US20030126237A1 - Information providing method and information providing system - Google Patents

Information providing method and information providing system Download PDF

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Publication number
US20030126237A1
US20030126237A1 US10/305,898 US30589802A US2003126237A1 US 20030126237 A1 US20030126237 A1 US 20030126237A1 US 30589802 A US30589802 A US 30589802A US 2003126237 A1 US2003126237 A1 US 2003126237A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
information
terminal
server
song
user
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Abandoned
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US10/305,898
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English (en)
Inventor
Atsushi Tsuchiya
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Sony Corp
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Sony Corp
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Assigned to SONY CORPORATION reassignment SONY CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: TSUCHIYA, ATSUSHI
Publication of US20030126237A1 publication Critical patent/US20030126237A1/en
Priority to US11/731,291 priority Critical patent/US8060901B2/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H20/00—Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast
    • H04H20/38—Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/09—Arrangements for device control with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time; Arrangements for control of broadcast-related services
    • H04H60/14—Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
    • H04H60/21—Billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/76—Arrangements characterised by transmission systems other than for broadcast, e.g. the Internet
    • H04H60/81—Arrangements characterised by transmission systems other than for broadcast, e.g. the Internet characterised by the transmission system itself
    • H04H60/82—Arrangements characterised by transmission systems other than for broadcast, e.g. the Internet characterised by the transmission system itself the transmission system being the Internet
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/20—Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/25—Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies
    • H04N21/254—Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server
    • H04N21/2543—Billing, e.g. for subscription services
    • H04N21/25435—Billing, e.g. for subscription services involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/20—Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/25—Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies
    • H04N21/258—Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data
    • H04N21/25866—Management of end-user data
    • H04N21/25875—Management of end-user data involving end-user authentication
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/443—OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/472—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/47202—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/475—End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
    • H04N21/4753—End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/482—End-user interface for program selection
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/482—End-user interface for program selection
    • H04N21/4828—End-user interface for program selection for searching program descriptors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
    • H04N7/173—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
    • H04N7/17309—Transmission or handling of upstream communications
    • H04N7/17336—Handling of requests in head-ends

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an information providing method and an information providing system for providing music or video information, for example, through the Internet.
  • the present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a system in which music or video information can be provided to users more cheaply and conveniently through a network and more profit can be distributed to copyright holders.
  • a method for providing music or video information from a server to a terminal through a network includes transmitting the information from the server to the terminal; playing back the transmitted information in real time in the terminal; stopping transmission of the information from the server to the terminal when the terminal outputs a playback stop instruction while the information is being played back; and determining a charge to the terminal for the transmitted information based on a factor selected from the group consisting of an amount of the transmitted information and an amount of time the transmitted information was played back.
  • the charge to the terminal is determined based on the playback time or the amount of information.
  • the price is lower than the case where the user listens to the song to the end, and thus the user can feel free to use this service.
  • the charge to the terminal is less than (i) the charge to the terminal when all the information in the unit of information has been downloaded to the terminal, and (ii) the cost of purchasing a medium recorded with the unit of information. Accordingly, the user can listen to a song to the end at a lower cost, and also the user can evaluate a song, which cannot be performed in a short-time audition, at a lower cost than the case where the song is downloaded or the case where the user buys a recording medium recorded with the information.
  • the user can enjoy listening to music at ease, feeling as if he or she has rented a song instead of buying it. Further, copyright holders can obtain new income.
  • the terminal is not charged when the playback time or the amount of transmitted information does not reach a predetermined level.
  • the user is not charged when he or she stops playback after listening to a song for about 10 seconds. Therefore, the user is not charged when he or she listens to a non-favorite song, and thus the user can feel free to try an unknown song.
  • the user when the user likes a song after listening to the beginning of the song, he or she need not perform a further operation to listen to the song to the end, which is convenient.
  • the method may further include specifying in the terminal a genre or an artist of the information; and transmitting from the server to the terminal at least one piece of information corresponding to the specified genre or artist.
  • the user can specify his or her favorite genre, for example, the top 100, instead of a song itself, and thus the user can listen to a currently popular song. In this case, the user is charged based on the playback time, and thus the user can feel free to try a song.
