KR20030060962A - A method and system for distributing electronic content - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, system, memory module (e.g. smart card), and terminal device (e.g.) for distributing electronic content (e.g., music, games, movies, etc.) to a terminal in accordance with predetermined adjustment information. For example a mobile phone). The memory module can be detached from and attached to the terminal device and stores predetermined adjustment information relating to what electronic content is transmitted. The terminal device transmits the coordination information to a network element (e.g., an access point in a short range RF communication system), and the network element transmits electronic content to the terminal device according to the coordination information.

Description

A method and system for distributing electronic content}

In the area of secure content distribution, such as movies, music, games, information, etc., there have been many recent developments. There are two important issues, how distributions and payments are handled. WO 00/30117 describes a method for commercially distributing music recordings comprising downloading a digital recording of music from a kiosk to a complete personal music terminal capable of storing the recording in electronic memory and playing back the music recording.

To download data from access points, short range communication such as Bluetooth is required. One of our aims is to develop a solution to how to use the focus of the Internet and mobile communication or mobile computing fields on terminals that do not have any browsing capabilities. For example, the Bluetooth standard is described in the Bluetooth specification v.1.0B. One implementation of Bluetooth is described, for example, in WO / 0018025, where a Bluetooth link between a Bluetooth enabled data terminal, such as a PC, and a Bluetooth enabled mobile terminal is disclosed.

Although the Internet is evolving greatly in the mobile communications world thanks to the introduction of browsers on mobile terminals, it is expected that some alternative models for access to the content / information of the Internet will be needed. While the browser model is largely based on user interaction, other models that the user can be more passive are particularly meaningful in mobile environments, because of the potential limitations in the capabilities of some terminals, the time to browse Because of the lack of, and among the various sources of information available, it is important to access information quickly rather than free surfing. In this kind of context, a terminal with a manual mechanism maintains aspects of the browser-based content access model to help the user download the content, and preferably maintain the flexibility of what content can be accessed.

The present invention relates to a method and system for distributing electronic content to memory modules and terminal devices, such as, but not limited to, prepaid smart cards in the field of goods / service delivery.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system according to the present invention.

2 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a terminal according to the invention.

3 schematically shows a smart card.

4 illustrates one embodiment of registers used in the present invention.

5 illustrates an embodiment of a transceiver location register in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 6 illustrates one embodiment of the smart card maintenance and validity register of the present invention.

7 illustrates one embodiment of a content description and availability database of the present invention.

8 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a content information delivery method according to the present invention.

9 illustrates an embodiment of a smart card ID register.

10 shows a block diagram of one embodiment of an access point in accordance with the present invention.

11 illustrates an embodiment of a method for transmitting a signal from a first terminal capable of wirelessly communicating with a second terminal in accordance with the present invention.

12 illustrates one embodiment of how two separate Bluetooth modules are integrated into a single device.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for distributing electronic content to a terminal device, the method comprising transmitting electronic content selected according to predetermined adjustment information, wherein the electronic device is the electronic device. An electronic content distribution method that defines whether a device is sent to a device,

Storing the adjustment information in a memory module detachable from the terminal device and detachably attachable;

Adding the memory module to the terminal device;

Reading the adjustment information from the memory module to the terminal device; And

And transmitting the electronic content to the terminal device according to the adjustment information read out from the memory module.

The present invention discloses a method of adjusting and adjusting the content delivered through the broadcast type of the information access system. The present invention enables the mobility of preferences or settings to allow a user to transfer from one terminal to another terminal.

No browser software is required on the terminal to download. Thus, instead of surfing on the fly, the only action the user must do is to insert the card or information about the card into the terminal. The terminal still has the benefit of selecting content already downloaded to the terminal. The terminal may be provided with means for surfing off-line in the received documents. Browsing and surfing can take a long time, for example, if you use search engines and do searches to find pages of interest to you, or even if you are connected to a network, surfing from one page to another to find the desired document. Takes

In many cases the terminal user does not want to be active and browse. Therefore, a process that is automatic and comfortable to use is required. To accomplish this, the content still needs to be selected and this is usually done by the user using the browser. As a preferred embodiment according to the invention now smart cards are preferably a solution for storing selection information (in the form of parameters referred to as adjustment parameters) stored on the card and input from the card to the terminal. Is suggested.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the step of enabling a service for a terminal having a smart card inserted into a card reader to provide the terminal with access to a specified service in the card, the contents of which Sent automatically.

