Patent 7264157 was granted and assigned to NEC Corporation on September, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A content usage right issuing terminal (2) issues a content usage right to a portable terminal (3) of a user who visits a store. In response to a request from the portable terminal (3) that has the content usage right, an in-store server (1) sends a content to the portable terminal (3) via a wireless LAN (7). Because the in-store server (1) limits the content transmission area to within a store (5), only portable terminals in the store (5) can receive the delivery of the content. When a user carrying the portable terminal (3) that has the content usage right leaves the store (5), the in-store server (1) detects the fact and invalidates the content usage right issued to the portable terminal (3).