JP2010183446A - Content interlocked action control system, management server, terminal, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a technique for calling an action of a terminal from contents even if a viewing device or transmission medium at a content playback side is different from a terminal or transmission medium at an action executing side. <P>SOLUTION: A content interlocked action control system comprises a terminal 4 to be used by a user who views contents broadcasted from a content provider using a receiver 3, and a management server 5 for controlling an action of the terminal 4 interlocked with the contents. The management server 5 transmits trigger information for the terminal 4 to execute a specific action and while viewing contents corresponding to the trigger information, the terminal 4 executes the action defined by the trigger information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for linking content and terminal actions, and is particularly applicable even when the viewing device or transmission medium on the content playback side is different from the terminal or transmission medium on the action execution side. It is related with the content cooperation action control system which can be performed.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a technique for calling an action different from moving image reproduction, such as transitioning a screen to another related moving image or displaying a related website in a certain time zone while viewing moving image content. As means for realizing such a technique, there is a nico script in a niconico animation (see Non-Patent Document 1). This technology is realized by utilizing technical elements such as Flash, Flash Video, which is a video file format of Flash, and Action Script, which is a programming language used in Flash. As a service that utilizes the same technical elements, there is a video sharing service such as You Tube.

“What is Niconico Video Help Nicoscript”, Niwango Co., Ltd., [Search January 20, 2009], Internet <http: // www. nicovideo. jp / static / script / index. html>

  However, the conventional technique has a problem that the action can be controlled only within the range of the browser displaying the content. For this reason, if the terminal or transmission medium on the video playback side is different from the terminal or transmission medium on the action execution side, it is not possible to apply the technology for calling an action from the video content. It was impossible to create new video content that was used across the board.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem. Even if the viewing device or transmission medium on the content reproduction side is different from the terminal or transmission medium on the action execution side, the content is changed to the terminal. It is an object to provide a content cooperation action control system, a management server, a terminal, a method, and a program capable of realizing a technique for calling an action.

The content cooperation action control system of the present invention includes a terminal used by a user who views a content broadcast from a content provider on a viewing device, and a management server that controls an action of the terminal in cooperation with the content, The management server includes trigger information transmission means for transmitting trigger information for causing the terminal to execute a specific action, and the terminal is configured to view the trigger during viewing of content corresponding to the trigger information transmitted from the management server. It has an action execution means for executing an action defined by information.
Further, in one configuration example of the content cooperation action control system of the present invention, the trigger information includes at least content information specifying content corresponding to the trigger information, action information defining an action to be executed by the terminal, Execution time information for specifying an execution time at which the terminal starts an action, and the action execution means of the terminal is specified by the execution time information during viewing of content corresponding to the trigger information transmitted from the management server The action defined by the action information is executed when the specified execution time is reached.
In the configuration example of the content cooperation action control system of the present invention, the execution time information is in a format in which the execution time of the action is designated by an absolute time, or the terminal receives the trigger information of the execution time of the action. It is described in one of the formats specified by the relative time after that.

Also, in one configuration example of the content cooperation action control system of the present invention, the trigger information transmitting means of the management server is described in a format in which the execution time information of the trigger information specifies the execution time of the action by an absolute time. If the trigger information is transmitted to the terminal before broadcasting the corresponding content, and the execution time information of the trigger information is described in a format that specifies the execution time of the action by the relative time, When the content corresponding to the trigger information is broadcast on demand in response to a user request, the trigger information is transmitted to the terminal.
Also, in one configuration example of the content cooperation action control system of the present invention, the action execution unit of the terminal receives information indicating the content being viewed on the viewing device from the user, and a trigger corresponding to the content being viewed The information is valid, and the action defined by the trigger information is executed.
Moreover, in one configuration example of the content cooperation action control system of the present invention, the terminal further includes at least one of executable information that defines an executable action and an execution policy that defines whether to accept the trigger information. Management item information registration means for transmitting management item information including the management item information to the management server, the trigger information transmission means of the management server, when the management item information received from the terminal matches the trigger information, The trigger information is transmitted to a terminal.

Further, in one configuration example of the content cooperation action control system of the present invention, the management server further includes a case where the execution time information is described in a format in which the execution time of the action is specified by the relative time. Trigger information correction means for correcting the execution time information according to the user's operation when an operation affecting the reproduction time of the content broadcast on demand is performed, and trigger information of the management server The transmission means transmits the trigger information corrected by the trigger information correction means to the terminal again.
In the configuration example of the content cooperation action control system according to the present invention, the management server further includes a trigger information receiving unit that receives the trigger information from a content provider that creates the content and the trigger information corresponding to the content. It is characterized by having.

