JP2000285028A - Methods for copying and moving contents of electronic book - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain electronic(E) book contents copying and moving methods capable of previously preventing the generation of illegal copying by inhibiting the direct copying of contents while leaving a scope for personal user. SOLUTION: In the case of copying contents recorded in a 1st recording medium to a 2nd recording medium in an E book system consisting of a contents processor 2 and an E book player 3, a part of the contents read out from the 1st recording medium is altered and the altered contents are stored in the 2nd recording medium. Alteration is applied to the character attribute data of text data included in the contents, a part of control data or picture data itself. In the case of moving the contents from the 1st recording medium to the 2nd recording medium, the contents to be a moving source recorded in the 1st recording medium is disabled from being used.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a method of copying and moving electronic book contents, and more particularly to a copying method and a moving method for preventing unauthorized use.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, a social system for recording book data on a rewritable recording medium such as an optical disk, distributing the data widely, and reproducing the data with a portable electronic book player or a personal computer. Is being considered.

In order for this type of system to become widespread, it is necessary to take measures to effectively prevent unauthorized copying of electronic book contents. On the other hand, for work, copying is permitted only for personal use. Therefore, there is a need to take measures to prevent general copying by limiting personal use.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-65036 discloses a configuration for copying data of electronic book contents to a memory card having a hardware lock mechanism. However, practically, the user cannot copy data from the memory card to another recording medium, which limits the use to personal use.

Conventionally, with respect to music contents, a method has been adopted in which digital data recorded on a CD is converted into analog data by performing D / A conversion, and then is converted into digital data by performing A / D conversion on an MD. ing. This method indirectly limits copying by accompanying data deterioration. However, since the data of the electronic book content includes text data, it is not possible to simply adopt a digital, analog, or digital conversion method like music content.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of copying and moving electronic book contents in which the contents cannot be copied as it is while leaving room for personal use, thereby preventing unauthorized copying.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention is a method for copying electronic book contents including text data from a first recording medium to a second recording medium. A reading step of reading at least a portion of the electronic book content from the electronic book content, a falsification step of falsifying the electronic book content read in the reading step, and the falsification of the electronic book content in the falsification step to a second recording medium. And a storing step of storing.

In the falsification step, for example, the character attribute (character style,
Falsify data and control data. Alternatively, the number of gradations and the resolution of the image data are reduced. Further, processing such as adding data indicating that the electronic book content is a duplicate is performed.

In the above duplication method, when duplicating,
Since at least a part of the data of the e-book content is falsified, there is no restriction on the user's duplication for personal use, but it is possible to prevent the content from being illegally copied as it is. .

Further, the present invention is a method for moving electronic book contents including text data from a first recording medium to a second recording medium, wherein a reading step of reading at least a part of the electronic book contents from the first recording medium. When,
An invalidating step of automatically making the source electronic book content recorded on the first recording medium unusable; and a storing step of storing the electronic book content read in the reading step on the second recording medium. It has.

In the invalidation step, for example, a process of erasing the source electronic book content or a process of adding information indicating that reading is impossible to the source electronic book content is performed.

In the above moving method, when moving,
Since the source electronic book content is automatically made unusable, the user can be prevented from owning a plurality of sets of recording media on which the same content is recorded.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a method for copying and moving electronic book contents according to the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Overall Configuration of Electronic Book System) FIG.
1 shows an overall configuration of an electronic book system for implementing a copying method and a moving method according to the present invention. This system generally includes a content processing device 2 and an electronic book player 3.

The content processing apparatus 2 duplicates an original electronic book content (hereinafter, referred to as original content) supplied in a state recorded on a recording medium such as an MD (mini disc) (hereinafter, referred to as copy content). ), And has a function of automatically falsifying data of the original content to create a copy content. This function will be described later.

The content processing device 2 includes a control body 21,
It includes a keyboard 22 and a monitor 23. The control main body 21 is provided with two MD drives 24 and 25, an infrared communication port 26, and the like. The control body 21 transmits and receives electronic book contents to and from the electronic book player 3 via the infrared communication port 26.

The electronic book player 3 is for reproducing and browsing the original content or the copied content, and is composed of left and right main body parts which are openably and closably connected with a central support shaft 37 as a fulcrum. It is configured to be large enough to be carried by the user in a closed state, for example, A4 size.

