JP4141945B2 - Data distribution system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a data distribution system and a duplicate data detection system, and more particularly, to a data distribution system in which the distributed data is used in a form such as reproduction using a device possessed by a user, and a duplicate data detection system used therefor. .

  Examples of techniques for distributing data using a communication line include those disclosed in JP-A-2-47771 and JP-B-5-83948. In this method, digitized book data is downloaded to a storage means using a communication line, without going through a general bookstore, and is played back using a playback device. More specifically, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-47771, a search in the database of the data supply means is performed in response to a request from the data reproduction means, and the retrieved data group is transmitted to the data reproduction means by the communication means. The means stores the transmitted data group and displays the data group for each page based on a user instruction. Thus, the user can obtain data such as a book through a communication line, and can reproduce the data at a necessary place and time using the data reproducing means.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-83948 discloses an information source device that holds information desired to be purchased from a public information selling device installed in a place where an unspecified number of information purchasers can easily access the public. Connect to one of them via a communication network and make a purchase transaction of the desired information. The settlement of charges or confirmation of identification for guaranteeing the payment of the charges is performed at the time of the contract or establishment of the transaction in the sales apparatus, and the purchase applicant can immediately obtain the desired information from the sales apparatus. This is expected to promote the distribution of information.
JP-A-2-47771 Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-83948

  The above prior art provides great convenience when distributing digitized data to a user, but the following problems occur when it is actually used.

  1. If the data capacity is increased, the transmission takes time, and the waiting time of the user becomes excessive. This can be very difficult when e-distribution is expanded to something much larger than simple text data, such as pictures such as pictorial books and photo collections, publications containing many illustrations, and even CD albums. . In normal sales channels such as bookstores, considering that the time it takes for a user to obtain a desired book is usually irrelevant to the content of the publication, electronic distribution is put into practical use. It is very important to solve this problem to realize.

  2. The problem of copyright protection is not considered, and even if a malicious user illegally copies downloaded data and distributes it, it cannot be detected. This is a big difference between paper books that take time to copy and digitized data.

  3. Mixing of data sources (information sources) with different communication speeds and methods is not considered. Data sources include host computers with different processing speeds and memories with different storage capacities, and there are various communication speeds such as wired, wireless, and satellite lines. If there are multiple data sources desired by the user, automatic In particular, it is necessary to select an optimal one.

  4). Electronic distribution makes it difficult to examine the contents before purchase, for example, “browsing” commonly used in bookstores. Therefore, it is assumed that the user is charged uniformly when purchasing electronic data, but the user has purchased, but actually knowing the contents, it was not attracting interest. The user's anxiety is great. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-85196 discloses a technology of a software vending machine that shows a demonstration to a user when purchasing software. However, a book or the like generally takes time to know its true value. It is impossible for the user to grasp this way.

  5. Only data that has already been digitized can be selected. This seems natural, but limited, especially when it is known that a large number of types of content are available in the normal route, but not in electronic form, such as books. Few users want to use electronic distribution where only content information is available.

  6). When extracting the part of the data such as digitized books where the keyword appears, the user wants to extract the section, chapter, etc. containing the desired part instead of the halfway unit for later. As a matter of course, no search device capable of doing this has been known.

  The present invention provides a new system that solves the problems of the data distribution system and the duplicate data detection system as described above.

Furthermore, the data distribution system according to claim 1 of the present invention stores a plurality of data sales apparatuses that sell one or more electronic data, data included in the one or more electronic data, and billing information of the data. and a portable plurality of data storage means for, charging information, including a writing time representing the date or time data is written. The data selling device is capable of inserting data storage means, and data update means for updating the electronic data stored in the data storage means to other data included in the one or more electronic data , A charging unit for calculating a charging amount of the data stored in the data storage unit and a timing unit for performing a timing operation are included. When the data storage means is inserted into the data update means, the charging means determines the charge amount by comparing the current date and time measured by the time measuring means with the writing date and time stored in the data storage means, updating means, on condition that the billing amount for the data stored in the data storage means is turned by the user, and updates the data in the other data, based on an output from the time measuring means, updates the write time To do.

Furthermore, the data distribution system according to claim 2 of the present invention is the data distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the charging information further includes a charge per unit time, and the charging means includes the current date and time or time , and determining and comparison with the writing date at the time, the division amount of money from the fee per unit time.

Furthermore, a data distribution system according to claim 3 of the present invention includes a plurality of data sales apparatuses that sell one or more electronic data, data included in the one or more electronic data, and billing information for the data. A plurality of portable data storage means for storing, a data reproduction means for reproducing data stored in the data storage means, and a record in which the data is used by the data reproduction means as data storage means And data use recording means for writing to the data. The data selling device is capable of inserting data storage means, and data update means for updating the electronic data stored in the data storage means to other data included in the one or more electronic data , Charging means for calculating a charging amount of data stored in the data storage means. When the data storage means is inserted into the data update means, the charging means determines the charge amount using the charge information. The data update means inputs the charge amount for the data stored in the data storage means by the user. on condition that it has been, and updates the data in the other data.

Furthermore, the data distribution system according to claim 4 of the present invention is the data distribution system according to claim 3, wherein the data use recording means is the time when the data stored in the data storage means is used by the data reproduction means. , At least one of the date and time, the length of time, and the number of times is written as accounting information in the data storage means.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a data distribution system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The data vending machine 101 is placed in a suitable installation location that can be used relatively freely by the user such as a store, and the electronic book is stored in a memory means such as a mini disk (MD) or a memory card brought by the user. Assuming that data is written and sold, such assumptions, specific specifications of the following components, detailed configurations and data structures are merely examples for explanation, and the scope of the present invention is not limited. It is not limited.

  The data vending machine 101 includes a data selection device 102, a data source selection device 103, a data reception device 104, a data update device 105, a billing device 106, a display device 108, a data information table 109, and a data rate table 110. Here, the data update device 105 writes or rewrites the mini disc 107. The data receiving device 104 is connected to four data sources, here a first data satellite 111, a second data satellite 112, a first data server 113, and a second data server 114, and receives data. Originally, there may be a plurality of data vending machines 101, but there is no significant difference in operation even with a single data vending machine 101. Therefore, a data distribution system having one data vending machine 101 will be described below.

  The processing flow of the entire data distribution system when the user purchases data using the data vending machine 101 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the user inserts the mini-disc 107 brought by the user into the data update device 105 (step S201), the data selection device 102 stores the data information table shown in FIG. A part of the contents 109 is extracted and displayed on the display device 108 (step S202). In this example, the data information table 109 includes a data number field 301 indicating the number of selectable data, a name field 302 indicating the name of each data, and a sales price of each data, as many as the data number field 301 represents. A price field 303 indicating the data source, a data source field 304 indicating the data source in which each data exists, and a capacity field 305 representing the capacity of each data in bytes.

  The number-of-data field 301 represents the number of selectable data as a 2-byte unsigned integer, and the name field 302 is assumed to be stored here as a 16-character shift JIS code for each piece of data. However, if the name of the data originally exceeds 16 characters, the first 16 characters are stored, and if it is less than 16 characters, it is filled with 0. The price field 303 represents the price of each data as a 2-byte unsigned integer. In the data source field 304, a bit corresponding to each data source is assigned to each piece of data represented by the number of data fields 301, and the bit “1” indicates that the corresponding data exists in the data source. , “0” bits indicate that they do not exist. The data source field 304 is updated when corresponding data is newly prepared in the data source. The capacity field 305 represents the capacity in bytes of each data as a 4-byte unsigned integer. However, in FIG. 3, all the integers are decimal, and the shift JIS code is shown in the corresponding kanji.

  FIG. 4 is an external view of a display example of the display device 108 and the previous item switch 401, the next item switch 402, the determination switch 403, and the cancel switch 404 provided in the data selection device 102. The name of the data currently selected and the sales price are displayed for each piece of data enclosed in a rectangle or displayed in reverse video. When the previous item switch 401 is pressed, the selection target data is switched to the data displayed on the upper side of the data that is currently selected (step S203). When the next item switch 402 is pressed, the selection target data is switched to the data displayed below the data that is currently selected (step S204). When the determination switch 403 is pressed, the data selection device 102 informs the data source selection device 103 which data is the selection target at that time, that is, which data the user intends to purchase (step S205). . The cancel switch 404 will be described later.

  Now, since the data information table 109 is shared by the data selection device 102 and the data source selection device 103, what number of the data information table 109 needs to be transmitted from the data selection device 102 to the data source selection device 103. It is only information on whether or not the data in is selected. The data source selection device 103 refers to the data source field 304 of the data information table 109 to check in which data source the selected data exists (step S206), and the data in which the selected data exists. Information on how long it takes to extract data from the source is extracted from the data rate table 110, and among them, the data source with the highest data rate, that is, the average time required for transfer is the shortest. Is selected (step S207).

  An example of the data rate table 110 is shown in FIG. The data rate for each data source is represented here by the number of bits transferred per second. However, the numerical values given here are for illustrative purposes and do not necessarily represent standard numerical values according to the current technology. Data rates are updated by data source innovation and usage techniques. That is, the advantages of managing the data that can be supplied by each data source and the data rate of each data source by using the data information table 109 and the data rate table 110 will be described. If the data rate is fixed, it is possible to select the fastest data source for each data even with fixedly connected hardware, but in reality the contents of data that can be supplied from each data source, Since the price and the like can change, it is possible to cope with such a change only by changing the contents of the data information table 109 and the data rate table 110. Although not described in detail here, as a method for easily rewriting the data information table 109 and the data rate table 110, the contents of the new table are read from the floppy disk, or the table portion corresponding to the data source is appropriately selected from each data source. It is also conceivable to update the table using a method such as transmission at a proper timing.

