JPH11259964A - Recording and reproducing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress an excessive restriction against a user even while protecting copy right at the time of duplicating data. SOLUTION: When data are duplicated to the destination of a transfer by a transfer, the reproducing of the data of the origin of the transfer is prohibited. An intrincic identifier is previously set in the equipment of the origin of a transfer. When the equipment of the destination of a transfer is connected to the equipment of the origin of the transfer, an identifier is transmitted from the equipment of the destination of the transfer (S51). Then, the transmitted identifier is searched from a previously registered indentifier management table at the origin of the transfer (S52). When the identifier is not found (S53), the transferring of data is prohibited (S60). When the identifier is found, data to be transferred are searched from a data management table at the origin of the transfer (S55) and a flag is checked (S56). When the flag is '1' (S57), since data are regard as they are already transferred, the transferring of the data is prohibited (S60). When the flag is '0', the data are transferred (S58) and the data management table is updated (S59).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for copying digital data from an electronic device to another electronic device, while preventing unrestricted duplication and unauthorized use of the data, and at the same time, having excessive rights to authorized users of the data. The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing system that does not impose restrictions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of digital technology,
In many cases, audio signals are supplied as digital music data, starting with recording media such as D (Compact Act). Digital music data can achieve high sound quality relatively easily, there is almost no deterioration in sound quality in the recording medium, and the recording medium is relatively small and lightweight compared to the conventional analog method. Widespread and popular.

[0003] On the other hand, digital music data hardly deteriorates in sound quality due to a recording medium, and can be easily copied completely. Conventionally, as a measure for copyright protection, SCMS (SerialCop) has been used for duplication of digital music data containing copyright.
y Management System). In this method, a predetermined flag is provided for digital music data, and copying as digital data is limited to, for example, one generation. SCMS is a commercial DAT (Dig
It is mounted on digital interfaces such as ital Audio Tape) and MD (Mini Disc).

[0004]

However, this SCM
In S, there is no limitation on the user and the device used, so that there is a problem that digital music data can be copied without limitation. For example, the original digital music data can be copied indefinitely by using a plurality of devices or by recording on a plurality of recording media.

[0005] In addition, limiting the reproduction of digital music data by SCMS to one generation by SCMS has the problem that, from the viewpoint of the user, the legitimate rights of the authorized user may be excessively restricted. was there. For example,
Even if a user who has purchased digital music data legally attempts to copy the data within the range of personal use, restrictions will occur.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a recording / reproducing system which protects copyrights and suppresses excessive restrictions on users.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides first and second electronic devices for storing data and reproducing the stored data.
A copying unit that copies data stored in the first electronic device to at least the second electronic device; and a first unit that copies predetermined data from the first electronic device to the second electronic device.
Copy determining means for determining whether to permit predetermined data stored in the second electronic device to be copied to the second electronic device in accordance with an identifier transmitted from the second electronic device. A recording / reproducing system characterized in that:

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first electronic device for encrypting and storing data and reproducing the stored data, and a method for storing the data in the first electronic device. Decrypting means for decrypting encrypted data, and determining whether to permit predetermined encrypted data stored in the first electronic device to be copied to the second electronic device. When the copying is permitted by the copying determining means, the predetermined encrypted data is decrypted by the decoding means, and when the copying is prohibited by the copying determining means, the predetermined encrypted data is As it is
A recording / reproducing system, comprising: a control unit for performing control so as to be copied to a second electronic device.

As described above, the present invention determines whether data can be copied from the first electronic device to the second electronic device according to the identifier sent from the second electronic device. Thus, it is possible to prevent data from being copied to an unauthorized party.

Further, the present invention determines whether or not to permit copying of data encrypted by the first electronic device and stored in the first electronic device to the second electronic device, and permits. In such a case, the encrypted data is decrypted and copied to the second electronic device. Otherwise, the encrypted data is copied directly to the second electronic device. It is possible to prevent data from being copied to a remote party.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows a music server to which the present invention is applied and a system using the music server. The music server 50 includes a server body 51 and left and right speaker units 5.
2L and 52R. The server body 51 is provided with a display unit 53 composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel and a CD insertion unit 54 for inserting a CD.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, an operation unit for the user to operate the functions of the server main body 51 is provided for the server main body 51. Further, the server body 5
For example, a signal receiving unit for receiving an infrared signal for remotely controlling the first function by a remote commander may be provided. The server body 51 has a CPU and is controlled by a predetermined program stored in advance in, for example, a ROM.

The user sets the CD 55 in the CD insertion section 54 and performs a predetermined operation on the operation section to reproduce the CD 55, and reproduces the reproduced music, for example, in the speaker unit 5.
It can be enjoyed by 2L, 52R. Also CD
When 55 is a CD text including text data, the display unit 53 can display predetermined text data.

The music server 50 has a large-capacity recording medium such as a hard disk inside.
Based on a predetermined operation, C set in the CD insertion unit 54
The music data of D55 can be recorded on this recording medium. At this time, a method of recording at the same 1 × speed as the reproduction speed of the CD 55 and a high speed recording of recording at a higher speed than the reproduction speed can be selected. High-speed recording can be selected and executed by performing a charging process according to a predetermined procedure.

In the music server 50, music data is compressed and encoded by a predetermined method and recorded as compressed music data. For example, about 1000 songs can be stored in a hard disk having a capacity of 6 Gbytes. A list of songs stored in the hard disk is displayed on the display unit 53, for example, and the user can select and play any song based on the display. Further, since the hard disk is capable of random access, it is possible to continuously reproduce a large number of stored music data in an arbitrary order.

Although various methods can be used for compression encoding, in this example, ATRAC2 (Adaptive Tr
A method called anform Acoustic Coding 2) is used. This is an extension of ATRAC, which is a compression coding method used for MD, and utilizes transforming coding and entropy coding using a masking effect based on auditory properties and a frequency dependency of minimum audibility. Compression encoding of audio data is performed together. High-speed encoding / decoding can be performed with relatively small-scale hardware while maintaining high sound quality.

The music server 50 can be connected to an external system, for example, an Internet server 60 which is a server connected to the Internet, through a communication line 61 which is a public telephone line, for example. By connecting the music server 50 to the Internet server 60 via the communication line 61, various information on the Internet can be obtained. The Internet server 60 has, for example, a database that stores title information of commercially available music CDs. By giving a predetermined key to this database, data accompanying the CD, for example, title information of the CD can be obtained.

The Internet server 60 also performs a charging process for the music server 50 according to the service. The above-described high-speed recording of the CD 55 is charged by the music server 50 communicating with the Internet server 60, and can be selected and executed.

Here, the billing process is performed by the Internet server 60 having a large number of additional information of the CD, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, this billing process may be performed by another server connected to the Internet. Also, separate from the Internet,
For example, it is also possible to perform the billing process using a dedicated network.

The portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 has a recording medium composed of a hard disk or a flash memory (flash RAM). Other recording media can be used as long as they can follow the music playback speed. By connecting the portable recording / reproducing device 70 to the music server 50 via a connection line 71, music data recorded in the music server 50 can be transferred to the portable recording / reproducing device 7
0 and can be recorded on a recording medium. At this time, on the music server 50 side, the transferred music data exists on the recording medium but cannot be reproduced. The recording medium used in the portable recording / reproducing device 70 includes:
For example, the capacity is about 200 Mbytes, and music data for several tens of songs can be stored.

Here, when the above-described transfer method used in the present invention, that is, when music data is transferred, the music data is recorded on the recording medium of the transfer destination and the transferred data is recorded on the recording medium of the transfer source. The fact that music data exists on a recording medium but cannot be played back is
This is called “movement”. By moving the music data in this manner, unlimited copying of the music data can be prevented.

In the above description, the music server 50
And the portable recording / reproducing device 70 are connected by the connection line 71, but this is not limited to this example. For example, the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 may be provided with corresponding mounting portions, and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 may be directly attached to the music server 50 to exchange data. Further, in addition to the electrical connection, for example, an interface corresponding to IrDA (Infrared Data Association) for exchanging data by an infrared signal may be provided on both sides, and music data may be transferred by the infrared signal.

The portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is driven by a battery power source such as a dry battery or a rechargeable battery. For example, the music server 50 is provided with a corresponding charging power source, and by connecting the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 in a predetermined manner,
The rechargeable battery of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 can be charged. Of course, it is also possible to charge the rechargeable battery of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 using a dedicated charging power source. In addition, the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is not limited to a battery power supply,
For example, it can be driven by an external AC power supply.

Further, by providing a predetermined interface to the music server 50, it becomes possible to exchange information with various media. For example,
By providing an interface corresponding to the PC card 80, music data distributed by the PC card 80 can be taken into the music server 50, and data can be exchanged between the personal computer and the music server 50. By providing a serial digital interface using an optical cable or the like, it becomes possible to exchange music data with another digital music data recording / reproducing device such as the MD recorder 81. In this example, the MD 82 is mounted on the MD recorder 81, and music data reproduced from the MD 82 is supplied to the music server 50. Similarly, an interface such as IEEE1394 may be provided to connect a set-top box 83 for CATV (Cable Television), satellite broadcasting, or the like.

The PC card is a US PCMCIA.
(Personal Memory Card International Association) and JEIDA (Japan Electronic Industry Development Association) of Japan are jointly established and are standards for card-type peripheral devices for personal computers. IEEE 1394 is an interface standard adopted by the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The music server 50 can have a WWW (World Wide Web) browser as a built-in application. By connecting to the Internet server 60 via the communication line 61, for example, HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) on the Internet
Can be searched for and displayed on the display unit 53.

With such a configuration, for example, the user can play back music data stored in the music server 50 and listen to it through the speaker units 52L and 52R, and set the CD 55 in the CD insertion section 54. Thus, the CD 55 can be reproduced. When reproducing the CD 55, TOC (Table Of Contents) information of the CD 55 is read, and a track number is displayed on the display unit 53, for example.

Further, by performing communication between the music server 50 and the Internet server 60, title information and the like of the CD 55 set in the CD insertion section 54 can be automatically obtained via the communication line 61.
The obtained information is stored in the music server 50 and displayed on the display unit 53 as necessary.

More specifically, the music server 50
Sends user information such as a user ID to the Internet server 60. Internet server 60
On the side, collation processing and billing processing are performed based on the received user information. Also, the media information is sent from the music server 50 to the Internet server 60. In the Internet server 60, based on the received media information, for example, a song title, a player name,
A search for additional information for music data, such as a composer or lyricist name, lyrics, and a jacket image, is performed. Then, the Internet server 60 returns predetermined information requested by the user to the music server 50.

For example, TOC information of the CD 55 is sent to the Internet server 60 as media information.
In the Internet server 60, a database is constructed from which the additional information for the music data can be searched using the TOC information as a key. The additional information may be obtained by searching another WWW server on the Internet. The Internet server 60 searches for additional information of music data based on the received TOC information. This includes, for example, CD5 included in the TOC.
5 can be searched for based on the time information of each of the songs recorded in the song.

The additional information obtained by the search is sent from the Internet server 60 to the music server 50. In the music server 50, the received additional information is displayed on the display unit 53. The additional information is HT
By embedding and sending the ML file, the music server 50 can display the additional information with a built-in WWW browser.

If another URL (Uniform Resource Locator) on the Internet is described in the additional information, the music server 50 can access a home page on the Internet indicated by the URL.

Further, by communicating with the Internet server 60, the C
The D55 music data can be recorded on the recording medium of the music server 50 at a speed higher than the prescribed reproduction speed of the CD55, for example, the music data for one CD55 in about two minutes. When the communication with the Internet server 60 is not performed, the recording is performed at a normal reproduction speed and a normal speed.

Further, by connecting the portable recording / reproducing device 70 with the connection line 71, the music data stored in the music server 50 can be transferred to the portable reproducing device 71 and moved. The moved music data can be reproduced by the portable recording / reproducing device 70 even when the connection is not made by the connection line 71, and can be listened to by the headphones 72, for example. The transferred and moved music data is in a state where reproduction is impossible in the music server 50.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the music server 50. First, in the music server 50, a RAM 5, a ROM 6, a flash RAM 7, and a CPU 8, which are connected to each other by a bus, are provided as in the configuration of a normal personal computer. The CPU 8 is connected to the bus 40. The overall operation of the music server 50 is controlled by the CPU 8.

The ROM 6 stores the music server 5
A program for controlling the operation of “0” is stored in advance. In the music server 50, based on this program, an operation corresponding to an operation of the input unit 1 described later is performed. A data area and a task area for executing a program are temporarily secured in the RAM 5 and the flash RAM 7. Alternatively, a program loader is stored in the ROM 6, and the program itself can be loaded into the flash RAM 7 by the program loader.

The input means 1 comprises, for example, push-type and rotary-type keys. The input means 1 is not limited to this,
Rotary push key called jog dial, LC
A touch panel on D may be used. Of course, it is also possible to use a switch mechanism that responds when pressed.
A signal corresponding to the operation of the input means 1 is supplied to the CPU 8 via the bus 40. The CPU 8 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the music server 50 based on this signal. The music server 50 is operated according to the control signal.

An infrared interface (IrDA I / F) driver 3 and / or a USB
(Universal Serial Bus) driver 4 is connected. The keyboard 2 can communicate or connect to these drivers. By using the keyboard 2, for example, a song name corresponding to the music data to be recorded,
The input of the artist name and the like is facilitated. Also, an infrared interface driver 3 or a USB driver 4
May be configured to perform data transfer via the. The infrared interface 3 and the USB driver 4 can be omitted.

