Patent ID: 6938269

Claim:
A video receiving/reproducing apparatus that is connected to at least one video file providing apparatus via the Internet, each of the at least one video file providing apparatus being operable to store at least one mixed file which stores a video data sequence containing a plurality of sets of sectional video data that are arranged consecutively, and a plurality of video reproduction tables that each contain reproduction information specifying at least one set of sectional video data in an order of reproduction of each set of sectional video data, and to transmit a mixed file via the Internet, said video receiving/reproducing apparatus comprising: a mixed file requesting unit operable to transmit a request for a mixed file to one of the at least one video file providing apparatus; a mixed file receiving unit operable to receive the mixed file, for which the request has been made, from the one of the at least one video file providing apparatus via the Internet, each set of sectional video data in the received mixed file being encrypted; a table generating unit operable to analyze the received mixed file, and generate a video reproduction table, which additionally shows a total reproduction fee for all sets of sectional video data specified in the generated video reproduction table, and reproduction information which contains at least one encrypted data key which is used to decrypt each set of encrypted sectional video data in the video reproduction table; a video data reading unit operable to analyze a mixed file, which has been received by said mixed file receiving unit, and to read a set of encrypted sectional video data from the analyzed mixed file, the read set of encrypted sectional video data corresponding to an earliest order of reproduction that is shown in the reproduction information; a charging unit operable to store a decryption key for decrypting each encrypted data key, to receive the generated video reproduction table, to charge the reproduction fee, and to send the stored decryption key; a video data decrypting unit operable to receive the decryption key sent from said charging unit, to decrypt the encrypted data key by using the decryption key so as to generate a decrypted data key, and to decrypt the read set of encrypted sectional video data by using the decrypted data key so as to generate a set of decrypted sectional video data; and a reproducing unit operable to reproduce and output the set of decrypted sectional video data generated by said video data decrypting unit.