Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Remote data accessing – Accessing a remote server
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-30
2004-08-24
Vu, Viet D. (Department: 2156)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Remote data accessing
Accessing a remote server
C709S206000, C709S225000, C719S311000, C719S313000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06782419
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for disclosing images. Particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method capable of preventing images from being disclosed to persons more than a predetermined number of persons that is preliminary allowed to disclose such images, thereby, protecting copyright.
2. Description of Related Art
Like the recent service typically represented by i-mode, (by NTT Docomo), not only the mere communication service to conventional subscriber telephones but also a distribution service of contents to mobile phones from a contents server are being vigorously offered to mobile phones.
Of these services, there is the service of disclosing, for example, characters and images of illustrations to specific persons only. HTML mails are listed as a typical example. The HTML mail can disclose not only documents but also images matched with seasons or illustrations such as favorite comic-book characters together with a message, to only specific persons and is popular because of its high taste-oriented property.
However, in the conventional services, whether or not a person requesting the disclosure of an image is the same as a specific person authorized to view images cannot be assured at the time of image disclosure. If the identification information (storage location) on an image to be disclosed become available, persons other than specific authorized persons may obtain the image based on the identification information. That is, if the number of persons authorized in image disclosure is limited to five, persons more than five may illegally obtain images, since illustration contained in such image ought to be copyrighted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made to overcome the above-mentioned problems.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an image disclosure system capable of preventing images created using copyrighted illustrations from being disclosed to persons more than the limited number of persons authorized in image disclosure.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an image disclosure method capable of preventing images created using copyrighted illustrations from being disclosed to persons more than the limited number of persons authorized in image disclosure.
In order to achieve the objectives, the present invention provides an image disclosure system, wherein an image displayed in a predetermined programming language by a user is disclosed to a specific person. The image disclosure system comprises a mobile communication network; a plurality of mobile phones connected to the mobile communication network; a gateway server connected to the plurality of mobile phones via the mobile communication network; a network; and a contents server connected to the gateway server via the network.
Each of the plurality of mobile phones includes a display for displaying images; means for transmitting an image disclosure to the contents server, the image disclosure request to which identification information on a disclosure requested image is added, and then downloading the image; and an image controller for displaying the downloaded image to the display.
The gateway server includes a user identifier table in which an intrinsic identifier and a user identifier paired with the intrinsic identifier is described in a one-to-one correspondence; and means for receiving an image disclosure request from a mobile phone, retrieving a user identifier corresponding to the intrinsic identifier of the mobile phone from the user identifier table; converting the intrinsic identifier of the mobile phone into a retrieved user identifier, and transmitting the image disclosure request from the mobile phone to the contents server.
The contents server includes a memory for storing an image to be disclosed; a database including records each being formed of an identification information field in which identification information for identifying an image to be disclosed is described and a user identifier field in which a user identifier is described; means for creating identification information on an image to be disclosed; data base updating means for adding records corresponding to the number of persons authorized in disclosure to the database and describing image identification information to the identification information field of each of the added records; retrieving means for, when a mobile phone sends an image disclosure request, retrieving a record which has an identification information field in which image identification information added to a disclosure request is described; and a disclosure controller.
The disclosure controller, when the user identifier of the disclosure requesting mobile phone coincides with a user identifier described on the identifier field of any one of the retrieved records, reads out a disclosure requested image out of the memory and then transmitting it to the mobile phone.
Moreover, the disclosure controller, when the user identifier of the disclosure requesting mobile phone does not coincide with user identifiers described on the identifier fields of the retrieved records and when there is a record of which a user identifier is not described on an identifier field, among the retrieved records, describes the user identifier of the disclosure requesting mobile phone in the identifier field of any one of records in which no user identifier is described and then reads out a disclosure requested image from the memory and then transmits it to the mobile phone.
Moreover, the disclosure controller, when the user identifier of the disclosure requesting mobile phone does not coincide with the user identifiers described in the identifier fields of the retrieved records and when an user identifier is described in all the identifiers of the retrieved records, inhibits image disclosure, without transmitting a disclosure requested image.
In the image disclosure system, the contents server comprises means for acquiring information on a specific person authorized in image disclosure from a mobile phone of a disclosure requesting person; and means for transmitting identification information on an image to be disclosed to a mobile phone of the specific person, based on the information on the specific person acquired.
In the image disclosure system, a member record in which the user identifier of a mobile phone of a service member is described in a user identifier field is previously stored in the database. The system further comprises database updating means for, when a specific person authorized in image disclosure is a service member, describing identification information on an image to be disclosed in the identification information field of a member record of the service member.
In the image disclosure system, information on a storage destination storing an image is used as image identification information.
An another aspect of the present invention provides an image disclosure system wherein an image displayed in a predetermined programming language by a user is disclosed to a specific person. The image disclosure system comprises a mobile communication network; a plurality of mobile phones connected to the mobile communication network; a gateway server connected to the plurality of mobile phones via the mobile communication network; a network; a contents server connected to the gateway server via the network; and a mail server for transmitting an electronic mail to the mobile phone.
Each of the plurality of mobile phones includes a display for displaying images; an electronic mail receiver for receiving an electronic mail to which image identification information is added; means for transmitting an image disclosure request to the contents server, the image disclosure request to which the image identification information is added, and then downloading an image; and an image controller for displaying the downloaded image to the display.
The gateway server includes a user identifier table in which an intrinsic identifier of a mobile phone and
Ishii Fujio
Tobita Naomi
Bandai Co. Ltd.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Vu Viet D.
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