Contents Reproducing Device, Contents Processing Device, Contents Distribution Server, Contents Reproducing Method, Contents Processing Method, and Program

A content processing apparatus, comprising:

• a connection decision section for deciding connection with a content reproduction apparatus which stores a group ID produced uniquely in a unit of a user when said content processing apparatus is registered in a unit of a user into a management server;
• a first communication section for receiving, when the connection is decided by said connection decision section, a content ID and the group ID stored in said content reproduction apparatus;
• a second communication section for transmitting the content ID and the group ID to a content distribution server which provides a download service of a content;
• and
• a content storage section for storing a content corresponding to the content ID transmitted from said content distribution server and received through said second communication section;
• the contents stored in said content storage section being transmitted to said content reproduction apparatus through said first communication section.

A content distribution server, comprising:

• a content database in which content IDs and contents are stored in an associated relationship with each other;
• a reliability information database in which group IDs each produced uniquely in a unit of a user when a content reproduction apparatus is registered in a unit of a user into a management server and reliability information are stored in an associated relationship with each other;
• a data receiver section for receiving a content ID and a group ID stored in said content reproduction apparatus directly/indirectly;
• a content search section for searching for a content corresponding to the content ID;
• a reliability information updating section for updating, when a group ID and a content ID are received by said data receiver section, reliability information corresponding to the group ID;
• and
• a data transmitter section for transmitting the content searched out by said search section to said content reproduction apparatus directly/indirectly.

A content reproduction controlling method for controlling a content reproduction apparatus to reproduce a content, comprising:

• a group ID storage step of storing, into a group ID storage section, a group ID produced uniquely in a unit of a user when said content reproduction apparatus is registered in a unit of a user into a management server;
• a radio transmission step of transmitting a content stored in a content storage section to a different apparatus by radio communication;
• a radio reception step of receiving a content transmitted from the different apparatus by radio communication;
• a reproduction permission/inhibition decision step of deciding, based on a group ID added to the received content and the group ID stored in said group ID storage section, whether or not the received content can be reproduced;
• a reproduction execution step of reproducing the received content when it is decided at the reproduction permission/inhibition decision step that the content can be reproduced;
• an ID recording step of recording a content ID corresponding to the reproduced content and the group ID added to the content into an ID storage section;
• and
• a data communication step of transmitting, where a content distribution server which provides a download service of the content and said content reproduction apparatus are connected to each other directly/indirectly, the content ID and the group ID recorded in said ID storage section to said content distribution server.

A content processing method for controlling a content processing apparatus to process a content, comprising:

• a connection decision step of deciding connection with a content reproduction apparatus which stores a group ID produced uniquely in a unit of a user when said content processing apparatus is registered in a unit of a user into a management server;
• a first communication step of receiving, when the connection to said content reproduction apparatus is decided, content ID and the group ID stored in said content reproduction apparatus;
• a second communication step of transmitting the content ID and the group ID to a content distribution server which provides a download service of a content;
• a content storage steps of storing a content corresponding to the content ID received from said content distribution server into a content storage section;
• and
• a transmission step of transmitting the stored contents to said content reproduction apparatus.

A computer program for causing a content reproduction apparatus to execute:

• a group ID storage process of storing, into a group ID storage section, a group ID produced uniquely in a unit of a user when said content reproduction apparatus is registered in a unit of a user into a management server;
• a radio transmission process of transmitting a content stored in a content storage section to a different apparatus by radio communication;
• a radio reception process of receiving a content transmitted from the different apparatus by radio communication;
• a reproduction permission/inhibition decision process of deciding, based on a group ID added to the received content and the group ID stored in said group ID storage section, whether or not the received content can be reproduced;
• a reproduction execution process of reproducing the received content when it is decided at the reproduction permission/inhibition decision process that the content can be reproduced;
• an ID recording process of recording a content ID corresponding to the reproduced content and the group ID added to the content into an ID storage section;
• and
• a data communication process of transmitting, where a content distribution server which provides a download service of the content and said content reproduction apparatus are connected to each other directly/indirectly, the content ID and the group ID recorded in said ID storage section to said content distribution server.

A computer program for causing a content processing apparatus to execute:

• a connection decision process of deciding connection with a content reproduction apparatus which stores a group ID produced uniquely in a unit of a user when said content processing apparatus is registered in a unit of a user into a management server;
• a first communication process of receiving, when the connection to said content reproduction apparatus is decided, content ID and the group ID stored in said content reproduction apparatus;
• a second communication process of transmitting the content ID and the group ID to a content distribution server which provides a download service of a content;
• a content storage steps of storing a content corresponding to the content ID received from said content distribution server into a content storage section;
• and
• a transmission process of transmitting the stored contents to said content reproduction apparatus.