JP2005216215A - Information provision apparatus, information provision method, etc. - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information provision apparatus and an information provision method, etc., capable of providing optimal content data depending on a terminal unit without provision of different content data according to the property or capacity of the terminal units, and using seamless content data bridging over (being transversal of) a plurality of terminal units. <P>SOLUTION: The information provision apparatus provides content data to the terminal unit connected through a communication means. The information provision apparatus includes a terminal information acquisition means for acquiring terminal information including at least either one of information indicating an operation environment of the terminal unit, and information indicating the terminal unit type; based on the above terminal information, a content configuration means for selecting an optimal material data from among the material data group constituted of a plurality of material data, so as to configure as content data to be provided for the terminal unit; and a content provision means for providing the above configured content data for the terminal unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field such as an information presentation apparatus and method for presenting content data to a terminal device connected via a network such as the Internet.

  Conventionally, for example, video, image, voice, character data, etc. are transmitted from a server device such as a WEB server on the Internet to a terminal device such as a PC (Personal computer) connected via a public line and a provider. Network systems that provide (distribute) content data are widely known. On the terminal device side, the provided content data or the like is presented using, for example, a WEB browser installed in the terminal device, so that the user can view desired content on the PC. it can.

  In recent years, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, not only PCs but also mobile terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) connect to server devices on the Internet to provide content data. It is possible to receive. Furthermore, recently, a so-called interactive television (in this case, a terminal device including the STB and the television is connected) to which an STB (Set Top Box) which is a communication terminal for interactive multimedia communication services is connected. Is connected to a server device on the Internet from the STB, provided with content data, and can be presented on the television.

  In this way, in the conventional network system, content data can be provided by various types of terminal devices, but the characteristics and capabilities of the terminal devices, such as the presence or absence of software that displays content such as video, Since the content data cannot be made the same depending on the size of the display screen, the expression capability, and the like, the server device generally prepares content data to be provided separately for each PC, PDA, mobile phone, and the like.

In recent years, there has been a movement toward a ubiquitous network under the above environment, which provides an environment in which various types of terminal devices can be connected to the network anytime and anywhere.
JP 2003-110748 A

  However, in the conventional network system, since the characteristics and capabilities of the terminal device are different, there is a problem in that separate content data must be prepared on the server device side. In addition, when content data is provided by various types of terminal devices, content that is viewed (viewed) on one terminal device (for example, a PC) may be continuously viewed on another terminal device (for example, a PDA). Because there is no continuity, there is a problem that you have to watch it again from the beginning.

  Further, when the user wants to view (view) a part of the content again later, for example, the bookmark function of the WEB browser is used, and the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the WEB site that the user wants to view later is listed in the URL list. It is possible to easily access the content by using the URL list later, but it is difficult to use it across a plurality of terminal devices. On the other hand, although it is possible to store a URL list on the server device side, since the link target is a URL only, media with a time axis such as video, Flash, DHTML (Dynamic HyperText Markup Language), etc. Therefore, there is a problem that a link to content desired by the user cannot always be stored in rich content whose display layout and display contents are dynamically changed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to present optimal content data according to a terminal device without preparing separate content data according to the characteristics and capabilities of the terminal device. It is another object of the present invention to provide an information presentation device, an information presentation method, and the like that can use seamless content data across (crossing) a plurality of terminal devices. Furthermore, an information presentation apparatus and an information presentation method that enable use of the content desired by the user even in media having a time axis such as video and rich content in which the display layout and display contents are dynamically changed Etc. to be provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information presentation apparatus according to the present invention in one aspect is an information presentation apparatus that presents content data to a terminal device connected via a communication unit, and the operation of the terminal device Terminal information acquisition means for acquiring terminal information including at least one of information indicating the environment and information indicating the type of the terminal device, and a material data group composed of a plurality of material data based on the terminal information Content selection means configured to select optimum material data from among them and configure as content data to be presented in the terminal device; and content presentation means for causing the terminal device to present the configured content data. Features.

