Book data service system with data delivery by broadcasting

Abstract

A book data service system in which the book data can be delivered by the broadcasting such that the book data can be delivered to any user located at any place promptly and economically, without causing the waste of the resources. A book data service system if formed by at least one data center including: a data center computer for storing and managing book data; and a broadcasting facility for broadcasting the book data stored and managed by the data center computer according to a prescribed communication protocol using a synchronization control and an error correction scheme suitable for data delivery by broadcasting without confirmation from a receiving side; and a plurality of user terminals, each user terminal including: a receiver for receiving the book data broadcasted from the broadcasting facility of the data center; a user terminal computer for storing and managing the book data received by the receiver; and a display for displaying the book data stored and managed by the user terminal computer.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A book data service system, comprising: 
 at least one data center including: 
 data center computer for storing and managing book data; and  
 broadcasting means for broadcasting the book data stored and managed by the data center computer according to a prescribed communication protocol using a synchronization control and an error correction scheme suitable for data delivery by broadcasting without confirmation from a receiving side; and  
   a plurality of user terminals, each user terminal including: 
 receiver means for receiving the book data broadcasted from the broadcasting means of the data center;  
 user terminal computer for storing and managing the book data received by the receiver means; and  
 display means for displaying the book data stored and managed by the user terminal computer.  
   
     
     
         2 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein the display means displays the book data in an image of a book.  
     
     
         3 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein the user terminal computer manages the book data to enable retrieval and selection of the book data according to management information provided in the book data.  
     
     
         4 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein the data center provides re-broadcasting of the book data, and the user terminal computer stores each book data which is incompletely received by the receiver means, and supplements said each book data by the book data re-broadcasted by the data center.  
     
     
         5 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein the data center further includes data center side communication means for enabling one-to-one communication with each user terminal through a communication network, key returning means for returning a key for deciphering enciphered book data broadcasted by the broadcasting means through the data center side communication means to the user terminal which requested the key, and charging means for charging the user terminal which requested the key.  
     
     
         6 . The book data service system of  claim 5 , wherein each user terminal further includes user terminal side communication means for enabling one-to-one communication with the data center through a communication network, inspection means for inspecting whether the book data received by the receiver means is enciphered, key acquiring means for requesting the key to the data center through the user terminal side communication means when the inspection means finds the enciphered book data and obtaining the key returned from the key returning means through the user terminal side communication means, and means for deciphering the enciphered book data by using the key received by the key acquiring means.  
     
     
         7 . The book data service system of  claim 5 , wherein the enciphered book data is divided into a plurality of items, and the key for deciphering the enciphered book data is different for different item of the enciphered book data.  
     
     
         8 . The book data service system of  claim 5 , wherein the charging means charges a user using the user terminal every time the user terminal requests the key.  
     
     
         9 . The book data service system of  claim 8 , wherein the charging means charges a user using the user terminal in response to a request for the key from the user terminal after the enciphered book data is broadcasted by the broadcasting means and the key returning means returns the key to the user terminal after the user terminal is charged by the charging means.  
     
     
         10 . The book data service system of  claim 8 , wherein the charging means charges a user using the user terminal in response to a request for the key from the user terminal before the enciphered book data is broadcasted by the broadcasting means, and the key returning means returns the key to the user terminal after the user terminal is charged by the charging means and before the enciphered book data is broadcasted by the broadcasting means.  
     
     
         11 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein the data center further includes data center side communication means for enabling one-to-one communication with each user terminal through a communication network, remote record inspection means for inspecting book data service utilization record at each user terminal through the data center side communication means, and charging means for charging said each user terminal according to the book data service utilization record inspected by the remote record inspection means.  
     
     
         12 . The book data service system of  claim 11 , wherein: 
 each user terminal further includes user terminal side communication means for enabling one-to-one communication with the data center through a communication network, inspection means for inspecting whether the book data stored by the user terminal computer and selected by a user is enciphered, and deciphering request means for requesting a deciphering of enciphered book data to the user terminal side communication means when the inspection means finds the enciphered book data and obtaining deciphered book data from the user terminal side communication means; and    the user terminal side communication means contains communicating means for making one-to-one communication with the data center through the communication network, deciphering means for deciphering the enciphered book data requested by the deciphering request means and returning the deciphered book data to the deciphering request means, recording means for recording the book data service utilization record whenever the deciphering means deciphers the enciphered book data, and means for returning the book data service utilization record recorded by the recording means through the communicating means to the remote record inspection means.    
     
     
         13 . The book data service system of  claim 12 , wherein the recording means records the book data service utilization record in terms of at least one of a time in use of the deciphering means, an amount of data deciphered by the deciphering means, and a number of cases deciphered by the deciphering means.  
     
     
         14 . The book data service system of  claim 12 , wherein the recording means records the book data service utilization record according to a book code of each book data deciphered by the deciphering means, so as not to change the book data service utilization record in a case of re-deciphering of once deciphered book data indicated by the book code.  
     
     
         15 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein the book data broadcasted from the data center contains broadcast schedule table, and each user terminal further includes means for storing the broadcast schedule table, means for making a storing reservation of desired book data on the stored broadcast schedule table, means for inspecting whether the book data received by the receiver means is the desired book data for which the storing reservation has been made, where the user terminal computer stores only the desired book data for which the storing reservation has been made among all the book data received by the receiver means.  
     
     
         16 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein each book data broadcasted from the data center contains an advertisement entry code assigned to an advertisement entry describing a content of said each book data briefly, and each user terminal further includes means for selecting the advertisement entry of a desired book data, means for memorizing the advertisement entry code of the selected advertisement entry, and means for comparing the advertisement entry code assigned to each book data received by the receiver means with the memorized advertisement entry code, where the user terminal computer stores only the desired book data whose advertisement entry code coincides with the memorized advertisement entry code.  
     
     
         17 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein each book data broadcasted from the data center is assigned with a book code, and each user terminal further includes means for comparing the book code of each book data received by the receiver means with the book code of the book data already stored in the user terminal computer, where the user terminal computer stores only such a book data whose book code does not coincide with the book code of the already stored book data.  
     
     
         18 . The book data service system of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the book data broadcasted from the data center contains at least one of user entry spaces and choice indication columns;    the data center further includes data center side communication means for enabling one-to-one communication with each user terminal through a communication network, and means for receiving user input data transmitted from the user terminal through the data center side communication means and returning a receipt notice through the data center side communication means to the user terminal from which the user input data is received; and    each user terminal further includes user terminal side communication means for enabling one-to-one communication with the data center through a communication network, means for editing the user input data from data entered by a user in said at least one of user entry spaces and choice indication columns on the book data in response to a transmission command given by the user, means for transmitting the user input data to the data center through the user terminal side communication means and receiving the receipt notice returned from the data center through the user terminal side communication means, and means for displaying the receipt notice received from the data center for a confirmation by the user.    
     
     
         19 . The book data service system of  claim 18 , wherein the book data broadcasted from the data center contains a communication network ID and a subscriber ID used by the data center, and the user terminal side communication means sets up a communication path with the data center side communication means according to the communication network ID and the subscriber ID contained in the book data.  
     
     
         20 . A method for providing a book data service, comprising the steps of: 
 storing and managing book data on a data center side by a data center computer of a data center;    broadcasting the book data stored and managed by the data center computer according to a prescribed communication protocol using a synchronization control and an error correction scheme suitable for data delivery by broadcasting without confirmation from a receiving side;    receiving the book data broadcasted from the data center at each user terminal;    storing and managing the book data on a user terminal side by a user terminal computer of the user terminal; and    displaying the book data stored and managed by the user terminal computer on a display in an image of a book.