Patent ID: 7110838

Claim:
In a download system for downloading music data sets, wherein each music data set includes music data and type data for identifying content characteristics of the music data, the type data being designatable by a user and including at least one of genre data, singer data, and number data, a download apparatus comprising: a player including a storage medium for storing music data sets, said storage medium having stored previously downloaded music data sets; a download device connectable to a center station for downloading new music data sets to said storage medium, wherein at least one of the new music data sets include desired type data that is designated by the user of the player and does not match any of the type data of the previously downloaded music data sets; and a reception device operatively coupled to said download device for receiving music data sets transmitted from said center station, wherein said reception device receives the new music data sets including the desired type data designated by the user; a table operatively coupled to said download device for receiving and connecting said download device to said player, wherein, when it is determined that said player is connected to said table, said download device reads in the type data of the music data sets stored in said player as known type data, wherein said download device reads in the type data designated by the user as desired type data, and reads in the type data of each music data set transmitted from said center station as new type data, and wherein said download device download the transmitted music data set when it is determined based on the known type data, the desired type data, and the new type data that the transmitted music data set has not been stored in said storage medium.