  According to this invention, based on terminal information including information indicating the operating environment of the terminal device and information indicating the type of the terminal device, optimum material data is obtained from the material data group composed of a plurality of material data. Since it is selected and dynamically configured (reconfigured) as the content data to be presented in the terminal device, it is possible to adapt to the terminal device without preparing separate content data according to the characteristics and capabilities of the terminal device. Optimal content data can be presented.

  The information presentation device further includes history information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a presentation history of the content data in the terminal device, wherein the content configuration means is based on the terminal information and the information indicating the presentation history. The optimum material data is selected.

  According to the present invention, the content data presentation history (browsing history) in a certain terminal device is also referred to, and the optimum material data is selected to constitute the content data. Therefore, the data spans a plurality of terminal devices (crossed). Seamless content data can be presented.

  Further, in the information presentation device, each piece of material data is given unique identification information, and the information indicating the presentation history includes at least material data constituting content data presented in the terminal device. The identification information is included.

  According to this invention, by acquiring unique identification information given to each material data constituting the content data, the presentation history of the content data can be easily grasped.

  The information presentation device further includes history information storage means for storing information indicating the presentation history of the content data in the terminal device for each user, and the content configuration means indicates the terminal information and the presentation history. The optimum material data is selected based on the information.

  According to this invention, the presentation history (browsing history) of content data in the terminal device is accumulated for each user, the presentation history is also referred to, and optimum material data (corresponding to the user's browsing situation) is selected for each user. Since content data is configured, seamless content data across (crossing) a plurality of terminal devices can be presented.

  In the information presentation device, each piece of material data is given unique identification information, and the history information storage means identifies at least identification information of material data constituting the content data presented in the terminal device. Is stored as information indicating the presentation history.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily grasp the presentation history of the content data by accumulating unique identification information given to each material data constituting the content data.

  In the information presentation device, the content composition unit selects material data that is material data subsequent to the material data corresponding to the identification information included in the latest presentation history and that matches the terminal information. It is characterized by. Therefore, when the user is viewing up to a certain part of the content on a certain terminal device and then switching to another terminal device, the user can easily view the continuation of the content that was being viewed.

  In the information presentation device, each material data is provided with information indicating the importance level of the information, and the content configuration unit is configured to assign the information importance level according to the terminal information. It is characterized by selecting data.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to present optimal content data based on the importance according to the characteristics and capabilities of the terminal device.

  In the information presentation device, the content composition unit changes a layout of a display object constituted by the selected material data to a layout suitable for the terminal information.

  According to the present invention, the layout of the display object can be configured in a layout suitable for the display size and expression ability of the terminal device.

  Further, in the information presentation device, the material data group is managed by management data having a predetermined tree-type hierarchical structure, and the content configuration unit determines the content of the management data according to the terminal information. The optimum material data is selected by changing the above.

  According to the present invention, by using the management data, optimum material data is selected from a material data group composed of a plurality of material data, and is easily configured as content data to be presented in the terminal device. be able to.

  Further, in the information presentation device, each piece of material data is given unique identification information, and the terminal information acquisition unit includes the material data constituting the content data marked by the user in the terminal device. When the identification information is acquired, the content presentation means presents the information related to the material data corresponding to the acquired identification information related to the mark designation to the terminal device so that the information can be selected, and when the information is selected Is characterized in that material data related to the selection is presented to the terminal device as the content data.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily provide a user-desired content even in a medium having a time axis such as a video or in a rich content whose display layout and display contents are dynamically changed.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information presentation processing program according to another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to function as the information providing apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information presentation method according to another aspect of the present invention is an information presentation method in an information presentation device for presenting content data to a terminal device connected via a communication means, Obtaining the terminal information including information indicating at least the operating environment of the terminal device, and selecting the optimum material data from a material data group composed of a plurality of material data based on the terminal information, The method includes a step of configuring as content data to be presented in a terminal device, and a step of causing the terminal device to present the configured content data.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to present optimal content data according to a terminal device without preparing separate content data according to the characteristics and capabilities of the terminal device, and a plurality of terminal devices. It is possible to present seamless content data across (crossing).

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an embodiment when the present invention is applied to an information processing system.

