JP2009064314A - Content reproduction device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content reproduction device for improving convenience of a user when reproducing content with right information limiting the number of playback times or period. <P>SOLUTION: This content reproduction device is provided with a content information storage part 410 for storing content with at least either limited number of playback times or period; a right information storage part 420 for storing right information having at least either information on the number of playback times of the content or information on the playback period of the content; a user interface control part 200 for setting reproduction control information when continuously reproducing the content; and a reproduction control part 300 for reproducing the content based on the right information and the reproduction control information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content reproduction apparatus, and in particular, content information with rights that has right information for permitting reproduction of content for each content, and a restriction on at least one of the number of times of reproduction and a right period is added to the right information. The present invention relates to a content playback apparatus that reads out and plays back each content.

  For example, valuable content such as music and video often exists as digitized data recently. For such content, there are various copyright holders such as performers and composers. In order to protect the copyright, the user pays the copyright holder for viewing the content. I need to pay.

  For example, when content is recorded on a physically existing recording medium such as a CD (compact disc), the usage fee for copyright is included in the fee paid when the viewer purchases the CD. So it doesn't cause much problem.

  However, since it is troublesome to go to a store to purchase a physical medium such as a CD, in recent years, digital content data such as music and video has been distributed using a communication medium such as the Internet. It has been broken.

  When distributing content data using a communication medium, it is necessary to devise so as not to cause a copyright problem. For example, even if a user pays a royalty for copyright when distributing content data, if the user makes an illegal copy of the content data received and passes it to another user Because it will infringe copyright, it is necessary to consider that copying is not possible. Such duplication can be prevented by distributing encrypted content data that can be decrypted only by an authorized purchaser.

  On the other hand, if the content provider requests a relatively high amount of usage fees for copyrights, etc., only a part of the users who have a high viewing frequency will purchase the content. Will not be a good result for both the copyright owner and the viewer.

  In view of this, it has been proposed to restrict the number of times content can be reproduced, or to distribute content data in a state in which rights information with restrictions on the reproducible period is added. As a result, content purchasers are subject to restrictions on the number of playbacks and the playback period, but since this right information can be set at a relatively low price, even viewers with low viewing frequency Since it becomes easier to purchase content and consequently the number of purchasers increases, the result is favorable for both the copyright owner and the viewer.

  For example, in mobile phone terminals and the like, it has been proposed to manage the rights of content that has been encrypted based on rights information that is limited in the playback time limit and the number of playback times. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In addition, when dealing with digital content managed by rights information with a limited usable period, it is proposed to detect unauthorized operation related to the date and time of the system and prevent unauthorized use of the content (for example, , See Patent Document 2).

  In addition, it is proposed that the right of processing for copyrighted data is displayed on the screen to notify the user (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2002-91827 A JP 2005-141683 A JP 2001-142786 A

  As described above, there is an advantage that the right to reproduce can be purchased at a relatively low cost for the content to which the number of times of reproduction and the right information with restrictions on the period of reproduction can be added. However, when content is actually reproduced, such a restriction may cause a very inconvenient result.

  For example, in the case of viewing content managed by right information for which the number of times permitted for reproduction is restricted, each time a reproduction operation is performed, one right of user is lost (consumed) Therefore, it is considered very important to confirm whether the user really wants to play the content. However, if it is configured to ask the user for a confirmation input operation for each content reproduction operation, a plurality of contents cannot be reproduced continuously, which is very inconvenient.

  In addition, for example, as in Patent Document 1, when it is configured to end the playback operation when it is detected that there is no right, playback is performed even when a plurality of contents are to be played back in order. Since playback stops when one content with no right is detected, it is impossible to play back content that still has the right to play. Therefore, when a plurality of contents are reproduced in order, it is very inconvenient that a user's manual operation must exclude contents whose rights have been lost from reproduction candidates in advance.

  In addition, for content to which rights information with restrictions on the reproducible period is added, even if the user does not play the content at all, the right will disappear after the period of the rights information has passed. If you forget to use it, your rights may be wasted, especially for users with low viewing frequency. On the other hand, there is a high possibility that the copyright owner will be disadvantaged if restrictions on time periods are relaxed or countermeasures against fraud are not taken.

  In addition, when viewing content managed by rights information for which the number of times allowed for playback is restricted, if a problem such as running out of battery occurs during playback, the viewer will Even in such a case, the right for one time may be illegally consumed even though the content to be played has not been viewed. On the other hand, if a special situation such as running out of battery occurs, and if processing is performed so that the right is not consumed once, there is a risk that a malicious user will illegally acquire the right using this processing There is.

  The present invention provides a content playback apparatus capable of improving user convenience when playing back content to which rights information with restrictions on the number of times that playback can be performed and a period during which playback can be performed is played back. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first content reproduction apparatus of the present invention includes a content holding unit that holds content in which at least one of the number of reproductions and the reproduction period is limited, information indicating the number of times the content can be reproduced, and A right information holding unit for holding right information having at least one of information indicating the content reproducible period, a setting unit for setting reproduction control information when the content is continuously reproduced, the right information, and the right information And a reproduction control unit that performs reproduction control for reproducing the content based on the reproduction control information.

  With this configuration, a plurality of contents that are convenient for the user and protected by the rights information can be used when playing contents to which rights information with restrictions on the number of times that playback can be performed and the period during which playback can be performed are added. Can be reproduced continuously. Then, for example, the processing conditions for the playback operation can be switched by the playback control information determined in advance by the user.

  In the second content reproduction apparatus of the present invention, whether or not the setting unit permits the decrease in the number of reproducible times when the content is continuously reproduced as the reproduction control information. Whether or not to display on the display unit is set, and the content is continuously played back when the playback control unit is set not to display on the display unit by the setting unit.

  This configuration allows users to determine the content in advance so that they do not ask for user confirmation regarding the consumption of rights, so that content that has a limited number of playbacks can be used each time it is played. Since the confirmation input operation performed by the user can be omitted, the content can be continuously reproduced without requiring an input operation from the user on the way.

  In the third content reproduction apparatus of the present invention, when the setting unit continuously reproduces the content as the reproduction control information, the setting unit holds a reproduction threshold for comparison with the reproducible number of times. The reproduction control unit compares the reproduction threshold value with the reproducible number of times of the content, and restricts the reproduction of the content when the reproducible number of times is equal to or less than the reproduction threshold value.

  With this configuration, when the possible number of reproductions (remaining number of reproductions) included in the rights information becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold due to consumption of the rights, the content reproduction operation can be automatically suppressed. It becomes possible to prolong the grace period until the frequency of content playback decreases and the rights are lost and cannot be played back.

  The fourth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention has a playlist holding unit that holds playlist information in which content information related to the content of the reproduction candidate is recorded, and the reproduction control unit is configured such that the reproducible number of times is When it is equal to or less than the reproduction threshold, the content information of the content is deleted from the playlist information.

  With this configuration, when the remaining number of reproductions of the right information is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the information on the content is automatically deleted from the playlist information list. It is possible to prolong the grace period until disappears and cannot be regenerated.

  In the fifth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the reproduction control unit deletes the content information from the playlist information when the number of reproducible times is zero.

  With this configuration, when the remaining number of reproductions of the right information becomes 0, the content information is automatically deleted from the playlist information list.

  Further, the sixth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention is configured such that, when the number of times that the content can be reproduced is 0, the reproduction control unit displays on the display unit that the right to reproduce the content has disappeared. .

  With this configuration, it is possible to automatically notify the user of the disappearance of the right for the content whose remaining number of reproductions becomes 0 due to the consumption of the right. Therefore, the user can immediately know the disappearance of the right, and can prevent the content whose right has disappeared from being left as it is. It also helps the user decide whether to purchase the right again.

  Further, the seventh content reproduction apparatus of the present invention displays, on the display unit, whether or not the reproduction control unit acquires the right to reproduce the content when the number of reproducible times of the content is zero, The setting unit is configured to set whether or not to acquire the right to reproduce the content as the reproduction control information.

  With this configuration, for the content whose remaining number of reproductions becomes 0 due to consumption of the right, for example, an operation for purchasing the right again is facilitated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent content whose rights have expired from being left as it is.