The left and right main units are provided with displays 31A and 31B for displaying electronic book contents, a power switch 32, operation keys 33, an MD drive 34, an infrared communication port 35, and a built-in memory 36. The electronic book player 3 stores the electronic book content received from the content processing device 2 via the infrared communication port 35 in the built-in memory 36. Further, based on the operation of the operation key 33 by the operator, the electronic book content recorded on the MD inserted into the MD drive 34 is reproduced, or the electronic book content stored in the internal memory 36 is reproduced.

(Control Circuit) FIG. 2 shows a control circuit built in the control main body 21 of the content processing apparatus 2. This control circuit is configured around the CPU 201,
It comprises an AM (read access memory) 202, a ROM (read only memory) 203, a data alteration unit 204, and an interface unit 205. The keyboard 22, the monitor 23, the MD drives 24 and 25, and the infrared communication port 26 are connected to the interface unit 205.

The CPU 201 performs overall control of the content processing apparatus 2, uses the RAM 202 as a work area, and executes predetermined processing according to a program stored in the ROM 203. The operation of the content processing device 2 described below is executed by the CPU 201. The RAM 202 is used not only as a work area for executing the program, but also for temporarily storing the electronic book content when copying and moving the electronic book content to another recording medium.

(Copying and Moving Content) Here, the concept of copying and moving content will be described. The duplication is a process of generating electronic book content having the same content as the electronic book content recorded on the first recording medium, and storing the generated electronic book content on the second recording medium. Even after copying, the user can use the electronic book content recorded on the first recording medium.

[0022] Moving refers to generating an electronic book content having the same content as the electronic book content recorded on the first recording medium and storing the generated electronic book content on the second recording medium, while storing the generated electronic book content on the second recording medium. This processing is to delete the source electronic book content recorded on the recording medium, or to prevent the user from using the content even if the content is not deleted.

That is, when a user moves contents using this electronic book system, the user has only one set of usable electronic book contents, and it is generally considered that copyright infringement occurs. I can't. However, when the user makes a copy, the user has a first recording medium on which the original content is recorded and a second recording medium on which the copied content is newly stored. When a user transfers the second recording medium to another person, a problem of copyright infringement occurs. Therefore, the content processing device 2 falsifies the electronic book content to be transmitted to the copy destination so that the content of the copy content is not the same as the original content in the case of the copy process.

(Processing Procedure) The processing procedure will be described below, focusing on tampering at the time of copying. FIG. 3 shows an initial screen displayed on the monitor 23 immediately after the power of the content processing apparatus 2 is turned on. On this initial screen, the CPU 201
Displays an option for selecting whether to copy or move the electronic book content. Then, when the copy is selected, the screen shown in FIG. 4A is displayed, and when the move is selected, the screen shown in FIG. 4B is displayed.

When a copy is selected, as shown in FIG. 4A, the CPU 201 displays a message prompting the user to specify a copy source. For example, if there is an input of “1” from the numeric keypad of the keyboard 22, the MD drive 24 is selected as the copy source, and if there is an input of “2”, the MD drive 25 is selected as the copy source, and there is an input of “3”. For example, the internal memory 36 of the electronic book player 3 is selected as a copy source. Then, the CPU 201 searches for the electronic book content recorded in the selected copy source, and displays the screen shown in FIG.

A list of searched electronic book contents is displayed as shown in FIG. 5, and the CPU 201 prompts the user to specify which content is to be copied.
When the user selects a content to be copied from the keyboard 22 by operating the numeric keys, the CPU 201 displays a screen shown in FIG.

The display shown in FIG. 6 prompts the user to designate a copy destination of the already selected electronic book content. For example, if there is an input of “1” from the numeric keypad of the keyboard 22, the MD drive 24 is selected as the copy destination,
If there is an input of “2”, the MD drive 25 is selected as the copy destination, and if there is an input of “3”, the built-in memory 36 of the electronic book player 3 is selected as the copy destination.

