JP2001344430A - Information receiving device, information providing method, recording medium recording information providing program, information distribution device, and information distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide, for example, copyrighted work data to an unspecified number of people easily at an individual level using an existing information distribution system without making a large-scale capital investment. SOLUTION: A receiving server is provided with a copyrighted work information addition processing section 38 for registering information (for example, copyrighted work information) provided by an information provider, and a communication processing section 39 for transmitting the registered information to a distribution server. When the registered information is transmitted to the distribution server, for example, the copyrighted work data included in the information can be distributed on the same route as the normal distribution route from the distribution server to the receiving server. As a result, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by a receiving server other than the receiving server in which the information is registered. In this way, the information provider can provide the copyrighted work data to the third party by the existing system only by registering the information possessed by the receiving server side, and makes a large-scale capital investment to There is no need to separately build a system equivalent.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention makes it possible to provide information of an individual user to an unspecified number of people by utilizing a function of a system for transmitting and receiving contents such as music data via a communication line. The present invention relates to an information receiving apparatus, an information providing method, a recording medium storing a program for providing information, an information distribution apparatus, and an information distribution system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the dramatic progress of communication technology and the improvement of communication infrastructure, various data have been exchanged through various communication lines.
For example, on the Internet that is currently rapidly spreading worldwide, not only text-based data but also music data and image data can be communicated.

In the field of communication karaoke, for example, reproducing terminals having a communication function are installed in stores nationwide, and these reproducing terminals are connected to a main computer via a dedicated communication line, and music data is stored. Is widely spread. According to such a system, required music data is sent to the playback terminal by downloading it via a communication line, so that there is an advantage that a new song can be quickly added. ing.

Further, recently, game program data, music data, video data, and the like are transmitted to a terminal provided in a convenience store or the like through a dedicated communication line, and a general consumer (consumer) transmits the data to the terminal. Systems for recording (downloading) these data on various types of recording media are becoming widespread.

[0005] Specifically, in this system, a general consumer selects music data and the like to be downloaded at a terminal, and pays a fee according to the selected data, for example, by cash or credit card. After that, various data are recorded on a recording medium (for example, MD).
It is designed to be downloaded to. A part of the collected fee is paid to a copyright manager (for example, a record company) providing the data.

[0006] As described above, in the distribution system for music or the like, the consumer performs the charging process for the data desired to be obtained, thereby eliminating unauthorized copying (illegal copying) of the data.
The copyright of the data can be surely protected.

[0007]

By the way, today, when the Internet has become widespread, individuals often have their own homepages and publish their works, such as images designed by themselves, on the homepages. .

However, when a user places his / her work on a homepage, a third party accesses the homepage, and the work is copied or downloaded without permission. Is difficult to protect.

[0009] Therefore, for example, if it is possible to construct a system that can sell a copy of a copyrighted work by charging a person who wants to copy the copyrighted work, such as the above-mentioned distribution system for music or the like, for example. , You can protect your own copyright. Moreover, in this case, it becomes possible to collect and manage the sale of the copyrighted work by collecting royalties.

However, if such a system is to be constructed at the individual level, a considerable amount of capital investment is required, and it is currently impossible to construct such a system.

[0011] In addition, the distribution system for music and the like provides, for example, a lottery service in addition to the normal music distribution.
The lottery service is a service in which, for example, a lottery is performed each time one piece of music data is downloaded, and a prize (a gift certificate, a concert ticket, or the like) is given to a winner. Such a lottery service is usually sponsored by a company or the like that constructs the distribution system described above. For example, an unspecified number of terminals accessed from convenience stores nationwide or PCs owned by individuals. It is done against people.

On the other hand, there is a case where it is desired to provide the data to be drawn to, for example, a person in a specific area or a local area to realize the same lottery service at the individual level. Again, in this case,
There is no problem if an individual can construct such a system separately. However, as a matter of fact, even if an attempt is made to construct such a system at the individual level, a considerable cost is required for capital investment, and at present, the lottery service described above cannot be realized at the individual level.

[0013] As described above, conventionally, services equivalent to services (sales of copy reproductions and lottery services in the above example) provided by a system constructed by a company or the like are conventionally provided on an individual level. Even if it is desired to realize such a system, there is a problem that such a system cannot be constructed in terms of capital investment, so that the system cannot be realized.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide information to an unspecified number of people easily at an individual level without making a large-scale capital investment. Information receiving apparatus, information providing method, recording medium on which a program for providing information is recorded, information distribution apparatus, and information distribution which can realize various services (sales of copyrighted works, lottery service, etc.) It is to provide a system.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information receiving apparatus for receiving information desired by a consumer from an information distribution apparatus via a communication line in order to solve the above problems. A receiving apparatus, comprising: an information registering unit that registers information provided by an information provider; and an information transmitting unit that transmits the registered information to the information distribution device.

According to the above configuration, the information receiving device is connected to the information distribution device via the communication line, and a system for receiving information distributed from the information distribution device is constructed. Thereby, if there is information (for example, music data) desired to be acquired, the consumer can purchase it by receiving it from the information distribution device.

Here, in the information receiving apparatus, information provided by the information provider is registered by the information registration means.
This information may be, for example, copyrighted work information or lottery information. The above-mentioned copyrighted work information includes copyrighted work data (such as images designed by individuals and music data composed by individuals) owned by the information provider and information such as royalties on the copyrighted work data. On the other hand, the lottery information described above refers to data (such as concert ticket and gift certificate data) to be drawn when an information provider conducts a lottery with an unspecified number of people, and information such as a lottery area. Contains.

Since the information registered by the information registration means is transmitted to the information distribution device by the information transmission means, if the information is copyrighted information, the copyrighted work data included in the information is transferred to the information distribution device. Can be distributed on the same route as the normal distribution route to the information receiving apparatus. Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered.
On the other hand, if the information registered by the information registration means is lottery information, it becomes possible to perform lottery of the lottery target data included in the lottery information when the information distribution device has a lottery function. .

As described above, the information provider simply provides the copyrighted work data to the third party by the existing system or registers the functions of the existing system by simply registering the information possessed by the information receiving device. A lottery can be performed by using this. Therefore, in providing such services,
There is no need to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. That is, it is possible to easily perform various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) even at the individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

In the existing system, the copyright of the data to be distributed is securely protected by, for example, performing a billing process at the time of data distribution. Even in the case of the present invention, the copyright of the copyrighted work data is securely protected.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information receiving apparatus comprising:
The information provided by the information provider is copyrighted work information including data of the copyrighted work of the information provider.

According to the above arrangement, the copyrighted work information provided by the information provider is registered by the information registering means, and the registered copyrighted work information is transmitted to the information distribution device by the information transmitting means. This makes it possible to distribute the copyrighted work data included in the copyrighted work information provided by the information provider through the same route as the normal distribution route from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. The copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the device.

As described above, the information provider can provide his / her own copyrighted work data to a third party by using the existing system. There is no need to make an investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. Therefore, it is possible to easily sell the copyrighted work data at the individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information receiving apparatus comprising:
The information transmitting means transmits the copyrighted work information to a public server that publishes the information.

According to the above arrangement, the copyrighted work information registered by the information registering means is transmitted to the public server by the information transmitting means. Thereby, for example, since the copyrighted work data included in the copyrighted work information is published on the public server, it is possible to widely inform a third party that the copyrighted work data of the user is available for purchase. Will increase sales.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information receiving apparatus according to the second or third aspect, wherein the information receiving apparatus performs a charging process for information distributed from the information distribution apparatus. It is characterized by further comprising processing means.

According to the above configuration, the charging processing means performs the charging processing not only in the normal information distribution performed in the system but also in the distribution of the registered copyrighted work data. As a result, the copyright of the copyrighted work data can be reliably protected. Also, the information provider can obtain a profit by selling the copyrighted work data provided by the information provider.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information receiving apparatus as set forth in the fourth aspect, wherein:
The copyrighted work information includes royalty information of the copyrighted work data, and the billing processing means performs a billing process for the copyrighted work data based on the royalty information.

According to the above arrangement, the billing means performs the billing process on the copyrighted work data based on the royalty information included in the copyrighted work information. Profit can be obtained.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the information receiving apparatus according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the copyrighted work information is stored in an area where the copyrighted work data is disclosed. It is characterized in that it includes open area information indicating the following.

According to the above arrangement, when the information transmitting means transmits the public area information to the public server together with the copyrighted work data, the public server should release the copyrighted work data based on the public area information, for example. It is possible to grasp the server (for example, the information receiving device) and publish the copyrighted work data to the server only when the server is accessed from the server in the area to be disclosed. As a result, the copyrighted work data can be disclosed only in the area desired by the information provider.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the information receiving apparatus according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, the literary work information is provided with an expiration date of the literary work data. It is characterized in that it includes release time limit information shown.

