Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-08
2004-05-04
Rimell, Sam (Department: 2175)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C705S050000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06732106
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital data distribution system that enables electronic commerce in which digital data is sold for a fee via a network.
2) Description of the Related Art
In the electronic commerce that is conducted via a network, a consumer generally accesses a home page set up by an information provider. Then, the consumer selects contents of his choice, goes through a purchasing process, and downloads the contents. The digital data that has been downloaded undergoes a copyright protection process, such as encryption, in order to prevent illegal secondary distribution of the digital data that occurs through the network.
A conventional digital data distribution system will now be explained referring to FIG.
32
.
Digital data to be distributed is stored encrypted in a digital data storage means
3205
. A decryption key, the storage location of the encrypted digital data itself, and use condition information of the digital data are stored in a digital data administration database
3204
. The use condition information herein refers to information indicating that the digital data, after it is downloaded, can be copied to another storage media three times only.
The consumer operates a user device
3202
, and accesses a distribution server
3201
via a sending and receiving means
3208
communication means
3209
.
A distribution front end
3206
sends to the user device
3202
a list of music digital data to be distributed. The list of the music digital data is created based on information from the digital data administration database
3204
. The consumer browses the list information using a browsing means
3210
. When the consumer finds digital data he wishes to receive distribution of, he sends a request for purchasing the digital data and his user name to the distribution server
3201
. If the user name is not found in the user administration database
3203
, the distribution front end
3206
sends, to the browsing means
3210
, a request for payment information inputs such as a credit card number. The consumer inputs the requested payment information via the browsing means, and sends the payment information to the distribution server
3201
. The distribution front end
3206
records the payment information in the user administration database
3203
, and executes the payment process. If the user name is found in the user administration database
3203
, the payment process is performed using the payment information stored in the user administration database
3203
. Once the payment process is completed successfully, the distribution front end
3206
directs the digital data distribution means
3207
to send the requested digital data to the user device
3202
. The digital data distribution means
3207
sends to the user device
3202
the requested digital data, which is encrypted, and the decryption key and the use condition information of the digital data that are stored in the digital data administration database
3204
. Access process control means
3211
stores the encrypted digital data it received in a storage media
3214
via storage media access means
3213
. Access process control means
3211
also stores the decryption key and the use condition information it received in a secure information storage means
3212
. The secure information storage means
3212
stores data after encrypting the data with information that relates to the user device
3202
.
When the user device
3202
plays the digital data, the access process control means
3211
reads the encrypted digital data from the storage media
3214
and the decryption key from the secure information storage means
3212
, and decrypts the digital data.
When the digital data written in the storage media
3214
is to be copied to another storage media
3214
, the access process control means
3211
allows the copy if the use condition information stored in the secure information storage means
3212
and copy history information, which indicates the number of past copies, indicate less than three times. In so doing, the copy history information stored in the secure data storage means
3212
is incremented by one. Also, the access process control means
3211
does not perform the copying if the copy history information indicates greater than four times.
As described above, in the conventional technology, the distribution server uses only the user information for the digital data distribution control. On the other hand, the user device administers the decryption key of the digital data, the use right information of the digital data, and the use history information of the digital data with designated secure information storage means.
Such a conventional digital data distribution system is always subject to possibilities of being hacked by malicious consumers, such as illegal obtainment of the digital data from the distribution server
3201
and illegal secondary distribution of the digital data that has been distributed to the user device
3202
. As a result, a user device
3202
that is particularly prone to parsing by malicious consumers have the secure information storage means
3212
and the access process control means
3211
that are more or less equipped with a tamper-resistant technology.
However, the aforesaid conventional structure has the following problems.
Since the user device stores the use condition information and the history information of the digital data securely, correlating the information with the user device, when the consumer wishes to change the user device, it is difficult to transfer these information.
Since the distribution server does not recognize digital data once the digital data is distributed, there is no system of redistributing the digital contents, even when the consumer cannot use the distributed contents anymore because, for instance, he broke the user device.
Even though the distribution server stores the information regarding the history of distribution to the user, since the information that identifies the user is pure information such as a user name and payment information, the security level is not very high.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conceived for the aforementioned situations. More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a digital data distributions system in which rights information of digital data and history information are administered at the distribution server, and authorization of users is executed using a user device ID.
To achieve the aforementioned object, the digital data distribution system according to the present invention is characterized in that the distribution server has an obtained rights administration database that stores information regarding rights to receive distribution of digital data that each user has obtained, and a history database that stores information regarding digital data that have been distributed to the users in the past.
Further, the digital data distribution control method according to the present invention is characterized in that the distribution front end processes a request for distribution of digital data sent from a user, based on information from the obtained rights administration database and the history database.
Still further, the digital data distribution cancellation method according to the present invention is characterized in that the distribution front end processes a request for canceling the right to digital data distribution sent from a user, based on information from the obtained rights administration database and the history database.
Still further, the digital data distribution system according to the present invention is characterized in that the user device includes the storage media having a media ID that can uniquely identify each storage media, a media ID detecting means for detecting the media ID and sending the media ID to the distribution server, and a media access process control means for executing control of writing the digital data distributed by the distribution server in the sto
Inoue Mitsuhiro
Kozuka Masayuki
Minami Masataka
Okamoto Ryuichi
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