Information-processing apparatus and associated method of securely providing contents for distribution

• US 7,299,199 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kurihara, Akira, Go, Naomi, Nomura, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): PEIKARI, BEHZAD
• Application Number:
  US10/415,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/201, 709/206, 709/213, 709/215, 709/217, 709/218, 709/229, 705/26, 705/27, 455/412.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 711/161, 711/163, 711/164, 713/168, 713/164, 713/171
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The present invention relates to an information-processing system, an information-processing apparatus and an information-processing method. At a step S1, a PDA transmits a request for purchase of a content to a server. At steps S11, S12 and S14, the server receives the request for purchase of a content from the PDA and transmits the content to the PDA. At a step S5, the PDA transmits a request for preservation of the content to the server. At a step S16, the server generates a preservation ID based on a user ID for identifying the user of the PDA and based on a content ID for identifying the content, and issues the preservation ID to the PDA. At the next step S17, the server stores the issued preservation ID in a preservation-ID database by associating the preservation ID with the content ID. At a step S6, the PDA receives the issued preservation ID from the server and stores the preservation ID in a memory. The present invention can also be applied to an information management system.

Claims

1. An information-processing system comprising an information management apparatus for recording as well as managing a plurality of contents and a user device for acquiring said plurality of contents,

said information management apparatus comprising:

a first database for recording said plurality of contents;

transmission means for receiving a request for a content of said plurality of contents identified by a content ID from the user device identified by a user ID, extracting the content from the database and transmitting the content extracted to the user device requesting the content;

issuance means for generating a download ID based on the user ID and the content ID and issuing the download ID to the user device requesting the content; and

a second database for recording the download ID issued by the issuance means by associating the download ID with the content ID requested by the user device by the communication means, whereas

said information-processing apparatus includes

first acquirement means for requesting said information management apparatus to transmit said content and acquiring said content transmitted by said information management apparatus as requested by said first acquirement means;

second acquirement means for issuing a request to said information management apparatus to preserve said content acquired by said first acquirement means and acquiring the download ID transmitted by said information management apparatus in response to said request; and

a memory for storing said download ID acquired by said second acquirement means.

2. An information-processing apparatus comprising:

first database for recording a plurality of contents;

communication means for receiving a request for a content identified by a content ID from a user device identified by a user ID, extracting content from the first database and transmitting the content extracted to the user device requesting the content;

issuance means for generating a download ID based on the user ID and the content ID and issuing the download ID to the user device requesting the content; and

second database for recording the download ID issued by the issuance means by associating the download ID with the content ID requested by the user device through the communication means.

3. An information-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when a request for a transmission of a predetermined content associated with the download ID is received from said user device, said communication means reads out the content ID associated with the download ID from said second database, reads out said content identified by the content ID from said first database and transmits said content to said user device.

4. An information-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said issuance means issues the download ID when a request to preserve a content is received from said user device.

5. An information-processing method, comprising:

controlling an operation to record a plurality of contents in a first database;

receiving a request for a content identified by a content ID from a user device identified by a user ID, extracting content from the first database and transmitting the content extracted to the user device requesting the content;

generating a download ID based on the user ID and the content ID and issuing the download ID to the user device requesting the content; and

controlling an operation to record the download ID generated by associating the download ID with the content ID requested by the user device through a communication medium.

6. A computer readable storage device, including computer program instructions that cause a computer to implement a method of managing a plurality of contents, the method comprising the steps of:

controlling an operation to record a plurality of contents in a first database;

a communication processing step of receiving a request for a content identified by a content ID from a user device identified by a user ID, extracting content from the first database and transmitting the content extracted to the user device requesting the content;

an issuance processing step of generating a download ID based on the user ID and the content ID and issuing the download ID to the user device requesting the content; and

a second recording control processing step of controlling an operation to record said download ID generated by associating the download ID with the content ID requested by the user device through a communication medium.

7. A user device identified by user ID connected to a contents server, comprising:

communication means for requesting the contents server to transmit a content identified by a content ID and receiving a download ID generated by the contents server based on the user ID and content ID;

storage means for storing the download ID received by the communication means; and

,

download requesting means for requesting the content for download by the download ID stored in the storage means.

8. A user device according to claim 7, further comprising:

second communication means for requesting said contents server to transmit a content identified by a content ID stored in said storage means and acquiring said content transmitted by said contents server as requested by the second communication means.

9. An information-processing method characterized in that said information-processing method comprises:

requesting a contents server to transmit a content identified by a content ID and receiving a download ID generated by the contents server based on the user ID and content ID;

storing the download ID; and

,

requesting the content for download by communicating the stored download ID.

10. A computer readable storage device, including computer program instructions that cause a computer to implement a method of managing a plurality of contents, the method comprising the steps of:

a communication processing step of requesting a contents server to transmit a content identified by a content ID and receiving a download ID generated by the contents server based on the user ID and content ID;

a storage control processing step of controlling an operation to store the download ID; and

,

a download requesting step for requesting the content for download by communicating the stored download ID.