Information communication system, content output apparatus, user apparatus, content delivery apparatus, and methods for controlling content output apparatus, user apparatus, and content delivery apparatus

• US 8,170,917 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kawakami, Hidehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEORGALAS, ANNE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US12/078,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20080249889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 709/201, 709/219, 700/94
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

In an information communication system, a portable apparatus stores owned content information as list information about a content already purchased by a user. The portable apparatus transmits the owned content information to an in-vehicle apparatus capable of wireless communication. When the in-vehicle apparatus does not store the content the user already purchased, the in-vehicle apparatus acquires content data for the content from a content delivery server. The information communication system can automatically supplement the in-vehicle apparatus to be used by the user with the content the user already purchased. As a result, the user can use the already purchased content on the in-vehicle apparatus without any inconvenient operations.

Claims

1. An information communication system comprising:

a content output apparatus configured to output, as an output content, content data stored in a content storage device,

a content delivery apparatus for delivering the content data to the content output apparatus, and

a user apparatus configured to be carried by a user using the content output apparatus,

wherein the user apparatus includes;

a first wireless communication section;

an owning information storage device configured to store owned-content identification information in a list indicating the content data already purchased by the user of the user apparatus, the content identification information uniquely specifies the content; and

an owning information transmission control unit cooperatively operable with the first wireless communication section and the owning information storage device, and configured to transmit the owned-content identification information over the first wireless communication section to the content output apparatus,

wherein the content output apparatus includes;

a second wireless communication section,

a first exterior communication section,

a content purchase control unit cooperatively operable with the first exterior communication section and configured to

transmit a purchase request over the first exterior communication section for the content data along with purchaser information specifying the user as a purchaser to the content delivery apparatus, when the user requests to purchase the content data, and

store the content data in the content storage device when the content data is received over the first exterior communication section from the content delivery apparatus; and

a content supplement control unit cooperatively operable with the first exterior communication section and the second wireless communication section, and configured to

execute a determination as to whether the content storage device does not store the content data that was already purchased by the user and is specified based on the owned-content identification information, when receiving the owned-content identification information over the second wireless communication section from the user apparatus,

transmit a transmission request to transmit the content data, which is specified based on the owned-content identification information of content data that was already purchased by the user but is not stored in the content storage device, along with owner information specifying the user of the user apparatus, over the first exterior communication section to the content delivery apparatus, and then to store the content data received over the first exterior communication section from the content delivery apparatus in the content storage device, when the determination that the content storage device does not store the content data, which is specified based on the owned-content identification information and was already purchased by the user, is made, and

not transmit the transmission request to transmit the content data that is specified based on the owned-content identification information, when the determination that the content storage device stores the content data, which is specified based on the owned-content identification information of content data that was already purchased by the user, is made,

wherein the content delivery apparatus includes;

a second exterior communication section,

a content transmission control unit cooperatively operable with the second exterior communication section and configured to

store, in a purchase history of the user, purchase information that indicates the content data purchased by the user, from the purchaser information received along with the purchase request, when the purchase request for the content data is received over the second exterior communication section from the content output apparatus, and

transmit the content data over the second exterior communication section to the content output apparatus; and

a content retransmission control unit cooperatively operable with the second exterior communication section and configured to transmit the content data to the content output apparatus when the purchase information about the content data is stored as the purchase history of the user specified based on the owner information received over the second exterior communication section along with the transmission request, when the transmission request for the content data is received over the second exterior communication section from the content output apparatus,

wherein the content output apparatus includes;

an owner determination control unit for determining whether a registered user is present and a usage inhibition control unit configured to inhibit at least one of (i) outputting a content represented by content data stored in the content storage device and (ii) purchasing a new content, when the owner determination control unit determines the registered user is not present; and

wherein the owner determination control unit determines the registered user is present when the user apparatus is in wireless communication over the first and second wireless communication sections with the content output apparatus.

2. The information communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the content output apparatus includes a purchase information notification control unit for transmitting, as new content information, information about the content corresponding to the content data stored by the content purchase control unit in the content storage device, over the first wireless communication section to the user apparatus, and

wherein the user apparatus includes an owning information update control unit that adds the content corresponding to the new content information as a purchased content, to the owned-content identification information, when the user apparatus receives the new content information over the first exterior communication section.

3. The information communication system according to claim 2,

wherein the purchase information notification control unit transmits the new content information over the second wireless communication section to the user apparatus.

4. The information communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the content output apparatus includes an owning information notification control unit configured to transmit information over the second wireless communication section to the user apparatus about the content corresponding to content data as new content information, when the content data stored in the content storage device is excluded from the content specified based on owned-content identification information received over the second wireless communication section from the user apparatus, and

wherein the user apparatus includes an owning information update control unit configured to add the content corresponding to the new content information as a purchased content to the owned-content identification information, when receiving the new content information over the first exterior communication section.

5. The information communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the content delivery apparatus includes a purchase information notification control unit for transmitting information, as new content information, about a content corresponding to the content data transmitted by the content transmission control unit over the second wireless communication section to the user apparatus, and

wherein the user apparatus includes an owning information update control unit configured to add, to the owned-content identification information, the content corresponding to the new content information as purchased content, when receiving the new content information over the first exterior communication section.