By the above processing, the copy source recording medium,
This means that the copy destination recording medium and the electronic book content to be copied have been selected. Next, the CPU 201 reads out the electronic book content selected as the copy target from the copy source recording medium and temporarily stores it in the RAM 202. Further, the CPU 201 reads the electronic book content to be copied temporarily stored in the RAM 202, causes the data falsification unit 204 to execute a falsification process described later, and stores the falsified electronic book content in the RAM 202 again.
To store temporarily. Further, all the falsified electronic book contents are read from the RAM 202 and transmitted to the recording medium selected as the copy destination. After the above processing,
As a result, a recording medium that stores the copy content whose data has been falsified can be obtained.

On the other hand, when the movement is selected, FIG.
As shown in (B), the CPU 201 performs a display prompting the user to specify the movement source. For example, if there is an input of “1” from the numeric keypad of the keyboard 22, the MD drive 24 is selected as the movement source, and if there is an input of “2”, the MD drive 24 is selected as the movement source
The D drive 25 is selected, and if "3" is input, the built-in memory 36 of the electronic book player 3 is selected as the movement source. Then, the CPU 201 searches for the electronic book content recorded at the selected moving source, and displays the screen shown in FIG.

A list of searched electronic book contents is displayed as shown in FIG. 7, and the CPU 201 prompts the user to specify which content to move.
When the user selects a content to be moved from the keyboard 22 by operating the ten keys, the CPU 201 displays a screen shown in FIG.

The display shown in FIG. 8 prompts the user to specify the destination of the already selected electronic book content. For example, if there is an input of “1” from the numeric keypad of the keyboard 22, the MD drive 24 is selected as the destination, and
If there is an input of "2", the MD drive 25 is selected as the destination, and if there is an input of "3", the built-in memory 36 of the electronic book player 3 is selected as the destination.

By the above processing, the recording medium of the transfer source,
This means that the destination recording medium and the electronic book content to be moved are selected. Next, the CPU 201 reads the electronic book content selected as the transfer target from the transfer source recording medium, temporarily stores the read electronic book content in the RAM 202, and erases the data of the transfer source electronic book content. Further, the CPU 201 reads the electronic book content to be moved temporarily stored in the RAM 202, and in this case, transmits the electronic book content to the recording medium selected as the destination without causing the data falsification unit 204 to perform the falsification processing. . Through the above-described processing, a recording medium that stores contents whose data has not been tampered with is obtained.

In the above-described processing, the form in which the source content data is erased when the electronic book content is moved has been described. However, in another mode, the source content may be made unusable. Good. Specifically, CPU
After the content data 201 has been read, the content is used (read) in the header of the content.
A process for adding data indicating that the data is impossible may be performed.

Further, a situation is conceivable in which the electronic book content once moved from the first recording medium to the second recording medium is moved back to the original first recording medium. In this case, the first
The recording medium records the same content including header information indicating that reading is not possible. In such a case, the electronic book content on the second recording medium may be erased or made unusable, and the unreadable header information added to the content on the first recording medium may be deleted.

(Falsification Processing) Next, the falsification processing executed by the data falsification unit 204 when copying electronic book contents will be described. Before that, an example of the original contents will be described.

FIG. 9 shows a screen in which an example of the original content is reproduced on the display 31A of the electronic book player 3. The original content includes text data and image data, and both data include control data indicating a display position. Further, the text data includes font data having a font of Century and a size of 16 points, and underlined font data. The image data includes resolution data of 300 dpi, R, G, B
Each of the colors contains gradation data of 16 gradations. An example in which such original content is tampered will be described below.

(First Example) In this first example, a part of text data in the electronic book content is tampered with as tampering processing. The data tampering unit 204 arbitrarily picks up a part of the text data from the input electronic book content data, and arbitrarily changes the control data relating to the font, size, style, and arrangement of the picked up text data. Then, the text data itself is deleted or tampered with.

The original content shown in FIG.
FIG. 10 shows an example in which copy content is created by applying a tampering example. Here, the font, size, style, and arrangement of a part of the text data are changed. That is, the font has been partially changed from Century to Courier, the size has been changed from 16 points to 12 points, and underlining has been deleted. Further, part of the text data itself has been deleted. In this way, although a part of the text data is falsified, although the rough contents of the contents can be confirmed,
In some cases, it may be difficult to read, and it may be difficult to completely understand.

