JP2009217370A - Content viewing terminal, its program, and content viewing right transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content viewing terminal allowing reduction of a load on a content server (a content provision device) without newly requiring an authentication procedure of an audience even when the audience changes the content viewing terminal. <P>SOLUTION: This content viewing terminal 1 has: a content purchase requirement transmission means (a certificate requirement means) 21 for transmitting viewing requirement for requiring a viewing right certificate showing a right to view a content to an authentication management device; a certificate reception means 22 for receiving the viewing right certificate; a certificate transfer means 33 for transferring the viewing right certificate to another content viewing terminal; and a transfer certificate acquisition means 34 for acquiring and storing the viewing right certificate received in the other content viewing terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content viewing terminal capable of continuously viewing content even when the viewing terminal is changed during content viewing by video on demand, a program thereof, and a content viewing right transfer method.

  In recent years, a video-on-demand that allows a viewer to acquire and view a favorite content from a content server at a desired time via a communication line such as the Internet on a content viewing terminal such as a television receiver or a mobile phone. (VOD) content viewing environment has been improved. Recently, an IPTV broadcast service for distributing digital television broadcasts using IP (Internet Protocol) has started.

  In general, in a system that distributes content via a communication line such as VOD, the content is provided by a plurality of content providers, and therefore there are a plurality of content servers that provide the content. At this time, in order to save the viewer from having to perform authentication for each individual content server, the viewer can perform login authentication to a plurality of content servers by performing login authentication (authentication procedure) only once. There is known a technique of single sign-on that allows users to log in and acquire content (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, a technique is disclosed in which content reproduction can be temporarily interrupted while viewing content in the VOD system (see, for example, Patent Document 2). According to this technology, when a viewer wants to interrupt viewing of content, a pause signal is transmitted from the viewer side (subscriber side system) to a content server (center side system) that distributes content, and the content server The side holds the content transmission position at the pause time. After that, when the pause release signal is sent from the viewer side, the content is sent from the sending position held by the content server side. In this way, the content server can suspend and resume the transmission of the content, so that even if there is an urgent business, the viewer can suspend the viewing of the content and thereby part of the content. Inconvenience such as overlooking can be eliminated.
JP 2007-193464 A JP 08-289279 A

  In the above-described conventional content distribution system such as VOD, when the viewer views the content, after the authentication procedure is performed at the content viewing terminal to be viewed, the viewer views the content at the content viewing terminal. It is assumed. For this reason, for example, when the viewer has to move to another location while viewing the content on the television receiver (content viewing terminal), the other content viewing terminal (for example, a personal computer, a mobile phone) When trying to view content by telephone or the like, it is necessary to perform an authentication procedure again at the content viewing terminal, which is troublesome for the viewer.

  Further, in the conventional content distribution system, when content reproduction is interrupted, it is necessary to store information at the time of the interruption in the content server, so that the load on the server side increases as the number of viewers increases. There is a problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. Even when the viewer changes the content viewing terminal, the viewer does not need to perform the authentication procedure again, and the content server. It is an object of the present invention to provide a content viewing terminal and a program thereof, and a content viewing right transfer method that can reduce the load on the content.

  The present invention was created to achieve the above object, and first, the content viewing terminal according to claim 1 acquires a right to view content from an authentication management device that performs content viewing authentication, In the content viewing terminal that acquires and presents the content from the content providing apparatus based on the right, a certificate requesting unit, a certificate receiving unit, a storage unit, a certificate transfer unit, a transfer certificate acquisition unit, The content requesting unit, the content receiving unit, and the content reproduction unit are provided.

  In such a configuration, the content viewing terminal transmits a viewing request for requesting a viewing right certificate indicating the right to view the content to the authentication management device by the certificate request unit. This viewing right certificate is an electronic certificate, and is data including license information for viewing content, content ID for specifying content, and the like. This viewing right certificate is issued by the authentication management apparatus. Then, the content viewing terminal receives the viewing right certificate from the authentication management device by the certificate receiving means and stores it in the storage means.

  In addition, the content viewing terminal transfers the viewing right certificate received by the certificate receiving unit to another content viewing terminal by the certificate transfer unit, or from the other content viewing terminal by the transfer certificate acquisition unit. Or get a certificate. As a result, the content viewing terminal can properly move the viewing right certificate between the content viewing terminals.

  Then, the content viewing terminal uses the content requesting means to request the content providing apparatus for the viewing right certificate received by the certificate receiving means or the viewing right certificate obtained by the transfer certificate obtaining means. As a content delivery request.

  Then, the content viewing terminal receives the content from the content providing device by the content receiving unit, and reproduces the received content by the content reproducing unit. As a result, the content viewing terminal moves the viewing right certificate between the content viewing terminals, and the viewer can view the content on the destination content viewing terminal.

  Further, the content viewing terminal according to claim 2 is the content viewing terminal according to claim 1, further comprising content interruption instruction means and interruption information addition means.

  In such a configuration, the content viewing terminal instructs the content reproduction means to interrupt the content reproduction in response to a request from the viewer by the content interruption instruction means. For example, the content interruption instruction unit may accept a request from the viewer by pressing a predetermined interruption button, or display a menu on the screen and select an interruption from the viewer. The request may be accepted.

  Then, the content viewing terminal adds a time stamp indicating the interruption time of the content whose reproduction has been interrupted to the viewing right certificate by the interruption information adding means. Then, the content viewing terminal transfers the viewing right certificate with the time stamp added thereto to another content viewing terminal by the certificate transfer means. As a result, information indicating how far the content has been played is notified to other content viewing terminals.

  Furthermore, the content viewing terminal according to claim 3 is the content viewing terminal according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an output time adding means and a certificate validity determination means.

  In such a configuration, the content viewing terminal adds the time output from the content viewing terminal to the viewing right certificate when the viewing right certificate is transferred by the output time adding means. In addition, the content viewing terminal determines the validity of the viewing right certificate based on the output time attached to the viewing right certificate transmitted from the other content viewing terminal by the certificate validity determination unit. For example, only a viewing right certificate that has not passed a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) from the output time is determined to be valid, and a viewing right certificate that has passed a predetermined time is determined to be invalid. .

  The content viewing program according to claim 4 acquires the right to view the content from an authentication management device that performs authentication for viewing the content, and acquires the content from the content providing device based on the right The content viewing terminal computer functions as a certificate request unit, a certificate reception unit, a certificate transfer unit, a transfer certificate acquisition unit, a content request unit, a content reception unit, and a content reproduction unit. did.

  In such a configuration, the content viewing program transmits a viewing request for requesting a viewing right certificate indicating the right to view the content to the authentication management device by the certificate request unit. Then, the content viewing program receives the viewing right certificate from the authentication management apparatus by the certificate receiving means and stores it in the storage means.

  In addition, the content viewing program transfers the viewing right certificate received by the certificate receiving unit to another content viewing terminal by the certificate transfer unit, or from the other content viewing terminal by the transfer certificate acquisition unit. Or get a certificate. Then, the content viewing program requests the content providing apparatus to request the content for the viewing right certificate received by the certificate receiving unit or the viewing right certificate acquired by the transfer certificate acquiring unit by the content requesting unit. As a content delivery request.

  Then, the content viewing program receives the content from the content providing device by the content receiving unit, and reproduces the received content by the content reproducing unit. Thus, the content viewing program moves the viewing right certificate between the content viewing terminals, and the viewer can view the content on the destination content viewing terminal.

  The content viewing right transfer method according to claim 5 is a plurality of content viewing terminals connected to an authentication management device that performs authentication for viewing content and a content providing device that provides content via a network. A content viewing right transfer method for transferring the right to view content between the certificate receiving step, the content receiving step, the content playback step, the interruption information adding step, Including a certificate transfer step, and a transfer content receiving terminal and a content reproduction restart step in the transfer destination content viewing terminal.

  In this procedure, the content viewing right transfer method transmits a viewing request for requesting a viewing right certificate to the authentication management apparatus by the certificate requesting unit in the certificate receiving step in the content viewing terminal of the transfer source. Then, the viewing right certificate is received from the authentication management device by the certificate receiving means.

  In the content viewing right transfer method, in the content receiving step, the content requesting unit transmits the viewing right certificate to the content providing device, and the content receiving unit receives the content from the content providing device. Thereafter, in the content viewing right transfer method, the content is reproduced by the content reproduction means in the content reproduction step.

  Further, in the content viewing right transfer method, in the interruption information addition step, the reproduction of the content is interrupted in response to a request from the viewer by the content interruption instruction means, and the interruption time of the content where the reproduction is interrupted by the interruption information addition means Is added to the viewing right certificate. In the content viewing right transfer method, in the certificate transfer step, the certificate transfer means transfers the viewing right certificate with the time stamp added to the transfer destination content viewing terminal.

  On the other hand, in the content viewing right transfer method, in the transfer destination content viewing terminal, in the resume content receiving step, the viewing right certificate added with the time stamp by the content requesting means is transmitted to the content providing device, and the content receiving means The content after the time stamp is received from the providing device. In the content viewing right transfer method, the content received by the content receiving means is played back by the content playing means in the content playback restarting step.

The present invention has the following excellent effects.
According to the first and fourth aspects of the invention, the content viewing terminal can legitimately transfer a viewing right certificate for viewing the content to another content viewing terminal. As a result, even if a viewer makes a contract for viewing content on a certain content viewing terminal, the viewer only has to move the viewing right certificate to another content viewing terminal and perform troublesome procedures such as authentication. The content can be viewed on another content viewing terminal without performing the above.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the content providing terminal adds the time when the reproduction of the content is suspended to the viewing right certificate and transfers it to the other content viewing terminal. Content playback can be resumed. At this time, since the interruption time is recorded on the content viewing terminal side, it is not necessary for the content providing apparatus (server) to manage the interruption time, and the load on the content providing apparatus (server) can be reduced.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the content viewing terminal can add the output time to the viewing right certificate, and can determine the validity of the viewing right certificate in other content viewing terminals. As a result, it is possible to restrict the use of the viewing right certificate that has become invalid due to the time restriction. Moreover, since the expiration date of the viewing right certificate is managed by the content viewing terminal, the load on the content providing apparatus (server) can be reduced.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the content viewing terminal can transfer the viewing right certificate for viewing the content to another content viewing terminal. In addition, according to the present invention, the content providing terminal adds the time when the content reproduction is interrupted to the viewing right certificate and transfers it to the other content viewing terminal. Can be resumed. Thus, the viewer does not need to perform troublesome procedures such as authentication simply by moving the viewing right certificate to another content viewing terminal, and the content providing apparatus (server) does not need to manage the interruption information. . For this reason, even if the number of viewers increases, the load on the content providing apparatus (server) that provides the content is not increased.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment: Configuration of Content Distribution System]
First, a configuration of a content distribution system including a content viewing terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a first embodiment of a content distribution system including a content viewing terminal according to the present invention.

