Sony Corporation

Kazuko Sakurai

Yoichiro Sako

Tatsuya Inokuchi

Mitsuru Toriyama

Masayuki Obata

Shuichi Ito

Shunsuke Furukawa

Kaoru Kijima

Yoshimasa Utsumi

Akira Tange

Tomihiro Nakagawa

Junichi Kudo

Takashi Kihara

Program data and information associated with at least one consumer commodity that appears in a program of the program data are synchronously transmitted. The program data and the associated information are received, and the program is reproduced and displayed on a display. One of a plurality of displayed consumer commodities is selected, and at least part of information associated with the selected consumer commodity is extracted and displayed. The extracted information associated with the selected consumer commodity is stored and is accessible after the program is displayed.

Information service methods for facilitating browsing and purchasing of consumer commodities in a broadcast program

When the user designates the reproduction of searching audio data, the designated searching audio data and audio volume data are read from a searching data recording portion. The searching audio data is reproduced corresponding to the audio volume data. When the user designates the reproduction of main audio data, the selected audio data is read from a disc and reproduced. In addition, number-of-reproduction-times data, audio volume data, audio quality data, and time period data for the designated main audio data that are updated in the searching data storing portion. The searching audio data corresponding to the designated main audio data is read from the disc corresponding to the audio quality data and the time period data and recorded to the searching data storing portion.

Recording and reproducing apparatus, recording and reproducing method, and storage medium for displaying symbols and reproducing desired data

Recording and reproducing apparatus, recording and reproducing method, and storage medium

Program data and information associated with at least a consumer commodity that appears in a program of the program data are synchronously transmitted. The program data and the information associated therewith are received. The received program data is reproduced. The reproduced data is displayed on a displaying portion. Information associated with one selected from a plurality of consumer commodities displayed on the displaying portion is extracted and displayed. The viewer can buy a consumer commodity at a store corresponding to the extracted information.

Information service method, data terminal unit, data transmitting and receiving apparatus, and data transmitting apparatus

The present invention provides a content-on-demand system capable of managing users' system-utilization frequencies such as download counts and connection times as well as changing the quality of a content transmitted from a server to a user in dependence on the system-utilization frequency of the user. Thus, a high-quality content or a highly functional content is provided to a user with a high system-utilization frequency. By differentiating contents provided to users in accordance with the system-utilization frequencies of the users, network businesses can be activated.

Server, distribution system, distribution method and terminal

When the amount of money billed each time the information is distributed once is determined depending on the number of times that the information is distributed within a predetermined time period, the intention of information offerer and the estimation of user reflects automatically on the amount of money billed when the information is distributed.

Information distributing method and system

Program data and information associated with at least a consumer commodity that appears in a program of the program data are synchronously transmitted. The program data and the information associated therewith are received. The received program data is reproduced. The reproduced data is displayed on a displaying portion. Information associated with a selected one of a plurality of consumer commodities displayed on the displaying portion is extracted and displayed. A viewer can buy the selected consumer commodity at a store corresponding to the extracted information.

Information service method for purchasing utilizing a remote control

A method for processing content data includes the steps of, when content data is transmitted from a data provider, adding usage rule information prescribing a rule of usage of the content data to the content data and transmitting the content data with the usage rule information; receiving the transmitted content data; extracting the usage rule information from the received content data; and notifying a user of the content data of the extracted usage information.

Content providing system, content providing method, content processing apparatus, and program therefor

When the user designates the reproduction of searching audio data, the designated searching audio data and audio volume data are read from a searching data recording portion. The searching audio data is reproduced corresponding to the audio volume data. When the user designates the reproduction of main audio data, the audio data is read from a disc and reproduced. In addition, the number-of-reproduction-times data corresponding to the number of times the audio data has been reproduced, audio volume data, audio quality data, and time period data for the designated main audio data are updated in the searching data storing portion. The searching audio data corresponding to the designated main audio data is read from the disc in accordance with the audio quality data and the time period data and recorded to the searching data storing portion.

A system control circuitdetermines whether or not an external apparatus connected to an interfaceis one that can store data, by transmitting data to the apparatus through the interface. It the system control circuitdetermines that the external apparatus can store data, the circuitturns off a switch, stopping the transmission of audio data to the external apparatus through the interface. As a result, illegal copying of the data can be effectively prevented.

Data transmission apparatus, data transmission method, and data recording medium

An information distributing apparatus and method wherein value standards of content information to be distributed to a user exhibit different usage values distinguished by a trait of the content information and selectable by the user. Billing for receipt of the information is based on the value standards, and the content, standards and billing information are distributed to the user.

Information distributing apparatus and information distributing method, information receiving apparatus and information receiving met

The invention provides a data recording medium and a data recording apparatus which are large in recording capacity and comparatively low in cost and secures protection of recorded information. The data recording medium has a data recording area, in which quantitative limitation information of a number of pieces of information grasped based on an information identification code regarding information to be recorded is recorded in advance.

Data recording medium and data recording apparatus

A recording medium such as an optical disk has a write-once recording area in which information can be recorded once and cannot be rewritten. The write-once recording area is provided with a billing information recording area in which billing information is sequentially recorded a single time. With this arrangement, it is possible to effectively prevent the unauthorized use of the medium when carrying out off-line billing processing.

Recording medium, recording method and recording apparatus incorporating anti-tamper features involving writing billing information into a write-once area

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Tokyo, Japan

Kazuko Sakurai