  In this example, there are four data sources: a first data satellite 111, a second data satellite 112, a first data server 113, and a second data server 114. In this order, the data rate is the data rate. It is assumed that it is written on the table 110. Each data source is not only the first data satellite 111 and the second data satellite 112 but also the first data server 113 and the second data server 114 are located at points physically separated from the data receiving apparatus 102. You may do it. The first data satellite 111 and the second data satellite 112 transmit data to the data receiving apparatus 102 by radio waves, and the first data server 113 and the second data server 114 are connected to the data receiving apparatus 104 and a high-speed telephone line. Of course, there are various other communication means depending on the data source and the technology used.

  It is assumed that each data source communicates with another data vending machine 101 ′, 101 ″... Having the same configuration as the data vending machine 101. The owner of each data source does not have to be the same. In addition, the owner of each data vending machine 101, 101 ′, 101 ″... May be different from the owner of each data source.

  Since the operation of each data vending machine 101, 101 ', 101 "... is exactly the same, only the operation of one data vending machine 101 and each data source will be described below.

  Here, if the data source is a device that does not perform communication in a daily sense such as a normal DRAM memory or a hard disk, the interface of the memory or the hard disk is connected to the data receiving device 104 in this case as well. Obviously, even if the data source is such a device, it does not depart from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, if the second data in the data information table 109 is selected by the user, the data source selection device 103 selects the second data source and the third data source from the data source field 304 of the data information table 109. That is, knowing that the second data satellite 112 and the first data server 113 are present, and referring to the data rate table 110, it is determined which data source is the fastest to obtain. In the example of FIG. 5, the data rate of the second data source is much higher than the data rate of the third data source, that is, the data rate of the second data satellite 112 is higher than the data rate of the first data server 113. Since it is much larger, the data source selection device 103 selects the second data satellite 115 as the data source.

  Next, the data source selection device 103 receives data from the selected data source via the data reception device 104 (step S208). At this time, whether or not the data receiving apparatus 104 needs to transmit a request for data to the selected data source depends on the data source.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, data in a certain time unit is repeatedly transmitted in a time-sharing manner, such as “Flanders dog”, “I am a cat”, “Oppel and elephant”, etc. If it is a simple data source, it is not necessary to transmit a request for data, and it is sufficient to discard the received data until the desired data is transmitted, and only the necessary data is received. Such a method is practical for a data source such as a data satellite that is very fast to transmit but difficult to transmit content according to individual destinations. However, the numerical value stored in the data rate table 110 needs to take into consideration the average waiting time until such desired data is transmitted. Here, it is assumed that first data satellite 111 and second data satellite 112 transmit data to data receiving apparatus 104 in this way. For a data source in which data is not transmitted for the first time when there is a request, a data request needs to be issued from the data vending machine 101 to the data source. Here, the first data server 113 and the second data server 114 are such data sources.

  For such a data source, the data vending machine 101 needs some form of transmission means to the data source. Here, when the data receiving device 104 receives data from the first data server 113 or the second data server 114, the data is transferred from the data receiving device 104 to the first data server 113 or the second data server 114. Assume that a request is sent.

  Since the designation of data by the data receiving device 104 needs to be understood by the first data server 113 and the second data server 114, here, the first data server 113 and the second data server 114 are also referred to. , A copy 109 ′, 109 ″ of the data information table 109 is held, and the data request to the first data server 113 or the second data server 114 by the data receiving device 104 is what number in the data information table 109. Whether the data is data or not is transmitted by the data receiving apparatus 104 to these data sources.

  In this way, in any case, the data receiving device 104 can obtain the data desired by the user from the data source that the data source selection device 103 determines to be optimal.

  The data selection device 102 displays the price of the data obtained from the data information table 109 on the display device 108. (Step S209). The user inputs the amount displayed on the display device 108 into the charging device 106 or presses the cancel switch 404.

  When the cancel switch 404 is pressed, the mini disc 107 is ejected from the data updating device 112, and the data vending machine 101 waits for the user to insert the mini disc again (step S210).

  When the predetermined amount of money is input to the charging device 106, the data receiving device 104 transfers the sent data to the data updating device 105 (step S211). The data update device 105 writes the sent data to the mini disc 107 (step S212). Next, the data updating device 105 ejects the mini disc 107, and the data vending machine 101 waits for the user to insert the mini disc again (step S210).

  In this example, digitized book data is handled, but the electronic form has not been described so far. However, digitization of document data is already widely performed. As an example of such a method, text data can be encoded by Shift JIS, and input as image data by a scanner. However, the present invention can be applied regardless of the electronic method and data format. The description of the data vending machine 101 described so far can also be achieved by replacing the book data with music data, image data, moving image data, commercial data, computer software, game software, etc. Therefore, it is clear that the use is not limited to book data. It is. Further, a storage medium other than a mini disk, such as a floppy disk, a memory card, or a magneto-optical disk, may be used as the data storage device.

  Of course, a reproducing apparatus for reproducing data may be integrated with the data storage apparatus.

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment is almost the same as the first embodiment, and includes a data buffering device 715 in the data vending machine 701. The data receiving device 704 receives data from other data sources. Data selected based on a predetermined criterion is stored in a data buffering device 715, and the data buffering device 715 is regarded as a kind of data source. The features will be described below. Note that the specific specifications, detailed configurations, and data structures of the following constituent elements are merely examples for description, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a data distribution system according to the second embodiment. Except for the provision of the data buffering device 715, it is the same as the data distribution system described in the first embodiment, and the 100 units in FIG. Note that when the data buffering device 715 is regarded as a data source, communication with the data receiving device 704 is not necessarily performed in a daily sense, but in such a case, the interface between the two is a data receiving device. 704 can be considered to constitute.

  More specifically, the data buffering device 715 includes a controller 801, a buffer memory 802, and a clock 803 as shown in FIG. The clock 803 has date, hour, minute and second. The controller 801 selects data to be stored in the buffer memory 802, manages data stored in the buffer memory 802, and rewrites the data information table 709 and the data rate table 710 as necessary, as will be described later. .

  Examples of the data information table 709 and the data rate table 710 are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively. 3 and FIG. 5 is that the data information table 709 includes a selection number field 906 indicating the number of times selected by the data selection device 702 and a selection time field indicating the last selected time. 907 is added, and both the data information table 709 and the data rate table 710 are that a data buffering device 715 is added as a data source. In other cases, 300 units are associated with 900 units. It is assumed that the bit corresponding to the data buffering device 715 in the data information table is “0” for any data when the data vending machine 701 is activated. In addition, the data rate corresponding to the data buffering device 715 in the data rate table 710 stores a very high value, that is, a value “900,000” indicating that transfer is very fast. Of course, an average value of the actually measured data rate when data is transferred from the data buffering device 715 to the data receiving device 704 may be stored.

  The operation of the entire data distribution system until data is selected by the data source selection device 703 is the same as that of the data vending machine 101 described in the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the data buffering device 715 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Here, it is assumed that the controller 801 preferentially stores the data selected by the data selection device 702 in the buffer memory 802 with priority.

  When new data is selected by the data source selection device 703, the data buffering device 715 adds 1 to the selection count field 906 corresponding to the corresponding data in the data information table 709 (step S1101), and the corresponding selection time. The current time obtained from the clock 803 is written in the field 907 (step S1102).

  Next, one of the following operations is performed depending on whether the corresponding data exists in the buffer memory 802. However, whether the corresponding data exists in the buffer memory 802 can be determined by referring to the data source field 904 of the data information table 709. That is, if the bit corresponding to the data buffering device 715 is “1”, the corresponding data exists in the data buffering device 715, that is, the buffer memory 802, and if “0”, it does not exist. In the example of FIG. 9, “Oppel and Elephant” are present in the buffer memory 802. It can be seen that “Flanders dog” and “I am a cat” are not stored in the buffer memory 802.

  If the corresponding data exists in the data buffering device 715, the processing of the data buffering device 715 ends (step S1103).

  When the corresponding data is not in the buffer memory 802, the controller 801 performs one of the following operations depending on whether or not all the data whose selection count is larger than the corresponding data is stored in the buffer memory 802. However, in this determination, the selection count field 906 and the data source field 904 are referred to, and the number of selections is larger than the corresponding data and the bit corresponding to the data buffering device 715 in the data source field 904 is “0”. If there is no standing data, the determination can be made by determining that all the data whose selection count is larger than the corresponding data are stored in the buffer memory 802. In other words, if all the data whose number of selections is greater than the corresponding data is stored in the buffer memory 802, it can be said that the corresponding data is eligible to be newly stored in the buffer memory 802. At this time, the controller 801 calculates the current usage amount U of the buffer memory 802 in order to check whether there is room to store the corresponding data in the buffer memory 802 (step S1104). Here, each data is stored in the buffer memory 802 in units of bytes in the order of a data capacity 1201 representing the number of bytes of data as a 4-byte unsigned integer, and a data body 1202, as shown in FIG. The same structure is repeated in the order of the data capacity 1201 ′, the data body 1202 ′, the data capacity 1201 ″, and the data body 1202 ″, and no space is created between different data. The usage amount U of the buffer memory 802 at this time is obtained by the sum of U = 8 * number of data + capacity of each data. The number of data and the capacity of each data can be easily determined from the data number field and the capacity field of the data information table 709. Therefore, such a calculation is possible.

  Next, the controller 801 compares the sum of the usage amount U and the capacity D of the corresponding data with the capacity B of the buffer memory 802, and performs the following operation according to the result.

  When U + D <= B, there is no problem in registering the corresponding data in the buffer memory 802 newly. The data capacity 1201 of the corresponding data is written from the first unused address in the buffer memory 802 (step S1105), then the data body 1202 of the corresponding data is written (step S1106), and the corresponding data in the data information table 709 is written. The bit corresponding to the data buffering device 715 in the data source field 904 is set to “1” (step S1107), and the processing of the data buffering device 715 ends (step S1103).