  • the method may further include evaluating a preference of a user of the terminal for the information in advance in the server; selecting in the server a plurality of pieces of information according to the preference of the user; and transmitting at least one of the plurality of pieces of information from the server to the terminal as the at least one piece of information corresponding to the specified genre or artist.
  • the server can store the user's preference so as to select many of the user's favorite songs at the time of genre playback. Accordingly, the number of operations required by the user, such as skipping songs, can be reduced and the royalties for the information providing program can be increased.
  • the method may further include requesting, from the terminal to the server, information in units of files so as to specify at least one piece of information; and transmitting the information in the units of files from the server to the terminal in response to the request.
  • continuous playback and shuffle playback can be performed in the file, and songs can be sorted out or classified when the number of songs in the file increases.
  • predetermined information related to the information is added to the information in the server so that the information is transmitted from the server to the terminal together with the predetermined information. Accordingly, the latest information about the song can be provided while the song is being played back, and thus convenience for the user is enhanced and sales promotion can be performed.
  • a method for providing music or video information from a server to a terminal through a network includes sequentially transmitting from the server to the terminal pieces of specific partial information selected in advance from a plurality of pieces of information; playing back the transmitted pieces of specific partial information in real time in the terminal; selecting in the terminal a desired piece of information from the plurality of pieces of information based on the played back pieces of specific partial information; and transmitting the selected piece of information from the server to the terminal.
  • pieces of specific partial information of music or video information are sequentially transmitted.
  • the user can select a favorite song referring to the sequentially transmitted pieces of specific information so as to register the favorite song in his or her favorites file. Accordingly, the user can select and play back a song rapidly the next time, which leads to a significant increase in the user's convenience.
  • the method may further include providing the pieces of specific partial information from the server to the terminal free of charge; playing back the selected piece of information in real time in the terminal; stopping transmission of the selected piece of information from the server to the terminal when the terminal outputs a playback stop instruction while the selected piece of information is being played back; and determining a charge to the terminal for the selected piece of information based on a factor selected from the group consisting of an amount of the selected piece of information transmitted and an amount of time the selected piece of information was played back. Accordingly, the user can sequentially listen to, for example, the climax of songs without worrying about the charge. When the user likes a song, he or she can register the song immediately in his or her file.
  • a system for providing music or video information includes a server; a terminal; and a network operable to carry information between the server and the terminal.
  • the terminal includes a unit for playing back in real time information transmitted from the server; and a unit for communicating a playback stop instruction to the server while the information is being played back.
  • the server includes a unit for transmitting the information to the terminal; a unit for stopping transmission of the information to the terminal when the terminal communicates the playback stop instruction to the server; and a charge determining unit operable to determine a charge to the terminal for the transmitted information based on a factor selected from the group consisting of an amount of the transmitted information and an amount of time the transmitted information was played back.
  • the charge to the terminal is determined based on the playback time or the amount of information.
  • the price is lower than the case where the user listens to the song to the end, and thus the user can feel free to use this service.
  • the charge determining unit determines the charge to the terminal when all the information in a unit of information has been transmitted to the terminal or played back in the terminal, the charge being less than (i) the charge to the terminal when all the information in the unit of information has been downloaded to the terminal, and (ii) a cost of purchasing a medium recorded with the unit of information. Accordingly, the user can listen to a song to the end at lower cost, and also the user can evaluate a song, which cannot be performed in a short-time audition, at a lower cost than the case where the song is downloaded or the case where the user buys a recording medium recorded with the information.
  • the charge determining unit determines that the terminal is not charged when the playback time or the amount of transmitted information does not reach a predetermined level.
  • the user is not charged when he or she stops playback after listening to a song for about 10 seconds. Therefore, the user is not charged when he or she listens to a non-favorite song, and thus the user can feel free to try an unknown song.
  • the user likes a song after listening to the beginning of the song, he or she need not perform a further operation to listen to the song to the end, which is convenient.
  • the terminal may further include a unit for specifying a genre or an artist of the information; and the server may further include a unit for transmitting to the terminal at least one piece of information corresponding to the specified genre or artist.
  • the user can specify his or her favorite genre, for example, the top 100, instead of a song itself, and thus the user can listen to a currently popular song. In this case, the user is charged based on the playback time, and thus the user can feel free to try a song.