According to the above arrangement, when the information transmitting means transmits the publication time limit information to the public server together with the copyrighted work data, the public server, for example, based on the publication time limit information, outputs the copyrighted work data for which the publication time limit has passed. Can be removed from the disclosure target and deleted. As a result, when the number of copyrighted work data to be published increases, the public server is not punctured by useless data.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information providing method, comprising: providing an information receiving apparatus which receives information desired by a consumer from an information distribution apparatus via a communication line to provide the information; It is characterized by having a step of registering information provided by a user and a step of transmitting the registered information to the information distribution device.

According to the above configuration, the information receiving device is connected to the information distribution device via the communication line, and a system for receiving information distributed from the information distribution device is constructed. Thereby, if there is information (for example, music data) desired to be acquired, the consumer can purchase it by receiving it from the information distribution device.

Here, information provided by the information provider is registered in the information receiving apparatus. This information may be, for example, copyrighted work information or lottery information.
The above-mentioned copyrighted work information includes copyrighted work data (such as images designed by individuals and music data composed by individuals) owned by the information provider and information such as royalties on the copyrighted work data. On the other hand, the lottery information described above refers to data (such as concert ticket and gift certificate data) to be drawn when an information provider conducts a lottery with an unspecified number of people, and information such as a lottery area. Contains.

Since the information registered in the information receiving device is transmitted to the information distribution device, if the information is copyrighted information, the copyrighted work data included in the information is transmitted from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. Can be distributed through the same route as the normal distribution route. Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered in the information receiving device is lottery information, the lottery target data included in the lottery information can be lottered when the information distribution device has the lottery function.

As described above, the information provider simply registers his / her own information on the information receiving device side, and provides the copyrighted work data to a third party by using the existing system, or provides the function of the existing system. A lottery can be performed by using this. Therefore, in providing such services,
There is no need to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. That is, it is possible to easily perform various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) even at the individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

In the existing system, the copyright of the data to be distributed is securely protected by, for example, performing a charging process at the time of data distribution. Even in the case of the present invention, the copyright of the copyrighted work data is securely protected.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium on which a program for providing information is recorded, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, information which a consumer desires to obtain from an information distribution device via a communication line. It is characterized in that a program for executing a process of registering information provided by an information provider and a process of transmitting the registered information to the information distribution device is recorded in a receiving information receiving device.

According to the above configuration, the information receiving device is connected to the information distribution device via the communication line, and a system for receiving information distributed from the information distribution device is constructed. Thereby, if there is information (for example, music data) desired to be acquired, the consumer can purchase it by receiving it from the information distribution device.

Here, in the information receiving apparatus, the information provided by the information provider is registered by executing the above program. This information may be, for example, copyrighted work information or lottery information. The above copyrighted work information is copyrighted work data owned by the information provider (images designed by individuals, music data composed by individuals, etc.)
And information such as royalties for copyrighted work data. On the other hand, the above-mentioned lottery information is data to be drawn when an information provider conducts a lottery with an unspecified number of people (concert ticket, gift certificate data, etc.).
And lottery information.

Since the information registered in the information receiving device is transmitted to the information distribution device, if the information is copyrighted information, the copyrighted work data included in the information is transmitted from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. Can be distributed through the same route as the normal distribution route. Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered in the information receiving device is lottery information, the lottery target data included in the lottery information can be lottered when the information distribution device has the lottery function.

As described above, the information provider simply provides the copyrighted work data to the third party by using the existing system or registers the function of the existing system by simply registering the information held by the information receiving device. A lottery can be performed by using this. Therefore, in providing such services,
There is no need to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. That is, it is possible to easily perform various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) even at the individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

In the existing system, the copyright of the data to be distributed is securely protected by, for example, performing a billing process at the time of data distribution. Even in the case of the present invention, the copyright of the copyrighted work data is securely protected.

The information distribution device according to the invention of claim 10 is
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an information distribution device which distributes information desired by a consumer to an information receiving device via a communication line, wherein the information provided by the information provider via the information receiving device is It is characterized by having information registration means for registration.

According to the above configuration, the information distribution device is connected to the information receiving device via the communication line, and the information (eg, music data) desired by the consumer is transmitted from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. It has been distributed and it is possible for consumers to purchase it.

Here, in the information distribution device, information provided from the information provider via the information receiving device is registered by the information registration means. The above information may be information transmitted directly from a personal computer owned by an individual, or may be information registered in an information receiving device included in a normal distribution system and transmitted to the information distribution device. You may.

The information provided by the information provider is as follows:
For example, it may be copyright information or lottery information. The above-mentioned copyrighted work information includes copyrighted work data (such as images designed by individuals and music data composed by individuals) owned by the information provider and information such as royalties on the copyrighted work data. On the other hand, the lottery information described above refers to data (such as concert ticket and gift certificate data) to be drawn when an information provider conducts a lottery with an unspecified number of people, and information such as a lottery area. Contains.

As described above, when the information provided by the information provider is registered in the information distribution device, if the information is copyrighted information, the copyrighted work data included in the information is transmitted from the information distribution device. It is possible to distribute the information on the same route as the normal distribution route to the information receiving device. Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered by the information registration means is lottery information, it becomes possible to perform lottery of the lottery target data included in the lottery information when the information distribution device has a lottery function. .

As described above, the information provider simply provides the copyrighted work data to a third party by using the existing system or utilizes the functions of the existing system only by registering the information possessed by the information provider in the information distribution apparatus. It is possible to carry out a lottery.
Therefore, in performing such a service, it is not necessary to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. That is, it is possible to easily perform various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) even at the individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

In the existing system, the copyright of the data to be distributed is securely protected by, for example, performing a charging process at the time of data distribution. Even in the case of the present invention, the copyright of the copyrighted work data is securely protected.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information distribution system comprising: an information receiving apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects; and an information distribution apparatus according to the tenth aspect. Are connected via a communication line.

The information provided by the information provider may be registered in the information receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or may be directly registered in the information distribution device according to claim 10. . In the former case, the registered information is transmitted to the information distribution device via a communication line.

Thus, if the information is copyrighted information, copyrighted data included in the information can be distributed on the same route as the normal distribution route from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. . Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered in the information receiving device is lottery information, it becomes possible to perform lottery of the lottery target data included in the lottery information when the information distribution device has a lottery function. .

As described above, the information provider simply registers his / her own information in the information receiving device or the information distribution device.
It is possible to provide copyrighted work data to a third party using an existing system, or to perform a lottery using functions of the existing system. Therefore, in performing such a service, it is not necessary to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. That is,
Various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) can be easily performed even at the individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

In the existing system, the copyright of the data to be distributed is securely protected by, for example, performing a billing process at the time of data distribution. Even in the case of the present system, the copyright of the copyrighted work data is surely protected.

[0058]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described.
This will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information distribution system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the information distribution system includes a master server 1 on which data such as game program data, music data, video data, and book data are stored, secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, and 2C; Tertiary distribution server 3A
-It has a configuration with 3B and 3C. In an actual system, a large number of secondary distribution servers and tertiary distribution servers can exist, and quaternary, quinary, etc. distribution servers can be provided further below the tertiary distribution server. It is possible. It is also possible to provide a system in which a plurality of master servers are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the master server 1 stores the above-described original data in accordance with a contract with a copyright manager such as a game maker 5A, a record company 5B, a video production 5C, and a publisher 5D. The storage server computer and the master server management company that manages the server computer are shown. This master server 1
Stores digitized original data or distribution data converted to a data format suitable for distribution based on the original data.

The secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, and 2C indicate server computers connected to the master server 1 by communication lines and secondary distributors that manage the server computers. The secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, and 2C, based on a contract with a master server management company,
It is possible to download the original data or distribution data stored in the communication line via a communication line.

The secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, 2C
The servers are also connected by a communication line, and can transmit and receive data owned by each server based on a contract between the secondary distributors.

Further, each of the secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B,
2C is also capable of selling data to consumers (consumers) C. Although there is no particular limitation on the form of sale, for example, a terminal is installed in a convenience store or a game center, and a consumer C visits the terminal, and a certain recording medium stored in advance inside the terminal. A system is conceivable in which desired data is recorded (downloaded) on (for example, an MD) and the entire recording medium is purchased. Further, a system in which the consumer C inserts a recording medium (for example, MD) owned by himself / herself into the terminal and downloads the data, thereby paying only a fee for data download is also conceivable.

The tertiary distribution servers 3A, 3B, and 3C indicate server computers connected to the secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, and 2C via communication lines, and tertiary distributors that manage the server computers. This tertiary distribution server 3A
3B and 3C can download distribution data stored in the secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B and 2C through a communication line based on a contract with a secondary distributor.

