Content distribution server, content distribution method, and program

• US 7,788,271 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Soma, Shunichi, Kuno, Hiroshi, Ebihara, Munetake
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chbouki; Tarek
• Application Number:
  US11/146,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/758
• 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: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification

Abstract

The present invention provides a content distribution server that allows the terminals owned by a same user to purchase content without repeating purchase processing once it has been executed only on one of these terminals. The content distribution server is made up of a content database storing the content identified by content ID in a plurality of files having different attributes and a user database storing the content IDs of the content purchased by the user identified by user ID. At the time of content purchase processing by a first terminal, this content distribution server registers the user ID of the first terminal in the user database. Subsequently, when a request for distribution comes from a second terminal, the content distribution server searches the user database of the second terminal for the content having an attribute available to the second terminal on the basis of the user ID of the second terminal without executing the purchase processing and distributes the retrieved content to the second terminal.

Claims

1. A content distribution server for distributing content to a plurality of terminals owned by a user, comprising:

a content database for storing content identified by a content ID as a plurality of files, the plurality of files including different types of the same content and having a field, the types based on different attributes of the same content and assigned the same content ID, wherein a falsification detection value is stored in the field of the plurality of files; and

a user database for storing, for each user identified by a user ID, a content ID of content purchased by the user;

wherein, the content distribution server is configured to;

receive a content purchase request, including a specified attribute of the requested content, and the user ID from a first terminal owned by the user, the specified attribute indicating one of the types of the same content, wherein the user is requesting to purchase a specified type of the same content;

authenticate the first terminal on the basis of the received user ID;

acquire the requested content, the content ID, and the falsification detection value from the content database after the request is received by using the specified attribute to identify the specified type for the acquisition from the plurality of files;

store the acquired content ID and the received user ID in the user database by relating the acquired content ID with the received user ID;

provide the requested content to the first terminal with information indicative of the received user ID;

receive a content distribution request, including a specified attribute of the content requested for distribution, and the user ID from a second terminal owned by the user;

authenticate the second terminal on the basis of the user ID received from the second terminal;

acquire the content requested for distribution, from the content database, by using the content ID stored in the user database when the user ID received from the second terminal matches the user ID related to the content ID in the user database; and

provide the content requested for distribution to the second terminal according to the attribute specified in the content distribution request and attaching the falsification detection value in a predetermined field of the content before providing the content, the attached falsification detection value detecting whether a group ID is associated with the user ID and identifying a service provided by the content distribution server when the second terminal attempts to process the provided content, wherein information indicative of the user ID received from the second terminal is provided with the content requested for distribution, and a type of the content requested for distribution is based on the attribute specified by the second terminal.

2. A content distribution method being executed by a content distribution server, the method comprising:

storing, in memory of the content distribution server, a content database having a plurality of files including content identified by a content ID, the plurality of files including different types of the same content and having a field, the types based on different attributes of the same content and assigned the same content ID, wherein a falsification detection value is stored in the field of the plurality of files;

storing, in the memory a user database including a user ID and a content ID corresponding to content purchased by the user;

receiving a content purchase request, including a specified attribute of the requested content, and the user ID from a first terminal owned by the user, the specified attribute indicating one of the types of the same content, wherein the user is requesting to purchase a specified type of the same content;

authenticating, by using a processor in the content distribution server, the first terminal on the basis of the received user ID;

acquiring the requested content, the content ID, and the falsification detection value after the request is received by using the specified attribute to identify the specified type for the acquisition from the plurality of files;

storing, in the memory device, the acquired content ID and the received user ID by relating the acquired content ID with the received user ID;

providing the requested content to the first terminal with information indicative of the received user ID;

receiving a content distribution request, including a specified attribute of the content requested for distribution, and the user ID from a second terminal owned by the user;

authenticating, by using the processor, the second terminal on the basis of the user ID received from the second terminal;

acquiring the content requested for distribution by using the stored content ID, when the user ID received from the second terminal matches the user ID related to the content ID; and

providing the content requested for distribution to the second terminal according to the attribute specified in the content distribution request and attaching the falsification detection value in a predetermined field of the content before providing the content, the attached falsification detection value detecting whether a group ID is associated with the user ID and identifying a service provided by the content distribution server when the second terminal attempts to process the provided content, wherein information indicative of the user ID received from the second terminal is provided with the content requested for distribution, and a type of the content requested for distribution is based on the attribute specified by the second terminal.

3. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising a computer program, which when executed on a processor, causes the processor to perform a content distribution method, the method comprising:

storing a content database having a plurality of files including content identified by a content ID the plurality of files including different types of the same content and having a field, the types based on different attributes of the same content and assigned the same content ID, wherein a falsification detection value is stored in the field of the plurality of files; and

storing a user database including a user ID and a content ID corresponding to content purchased by the user;

receiving a content purchase request, including a specified attribute of the requested content, and the user ID from a first terminal owned by the user, the specified attribute indicates one of the types of the same content, wherein the user is requesting to purchase a specified type of the same content;

authenticating the first terminal on the basis of the received user ID;

acquiring the requested content, the content ID, and the falsification detection value after the request is received by using the specified attribute to identify the specified type for the acquisition from the plurality of files;

storing the acquired content ID and the received user ID by relating the acquired content ID with the received user ID;

providing the requested content to the first terminal with information indicative of the received user ID;

receiving a content distribution request, including a specified attribute of the content requested for distribution, and the user ID from a second terminal owned by the user;

authenticating the second terminal on the basis of the user ID received from the second terminal;

acquiring the content requested for distribution by using the stored content ID, when the user ID received from the second terminal matches the user ID related to the content ID; and

providing the content requested for distribution to the second terminal according to the attribute specified in the content distribution request and attaching the falsification detection value in a predetermined field of the content before providing the content, the attached falsification detection value detecting whether a group ID is associated with the user ID and identifying a service provided by a content distribution server when the second terminal attempts to process the provided content, wherein information indicative of the user ID received from the second terminal is provided with the content requested for distribution, and a type of the content requested for distribution is based on the attribute specified by the second terminal.