Data recording apparatus and method, and data reproducing and method

• US 7,093,754 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sako, Yoichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Stcyr, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US10/204,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20030010819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/381, 705/14, 705/51, 707/104, 707/102, 707/10, 380/203
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/20 Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for distributing and purchasing contents data by way of wired and wireless communication, said system comprises an accumulating section (33 ) for accumulating a plurality of contents data, an input operation section (23 ) to be used for selecting contents data from those accumulated in the accumulating section (3), a memory section (21) for storing the contents data selected by way of the input operation section (23), a purchase history memory section (33) for storing the package media purchase history of each user in the actual world and a control section (39) for controlling a recording according to the purchase history stored in the purchase history memory section (33). With this arrangement, the purchase history of package media is controlled by the purchase history memory section (33). Then, it is possible to provide a special discount service or the like to users/customers who have purchased package media by using the purchase history stored in the purchase history memory section (33) when the user/customer records or reproduces contents data.

Claims

1. A data recording apparatus comprising:

storage means for accumulating a plurality of contents data;

selection means for selecting at least one contents data out of the plurality of contents data accumulated in the storage means in response to a user/customer input;

recording means for recording said at least one contents data selected by the selection means in a memory means;

purchase history memory means for storing a tangible package media purchase history of the user/customer, the tangible package media purchase history including the purchase quantity of predetermined tangible package media by the user/customer; and

means for determining a discounted amount of the price of recording said at least one contents data corresponding to the purchase quantity of predetermined tangible package media by the user/customer in the package media purchase history of the user/customer, when the number of purchase quantity in the tangible package media purchase history is increased, the discounted amount increases and the price decreases.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for determining generates billing data for billing said user/customer, charging the discounted amount, on the basis of the purchase history when said recording means records said contents data in said memory means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for determining generates billing data on the basis of the number of times for which said recording means recorded said contents data in said memory means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for determining generates billing data where no money is charged.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

input means for inputting the user/customer identifier of the user/customer purchasing the package media and the media identifier of the package media;

determining means for determining if the media identified by the media identifier is covered by the delivery service or not; and

updating means for incrementing the number of purchase slips stored in the purchase history memory means and corresponding to the user/customer identifier input with the media identifier as determined to be covered by the delivery service by the determining means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said input means has a reading means for reading the media identifier from said package media and inputting said user identifier along with the media identifier read out by said reading means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls so as to prohibit the recording means from recording the contents data in the memory means when the purchase history memory means does not store any purchase history of the user/customer.

8. A data reproducing apparatus comprising:

storage means for accumulating a plurality of contents data;

selection means for selecting at least one contents data out of the plurality of contents data accumulated in the storage means in response to a user/customer input;

reproduction means for reproducing said at least one contents data selected by the selection means;

purchase history memory means for storing a package media purchase history of the user/customer in the actual world, the package media purchase history including the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer; and

means for determining a discounted amount of the price of reproducing said at least one contents data according to the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer in the package media purchase history of the user/customer, when the number of purchasing in the package media purchase history is increased, the discounted amount increases and the price decreases.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said means for determining generates billing data for billing said user/customer, charging the discounted amount, on the basis of the purchase history when said reproduction means reproduces said contents data.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said means for determining generates billing data on the basis of the number of times for which said reproduction means reproduced said contents data.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said means for determining generates billing data where no money is charged.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

input means for inputting the user/customer identifier of the user/customer purchasing the package media and the media identifier of the package media;

determining means for determining if the media identified by the media identifier is covered by the delivery service or not; and

updating means for incrementing the number of purchase slips stored in the purchase history memory means and corresponding to the user/customer identifier input with the media identifier as determined to be covered by the delivery service by the determining means.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said input means has a reading means for reading the media identifier from said package media and inputting said user identifier along with the media identifier read out by said reading means.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control means controls so as to prohibit the reproduction means from reproducing the contents data when the purchase history memory means does not store any purchase history of the user/customer.

15. A communication apparatus comprising:

a storage means for accumulating a plurality of contents data;

purchase history memory means for storing a package media purchase history of a user/customer in the actual world, the package media purchase history including the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by a user/customer;

transmission means for transmitting at least one of the plurality of contents data accumulated in the storage means to a user/customer terminal; and

means for determining a discounted amount of the price of recording said at least one of the plurality of contents data corresponding to the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer in the package media purchase history of the user/customer, when the number of purchasing in the package media purchase history is increased, the discounted amount increases and the price decreases.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

receiving means for receiving the user/customer identifier of the user/customer purchasing the package media and the media identifier of the package media;

determining means for determining if the media identified by the media identifier is covered by the delivery service or not; and

updating means for incrementing the number of purchase slips stored in the purchase history memory means and corresponding to the user/customer identifier input with the media identifier as determined to be covered by the delivery service by the determining means.