The CD-ROM drive 9 is connected to the bus 40, and the CD 55
Is set. In the CD-ROM drive 9, music data is read from the set CD 55 at a specified reproduction speed. Also, this CD-ROM drive 9
Thus, the music data on the CD 55 can be read out at a speed higher than the specified reproduction speed, for example, 16 times or 32 times the specified reproduction speed.

Note that the CD-ROM drive 9 is not limited to this example, and other media storing music data,
For example, a magneto-optical disk or a DVD (Digital Versatile Dis
You may make it correspond to c). Further, a drive corresponding to a memory card can be used. In addition, CD
-Data read from the ROM drive 9 is not limited to music data. Image data, text data, program data, and the like can also be read.

The hard disk drive HDD 10 is connected to the bus 40. The HDD 10 has a CD-R
Music data read from the OM drive 9 is recorded. As pre-processing for recording music data on the HDD 10, music data read by the CD-ROM drive 9 is supplied to the compression encoder 12 via the bus 40 and the audio DRAM 11.

In the compression encoder 12, for example, music data is compressed and encoded by ATRAC2 described above. It should be noted that two speeds, a low speed and a high speed, are prepared for the compression speed of the music data by the compression encoder 12 under the control of the CPU 8. Low speed compression is CD-ROM
This corresponds to a 1x playback speed in the drive 9. The compression speed is switched according to, for example, the reproduction speed of the CD-ROM drive 9. In the compression encoder 12,
For example, an encoding algorithm corresponding to the compression speed is driven.

The change of the compression speed in the compression encoder 12 is not limited to this method. For example, it may be performed by switching the clock frequency of the compression encoder 12. Alternatively, different hardware may be prepared. Further, in the compression encoder 12 capable of high-speed compression, the processing may be thinned out to perform low-speed compression.

The compressed music data compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 12 is recorded and stored in the HDD 10 via the DRAM 11.

Here, the compressed music data compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 12 is configured to be stored in the HDD 10, but the music data read from the CD-ROM drive 9 is directly recorded on the HDD 10 and stored therein. It can also be stored.

In this example, the audio signal input from the microphone connected to the terminal 13 via the amplifier 14 and the audio signal input from the line input terminal 15 are A / A.
The data is supplied to the compression encoder 12 via the D converter 16. These audio signals can be compression-encoded and recorded on the HDD 10. Further, the optical digital signal is transmitted from the optical digital input terminal 17 to IEC958 (Intern
ational Electrotechnical Commission 958) It is supplied to the compression encoder 12 via the encoder 18. An audio signal supplied as an optical digital signal can be compression-encoded and recorded in the HDD 10. Of course, it is not necessary to have all of these signal input means.

In the above description, the compression encoder 12
Although ATRAC2 is used as the encoding algorithm, this is not limited to this example. That is,
In the compression encoder 12, any other encoding algorithm that compresses information can be used. For example, ATRAC (trademark), MPEG (movingpi
cture coding experts group), PASC (precision
adaptive sub-bandcoding), TwinVQ ™,
RealAudio ™, LiquidAudio
An encoding algorithm such as (trademark) may be used.

The modem 20 is connected to the bus 40. The modem 20 includes, for example, a public telephone line, a CATV,
Alternatively, an external network 19 such as wireless communication
Is connected. The music server 50 is capable of communication via the external network 19 by the modem 20.

The music server 50 is connected to, for example, the Internet via the external network 19, and communication is performed between the music server 50 and a remote Internet server 60. Music server 5
0 to the Internet server 60, a request signal or a CD 55 set in the CD-ROM drive 9.
, Various information such as user ID and user information given to each of the music servers 50 in advance, and billing information for the user.

These information are stored in the Internet server 60
The matching process and the billing process are performed based on the received user information such as the user ID, and additional information of the music data is searched based on the received media information, and is returned to the music server 50.

Here, the example in which the additional information of the music data is returned has been described. However, the music data can be directly supplied from the external network 19 based on the user's request. That is, the user can download music data from the Internet server 60 using the music server 50. Also, music data can be returned in response to the media information. According to this, for example, a bonus track of a predetermined CD 55 can be obtained by distribution.

The compressed music data compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 12 and recorded and stored in the HDD 10 is
When read for reproduction, it is supplied to the compression decoder 21 via the bus 40. The compressed music data is decompressed and encoded by the compression decoder 21, and the D / A converter 22
And output to the terminal 24 via the amplifier 23. Then, the music is supplied from the terminal 24 to the speaker units 52L and 52R, and the music is reproduced. Although omitted in FIG. 2, two paths from the D / A converter 22 to the terminal 24 via the amplifier 23 are provided corresponding to the stereo output. Similarly, there are two terminals 24 corresponding to stereo.

In the compression decoder 21, a decoding algorithm corresponding to the encoding algorithm in the compression encoder 12 is used. The compression decoder 21 and the above-described compression encoder 12 may be software processing by the CPU 8 without having hardware.

The LCD 26 constituting the display unit 53 is an LCD
It is connected to the bus 40 via the driver 25. CPU8
Supplies a drawing control signal to the LCD driver 25 via the bus 40. The LCD 26 is driven by the LCD driver 25 based on this signal, and a predetermined display is performed.

On the LCD 26, for example, an operation menu of the music server 50 is displayed. LCD2
6, a title list of the compressed music data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 is displayed. Furthermore, L
On the CD 26, for example, folders and jacket images corresponding to the compressed music data to be selected and reproduced are displayed.

By operating the pointing device as the input means 1 and the keyboard 2 based on the display on the LCD 26, the reproduction of the designated music data is controlled. In addition, the deletion of the selected music data and the control of copying or moving the selected music data to an external device are also performed by the LC.
26 can be performed based on the display. For example, when the input unit 1 is a touch panel provided on the LCD 26, the music server 50 can be operated by touching the touch panel according to the display on the LCD 26. In this manner, music data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 is managed and controlled by the user using the LCD 26 as an interface.

In the first embodiment, IEEE 1394 and a PC card are supported as an interface between the music server 50 and an external general information device. IEEE 1394 driver 2 for the bus 40
9, an IEEE 1394 interface 28 is connected. Similarly, a PC card slot 31 is connected to the bus 40 via a PC card driver 30.

Data can be exchanged between the music server 50 and, for example, a personal computer by the IEEE1394 interface 28. Also, an IRD (Integrated Reciever / Dec) for satellite broadcasting is provided by the IEEE 1394 interface 28.
order), MD, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc: trademark), digital video, and the like. Furthermore, the PC card slot 31
By installing the card, it is easy to expand various peripheral devices such as an external storage device and other media drives, or a modem, a terminal adapter, and a capture board.

The interface 34 is an interface for exchanging music data and the like between the music server 50 and another corresponding recording / reproducing device. As another recording / reproducing apparatus, for example, the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 shown in FIG. 1 described above is applied. Not limited to this, the other recording / reproducing device may use another music server 5
It may be 0.

