Content providing system

• US 6,529,453 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Satoshi, Marukawa, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, TAN X
• Application Number:
  US09/652,253
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 369/30.32, 369/24.01, 369/29.01, 369/53.31, 369/53.2, 369/53.41, 369/30.29, 709/202, 709/217, 700/231, 700/237, 235/381, 455/2.01, 455/3.03, 340/5.9
• US Class Current: 369/30.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00724 wherein a prepaid credit balance is registered on the recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/0302 Auxiliary features
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information

Abstract

An information providing system includes a loading section in which a recording medium is removably loaded, a content identification information detecting portion for detecting content identification information of the recording medium loaded in the loading section, and a housing section for housing a plurality of recording media in which content information indicated by the content identification information is recorded in advance. An ejecting device ejects a recording medium in which the content information coincident with the content information set by the setting means is recorded. The system also includes a detector for detecting whether or not the remaining number of recording media housed in the housing section and having a particular content information is a minimum threshold value. A replenishing mechanism replenishes the housing section with the recording media of the kind detected by the detector to be at the minimum value.

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus, comprising:

a loading section in which a recording medium is removably loaded;

content identification information detecting means for detecting content identification information of said recording medium loaded in said loading section;

setting means for setting content information on the basis of said content identification information detected by said content identification information detecting means;

a housing section for housing a plurality of recording media in which content information indicated by said content identification information is recorded in advance;

ejecting means for ejecting, among recording media housed in said housing section, a recording medium in which the content information coincident with the content information set by said setting means is recorded;

remaining recording medium detecting means for detecting, for each kind of the recording media storing a corresponding type of content information provided by said information providing apparatus, whether the remaining number of a kind of recording media housed in said housing section is at one of threshold values; and

replenishing means for replenishing said housing section with recording media storing the type of content information corresponding to said kind of recording media detected by said remaining recording medium detecting means as being at said one of said threshold values.

2. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input section in which operation information by a user is inputted;

wherein said setting means sets said content information based on content identification information indicated by said operation information inputted from said input section when said content identification information detecting means does not detect said content identification information.

3. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input section in which operation information by a user is inputted;

wherein said setting means sets said content information based on content identification information indicated by said operation information inputted from said input section in a state where said recording medium is not loaded in said loading section.

4. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said content identification information detecting means detects content identification information recorded as data in said recording medium loaded in said loading section.

5. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said content identification information detecting means detects content identification information formed on an outer receptacle of said recording medium loaded in said loading section.

6. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising charging means for carrying out a charging processing prior to ejection of said recording medium by said ejecting means.

7. An information providing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said charging means carries out the charging processing at a fee determined in accordance with the kind of the content information set by said setting means.

8. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

recording times detecting means for detecting the number of recording times of content information in said recording medium loaded in said loading section; and

discarding means for discarding said recording medium loaded in said loading section when said recording times detecting means detects that the number is at least a predetermined value.

9. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

recording times detecting means for detecting the number of recording times of content information in said recording medium loaded in said loading section; and

warning means for warning a user when said recording times detecting means detects that the number is at least a predetermined value.

10. A method of providing a content information of the type identified on a recording medium which is loaded in an information providing apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting content identification information of the recording medium loaded in a loading section of the information providing apparatus;

setting content information on the basis of said content identification information detected by said step of detecting said content identification information;

ejecting a recording medium in which content information coincident with said content information set at said setting step is recorded, among recording media housed in a housing section capable of housing a plurality of recording media in which the content information indicated by said content identification information is recorded in advance;

detecting, for each kind of the recording media storing a corresponding type of content information provided by said information providing apparatus, whether the remaining number of a kind of recording media housed in said housing section is at one of threshold values; and

replenishing said housing section with recording media storing the type of content information corresponding to said kind of recording media detected as being at said one of said threshold values.