JP2007141089A - Content storage management system, content storage management method and content storage management program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently and surely manage storage contents according to the attributes. <P>SOLUTION: The content storage management system comprises a storage content acquisition part accessing a content storage area of a portable storage device to acquire a storage content, and storing it in a working storage device; a viewing history acquisition part accessing a content viewing history storage area of a portable storage device to acquire a content viewing history, and storing it in the working storage device; a storage destination specification part extracting content attribute information contained by either the storage content or the content viewing history, and collating it with a content writing table having information of portable storage devices that are storage destinations of contents associated with each content attribute to specify a portable storage device that is the storage destination of the storage content; and a writing processing part reading the storage content from the working storage device and writing it in a content storage area in the portable storage device as the storage destination. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content storage management system, a content storage management method, and a content storage management program.

For example, for the purpose of providing an electronic filing device that automatically organizes files with low access frequency, the name of the folder to which the name file belongs, the latest access date and time, and the degree of access to the file An access score given to the file, an access frequency index representing the access frequency status of the file calculated from the latest access date and time and the access score, and a flag indicating the comparison result between the access frequency index and the organization reference value A management table to be held; an access information recording unit for updating and recording the latest access date and time and access score of the file in the management table when the file is accessed; and an access frequency index for each file in the management table After calculating and updating, the access frequency index is compared with the organization standard value. A frequency calculation unit that turns on the flag if the former exceeds the organizing reference value, and that it turns off if the following, an activation unit that activates the frequency calculation unit at a predetermined time, and a storage for referring to the management table For each file belonging to a folder, a file whose flag is turned off is moved to the regular folder, and for each file belonging to the regular folder, a moving unit for moving the flag turned on to a storage folder is provided. An electronic filing device (see Patent Document 1) characterized by the above has been proposed.
JP-A-6-52283

  Conventionally, when bridge media (portable magnetic recording / reproducing disk device, etc.) is used in various scenes, various contents are mixed and stored on one medium, and what data is stored on which medium. I had no idea what I was doing. For example, in order to improve the efficiency of media management, even if different media are used according to the attributes of recorded data (computer data, music content, etc.), it is not always possible to carry multiple bridge media. A situation can be assumed in which data with different attributes is added to the media. In this case, since processing such as recording destination selection according to the data attribute is not performed, data and contents of various attributes such as PC data, music, video content, etc. are stored in one medium and mixed. End up. In this case, the user tends to find it difficult to quickly and definitely search for necessary data and content from within the media. These tendencies increase as the volume of media used by users increases and the number and type of media increases.

  On the other hand, as a method for managing contents such as video and audio recorded on the bridge media, there is a concept of attaching a label on which a recording content such as a recording date is written to a disk cartridge for management. However, the contents recorded on the media may be updated at a considerable frequency, and it is necessary to frequently add or replace the label on which the recorded contents are written each time the information is updated.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a content storage management system, a content storage management method, and a content storage management program that enable efficient and reliable management of stored content according to attributes. The main purpose.

  The content storage management system of the present invention that solves the above problems is a system for managing storage of content in a portable storage device, and in accordance with the connection with the portable storage device, the content storage area of the portable storage device The content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device is obtained according to the connection between the storage content acquisition unit and the portable storage device, which acquires the stored content by accessing the storage and stores it in a predetermined working storage device To obtain a content viewing history, store the content viewing history in a predetermined working storage device, and extract content attribute information included in either the stored content or the content viewing history, A content document in which attribute information is associated with information on a portable storage device that is a content storage destination for each content attribute A storage location identifying unit that identifies a portable storage device that is a storage destination of the stored content by collating with the storage table, and the storage content is read from the working storage device, and is stored in the storage destination. A write processing unit for performing a write process on a content storage area in the portable storage device.

  In addition, the content storage management system of the present invention is a content reading table that stores information on the usage status of the stored content for each stored content in the portable storage device, and the content stored in the working storage device. Based on the viewing history, the content reading table update unit that updates the usage status information regarding the content included in the content viewing history, and the content viewing of the content whose usage status information is updated in the content reading table It is preferable to include a viewing history erasure unit that erases the history from the content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device that is the storage source.

  In the content storage management system of the present invention, the content writing table includes information on a portable storage device that is a storage destination of content for each content attribute, information on a free area, and content between portable storage devices. The storage priority specifying unit collates the content attribute information with a content writing table, and associates the priority information of writing with the portable storage device associated with the content attribute information. Among them, the one having the free capacity equal to or larger than the data size of the stored content stored in the working storage device and having the highest content writing priority is selected and used as the storage destination of the stored content. It is specified as a portable storage device, and the writing processing unit reads the stored content from the working storage device, When writing into a content storage area in the portable storage device at the storage destination, the information on the free area of the portable storage device in the content writing table is set in accordance with the data size subjected to the writing process. It is suitable if it is to be reduced.

  In the content storage management system of the present invention, the content reading table includes, for each stored content in the portable storage device, information on the usage status of the stored content, and information on the priority of reading to the portable storage device. When the content reading table update unit updates the usage status information regarding the content included in the content viewing history in the content reading table, the content reading table update unit increases the usage frequency level of the corresponding content by a predetermined amount. It is preferable that the read priority is updated according to the content usage frequency.

  In addition, the content storage management system of the present invention receives an instruction to download stored content from the input interface, selects the stored content in the content read table in descending order of the content read priority, and selects this. It is preferable to provide a read processing unit that reads each from the corresponding portable storage device and sequentially sends it to the downloadable portable storage device until the free space of the portable storage device becomes a predetermined value or less.

