Abstract:
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.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an information distribution apparatus and an information distribution method with respect to a billing method at a time of distributing information, an information receiving apparatus and an information receiving method, and an information receiving and distributing method. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In recent years, various kinds of information (hereafter, referred to as contents) are in circulation with the advance of the multimedia industry. These contents have come to be provided by way of, for example, a communications satellite, radio communication, cable communication such as CATV (the cable television) and an information distribution service (hereafter, referred to as service) using the internet and the like. With the service, a so-called predetermined billing has been carried out corresponding to the provided contents. With a conventional service, music information and image information as part of audio information and video information are transmitted to a user on the receiving side (hereafter, referred to as user) with a predetermined format. At this time, although there has been a service whereby to reflect a difference in transmission systems of contents data as to whether the contents are transmitted by an analog system or a digital system on the amount of billing, sound quality, image quality and genre (classification) of these music information and image information have never been reflected on the above-mentioned amount of billing and as a result, the amount to be billed has been fixed. 
     However, a preference of the user is diverse, which means that there is a case where a user does not care about a quality of some contents, but wants them to be provided cheaply, or a case where the user wants to be provided the highest quality of other contents however expensive they are. Therefore, with the conventional service, it is impossible to answer these requests under the present circumstances. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and propose an information distribution apparatus and an information distribution method, an information receiving apparatus and an information receiving method, and an information receiving and distributing method which are capable of carrying out the billing of the side to which information is provided based on a value standard for the provided information. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information distributing apparatus for billing and distributing information, which is characterized by comprising an adding means for adding a value standard to said information based on a predetermined standard, a billing means for carrying out a billing based on said value standard for said information, and a distributing means for distributing said information billed by said billing means. 
     According to the present invention, in the information distributing apparatus, the adding means adds the value standard to the information based on the predetermined standards. The value standard added to the information by the adding means is referred to at a time of billing the information distributed by the distributing means. The billing means bills the information based on the value standard. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 is an image diagram of an information receiving and distributing system including an information distributing apparatus as a favorable embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of the information receiving and distributing system in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of the information receiving and distributing system in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a diagram of an arrangement of hardware showing a concrete example of the information distributing apparatus in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a simplified electric arrangement of a computer in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a diagram of an arrangement of software showing an example of a concrete processing of the information receiving and distributing system in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of contents distributing data and a billing information table in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is an image diagram showing an adapted example of the information receiving and distributing system including the information distributing apparatus in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional arrangement of the information receiving apparatus in FIG. 6; and 
     FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a modified example of the functional arrangement of the information receiving apparatus in FIG.  9 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereafter, suitable embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference to attached drawings. 
     Meanwhile, the embodiments to be explained in the following are, since they are suitable concrete examples of the present invention, attached with various kinds of technologically suitable limitations, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless there are any statements to the effect that the following explanations particularly limit the present invention. 
     In the following explanations, “a value standard” means a high and a low of a value for using information which is distinguished by quality and class and “quality” is, in terms of image information, a degree of definition of image and in terms of audio information, goodness of sounds at a time of reproduction, and “classes (value, genre)” indicate, for example, in terms of music information, ones such as classic music, popular music and the like and in terms of image information, movies, CG (Computer Graphics), a still image and the like and “contents (information)” indicate substance, contents and accommodated information of music information and image information as part of audio information and video information respectively. Hereafter, the contents will be explained with music information mainly as one example. 
     FIG. 1 is an imaginary diagram of an information receiving and distributing system including an information distributing apparatus as a suitable embodiment of the present invention. 
     An information receiving and distributing system  100  (information receiving and distributing apparatus) is comprised of, for example, a contents provider  35 , a contents distributing service dealer  4  and a user  33 . The information receiving and distributing system  100  is a system for obtaining music from one (the contents provider  35  in FIG. 1) who wants to provide the music and the like, and widely distributing the music to a third party (a user  33  in FIG.  1 ). 
     The above-mentioned contents provider  35  is one and the like who, for example, compose music and want to provide the music composed by themselves to the third party. The contents provider  35  registers contents data  6  (audio information and video information) such as, for example, the music and the like composed by himself with the contents distributing dealer  4 . 
