terminal;

transmitting provision request information for contents to the other terminal through calling with the other terminal;

receiving billing rate information for the selected contents from the other terminal;

transmitting agreement information to the other terminal according to an agreement operation for the billing rate by the user; and

receiving recording permission information for the contents from the other terminal having received the agreement information and acquiring the selected contents from the other terminal.

7. A contents providing apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for performing calling and data communication with the other terminal;

a provision request receiving section that receives provision request information for contents to the other terminal through calling with the other terminal;

a billing rate notifying section that transmits billing rate information for contents for which the provision request is received based on an instruction by a user;

an agreement receiving section that receives agreement information for the billing rate information from the other terminal; and

a provision permitting section that transmits recording permission information for the contents and transmits the contents to the other terminal after receiving the agreement information.

8. The contents providing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the billing rate notifying section notifies a billing rate instructed by the user for the contents.

9. The contents providing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

an image signal generating section that generates an image signal of a screen to be displayed on a display unit, wherein the image signal generating section generates image signals of a screen for displaying the billing rate for the contents and a screen displaying the agreement information on the billing rate for the contents.

10. A contents providing method comprising the steps of:

establishing a session for calling and data communication with the other terminal;

receiving provision request information for contents from the other terminal through calling with the other terminal;

transmitting billing rate information for contents for which the provision request is received based on an instruction by a user;

receiving agreement information for the billing rate information from the other terminal; and

transmitting recording permission information for the contents to the other terminal and transmitting the contents to the other terminal after receiving the agreement information.

11. A program causing a computer to perform a contents providing method comprising the steps of:

establishing a session for calling and data communication with the other terminal;

receiving provision request information for contents from the other terminal through calling with the other terminal;

transmitting billing rate information for contents for which the provision request is received based on an instruction by a user;

receiving agreement information for the billing rate information from the other terminal; and

transmitting recording permission information for the contents to the other terminal and transmitting the contents to the other terminal after receiving the agreement information.