  In the content storage management system of the present invention, the read processing unit receives information on a content attribute desired to be downloaded from an input interface, collates the content attribute information with the content read table, and Among the stored contents corresponding to the information, the contents are selected in descending order of the content reading priority, read out from the corresponding portable storage device, and the available portable storage device has a free space in the downloadable portable storage device. It is preferable that the data is sequentially sent until the capacity becomes a predetermined value or less.

  In the content storage management system according to the present invention, the viewing history acquisition unit accesses each content viewing history storage area of a plurality of portable storage devices, acquires each content viewing history, If there are a plurality of viewing histories related to the same content type stored in the storage device, the content viewing rights included in each of the viewing histories are merged, and the content viewing right is included in one content of the same content. It is preferable to generate a viewing history set only for and write processing to the content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device.

  The content storage management method of the present invention is a method for managing storage of content in a portable storage device by a computer, wherein the computer is connected to the portable storage device according to the connection with the portable storage device. Access the content storage area to obtain the stored content, store it in a predetermined working storage device, and access the content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device according to the connection with the portable storage device. Content viewing history is acquired, stored in a predetermined working storage device, content attribute information included in either the stored content or the content viewing history is extracted, and the content attribute information is stored for each content attribute. The content storage table is collated with the information of the portable storage device that is the storage destination of Specifying a portable storage device as a storage destination of the delivery content, reading the storage content from the working storage device, and writing the stored content in a content storage area in the portable storage device of the storage destination; It is characterized by.

  The content storage management program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute storage management of content in a portable storage device, and the content of the portable storage device according to connection with the portable storage device Accessing the storage area to obtain the stored content, storing it in a predetermined working storage device, and accessing the content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device according to the connection with the portable storage device The content viewing history is acquired and stored in a predetermined working storage device, and the content attribute information included in either the stored content or the content viewing history is extracted. For content writing that associates information of the portable storage device that is the storage location of content for each A portable storage device as a storage destination of the stored content by collating with a table, and reading the stored content from the working storage device, which is stored in the portable storage device of the storage destination Writing to the storage area.

  The portable storage device is connected to the content storage management system through a predetermined interface (eg, a unique specification of the portable storage device) or a network. As a connection form, the portable storage device is used. Can be divided into two types. One is an emergency connection that is not connected to a normal content storage management system, but only connected each time content download processing is performed from the content storage management system (for example, for portable content storage users listening to music content outdoors) One that is almost always inserted and connected to a dedicated slot or the like of the content storage management system, and accepts uploading of content from a portable storage device carried by the user or the like. Can be assumed.

  Further, as a specific example of the portable storage device, for example, a storage device compatible with iVDR (Information Versatile Disk for Removable usage) can be assumed. This iVDR is one of the standards for removable hard disks, and is assumed to be used in a wide range of applications such as AV equipment, information appliances, and in-vehicle information equipment as well as personal computers. In addition, this specification includes things other than HDD (flash memory etc.). For this reason, in this embodiment, aspects other than HDD are also included. As a hardware configuration example, for example, a 2.5-inch general-purpose small hard disk is used and connected to an external device by a dedicated 25-pin connector. The data transfer control uses the ATA method that is widely used in personal computers, but extended commands for AV devices and security-related extended commands have been added. In addition, since it is assumed to be used in information home appliances such as hard disk video recorders, file system and application data formats are also standardized so that compatibility between products can be maintained for recording and playback of video data. As a file system, UDF is used, and it is assumed that a video format for video recording, a content protection security standard, and the like are defined as a data format.

  In addition, the problems disclosed by the present application and the solutions thereof will be clarified by the embodiments of the present invention and the drawings.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently and reliably manage stored contents according to attributes.

--- System configuration ---
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram including a content storage management system 100 of the present embodiment. Assuming the application status of the content storage management system 100 in the present embodiment, various situations are possible. For example, an external device such as a home appliance, a content service station, or a car navigation system in which a portable storage device 200 such as an iVDR that a user normally carries is used in various scenes such as a home, in a city, or in a car and accessed in each scene. It is assumed that the content 1000 obtained from 10 is stored in the portable storage device 200.

  In that case, various contents are mixed in the content storage area 250 of one portable storage device 200, and when the user organizes and uses the contents later, the user is required a great deal of labor and time. . Also, the storage capacity of HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) is in the direction of larger capacities due to the adoption of perpendicular magnetic recording and the like, and the amount of data that can be recorded on one medium tends to increase significantly.

  Therefore, the content storage management system according to the present embodiment, which efficiently organizes the contents stored in the portable storage device 200 and increases the usability of the user, is installed at the home of the user who brought the portable storage device 200 home. Server system can be assumed. Here, the system 100 receives the portable storage device 200 such as iVDR connected by the user who has returned home from the outside through the insertion port 188 of the portable storage device 200. The insertion port 188 can be assumed to be an insertion port provided in the jacket rack 180 of the iVDR, and an interface terminal with the system 100 is provided in the back thereof, and the interface terminal is connected to the portable storage device 200 such as iVDR and the system 100. Data communication with is possible.

  Further, the system 100 may include, for example, an iVDR jacket rack 180 (a collection of jackets that electrically accommodates iVDR). The jacket rack 180 has a building block configuration (a system that can be applied from a small system to a large-scale system with a single device, so that a part of the device is expanded according to the scale as if the blocks were stacked) It has become. By using such a jacket rack 180, it is also possible to connect iVDRs, which are portable storage devices 300 inserted into the jacket rack 180, to function as one large-capacity storage. Further, the iVDR can be connected and expanded arbitrarily by using the building block structure.