     The contents distributing service dealer  4  receives the music and the like which the contents provider  35  wants to register. The contents distributing service dealer  4  provides a desired piece of music to a user  33  who wants to listen to the music from among a lot of accumulated music and the like. The contents distributing service dealer  4  distributes information by, for example, an information distributing apparatus  1  (a part of the information receiving and distributing apparatus) to be explained later in FIG. 4 to an information receiving apparatus  200  to be explained later, which the user  33  operates. 
     When information on music and the like are provided by the contents distributing service dealer  4 , such a system may be used which uses cable communication such as a network  39  as in FIG. 2 or radio communication as in FIG. 3, alternatively a combination of these two. As an example of using the cable communication, there is a mode such as utilizing the internet as one example of the network  39  in FIG. 2, CATV (Cable Television, however, this is a case of distributing the image information and the like), ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) communication and the like, and as an example of utilizing radio communications, there is a mode such as using a communication satellite  10  in FIG. 3, a ground wave broadcast and the like. Meanwhile, needless to say, the above-mentioned modes may be combined. In the following explanation, an example of an arrangement of the information distributing and receiving system  100  will be explained on condition that the internet is used as, for example, the network  39 . 
     FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an arrangement of hardware showing a concrete example of an arrangement of the information distributing apparatus in FIG.  1 . Meanwhile, since an information distributing apparatus  1  is a computer (so-called personal computer is also preferable) capable of, for example, high speed processing and since an information receiving apparatus  200  is a computer such as, for example, a personal computer, a portable information terminal and the like, or its one kind, they are respectively deemed to have nearly similar arrangements. An example of the arrangement of the information receiving apparatus  200  will be explained later. 
     The information distributing apparatus  1  is, as explained above, for example, a computer  21 . The computer  21  is provided with an environment (for example, a network substrate, a network cable, other drive software and the like) for connecting to the network  39  to be not graphically shown, and comprises a main body  21   a  having a control unit and the like such as a central processing unit (CPU) and the like, a disc apparatus  13  provided in the main body  21   a , a pointing device  3 , a displaying unit  5  and a key board  11 . 
     The computer  21  is provided with the disc apparatus  13  capable of at least reading out information from, for example, an information recording medium  15 . The information recording medium  15  is, for example, a compact disc (CD-ROM), a flexible disc (floppy disc) and the like. 
     FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a simplified electric arrangement of the computer in FIG.  4 . 
     The computer  21  comprises a control unit  9 , the displaying unit  5 , a memory unit  17 , the disc apparatus  13  and a an outside memory unit  19  and preferably, the pointing device  3 , and the key board  11 . 
     The above-mentioned control unit  9  is connected with, for example, the displaying unit  5 , the memory unit  17 , the disc apparatus  13  and the outside memory unit  19 , and preferably with the pointing device  3  and the key board  11 . The control unit  9  is one for controlling each of the above-mentioned connected blocks. The control unit  9  stores software in such as the outside memory unit  19 , for example, a hard disc and the like and carries our the software by making the memory unit  17  such as, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like as an operating area when a necessity arises. 
     The above-mentioned displaying unit  5  is a displaying device of, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and a liquid crystal display. The above-mentioned pointing device  3  is an operating means, for example, like a mouse of the computer  21 . 
     The above-mentioned key board  11  is an operating unit of the computer  21 , provided for operation and so on of the computer  21  instead of the pointing device  3  for an unaccustomed learner of, for example, the pointing device  3 . Meanwhile, in the information distributing apparatus  1  (and the information receiving apparatus  200 ), since the distribution of information is automatically carried out, the key board  11  and the pointing device  3  are not necessary in an ordinary operation. 
     FIG. 6 is a diagram of an arrangement of the software showing a concrete example of processing by the information receiving and distributing system in FIG.  1 . 
     The contents provider  35 , in order to register with the contents distributing service dealer  4  to provide, for example, the music he has composed to a third party, registers the contents data  6  with the information distributing apparatus  1  provided at the contents distributing service dealer  4 . 
     The information distributing apparatus  1  comprises a receiving and distributing unit  25  (distributing means), a contents storing unit  43 , a billing information table  51 , a contents processing unit  23  (a adding means, a billing means), a usage rate adding up unit  49  and a sales transmitting unit  47 . 
