WO2003036538A1

WO2003036538A1 - Electronic information delivery system capable of performing trial

Info

Publication number: WO2003036538A1
Application number: PCT/JP2002/010933
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yutaka Yasukura
Original assignee: Global Friendship Inc.
Priority date: 2001-10-23
Filing date: 2002-10-22
Publication date: 2003-05-01
Also published as: JP2003132234A

Abstract

In an electronic delivery system, a part of electronic information W stored in a server machine (1) of a transmitter is cut off as a sample A, which is transmitted to a user machine (2) of a receiver. The server machine (1) has electronic piece generating means (10) which divides the remaining portions X of the electronic information into a plurality of piece information Yi. They are transmitted to the user machine (2) via different communication paths and are integrated to restore the remaining portion X by electronic piece restoring means (20) of the user machine (2). The remaining portion X is integrated with the sample portion A to restore the electronic information W to be used. Thus, when trading electronic information, a buyer can order after confirming the content and it is possible to safely transmit electronic information.

Description

Specification

Trial use electronic information delivery system

The present invention relates to an electronic information delivery system in which a buyer can check the contents when trading electronic information as valuables and then purchase the electronic information, and the electronic information can be sent safely. Background art

With the development of the electronic communication network and the spread of information terminals connected to the network, transactions of electronic information through the network have been increasing. Such tradable electronic information includes literary works such as novels, music, computer games, computer programs, databases, specifications, blueprints, and invoices.

Conventionally, when electronic information is exchanged through a network, it is not possible to return it even if there is dissatisfaction as a result of specifying and downloading the electronic information. For this reason, sellers often distribute and invite trial editions that extract and edit a part of the original electronic information. Consumers can purchase the original electronic information again when they like the trial version. However, this method involves sending all of the original electronic information again in addition to the trial version, and has the problem of increasing the load on network resources. Also, exchanging electronic information through a network has the disadvantage that data can be stolen by spoofing, the content can be falsified, rewritten, or replaced, and it is difficult to detect afterwards without leaving any trace. Also, it is relatively easy to physically steal and use it in the middle of a communication channel.

Conventionally, in such a case, a method of ensuring security by encrypting and sending electronic information has been used. However, in the encryption method, since all the electronic information to be sent is included in the communication data, if the communication is leaked, an extremely capable infringer can decrypt or falsify the electronic information.

Conventionally, when trading electronic information as a product, when a buyer issues a credit, the seller can check the credit and make payment. It was usual to send a product if it was confirmed that it was functional. Settlement is possible as long as the seller sends the product, regardless of whether the buyer has obtained the product in perfect form, and the seller and the buyer do not reasonably trade on an equal footing. Re, it was in a state. Disclosure of the invention

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the electronic information is traded as a product, the buyer can confirm the contents of the electronic information and then make an online purchase, and the electronic information is stolen during the transmission of the electronic information. It is intended to provide an electronic information delivery system that can prevent payment and confirm that the buyer has received the desired product before making a payment.

An electronic information delivery system according to the present invention is characterized in that a part of electronic information stored in a server machine of a sender is cut out as a trial part in a trial state and sent to a user machine of a receiver, and an electronic tally generating means provided in the server machine The remaining part of the electronic information is divided into multiple pieces of tally information and sent to the recipient's user machine by different communication methods, and the retained part is integrated by the electronic tally restoration means provided in the recipient's user machine. And restore it, and combine it with the previous sample to make the entire electronic information available.

Here, the electronic tally refers to a half of the electronic information divided into two or more. If all the electronic tally are collected and integrated, the original electronic information can be restored.

The sender divides the electronic information to form an electronic tally, and the receiver collects and integrates all the generated electronic tallies to restore the original electronic information for use.

In addition, software for forming or restoring such an electronic tally is referred to as an electronic tally program.

According to the present invention, the sender distributes a trial portion that can estimate the content and value of electronic information by itself. The sample portion is a portion extracted from the electronic information and is preferably not edited. The distribution of the sample can be done in a variety of ways, including downloading from the Internet, a magazine appendix, direct mail, or distributing on the street. The recipient confirms using the trial part Only then, if you want to get the whole, you need to request that the sender send the remaining electronic information that is on hold.