In addition, the present invention is a management server that controls an action of a user's terminal in cooperation with content broadcast from a content provider, and a specific action corresponding to this content while the user is viewing the content on a viewing device. Trigger information transmitting means for transmitting trigger information to be executed by a user terminal to the terminal is provided.
In one configuration example of the management server of the present invention, the trigger information corresponds to at least content information specifying content corresponding to the trigger information, action information defining an action to be executed by the terminal, and trigger information. And execution time information for designating an execution time at which the terminal starts an action while viewing the content to be played.
Also, in one configuration example of the management server of the present invention, the execution time information is in a format in which the execution time of the action is specified by an absolute time, or the execution time of the action is received after the terminal receives the trigger information. It is described in one of formats specified by relative time.
Further, in one configuration example of the management server of the present invention, the trigger information transmitting means may execute the trigger information when the execution time information of the trigger information is described in a format that specifies the execution time of the action by an absolute time. If the information is transmitted to the terminal before broadcasting of the corresponding content, and the execution time information of the trigger information is described in a format in which the execution time of the action is specified by the relative time, the trigger information corresponds to the trigger information This trigger information is transmitted to the terminal when the content is broadcast on demand in response to a user request.

Moreover, in one configuration example of the management server of the present invention, the trigger information transmission unit includes at least one of executable information that defines an executable action and an execution policy that defines whether the trigger information is accepted. The management item information is received from the terminal, and when the management item information matches the trigger information, the trigger information is transmitted to the terminal.
Further, in one configuration example of the management server of the present invention, the content broadcasted on demand by the user when the execution time information is described in a format that specifies the execution time of the action by the relative time When the operation affecting the reproduction time of the user is performed, the execution time information is corrected according to the user's operation, and the trigger information transmission unit is corrected by the trigger information correction unit. The generated trigger information is transmitted again to the terminal.
The configuration example of the management server of the present invention further includes trigger information receiving means for receiving the trigger information from a content provider that creates the content and the trigger information corresponding to the content. It is.

The present invention is also a terminal used by a user who views content broadcast from a content provider on a viewing device, and the user performs a specific action corresponding to this content while the user is viewing the content on the viewing device. A trigger information receiving means for receiving trigger information to be executed from the management server; and an action execution means for executing an action defined by the trigger information during viewing of content corresponding to the trigger information. To do.
In the configuration example of the terminal according to the present invention, the trigger information includes at least content information designating content corresponding to the trigger information, action information defining an action to be executed by the terminal, and the terminal starts an action. Execution time information specifying an execution time, and when the action execution means reaches an execution time specified by the execution time information while viewing content corresponding to the trigger information transmitted from the management server In addition, the action defined by the action information is executed.
Further, in one configuration example of the terminal of the present invention, the execution time information is a format in which the execution time of the action is designated by an absolute time, or the execution time of the action is a relative value from when the terminal receives the trigger information. It is described in one of formats specified by time.
Further, in one configuration example of the terminal of the present invention, the action execution means receives information indicating the content being viewed on the viewing device from the user, and activates trigger information corresponding to the content being viewed. It is characterized by executing an action defined by trigger information.

Also, the content cooperation action control method of the present invention is a trigger in which a management server that controls an action of a terminal used by a user who views content broadcast from a content provider on a viewing device causes the terminal to execute a specific action. A trigger information transmission procedure for transmitting information, and an action execution procedure for executing an action defined by the trigger information while the terminal is viewing content corresponding to the trigger information transmitted from the management server. It is characterized by.
The present invention also provides a management server program that causes a computer to operate as a management server that controls an action of a user's terminal in cooperation with content broadcast from a content provider. The computer is caused to execute a trigger information transmission procedure for transmitting, to the terminal, trigger information for causing a user terminal to execute a specific action corresponding to content.
The present invention also provides a terminal program for operating a computer as a terminal used by a user who views a content broadcast from a content provider on a viewing device, and the user can handle the content while the content is being viewed on the viewing device. Trigger information receiving procedure for receiving from the management server trigger information for causing the device to execute a specific action to be performed, and an action execution procedure for executing the action defined by the trigger information while viewing the content corresponding to the trigger information Are executed by a computer.

  According to the present invention, a technique for calling a terminal action from content can be used even when the viewing device or transmission medium on the content playback side is different from the terminal or transmission medium on the action execution side. This makes it possible to create new content that uses different transmission media that cannot be realized by conventional techniques. According to the present invention, a content provider can create content having interactive elements without understanding detailed specifications for each terminal and transmission medium, and the user can make technically complicated settings for each terminal. The content that utilizes different transmission media can be enjoyed without performing the above.

  In the present invention, the trigger information is content information specifying at least content corresponding to the trigger information, action information defining an action to be executed by the terminal, and execution time specifying the execution time when the terminal starts the action By including the information, when the execution time specified by the execution time information is reached while viewing the content corresponding to the trigger information, the terminal can execute the action defined by the action information. it can.

  In the present invention, the trigger information execution time information is either in a format in which the action execution time is specified by an absolute time, or in a format in which the action execution time is specified by a relative time after the terminal receives the trigger information. Therefore, both linear broadcasting such as terrestrial broadcasting and BS broadcasting and on-demand broadcasting such as IPTV and VoD can be supported.

