Contents distribution system, portable terminal player, and contents provider

• US 20020002413A1
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Published: 01/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Tokue, Jun
• Application Number:
  US09/891,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20020002413A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• 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: G11B 20/00673 wherein the erased or nullified data include a cryptographic key
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

A contents distribution system comprises a contents provider and a user'"'"'s portable terminal player. The contents provider, which comprises a contents server and a user information database storing therein user download information and right information, distributes contents over a communication network according to the SDMI check-in/check-out rule. The user'"'"'s portable terminal player comprises a recording medium playback function that plays back the contents downloaded on a recoding medium and a check-in function that returns a playback right to the contents provider. When the contents are distributed to the portable terminal player, the contents provider manages contents distribution according to the check-in/check-out rule in such a way that the contents provider manages the number of check-outs of the contents to the user and, when the user checks in the distributed contents, the portable terminal player erases a contents playback encryption key and a file name and, at the same time, returns the playback right to the user information database.

Claims

1. A contents distribution system comprising:

a contents provider that comprises a contents server and a user information database and that distributes contents to a subscriber over a communication network, said contents server storing therein authored contents, said user information database having an area in which subscriber'"'"'s contents download information and right information are recorded; and

a portable terminal player, owned by the subscriber, that comprises a recording medium playback function playing back the contents downloaded to a recording medium and a playback right return function returning a playback right back to said contents provider, said playback right allowing the subscriber to play back the downloaded contents,

wherein said contents provider manages contents distribution to the subscriber in such a way that, when the contents are distributed to said portable terminal player of the subscriber, said contents provider manages a number of downloads of the contents to the subscriber and, when the subscriber returns the playback right of the distributed contents back to said contents provider, said portable terminal player erases a key for playing back the contents and a file name recorded on the recording medium and, at the same time, returns the playback right to the area in which the right information is recorded in said user information database.

2. A contents distribution system comprising:

a contents provider that comprises a contents server and a user information database and that distributes contents to a subscriber over a communication network according to an SDMI (Secure Digital Music Initiative) check-in/check-out rule, said contents server storing therein authored contents, said user information database having an area in which subscriber'"'"'s contents download information and right information are recorded; and

a portable terminal player, owned by the subscriber, that comprises a recording medium playback function playing back the contents downloaded to a recording medium and a check-in function returning a playback right back to said contents provider, said playback right allowing the subscriber to play back the downloaded contents,

wherein said contents provider manages contents distribution to the subscriber according to the SDMI check-in/check-out rule in such away that, when the contents are distributed to said portable terminal player of the subscriber, said contents provider manages a number of check-outs of the contents to the subscriber and, when the subscriber checks in the distributed contents, said portable terminal player erases a key for playing back the contents and a file name and, at the same time, returns the playback right to the area in which the right information is recorded in said user information database.

3. A contents distribution system comprising:

a contents provider that comprises a contents server and a user information database and that distributes contents to a subscriber over a communication network and saves and distributes user-migrated contents into and from the contents server, said user information database having an area in which subscriber'"'"'s contents download information and right information are recorded; and

a portable terminal player, owned by the subscriber, that comprises a recording medium playback function playing back the contents downloaded to a recording medium and a check-in function returning a playback right back to said contents provider, said playback right allowing the subscriber to play back the downloaded contents,

wherein, when the subscriber migrates ripped contents to the contents server of said contents provider from said portable terminal player according to an SDMI rule, said contents provider manages a distribution of the migrated contents to the subscriber according to the SDMI check-in/check-out rule.

4. A contents distribution system comprising:

a contents provider that comprises a contents server storing therein authored contents and that supplies the contents to a contents distributor;

the contents distributor that comprises a distribution contents server in which the contents supplied from said contents provider are stored and a user information database having an area in which subscriber'"'"'s contents download information and right information are recorded and that distributes the contents to a subscriber; and

a portable terminal player, owned by the subscriber, that comprises a recording medium playback function playing back the contents distributed from said contents distributor and downloaded to a recording medium and a check-in function returning a playback right back to said contents distributor, said playback right allowing the subscriber to play back the downloaded contents,

wherein said contents distributor manages contents distribution from said distribution contents server to said portable terminal player according to an SDMI check-in/check-out rule in such a way that, when the contents are distributed to said portable terminal player of the subscriber, said contents distributor manages a number of check-outs of the contents to the subscriber and, when the subscriber checks in the distributed contents to said contents distributor, said portable terminal player erases a key for playing back the contents and a file name and, at the same time, returns the playback right to the area in which the right information is recorded in said user information database.

5. The contents distribution system according to claim 4, wherein the contents distributor further comprises a user contents server in which contents ripped by the subscriber are stored and, when the subscriber directly transmits the contents to said user contents server while ripping and compressing the contents or migrates the contents that have been recorded in the recording medium according to the SDMI rule, said contents distributor manages contents distribution from said user contents server to the subscriber'"'"'s portable terminal player according to the SDMI check-in/check-out rule.

6. A contents distribution system comprising:

a contents provider that comprises a contents server storing therein authored contents and that supplies the contents to a contents distributor;

the contents distributor that comprises a distribution contents server in which the contents supplied from said contents provider are stored and a user information database having an area in which subscriber'"'"'s contents download information is stored;

a general server that comprises a user contents server in which the contents transmitted from said contents distributor or the contents ripped or moved by a subscriber are stored and a user information database having an area in which subscriber'"'"'s right information is recorded and that distributes the contents from said user contents server to a subscriber'"'"'s portable terminal player; and

the portable terminal player, owned by the subscriber, that comprises a recording medium playback function playing back the contents downloaded from said contents distributor or said general server to a recording medium and a check-in function returning a playback right back to said general server, said playback right allowing the subscriber to play back the downloaded contents,

wherein, when the contents purchased by the subscriber and downloaded to the recording medium are moved to the user contents server of the general user according to an SDMI rule or when the subscriber directly transmits the contents to the user contents server while ripping and compressing the contents or migrates the contents that have been recorded in the recording medium according to the SDMI rule, said general server manages contents distribution from said user contents server to the subscriber'"'"'s portable terminal player according to the SDMI check-in/check-out rule.

7. A portable terminal player that comprises a download function downloading contents to a recording medium, said contents being distributed via a communication network, a recording medium playback function playing back the contents downloaded to the recording medium, and a playback right return function returning a playback right back to a distributor, said playback right allowing the subscriber to play back the downloaded contents, wherein, when the playback right for playing back the contents recorded on the recording medium is returned, a key for playing back the contents and a file recorded oh the recording medium are erased.

8. A contents provider that comprises a contents server storing therein authored contents and a user information database having an area in which subscriber'"'"'s contents download information and right information are recorded, wherein, when the contents are distributed to a portable terminal player of the subscriber, the distribution is managed according to a number of times the contents are distributed and a registration of a playback right returned from said portable terminal player to said user information database, or according to an SDMI check-in/check-out rule.

9. A contents provider that comprises a contents server and a user information database having an area in which subscriber'"'"'s contents download information and right information are recorded, wherein a distribution of the contents to a portable terminal player of the subscriber and a saving of user'"'"'s migrated contents to said contents server as well as a distribution of the user'"'"'s migrated contents back to said portable terminal player are performed according to an SDMI check-in/check-out rule.