The seller converts the hold portion of the electronic information into multiple electronic tallies, each of which is sent to the receiver using a different communication method.

Alternative communication methods include using physically different routes, transmitting at different times, transmitting by different encryption means, and so on.

By converting electronic information into electronic tallies and sending them on different routes, the entirety of the electronic information does not exist simultaneously on the communication path connecting the seller and the buyer. Cannot take advantage of this.

In particular, since electronic information is sent as electronic tally, it is extremely difficult to restore the original electronic information even if a part of the electronic tally is obtained. It is safe without.

In addition, even if the route is the same, if the time is different, it has the same protection performance against information leakage.

Preferably, the electronic tally is further transmitted using various encryption techniques. At this time, the reliability is further improved if the data is transmitted using different encryption methods for each electronic tally.

When sending the trial part, the holding part of the electronic information is divided into plural pieces of tally information by the electronic tally generation means provided in the server machine, and a part of the tally information is sent together with the trial part. The remaining tally information may be sent when there is a sending request from the user machine.

In this way, even if the electronic information is converted to electronic tally and the large part is sent together with the trial part, the part of the electronic tally cannot be recovered and cannot be used by the receiver. In this method, the sender's server machine must have less memory, because the remaining electronic tally that must be left at the sender is smaller, and the receiver's request can be fulfilled more quickly. Can be sent. If the capacity of the user machine is taken into consideration, the capacity of the electronic tally sent together with the sample portion may be reduced.

In addition, the hold portion of the electronic information is stored when an electronic information order is received from the user machine. For the first time, it may be divided into a plurality of tally information and sent.

In this way, the receiver sends the necessary electronic information only when making a purchase, so that no extra load is imposed on the communication path. It is also relatively easy to prevent theft by spoofing by generating and sending an electronic tally that incorporates purchase confirmation information so that only the purchaser can use it.

Further, it is preferable that the sender performs the payment processing after receiving the notification of the restoration of the electronic information from the receiving server machine. Only after successful restoration can the electronic information be used, and the value of the electronic information is created.

As the electronic tally generating means and the electronic tally restoring means, it is preferable to use the method disclosed by the applicant of the present application in the international application publication WO 00/43558.

That is, the electronic tally generation means divides the electronic information holding part into a plurality of electronic information elements based on the created allocation correspondence table every time the electronic tally is sent, and converts the generated electronic information elements into a plurality of electronic information blocks. The electronic information elements are allocated, the order of the electronic information elements is changed in each electronic information block, and furthermore, all or divided ones of the allocation correspondence table are included in the electronic information block to form a plurality of electronic tallies. In addition, the electronic tally restoration means restores the electronic information by performing an integrated restoration process on the information blocks of the collected electronic tally based on the assignment correspondence table.

By using such a tallying means, it is possible to reconstruct the entire image of electronic information if some electronic tallies are not available, even though electronic tallies are created in a short time using a relatively simple algorithm. Since it becomes extremely difficult, the security of information and communication can be ensured.

Further, the electronic information delivery system can include a depositary institution having a center machine. The depository center machine receives at least one of the electronic information generated by the sender's server machine and sends it to the user machine according to the recipient's request. ,

Even if the depository distributes a very small part of the electronic information, it is difficult to restore the original electronic information from the rest, so the capacity of the electronic tally deposited at the depository is reduced and the depository is reduced. Can be reduced. The depository has a function to settle the electronic information fee after receiving the notification of the restoration of the electronic information from the server machine of the recipient, so that the depository can substitute for the sender's settlement It is preferable to do so.

The depositary institution performs such agency settlement to ensure the delivery of the goods and the settlement of the price, and it is sufficient for the buyer to present the settlement information to the depository and perform the credit check by the depository, and the buyer is the seller. This eliminates the need to present settlement information to the seller and the seller to perform individual credit checks, and both buyers and sellers can omit complicated procedures.

By introducing the credit check function and the settlement function to the depositary institution, it is possible to construct an extremely easy-to-use electronic information delivery system.

As described above, if electronic information is delivered using the present invention, the buyer can make a purchase decision after confirming the contents, and the copyright protection of the electronic information is also completely protected.

