Patent ID: 7680863

Claim:
A contents providing method applicable to a contents providing system including a contents server and a user terminal which are connected to each other via a network, the method comprising: a step in which the user terminal issues a contents data transmission request to the contents server; a step in which the contents server encodes a contents data meeting the transmission request into an encoded data capable of being decoded to the contents data with resolution levels which vary according to which of a plurality of decoding keys is utilized by said user terminal; a step in which the contents server transmits the encoded data, sample image data respectively representative of the resolution levels respectively associated with each of said plurality of decoding keys, and cost information corresponding to the resolution level of each of said respective sample image data, to said user terminal, wherein each said sample image data includes a different amount of information corresponding respectively to a predetermined one of said resolution levels at which said encoded data is decodable, and then disconnects from the user terminal; a step in which the user terminal receives input information from a user in terms of said received sample image data and said received cost information indicative of a resolution/cost level of contents data selected by the user with which the contents data meeting the transmission request is to be decoded; a step in which the user terminal re-establishes a connection with the contents server and transmits the input information on the user selected resolution/cost level to the contents server; a step in which after having received the input information on the user selected resolution/cost level from the user terminal, the contents server carries out a charging process with respect to the user based upon the the information on the user selected resolution/cost level; and a step in which the content server transmits to the user terminal a decoding key corresponding to a charge level corresponding to the user selected resolution/cost level and then again disconnects from the user terminal, the decoding key being needed for use in a decoding process for obtaining the user selected resolution/cost level of decoded content data in the user terminal.