Content distribution method, reservation management device, and program storage medium

• US 7,716,708 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2001
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takanori, Ihara, Keigo, Fukuda, Junko, Sueyoshi, Takahiko, Yoshimine, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONTOYA, OSCHTA I
• Application Number:
  US10/089,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,177 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86-104, 725131-153, 725 93- 94, 725/97, 709/231
• US Class Current: 725/97
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

In a content supply system 100, in order to use a streaming server 102 to perform a live distribution, a user PC 106 used makes a reservation for a time zone, etc. to a server reservation control center 101. When the user PC 106 sends desired reservation information including the information on the setting of the disclosure level indicating whether distribution of the content should be open to the general public or accepted only to specific people in addition to the time zone above, etc. to the server reservation control center 101 via the Internet 103. Then, in the case of a content distribution based on a reservation, restrictions, etc. are put on the distribution from the streaming server 102 to the client terminal apparatus 107 according to the disclosure level setting information above.

Claims

1. A content distribution method for making a reservation via an open network to a reservation control apparatus for the use of a distribution server that receives content sent from a distributor terminal apparatus via a dedicated network and carries out stream distribution of said content to a client terminal apparatus via the open network, sending said content from said distributor terminal apparatus to said distribution server based on said reservation and thereby carrying out content distribution, said content distribution method comprising:

transmitting a menu from the reservation control apparatus to the distributor terminal apparatus via the open network, the menu configured to display available service times to upload content from the distributor terminal apparatus to the distribution server for distribution of the content from the distribution server and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the available service times;

sending, by the distributor terminal apparatus, reservation request information including a desired service time to distribute content using said distribution server based on a selection of the desired service time from the menu and restriction information on restrictions of the client terminal apparatus from said distributor terminal apparatus to said reservation control apparatus via the open network;

transmitting, when the reservation for the use of said distribution server during said desired service time included in said reservation request information is accepted, the content from said distributor terminal apparatus to said distribution server via the dedicated network to carry out a content distribution based on said accepted reservation;

judging, when said client terminal apparatus requests said distribution server to distribute content via the open network, whether the distribution request of said client terminal apparatus should be accepted or not based on said restriction information; and

carrying out a stream distribution, when the distribution request of said client terminal apparatus is accepted, of the content sent from said distributor terminal apparatus from said distribution server to said client terminal apparatus via the open network.

2. The content distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising:

judging, when the reservation for the use of said distribution server during said desired service time included in said reservation request information is accepted, whether content distribution program information about content distribution based on said reservation should be made browsable or not based on said restriction information; and

storing, when it is judged that said content distribution program information should be made browsable, said content distribution program information in a predetermined storage area of said reservation control apparatus in a manner browsable via the open network.

3. The content distribution method according to claim 1, wherein

when said restriction information includes information that a distribution request is accepted only for a client terminal apparatus authenticated through authentication processing using a password, said judging judges whether the distribution request should be accepted based on the password sent from said client terminal apparatus.

4. The content distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, when said restriction information includes information indicating the contact address of the client user of the client terminal apparatus for which a content distribution is accepted, authentication information to said contact address of the client user via the open network, and

judging whether the authentication information sent from said client terminal apparatus matches the sent authentication information and accepting the distribution request only when the two authentication information pieces match.

5. The content distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the menu is configured to display available service times to upload content from the distributor terminal apparatus to the distribution server for transmission over each of a plurality of channels of the distribution server, and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the channels for each of the available service times.

6. A reservation control apparatus, comprising:

means for transmitting a menu to a distributor terminal apparatus via an open network, the menu configured to display available service times to upload content from the distributor terminal apparatus to a distribution server for distribution of the content from the distribution server and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the available service times;

means for controlling reservations for live distributions of content using the distribution server that carries out stream distributions of said content, which is received via a dedicated network, to a client terminal apparatus via an open network;

receiving means for receiving reservation request information, from the distributor terminal apparatus, including a desired service time for a content distribution using said distribution server based on a selection of the desired service time from the menu and restriction information about restrictions on said client terminal apparatus sent from a distributor terminal apparatus requesting a live distribution of content via the open network;

browsing judging means for judging, when the reservation for a content distribution using said distribution server during said desired service time included in said reservation request information is accepted, whether content distribution program information about content distribution based on said reservation should be made browsable or not based on said restriction information; and

storing means for storing, when it is judged that said content distribution program information should be made browsable, said content distribution program information in a predetermined storage area of said reservation control apparatus in a manner browsable via the first network.

7. The reservation control apparatus of claim 6, wherein the menu is configured to display available service times to upload content from the distributor terminal apparatus to the distribution server for transmission over each of a plurality of channels of the distribution server, and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the channels for each of the available service times.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program to be executed by a reservation control apparatus, said program comprising:

transmitting processing for transmitting a menu to a distributor terminal apparatus via an open network, the menu configured to display available service times to upload content from the distributor terminal apparatus to a distribution server for distribution of the content from the distribution server and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the available service times;

control processing that controls reservations for live distributions of content using the distribution server that carries out a stream distribution of said content, which is received via a dedicated network, to a client terminal apparatus via an open network;

reception processing that receives reservation request information including a desired service time for a content distribution based on a selection of the desired service time from the menu and restriction information about restrictions on said client terminal apparatus sent from the distributor terminal apparatus requesting a live distribution of content using said distribution server via the open network;

browsing judgment processing that judges, when the reservation for a content distribution using said distribution server during said desired service time included in said reservation request information is accepted, whether content distribution program information about content distribution based on said reservation should be made browsable or not based on said restriction information; and

storing processing that stores, when it is judged that said content distribution program information should be made browsable, said content distribution program information in a predetermined storage area of said reservation control apparatus in a manner browsable via the open network.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the menu is configured to display available service times to upload content from the distributor terminal apparatus to the distribution server for transmission over each of a plurality of channels of the distribution server, and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the channels for each of the available service times.

10. A content distribution system, comprising:

a reservation control apparatus configured to transmit a menu to a client terminal via an open network, the menu configured to display available service times to upload content from a distributor terminal apparatus to a streaming server for distribution of the content from the streaming server and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the available service times;

the client terminal configured to transmit reservation request information for distributing content via the streaming server to a reservation control apparatus via an open network based on a selection of the desired service time from the menu;

the reservation control apparatus configured to transmit confirmation information to the client terminal based on the transmitted reservation request;

the client terminal configured to transmit the confirmation information to the streaming server; and

the streaming server configured to receive content from the client terminal via a dedicated network and distribute the content via the open network.

11. The content distribution system of claim 10, wherein the menu is configured to display available service times to upload content from the distributor terminal apparatus to the streaming server for transmission over each of a plurality of channels of the streaming server, and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the channels for each of the available service times.