Furthermore, if the buyer obtains the remaining electronic tally from the depositary institution and settles the payment, the buyer will be satisfied after the goods have been delivered, and the payment will be made, so the buyer can be satisfied. Reasonable transactions are conducted, which also contributes to consumer protection.

Note that the receiver's user machine can be an electronic computer connected to an electronic information communication network, especially a mobile phone or personal digital. A personal information terminal device such as an assistant (PDA) and a car navigation system can also be used. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of an electronic information delivery system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the function of a tally generation program, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating still another embodiment of the present embodiment. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The electronic information delivery system according to the present embodiment is designed to allow a purchaser to check the contents in advance when conducting a transaction of electronic information via the Internet communication network, and to prevent a third party from stealing the contents. It completely protects your rights.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system of this embodiment is a system for transmitting electronic information from a server machine of a seller or sender of electronic information to a user machine of a buyer or receiver via a communication network such as the Internet. It is.

The server machine 1 stores electronic information W to be sold. Electronic information W is a novel, poetry, diary, editorial and other literary works, movies, drama, photography, painting, music, games, computer programs, research papers, various types of information, etc. It is a digitalized version of various content that you might think. Needless to say, the electronic information W may be always stored in the external storage device of the server machine 1.

The server machine 1 divides the electronic information W into trial electronic information A to be used for trial and the remaining retained electronic information X. The trial part A is a part of the content included in the electronic information W, but it must be in a form that can be used on a computer, and must be a part that can fully demonstrate the value of the electronic information W when used.

The trial electronic information A is distributed to the user machine 2 of the purchasing class by various means. For example, it should be posted on the seller's website so that prospective buyers can freely download it via the Internet. It may be attached to magazines as an appendix or distributed by direct mail.

The receiver takes the obtained trial part A into the user machine 2 and uses it to check the contents and performance of the electronic information. As a result, if the user wants to obtain the electronic information, the server machine 1 is informed of the purchase.

Then, the server machine 1 confirms the security of the transaction by the buyer's ID settlement method or the like, and then uses the electronic tally generation program 10 to convert the held electronic information X into two or more electronic tally data using a so-called electronic tallying means. Divide into tally Yt, Ύ '' ·, Υ _η .

The electronic tally Y i is configured so that the original electronic hold information X can be restored only by collecting and integrating all the electronic tally information.

Generated electronic tallies _Y _2, · ·, Υ η is user through each separate channel Sent to The Machine 2.

By passing through separate communication channels, it becomes extremely difficult for a third party to collect all of the electronic tally, and the security of electronic information can be ensured. By changing the transmission time even for the same communication path, the same security can be ensured if physically different communication paths are used.

In the user machine 2, the electronic tallies Y Upsilon 2, · · coming from each channel, to set the Upsilon _[pi total and to restore the tallied previous pending electronic information X using an electronic tally restoration program 2 0. Furthermore, by combining the previously received trial electronic information Α with the restored suspended electronic information X, the original electronic information W purchased can be restored.

By using a computer program incorporated with the electronic tally restoration program 20, the user machine 2 can be surely restored when the electronic information t has been successfully restored from the electronic tally or the original electronic information W has been successfully restored. Send notification of receipt to server machine 1. Server machine 1 is allowed to settle the purchase price only after receiving this communication.

In the present embodiment, the method disclosed by the applicant of the present application in International Patent Application Publication WO 00/45358 is used for tallying and transmitting electronic information.

The disclosure method includes an electronic tally generation program and an electronic tally restoration program, which generates an electronic tally, sends it to a different route or at a different time, and collects and integrates all the electronic tallies to integrate the original electronic tally. It restores information. The server machine 1 has an electronic tally generation program 10 and the user machine 2 has an electronic tally restoration program 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic tally generation program 10 according to the present embodiment converts the remaining electronic information X from the original electronic information W except for the trial part A into electronic tally. First, an allocation correspondence table T is created using arguments determined such that random numbers and time stamp values cannot be easily guessed. The allocation correspondence table T contains the number L of dividing the electronic information part X into electronic information elements X j, the number n of electronic tally Y i to be created, the contents of the group Z i of electronic information elements X j allocated to the electronic tally Y i The specifications required for electronic tallying and restoration, such as, are specified.