  The content distribution system S distributes content to the content viewing terminal 1 in response to a request from the viewer from a provider that provides the content. Here, the content distribution system S includes a plurality of content viewing terminals 1 (here, a television receiver 1a, a mobile phone 1b) and a plurality of content providing devices 10, 10,. And.

  The content viewing terminal 1 receives content (digital broadcast program) transmitted (transmitted) through the network N from a provider side that provides content such as a broadcaster (information provider, broadcasting station) and the like. Various types of information are acquired via the network N. The information acquired via the network N includes an electronic viewing right certificate (hereinafter referred to as an assertion) indicating that the viewer has contracted to view the content.

  The content viewing terminal 1 only needs to receive content via the network N, and can be realized as, for example, a television receiver 1a, a mobile phone 1b, a personal computer (not shown), or the like.

  Here, the content viewing terminal 1 has a function of transferring the right to view content by moving the assertion C between the content viewing terminals 1. For example, when a viewer views content on the mobile phone 1b while viewing the content on the television receiver 1a, the viewer moves the assertion C from the television receiver 1a to the mobile phone 1b. The content can be viewed on the telephone 1b.

  Further, when moving the assertion C between the content viewing terminals 1, if the content is being viewed, the interruption information (for example, time stamp) of the content is added to the assertion C and moved. To do. And the content viewing terminal 1 which acquired the assertion C requests | requires a content from the content provision apparatus 10 by the assertion C. FIG. Thereby, the viewer can view the content after the interruption at the different content viewing terminal 1.

  Here, the contents of the assertion C will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of assertion data. In this example, the assertion C includes a content ID, content acquisition information, license information, authentication information, content interruption information, settlement information confirmation, and output time.

  The content ID is information for specifying the content with which the viewer has contracted. Here, an example is shown in which the content ID is described by a CRID (Content Reference ID) in which a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the content providing apparatus 10 is combined with a broadcast channel name or the like.

  The content acquisition information is information indicating the content acquisition state of the viewer. This content acquisition information is, for example, information indicating whether or not the viewer has already acquired the content, or the number of times content is acquired in the case of a contract that allows multiple viewing. The content acquisition information is described in a format that can be referred to by a URL.

The license information is information indicating the contents of the viewer's contract. This license information is, for example, the number of times content is viewed.
The authentication information is information for identifying the authenticated viewer and the content viewing terminal 1. Here, an example is shown in which the identification information (receiver identification number) of the content viewing terminal 1 with which the viewer has contracted is described as the authentication information.
The content interruption information is information for specifying the time when the viewer interrupted the viewing of the content, and for example, a time stamp can be used. This time stamp is information represented by [hour: minute: second: frame number].

The settlement information confirmation is information for confirming the settlement method such as payment of a fee for the viewer to view the content and the presence / absence of settlement. This settlement information confirmation is described in a form that can be referred to by a URL. This settlement information confirmation is used when the content providing apparatus 10 determines whether or not the content can be distributed.
The output time is information indicating the time when the assertion C is moved from the content viewing terminal 1. This output time is used, for example, when determining the valid time of the assertion C when the assertion C is moved to another content viewing terminal.
Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the configuration of the content distribution system S will be continued.

  The content providing device (authentication management device) 10 is connected to the content viewing terminal 1 via the network N, and delivers content desired by the viewer to the content viewing terminal 1. The content providing apparatus 10 is a web server (web site), for example, and distributes content that can be used only by registered viewers.

  Here, the content refers to, for example, video (moving image, still image, CG image, character, etc.), audio (including synthesized audio), and the like, and hereinafter, the content includes digital broadcast programs. Shall be. Here, the content includes video / audio content that is video and / or audio data and data broadcast content that defines the configuration of the display screen. This data broadcasting content is data described in BML (Broadcast Markup Language) which is a page description language for data broadcasting. The video / audio content is video and / or audio data (stream data) that is encoded by an encoding method such as MPEG2.

  In addition, here, the content providing apparatus 10 has a right for the content viewing terminal 1 to view the content by the assertion C transmitted at the same time when the content viewing terminal 1 requests the content. It also has a function as an authentication management apparatus for authenticating whether or not the terminal is a terminal, and distributes content only when it has the right. Further, when the content providing apparatus 10 distributes the content, the content providing apparatus 10 distributes the content in order from the data of the time stamp indicated by the interruption information of the assertion C.

  By configuring the content distribution system S in this way, even when the viewer changes the content viewing terminal 1 for viewing the content, the viewer can view the content without performing an authentication procedure on the other content viewing terminal 1. can do. Further, according to the content distribution system S, when the viewer interrupts viewing of the content and views the content on another content viewing terminal 1, the viewer resumes from the content at the time of the suspension and views the content. be able to.

  Here, the content distribution system S is configured with two content viewing terminals 1 and two content providing devices 10, but the content distribution system S includes a plurality of content viewing terminals 1 and content providing devices. 10 is included.

[Content viewing terminal configuration]
Next, the configuration of the content viewing terminal 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 (refer to FIG. 1 as appropriate). FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the content viewing terminal shown in FIG. Here, the content viewing terminal 1 includes network communication means 2, authentication management means 3, certificate input / output means 4, storage means 5, operation control means 6, and display control means 7.

  The network communication means 2 transmits / receives various information to / from the content providing apparatus 10 via the network N such as the Internet. Here, the network communication unit 2 includes a content purchase request transmission unit 21, a certificate reception unit 22, a content distribution request transmission unit 23, and a content reception unit 24.

  The content purchase request transmission unit (certificate request unit) 21 transmits the content purchase request (certificate request) generated by the content purchase request generation unit 31 to be described later to the content providing apparatus 10. In response to the content purchase request, the content providing apparatus 10 transmits an electronic viewing right certificate (assertion) indicating that the viewer has contracted to view the content. The content purchase request transmitting unit 21 and the content purchase request generating unit 31 described later correspond to a certificate request unit in the claims.

  The certificate receiving unit 22 receives the assertion C transmitted from the content providing apparatus 10. The assertion C received by the certificate receiving unit 22 is stored in the storage unit 5.

  The content distribution request transmission unit (content request unit) 23 transmits the content distribution request generated by the content distribution request generation unit 32 described later to the content providing apparatus 10. In response to the content distribution request, content desired by the viewer is transmitted from the content providing apparatus 10. Note that the content distribution request transmitting unit 23 and the content distribution request generating unit 32 described later correspond to the content request unit described in the claims.

  The content receiving unit 24 receives content transmitted from the content providing apparatus 10. The content received by the content receiving unit 24 is output to the display control unit 7. Note that the content receiving unit 24 stops communication with the content providing apparatus 10 when the operation control unit 6 is instructed by the viewer to stop viewing the content.

  The authentication management unit 3 executes processing necessary for authentication for acquiring contract-limited content from the content providing apparatus 10. Here, the authentication management unit 3 includes a content purchase request generation unit 31, a content distribution request generation unit 32, a certificate transfer unit 33, a transfer certificate acquisition unit 34, an interruption information addition unit 35, and an output time addition. Means 36 and certificate validity determination means 37 are provided.

  The content purchase request generation means (certificate request means) 31 includes identification information stored in the storage means 5, authentication data for authenticating the viewer, and content that the viewer desires to view (purchase). A content purchase request (certificate request), which is a message including information to be identified, is generated. This identification information is information for specifying the content viewing terminal 1, and is a unique ID such as a production number, for example. The authentication data is information for specifying a viewer who has purchased the content, and is, for example, a user ID and a password. When using the user ID and password as authentication data, the content purchase request generation unit 31 displays an authentication screen for inputting the user ID and password via the screen control unit 72 of the display control unit 7, A character code input with a button or the like is acquired via the operation control means 6. The authentication data is stored in the content providing apparatus 10 by user registration in advance.

  Further, the content purchase request generation unit 31 displays a content selection screen for selecting content via the screen control unit 72 of the display control unit 7, and identification information (content ID) of the content selected by the operation button or the like. ) Is acquired via the operation control means 6. The content list (including the content ID) to be displayed on the content selection screen is acquired from the content providing apparatus 10 in advance and stored in the storage unit 5. The content purchase request generated by the content purchase request generation unit 31 is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10 via the content purchase request transmission unit 21.

  The content distribution request generating unit (content request unit) 32 generates a content distribution request that is a message for requesting the content providing apparatus 10 to distribute content. The content distribution request generation means 32 displays a content selection screen for selecting content via the screen control means 72 of the display control means 7, and identification information (content ID) of the content selected by the operation button or the like Is acquired via the operation control means 6. Then, the content distribution request generation unit 32 reads an assertion including identification information (content ID) of the selected content from the storage unit 5 and generates a content distribution request including the assertion. The content distribution request generated by the content distribution request generating unit 32 is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10 via the content distribution request transmitting unit 23.

  The certificate transfer unit 33 transfers the assertion stored in the storage unit 5 to another content viewing terminal via the certificate input / output unit 4. This certificate transfer means 33 reads the assertion stored in the storage means 5 when the viewer gives an instruction to move the assertion by means of an operation button or the like via the operation control means 6, and enters the certificate. An instruction command for outputting an assertion is output to the output means 4.

  Further, when there is an instruction to move the assertion, the certificate transfer means 33 displays a message such as “Please insert a memory card” via the screen control means 72 of the display control means 7. An operation method may be presented to the viewer. When transferring the assertion, the certificate transfer unit 33 adds an output time for specifying the valid time to the assertion by the output time adding unit 36 described later. Further, after the assertion transfer, the certificate transfer unit 33 deletes the assertion stored in the storage unit 5.

  The transfer certificate acquisition unit 34 acquires an assertion from another content viewing terminal by storing the assertion in the storage unit 5 when the assertion input is notified from the certificate input / output unit 4. is there.

  The interruption information adding means 35 adds a time stamp indicating the interruption time to the assertion corresponding to the content when the reproduction of the content is interrupted via the operation control means 6 by an operation button or the like. . The interruption information adding means 35 adds a time stamp to the assertion stored in the storage means 5 when notified from the operation control means 6 that the reproduction of the content has been interrupted.

  The output time adding means 36 adds information indicating an output time for specifying an effective time to the assertion when the assertion is transferred to another content viewing terminal. Here, the output time adding unit 36 adds the output time to the assertion input from the certificate transfer unit 33 and outputs it to the certificate transfer unit 33.

  The certificate validity determination unit 37 determines whether or not an assertion input from another content viewing terminal is valid. Here, the certificate validity determination unit 37 determines that an assertion that has passed a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) from the output time (see FIG. 2) added to the assertion C is invalid. . This prevents invalid assertions from continuing to exist.

  The certificate validity determination unit 37 determines whether the assertion is valid based on the output time when the content distribution request generation unit 32 generates the content distribution request and the output time is described in the assertion. It will be determined whether or not.