Moreover, in accordance with the present invention, a step of subscribing to the service by transmitting adjustment parameters is provided, wherein newly generated electronic content can be automatically transmitted from the access point to the terminal based on the subscription, the new content being previously Contains information that was not sent to the terminal device.

Moreover, when a smart card is inserted in the terminal and there is an RF link between the access point and the terminal, the access point reads the adjustment parameters over the RF link. This allows the same terminal device to be used by different cardholders, whereby the use is not restricted to any terminal.

Moreover, in accordance with the present invention, the transmission of the adjustment parameters includes a time dependent subscription of the item. Each consumer can purchase the right to hear, read or view digital content for a period of time for any fee paid by the smart card. The automatic download at the access point for the specific content is then available for that period. It also allows the service provider to control the number of users, make statistics on users and also make decisions about supply and demand at specific access points. Access points controlled by a service provider will preferably be located at known geographic locations (known to the service provider). Usage records of all access points can be collected based on the geographic location of the access point.

Moreover, according to an embodiment the application of the electronic content includes sending electronic copies of the regularly issued item to the terminal device.

Moreover, according to an embodiment the serial number of the smart card is sent to the access point, the number is checked for validity, and if the card is valid, the content according to the adjustment parameters is sent to the terminal. The validity of the card can be checked as required by the content provider.

Moreover, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the transmitted data may comprise different information in digital form and all the digital information may be delivered to the terminal via the access point. The digital information may include at least one of the following: movies, music, games, electronic magazines, periodicals, newspapers and tv news (terminal devices on short range rf connections such as over Bluetooth via an access point). Provided).

Moreover, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the data transmitted includes a prepaid amount of content. Prepayment can occur if you buy a card. The card contains information identifying what the card is about to pay, i.e. what is to be transferred from the access point to the terminal. The card identifier identifies what is being delivered. The card can be activated after being purchased to avoid any damage that may occur through unauthorized use of the cards.

Moreover, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the data transmitted includes a series of movies. This would additionally provide content providers with different content delivered and allow them to find out what content is and to what extent interests customers.

Moreover, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the certificate is coupled to the content or product / service delivered to the terminals. The calibration parameters with the certificate sent from the smart card are compared to the certificate stored in the register of certificates of the access point and allow forwarding only if the transmitted certificate and the stored certificate match.

Moreover, the distribution of the content to the access point in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may occur via a computer network or a wireless broadcast network, which distribution preferably takes place late in the evening, early in the morning or at night when the network load is low. May be performed. Delivery time may affect distribution costs and may be reflected in the amount paid for the content (in that case it will affect the number of units deducted from the smart card for the electronic content being delivered).

Moreover, according to a further embodiment of the invention the invention relates to collecting information on how much medium, how much data and what data is transmitted between the access point and the terminal. Thus, the count for copyright payments of music songs can be maintained.

Moreover, a solution for controlling the access of many users to the same access point in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for distributing electronic content,

A network connection for transmitting electronic content as a transmission medium;

A network element for transmitting selected electronic content on the network connection according to predetermined coordination information, the coordination information comprising: a network element defining what electronic content is transmitted from the network element; And

An electronic content distribution system comprising a terminal device for receiving electronic content on the network connection,

A memory module for storing the adjustment information, the memory module being detachable from the terminal device and detachable from the terminal device;

Additional means for adding the memory module to the terminal device;

The terminal device adapted to read the adjustment information from the memory module and to transmit the adjustment information to the network element on the network connection; And

An electronic content distribution system is provided that includes the network element adapted to transmit electronic content to the terminal device over the network connection in accordance with the adjustment information.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory module for storing information and for use in a terminal device.

A storage medium for storing adjustment information relating to a specific electronic content, the adjustment information comprising: a storage medium defining the specific electronic content authorized by the memory module to be transmitted to the terminal device; And

An interface for mechanically and electrically connecting the memory module to the terminal device, the memory module being detachable to the terminal device by a user to cause the memory module to make mechanical and electrical contact with the terminal device. A memory module is provided that includes an interface that can be attached thereto.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal device comprising means for wireless communication,

A storage device for storing adjustment information relating to specific electronic contents;

An interface for mechanically and electrically connecting the storage device to the terminal device, the interface providing the storage device to the terminal device by a user to cause the storage device to make mechanical and electrical contact with the terminal device. An interface that allows detachable addition;

Means for reading the adjustment information from the storage device to the terminal device when the storage device is mechanically and electrically connected to the terminal device, wherein the adjustment information may be transmitted by the storage device to the terminal device. Reading means for defining the specific electronic content to be applied; And

And means for transmitting the adjustment information on the wireless communication to receive electronic contents to the terminal device according to the adjustment information read out from the storage device.