  In the present invention, the action execution means of the terminal receives information indicating the content being viewed on the viewing device from the user, validates the trigger information corresponding to the content being viewed, and is defined by the trigger information. By executing the action, only the trigger information of the content specified by the user in the terminal program can be validated even when a plurality of trigger information is simultaneously transmitted to the terminal.

  Further, in the present invention, by managing the management item information of the terminal by the management server, it is possible to absorb the difference in the communication standards of different terminals, or to manage the policies of terminals that can be linked together, The linkage pattern can be updated and expanded.

  Also, in the present invention, when the execution time information of the trigger information is described in a format in which the execution time of the action is specified by a relative time, the user performs an operation that affects the reproduction time of the content broadcast on demand. When performed, the execution time information is corrected according to the user's operation, and the corrected trigger information is transmitted to the terminal again, thereby causing the terminal to execute an action at the correct timing defined by the trigger information. it can.

  Also, in the present invention, the management server receives the trigger information from the content provider who creates the content and the corresponding trigger information, thereby providing the content viewing device and the terminal in cooperation with each other. The content provider can design the model flexibly, and it will be possible to produce and provide content with new expressions that have never existed before.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the content cooperation action control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the broadcast provider apparatus in the content cooperation action control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the delivery provider apparatus in the content cooperation action control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal in the content cooperation action control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management server in the content cooperation action control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the broadcast provider apparatus and the delivery provider apparatus in the content cooperation action control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the management server in the content cooperation action control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the terminal in the content cooperation action control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the information stored in the memory | storage part of the management server in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the information stored in the memory | storage part of the terminal in embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a content linkage action control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The content-linked action control system provides a broadcaster apparatus 1 that provides broadcasting services such as terrestrial broadcasting, BS broadcasting, and CS broadcasting, and distribution services such as IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and VoD (Video On Demand). Used by the distribution provider device 2, the receiver 3 in the user's home, and the receiver 3 that is a viewing device that plays the moving image content transmitted from the broadcast provider device 1 or the distribution provider device 2, and the user of the receiver 3 The terminal 4 includes a terminal 4 such as a computer, and a management server 5 that controls the action of the terminal 4 in cooperation with the content by transmitting trigger information describing information for executing a specific action to the terminal 4.

In FIG. 1, 6 is a transmission path (space) that connects the broadcasting company apparatus 1 and the receiver 3, 7 is a transmission path (optical fiber, the Internet, etc.) that connects the distribution company apparatus 2 and the receiver 3, and 8 is An IP network (a closed network, the Internet, etc.) connected to the terminal 4.
In FIG. 1, an antenna that receives radio waves from the broadcaster apparatus 1, a tuner that performs channel selection, an STB (Set Top Box) that receives a signal distributed from the distribution company apparatus 2, etc. are not shown. Since these are well-known configurations, description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the broadcaster apparatus 1. The broadcaster apparatus 1 includes a broadcasting facility 10 that performs broadcasting services such as terrestrial broadcasting, BS broadcasting, and CS broadcasting, a trigger information generating unit 11 that generates trigger information regarding content scheduled to be broadcast by the broadcasting facility 10, and a generation A transmission unit 12 that transmits the triggered information to the management server 5.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the distribution company device 2. The distribution company device 2 manages the generated trigger information, the VoD server 20 that performs distribution services such as IPTV and VoD, the trigger information generation unit 21 that generates trigger information related to the content to be distributed by the VoD server 20, and the generated trigger information And a transmission unit 22 for transmission to the server 5.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal 4. The terminal 4 controls a transmission / reception unit 40 connected to the IP network 8, an input unit 41 that receives input from a user, a display unit 42 that displays a screen, a storage unit 43 that stores information, and the entire terminal. And a control unit 44. The control unit 44 includes a management item information registration unit 440, a trigger information reception unit 441, a viewing content registration unit 442, and an action execution unit 443.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management server 5. The management server 5 includes a transmission / reception unit 50 connected to the IP network 8, a storage unit 51 that stores information, and a control unit 52 that controls the entire management server. The control unit 52 includes a trigger information reception unit 520, a management item information reception unit 521, a trigger information transmission unit 522, and a trigger information correction unit 523.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the content linkage action control system of the present embodiment will be described. 6 is a flowchart showing the operations of the broadcast provider device 1 and the distribution provider device 2, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the management server 5, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal 4. First, operations of the broadcaster apparatus 1 and the distribution company apparatus 2 will be described.

The trigger information generation unit 11 of the broadcast provider apparatus 1 generates trigger information in advance for content scheduled to be broadcast by the broadcast facility 10 (step S100 in FIG. 6).
Similarly, the trigger information generation unit 21 of the distribution company device 2 generates trigger information in advance for the content scheduled to be distributed by the VoD server 20 (step S100).