  In the portable storage device 300 inserted in such a jacket rack 180, the content 1000 stored for each attribute from the portable storage device 200 is, for example, attributed to the portable storage device 400 to be carried by the user. It will be downloaded. For example, when the user goes out by car, the iVDR, which is the portable storage device 400 with the attribute specified for the car, is taken out from the jacket and used in the user's car.

  Of course, the application target of the content storage management system in the present embodiment is not limited only to the assumed situation, and can be applied to various other situations.

  Such a content storage management system 100 (hereinafter, system 100) in the present embodiment reads the program 102 stored in the program database 101 such as a rewritable memory to the memory 103 in order to realize the function of executing the content storage management method. It is executed by the CPU 104 which is an arithmetic unit.

  In addition, the system 100 includes various keyboards and buttons generally provided in a computer device, an input / output interface 105 such as a display, and a communication unit 106 that handles data exchange with portable storage devices 200 to 400. Have.

  The system 100 is connected to the portable storage devices 200 to 400 and the like through the network 140 such as the Internet, a LAN, or a serial interface communication line by the communication means 106, and executes data exchange. Between the various functional units of the system 100 and the communication means 106, the I / O unit 107 executes data buffering and various mediation processes.

  Subsequently, functional units that are configured and held by the system 100 based on the program 102 will be described. In response to the connection with the portable storage device 200, the system 100 accesses the content storage area 250 of the portable storage device 200 to acquire the stored content 1000 and stores it in a predetermined working storage device 150. The stored content acquisition unit 110 is provided.

  Further, the system 100 accesses the content viewing history storage area 260 of the portable storage device 200 in response to the connection with the portable storage device 200, acquires the content viewing history 1100, and uses this for a predetermined work. A viewing history acquisition unit 111 stored in the storage device 150 is provided.

  Further, the system 100 extracts content attribute information 1200 included in either the stored content 1000 or the content viewing history 1100, and the content attribute information 1200 is a portable storage device that is a content storage destination for each content attribute. The storage destination specifying unit 112 is provided that specifies the portable storage device 300 that is the storage destination of the stored content 1000 by collating with the content writing table 125 that associates the above information.

  Further, the system 100 reads the stored content 1000 from the working storage device 150 and writes it to the content storage area 350 in the portable storage device 300 at the storage destination. Is provided.

  In addition, the system 100 stores content stored in the working storage device 150 in the content reading table 126 that stores information on the usage status of the stored content 1000 for each stored content 1000 in the portable storage device. It is preferable to provide a content reading table update unit 114 that updates usage status information regarding the content included in the content viewing history 1100 based on the viewing history 1100. In this case, the system 100 stores a content viewing history storage area 260 of the portable storage device 200 that has stored the content viewing history 1100 of the content whose usage status information is updated in the content reading table 126. The viewing history erasing unit 115 may be provided for further erasing.

  Further, in the system 100, the content writing table 125 includes the information on the portable storage device 300 that is the storage destination of the content for each content attribute, the information on the free space, and the content document between the portable storage devices 300. The priority information may be associated with each other. In this case, the storage location specifying unit 112 collates the content attribute information 1200 with the content writing table 125, and among the portable storage devices associated with the content attribute information 1200, the working storage device 150. A portable storage device 300 having a free space equal to or larger than the data size of the stored content 1000 stored in the storage content 1000 and having the highest content writing priority is selected. As specified. In addition, the write processing unit 113 reads the stored content 1000 from the working storage device 150 and writes it to the content storage area 350 in the portable storage device 300 at the storage destination. The information on the free area of the portable storage device 300 in the content writing table 125 is reduced according to the data size subjected to the writing process.

  Further, in the system 100, the content reading table 126 stores information on the usage status of the stored content 1000 for each stored content 1000 in the portable storage device 300 and the portable storage device 400 that is carried by the user, for example. The information of the reading priority may be stored. In this case, when the content reading table updating unit 114 updates the usage status information regarding the content included in the content viewing history 1100 in the content reading table 126, the usage frequency level of the corresponding content is increased by a predetermined amount. The read priority level is updated according to the content usage frequency.

  In addition, the system 100 receives an instruction to download the stored content 1000 from the input interface, selects the stored content 1000 in the content reading table 126 in descending order of the content reading priority, and selects this. It is also possible to provide a read processing unit 116 that reads data from the portable storage device 300 and sequentially sends the data to the downloadable portable storage device 400 until the free capacity of the portable storage device 400 becomes a predetermined value or less.

  Further, in the system 100, the read processing unit 116 accepts content attribute information desired to be downloaded from the input interface, collates the content attribute information with the content read table 126, and the content attribute information 1200. Among the stored contents 1000 corresponding to the above, the contents are selected in descending order of the content reading priority, read out from the corresponding portable storage device 300, and stored in the portable storage device 400 of the download destination. The data may be sent sequentially until the free space of 400 becomes a predetermined value or less.

  In the system 100, the viewing history acquisition unit 111 includes a plurality of portable storage devices (a portable storage device 200 as a content upload source, a portable storage device 300 as a content upload destination, and a portable storage as a content download destination). Each content viewing history storage area of any one of the devices 400 or a combination thereof is accessed to obtain each content viewing history 1100, which is stored in a predetermined work storage device 150, and viewing history regarding the same content type If there are a plurality of similar contents, the content viewing rights included in each of the viewing histories are merged to generate a viewing history in which the content viewing rights are set to only one of the same contents, and the corresponding portable type Write to the content viewing history storage area of the storage device It may be processed.