The certificate input / output means 4 inputs an assertion from another content viewing terminal or outputs an assertion to another content viewing terminal. The certificate input / output unit 4 may be, for example, a non-contact IC card read / write device or a memory card read / write device.
Here, the certificate input / output unit 4 outputs the assertion to another content viewing terminal based on an instruction from the certificate transfer unit 33. Also, when an assertion is input from another content viewing terminal, the certificate input / output unit 4 notifies the transfer certificate acquisition unit 34 to that effect.

  The storage means 5 stores identification information unique to the content viewing terminal 1, assertions, and the like, and is a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk.

  The operation control means (content interruption instruction means) 6 notifies each means of an operation instruction from the viewer. For example, when the content viewing terminal 1 is the television receiver 1a, the operation control means 6 acquires an infrared signal from a remote controller (not shown) and converts it into a button signal (key code) of the remote controller. Notify Further, for example, when the content viewing terminal 1 is a mobile phone 1b, the operation control means 6 converts each signal inputted by pressing an operation button (not shown) into a button signal (key code), and then each means. Notify For example, when the “interrupt button” is pressed with the operation button, the operation control unit 6 outputs a reproduction interruption instruction to the content reproduction unit 71 and notifies the interruption information adding unit 35 of the interruption.

  The display control means 7 controls screen data displayed by the content viewing terminal 1. Here, the display control unit 7 includes a content reproduction unit 71 and a screen control unit 72.

  The content reproduction unit 71 reproduces the content received by the content reception unit 24. The content reproduced here is output (displayed) to a display device (not shown). The content reproducing means 71 has a function of reproducing (decoding) video / audio content encoded by an encoding method such as MPEG2. Note that the content reproduction means 71 suspends the content reproduction when the operation control means 6 is notified of the reproduction interruption instruction.

  The screen control means 72 displays a screen for a viewer to give an instruction to the content viewing terminal 1 on a display device (not shown). This screen includes, for example, a content selection screen for selecting content to be viewed, an authentication screen for inputting a user ID and a password, an operation content screen showing the operation content when moving the assertion C, and the like.

  By configuring the content viewing terminal 1 in this way, the content viewing terminal 1 can transfer the assertion C to each other, and the viewer can change the terminal for viewing the content without performing the authentication procedure again. Can do.

  Here, the content viewing terminal 1 has the configuration shown in FIG. 3, but the content viewing terminal 1 shown in FIG. 3 is specialized for the configuration of viewing content via the network N. That is, when the content viewing terminal 1 is configured as the television receiver 1a, in addition to the configuration of FIG. 3, broadcast receiving means for receiving content (broadcast program) via broadcast waves, storage means for storing content. Such a general configuration is added.

  Further, when the content viewing terminal 1 is configured as the mobile phone 1b, in addition to the configuration of FIG. 3, a general call control means for performing call control such as outgoing call and incoming call, and a receiving means for performing a call, etc. Therefore, the configuration is added.

  The content viewing terminal 1 can be realized by a general computer having a CPU and a memory (not shown). At this time, the content viewing terminal 1 operates by a content viewing program that causes the computer to function as each of the above-described means.

[Configuration of content providing device]
Next, the configuration of the content providing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 (refer to FIG. 1 as appropriate). 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the content providing apparatus shown in FIG. Here, the content providing apparatus 10 includes a network communication unit 110, a content distribution management unit 120, and a storage unit 130.

  The network communication means 110 transmits / receives various information to / from the content viewing terminal 1 via the network N such as the Internet. Here, the network communication unit 110 includes a content purchase request reception unit 111, a certificate transmission unit 112, a content distribution request reception unit 113, and a content transmission unit 114.

  The content purchase request receiving unit (certificate request receiving unit) 111 receives a content purchase request (certificate request) transmitted from the content viewing terminal 1. The content purchase request received by the content purchase request receiving unit 111 is output to the certificate generating unit 121.

The certificate transmission unit 112 transmits an assertion (viewing right certificate), which is a certificate generated by the certificate generation unit 121, to the requested content viewing terminal 1.
The content distribution request receiving unit 113 receives a content distribution request transmitted from the content viewing terminal 1. The content distribution request received by the content distribution request receiving unit 113 is output to the content distribution unit 123.

  The content transmission unit 114 transmits the content output from the content distribution unit 123 to the requested content viewing terminal 1. Note that the content transmission unit 114 stops the transmission of the content when the content viewing terminal 1 is instructed to stop the distribution of the content during the content transmission.

  The content distribution management means 120 performs authentication and content management for distributing content. Here, the content distribution management unit 120 includes a certificate generation unit 121, an authentication unit 122, and a content distribution unit 123.

  The certificate generation unit 121 generates an assertion (viewing right certificate: see FIG. 2) for a viewer (content viewing terminal 1) who has made a content viewing contract. Here, the certificate generating unit 121 authenticates the content purchase request (certificate request) received by the content purchase request receiving unit 111 by the authenticating unit 122, and is an authorized viewer who has contracted to view the content. Generate an assertion only when it is authenticated.

  Based on authentication data such as a user ID included in the content purchase request (certificate request) or an assertion included in the content distribution request, the authentication unit 122 is a viewer who has a contract with the request, or a content viewing terminal. It authenticates whether the request is from 1 or not.

  Here, the authentication means 122 is a viewer that stores the authentication data included in the content purchase request (certificate request) received by the content purchase request reception means 111 in the storage means 130 in advance as part of the registration information. Authentication is performed by checking the user ID and password. This authentication result is output to the certificate generation unit 121.

  Further, the authentication unit 122 performs authentication by collating with the license information stored in advance as part of the registration information in the storage unit 130 among the assertions included in the content distribution request received by the content distribution unit 123. . The authentication result is output to the content distribution unit 123.

  The content distribution unit 123 distributes the distribution content stored in the storage unit 130 to the requested content viewing terminal 1. The content distribution unit 123 authenticates the content request received by the content distribution request reception unit 113 by the authentication unit 122, and distributes the content only when the request is from a legitimate viewer (content viewing terminal 1). .

  When the content interruption information (see FIG. 2) is described in the assertion, the content distribution unit 123 reads the content from the position corresponding to the time stamp position indicated by the content interruption information in the storage unit 130, and Deliver sequentially. Accordingly, the content providing apparatus 10 can distribute the content from the middle by the content interruption information notified from the content viewing terminal 1. At this time, the content providing apparatus 10 does not need to manage that the content viewing is interrupted.

  The storage unit 130 stores viewer authentication data or the like as registration information for each viewer, or stores content to be distributed, and is a general storage device such as a hard disk. Here, the registration information is information indicating that the viewer is an authorized contract user. For example, authentication data (for example, user ID, password) for authenticating the viewer, content contract details, etc. It is.

  By configuring the content providing apparatus 10 in this manner, the content providing apparatus 10 can distribute the content only to the viewer (content viewing terminal 1) who has a contract. Further, since the content providing apparatus 10 can recognize the suspension and resumption of content viewing by the assertion, it is possible to suspend and resume the distribution of content without managing the content suspension.

[Operation of content distribution system]
Next, the operation of the content distribution system S will be described with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a basic operation of moving an assertion in the content distribution system shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an operation in the content distribution system shown in FIG. 1 for interrupting content viewing and restarting viewing at another content viewing terminal. Here, an example in which an assertion is acquired by the mobile phone 1b and the assertion is moved to the television receiver 1a will be described. However, any combination of the source and destination of the assertion is between the content viewing terminals 1. It doesn't matter.

(Assertion move: Basic operation)
First, the basic operation of moving an assertion will be described with reference to FIG. 5 (refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 as appropriate for the configuration).

  First, in response to a request from the viewer, the mobile phone 1b transmits a content purchase request, which is a request for purchasing content, to the content providing apparatus 10 (step S1). Specifically, the mobile phone 1b receives the user ID and password by displaying the authentication screen by the screen control means 72, and receives the selection of the content that the viewer wants to view by displaying the content selection screen. Then, the mobile phone 1b uses the content purchase request generating means 31 to identify the mobile phone 1b identification information, authentication data for authenticating the viewer, and information for specifying the content that the viewer desires to view (purchase). And a content purchase request is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10 by the content purchase request transmission means 21.

  Then, the content providing apparatus 10 performs authentication or the like in response to the content purchase request received from the mobile phone 1b, and transmits an assertion C indicating that the content viewing contract has been made to the mobile phone 1b (step S2). Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10 receives a content purchase request by the content purchase request receiving unit 111. Then, the content providing apparatus 10 performs user authentication by the authentication unit 122 using the user ID included in the content purchase request. The content providing apparatus 10 generates an assertion by the certificate generation unit 121 and transmits the assertion to the mobile phone 1b by the certificate transmission unit 112 only when the content purchase request is a request from a legitimate viewer. . On the other hand, the cellular phone 1 b receives the assertion by the certificate receiving unit 22 and stores it in the storage unit 5.

  Thereafter, when the viewer views the content on the television receiver 1a, the viewer moves the assertion from the mobile phone 1b to the television receiver 1a (step S3). Specifically, the cellular phone 1 b reads the assertion stored in the storage unit 5 by the certificate transfer unit 33 and outputs the assertion through the certificate input / output unit 4. On the other hand, the television receiver 1 a acquires the assertion by the transfer certificate acquisition unit 34 via the certificate input / output unit 4 and stores it in the storage unit 5. As a result, the assertion has moved from the mobile phone 1b to the television receiver 1a.

  When the viewer views the content on the television receiver 1a, the television receiver 1a transmits a content distribution request for requesting distribution of the content to the content providing apparatus 10 (step S4). Specifically, the television receiver 1a displays a content selection screen by the screen control means 72, thereby accepting selection of content that the viewer wants to view. Then, the television receiver 1a reads the assertion corresponding to the selected content from the storage unit 5 by the content distribution request generation unit 32, generates a content distribution request including the assertion, and the content purchase request transmission unit 21 The content distribution request is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10.

  And the content provision apparatus 10 collates the assertion contained in the content delivery request received from the television receiver 1a (step S5). Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10 receives the content distribution request by the content distribution request receiving unit 113. Then, the content providing apparatus 10 uses the authentication unit 122 to collate the assertion included in the content distribution request with the registration information stored in the storage unit 130, so that the content distribution request is properly contracted. It is determined whether or not the request is from a viewer.

  Then, when the content providing apparatus 10 determines that the content distribution request is a request from a legitimately contracted viewer based on the collation result in Step S5, the content providing apparatus 10 transmits the requested content to the television receiver 1a (Step S5). S6). Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10 reads the content corresponding to the content ID described in the assertion authenticated by the authentication unit 122 by the content distribution unit 123 from the storage unit 130, and sends the content via the content transmission unit 114. To the television receiver 1a.

  Thereafter, the television receiver 1a reproduces the content received from the content providing device 10 (step S7). Specifically, the television receiver 1 a receives content transmitted from the content providing apparatus 10 by the content receiving unit 24. Then, the television receiver 1a converts the content into a viewable data format by a process such as decryption by the content reproduction means 71, and outputs it to a display device such as a liquid crystal display (not shown).