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the preferred embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting of the invention.

1 schematically shows an embodiment of a system according to the invention. The terminal 10 communicates wirelessly with the access point 20. The access point 20 may include information transmittable to the terminal 10. Alternatively, the access point 20 may be connected to a computer 30 having information that can be transmitted to the terminal. In addition, the computer 30 may be connected to the Internet 40. The Internet 40 represents a computer network that can be accessed by different user terminals and also by a service or content provider. For example, a service provider such as publisher 50 is connected to the Internet 40.

2 shows in more detail by block diagram an embodiment of a terminal 10 of the present invention. The terminal may be a display 112, a memory (RAM 114 and ROM 116), an input / output unit 118 such as a keypad for entering text, for example, other transceivers, for example an access point. RF transceiver 120, an antenna 122, and a controller or CPU 124 for controlling various functions of the terminal to communicate with the transceivers of the antennas 20. Conventional telephone keypads or QWERTY keypads are not required by the user in the preferred embodiment. In the preferred embodiment, it only accepts the download, selects the downloaded items and maybe just browses the downloaded information. Thus, a key having the function is sufficient to control the function instead of the complete keypad. In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the terminal may include a card reader 126. CPU 124 controls the card reader 126. In addition, the terminal typically includes a battery pack (not shown) for power supply. Preferably, however, the transceiver 120 does not necessarily enable short-range communication such as low power RF communication with the access point 20, such as Bluetooth. Terminal 10 may have a slot (not shown) for accepting smart card 58 (FIG. 3) in smart card reader 26.

Smart cards or electronic chip cards are usually the size of a conventional credit card and have 6 or 8 electrical contacts on one side and may contain integrated circuits with memory and include microprocessors. Data and programs for processing the data and communicating with the outside of the card are included in the integrated circuit. In the past, especially in France and Germany, cards such as prepaid cards have been widely used in the purchase of telephone services where public phones accept prepaid cards instead of coins. Typically prepaid cards are purchased in a certain amount at the post office. As the cards are inserted into the payphone, connected to the contacts and the phone call proceeds, the amount of money is reduced from the card. The mechanical and electrical specifications of the cards are standardized and a set of standards is called "identification cards-integrated circuit (s) cards with contacts" (ISO 7816-1 and ISO 7816-2). ANSI; American National Standards Institute (NY NY, 11 West 42 Street 10036).

Smart cards are manufactured and commercially available from several companies, including, for example, GEMPLUS Card International (Avenue du Pic de Bertagne, Parc d'activites de la Plaine de Jouques, 13420 Gemenos, France). Do. Once the prepaid card has been consumed, that is, all the money on the card has been spent in the currency, the user must purchase another card or replenish the empty card to continue service.

Smart cards previously purchased and inserted into the terminal may be activated immediately after purchase. The activation of the card can only be provided for a certain period of time. Activation thus depends on the time limits given to the card.

If a card is lost and a third party tries to use the card, the following procedure can be activated to prevent misuse. Before allowing any goods / services to be sent from the access point, the ID of the terminal, which may be the same as the Bluetooth address, will be sent to the access point 20 along with the card ID. The information of the terminal ID may also be transmitted from the purchase place where the user purchases the card to the server 50 so that the card ID and the terminal ID are linked and transmitted to the server at the time of purchase. The access point 20 compares the card ID and the terminal ID combination, and if there is a match, the access point authorizes the transmission of the content from the content provider to the terminal. The ID comparison may also be performed on a computer or may be performed for example on the Internet 40 farther away from the access point. The information of the terminal ID may also be transmitted to the server 50 from the purchase place where the user purchases the card so that the card ID and the terminal ID are linked and transmitted to the server at the time of purchase.

