Patent ID: 7716708

Claim:
A content distribution method for making a reservation via an open network to a reservation control apparatus for the use of a distribution server that receives content sent from a distributor terminal apparatus via a dedicated network and carries out stream distribution of said content to a client terminal apparatus via the open network, sending said content from said distributor terminal apparatus to said distribution server based on said reservation and thereby carrying out content distribution, said content distribution method comprising: transmitting a menu from the reservation control apparatus to the distributor terminal apparatus via the open network, the menu configured to display available service times to upload content from the distributor terminal apparatus to the distribution server for distribution of the content from the distribution server and a service fee, availability, bandwidth and cost corresponding to each of the available service times; sending, by the distributor terminal apparatus, reservation request information including a desired service time to distribute content using said distribution server based on a selection of the desired service time from the menu and restriction information on restrictions of the client terminal apparatus from said distributor terminal apparatus to said reservation control apparatus via the open network; transmitting, when the reservation for the use of said distribution server during said desired service time included in said reservation request information is accepted, the content from said distributor terminal apparatus to said distribution server via the dedicated network to carry out a content distribution based on said accepted reservation; judging, when said client terminal apparatus requests said distribution server to distribute content via the open network, whether the distribution request of said client terminal apparatus should be accepted or not based on said restriction information; and carrying out a stream distribution, when the distribution request of said client terminal apparatus is accepted, of the content sent from said distributor terminal apparatus from said distribution server to said client terminal apparatus via the open network.