Each tertiary distribution server 3A, 3B, 3C
As shown in FIG. 2, each is connected to a plurality of secondary distribution servers. That is, each tertiary distribution server 3A
3B and 3C can receive data from any of the connected secondary distribution servers.

These tertiary distribution servers 3A, 3B, 3
C is configured to sell data to the consumer C. Although there is no particular limitation on the form of sale, for example, similar to the above-described form of sale in the secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, and 2C, a terminal is installed in a convenience store or a game center, and the consumer C A system is conceivable in which a user visits a terminal, downloads desired data to some recording medium stored in advance in the terminal, and purchases the entire recording medium. Further, a system in which the consumer C inserts the recording medium owned by the consumer C into the terminal and downloads the data, thereby paying only the fee for downloading the data may be considered.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the tertiary distribution servers 3A, 3B, and 3C are configured to function as terminals that do not perform further distribution. For example, each of the tertiary distribution servers 3A, 3B, and 3C Are connected by a communication line, and based on a contract between each tertiary distributor,
It is also possible to adopt a configuration capable of transmitting and receiving data owned by each server. Also, quaternary,
It is also possible to provide a fifth-order distribution server and connect them to a higher-order distribution server.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the information distribution system according to the present embodiment has a management server 4 separate from a data distribution path including a master server and an n-th distribution server.
have. The management server 4 includes the secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, and 2C and the tertiary distribution servers 3A and 3
B / 3C, and is configured to receive, from these servers, history data (details will be described later) issued when selling data. The history data collected in the management server 4 is transmitted to a game maker 5A, a record company 5B, a video production 5C, a publisher 5D, etc., which are copyright managers. It is possible to grasp the sales status of the data for which rights are managed.

The management server 4 is a public server 3
6 via a communication line. The public server 36 transmits the work (eg, music data or image data), which is the original service content, distributed from the secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, and 2C to the tertiary distribution servers 3A, 3B, and 3C.・ Receive from 2B ・ 2C via the management server 4 and publish these information to the tertiary distribution servers 3A ・ 3B ・ 3C. The publishing server 36 manages the data of the personal work (for example, data of an image designed by an individual or data of music composed by an individual) registered in the tertiary distribution servers 3A, 3B, and 3C by the management server 4. Tertiary distribution server 3A
・ It also has a function to open to 3B / 3C.

The consumer can access the public server 36 from any server via the management server 4, and can grasp information published on the public server 36 from any server. Is possible.

However, as shown in FIG. 2, the public server 36 stores a plurality of pages (addresses) A ₁ , A ₁ corresponding to each of a certain area such as “Kansai area” and “Kanto area”. ₂ ,... _An (n is a natural number), and determines a page in which the copyrighted work data is to be stored based on open area information (described later) transmitted together with the copyrighted work data, and stores the page. I do. And the public server 3
No. 6 discloses the copyrighted work data of the page corresponding to the area to which the accessed server belongs to the server.

For example, "Kansai region" is page A₁Compatible with
The public server 36 is located in the Kansai region.
The copyrighted work data sent from the server₁To
Stored and accessed from servers belonging to the Kansai region.
When there is a page A ₁Information to the above server
It is made public.

Each page A ₁ -of the public server 36
A _n may be associated with such regions do not overlap each other, may be associated so as to overlap. For example, copyrighted data area range of the public of the subject is "Osaka" has to correspond to the page A _1, copyrighted data above area range is "Kinki" has to correspond to the page A ₅ , copyrighted data above area range is "the Kansai region" may be a page set to correspond to the page a _10. In this case, when the public server 36 is accessed from a server in Osaka, pages A ₁ , A ₅ , A ₁₀
Can be viewed sequentially or all at once.

The information provided to the public server 36 includes the contents of the information (image data, music data, etc.),
It is classified according to the information provider (various copyright managers, individuals, etc.), the time of providing the information (less than one week, less than one month, less than one year, etc.). The publishing server 36 publishes information according to the conditions specified by the consumer in the tertiary distribution servers 3A, 3B, and 3C.

For example, in the tertiary distribution server 3A, the original service content and the data of the registered personal work are transmitted from the public server 36, and are listed and displayed according to the classification, and are listed. Suppose that each data can be selected by a consumer. When the consumer designates “within one month of music release”, the list is narrowed down to only a list of music data released within one month. Furthermore, when "personal work" is designated, a list of personally registered works registered within one month is displayed. The registration of the personal work on the tertiary distribution server 3A will be described later.

At this time, if the personally-registered work is music data, the consumer may, if necessary, use the secondary distribution server 2A.
By instructing the transmission of pre-data (data for trial listening) to 2B and 2C, a trial listening can be performed for each personally registered work. If the consumer likes the data by listening, the music data can be downloaded (or reproduced on a dedicated terminal) in the same manner as music data normally distributed.

Although the management server 4 and the public server 36 are separately shown in FIG. 2, the management server 4 may be configured to also serve as the public server 36. In addition, even if the management server 4 and the public server 36 are provided separately, a configuration in which the tertiary distribution server can directly access the public server 36 may be used. Further, it is needless to say that one of the secondary distribution servers may also serve as the public server 36. Further, the publishing server 36 may publish information not only to the tertiary distribution server but also to the secondary distribution server.

Although FIG. 2 shows a system configuration in which only one public server 36 is provided, a plurality of public servers 36 may be provided, for example, one in the Kinki area and one in the Kanto area. It may be.

Next, the details of the information distribution system shown in FIG. 2 in which, for example, a tertiary distribution server receives data from an arbitrary secondary distribution server and sells the received data to a consumer will be described. . Here, a server computer that distributes data is referred to as a distribution server (information distribution device), and a server computer that receives data and sells it to consumers is referred to as a reception server (information reception device). In the above, the relationship between the secondary distribution server and the tertiary distribution server is
Although described as the relationship between the distribution server and the receiving server, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is assumed that the relationship indicates a system that distributes data from any distribution server to any distribution server.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system including a plurality of distribution servers and a plurality of reception servers. In the figure, three distribution servers 6A
・ 6B ・ 6C, three receiving servers 7A ・ 7B ・ 7C,
The management server 4 and the publishing server 36 are shown. Each of the receiving servers 7A, 7B, 7C is connected to each of the distribution servers 6A, 6B, 6C. In other words, each of the receiving servers 7A, 7B, and 7C can receive data from any of the distribution servers 6A, 6B, and 6C.

The management server 4 is connected to each of the receiving servers 7A, 7B, and 7C, and is configured to receive history data issued when the data is sold.
Note that, in the system shown in FIG.
Since A, 6B, and 6C assume that data will not be sold, these servers do not transmit history data to the management server 4.

However, if any error occurs in the receiving servers 7A, 7B, 7C during transmission and reception of data between the distribution servers 6A, 6B, 6C and the receiving servers 7A, 7B, 7C, the distribution server 6A・ 6B ・
Error information is sent to the management server 4 from 6C. The transmission history information of the data transmitted to the receiving servers 7A, 7B, 7C is also transmitted from the distribution servers 6A, 6B, 6C to the management server 4.

As described above, the management server 4 manages the history data from the receiving servers 7A, 7B, and 7C, and the error information and the transmission history information from the distribution servers 6A, 6B, and 6C. 7B ・ 7
It is possible to check whether or not a problem has occurred in the information received at C.

When the information provider registers the data of the personal work in the receiving servers 7A, 7B, 7C, the information indicating the registration is transmitted from the receiving servers 7A, 7B, 7C to the management server 4. It is supposed to be. The management server 4 receives the information and transmits an ID corresponding to the copyrighted work data to the receiving server of the transmission source. By assigning such an ID to the copyrighted work data, it becomes possible to manage the registered copyrighted work data. The copyrighted work data with the ID is then transmitted to the public server 36 via the management server 4 and made public on the public server 36, that is, information indicating that the data has been registered is transmitted to the public server 36. Will be sent to each server.

Next, the configuration of the distribution servers 6A, 6B and 6C will be described. FIG. 4 shows distribution servers 6A and 6B.
It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of 6C. FIG.
In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the distribution servers 6A, 6B, and 6C
The figure shows an example in which the server is configured with a personal computer-based server. As shown in the figure, distribution servers 6A and 6B
6C is a data storage unit 8, a central processing unit 9, an authentication check unit 10, a transmission data check unit 11, a transmission / reception completion information check unit 12, a distribution data reproduction count setting unit 13, a password issuing unit 14, a communication processing unit 15, The configuration includes a display unit 16, an operation unit 17, a charging management unit 18, a transmission data management unit 19, a user information management unit 20, and a copyrighted work information registration processing unit 37.

