Content delivery system allowing licensed member to upload contents to server and to use electronic mail for delivering URL of the contents to recipient

• US 6,985,949 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2001
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shinano Kenshi Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Shinano Kenshi Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Maruyama, Shuji, Inamori, Shinichi, Odaira, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/852,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20010042102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/208, 709/225, 709/229, 709/206, 707/10, 705/50, 705/54, 705/27, 705/26, 705/51
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6583 Acknowledgement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10

Abstract

The contents delivery system is capable of delivering multimedia contents efficiently, securely, easily and economically. In the contents delivery system, a data transmitter transmits the contents, and the data transmitter is connected to a communication network. A data receiver receives the contents, and the data receiver is connected to the communication network. The contents are attached to electronic mail, which is transmitted from the data transmitter to the data receiver. Commands for processing the contents in the data receiver are written in the electronic mail. The data receiver has a unit for executing the commands and processing the contents.

Claims

1. A contents delivery system, comprising:

a communication network;

a data transmitter for transmitting contents, said data transmitter being connected to said communcation network; and

a data receiver for receiving said contents, said data receiver being connected to said communication network,

wherein a server, which stores said contents to be received by said data receiver, is connected to said communication network,

a name of said server and a storing path of said contents to be received by said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for accessing said server written in said electronic mail and downloading said contents from said server via said storing path written in said electronic mail;

wherein said data transmitter is a first data transmitter,

a second data transmitter, which uploads said contents to said server, is connected to said communication network, said second data transmitter allows a licensed member to upload said contents to said server, and

said first data transmitter allows the licensed member to transmit said electronic mail to said data receiver.

2. The contents delivery system according to claim 1,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

3. The contents delivery system according to claim 1,

wherein a second server is connected to said communication network,

said data receiver has a unit for periodically uploading log data of actional history to said second server, and

said first data transmitter and/or said second data transmitter has a unit for accessing said second server and downloading said log data.

4. The contents delivery system according to claim 3,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

5. The contents delivery system according to claim 3,

wherein a pager server, which receives said electronic mail sent from said data transmitter, is connected to said communication network,

a plurality of pagers are connected to said data receiver,

a base station, which transmits contents of said electronic mail to an assigned pager, whose number is written in an address part of said electronic mail, by radio, is connected to said pager server, and

said data receiver receives said electronic mail via said pager.

6. The contents delivery system according to claim 5,

wherein said contents transmitted to said data receiver are music data, and

said data receiver has a unit for reproducing said music data.

7. The contents delivery system according to claim 6,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

8. The contents delivery system according to claim 5,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

9. The contents delivery system according to claim 3,

wherein said contents transmitted to said data receiver are music data, and

said data receiver has a unit for reproducing said music data.

10. The contents delivery system according to claim 9,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

11. The contents delivery system according to claim 1,

wherein a pager server, which receives said electronic mail sent from said data transmitter, is connected to said communication network,

a plurality of pagers are connected to said data receiver,

a base station, which transmits contents of said electronic mail to an assigned pager, whose number is written in an address part of said electronic mail, by radio, is connected to said pager server, and

said data receiver receives said electronic mail via said pager.

12. The contents delivery system according to claim 11,

wherein said contents transmitted to said data receiver are music data, and

said data receiver has a unit for reproducing said music data.

13. The contents delivery system according to claim 12,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

14. The contents delivery system according to claim 11,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

15. The contents delivery system according to claim 1,

wherein said contents transmitted to said data receiver are music data, and

said data receiver has a unit for reproducing said music data.

16. The contents delivery system according to claim 15,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

17. A contents delivery system, comprising:

a communication network;

a data transmitting contents, said data transmitter being connected to said communication network; and

a data receiver for receiving said contents, said data receiver being connected to said communication network,

wherein a server, which stores said contents to be received by said data receiver, is connected to said communication network,

a name of said server and a storing path of said contents to be received by said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for accessing said server written in said electronic mail and downloading said contents from said sever via said storing path written in said electronic mail;

wherein a pager server, which receives said electronic mail sent from said data transmitter, is connected to said communication network,

a plurality of pagers are connected to said data receiver,

a base station, which transmits contents of said electronic mail to an assigned pager, whose number is written in an address part of said electronic mail, by radio, is connected to said pager server, and

said data receiver receives said electronic mail via said pager.

18. The contents delivery system according to claim 17,

wherein said contents transmitted to said data receiver are music data, and

said data receiver has a unit for reproducing said music data.

19. The contents delivery system according to claim 18,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

20. The contents delivery system according to claim 17,

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.

21. A contents delivery system, comprising:

a communication network;

a data transmitter for transmitting contents, said data transmitter being connected to said communication network; and

a data receiver for receiving said contents, said data receiver being connected to said communication network,

wherein a server, which stores said contents to be received by said data receiver, is connected to said communication network,

a name of said server and a storing path of said contents to be received by said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for accessing said server written in said electronic mail and downloading said contents from said server via said storing path written in said electronic mail;

wherein commands for self-checking said data receiver are written in said electronic mail, and

said data receiver has a unit for executing said self-check commands and transmitting another electronic mail, in which results of the self-check are written, to said data transmitter.