  The trigger information describes information for causing the terminal 4 to execute a specific action. The trigger information is described in, for example, an XML (Extensible Markup Language) format. The trigger information includes action information, transmission source information, video content information, and execution time information.

  The action information is information that defines an action to be executed by the terminal 4. Examples of actions include access to a specific website, activation of a specific application, reproduction of specific moving image content, and the like. As for the type of action, only the action defined by the management server 5 can be executed.

  The transmission source information is information for specifying the transmission source of the trigger information. This transmission source information is composed of the name and domain of the content provider. In other words, if the broadcaster is the trigger information sender, the sender information represents the name and domain of the broadcaster, and if the distributor is the trigger information sender, the sender information is the delivery business. Represents the name and domain of the person.

  The moving image content information is information specifying content corresponding to the trigger information, that is, content that triggers the terminal 4 to execute an action when the trigger information is valid. Examples of the moving image content information include a content name and a unique identifier assigned to the content.

  The execution time information is information that specifies an execution time at which the terminal 4 starts an action. About execution time, designation | designated by absolute time or designation | designated by relative time after the terminal 4 receives trigger information can be performed.

Next, the transmission unit 12 of the broadcaster apparatus 1 transmits the trigger information generated by the trigger information generation unit 11 to the management server 5 via the IP network 8, for example, and registers the trigger information in the management server 5 (FIG. 6 step S101).
When the transmission / reception unit 50 receives the trigger information from the broadcaster apparatus 1 via the IP network 8 (determination YES in step S200 in FIG. 7), the trigger information reception unit 520 of the management server 5 stores this trigger information in the storage unit 51. Store (step S201). In this way, trigger information is registered in the management server 5.

  A broadcaster broadcasts content at a predetermined broadcast time. For such a linear broadcast, a broadcaster can create trigger information linked to the broadcast scheduled content and broadcast time in advance and register it in the management server 5. Therefore, the execution time information described in the trigger information transmitted from the broadcaster apparatus 1 is usually in a format that specifies the action execution time by an absolute time.

On the other hand, like the broadcast provider apparatus 1, the transmission unit 22 of the distribution provider apparatus 2 transmits the trigger information generated by the trigger information generation unit 21 to the management server 5 via, for example, the IP network 8, and the trigger information is transmitted. Register in the management server 5 (step S101).
When the transmission / reception unit 50 receives the trigger information from the distribution provider device 2, the trigger information reception unit 520 of the management server 5 stores the trigger information in the storage unit 51 (steps S200 and S201).

  The distribution company starts distributing content when it receives a content viewing request from the user's receiver 3. For such on-demand broadcasting, it is impossible to specify the execution time of the action as an absolute time. Therefore, the execution time information described in the trigger information transmitted from the distribution provider device 2 has a format in which the execution time of the action is designated by the relative time after the terminal 4 receives the trigger information.

  The storage unit 51 of the management server 5 stores transmission source information that is management item information of the content provider in advance. The transmission source information described in the trigger information needs to match the transmission source information stored in the storage unit 51. When the transmission source information that matches the transmission source information described in the received trigger information is not stored in the storage unit 51, the trigger information reception unit 520 of the management server 5 rejects the registration of the trigger information. In this way, only the broadcast provider apparatus 1 and the distribution provider apparatus 2 that have received prior permission from the management server 5 can register the trigger information.

Next, when the broadcast facility 10 of the broadcaster apparatus 1 comes to a predetermined broadcast time (determination YES in step S102 in FIG. 6), the content is broadcast (step S103).
When receiving the content viewing request from the user's receiver 3 (YES in step S102), the VoD server 20 of the distribution company device 2 starts distributing the requested content to the user's receiver 3 (YES in step S102). Step S103).

  Next, operations of the terminal 4 and the management server 5 will be described. Plug-in software that detects and executes trigger information is installed in the storage unit 43 of the terminal 4 in advance. This plug-in software needs to be constantly activated when the terminal 4 is used. The control unit 44 of the terminal 4 executes processing as described below according to the plug-in software.

  The management item information registration unit 440 of the terminal 4 transmits the management item information of the terminal 4 to the management server 5 via the IP network 8 at the time of initial setting when the plug-in software is activated for the first time, and manages the management item information. While registering with the server 5, the same management item information is stored in the memory | storage part 43 of an own terminal (FIG. 8 step S300). The management item information includes the IP address of the terminal 4, executable information, and an execution policy.

  Actions that can be executed in the terminal 4 are determined in advance depending on hardware and software. The executable information defines trigger information in which information on actions that can be executed by the terminal 4 is described, and is information that is automatically determined by the hardware and software functions of the terminal 4.

  On the other hand, the execution policy is information for the user to specify whether to accept trigger information. The user of the terminal 4 can input an execution policy by operating the input unit 41. According to the execution policy, for example, all trigger information is accepted, only trigger information from a specific broadcaster or distributor is accepted, only trigger information that prescribes a specific action (for example, mail software activation) as action information The definition of accepting is possible.

