Patent ID: 7574442
Filing Date: 2009-08-11
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A content providing system comprising: a content providing server configured to deliver content data and information related thereto through a communication network; a client that is capable of downloading the content data and the information related thereto through the communication network, the client including a storage unit configured to store the content; and a management unit, including a hardware processor, configured to manage meta information of the respective content data as content item information, to manage one or plural pieces of content item information as content program information in association with one another, to manage a reference count management table, and to manage one or plural pieces of content program information as a content program catalogue, one content data and meta information thereof can be referred to in plural pieces of content item information, one piece of content item information can be referred to in plural pieces of content program information, and one piece of content program information can be referred to in plural content program catalogues, the management unit is configured to maintain a reference count of each piece of information in the reference count management table, the reference count equal to a number of times each piece of information is referred to in other content program catalogues or content program information or content item information or content data, the management unit is configured to decrement the reference count when a reference to the information is removed, the management unit is configured to delete from the storage unit content program information included in the content program catalogue or content item information included in the content program information or content data included in the content item information when the management unit determines that a term of availability of the content program catalogue has expired and the reference count for the content program information is zero, and the management unit is configured to suspend deletion of the content program information or the content item information or the content data being referred to when the content program information to be deleted included in the content program catalogue or the content item information to be deleted or the content data to be deleted has a reference count greater than zero.