Although FIG. 4 is a diagram in which all of the above-described components are connected in the same manner, in actuality, parts connected in terms of hardware via various buses, interfaces, and the like, There are some parts that are connected in software by coordination on control and processing programs. In the following description of each configuration, the distribution servers 6A and 6
B.6C will be simply referred to as a distribution server.

The data storage section 8 is constituted by storage means such as a hard disk device, and stores distribution data to be distributed and various management data related to distribution. The hard disk device or another hard disk device stores an OS, various programs, data, and the like necessary for the operation of the distribution server.

The central processing unit 9 has a CPU (Central Process).
ing Unit) and performs various arithmetic processes in the distribution server. Although not shown, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and the like required for performing various arithmetic processes are also provided.

The communication processing section 15 serves as an interface with a computer outside the distribution server, and a specific CO of the computer constituting the distribution server.
M ports are assigned. The network interface is not particularly limited. For example, Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI (Fiber D)
istributed Data Interface), ISDN (Integrated Se
rvices Digital Network), ATM (Asynchronous Tran)
sfer Mode).

The display 16 is a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
And various display monitors such as LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays). The operation unit 17
Is constituted by an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The display unit 16 and the operation unit 17 perform maintenance such as checking the operation status of the distribution server and changing the processing operation.

The data storage unit 8, the central processing unit 9, the communication processing unit 15, the display unit 16, and the operation unit 17 described above.
Is a block showing a hardware configuration of the distribution server. Then, the following authentication check unit 1
0, transmission data check unit 11, transmission / reception completion information check unit 12, distribution data reproduction count setting unit 13, password issuing unit 14, charging management unit 18, transmission data management unit 19,
User information management unit 20 and copyrighted work information registration processing unit 3
7 is a block showing the software configuration of the distribution server.

The authentication check unit 10 is a block for performing an authentication check on the receiving server that has transmitted a specific data distribution request to the distribution server. When an access request is made from the receiving server to the distribution server, the ID and password of the receiving server are checked by this authentication check unit, and access to the receiving server is permitted only when the check passes. Will be.

The transmission data check unit 11 determines whether the specific data requested to be distributed by the receiving server and the data information such as the number of times of reproduction of the data match the distribution data stored in the distribution server. If
This is a block for checking whether or not the distribution server can appropriately respond to a distribution request from the receiving server. If the transmission data check unit determines that distribution is impossible, the fact is transmitted to the receiving server.

The transmission / reception completion information check section 12 is a block for checking whether or not data has been normally transmitted to the receiving server when data is distributed from the distribution server to the receiving server. Specifically, after the data is transmitted from the distribution server, it is checked whether the transmission and reception have been normally completed based on whether or not a signal indicating that the data has been received has been received from the reception server.
Here, when an error occurs in transmission and reception, if no error is found in the distribution server, it is considered that there is a problem on the receiving server side, and error information is transmitted to the management server 4 as shown in FIG. Is done. Thus, for example, when the receiving server is an independent terminal having no operator, it is possible to promptly notify the management server 4 of the failure of the terminal.

The distribution data reproduction number setting unit 13 is a block for setting reproduction number information in the data information of distribution data in accordance with the reproduction number of specific data requested to be distributed by the receiving server. That is, data having the number-of-reproductions information set by the distribution-data-reproduction-number setting unit 13 is transmitted to the receiving server, and the receiving server reproduces the data based on the restriction on the number of reproductions. Become.

Note that the reproduction here corresponds to a state where the data has been sold to the consumer. That is,
For example, in a terminal, various data are recorded on various recording media, and when the recording medium reaches the consumer's hand, it is counted that reproduction has been performed once.

The password issuing unit 14 is a block that issues a password to each of the receiving servers that have a data distribution contract. This password may be a system that can be changed by an application from the receiving server, or a system that can be changed by the intention of the distribution server.

[0098] The user information management unit 20 is a block that manages various information of each receiving server that has a data distribution contract. Examples of the various information include a distribution status, a distribution history, a system environment, and the like, along with ID and password information.

The charge management unit 18 is a block for calculating the charge information of the distribution data based on the information on the number of times of reproduction, and changing the charge per reproduction.

When transmitting the distribution data to the receiving server, the transmission data management unit 19 records the transmission information as a log, assigns the distribution server ID to the distribution data, and controls the transmission of the distribution data. It is.

Here, the basic configuration of the distribution data transmitted from the distribution server to the receiving server will be described below. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the distribution data. As shown in the drawing, the distribution data has a configuration including a header section, a data section, and a footer section.

[0102] In the header portion, information on the number of times of reproduction, data I
D and an authentication code are recorded. The number-of-reproductions information is information indicating how many times the distribution data can be reproduced. As described above, the reproduction corresponds to the processing until the data is sold to the consumer, and thus the reproduction number information indicates how many times the distribution data can be sold. Will be. In other words, by limiting the number of times of reproduction based on the number of times of reproduction information, it is possible to prevent a situation in which once distribution data is received, it is possible to sell as many times as desired.

The data ID is a unique ID of the distribution data.
D, which indicates the content of the data included in the distribution data, and even if the data has the same content, a different ID is given according to the timing or distribution route initially distributed from the master server. Things.

The data section is composed of content data, that is, music data and video data.
The content data is encoded data in an encrypted state so that the content cannot be easily analyzed. In general, such content data is often large in size, and thus is encoded in a compressed state.

In the footer section, the distribution server ID of the distribution server through which the distribution data has passed is recorded in the order of distribution. For example, when the distribution data is distributed from the master server to the distribution server (A), and further distributed to the distribution server (B), the distribution server (A) ID, the distribution server (B) IDs are recorded in this order.

Further, for example, when the distribution data is distributed from the distribution server (A) to the distribution server (B) and further distributed back to the distribution server (A), the distribution server (A) ID, distribution server (B) ID, and distribution server (A) ID are recorded in this order. As described above, since the delivery history is completely recorded in the footer section, it is possible to completely grasp the route through which the delivery data has been delivered to the current server. Has become.

The process of assigning the distribution server ID to the footer is performed by the transmission data management unit 19 in the distribution server.

Next, the above-mentioned history data will be described below. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the history data. As shown in the figure, the history data includes a header section,
And a data section.

[0109] The management information ID is recorded in the header portion. The management information ID indicates a code that enables the management server 4 to recognize which data the history data corresponds to when the history data is received. . That is, the management server 4 manages the history data by referring to the header part.

[0110] The data section contains information on the number of times of reproduction, data I
D, an authentication code, and a processing history are recorded. The number-of-reproductions information is information indicating the number of times the history data was issued at the time of reproduction of the data to be reproduced. The data ID indicates a unique ID of the data to be reproduced. The data ID indicates the content of the data included in the data. Even if the data has the same content, the data is first transmitted from the master server. The ID is different depending on the timing and the distribution route.

The processing history is the distribution server ID of the distribution server through which the data to be reproduced was distributed.
Are recorded in the order of distribution. That is, this processing history is represented in the distribution data shown in FIG.
This corresponds to the data recorded in the footer section. As described above, since the distribution history is completely recorded in the processing history, it is possible to completely grasp the path through which the data has been reproduced.

The management server 4 receives the history data including the above data every time the data is reproduced, so that the original data to be distributed can be transmitted through any distribution route. It is possible to grasp for all the data whether the data has reached the consumer's hand. Copyright managers such as the game maker 5A, the record company 5B, the video production 5C, and the publisher 5D extract information from the management server 4 so that data whose copyright is managed is Through such a route, it is possible to know at what time and in what amount the consumer has purchased, and it is possible to accurately collect the copyright fee.

Next, the copyrighted work information registration processing section 37 of the distribution server will be described.

For example, when copyright information is transmitted from a personal PC owned by the information provider, the copyright information registration processing unit 37 (information registration means) fetches the copyright information and registers it. At the same time, the information provider registers the copyrighted work information in the receiving server, and when the information is transmitted from the receiving server to the distribution server, the transmitted copyrighted work information is taken as it is and registered. In other words, the copyrighted work information registration processing unit 37 captures and registers copyrighted work information regardless of whether information is transmitted from a personal PC constituting the information receiving apparatus or a receiving server in the system.

When the copyright information is transmitted from the receiving server, the copyright information registration processing section 37 only registers the transmitted information as it is. The configuration in which the copyrighted work information that can be registered will be described. Further, in the present embodiment, the copyrighted work information registration processing unit 37 has the same configuration as the public server 36, that is, a configuration including a plurality of pages corresponding to the public areas. It also has a function that can publish registered information.

The above copyrighted work information includes, for example, copyrighted work data, royalty information, open area information, open expiration date information, information on a method of depositing profits upon billing processing, presence / absence of advertisement registration, and the like. Have been. When the information provider directly accesses the distribution server from a personal PC, the information is digitized and transmitted to the distribution server, and the information is registered in the copyrighted work information registration processing unit 37.