An interface 34 is connected to the bus 40 via an interface driver 33.
Other corresponding recording / reproducing devices include an interface 34
Interface 35 is provided. By electrically connecting the interfaces 34 and 35 with a predetermined connection line 71, for example, music data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 can be transferred from the music server 50 to another recording / reproducing device.

For each part of the music server 50,
Power is supplied from the power supply unit 45. The power supply unit 45 also has a function for charging the portable recording / reproducing device 70. Further, a predetermined function of the power supply unit 45 can be controlled by the CPU 8. Although omitted in FIG. 2, the music server 50 is provided with a charging terminal for outputting charging power.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a signal flow until music data read by the CD-ROM drive 9 is recorded on the HDD 10. The music data read from the CD-ROM drive 9 is temporarily stored in the DRAM 11 as a buffer memory via the bus 40. Then, music data is read from the DRAM 11 at a predetermined timing and supplied to the compression encoder 12 via the bus 40. The compression encoder 12 performs step S1 described above.
3 or the predetermined compression speed is set in step S14. The music data is compression-encoded by the compression encoder 12 and once stored in the DRAM 11 as a buffer memory again. Then, the compressed music data read from the DRAM 11 at a predetermined timing is transferred to the H via the bus 40.
The data is supplied to the DD 10 and recorded.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a signal flow from the time when the compressed music data read from the HDD 10 is subjected to the reproduction process to the output to the terminal 24. The compressed music data read from the HDD 10 is temporarily stored in the DRAM 11 as a buffer memory via the bus 40. Then, the compressed music data is read from the DRAM 11 at a predetermined timing and supplied to the compression decoder 21 via the bus 40. The compressed music data is decompressed by the compression decoder 21, converted into music data, and supplied to the D / A converter 22. Then, the music data is converted into an analog audio signal by the D / A converter 22 and
The signal is amplified at 3 and output to a terminal 24 as a reproduction output. If a speaker is connected to the terminal 24, music played on the speaker can be enjoyed.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a portable recording / reproducing device 70 used as another recording / reproducing device. This portable recording / reproducing device 70 has a configuration substantially equivalent to the music server 50 shown in FIG. 2 described above. Also,
In the portable recording / reproducing device 70, the interface 34 on the music server 50 side and the interface 35 on the portable recording / reproducing device 70 side are usually separated and used as a single unit.

First, the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is provided with a RAM 103, a ROM 104, and a CPU 105 which are connected to each other by a bus, similarly to the configuration of a normal personal computer. Of course, a flash RAM may be provided as in the configuration of the music server 50 described above. CPU 105 is connected to bus 130. By the CPU 105, the portable recording / reproducing device 7
0 is controlled overall.

A program for controlling the operation of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is stored in the ROM 104 in advance. In the portable recording / reproducing device 70, an operation corresponding to an operation of the input means 102 described later is performed based on the program. In the RAM 103, a data area and a task area for executing a program are temporarily secured.

The input means 102 comprises, for example, push-type and rotary-type keys. The input means 102 is not limited to this, and may be a rotary push type key called a jog dial, a touch panel on an LCD, or the like. Of course, it is also possible to use a switch mechanism that responds when pressed. A signal corresponding to the operation of the input means 102 is supplied to the CPU 105 via the bus 130. CPU1
At 05, the portable recording / reproducing device 70
A control signal for controlling the operation of is generated. The portable recording / reproducing device 70 is operated according to the control signal.

In the music server 50, the HDD
The music data read from the mobile phone 10 and instructed to be transferred to the portable recording / reproducing device 70
4, interface 35, and interface 3
The data is transferred and supplied to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 via a connection line connecting the device 4 and the interface 35.
Also, the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70
And, if the mounting parts corresponding to each other are provided,
The interface 34 and the interface 35 are directly connected, and music data is transferred. further,
When an interface based on IrDA is provided, music data is transferred by infrared signals.

The transferred and supplied music data is transmitted from the interface driver 101 via the bus 130 to the H which is the music data recording medium of the portable recording and reproducing apparatus 70.
It is recorded on the DD 106.

In the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, the music data recording medium is not limited to the HDD 106, but may be a flash RAM, for example. Further, any other recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk may be used as long as it can follow the reproduction speed of the music data. As a music data recording medium, for example, 20
By using a capacity of about 0 MByte,
Several tens of songs can be recorded.

By the way, in this example, the transferred HDD 1
The music data recorded in 06 is already compressed and encoded in the music server 50 and is compressed music data. The portable recording / reproducing device 70 is not limited to this example.
Music data that has not been compressed and encoded is supplied to the HDD
106. For example, C set in the CD-ROM drive 9 of the music server 50
The music data reproduced and read from D55 is supplied directly to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 via the interface driver 101. However, in this case, it goes without saying that the number of recordable music data is greatly limited.

The supplied music data is temporarily stored in an audio DRAM 107 connected to the bus 130 as a pre-process for recording the music data on the HDD 106. Then, the music data is supplied to the compression encoder 108 via the bus 130. The compression encoder 108 performs compression encoding of music data by an encoding algorithm (ATRAC2 in this example) equivalent to the compression encoder 12 in the music server 50. The compression-encoded compressed music data is stored in the DRAM 1
07 and temporarily stored again. Finally,
The compressed music data stored in the DRAM 107 is read out and recorded in the HDD 106.

As described above, when the music server 50 is instructed to move the compressed music data stored in the HDD 10 and transferred to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, the compressed music data in the HDD 10 is transferred to the HDD 10 Although it exists above, it is in a state where reproduction is impossible. The compressed music data that has been moved is returned to the recording medium at the source, so that it can be reproduced at the source. At this time, the compressed music data is deleted from the destination recording medium.

In this example, the audio signal input from the microphone connected to the terminal 109 via the amplifier 110 and the audio signal input from the line input terminal 111 are transmitted through the A / D converter 112 to the compression encoder. 10
8 is supplied. These audio signals are compressed and coded to H
It can be recorded on the DD 106. Further, the optical digital signal is transmitted from the optical digital input terminal 113 to the IEC.
Compression encoder 108 via 958 encoder 114
Supplied to An audio signal supplied as an optical digital signal can be compression-encoded and recorded in the HDD 106. Of course, it is not necessary to have all of these signal input means, and it is also possible to omit all of these signal input means if it is a portable reproduction apparatus dedicated to reproduction. .

The compressed music data is read out from the HDD 106 for reproduction, and is supplied via the bus 130 to the compression decoder 1.
15 is supplied. The music data decompressed by the compression decoder 115 is led to a terminal 118 via a D / A converter 116 and an amplifier 117. Terminal 1
For example, headphones 72 are connected to 18. The user can listen to the reproduced music by wearing the headphones. Although omitted in FIG. 5, two paths from the D / A converter 116 to the terminal 118 via the amplifier 117 are provided corresponding to the stereo output. Similarly, there are two terminals 118 corresponding to stereo.

