Digital signal processing apparatus, digital signal processing method, information center, and data delivery system

A digital signal processing method comprising the steps of:

• transmitting identification information and inquiry information to an information center over a communication line, said identification information identifying digital data which have been recorded on a storage medium loaded by a customer into a terminal device after undergoing a predetermined low bit rate coding process and which are to be transmitted from said terminal device, said inquiry information being generated based on said digital data;
• receiving a result of an inquiry conducted by said information center based on said inquiry information;
• judging, based on said result of said inquiry, whether said digital data recorded on said storage medium are legitimately purchased data;
• and
• if said digital data are judged to be legitimately purchased data, then executing a process to offer an additional service to said customer.

A digital signal processing method comprising the steps of:

• receiving identification information and inquiry information from a terminal device over a communication line, said identification information identifying digital data which have undergone a predetermined low bit rate coding process and which are subject to an inquiry, said inquiry information being generated by said terminal device based on said digital data;
• retrieving said digital data subject to said inquiry from a digital data storage of said information center based on said identification information for identifying said digital data;
• generating reference inquiry information based on the retrieved digital data;
• comparing the generated reference inquiry information with the received inquiry information;
• generating an inquiry result based on a result of the comparison;
• and
• transmitting the generated inquiry result.

An information center for judging whether digital data which have been recorded on a storage medium loaded into a terminal device and which have undergone a predetermined low bit rate coding process are legitimately purchased data, said information center comprising:

• receiving means for receiving identification information and inquiry information from said terminal device over a communication line, said identification information identifying said digital data which have undergone said predetermined low bit rate coding process and which are subject to an inquiry, said inquiry information being generated by said terminal device based on said digital data;
• retrieving means for retrieving said digital data subject to said inquiry from a digital data storage of said information center based on said identification information for identifying said digital data;
• reference inquiry information generating means for generating reference inquiry information based on the retrieved digital data;
• comparing means for comparing the generated reference inquiry information with the received inquiry information;
• inquiry result generating means for generating an inquiry result based on a result of the comparison;
• and
• transmitting means which, if the comparison reveals a match between the generated reference inquiry information and the received inquiry information, then transmits predetermined service information to said terminal device.

A data delivery system having an information center which has a storage of digital data having undergone a predetermined low bit rate coding process, and a terminal device which is connected to said information center by a communication line and which records digital data delivered from said information center onto a storage medium loaded by a customer;

• wherein said terminal device comprises:
• transmitting means for transmitting inquiry information and identification information to said information center over said communication line, said inquiry information being generated based on said digital data which have been recorded on said storage medium after undergoing said predetermined low bit rate coding process and which are subject to an inquiry, said identification information identifying said digital data;
• receiving means for receiving a result of said inquiry conducted by said information center based on said inquiry information;
• discriminating means for judging, based on said result of said inquiry, whether said digital data recorded on said storage medium are legitimately purchased data;
• and
• controlling means which, if said digital data are judged to be legitimately purchased data, then executes a process to offer an additional service to said customer;
• and
• wherein said information center comprises:
• receiving means for receiving said identification information and said inquiry information from said terminal device, said identification information identifying said digital data which have undergone said predetermined low bit rate coding process and which are subject to said inquiry;
• retrieving means for retrieving said digital data subject to said inquiry from the digital data storage of said information center based on said identification information for identifying said digital data;
• reference inquiry information generating means for generating reference inquiry information based on said digital data retrieved by said retrieving means;
• comparing means for comparing said reference inquiry information generated by said reference inquiry information generating means with said inquiry information received by said receiving means;
• inquiry result generating means for generating an inquiry result based on a result of the comparison by said comparing means;
• and
• transmitting means for transmitting said inquiry result generated by said inquiry result generating means.