  By the above operation, the assertion obtained by performing authentication or the like with the mobile phone 1b can be moved to the television receiver 1a. In the television receiver 1a, the viewer can view the content without performing a procedure such as authentication.

(Assertion move: Content interruption resume operation)
Next, referring to FIG. 6 (refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 as appropriate for the configuration), the operation of interrupting content viewing and resuming viewing on another content viewing terminal will be described.

  First, the mobile phone 1b transmits a content purchase request, which is a request for purchasing content, to the content providing apparatus 10 in response to a request from the viewer (step S10).

  Then, the content providing apparatus 10 performs authentication or the like in response to the content purchase request received from the mobile phone 1b, and transmits an assertion C indicating that the content viewing contract has been made to the mobile phone 1b (step S11). Note that step S10 and step S11 are the same as the operation of step S1 and step S2 described with reference to FIG. With the operation so far, the assertion corresponding to the content requested by the viewer is stored in the mobile phone 1b.

  When the viewer views content on the mobile phone 1b, the mobile phone 1b transmits a content distribution request for requesting content distribution to the content providing apparatus 10 (step S12).

  And the content provision apparatus 10 collates the assertion contained in the content delivery request received from the mobile telephone 1b (step S13). After that, when the content providing apparatus 10 determines that the content distribution request is a request from a legitimately contracted viewer based on the collation result in step S12, the content providing apparatus 10 transmits the requested content to the mobile phone 1b (step S14). ).

  Then, the cellular phone 1b reproduces the content received from the content providing device 10 (step S15). The operations from step S12 to step S15 are the same as the operations of the cellular phone 1b in steps S4 to S7 described in FIG. 5, but the operations are the same. Therefore, detailed description is omitted. With the operation so far, the viewer can view desired content on the mobile phone 1b.

  Here, when the viewer changes the terminal for viewing the content from the mobile phone 1b to the television receiver 1a, the mobile phone 1b interrupts the content reproduction in accordance with an instruction from the viewer, and the assertion is transmitted to the television receiver 1a. (Step S16). Specifically, the mobile phone 1b detects that the “interrupt button” is pressed by the operation control means 6 by pressing the operation button (not shown) of the viewer, and the content reproduction means 71 Stop playback.

  In addition, at the timing when the “interrupt button” is pressed, the cellular phone 1 b adds the time stamp indicating the interrupted time as the interrupt information to the assertion stored in the storage unit 5 by the interrupt information adding unit 35. Thereafter, the cellular phone 1b outputs an assertion to which interruption information or the like is added via the certificate input / output unit 4 by the certificate transfer unit 33. At this time, an output time for specifying the valid time is further added to the assertion by the output time adding means 36.

  On the other hand, the television receiver 1 a acquires the assertion by the transfer certificate acquisition unit 34 via the certificate input / output unit 4 and stores it in the storage unit 5. As a result, the assertion has moved from the mobile phone 1b to the television receiver 1a.

  When the viewer resumes viewing the content on the television receiver 1a, the television receiver 1a transmits a content distribution request for requesting distribution of the content to the content providing apparatus 10 (step S17). Specifically, the television receiver 1a displays a content selection screen by the screen control unit 72, thereby accepting selection of content that the viewer wants to view (resumes viewing). Then, the television receiver 1a reads the assertion corresponding to the selected content from the storage unit 5 by the content distribution request generation unit 32, generates a content distribution request including the assertion, and the content purchase request transmission unit 21 The content purchase request is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10. Since the output time is added to the assertion corresponding to the content whose viewing is to be resumed in addition to the interruption information, the television receiver 1a uses the certificate validity determination unit 37 to transmit the assertion before transmitting the assertion. It is determined whether or not is valid, and if it is not valid, that is, an assertion for which a predetermined valid time has elapsed is discarded.

  And the content provision apparatus 10 collates the assertion contained in the content delivery request received from the television receiver 1a (step S18). The operation in step S18 is the same as the operation in step S5 described with reference to FIG.

  Then, when the content providing apparatus 10 determines that the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has a contract with the result of the collation in Step S18, the content providing apparatus 10 transmits the requested content to the television receiver 1a (Step S18). S19). Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10 uses the content distribution unit 123 to change the content corresponding to the content ID described in the assertion authenticated by the authentication unit 122 to the interruption information (time stamp) described in the assertion. Is transmitted to the television receiver 1a via the content transmission unit 114.

  Thereafter, the television receiver 1a reproduces the content received from the content providing device 10 (step S20). The operation in step S20 is the same as the operation in step S7 described with reference to FIG.

  By moving the assertion of the content that has been interrupted by the mobile phone 1b by the above-described operation, the content can be resumed on the television receiver 1a without the viewer performing authentication or the like.

As described above, the configuration and operation of the content distribution system have been described in the embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Here, the content providing device 10 has been described as a device having a function of performing content distribution and assertion authentication. However, content distribution and assertion authentication can be performed by separate devices.
Hereinafter, a configuration example of a system configured by separating the functions of the content providing apparatus 10 will be described as a second embodiment.

[Second Embodiment: Configuration of Content Distribution System]
With reference to FIG. 7, the configuration of a content distribution system including the content viewing terminal according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram of a second embodiment of a content distribution system including a content viewing terminal according to the present invention.

  The content distribution system SB distributes content to the content viewing terminal 1 in response to a request from the viewer from a provider that provides the content. Here, the content distribution system SB includes a plurality of content viewing terminals 1 (here, a television receiver 1a, a mobile phone 1b) and a plurality of content providing devices 10B, 10B,. And an authentication management device 20.

The content viewing terminal 1 is the same as the content viewing terminal 1 described in FIG.
The content providing apparatus 10B is obtained by omitting the assertion authentication function from the content providing apparatus 10 described in FIG.
The authentication management apparatus 20 performs an assertion authentication process in the plurality of content providing apparatuses 10B.

  Here, the content viewing terminal 1 acquires an assertion for viewing the content from the authentication management device 20. Note that, as described with reference to FIG. 1, the content viewing terminal 1 transfers the right to view the content by moving the assertion C between the content viewing terminals 1.

  The content viewing terminal 1 adds an assertion when requesting the content distribution apparatus 10B to distribute the content. Then, the content providing apparatus 10B determines that the request is from a contracted viewer by having the authentication management apparatus 20 collate the assertion C, and distributes the content.

  By configuring the content distribution system SB in this way, the authentication of the viewer is centrally managed by the authentication management device 20, so that the viewer logs in to the plurality of content providing devices 10B and views the content. Even in such a case, the viewer only needs to perform the authentication procedure once, and the viewer's trouble can be saved.

[Configuration of content providing device]
Next, the configuration of the content providing apparatus 10B will be described with reference to FIG. 8 (refer to FIG. 7 as appropriate). FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the content providing apparatus shown in FIG. Here, the content providing apparatus 10B includes a network communication unit 110B, a content distribution management unit 120B, and a storage unit 130B.

  The network communication unit 110B transmits and receives various types of information to and from the content viewing terminal 1 and the authentication management device 20 via the network N such as the Internet. Here, the network communication unit 110B includes a content distribution request reception unit 113, a content transmission unit 114, an authentication verification request transmission unit 115, and an authentication verification result reception unit 116. The content distribution request receiving unit 113 and the content transmitting unit 114 have the same configuration as the content providing apparatus 10 described with reference to FIG.

  The authentication verification request transmission unit 115 transmits the authentication verification request generated by the authentication verification request generation unit 124 described later to the authentication management apparatus 20. In response to this authentication verification request, an authentication verification result indicating an authentication verification result is transmitted from the authentication management apparatus 20.

  The authentication verification result receiving unit 116 receives an authentication verification result transmitted from the authentication management apparatus 20. The authentication verification result received by the authentication verification result receiving unit 116 is output to the content distribution unit 123B.

  The content distribution management unit 120B manages the content to be distributed. In addition, when there is a content distribution request from the content viewing terminal 1, the content distribution management unit 120B inquires of the authentication management device 20 whether or not authentication for distributing the content is performed. Here, the content distribution management unit 120 includes a content distribution unit 123B and an authentication verification request generation unit 124.

  The content distribution unit 123B distributes the distribution content stored in the storage unit 130B to the requested content viewing terminal 1. The content distribution unit 123B outputs the assertion included in the content request received by the content distribution request reception unit 113 to the authentication verification request generation unit 124. Then, the content distribution unit 123B receives the authentication verification result from the authentication management apparatus 20 via the authentication verification result reception unit 116, and it is determined that the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has a regular contract. Only when the content is received, the content is transmitted to the content viewing terminal 1 via the content transmission unit 114.

  When the content interruption information (see FIG. 2) is described in the assertion, the content distribution unit 123B reads the content from the position corresponding to the time stamp position indicated by the content interruption information in the storage unit 130B. Deliver sequentially. Accordingly, the content providing apparatus 10B can distribute the content from the middle by the content interruption information notified from the content viewing terminal 1. At this time, the content providing apparatus 10B does not need to manage that the viewing of the content is interrupted.

  The authentication verification request generation unit 124 generates a request (authentication verification request) for allowing the authentication management apparatus 20 to verify whether or not the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has a legitimate contract. It is. Assertion output from the content distribution unit 123B is added to this authentication verification request.

  The storage unit 130B stores contents to be distributed, and is a general storage device such as a hard disk.

  By configuring the content providing apparatus 10B as described above, the content providing apparatus 10B can distribute the content only to the viewer (content viewing terminal 1) who has a contract. Further, since the content providing apparatus 10 can recognize the suspension and resumption of content viewing by the assertion, it is possible to suspend and resume the distribution of content without managing the content suspension.

[Configuration of authentication management device]
Next, the configuration of the authentication management apparatus 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 (refer to FIG. 7 as appropriate). FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the authentication management apparatus shown in FIG. Here, the authentication management apparatus 20 includes a network communication unit 210, an authentication status management unit 220, and a storage unit 230.

  The network communication unit 210 transmits / receives various information to / from the content viewing terminal 1 and the content providing apparatus 10B via the network N such as the Internet. Here, the network communication unit 210 includes a content purchase request reception unit 111, a certificate transmission unit 112, an authentication verification request reception unit 211, and an authentication verification result transmission unit 212. The content purchase request receiving unit 111 and the certificate transmitting unit 112 have the same configuration as the content providing apparatus 10 described with reference to FIG.

The authentication verification request receiving unit 211 receives an authentication verification request transmitted from the content providing apparatus 10B. The authentication verification request received by the authentication verification request receiving unit 211 is output to the authentication unit 221 described later.
The authentication verification result transmission unit 212 transmits the authentication verification result generated by the authentication verification result generation unit 222 described later to the content providing apparatus 10B.