The LCD 120 is connected to the bus 130 via the LCD driver 119. Bus 1 from CPU 105
A drawing control signal is supplied to the LCD driver 119 via the LCD 30 and the LCD 120 is driven to perform a predetermined display. On the LCD 120, an operation menu of the portable recording / reproducing device 70, a title list of music data recorded on the HDD 106, and the like are displayed. For example, a folder or a jacket image corresponding to the music data selected and reproduced may be displayed on the LCD 120.

By operating a pointing device as the input means 102 based on the display on the LCD 120, reproduction of the specified compressed music data is controlled. In addition, the control of erasing, duplicating, and moving the selected compressed music data can be performed based on the display on the LC 120. For example, by touching the touch panel serving as the input unit 102 according to the display on the LCD 120, the portable recording / reproducing device 70 can be operated. in this way,
Using the LCD 120 as an interface, compressed music data recorded on the HDD 106 is managed and controlled by the user.

Power is supplied from the power supply unit 135 to each section of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70. The power supply unit 135 includes a charging unit that is supplied with electric power from the outside and is charged. When the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 are directly connected to each other by a connection line or a mounting unit, the charging unit is supplied with power from the music server 50 and charged when the music data is transferred.
Of course, it can be charged by another external charging power source. The power source may be a dry battery power source.

FIG. 6 shows another example of the portable recording and reproducing apparatus 70 described above. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIG. 5 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The portable recording / reproducing device 70 'shown in FIG.
5, a switch circuit 200 is inserted between the HDD (or flash RAM) 106 'and the bus 130. One selection terminal 200 a of the switch circuit 200 is connected to the bus 130, and the other selection terminal 20
0b is connected to the interface 35. The switch circuit 200 separates the HDD 106 ′ from the bus 130.

At the time of transferring the compressed music data from the music server 50, the selection terminal 2
00b is selected. Interfaces 34 and 35
, The HDD 106 ′ is directly connected to the bus 40 of the music server 50. The HDD 106 ′
It looks as if it is a recording medium of the music server 50. The CPU 8 of the music server 50 enables direct control of the HDD 106 ′. It is possible to easily move or copy the compressed music data between the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70.

Next, the operation of the embodiment having the above configuration will be described. First, a function executed by the music server 50 alone will be described. FIG. 7 shows the music data of the CD 55 set in the CD-ROM drive 9 stored in the H of the music server 50.
5 is a flowchart of an example of a process when recording on a DD 10.

In the first step S10, a request by the user for recording the music data of the CD 55 on the HDD 10 is awaited. Then, for example, when a recording request is issued by the user using the input unit 1, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, it is determined whether the requested recording is a high-speed recording or a 1-times recording. For example, when a recording request is issued in step S10 described above, the user specifies both the recording method, that is, whether to perform recording at high speed or at 1 × speed.

If it is specified in step S11 that high-speed recording is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S12, and the accounting system is started. Processing by the charging system will be described later. When the accounting process is performed and the high-speed recording is permitted, the process proceeds to step S13, and the compression encoder 12 starts the high-speed compression process. Then, the process proceeds to step S15.

On the other hand, if it is specified in step S11 to perform recording at 1 × speed, the process proceeds to step S14, and the compression encoder 12 starts low-speed compression processing. Then, the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the CD-ROM drive 9 is driven at a predetermined speed under the control of the CPU 8, and the music data recorded on the set CD 55 is read. The read music data is compression-encoded by the compression encoder 12, transferred to the HDD 10, and recorded.

If it is determined in step S16 that the transfer of the compressed music data to the HDD 10 has been completed, the next step S16
At 17, the transfer from the CD-ROM drive 9 to the HDD 10 is prohibited, and at the next step S18, the compression encoder 12 is stopped.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the accounting process in step S12 of the flowchart of FIG. The accounting process is performed by communication between the music server 50 and the Internet server 60. FIG. 8A shows the processing in the music server 50, and FIG. 8B shows the processing in the Internet server 60.

When the accounting process is started, first, in the first step S20 in FIG. 8A, communication between the music server 50 and the Internet server 60 is started using a predetermined protocol. If it is confirmed in step S21 that the connection is established and communication is possible, the process proceeds to step S21.
Move to 22.

In step S22, the CD 55 set in the CD-ROM drive 9 and transferred to the HDD 10 for recording
Is transmitted from the music server 50 to the Internet server 60. At the same time, high-speed recording information indicating high-speed recording is sent from the music server 50 to the Internet server 60.

On the other hand, in FIG. 8B, the Internet server 60 waits for high-speed recording information and TOC information from the music server 50 (step S3).
0). When these information are received, step S31
Then, a search for the TOC information is performed. The CD55 is specified by searching the TOC information.

Then, a billing process is performed in the next step S32. The billing can be performed, for example, by being debited from the account based on the credit card number of the user registered in advance. The billing method is not limited to this,
For example, a method is also conceivable in which the music server 50 is provided with a function of reading a prepaid card, the set billing amount is transmitted to the music server 50, and the user pays the bill with the prepaid card. Further, based on the TOC information, the billing amount can be changed depending on the content of the CD 55, and recording on the HDD 10 can be prohibited.

At step S33, the billing information is sent to music server 50. Then, in FIG. 8A, the charging information is confirmed on the music server 50 side (step S23). The Internet server 60 also checks whether the music server 50 has received the billing information (step S34).

Returning to FIG. 8A, when the billing information is confirmed in step S23, the process proceeds to step S24, and the received billing information and the like are displayed on display unit 53. Then, in step S25, the music data of CD55 is
The data is read at high speed by the ROM drive 9, compressed at high speed by the compression encoder 12, and recorded on the HDD 10. This step S25 corresponds to step S15 in FIG. 7 described above.

In this embodiment, a cooperative operation between the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is enabled. For example, music server 5
When the music data is moved from 0 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70, a cooperative operation is performed between them. FIG.
Shows a flowchart of an example of this movement.

First, in the first step S40, it is determined whether or not the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 are connected by the interfaces 34 and 35. The connection is detected by, for example, the interface 34
And 35 is exchanged with a predetermined signal. The music server 5 is not limited to this.
A switch mechanism may be provided at a portion connecting the 0 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 to detect the connection by mechanical means.

When the connection is confirmed, the next step S41
Then, it is determined whether movement of the music data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is requested. For example, for the display unit 53, the HD
A list of the compressed music data stored in D10 is displayed, and a predetermined pointing device as the input unit 1 is used by the user to select predetermined compressed music data from the list. Further, an instruction to move the selected compressed music data to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is issued.

There are various methods for instructing movement.
For example, a button for instructing movement is displayed on the display unit 53, and this button can be specified by a predetermined method. Further, for example, an icon indicating compressed music data is displayed, and the icon is moved to an icon indicating the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 at the destination, that is, a so-called drag & drop operation.
It is also possible to do by dropping. Of course, a movement instruction may be given by operating a switch mechanism provided in the operation unit.