  • the server may further include a database for storing evaluation data of a preference of a user of the terminal for the information; and a unit for selecting a plurality of pieces of information according to the evaluation data, whereby the transmitting unit transmits at least one of the plurality of pieces of information to the terminal as the at least one piece of information corresponding to the specified genre or artist.
  • the server can store the user's preference so as to select many of the user's favorite songs at the time of genre playback. Accordingly, the number of operations required by the user, such as skipping songs, can be reduced and the royalties for the information providing program can be increased.
  • the terminal may further include a unit for requesting from the server information in units of files so as to specify at least one piece of information; and the server may further include a unit for transmitting the information in the units of files to the terminal in response to the request.
  • continuous playback and shuffle playback can be performed in the file, and songs can be sorted out or classified when the number of songs in the file increases.
  • the server may further include a database for storing predetermined information related to the information, the predetermined information being added to the information when the information is transmitted to the terminal; and a unit for transmitting to the terminal the information together with the predetermined information. Accordingly, the latest information about the song can be provided while the song is being played back, and thus convenience for the user is enhanced and sales promotion can be performed.
  • a system for providing music or video information includes a server; a terminal; a network operable to carry information between the server and the terminal; the server including a unit for sequentially transmitting to the terminal pieces of specific partial information selected in advance from a plurality of pieces of information; and a unit for transmitting to the terminal a desired piece of information selected in the terminal; and the terminal including a unit for playing back the transmitted pieces of specific partial information in real time; and a unit for selecting the desired piece of information from the plurality of pieces of information based on the played back pieces of specific partial information.
  • pieces of specific partial information of music or video information are sequentially transmitted.
  • the user can select a favorite song referring to the sequentially transmitted pieces of specific information so as to register the favorite song in his or her favorites file. Accordingly, the user can select and play back a song rapidly the next time, which leads to a significant increase in the user's convenience.
  • the pieces of specific partial information are provided from the server to the terminal free of charge
  • the terminal may further include a unit for playing back the selected piece of information in real time
  • the server may further include a unit for stopping transmission of the selected piece of information to the terminal when the terminal outputs a playback stop instruction while the selected piece of information is being played back
  • a charge determining unit operable to determine a charge to the terminal for the selected piece of information based on a factor selected from the group consisting of an amount of the selected piece of information and an amount of time the selected piece of information was played back. Accordingly, the user can sequentially listen to, for example, the climax of songs without worrying about the charge. When the user likes a song, he or she can register the song immediately in his or her file.
  • FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a system according to a first embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal in the system shown in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server in the system shown in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 4 shows an example of a Web site of the present invention
  • FIG. 5 is a flowchart for illustrating a process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a flowchart for illustrating a process according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 is a flowchart for illustrating a process of inputting an evaluation by specifying a genre
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart for illustrating a process according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart for illustrating a process of registering a song in a favorites file while the song is being played back;
  • FIG. 10 is a flowchart for illustrating a process of playing back a song in the favorites file in real time
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart for illustrating a process according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 12 is a flowchart for illustrating a process according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a site-side server 2 and user-side terminals 3 are connected to the Internet 1 .
  • the server 2 and the terminals 3 can be formed with, for example, personal computers and necessary software.
  • song information files
  • the specific information may be video, news, etc.
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of each of the terminals 3 .
  • a personal computer is used as the terminal 3 , but a home audio system, a car stereo, or a portable telephone also may be used.
  • the terminal 3 includes a CPU 4 and a RAM 5 for performing processing, a communication unit 6 for performing communication through the Internet 1 , an input/output unit 7 such as a keyboard, a display, and a speaker, a software storage unit 8 for storing various types of software, and a data storage unit 9 for storing various types of data.
  • the software storage unit 8 includes a real-time playback mechanism 8 a for playing back a song transmitted from the server 2 through the Internet 1 in real time (for example, by streaming); a stop instructing mechanism 8 b for instructing that playback be stopped; a genre specifying mechanism 8 c for specifying a genre or an artist of a song; an evaluation input mechanism 8 d for evaluating a song while it is played back; a favorite-registering mechanism 8 e for registering a favorite song in a favorites file while it is being played back; a file-based song information request mechanism 8 f for requesting song information in units of files; a real-time partial information playback mechanism 8 g for playing back partial information of a song transmitted from the server 2 in real time; a partial-information-based song selecting mechanism 8 h for selecting a desired song based on the played back partial information; and a partial-information-based song playback mechanism 8 i for playing back the selected song in real time.