The copyrighted work data refers to, for example, image data designed by an individual or music data composed by an individual.

In the present embodiment, the royalty information is a copyright fee. When personal copyrighted work data is released by the copyrighted work publication system of the present invention and purchased by a consumer, a fee corresponding to a set royalty among paid fees is fed back to the information provider later. Will be.

[0119] Instead of the royalty information, a fee for actually selling the data may be included in the copyrighted work information. In this case, for example, a general price of a royalty determined according to the type of copyrighted work data is fed back to the information provider. Further, the copyright information registration processing unit 37 may automatically set the fee for selling the royalties and the data based on the type of the copyrighted work data and the general royalties.

The release area information is information indicating a range (area) of disclosure desired by the information provider. Open area information such as “Osaka” or “Kansai region” is registered according to the information provider's request. When the copyrighted work information registration processing unit 37 discloses information, the copyrighted work information registration processing unit 37
Will determine the release area of registered copyrighted work data based on the release area information, and will release the copyrighted work data only when it is accessed from the receiving server in the release area. ing.

As the open area information, in addition to the above, it is also possible to set and register a specific range (for example, municipalities, around Tokyo station, all over Japan, etc.).

The release date information is information indicating the release date of the copyrighted work data. The registered copyrighted work data is deleted by the copyrighted work information registration processing unit 37 when the set publication time limit has passed. If the publication time limit information is not registered, the registered copyrighted work data is deleted by the copyrighted work information registration processing unit 37, for example, after a lapse of a predetermined period. Thereby, when the number of registrations of the copyrighted work data increases, the possibility that the distribution server will be punctured can be eliminated as much as possible.

The registration of the method of depositing the profit at the time of the billing process is performed, for example, by specifying and inputting the bank account of the information provider. When a consumer purchases copyrighted work data in this system, the profit (royalty) that the information provider should obtain from the fees paid by the consumer (charges paid by cash or card payment) is calculated by the system. The administrator will deposit money into the above account.

[0124] Advertisement registration specifically refers to registration of whether or not to perform a banner advertisement in the display field of personal literary work data.
By registering the advertisement, the effect of promoting the personal work is enhanced, and more people can be encouraged to purchase the data of the personal work. The advertisement registration is, for example, a fee, and when the advertisement registration is performed, a separate charging process is required.
Further, in the above-described billing process, a fee corresponding to the number of clicks on the banner advertisement is subtracted from the deposit cost as a promotion cost.

Further, the copyrighted work information registration processing section 37 performs processing for reproducing the registered copyrighted work data, transmitting the copyrighted work data and other copyrighted work information to the PC, and confirming the information provider. It has become. As a result, the information provider can check whether the registered copyrighted work data is really the data to be disclosed, and also check the conditions at the time of publication of the copyrighted work data.

Thus, the copyrighted work information registration processing section 37
Performs a process of registering various types of information including a process of importing copyrighted work data and a process of setting various conditions when the copyrighted work data is released, and a process of reproducing the registered information and confirming it. It has become.

The copyrighted work information registration processing section 37 also has a function of giving a digital watermark to copyrighted work data. Here, the provision of the digital watermark refers to a process of adding a signal (data) that cannot be recognized by human eyes or ears to a part of the copyrighted work data. When the inserted data is rearranged by a certain algorithm, it becomes information indicating who the copyrighted work belongs to. Therefore, even if a large amount of copyrighted work data is circulated, it is possible to identify the copyrighted work from each copyrighted work data.

In the present embodiment, copyright protection is achieved by publishing copyrighted work data using an existing information distribution system with strict copyright protection.
The above-described digital watermarking does not necessarily have to be performed.

[0129] When the publication server 36 publishes the copyrighted work data,
It also has a function of creating data (for example, coded compressed data) suitable for transmission to the public server 36 from various registered data, and temporarily storing the data.

Next, the configuration of the receiving servers 7A, 7B, 7C will be described. FIG. 1 shows the receiving servers 7A and 7B.
It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of 7C. FIG.
Shows an example in which the receiving servers 7A, 7B, and 7C are configured by PC-based servers. As shown in the figure, the receiving servers 7A, 7B, and 7C include a data storage unit 21, a central processing unit 22, an authentication check unit 23, a cancel control unit 24, a reproduction data check unit 25, a reproduction data storage processing unit 26, Output device 27, voice guide control processing unit 28, reproduction completion processing unit 29, communication processing unit 30, display unit 31, operation unit 32, reproduction processing unit 33, charging management unit 3
4. Order data management unit 35, copyrighted work information addition processing unit 38
And a communication processing unit 39.

Although FIG. 1 is a diagram in which all of the above-described components are connected in the same manner, in actuality, parts connected by hardware via various buses, interfaces, and the like, There are some parts that are connected in software by coordination on control and processing programs. In the following description of each configuration, the receiving servers 7A and 7
B.7C will be simply referred to as the receiving server.

The data storage unit 21 is constituted by storage means such as a hard disk device.
It stores the distribution data for reproduction received from the distribution server, and stores various management data related to reception and reproduction. The hard disk device or another hard disk device stores an OS, various programs, data, and the like necessary for the operation of the receiving server.

The central processing unit 9 is constituted by an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU, and performs various arithmetic processes in the receiving server. Although not shown, a RAM or the like required for performing various arithmetic processes is also provided.

The communication processing section 30 serves as an interface with a computer external to the receiving server, and a specific CO of the computer constituting the receiving server.
M ports are assigned. The network interface is not particularly limited. For example, as described in the distribution server, for example, Ethernet, F
DDI, ISDN, ATM and the like are used.

The display section 31 is constituted by various display monitors such as a CRT and an LCD. The operation unit 32 is configured by an input device such as a joystick or a button. The consumer sees the display on the display unit 31 and performs an input operation using the operation unit 32, so that the consumer can purchase desired data, register copyrighted work data, and the like. The display unit 31 may be configured by a touch panel type input device.

[0136] The reproduction data storage processing section 26 is a block for performing processing of recording the data on some recording medium when the consumer purchases the data. Although the type of the recording medium is not particularly limited, for example, MD, CD-R, CD
-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM,
IC memory, floppy (registered trademark) disk, ZI
P disk, MO, small hard disk, and the like. In addition, such a recording medium may be a form in which a consumer carries the recording by himself / herself, or a recording medium is prepared in advance in a terminal device, and when selling the recording medium, the recording medium fee is included in the data fee. May be charged. The reproduction data storage processing unit 26 constitutes a recording medium insertion device.

The audio output device 27 is composed of an amplifier, a speaker, and the like, and is a block for outputting various sounds. For example, when purchasing music data, audio for previewing the music, audio for guiding operation, and BGM are output.

As described above, the data storage unit 21, the central processing unit 22, the communication processing unit 30, the display unit 31, the operation unit 32,
Playback data storage processing unit 26 and audio output device 27
Is a block showing a hardware configuration in the receiving server. Then, the authentication check unit 2 shown below
3. Cancel control unit 24, playback data check unit 2
5, voice guide control processing unit 28, reproduction completion processing unit 29,
Reproduction processing unit 33, charging management unit 34, order data management unit 3
5. Copyright information addition processing unit 38 and communication processing unit 39
Is a block showing the software configuration of the receiving server.

The authentication check unit 23 is a block that sends a request for distribution of specific data to the transmission server and authenticates data distribution. When a distribution request is made, the ID and password of the receiving server are sent from the authentication check unit 23, and these authentication checks are performed on the distribution server side. The requested data will be delivered to.

The cancel control unit 24 is a block for performing a process of stopping the reproduction of the data by the reproduction processing unit 33 when a cancel instruction is received after a data reproduction request is once made by the consumer. The cancel control unit 24 determines whether or not to perform the canceling process according to the point in time when the consumer has issued a canceling instruction through the input unit, and performs the canceling process based on the determination result.

When the specific data requested by the consumer to be reproduced is stored in the receiving server, the reproduced data check section 25 checks the number of times of reproduction of the stored specific data and reproduces the data. Is a block for checking whether or not is possible. Here, if it is determined that the reproduction is not possible, the specific data requested to be reproduced is requested to be distributed to a distribution server that can receive the data.

The voice guide control processing unit 28 is a block for controlling various voice guides related to data reproduction for the consumer.

The reproduction completion processing section 29 is a block for transmitting the history data to the management server 4 when the reproduction processing for the consumer is completed, and performing processing for storing the history data.

The reproduction processing section 33 decodes (restores) the data requested to be reproduced and which has been encrypted, and, if the data is compressed,
This block performs decompression processing (decompression), and decoding processing or recording processing for recording data subjected to expansion processing as necessary on a recording medium. As a result, the data requested to be reproduced is converted into a reproducible data format and then recorded on the recording medium.