If it is determined in step S41 that there is a request to move the compressed music data, in step S42, the file size of the compressed music data designated to be moved is checked. Then, in the next step S43, the free space of the HDD 106 of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is checked. And this H
The free space of the DD 106 is compared with the file size of the compressed music data designated to be moved and checked in step S42. Based on the comparison result, it is determined whether or not the compressed music data designated to be moved can be recorded on the HDD 106. If it is determined that recording is possible, the process proceeds to step S45, and transfer of compressed music data is started.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S43 that there is not enough free space in the HDD 106 of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, the process proceeds to step S44. In step S44, the HDD of the compressed music data designated to be moved
The compressed music data already recorded on the HDD 106 is deleted so that recording on the HDD 106 is possible. Then, the process proceeds to step S45.

The deletion of the compressed music data is performed by the HDD 10
6 automatically based on predetermined parameters of the compressed music data already recorded. For example, in the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, it is conceivable to count the number of times of reproduction for each piece of compressed music data recorded in the HDD 106 and delete the data having the lowest number of reproductions. Also,
It is also possible to delete the oldest date recorded on the HDD 106.

Further, when automatically deleting the compressed music data, important compressed music data for the user may be deleted. In order to prevent this, the display unit 53 of the music server 50 or the LCD 12 of the portable recording / reproducing device 70
A warning message may be displayed at 0, and after the user's confirmation, it may be deleted. Furthermore, the music server 50
A list of compressed music data already recorded in the HDD 106 is displayed on the display unit 53 or the LCD 120 of the portable recording / reproducing device 70, and the user himself selects the compressed music data to be deleted.

The above steps S43 and S4
By the process of 4, the compressed music data whose movement is specified is
When the recording to the HDD 106 is enabled, the transfer of the compressed music data from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is started in step S45. That is, the compressed music data read from the HDD 10 is
It is supplied to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 via the bus 40 and the interface 34. In the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, the supplied compressed music data is recorded on the HDD 106 in the interface 35.

The transferred compressed music data also exists in the HDD 10 of the music server 50 in the same manner as before the transfer. In this embodiment, the reproduction of the corresponding compressed music data existing in the HDD 10 is prohibited (step S46). For example, a reproduction prohibition flag indicating prohibition of reproduction is set for the compressed music data. This allows
The corresponding compressed music data is virtually moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70. Therefore, each piece of compressed music data is managed so that only one exists at all times, and illegal duplication of data is prevented.

Then, in the next step S47, it is determined whether or not there is a request for moving the next compressed music data.
If it is desired to move the compressed music data further, the process returns to step S42. If there is no further data movement request, the series of movement processing ends.

In the above description, one compressed music data is moved in steps S42 to S46 in the flowchart of FIG. 9, but this is not limited to this example. You can also move them all together.

In the above description, in the process of step S46, the HDD 10
In the above description, it has been described that the moved compressed music data exists only because it is prohibited from being played back. However, this is not limited to the example and may be deleted.

By the way, in the above description, an example in which the compressed music data is moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 has been described. The compressed music data is transferred to the HD of the music server 50.
The movement to D10 can also be executed according to the same processing as the flowchart in FIG.

At this time, the compressed music data moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is moved from the portable recording / reproducing device 70 to the music server 50 again. The reproduction prohibition flag is released. That is, the corresponding compressed music data can be reproduced in the music server 50 again.

In the present invention, a unique identifier is assigned to each portable recording / reproducing device 70 to which music data is to be moved when performing the above-described movement. Then, the identifier of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is managed by the music server 50. This prevents the music data from being moved or copied to an unauthorized terminal device, and protects the copyright of the music data.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a destination device identifier management table in which identifiers assigned to the respective portable recording / reproducing devices 70 are managed. Each portable recording / reproducing device 70 is provided with a unique identifier in advance. In the portable recording / reproducing device 70, the identifier is stored in the ROM 104 in advance, for example. The identifier of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is acquired by the music server 50 by communication through the interfaces 34 and 35 or input by the input unit 1, for example. In the music server 50, a destination device identifier management table is created based on the acquired identifier, and the created table is stored in a predetermined area of the HDD 10, for example.

For each portable recording / reproducing device 70,
A permission level including two or more levels can be set. The set permission level is described in the destination device identifier management table. Based on this permission level, it is possible to determine whether copying and movement of music data to the corresponding portable recording / reproducing device 70 are possible. In this example, 'H' for a higher permission, 'L' for a lower level permission, and '
x ′ is set and used for determining an expiration date, which will be described later.

The permission level can be set for each portable recording / reproducing device 70 in the music server 50. That is, the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 are connected by the interfaces 34 and 35, and the music server 50 is connected to the portable recording / reproducing device 70.
Is obtained. The music server 50 edits the destination device identifier management table based on a predetermined operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
It may be set in advance by being stored in the ROM 104 or the like.

On the other hand, a unique song data identifier is assigned to each of the music data recorded in the music server 50. Further, a movement flag indicating whether or not the music data has been moved is attached to each music data. The music data identifier is obtained when the music data of the CD 55 is recorded on the HDD 10 as described above.
5, for example, based on the CD number.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a data management table A in which music data identifiers and movement flags assigned to each music data are managed. A unique song data identifier is assigned to each music data. The movement flag indicates whether or not the corresponding music data has been moved.
If the movement flag is “1”, it indicates that the music data has been moved to the portable recording terminal 70. If the move flag is '0', the data has not been moved.

[0115] For the music data whose movement flag is set to "1", the movement destination device identifier indicating the movement destination portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is described. This example shows that the music data with the song data identifier “1000” has been moved to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 having the identifier “0010”.

For music data whose movement flag is set to “0” and is not moved, an actual portable recording / reproducing device 70 such as “0000” shown in this example is used as a destination device identifier. An identifier that is not used for is described. Of course, this is not limited to this example, and this data may simply be left blank in data in which the movement flag is “0”.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example of music data transfer processing using the destination device identifier management table and the data management table A. The predetermined music data recorded in the music server 50 is moved to, for example, a portable recording / reproducing device 70 owned by the user. FIG. 12 shows the relevant portion of the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 in more detail.

First, the user connects the portable recording / reproducing device 70 to the music server 50 via the interfaces 34 and 35 (step S50).
Then, in step S51, a predetermined exchange is performed between the portable recording / reproducing device 70 and the music server 50. Thereby, the identifier of the connected portable recording / reproducing device 70 is acquired by the music server 50.

In the next step S52, the music server 50 searches the destination device identifier management table stored in advance for the obtained identifier. In step S53, it is determined whether or not the obtained identifier has been retrieved from the destination device identifier management table.

If it is determined in step S53 that the acquired identifier is not on the destination device identifier management table, it is determined that the movement of the music data to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is not permitted, and Shifts to step S60, and the user is notified that movement is not permitted. This is performed, for example, by displaying the fact on the display unit 53. Then, the process proceeds to step S61, where an error history and the like are stored, and a series of flowcharts ends.