  Further, an eighth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention has a log holding unit for holding log information in the case of reproducing the content, and has an activation processing unit for performing an activation process for reproducing the content, The reproduction control unit records content information of the content as the log information when starting the reproduction of the content, deletes the log information when ending reproduction of the content, and is activated by the activation processing unit If the log information exists after the processing, it is determined that the processing has ended abnormally.

  With this configuration, it is possible to reliably detect the abnormal end of the reproduction operation while the content is being reproduced. For example, if the playback operation ends abnormally due to the occurrence of an abnormality such as battery exhaustion, the playback history (log information) generated before starting playback of the corresponding content is turned on after the abnormal end. Since it remains in the memory after the restart by, it can be recognized as the occurrence of abnormal termination. Since the playback history created when the content can be played back to the end is deleted, if there is no playback history after restart by power-on, it can be recognized that no abnormal termination has occurred.

  In the ninth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention, when the reproduction control unit determines that the abnormal termination has been completed, the display unit displays the fact that the abnormal termination has occurred.

  With this configuration, for example, when an abnormal end such as battery exhaustion occurs and the content is terminated abnormally during the content playback process, the user is not completely viewing the corresponding content. It is possible to notify the user of a warning that the right to play once may be consumed illegally.

  The tenth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention is configured to increase the number of times that the content can be reproduced when the reproduction control unit determines that the abnormal termination has occurred.

  With this configuration, for example, when an abnormality such as a battery exhaustion occurs and the content ends abnormally during the content reproduction process, the user does not completely view the corresponding content. Nevertheless, since the right to play once that has been consumed illegally can be restored automatically, the right owned by the user can be protected against abnormal termination.

  The eleventh content reproduction apparatus of the present invention records the log information as log history information when the reproduction control unit includes the log information after the first activation processing by the activation processing unit, When the log information is present after the second activation process by the activation processing unit, the log information is compared with the log history information, and when the log information and the log history information are the same, An increase in the number of times that the content can be reproduced is prohibited.

  With this configuration, safety is enhanced with respect to protecting rights on the copyright owner side. For example, an operation in which a malicious user or the like recognizes that there is a function for restoring the right of the number of times of reproduction with respect to abnormal termination and intentionally causes abnormal termination during content playback (for example, a battery The content reproduction apparatus can distinguish between an unauthorized operation and a mere abnormal end even if it is repeatedly extracted.

  The twelfth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention has a playlist holding unit that holds playlist information in which content information related to the content of the reproduction candidate is recorded, and the reproduction control unit continuously outputs the content. In the case of reproduction, the content whose reproduction period is limited is reproduced based on the playlist information before the content whose reproduction period is unlimited.

  With this configuration, if the user can play both content (one or more) with a restricted right period and content (one or more) with an unlimited right period, the period is limited. Since the content can be preferentially reproduced (first in time), the viewing frequency of the content can be increased as compared with the content with no time limit. Therefore, it is highly possible that the user can view the content before expiration of the right period and before the right to reproduce the time-restricted content is lost, and the right to reproduce the time-restricted content can be prevented from being wasted.

  In the thirteenth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the reproduction control unit can reproduce the content having a short reproduction period based on the playlist when there are a plurality of contents whose reproduction period is limited. The content is played back before the content with a long period.

  With this configuration, when the user can play a plurality of contents with a right period restriction, the contents with the least remaining period of rights are given priority (temporal) among the plurality of period restriction contents. Can play). Therefore, it is highly possible that the user can view the content before expiration of the right period and before the right to reproduce the time-restricted content is lost, and the right to reproduce the time-restricted content can be prevented from being wasted.

  In the fourteenth content reproduction device of the present invention, when the reproduction control unit displays the playlist information on the display unit, the content with the limited reproduction period is set higher than the content with an unlimited reproduction period. It is configured to be displayed.

  With this configuration, information related to the period-limited content is displayed at the top position of the displayed list. Therefore, before the user starts continuous reproduction of various desired contents based on the playlist, Restricted content can be confirmed.

  In the fifteenth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the reproduction control unit determines whether or not the reproducible period is shorter than a predetermined period, and when the reproducible period is shorter than the predetermined period, Period warning information indicating that the reproducible period is a short period is displayed on the display unit.

  With this configuration, for each content that the user has the right to play, the expiration notification unit notifies the warning information when the remaining period of the right decreases below a predetermined value or when the right expires. , User convenience is enhanced. For example, by recognizing that the remaining period of rights has decreased to a predetermined value or less, the user can play the content before the rights are lost, so the rights will be lost without playing them once. Can be prevented. In addition, by recognizing that the right has expired, the user can decide whether to purchase the right of the content again.

  Further, the sixteenth content reproduction device of the present invention sets whether or not the period warning information is displayed on the display unit when the setting unit continuously reproduces the content as the reproduction control information. And when the said reproduction | regeneration control part is set not to display on the said display part by the said setting part, it is set as the structure which reproduces | regenerates the said content continuously.

  With this configuration, if the user decides the content of the time limit control information in advance, the remaining period of the right is reduced to a predetermined value or an operation for notifying information about the content that has expired is omitted. You can choose whether or not to do so.

  Further, in the seventeenth content reproduction device of the present invention, when the number of times of reproduction of the content whose reproduction period is limited is 0, the reproduction control unit displays on the display unit that the content is not viewed The configuration is to let

  With this configuration, when there is content with restrictions on the right period, for content that has never been played, the user is notified of the warning, so that the content is played preferentially. The user can be urged to do so, and the loss of rights can be prevented without being played back once.

  In the eighteenth content reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the setting unit sets, as the reproduction control information, a threshold for a period for comparing the reproduction period with the number of times of reproduction of the limited content, and the reproduction The control unit compares the threshold for the period with the number of times the content has been reproduced, and if the number of times the reproduction has been performed is equal to or less than the threshold for reproduction, the display unit displays that the number of times the content has been viewed is small. Yes.

  With this configuration, when there is content with restrictions on the right period, for content whose number of playbacks performed in the past is less than or equal to the specified number of times, the user is notified of the warning, so the content is given priority. The user can be encouraged to play the video, and it is possible to prevent losing valuable rights with a small number of views.

  Also, in the nineteenth content reproduction device of the present invention, the reproduction control unit obtains a right to reproduce the content after the reproducible period when the reproducible period of the content is shorter than the predetermined period. Whether or not the display unit displays whether or not the right to reproduce the content after the reproducible period is acquired as the reproduction control information.

  With this configuration, for example, when the remaining playback period becomes shorter than a predetermined period, the right of necessary content can be extended or expired by display or input for playback of the content even after this playback period. Or, it becomes possible to purchase rights that are about to expire.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user when playing back content to which rights information with restrictions on the number of times that playback can be performed and the period during which playback can be performed is added.

  A content reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a content reproduction apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  Here, it is assumed that the function of the content reproduction apparatus is installed in the mobile phone terminal 100 shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the content to be reproduced is music content converted into digital data. Of course, not only music but also other contents such as still images and moving images may be played back.

  The mobile phone terminal 100 includes a user interface (UI) control unit 200, a reproduction control unit 300, and a data storage unit 400. Although illustration is omitted in FIG. 1 except for the function for playing back the content, it actually has various other components in the same way as other general mobile phone terminals. Composed.

  The user interface control unit 200 is an element that performs various controls such as a display function for notifying the user of various information by screen display and an input function for receiving an input operation from the user. Yes, it includes a warning display unit 210, a list display unit 220, and a playback screen display unit 250. Further, the user interface control unit 200 can hold various threshold values and limit values. The user interface control unit 200 has functions as a “setting unit” and a “startup processing unit”.

  The warning display unit 210 has a content consumption confirmation function and a warning display function in order to display various warnings.

  The list display unit 220 has a function of acquiring a list of reproducible songs (contents) from the song list information holding unit 430. Further, the list display unit 220 displays a list of the contents of the user setting information holding unit 310 on the display screen of the mobile phone terminal 100 as in a screen 501 shown in FIG. Thus, a list of songs to be reproduced is displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone terminal 100. The list display unit 220 has a function of creating a playlist from the list of songs acquired by the song list acquisition function. In addition, the list display unit 220 has a sorting function that rearranges the order of the songs in the playlist created by the playlist creation function.