[1. Configuration and outline function of information processing system]
First, the configuration and outline function of the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of an information processing system according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system S according to the present embodiment includes a terminal device 1 and a server device 2 as an information presentation device. The terminal device 1 and the server device 2 can transmit and receive data to and from each other via the network 3 as communication means. The server device 2 is connected to the terminal device 1 connected via the network 3. Content data is provided (transmitted) in response to a request from the user, and the content data is presented to the terminal device 1 (for example, image display or voice output). The network 3 is constructed by, for example, the Internet, a dedicated communication line (for example, a CATV (Community Antenna Television) line), a mobile communication network (including a wireless base station, etc.), a gateway, and the like.

[1-1. Configuration of terminal device and outline function]
Examples of the terminal device 1 include PCs, PDAs, mobile phones (or PHS (Personal Handyphone System)), and electronic devices (electronic devices) such as a television receiver to which an STB is connected. The terminal device 1 is arbitrarily selected from these different types of electronic devices depending on the usage location and usage status.

  The terminal device 1 includes, as basic components common to all electronic devices, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) having a calculation function, a working RAM (Random-Access Memory), a ROM (Read-Only Memory), and the like. An information processing unit composed of: a storage unit (for example, HDD (Hard Disc Drive) or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory)) that stores various programs, various data, and the like; Operation unit (for example, keyboard, mouse, or operation panel (or remote controller)) for input, and display unit (for example, CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) or liquid crystal display) for displaying information such as images and characters And a speaker that outputs sound, and a communication unit that controls the communication state with the server device 2 in cooperation with the communication unit of the server device 2.

  In addition, various programs stored in the ROM or the storage unit in common for all electronic devices include an OS (operating system) and application software (browser software (program), profile collection agent software (program), and the like).

  When the browser (for example, WEB browser) software is executed by the CPU of the terminal device 1, the terminal device 1 connects to the server device 2 to request content data, and the content provided from the server device 2 in response thereto. Data will be presented.

  Further, when the profile collection agent software is executed by the CPU of the terminal device 1, the terminal device 1 shows terminal information including information indicating the operating environment of the terminal device 1 and a history of presenting content data to the user. Information is collected and provided (transmitted) to the server device 2 as a terminal, line (network) profile, and user profile. Normally, the terminal and line profile and the user profile are independently collected at different timings and provided (transmitted) to the server apparatus 2. Further, the profile collection agent software may be downloaded from the server device 2 to the terminal device 1, for example, or recorded on a recording medium of a flexible disk (for example, a CD-ROM, a memory card, etc.) and recorded in the terminal device 1. May be read.

  Here, the terminal and line profile include, for example, CPU operating frequency (CPU speed), RAM storage capacity, free storage capacity, display screen size and expression capability (number of characters, number of colors, etc.), line speed, etc. (For example, bit rate (bps)), type of software to be installed (for example, type of OS, type of application software, plug-in software (software that adds or expands the functions of browser software, for example, multimedia) (Such as Shockwave, Flash Player (registered trademark) for browsing information, or Acrobat Reader (registered trademark) for browsing digital documents)), etc. Or other information may be included).

  Information indicated by such a terminal and line profile varies depending on the type of electronic device (of course, the same type of electrical device may be different). For example, as is well known, the operating frequency of the CPU, the storage capacity of the RAM, the free capacity of the storage unit, the size and display capacity of the display screen, the type of OS, and the type of browser software are different between the PC and the mobile phone. Plug-in software can be incorporated into the browser software, but the browser software of mobile phones is different in that plug-in software cannot be incorporated.

  Also, in the user profile, for example, how far the terminal device 1 presented the content data provided from the server device 2 to the user (situation) history, in other words, how far the user browsed (viewed) the content data. Information indicating the (situation) history is included. For example, when the content data is the contents of chapters, the (situation) history indicating which images, sounds, and characters in which chapters were presented (viewed by the user), and the content data (Situation) of which (what number) scene was presented (viewed by the user) to a user when the content has a connected story like a movie or the like and is divided into scenes Applicable to information indicating history. Here, identification information described later as information for specifying “which chapter” or “which scene” is included in the information indicating the presentation history.