  • a real-time playback mechanism 8 a for playing back a
  • the genre specifying mechanism 8 c is used for specifying an interesting genre (for example, jazz, top 100, and new J-POP). Accordingly, the server 2 transmits an arbitrary song in the genre even when the user does not specify a song.
  • an interesting genre for example, jazz, top 100, and new J-POP.
  • the file-based song information request mechanism 8 f may request song information by specifying one or more songs in a file, instead of in units of files.
  • the data storage unit 9 includes file data 9 a of registered favorite songs. With this arrangement, the terminal 3 can edit its own favorites file.
  • the terminal 3 need not include the data storage unit 9 ; instead, the terminal 3 can register a favorite and edit a file on a Web site provided from the server 2 .
  • a favorites file or the like need not be recorded in the terminal 3 , but may be managed on the server 2 . If the user has a user ID, the user can find his or her favorites file by using any of the terminals 3 so as to play back a song.
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server 2 .
  • the server 2 includes a CPU 10 and a RAM 11 for performing processing, a communication unit 12 for performing communication through the Internet 1 , an input/output unit 13 such as a keyboard and a display, a software storage unit 14 for storing various types of software, and a data storage unit 15 for storing various types of data.
  • the software storage unit 14 includes a Web site serving mechanism 14 a for serving a Web site to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 ; a user authentication mechanism 14 b for authenticating a user ID and password transmitted from the terminal 3 ; a song transmitting mechanism 14 c for transmitting a song specified by the user to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 ; a transmission stopping mechanism 14 d for stopping transmission of a song when a stop instruction from the stop instructing mechanism 8 b of the terminal 3 has been transmitted to the server 2 through the Internet 1 ; a charge determining mechanism 14 e for determining the charge based on the playback time or on the amount of information; a genre-based song selecting mechanism 14 f for selecting a song to be transmitted to the terminal 3 in accordance with a genre or an artist; a genre-based song transmitting mechanism 14 g for transmitting to the terminal 3 a song of the genre or the artist specified by the genre specifying mechanism 8 c of the terminal 3 ; a file-based song transmitting mechanism 14 h for transmitting
  • the transmission stopping mechanism 14 d does not stop transmitting a song as long as a stop instruction from the stop instructing mechanism 8 b of the terminal 3 has not been transmitted to the server 2 through the Internet 1 , and the song transmitting mechanism 14 c continues to transmit the song to the end.
  • the charging method depends on an action of the user after playback has been started.
  • the charge determining mechanism 14 e determines that the user has listened to a song and charges the user accordingly.
  • the charge determining mechanism 14 e reads how many seconds have passed from the start of playback, and charges the user, for example, ten yen when the entire song has been listened to and does not charge the user when only ten seconds have passed from the start of playback. Also, five yen, for example, is charged when a playback stop instruction is given two minutes after the start of playback, that is, for one chorus.
  • the user is not charged when he or she listens to music for only a short time.
  • the user can feel free to listen to a song that he or she cannot recognize only from the title.
  • the user can select free of charge or purchase by downloading.
  • the charge when the user stops playback before the end of the song is lower than when the user listens to the entire song. Accordingly, the user can prevent wasteful expenditure and copyright holders can obtain new income.
  • the user is charged every time he or she listens to music, and thus the user is charged when he or she listens to the same song again.
  • the genre-based song selecting mechanism 14 f in the server 2 records the tastes of the user in a client data file 15 b , which will be described later, in association with the user ID, so that the genre-based song selecting mechanism 14 f selects many of the user's favorite songs and few non-favorite songs. Accordingly, the number of operations required by the user, such as skipping, can be reduced and the royalties for the information providing program can be increased.
  • the user's tastes are determined in the following way. For example, a plurality of songs are played back and some of the songs are stopped by the user within a charge-free time. When 70% of the songs which are stopped early are enka (Japanese ballad), it is determined that the user does not like enka, and when 70% of the songs which are stopped early are jazz, it is determined that the user does not like jazz.
  • enka Japanese ballad
  • jazz it is determined that the user does not like jazz.
  • the partial information transmitting mechanism 14 j selects and transmits part of a song stored in a song data file 15 c , which will be described later, for example, information for the climax of the song.