  Each of the functional units 110 to 116 in the system 100 described so far may be realized as hardware, or as a program stored in an appropriate storage device such as a memory or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Also good. In this case, the CPU 104 reads the corresponding program from the storage device into the memory 103 and executes it in accordance with the execution of the program.

  In addition to the Internet and LAN, the network 140 includes various types such as an ATM line, a dedicated line, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a power line network, a wireless network, a public line network, a mobile phone network, and a serial interface communication line. A network can also be adopted. If a virtual private network technology such as VPN (Virtual Private Network) is used, communication with improved security is established when the Internet is adopted. The serial interface refers to an interface for connecting to an external device by serial transmission that sequentially transmits data bit by bit using a single signal line, and RS-232C, RS-422, IrDA, USB, IEEE 1394, fiber channel, etc. can be assumed.

---- Table structure ---
Next, the structure of the table used by the system 100 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of (a) the content writing table 125 and (b) the content reading table 126 in the present embodiment.

  The content writing table 125 is a table in which information of the portable storage device 300 serving as a content storage destination is associated with each content attribute. Such a content writing table 125 includes information such as the serial number 601 of the portable storage device 300, the free area 800 of the portable storage device 300, and the content writing priority 801 using the attribute name 600 as a key. It is a collection of related records.

  The content reading table 126 is a table that stores information such as the usage status of stored content for each stored content in the portable storage device 300. For example, the content reading table 126 is stored in the portable storage device 300 using the attribute name 600 as a key. Serial number 601, ID 602 of the content 1000 stored in the portable storage device 300, its read priority 603, usage frequency 604, usage count 605, last usage date 606, initial usage date 607, content size 608, etc. It is a collection of records that correlate information.

  In addition, the content ID 602 shown above is not only information such as a serial number, but also a content version 620, content name 621, content information (content attribute 627, content classification) as shown in FIG. 628, genre 629) 622, right attribute 623, content provider 624, terminal information 625 used at the time of recording, and recording date and time 626. Further, as the content information 622, as shown in FIG. 3B, content attributes 627 such as music, video, and map, and classification information for each attribute (music: R & B, POPS, video: movie, TV, private video). 628, maps for pedestrians, maps for automobiles, etc. 628, genre for each attribute or classification (female vocal, male vocal, group, action, SF, news, variety, 3D map, high definition map, etc.) 629 It can be included.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the content viewing history 1100 can be assumed to include, for example, information such as a cumulative usage count 700 and a last usage date and time 701 using the content ID 602 as a key.

--- About portable storage device ---
Further, as a specific example of the portable storage device, for example, a storage device compatible with iVDR (Information Versatile Disk for Removable usage) can be assumed. This iVDR is one of the standards for removable hard disks, and is assumed to be used in a wide range of applications such as AV equipment, information appliances, and in-vehicle information equipment as well as personal computers. In addition, this standard includes things other than HDD (flash memory etc.). For this reason, in this embodiment, aspects other than HDD are also included. As an example of the hardware configuration, for example, a 2.5-inch general-purpose small hard disk is used, and an external device (a system including the external device 10, the jacket rack 180, or the jacket rack 180) with a dedicated 25-pin connector. 100). The data transfer control uses the ATA method that is widely used in personal computers, but extended commands for AV devices and security-related extended commands have been added. In addition, since it is assumed to be used in information home appliances such as hard disk video recorders, file system and application data formats are also standardized so that compatibility between products can be maintained for recording and playback of video data.

  UDF is used as a file system, and it is assumed that a video format for video recording, a content protection security standard, and the like are defined as a data format. As a content protection security standard, the concept of copyright protection is adopted. For example, in the HDD, a normal area (access freedom) for storing encrypted content, and a tamper-resistant area (decryption key for decrypting the encrypted content and a tamper-resistant area for storing a decryption key management module) Free access is not possible: access is possible only when authentication with the connection destination device is successful).

  In other words, content that is encrypted and cannot be played back as it is can be freely put in and out via iVDR, and is easy for the user to handle according to the high portability of iVDR. By performing key management so that the correct decryption key stored in the iVDR is required for reproduction of content, the copyright of the content is strongly protected.

The content stored in the normal area may include not only encrypted content but also content that does not require encryption, such as video and audio shot with a home video camera.
On the other hand, as another example of the portable storage device, a CDR, a DVD, a flash memory, or the like can be assumed.

--- Processing flow example 1 ---
Hereinafter, an actual procedure of the content storage management method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Various operations corresponding to the content storage management method described below are realized by the program 102 that the system 100 reads into the memory 103 and executes. And this program 102 is comprised from the code | cord | chord for performing the various operation | movement demonstrated below.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an execution procedure example 1 in the content storage management method of the present embodiment. For example, an iVDR (hereinafter referred to as iVDR 200) which is a portable storage device 200 carried by a user in a content service station (including a so-called convenience store terminal installed in a convenience store) where the user downloads and sells content while away from home. Is connected and the desired content is downloaded. At this time, new content is stored in the iVDR 200. The user takes the iVDR 200 home and inserts it into the insertion slot 188 of the jacket rack 180 connected to the system 100.

  Here, the system 100 is connected to the iVDR 200 via the jacket rack 180 so that data communication is possible (s100). Then, the stored content acquisition unit 110 of the system 100 accesses the content storage area 250 of the iVDR 200 according to the connection with the iVDR 200 to acquire the stored content 1000, and stores this in the predetermined working storage device 150. (S101). Further, the viewing history acquisition unit 111 of the system 100 accesses the content viewing history storage area 260 of the iVDR 200 in response to the connection with the iVDR 200, acquires the content viewing history 1100, and stores this in a predetermined working memory. The data is stored in the device 150 (s102).