The charging management unit 34 is a block for managing charging when a reproduction request by a consumer, that is, a data purchase request is made. Examples of the form of billing include payment by cash, credit card, debit card, and prepaid card. Therefore, the billing management unit 34 includes a device for collecting and receiving cash, a device for performing settlement using various cards, and the like, and has a system for controlling these devices. The charging management unit 34 also has a function of calculating charging information of distribution data based on information on the number of times of reproduction, and changing the charging per reproduction.

As described above, the billing management unit 34 constitutes billing processing means for billing information distributed from the distribution server. This billing process is usually performed not only for information such as music data to be distributed, but also for distribution of copyrighted work data registered in a distribution server or a reception server. As a result, the copyright of the copyrighted work data can be reliably protected. Also, the information provider can obtain a profit by selling the copyrighted work data provided by the information provider.

The order data management unit 35 checks the number of times of reproduction of data stored in the receiving server,
It is a block for recording and managing together with the ID of each data. By this order data management unit 35, it is possible to grasp how much each data stored in the receiving server can be reproduced.

Next, the most characteristic part of the present invention is:
The copyrighted work information addition processing section 38 and the communication processing section 39 will be described in order.

[0149] The copyrighted work information addition processing section 38 (information registration means) is a block that takes in the copyrighted work information provided by the information provider and registers it.

The copyrighted work information includes copyrighted work data to be disclosed, basic royalty information, disclosure area information, disclosure expiration information, information on a method of depositing profits upon billing, information on the presence or absence of advertisement registration, and the like. It is composed of The copyrighted work information other than the copyrighted work data is set and registered by the information provider via the operation unit 32, for example. Note that the method of depositing the profit at the time of the billing process and the presence / absence of advertisement registration are the same as the description on the distribution server side, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

To register the copyrighted work data, first, these data are recorded on a recording medium, and this recording medium is set in a receiving server.
Is performed by reading the data.

The basic royalty information is a copyright fee in the present embodiment, and is set, for example, in advance as a default (initial setting) at a general market price of a selling price.
By increasing or decreasing this value, it is possible to determine the final royalty.

The charging management unit 34 performs a charging process on the copyrighted work data based on the corresponding basic royalty information. As a result, the information provider can obtain a profit according to the setting of the royalty information.

[0154] Instead of setting a royalty,
A fee for actually selling data including royalties may be set. Alternatively, the copyright information addition processing unit 38 may automatically set the royalty and the fee for selling the data based on the type of the copyrighted work data and the general market price.

The release area information is information indicating a range (area) of disclosure desired by the information provider. Open area information such as “Osaka” or “Kansai region” is registered according to the information provider's request. When the copyrighted work data is transmitted to the public server 36 together with the public area information, the public server 36 stores the copyrighted work data on the page corresponding to the public area information, and is accessed from the receiving server. When there is, the information of the page corresponding to the area where the receiving server is installed is disclosed to the receiving server.

In addition, as the open area information, it is also possible to set and register a certain specific range (for example, a municipal unit, around Tokyo station, all over Japan, etc.).

The release time limit information is information indicating the release time limit of the copyrighted work data. The published work data is deleted on the publishing server 36 when the set publishing date has passed. If the publication time limit information is not registered, the registered literary work data is deleted by the publication server 36 after, for example, a predetermined period has elapsed. As a result, when the number of copyrighted work data to be published increases, the possibility that the publication server 36 will be punctured can be eliminated as much as possible.

[0158] The copyrighted work information addition processing section 38 reproduces the registered copyrighted work data, and if the copyrighted work data is, for example, image data, displays the image on the display section 31. When the object data is, for example, music data, a process of outputting the music from the audio output device 27 is performed, and a list of registered copyrighted work information is displayed on the display unit 31. By performing such processing, the information provider can confirm whether the registered copyrighted work data is really the data to be disclosed, and also determine the conditions at the time of publication of the copyrighted work data. You can check.

As described above, the copyrighted work information addition processing section 38
In order to perform the registration processing of various information including the processing of importing copyrighted data and the setting of various conditions at the time of publication of copyrighted data, the registered information is reproduced, and the information provider is prompted to confirm it. Is performed.

Also, the copyrighted work information addition processing section 38 gives a digital watermark to the copyrighted work data, creates data suitable for transmission (for example, coded compressed data) from various registered data, and temporarily stores the data. It also has a function to save data temporarily. Note that the above-described digital watermarking is not always necessary as described above.

The communication processing unit 39 is a block for transmitting and receiving data between the management server 4 and the public server 36. Specifically, the communication processing unit 39 first selects a connection destination (the management server 4 or the public server 36). When the management server 4 is selected as the connection destination,
The communication processing unit 39 reads from the management server 4 the ID assigned to the copyrighted work data registered in the copyrighted work information addition processing unit 38.

At this time, the communication processing section 39 transmits information to the effect that the copyrighted work data has been registered to the management server 4, whereby the ID is transmitted from the management server 4 to the communication processing section 39. Upon receiving the corresponding ID, the communication processing unit 39 switches the connection destination to the public server 36, and
D is added to the data stored in the copyrighted work information addition processing section 38 and transmitted to the public server 36. Thus, the publishing server 36 can manage the copyrighted work data based on the ID, and can publish the copyrighted work data.

The communication processing section 39 also transmits the copyrighted work data to which the ID has been given to the distribution server. Thus, the distribution server distributes the copyrighted work data to the receiving server if the receiving server issues an instruction to download the copyrighted work data.

As described above, the communication processing section 39 constitutes an information transmitting means for transmitting the registered copyrighted work information to the distribution server and the public server 36.

Note that the communication processing unit 39 directly transmits the data stored in the copyrighted work information addition processing unit 38 to the management server 4, and the management server 4 assigns an ID to the data and transmits it to the public server 36. It may be.

Next, the original operation of the information distribution system in which the consumer receives information desired to be obtained from the distribution server and downloads the information to a recording medium on the receiving server side will be described.

[0167] First, the consumer can use the terminal (receiving server).
For example, the user selects data (for example, music data) to be reproduced (downloaded) while watching the screen displayed on the display unit 31, for example. When this selection is completed, it becomes possible to perform a pre-check of the selected data (for example, a trial listening of music data).

Next, before downloading data,
The billing process is performed by the billing processing unit 34. This billing process is performed by the consumer putting a charge corresponding to the selected data into the terminal, or inserting a credit card or the like into the terminal. In the latter case, a check (credit inquiry) such as the expiration date and usage status (balance) of the credit card is made to the card company. As a result, the subsequent processing can be performed only when the authentication that the payment by the credit card is valid is obtained.

Subsequently, the consumer gives an instruction to start downloading the selected data via the operation unit 32. Thus, the selection data is transmitted from the distribution server to the terminal. After starting the download,
If no data selection error or operation error is detected, and the consumer does not give a cancel instruction to the terminal, the selected data is downloaded to the end and the data reproduction is completed. On the other hand, if a cancel instruction is given, the terminal device stops downloading the selected data halfway and returns the charged fee.

Next, the process of registering copyrighted work information in the receiving server, which is performed when the copyrighted work data is made public using the information distribution system, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the information provider selects “copyright registration processing” from the display on the display unit 31 of the receiving server (S
1) A basic fee is paid (S2). Then, the information provider determines the type of the copyrighted work (music data,
Image data, scanning data, etc.) (S
3). If the copyrighted work data to be registered is, for example, music data, “music data” is selected as the type of the copyrighted work.

Subsequently, when the information provider sets a recording medium (for example, MD) on which the copyrighted work data (the above-mentioned music data) is recorded in the terminal of the receiving server (S4), the copyrighted work information adding processing section of the receiving server 38 reproduces and captures this data (S5). Note that the reproduction here means that when the data is coded and stored in a recording medium in a compressed manner, for example, the data is restored based on the data.

Next, reproduction / confirmation of the captured data is performed (S6). The reproduction of the captured data refers to performing a trial listening to confirm whether or not the music data recorded on the recording medium is really the data that the information provider intends to provide. The confirmation of the captured data means that the information (the type of the literary work and the literary work data (the title of the music data, the title thereof)) input so far is displayed on the display unit 31 to check whether the input information is correct. If the registered data is found deficient at this point, the process must be restarted from the beginning.

Next, various conditions relating to the work data (work information such as a public area, a method of depositing profit generated by charging processing, etc.) and the presence or absence of advertisement registration are input (S
7, S8) Subsequently, a list display and confirmation of various conditions are performed (S9). Here, the setting registration conditions up to now, including the contents confirmed in S6, are displayed on the display unit 31, and it is possible to determine whether there is a registration error. In the present flow, the confirmation processing is performed in two steps in S6 and S9, but the confirmation processing may be completed only once by including the step of S6 in the step of S9.