The allocation correspondence table T also includes the location information of the sample A. Pending electronic This is because when merging with the information part X, it is necessary to bury it in an appropriate position.

Next, the pending electronic information X is divided into the number L of electronic information elements X j determined by the allocation correspondence table T. The data length of the electronic information part X is N bits.

The divided electronic information elements X j are divided into a predetermined number n of electronic information blocks Z i, and rearranged according to the allocation method determined by the correspondence table T.

Further, the allocation correspondence table T is divided into the number of electronic tallies, n, to obtain an allocation correspondence table element T i. For dividing the allocation correspondence table T, the electronic tallying means as described above may be used.

An allocation correspondence table element T i is connected to each of the electronic information blocks Z i formed earlier, and further, header information H i is attached to generate n electronic tally Y i. The electronic tally Yi thus formed is considered to have security similar to that obtained by setting k = n in the (k, 1, n) threshold method of the known secret sharing scheme. Can be

In the (n, 1, n) threshold method,

1 = n Z (1 + L log n / N)

If one or more electronic tallies required by 欠 are missing, even one bit of the original electronic information X cannot be clarified, and the average time required for the original information X to be completely found even after a 100% attack is information It increases exponentially with the number of bits N contained in, and becomes huge.

As described above, the electronic tally Y i of this embodiment cannot be restored to its original information X even if a part of it is stolen by a third party, so that it is sufficiently secure even on a public communication channel. It is.

If the allocation correspondence table T is also divided into the allocation correspondence table elements T i using electronic tallying means, it is extremely difficult to restore the allocation correspondence table T unless all the electronic tally Y i are collected. The security of electronic information will be even higher. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the electronic tally restoration program 20 in the present embodiment restores the allocation correspondence table T from the collected electronic tally Y i according to the header information H i, and From the electronic information block Z i in the electronic tally Y i according to the correspondence table T, the original pending electronic information X To restore.

The original electronic information W can be obtained by combining the restored electronic information part X with the trial electronic information part A distributed earlier.

According to the system of the present embodiment, since the purchaser can obtain the part A of the electronic information W in advance and check the value of the information before placing an order, the purchaser may be disappointed with the contents after the purchase. The situation can be prevented.

Also, when sending the remaining electronic information to provide the entire contents of the content, extremely high security and electronic tallying means are used, so if leakage occurs, use of the content can be prevented. It can prevent plagiarism and ensure copyright protection.

If payment is to be made for the first time after successful restoration of electronic information, payment must be made if the electronic information cannot be delivered to the buyer due to incorrect content being sent or an abnormality occurring in the communication path. The buyers can use the system with peace of mind.

Here, the ordering procedure and the acknowledgment notification procedure for the user machine 2 can be performed automatically if conditions are met by setting up a computer program and setting it together with the electronic tally restoration program 20 and distributing it to the recipient in advance. it can.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a different mode of the present embodiment.

In this usage mode, when a part A of the electronic information W is distributed in advance as a free sample to the purchasing layer, a part of the electronic tally Y1 generated by converting the reserved part X into a tally is attached. In addition, when an order for electronic information W is received, the remaining electronic tally Y 0 is sent via a communication channel.

In such a method, if the capacity of the remaining electronic tally Y 0 is reduced, it is sufficient to send only a small amount of electronic information when receiving an order, so that the load on the server machine 1 and the communication path is reduced. Is small.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining still another mode of use.

This use case incorporates a depositary institution in the system. The depository has a center machine 3 connected to the communication channel.

Sender's server machine 1 splits into trial electronic information A and remaining electronic pending information X Then, when the order is received and the order is received, the electronic tally Ύ ■ ■ · Υ η is generated from the held electronic information X, and sent to the receiver's user machine 2 via a separate route. At this time, at least one electronic tally Υ0 is sent to the user machine 2 via the center machine 3 of the depository.

The user machine 2 collects all the electronic tallies Y i, restores the allocation correspondence table T from the complete electronic tallies Y!, • ·, Y _n, and according to the allocation correspondence table Τ, the electronic information block in the electronic tally. , ,,. From, Ζ, the original stored electronic information X is restored by reversing the generated procedure.