  The reproduction screen display unit 250 has a function of displaying information such as a screen 504 shown in FIG. 4 on the display screen of the mobile phone terminal 100, for example.

  The reproduction control unit 300 is an element for performing control related to content reproduction, and includes a user setting information holding unit 310, a reproduction processing unit 320, and a timer processing unit 330.

  The reproduction processing unit 320 includes a right confirmation function, a playlist update function, a user setting confirmation function, a log processing function, a song list right information update function, and a TRS unit (Tamper Resistant Software). Have.

  The TRS unit 326 includes a rights information decryption function for decrypting rights information using a predetermined decryption key, a rights update function for updating rights information, a fraud processing countermeasure function for taking measures against fraud processing described later, It has a content decryption function for decrypting each content using a content key obtained by decrypting the right information.

  The user setting information holding unit 310 is a memory area allocated to hold information whose contents can be changed according to an input from the user interface control unit 200 according to a user instruction. , Warning control information 311 and reproduction control information 312. An example of the warning control information 311 and the reproduction control information 312 is shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b).

  Note that the user interface control unit 200 and the reproduction control unit 300 can actually be configured by a dedicated hardware circuit, or can be configured by a combination of a control computer and software.

  The data storage unit 400 is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk device or a flash memory in which stored information does not disappear even when power supply is interrupted. On the data storage unit 400, a content information holding unit 410, a right information holding unit 420, a song list information holding unit 430, a right information holding unit 440, and a reproduction history holding unit 450 are provided. The content information holding unit 410 has a function as a “content holding unit”.

  The content information holding unit 410 is a memory area allocated for storing information of digitalized content such as music. Data of each content held in the content information holding unit 410 is held in an encrypted state.

  The rights information holding unit 420 is a memory area allocated to hold information related to the right to reproduce each content held in the content information holding unit 410 as rights information. Each right information held in the right information holding unit 420 is held in an encrypted state in association with each content. Specific examples of the right information include information for limiting the number of reproductions and information for limiting the validity period of the right. The right information attached to each content may include both information for limiting the number of reproductions and information for limiting the validity period, or may include only one of the information. An example of the right information 420a held by the right information holding unit 420 is shown in FIG. Here, the time limit information and the number of times limit information may be used as the right information, but together with these, the management data for managing the content and the content key for decrypting the content are referred to as the right information. Sometimes.

  The song list information holding unit 430 is a memory area allocated for holding the content list information held by the data storage unit 400. The song list information holding unit 430 holds information on song names and artist names for each content. An example of the song list information 430a held by the song list information holding unit 430 is shown in FIG.

  The reproduction history holding unit 450 is a memory area allocated to hold information related to the history of reproduction of each content by the mobile phone terminal 100. The reproduction history holding unit 450 holds information on the song name and the number of times of reproduction for each content reproduced in the past. An example of the reproduction history information 450a held by the reproduction history holding unit 450 is shown in FIG.

  The playlist holding unit 470 is a memory area for holding the playlist 470a. The playlist 470a is a list showing content information to be played when a plurality of contents are played back continuously. Specifically, for each content, text information including a song name and rights information attached thereto (for example, the remaining number of rights to be played) is arranged in the playlist 470a. An example of the playlist 470a is shown in FIG. Note that when the information of the playlist 470a is updated, the information of the right information 420a constituting the playlist 470a is also updated.

  Next, an example of a basic operation when the mobile phone terminal 100 reproduces each content will be briefly described.

  The rights information holding unit 420 includes the aforementioned rights information, management data, and content key, which are encrypted. Each content in the content information holding unit 410 is encrypted with a content key on the right information holding unit 420. On the other hand, the TRS unit 326 of the reproduction control unit 300 has a decryption key necessary for decrypting information on the right information holding unit 420.

  Therefore, the reproduction control unit 300 can decrypt the right information and the content key on the right information holding unit 420 and acquire the information. When there is a right to reproduce, the content on the content information holding unit 410 can be decrypted using the decrypted content key, and information on the reproducible content can be obtained. When content with a limited number of playbacks is played, the right for one time is consumed each time playback is performed, and the playback control unit 300 updates the content of the right information holding unit 420.

  Next, an example of a specific operation sequence when the mobile phone terminal 100 sequentially reproduces a plurality of contents based on a playlist will be described below with reference to FIG.

  When continuous playback is performed, the list display unit 220 acquires list information in step S113 from the playlist 470a on the data storage unit 400 that has been created in advance, and copies the playlist 470a to the second playlist ( 2 is created and held as Transaction List) 480, and the playback control unit 300 performs continuous playback according to the contents of the second playlist 480.

  When a reproduction instruction is input in step S111 by an input from the user interface control unit 200 according to a user instruction, the user interface control unit 200 gives a reproduction request to the reproduction control unit 300 in step S112. In step S114, the playback control unit 300 sequentially selects the contents arranged as a list on the second playlist 480, and confirms the content with rights. That is, for copyrighted content, it is necessary to check whether the user has the right to play, so whether or not the user has the right to play by referring to the rights information attached to the content. Check out.

  In addition, in the case of content to which rights information with a limited number of times of reproduction is added, the right for one time is consumed every time it is reproduced, so it is necessary to confirm with the user whether or not the right can be consumed. . However, the mobile phone terminal 100 can also select in advance a mode in which the confirmation of the user is omitted for the consumption of rights during continuous playback. That is, the reproduction control information 312 held in the user setting information holding unit 310 includes information for switching on / off of the “confirmation skip” operation, and when “confirmation skip” is on, the user Step S117 which is the confirmation process is omitted.

  In step S115, the reproduction control unit 300 acquires the content of the reproduction control information 312 and performs processing according to the content. If “confirmation skip” is off, the user is asked to confirm the consumption of the right for one time in step S117 before starting the playback operation of each content. If it is on, step S117 is omitted.

  When step S117 is executed, every time content is reproduced, it is necessary to perform an input for permitting consumption of the right according to the user's instruction, and the reproduction operation is not substantially continuous. However, when “confirmation skip” is on, step S117 is omitted, so that a plurality of contents can be reproduced continuously without the user performing a special input operation on the way.

  In step S118, the TRS unit 326 obtains a content key by decrypting the encrypted right information and the like of the right information holding unit 420 on the data storage unit 400, and sets the corresponding content information as the content information holding unit 410. The content information encrypted using the acquired content key is decrypted, and the result is used by the playback processing unit 320 as playback data. Also, since the reproduction right for one time is consumed by the current reproduction operation, the contents of the right information and the management data on the right information holding unit 420 are updated to reflect the result.

  When the reproduction processing unit 320 starts content reproduction processing in step S119, the reproduction screen display unit 250 of the user interface control unit 200 displays the content reproduction screen in step S120.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows specific control contents in the reproduction control unit 300 for executing the operation sequence shown in FIG. The control of FIG. 3 will be described below.

  In step S10, the play list 480 is referred to, and contents to be reproduced next are selected one by one in order.

  In step S11, it is confirmed whether or not there is right information accompanying the content selected in step S10. If there is right information, the process proceeds to the next step S12, and if there is no right information, the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S12, it is confirmed whether or not the right information of the corresponding content has a restriction on the number of reproductions. If there is a restriction on the number of reproductions, the process proceeds to step S13, and if there is no restriction on the number of reproductions, the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S13, it is confirmed that the right is not lost due to the restriction on the number of reproductions. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, when playing the second content of the second playlist 480, the right information of the corresponding content has a limit on the number of times of reproduction, and the remaining number of times of reproduction is eight. So the rights have not disappeared. If the remaining number of rights is greater than 0, the process proceeds to step S14, and if the remaining number of rights is 0, the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S <b> 14, the reproduction control information 312 on the user setting information holding unit 310 is referred to and “ON / OFF of“ confirmation skip ”is confirmed. If “confirmation skip” is on, user confirmation is not necessary, so the process proceeds from step S14 to step S16. If “confirmation skip” is off, the process proceeds to step S15. That is, when “confirmation skip” is on, it is considered that the user has already understood the consumption of rights.