  When U + D> B, the remaining capacity B of the buffer memory 802 is insufficient to newly register the corresponding data in the buffer memory 802. The controller 801 refers to the selection number field 906 and the data source field 904 in the data information table 709, and sets the bit corresponding to the data buffering device 715 in the data source field 904 with the selection number less than the corresponding data. 1 ”is set, that is, depending on whether there is data (hereinafter referred to as“ replacement target data ”) existing in the buffer memory 802, the following operation is performed.

  If there is no replacement target data, the processing of the data buffering device 715 ends (step S1103).

  If there is data to be replaced, the controller 801 obtains the capacity T of the data to be replaced (note that there is a plurality of data) by the sum of T = 8 * number of data to be replaced + capacity of each data to be replaced (step S1108). Since the replacement target data is obtained by referring to the selection number field 906 and the data source field 904 of the data information table 709 as described above, the number of replacement target data necessary for calculating the capacity T of the target data, It is obvious that the information on the capacity of each replacement target data can be obtained from the information in the data source field 904, the capacity field 905, and the selection count field 906 of the data information table 709. The capacity T of the target data indicates the capacity occupied on the buffer memory 802 by the data that may be replaced by the corresponding data. Therefore, the following operation is performed depending on whether or not T <D.

  When T <D holds, it is impossible to replace the data to be replaced with the corresponding data, so the processing of the data buffering device 715 ends (step S1103).

  When T <D does not hold, the controller 801 refers to the data information table 709 and selects the replacement target data having the smallest capacity among the buffer memory 802 at each time point until B−U> = D. Data to be replaced deleted from the buffer memory 802 in the data source field 904 of the data information table 709 after being deleted from the buffer memory 802 (step S1109), filling the empty space in the buffer memory 802 thus created (step S1110) Is set to “0” (step S1111). Thereafter, the controller 801 writes the data capacity 1201 of the corresponding data in 8 bytes from the first unused address in the buffer memory 802 (step S1105), and then writes the data body 1202 of the corresponding data (step S1106). The bit corresponding to the data buffering device 715 in the data source field 904 of the corresponding data in the data information table 709 is set to “1” (step S1107), and the processing of the data buffering device 715 ends (step S1103).

  The operation of the data distribution system after the processing of the data buffering device 715 is completed, including the point where the data source selection device 703 selects the optimum data source according to the contents of the data rate table 710, and thereafter. The operation until data is selected again by the data source selection device 703 is the same as that in the first embodiment. However, if the desired data exists in the data buffering device 715, the data buffering device 715 can be used as a data source if the numerical value in the data rate table 710 is sufficiently high as the data rate of the data buffering device. Is different.

  In addition to the above-described criteria, the controller 801 can select various data for selecting data to be stored in the buffer memory 802. What has been described above is preferentially stored in the buffer memory 802 when the data selection device 702 selects a large number of times, and when the buffer memory 802 is full, the number of times selected by the data selection device 702 The control with priority is given to the data with the larger number of times selected by the data selection device 702. In other words, the control with priority is given to the data with the larger capacity, and it takes one transmission. The control giving priority to the product of the time, the number of times selected and the capacity of data, or the control giving priority to the last selected time is in the example of the data information table 709 shown in FIG. It can be clearly realized only by information.

  In addition, when the free space in the buffer memory 802 is reduced, the criteria for selecting data to be erased are any one of the data capacity, the time taken for one transmission, the selected number of times, and the elapsed time since the last selection. Or selected from all. Control that prioritizes data that takes a long transfer time to transfer from the data source to the data receiving device when it is not stored in the buffer memory is the capacity of each data from the capacity field 905, the data source in which it exists from the data source field 904, This is possible by taking out the data rate of each data source in the data rate table 710, and calculating and comparing the product of the capacity of each data and the data rate of the data source where each data exists. In addition to this, it is a matter of course that various standards are possible by holding and using appropriate information.

  (Third Embodiment) FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of a data distribution system according to a third embodiment. The third embodiment is basically similar to the first embodiment, and the corresponding parts are illustrated by changing 100 units to 1300 units. In the third embodiment, the data selection device 1302 includes a data schedule table 1313 and a clock 1314. The data source includes a first data satellite 1310, a second data satellite 1311, and a third data satellite 1312. And lacks a data rate table. In the third embodiment, a plurality of data sources of the first data satellite 1310, the second data satellite 1311, and the third data satellite 1312 shift the same data in a time-sharing manner in units of one book. The data source selection device 1303 has a feature of selecting a data source that can obtain the data selected by the data selection device 1302 earliest. Note that the specific specifications, detailed configurations, and data structures of the following constituent elements are merely examples for description, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 14 is an example of the data schedule table 1313. However, a part is shown here. As shown in the figure, data with the same name in the figure has the same contents, and one book is transmitted in the order of "I am a cat", "Oppel and Elephant", and "Flanders Dog". ing. The time required for one transmission differs depending on each data, reflecting the fact that the data length is different. In this example, each data source transmits data in a time division manner in the same order. Of course, this is not essential, and when the data selected by the data selection device 1302 is transmitted from each data source. As long as the information can be obtained from the data schedule table 1313, and if such information can be obtained by another method such as calculating from the time, the data schedule table 1313 There is no need to have a table. In any case, here, the first data satellite 1310, the second data satellite 1311, and the third data satellite 1312 transmit data in a time division manner in accordance with the data schedule table 1313 shown in FIG. To do.

  The data source is not necessarily a data satellite as long as it is transmitted in a time division manner, and the number of data sources is three in this example, but it is of course not limited to this. The operation of the data distribution system until data is selected by the data selection device 1302 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The data source selection device 1303 refers to the data schedule table 1313 and the clock 1314 and selects the data source to which the selected data is transmitted earliest from the current time. For example, if the data having the name “Flanders Dog” is selected when the time obtained from the clock 1314 is 15:11, the data source selection device 1303 refers to the data schedule table 1313 and The first data satellite 1310 starts transmitting the next selected data 15:19, the second data satellite 1311 starts transmitting the next selected data 15:17, and the third data satellite 1312 Since the time at which the second data satellite starts transmitting the selected data next is compared with the current time by comparing the time 15:21 at which the selected data starts to be transmitted next, the second data satellite Is selected as the data source. At 15:11, “Flanders Dog” is being transmitted from the third data satellite 1312. In order to receive this data from the top and from the third data satellite 1312, transmission is required. It is necessary to wait until 15:21, which is the start time.

  This is not the case when performing control such as searching for the data source that is sent earliest after receiving data from the middle and then searching again for the part from the beginning to the place where it has already been received. Of course, it is within the scope of the present invention.

  Thereafter, the operation of the data distribution system until the next data is selected is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the difference in the data source.

  In the above description, there is no significant difference in the time (hereinafter referred to as communication time) required for receiving data in the data receiving device 1304 from the transmission start time from each data source. Under the assumption, the data source selection device 1303 selects the data source having the earliest transmission start time of the desired data. However, if the difference in communication time between the data sources cannot be ignored, the data reception device 1304 After obtaining the next transmission start time of the desired data for each data source from the schedule table 1313, the communication time for each data source is added to the transmission start time for each data source, and then the transmission start time is compared. It is also possible to do. In this case, the time at which transmission at each data source ends or the time at which reception ends at the data reception device 1304 is substantially compared.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a data distribution system according to the fourth embodiment. The fourth embodiment is similar to the data distribution system of the first embodiment. The feature is that the data source sends each data in a time-sharing manner in units of time, and sends the data in blocks. Data that is selected more frequently by the device 1502 is assigned more transmission time, so that the data vending machine 1501 can obtain data with a small waiting time when selected. In addition, in the part corresponding to FIG. 1, the figure is changed from 100 to 1500. In the following, the parts not specifically mentioned are the same as those described in the first embodiment except for the difference in data source. Note that the specific specifications, detailed configurations, and data structures of the following constituent elements are merely examples for explanation, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  In the following description, the selection unit is selected by the data selection device 1502 by the name “selection data”. This is to distinguish from the data part for the header part in the block made by dividing the data. In this example, “I am a cat” and “Flanders dog”, which appear later, are each one selection data.

  In the fourth embodiment, the data source is only the data server 1511. This is because the following description is not made more complicated than necessary, and there may be a plurality of data sources. Further, as in this example, when there is only one data source, the data source selection device 1503 and the data rate table 1510 can be omitted. However, even if there are a plurality of data sources, the minimum change is sufficient. Put to do.

  An example of the data information table 1509 is shown in FIG. In the portion corresponding to FIG. 3, 300 units are changed to 1600 units. As shown in the name field 1602, there are two types of selection data, and as shown in the data source field 1604, there is only one type of data source, as shown in FIG. 3 in the first embodiment. This is the same as the contents of the data information table 109. The reason why the two types of selection data are used is to simplify the following description, and three or more types may be used. The data server 1511 has a data schedule management table 1512 in addition to a copy 1509 ″ of the data information table.

  From the data server 1511, data divided into blocks as shown in an example in FIG. 17 is transmitted to the data receiving device 1504 in a time division manner. In FIG. 17, one block includes a data number field 1701, a block number field 1702, a block number field 1703, a data length field 1704, and a data body 1705. The data number field 1701 designates data in the data information table 1509 by the numbers when the data is numbered 1, 2, 3,... In the order in which the information on each data is arranged. It is a 2-byte integer. A block number field 1702 is a 2-byte integer indicating the number of blocks in the data, and a block number field 1703 is a 2-byte integer indicating how many blocks the data is composed of.

  Therefore, if the block number field 1703 is the same as the data number field 1701, it has the same value. The data body 1705 is the data itself divided in bytes, and the data length field 1704 is a 4-byte integer that represents the length of the data body 1705 in bytes. Here, the data length field 1704 is a data length field for any selected data from the first block (block number field = 1) to the block immediately before the last block (block number field = number of blocks field). Let have a common value. Hereinafter, this numerical value is referred to as a standard block size, and is assumed to be 4 KB here. For the last block, the remainder is the number of remaining bytes divided by the standard block size. Therefore, here, the data length field 1704 has a common value 4 KB (4096) except for the last block.