  Subsequently, the system 100 executes an update process of the content reading table 126 (s103). The update process of the content reading table 126 will be described later.

  The system 100 accesses the working storage device 150 and checks whether the stored content 1000 acquired from the iVDR 200 exists (s104). If the stored content 1000 is not stored in the working storage device 150 (s104: NO), this flow ends (s105). On the other hand, if the stored content 1000 is stored in the working storage device 150 (s104: YES), the storage location specifying unit 112 of the system 100 stores the stored content 1000 or the content viewing history 1100 in the working storage device 150. The content attribute information 1200 included in any one is extracted (s106). As this content attribute information 1200, for example, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B described above, attribute information such as music, a moving image, a map, and the like associated with the content ID 602 is assumed.

  When the content attribute information 1200 is obtained (s107: YES), the storage location specifying unit 112 of the system 100 collates this with the content writing table 125 and becomes the storage location of the stored content 1000. The iVDR 300 which is a portable storage device is searched (s108). On the other hand, if the content attribute information 1200 is not obtained (s107: NO), the storage location specifying unit 112 is a content storage area regardless of the attribute in the iVDR 300 having a free capacity corresponding to the size of the corresponding content 1000. Is searched in the content writing table 125 and content storage processing is performed (s115, s117). If there is no iVDR 300 having a free capacity corresponding to the size of the corresponding content 1000 (s115: NO), error processing is performed and the flow is terminated (s116).

  On the other hand, when the content attribute information 1200 is obtained (s107: YES), the storage destination specifying unit 112 that has performed a search (s108) by checking the content attribute information 1200 with the content writing table 125 stores the content attribute information 1200 in the content attribute information 1200. Of the associated iVDRs 300, the one having the highest content writing priority is selected, and does this have a free space equal to or larger than the data size of the stored content 1000 stored in the working storage device 150? Determine (s109, s110).

  For example, if the content attribute information 1200 of the stored content 1000 stored in the working storage device 150 is “music”, the system 100 is an example of the content writing table 125 in FIG. First, the serial numbers “No. 1” and “No. 2” are recognized as storage destination candidates, and attention is paid to the iVDR 300 having the serial number “No. 1” having a high writing priority. Then, it is determined whether the data size of the stored content 1000 fits in the free space “5G”. If the data size of the stored content 1000 is “5G” or less, the system 100 identifies the iVDR 300 having the serial number “No. 1” as the portable storage device 300 that stores the stored content 1000.

  Subsequently, the write processing unit 113 of the system 100 reads the stored content 1000 from the working storage device 150 and writes it in the content storage area 350 in the iVDR 300 specified as the portable storage device of the storage destination. (S111). Thereafter, the system 100 updates the corresponding iVDR in the content writing table 125, that is, the information of the free area 800 related to the iVDR of the serial number “No. 1” by the data size of the stored content 1000, and Further, the corresponding stored content 1000 is deleted from the working storage device 150 (s112). Then, the system 100 returns the flow to step s104, and repeats the process until the stored content 1000 disappears in the working storage device 150.

  On the other hand, in step s110, the iVDR 300 associated with the content attribute information 1200 is selected to have the highest content writing priority, which is stored content stored in the working storage device 150. If there is no free space equal to or larger than the data size of 1000 (s110: NO), the system 100 uses the content writing table 125 to store another iVDR 300 associated with the same “music” attribute. Search for. If another iVDR 300 can be searched (s113: YES), the iVDR 300 having the writing priority of the next rank of the iVDR 300 of the serial number “No. 1” is searched from the iVDR 300 (s114). Is returned to step s110 to check the capacity of the iVDR 300.

  In the example of the content writing table 125 shown in FIG. 2A, the serial number “No. 1” has the next priority among the iVDRs 300 linked to the attribute “music”. This is the iVDR 300 with the number “No. 2”. Therefore, the system 100 that has been able to search for the iVDR 300 with the serial number “No. 2” has “20 G” as the free area of the iVDR 300 with the serial number “No. 2”, and can store the data size of the stored content 1000. Judgment is made.

  On the other hand, when other iVDRs 300 linked to the same attribute of “music” cannot be searched in the content writing table 125 (s113: NO), the system 100 has a free space corresponding to the size of the corresponding content 1000. The iVDR 300 having the capacity and having the content storage area regardless of the attribute is searched for in the content writing table 125, and content storage processing is performed (s115, s117). If there is no iVDR 300 having a free capacity corresponding to the size of the corresponding content 1000 (s115: NO), error processing is performed and the flow is terminated (s116).

--- Processing flow example 2 ---
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an implementation procedure example 2 in the content storage management method of the present embodiment. Next, update processing of the content reading table 126 will be described. As described above, the system 100 is connected to the iVDR 200 via the jacket rack 180 so that data communication is possible (s100). Then, the viewing history acquisition unit 111 of the system 100 accesses the content viewing history storage area 260 of the iVDR 200 according to the connection with the iVDR 200, acquires the content viewing history 1100, and stores the content viewing history 1100 in a predetermined working storage device. 150 (s102).