Further, the previously used trial electronic information 先 and the restored suspended electronic information X are combined and used as the original electronic information W.

Then, the user machine 2 sends a receipt notification to the center machine 3 of the depository organization when the pending electronic information X or the original electronic information W has been successfully restored. The depository will settle the purchase price with the external clearing house upon receiving the receipt notification and send the collected value to the sender in an appropriate manner.

In this embodiment, if the deposited electronic tally Y0 of the center machine 3 of the depository is lacking, the receiver's user machine 2 cannot restore the original electronic information W. Thus, the depositary has complete control over electronic information transactions.

If all electronic tally Υ,, Υ ,, '·, Υ _π are aligned and the suspended electronic information X or the original electronic information W can be restored, a receipt notification is issued to the depositary institution, and the depository Perform agency. Therefore, it is sufficient for the depositary institution to know the credit information of the recipient without having to investigate each sender individually, so that it is possible to omit the trouble of the seller's investigation and prevent the spread of the buyer's credit information. it can.

Since the depository organization has to store a small amount of electronic tally information, the depository organization needs to have a relatively small computer system.

Further, also in the system described with reference to FIG. 4, as shown by the dotted line in the figure, the deposited electronic tally Υ0 is deposited in the center machine of the deposited institution through the depositing institution, and In accordance with the recipient's order, the depository may send the remaining electronic tally Υ◦. Even if the capacity of the electronic tally Υ 0 is extremely small, it is possible to prevent leakage of electronic information and theft of third parties. In the system constructed in this way, the depositary agency performs the payment processing on behalf of the seller, and the seller only distributes the sample, and only the depositary agency can provide services related to restoring the held electronic information and services related to payment settlement. Can be streamlined, so that the seller's sales effort can be streamlined. Industrial applicability

As described in detail above, according to the electronic information delivery system of the present invention, the consumer can purchase the electronic information after confirming the content and value of the electronic information, thereby ensuring the security during communication of the electronic information, and In addition to preventing copyright infringement, it is possible to make payment after confirming that the buyer has received the desired product.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A part of the electronic information stored in the sender's server machine is cut out as a trial part in a state that can be used for trial, sent to the receiving user's machine, and the electronic information tally generating means provided in the server machine provides the electronic tally generation means. The remaining reserved portion is divided into a plurality of pieces of tally information, each of which is sent to the recipient's user machine by a different communication method, and the reserved portion is integrated and restored by electronic tally restoring means provided in the recipient's user machine. An electronic information delivery system, wherein the electronic information distribution system is combined with the sample portion so that a receiver can use the entire electronic information.

2. When sending the trial portion, the holding portion is divided into the plurality of pieces of tally information by electronic tally generation means provided in the server machine, and a part of the tally information is sent together with the trial portion. 2. The electronic information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the remaining tally information is sent when there is a sending request from said user machine.

3. The holding part is divided into the plurality of pieces of tally information by the electronic tally generation means provided in the server machine and sent to the user machine when there is a transmission request of the holding part of the electronic information from the user machine. The electronic information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein

4. The electronic tally generation means creates an allocation correspondence table each time it is sent, divides the reserved portion of the electronic information into a plurality of electronic information elements based on the allocation correspondence table, and generates the generated electronic information element. Are allocated to a plurality of electronic information blocks, the order of the electronic information elements is changed in each of the electronic information blocks, and all or one of the allocation correspondence tables is included in the electronic information blocks. Forming the plurality of electronic tallies, and the electronic tally restoring means restores the electronic information by performing an integrated restoration process based on the allocation correspondence table for the information blocks of the grouped electronic tallies. The electronic information delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that:

5. The claim according to claim 1, wherein the sender performs a payment process after receiving a notification of restoration of the electronic information from the server machine of the receiver. Electronic information delivery as described in any of section 4:

6. At least one of a plurality of pieces of electronic information generated by the sender's server machine is sent to the receiver's user machine via a depository center machine. An electronic information delivery system according to any of the preceding clauses.

7. 7. The electronic information delivery according to claim 6, wherein the depository receives the notification of the restoration of the electronic information from the server machine of the receiver, and then performs the settlement processing of the electronic information fee.