  When the transmission / reception unit 50 receives management item information from the terminal 4 via the IP network 8 (determination YES in step S202 in FIG. 7), the management item information receiving unit 521 of the management server 5 stores this management item information in the storage unit 51. Store (step S203). In this way, the management item information of the terminal 4 is registered in the management server 5.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the storage unit 51 of the management server 5. The management item information stored in the storage unit 51 includes management item information 510 of the content provider and management item information 511 of the terminal 4. As the management item information 510 of the content provider, as described above, there is the transmission source information 512 that is compared with the transmission source information of the trigger information. As described above, the management item information 511 of the terminal 4 includes the IP address 513 of the terminal 4, the executable information 514, and the execution policy 515. In FIG. 9, 516 is trigger information stored in the storage unit 51 by the process of step S <b> 201, and 517 is a program stored in the storage unit 51 in advance. The control unit 52 of the management server 5 operates according to the program 517.

  Next, the trigger information transmission unit 522 of the management server 5 determines whether or not it is the transmission timing of the trigger information to the terminal 4 (determination YES in step S204 in FIG. 7). Here, the case of the trigger information sent from the broadcaster apparatus 1 will be described. In the case of the trigger information sent from the broadcaster apparatus 1, the transmission timing to the terminal 4 is when the management server 5 receives the trigger information.

  When the trigger information transmission timing is reached, the trigger information transmission unit 522 determines whether the trigger information matches the management item information of the terminal 4 stored in the storage unit 51 (step S205). That is, as a result of referring to the executable information of the management item information of the terminal 4, the trigger information transmitting unit 522 can determine that the terminal 4 can execute the action described in the trigger information and execute the management item information of the terminal 4. As a result of referring to the policy, when it is determined that the terminal 4 can accept the trigger information, it is determined that the trigger information matches the management item information of the terminal 4.

  When the management item information that matches the trigger information is stored in the storage unit 51 (YES in step S205), the trigger information transmission unit 522 determines whether or not the trigger information needs to be corrected (step S206). In the case of trigger information sent from the broadcaster apparatus 1, it is not necessary to correct it. Accordingly, the process proceeds to step S208 without correcting the trigger information here.

  The trigger information transmission unit 522 transmits the trigger information to the terminal 4 whose management item information matches the trigger information (step S208). As apparent from the above processing, the trigger information is not transmitted to the terminal 4 whose management item information does not match the trigger information.

  When the transmission / reception unit 40 receives trigger information from the management server 5 via the IP network 8 (YES in step S301 in FIG. 8), the trigger information reception unit 441 of the terminal 4 stores the trigger information in the storage unit 43 ( Step S302).

  Next, the user of the terminal 4 operates the input unit 41 while viewing the content transmitted from the broadcast provider or the distribution provider on the receiver 3, and inputs to the terminal 4 which content is being viewed. . The viewing content registration unit 442 of the terminal 4 stores the name, identifier, and the like of the content being viewed in the storage unit 43 as viewing content information in response to an input from the user (step S303).

  When the terminal 4 receives trigger information from the management server 5, it is possible to acquire moving image content information from this trigger information. The viewing content registration unit 442 displays, for example, the name of the content on the display unit 42 of the terminal 4 based on the acquired moving image content information. The user of the terminal 4 may select the content currently being viewed from the content names displayed on the display unit 42. Thereby, the viewing content registration unit 442 stores the moving image content information of the selected content in the storage unit 43 as viewing content information.

  In this way, among the contents for which the corresponding trigger information is transmitted from the management server 5, the currently viewed content can be registered in the terminal 4. The reason for registering the viewing content information is that it is necessary to validate only the trigger information of the content that the user is currently viewing in consideration of the case where a plurality of trigger information is transmitted simultaneously.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the storage unit 43 of the terminal 4. The management item information 430 of the terminal 4 stored in the storage unit 43 includes the IP address 431 of the terminal 4, the executable information 432, and the execution policy 433 as described above. In FIG. 10, 434 is trigger information stored in the storage unit 43 by the process of step S302, 435 is viewing content information stored in the storage unit 43 by the process of step S303, 436 is stored in the storage unit 43 in advance. Plug-in software that becomes a program. The control unit 44 of the terminal 4 operates according to the plug-in software 436.

  Next, when the trigger information corresponding to the content that the user is currently viewing is stored in the storage unit 43, the action execution unit 443 of the terminal 4 determines whether or not the action defined by the trigger information can be executed ( FIG. 8 step S304). As a result of referring to the executable information of the management item information stored in the storage unit 43, the action execution unit 443 can determine that the terminal 4 can execute the action defined by the trigger information, and set the execution policy of the management item information. As a result of the reference, if the terminal 4 can determine that the trigger information can be received and the current time is the execution time specified by the execution time information of the trigger information, it is determined that the action defined by the trigger information can be executed. .