(Second Example) In this second example, falsification is performed on image data in electronic book contents. The data tampering unit 204 performs a process of picking up image data from the input data of the electronic book content and replacing the image data with image data indicating a large x which is stored in advance.

The original content shown in FIG.
FIG. 11 shows an example of a case where a copy content is created by applying a falsification example. Here, the original image has been falsified into a large x image. As described above, the falsification of the image data makes it possible to confirm the character content of the content sufficiently, but it is slightly difficult to read. This second falsification example is particularly effective for contents (for example, picture books) mainly composed of image data. Further, tampering may be performed to reduce the number of gradations and resolution of image data.

(Third Example) In this third example, a process of adding a display indicating "copied content" to the copied electronic book content is performed. Data alteration unit 204
Picks up image data from the data of the input electronic book content and assigns “Copy!” To the image data.
A process of synthesizing the image data indicating the character is performed. FIG. 12 shows an example of a case where a copy content is created by applying the third falsification example to the original content shown in FIG.
Here, the characters "Copy!" Are displayed in the image portion.

As shown in FIG. 13, text data indicating the characters "Copy!" May be added to the header of the display page. Of course, the additional position may be a footer portion. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
Over the background portion of the displayed page,
The character "Copy!" May be displayed.

(Other Configuration Examples and Processing Examples) The method of copying and moving electronic book contents according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the gist. .

For example, regarding the configuration of the control unit, in the above embodiment, the data falsification unit 204 is independent of the CPU 201 as shown in FIG. RO as part
It may be stored in M203. In this case, the CPU 201 also executes the falsification processing.

Further, with respect to the copy and move processing, in the above-described embodiment, the form in which all of the data of the selected electronic book content is copied and moved has been described, but a part of the data of the selected electronic book content is transferred. The form of copying and moving may be used. For example, only data of a predetermined page of a certain content may be copied and moved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an electronic book system for implementing a copying method and a moving method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of a content processing device constituting the system.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a monitor display of the content processing apparatus when executing the copying method and the moving method according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing another example of the monitor display.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing still another example of the monitor display.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing still another example of the monitor display.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing still another example of the monitor display.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing still another example of the monitor display.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an original content.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of content processed in the first falsification example.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content processed in the second falsification example.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of content processed in a third falsification example.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the content processed in the third falsification example.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing still another example of the content processed in the third falsification example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2. Content processing device 3. Electronic book player 21. Control body 23. Monitor 31A, 31B. Display 36. Internal memory 201. CPU 204. Data tampering unit.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Kanji Tsuji 2-3-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Katsuyuki Namba Azuchi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 2-313 Machi-cho, Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideo Hotomi 2-3-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term in Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. 5B017 AA06 AA07 BA08 BB02 BB03 CA09 CA16

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A method for copying electronic book content including text data from a first recording medium to a second recording medium, comprising: a reading step of reading at least a part of the electronic book content from the first recording medium; An electronic device comprising: a falsification step of falsifying electronic book contents read in a reading step; and a storage step of storing the electronic book contents falsified in the falsification step in the second recording medium. How to duplicate book content. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the altering step alters character attribute data of text data included in the electronic book content. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the character attribute data is at least one of font data and size data. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the altering step alters a part of text data included in the electronic book content. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the altering step alters control data of text data included in the electronic book content. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the control data is data relating to an arrangement of text data. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the altering step reduces at least one of the number of gradations and the resolution of image data included in the electronic book content. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the altering step adds data indicating that the electronic book content is copied to data of the electronic book content. . 9. A method for moving electronic book content including text data from a first recording medium to a second recording medium, the method comprising: reading at least a portion of the electronic book content from the first recording medium; An invalidating step of automatically making the source electronic book content recorded on the first recording medium unusable; and a storing step of storing the electronic book content read in the reading step on the second recording medium. A method for moving e-book content, comprising: 10. The method of moving electronic book contents according to claim 9, wherein the invalidating step performs a process of erasing a source electronic book content recorded on the first recording medium. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the invalidating step performs a process of adding information indicating that reading is impossible to the source electronic book content recorded on the first recording medium. The method for moving electronic book content according to claim 9.