[1-2. Server device configuration and overview function]
As shown in FIG. 1, the server device 2 includes an information processing unit 21 including a CPU having a calculation function, a working RAM, a ROM, and the like, and an HDD (Hard Disc) that stores various programs, various data, and the like. Drive) and the like, and a communication unit 23 that controls the communication state with the terminal device 1 in cooperation with the communication unit of the terminal device 1. For example, by executing the information presentation processing program of the present invention stored in the storage unit 22, the information acquisition unit 21a as the terminal information acquisition unit and the history information acquisition unit of the present invention, and the history information storage unit as Functions as a history information storage unit 21b, a content configuration unit 21c as a content configuration unit, and a content presentation unit 21d as a content presentation unit and a selection presentation unit It has become to so that. The information presentation processing program may be downloaded to a server device 2 from a predetermined server on the Internet, for example, or recorded on a recording medium such as a flexible disk (for example, a CD-ROM). It may be read into the server device 2 via the drive.

  In the storage unit 22, a history information database (DB) 22a, a material database (DB) 22b, a hierarchical management database (DB) 22c, a terminal information association database (DB) 22d, and the like are constructed.

  The information acquisition unit 21a acquires the terminal and line profile provided from the terminal device 1 and the user profile, respectively. The terminal and line profile are requested and acquired by the information acquisition unit 21a when the terminal device 1 is connected via the network 3, for example. On the other hand, the user profile is requested and acquired by the information acquisition unit 21a at an arbitrary timing, for example, when a communication session between the terminal device 1 and the server device 2 ends. Further, the user profile may be acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 a when content data is provided to the terminal device 1 without being collected by the terminal device 1.

  The history information storage unit 21b stores the user profile in the history information database 22a. This user profile is registered in association with, for example, a unique user ID and password registered in advance for each user.

  The material database 22b stores (registers) material data groups that are the basis of content data. Such material data group is composed of material data such as video (video) data, audio (audio) data, image data, character (text) data, 3D (Dimensions) CG (Computer graphic) data, and the like. They are updated as appropriate. The material data group is managed by management data having a tree-type hierarchical structure stored (registered) in the hierarchical management database 22c, whereby the material data group is structured. Yes.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a material data group structured by management data. The example of FIG. 2 shows a hierarchical structure of the material data group of “English conversation teaching materials”, and each material data included in the material data group is located at the lowest layer of the hierarchical structure. Attribute information (added to each material data) (“chapter”, “section”, “video”, “audio”, “image”, “3DCG”, “text”) positioned higher than each material data (added to each material data) The material data group is gradually integrated and structured by “script (a program in which instructions and procedures to be executed by the CPU are described using text)”.

  The attribute information arbitrarily selected from the attribute information includes unique identification information (hereinafter referred to as attribute ID) and information indicating the importance (priority) of the information (hereinafter referred to as information priority). Is granted. As a result, the attribute ID and information priority are assigned to each material data.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a part of management data defining the tree-type hierarchical structure shown in FIG. The management data shown in FIG. 3 is described in XML (eXtensible Markup Language), and the attribute information is described in a tag (<>), and a start tag (<attribute information>) and an end tag (</ attribute) Between information>), tags of attribute information in lower layers are further described and hierarchized. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, tags of “video” and “audio” are described between the start tag 51a and the end tag 51b of “audio video”.

  In addition to the XML document shown in FIG. 3, the management data defines a style (not shown) of the XML document (a style that is a format such as a page or a character displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 1). Style documents (for example, XSL (eXtensible Stylesheets Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)) are included.

  In the example of FIG. 3, each attribute information such as “chapter”, “section”, “video”, “audio”, and “image” is given a unique attribute ID. For example, the attribute ID given to “video” is described between the start tag 53a and end tag 53b of “ID” described between the start tag 52a and end tag 52b of “video” (this In the example, a number).

  In the example of FIG. 3, information priorities are assigned to attribute information such as “video”, “audio”, and “image”. For example, the information priority given to “video” is described between the start tag 54a and end tag 54b of “information priority” described between the start tag 52a and end tag 52b of “video”. Yes. In the present embodiment, the information priority is represented by a numerical value, and the smaller the numerical value, the higher the importance (priority) of the information.

