CONTENT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, AND MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100235229A1
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: HATAYAMA, Akihiro
• Application Number:
  US12/722,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235229A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.160
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A management apparatus includes a collector configured to collect requests of events of which the distribution is required via the network from users of the plurality of terminals, a list generator configured to aggregate the collected requests for each event to generate a list, a disclosure unit configured to disclose the list on a site on the network for a predetermined period, a reception unit configured to receive a request for distributions from a plurality of content distributors via the site for each content included in the list, a selector configured to select a content distributor to which a distribution right is granted from among the plurality of content distributors for each content included in the list based on a predetermined conditions, and a reporter configured to report a selection result by the selector to content distributor with the distribution right granted thereto.

Claims

1. A content distribution system comprising a terminal of a content distributor configured to distribute content to a network, a plurality of terminals configured to receive and reproduce content distributed on a network by the content distributor, and a management apparatus configured to perform operation management of the content, wherein

the management apparatus comprises:

a collector configured to collect requests via the network from users of the plurality of terminals, the requests is requests of events of which the distribution is required;

a list generator configured to aggregate the collected requests for each event to generate a list;

a disclosure unit configured to disclose the list on a site on the network for a predetermined period;

a reception unit configured to receive a request for distributions from a plurality of content distributors via the site for each content included in the list;

a selector configured to select a content distributor to which a distribution right is granted from among the plurality of content distributors for each content included in the list based on a predetermined conditions; and

a reporter configured to report a selection result by the selector to content distributors with the distribution rights granted thereto.

2. A management apparatus connected to a plurality of terminals configured to receive and reproduce content distributed on a network by a content distributor and perform operation management of the content comprising:

a collector configured to collect requests via the network from users of the plurality of terminals, the requests is requests of events of which the distribution is required;

a list generator configured to aggregate the collected requests for each event to generate a list;

a disclosure unit configured to disclose the list on a site on the network for a predetermined period;

a reception unit configured to receive a request for distributions from a plurality of content distributors via the site for each content included in the list;

a selector configured to select a content distributor to which a distribution right is granted from among the plurality of content distributors for each content included in the list based on a predetermined conditions; and

a reporter configured to report a selection result by the selector to content distributor with the distribution right granted thereto.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the reception unit receives the request for distributions by a bit prices to the distribution right of the content in an auction form;

and

the selector bits the distribution right to a content distributor who has presented the cheapest price.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the collector collects evaluation information of distributed content via the network;

further comprising;

a ranking unit configured to rank the plurality of content distributors based on a result in which the collected evaluations are statistically processed;

wherein

the disclosure unit discloses a result of the ranking on the site.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a charging unit configured to charge to a user who has viewed the content.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a processor configured to calculate a reward money amount to a content distributor who has produced corresponding-content based on charging data for each content obtained by the charging unit to perform processing for paying the money amount to the content distributor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an on-demand distribution server configured to record the distributed content to distribute the content on demand in response to a request from the user.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a investment reception unit configured to receive investment to the content by the user; and

a dividend processing unit configured to calculate a dividend money for the user who has invested the corresponding-content based on charging data for each item of content acquired by the charging unit to perform processing for paying the dividend money to the user.

9. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a mobile distribution unit configured to distribute content to be provided from the content distributor to a mobile terminal of a request origin via the network;

a scrambler configured to scramble content to be distributed by the mobile distribution unit for keeping a secret on the network; and

a key reporter configured to report key information for descrambling to a mobile terminal of the request origin.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire a reception situation of the content from a mobile terminal with the distribution of the content received thereby; and

a mobile charging unit configured to charge to a user of a mobile terminal of an acquisition origin with metered rate charging corresponding to the reception situation.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a processor configured to calculate an award money amount for a content distributor who has produced the corresponding-content based on charging data for each item of content acquired by the mobile charging unit to perform processing for paying the money amount to the content distributor.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the key reporter attaches the key information to an e-mail to be distributed to the mobile terminal of the request origin prior to the distribution of the content.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a investment reception unit configured to receive investment to the content by the user; and

a dividend processing unit configured to calculate a dividend money for the user who has invested the corresponding-content based on charging data for each item of content acquired by the mobile charging unit to perform processing for paying the dividend money to the user.

14. A mobile terminal which is connectable to a management apparatus configured to perform operation management of content distributed on the network by a content distributor, via the network, comprising:

a request transmitter configured to transmit a request to the management apparatus, the request is a request of an event of which the distribution is required;

a key acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the management apparatus, key information for descrambling content to be scrambled and distributed; and

a decoder configured to decode the content by using the acquired key information.

15. The terminal according to claim 14, further comprising;

a reception situation reporter configured to report a reception situation of the content to be distributed to the management apparatus.