Method and apparatus to purchase contents by using portable storage medium or via network

摘要

Users of a method and apparatus to purchase (e.g., rent or buy) contents using a portable storage medium, via a network or the like. Contents purchased using embodiments of a method and apparatus may be developed to be automatically deleted or to be non-reproducible after being reproduced one time or after a predetermined period. Accordingly, users do not need to return borrowed or purchased contents. Also an owner of a contents rental shop may prevent contents from being unfairly reproduced. Further, user inconvenience due to the conventional manner in which users have to memorize information related to the contents and visit a rental shop to obtain desired contents may be avoided or decreased. Portable storage mediums or network resources of exemplary methods and apparatuses may be repeatedly used (e.g., without limitation), and thus may contribute to the saving of resources.

主权项

1. A contents reproducing apparatus to reproduce contents and to purchase other contents related to the reproduced contents by using a portable storage medium, the contents reproducing apparatus comprising:
an A/V (audio/video) decoder to decode A/V data from among data related to the reproduced contents to determine whether the reproduced contents include a movie or a preview of the movie; a memory controller to record, within the portable storage medium, purchase menu data corresponding to the determination in response to a request to purchase the other contents, such that the other contents include one of a sequel to the movie and the movie when the reproduced contents include one of the movie and the preview of the movie, respectively; a purchase menu decoder to decode the purchase menu data; and an image display unit to display the reproduced contents, and to display a purchase menu corresponding to the purchase menu data during the reproduction of the reproduced contents, wherein the memory controller selectively populates a purchase list with the purchase menu data in response to each request to purchase the other contents via the purchase menu, and the purchase menu decoder decodes purchase menu data included in the purchase list while the A/V decoder simultaneously decodes the A/V data.