     The above-mentioned receiving and distributing unit  25  receives the contents data  6  provided by the contents provider  35  and stores them in the outside memory unit  19  of FIG. 5, which is, for example, a hard disc. The contents data  6  are, for example, when they are music information, stored in data formats such as a CD-DA (Compact Disc-Digital Audio) format, an ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) format (an ATRAC 2 can be employed otherwise), a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) format, a WAV (WAVe) file and the like. The contents data  6  are, for example, when they are the image information, stored in data formats like, for example, an MPGE 2 (Moving Picture Experts Group 2) format (MPEG 1, 4, 7 can be employed otherwise), a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format, a BMP (BitMap) format, a GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) and the like. 
     The above-mentioned billing information table  51 , when the contents processing unit  23  distributes information to the information receiving apparatus  200 , which will be explained later, stores billing information in the distributed contents data  6  as basic data for carrying out the billing commensurate with its value. The billing information data  41  comprises, for example, as shown in FIG.  7 (B), a quality divisions table and, as shown in FIG.  7 (C), a contents classification table. 
     A quality divisions table  31  in FIG.  7 (B) is a table to stipulate a division (a value standard) in terms of the quality of the information distributed to, for example, the information receiving apparatus  200 . The quality divisions table  31  has data on a rank, quality and a rate, for example, of every data. Here, as one example of the “quality”, for example, in a case of voice information, a system based on a compression rate of the contents  6  (to show data about to what extent original data is compressed), a transmission speed, a highest reproduction frequency and the number of bits per sample bit is cited and in a case of, for example, image information, a system based on the compression rate of the contents  6  (to show data about to what extent original data is compressed), the transmission speed, resolution/the number of pixels and the like is cited. 
     That is, since the not-much compressed (for example, in FIG.  7 (B), not compressed) contents data  6  can reproduce the sounds as they are, the rate is set expensive (when the value standard is high, the usage rate is expensive) while since much-compressed (for example, in FIG.  7 (B), compressed-by-10%) contents data  6  can not be correctly reproduced, the rate is set inexpensive (when the value standard is low, the usage rate is made inexpensive). Therefore, the quality classifications table  31  stores billing information in order to carry out the billing in accordance with the quality of the distributed contents data  6 . Meanwhile, the standards for the classifications are not limited to the degrees of the compression, but various standards such as a compression system and the like can be employed. Generally, when the compression systems are the same, the degree of the compression corresponds to the value standard, but when the compression systems are different, even when the degree of the compression is large, there is a case where the value standard becomes high, so it is necessary to pay attention to adopting the standard. 
     As one example of the quality classifications, in a case of music information, there are a compact disc sound quality level, an FM (Frequency Modulation) radio broadcast sound quality level, a mini-disc sound quality level, a cassette tape sound quality level and the like for every sound quality. In a case of image information, for example, in a reproduced video image, there are a DVD (Digital Video Disc) image quality level, an S-VHS (Super-Video Home System) image quality level, a VHS (Video Home System) image quality level or the like and for example, in a case of Television broadcast image quality, there are a high-vision image quality level, an NTSC (National Television System Committee) image quality level and the like. That is, with the information distributing apparatus  1 , although the contents data  6  are the same, there is a case in which the billing becomes different depending on the quality. The information distributing apparatus  1  has the user make a selection from a plurality of the qualities, thereby carrying out the billing on the receipt of the contents data  6 . 
     The information distributing apparatus  1 , at a time of distributing, for example, digitalized contents data  6 , may preferably bill and distribute based on a bit rate (the transmission speed in a case of real-time reproduction (one-fold speed)). 
     The contents classifications table  32  in FIG.  7 (C) is a table which prescribes a division (value standard) of a class of the contents data  6  distributed to, for example, the information receiving apparatus  200 . The contents classification table  32  stores the billing information for carrying out different billings depending on the contents of the contents data  6  distributed to the information receiving apparatus  200 . That is, the contents classification table  32  stores divisions of contents classification codes and the contents classifications which fit into them, for example, in a case of music information, classic music, popular music or music of other genres and the like while in a case of image information, movies, divisions of CG (Computer graphics), a still image and the like. 