  • the data storage unit 15 includes a basic data file 15 a for forming a Web site, the client data file 15 b , the song data file 15 c , and a related information data file 15 d .
  • the data in these files is updated as required.
  • the client data file 15 b includes data of a favorites file and genre customizing and charge information as well as authentication information such as the name, address, ID, and password of each user in the form of a database.
  • the song data file 15 c includes data for genre-classification such as a song ID, the name of an artist, the title, and additional data such as information for defining the climax of the song, as well as data of songs, all in the form of a database.
  • the related information data file 15 d includes data such as additional information added to a song, in the form of a database.
  • This data is, for example, the latest information about the song and concert information.
  • FIG. 4 shows an example of a Web site 16 served by the Web site serving mechanism 14 a .
  • (a) is the top page of the Web site, that is, a user authentication page;
  • (b) is a menu page presented when the user is authenticated;
  • (c) is a page of a program list presented when the user selects program list in the menu page;
  • (d) is a J-POP page presented when the user selects J-POP in the program list page; and
  • (e) is a page for playing back the 10th song presented when the user selects this week's top 10 in the J-POP page.
  • (f) is a search page presented when the user selects search in the menu page;
  • (g) is an XYZ page presented when the user inputs the artist XYZ in the search page; and
  • (h) is a playback page when the user selects “I Love You” in the XYZ page.
  • (i) is a favorites page presented when the user selects favorites in the menu page;
  • (j) is a ballad page presented when the user selects ballads in the favorites page;
  • (k) is a playback page presented when the user selects all songs in the ballad page.
  • the playback page displays the name of the artist and the title of the song which is being played back.
  • the user ID and the password can be input to the user authentication page (a) by using the input/output unit 7 , for example, a keyboard. Also, by clicking a desired item in each selection page, the page for the selected item is presented.
  • a playback stop instruction is output by the stop instructing mechanism 8 b so that transmission is stopped by the transmission stopping mechanism 14 d of the server 2 and playback is stopped.
  • the latest information about the song can be displayed by the additional-information-based song transmitting mechanism 14 i in the server 2 so that sales promotion can be performed.
  • a link to the XYZ page may be displayed in the playback page (e). Accordingly, the number of hits to these pages can be increased.
  • the server 2 serves the Web site 16 to the terminal 3 through the communication unit 12 and the Internet 1 by using the Web site serving mechanism 14 a.
  • step 101 necessary information is input in the spaces for the user ID and the password in the Web site 16 by using a keyboard or the like.
  • This information is transmitted to the server 2 through the Internet 1 and the user authentication mechanism 14 b authenticates the user (step 102 ).
  • the user authentication mechanism 14 b calls up the client data file 15 b stored in the data storage unit 15 and verifies the input user ID and password.
  • the CPU 10 instructs the Web site serving mechanism 14 a to display the menu page so that the Web site serving mechanism 14 a displays the menu page shown in (b) of FIG. 4 (step 103 ).
  • the terminal 3 selects an item in the menu page (step 104 ). For example, by selecting search, the search page shown in (f) of FIG. 4 is displayed, and the user inputs a title so as to specify a song (step 105 ). Then, this information is transmitted to the CPU 10 in the server 2 , and under the control of the CPU 10 , the song transmitting mechanism 14 c reads the specified song from the song data file 15 c stored in the data storage unit 15 and starts to transmit the song to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 (step 106 ).
  • step 108 when the stop button 20 in the playback page (e) of FIG. 4 is clicked within a predetermined short time at the terminal 3 , that information is transmitted to the transmission stopping mechanism 14 d in the server 2 through the Internet 1 and the stop instructing mechanism 8 b in the terminal 3 determines whether the time is within the predetermined time (step 108 ). If it is determined that the time is within the predetermined time, that information is transmitted to the charge determining mechanism 14 e in the server 2 and the process is completed without charge.
  • step 109 If the playback is stopped at some mid-point (step 109 ) after the predetermined short time has passed, that information is transmitted to the charge determining mechanism 14 e of the server 2 through the Internet 1 , and the user is charged according to the playback time.
  • the playback in the terminal 3 ends in accordance with the playback stop by the song transmitting mechanism 14 c in the server 2 (step 110 ).
  • a stop instruction is not output from the terminal 3 during playback, and thus the charge determining mechanism 14 e charges a full amount which is cheaper than downloading.