  In step S15, for example, contents such as a screen 503 shown in FIG. 4 are displayed, and an input according to a user instruction is waited to confirm whether permission is given or not. If the user's permission input is detected for the consumption of rights, the process proceeds from step S15 to step S16, and if there is no permission, the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S16, the reproduction operation is permitted for the content selected this time in step S10. That is, the right information on the right information holding unit 420 is decrypted, the encrypted content on the content information holding unit 410 is decrypted using the obtained content key, and necessary content data is acquired. In addition, the right information and management information on the right information holding unit 420 are updated so as to reflect the result of consuming the reproduction right for one time.

  In step S17, reproduction processing is performed on the data of one content obtained in step S16.

  In step S18, it is confirmed whether or not the reproduction of the content has been completed up to the end of the playlist, and if not completed, the process returns to step S10 to select the next content. In the case of repeat playback, since the playback of the last content in the playlist is completed and then continuous playback is repeated cyclically after returning to the beginning of the playlist, unless the user performs a special stop request operation. The process returns from step S18 to step S10.

  When the continuous reproduction operation as described above is performed, the operation procedure viewed from the user side is as shown in FIG.

  Before starting the continuous playback operation, the contents of the user setting information holding unit 310 are displayed on the display unit on the mobile phone terminal 100 as a screen 501 so that the operation desired by the user is performed. Wait for input operation. Thereby, the contents of the warning control information 311 and the reproduction control information 312 can be changed. In the example shown in FIG. 4, “confirmation skip” in the reproduction control information 312 is designated on. “Skip confirmation” can be switched off by a user input operation.

  When the user performs a predetermined input operation for starting the playback operation, a list of songs corresponding to the contents of the playlist is displayed as a screen 502, and contents are selected one by one from the top in order from the list. Is done.

  If “skip confirmation” in the playback control information 312 is off, in order to confirm the user's will for the consumption of one right before starting the playback of each content. A screen 503 is displayed, and a state of waiting for input from the user is entered.

  On the other hand, when “confirmation skip” in the reproduction control information 312 is turned on, the display and input of the screen 503 are omitted, the reproduction of the content is started, and the content such as the screen 504 is displayed. Is done.

  Next, another example of a specific operation sequence when the mobile phone terminal 100 continuously reproduces a plurality of contents sequentially based on a playlist will be described with reference to FIG.

  The operation shown in FIG. 5 is characterized in that the reproduction control information 312 includes a “remaining number limit value” for identifying the remaining number of reproduction rights. That is, the content of the operation to be executed is changed depending on whether or not the remaining number of rights is less than or equal to the “remaining number limit value” on the reproduction control information 312 due to consumption of the right. Specifically, when the remaining number of rights is equal to or less than the “remaining number limit value”, the playback control unit 300 updates the content of the playlist so that the corresponding content is automatically deleted from the playlist (step Equivalent to S116). As a result, it is possible to reduce the frequency of reproducing the content whose remaining number of rights has been reduced, and to extend the grace period until the rights are extinguished.

  Note that even the content deleted from the playlist in step S116 actually has the right to play back, so that the content can be played back later. However, in order to reduce the playback frequency, it is desirable for the user to appear as if the content with the reduced number of remaining rights is deleted from the playlist. Therefore, in step S116, only the content of the second playlist 480, which is a copy of the playlist 470a, is deleted.

  Then, the playback control unit 300 reflects the content of the second playlist 480 in the playlist 470a after the playback of the content is completed.

  FIG. 6 shows specific control contents in the reproduction control unit 300 for executing the operation sequence shown in FIG. The control of FIG. 6 will be described below.

  In step S21, referring to the second playlist (Transaction List in FIG. 5) 480, the contents to be reproduced next are selected one by one in order. The second playlist 480 is created by the user interface control unit 200 reading out and copying the contents of the playlist 470a created in advance on the data storage unit 400.

  In step S22, it is confirmed whether or not there is right information accompanying the content selected in step S21. If there is right information, the process proceeds to the next step S23, and if there is no right information, the process proceeds to step S30.

  In step S23, it is confirmed whether or not the right information of the corresponding content has a restriction on the number of reproductions. If there is a restriction on the number of reproductions, the process proceeds to step S24, and if there is no restriction on the number of reproductions, the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S 24, the remaining number of rights related to reproduction of the corresponding content is acquired from the second playlist 480, and this value is compared with the “remaining number limit value” on the reproduction control information 312. When the condition “remaining number of rights> Nx (remaining number limit value)” is satisfied, the process proceeds from step S24 to step S26, and when the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S25.

  In step S25, the corresponding selected content is deleted from the second playlist 480, and the second playlist 480 is updated. Accordingly, when the remaining number of rights falls below the “remaining number limit value”, the reproduction of the corresponding content is stopped, and the content is excluded from the reproduction target while the continuous reproduction is continued.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, when the first content of the second playlist 480 is reproduced, the right information of the corresponding content has a restriction on the number of times of reproduction, and the remaining number of times of reproduction is X times. Therefore, if “X> Nx”, this content is reproduced, but if not, this content is deleted from the second playlist 480.

  In step S26, the reproduction control information 312 on the user setting information holding unit 310 is referred to and the on / off state of the “confirmation skip” is confirmed. If “confirmation skip” is on, user confirmation is not necessary, so the process proceeds from step S26 to step S28. If “confirmation skip” is off, the process proceeds to step S27. That is, when “confirmation skip” is on, it is considered that the user has already understood the consumption of rights.

  In step S27, for example, contents such as a screen 503 shown in FIG. 4 are displayed, an input by the support of the user is waited, and the presence or absence of permission is confirmed. If a user permission input is detected for the consumption of rights, the process proceeds from step S27 to step S28, and if there is no permission, the process proceeds to step S30.

  In step S28, the reproduction operation is permitted for the content selected this time in step S21. That is, the right information on the right information holding unit 420 is decrypted, the encrypted content on the content information holding unit 410 is decrypted using the obtained content key, and necessary content data is acquired. In addition, the right information and management information on the right information holding unit 420 are updated so as to reflect the result of consuming the reproduction right for one time.

  In step S29, reproduction processing is performed on the data of one content obtained in step S28.

  In step S30, it is confirmed whether or not the reproduction of the content has been completed up to the end of the playlist, and if not completed, the process returns to step S21 to select the next content. In the case of repeat playback, since the playback of the last content in the playlist is completed and then continuous playback is repeated cyclically after returning to the beginning of the playlist, unless the user performs a special stop request operation. The process returns from step S30 to step S21.

  When the continuous reproduction operation as described above is performed, the operation procedure viewed from the user side is as shown in FIG.

  Before starting the continuous reproduction operation, the contents of the user setting information holding unit 310 are displayed on the display unit on the mobile phone terminal 100 as a screen 511 so that the operation desired by the user is performed. Wait for input operation. Thereby, the contents of the warning control information 311 and the reproduction control information 312 can be changed. In the example shown in FIG. 7, “confirmation skip” in the reproduction control information 312 is designated on, and “playlist automatic update” is designated on. These can be switched off by an input by a user instruction. “Playlist automatic update” is information for selecting whether or not to perform an operation corresponding to steps S24 and S25 shown in FIG.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the “remaining number limit value” on the reproduction control information 312 is “2”, which corresponds to the content of the second playlist 480 after starting the continuous reproduction of the content. When the list screen 512 to be displayed is displayed, the remaining number of playback times of the topmost content “POP STAR” selected is “3”, so that the condition of step S24 shown in FIG. The content is played back. In that case, a screen 513 is displayed.

  On the other hand, since the right for one time is consumed by the above-described reproduction operation, the remaining number of reproductions of the content “POP STAR” is “2” on the list screen 514 to be displayed next. In this case, since the condition of step S24 of FIG. 6 is not satisfied, the corresponding content “POP STAR” is automatically deleted from the second playlist 480 on the screen 514.

  In FIG. 7, the numerical value displayed at the right end of each screen 512, 513, 514 represents the remaining number of times of reproduction of the content shown on the left side. Therefore, by referring to the display contents of each screen, the user can grasp the remaining number of reproductions of each content.

  Next, still another example of a specific operation sequence when the mobile phone terminal 100 continuously reproduces a plurality of contents in order based on a playlist will be described below with reference to FIG. Here, the description will be focused on the end of the content reproduction process.

  In the operation example shown in FIG. 11, first, pre-reproduction processing such as update processing of the second playlist 480 and content decryption processing as described in FIG. 5 and the like is performed.

