Patent ID: 7065503
Filing Date: 2006-06-20
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A service providing method of providing a current user of a first apparatus with each service provided by a plurality of other apparatuses via a network, wherein the first apparatus is able to communicate with each of the plurality of other apparatuses via the network and is locally connectable to a recording medium from among recording media that are uniquely assigned to users of the first apparatus, each recording medium has a media identifier as a unique identifier recorded thereon and is transportable, and each recording medium includes an area for storing encrypted unique information which is unique information that has been encrypted, said service providing method comprising: a service requesting operation of the first apparatus requesting a second apparatus to provide a service desired by the current user, the second apparatus being one of the plurality of other apparatuses; a first determining operation of the first apparatus determining whether a recording medium of the current user is locally connected to the first apparatus: a second determining operation of the first apparatus determining whether a recording medium of the current user is locally connected to the first apparatus and stores encrypted unique information; a reading operation of the second apparatus reading the media identifier in the recording medium locally connected to the first apparatus via the first apparatus and the network when the first apparatus determines in said first determining operation that the recording medium is locally connected thereto, and the second apparatus reading the encrypted unique information in the recording medium locally connected to the first apparatus via the first apparatus and the network when the first apparatus determines in said second determining operation that the recording medium is locally connected thereto and stores the encrypted unique information; and a service providing operation of the second apparatus (i) generating a decryption key based on the media identifier read in said reading operation, (ii) generating unique information by decrypting the encrypted unique information read in said reading operation by using the generated decryption key, (iii) customizing the desired service according to the generated unique information, and (iv) transmitting the customized service to the first apparatus, wherein: the encrypted unique information stored in each recording medium is encrypted user information that is inherent to a user assigned the recording medium and has been encrypted; and said service providing operation includes