  Furthermore, detailed information is described between start tags and end tags such as “video”, “audio”, and “image”. For example, detailed information 55 of the video is described between the start tag 52a and the end tag 52b of “video”. In the detailed information 55, a URL indicating the location of the video (video) data is described between the start tag 55a and the end tag 55b of the “substance URL”. That is, the URL is linked to the material data at the lowest layer of the hierarchical structure.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a part of management data defining a material data group divided for each scene. In the example of FIG. 4, the material data group divided for each scene is an AV (audio video) clip, and each scene is connected to, for example, video data, audio data, image data, 3DCG data, and character data. It consists of multiple material data.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, each scene has a predetermined time range (for example, a time range (1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds) defined by an IN time code tag of 61 parts and an OUT time code tag. )). Further, each scene is given a unique attribute ID. For example, the attribute ID assigned to “scene 1” is described between the start tag 62a and end tag 62b of “ID” of scene 1.

  The management data described above is included in the content data and provided to the terminal device 1. In the terminal device 1, the management data is positioned at a higher level of the presented material data (material data viewed by the user). The attribute ID assigned to the attribute information to be included is included in the user profile as information indicating the presentation history. Therefore, on the server device 1 side, from this attribute ID, it is possible to recognize how many chapters and sections of material data have been viewed, or up to which scene has been viewed, and then presented. The material data to be identified can be specified.

  Based on the terminal and line profile and the user profile (may be based only on the terminal and line profile), the content composition unit 21c selects an optimum material from a material data group composed of a plurality of material data. Data is selected and configured (reconstructed) as content data to be presented in the terminal device 1. Furthermore, the content composition unit 21c displays the layout (including size, assignment, number of colors, number of characters, etc. on the display screen) of the display object (image, video, etc.) composed of the selected optimum material data. The layout can be changed to match the terminal information included in the line profile.

  As described above, the content composition unit 21c performs a process of transcoding the material data group according to the terminal information and the information indicating the presentation history to configure the content data.

  As an example of this specific processing, a case where the management data is used will be described.

  First, the content composition unit 21c adds material data (for example, material data belonging to section 1 of section 1 or material data belonging to scene 1) corresponding to an attribute ID as information indicating a presentation history included in the latest user profile. Management data for managing subsequent material data (for example, material data belonging to Chapter 1, Section 2 or material data belonging to Scene 2) is acquired from the hierarchical management database 22c.

  Next, the content configuration unit 21c creates new management data corresponding to the terminal information included in the terminal and line profile, based on the acquired management data.

  For example, when the size of the display screen of the terminal device 1 that provides the terminal and the line profile is smaller than the frame size of the video described in the management data, the content configuration unit 21c has an information priority of, for example, 3 or more The tag of the attribute information (for example, from the start tag 52a to the end tag 52b in FIG. 3) attached to the material data (for example, video data) is deleted.

  In addition, the content configuration unit 21c has a data priority of 3 or more, for example, even when plug-in software for displaying video is not installed in the terminal device 1 that provides the terminal and the line profile. The tag of the attribute information given to (for example, video data) is deleted.

  In other words, in the above case, the attribute priority tag given to material data (for example, character data, audio data, and image data) having an information priority of 2 or less remains as it is without being deleted. As a result, material data having an information priority of 2 or less (1 and 2) is selected as optimum material data. That is, material data to which an information priority according to (appropriate) terminal information is assigned is selected.

  Further, when the size of the display screen of the terminal device 1 is further small, or when the image cannot be displayed by browser software, for example, material data having an information priority of 2 or more (for example, video data and image) The tag of the attribute information given to (data) is deleted, and material data (for example, character data) having an information priority of only 1 is selected as optimum material data. Note that the association information (rule) indicating how many pieces of information priority material data is selected according to the size of the display screen, the presence or absence of plug-in software, etc. is stored in advance in the terminal information association database (DB) 22d. It is stored (registered) (the same applies to other associations).