  In FIG. 17, all numerical values are shown in decimal, and each numerical value includes a value that matches the third block of “Flanders dog” in the example of the data information table of FIG. 16. That is, since “Flanders Dog” is the first data in the data information table 1509 in the data number field 1701, 1 is stored, and in the block number field 1702, 3 is stored because it is the third block. In the block number field 1703, “Flanders dog” has a capacity of 14636 bytes according to the capacity field 1605 of the data information table 1509, so 14636 ÷ 1 block length 4096 (bytes) ≈3.57. In the data length field 1704, 4096 is stored because it is not the last block.

  A configuration example of the data schedule management table 1512 is shown in FIG. The selection frequency field 1801 stores the frequency at which each selection data is selected by the data selection device 1502, and is assumed to be initialized to 0 when the data distribution system is started. The number of assigned blocks field 1802 indicates the number of blocks assigned to each selection data, here, how many of 100 blocks are assigned. A method for determining this value will be described later. The data length field 1803 gives a standard block size for each selected data. In this example, 4096 is stored for each selected data as described above. In other words, the data length field 1803 is not necessarily required in this example, but the purpose is to provide it in the description of the embodiment described later. The data length field 1803 matches the data length field 1704 of the block into which each selection data is divided except for the last block of each selection data. Further, it is assumed that elements of the data information table 1509 and the data schedule management table 1512 are arranged so that portions corresponding to the same data are in the same order. “Flanders Dog” is divided into four blocks as described above from 14636 (bytes) ÷ 4096 (bytes) ≈3.57, and “I am a cat” is 31744 (bytes) ÷ 4 (bytes) = 7 .75 and divided into 8 blocks. When the last data block is transmitted for each selected data, it is transmitted again from the first block. As shown in FIG. 19, if the number of blocks to be transmitted per time is made even among the selected data, it is necessary to wait for about 15 blocks to be transmitted in order to receive the whole “I am a cat”. It is necessary to wait for about 7 blocks to be received for the reception of the entire “Flanders dog”. However, the calculation of the waiting time does not consider that the length of the final block is generally different from other blocks (the same applies hereinafter).

Since it can be considered that the time required for transmission / reception of one block does not largely depend on the selected data, it can be seen that this directly represents the ratio of the waiting time. Here, if the frequency that “I am a cat” is selected by the data selection device 1502 is nine times the frequency that “Flanders' dog” is selected, the data sales machine 1501 is used every 10 times. The average waiting time is 15 blocks * 9 + 7 blocks * 1 = 142 blocks (1)
It takes time to send and receive.

  The main point of the fourth embodiment is to reduce the average waiting time by reflecting the frequency at which each selection data is selected in the data selection device 1502 in the data transmission schedule of the data source.

  The operation of the data distribution system until data is selected by the data selection device 1502 is the same as that of the data distribution system described in the first embodiment. When data is selected by the data selection device 1502, the data source selection device 1503 refers to the data information table 1509 and the data rate table 1510 to determine the optimum data source. In this example, the data source is data Since there is only the server 1511, the data server 1511 is of course selected and a data transmission request is issued from the data receiving device 1504. This can be performed in the same manner as the data request of the data receiving apparatus 104 to the first data server 113 and the second data server 114 in the first embodiment. When receiving a number designating data from the data receiving device 1504, the data server 1511 increments the corresponding element of the selection frequency field 1801 of the data schedule management table 1512. Further, the data server 1511 updates the corresponding element of the allocation block number field 1802 with the logic described below. Hereinafter, when the selected selection data is Di, the element of the selection frequency field 1801 corresponding to Di is Fi, and the element of the corresponding allocation block number field 1802 is Qi, Qi is obtained as Qi = (100 * Fi) / ΣFi. . However, Σ is the sum for all selection data.

  In the calculation of Qi, since the decimal point is rounded down, ΣQi is generally less than 100. At this time, a block of only (100−ΣQi) is allocated to data having the smallest number of allocated blocks.

  In the above equation, the sum of the selection frequency number of Di and the selection frequency number of all data is obtained using the information in the selection frequency field 1801 of the data schedule management table 1512.

  The data server 1511 divides each selected data into blocks having a size specified by the data length field 1803 of the data schedule management table 1512 and the number of blocks allocated to each data specified by the allocated block number field 1802. The data is sent for each block according to the ratio. The data receiving device 1504 joins the blocks of data sent in this way into one piece of data. Thereafter, the operation of the data distribution system until data is newly selected by the data selection device 1502 is the same as that described in the first embodiment. The data server 1511 can determine the number of blocks of each selected data from the information in the capacity field 1605 ′ and the information in the data length field 1803 of the data schedule management table 1512 in the copy 1509 ″ of the data information table. It is clear.

Here, the effect of the fourth embodiment will be described. If D1: “I am a cat” (8 blocks) is selected by the data selection device 1502 at 9 times the frequency selected by D2 “Flanders dog” (4 blocks), In the method of allocating the number of blocks according to the selection frequency, Q1 = (100 * 9) / (1 + 9) = 90Q2 = (100 * 1) / (1 + 9) = 10, and transmission is not waited to obtain D1. The average number of blocks that should not be calculated is D1: 8 * 100/90 = 8.89 blocks D2: 4 * 100/10 = 40 blocks. Therefore, the approximate average number of blocks that need to wait for transmission per 10 uses of the data vending machine 1501 is 8.89 blocks * 9 + 40 blocks * 1 = 120 blocks (2)
This is a decrease of 15% or more compared to 142 blocks obtained by equation (1). That is, a data distribution system with a low average waiting time can be realized.

  The main point of the fourth embodiment is to automatically reflect the number of data selections in the transmission amount of each data per time, and this method is not limited to the above. The above-mentioned method decomposes the transmission amount of each data per time with the number of allocated blocks per time * the data length per block, and keeps the data length per block constant, while keeping the data length per block constant. Although the number is changed, the same effect can be obtained within the scope of the present invention by controlling the data length per block instead. For example, the data server 1511 sets the data length field 1803 to a constant α * Fi / ΣFi for each selection data Di (where Fi is set to Di), while the allocation block number field 1802 of the data schedule management table 1512 is the same for each selection data. If given by the element of the corresponding selection frequency field 1801 (where Σ is the sum of all selection data), the transmission amount of each data per time reflects the number of data selections. It is clear that is obtained.

  Further, without dividing the selection data for each block, the data transmission amount of each selection data Di per time can be controlled by the length of the entire selection data * the number of transmissions per time of the entire selection data. In this case, since the length of the selection data does not change, the data server 1511 needs to control the number of transmissions of the selection data per time in order to reflect the selection frequency in the transmission amount of each selection data Di per time. There is.

  In the example of the data schedule management table 1512 used here, if the data length field 1803 is very large, the selection data is transmitted in the last block and one block. Indicates the number of transmissions per hour. Therefore, the allocated block number field 1802 may be controlled. If this is Qi, the length of Di is Si, and Fi is given by Qi = constant β * Fi / Si as an element of the selection frequency field 1801 corresponding to Di, and the data transmission amount of each selection data Di per time = Si * Qi = constant β * Fi, and the data transmission amount of each selection data Di per time is proportional to the selection frequency Fi of the selection data Di.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a data search machine according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The data search machine 2001 is assumed to be used for searching for book data stored in a text format such as Shift JIS. Such an assumption, specific specifications of the following components, detailed configurations, and The data structure is merely an example for explanation, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. The data search machine 2001 includes a search condition setting device 2002, a search device 2003, a storage device 2004, and a mini disk writing device 2005. The storage device 2004 stores the number of book data 2007 and the number of book data 2008, 2008 ′, 2008 ″, etc. as indicated by the number of book data 2007. Hereinafter, the book data 2008 will be described unless otherwise specified. Are also applicable to other book data 2008 ′, 2008 ″.

  When the user uses the data search machine 2001, the user inserts the minidisc 2006 brought into the minidisc writing means 2005. Next, a search condition is input from the search condition setting device 2002. FIG. 21 is a configuration example of the search condition setting device 2002. The search condition setting device 2002 includes a controller 2101, a keyboard 2102, a display device 2103, a corresponding data number register 2104, and an offset register 2105. In this example, what can be set by the search condition setting device 2002 is a data extraction range for designating a keyword and what level of data to be extracted, such as a paragraph, a section, a chapter, or an entire book. FIG. 22 shows a display example of the display device 2103. The keyword window 2201 shows a keyword input from the keyboard 2102, and the data extraction range window 2202 shows the currently selected data extraction range enclosed in a rectangle. The selection of the data extraction range is assumed to be performed by moving up and down a square surrounding the character string with the cursor key of the keyboard 2102. The data count register 2104, the offset register 2105, and the search result window 2203 will be described later.

  Although it is possible to allow an ambiguous search in the search device 2003, the ambiguous search itself is widely performed. Therefore, in order to prevent the explanation from being unnecessarily complicated, a specification for specifying such a search condition is used. It is pointed out that the data search machine 2001 does not deviate from the scope of the present invention even if additions or changes are made to the above. Here, the search apparatus 2003 will be described as performing an exact match search. The input keyword and data selection range are sent to the search device 2003. The search device 2003 searches the book data 2008, 2008 ′, 2008 ″... Stored in the storage device 2004 and includes the keyword. After the book data portion extracted in the unit set by the search condition setting device 2002 (hereinafter “corresponding data”) is transferred to the mini-disc writing device 2005, the number of the corresponding data is transferred to the search condition setting device 2002. Forward. The operation of the search device 2003 will be described in detail later.

