JP2001325458A - System and method for distributing contents, contents receiving method, contents charging method and recording medium with recorded contents receiving program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent contents from being illegally used by illegal access to a network. SOLUTION: When a charging GW 4 acquires digital contents from a contents server 2, with user identification information and a pay information purchase password reported at the time of substitutive price collecting processing as a key, the digital contents are enciphered by using an enciphering device 11 and these digital contents are sent to a WWW browser 10. With its own user identification information and pay password as a key, the WWW browser 10 deciphers the digital contents.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a content server that sells digital content on the Internet,
It is possible to connect to at least one user terminal used by a user who purchases the digital content and the Internet, and to charge for the purchase of the digital content and collect the proxy together with the telephone charge of the general telephone owned by the user. The present invention relates to a content distribution system having a payment collection agency server.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in selling digital contents on the Internet, as a measure for preventing unauthorized use or unauthorized secondary use, identification information such as a digital watermark is embedded in digital contents to print or print on the Internet. It has been common practice to detect an illegal use or an illegal secondary use by a visual check, or to encrypt digital content, distribute a key for each user, and decrypt it on the user's WWW browser.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a conventional example of a content distribution system.

The content server 1 is connected to a new videotex communication network 5, and the content servers 2 and 3 are connected to the Internet 6, and sell digital contents on the Internet 6. Each of the content servers 1, 2, and 3 has a storage medium (a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, a DVD, or the like) for storing digital content, and a processing device that performs processing such as decoding. WWW browsers 8, 9, 10
Is used by a user who browses and purchases digital content in some cases. An information fee billing gateway (hereinafter abbreviated as billing GW) 4 'is installed in the new Videotex communication network 5, calculates an information processing fee in the new Videotex communication network 5, and performs a billing process. is there. W
The WW browser 8 can access the new Videotex communication network 5 via the telephone network (or ISDN) 7.

[0005] Here, the WWW / browser and the charging GW are examples of a user terminal and a charging means, respectively.

FIG. 5 shows a WWW browser 10 and a billing GW.
4 'is a signal sequence diagram between the content servers 2. FIG. The user accesses the content server 2 from the WWW browser 10 and decides to purchase a specific digital content through various selection processes (step 21). The content server 2 detects that the purchase button is a purchase using the charging GW 4 ′, and sets the address of the charging GW 4 ′ to the user WWW.
Return to browser 10 (step 22). Users are WWW
The digital content is requested from the browser 10 (the Authorization header of the request includes the user name and the pay password) (step 23). The billing GW 4 'authenticates a user name (user ID) and a pay password. If this authentication is successful, the accounting GW 4 'transmits a user name notification confirmation screen to the content server 2 for confirming whether to approve the notification of the user name (step 24).
If the user accepts this, the WWW browser 10 transmits a user name notification confirmation screen response to the accounting GW 4 '(step 25). However, if the user name notification confirmation screen response is returned after the response monitoring time of the charging GW 4 'has passed, the charging GW 4' performs the processing of step 24 and thereafter again. If the user name notification confirmation screen transmitted in step 24 is not accepted, there is no need to transmit the user name notification confirmation screen response.

[0007] The billing GW 4 'requests the billing amount of the requested digital content from the content server 2 (step 26). The content server 2 charges the billing amount and the like to the GW
4 '(step 27). The charging GW 4 ′ checks whether the total charging amount does not exceed the upper limit of the available amount, and if not, transmits a charging amount confirmation screen to the WWW browser 10 (step 28). If the user approves the charge amount notified in step 28, the WWW browser 10 transmits a charge amount confirmation screen response to the charge GW 4 '(step 29). However,
When a charge amount confirmation screen response is returned after the response monitoring time of the charge GW 4 'has passed, the charge GW 4' performs the processing of step 24 and thereafter again. If the charge amount notified in step 28 is not accepted, there is no need to transmit a charge amount confirmation screen response.

[0008] The billing GW 4 'requests the digital content requested in step 23 from the content server 2 (step 30). The content server 2 transmits the digital content to the accounting GW 4 '(Step 3)
1). The accounting GW 4 'transmits the digital content to the WWW browser 10 (step 32). The charging GW 4 ′ performs a charging process when the transmission of the digital content, which is pay information, to the WWW browser 10 ends.