In FIG. 3, a card such as the smart card 138 described above is described. The smart card enables mechanical and electrical contact with the CPU 140, smart card card identification code such as serial number 142, adjustment parameters register 144 and terminal 10 (card reader 126). Contacts 146. Adjustment parameters 144 with the card ID are stored in the smart card memory 150. After the card is inserted into the terminal 10 and information is read from the card to the terminal, the adjustment parameters 144, together with the card ID 142, are performed between the access point / kiosk 20 and the terminal 10. It may be accessed by the access point 20 via a Bluetooth link (or other short range wireless link). Whenever an offer for delivery of goods / services is placed on a terminal by the access point, the terminal may have the possibility of accepting or not accepting it. The validity time of the card can be checked by comparing the validity register stored in the smart card 138 and the validity table stored in the access point 20 of the service provider or content provider. Card validity can be based on fees paid on a regular basis, such as monthly or yearly. After the payment amount is received, a corresponding entry is generated in the validity register.

With regard to various elements of the smart card, such as on an integrated circuit, the microprocessor and some registers may all be contained within a single chip. In addition, information does not need to be allocated to a unique space within the smart card memory. For example, various numbers in registers can be moved around under the control of a microprocessor. This is according to the design of the particular smart card chip.

Possible other functions, such as the serial number of the smart card and the time of expiration date, may be recorded in the integrated circuit at the time of manufacture or following the manufacture. Any convenient or traditional type of circuit and method may be used for the input of such data.

4, one embodiment of the registers of the present invention is shown. Reference numeral 80 denotes the location register of the access points. The service provider may manage geographic location information of the access points. The access point may collect information about users at the access point. The location information can be linked to the computer 30 of the access point 20. Smart card maintenance and validity registers 90 may also be linked to the computer 30. Content description and availability database 190 may be part of computer system 30 as shown in FIG. 4. The smart card ID register 70 of the access point offers the possibility to control the transfer of data.

The access point location or transceiver location register 80 may include information about the access points at other locations as shown in FIG. 5, such a register is shown, where a transceiver or access point ID, such as transceiver # 1, is shown in column 1. The location of each access point, such as shown at 281001, is then displayed in the second column. Information for delivery may be placed using the location information of the access points. For example, an advertisement may be distributed according to location and this information may be linked to cards sold in the feature area. Thus, a smart card ID string with IDs such as 8139008877 can be added to this register. It will be appreciated that many other ways of linking the smart card ID and the location of the access point can be used.

6 shows an example of smart card maintenance and validity register 90. The register 90 includes a smart card ID column, a "Valid" column, a content description column, a locations column, a "valid until" column, and a "usage units" column. do. The " valid " column has validity data for the card, in the form of No or Yes, indicating whether the card is valid or not. The content description column contains content such as AAA or BBB that can be transmitted from the access point. The locations column indicates where the content is available. The "Validity Period" column tells the valid time of the card data, for example, January 2000. The "Usage Units" column contains information about how many transfers occurred from the access point or how many users paid for the card or use of the content to use this information later, for example 50 or 100. .

7 illustrates an example of a register 190 in a content description and availability database. The register 190 has a column with content ID data strings and content description data, such as news and possibly local news information or other designating headings. In addition, the register may have a row with information about the availability data of the content at the location where the content may be found. The DRM or digital rights management information data stream may include a link to another server where specific copyright payments may be arranged. There may also be a column for usage data of the contents for later use of the data. 5-7 are also shown by way of example only and it will be understood that many variations may occur.

9, an embodiment of a smart card ID register 70 is shown. The adjustment parameters register 72 handles the adjustment of the content sent to the terminal. A possible certificate register 74 with a password, for example, is connected to the goods / services or content register 76 if a password is needed (ie required) for the delivery of the content. The comparison between the certificate sent from the prepaid card and the certificate in the register can be performed at the microprocessor. Alternatively, the comparison can be performed in a separate counter or comparator (not shown).

The registers in FIGS. 5-7 and 9 may be located close to the access point in the preferred embodiment or may also be located at the content provider location in order to have the possibility to obtain global content or other additional content very closely related to each other. It may be located at the same other locations. Again these positions are not limited to those described above and other available solutions may be used.

A method of content information delivery in accordance with the present invention is further illustrated in FIG. 8. In step 200, content filtering parameters (ie, adjustment parameters) 144 are stored in the smart card 138. In step 220, after the card is inserted into the terminal 10, information is read from the card to the terminal. In step 240, after the user of the terminal 10 enters the cell of the access point 20, the content delivery device or access point 20 will send an inquiry to the terminal 10. In step 250, if the inquiry is recognized by the terminal 10, the terminal 10 responds to the access point 20 and the connection between the terminal 10 and the access point 20 is opened. Next, in step 270, it is checked whether the terminal supports the card application. If yes, in step 280, the adjustment parameters may be accessed by the access point 20 via a Bluetooth link performed between the access point / kiosk 20 and the terminal 10. Based on the adjustment parameters, now sent from the card to the terminal's Bluetooth transceiver system, the content is also communicated to the terminal at step 280. If the answer is no, then at step 290, the connection between the terminal and the access point is terminated.