Next, the copyrighted work information addition processing section 38 adds a digital watermark to the input copyrighted work data (S1).
0). Then, the copyrighted work information addition processing unit 38 encodes the registered copyrighted work data, compresses and stores the encoded data (S1).
1).

On the other hand, the communication processing section 39 transmits information indicating that the copyrighted work data has been registered to the management server 4 (S
12). As a result, the management server 4 transmits the ID assigned to the copyrighted work data to the communication processing unit 39. When the communication processing unit 39 receives the ID (S1)
3) Add the received ID to the stored copyrighted work data (S14). Then, the communication processing unit 39 transmits the copyrighted work data to which the ID has been given to the public server 36 and the distribution server (S15), and the transmission processing is completed (S16).

The processing for registering copyrighted work data has been described above.
Is accessed, the public server 36 sends page information corresponding to the area of the server from which the access is made to the server, and from there, the conditions specified on the receiving server side (for example, if the music data is sold as 1). (For example, within a week) is displayed in a list on the display unit 31 of the receiving server.

Here, assuming that the advertisement is registered in S8, the trial listening service starts when the consumer clicks on the banner advertisement. After the end of the trial listening, the display unit 31 switches to the purchase processing screen.
If the consumer has favorite music data, the consumer can obtain the music data in the same manner as normal music distribution performed by the information distribution system. In other words, when the consumer selects the copyrighted data on the receiving server side, the charging management unit 34
Is performed, and then the data is downloaded to the recording medium from the distribution server that has registered the copyrighted work data.

At this time, the security is basically the same as in the case of normal music distribution. For example,
The copyrighted work data is encoded so that it cannot be reproduced by software other than the dedicated algorithm compatible software. Also, a reproduction environment is set by adding reproduction number information to the header portion of the copyrighted work data. In this way, at the time of distribution of personal copyrighted work data, by treating the copyrighted data in the same manner as music data or the like normally distributed, it is possible to more reliably protect the copyright of the copyrighted work data.

In the above, the case where the information provider registers the copyrighted work data to be published on the disclosure server 36 with the receiving server has been described. However, the information provider directly accesses the distribution server from the PC owned by the information provider. You can also register copyrighted work information. In this case, the procedure is basically the same as that described above, except that registration of various types of information in the distribution server is all performed by transmitting digital data from the PC. The registration work in this case may be performed by the information provider treating his or her own PC as the same as the receiving server.

The information registered in the distribution server is directly
It may be transmitted to the public server 36 or may be transmitted to the public server 36 via the receiving server. Also,
Instead of transmitting the registered information to the publishing server 36, the distribution server may publish the information by itself.

When the distribution server also serves as the public server 36, if the distribution server is directly accessed from its own PC, the registered copyrighted work data is directly viewed and electronic payment such as a card is used. By performing the accounting process, the published copyrighted work data can be directly purchased.

As described above, according to the present invention, the information provider registers the copyrighted work information including the data of his or her own copyrighted work in the receiving server, and transmits the registered data to the distribution server. As a result, the copyrighted work data can be distributed from the distribution server through the same route as the normal music distribution from the distribution server to the receiving server. Also, since the copyrighted work data registered in the receiving server is also transmitted to the public server 36, the publication on the public server 36 allows the user to advertise his / her own copyrighted work data and the published copyrighted work data. If a third party sees and desires to obtain the above, the copyrighted work data can be obtained through the same route as that for ordinary music distribution by accessing the distribution server. At this time, the copyrighted data is charged in the same manner as in normal music distribution, so that the copyright of the copyrighted data is reliably protected.

On the other hand, the information provider can publish and provide (sell) the copyrighted work data by using the existing system, and it is not necessary to newly construct such a system. Therefore, the copyrighted work data can be easily provided to an unspecified number of persons without causing a burden of capital investment to the information provider at the individual level, whereby the sale of the copyrighted work can be easily realized. it can.

Further, according to the system configuration of the present embodiment, it can be said that a user participation type information distribution system can be constructed in which even general users can distribute information.

Further, the information provider can increase profit without particularly large capital investment by effectively using the existing server.

Further, assuming that the receiving server is a terminal installed in, for example, a convenience store or the like, according to the present invention, the publication and sale of copyrighted work data can be performed by effectively using terminals in various regions. It can be said that it can be done.

The present invention can be applied to a system in which a distribution server and a terminal installed in a convenience store are connected by a dedicated line as a communication line, or to a system using the Internet as a communication line. Can be.

By the way, in the present embodiment, a case has been described where the information provided by the information provider is the copyrighted information such as the data of the copyrighted work of the information provider and the conditions for releasing the copyrighted work data. However, as long as some benefits and effects can be obtained by using the functions of the information distribution system, the present invention is not limited to this copyrighted work information.

For example, when the distribution server has a lottery function, the information provided by the information provider may be lottery information. The lottery information is information including data to be drawn (for example, concert tickets and discount tickets for restaurants), areas to be drawn (for example, the Kansai region and Osaka prefecture), and the like. In this case, the receiving server
A lottery information registering means for registering the lottery information provided by an information provider (lottery organizer) is provided as an information registering means, and an information transmitting means for transmitting the registered lottery information to the distribution server is provided. be able to. Further, the distribution server may be configured to include an information registration unit that directly registers lottery information provided by the information provider.

With this configuration, the distribution server can perform lottery on the lottery target data included in the lottery information by using the lottery function of the distribution server itself. Therefore, the lottery organizer can hold a lottery using the existing information distribution system, and does not need to newly construct a system equivalent to a system capable of such a lottery.
Therefore, it is possible to easily realize a lottery service for an unspecified number of people even at an individual level without making a large-scale capital investment and constructing a new system.

In the present invention, a case has been described where both the distribution server and the receiving server have a function of registering information provided by the information provider. At least one of these servers has an information registration function. If so, the present invention can be realized.

[0193] The processing in the distribution server and the reception server can be realized by a program. This program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium. In the present invention, as this recording medium,
A memory (for example, ROM itself) (not shown) necessary for processing performed by the distribution server and the reception server may be provided, or a program reading device (not shown) is provided as an external storage device. It may be a program medium that can be read by inserting a recording medium.

In any of the above cases, the stored program may be configured to be executed by accessing a microprocessor (not shown), or the stored program may be read and the read program may be distributed. The server and the receiving server may be configured to execute the program by downloading to a program storage area (not shown). In this case, it is assumed that the download program is stored in the main device in advance.

Here, the program medium is a recording medium configured to be separable from the main body, such as a tape system such as a magnetic tape or a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy disk or a hard disk, a CD-ROM / MO /
It carries a fixed program including a disk system of an optical disk such as an MD / DVD, a card system such as an IC card (including a memory card) / optical card, or a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash ROM, or the like. It may be a medium.

Further, in the present invention, since the system configuration can be connected to a communication network including the Internet, the medium may be a medium that carries the program fluidly so that the program is downloaded from the communication network. When the program is downloaded from the communication network, the download program may be stored in the main device in advance or may be installed from another recording medium.

The contents stored on the recording medium are not limited to programs, but may be data.

In the above, the secondary distribution server 2A
The tertiary distribution server 3 using 2B and 2C as information distribution devices
Although A, 3B, and 3C have been described as information receiving devices, the master server 1 is used as an information distribution device, and the secondary distribution server 2A is used.
A configuration in which 2B and 2C are used as information receiving devices is of course also possible. That is, a configuration is also possible in which the secondary distribution servers 2A, 2B, and 2C serve as both the information distribution device and the information receiving device.

[0199]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information receiving apparatus comprising:
As described above, the information receiving device receives the information desired by the consumer from the information distribution device via the communication line,
Information registration means for registering information provided by the information provider;
And an information transmitting means for transmitting the registered information to the information distribution apparatus.

Therefore, the information registered by the information registering means is transmitted to the information distribution device by the information transmitting means. If the information is copyrighted information, the copyrighted data included in the information is It is possible to perform distribution on the same route as the normal distribution route from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered by the information registration means is lottery information, it becomes possible to perform lottery of the lottery target data included in the lottery information when the information distribution device has a lottery function. .

As described above, the information provider simply registers his / her own information on the information receiving device side, and provides the copyrighted work data to the third party using the existing system, or the function provided by the existing system. A lottery can be performed by using this. Therefore, in providing such services,
There is no need to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. In other words, there is an effect that various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) can be easily performed even at an individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

[0202] In the information receiving apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, as described above, in the configuration of the first aspect, the information provided by the information provider is the copyright information including the data of the copyrighted work of the information provider. The configuration is as follows.

