CONTENT PROVIDING/OBTAINING SYSTEM

• US 20090083081A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujii, Hajime, Fukushima, Osamu, Ozaki, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A content providing apparatus previously receives customer identification information and content identification information as customer reservation information via a terminal device, and sends customer desired content data corresponding to the content identification information to a content obtaining apparatus, so as to provide a customer with the customer desired content data via the content obtaining apparatus more easily, thus making it possible to significantly improve the usability of a content obtaining/providing system. In addition, a content providing server sends three-dimensional images to a portable dedicated terminal in response to a preview request sent from the portable dedicated terminal to display it, and then sends commercial data corresponding to a preview request sent according to the display state of the three-dimensional images to reproduce it, so as to make the customer view and preview the content to allow the customer to accurately judge whether the content meets his/her taste, thus making it possible to select content data lightheartedly.

Claims

1-38. -38. (canceled)

39. A content obtaining apparatus for obtaining content data provided from a content providing apparatus, comprising:

interface means for accessing said content providing apparatus only, to receive customer desired content data which said content providing apparatus sent based on content identification information as a result of receiving customer identification information on a customer and said content identification information on customer desired content data desired by said customer as customer reservation information via a prescribed terminal device;

content data recording means for recording said customer desired content data received from said content providing apparatus via said interface means, on a storage medium; and

reproducing/outputting means for reproducing and outputting said content data from said storage medium.

40. The content obtaining apparatus according to claim 39, wherein

said content obtaining apparatus is located far away from said prescribed terminal device.

41. The content obtaining apparatus according to claim 40, wherein

said content data recording means records said customer desired content data on said storage means built in the apparatus.

42. The content obtaining apparatus according to claim 41, wherein said apparatus is small enough to carry.

43. The content obtaining apparatus according to claim 39, wherein:

said interface means receives rental period information indicating the rental period of said customer desired content data sent from said content providing apparatus, together with the customer desired content data; and

said reproducing/outputting means forbids the reproduction of said customer desired content data from said storage means if said rental period of said customer desired content data based on said rental period information expires.

44. A content obtaining method for obtaining content data provided from a content providing apparatus, comprising:

the customer desired content data receiving step of receiving, via interface means accessible to said content providing apparatus only, said customer desired content data which said content providing apparatus sent based on content identification information as a result of receiving customer identification information on a customer and said content identification information on said customer desired content data desired by said customer as customer reservation information via said terminal device;

the content data recording step of recording said customer desired content data received by said customer desired content data receiving step on a storage medium; and

the reproducing/outputting step of reproducing and outputting said content data from said storage medium.

45. The content obtaining method according to claim 44, wherein

said customer desired content data receiving step receives said customer desired content data at a position far away from said prescribed terminal device.

46. The content obtaining method according to claim 45, wherein

said content data recording step records said customer desired content data on said storage means built in a content obtaining apparatus.

47. The content obtaining method according to claim 46, wherein

customer desired content data receiving step receives said customer desired content data with said content obtaining apparatus which is small enough to carry.

48. The content obtaining method according to claim 44, wherein:

said customer desired content data receiving step receives rental period information indicating the rental period of said customer desired content data sent from said content providing apparatus, together with the customer desired content data; and

said reproducing/outputting step forbids the reproduction of said customer desired content data from said storage means if said rental period of said customer desired content data based on said rental period information expires.

49. A content obtaining program storage medium for making a content obtaining apparatus execute a content obtaining program comprising:

the customer desired content data receiving step of receiving, via interface means accessible to a content providing apparatus only, customer desired content data which said content providing apparatus sent based on content identification information as a result of receiving customer identification information on a customer and said content identification information on said customer desired content data desired by said customer as customer reservation information via a prescribed terminal device;

the content data recording step of recording said customer desired content data received by said customer desired content data receiving step, on a storage medium; and

the reproducing/outputting step of reproducing and outputting said content data from said storage medium.

50. The content obtaining program storage medium according to claim 49, wherein

said customer desired content data receiving step receives said customer desired content data at a position far away from said prescribed terminal device.

51. The content obtaining program storage medium according to claim 50, wherein

said content data recording step records said customer desired content data on said storage means built in a content obtaining apparatus.

52. The content obtaining program storage medium according to claim 51, wherein

said customer desired content data receiving step receives said customer desired content data with said content obtaining apparatus which is small enough to carry.

53. The content obtaining program storage medium according to claim 49, wherein:

said customer desired content data receiving step receives rental period information indicating the rental period of said customer desired content data sent from said content providing apparatus, together with the customer desired content data; and

said reproducing/outputting means forbids the reproduction of said customer desired content data from said storage means if said rental period of said customer desired content data based on said rental period information expires.

54. A content obtaining program for making a content obtaining apparatus execute:

the customer desired content data receiving step of receiving, via interface means accessible to a content providing apparatus only, customer desired content data which said content providing apparatus sent based on content identification information as a result of receiving customer identification information on a customer and said content identification information on said customer desired content data desired by said customer as customer reservation information via said terminal device;

the content data recording step of recording said customer desired content data received by said customer desired content data receiving step on a storage medium; and

the reproducing/outputting step of reproducing and outputting said content data from said storage medium.

55. The content obtaining program according to claim 54, wherein

said customer desired content data receiving step receives said customer desired content data at a position far away from said prescribed terminal device.

56. The content obtaining program according to claim 55, wherein

said content data recording step records said customer desired content data on said storage means built in a content obtaining apparatus.

57. The content obtaining program according to claim 56, wherein

customer desired content data receiving step receives said customer desired content data with said content obtaining apparatus which is small enough to carry.

58. The content obtaining program according to claim 54, wherein:

said customer desired content data receiving step receives rental period information indicating the rental period of said customer desired content data sent from said content providing apparatus, together with the customer desired content data; and

said reproducing/outputting step forbids the reproduction of said customer desired content data from said storage means if said rental period of said customer desired content data based on said rental period information expires.

59. -140. (canceled)