  The authentication status management means 220 manages the authentication status of the content viewing terminal 1. Here, the authentication status management unit 220 includes a certificate generation unit 121, an authentication unit 221, and an authentication verification result generation unit 222. The certificate generation unit 121 has the same configuration as that of the content providing apparatus 10 described with reference to FIG.

  Based on the authentication data such as the user ID included in the content purchase request (certificate request), the authentication unit 221 determines whether the request is a request from a contracted viewer or the content viewing terminal 1. It is to authenticate.

  Here, the authentication unit 221 is a viewer that stores authentication data included in the content purchase request (certificate request) received by the content purchase request reception unit 111 in the storage unit 230 in advance as part of the registration information. Authentication is performed by checking the user ID and password. This authentication result is output to the certificate generation unit 121. When authentication is performed, the authentication unit 221 stores in the storage unit 230 an authentication status indicating that the viewer has already been authenticated.

  The authentication verification result generation unit 222 stores the authentication status of the viewer (content viewing terminal 1) corresponding to the assertion added to the authentication verification request received by the authentication verification request reception unit 211 in the storage unit 230. It is determined whether or not the viewer (content viewing terminal 1) has already been authenticated by collating with the current authentication status. The verification result (authentication verification result) is output to the content providing apparatus 10B via the authentication verification result transmission unit 212.

  The storage means 230 stores viewer authentication data and the like as registration information for each viewer, and is a general storage device such as a hard disk. Here, the registration information is information indicating that the viewer is an authorized contract user. For example, authentication data (for example, user ID, password) for authenticating the viewer, content contract details, etc. It is. Furthermore, the storage unit 230 stores a situation where the viewer has authenticated as an authentication situation. This authentication status indicates a state in which, for example, the viewer has not yet performed login authentication, or the viewer has performed login authentication. By storing the authentication status in this manner, it is possible to omit the trouble of performing the same authentication again for the authenticated viewer.

[Operation of content distribution system]
Next, the operation of the content distribution system SB will be described with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a basic operation of moving an assertion in the content distribution system shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an operation in the content distribution system shown in FIG. 7 for interrupting content viewing and restarting viewing at another content viewing terminal. Here, an example in which an assertion is acquired by the mobile phone 1b and the assertion is moved to the television receiver 1a will be described. However, any combination of the source and destination of the assertion is between the content viewing terminals 1. It doesn't matter.

(Assertion move: Basic operation)
First, the basic operation of moving an assertion will be described with reference to FIG. 10 (refer to FIGS. 3, 8, and 9 as appropriate for the configuration).

  First, in response to a request from the viewer, the mobile phone 1b transmits a content purchase request, which is a request for purchasing content, to the authentication management apparatus 20 (step S30). Specifically, the mobile phone 1b receives the user ID and password by displaying the authentication screen by the screen control means 72, and receives the selection of the content that the viewer wants to view by displaying the content selection screen. Then, the mobile phone 1b uses the content purchase request generating means 31 to identify the mobile phone 1b identification information, authentication data for authenticating the viewer, and information for specifying the content that the viewer desires to view (purchase). And a content purchase request is transmitted to the authentication management apparatus 20 by the content purchase request transmission means 21.

  Then, the authentication management apparatus 20 performs authentication or the like in response to the content purchase request received from the mobile phone 1b, and transmits an assertion C indicating that a content viewing contract has been made to the mobile phone 1b (step S31). Specifically, the authentication management apparatus 20 receives a content purchase request by the content purchase request receiving unit 111. Then, the authentication management apparatus 20 performs user authentication by the authentication unit 221 using the user ID included in the content purchase request. Then, only when the content purchase request is a request from a legitimate viewer, the authentication management apparatus 20 generates an assertion by the certificate generation unit 121 and transmits the assertion to the mobile phone 1b by the certificate transmission unit 112. . The authentication unit 221 stores the authentication status in the storage unit 230. On the other hand, the cellular phone 1 b receives the assertion by the certificate receiving unit 22 and stores it in the storage unit 5.

  Thereafter, when the viewer views content on the television receiver 1a, the viewer moves the assertion from the mobile phone 1b to the television receiver 1a (step S32). Specifically, the cellular phone 1 b reads the assertion stored in the storage unit 5 by the certificate transfer unit 33 and outputs the assertion through the certificate input / output unit 4. On the other hand, the television receiver 1 a acquires the assertion by the transfer certificate acquisition unit 34 via the certificate input / output unit 4 and stores it in the storage unit 5. As a result, the assertion has moved from the mobile phone 1b to the television receiver 1a.

  When the viewer views content on the television receiver 1a, the television receiver 1a transmits a content distribution request for requesting distribution of content to the content providing apparatus 10B (step S33). Specifically, the television receiver 1a displays a content selection screen by the screen control means 72, thereby accepting selection of content that the viewer wants to view. Then, the television receiver 1a reads the assertion corresponding to the selected content from the storage unit 5 by the content distribution request generation unit 32, generates a content distribution request including the assertion, and the content purchase request transmission unit 21 The content purchase request is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10B.

  Subsequently, the content providing apparatus 10B transmits an authentication verification request for authenticating the assertion to the authentication management apparatus 20 (step S34). Specifically, after receiving the content distribution request via the content distribution request receiving unit 113, the content providing apparatus 10B uses the assertion added to the content distribution request as an authentication verification request by the authentication verification request generating unit 124. And sent to the authentication management apparatus 20 via the authentication verification request transmission means 115.

  And the authentication management apparatus 20 collates the assertion contained in the authentication collation request received from the content provision apparatus 10B (step S35). Specifically, the authentication management apparatus 20 receives an authentication verification request by the authentication verification request receiving unit 211. Then, the authentication management apparatus 20 uses the authentication verification result generation unit 222 to collate the assertion included in the authentication verification request with the authentication status stored in the storage unit 230, so that the assertion is properly contracted. It is determined whether or not it belongs to the viewer.

  And the authentication management apparatus 20 transmits the collation result of step S35 to the requested content providing apparatus 10B (step S36). Specifically, the authentication management device 20 transmits the authentication verification result generated by the authentication verification result generation unit 222 to the content providing device 10B by the authentication verification result transmission unit 212.

  Then, if the content providing apparatus 10B determines that the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has a contract with the received authentication verification result, the content providing device 10B transmits the requested content to the television receiver 1a (step S1). S37). Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10B can request the content distribution only when the content distribution unit 123B determines that the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has a valid contract in the authentication verification result. The content corresponding to the content ID described in the above is read from the storage unit 130B and transmitted to the television receiver 1a via the content transmission unit 114.

  Thereafter, the television receiver 1a reproduces the content received from the content providing apparatus 10B (step S38). Specifically, the television receiver 1a receives the content transmitted from the content providing apparatus 10B by the content receiving unit 24. Then, the television receiver 1a converts the content into a viewable data format by a process such as decryption by the content reproduction means 71, and outputs it to a display device such as a liquid crystal display (not shown).

  By the above operation, the assertion obtained by performing authentication or the like with the mobile phone 1b can be moved to the television receiver 1a. In the television receiver 1a, the viewer can view the content without performing a procedure such as authentication.

(Assertion move: Content interruption resume operation)
Next, referring to FIG. 11 (refer to FIGS. 3, 8 and 9 as appropriate for the configuration), the operation of interrupting content viewing and resuming viewing on another content viewing terminal will be described.

  First, the mobile phone 1b transmits a content purchase request, which is a request for purchasing content, to the authentication management apparatus 20 in response to a request from the viewer (step S40).

  Then, the authentication management device 20 performs authentication or the like in response to the content purchase request received from the mobile phone 1b, and transmits an assertion C indicating that a content viewing contract has been made to the mobile phone 1b (step S41). Note that step S40 and step S41 are the same as the operation of step S30 and step S31 described with reference to FIG. With the operation so far, the assertion corresponding to the content requested by the viewer is stored in the mobile phone 1b.

  When the viewer views the content on the mobile phone 1b, the mobile phone 1b transmits a content distribution request for requesting the content distribution to the content providing apparatus 10B (step S42). Subsequently, the content providing apparatus 10B transmits an authentication verification request for authenticating the assertion to the authentication management apparatus 20 (step S43).

  Then, the authentication management apparatus 20 collates the assertion included in the authentication collation request received from the content providing apparatus 10B (step S44). Thereafter, the authentication management device 20 transmits the requested content to the content providing device 10B as the collation result in step S44 (step S45).

  Then, when the content providing apparatus 10B determines that the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has a contract with the received authentication verification result, the content providing apparatus 10B transmits the requested content to the mobile phone 1b (step S46). ). Thereafter, the mobile phone 1b reproduces the content received from the content providing apparatus 10B (step S47).

  The operations from step S42 to step S47 are the basic operations since the content request source is changed from the television receiver 1a to the mobile phone 1b in steps S33 to S38 described in FIG. Since they are the same, detailed description is omitted. With the operation so far, the viewer can view desired content on the mobile phone 1b.

  Here, when the viewer changes the terminal for viewing the content from the mobile phone 1b to the television receiver 1a, the mobile phone 1b interrupts the content reproduction in accordance with an instruction from the viewer, and the assertion is transmitted to the television receiver 1a. (Step S48). Specifically, the mobile phone 1b detects that the “interrupt button” is pressed by the operation control means 6 by pressing the operation button (not shown) of the viewer, and the content reproduction means 71 Stop playback.

  In addition, at the timing when the “interrupt button” is pressed, the cellular phone 1 b adds the time stamp indicating the interrupted time as the interrupt information to the assertion stored in the storage unit 5 by the interrupt information adding unit 35. Thereafter, the cellular phone 1b outputs an assertion to which interruption information or the like is added via the certificate input / output unit 4 by the certificate transfer unit 33. At this time, an output time for specifying the valid time is further added to the assertion by the output time adding means 36.

  On the other hand, the television receiver 1 a acquires the assertion by the transfer certificate acquisition unit 34 via the certificate input / output unit 4 and stores it in the storage unit 5. As a result, the assertion has moved from the mobile phone 1b to the television receiver 1a.

  When the viewer resumes viewing content on the television receiver 1a, the television receiver 1a transmits a content distribution request for requesting distribution of content to the content providing apparatus 10B (step S49). Specifically, the television receiver 1a displays a content selection screen by the screen control means 72, thereby accepting selection of content that the viewer wants to view (resumes viewing). Then, the television receiver 1a reads the assertion corresponding to the selected content from the storage unit 5 by the content distribution request generation unit 32, generates a content distribution request including the assertion, and the content purchase request transmission unit 21 The content purchase request is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10B. Since the output time is added to the assertion corresponding to the content whose viewing is to be resumed in addition to the interruption information, the television receiver 1a uses the certificate validity determination unit 37 to transmit the assertion before transmitting the assertion. It is determined whether or not is valid, and if it is not valid, that is, an assertion for which a predetermined valid time has elapsed is discarded.

