Online distribution system and method

• US 7,054,834 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hatakeyama, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D.
• Application Number:
  US09/824,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20020002498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,883 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy

Abstract

An online distribution system by which the time required for a downloading procedure in a shop can be performed in a short time by a download terminal connected to a search server through a data distribution server which is connectable to a personal terminal. The search server stores a plurality of titles of distribution information, searches the titles for a title designated for subscription from the personal terminal, and stores the searched out title and identification information transmitted from the personal terminal. The download terminal acquires identification information inputted from the outside, reads out, based on the acquired identification information, the title which corresponds to the identification information from the search server, reads out the distribution information corresponding to the read out title from the data distribution server, and records the read out distribution information onto a recording medium.

Claims

1. An online distribution system, comprising:

a search server;

a data distribution server;

a download terminal connected to said search server through said data distribution server;

a personal terminal to which said search server is connectable;

said search server including a database for storing a plurality of titles of distribution information, title search means for searching the titles stored in said database for a title designated for subscription from said personal terminal, and subscription information storage means for storing the title searched out by said title search means and identification information transmitted from said personal terminal;

said data distribution server including distribution information storage means for storing the distribution information;

said download terminal including identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information inputted from the outside, first readout means for reading out, based on the identification information acquired by said identification information acquisition means, the title stored in said subscription information storage means of said search server which corresponds to the identification information, second readout means for reading out the distribution information corresponding to the title read out by said first readout means from said distribution information storage means of said data distribution server, and recording means for recording the distribution information read out by said second readout means onto a recording medium; and

a cache server in which part of the distribution information stored in said distribution information storage means of said data distribution server is stored in advance, and wherein said download terminal acquires, when the distribution information of the title corresponding to the identification information stored in said subscription information storage means of said search server is stored in said cache server, the distribution information from said cache server, but acquires, when the distribution information is not stored in said cache server, the distribution information from said distribution information storage means of said data distribution server.

2. An online distribution system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said download terminal further includes settlement means for performing a settlement in regard to the transmission of the distribution information for said personal terminal.