Patent ID: 7219232
Filing Date: 2007-05-15
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. An information providing method for an information providing system including an information providing apparatus that provides content data and an information receiving apparatus that is connected to the information providing apparatus via a communication network and receives the content data, the information providing method comprising: a describing data transmitting step in which the information providing apparatus transmits provided information describing data, which describes a content of the content data, to the information receiving apparatus; a describing data receiving step in which the information receiving apparatus receives the provided information describing data from the information providing apparatus; a first receipt data transmitting step in which the information receiving apparatus transmits first receipt data to the information providing apparatus in response to reception of the provided information describing data; a first receipt data receiving step in which the information providing apparatus receives the first receipt data from the information receiving apparatus; a content data transmitting step in which the information providing apparatus transmits the content data to the information receiving apparatus in response to reception of the first receipt data; a content data receiving step in which the information receiving apparatus receives the content data from the information providing apparatus; an authenticity confirming step in which the information receiving apparatus confirms whether the content data is authentic based on the content data and the provided information describing data; a second receipt data transmitting step in which the information receiving apparatus transmits second receipt data to the information providing apparatus only when the content data is confirmed to be authentic in the authenticity confirming step; and a second receipt data receiving step in which the information providing apparatus receives the second receipt data from the information receiving apparatus, wherein by collecting both the first receipt data and the second receipt data, the information providing apparatus can prove that the information receiving apparatus received the content data; and wherein the information providing system further includes a dispute resolution apparatus that is connected to both the information providing apparatus and the information receiving apparatus via the communication network and resolves disputes that arise between the information providing apparatus and the information receiving apparatus, the dispute resolution apparatus having a dispute resolution list, which stores information relating to whether or not a dispute that has arisen between the information providing apparatus and the information receiving apparatus has been resolved, and a cancellation list, which stores information relating to whether an exchanging of data between the information providing apparatus and the information receiving apparatus has been cancelled, in the describing data transmitting step, the information providing apparatus transmits dispute resolution content data, which only the dispute resolution apparatus is capable of decoding, together with the provided information describing data to the information receiving apparatus, in the describing data receiving step, the information receiving apparatus receives the dispute resolution content data together with the provided information describing data from the information providing apparatus, and the content data receiving step includes: a standby substep in which the information receiving apparatus stands by for a predetermined period until the content data is received; a dispute resolution requesting substep where when the content data could not be received within the predetermined period, the information receiving apparatus transmits the dispute resolution content data and the provided information describing data to the dispute resolution apparatus and requests the dispute resolution apparatus to resolve a dispute; a searching substep in which the dispute resolution apparatus that has been requested to resolve the dispute searches the cancellation list and the dispute resolution list; an authenticity confirming substep where, when an exchanging of data between the information providing apparatus and the information receiving apparatus has not been cancelled and the dispute that has arisen between the information providing apparatus and the information receiving apparatus has not been resolved, the dispute resolution apparatus confirms whether the dispute resolution content data is authentic, based on the dispute resolution content data and the provided information describing data; and a forcible termination substep where when the dispute resolution content data is not authentic, the dispute resolution apparatus forcibly terminates the exchanging of data between the information providing apparatus and the information receiving apparatus.