6. The information communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the content output apparatus includes a feature detection control unit for detecting a physical feature of the user, and

wherein the owner determination control unit determines that the registered user is present when the feature detection control unit detects the physical feature of the registered user.

7. The information communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the owning information transmission control unit transmits the owned-content identification information over the first wireless communication section to the content output apparatus, when the owning information transmission control unit detects that the content output apparatus is in wireless communication over the first and second wireless communication sections with the user apparatus.

8. The information communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the content output apparatus is mounted on a vehicle for use.

9. The information communication system of claim 1, wherein the content output apparatus replays or displays the output content from the content data to provide the output content to the user, and wherein the owned-content identification information is list information that uniquely specifies the output content and a part of the content data is used as the content identification information.

10. A content output apparatus for use in an information communication system that includes a content delivery apparatus that delivers content data to the content output apparatus, the content being represented by content data,;

and a user apparatus configured to be carried by a user using the content output apparatus, the user apparatus including an owning information storage device that stores the owned-content identification information in a list indicating content data already purchased by the user, the content identification information uniquely specifies the content;

the content output apparatus comprising;

a content output device configured to output a content corresponding to content data stored in a content storage device;

a wireless communication section,

an exterior communication section,

a content purchase control unit cooperatively operable with the exterior communication section and configured to

transmit a purchase request over the exterior communication section for the content data along with purchaser information specifying the user as a purchaser to the content delivery apparatus, when the user requests to purchase the content data, and

store the content data in the content storage device when the content data is received over the exterior communication section from the content delivery apparatus;

a content supplement control unit cooperatively operable with the exterior communication section and the wireless communication section, and configured to

execute a determination as to whether the content storage device does not store the content data that was already purchased by the user and is specified based on the owned-content identification information, when receiving the owned-content identification information over the wireless communication section from the user apparatus,

transmit a transmission request to transmit the content data, which is specified based on the owned-content identification information of content data that was already purchased by the user but is not stored in the content storage device, along with owner information specifying the user of the user apparatus, over the exterior communication section to the content delivery apparatus, and then to store the content data received over the exterior communication section from the content delivery apparatus in the content storage device, when the determination that the content storage device does not store the content data, which is specified based on the owned-content identification information and was already purchased by the user, is made, and

not transmit the transmission request to transmit the content data that is specified based on the owned-content identification information, when the determination that the content storage device stores the content data, which is specified based on the owned-content identification information of content data that was already purchased by the user, is made, and

store the content data received from the content delivery apparatus in the content storage device;

an owner determination control unit for determining whether a registered user is present; and

a usage inhibition control unit configured to inhibit at least one of (i) outputting a content represented by content data stored in the content storage device and (ii) purchasing a new content, when the owner determination control unit determines that registered user is not present;

wherein the owner determination control unit determines the registered user is present when the user apparatus is in wireless communication over the wireless communication section with the content output apparatus.

11. The content output apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the content output apparatus includes a purchase information notification control unit for transmitting, as new content information, information about the content corresponding to the content data stored by the content purchase control unit in the content storage device, over the wireless communication section to the user apparatus.

12. The content output apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the purchase information notification control unit transmits the new content information over the wireless communication section to the user apparatus.

13. The content output apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the content output apparatus includes an owning information notification control unit configured to transmit information over the wireless communication section to the user apparatus about the content corresponding to content data as new content information, when the content data stored in the content storage device is excluded from the content specified based on owned-content identification information received over the wireless communication section from the user apparatus.

14. The content output apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the content output apparatus includes a feature detection control unit for detecting a physical feature of the user, and

wherein the owner determination control unit determines that the registered user is present when the feature detection control unit detects the physical feature of the registered user.

15. The content output apparatus of claim 10, wherein the content output apparatus replays or displays the output content from the content data to provide the output content to the user, and wherein the owned-content identification information is list information that uniquely specifies the output content and a part of the content data is used as the content identification information.

16. An information communication system comprising:

a content output apparatus configured to output a content represented by content data stored in a content storage device, the content output apparatus including a content supplement control unit configured to cause the content storage device to store content data, which indicates a content that was already purchased by a user;

a content delivery apparatus configured to deliver content data to the content output apparatus, the content delivery apparatus configured to store a purchase history database that manages a history of a content already purchased by the user and a content retransmission control unit configured to transmit content data to the content output apparatus, wherein the history in the purchase history database indicates a content that was already purchased by the user; and

a user apparatus configured to be carried by a user, the user apparatus including an owning information storage device configured to store owned-content information that is list information about a content that was already purchased by the user and an owning information transmission control unit configured to transmit the list information to the content output apparatus,

wherein;

(i) when detecting that wireless communication is enabled with the content output apparatus, the owning information transmission control unit of the user apparatus transmits the list information about the content, which was already purchased by the user in the past, to the content output apparatus;

(ii) when receiving the list information, indicating content that was already purchased by the user, from the user apparatus with which the wireless communication is enabled,

the content supplement control unit of the content output apparatus executes a determination as to whether the content storage device stores content data, which is specified based on the received list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past;