  Subsequently, the content reading table update unit 114 of the system 100 acquires information on the usage status related to the content included in the content viewing history 1100, and first recognizes the presence or absence of the content ID registered in the history (s500). If no content ID is registered (s500: NO), the table update flow is terminated (s506). On the other hand, if the content ID is registered (s500: YES), it is determined whether or not the corresponding content ID is registered in the content reading table 126 (s501). In the determination, if the corresponding content ID is registered (s501: YES), based on the viewing history 1100, the information on the accumulated usage count 605 and the last usage date and time 606 is updated in the corresponding record in the content reading table 126. (S502).

  On the other hand, if the content ID is not registered in the determination (s501: NO), the content reading table update unit 114 of the system 100 executes new registration of the corresponding record in the content reading table 126 (s503). ).

  The viewing history erasure unit 115 of the system 100 also stores the content viewing history storage area of the iVDR 200 that stores the content viewing history 1100 of the content whose usage status information is updated in the content reading table 126. Erasing from 260 (s504).

  In addition, when the content reading table update unit 114 of the system 100 updates the usage status information regarding the content included in the content viewing history 1100 in the content reading table 126, the level of the usage frequency 604 of the corresponding content is set. The read priority 603 is updated according to the content usage frequency, and is updated according to the value such as the number of times of use (s505). This read priority 603 means information on the read priority to the iVDR 400 that is a portable storage device for carrying by the user for each storage content 1000 in the iVDR 300.

  Then, the system 100 returns the flow to step s500, and repeats the process until there is no content ID in the content viewing history 1100.

--- Processing flow example 3 ---
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an implementation procedure example 3 in the content storage management method of the present embodiment. Next, processing will be described assuming that content is downloaded from the iVDR 300 that is connected to the jacket rack 180 and stores content for each attribute to the iVDR 400 that the user plans to take out when going out. In the flow of FIG. 7, steps s101, s102, and s103 shown in FIG. 5 are performed in the same manner, but the description is omitted here because they overlap.

  Here, the content of the content that the user desires to download from the appropriate input interface such as an attribute designation button provided on the keyboard, the jacket rack 180 or the like provided in the system 100 by the read processing unit 116 of the system 100. The attribute information is received (s200). For example, if the user has designated the attribute “moving image”, the system 100 compares the content attribute information “moving image” with the content reading table 126 and sets it to “moving image” in the content attribute information 1200. The presence / absence of the corresponding stored content 1000 is determined (s201). Here, if the stored content 1000 corresponding to the “moving image” of the content attribute information 1200 is not in the list of the content reading table 126 (s201: NO), error processing is performed (s202), and the flow is performed. finish.

  On the other hand, if the stored content 1000 corresponding to the “moving image” of the content attribute information 1200 is in the list of the content read table 126 (s201: YES), the read processing unit 116 will display the content read table 126. In step S203, the iVDR 300 associated with the content attribute information 1200 such as “moving image” is confirmed. In the example of the content reading table 126 of FIG. 2B, the iVDR 300 associated with “moving image” has two serial numbers “No. 3” and “No. 4”.

  Then, the reading processing unit 116 selects the iVDR 300 confirmed here in descending order of the content reading priority 603 of the stored content 1000 and picks it up as a target of the download processing. In the example of the content reading table 126 in FIG. 2B, the reading is performed between the iVDR 300 associated with “moving image” and the content 1000 stored with the serial numbers “No. 3” and “No. 4”. In the priority 603, the content ID 602 is higher in the order of ID7 (3), IDA (4), ID9 (8), ID8 (11), and ID6 (12).

  Therefore, the reading processing unit 116 reads the content 1000 from the corresponding iVDR 300 in the order of the reading priority 603 (s204), and determines whether it fits in the free space of the iVDR 400 at the download destination (s205).

  For example, the content ID having the highest read priority 603 among the contents of the “video” is “ID7”, and the data size of the content “ID7” is “10G” according to FIG. 2B. . In addition, as the download destination iVDR 400, in the example of the content writing table 125 in FIG. 2A, the serial number that is higher in the iVDR in which the content writing priority 801 is associated with “moving image”. The iVDR is “No. 3”.

  Therefore, the system 100, if the data size “10G” of the video content 1000 is within the free space “20G” of the download destination iVDR400: serial number “No. 3” (s205: YES), The content 1000 is written into the content storage area 450 of the iVDR 400 (s206). Then, the read processing unit 116 updates the information of the empty area 800 in the content writing table 125 according to the writing process (s207). Thereafter, the flow is returned to step s200, and the process is repeated until the process is completed for all the attributes designated by the user.

  On the other hand, in step s205, if the data size of the moving image content content 1000 does not fit in the free space of the download destination iVDR 400 (s205: NO), the read processing unit 116 of the system 100 sets the “ID7”. The content 1000 having the next highest priority is searched (s208), and if it cannot be searched, this flow is terminated (s209). On the other hand, if the content 1000 having the next highest priority of “ID7” can be searched (s208: YES), the process returns to step s205, and it is determined in the same manner as described above whether it can be accommodated in the free space of the iVDR 400.

--- Processing flow example 4 ---
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an implementation procedure example 4 in the content storage management method of the present embodiment. Next, unlike the process flow example 3 described above, a process when the user does not receive an attribute designation for the content 1000 desired to be downloaded will be described. Note that the description of the same processing contents as in the processing flow example 3 is omitted.

  In this case, the reading processing unit 116 of the system 100 wishes that the user wishes to start downloading from an appropriate input interface such as a keyboard provided in the system 100, a download start button provided on the jacket rack 180, or the like. Is received. Then, in response to this instruction, the system 100 confirms the content read priority 603 among the stored contents 1000 in the content read table 126 (s300). As a way of confirming the reading priority 603, confirmation is performed across attributes such as “music” and “moving image”, that is, regardless of the content attribute.