  The search condition setting device displays the number of corresponding data transferred in the search result window 2203. FIG. 22 shows a display example of the search result window 2203 when there are two pieces of corresponding data. The mini disc writing device 2005 writes the sent data to the inserted mini disc 2006, ejects the mini disc 2006, and ends. If there is no corresponding data, the mini-disc writing device 2005 ejects the mini-disc 2006 without writing and ends.

  Here, in order for the search device to be able to retrieve data in accordance with the specified data selection range, such as paragraphs, sections, chapters, etc., the storage device 2004 is preliminarily configured to reflect such a book structure. It is convenient if book data 2008 is stored. FIG. 23 shows an example of a data structure suitable for such a purpose. However, the search device 2003 can also automatically analyze the structure of the book data 2008, for example, by extracting words such as “Chapter 1” and “Section 2” from the book, at least with standard book data. Therefore, such a data structure is not essential, and the example of FIG. 23 is not the only one that can be considered. The book data 2008 shown in FIG. 23 is divided into a text data length 2301, text data 2302, and a table of contents 2303. The text data 2302 is the text data of the entire book stored in the shift JIS code, and the number of bytes is a numerical value of 4 bytes and is stored in the text data length 2302. Note that the table of contents 2303 is for the contents of the book data 2008 and therefore exists for each book data 2008, 2008 ′, 2008 ″. The table of contents 2303 contains item data 2304, 2304 ′, 2304 ″,. They are arranged. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the description regarding the item data 2304 also applies to the other item data 2304 ′, 2304 ″.

  The item data 2304 represents information related to a part of the book at different levels such as the whole book, chapter, section, paragraph, etc., and consists of a set of five integer values shown in Table 1.

  For example, the book data has a hierarchical structure of the whole book: chapter: section, preface, chapter 1 consisting of three sections, chapter 2 consisting of two sections, chapter 3 consisting of four sections, and chapter data consisting of a postscript. The table of contents 2303 corresponding to the example is as shown in FIG. Note that the “daily meaning” in the rightmost column of the table is included to aid understanding and is not part of the table of contents 2303. The names of all numerical values in the first row are not part of the table of contents 2303.

  Each row except the first row in the table of FIG. 24 corresponds to each item data, and each item data is stored in the table of contents 2303 in order from the second row of this table. However, the numerical values of the first byte 2305 and the last byte 2306 are omitted except for some item data.

  The “Preface” and “Postscript” of the book are treated as independent chapters having no lower hierarchy. Also, the first byte of each chapter and the first byte of the first section of each chapter generally do not match because there is a chapter heading or a chapter introduction part before the first section of each chapter. Similarly, the start byte of the entire book and the start byte of the foreword generally do not match because of the title of the book between them. The last byte of the last draft and the last byte of the entire book generally do not match because there are imprints between them.

  When the data structure described above is used, the data extraction range selected by the search condition setting device 2002 is represented by a numerical value that specifies the depth level 2108 of each item data in the internal processing of the data search machine 2001. . In this case, the display of the data extraction range window 2202 is also “level 0 (whole book)”, “level 1 (chapter etc.)”, and “level 2 (section etc.)”. It is more accurate and preferable to consider the possibility that another word is used instead of.

  The operation of the search device 2003 when using the data structure described above is shown in the flowchart of FIG. The controller 2101 receives a keyword and a unit for retrieving data from the search condition setting device 2002 (step S2501), and initializes the corresponding data number register 2104 with 0 (step S2502). Of the book data 2008..., Which is the number of book data 2007 stored in the storage device 2004, the processing is shifted to the first one that has not yet been processed (step S2503), and the text data 2302 is processed. A keyword is searched for from a missing part (step S2504). Each time it is found, the byte offset in the text data 2302 of the keyword is recorded in the offset register 2105 (step S2506), and each item data in the table of contents 2303 is referred to and the numerical value of the first byte 2305 is the contents of the offset register 2105. If the depth level 2108 matches the data fetch range set by the search condition setting device 2002 for item data that is not larger and the numerical value of the last byte 2306 is not smaller than the contents of the offset register 2105, the corresponding data number register 2104 is incremented (step S2507). Then, by referring again to the first byte 2305 and the last byte 2306 of the corresponding item data, all the data in the range is extracted from the text data 2302 and transferred to the minidisk writing device 2005 (step S2508). If this is not the last item data of the book data currently being processed, the process proceeds to the next item data (step S2509). If it is the last item data, if it is not the last book data, the processing is shifted to the next book data (step S2510). If it is the last book data, the contents of the corresponding data number register 2104 are stored in the search condition setting device. It outputs to 2002 and ends (step S2511).

  The book data is stored in the storage device 2004. The book data 2008, 2008 ′, 2008 ″,... Are continuously stored in the storage device 2004 without creating a space. 23, the text data length 2301, the text data 2302, and the table of contents 2303 are stored in this order, so that the search device 2003 determines the beginning and end of each book data 2008 and 2008 ′. The reason is that the search device 2003 refers to the item data such that the depth level becomes 1 by referring to the number 2309 of the sub-level items of the entire book in the table of contents 2303. In general, the last of the item data such that the depth level 2108 is (n + 1) Can be known from the numerical value of the sub-level item number 2309 of the item data whose depth level 2108 immediately before is n, so that the end of the table of contents 2303 is known when tracing through the table of contents 2303 from the top. The text data length 2102 has a fixed length, so that the end can be known naturally, and the text data 2302 can be known by referring to the text data length 2102. In addition to the above, the search device 2003 can know to what extent the book data 2008 is stored in the storage device 2004 by referring to the book data count 2007. That is.

(Sixth embodiment)
A block diagram of the sixth embodiment is shown in FIG. The sixth embodiment is similar to the data distribution system of the first embodiment. An electronic publisher 2615 is added as a data source, and a keyboard 2616 is added to the data selection device 2602. Features. In the part corresponding to FIG. 1, 100 units are changed to 2600 units. Note that the specific specifications, detailed configurations, and data structures of the following constituent elements are merely examples for description, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  As described below, the electronic publisher 2615 is very different in nature from other data sources and does not need to be registered in the data information table 2609 and the data rate table 2610. Communication between the data receiving device 2604 and the electronic publisher 2615 may be one-way communication in the direction from the data receiving device 2604 to the electronic publisher 2615.

  The difference from the first embodiment is that when the user selects desired data from the options displayed on the display device 2608 by the data selection device 2602, the option “other” is selected as an option on the display device 2608. When “other” is selected, the display device 2608 switches to a display for inputting information about the data and other information from the keyboard 2616, and electronic publishing is performed in accordance with the input information. This means that an order or an inquiry is made to the merchant 2615. Therefore, the operation when “other” is not selected in the data selection device 2602 is the same as that in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 27 shows a display example of the display device 2608 when “other” is selected by the data selection device 2602 and the previous item switch 2701, next item switch 2702, decision switch 2703 and cancel switch included in the data selection device 2602. 2704 is an external view of 2704. FIG. The user inputs information such as the name of the data in the data information input window 2705, the inquiry / ordering information in the action input window 2706, and the name, address, and telephone number in the user information input window 2707. Each time the user presses the enter switch 2703, the input target window moves to the data information input window 2705, the action input window 2706, and the user information input window 2707, and the user information input window 2707 is input. When the determination switch 2703 is pressed, the data selection device is notified that the input has been completed. Also, in the action input window 2707, the rectangles surrounding the character strings of “inquiry” and “order” are moved to the next top by the previous item switch 2702, and the next one by the next item switch 2703. It is designed to specify by moving. If “other” is not selected in the data selection device 2602, the previous item switch 2701, the next item switch 2702, the decision switch 2703, and the cancel switch 2704 are the same as the corresponding components described in the first embodiment. It goes without saying that the above-mentioned action is performed.

  The electronic publisher 2615 sends a reply or a product according to the sent information. Unlike other data sources, it is unlikely that data will be transferred from the electronic publisher 2615 to the data receiver 2604 on the spot, as it may be difficult for the electronic publisher 2615 to prepare the data immediately. (If this is possible, there is no reason to distinguish the electronic publisher 2615 from other data sources, simply adding a new data source to the first embodiment.) .

  Of course, if the communication between the data receiving device 2604 and the electronic publisher 2615 is bi-directional allowing the direction from the latter to the former, electronic data is electronically transmitted from the electronic publisher 2615 to the data updating device 2605. The electronic publisher 2615 informs the user when the data preparation is completed, and the user goes to the data vending machine 2601 at the same time, and the same as from other data sources. In this way, data may be supplied.

  In addition, the electronic publisher 2615 can be used as a simple bookstore and delivered to the user as paper books having the same or similar contents instead of electronic data.

  As described above, the data vending machine 2601 has a communication function with the electronic publisher 2615 other than the original data source, thereby realizing a wider variety of data distribution.

  In addition, data that can be supplied by the electronic publisher 2615 is put in the options of the data selection device 2602 in advance, and when such data is selected, necessary information such as the destination of data is input. Is possible. In this case, the electronic publisher 2615 is virtually grasped by the user as a normal data source at least during the operation.

(Seventh embodiment)
FIG. 28 is a block diagram of a duplicate data detection system for detecting unauthorized copies of data distributed in the data distribution system according to the seventh embodiment. This system has a function of checking whether or not the data stored and distributed on the mini-disc (MD) used in a plurality of data reproducing apparatuses is a duplicate medium, and prevents unauthorized copying. Note that such assumptions, specific specifications of the following constituent elements, detailed configurations, and data structures are merely examples for explanation, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  The duplicate data detection system according to the seventh embodiment includes a data inspection device 2801 and data reproduction devices 2802, 2802 ′, 2802 ″, etc. The description regarding the data reproduction device 2802 will be described below unless otherwise specified. It is assumed that the present invention is also applied to the data reproducing devices 2802 ′, 2802 ″,. The data reproduction device 2802 includes a CPU 2803, a data communication device 2804, a mini disk drive 2805, a display device 2806, a reproduction switch 2807, and an end switch 2808.