  In addition, the content composition unit 21c determines that the size of the display screen (for example, 180 × 120 dots) of the terminal device 1 that provides the terminal and the line profile is the frame size (for example, video) described in the management data (for example, Smaller than 320 × 240 dots), the frame size of the video (or image) described in the management data is reduced in accordance with the size of the display screen of the terminal device 1, or the number of display characters and display By reducing the number of images, or by changing the allocation (arrangement) of display objects composed of material data (for example, image data) on the display screen, the layout of the display objects is converted into terminal information. The layout may be changed to an appropriate layout. Further, the content configuration unit 21c may redefine the link information as the display object layout is changed.

  Furthermore, if the representation capability of the terminal device 1 that provided the terminal and the line profile is lower than the amount described in the management data, the content composition unit 21c converts the management data into the management data in accordance with the representation capability of the terminal device 1. You may comprise so that the number of described colors may be reduced.

  Furthermore, when the line speed of the terminal device 1 that provided the terminal and the line profile is lower than a predetermined bit rate, the content configuration unit 21c reduces the video frame size and frame rate described in the management data. You may comprise as follows.

  As described above, the content configuration unit 21c selects the optimum material data by changing the content of the management data in accordance with the terminal information. In this way, the created management data and the material data shown therein are configured as content data.

  The content presentation unit 21d provides (transmits) the content data configured as described above to the terminal device 1 via the communication unit 23 and the network 3, and presents the content data to the terminal device 1 (terminal device 1). The browser displays images and presents them by voice output).

[2. Operation of information processing system]
Next, an operation example of the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the information processing unit 21 of the server device 2 when content data is provided to the terminal device 1.

  In the following description, the user has already been connected to the server device 2 with the PC as the terminal device 1 and has been provided with content data, and a user profile including information indicating the content data presentation history in the PC is present. It is assumed that it is stored (accumulated) in the history information database 22a.

  First, when the user selects, for example, a PDA as the terminal device 1 and operates (starts up) the browser software by operating the operation unit of the terminal device 1 to specify the URL of the site of the server device 2, the terminal device 1 Connect to the server device 2 via the network 3 (establish a communication session) and request a source. In response to this, the server device 2 acquires user ID input screen data (for example, WEB data) and transmits it to the terminal device 1 via the network 3 (step S1).

  Thus, a user ID input screen (not shown) is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 1, and a user ID and password input field is provided on the screen. In such a display state, when the user operates the operation unit to input his / her user ID and password in the input field and designate (press) the execution button, the input user ID and password are transmitted via the network 3. It is transmitted to the server device 2.

  The server device 2 receives the user ID and password transmitted from the terminal device 1 (step S2: Y), executes user authentication, for example, whether or not the user ID and password are registered in the history information database 22a. (Step S3), if registered (step S3: Y), the server device 2 requests the terminal device 1 from the terminal device 1 via the network 3 (step S4). In response to such a request, the terminal device 1 activates (executes) the profile collection agent software, collects terminal information of the terminal device 1, and transmits it to the server device 2 via the network 3 as a terminal and a line profile. The terminal information is not collected at this time, but may be collected in advance and stored in the storage unit of the terminal device 1 as a terminal and a line profile.

  Thus, the server device 2 (information acquisition unit 21a) receives and acquires the terminal and line profile transmitted from the terminal device 1 (step S5: Y) (step S6). Subsequently, the server device 2 (information acquisition unit 21a) determines whether or not the user profile corresponding to the user ID is stored in the history information database 22a (step S7). Step S7: Y), the latest user profile is acquired (step S8). Thus, the acquired terminal and line profile and the latest user profile are temporarily stored in a RAM or the like.

  Next, as described above, the server device 2 (content configuration unit 21c) material data corresponding to the attribute ID as information indicating the presentation history included in the latest user profile (for example, viewed on the PC by the user) Management data for managing material data (for example, material data belonging to Chapter 1 Section 2) following material data (for example, browsing up to Chapter 1 Section 1) is managed in a hierarchical management database. 22c (step S9).

  Next, as described above, the server device 2 (content configuration unit 21c) refers to the association information stored in the terminal information association database (DB) 22d based on the acquired management data. New management data corresponding to the terminal information included in the line profile is created (that is, the optimum material data corresponding to the terminal information is selected) (step S10), and the management data and this are shown in this. The optimum material data is acquired from the material database (DB) 22b, and the content data to be presented in the terminal device 1 is configured (step S11).