By tracking consumer preferences in the prepaid center of the access point, for example, for digital rights management (DRM) purposes, for user analysis, such as controlling the possible preferences or behavior of certain items downloaded from the network To use the information as such, the fee data received from the smart card maintenance and validity database 90 is stored in a register in the content description and availability database 190. The information can later be used to control the availability of different items at the access point. Possibly depending on the consumption of digital content, the information (such as the fee data described above) will be arranged to be available closer to the location of the access point in the local cache or proxy type device close to the access point. The station can then provide very fast downloads to the users and the network downloads will not burden the entire network much. However, the downloadable information may be packaged such as magazine 1, magazine 2, magazine 3, movie 1, movie 2, movie 3, etc. once a month, depending on the publication of information by content providers such as publishers. It is understood that the data will be stored at the access point as The storage of the information package at the access point can take place from almost any playback / edit / record storage device in the form of information transmission. The transmission may occur via a network connection or the information may be distributed to the store as hardware such as CD, MP3, digital video disc (DVD), video cassette tape, and the like. If so, the merchant can install the information from the received hardware to the access point. Other possible distribution channels may be wireless mobile communications such as GPRS, EDGE, 3G, UMTS, DVB-T or others. Each receiver system will then be installed at the access point. DVB-T transmission can occur at times when the transmission time is low and the use of the network is low, for example late in the evening, early in the morning or at night.

When recording downloads at access points and adding the information to the registers described above (FIGS. 5-7), it will indicate how many users have downloaded the content and what content has been downloaded. Thus, the existence of a copyright agreement of music songs can be easily controlled and the copyright holders or the media industry can receive royalties on their copyrights.

If the smart card is read by the card reader and the card is validated, the selected application can be seen and heard. The music content includes the music code (country code, executable code), the name of the music song, the time of the music song, the name (s) of the musician (s), the country code of the musician (s), the date of manufacture, whether preview is available, and the original. At least one of the owner (s) of the disc, the country code (s) of the owner (s) of the original disc, co-owner (s), and country code (s) of the co-owner (s).

The so-called OBEX or Object Exchange protocol can be used as a transport mechanism for coordination parameters between the access point and the receiving terminal device. If the process of retrieving adjustment parameters is only revealed to some Bluetooth terminal in the future, OBEX is more flexible and simpler and can be used within the framework of one of the current Bluetooth profiles.

As described above, the adjustment parameters are stored in a smart card to allow for adjustment of the content delivered on a terminal to terminal basis. The information delivered to a particular terminal is adjusted according to preferences, settings, and the like. Examples may be, for example, those described in US Pat. No. 5,754,939, but are not limited to them. The author, the language the document was written in, the date of creation, the last update date, the length of the words, the reading level, the quality of the document as assessed by the editing agency, the list of other readers who searched this document, and the properties of each target object. Fields, the first two digits of the postal code, the first three digits of the postal code, the full five-digit postal code, the distance of the house from the advertiser's nearest physical store, the annual household income, the number of children, and the adjustment parameters on the smart card. List of previous items purchased by potential customers (related) that are stored. Then, using the Bluetooth link between the delivery device and the terminal again, information transfer takes place. However, other possible things included in the transmittable data may be lists of decorations. The user will enter wallpaper models into the terminal and then "carry" this information home. Then he / she can see these patterns for his / her home walls. Applications will include images, photos, online albums, Java applets. Parameters for filtering content may include the application of gift certificates such as magazine issue numbers 1 to 3, movie series: for example the first three episodes, one free copy appearing in a new magazine as an advertisement.