     The above-mentioned contents processing unit  23  processes the contents data  6  in response to a demand from, for example, the information receiving apparatus  200  to produce contents distributing data  7  (information) and transmits the contents distributing data  7  to the information receiving apparatus  200  as one example of a distributing end. The contents distribution data  7  is a data with a format, for example, in FIG.  7 (A). 
     The contents distributing data  7  is comprised of a contents classification C and quality Q as, for example, a header, the contents data  6  demanded by the information receiving apparatus  200  and billing information  41 . 
     The contents classification C can a store 4 bits code. The contents classification Code of the contents classifications table  32  is written into the contents classification C based on a class of the contents of the contents data  6  by the contents processing unit  23 . 
     The quality Q can store, for example, a 4 bits code. A code showing a rank of the quality division table  31  in FIG.  7 (B) is written into the quality Q based on the quality of the contents of the contents data  6  by the contents processing unit  23 . Therefore, the information receiving apparatus  200  has only to reproduce the contents data  6  by referring to the header. 
     Therefore, on the information receiving apparatus  200  side, even when the contents data  6  are various kinds of data, reproduction is carried out in accordance with the information of the header. Also, the information receiving apparatus  200  can have a prior knowledge of how much a bill will be charged by referring to the header. 
     The contents data  6  are data on, for example, the music information, the image information (moving images, still images, CG, photograph images or the like) and the like. 
     The billing information such as an amount of money and the like the information receiving apparatus  200  which receives the contents distributing data  7  has to pay in accordance with the contents classification C and the quality Q of contents data b is written into the billing information  41 . 
     The above-mentioned charge adding up unit  49  is a processing unit for adding up a charge (sales in the case of the contents provider  35  in FIG. 1) of the contents data  6  for every information receiving apparatus  200  (otherwise, every contents provider  5  in FIG.  1 ). The charge adding up unit  49  has the sales transmitting unit  47  transmit a calculated usage rate for every information receiving apparatus  200  to the contents provider  35  by referring to the billing information table  51 . That is, the contents provider  35  receives an amount of money for his sales to the contents data  6 . 
     The information receiving apparatus  200  has a receiving unit  27  for receiving the contents distributing data  7  distributed from the information distributing apparatus  1 . The receiving unit  27 , at a time of receiving the contents distributing data  7 , makes a demand in order to obtain desired contents. The information receiving apparatus  200  will be explained later. 
     The information distributing system  100  has the above-mentioned arrangement and next, its action (including a information distributing method) will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG.  7 . 
     The user  33  is one who operates, for example, the information receiving apparatus  200 . The user  33  feels inclined to listen to a desired piece of music and retrieves the music information registered in the information distributing apparatus  1 . Various music information is registered in the information distributing apparatus  1 . The music information is registered in the information distributing apparatus  1  by the contents provider  35  who makes, for example, the composition of music either a hobby or an occupation. The contents provider  35  demands the charge in exchange for a third party listening to the music he composed. 
     The user  33  demands a desired piece of music from the information distributing apparatus  1 . To the demand, in the information distributing apparatus  1 , the above-mentioned desired music information (hereafter, referred to as contents data  6 ) stored in the contents storing unit  43  is read by the contents processing unit  23 . At this time, when the contents data  6  was registered in the information distributing apparatus  1  by the contents provider  35 , the contents classification C of the contents data  6  may have been simultaneously registered. Meanwhile, the contents classification C may be later registered by the information distributing apparatus  1  side (the contents distribution service dealer  4  in FIG.  1 ). 
     The contents processing unit  23 , depending on the above-mentioned contents classification C, conditions and the like (for example, the transmission speed) at a time of distributing from the information distributing apparatus  1 , decides the quality Q of the contents data  6  and produces the contents distributing data  7  by adding the contents classification C, the quality Q and the billing information  41  like FIG.  7 (A) to the contents data  6 . The receiving and distributing unit  25  distributes the contents distributing data  7  to the information receiving apparatus  200 . At this time, as a means for specifying the information distributing apparatus  200  of a distributing end, the receiving and distributing unit  25 , when communication is carried out with, for example, a TCP/an IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) as protocols, distributes an IP address and the like of the information receiving apparatus  200  as identifiers. 
