Patent ID: 7373331

Claim:
A joint subscriber management system comprising: a joint subscriber management unit for acting as a surrogate in performing a registration activity for enabling a receiver to receive a broadcast and/or in performing an electronic commerce transaction, wherein the joint subscriber management unit comprises: first reception means for receiving a reception-limiting identification number of the receiver for receiving a specific broadcast, a broadcaster identification number of at least one broadcaster of a plurality of broadcasters, and registrant information concerning registration of a user allocated to the reception-limiting identification number; generation means for generating a joint management identification number corresponding to the reception-limiting identification number received by the first reception means; recording means for recording the reception-limiting identification number, the joint management identification number, and the registrant information in a registrant information table in correspondence with one another; management/operation means for acting as a surrogate in performing member management and the electronic commerce transaction in accordance with the recorded registrant information table; reception-limiting-identification-number transmitting means for transmitting the reception-limiting identification number included in the receiver to the joint subscriber management unit; second reception means for receiving the registrant information corresponding to the reception-limiting identification number and the joint management identification number, the registrant information being transmitted from the joint subscriber management unit; storage means for storing the received registrant information; detection means for detecting updated information of the registrant information; authentication means for performing, when the updated information is detected by the detection means, authentication by comparing the reception-limiting identification number included in the receiver with the receiver's reception-limiting identification number in the registrant information table registered in the joint subscriber management unit; processing means for receiving the registrant information stored in the receiver on confirmation that the two reception-limiting identification numbers coincide with each other, and for processing a processing signal transmitted from the receiver when the registrant information stored in the registrant information table coincides with the registrant information received from the receiver; and payment transaction means for performing a payment transaction involved in the processing performed by the processing means.