Information distribution system, information processing server, distribution server, communication apparatus, program and information distribution method

• US 8,843,593 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FeliCa Networks, Inc (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: FeliCa Networks, Inc (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tobita, Naoto, Wakasa, Shigeki, Yamada, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Hieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIDHALM DE RODRIG, ANGELA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US12/100,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,358 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web

Abstract

There is provided a communication apparatus including an identification data generation portion to generate identification data, an identification data storage portion to store the identification data generated by the identification data generation portion, a basic data reception portion to receive basic data from an information processing server through a given communication path, the basic data containing prescribed first data specifying service data generated in the distribution server and containing data to be used in an IC chip capable of con tactless communication with a reader/writer, and prescribed identification data, and a data acquisition portion to acquire the service data generated based on the basic data in the distribution server from the distribution server if the prescribed identification data matches with the identification data stored in the identification data storage portion.

Claims

1. An information distribution system comprising:

a communication apparatus having an integrated circuit (IC) chip capable of contactlessly communicating with a reader/writer;

an information processing server to transmit first data for generating service data containing unique data to be transmitted from the IC chip to the reader/writer; and

a distribution server to generate and distribute the service data to the communication apparatus, wherein

the information processing server includes;

a reception portion receiving a message comprising first identification data input by a user and a request for transmitting the first data, the first data containing the unique data and specifying the service data to be generated in the distribution server;

a basic data generation portion generating basic data containing the first data and the first identification data; and

a transmission portion transmitting the basic data to the communication apparatus,

the distribution server includes;

a second data storage portion to store second data;

a service data generation portion generating service data containing one or more than one piece of second data and the unique data; and

a data communication portion capable of distributing the service data to the communication apparatus, and

the communication apparatus includes;

a basic data reception portion receiving the basic data transmitted from the information processing server through a given communication path;

an identification data storage portion storing the first identification data input by the user;

a determination portion determining whether second identification data transmitted from the distribution server matches with the first identification data stored in the identification data storage portion; and

a data acquisition portion acquiring the service data from the distribution server after the determination portion determines that the first identification data matches with the second identification data, wherein the second identification data is transmitted, before the service data, from the distribution server to the communication apparatus.

2. The information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

the basic data generation portion adds a signature to the basic data to prove validity of at least the first identification data,

the distribution server further includes a signature verification portion to verify validity of the first identification data based on the signature added to the basic data, and

the service data generation portion generates the service data if the signature verification portion verifies that the first identification data is valid.

3. The information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

the communication apparatus further includes:

a basic data transmission portion to transmit the basic data received by the basic data reception portion to the distribution server,

the service data generation portion generates the service data and trading data based on the basic data received from the information processing server through the communication apparatus, the trading data indicating the service data and containing the second identification data,

the data communication portion distributes the trading data to the communication apparatus,

the determination portion determines whether the second identification data contained in the trading data matches the first identification data stored in the identification data storage portion,

the data acquisition portion transmits the trading data to the distribution server after the determination portion determines that the first identification data matches the second identification data, and

upon receiving the trading data from the communication apparatus, the data communication portion distributes service data to the communication apparatus.

4. An information processing server comprising:

a reception portion receiving a message comprising first identification data input by a user and a request for transmitting first data, the first data specifying service data to be generated in a distribution server and to be distributed to a communication apparatus and containing unique data to be transmitted contactlessly from an integrated circuit (IC) chip to a reader/writer;

a basic data generation portion to generate basic data containing the requested first data and the first identification data; and

a transmission portion to transmit the basic data to the communication apparatus though a network,

wherein the service data generated based on the basic data in the distribution server is distributed to the communication apparatus after second identification data stored in the communication apparatus matches the first identification data transmitted from the distribution server.

5. A distribution server to generate service data containing unique data to be contactlessly transmitted from an integrated circuit (IC) chip to a reader/writer, and to distribute the service data to a communication apparatus, the distribution server comprising:

a data communication portion to receive basic data generated by an information processing server, the basic data being generated after the information processing server receives a message comprising first identification data input by a user and a request for transmitting first data, the basic data containing the first data and the first identification data, the first data containing the unique data and specifying the service data;

a second data storage portion to store second data; and

a service data generation portion to generate service data containing one or more than one piece of second data specified by the first data and the unique data, wherein

the service data is distributed from the data communication portion to the communication apparatus after the distribution server receives a signal transmitted from the communication apparatus indicating the second identification data stored in the communication apparatus matching the first identification data transmitted from the distribution server.

6. A communication apparatus communicating with a distribution server which generates service data, the communication apparatus comprising:

a basic data reception portion to receive basic data from an information processing server through a given communication path, the basic data being generated after the information processing server receives a message comprising first identification data input by a user and a request for transmitting first data, the basic data containing the first data and the first identification data, the first data specifying service data to be generated in the distribution server and containing unique data to be contactlessly transmitted from an integrated circuit (IC) chip to a reader/writer;

an identification data storage portion storing the first identification data input by the user;

a determination portion to determine whether second identification data transmitted from the distribution server matches the first identification data stored in the identification data storage portion; and

a data acquisition portion to acquire the service data generated based on the basic data in the distribution server from the distribution server after the determination portion determines that the second identification data matches the first identification data stored in the identification data storage portion, wherein the second identification data is transmitted, before the service data, to the communication apparatus.

7. A computer-readable medium tangibly storing a program for causing a computer system to serve as an information distribution system, the information distribution system comprising:

a communication apparatus having an integrated circuit (IC) chip capable of contactlessly communicating with a reader/writer;

an information processing server to transmit first data for generating service data containing unique data to be transmitted from the IC chip to the reader/writer; and

a distribution server to generate and distribute the service data to the communication apparatus, wherein

the information processing server includes;

a reception portion receiving a message comprising first identification data input by a user and a request for transmitting the first data, the first data containing the unique data and specifying the service data to be generated in the distribution server;

a basic data generation portion to generate basic data containing the first data and the first identification data; and

a transmission portion to transmit the basic data,

the distribution server includes;

a second data recording portion to record second data into a second data memory;

a service data generation portion to generate service data containing one or more than one piece of second data and the unique data; and

a data communication portion capable of distributing the service data to the communication apparatus, and

the communication apparatus includes;

a basic data reception portion receiving the basic data transmitted from the information processing server through a given communication path;

an identification data recording portion recording the first identification data input by the user;

a determination portion to determine whether second identification data transmitted from the distribution server matches with the first identification data stored in the identification data recording portion; and

a data acquisition portion to acquire the service data from the distribution server after the determination portion determines that the first identification data matches with the second identification data, wherein the second identification data is transmitted, before the service data, from the distribution server to the communication apparatus.

8. An information distribution method comprising the steps of:

receiving first identification data in a communication apparatus;

recording the first identification data into an identification data memory;

receiving, in an information processing server, a message comprising second identification data input by a user and a request for transmitting first data, the first data specifying service data to be generated in a distribution server and to be distributed to the communication apparatus, the first data containing unique data to be contactlessly transmitted from an integrated circuit (IC) chip to a reader/writer;

generating, in an information processing server, basic data containing the first data and the second identification data;

transmitting the basic data from the information processing server to the distribution server;

generating, in the distribution server, service data containing one or more than one piece of second data specified by the first data and the unique data;

determining whether the second identification data input by the user matches the first identification data stored in the identification data memory; and

distributing the service data from the distribution server to the communication apparatus after the second identification data is determined to match the first identification data stored in the identification data memory.