If it is determined in step S304 that the action can be executed, the action execution unit 443 executes the action defined by the action information of the trigger information (step S305).
When access to a specific Web site is defined as an action to be executed by the terminal 4, the action execution unit 443 accesses the site at the address described in the action information. Thereby, the page of this site is displayed on the display unit 42.

Further, when activation of a specific application is defined as an action to be executed by the terminal 4, the action execution unit 443 activates mail software or moving image reproduction software specified by the action information.
In addition, when playback of specific video content is defined as an action to be executed by the terminal 4, the action execution unit 443 accesses the video server at the address described in the action information, and is defined by the action information. Request playback of the content being played. Thus, the reproduction of the moving image content is started, and the moving image content is displayed on the display unit 42.

Next, the operation of the management server 5 when trigger information is sent from the distribution company device 2 will be described. Operations of steps S200 to S203 of the management server 5 are as described above.
The trigger information transmission unit 522 of the management server 5 determines whether or not it is the transmission timing of the trigger information to the terminal 4 in step S204. When the trigger information is sent from the distribution provider device 2, the transmission timing of the trigger information to the terminal 4 is such that the user receiver 3 sends a content viewing request corresponding to the trigger information to the VoD server 20, and the VoD server 20 Reference numeral 20 denotes a time when distribution of content to the receiver 3 is started, or a time when a user performs an operation (for example, rewinding or fast-forwarding) that affects the reproduction time of the content.

  When the VoD server 20 starts distributing content to the receiver 3, the VoD server 20 transmits information indicating the content being distributed (for example, the name and identifier of the content) to the management server 5 via the IP network 8. When the trigger information transmission unit 522 of the management server 5 receives information indicating the content being distributed from the VoD server 20, it determines that the trigger information transmission timing corresponding to this content has come (determination YES in step S204).

  In addition, when the user performs an operation such as rewinding or fast-forwarding during distribution of the content to the receiver 3, the VoD server 20 rewinds or fast-forwards the content according to this operation. At the same time, the operation information for the content and the reproduction time information from the beginning of the content to the rewind destination location or the reproduction time information from the beginning of the content to the fast forward destination location are transmitted to the management server 5. When the trigger information transmission unit 522 of the management server 5 receives the operation information of the content from the VoD server 20, it determines that the trigger information transmission timing corresponding to this content has come (determination YES in step S204).

When the trigger information transmission timing is reached, the trigger information transmission unit 522 determines whether the trigger information matches the management item information of the terminal 4 stored in the storage unit 51 (step S205). The processing in step S205 is as described above.
When the management item information that matches the trigger information is stored in the storage unit 51 (YES in step S205), the trigger information transmission unit 522 determines whether or not the trigger information needs to be corrected (step S206).

  When the trigger information is sent from the distribution company device 2, the execution time information described in the trigger information has a format in which the execution time of the action is designated by a relative time after the terminal 4 receives the trigger information. It has become. The reason is that, as described above, the action execution time cannot be designated as an absolute time for on-demand broadcasting. If the user does not perform an operation that affects the reproduction time of the content while viewing the content on the receiver 3, it is not necessary to correct the trigger information.

  On the other hand, when the user performs an operation such as rewinding or fast-forwarding on the receiver 3, there is a difference between the originally assumed playback time and the actual playback time, so the execution described in the trigger information Time information needs to be corrected. Therefore, when receiving the operation information of the content from the VoD server 20, the trigger information transmitting unit 522 determines that the trigger information needs to be corrected (determination YES in step S206), and causes the trigger information correcting unit 523 to correct the trigger information. (Step S207).

  When the user performs a rewinding operation, the trigger information correction unit 523 adds the reproduction time from the beginning of the content to the rewind destination location to the relative time value described in the execution time information of the trigger information, and adds The execution time information is corrected with the later relative time as the execution time of the action. In addition, when the user performs a fast-forward operation, the trigger information correction unit 523 subtracts the playback time from the beginning of the content to the fast-forward destination location from the relative time value described in the execution time information of the trigger information. The execution time information is corrected with the later relative time as the execution time of the action. Thus, the trigger information can be corrected.

  When the trigger information is not corrected, the trigger information transmitting unit 522 transmits the trigger information as it is to the terminal 4 whose management item information matches the trigger information, and when the trigger information is corrected after transmitting the trigger information, the trigger information correcting unit 523 The trigger information corrected by the above is retransmitted to the terminal 4 (step S208). The operation of the terminal 4 is as described above.