     On the other hand, the contents processing unit  23 , when the contents data  6  are distributed to the information receiving apparatus  200 , notifies the usage rate adding up unit  19  of the fact. The usage rate adding up unit  19  charges the information receiving apparatus  200 , or a receiving end of the contents distributing data  7  a usage rate in accordance with the value standard through, for example, the sales transmitting unit  47  in every predetermined period of time and pays the contents provider  35 , or the provider of the contents data  6  for the sales in every predetermined period of time. 
     FIG. 8 is an image diagram showing an application example of the information receiving and distributing system apparatus including the above-mentioned information distributing apparatus. 
     In the information receiving and distributing system  100   a  in FIG. 8, an information receiving apparatus  200   a  (shop  3   a ) is deployed at, for example, a shop such as a convenience store or the like. In the information receiving apparatus  200   a  is provided a slot (recording apparatus) capable of writing information in a memory like PROMs (Programmable Read Only Memory) such as, for example, a CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), a minidisc, a RAM, a flash memory and the like and an information recording media (hereafter, referred to as a recording media) like a magnetic tape. 
     At the shop  3   a , there is the contents data  6  distributed from the information distributing apparatus  1  and the billing can be changed depending on the contents data  6  which an arbitrary user takes possession of. For a user who has, for example, the minidisc as recording media, it follows that the contents data  6  is compressed and recorded by the information receiving apparatus  200   a  depending on the recording media (information recording media) and the quality is decided. Therefore, the billing information is decided at this point. When the recording media is, for example, the CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), the contents data  6  is recorded by way of a CD-DA (Compact Disc-Digital Audio) format without being compressed, and when it is the minidisc, it is recorded by way of the ATRAC format and when it is the RAM (or the PROM), it is recorded by way of the ATRAC2 format. Also, when the recording medium is the magnetic tape, the contents data  6  is put into an analog representation and recorded in the magnetic tape. 
     When the contents data  6  which are distributed by these applied examples are received by the information receiving apparatus  200  and recorded in arbitrary recording medium, the information receiving apparatus  200  is billed depending on the recording media. The user can obtain desired information in various recording media which are possessed by him. The information receiving apparatus  200  will be explained in detail in the following. 
     It is conceivable that the information receiving apparatus  200  has such a form which has, for example, the following functions. 
     FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional arrangement of the information receiving apparatus in FIG.  6 . 
     The information receiving apparatus  200  comprises, for example, a recording medium selecting circuit  50  (recording medium selecting means), an ATRAC encoder  51 , an ATRAC 2 encoder  52 , a D/A (Digital to Analog) converter  53  (hereafter, abbreviated as D/A), a recording apparatus  55  (recording means), a displayer  56 , a key input unit  57  and a billing coping processing circuit  54  (billing coping means). 
     The information receiving apparatus  200  is one for receiving the contents data  6  with, for example, CD-DA (Compact Disc-Digital Audio) format. 
     The above-mentioned recording medium selecting circuit  50  is one for selecting which one of the information recording medium to record the recorded contents data  6  in. As the information receiving medium for recording the received contents data  6 , it is possible to employ, for example, the CD-R, the minidisc (MD), the RAM or the magnetic tape. In the CD-R is directly recorded the contents data  6  with, for example, the CDDA format and in the minidisc is recorded the contents data  6  which is converted into a predetermined format by, for example, the ATRAC encoder  51  and in the RAM is recorded the contents data  6  which is converted to a predetermined format by, for example, the ATRAC2 encoder  52  and in the magnetic tape is recorded analog signal into which digital signal is converted by the D/A  53 . 
     When a desired information recording media is selected by the recording media selecting circuit  50 , in a case of the contents data  6  being on the music information, an amount of money per one piece of music such as [200 yen], [100 yen], [100 yen], and [50 yen], for example, for every recording medium is each displayed on the displayer  56 . Also, in the information receiving apparatus  200  ordinarily in the vicinity of the displayer  56 , and at positions corresponding to these displays of the amounts of money, there are provided, as the key input unit  57 , for example, a CD button  57   a , an MD button  57   a , a RAM button  57   c  and a tape button  57   d , respectively. Therefore, the user can select the desired information recording medium and record the above-mentioned contents data  6  in the information recording media. 