  • the charge information is stored, for example, in the client data file 15 b in the data storage unit 15 .
  • the charging method is not limited to the above-described method in which the user is charged in accordance with the playback time. Alternatively, the user may be charged in accordance with the amount of played back information.
  • the terminal 3 side is charged based on the playback time or the amount of played back information.
  • the price is lower than the case where the user listens to the song to the end. Accordingly, the user can feel free to listen to music.
  • FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the process according to the second embodiment.
  • the configuration of a system according to the second embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment, and the corresponding description will be omitted.
  • the terminal 3 side clicks the stop button 20 in the playback page (e) of FIG. 4 within the predetermined short time, the user is not charged. Also, when the terminal 3 side stops playback at some midpoint after the predetermined short time has passed, the user is charged according to the playback time. If the user listens to a song to the end, the user is charged the full amount.
  • a playback stop instruction is transmitted to the genre-based song selecting mechanism 14 f as well as to the transmission stopping mechanism 14 d .
  • the genre-based song selecting mechanism 14 f selects the next song, for example the ninth song, from the song data file 15 c .
  • the genre-based song transmitting mechanism 14 g transmits the ninth song to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 .
  • the stop button 20 in the playback page (e) of FIG. 4 is clicked and it is determined whether real-time playback of songs in the genre “this week's top 10” is stopped (step 204 ). If real-time playback of the songs in the genre is stopped, the charge information is stored in the client data file 15 b.
  • the terminal 3 side can specify a genre or an artist instead of a song itself, an interesting song can be played back in real time even if the user does not have information such as the title of the song.
  • the user is not charged if he or she stops playback within the predetermined short time, and thus the user can feel free to listen to the songs.
  • the server 2 can select and transmit a plurality of arbitrary songs. Therefore, the user need not repeatedly search for songs, which is inconvenient.
  • FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process of inputting an evaluation when a genre is specified.
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
  • the configuration of a system according to the third embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment, and thus the corresponding description will be omitted.
  • the evaluation data is stored as the user's tastes in the client data file 15 b of the data storage unit 15 , the data being related to the user ID in the server 2 through the Internet 1 .
  • the genre-based song selecting mechanism 14 f in the server 2 selects a song to be played back in real time from the song data file 15 c .
  • the genre-based song selecting mechanism 14 f reads data of the user's tastes from the client data file 15 b (step 401 ) and selects many of the user's favorite songs and few non-favorite songs (step 402 ).
  • a song is evaluated while it is being played back so that many favorite songs may be selected based on the evaluation when a genre-based selection is performed. Therefore, the number of operations required by the user, such as skipping, can be reduced and the royalties for the information providing program can be increased.
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process of registering a song in the favorites file while the song is being played back.
  • FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process of playing back a song in the favorites file in real time according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
  • the favorite-registering mechanism 8 e in the terminal 3 registers the song in the file data 9 a so as to store the song (step 501 ).
  • the title and so on of the song is registered and stored in the client data file 15 b in the server 2 as favorites (step 502 ).
  • step 602 By specifying a playback method (step 602 ), for example, by selecting playback all songs, the file-based song transmitting mechanism 14 h in the server 2 selects a predetermined song from the song data file 15 c (step 603 ), and the selected song is transmitted to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 .
  • the charge is determined by the charge determining mechanism 14 e and that information is stored in the client data file 15 b as data.
  • step 603 the process returns to step 603 so that another predetermined song is selected from the song data file 15 c (step 603 ), and the selected song is transmitted to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 .
  • favorite songs can be registered in the favorites file while listening to the songs, and when the user wants to listen to all the favorite songs, the songs can be played back simply by opening the favorites file and clicking “playback all songs”. Accordingly, the user need not search for and input each favorite song, and the user's operation can be significantly reduced.
  • the playback method by changing the playback method, only one specific song in a file can be played back. Further, the file data 9 a can be freely sorted out and edited in the terminal 3 side. Thus, the user can transmit the edited file data to the server 2 through the Internet 1 so that the file data can be stored in the client data file 15 b.
  • the terminal 3 need not include the data storage unit 9 for the file data 9 a , and the data may be edited, processed, and stored in the server 2 . Also, a song is not downloaded to the file data 9 a which stores only information such as the title of the song and the name of the artist.