[0009]

The method of sneaking in identification information has a problem that it is not effective in an act of illegally accessing a network, copying paid digital contents, and illegally using them. Furthermore, the method of encrypting digital content, distributing a key for each user, and decrypting the decrypted content on a user's WWW browser also requires a great deal of work for distributing the decryption key to the user and for security management. Was.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a content distribution system, a content distribution method, a content reception method, a content billing method, and a recording medium on which a content reception program is recorded, which prevents unauthorized use of digital content due to unauthorized access to a network. Is to do.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a charge transfer collection server for digital content sales acquires a user ID and a pay information purchase password when access is made from the user. Utilizing this, the digital content sent from the content server is encrypted using the user ID and the pay information purchase password as keys, and the encrypted digital content is stored on the user terminal of the user by his / her own user ID. And decrypt it with the paid information purchase password.

Therefore, even if the digital content is illegally copied on the network, the digital content cannot be decrypted normally because the user identification information of the user terminal and the pay information purchase password are different from those of the digital content. Unauthorized use can be prevented.

[0013]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a content distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the charging GW 4 acquires digital content from the content server 2, the content distribution system of the present embodiment uses the user identification information and the pay information purchase password, which are notified at the time of charge collection agency processing, of the digital content as an encryption device. 4 is different from the conventional system in FIG. 4 in that the content is encrypted by using the user identification information 11, the content is transmitted to the WWW browser 10, and the WWW browser 10 decrypts the digital content using its own user identification information and pay password as keys. .

FIG. 2 shows a WWW browser 10, a charging GW 4,
This is a signal sequence between the encryption device 11 and the content server 2. Steps 21 to 31 are the same as the conventional example of FIG. The accounting GW 4 requests the encryption device 11 to encrypt the digital content sent from the content server 2 (step 33). The encryption device 11 encrypts the digital content on the charging GW 4 using the user identification information and the pay information purchase password held by the charging GW 4 as keys (step 34). And billing GW4
Transmits the encrypted digital content to the WWW browser 10 (step 32). The WWW browser 10 decrypts the transmitted digital content using its own user identification information and the pay information purchase password as keys.

The encryption is performed, for example, in JP-A-11-33114.
6. It can be performed using the encryption technology described in JP-A-11-249558. For example, a random number is generated according to the encryption key, and the digital content is encrypted by taking the exclusive OR of the digital content and the random number.

The WWW browser 10, which has acquired digital contents using the user identification information and the pay information purchase password as keys, can always decode the digital contents correctly because it has its own key.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the WWW browser 10. The input device 41 is a keyboard or the like. The communication device 42 is for communicating with the content server 2 and the accounting GW 4. The storage device 43 is a hard disk. The display device 44 is a display such as a CRT and a liquid crystal. The recording medium 45 is a recording medium, such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, or a magneto-optical disk, on which a content receiving program formed by the processing of the WWW browser 10 shown in FIG. 2 is recorded. The data processing device 46 includes a CPU, an interface, and the like, and reads and executes a content receiving program from the recording medium 45.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Digital content is encrypted using the user identification information and the pay information purchase password as keys at the payment agent collection server, and decrypted at the user terminal, thereby enabling easy key distribution / encryption that enables security management. Digital contents can be distributed, which is effective in preventing unauthorized use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a content distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a WWW browser 10;

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a conventional example of a content distribution system.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the conventional example of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, 3 Content server 4 Billing GW (charge collection agency server) 5 New Videotex communication network 6 Internet 7 Telephone network 8, 9, 10 WWW browser 11 Encryption device 21-34 Step 41 Input device 42 Communication device 43 Storage Device 44 Display device 45 Recording medium 46 Data processing device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 13/00 540 G06F 13/00 540S (72) Inventor Kenji Fujimoto 2-3-3 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No. 1 F-term in Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (reference) 5B049 BB00 BB11 CC10 CC36 FF07 GG02 GG10

