Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Data processing protection using cryptography – By stored data protection
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-29
2002-10-08
Smithers, Matthew (Department: 2132)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Data processing protection using cryptography
By stored data protection
C705S057000, C380S201000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06463539
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a managing system for reproducing information including information recording medium, managing medium, and, a reproduction method and an apparatus therefor, and particularly relates to preventing information from illegal duplication or copy and to improving utilization technology of information contained in a medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a disc package medium such as a CD, all program information contained in a disc is disclosed to an owner of the disc, that is, the owner of the disc can utilize all program information contained in the disc when the owner possesses the disc. A price of a disc is generally determined in consideration of all the information contained in the disc, therefore a consumer pays such a price for purchasing the disc in the current distribution system, in other word, a consumer pays a virtually fixed price for a “possession” of the information contained in the disc.
There provided a rental business of package medium such as a CD so as to utilize information by renting a CD for a limited period. A rental fee is determined in the above mentioned distribution system based on the initial purchasing price of the package medium and a rental term. The rental fee is also determined for all information contained in the disc. In case of a rental business, a rental fee par one package medium is determined at a rather high price since the fee is calculated from an assumption that the information contained in one package medium are fully utilized by many users. Therefore, an initial purchasing price of a package medium is very expensive at a rental shop so that a rental fee determined from the initial purchasing price becomes high.
On the other hand, a disc itself can be manufactured at an extremely low cost. Therefore, the price paid for a disc is substantially equal to a value for quality and quantity of information contained in the disc. In the current distribution system as such that a consumer pays a certain price for a “possession” of information, the consumer is obliged to pay a total cost of the information contained in the disc although the consumer does not want all of such information. In other words, manufacturers of discs are obliged to manufacture a wide variety of discs in their contents to meet a wide variety of demands by consumers so as to meet a reasonable price for quality and quantity of information. The above mentioned distribution system is not only unfavorable to the consumers but also increases cost and complexity of distribution for manufacturers.
In contrast with the above mentioned distribution system, a so called “super distribution system” is conceivable. The “super distribution system” is a system in which “utilization” of information not for a “possession” of information is paid. According to the “super distribution system”, a consumer just pays for the utilized information. The unfavorable deal in the above mentioned distribution system with a “possession” of information being paid for is dissolved by the “super distribution system” and it is considered to be a more rational system. In the “super distribution system”, a utilization state of program information and information of limitation of the utilization are transmitted to a managing system through a communication network.
In
FIG. 1
, an example of such “super distribution system” is depicted. The “super distribution system”
901
utilizes a DVD (Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) in
FIG. 1. A
software supplier
900
supplies a DVD disc
902
at a low price as indicated by an arrow FA, wherein information recorded in the DVD disc
902
which is adapted to the “super distribution system”
901
are ciphered. The software supplier
900
includes retailers and credit card issuing companies. On the other hand, a DVD player
904
which is designed for the “super distribution system”
901
is equipped with an IC (Integrated Circuit) card slot
908
to be loaded with an IC card
906
and a communication port
912
for connecting a telephone line
910
. In the IC card
906
, data of credited amount for reproducing information are prestored and the data are amended at each time when the information are reproduced so as to deduct the credited amount. The communication port
912
is connected to a host computer of the software supplier
900
through the telephone line
910
, wherein data of reproduction fees of DVD discs are collected as indicated by an arrow FB and data of a revised credited amount responsive to the reproduction is newly set in the IC card
906
as indicated by an arrow FC. The software supplier
900
will charge to the user in accordance with the collected data of reproduction fees of DVD discs. In addition thereto, in a regular distribution system
920
, the software supplier
900
supplies a regular type DVD disc
914
as indicated by an arrow FD and collects a fee for the sold DVD disc
914
as indicated by an arrow FE.
In the “super distribution system”, an amount of actually utilized information out of total information contained in a package medium such as a DVD disc is accurately obtained and reproduction fee of the disc can be surely collected. The disc
902
can be sold without adding an estimated cost for full utilization of the information like the aforementioned rental fee. Therefore, an initial purchasing cost of the disc
902
for the user becomes very low since a disc itself is manufactured at an extremely low cost. In addition thereto, a reasonable charging system, which is fair to and is understandable for a user, can be realized so that the user is charged depending on a volume of actually utilized information. Information not reproduced are not charged to the user even in the middle of its reproduction. For example, the user may interrupt the reproduction of the information in the middle when the user finds the content of the information not satisfactory, the interrupted information is not charged to the user.
However, such a “super distribution system” involves a large-scale data transmission and computing system since a utilization state of the content of information and the information for limiting a utilization of the content of information and the like are required to be exchanged through a communication network. Furthermore, in the conceivable “super distribution system”, there is not provided a definite criteria for indicating amount of utilization of information, procedure or method of knowing volume of utilized information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a managing system of charging reproduction fee in response to a utilized degree of information without any large-scale network when information contained in recording mediums, especially in discs are reproduced. Another object of the present invention is to prevent information from illegal utilization of reproduction or to prevent recording mediums from counterfeit manufacturing.
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides, according to an aspect thereof, a managing system for reproducing information which comprises information recording medium recorded with software information to be reproduced and a reproduction managing information inherent to the recording medium and necessary to manage reproduction of the software information. The managing system for reproducing information further comprises a managing medium recorded with a reproduction permitting information for reproducing the software information, a reproduction device for reproducing the software information, a first readout device for reading out the reproduction managing information, a second readout device for reading out the reproduction permitting information, a reproduction judging device for judging whether reproduction of the software information is permitted or not in conjunction with the reproduction managing information read out by the first readout device and the reproduction permitting information read out by the second readout
Anderson Kill & Olick
Lieberstein Eugene
Meller Michael N.
Smithers Matthew
Victor Company of Japan Ltd.
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