  Each mini disk 2809, 2809 ', 2809 "... read by the mini disk drive 2805 stores unique authentication data 2810, 2810', 2810" ... in a normal use state. . In addition, the mini-discs 2809, 2809 ', 2809 ",... Store reproduction data 2811, 2811', 2811",.

  The data inspection device 2801 includes a controller 2812, a data communication device 2813, a data number register 2814, and a data management table 2815. Hereinafter, a copy of the contents of the authentication data 2810 (or 2810 ', 2810 ") may be simply written as the authentication data 2810 (or 2810', 2810"), but there is no possibility of confusion.

  It is assumed that the data communication device 2804 and the data communication device 2813 perform two-way communication using appropriate means such as a telephone line or radio waves.

  The operation of the data reproduction device 2802 will be described below. In the following description, the “use start”, “use end”, and “reproduction prohibition” signals are appropriately determined according to the communication means employed.

  When the user inserts the mini disk 2809 into the mini disk drive 2805 and presses the playback switch 2807, the mini disk drive 2805 reads the authentication data 2810 from the mini disk 2809, and the CPU 2803 transfers it to the data communication device 2804. . The data communication apparatus 2804 sends a signal indicating “start of use” and authentication data 2810 to the data inspection apparatus 2801, more specifically, the data communication apparatus 2813. The data inspection device 2801 detects duplicate data, which will be described later. Depending on the result, the data inspection device 2801 sends a “reproduction prohibition” signal to the data communication device 2804. On the other hand, the mini disk drive 2805 reads the reproduction data 2811 from the mini disk drive 2805, and the CPU 2803 sends it to the display device 2807 to start reproduction of the reproduction data 2811. When the signal is received, a message “This data may be illegally copied” is displayed on the display device 2806 and the operation of the mini disk drive 2805 is stopped.

  If the user presses the end switch 2808 during reproduction of the reproduction data 2811, the data communication apparatus 2804 sends a signal indicating “use end” and authentication data 2810 to the data communication apparatus 2813, and then the CPU 2803. Stops the operation of the mini disk drive 2805.

  In the data management table 2815, authentication data numbers sent with a signal indicating “use start” are continuously stored. The data number register 2814 stores the number of such authentication data. FIG. 29 shows an example of the data number register 2814 and the data management table 2815. In this example, it is assumed that the number of authentication data and the authentication data are 4-byte unsigned integers. However, in FIG. 29, the number of authentication data “8” and the number of 8 authentication data are both written in decimal. It is.

  The operation of the data inspection device 2801 when data is sent from the data reproduction device 2802 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  If the data received by the data communication device 2813 includes a signal “start of use” and the authentication data 2810 included in the data is already in the data management table 2815, the controller 2812 transmits the data. A “reproduction prohibition” signal is sent to the apparatus 2804, and the apparatus returns to the standby state (step S3002). If there is no authentication data 2810 in the data management table 2815, the controller 2812 adds the sent authentication data 2810 after the last authentication data in the data management table 2815 (step S3003), and increments the data number register 2814. (Step S3004), it returns to the standby state (Step S3002).

  If the data received by the data communication device 2813 does not include a “use start” signal but a “use end” signal and the data management table 2815 includes authentication data 2810, the controller 2812 The authentication data 2810 is deleted from the management table 2815 (step S2407), the data number register 2814 is decremented (step S2408), and the process returns to the standby state (step S3002). If there is no authentication data 2810 in the data management table 2815, the transmitted data is ignored as abnormal data (step S3007), and the process returns to the standby state (step S3002).

  Also, even if the data received by the data communication device 2813 does not include either a “use start” signal or a “use end” signal, the transmitted data is ignored as abnormal data (step S3007). The process returns to the standby state (step S3002). In step S3005, it is assumed that the part corresponding to the authentication data 2810 deleted from the data management table 2815 is not an empty area but is packed in order.

  In this system, unauthorized copying is suppressed if the authentication data 2810, 2810 ′, 2810 ″,... Of the mini-discs 2809, 2809 ′, 2809 ″,. This is because the mini-discs 2809, 2809 ', 2809 ",... Cannot be used at the same time in the playback devices 2802, 2802', 2802". In other words, even if a malicious person produces a large number of illegal copies of mini-discs, they will have the same authentication data as the original so long as they are copied by normal means, they can be used simultaneously. Does not make sense because there is only one of them. Also, when a bona fide individual makes a copy for backup purposes, there is no restriction at all because it is not used at the same time as the original.

  In this example, communication between the data communication device 2804 and the data communication device 2813 is bidirectional, but this is one-way from the former to the latter, and a “reproduction prohibition” signal is sent from the latter to the former. Even if the prohibition of reproduction in the data reproduction device 2802 is omitted, the data copy itself can be detected, so that the application is somewhat limited, but it is still useful.

  Further, in order to prevent a malicious person from rewriting only the authentication data of the copied mini-disc and trying to maintain the uniqueness, the authentication data 2810 is encoded so as to be difficult to separate from the reproduction data 2811. If possible, it is more preferable.

(Eighth embodiment)
FIG. 31 is a block diagram of a duplicate data detection system according to the eighth embodiment. Since it is similar to the seventh embodiment, only the differences will be described below. Hereinafter, the description regarding the data reproducing device 3102 is also applied to the other data reproducing devices 3102 ′, 3102 ″... Unless otherwise specified. The data structure is merely an example for explanation, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Hereinafter, a copy of the content of the authentication data 3110 (or 3110 ′, 3110 ″) is simply referred to as the authentication data 3110 (or 3110 ′, 3110 "), but there is no danger of confusion.

  When the reproduction switch 3107 is pressed while the mini disc 3109 is inserted in the mini disc drive 3105, the authentication data 3110 is transferred from the data communication device 3104 at every predetermined time interval α seconds from the data communication device 3104. This is transmitted to the communication device 3113 and continues until the end switch 3108 is pressed.

  However, it is assumed that authentication data transmission is started only after a predetermined β seconds (β> α) have elapsed since the mini disc 3109 was inserted into the mini disc drive 3105 and the playback switch 3107 was pressed. . The reason for this will be described later. As shown in FIG. 32, the data management table 3115 is divided into an authentication data field 3201 and a time field 3202, and is recorded as a set of authentication data and the time at which it was sent. In addition, the data inspection apparatus includes a clock 3116. The clock 3116 has date, hour, minute and second.

  The operation of the data inspection apparatus 3101 when data is sent from the data reproduction apparatus 3102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  If the sent authentication data 3110 is already in the authentication data field 3201 of the data management table 3115, the controller 3112 determines the difference between the current time obtained from the clock 3116 and the contents of the time field 3202 corresponding to the authentication data 3110. If calculated (step S3301) and smaller than a predetermined time interval γ seconds (α> γ), the data communication device 3113 sends a “reproduction prohibition” signal to the data communication device 3104 ( Step S3302) returns to the standby state (Step S3303). If it becomes smaller, the time field 3202 corresponding to the authentication data 3110 is updated to the current time (step S3301), and the process returns to the standby state (step S3303). If there is no authentication data 3110 in the authentication data field 3201, the data is added after the last data in the authentication data field 3201 (step S3305), and the current time obtained from the clock 3116 is stored in the corresponding time field 3202. Write (step S3306), increment the data number register 3114 (step S3307), and return to the standby state (step S3303).

  Separately, the controller 3112 refers to the time field 3202 at a predetermined timing and compares it with the current time obtained from the clock 3116, and the difference is a predetermined time interval Δsecond (Δ >> α If there is an element larger than (), the element and the corresponding authentication data are deleted from the time field 3202 and the authentication data field 3201, and the data number register 3114 is decremented. This is to prevent the data management table 3115 from becoming too large due to data that is not already used. Of course, as in the seventh embodiment, when the end switch 2808 is pressed, the data communication apparatus 3104 sends a signal indicating “end of use” and authentication data 3110 to the data communication apparatus 3113. Then, using this as a trigger, the elements of the time field 3202 and the elements of the authentication data field 3201 that are no longer necessary from the data management table 3115 may be deleted. In any case, it is assumed that the portions corresponding to the time field 3202 and the authentication data field 3201 of the deleted authentication data are not vacant areas but are packed in order.

  It is desirable that the time taken from the time when the mini disk 3109 is inserted into the mini disk drive 3105 until the first transmission of the authentication data starts is longer than the above threshold value γ seconds for determining that the data is duplicated. This is to prevent, for example, the data inspection device 3101 from determining that the mini disc 3109 is a duplicate when the mini disc 3109 being played back by the data playback device 3102 ′ is inserted into a different data playback device 3102 and played back. is there.

  For example, when the threshold value γ is 15 seconds, the mini-disc 3109 is sent from the data reproducing device 3102 ′ from the last transmission of the authentication data 3110 of the mini-disc 3109 by the data communication device 3104 ′ of the data reproducing device 3102 ′. If the time taken for the first transmission of the authentication data 3110 of the mini disk 3109 by the data communication device 3104 to be sent for the first time by the data communication device 3102 is 10 seconds. Thus, the mini-disc 3109 is determined to be duplicated. In order to prevent this, the sending of the authentication data is not started until a predetermined β seconds (β> α) have elapsed after the mini disc is inserted into the mini disc drive 3105 and the playback switch 3107 is pressed. I did it.

  As in the seventh embodiment, when the end switch 3108 is pressed, the data communication apparatus 3104 sends a signal indicating “use end” and authentication data 3110 to the data communication apparatus 3113. In such a case, the authentication data 3110 of the mini-disc 3109 can be deleted from the data management table 3115 at the time when the use of the data reproducing apparatus 3102 ′ is finished, so that there is no need to consider such a case.