On the other hand, if the corresponding identifier is found in the destination device identifier management table in step S53, the HDD 10 of the music server 50 is determined in step S54.
Is selected from among the music data recorded in the. Then, it is instructed to move the selected music data.

In the next step S55, at the music data transfer source, ie, the music server 50, the data management table A is searched for the identifier of the music data whose movement is instructed. Then, in the next step S56, the movement flag of the music data corresponding to the searched identifier is checked.

At step S57, a determination is made based on the movement flag of the music data obtained at step S56. If the movement flag is “1”, it is determined that the music data has been moved from the HDD 10. As described above, music data that has already been moved is regarded as not existing in the HDD 10 unless it is restored. Therefore, the processing shifts to step S60, a movement non-permission notification is made, an error history and the like are recorded in step S61, and a series of flowcharts is ended.

On the other hand, in step S57, the movement flag is set to '
If it is 0 ', it is determined that the music data can be moved, and the process moves to step S58. In step S58, the corresponding music data is moved to the portable recording / reproducing device 70, which is the destination device. Then, in step S59, the music server 50 sets the movement flag corresponding to the corresponding music data in the data management table A to '
At the same time as 1 ', the identifier of the movement destination device is registered in the data management table A, and the series of flowcharts ends.

Note that the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 at the destination also has the data management table A ', similar to the music server 50 at the source. With the movement of the music data from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70, the identifier of the moved music data is registered. If the identifier is already registered but the movement flag is set to "1", the movement flag is changed to "0". If necessary, the destination device identifier is deleted.

Note that the music data transfer processing shown in FIG. 12 is not limited to this example. For example, the check of the identifier of the movement destination device may be performed immediately before the actual movement of the music data. Also, instead of setting an identifier for the destination device, the identifier is individually set for the user,
For example, a user ID may be issued. In this case, instead of checking the identifier of the destination device, the user identifier is checked. Of course, the check may be performed using both the destination device identifier and the user identifier.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to movement but also to a case where music data is copied to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70. Furthermore, not only the movement (or duplication) of the music data from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70, but also the movement and duplication of the music data from the portable recording / reproducing device 70 to another portable recording / reproducing device 70 '. It is possible to cope with movement and duplication from the music server 50 to another music server 50 '. Of course, the moving source and the moving destination are not limited to the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70, but may be other electronic devices corresponding to this method.

In order to more reliably prevent unauthorized use of music data, music data may be encrypted. For example, each of the source and destination devices is provided with a unique encryption key and a decryption key corresponding to the encryption key. When music data is recorded on the HDD of each device, the music data is encrypted with an encryption key of the device. The encrypted data cannot be decrypted without using the corresponding decryption key.

When moving (or copying) music data recorded on the HDD to another device, first, the identifier of the destination device is checked. If the identifier of the destination device is confirmed and the mobile device can be moved, the music data moving in the source device is decrypted with the decryption key. The decrypted music data is moved to the destination device. In the destination device, the music data that has been decrypted and moved is encrypted with the encryption key of the destination device and recorded on the HDD.

On the other hand, if movement is prohibited by checking the identifier of the destination device and, for example, the identifier cannot be confirmed, the music data is not moved or the music data is not decrypted. Moving. For example, music data moved without being decrypted cannot be decrypted because there is no corresponding decryption key at the destination. This prevents unauthorized use of data.

The above-described processing by encryption may be performed in step S58 in FIG. 12, for example.
That is, when moving or copying music data to the portable recording / reproducing device 70, the music data is encrypted in advance and stored in
The music data recorded in 0 is read from the HDD 10 and is decrypted with a decryption key unique to the music server 50. The decrypted music data is supplied to the portable recording / reproducing device 70. And the portable recording / reproducing device 7
At 0, the supplied music data is encrypted with an encryption key unique to the portable recording / reproducing device 70, and is recorded on the HDD 106.

In this embodiment, an expiration date can be set for music data. The music data is moved and the expiration date of the data is set to a destination device having a low permission level (permission level 'L') set in the destination device identifier management table. At the destination device, the reproduction of the music data is prohibited after the set expiration date.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a data management table B in which an expiration date is set for each music data. The data management table B is stored in the HDD 10 of the music server 50, the HDD 106 of the portable recording / reproducing device 70, or the like. An expiration date is set for each music data identifier corresponding to each music data. In this example, “yyyy / mm / dd / hh / mm”
The expiration date is set in "AD / month / day / hour / minute".

In the data management table B, the expiration date does not need to be set for all music data.
Further, the data management table B can be used in combination with the data management table A described above. In this case, the items in the combined table include a song data identifier, a movement flag, a destination device identifier, and an expiration date.

The expiration date set in the data management table B is used together with the permission level of the destination device identifier management table shown in FIG. That is, in the destination device identifier management table, the expiration date is set for the music data moved to the destination device having the identifier whose permission level is “L”. No expiration date is set for a device whose permission level is 'H'. Of course, it is also possible to set the expiration date stepwise according to the permission level.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are flowcharts of an example of the processing when the expiration date is set. FIG.
9 is a flowchart of an example of a process of moving music data from a source to a destination. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of an example of a process of reproducing music data for which an expiration date has been set at a destination. Here, the source device is the music server 50, and the destination device is the portable recording / reproducing device 70.

In FIG. 14, steps S79 to S81 are processing relating to the expiration date check, and the other steps are the same as the processing shown in FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 12 will be described briefly. First,
In step S70, the portable recording / reproducing device 70 and the music server 50 are connected. In step S71, the identifier of the connected portable recording / reproducing device 70 is acquired by the music server 50.

In the music server 50, the acquired identifier is searched from the destination device identifier management table stored in advance (step S72), and step S73 is performed.
It is determined whether or not the acquired identifier has been retrieved from the destination device identifier management table. If the acquired identifier is not on the destination device identifier management table, it is determined that the movement of the music data to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is not permitted, and the process proceeds to step S82.
The user is notified that movement is not permitted, and an error history and the like are stored in step S83.

On the other hand, if the corresponding identifier is found in the destination device identifier management table in step S73, the music data to be moved is selected in step S74.
A move instruction is given. Then, the next step S75
The music server 50 from which the music data is moved
In, the identifier of the music data whose movement is instructed is searched from the data management table A, and the movement flag of the music data corresponding to the searched identifier is checked.

At step S76, a judgment is made based on the movement flag of the music data checked at step S75.
If the movement flag is “1”, it is determined that the music data has been moved from the HDD 10, and the process proceeds to step S 82, where a movement disapproval notification is made, and an error history and the like are recorded in step S 83. Then, a series of flowcharts ends.

On the other hand, in step S76, the movement flag is set to '
If it is 0 ', it is determined that the music data can be moved, and the corresponding music data is moved to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 in step S77. In addition, as mentioned above,
When the music data is encrypted and recorded, in step S77, the music data is decrypted in the music server 50, and the encryption and H
Recording on the DD 106 is performed.

