Patent ID: 8015082

Claim:
A method for receiving chargeable information, the method comprising: storing accounting point information representing a monetary balance in a first memory of a recording/reproducing device, the accounting point information indicating a number of points; receiving, at the recording/reproducing device, a request by a user of the recording/reproducing device for purchase of the information for which a fee is chargeable; and in response to the recording/reproducing device receiving the request by the user of the recording/reproducing device, receiving, at the recording/reproducing device, the information for which a fee is chargeable from a source that is external to the recording/reproducing device, the information for which a fee is chargeable being associated with particular content, recording, in a second memory of the recording/reproducing device, the received information for which a fee is chargeable along with a management file having an information use permission flag which indicates whether use by the recording/reproducing device of the received information for which a fee is chargeable is permitted, determining, at the recording/reproducing device, whether the accounting point information stored in the first memory indicates sufficient points to pay for the information for which a fee is chargeable, in response to determining at the recording/reproducing device that the accounting point information stored in the first memory of the recording/reproducing device indicates sufficient points to pay for the received information for which a fee is chargeable, subtracting points from the accounting point information stored in the first memory of the recording/reproducing device to pay for the received information for which a fee is chargeable and setting the information permission flag to an AVAILABLE state, and in response to determining at the recording/reproducing device that the accounting point information stored in the first memory of the recording/reproducing device does not indicate sufficient points to pay for the received information for which a fee is chargeable, initiating, at the recording/reproducing device, an actual accounting process with an accounting center, and in response to receiving approval from the accounting center, restoring the accounting point information stored in the first memory of the recording/reproducing device to a predetermined point value, subtracting points from the accounting point information stored in the first memory of the recording/reproducing device to pay for the received information for which a fee is chargeable, and then setting the information permission flag to the AVAILABLE state.