17. A data recording apparatus comprising:

selection means for selecting at least one contents data out of the plurality of contents data accumulated in an accumulating means in response to a user/customer input;

recording means for recording said at least one contents data selected by the selection means in a memory means; and

means for determining a discounted amount of the price of recording said at least one contents data corresponding to the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer in a package media purchase history of the user/customer in the actual world, the package media purchase history including the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer, when the number of purchasing in the package media purchase history is increased, the discounted amount increases and the price decreases.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said means for determining generates billing data for billing said user/customer, charging the discounted amount, on the basis of the purchase history when said recording means records said contents data in said memory means.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said means for determining generates billing data on the basis of the number of times for which said recording means recorded said contents data in said memory means.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said means for determining generates billing data where no money is charged.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

reading means for reading a media identifier from a package media and transmission means for transmitting the user/customer identifier with the media identifier read by the reading means.

22. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said control means controls so as to prohibit the recording means from recording the contents data in the memory means when the purchase history memory means of package media of an external device does not store any purchase history corresponding to the user/customer.

23. A communication apparatus comprising:

storage means for accumulating a plurality of contents data;

purchase history memory means for storing a package media purchase history of a user/customer in the actual world, the package media purchase history including the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer;

transmission means for transmitting at least one of the plurality of contents data accumulated in the storage means to a user/customer terminal; and

means for determining a discounted amount of the price of reproducing said at least one contents data corresponding to the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer in the package media purchase history of the user/customer, when the number of purchasing in the package media purchase history is increased, the discounted amount increases and the price decreases.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23 further comprising:

receiving means for receiving the user/customer identifier of the user/customer purchasing the package media and the media identifier of the package media;

determining means for determining if the media identified by the media identifier is covered by the delivery service or not; and

updating means for incrementing the number of purchase slips stored in the purchase history memory means and corresponding to the user/customer identifier input with the media identifier as determined to be covered by the delivery service by the determining means.

25. A data reproducing apparatus comprising:

selection means for selecting at least one contents data out of a plurality of contents data accumulated in a storage means in response to a user/customer input;

reproduction means for reproducing said at least one contents data selected by the selection means; and

means for determining a discounted amount of the price of reproducing said at least one contents data corresponding to the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer in a package media purchase history of the user/customer in the actual world, the package media purchase history including the number of purchasing of predetermined package media by the user/customer, and when the number of purchasing in the package media purchase history is increased, the discounted amount increases and the price decreases.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said means for determining generates billing data for billing said user/customer, charging the discounted amount, on the basis of the purchase history when said reproduction means reproduces said contents data.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said means for determining generates billing data on the basis of the number of times for which said reproduction means reproduced said contents data.

28. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said means for determining generates billing data where no money is charged.

29. The apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising:

reading means for reading a media identifier from a package media and transmission means for transmitting the user/customer identifier with the media identifier read by the reading means.

30. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said control means controls so as to prohibit the reproduction means from reproducing the contents data when the purchase history memory means of package media of an external device does not store any purchase history corresponding to the user/customer.

31. A data recording apparatus comprising:

storage means for accumulating a plurality of contents data;

selection means for selecting at least one contents data out of the plurality of contents data accumulated in the storage means in response to a user/customer input;

recording means for recording said at least one contents data selected by the selection means in a memory means;

a first means for generating a number of recordings of said at least one contents data made by the recording means; and

discount data generating means for generating discounted amount of the price data to be used when a package media is purchased in the actual world, said discount data generated as a function of the number of recordings made by said first means, and when the number of recordings made by first means is increased, the discounted amount increases and the price decreases.

32. A data reproducing apparatus comprising:

storage means for accumulating a plurality of contents data;

selection means for selecting at least one contents data out of the plurality of contents data accumulated in the storage means in response to a user/customer input;

reproduction means for reproducing said at least one contents data selected by the selection means;

a first means for generating a number of reproductions of said at least one contents data made by said reproduction means; and

a discount data generating means for generating discounted amount of the price data to be used when a package media is purchased in the actual world, said discount data generated as a function of the number of reproductions made by said first means, and when the purchase quantity in the number of reproductions made by said generator is increased, the discounted amount increases and the price decreases.