In the next step S78, the music server 50 sets the movement flag corresponding to the corresponding music data in the data management table A to “1”, and registers the identifier of the destination device in the data management table A. You.

The music data music server 5
With the movement from 0 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70, the data management table A 'of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is also changed. The identifier of the moved music data is registered in the data management table A ′. If the identifier is already registered but the movement flag is set to "1", the movement flag is changed to "0". If necessary, the destination device identifier is deleted.

When the music server 50 of the transfer source registers the data management table A in step S78, the processing shifts to step S79. In step S79, in the music server 50, the permission level of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 as the moved device is acquired from the destination device identifier management table. Then, in the next step S80, a determination is made based on the obtained permission level.

As described above, "H" for high-level permission, "L" for low-level permission, and "x" for which movement is not permitted can be set as described above. Young, step S
If it is determined at 80 that the permission level is 'L', the process proceeds to step S81. Then, step S8
At 1, the data of the expiration date set for each music data in the data management table B is transmitted to the portable recording / reproducing device 70. When the expiration date data is transmitted, a series of flowcharts ends.

The transmitted expiration date data is registered in the data management table A 'together with the information of the moved music data in the portable recording / reproducing device 70.

On the other hand, in step S80, the permission level
When it is determined to be H ', the expiration date is not particularly set, and the series of flowcharts is terminated.

Although not shown in FIG. 14, if it is determined in step S80 that the permission level is "x", for example, the process proceeds to step S82, and a movement disapproval notification is made. The error history is recorded (step S83), and the process ends.

Next, the reproduction of music data in the case where an expiration date has been set in the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the first step S90
Then, the moved music data is selected by a predetermined method, and reproduction is instructed. In the next step S91, the data management table A 'is checked for the music data instructed to be reproduced, and the expiration date is checked based on the music data identifier corresponding to the music data.

In step S92, the current date and time are acquired by, for example, a timer built in the portable recording / reproducing device 70, and it is determined whether the current time is within the expiration date set for the song. If it is within the validity period, the music data is reproduced in the portable recording / reproducing device 70 in step S93.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the current date and time is not within the expiration date because the set expiration date is exceeded,
The process proceeds to step S94, and the portable recording / reproducing device 70
Is notified that the expiration date of the specified music data has expired, and the reproduction of the music data is prohibited. Of course, at this time, the music data is not reproduced.

By the way, as in the above-described example, the power supply unit 45 of the music server 50 is connected to the portable recording / reproducing device 7.
In the case where a charging function for zero is provided, it can be used to prevent unauthorized use of music data. For example, the interfaces 34 and 35 are formed integrally with a charging terminal that supplies power for charging. Alternatively, predetermined information may be exchanged between the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 by using the charging terminal itself.

With such a configuration, when the charging terminal is connected for charging, data is exchanged between the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70,
The identifier of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is checked. If the identifier registered in the music server 50 is not found or the permission level is low even if found, the charging is refused in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 12 or FIG. It is good to do so.

In the above description, the present invention is applied to the movement of music data, but the present invention is not limited to this example. That is, video data, text data, etc.
By applying the present invention to data in other formats in which copyright exists, the copyright of those data can be protected.

[0155]

As described above, according to the present invention, a destination or a user who is permitted to move music data or other copyrighted data is managed at the source. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent or limit the use of the copyrighted data by an unauthorized device or an unauthorized user.

Further, according to the present invention, since data can be moved to the permitted destination,
While protecting the copyright holder's rights, legitimate users and devices can use the data without being restricted to moving or copying routes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a music server and a system using the music server according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a music server.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a signal flow until music data read by a CD-ROM drive is recorded on an HDD.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a signal flow from a point at which compressed music data read from an HDD is subjected to a reproduction process and led to a terminal.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a portable recording / reproducing device.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another example of the portable recording / reproducing device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of a process performed when music data of a CD is recorded on an HDD in a music server.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a billing process when music data on a CD is recorded at a high speed on an HDD.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of music data movement processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a destination device identifier management table.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a data management table in which music data identifiers and movement flags are managed.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example of music data transfer processing using a transfer destination device identifier management table and a data management table.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a data management table in which an expiration date is set for each music data.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of moving music data from a source to a destination when an expiration date is set.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of reproducing music data for which an expiration date has been set at a destination.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Input means of music server, 8 ... CPU of music server, 9 ... CD-ROM drive, 10 ... Hard disk drive of music server, 11 ... DRAM as buffer memory of music server , 12: compression encoder of music server, 19: communication line, 20: modem, 21: compression decoder of music server, 2
6 LCD of music server, 34, 35 ...
Interface, 40 Bus, 50 Music server, 55 CD, 60 Internet server, 70 Portable recording / reproducing device, 106
..Hard disk drive or flash RAM of portable recording / reproducing device, 107 ... DRAM as buffer memory of portable recording / reproducing device, 108 ... compression encoder of portable recording / reproducing device, 115 ... compression of portable recording / reproducing device Decoder, 120 LCD of portable recording / reproducing device, 130 Bus of portable recording / reproducing device, 20
0 ... Switch circuit

Claims (5)

[Claims] A first electronic device that stores data and reproduces the stored data; and at least a second electronic device that stores the data stored in the first electronic device. And a duplicating means for duplicating the predetermined data from the first electronic device to the second electronic device when the predetermined data stored in the first electronic device is copied to the second electronic device. A recording / reproducing system comprising: a copy determining unit that determines whether to permit copying to an electronic device according to an identifier transmitted from the second electronic device. 2. The recording / reproducing system according to claim 1, wherein said copy determining means is configured to copy said predetermined data from said first electronic device to said second electronic device when said data is copied to another electronic device. A recording / reproducing system, wherein copying of the predetermined data to a device is prohibited. 3. The recording / reproducing system according to claim 1, wherein when the data stored in the first electronic device is copied to another predetermined electronic device, the data is copied to the first electronic device. A recording / reproducing system for storing an identifier of the other electronic device to which the data is copied, relative to the predetermined data. 4. The recording / reproducing system according to claim 1, wherein an expiration date is set for the data stored in the first electronic device, and the data set with the expiration date is stored in the first electronic device. A recording / reproducing system for prohibiting reproduction of the duplicated data with the expiration date set when the expiration date is exceeded in the second electronic device when the data is copied to the second electronic device. 5. A first electronic device in which data is stored after being encrypted and the stored data is reproduced, and the encrypted data stored in the first electronic device is decrypted. Decryption means; copy determination means for determining whether to permit the predetermined encrypted data stored in the first electronic device to be copied to the second electronic device; When the duplication is permitted by the duplication determining means, the predetermined encrypted data is decrypted by the decrypting means. When the duplication is prohibited by the duplication determining means, the predetermined encrypted data is A recording / reproducing system, further comprising: control means for controlling so as to be copied to the second electronic device as it is.