Patent ID: 6870907

Claim:
A data distribution system including an information service center and terminal equipment remote from the information service center and adapted for distributing a program selected at the terminal equipment from the information service center to the terminal equipment, the information service center comprising: storage means for storing a plurality of programs; retrieving means for retrieving a desired program selected at the terminal equipment from the plurality of programs stored in the storage means; dividing means for dividing the desired program retrieved by the retrieving means into an outline part for informing a user of an outline of the desired program and into a supplement part recombinable with the outline part for restoring the desired program, wherein the outline part is of a lower quality than the desired program; and transmission means for transmitting the outline part first followed by the supplement part to the terminal equipment; and the terminal equipment comprising: receiving means for receiving the outline part first followed by the supplement part of the desired program transmitted from the information service center; a storage device; recombining means for recombining the outline part and the supplement part to restore the desired program while the supplement part is being received by the receiving means after the reception of the outline part is completed and for storing the restored program in the storage device while the supplement part is being received; and reproducing means for reproducing the lower quality outline part while the lower quality outline part is being received and for continuing the reproduction of the lower quality outline part while the supplement part is being received until the reproduction of the lower quality outline part is completed, thereby monitoring the desired program while the recombining means restores the desired program.