Contents sales method and cyber mall system using such method and storage medium storing therein its contents sales program

• US 6,263,318 B1
• Filed: 02/04/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Koike, Hiroshi, Kimura, Tomoko, Okayama, Nobuya, Namioka, Miyoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tesfamariam, Mussie
• Application Number:
  US09/244,050
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/20, 705/21, 705/26, 705/27, 705/44, 705/75, 701/209, 345/351, 345/355, 455/5, 455/4, 348/12, 348/6
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A cyber mall system has a contents sales apparatus for selling digital contents, a contents purchasing apparatus, and a network for connecting those components. When the digital contents are registered into the contents sales apparatus, in the case where the digital contents are sold by the contents sales apparatus for defining digital contents using conditions constructed by a server side access control to the digital contents which is executed on the contents sales apparatus side and a physical act restriction to control an access to the digital contents which is executed on the contents purchasing apparatus side that purchased the digital contents, digital contents personal using conditions are generated on the basis of the digital contents using conditions and are given to a customer. When the digital contents are again purchased if the delivery of the digital contents fails, so long as the digital contents personal using conditions given at the time of purchase are valid, the digital contents are again delivered without again collecting a digital contents value.

Claims

1. A contents sales method in a contents sales apparatus which sells digital contents and is connected to a contents purchasing apparatus and a cyber shop apparatus, wherein

when said digital contents which are sold by said cyber shop apparatus are registered into said contents sales apparatus, digital contents using conditions comprising a server side access control to said digital contents which is executed on said contents sales apparatus side and a physical act restriction to control an access to said digital contents which is executed on said contents purchasing apparatus side that purchased said digital contents are defined;

when said digital contents are sold, a variable portion of said digital contents using conditions corresponding to said digital contents is replaced by a specific definite value thereby generating dedicated digital contents personal using conditions for a digital contents customer and giving said digital contents personal using conditions to said digital contents customer; and

if a delivery of said digital contents to said contents purchasing apparatus fails, when said digital contents are sold, said server side access control to said digital contents based on said digital contents personal using conditions given to said digital contents customer is executed, and only when said digital contents personal using conditions are valid, said digital contents are again delivered to said contents purchasing apparatus.

5. A contents sales method according to claim 1, wherein said variable portion of said digital contents includes relative period limitation information of said access control.

6. A contents sales method according to claim 1, wherein said specific definite value includes specific day and time.

7. A contents sales method according to claim 5, wherein said specific definite value includes specific day and time.

2. A contents sales method in a contents sales apparatus which sells digital contents and is connected to a contents purchasing apparatus and a cyber shop apparatus, wherein

when said digital contents which are sold by said cyber shop apparatus are registered into said contents sales apparatus, digital contents using conditions comprising a server side access control to said digital contents which is executed an said contents sales apparatus side and a physical act restriction to control an access to said digital contents which is executed on said contents purchasing apparatus side that purchased said digital contents are defined;

when said digital contents are sold, a variable portion of said digital contents using conditions corresponding to said digital contents is replaced by a specific definite value thereby generating dedicated digital contents personal using conditions for a digital contents customer and giving said digital contents personal using conditions to said digital contents customer; and

if a delivery of said digital contents to said contents purchasing apparatus fails, said digital contents customer selects said digital contents personal using conditions corresponding to said digital contents whose delivery fails from said digital contents personal using conditions given to himself/herself, so that said digital contents are again delivered.

8. A contents sales method according to claim 2, wherein said variable portion of said digital contents includes relative period limitation information of said access control.

9. A contents sales method according to claim 2, wherein said specific definite value includes specific day and time.

10. A contents sales method according to claim 8, wherein said specific definite value includes specific day and time.

3. A contents sales method in a cyber shop apparatus which sells digital contents and is connected to a contents sales apparatus, wherein

when said digital contents to be sold are registered into said contents sales apparatus, a goods price of the digital contents, customer information of the digital contents, a digital contents value comprising a contract regarding the use of the digital contents, and goods attributes of the digital contents are further defined, and one digital contents is registered as a plurality of goods by a combination of digital contents using conditions, said digital contents value, and said goods attributes of the digital contents;

and

if said contents sales apparatus fails in delivering said digital contents to said contents purchasing apparatus, when said digital contents are sold, a server side access control to said digital contents personal using conditions given to a digital contents customer is executed, and only when said digital contents personal using conditions are valid, said digital contents are again delivered to said contents purchasing apparatus without again collecting said digital contents value.

4. A contents sales method in a cyber shop apparatus which sells digital contents and is connected to a contents sales apparatus, wherein

when said digital contents to be sold are registered into said contents sales apparatus, a goods price of the digital contents, customer information of the digital contents, a digital contents value comprising a contract regarding the use of the digital contents, and goods attributes of the digital contents are further defined, and one digital contents is registered as a plurality of goods by a combination of digital contents using conditions, said digital contents value, and said goods attributes of the digital contents;

and

if said contents sales apparatus fails in delivering said digital contents to said contents purchasing apparatus, a digital contents customer selects said digital contents personal using conditions corresponding to said digital contents whose delivery fails from said digital contents personal using conditions given to himself/herself, thereby re-delivering said digital contents.