Patent ID: 7257831

Claim:
A program distribution system comprising: a receiver; and a transmitter including a distribution controller; said receiver being operable to accept a user request for a desired program, the user request being in a free style text format, to convert the user request into a distribution request e-mail message that includes the user request and that is addressed to said distribution controller of said transmitter, and to send the distribution request e-mail message to said transmitter; said transmitter including: a distributable program storing unit operable to store a plurality of distributable programs, said distribution controller being operable to receive the distribution request e-mail message addressed to said distribution controller, to determine whether the requested program is one of the stored plurality of distributable programs, to transmit an answer e-mail message to said receiver in response to the distribution request e-mail message, the answer e-mail message including a notice of correspondence and including supplemental information when the requested program is one of the stored plurality of distributable programs, the supplemental information including cryptanalytic information for decrypting the program, and to read out the requested program from said distributable program storing unit when the requested program is one of the stored plurality of distributable programs, and a distributor operable to distribute the requested program to said receiver.