     The above-mentioned billing coping process circuit  54  displays the amount of money per the above-mentioned one piece of music in the displayer  56  based on the billing information  41  from the contents distributing service dealer  4 , carries out the billing process in accordance with the information recording medium selected by the key input unit  57  and pays the usage rate  12  to the contents distributing service dealer  4 . 
     According to the above-mentioned information receiving apparatus  200 , the amount of money to be billed can be made different depending on the information recording medium for recording the contents data  6 . 
     FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a modification of the functional arrangement of the information receiving apparatus in FIG.  9 . 
     The information receiving apparatus  200   a  receives the contents data  6  which are provided at the contents distributing service dealer  4  in FIG.  1  and have classes of predetermined value standards (type α and β). Further, in the type a of the contents data  6  are provided the highest quality A, high quality B and medium quality C and in the type β are provided CD-DA data, ATRAC data for the minidisc (MD) and ATRAC2 data for the RAM. 
     The information receiving apparatus  200   a  comprises, for example, a recording apparatus  40 , a digital signal processing  41 , a D/A  42 , a value standard selecting circuit  43  (information selecting means), a billing coping processing circuit  44  (information billing means), a displayer  56  and a key input unit  57 . 
     The billing coping processing circuit  44  receives the billing information  41  in FIG. 10 from the contents distributing service dealer  4  in FIG.  1  and displays its contents in the displayer  56 . The user selects the billed amount of money (in FIG. 10, in a case of the type a, [300 yen], [100 yen], [50 yen] and in a case of the type P, [200 yen], [100 yen], [100 yen]) based on the respective value standards displayed in the displayer  56 . The value standard selecting circuit  43  notifies the contents distributing service dealer  4  in FIG. 1 based on the selected value standard. The contents data  6  provided at the contents distributing service dealer  4  in FIG. 1 are recorded in the recording apparatus  40 . 
     Digital signal processing  41  carries out signal processing on the contents data  6  recorded by the recording apparatus  40  such as an error correcting process, an expansion process for the compressed data, and the like and the processed data is further D/A-converted by the D/A  42  to be, for example, audio-outputted. 
     According to the above-mentioned information receiving apparatus  200   a , the billed amount of money is made different depending on the value standards of the contents data  6  obtained. 
     According to the embodiments of the present invention, in the information distributing apparatus  1 , the contents processing unit  23  adds the header (contents classification C and the quality Q) to the contents data  6  as the standard for judging the value based on the predetermined standards. The header added to the contents data  6  by the contents processing unit  23  is referred to at a time of billing the information distributed by the receiving and distributing unit  25 . The contents processing  23  adds the billing information  41  to the contents data  6  based on the header. Therefore, the information distributing apparatus  1  has the contents distributing data  7  which have been processed into a plurality of quality from the same contents data  6  and can distributes the data  7  by having each of them carry the billing information  41  corresponding to each to the user  33  in FIG.  1 . 
     Accordingly, based on the class and quality as the value standards of the provided information, it is possible to carry out the billing of the side to which the information is provided. That is, it is possible to obtain the contents data  6  which is billed in accordance with the quality and the like in response to the demand by the user himself. On the user  33  side, high quality information can be obtained at a high price and low quality information can be obtained at a low price. On the other hand, on the contents provider side, since the high quality information is not provided to the user  33  at a lower price, he can feel relieved from the standpoint of a copy right. On the contents provider side, a range of choices of the contents  6  can be expanded. 
     By the way, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. 
     A form may also be good in which the information receiving apparatus  200  in FIG. 1 is disposed in, for example, shops and the like. 
     The contents classification C and the quality Q as the header of the contents distributing data  7  are illustrated as respectively being 4 bits in FIG.  7 (A), but it is all right to prepare necessary numbers of bits for respective necessary numbers of divisions. Also, the header may be omitted when provision of exclusively intended information about, for example, a specified kind of information on music or the like is carried out. 
     As explained up to now, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide the information distributing apparatus and the information distributing method, the information receiving apparatus and the information receiving method as well as the information receiving and distributing method, which are capable of carrying out the billing of the side to which the information is provided based on the value standard of the provided information. 
     Having described preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and that various changes and modifications can be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.