Further embodiments of the present invention will be described in the case where many terminals access a service provided by an access point. The present invention may be implemented using one short range rf transceiver in both the terminal device and the access point, but a further embodiment includes an access point implemented with two transceivers. One transceiver is used to receive adjustment parameters from the terminal device, and the other transceiver is used to transmit electronic content to the terminal device. The second terminal 20 thus comprises at least a first transceiver module 104 and a second transceiver module 106 (FIG. 10). A first communication link 118 is established between the first terminal 10 and the first transceiver 104 of the second terminal 20, and in communication between the first terminal and the first transceiver module 104 of the second terminal. A communication bus 120 is established between the first transceiver module 104 of the second terminal 20 and the second transceiver module 106 of the second terminal 20 to transmit information. The second communication link 122 between the second transceiver module 106 and the first terminal 10 is established based on the signal received from the first transceiver module 104. It will be appreciated that the number of transceiver modules may vary depending on the needs of a particular site, and the like.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, FIG. 11 illustrates a method for transmitting a signal from a first terminal capable of communicating wirelessly with a second terminal. In step 300, a second terminal 20 comprising at least a first transceiver module 104 and a second transceiver module 106 is between the second terminal 20 and the first transceiver module 104 of the first terminal. Set up first communication link 118. In step 302, between the first transceiver module 104 and the first terminal 10 of the first terminal via the communication bus 120 between the first transceiver module 104 and the second transceiver module 106 of the second terminal. Information is transmitted in the first communication. In step 304, a second communication link 122 is established between the first terminal 10 and the second transceiver module 106 identified by the information received from the first transceiver module 104.

In accordance with the present invention, the first and second transceiver modules 104 and 106 have some function. The first transceiver module performs inquiries and transmits information from the terminal 20 to the second transceiver module 106, so that the second terminal 20 from the second transceiver module 106 is connected to the first terminal 10. ) May be connected to the first terminal 10 to transmit data. The method can improve data transmission efficiency.

12 shows one embodiment of how two separate Bluetooth modules 104, 106 with specialized roles can be integrated into a single device. In this example, the queries and service discovery functions are processed at Bluetooth module 1 104, and RFCOMM based functions (specified in the Bluetooth specifications) and other user data related traffic are processed at Bluetooth module 2 106. In FIG. 12, Bluetooth module 1 104 and Bluetooth module 2 106 each include three separate Bluetooth chips 130, although the number of chips can be any from 1 to any number as needed. Each chip 130 includes a driver portion 132, a module portion 134, and an RF transceiver portion 136, as known to those skilled in the art, wherein the module portion implements at least the lower layers of the Bluetooth protocol stack (all protocols). Only the stack or just lower layers are implemented depending on the role of the computer or control entity to which the group of transceivers are linked). According to the present invention, there are two functionally separated Bluetooth modules 104 and 106, Bluetooth module 1 104 and Bluetooth module 2 106. The modules 104 and 106 have separate baseband addresses that allow the modules 104 and 106 to operate independently. Module 1 104 is discoverable and connectable to other Bluetooth enabled devices 10. Module 2 106 is not discoverable and unreachable to other Bluetooth enabled devices 10, so that queries and other link and service information cannot be reached to this module 106. There is a data bus 120 between the modules and allows data transfer between modules 104 and 106.

Browser-based content access models such as those known from ordinary web browsers have attractive features that can be included in the terminal device according to the present invention. A first very attractive feature is the ability to adjust the content to the needs and preferences of the user. In a browser-based model, a user typically creates their personal profile proactively on an Internet content focused site, and then adjusts the content adjusted to their profile every time the user accesses the content focused site. see. Typical examples are "My Yahoo" or "My Lycos". Content delivered by e-mail can also be coordinated by the user, who generally describes the type of content that he or she wants to fill in the profile and receive in the mail. A second very attractive feature of browser based models is the fact that the content adjustment information specified using the browser is stored on the content providing site (typically a content aggregator) and not on a particular device. This provides a great deal of flexibility in that any device can be used to access the content. In the above example "My Yahoo", either the PC or PDA used to connect to the Internet can access his or her adjusted "My Yahoo" page. An efficient manual content access model will provide content coordination capabilities as much as possible independent of any particular platform.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to receiving specific electronic content at a terminal device based on adjustment parameters read from a smart card and passed to an access point, the terminal furthermore being in addition to that specified by the adjustment parameters. Ordinary web or WAP browsers may be provided to access other information.