  When the content playback processing in step S120 is completed, in step S121, the processing is performed according to the second playlist (Transaction List) 480, which is a copy of the playlist 470a, during the continuous playback operation. In order to reflect the content of the right information in the second playlist 480, the reproduction control unit 300 copies the content of the second playlist 480 to the playlist 470a in step S121.

  In step S122, the reproduction control unit 300 performs a right expiration confirmation process for each content in the second playlist 480. In the right expiration confirmation process, for example, it is determined whether or not a right expiration has occurred by checking whether or not the remaining number of rights is 0 or less than a predetermined number.

  In step S123, the playback control unit 300 instructs the user interface control unit 200 to perform a warning display in order to notify the user that the right has expired.

  In step S124, the user interface control unit 200 displays that the right has expired.

  In step S125, the user interface control unit 200 displays a message to confirm whether or not to repurchase the content for which rights have expired. When re-purchasing is performed according to a user instruction, for example, the corresponding content can be purchased from an external content providing server via a communication unit (not shown).

  Next, specific control contents in the reproduction control unit 300 for executing the operation sequence shown in FIG. 11 are shown in FIG. The control of FIG. 8 will be described below. In FIG. 11, steps corresponding to those in FIG. 3 are given the same numbers. In the operation shown in FIG. 8, portions different from FIG. 3 will be described below.

  When the playback right of the content selected during the continuous playback operation disappears due to consumption, that is, when the remaining number of rights becomes 0, the process proceeds from step S13 in FIG. 8 to step S31. With reference to information held in the user setting information holding unit 310 (information that can be changed by a user's operation), it is confirmed whether or not “playlist automatic update” is designated on. If “playlist automatic update” is on, the process proceeds from step S31 to step S32. If it is off, step S32 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S32, the corresponding selected content is deleted from the playlist 480, and this playlist is updated. Therefore, when there is content whose rights have been lost, only the corresponding content is deleted from the playlist, and the continuous reproduction operation is continued as it is. In addition, when the content whose rights are extinguished is deleted in step S32, the information is recorded.

  When the continuous reproduction operation ends, the process proceeds from step S18 to step S33. In step S33, the user is notified of the specific content (contents whose rights have been lost) deleted from the playlist by executing step S32 using screen display or the like.

  In the next step S34, processing for confirming the repurchase of the right with the user is performed for the content whose right has been lost.

  The user interface control unit 200 performs the processes in steps S33 and S34.

  In the case of performing the continuous reproduction operation as described above, the operation procedure viewed from the user side is as shown in FIGS.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9, as displayed on the screen 521, “right consumption confirmation” is designated ON in the information held in the user setting information holding unit 310, and “playlist automatic update” is further performed. Is also assumed to be on. Further, the numerical value displayed at the right end of each screen 522, 523, 524, 525 in FIG. 9 represents the remaining number of times of reproduction of the content on the left side.

  In the state where the screen 522 is displayed during the continuous reproduction operation, the content “POP STAR” at the top of the playlist is selected, and the remaining number of reproductions of this content is one. .

  Here, when the reproduction of the content “POP STAR” is performed, the reproduction operation proceeds with the screen 523 being displayed. At this time, the remaining number of reproductions of the content “POP STAR” is updated to 0 due to consumption of the right.

  When this reproduction operation ends, the content “POP STAR” whose remaining number of reproductions has become 0 is automatically deleted from the playlist, and therefore the content “POP STAR” is deleted as shown in the screen 524.

  When the continuous playback operation is completed, a screen 525 is displayed, and a message indicating that the right of the deleted content “POP STAR” has expired is notified to the user.

  The operation shown in FIG. 10 represents the operation when step S34 in FIG. 8 is executed. That is, when there is content “POP STAR” whose rights have been lost during the continuous playback operation, the screen 532 is displayed by the end of the continuous playback operation from the state where the screen 531 during the continuous playback operation is displayed, and is deleted. The user is notified of a message indicating that the right of the content “POP STAR” has expired.

  Thereafter, the screen 533 is displayed, and a confirmation is requested as to whether or not the user purchases the right relating to the deleted content “POP STAR” again. Here, when “Yes” is input in accordance with an instruction from the user, the playback control unit 300 or the user interface control unit 200 automatically executes processing for purchasing the right for the corresponding content “POP STAR”. To do.

  As a result, the right can be purchased via a predetermined communication network, and the right to reproduce the content “POP STAR” is restored, so that the content “POP STAR” in the playlist is displayed as shown on the screen 534 displayed subsequently. "Is returned to its original state, and the remaining number of reproductions is updated from 0 to 5 times.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a basic processing procedure of the content reproduction apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  The content reproduction device in the second embodiment is a modification of the content reproduction device in the first embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the case where the function of the content reproduction apparatus of this invention is mounted in a mobile telephone terminal is assumed. The configuration of the mobile phone terminal is assumed to be the same as that of the mobile phone terminal 100 shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the content to be reproduced is music content converted into digital data. Of course, not only music but also other contents such as still images and moving images may be played back.

  In the present embodiment, the mobile phone terminal 100 is equipped with a function for realizing an operation desirable for the user when the right information attached to each content to be reproduced has a time limit.

  FIG. 12 shows a random example for continuously reproducing a plurality of contents registered in a playlist in advance in a random order among a large number of contents held in the content information holding unit 410 on the data storage unit 400. An example of the operation of the playback control unit 300 of the mobile phone terminal 100 (see FIG. 1) when executing the playback mode is shown. The contents of the operation shown in FIG. 12 will be described below.

  In step S201, the reproduction control unit 300 starts the operation in the random reproduction mode selected by the user's instruction.

  In step S202, the playback control unit 300 checks the content of the playlist created based on the content of the song list information holding unit 430 and the content of the decrypted right information holding unit 420. In this playlist, information representing a plurality of contents (for example, song titles) are arranged in order, and the contents of rights information accompanying each content are also added.

  In step S203, the reproduction control unit 300 rearranges the contents in order to reproduce a plurality of contents on the playlist in a random order. However, here, when determining the playback order, each content is prioritized according to the following conditions.

(1) When there is content with right information having a period restriction and content with right information without a period restriction, the former playback order is set before the latter.
(2) In the case where rights information having a period restriction is attached to each of a plurality of contents, the playback order of the contents with the shorter remaining period until the expiration of rights is preceded by the content with a longer remaining period, Or decide at random.
(3) When there are a plurality of contents with right information that do not have a period restriction, the playback order of these contents is determined at random.

  For example, in the screen 551 shown in FIG. 12, it is assumed that three contents “POP STAR”, “My feelings”, and “Seishun Amigo” are registered in the playlist. Note that the number shown at the right end of the screen 551 represents the period limitation of the right information added to each content on the left side.

  In other words, on the playlist used for playback, the first content “POP STAR” is appended with right information valid within the period up to February 12, and the second content “My feelings” Rights information without a period restriction is added, and the right information valid within the period up to February 29 is added to the third content “Seishun Amigo”.

  When such three contents are rearranged according to the above-described conditions, the contents are as follows. Since the first content “POP STAR” and the third content “Seishun Amigo” have a period limitation, the one having the shorter remaining period is selected as the content to be reproduced first. Next, the playback order of the remaining content that has not been selected as the content to be played back first among the content with a limited period is set to the second. Next, the second content “My feelings” with no time limit is determined as the third playback order.

  Therefore, when step S203 is executed, the playback order of the content “Seishun Amigo” is first, the playback order of the content “POP STAR” is second, and the playback order of the content “my feeling” is third. . If priority is given to the shorter remaining period of the right, the playback order of the content “POP STAR” is first, and the playback order of the content “Seishun Amigo” is switched to the second.

  In step S204, the reproduction control unit 300 selects content one by one in accordance with the order of the contents of the playlist after rearrangement in step S203, and executes the reproduction operation of the content.

  In step S205, the reproduction control unit 300 checks whether there is content to be reproduced next, and selects the next content or ends this processing.

  By executing the processing shown in FIG. 12, content with a playback right period is played before content without a time limit, so the probability of executing the former content is increased. The frequency of reproduction increases. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation where the right is expired without executing reproduction once.

