Sony Corporation

Chisato Kitsukawa

Tadao Yoshida

Toshiharu Kobayashi

Katsuyuki Koizumi

Yoshihiko Hitotsui

When content data are distributed from an information center via a predetermined communication line to a terminal apparatus loaded with a recording medium recorded with its identifier and prepaid information, the information center manages the usable remaining amount of money in the recording medium loaded in the terminal apparatus and updates this usable remaining amount of money every time content data are distributed. Further, if the usable remaining amount of money is smaller than the price of the content data distributed from the information center, the information center instructs the terminal apparatus to load another recording medium having a usable remaining amount of money sufficient to cover the content data to be distributed. Still further, a remaining recordable capacity of a recording medium loaded in the terminal apparatus is transmitted to the information center, and the information center compares the remaining recordable capacity with the size of the data content to be distributed. If the remaining recordable capacity is smaller than the size of the content data, the information center instructs the terminal apparatus to load a new recording medium having a recordable capacity enough for the content data to be distributed.

Information distribution system, terminal apparatus, information center, recording medium, and information distribution method

A CPU can execute, for example, 4-bit processes, a program for data processes has been written in an ROM, and an RAM has memory areas for a work area and a user area of the CPU. Data supplied from the outside through an input terminal and an I/F circuit is recorded in a user area in the RAM. The recorded data is read out and supplied to the outside through an input/output terminal. An LCD displays a size (data residual amount) of an unused area in the RAM by, for example, a bar graph type. The ROM, RAM, I/F circuit, and driver are connected to the CPU by a bus line.

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Tokyo, Japan

Chisato Kitsukawa