  In the eighth embodiment, the reason why unauthorized copying is suppressed and the method of realizing a slightly simplified form are the same as those described in the seventh embodiment.

(Ninth embodiment)
FIG. 34 is a block diagram of a data distribution system according to the ninth embodiment. The main difference from the first embodiment is that a data inspection device 3415 is added to the first embodiment. In the portion corresponding to FIG. 1, 100 units are changed to 3400 units. Further, the data update device 3405 needs to read not only the mini-disc but also the data. Further, the mini-discs 3407, 3407 ′, 3407 ″... Have authentication data 3416, 3416 ′ having a unique content in a normal use state, as in the seventh and eighth embodiments. , 3416 "... and reproduction data 3417, 3417 ', 3417" ... are stored. The specific specifications, detailed configurations and data structures of the following constituent elements are merely examples for explanation. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this.

  When the user inserts the brought minidisk 3407 into the data update device 3405, the data update device 3405 reads the authentication data 3416 from the minidisk 3407 and sends it to the data inspection device 3415. The data inspection apparatus 3415 determines whether or not a copy exists in the mini disk 3407 from the sent authentication data 3416. If it is determined that a copy exists, a message that a copy exists on the inserted disc is displayed on the display device 3408, and the mini-disc 3407 is ejected from the data update device 3405 without being written. Thus, the data vending machine 3401 returns to the initial state. If it is not determined that a copy exists, the data inspection device 3415 generates new authentication data 3416A and sends it to the data update device 3405, which writes it to the minidisk 3407. The subsequent operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Next, the operation of the data inspection device 3415 will be described in detail. FIG. 35 shows a configuration example of the data inspection apparatus 3415. It comprises a controller 3501, a data number register 3502, a data management table 3503, an authentication data generator 3504, and a clock 3505. The clock 3505 has date, hour, minute and second. As shown in FIG. 36, the data management table 3503 includes an authentication data field 3601 and a time field 3602. Although the form is similar to that of the data management table 3115 described in the eighth embodiment, the data management table 3115 indicates information of data in use, whereas the data management table 3503 prohibits use. The function is greatly different in that it shows the information of the recorded data. The number of authentication data stored in the authentication data field is stored in the data number register 3502.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the data inspection device 3415 when the user inserts the mini disk 3407 into the data update device 3405 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The controller 3501 refers to the authentication data field 3601 of the data management table 3503, and if there is a match with the authentication data 3416, the controller 3501 sends a determination result that the mini disk is a duplicate to the data update device 3405 (step S3). In step S3701, the process returns to the standby state (step S3702). If there is no match, the controller 3501 adds the contents of the authentication data 3416 to the end of the authentication data field 3601 (step S3703), and writes the current time obtained from the clock 3505 in the corresponding time field 3602 ( In step S3704), the data number register 3502 is incremented (step S3705), and the authentication data generation device 3504 generates new authentication data 3416A having a different content from the authentication data 3416 and transfers it to the data update device 3405 ( In step S3706), the process returns to the standby state (step S3702).

  Separately from this, the controller 3501 refers to the time field 3602 at a predetermined timing and compares it with the current time obtained from the clock 3505, and the difference is a predetermined time interval, for example, 30 days. When the time is larger than that, such time and the corresponding authentication data are deleted from the time field 3602 and the authentication data field 3601, and the data number register 3502 is decremented. This is to prevent the data management table 3503 from filling up with unnecessary data, but this is not essential when a sufficiently large data management table 3503 can be prepared. Also, only when the data management table 3503 is full, the authentication data having the oldest time in the time field 3602 and the corresponding time may be deleted from the authentication data field 3601 and the time field 3602.

  It is assumed that portions of the time field 3602 and the authentication data field 3601 corresponding to the deleted authentication data are not empty areas but are packed in order. By such a method, even if a malicious person performs a large amount of illegal copying of the mini-disc, if one of the original and the copying disc rewrites the data, the other copying disc will not be Since rewriting cannot be performed, there is a large difference between media that has been illegally copied and media that is not so, and there is an effect of suppressing unauthorized copying.

  Further, when the mini-disc 3407 is determined to be duplicated by the data inspection device 3415, the mini-disc 3407 itself is configured not to be ejected from the data update device 3405 but to be reproduced by erasing the reproduced data. It is also conceivable to perform operations such as collecting the service or calling an attendant.

  Next, the operation of the authentication data generation device 3504 will be described. The authentication data generation device 3504 desirably provides new authentication data 3416A to the minidisk 3407 in a manner that guarantees the uniqueness of the authentication data. This is particularly a problem when there are a plurality of data vending machines 3401 and, therefore, a plurality of authentication data generators 3504 are also present.

  As a configuration method of authentication data capable of such a configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 38, authentication data 3416A is composed of 128 bits, and an ID number unique to each authentication data generating device 3504 is determined in advance. It is conceivable that the upper half 64 bits are composed of the serial numbers 0, 1, 2,... For each authentication data generating device. In this way, if the authentication data 3416A is generated by different authentication data generators, at least some of the upper 64 bits are necessarily different, and if generated by the same authentication data generator, some of the lower 64 bits are Since they are always different, uniqueness is guaranteed.

  In order to maintain the uniqueness of the authentication data through the minidisk that has never been updated and the updated minidisk, the authentication data is given in a common framework in any case. That is, the device that generates the authentication data 3416 when attaching the authentication data 3416 at the mini-disc manufacturing stage is also regarded as one of the above-mentioned authentication data generation devices, and is given a unique ID number through the data. It is sufficient to give 128-bit authentication data in the same way as when updating.

(Tenth embodiment)
FIG. 39 shows a block diagram of a data distribution system according to the tenth embodiment. Differences from the first embodiment will be described. Parts that are not particularly described are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the corresponding parts are illustrated by changing 100 units to 3900 units. Note that the specific specifications, detailed configurations, and data structures of the following constituent elements are merely examples for description, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  Billing information 3915 is stored on the mini disc 3907 together with the reproduction data 3916. As shown in FIG. 40, the billing information 3915 includes a data update time 4001, a data usage fee 4002, and a data update count 4003.

  It is assumed that the usage fee per 24 hours of data is stored in the price field 303 shown in FIG. 3 and the data usage fee 4002 of the charging information 3915 stored in the data information table 3909. A charging device 3906 is provided with a clock 3917 and a timer 3918. The clock 3917 has date, hour, minute and second. Any timer 3918 may be used as long as it has the ability to measure a predetermined time. Here, it is set to 20 seconds. However, as will be understood later, the timer 3918 is provided to make the user interface of the data distribution system of the tenth embodiment more practical, and is not an essential component.

  The main point of the tenth embodiment is that when data is updated, the usage fee for the data stored in the mini disk 3907 until then is charged according to the time when the data was held in the mini disk 3907. That is.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the data vending machine 3901 when the user inserts the mini disk 3907 into the data update device 3905 in order to start using the data vending machine 3901 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The data update device 3905 reads the billing information 3915 from the mini disc 3907 and transmits it to the billing device 3906 (step S4101). The billing apparatus 3906 determines the billing amount with reference to the current time obtained from the clock 3917, the data update time 4001, and the data usage fee 4002 (step S4102).

  There are various methods for determining the billing amount of the billing device 3906. Here, the price per 24 hours * ((current time−time when data update was last updated) / 24 hours) Suppose you get.

  The price per 24 hours is obtained from the data usage fee 4002, the current time is obtained from the clock 3917, and the time when the data was last updated is obtained from the data update time 4301.

  The billing device 3906 displays the determined billing amount on the display device 3908 (step S4103). In addition, charging device 3906 starts timer 3918 (step S4104). When the timer 3918 measures 20 seconds, the data update device 3905 ejects the mini disk 3907 (step S4105), and the data vending machine 3901 returns to the standby state (step S4106). If the billing amount is input to the billing apparatus 3906 by the user before the timer 3918 counts 20 seconds, the process proceeds to data selection (step S4107). Thereafter, the operation of the data distribution system until immediately before the data selection device 3902 displays the price of the data obtained from the price field 303 (FIG. 3) of the data information table 3909 on the display device 3908 is the first embodiment. Therefore, the subsequent operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The data selection device 3902 displays the price of data obtained from the price field of the data information table 3909 on the display device 3908 (step S4201). Since the user's payment is performed at the time of the next update, unlike the first embodiment, the user does not deposit here. Also, since the price depends on the elapsed time until the next update, for example, "200 yen per day" or "1000 yen within a week, 50 yen per day thereafter" It is desirable that the user can understand the relationship between the billing amounts.

  The user presses the decision switch 403 or cancel switch 404 shown in FIG. If the cancel switch 404 is pressed, the mini disk 3907 is ejected from the data update device 3905 (step S4202), and the data vending machine 3901 returns to the standby state (step S4203). When the determination switch 403 is pressed, the data receiving device 3904 transfers the sent data to the data updating device 3905, and the data updating device 3905 writes the sent data as reproduction data 3916 of the mini disc 3907. (Step S4204). The accounting device 3906 sends the current time obtained from the clock 3917 to the data update device 3905, and the data update device 3905 also writes this in the data update time 4001 of the mini-disc 3907 (step S4205). The data update device 3905 writes the contents of the price field 303 of the data information table 3909 to the data usage fee 4002 of the mini disk 3907 (step S4206), increments the contents of the data update count 4003 (step S4207), and finally the mini disk. 3907 is discharged (step S4208). The data vending machine 3901 returns to the standby state (step S4203).

  In this example, charging is simply performed in proportion to the time that data is held on the mini disk 3907, but of course, the relationship between the time that data is held on the mini disk 3907 and the charge amount is limited to this. It is not a thing. In addition, the contents of the data update count 3918 are also used for billing, so that the billing amount is determined or changed depending on how many times it is updated. For example, if the number of updates is large, the billing amount is set cheaply. It is clear that a system is possible.