  By the way, for content that has a limited period of playback rights, it is desirable to execute the playback by exercising the rights before losing valuable rights unnecessarily, but the user forgets that the rights have a limited period If you do, you are more likely to lose your rights before you exercise your rights. Therefore, the mobile phone terminal 100 has a function for alerting the user before losing the right with a limited period. The function of this warning will be described below.

  The operation sequence shown in FIG. 13 represents an example of an operation for issuing a warning when necessary for content whose playback right is limited.

  In step S211, the timer processing unit 330 sets necessary information. For example, when the deadline is confirmed every other day, the timer processing unit 330 sets a time corresponding to one day, and the timer processing unit 330 starts the timer operation.

  In step S <b> 212, when the playback control unit 300 plays back each content, the playback history holding unit 450 records information related to the playback history of the actually played content. In the example shown in FIG. 13, information representing the number of times of reproduction is recorded in the reproduction history holding unit 450 for each song name of the content.

  When the time has passed and the date changes, the timer processing unit 330 interrupts in step S213, the reproduction control unit 300 activates the reproduction processing unit 320, and the reproduction control unit 300 confirms the time limit in step S214. In step S214, the reproduction control unit 300 performs processing according to the content of information held in the reproduction history holding unit 450 and the content of warning control information 311 held in the user setting information holding unit 310.

  The content of the warning control information 311 can be determined by the user interface control unit 200 according to a user instruction in advance as necessary. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the song title of the content to be warned and the threshold value for the number of playbacks are registered as the warning control information 311.

  Actually, in step S214, when the following conditions are satisfied according to the content of the warning control information 311, the reproduction control unit 300 requests the user interface control unit 200 to display a warning in step S215, and in step S216. Then, the user interface control unit 200 issues a warning to the user via a screen or the like.

(1) The right of the song specified by the user has expired.
(2) A case where the number of reproductions is recognized as 0 from the history of the reproduction history holding unit 450.
(3) The number of times of reproduction does not reach the threshold value of the warning control information 311.

  FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 show specific operation examples in the case where a warning is generated for content whose playback right is limited.

First, the operation example shown in FIG. 14 will be described.
First, in step S235, the reproduction control unit 300 sets at what timing the time limit confirmation is performed. For example, a period (daily, month,...) Or time (0:00) is set.

  In step S231, the reproduction control unit 300 refers to the contents of the right information holding unit 420 in the data storage unit 400 in a decrypted state, and determines whether there is a time limit for each content and how long the time limit is reached. Identify.

  Thereafter, in step S232, it is checked whether or not there is an out-of-right content, and step S233 is executed for the out-of-right content. In step S233, for example, for the content whose rights have expired, the playback control unit 300 uses the rights information holding unit 420 necessary for decrypting the encrypted content on the content information holding unit 410. By deleting or invalidating the content key, expired content becomes unreproducible thereafter.

  In step S234, processing corresponding to steps S214 and S215 shown in FIG. 13 is performed, and the user interface control unit 200 issues a warning, which is processing corresponding to step S216, as necessary. In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, a message indicating that the time limit is approaching for the specific content “POP STAR” whose time limit for expiration is approaching is displayed on the screen 552.

Next, the operation example shown in FIG. 15 will be described.
After the reproduction control unit 300 performs the right confirmation process in step S231B, the user interface control unit 200 and the reproduction control unit 300 perform warning processing in step S234, and in the subsequent step S232, the reproduction control unit 300 confirms the out-of-right content. It is carried out.

  In step S231B, in addition to the right information of the right information holding unit 420, the contents of the warning control information 311 are also taken into consideration to identify whether or not it is a warning target.

  The screen 553 displayed in FIG. 15 displays a message indicating that the time limit for a specific content “POP STAR” whose right to expire is approaching, and a warning message regarding a song that has never been played. Has been. A list of expired songs may be displayed instead of these messages.

  Next, an example of a specific time limit confirmation process performed by the reproduction control unit 300 is shown in FIG.

  In step S40, content list information existing on the data storage unit 400 is acquired from the song list information holding unit 430, and the respective contents are sequentially selected as inspection targets.

  In step S41, the content of the music list information holding unit 430 is referred to, the content of the right information attached to the content selected in step S40 is grasped, and it is checked whether or not the right to play has a period limitation. If there is a period limitation, the process proceeds from step S41 to step S42, and if there is no period limitation, the process proceeds to step S48.

  In step S42, the contents of the warning control information 311 are examined to identify whether or not it is necessary to issue a warning regarding the right period. Whether or not to warn is set in the same manner as whether or not to skip the confirmation of right consumption described above. If the user specifies information for issuing a warning in the warning control information 311 in advance, the process proceeds from step S42 to step S43, and if no warning is specified, the process proceeds to step S48.

  In step S43, whether the content is within the right period is identified by comparing the content of the right information of the content selected in step S40 (expiration date of the right) with the current date. If it is within the right period, the process proceeds from step S43 to step S44, and if it is out of the right, the process proceeds to step S47. Note that it may be identified whether the right period is about to expire, instead of whether it is within the right period.

  In step S44, the contents of the reproduction history holding unit 450 are referred to and the past number of reproduction executions of the inspection target content is grasped.

  In step S45, it is checked whether or not the number of reproduction executions acquired in step S44 is zero. If the number of reproduction executions is not 0, the process proceeds from step S45 to step S46, and if the number of reproduction executions is 0, the process proceeds to step S47.

  In step S46, the number of times of reproduction acquired in step S44 is compared with the threshold value of the number of times of reproduction existing in the warning control information 311 (threshold value for checking whether or not the information is almost reproduced) Nx. If the condition of “playback execution count <Nx” is satisfied, that is, if the right to play is hardly used, the process proceeds from step S46 to step S47, and if the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S48.

  In step S47, a warning display request corresponding to step S215 in FIG. 13 is sent from the reproduction control unit 300 to the user interface control unit 200 in order to warn about the right period and the number of reproductions.

  In step S48, it is checked whether or not all the contents have been inspected. If not, the process returns to step S40 to select the next content as an inspection target.

  If the user interface control unit 200 receives a warning display request in step S47, for example, “the contents of XXX has only been played XXX times yet, but the expiration date of this right is XXX. A message such as “” may be displayed on the screen.

  Further, when the right expires, the user interface control unit 200 controls the display content so that the corresponding content is blacked out from the list display based on the playlist or displayed in a light color. Is desirable. Thereby, the user can easily recognize that the expired content is in the playlist.

  Further, the content re-purchase process is performed even when the content has expired or is about to expire, like the mobile phone device 100 according to the first embodiment performed the content re-purchase processing due to the expiration of the right. It may be. In this case, the user interface control unit 200 may display a message such as “The contents of XXX has expired. Do you want to repurchase the rights?”

(Third embodiment)
Another embodiment relating to the content reproduction apparatus of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a content reproduction apparatus according to the third embodiment.

  The content reproduction apparatus in the third embodiment is a modification of the content reproduction apparatus in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the function of the content reproduction apparatus of the present invention is installed in the mobile phone terminal 100B shown in FIG.

  The configuration of the mobile phone terminal 100B shown in FIG. 18 is similar to that of the mobile phone terminal 100 shown in FIG. 1, but as a characteristic point, a log processing function is added to the TRS unit 326B, and a log is stored in the data storage unit 400 A unit 460 and an abnormality log history holding unit 461 are added. In FIG. 18, the same components as those described in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  Here, it is assumed that the content to be reproduced is music content converted into digital data. Of course, not only music but also other contents such as still images and moving images may be played back.

  In the present embodiment, a new function for realizing a desired operation for the user is provided in the mobile phone terminal 100B even when the number of times of reproduction is limited to the right information accompanying each content to be reproduced. Added.

  If there is a limit on the number of times to play the content, the right for one time is consumed each time the content is played, and the remaining number of valuable rights is reduced. By the way, if an abnormal condition such as running out of battery occurs during the playback of content, the power is shut off without the content being played to the end, and the playback process is terminated. You will not be able to watch. However, before starting to play the content, we will check for the rights and already consume the rights at this point, so if you exit abnormally while playing the content, The number of times that the user has actually viewed to the end does not match the number of times the right is consumed.

  Therefore, the mobile phone terminal 100B has a function of notifying the user of a warning when there is a possibility that such inconvenience may occur regarding the consumption of rights.

