Method and apparatus for selling digital contents, processing program thereof and recording medium for the program

• US 6,594,646 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1999
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Koike, Hiroshi, Okayama, Nobuya, Orimo, Masayuki, Ichihara, Seiji, Onimaru, Hiroya
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worjloh, Jalatee
• Application Number:
  US09/473,298
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/51-53, 705/16, 705/55-58, 705/76
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

The present invention relates to a digital contents selling system for selling digital contents. Identification information of digital contents selected by a customer is received. Personal digital contents are generated by setting identification information for identifying the customer in the selected digital contents as status information for permitting the customer to replay the selected digital contents. The generated digital contents are sold. Thereby, a technique is provided for preventing the illegal use of the sold digital contents.

Claims

1. A method of selling digital contents, comprising the steps of:

receiving identification information of digital contents selected by a customer;

generating digital contents in which identification information for identifying said customer is set in said digital contents selected by the customer as status information for permitting said customer to replay said selected digital contents;

selling said generated digital contents;

confirming that a payment of a charge for said digital contents selected by the customer is completed,

wherein in said selling step, digital contents is sold and payment of the charge for said digital contents which is confirmed in said confirming step,

wherein in said confirming step, a payment confirmation from a charge settling device for performing a settling process of the charge for said digital contents is input,

wherein identification information of said digital contents, said customer and said sales staff are read by a same device,

wherein an identification code which is common to said charge settling device performing a settling process of the charge for said digital contents is used as said identification information for identifying said digital contents selected by said customer; and

adding digital contents periodically subscribed but not purchased by said customer as an object of purchase.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of stopping a sales processing upon detection of an error state.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of stopping a sales processing upon receipt of an instruction to stop the sales processing from an external source.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein in said stopping step, digital contents stored in a machine are deleted when the sales processing is stopped.