Therefore, the copyrighted work data included in the copyrighted work information provided by the information provider can be distributed along the same route as the normal distribution route from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. It is possible to purchase the copyrighted work data by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device.

[0204] As described above, the information provider can provide his / her own work data to a third party by using the existing system. There is no need to make an investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. Therefore, there is an effect that the sale of copyrighted work data can be easily realized even on an individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

[0205] The information receiving apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, as described above, is configured such that in the configuration of the second aspect, the information transmitting means transmits the copyrighted work information to a public server that publishes the information. .

Therefore, for example, since the copyrighted work data included in the copyrighted work information is made public on the public server, it is possible to widely notify a third party that the own copyrighted work data is available for purchase. This has the effect of increasing sales of copyrighted work data.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information receiving apparatus according to the second or third aspect of the present invention, the information receiving apparatus further comprises a charging processing means for performing a charging process on information distributed from the information distribution apparatus. It is a configuration provided.

[0208] Therefore, the accounting process is also performed when the registered copyrighted work data is distributed, so that the copyright of the copyrighted work data can be surely protected. In addition, there is an effect that the information provider can obtain a profit by selling the copyrighted work data provided by the information provider.

[0209] As described above, in the information receiving apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the fourth aspect, the copyrighted work information includes royalty information of the copyrighted work data, and the billing processing means And charging the copyrighted work data based on the royalty information.

[0210] Therefore, for the copyrighted work data, the billing processing means performs a billing process based on the royalty information included in the copyrighted work information, so that the information provider obtains a profit according to the setting of the royalty information. It has the effect that it can be done.

[0211] In the information receiving apparatus according to the invention of claim 6, as described above, in the configuration of any of claims 3 to 5, the copyrighted work information is an open area indicating an area where the copyrighted work data is disclosed. It is a configuration that includes information.

Therefore, the public server grasps, for example, a server (for example, an information receiving device) in which the copyrighted work data is to be disclosed based on the public area information, and receives an access from a server in the region to be disclosed. Only when this happens, the copyrighted work data can be made public to the server. This has the effect that the copyrighted work data can be disclosed only in the area desired by the information provider.

[0213] In the information receiving apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, as described above, in the configuration according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, the copyrighted work information is a release date information indicating a release date of the copyrighted work data. It is a configuration including

[0214] Therefore, the publishing server can remove the copyrighted work data whose publishing period has expired from the publishing target and delete it based on the publishing period information, for example. As a result, when the number of copyrighted work data to be published increases, there is an effect that the publication server is not punctured by useless data.

[0215] In the information providing method according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, as described above, the information provider provides the information that the consumer desires to obtain from the information distribution apparatus to the information receiving apparatus via the communication line. The configuration includes a step of registering information and a step of transmitting the registered information to the information distribution device.

Therefore, since the information registered in the information receiving device is transmitted to the information distribution device, if the information is copyrighted information, the copyrighted work data included in the information is transmitted from the information distribution device to the information distribution device. It is possible to perform distribution on the same route as a normal distribution route to the receiving device. Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered in the information receiving device is lottery information, the lottery target data included in the lottery information can be lottered when the information distribution device has the lottery function.

As described above, the information provider simply provides the copyrighted work data to the third party by the existing system or registers the function of the existing system by simply registering the information held by the information receiving device. A lottery can be performed by using this. Therefore, in providing such services,
There is no need to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. In other words, there is an effect that various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) can be easily performed even at an individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium on which a program for providing information is recorded, as described above, wherein the information received by the consumer from the information distribution device via the communication line is obtained. It is configured to record a program for causing a device to execute a process of registering information provided by an information provider and a process of transmitting the registered information to the information distribution device.

Therefore, the information registered in the information receiving device is transmitted to the information distribution device. If the information is copyrighted information, the copyrighted work data included in the information is transmitted from the information distribution device to the information distribution device. It is possible to perform distribution on the same route as a normal distribution route to the receiving device. Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered in the information receiving device is lottery information, the lottery target data included in the lottery information can be lottered when the information distribution device has the lottery function.

[0220] As described above, the information provider simply provides the copyrighted work data to the third party by the existing system or registers the function of the existing system by simply registering the information possessed by the information receiving device. A lottery can be performed by using this. Therefore, in providing such services,
There is no need to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. In other words, there is an effect that various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) can be easily performed even at an individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

[0221] The information distribution apparatus according to claim 10 is
As described above, an information distribution device that distributes information desired by a consumer to an information receiving device via a communication line, wherein the information provider registers information provided through the information receiving device. This is a configuration including means.

Therefore, when the information provided from the information provider via the information receiving device is registered in the information distribution device,
If the information is copyrighted information, copyrighted data included in the information can be distributed on the same route as the normal distribution route from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered by the information registration means is lottery information, it becomes possible to perform lottery of the lottery target data included in the lottery information when the information distribution device has a lottery function. .

As described above, the information provider simply provides the copyrighted work data to a third party by using the existing system or utilizes the functions of the existing system only by registering the information possessed by the information provider in the information distribution apparatus. It is possible to carry out a lottery.
Therefore, in performing such a service, it is not necessary to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. In other words, there is an effect that various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) can be easily performed even at an individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, as described above, the information receiving apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects and the information distributing apparatus according to the tenth aspect use a communication line. It is a configuration that is connected via

The information provided by the information provider may be registered in the information receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or may be directly registered in the information distribution device according to claim 10. . In the former case, the registered information is transmitted to the information distribution device via a communication line.

Thus, if the information is copyrighted information, copyrighted data included in the information can be distributed on the same route as the normal distribution route from the information distribution device to the information receiving device. . Thus, the copyrighted work data can be purchased by an information receiving device other than the information receiving device in which the information is registered. On the other hand, if the information registered in the information receiving device is lottery information, it becomes possible to perform lottery of the lottery target data included in the lottery information when the information distribution device has a lottery function. .

As described above, the information provider simply registers his / her own information in the information receiving device or the information distributing device.
It is possible to provide copyrighted work data to a third party using an existing system, or to perform a lottery using functions of the existing system. Therefore, in performing such a service, it is not necessary to make a large-scale capital investment and separately construct a system equivalent to the above system. That is,
This makes it possible to easily perform various services (such as sales of copyrighted works and lottery services) even at the individual level without making a large-scale capital investment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a receiving server configuring an information distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information distribution system.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a route of information transmitted among a distribution server, a reception server, a management server, and a publishing server which constitute the information distribution system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the distribution server.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of distribution data.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of history information transmitted from the receiving server to the management server.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process of registering copyrighted work information in the receiving server.

[Explanation of symbols]

2A, 2B, 2C Secondary distribution server (information distribution device) 3A, 3B, 3C Tertiary distribution server (information receiving device) 6A, 6B, 6C Distribution server (information distribution device) 7A, 7B, 7C Receiving server (information receiving device) ) 34 Charge management unit (charge processing means) 36 Public server 37 Copyright information registration processing unit (information registration means) 38 Copyright information addition processing unit (information registration means) 39 Communication processing unit (information transmission means)

Claims (11)

[Claims] An information receiving apparatus for receiving information desired by a consumer from an information distribution apparatus via a communication line, comprising: an information registering means for registering information provided by an information provider; An information receiving device, comprising: an information transmitting unit that transmits the information to the information distribution device. 2. The information receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information provided by the information provider is copyrighted work information including data of a copyrighted work of the information provider. 3. The information receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information transmitting means transmits the copyrighted work information to a public server that publishes the information. 4. The information receiving apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a charging unit for performing a charging process on information distributed from said information distribution apparatus. 5. The copyrighted work information includes royalty information of the copyrighted work data, and the billing processing means performs a billing process on the copyrighted work data based on the royalty information. Item 5. The information receiving device according to Item 4. 6. The information receiving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the copyrighted work information includes open area information indicating an area where the copyrighted work data is made public. 7. The information receiving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the copyrighted work information includes release date information indicating a release date of the copyrighted work data. 8. A step of registering information provided by an information provider in an information receiving apparatus which receives information desired by a consumer from an information distribution apparatus via a communication line, and transmitting the registered information to the information distribution apparatus. Transmitting the information to an information providing method. 9. A process for registering information provided by an information provider in an information receiving device which receives information desired by a consumer from an information distribution device via a communication line; A recording medium for recording a program for providing information, wherein the recording medium records a program for causing a computer to execute a process of transmitting the information to a computer. 10. An information distribution device for distributing information desired by a consumer to an information receiving device via a communication line, wherein the information provider registers information provided by the information receiving device via the information receiving device. An information distribution apparatus comprising: 11. An information distribution system comprising the information receiving device according to claim 1 and the information distribution device according to claim 10 connected via a communication line.