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A content server that sells digital content on the Internet, at least one user terminal used by a user who purchases the digital content, and can be connected to the Internet, and is charged when purchasing the digital content. In a content distribution system having a charge collection agency server that acts as a proxy and collects along with the telephone charge of a general telephone owned by the user, the fee collection agency server that has acquired the digital content from the content server is used at the time of the fee collection agency process. Digital content is encrypted using the user identification information and paid information purchase password notified by the user as a key,
Sending the digital content to the user terminal of the user,
A content distribution system, wherein the user terminal decrypts the encrypted digital content using its own user identification information and a pay password as keys. 2. A content server that sells digital contents on the Internet can be connected to the Internet, and charges for the purchase of digital contents, and collects the charges together with the telephone charges of the general telephone numbers owned by the user. A method of transmitting digital content to a user terminal of the user via a payment collection proxy server, comprising: receiving a digital content purchase instruction from the user terminal; Returning an address to the user terminal; receiving a request for a billing amount for the requested digital content from the billing surrogate server; transmitting the billing amount to the billing surrogate server; Digital content requested from the payment collection agency server Content distribution method comprising the steps of: receiving a request, sending a request digital content in the charge collection agency server. 3. A user terminal that can connect to the Internet from a content server that sells digital content on the Internet, performs billing when purchasing digital content, and uses a telephone number of a general telephone owned by the user. What is claimed is: 1. A content receiving method for receiving digital content desired to be purchased through a proxy collection server which collects a fee together with a fee, comprising: instructing the content server to purchase digital content; and collecting the price from the content server. Receiving the address of the proxy server, requesting the fee collection server for digital content including a user name and a pay passcode, and accepting the notification of the user name to the content server? Confirmation screen for user name notification Receiving the user name notification confirmation screen response that acknowledges the notification of the user name to the charge collection agent server, and receiving the digital request from the charge collection agent server. Receiving a charge amount confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to approve the charge amount for the content; and transmitting a charge amount confirmation screen response to accept the charge amount notified on the charge amount confirmation screen to the charge collection proxy server. Receiving the encrypted digital content from the payment collection server, and decrypting the digital content using the user identification information of the user and the pay information purchase password as keys. . 4. A content billing method in which a user pays for purchasing digital content from a content server that sells digital content on the Internet, and collects the fee together with the telephone charge of the general telephone number owned by the user. Receiving a digital content request from a user terminal of the user, and using the user name notification confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to acknowledge the notification of the user name to the content server. Sending to the user terminal; receiving a user name notification confirmation screen response for approving the notification of the user name from the user terminal; and requesting the content server for a charge for the requested digital content. Receiving the billing amount sent from the content server; Check whether the total does not exceed the upper limit of the available amount, and if the total does not exceed the upper limit of the available amount, transmit a charging amount confirmation screen to the user terminal to confirm whether to approve the charging amount. Receiving a charge amount confirmation screen response for approving the charge amount from the user terminal; requesting the requested digital content from the content server; and receiving digital content from the content server. And a step of encrypting the digital content with user identification information and a pay information purchase password as keys; and transmitting the encrypted digital content to the user terminal. 5. A user terminal that can connect to the Internet from a content server that sells digital content on the Internet, charges for digital content purchase, and uses a telephone number of a general telephone owned by the user. A content receiving program for receiving digital content desired to be purchased through a proxy collection server that collects a fee together with a fee, comprising: a step of instructing the content server to purchase digital content; and a step of collecting the price from the content server. A procedure for receiving the address of the proxy server, a procedure for making a request for digital content including a user name and a pay password to the proxy server, and whether or not to acknowledge the notification of the user name to the content server. Before the user name notification confirmation screen A procedure for receiving from the charge collection service server, a procedure for transmitting a user name notification confirmation screen response to approve the notification of the user name to the charge collection service server, and a step for transmitting the digital content requested from the charge collection service server. A step of receiving a charge amount confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to approve the charge amount; and a step of transmitting a charge amount confirmation screen response to approve the charge amount notified on the charge amount confirmation screen to the charge collection proxy server. And a procedure for receiving the encrypted digital content from the payment collection server, and a procedure for decrypting the digital content using the user identification information of the user and the pay information purchase password as keys. A recording medium on which a content receiving program is recorded.