  A specific example relating to the state transition of the content displayed on the screen of the mobile phone terminal 100B when the battery runs out is shown in FIG. That is, before starting the reproduction of the content, the user interface control unit 200 controls to display the screen 561, and the content to be reproduced by the input by the user's instruction is selected from the plurality of contents displayed in a list here. The screen is selected, and the display transitions to the next screen 562.

  On the screen 562, the user interface control unit 200 requests the user to confirm by displaying that the right to play once for the selected content is consumed. Here, when the consumption of the right is permitted by the user's instruction, the playback control unit 300 starts playback of the content, and the user interface control unit 200 displays the next screen 563 indicating that playback is in progress.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 19, it is assumed that the battery is consumed during the reproduction of content, and the screen is changed from the currently displayed screen 563 to the next screen 564. On the screen 564, a message for warning that the battery needs to be charged is displayed by the user interface control unit 200.

  If charging is not performed while the screen 564 is displayed, the battery will run out and the operation of the mobile phone terminal 100 cannot be continued. As a matter of course, nothing is displayed as in the next screen 565. Content playback will also end abnormally.

  Here, for example, when the battery is replaced or power is supplied from the AC adapter to the mobile phone terminal 100B, the supplied power is restored, so that the operation of the mobile phone terminal 100 can be resumed. However, since the content reproduction has ended abnormally, the right to reproduce the content may be consumed illegally. Therefore, the user interface control unit 200 displays a screen 566. On the screen 566, the user is notified of a warning regarding the occurrence of an abnormality in the right update because the reproduction operation has ended abnormally.

  An example of an operation sequence of the mobile phone terminal 100 for realizing the function shown in FIG. 19 is shown in FIGS. FIG. 20 shows an operation example in a normal state, and FIG. 21 shows an operation example in the case where a momentary interruption occurs in the supply of power.

First, FIG. 20 will be described.
In step S301, upon receiving a playback request from the user interface control unit 200, the playback control unit 300 executes content playback processing in step S303. At this time, the playback right is consumed once, but step S303 is executed. Before starting, a log update process is performed in step S302. That is, the playback control unit 300 records information (song name in the example of FIG. 20) indicating that playback of the selected content to be played back in step S303 is started in the log holding unit 460. An example of the log information 460a held by the log holding unit 460 is shown in FIG.

  In addition, when the reproduction operation has been completed to the end for the content that has been reproduced in step S303, the reproduction control unit 300 updates the log in step S304 in accordance with the reproduction end notification from the user interface control unit 200. In step S304, the information created on the log holding unit 460 in the previous step S302 (record indicating that the reproduction of the selected content has been started) is deleted.

Next, FIG. 21 will be described.
When the reproduction request is received from the user interface control unit 200 in step S301, the reproduction control unit 300 executes log update in step S302, and then executes content reproduction processing in step S303. Consume batches.

  In the example shown in FIG. 21, the power supply is temporarily stopped after the content reproduction operation is started and before the content reproduction operation is completed. Thereafter, the supply of power is resumed. On the other hand, when the power supply is stopped, the content reproduction operation is abnormally terminated.

  When the power supply is resumed after the power supply is stopped, the user interface control unit 200 is restarted in step S310 according to a user instruction in order to perform processing related to the content reproduction operation. As a result, the reproduction control unit 300 executes step S311. In step S <b> 311, the reproduction control unit 300 confirms whether or not the abnormally terminated content reproduction record remains as an abnormal log in the log holding unit 460 on the data storage unit 400. That is, when the reproduction operation is normally completed, the corresponding abnormality log is deleted in step S313 shown in FIG. 20, so that there is no abnormality log when executing step S311 in FIG. Thus, the presence of an abnormal log means that an abnormal termination has occurred during the reproduction of content.

  Accordingly, when it is detected in step S311 that an abnormality log exists, the reproduction control unit 300 requests the user interface control unit 200 to display a warning in step S312, and the user interface control unit 200 responds to the request. In step S314, a warning display (display corresponding to the screen 566 in FIG. 19) is performed.

  By executing the operations shown in FIG. 19 to FIG. 21, it is possible to warn the user that there is a possibility that the right may be accidentally consumed for abnormal termination during the content reproduction operation. Since the right for one time is consumed, the user suffers a disadvantage.

  FIG. 22 shows an example of an operation sequence in which a function for automatically reviving a wrongly consumed right is further added in order to eliminate such disadvantages. The operation shown in FIG. 22 will be described below.

  In step S302B, similarly to step S302 in FIG. 20, the reproduction control unit 300 creates an abnormality log for the content to be reproduced from now on, and encrypts the created abnormality log. In order to safely manage this abnormality log, it is desirable to store it in a time-varying key, secure memory space as a backup restoration measure.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 22, power supply is stopped during content playback, and restarted in step S310 due to the restart of power supply. As a result, the playback control unit 300 executes step S320.

  In step S320, the abnormal log information held in the log holding unit 460 in step S321 is decrypted and acquired, the content of the abnormal log is analyzed in the next step S322, and the result is used to execute the next. In step S323, right restoration processing is performed.

  When the right restoration process is performed in step S323, the encrypted information on the right information holding unit 420 is decrypted using a predetermined key, and the right is consumed only once for the remaining number of reproductions of the right information. Is restored (increase the limit value of the number of reproductions by one), the contents of the right information holding unit 420 are updated, and the right information is encrypted again.

  Therefore, when the content playback is started once in step S303, even if the playback right is consumed once, if the abnormal end occurs before the end of the current content playback operation, the content is illegally consumed. The right for one time is revived in step S323, and the user will not suffer any disadvantages due to running out of the battery.

  When content is being played back, the playback control unit 300 periodically detects information indicating the current playback position (for example, every second), and uses this position information as an abnormality log on the log holding unit 460. It may be added to and recorded. In this way, the content reproduction position when the abnormal end occurs after the restart can be grasped, and the content reproduction operation can be resumed from the position before and after this position as a reference. In that case, the right restoration process may not be performed.

  By the way, when a function for restoring the right consumed when an abnormality occurs is provided by executing the operation sequence as shown in FIG. 22, this restoration system is subjected to an unauthorized attack by a malicious user. there is a possibility.

  For example, malicious operations such as turning off the power, removing the battery pack, or removing a recording medium such as a memory card holding data from the device during content playback When the user repeats the operation, as shown in FIG. 23, the operation of restoring the right is repeated, and the right is restored every time the computer is restarted. It may be possible to repeat the playback.

  FIG. 24 shows a specific example of a configuration and an operation for realizing a function for preventing unauthorized use of a right against an attack by such a malicious user.

  In step S302B of FIG. 24, as in the case of FIG. 22, the playback control unit 300 creates information on the content to be played back on the log holding unit 460 as an abnormality log.

  If an abnormal end due to a power interruption or the like occurs after the content playback operation is started and the process is restarted in step S310 of FIG. 24, the playback control unit 300 starts the process of step S330.

  In step S330, the reproduction control unit 300 acquires the abnormal log decoded from the log holding unit 460 in step S331, analyzes the content of the abnormal log in the next step S332, and analyzes the abnormal log in the next step S333. Based on the above, a process for restoring the consumed rights is performed. Then, in the next step S334, an illegal termination countermeasure process is executed.

  In step S 334, when an abnormal log exists in the log holding unit 460, the reproduction control unit 300 checks whether another abnormal log exists in the abnormal log history holding unit 461. The abnormal log and the abnormal log on the abnormal log history holding unit 461 are compared to check whether they match. As with the abnormality log, it is desirable to store the abnormality log history in a time-variant key and a secure memory space as a backup restoration measure in order to manage it safely.

  When there is an abnormal log on the abnormal log history holding unit 461, the reproduction control unit 300 sets the same log as the abnormal log existing on the log holding unit 460 as the abnormal log history as the abnormal log history holding unit 461. To record. As a result, the content comparison between the next log holding unit 460 and the abnormal log history holding unit 461 becomes possible. FIG. 24 shows an example of the abnormality log history 461a. Here, the abnormal log history is also encrypted and held in the same manner as the abnormal log.

  Also, when it is detected in step S341 in FIG. 24 that the content reproduction has been normally completed, the reproduction control unit 300 deletes the abnormality log on the log holding unit 460 in step S342.