  In this way, the trigger information is transmitted to the terminal 4 simultaneously with the provision of the content, and when the user of the terminal 4 performs an operation that affects the reproduction time of the content, the trigger information is corrected and transmitted to the terminal 4 again. Regardless of the absolute time when the user is viewing the content, it is possible to cause the terminal 4 to execute the action at the correct timing defined by the trigger information corresponding to the content.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the technology for calling the action of the terminal from the content is different even if the viewing device or transmission medium on the content playback side is different from the terminal or transmission medium on the action execution side. By making it usable, it becomes possible to create new content that utilizes different transmission media that cannot be realized by conventional techniques. According to this embodiment, the content provider can create content with interactive elements without understanding the detailed specifications for each terminal and transmission medium, and the user is technically complicated for each terminal. It is possible to enjoy content that uses different transmission media across without having to make any settings.

Conventionally, various digital devices such as televisions, computers, and STBs have begun to spread in the home, but communication standards and interfaces between terminals have not been developed, and cooperation between terminals is possible. However, the current situation is that there are many restrictions such as being effective only between terminals provided by the same manufacturer. Also, when providing content that links TV broadcasting and the Internet, it is necessary to produce and provide content based on a format determined in advance by the manufacturer, and content on the user's side is flexible. A viewing style cannot be defined.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the content provider side can flexibly design a content provision model in which the content viewing device and the terminal are linked with each other with a new expression that has never existed before. It will be possible to produce and provide the contents.

In the present embodiment, management item information of terminals is managed by the management server, so that differences in communication standards of different terminals can be absorbed, and policies of terminals that can be linked can be centrally managed. Yes, it is possible to update and extend the pattern of linkage methods.
Further, in the present embodiment, when the content and the action of the terminal are linked, it is not necessary to perform special remodeling or setting change on the viewing device that plays back the content.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the viewing device or transmission medium on the content playback side is different from the terminal or transmission medium on the action execution side. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied even when the transmission medium is the same as the terminal or transmission medium on the action execution side. As such a case, it is conceivable that an on-demand broadcast such as IPTV or VoD is viewed on a terminal.

  Note that the terminal 4 and the management server 5 of the present embodiment can be realized by a computer having a CPU, a storage device, and an external interface, and a program for controlling these hardware resources. In each computer, a program for realizing the content linkage action control method of the present invention is provided in a state of being recorded on a recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a memory card, etc. Stored in the device. The CPU of each computer executes the processing described in this embodiment in accordance with a program stored in the storage device.

  The present invention can be applied to a technology that links content and terminal actions.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Broadcasting company apparatus, 2 ... Distribution company apparatus, 3 ... Receiver, 4 ... Terminal, 5 ... Management server, 6, 7 ... Transmission path, 8 ... IP network, 10 ... Broadcasting equipment, 11, 21 ... Trigger Information generation unit, 12, 22 ... transmission unit, 20 ... VoD server, 40 ... transmission / reception unit, 41 ... input unit, 42 ... display unit, 43 ... storage unit, 44 ... control unit, 50 ... transmission / reception unit, 51 ... storage unit , 52 ... Control unit, 440 ... Management item information registration unit, 441 ... Trigger information reception unit, 442 ... Viewing content registration unit, 443 ... Action execution unit, 520 ... Trigger information reception unit, 521 ... Management item information reception unit, 522 ... trigger information transmission unit, 523 ... trigger information correction unit.

Claims (22)