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a material data group structured by management data created based on a user profile and a terminal and line profile. In the example of FIG. 6, compared with FIG. 2, since the terminal device 1 in this case is a PDA and has no function of displaying 3DCG data, it can be seen that the 3DCG data portion (node portion) has been deleted. .

  Then, the server device 2 (content presentation unit 21d) provides (transmits) the configured content data (including management data) to the terminal device 1 via the communication unit 23 and the network 3 (step S12).

  Thus, the terminal device 1 (browser) displays the image included in the content data on the display unit or outputs the sound from the speaker according to the operation instruction from the user via the operation unit based on the management data. Become. At this time, the terminal device 1 acquires the attribute ID given to the attribute information of the presented material data included in the content data, and stores it in the storage unit. For example, when the terminal device 1 (browser) ends the presentation of the content data in accordance with the operation instruction from the user via the operation unit, the terminal device 1 (browser) activates (executes) the profile collection agent software, and stores the stored attribute Information indicating the presentation history of the terminal device 1 including the ID is collected and transmitted as a user profile to the server device 2 via the network 3.

  Then, the server apparatus 2 receives and acquires the user profile transmitted from the terminal apparatus 1, and stores (accumulates) this in the history information database 22a in association with the user ID of the user. Thereby, even when the user subsequently selects another electronic device (for example, a mobile phone) as the terminal device 1, the presentation history can be referred to by the server device 2.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the optimum material data is selected from the material data group composed of a plurality of material data based on the terminal, the line profile, and the user profile, and presented in the terminal device 1. Since it is configured to be dynamically configured (reconfigured) as content data to be performed, optimum content corresponding to the terminal device is prepared without preparing separate content data according to the characteristics, capabilities, etc. of the terminal device 1 Data can be presented, and seamless content data across (crossing) a plurality of terminal devices (for example, a PC and a PDA) can be presented. Thereby, for example, the user can easily view (view) the continuation of the content that was viewed by the PC as the terminal device 1 using the PDA as the terminal device 1 (can be personalized according to the user's preference). . In particular, it is effective when the content is divided and connected for each scene.

  In addition, the material data group is managed by management data having a tree-type hierarchical structure, and the optimum material data is selected by changing the contents of the management data according to the terminal information. Optimal content data can be easily configured.

  Furthermore, since the attribute ID is assigned to each attribute data and used as information indicating the presentation history, the presentation history of the content data presented in the terminal device 1 can be easily acquired and stored. it can.

  In the above embodiment, the server apparatus 2 is configured to recognize the presentation history of the content data by using the attribute ID assigned to each material data constituting the content data. By using, a media mark corresponding to a bookmark functioning in a conventional browser or the like can be configured.

  More specifically, in the terminal device 1 that is a PC, for example, while the content data is being presented, the user operates the operation unit of the terminal device 1 to obtain a desired image, video, audio, or character portion. When the media mark is designated, the media mark information including the attribute ID assigned to the material data constituting the image, video, sound, or character portion is transmitted to the server device 2 via the network 3. The server device 2 (information acquisition unit 21a) receives the media mark information transmitted from the terminal device 1, and acquires the attribute ID included therein. Then, the server device 2 (history information storage unit 21b) associates the attribute ID with the user ID of the user and stores (accumulates) it in the history information database 22a as the attribute ID for which the media mark has been designated.

  Thereafter, when the user connects from the terminal device 1 to the server device 2 after changing from, for example, a PC to a PDA (similar to the process shown in FIG. 5), the server device 2 (content presentation) Unit 21d) is an attribute relating to media mark designation stored (accumulated) in the history information database 22a when a request for a media mark list is received from the terminal device 1 (for example, according to an operation instruction from a user operation unit). Media mark list information including information (for example, the attribute information described above) indicating material data corresponding to an ID (corresponding to the user ID) is presented to the terminal device 1 in a selectable manner (that is, the information is transmitted to the network 3). To the terminal device 1 via a browser and display it so that it can be selected by a browser), and any material data from the media mark list information is displayed. It is information (e.g., the above-mentioned attribute information) when is selected, making up the content data that contains the material data related to the selection, so as to present to send to the terminal apparatus 1 via the network 3.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily provide the user-desired content even in media having a time axis such as video or rich content in which the display layout and display contents are dynamically changed. it can.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the information which shows the operating environment of the terminal device 1 is included in terminal information, and based on this, the server apparatus 2 is the optimal material from the material data group comprised from several material data. Although data is selected and configured as content data to be presented in the terminal device, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the type of the terminal device 1 (type of PC, PDA, mobile phone, etc.) Is included in the terminal information, and based on the type of the terminal device 1 (on the server device 1 side, a rule for selecting material data corresponding to the type is defined), the server device 2 includes a plurality of materials. The optimum material data is selected from the material data group composed of data (and, as described above, the layout of the display object may be changed). It may be configured as a content data to be presented in the terminal device.