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process according to the fifth embodiment.
  • the configuration of a system according to the fifth embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment, and the thus the corresponding description will be omitted.
  • the additional-information-based song transmitting mechanism 14 i selects information related to the song to be played back in the form of characters and videos from the related information data file 15 d stored in the data storage unit 15 (step 702 ), and the related information is transmitted to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 together with the song (step 703 ). Accordingly, the song and the additional information are played back in the terminal 3 side (step 704 ).
  • additional information can be provided while a song is being played back, and thus the user can obtain useful information and sales promotions can be performed.
  • the information is not downloaded to the terminal 3 , and thus a large volume of information such as video information can be provided without keeping the user waiting.
  • FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a process according to the sixth embodiment.
  • the configuration of a system according to the sixth embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment, and thus the corresponding description will be omitted.
  • the partial information transmitting mechanism 14 j of the server 2 selects predetermined partial information, for example, the climax of a song from the song data file 15 c (step 802 ), and the selected information is transmitted to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 so as to be played back by the real-time partial information playback mechanism 8 g.
  • step 803 when the stop button in the playback page is clicked after the partial information of a song is played back so that playback of the partial information is stopped (step 803 ), and when the partial-information-based song selecting mechanism 8 h specifies a song of desired partial information (step 804 ), the corresponding song is selected from the song data file 15 c in the server 2 , and the selected song is transmitted to the terminal 3 through the Internet 1 by the partial-information-based song transmitting mechanism 14 k , and thus a desired song is played back by the partial-information-based song playback mechanism 8 i in the terminal 3 .
  • the user is not charged when he or she plays back partial information itself. Accordingly, the user can feel free to listen to partial information.
  • step 803 when playback of partial information is not stopped at step 803 , the process returns to step 802 and predetermined partial information is selected so as to transmit the next partial information, and the selected information is transmitted to the terminal 3 .
  • step 805 When a song is specified at step 804 and when a playback stop instruction is output during playback (step 805 ), for example, when the stop button in the playback page is clicked, the partial-information-based transmission stopping mechanism 141 in the server 2 stops playback, the partial-information-based charge determining mechanism 14 m determines the charge according to the playback time, and the charge information is stored in the client data file 15 b.
  • the partial-information-based transmission stopping mechanism 141 in the server 2 transmits information that the song has been fully played back to the partial-information-based charge determining mechanism 14 m , which determines the full charge, and the charge information is stored in the client data file 15 b.
  • partial information of a plurality of songs can be continuously played back in real time and free of charge.
  • the user can evaluate a song more adequately than in the case where the user listens to free information of the climax of the song so as to fully play back the song, and thus wasteful listening can be prevented.
  • the stop button partial information of a plurality of songs can be continuously listened to.
  • the user need not operate pages for each song and the burden on the user can be reduced.
  • the user can have broader options. That is, with the conventional method, the user selects a charge-free audition or promotion (in many cases, time is limited and it is not on-demand), or purchases with a charge.
  • the user can try a song at a low price, and buy the song if he or she likes the song (if the user thinks it is more economical to buy the song because he or she wants to listen to the song many times), by using the service according to the present invention.
  • the service providers can expect income by the promotion, and it becomes possible to ensure income by attracting users who have been reluctant to purchase songs (users who do not bring income). Also, a promotion for a song can be performed while the song is being played back, and thus a good promotional effect can be achieved. For example, the latest concert information may be provided.
  • those who are in the business of selling CD packages can coexist with the service providers so as to obtain co-prosperity by using segregation (for example, songs included in only an album are not transmitted).
  • the charging method is based on the playback time or the amount of information.
  • the user may be charged according to the contents of the played back information.
  • the latest information may be more expensive. Accordingly, various charging methods can be adopted and income for copyright holders can be further increased.
  • partial information of a plurality of songs is selected from the song data file 15 c and is transmitted as partial information.
  • information about the climax of a song may be prepared in advance independently from the data of the songs, and the information about the climax may be transmitted as partial information.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
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  • Software Systems (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Computer Graphics (AREA)
  • Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
  • Reverberation, Karaoke And Other Acoustics (AREA)
  • Information Retrieval, Db Structures And Fs Structures Therefor (AREA)
  • Two-Way Televisions, Distribution Of Moving Picture Or The Like (AREA)
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