  Subsequently, the content providing apparatus 10B transmits an authentication verification request for authenticating the assertion to the authentication management apparatus 20 (step S50). And the authentication management apparatus 20 collates the assertion contained in the authentication collation request received from the content provision apparatus 10B (step S51). Thereafter, the authentication management apparatus 20 transmits the requested content to the content providing apparatus 10B as the collation result in step S51 (step S52). The operations from step S50 to step S52 are the same as the operations from step S34 to step S36 described with reference to FIG.

  Then, if the content providing apparatus 10B determines that the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has a contract with the received authentication verification result, the content providing device 10B transmits the requested content to the television receiver 1a (step S1). S53). Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10 </ b> B uses the content distribution unit 123 to change the content corresponding to the content ID described in the assertion authenticated by the authentication unit 122 to the interruption information (time stamp) described in the assertion. Is transmitted to the television receiver 1a via the content transmission unit 114.

  Thereafter, the television receiver 1a reproduces the content received from the content providing apparatus 10B (step S54). The operation in step S54 is the same as the operation in step S38 described with reference to FIG.

  By moving the assertion of the content that has been interrupted by the mobile phone 1b by the above-described operation, the content can be resumed on the television receiver 1a without the viewer performing authentication or the like.

As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the authentication management device 20 has been described with the configuration in which the viewer authentication processing and the content purchase authentication processing are collectively managed. However, each processing is performed by a separate device. It is also possible.
Hereinafter, a configuration example of a system configured by separating the functions of the authentication management apparatus 20 will be described as a third embodiment.

[Third Embodiment: Configuration of Content Distribution System]
With reference to FIG. 12, a configuration of a content distribution system including a content viewing terminal according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram of a third embodiment of a content distribution system including a content viewing terminal according to the present invention.

  The content distribution system SC distributes content from the provider that provides the content to the content viewing terminal 1B in response to a request from the viewer. Here, the content distribution system SC includes a plurality of content viewing terminals 1B (here, a television receiver 1Ba, a mobile phone 1Bb) and a plurality of content providing devices 10C, 10C,. And an authentication management device 20B and a payment management device 30.

  In the third embodiment, an assertion (hereinafter referred to as “authentication assertion”) for authenticating a viewer by the authentication management device 20B and an assertion (hereinafter referred to as “payment”) for managing the payment of content by the payment management device 30 are used. Two assertions) are used.

  The content viewing terminal 1B acquires and presents content from the content providing device 10C by authenticating the viewer with the authentication management device 20B and performing payment for content purchase with the payment management device 30.

  The content providing apparatus 10C performs the assertion authentication process in the content providing apparatus 10B described in FIG. 8 by distinguishing between the authentication assertion and the payment assertion.

The authentication management device 20B issues an authentication assertion indicating the viewer's authentication state and manages the viewer's authentication.
The payment management device 30 issues a payment assertion indicating the payment state of the content and manages the payment of the content.

  Here, the content viewing terminal 1 </ b> B acquires an authentication assertion from the payment management apparatus 30 by acquiring an authentication assertion from the authentication management apparatus 20 </ b> B and transmitting the authentication assertion to the payment management apparatus 30. Note that the content viewing terminal 1B transfers the right to view the content by moving an assertion (authentication assertion, settlement assertion) between the content viewing terminals 1B.

In addition, the content viewing terminal 1B adds an assertion (authentication assertion, settlement assertion) when requesting the content distribution apparatus 10C to distribute the content. Then, the content providing apparatus 10C determines that the request is a request from an authenticated viewer and a settled content by having the authentication management device 20B collate the assertion. To deliver.
The authentication assertion can be license information or authentication information of the assertions shown in FIG. 2, and the settlement assertion can be other information.

[Content viewing terminal configuration]
Next, the configuration of the content viewing terminal 1B will be described with reference to FIG. 13 (refer to FIG. 12 as appropriate). FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the content providing apparatus shown in FIG. Here, the content viewing terminal 1B includes network communication means 2B, authentication management means 3B, certificate input / output means 4, storage means 5, operation control means 6, and display control means 7. The configuration other than the network communication unit 2B and the authentication management unit 3B is the same as that of the content viewing terminal 1 described with reference to FIG.

  The network communication means 2B transmits / receives various information to / from the content providing apparatus 10C via the network N such as the Internet. Here, the network communication unit 2B includes a content purchase request transmission unit 21B, a certificate reception unit 22B, a content distribution request transmission unit 23, and a content reception unit 24. The components other than the content purchase request transmitting unit 21B and the certificate receiving unit 22B are the same as those of the content viewing terminal 1 described with reference to FIG.

  The content purchase request transmitting unit 21B transmits the authentication data and the license purchase request generated by the content purchase request generating unit 31B described later to the authentication management device 20B and the payment management device 30, respectively. Here, the content purchase request transmission unit 21B includes an authentication data transmission unit 21a and a license purchase request transmission unit 21b.

  The authentication data transmission unit 21a transmits the authentication data generated by the authentication data generation unit 31a described later to the authentication management apparatus 20B. In response to the authentication data, an authentication (authentication assertion) indicating that the viewer authentication has been completed is transmitted from the authentication management device 20B.

  The license purchase request transmission unit 21b transmits the license purchase request generated by the license purchase request generation unit 31b described later to the payment management apparatus 30. In response to this license purchase request, an assertion (payment assertion) is transmitted from the payment management apparatus 30 as a license capable of acquiring content.

  The certificate receiving unit 22B receives an assertion (authentication assertion) transmitted from the authentication management apparatus 20B and an assertion (payment assertion) transmitted from the payment management apparatus 30. The assertion (authentication assertion, settlement assertion) received by the certificate receiving unit 22B is stored in the storage unit 5.

  The authentication management means 3B executes processing necessary for authentication for acquiring content limited to contractors. Here, the authentication management unit 3B includes a content purchase request generation unit 31B, a content distribution request generation unit 32B, a certificate transfer unit 33, a transfer certificate acquisition unit 34, an interruption information addition unit 35, and an output time addition. Means 36 and certificate validity determination means 37 are provided. The configuration other than the content purchase request generation unit 31B and the content distribution request generation unit 32B is the same as that of the content viewing terminal 1 described with reference to FIG.

  The content purchase request generation unit 31B requests an assertion necessary for viewing (purchasing) content. Here, the content purchase request generation unit 31B includes an authentication data generation unit 31a and a license purchase request generation unit 31b.

  The authentication data generation means 31a generates authentication data including data (user ID, password, etc.) for authenticating the viewer. Here, the authentication data generation means 31a displays an authentication screen for inputting a user ID and password via the screen control means 72 of the display control means 7, and the character code input by the operation button or the like is displayed. Acquiring data is generated through the operation control means 6 to generate authentication data. The authentication data generated by the authentication data generation unit 31a is transmitted to the authentication management device 20B via the authentication data transmission unit 21a.

  The license purchase request generation unit 31b generates a license purchase request for requesting a license for viewing content. Here, the license purchase request generation unit 31 b generates a license purchase request including an assertion (authentication assertion) stored in the storage unit 5. The license purchase request generated by the license purchase request generation unit 31b is transmitted to the payment management apparatus 30 via the license purchase request transmission unit 21b.

  The content distribution request generating unit 32B generates a message for requesting content distribution to the content providing apparatus 10C. The content distribution request generation unit 32B generates a service start request for requesting the start of a content distribution service as a preliminary preparation for requesting content distribution, and the service is sent via the content distribution request transmission unit 23. A start request is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10C. Then, the content distribution request generation unit 32B generates a content distribution request for requesting content distribution at the stage when the start of the service is notified from the content providing apparatus 10C.

  Here, an assertion (authentication assertion) stored in the storage unit 5 is added to the service start request, and an assertion (settlement assertion) stored in the storage unit 5 is added to the content distribution request. I will do it.

  Note that the certificate transfer unit 33, the transfer certificate acquisition unit 34, and the certificate input / output unit 4 transfer, acquire, and input / output two authentication assertions and settlement assertions. The interruption information adding means 35 adds interruption information to the settlement assertion, and the output time adding means 36 adds the output time to both the authentication assertion and the payment assertion.

  By configuring the content viewing terminal 1B in this manner, the content viewing terminal 1B can perform the content authentication terminal 1B even when performing viewer authentication, content settlement, and content distribution using separate devices. Assertions can be transferred between each other, and the terminal for viewing the content can be changed without the viewer having to perform the authentication procedure again.

[Configuration of content providing device]
Next, the configuration of the content providing apparatus 10C will be described with reference to FIG. 14 (refer to FIG. 12 as appropriate). FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the content providing apparatus shown in FIG. Here, the content providing apparatus 10C includes a network communication unit 110C, a content distribution management unit 120C, and a storage unit 130B. The storage unit 130B has the same configuration as the content providing apparatus 10B described with reference to FIG.

  The network communication unit 110C transmits / receives various information to / from the content viewing terminal 1B and the authentication management apparatus 20B via the network N such as the Internet. Here, the network communication unit 110C includes a content distribution request reception unit 113B, a content transmission unit 114B, an authentication verification request transmission unit 115, and an authentication verification result reception unit 116. The authentication verification request transmitting unit 115 and the authentication verification result receiving unit 116 have the same configuration as the content providing apparatus 10B described with reference to FIG.

  The content distribution request receiving unit 113B receives a service start request and a content distribution request transmitted from the content viewing terminal 1B. The service start request and content distribution request received by the content distribution request receiving unit 113B are output to the content distribution unit 123C.

  The content transmission unit 114B transmits a service start notification and content output from the content distribution unit 123C to the requested content viewing terminal 1B. Note that the content transmission unit 114B stops the content transmission when the content viewing terminal 1B is instructed to stop the content distribution during the content transmission.

  The content distribution management unit 120C manages the content to be distributed. It should be noted that the content distribution management means 120C, in response to a content distribution request from the content viewing terminal 1B, has verified whether authentication has been performed and whether a license for viewing the content has been issued. An inquiry is made to the authentication management device 20B for verification of whether or not. Here, the content distribution management unit 120C includes a content distribution unit 123C and an authentication verification request generation unit 124B.

  The content distribution unit 123C distributes the service start notification that is a response to the service start request and the distribution content stored in the storage unit 130B to the requested content viewing terminal 1B. The content distribution unit 123C outputs the assertion (authentication assertion, settlement assertion) included in the service start request received by the content distribution request reception unit 113B to the authentication verification request generation unit 124B. Then, the content distribution unit 123C receives the authentication verification result for the authentication assertion from the authentication management apparatus 20B via the authentication verification result reception unit 116, and when the service start request is a request from an authenticated viewer, A service start notification is transmitted to the content viewing terminal 1B via the content transmission unit 114B. Further, the content distribution unit 123C receives the authentication verification result for the settlement assertion from the authentication management apparatus 20B via the authentication verification result reception unit 116, and the content distribution request is a request from a licensed viewer. Then, the content is transmitted to the content viewing terminal 1B via the content transmission unit 114B.