  Then, the content reading priority 603 is selected in descending order (s301), and it is determined whether the content 1000 can be accommodated in the free space of the download destination iVDR 400 (s302). Therefore, if the data size of the content 1000 fits in the free space of the download destination iVDR 400 (s302: YES), the system 100 writes the content 1000 into the content storage area 450 of the iVDR 400 (s303). ). Then, the read processing unit 116 updates the information of the empty area 800 in the content writing table 125 according to the writing process (s304). Thereafter, the flow is returned to step s301, and the process is sequentially repeated until the free capacity of the iVDR 400 becomes a predetermined value or less in the download destination iVDR 400.

  On the other hand, in step s302, if the data size of the content content 1000 does not fit in the free space of the download destination iVDR 400 (s302: NO), the read processing unit 116 of the system 100 determines the priority of the next order. The content 1000 having a height is searched (s305), and if it cannot be searched (s305: NO), this flow is ended (s306). On the other hand, if the content 1000 having the next highest priority can be searched (s305: YES), the process returns to step s302, and it is determined in the same manner as described above whether the content can be accommodated in the free space of the iVDR 400.

--- Processing flow example 5 ---
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an implementation procedure example 5 in the content storage management method of the present embodiment. It is assumed that the iVDR user purchases the content with the external device 10 that has been installed outside the home and stores the content in the iVDR 200, for example. In this case, the external device 10 is connected to the iVDR 200 so that data communication is possible, and the content viewing history 1100 of the iVDR 200 is updated according to the content usage in the external device 10.

  Therefore, the external device 10 detects the content usage of the iVDR 200 (s400), accesses the content viewing history storage area 260 of the iVDR 200, and acquires the content viewing history 1100. Then, it is determined whether the content viewing history 1100 includes the content ID of the content 1000 used by the user (s401).

  In this determination, if a content ID is included in the content viewing history 1100 (s401: YES), information on the cumulative number of times of use 700 and information on the last usage date and time 701 of the content ID are recorded. It is updated according to the use date and time (s402). On the other hand, in the determination, if the content viewing history 1100 does not include the content ID (s401: NO), the content ID record is newly registered in the content viewing history 1100 (s403), and the process is terminated.

--- Processing flow example 6 ---
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an implementation procedure example 6 in the content storage management method of the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a concept of content viewing right merging processing in the present embodiment. For example, a case where one user purchases and holds two pieces of the same content is sufficiently assumed. In such a case, the viewing history acquisition unit 111 of the system 100 includes a plurality of portable storage devices (any one or a combination of the content upload source iVDR 200, the content upload destination iVDR 300, and the content download destination iVDR 400). Each content viewing history storage area is accessed (s900). Then, each content viewing history 1100 is acquired and stored in a predetermined working storage device 150 (s901).

  The viewing history acquisition unit 111 of the system 100 is based on the content viewing history 1100 stored in the working storage device 150, and the number of the viewing history related to the same content type (for example, movie “ABC”) (for example, 2). If there are only two (s902: YES), the content viewing rights included in each of these viewing histories (eg, one remaining viewing count and two remaining viewing counts) are merged (s903). The viewing right here can be assumed, for example, the number of times the content is viewed.

  The viewing history acquisition unit 111 of the system 100 uses the merged content viewing right (for example, remaining 3 times of viewing) as one of the same type of content (for example, the content of the movie “ABC” that had two). A viewing history set for only one of them is generated (s904), and a writing process is performed in the content viewing history storage area of the corresponding iVDR (s905). By performing such processing, the user can more flexibly manage the content 1000, and the viewing right can be reliably managed among a plurality of contents without duplication.

---- Other ---
It is assumed that the same kind of content is managed with data with different image definition for PC and car navigation, for example. In this case, the system 100 uses the attribute information of the content playback device that has received the setting from the user in advance via the input interface or the attribute associated with the portable storage device 400 of the download destination (eg, this iVDR is for car navigation etc. And the content 1000 to be read from the portable storage device 300 is selected in accordance with, for example, the content writing table 125 and the like.

  In recent years, the difference in data processing capability between portable devices and personal computers has decreased, but there are many situations in which rich content cannot or cannot be played due to the capability of content playback devices. Therefore, the system 100 manages contents of the same title (video contents, etc.) in association with each other by PC, car navigation, etc. according to necessary playback functions, for example, when taking out for car navigation, A file having a reproducible capacity or format is downloaded to the portable storage device 400. On the other hand, when taking out the same content for a PC, even a file of a size that is larger in size than that for navigation and can be played back on the PC can be played back on the PC, so download it to the portable storage device 400 for this PC To do. Alternatively, the portable storage device 400 at the download destination may be managed with the file extension of the content 1000.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently and reliably manage stored contents according to attributes.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described concretely based on the embodiment, it is not limited to this and can be variously changed in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

