Data transmission-reception system and data transmission-reception method

• US 7,359,737 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishii, Miruka
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart; James D
• Application Number:
  US11/401,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20060183097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/409, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/458, 455/567, 379/114.1, 379/114.12, 379/114.16, 379/114.17, 379/114.2, 379/121.02, 37937301-37304, 379/374.01, 379/374.02, 705/14
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems

Abstract

A data communication system is disclosed which comprises: first terminal devices for transmitting contents and content provider identification data identifying the providers of the contents; a server device for receiving and storing the transmitted contents and content provider identification data; and second terminal devices which transmit user identification data to the server device, which receive and store the contents from the server device based on the user identification data, and which reproduce the stored contents upon detection of an incoming call. The server device stores first account information corresponding to the content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to the user identification data. The server device increments first amount information in the first account information when receiving the contents from the first terminal devices; the server device decrements second amount information in the second account information when transmitting the contents to the second terminal devices.

Claims

1. A server device comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive, from a first terminal device, content for use as a ring tone for an incoming call, and content provider identification data identifying the provider of the content;

a storage unit configured to store the content received through the communication unit and the corresponding content provider identification data; and

a controller configured to transmit the content through the communication unit to a second terminal device based on user identification data received from the second terminal device;

wherein the storage unit stores first account information corresponding to the content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to the user identification data;

wherein the controller increments first amount information in the first account information when receiving the content from the first terminal device through the communication unit, decrements second amount information in the second account information when transmitting the content to the second terminal device through the communication unit, and further decrements the second amount information based on the number of times the content is reproduced as a ring tone of an incoming call on the second terminal device.

2. A server device according to claim 1, wherein the first account information includes first account data corresponding to the content provider identification data and the second account information includes second account data corresponding to the user identification data;

wherein the communication unit is further configured to transmit the first and the second account information to an external settlement center thereby prompting the external settlement center to settle account balances corresponding to the first account data based on the amounts represented by the first amount information and to settle balances corresponding to the second account data based on the amounts represented by the second amount information.

3. A server device according to claim 1, wherein the controller makes a larger decrement in the second amount information in response to a higher reproduction volume of the content on the second terminal device.

4. A server device according to claim 3, wherein the controller decrements the second amount information only if the reproduction volume of the content on the second terminal device is greater than zero.

5. A server device according to claim 1, wherein the controller selects user identification data from the second terminal device which complies with distribution conditions applicable to the content transmitted from the first terminal device, the controller further causing the communication unit to transmit the content to the second terminal device from which the selected user identification data has been received.

6. A server device according to claim 1, wherein the controller returns a list of the content to the second terminal device in response to access therefrom.

7. A server device according to claim 1, wherein the content is music data.

8. A server device according to claim 1, wherein the content is promotion data.

9. A server device according to claim 1, wherein the provider is a content sponsor.

10. A computer-readable media storing a program for causing a computer to execute a data communication method, the method comprising:

allowing a server device to receive from a first terminal device a content for use as a ring tone for an incoming call and content provider identification data identifying the provider of the content, and to receive and store user identification data from a second terminal device; and

allowing the server device which stores first account information corresponding to the content provider identification data and second account information corresponding to the user identification data;

to increment first amount information in the first account information when receiving the content from the first terminal device;

to transmit the content to the second terminal device based on the user identification data;

to decrement second amount information in the second account information upon transmission of the content to the second terminal device; and

to further decrement the second amount information based on the number of times the content is reproduced as a ring tone of an incoming call on the second terminal device.