Community management server, communication terminal, content transmission system, and content transmission method

• US 8,050,676 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Oono, Tomoyoshi, Yabe, Toshiyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisner; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/937,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20080113668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455/410, 455/411, 713/163
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1012 to domains
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1015 to users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1086 Superdistribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

Direct content redistribution between users belonging to the same community is enabled. A portable telephone set issues a request to a community management server to register portable telephone sets belonging to a community, in association with the community, and the community management server performs community registration. The portable telephone sets issue requests to the community management server for permission to redistribute content which has been distributed from a CP server, and when the redistribution permission request is for registered portable telephone sets belonging to the same community, the community management server grants permission for the redistribution. By this means, content redistribution can be performed directly between users belonging to the same community, without the intervention of the CP server.

Claims

1. A community management system comprising:

a first communication terminal configured to directly distribute content;

a second communication terminal configured to directly receive the content distributed by the first communication terminal; and

a community management server configured to facilitate communication between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal in a community of communication terminals,

the community management server including;

a registration unit configured to register the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal as communication terminals belonging to the same community, among a plurality of communication terminals, in association with the community;

a reception unit configured to receive, from the first communication terminal, a request for redistribution of the content from the registered first communication terminal, to which the content has been distributed from a transmission server, to the registered second communication terminal;

a confirmation unit configured to confirm whether the content redistribution request received by the reception unit is for redistribution between communication terminals belonging to the same community of communication terminals registered by the registration unit; and

a notification unit configured to notify the registered first communication terminal that redistribution of the content is to be performed from the registered first communication terminal to the registered second communication terminal when the confirmation unit has confirmed that the content redistribution request is for redistribution between communication terminals belonging to the same community, and

the first communication terminal including, a distributing unit configured to distribute the content directly to the second communication terminal, without going through the community management server, according to the notification notified from the community management server.

2. The community management system according to claim 1, wherein

the reception unit receives, from the first and second communication terminals, a request for registration of the first and second communication terminals belonging to the same community, in association with the community,

and the registration unit, in response to the registration request received by the reception unit, registers the first and second communication terminals belonging to the same community in association with the community.

3. The community management system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication terminal comprises:

a redistribution request unit configured to transmit, to the community management server, the request for redistribution of content from the first communication terminal, which has received distribution of the content from the transmission server, to the second communication terminal.

4. The community management system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication terminal comprises:

a redistribution notification reception unit configured to receive, from the community management server, notification that redistribution of the content from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal is to be performed; and

the distributing content unit configured to transmit the content to the second communication terminal when the redistribution notification reception unit has received notification of the performance of redistribution of the content.

5. The community management system according to claim 1, wherein a transmission server, the community management server, and the first and second communication terminals are interconnected in a communication network, and the content is distributed from the transmission server to the first communication terminal via the communication network.

6. A content transmission method in a system in which a transmission server, first and second communication terminals in a community of communication terminals, and a community management server are interconnected in a communication network, and content is distributed from the transmission server to the first communication terminal via the communication network, the content transmission method comprising:

registering, by the community management server, the first and second communication terminals belonging to the same community in association with the community, wherein the first communication terminal is configured to distribute content and the second communication terminal is configured to directly receive the content distributed by the first communication terminal;

transmitting, from the first communication terminal, a redistribution request to the community management server requesting redistribution of content from the first communication terminal, which has received distribution of the content from the transmission server, to the second communication terminal;

confirming, by the community management server, whether the received content redistribution request is for redistribution between registered communication terminals belonging to the same community of communication terminals;

notifying, by the community management server when the content redistribution request is confirmed to be redistribution between communication terminals belonging to the same community in the first communication terminal of the performance of redistribution of the content from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal; and

distributing, directly from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal without going through the community management server, the content according to the notification notified from the community management server.