Thus, it will be apparent that the above-described exemplary embodiments are merely examples and that various modifications of the structure, method and arrangement may be made within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (21)

A method of distributing electronic content to a terminal device, the method comprising transmitting selected electronic content according to predetermined adjustment information, wherein the adjustment information defines electronic content to be transmitted to the terminal device. In the distribution method, Storing the adjustment information in a memory module detachable from the terminal device and detachably attachable; Adding the memory module to the terminal device; Reading the adjustment information from the memory module to the terminal device; And And transmitting the electronic content to the terminal device according to the adjustment information read out from the memory module. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, before the step of transmitting the electronic content to the terminal device: Transmitting the coordination information from the terminal device to another device on an rf link, The step of transmitting the electronic content to the terminal device Transmitting the electronic content to the terminal device on the rf link. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the rf link is a short range communication rf link and the other device is an access point of a short range communication system. The method of claim 3, wherein the method The terminal device entering a communicable area of the access point; The access point sending an inquiry to the terminal device; The terminal device responding to the inquiry; Transmitting the coordination information to the access point; And And transmitting the electronic content from the access point to the terminal device according to the adjustment information received from the terminal device. The method of claim 3, wherein the method Automatically transmitting new electronic content from the access point to the terminal device, wherein the new electronic content meets the coordination information requirements and is determined to have not been previously transmitted to the terminal device. Electronic content distribution method. The electronic content distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment information includes a time dependent subscription period defining a period during which electronic content is transmitted to the terminal device. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic content includes copies of an item that is published periodically. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory module is a smart card. The method of claim 8, wherein the method is Sending the serial number of the smart card to the access point; Validating the smart card based on the serial number; And If it is determined that the smart card is valid, transmitting the electronic content to the terminal device. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic content is in the form of an electronic product or service. 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the electronic content is at least one selected from the group of movies, music, games, electronic magazines, periodicals, newspapers and tv-news. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein prior to said step of transmitting said electronic content to said terminal device, Transmitting the prepaid amount of the electronic money from the terminal device to the access point. The electronic content of claim 3, wherein the electronic money is stored in the memory module, and the electronic money is deducted from the memory module before the step of transferring the prepaid amount of the electronic money from the terminal device to the access point. Distribution method. 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the electronic content comprises a series of movies. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the electronic content to the terminal device is delayed until a time when network load is at a relatively low level. The method of claim 3, wherein the method Incorporating a first transceiver in the access point to communicate with the terminal device over the short range rf link; Incorporating a second transceiver in the access point to communicate with the terminal device over the short-range rf link; Using the first transceiver to receive the adjustment information from the terminal device; Transmitting the adjustment information received by the first transceiver to the second transceiver of the access point; And And transmitting the electronic content to the terminal device according to the adjustment information using the second transceiver. A system for distributing electronic content, A network connection for transmitting electronic content as a transmission medium; A network element for transmitting selected electronic content on the network connection according to predetermined coordination information, the coordination information comprising: a network element defining what electronic content is transmitted from the network element; And An electronic content distribution system comprising a terminal device for receiving electronic content on the network connection, A memory module for storing the adjustment information, the memory module being detachable from the terminal device and detachable from the terminal device; Additional means for adding the memory module to the terminal device; The terminal device adapted to read the adjustment information from the memory module and to transmit the adjustment information to the network element on the network connection; And And said network element adapted to transmit electronic content to said terminal device over said network connection in accordance with said adjustment information. A memory module for storing information and using in a terminal device, the memory module comprising: A storage medium for storing adjustment information relating to a specific electronic content, the adjustment information comprising: a storage medium defining the specific electronic content authorized by the memory module to be transmitted to the terminal device; And An interface for mechanically and electrically connecting the memory module to the terminal device, the memory module being detachable to the terminal device by a user to cause the memory module to make mechanical and electrical contact with the terminal device. A memory module comprising an interface that can be attached. 19. The memory module of claim 18 wherein the memory module is a smart card. 19. The memory module of claim 18, wherein the memory module comprises a storage medium for storing electronic money used to pay for the specific electronic content with which the adjustment information is associated. A terminal device comprising means for wireless communication, the terminal device comprising: A storage device for storing adjustment information relating to specific electronic contents; An interface for mechanically and electrically connecting the storage device to the terminal device, the interface providing the storage device to the terminal device by a user to cause the storage device to make mechanical and electrical contact with the terminal device. An interface that allows detachable addition; Means for reading the adjustment information from the storage device to the terminal device when the storage device is mechanically and electrically connected to the terminal device, wherein the adjustment information may be transmitted to the terminal device by the storage device. Reading means for defining the specific electronic content to be applied; And Means for transmitting the adjustment information on the wireless communication to receive electronic content to the terminal device in accordance with the adjustment information read from the storage device.