SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, REPEATING DEVICE, AND USER TERMINAL DEVICE

摘要

PURPOSE:To improve the security and lighten the time load on a user by selecting the best mode for the provision style of software and perform an enciphering/deciphering process on a distribution path. CONSTITUTION:The software which is enciphered at a center 91 is offered to a user terminal 92 through a storage medium 93 or communication media 94. When the software is offered from the center 91, the user terminal 92 refers to the accounting balance of the user and allows the software to be deciphered on condition that the balance is larger than a specific value (not 0). Then the accounting balance of the user is reduced for each title of permitted software. Then the user terminal 92 generates a deciphering key on the basis of the software ID, or title, etc., of the software and also decides the mode of the software. The user terminal 92 deciphers the software on the basis of the deciphering key and mode and outputs it to an output device such as a display and a speaker.