  Therefore, if the restart of step S310 occurs only once between the start of content playback and the normal end thereof, an abnormality will occur on the log holding unit 460 when step S330 is executed. Although there is a log, there is no abnormality log on the abnormality log history holding unit 461. However, when the restart of step S310 occurs, for example, twice or more between the start of the content reproduction and the normal end thereof, as in the case of an attack as shown in FIG. In addition to the abnormal log existing on the log holding unit 460, the previous abnormal log also exists on the abnormal log history holding unit 461. The abnormal log on the log holding unit 460 and the abnormal log history holding unit 461 Since the previous error log is the same as the previous error log, when they are compared in step S334, a match between the two can be detected.

  In other words, the presence of an abnormal log on the log holding unit 460 and the presence of the same abnormal log on the abnormal log history holding unit 461 means that the abnormal termination has repeatedly occurred before the reproduction operation has ended normally. However, there is a high possibility that an unauthorized operation has been performed. Therefore, when such a state is detected in step S334, processing for revoking the right restored in step S333 is performed. Note that before the right is reinstated in step S333, step S334 may be executed to prohibit the reinstatement of the right for an abnormal operation.

  According to the mobile phone device 100 that performs the operation as shown in FIG. 24, it is possible to prevent the reinstatement of rights for an unauthorized operation in which abnormal termination is repeated a plurality of times. Can be limited to one time only.

  The various functions described in the first embodiment, the various functions described in the second embodiment, and the various functions described in the third embodiment can be combined and installed in one mobile phone terminal. It is.

  As described above, in the content playback apparatus of the present invention, when content such as digitized music and video is played back, restrictions on the number of playbacks and the right period are added to the right information for permitting playback of the content. Even if this is the case, the present invention is useful for mobile phone terminals, portable music players, DVD players, and the like equipped with various content playback functions that can improve user convenience.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the content reproduction apparatus in the 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the specific operation | movement sequence regarding the right consumption confirmation skip process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific control in the reproduction | regeneration control part regarding the right consumption confirmation skip process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a screen regarding the right consumption confirmation skip process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the sequence regarding the play list update process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the concrete control regarding the play list update process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a screen regarding the play list update process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the concrete control regarding another playlist update process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a screen regarding another play list update process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows another screen specific example regarding another play list update process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation example regarding another play list update process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the basic process sequence of the content reproduction apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the operation | movement regarding the warning display of the content reproduction apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation example regarding the warning display of the content reproduction apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and a specific example of a screen. It is a figure which shows the operation example regarding another warning display of the content reproduction apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and a specific example of a screen. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific control regarding the warning display of the content reproduction apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a specific example of the various information which the content reproduction apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention utilizes. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the content reproduction apparatus in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the state transition of a screen display when abnormally ending in the middle of the content reproduction in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation example in case content reproduction in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is complete | finished normally. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation example in case content reproduction in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is complete | finished abnormally. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation example in case the content reproduction apparatus in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention restores the consumed rights. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation example in the case of having ended abnormally when the content reproduction apparatus in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention restores the consumed rights. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation example at the time of implementing the countermeasure against unauthorized termination in the content reproduction apparatus in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the log information which the content reproduction apparatus in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention utilizes.

Explanation of symbols

100, 100B Mobile phone terminal 200 User interface control unit 210 Warning display unit 220 List display function unit 250 Playback screen display unit 300 Playback control unit 310 User setting information holding unit 320 Playback processing unit 326, 326B TRS unit 330 Timer processing unit 400 Data Storage unit 410 Content information holding unit 420 Rights information holding unit 430 Song list information holding unit 450 Playback history holding unit 460 Log holding unit 461 Abnormal log history holding unit 470 Playlist 480 Second playlist

Claims (19)

A content holding unit for holding content in which at least one of the number of playbacks and the playback period is limited;
A right information holding unit for holding right information having at least one of information indicating the number of times the content can be reproduced and information indicating a period during which the content can be reproduced;
A setting unit for setting playback control information when continuously playing the content;
A content reproduction apparatus comprising: a reproduction control unit that performs reproduction control for reproducing the content based on the right information and the reproduction control information. The content playback device according to claim 1,
The setting unit sets, as the playback control information, whether or not to allow the display unit to display whether or not to allow a decrease in the number of playable times when the content is played back continuously.
The content playback device that continuously plays back the content when the playback control unit is set not to be displayed on the display unit by the setting unit. The content playback device according to claim 1 or 2,
The setting unit, as the playback control information, holds a playback threshold for comparison with the playable number of times when the content is played back continuously.
The reproduction control unit compares the reproduction threshold with the number of times the content can be reproduced, and restricts reproduction of the content when the number of reproduction possible is equal to or less than the reproduction threshold. The content playback apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:
A playlist holding unit that holds playlist information in which content information related to content to be played is recorded;
The reproduction control unit is a content reproduction device that deletes content information of the content from the playlist information when the reproducible number of times is equal to or less than the reproduction threshold. The content playback device according to claim 4,
The reproduction control unit is a content reproduction device that deletes the content information from the playlist information when the reproducible number of times is zero. The content playback device according to claim 4,
When the number of times that the content can be played is zero, the playback control unit displays on the display unit that the right to play the content has disappeared. The content playback apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
When the number of times that the content can be reproduced is 0, the reproduction control unit displays whether or not to acquire the right to reproduce the content on the display unit,
The setting unit is a content playback apparatus that sets whether or not to acquire the right to play the content as the playback control information. The content playback device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:
A log holding unit for holding log information in the case of reproducing the content;
An activation processing unit for performing activation processing for reproducing the content;
The reproduction control unit
The content information of the content is recorded as the log information when the reproduction of the content is started, the log information is deleted when the reproduction of the content is finished, and the log information after the activation processing by the activation processing unit Content playback apparatus that determines that the process ended abnormally. The content playback apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
When the reproduction control unit determines that the abnormal end has been completed, the content reproduction apparatus causes the display unit to display the abnormal end. The content playback device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein
The content reproduction device that increases the number of times the content can be reproduced when the reproduction control unit determines that the abnormal termination has occurred. The content playback apparatus according to claim 10, wherein
The reproduction control unit
If the log information exists after the first activation processing by the activation processing unit, the log information is recorded as log history information,
When the log information is present after the second activation process by the activation processing unit, the log information is compared with the log history information, and when the log information and the log history information are the same, A content reproduction apparatus that prohibits an increase in the number of times that the content can be reproduced. The content playback apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
A playlist holding unit that holds playlist information in which content information related to content to be played is recorded;
When the content is continuously played back, the playback control unit plays back content with a limited playback period before content with an unlimited playback period based on the playlist information. The content playback apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
When there are a plurality of contents with a limited playback period, the playback control unit plays back content with a short playback period before content with a long playback period based on the playlist. The content playback apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
When the playback control unit displays the playlist information on a display unit, the playback control unit displays content with a limited playback period higher than content with an unlimited playback period. The content playback apparatus according to claim 1 or 14,
The reproduction control unit determines whether or not the reproducible period is shorter than a predetermined period. If the reproducible period is shorter than the predetermined period, a period warning indicating that the reproducible period is a short period A content reproduction apparatus for displaying information on a display unit. The content playback apparatus according to claim 15, wherein
The setting unit sets, as the playback control information, whether to display the period warning information on a display unit when the content is played back continuously.
The content playback device that continuously plays back the content when the playback control unit is set not to be displayed on the display unit by the setting unit. The content playback apparatus according to claim 15, wherein
The playback control unit is a content playback device that displays on the display unit that the content has not been viewed when the number of playbacks of the content whose playback period is limited is zero. The content playback apparatus according to claim 15, wherein
The setting unit sets, as the playback control information, a threshold for a period for comparing the playback period with the number of playbacks of the limited content,
The playback control unit compares the threshold for the period with the number of times the content has been played, and if the number of times the playback has been performed is equal to or less than the threshold for playback, causes the display unit to display that the number of times the content has been viewed is small Content playback device. The content playback apparatus according to claim 15, wherein
The playback control unit, when the playable period of the content is shorter than the predetermined period, causes the display unit to display whether to acquire the right to play the content after the playable period;
The setting unit is a content playback apparatus that sets whether or not to acquire the right to play back the content after the playable period as the playback control information.

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