It is a figure showing an example of outline composition of an information processing system concerning this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the material data group structured by management data. It is a figure which shows the example of a part of management data which prescribes | regulates the tree-type hierarchical structure shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a part of management data which prescribes | regulates the material data group divided | segmented for every scene. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the information processing unit 21 of the server device 2 when content data is provided to the terminal device 1. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the material data group structured by the management data created based on the user profile and the terminal and line profile.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal device 2 Server apparatus 21 Information processing part 21a Information acquisition part 21b History information storage part 21c Content structure part 21d Content presentation part 22 Storage part 22a History information database 22b Material database 22c Hierarchical management database 22d Terminal information matching database 23 Communication Part 3 Network S Information processing system

Claims (13)

An information presentation device for presenting content data to a terminal device connected via a communication means,
Terminal information acquisition means for acquiring terminal information including at least one of information indicating the operating environment of the terminal device and information indicating the type of the terminal device;
Based on the terminal information, content configuration means for selecting optimal material data from a material data group composed of a plurality of material data and configuring as content data to be presented in the terminal device;
Content presentation means for presenting the configured content data on the terminal device. The information presentation device according to claim 1,
Further comprising history information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a presentation history of the content data in the terminal device;
The content presentation unit selects the optimum material data based on the terminal information and information indicating the presentation history. The information presentation device according to claim 2,
Each of the material data is given unique identification information,
The information indicating the presentation history includes at least identification information of material data constituting the content data presented in the terminal device. The information presentation device according to claim 1,
History information storage means for storing information indicating the presentation history of the content data in the terminal device for each user;
The content presentation unit selects the optimum material data based on the terminal information and information indicating the presentation history. The information presentation device according to claim 4,
Each of the material data is given unique identification information,
The history information accumulating means accumulates at least identification information of material data constituting content data presented in the terminal device as information indicating the presentation history. In the information presentation apparatus according to claim 3 or 5,
The information presenting apparatus, wherein the content composition unit selects material data that is material data subsequent to material data corresponding to the identification information included in the latest presentation history and that matches the terminal information. In the information presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Each material data is given information indicating the importance of the information,
The content presentation unit selects the material data to which importance of information according to the terminal information is given. In the information presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The content composition unit changes the layout of a display object constituted by the selected material data to a layout corresponding to the terminal information. In the information presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The material data group is managed by management data having a predetermined tree-type hierarchical structure,
The content presenting device selects the optimum material data by changing the content of the management data according to the terminal information. In the information presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Each of the material data is given unique identification information,
The terminal information acquisition unit acquires identification information of material data constituting content data marked by a user in the terminal device,
The content presenting means presents information related to material data corresponding to the acquired identification information related to the mark designation to the terminal device in a selectable manner. When the information is selected, the content presenting means relates to the selection. An information presentation apparatus that causes the terminal apparatus to present material data as the content data.   An information presentation processing program for causing a computer to function as the information providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10.   A recording medium in which the information presentation processing program according to claim 11 is recorded so as to be readable by a computer. An information presentation method in an information presentation device for presenting content data to a terminal device connected via a communication means,
Obtaining terminal information including information indicating at least an operating environment of the terminal device;
Selecting optimal material data from a material data group composed of a plurality of material data based on the terminal information, and configuring as content data to be presented in the terminal device;
A step of causing the terminal device to present the configured content data.

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