(Eleventh embodiment)
FIG. 39 is also applicable as a block diagram of the data distribution system according to the eleventh embodiment. The difference in operation from the tenth embodiment will be described below. Note that the specific specifications, detailed configurations, and data structures of the following constituent elements are merely examples for description, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  In the eleventh embodiment, the contents of the billing information 3915 on the mini disk 3907 are composed of a data update time 4301 and a data usage record 4302 as shown in FIG. The data use record 4302 stores the history of the reproduction data 3916 of the mini-disc 3907 reproduced by the data reproduction apparatus by the data reproduction apparatus. Here, the reproduction data 3916 includes the reproduction data of the data use record 4302. Assume that the total time played by the device is stored.

  The billing device 3906 determines the billing amount according to the following equation.

Billing amount = constant * (total playback time of playback data 3916 * 0.9 + elapsed time since previous data update * 0.1)
The total reproduction time of the reproduction data 3916 can be obtained as it is by reading the data usage record 4302. The elapsed time from the previous update can be obtained by subtracting the contents of the data update time 4301 from the current time obtained from the clock 3917.

  Accordingly, it is possible to prevent an excessive charge for data that has been held for a long time but is not used. Of course, the weighting factors of 0.1 and 0.9 in the above formula are examples for explanation.

  In other operations of the data distribution system, the data selection device 3902 needs to change the display content when displaying the price of the data obtained from the data information table 3912 on the display device 408 in accordance with the accounting calculation method. Except that the data reproduction apparatus needs to be modified in order to leave the data use record 4302, and is similar to the tenth embodiment.

  Further, the billing amount calculation method is not limited to the example given here. For example, without using the data update time 4301, charging may be performed in proportion to the time when the reproduction data 3915 obtained from the data use record 4302 is reproduced. In this case, the clock 3917 is unnecessary.

  In addition, when the reproduction time of the reproduction data 3916 is below a certain level, it is considered practical to set the charge amount to 0.

  An example of a data reproducing apparatus for leaving the data use record 4302 is shown in FIG.

  The data reproduction device 4401 includes a CPU 4402, a mini disk drive 4403, a display device 4404, a reproduction switch 4405, an end switch 4406, a clock 4407, and a use start time register 4408. When the user inserts the mini disk 3907 into the mini disk drive 4403 and presses the playback switch 4405, the CPU 4402 refers to the clock 4407 and stores the current time in the use start time register 4408. When the end switch 4406 is pressed, the CPU 4402 refers to the clock 4407, calculates the difference between the current time and the contents of the use start time register 4408, writes the difference in the data use record 4302 of the mini disk 3907, and 3907 is ejected from the mini disk drive 4403. However, once the reproduction switch 4405 is pressed, the reproduction switch 4405 is ignored until the next end switch 4406 is pressed.

  1. In the first, second, third, ninth, tenth, or eleventh embodiment of the present invention, among the data sources that hold the same data, the data source that minimizes the time to wait for the user is automatically selected. Therefore, the waiting time of the user can be reduced. In the second embodiment of the present invention, in particular, some data sources act as a data buffering device, so that the waiting time of the user can be reduced, and even if other data sources are slow, the user can The impact on the average waiting time is less. In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, in particular, since a large amount of transmission time is automatically assigned to the frequently selected data among the different data transmitted in a time-sharing manner, the average of the user is still used. Can reduce the waiting time.

  2. In the seventh or eighth embodiment of the present invention, since the copy medium cannot be used at the same time as the original, a malicious person makes a large amount of illegal copies while leaving a room for a good faith user to back up data. It can be deterred psychologically from being created and distributed in the form of sales. In the ninth embodiment of the present invention, in particular, after the original content is updated, the content of the copy medium cannot be updated at least for a certain period. Similarly, there is room for a bona fide user to back up the data. However, it is possible to prevent psychologically that a malicious person creates a large amount of unauthorized copies and distributes them in the form of sales or the like.

  3. Particularly in the first, second, third, ninth, tenth, or eleventh embodiments of the present invention, even when different types of data sources are mixed, the optimum data source can be automatically selected from them. .

  4). In the tenth or eleventh embodiment of the present invention, in particular, the charge to the user is not made at the time of purchasing the data, but is based on the time the user actually held the data, the record of use, etc. Because it is dynamically determined based on the data, if you are not interested in the actual playback, you will not be charged at all or will be negligible, so the user can easily try the data .

  5. In the sixth embodiment of the present invention, in particular, even when the user desires data that has not yet been digitized, the user can place an order, make an inquiry, etc. from the same vending machine. You can place orders and make inquiries using a vending machine without worrying about whether or not it is electronic.

  6). According to the fifth embodiment of the present invention in particular, it is possible to automatically extract a portion of electronic data that matches the search condition input by the user in a unit. It is also possible to select in what units to take out.

  In this way, all the problems listed in “Problems to be solved by the invention” are solved.

The block diagram of the data distribution system which is 1st Embodiment is shown. The flowchart showing operation | movement of the data distribution system which is 1st Embodiment is shown. The example of the data information table in 1st Embodiment is shown. The example of a display of the display apparatus in 1st Embodiment and the external view of a data selection apparatus are shown. The example of the data rate table in 1st Embodiment is shown. In the first embodiment, a diagram illustrating a state in which data is transmitted in a time division manner by a data source is shown. The block diagram of the data distribution system which is 2nd Embodiment is shown. The block diagram of the data buffering apparatus in 2nd Embodiment is shown. The example of the data information table in 2nd Embodiment is shown. The example of the data rate table in 2nd Embodiment is shown. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the data buffering device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a format in which data is stored in a buffer memory in the second embodiment. The block diagram of the data distribution system which is 3rd Embodiment is shown. The example of the data schedule table | surface in 3rd Embodiment is shown. The block diagram of the data distribution system which is 4th Embodiment is shown. The example of the data information table in 4th Embodiment is shown. The example of the block which divided | segmented the data in 4th Embodiment is shown. The example of the data schedule management table in 4th Embodiment is shown. It is a figure for demonstrating the problem at the time of making the number of blocks per time equal among selection data in relation to 4th Embodiment. The block diagram of the data search machine which is 5th Embodiment is shown. The block diagram of the structural example of the search condition setting apparatus in 5th Embodiment is shown. The example of a display of the display apparatus in 5th Embodiment is shown. An example of a data structure suitable for the fifth embodiment will be shown. The example of the table of contents in 5th Embodiment is shown. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a search device according to a fifth embodiment. The block diagram of the data distribution system which is 6th Embodiment is shown. The example of a display of the display apparatus in 6th Embodiment and the external view of a data selection apparatus are shown. The block diagram of the data distribution system which is 7th Embodiment is shown. An example of a data number register and a data management table in the seventh embodiment is shown. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the data inspection apparatus in 7th Embodiment. The block diagram of the data distribution system which is 8th Embodiment is shown. An example of a data management table in the eighth embodiment is shown. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the data inspection apparatus in 8th Embodiment. The block diagram of the data distribution system which is 9th Embodiment is shown. The block diagram of the structural example of the data inspection apparatus in 9th Embodiment is shown. An example of a data management table in the ninth embodiment is shown. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the data inspection apparatus in 9th Embodiment. The structural example of the authentication data in 9th Embodiment is shown. The block diagram of the data distribution system which is a block diagram of the data distribution system which is 10th Embodiment is shown. An example of billing information in the tenth embodiment is shown. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation | movement of the data distribution system which is 10th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation | movement of the data distribution system which is 10th Embodiment. An example of billing information in the eleventh embodiment is shown. A block diagram of an example of a data reproducing apparatus in an eleventh embodiment is shown.

Explanation of symbols

  101 Data Vending Machine, 102 Data Selection Device, 103 Data Source Selection Device, 104 Data Reception Device, 105 Data Update Device, 106 Billing Device, 107 Mini Disc, 108 Display Device, 109 Data Information Table, 110 Data Rate Table, 111 1 data satellite, 112 second data satellite, 113 first data server, 114 second data server, 109 ′ data information table copy, 109 ″ data information table copy.

Claims (4)

A plurality of data selling devices for selling one or more electronic data;
A plurality of portable data storage means for storing data included in the one or more electronic data and billing information of the data;
The billing information includes a date and time when the data was written or a writing date and time representing the time,
Each of the data selling devices
A data updating means capable of inserting the data storage means and updating the data stored in the data storage means to other data included in the one or more electronic data ;
Charging means for calculating a charging amount of the data stored in the data storage means;
Timing means for performing a timing operation,
When the data storage means is inserted into the data update means, the billing means is charged by comparing the current date and time measured by the time measuring means with the write date and time stored in the data storage means. Determine the amount,
The data updating means updates the data to other data on the condition that the billing amount for the data stored in the data storage means is input by a user, and based on the output from the timing means A data distribution system for updating the writing date and time. The billing information further includes a charge per unit time,
2. The data distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the accounting unit determines the accounting amount from a comparison between the current date / time or time and a writing date / time and a fee per unit time. A plurality of data selling devices for selling one or more electronic data;
A plurality of portable data storage means for storing data included in the one or more electronic data and billing information of the data;
Data reproduction means for reproducing the data stored in the data storage means;
Data usage recording means for writing the data used by the data reproduction means to the data storage means as the billing information;
The data selling device is:
A data updating means capable of inserting the data storage means and updating the data stored in the data storage means to other data included in the one or more electronic data ;
Charging means for calculating a charge amount of the data stored in the data storage means,
The billing unit determines a billing amount using the billing information when the data storage unit is inserted into the data update unit,
Wherein the data updating means, said on the condition that the charge amount is turned by the user for said stored data in the data storage means, and updates the data in the other data, the data distribution system.   The data use recording means writes at least one of time, date and time, length of time or number of times that the data stored in the data storage means is used by the data reproducing means as the accounting information. The data distribution system according to claim 3, wherein the data distribution system is characterized by:

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