A terminal used by a user who views content broadcast from a content provider on a viewing device;
A management server for controlling the action of the terminal in cooperation with the content,
The management server has trigger information transmission means for transmitting trigger information for causing the terminal to execute a specific action,
The said terminal has an action execution means which performs the action defined by this trigger information, while viewing the content corresponding to the trigger information transmitted from the said management server, The content cooperation action control system characterized by the above-mentioned. In the content cooperation action control system of Claim 1,
The trigger information includes at least content information designating content corresponding to the trigger information, action information defining an action to be executed by the terminal, and execution time information designating an execution time at which the terminal starts an action. Including
The action execution means of the terminal, when viewing the content corresponding to the trigger information transmitted from the management server, when the execution time specified by the execution time information comes, the action defined by the action information The content cooperation action control system characterized by performing this. In the content cooperation action control system of Claim 2,
The execution time information is described in either a format for specifying the execution time of the action by an absolute time or a format for specifying the execution time of the action by a relative time after the terminal receives the trigger information. The content cooperation action control system characterized by this. In the content cooperation action control system of Claim 3,
When the trigger information transmission means of the management server is described in a format in which the execution time information of the trigger information specifies the execution time of the action by an absolute time, the trigger information is transmitted before the broadcasting of the corresponding content. When the execution time information of the trigger information is described in a format that specifies the execution time of the action by the relative time, the content corresponding to the trigger information is on-demand according to the user's request. The content cooperation action control system characterized by transmitting the trigger information to the terminal when broadcasting is started. In the content cooperation action control system of Claim 1,
The action execution means of the terminal receives information indicating the content being viewed on the viewing device from the user, validates the trigger information corresponding to the content being viewed, and executes the action defined by the trigger information The content cooperation action control system characterized by this. In the content cooperation action control system of Claim 1,
Further, the terminal registers management item information that transmits management item information including at least one of executable information that specifies executable actions and an execution policy that specifies whether to accept the trigger information to the management server. Having means,
The content cooperation action control system characterized by the trigger information transmission means of the said management server transmitting the said trigger information to this terminal, when the management item information received from the said terminal corresponds with the said trigger information. In the content cooperation action control system of Claim 3,
Further, the management server, when the execution time information is described in a format that specifies the execution time of the action by the relative time, an operation that affects a reproduction time of the content broadcast on demand by the user A trigger information correction unit that corrects the execution time information according to the user's operation,
The content cooperation action control system according to claim 1, wherein the trigger information transmission unit of the management server transmits the trigger information corrected by the trigger information correction unit to the terminal again. In the content cooperation action control system of Claim 1,
Furthermore, the management server includes trigger information receiving means for receiving the trigger information from a content provider who creates the content and the trigger information corresponding to the content, and a content cooperation action control system. A management server that controls actions of a user's terminal in cooperation with content broadcast from a content provider,
A management server comprising trigger information transmitting means for transmitting, to a terminal, trigger information that causes the user's terminal to execute a specific action corresponding to the content while the user is viewing the content on a viewing device. The management server according to claim 9,
The trigger information includes at least content information specifying content corresponding to the trigger information, action information defining an action to be executed by the terminal, and the terminal starts an action while viewing the content corresponding to the trigger information. A management server comprising execution time information for specifying an execution time. The management server according to claim 10,
The execution time information is described in either a format for specifying the execution time of the action by an absolute time or a format for specifying the execution time of the action by a relative time after the terminal receives the trigger information. A management server characterized by that. The management server according to claim 11,
If the execution time information of the trigger information is described in a format that specifies the execution time of the action by an absolute time, the trigger information transmission means transmits the trigger information to the terminal before broadcasting the corresponding content. If the execution time information of the trigger information is described in a format in which the execution time of the action is specified by the relative time, the content corresponding to the trigger information starts broadcasting on demand according to the user's request When this is done, the management information is transmitted to the terminal. The management server according to claim 9,
The trigger information transmitting means receives management item information including at least one of executable information that specifies executable actions and an execution policy that specifies whether to accept the trigger information from the terminal, and When the item information matches the trigger information, the management information is transmitted to the terminal. The management server according to claim 11,
Furthermore, when the execution time information is described in a format that specifies the execution time of the action by the relative time, when the user performs an operation that affects the playback time of the content broadcast on demand , Having trigger information correction means for correcting the execution time information according to the user's operation,
The management server characterized in that the trigger information transmitting means transmits again the trigger information corrected by the trigger information correcting means to the terminal. The management server according to claim 9,
The management server further comprises trigger information receiving means for receiving the trigger information from a content provider who creates the content and the trigger information corresponding to the content. A terminal used by a user who views content broadcast from a content provider on a viewing device,
Trigger information receiving means for receiving, from the management server, trigger information that causes the user apparatus to execute a specific action corresponding to the content while the user is viewing the content on the viewing device;
An action execution means for executing an action defined by the trigger information while viewing the content corresponding to the trigger information. The terminal according to claim 16, wherein
The trigger information includes at least content information specifying content corresponding to the trigger information, action information defining an action to be executed by the terminal, and execution time information specifying an execution time at which the terminal starts an action,
The action execution means executes an action defined by the action information when the execution time specified by the execution time information is reached while viewing the content corresponding to the trigger information transmitted from the management server. A terminal characterized by that. The terminal of claim 17,
The execution time information is described in either a format for specifying the execution time of the action by an absolute time, or a format for specifying the execution time of the action by a relative time after the terminal receives the trigger information. A terminal characterized by that. The terminal according to claim 16, wherein
The action execution means receives information indicating a content being viewed on the viewing device from a user, validates trigger information corresponding to the content being viewed, and executes an action defined by the trigger information. Characteristic terminal. A management server that controls the action of the terminal used by the user who views the content broadcast from the content provider on the viewing device, trigger information transmission procedure for transmitting trigger information that causes the terminal to execute a specific action;
A content cooperation action control method comprising: an action execution procedure for executing an action defined by the trigger information while the terminal is viewing the content corresponding to the trigger information transmitted from the management server. A management server program that causes a computer to operate as a management server that controls actions of a user's terminal in cooperation with content broadcast from a content provider,
A management server that causes a computer to execute a trigger information transmission procedure for transmitting to the terminal trigger information that causes the user's terminal to execute a specific action corresponding to the content while the user is viewing the content on a viewing device. program. A terminal program for operating a computer as a terminal used by a user who views content broadcast from a content provider on a viewing device,
Trigger information reception procedure for receiving trigger information from the management server that causes the user device to execute a specific action corresponding to the content while the user is viewing the content on the viewing device;
A terminal program that causes a computer to execute an action execution procedure for executing an action defined by the trigger information while viewing content corresponding to the trigger information.

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