It is a network block diagram containing the content storage management system of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows each data structure example of (a) content writing table and (b) content reading table in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the data structure of (a) content ID and (b) content attribute in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of a content viewing history in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the implementation procedure example 1 in the content storage management method of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the implementation procedure example 2 in the content storage management method of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the implementation procedure example 3 in the content storage management method of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the implementation procedure example 4 in the content storage management method of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the implementation procedure example 5 in the content storage management method of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the implementation procedure example 6 in the content storage management method of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the merge processing concept of the content viewing right in this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 External apparatus 100 Content storage management system, System 101 Program database 102 Program 103 Memory 104 CPU
105 I / O Interface 106 Communication Means 107 I / O Unit 110 Stored Content Acquisition Unit 111 Viewing History Acquisition Unit 112 Storage Location Identification Unit 113 Write Processing Unit 114 Content Reading Table Update Unit 115 Viewing History Erasing Unit 116 Reading Processing Unit 125 Content Table for writing 126 Table for reading content 140 Network 150 Work storage device 180 Jacket rack 188 Jacket rack insertion port 200 Portable storage device 250, 350, 450 (content upload source) Content storage area 260, 360, 460 Content Viewing history storage area 300 Portable storage device 400 (content upload destination) Portable storage device 1000 (content download destination) Stored content 1100 Content viewing history 120 Content attribute information

Claims (9)

A system for managing content storage in a portable storage device,
A stored content acquisition unit that accesses a content storage area of the portable storage device according to the connection with the portable storage device, acquires the stored content, and stores this in a predetermined working storage device;
A viewing history acquisition unit that accesses a content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device in accordance with the connection with the portable storage device, acquires the content viewing history, and stores the content viewing history in a predetermined working storage device; ,
A content writing table in which content attribute information included in either the stored content or the content viewing history is extracted, and this content attribute information is associated with information on a portable storage device that is a content storage destination for each content attribute. A storage destination specifying unit that specifies a portable storage device that is a storage destination of the stored content,
A write processing unit that reads the stored content from the working storage device and writes the content in a content storage area in the portable storage device of the storage destination;
A content storage management system comprising: In claim 1,
For each stored content in the portable storage device, in the content reading table storing information on the usage status of the stored content, the content viewing history is based on the content viewing history stored in the working storage device. A content reading table updating unit for updating information on the usage status regarding the content to be included;
A viewing history erasure unit for erasing the content viewing history from the content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device that was the storage source of the content whose usage status information has been updated in the content reading table;
A content storage management system comprising: In claim 1 or 2,
The content writing table associates information on the portable storage device that is the storage destination of content for each content attribute, information on the free space, and information on the priority of content writing between portable storage devices. Is,
The storage location specifying unit checks the content attribute information against a content writing table, and stores the stored content stored in the working storage device among the portable storage devices associated with the content attribute information. Having a free space equal to or larger than the data size, selecting the one with the highest content writing priority, and specifying this as a portable storage device that is a storage destination of the stored content;
When the write processing unit reads the stored content from the working storage device and writes the content to a content storage area in the portable storage device at the storage destination, The information on the free space in the portable storage device is reduced according to the data size that has been written.
A content storage management system characterized by the above. In claim 2,
The content reading table stores, for each stored content in the portable storage device, information on the usage status of the stored content and information on the priority of reading to the portable storage device,
When the content reading table update unit updates the usage status information regarding the content included in the content viewing history in the content reading table, the usage frequency level of the corresponding content is increased by a predetermined amount to increase or decrease the content usage frequency. A content storage management system for updating the read priority level corresponding to the read priority level. In claim 4,
From the input interface, it accepts a storage content download instruction, selects the stored content in the content read table in descending order of the content read priority, reads it from the corresponding portable storage device, A content storage management system comprising: a read processing unit that sequentially sends a download destination portable storage device until a free capacity of the portable storage device becomes a predetermined value or less. In claim 5,
The read processing unit accepts content attribute information desired to be downloaded from the input interface, collates the content attribute information with the content read table, and stores the content among the stored contents corresponding to the content attribute information. Select in descending order of read priority, read it from the corresponding portable storage device, and sequentially send it to the downloadable portable storage device until the free capacity of the portable storage device becomes a predetermined value or less. A content storage management system characterized by being a thing. In any one of Claims 1-6,
The viewing history acquisition unit accesses each content viewing history storage area of a plurality of portable storage devices, acquires each content viewing history, stores it in a predetermined working storage device, and relates to the same content type When there are multiple viewing histories for the same kind of content, merge the content viewing rights included in each of the viewing histories and generate a viewing history in which the content viewing rights are set for only one of the same kind of content. What is claimed is: 1. A content storage management system comprising: writing processing to a content viewing history storage area of a portable storage device. A method for performing storage management of content in a portable storage device by a computer, wherein the computer includes:
According to the connection with the portable storage device, the content storage area of the portable storage device is accessed to obtain the stored content, which is stored in a predetermined working storage device,
According to the connection with the portable storage device, the content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device is accessed to obtain the content viewing history, which is stored in a predetermined working storage device,
A content writing table in which content attribute information included in either the stored content or the content viewing history is extracted, and this content attribute information is associated with information on a portable storage device that is a content storage destination for each content attribute. To identify the portable storage device that is the storage destination of the stored content,
Reading the stored content from the working storage device, and writing this to the content storage area in the portable storage device of the storage destination,
A content storage management method characterized by the above. A program for causing a computer to execute storage management of content in a portable storage device,
In response to the connection with the portable storage device, accessing the content storage area of the portable storage device to obtain the stored content, and storing it in a predetermined working storage device;
Accessing a content viewing history storage area of the portable storage device in accordance with the connection with the portable storage device, obtaining the content viewing history, and storing the content viewing history in a predetermined working storage device;
A content writing table in which content attribute information included in either the stored content or the content viewing history is extracted, and this content attribute information is associated with information on a portable storage device that is a content storage destination for each content attribute. And identifying a portable storage device that is a storage destination of the stored content,
Reading the stored content from the working storage device and writing it to a content storage area in the portable storage device at the storage location;
A content storage management program comprising:

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