  When content interruption information is described in the assertion (settlement assertion), the content distribution unit 123C sequentially reads out the content from the position corresponding to the time stamp position indicated by the content interruption information in the storage unit 130B. To deliver.

  The authentication verification request generation unit 124B determines whether the service start request is a request from an authenticated viewer or whether the content distribution request is a request from a licensed viewer. A request (authentication verification request) for verification by 20 is generated. Assertion (authentication assertion, settlement assertion) output from the content distribution unit 123C is added to this authentication verification request.

  By configuring the content providing apparatus 10C in this way, the content providing apparatus 10C can distribute the content only to the viewer who has been authenticated and has acquired the license (the content viewing terminal 1B). Further, since the content providing apparatus 10C can recognize the suspension and resumption of content viewing by the assertion (settlement assertion), the content provision device 10C can suspend and resume the distribution of the content without managing the content suspension. Can do.

[Configuration of authentication management device]
Next, the configuration of the authentication management apparatus 20B will be described with reference to FIG. 15 (refer to FIG. 12 as appropriate). FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the authentication management apparatus shown in FIG. Here, the authentication management device 20B includes network communication means 210B, authentication status management means 220B, and storage means 230. The storage unit 230 has the same configuration as that of the authentication management apparatus 20B described with reference to FIG.

  The network communication unit 210B transmits / receives various information to / from the content viewing terminal 1B, the content providing device 10C, and the payment management device 30 via the network N such as the Internet. Here, the network communication unit 210B includes a certificate transmission unit 112B, a first authentication verification request reception unit 211B, a first authentication verification result transmission unit 212B, a second authentication verification request reception unit 211C, and a second authentication verification. A result transmitting unit 212C, a second authentication inquiry request transmitting unit 213, a second authentication inquiry response receiving unit 214, and an authentication data receiving unit 215 are provided.

  The certificate transmitting unit 112B transmits an assertion (authentication assertion), which is a certificate generated by the certificate generating unit 121B, to the requested content viewing terminal 1B.

The first authentication verification request receiving unit 211B receives an authentication verification request including an authentication assertion transmitted from the content providing apparatus 10C. The authentication verification request received by the first authentication verification request receiving unit 211B is output to the authentication unit 221B.
The first authentication verification result transmission unit 212B transmits an authentication verification result for the authentication assertion generated by the authentication verification result generation unit 222B to the content providing apparatus 10C.
The second authentication verification request receiving unit 211C receives an authentication verification request including a settlement assertion transmitted from the content providing apparatus 10C. The authentication verification request received by the second authentication verification request receiving unit 211C is output to the authentication unit 221B.
The second authentication verification result transmission unit 212C transmits the authentication verification result for the settlement assertion generated by the authentication verification result generation unit 222B to the content providing apparatus 10C.

The second authentication inquiry request transmission unit 213 transmits the settlement assertion inquiry request output from the authentication unit 221B to the payment management apparatus 30.
The second authentication inquiry response receiving unit 214 receives a response corresponding to the inquiry request for payment assertion from the payment management apparatus 30 as an authentication verification result. The authentication verification result received by the second authentication query response reception unit 214 is output to the authentication verification result generation unit 222B.

  The authentication data receiving unit 215 receives authentication data transmitted from the content viewing terminal 1B. The authentication data received by the authentication data receiving unit 215 is output to the certificate generating unit 121B.

  The authentication status management means 220B manages the authentication status of the content viewing terminal 1B. Here, the authentication status management unit 220B includes a certificate generation unit 121B, an authentication unit 221B, and an authentication verification result generation unit 222B.

  The certificate generation unit 121B generates an assertion (authentication assertion) for an authenticated viewer (content viewing terminal 1B). Here, the certificate generation unit 121B generates an assertion (authentication assertion) only when the authentication unit 221B authenticates the viewer and authenticates that the viewer is a regular viewer.

  Based on the authentication data received by the authentication data receiving unit 215 and the registration information stored in the storage unit 230, the authentication unit 221B determines whether the request is a request from an authenticated viewer. This is to authenticate.

  The authentication verification result generation unit 222B is included in the authentication assertion included in the authentication verification request received by the first authentication verification request reception unit 211B and the authentication verification request received by the second authentication verification request reception unit 211C. The settlement assertion is verified. The authentication verification result generation unit 222B stores the authentication status of the viewer (content viewing terminal 1B) corresponding to the authentication assertion added to the authentication verification request received by the first authentication verification request reception unit 211B. By comparing with the authentication status stored in the means 230, it is determined whether or not the viewer has already been authenticated.

  Further, the authentication verification result generation unit 222B, for the settlement assertion included in the authentication verification request received by the second authentication verification request reception unit 211C, in addition to the verification of authentication in the authentication verification result generation unit 222B, The viewer makes an inquiry as to whether or not the viewer has purchased a license. Here, the authentication verification result generation unit 222B transmits the settlement assertion to the settlement management device 30 via the second authentication query request transmission unit 213, and verifies the settlement assertion via the second authentication query response reception unit 214. Receive the result.

  By configuring the authentication management device 20B in this manner, the authentication management device 20B can issue an authentication assertion and check an assertion (authentication assertion, settlement assertion).

[Configuration of payment management device]
Next, the configuration of the payment management apparatus 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 16 (refer to FIG. 12 as appropriate). FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the payment management apparatus shown in FIG. Here, the payment management device 30 includes network communication means 310, payment status management means 320, and storage means 330.

  The network communication unit 310 transmits / receives various information to / from the content viewing terminal 1B and the authentication management device 20B via the network N such as the Internet. Here, the network communication unit 310 includes a license purchase request reception unit 311, a certificate transmission unit 312, an authentication inquiry request reception unit 313, and an authentication inquiry response transmission unit 314.

  The license purchase request receiving unit 311 receives a license purchase request (certificate request) transmitted from the content viewing terminal 1B. The license purchase request received by the license purchase request reception unit 311 is output to the certificate generation unit 321.

  The certificate transmission unit 312 transmits an assertion (authentication assertion) that is a certificate generated by the certificate generation unit 321 to the requested content viewing terminal 1B.

The authentication inquiry request receiving unit 313 receives an authentication inquiry (assertion inquiry) request including a settlement assertion transmitted from the authentication management apparatus 20B. The authentication inquiry request received by the authentication inquiry request receiving unit 313 is output to the response generation unit 322.
The authentication inquiry response transmission unit 314 transmits the settlement assertion verification result generated by the response generation unit 322 as a response to the requested authentication management apparatus 20B.
The payment status management means 320 manages the license acquisition status of the content. Here, the settlement status management unit 320 includes a certificate generation unit 321 and a response generation unit 322.

  The certificate generation unit 321 generates an assertion (settlement assertion) for a viewer who has purchased a license for viewing content. Here, the certificate generation unit 321 performs license purchase determination based on information (for example, a credit card number, an encryption number, etc.) described in the license purchase request received by the license purchase request reception unit 311. Generate a payment assertion. The assertion (settlement assertion) generated by the certificate generation unit 321 is transmitted to the content viewing terminal 1B via the certificate transmission unit 312. When the viewer properly purchases the content license, the certificate generation unit 321 stores the license acquisition information in the registration information of the storage unit 330.

  The response generation unit 322 collates whether or not a license is granted with respect to the authentication query request including the settlement assertion received by the authentication query request reception unit 313, and generates a collation result. Here, the response generation unit 322 collates the license by collating the contents of the settlement assertion with the registration information stored in the storage unit 330.

The storage unit 330 stores the license acquisition status of the viewer as registration information, and is a general storage device such as a hard disk.
By configuring the payment management device 30 in this way, the payment management device 30 can issue a payment assertion and check the payment assertion.

[Operation of content distribution system]
Next, the operation of the content distribution system SC will be described with reference to FIG. 17 (refer to FIGS. 13 to 16 for the configuration as appropriate). FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of moving an assertion in the content distribution system shown in FIG. Here, the operation after the operation of acquiring the authentication assertion in a state where the mobile phone 1Bb has already been authenticated will be described.

  First, when the viewer authenticates from the mobile phone 1Bb, the authentication management apparatus 20B transmits an authentication assertion indicating that the viewer has been authenticated to the mobile phone 1Bb (step S60). Specifically, the authentication management apparatus 20B acquires authentication data (user ID, password) from the mobile phone 1Bb by the authentication data receiving unit 215, and then uses the certificate generation unit 121B to authenticate the viewer (mobile phone). 1Bb) is generated, and the authentication assertion is transmitted to the mobile phone 1Bb via the certificate transmission unit 112B.

  Thereafter, the cellular phone 1Bb requests the payment management device 30 to purchase a license for viewing the content (step S61). Specifically, the cellular phone 1Bb generates a license purchase request including an authentication assertion by the license purchase request generation unit 31b, and transmits the license purchase request to the payment management apparatus 30 via the license purchase request transmission unit 21b. .

  Then, the payment management apparatus 30 transmits a payment assertion indicating that the license purchase is completed to the mobile phone 1Bb (step S62). Specifically, after receiving the license purchase request by the license purchase request receiving unit 311, the payment management apparatus 30 generates a payment assertion indicating that the license purchase is completed by the certificate generation unit 321 and transmits the certificate. The settlement assertion is transmitted to the mobile phone 1Bb via the means 312. At this time, the payment management apparatus 30 stores the license acquisition information in the storage unit 330 as registration information.

  Thereafter, when the viewer views the content on the television receiver 1Ba, the viewer moves the assertion (authentication assertion, settlement assertion) from the mobile phone 1Bb to the television receiver 1Ba (step S63). Specifically, the cellular phone 1Bb reads the assertion (authentication assertion, settlement assertion) stored in the storage unit 5 by the certificate transfer unit 33 and outputs the assertion through the certificate input / output unit 4. To do. On the other hand, the television receiver 1Ba acquires an assertion by the transfer certificate acquisition unit 34 via the certificate input / output unit 4 and stores it in the storage unit 5. As a result, the assertion has moved from the mobile phone 1Bb to the television receiver 1Ba.

  When the viewer views the content on the television receiver 1Ba, the television receiver 1Ba transmits a service start request for requesting a content distribution service to the content providing apparatus 10C (step S64). Specifically, the television receiver 1Ba generates a service start request by the content distribution request generation unit 32B, and sends a service start request with an authentication assertion to the content providing apparatus 10C via the content distribution request transmission unit 23. Send.

  Subsequently, the content providing apparatus 10C transmits an authentication verification request including the authentication assertion to the authentication management apparatus 20B in order to authenticate the authentication assertion (step S65). Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10C receives the service start request via the content distribution request receiving unit 113B, and then receives the authentication assertion added to the service start request by the authentication verification request generating unit 124B. Is transmitted to the authentication management apparatus 20B via the authentication verification request transmission means 115.

