Patent ID: 7917531
Filing Date: 2011-03-29
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a processor; a receiving unit configured to receive data from a first apparatus via a network, the data is associated with a content stored in the first apparatus and identifies a location of the content in the first apparatus, includes descriptive information of the content, and includes content usage conditions limiting usage of the content, but the content is available for checkout from the first apparatus to a second apparatus, the content usage conditions include a number of maximum content checkouts available, and the number of maximum checkouts can not be modified after the maximum number is set; the receiving unit configured to receive a request from the second apparatus via the network after the second apparatus establishes a connection with the receiving unit via the network; a recording unit configured to record the associated data in a database that includes a user database configured to record a user identifier (ID), which identifies a registered user, and billing history associated with said user ID, and when confirmation of registration of a user is requested, the database determines whether or not the user ID corresponding to the user has been previously recorded in the user database, if the user is previously registered in the user database, a signal indicating that the user is previously registered is sent to the first apparatus; a usage condition unit configured to control in which geographic area the content can be used based on an area condition included in the usage conditions; a transmission unit configured to transmit a list of the associated data stored in the database in response to the request from the second apparatus received by the receiving unit, wherein the transmission unit transmits to the second apparatus the list of associated data for acquiring the content from the first apparatus; a billing information recording unit configured to record billing information corresponding to a user of the second apparatus for the list of associated data transmitted to the second apparatus; and a billing process unit configured to charge the second apparatus based on the billing information recorded in the billing information recording unit when the list of associated data is transmitted to the second apparatus.