(iii) when determining that the content storage device does not store the content data, which is specified based on the list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past,

the content supplement control unit transmits a transmission request to transmit the content data, which is specified based on the list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past but is not stored in the content storage device, along with owner information, which specifies the user, to the content delivery apparatus;

(iv) when receiving from the content output apparatus the transmission request to transmit the content data, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past, along with the owner information specifying the user,

the content retransmission control unit of the content delivery apparatus determines whether a content corresponding to the content data, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past, is already purchased by a user, who is specified based on the owner information specifying the user, by referencing the purchase history database that manages the history of the content purchased in the past, and

(v) when determining that the content corresponding to the content data, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past, is already purchased by the user specified based on the owner information,

the content retransmission control unit of the content delivery apparatus transmits the content data, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past, to the content output apparatus from which the transmission request was received; and

(vi) when receiving the data content, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past, from the content delivery apparatus,

the content supplement control unit of the content output apparatus causes the content storage device to store the content data, which is received from the content delivery apparatus and was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past

the content output apparatus includes a first wireless communication section,

the user apparatus includes a second wireless communication section;

the content output apparatus further includes

an owner determination control unit for determining whether a registered user is present when the user apparatus is in wireless communication over the first and second wireless communication sections with the content output apparatus, and

a usage inhibition control unit configured to inhibit at least one of (i) outputting a content represented by content data stored in the content storage device and (ii) purchasing a new content, when the owner determination control unit determines the registered user is not present.

17. The information communication system according to claim 16,

the content output apparatus further including an operation section configured to be operated by the user to request a purchase of a content, and a content purchase control unit configured to store content data, which corresponds to the new content whose purchase is requested, in the content storage device,

the content delivery apparatus further including a content transmission control unit configured to transmit content data corresponding to a content to the content output apparatus,

wherein:

(i) when the user requests a purchase of a new content via the operation section,

the content purchase control unit of the content output apparatus transmits a request of a purchase of content data corresponding to the new content along with purchaser information specifying the user as a purchaser to the content delivery apparatus;

(ii) when receiving the request of the purchase of the content data corresponding to the new content from the content output apparatus,

the content transmission control unit of the content delivery apparatus

stores purchase information about the content data corresponding to the new content as a purchase history of the user, who is specified based on the purchaser information received along with the request of the purchase, in the purchase history database, and

transmits the content data corresponding to the new content to the content output apparatus from which the request of the purchase was received; and

(iii) when the content data corresponding to the new content is received from the content delivery apparatus,

the content purchase control unit of the content output apparatus causes the content storage device to store the content data corresponding to the new content.

18. The information communication system according to claim 16, wherein

when the content supplement control unit of the content output apparatus determines that the content storage device does not store the content data, which is specified based on the received list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past,

the content data, which is specified based on the received list information about the content that was already purchased by the user in the past, is determined to have been purchased by the user in the past using an apparatus other than the content output apparatus.

19. A method for acquiring content data representing a content that is purchased in an information communication system,

the information communication system including:

a content output apparatus to output a content represented by content data stored in a content storage device, the content output apparatus including a first wireless communication section, an owner determination control unit and a usage inhibition control unit;

a content delivery apparatus to deliver content data to the content output apparatus while storing a purchase history database to manage a history of a content purchased by a user; and

a user apparatus carried by a user, the user apparatus including a second wireless communication section and an owning information storage device to store owned-content information that is list information about a content that was already purchased by the user and transmitting the list information to the content output apparatus,

the method comprising;

detecting by the content output apparatus that wireless communication is enabled with the user apparatus;

then receiving, by the content output apparatus, from the user apparatus with which the wireless communication is enabled, the list information about the content, which was already purchased by the user in the past;

then determining by the content output apparatus whether the content storage device stores content data, which is specified based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past;

then transmitting by the content output apparatus, when determining that the content storage device does not store the content data which is specified based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past, a transmission request to transmit the content data, which is specified based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past but is not stored in the content storage device, along with owner information, which specifies the user, to the content delivery apparatus;

then receiving by the content delivery apparatus from the content output apparatus the transmission request to transmit the content data, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past, along with the owner information specifying the user;

then determining by the content delivery apparatus, whether a content corresponding to the content data, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past, was already purchased by a user, who is specified based on the owner information specifying the user, by referencing the purchase history database that manages the history of the content purchased in the past;

then transmitting by the content delivery apparatus, when determining that the content corresponding to the content data, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past, was already purchased by the user specified based on the owner information, the content data which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past, to the content output apparatus from which the transmission request was received; and

then receiving by the content output apparatus the data content, which was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past, from the content delivery apparatus;

then storing by the content output apparatus in the content storage device the content data, which was received from the content delivery apparatus and was specified in the content output apparatus based on the list information about the content having been already purchased by the user in the past;

the owner determination control unit determining whether a registered user is present when the user apparatus is in wireless communication over the first and second wireless communication sections with the content output apparatus;

the usage inhibition control unit inhibiting at least one of (i) outputting a content represented by content data stored in the content storage device and (ii) purchasing a new content, when the owner determination control unit determines the registered user is not present.