  Then, the authentication management device 20B performs verification of the authentication assertion included in the authentication verification request received from the content providing device 10C (step S66). Specifically, the authentication management device 20B receives the authentication verification request by the first authentication verification request receiving unit 211B. Then, the authentication management device 20B uses the authentication verification result generation unit 222B to verify the authentication assertion included in the authentication verification request and the authentication status stored in the storage unit 230, whereby the authentication assertion is authenticated. It is determined whether or not the viewer has already finished.

  Then, the authentication management apparatus 20B transmits the collation result in step S66 to the requested content providing apparatus 10C (step S67). Specifically, the authentication management device 20B transmits the authentication verification result generated by the authentication verification result generation unit 222B to the content providing device 10C by the first authentication verification result transmission unit 212B.

  If the content providing apparatus 10C determines that the service start request is a request from an authenticated viewer based on the received authentication collation result, the content providing apparatus 10C transmits a service start notification for notifying the start of the service to the television receiver 1Ba. (Step S68). More specifically, the content providing apparatus 10C passes the content transmission unit 114B only when the content distribution unit 123C determines that the service start request is a request from an authenticated viewer in the authentication verification result. Then, a service start notification is transmitted to the television receiver 1Ba.

  Then, the television receiver 1Ba transmits a content distribution request for requesting content distribution to the content providing apparatus 10C (step S69). Specifically, the television receiver 1Ba displays a content selection screen by the screen control unit 72, thereby accepting selection of content that the viewer wants to view. Then, the television receiver 1Ba reads the payment assertion corresponding to the selected content from the storage unit 5 by the content distribution request generation unit 32B, generates a content distribution request including the payment assertion, and transmits the content distribution request transmission unit. 23, the content distribution request is transmitted to the content providing apparatus 10C.

  Subsequently, the content providing apparatus 10C transmits an authentication verification request for authenticating the settlement assertion to the authentication management apparatus 20B (step S70). Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10C receives the content distribution request via the content distribution request receiving unit 113B, and then uses the authentication verification request generating unit 124B to authenticate the settlement assertion added to the content distribution request. Is transmitted to the authentication management apparatus 20B via the authentication verification request transmission means 115.

  Then, the authentication management device 20B collates the settlement assertion included in the authentication collation request received from the content providing device 10C (step S71). At this time, the authentication management device 20B sends an authentication inquiry (assertion inquiry) request for a settlement assertion included in the authentication verification request received by the second authentication verification request reception unit 211C by the authentication verification result generation unit 222B. The data is transmitted to the payment management apparatus 30 via the two authentication inquiry request transmission means 213 (step S72). Then, the payment management apparatus 30 sends a response indicating whether or not a license has been granted to the authentication inquiry request including the payment assertion received by the authentication inquiry request receiving means 313 by the response generation means 322. It transmits to the authentication management apparatus 20B via the response transmission means 314 (step S73). Thereafter, the authentication management device 20B receives the response transmitted in step S73 by the second authentication inquiry response reception unit 214, and transmits it to the content providing device 10C as a response to the settlement assertion by the authentication verification result generation unit 222B ( Step S74).

  Then, when the content providing apparatus 10C determines that the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has settled in the received response, the content providing apparatus 10C transmits the requested content to the television receiver 1Ba (step S75). . Specifically, the content providing apparatus 10C determines the content ID described in the content distribution request only when the content distribution unit 123C determines that the content distribution request is a request from a viewer who has contracted. Is read from the storage unit 130B and transmitted to the television receiver 1Ba via the content transmission unit 114B. Thus, the content can be viewed on the television receiver 1Ba.

  Furthermore, after the content is distributed, the content providing apparatus 10C notifies the authentication management apparatus 20B that the payment assertion has been used (step S76), and the authentication management apparatus 20B further notifies the payment management apparatus 30 of the payment assertion. It is desirable to notify that has been used (step S77). As a result, for example, it is possible to perform control such as limiting the number of times content is viewed.

  In the content viewing terminal 1B, when the content viewing is interrupted and the content viewing is continued on the other content viewing terminals, the suspension is performed by adding interruption information (time stamp) to the settlement assertion. Can be operated. Since this basic operation is the same as the operation described in FIG. 11, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, by moving the assertion between the content viewing terminals 1 (1B), the viewer can view the content on the other content viewing terminals 1 (1B) without the need for authentication. Further, by adding content interruption information to the assertion, the content viewing can be resumed on the other content viewing terminals 1 even while the content is being viewed. Moreover, since this interruption information is information added by the content viewing terminal 1, the load on the content providing devices 10, 10B, 10C is reduced.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a first embodiment of a content distribution system including a content viewing terminal according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the content of the data of an assertion (viewing rights certificate). It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the content viewing terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of the content providing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a basic operation for moving an assertion in the content distribution system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of interrupting content viewing and restarting viewing at another content viewing terminal in the content distribution system shown in FIG. 1. It is a system block diagram of 2nd Embodiment of the content delivery system containing the content viewing-and-listening terminal which concerns on this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the content provision apparatus shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the authentication management apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing a basic operation for moving an assertion in the content distribution system shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of suspending content viewing and restarting viewing on another content viewing terminal in the content distribution system illustrated in FIG. 7. It is a system configuration | structure figure of 3rd Embodiment of the content delivery system containing the content viewing-and-listening terminal which concerns on this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the content provision apparatus shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the content provision apparatus shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the authentication management apparatus shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the payment management apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of moving an assertion in the content distribution system illustrated in FIG. 12.

Explanation of symbols

S content distribution system 1 content viewing terminal 2 network communication means 21 content purchase request transmission means (certificate request means)
22 Certificate Receiving Unit 23 Content Distribution Request Transmitting Unit (Content Requesting Unit)
24 content reception means 3 authentication management means 31 content purchase request generation means (certificate request means)
32 Content distribution request generation means (content request means)
33 Certificate transfer means 34 Transfer certificate acquisition means 35 Interruption information addition means 36 Output time addition means 37 Certificate validity determination means 4 Certificate input / output means 5 Storage means 6 Operation control means (content interruption instruction means)
7 Display Control Unit 71 Content Playback Unit 72 Screen Control Unit 10 Content Providing Device 20 Authentication Management Device 30 Settlement Management Device

Claims (5)

In a content viewing terminal that acquires a right to view the content from an authentication management device that performs content viewing authentication, and acquires and presents the content from a content providing device based on the right.
A certificate requesting unit for transmitting a viewing request for requesting a viewing right certificate indicating a right to view the content to the authentication management device;
Certificate receiving means for receiving a viewing right certificate transmitted in response to the viewing request from the authentication management device;
Storage means for storing the viewing right certificate received by the certificate receiving means;
A certificate transfer means for transferring the viewing right certificate stored in the storage means to another content viewing terminal;
Transfer certificate acquisition means for acquiring a viewing right certificate received at another content viewing terminal from the other content viewing terminal and storing it in the storage means;
Content for reading the viewing right certificate received by the certificate receiving unit or the viewing right certificate acquired by the transfer certificate acquiring unit from the storage unit and requesting the content from the content providing apparatus Content request means for sending as a distribution request;
Content receiving means for receiving content transmitted in response to the content distribution request from the content providing device;
Content reproducing means for reproducing the content received by the content receiving means;
A content viewing terminal comprising: Content interruption instruction means for instructing the content reproduction means to suspend content reproduction in response to a request from a viewer;
Interruption information adding means for adding a time stamp indicating the interruption time of the content whose reproduction has been interrupted by the content interruption instruction means to the viewing right certificate,
The content viewing terminal according to claim 1, wherein the certificate transfer unit transfers the viewing right certificate to which the time stamp is added by the interruption information adding unit to the other content viewing terminal. Output time adding means for adding an output time to the viewing right certificate when transferring the viewing right certificate by the certificate transfer means;
A certificate validity determination unit that determines validity of the viewing right certificate based on an output time attached to the viewing right certificate transmitted from the other content viewing terminal. The content viewing terminal according to claim 1 or 2. In order to acquire the right to view the content from an authentication management device that performs authentication for viewing the content, and to acquire and present the content from the content providing device based on the right, a computer of the content viewing terminal is provided.
A certificate requesting means for transmitting a viewing request for requesting a viewing right certificate indicating a right to view the content to the authentication management device;
A certificate receiving means for receiving a viewing right certificate transmitted in response to the viewing request from the authentication management apparatus, and storing it in a storage means;
Certificate transfer means for transferring the viewing right certificate stored in the storage means to another content viewing terminal;
Transfer certificate acquisition means for acquiring a viewing right certificate received at another content viewing terminal from the other content viewing terminal and storing it in the storage means,
Content for reading the viewing right certificate received by the certificate receiving unit or the viewing right certificate acquired by the transfer certificate acquiring unit from the storage unit and requesting the content from the content providing apparatus Content request means for sending as a distribution request;
Content receiving means for receiving content transmitted in response to the content distribution request from the content providing device;
Content reproducing means for reproducing the content received by the content receiving means;
A content interruption instruction means for instructing the content reproduction means to interrupt the content reproduction in response to a request from the viewer;
Functioning as interruption information adding means for adding a time stamp indicating the interruption time of the content whose reproduction has been interrupted by the content interruption instruction means to the viewing right certificate,
The content viewing program, wherein the certificate transfer unit transfers the viewing right certificate to which the time stamp is added by the interruption information adding unit to the other content viewing terminal. Content viewing that transfers the right to view the content between an authentication management device that performs authentication for viewing the content and a plurality of content viewing terminals connected to the content providing device that provides the content via a network A right transfer method,
In the content viewing terminal of the transfer source,
A viewing request for requesting the viewing right certificate is transmitted to the authentication management device by a certificate requesting unit requesting a viewing right certificate indicating a right to view the content, and the authentication is performed by a certificate receiving unit. A certificate receiving step of receiving the viewing right certificate from the management device;
A content receiving step of transmitting the viewing right certificate to the content providing device by a content requesting unit that transmits a content distribution request for requesting the content, and receiving the content from the content providing device by a content receiving unit;
A content playback step of playing back the content received by the content receiving means by the content playback means for playing back the content;
The viewing right certificate is provided with a time stamp indicating the interruption time of the content interrupted by the content interruption instructing means for instructing interruption of the content reproduction in response to a request from the viewer, and the reproduction is interrupted by the interruption information adding means. Interruption information addition step to be added to the document;
A certificate transfer step of transferring the viewing right certificate with the time stamp added to the transfer destination content viewing terminal by a certificate transfer means for transferring the viewing right certificate to another content viewing terminal;
In the content viewing terminal of the transfer destination,
The viewing right certificate added with the time stamp is transmitted to the content providing device by a content requesting unit that transmits a content distribution request for requesting the content, and the time stamp and later are transmitted from the content providing device by the content receiving unit. Resuming content receiving step for receiving the content of;
A content reproduction restarting step of reproducing the content received by the content receiving unit by the content reproduction unit reproducing the content;
A method for transferring content viewing rights, comprising:

Images