Content delivery system and content delivery apparatus

• US 7,552,194 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2003
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kurihara, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US10/634,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20040098470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,150 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 705/10
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A content delivery system is disclosed which connects users'"'"' terminal apparatuses to a content management unit of a service provider managing a plurality of contents via a computer network, the service provider delivering the contents to the users over the computer network. The content management unit includes: a content file storing element for storing files of the contents; a user-oriented content storing element in which a user area of a predetermined size is allocated to each of the users for the storage of a content owned by the corresponding user; a file managing element for managing the content files stored in the content file storing element and the contents stored in the user areas of the user-oriented content storing element; and a content delivering element for providing the users with streaming delivery of the contents stored in the user areas. Each of the users is charged a usage fee proportional to the user area size allocated to the corresponding user in the user-oriented content storing element.

Claims

1. A content delivery system for connecting terminal apparatuses of users to a content management unit of a service provider managing a plurality of contents via a computer network, said service provider delivering said contents to said users over said computer network, said content management unit comprising:

content file storing means for storing files of said contents;

user-oriented content storing means in which a user area of a predetermined size is allocated to each of said users for the storage of a content owned by a corresponding one of the users;

file managing means for managing the content files stored in said content file storing means and the contents stored in the user areas of said user-oriented content storing means, wherein the file managing means copies content files selected by the user from the content file storing means to the corresponding user area;

content delivering means for providing said corresponding user with said contents stored in said corresponding user area, the contents provided to the corresponding user solely as streaming content wherein the content files are not downloadable for permanent storage by the corresponding user; and

superposing means for discouraging illegitimate copying of the content files by superposing personal information, by the content provider, including a user-identification that identifies the corresponding user on the streaming content provided by the content delivering means so the superposed personal information is displaying when the streaming content is reproduced,

wherein the personal information includes at least a corresponding user'"'"'s credit card number,

wherein each of said corresponding users is charged a usage fee proportional to the user area size allocated to the corresponding user in said user-oriented content storing means.

2. The content delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said content files are moving picture files.

3. The content delivery system according to claim 2, wherein said content management unit further comprises picture processing means for carrying out picture processing to superpose personal information about the corresponding user on a streaming screen of the content being delivered to the corresponding user.

4. The content delivery system according to claim 1, wherein a copied content file is stored into said user area of the corresponding user as the content owned by the corresponding user.

5. The content delivery system according to claim 1, wherein a link file linked to a content file is stored into said user area of the corresponding user in lieu of the content owned by the corresponding user.

6. A content delivery apparatus comprising:

content file storing means for storing a plurality of content files;

user-oriented content storing means in which a user area of a predetermined size is allocated to a corresponding user for the storage of a content owned by the corresponding one of the users, the user area size being subject to charging of a usage fee;

file managing means for managing the content files stored in said content file storing means and the contents stored in the user areas of said user-oriented content storing means, wherein the file managing means copies content files selected by the user from the content file storing means to the corresponding user area;

content delivering means for providing said corresponding user with streaming delivery of said contents stored in said corresponding user area, the contents provided to the corresponding user solely as streaming content wherein the content files are not downloadable for permanent storage by the corresponding user; and

superposing means for discouraging illegitimate copying of the content files by superposing personal information, by the content provider, including a user-identification that identifies the corresponding user on the streaming content provided by the content delivering means so the superposed personal information is displaying when the streaming content is reproduced and identifies the source of the illegitimate copy,

wherein the personal information includes at least the corresponding user'"'"'s credit card number,

wherein each of said corresponding users is charged a usage fee proportional to the user area size allocated to the corresponding user in said user-oriented content storing means.

7. The content delivery apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said content files are moving picture files, said content delivery apparatus further comprising picture processing means for carrying out picture processing to superpose personal information about the corresponding user on a streaming screen of the content being delivered to the corresponding user;

and

wherein said content delivering means provides said corresponding user with streaming delivery of the contents having undergone said picture processing.

8. A content delivery method, comprising:

storing content files selectable by a user by a content provider;

copying content files selected by the user to a user-oriented storage area corresponding to the user, said user-oriented storage area managed and allocated by the content provider;

providing the content files from the user-oriented storage area only to the corresponding user and providing the contents files to the corresponding user solely as streaming content wherein the content files are not downloadable for permanent storage by the corresponding user;

discouraging illegitimate copying of the content files by superposing personal information, by the content provider, including a user-identification that identifies the corresponding user on the streaming content of the providing step so the superposed personal information is displaying when the streaming content is reproduced and identifies the source of the illegitimate copy;

wherein the personal information includes at least the corresponding user'"'"'s credit card number; and

charging the corresponding user a usage fee proportional to the size allocated to the user-oriented area of the corresponding user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the personal information includes a corresponding user identification.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the personal information includes the corresponding user'"'"'s credit card number, telephone number, address, and name.