JP2002163170A - Contents ordering method and terminal unit thereof and contents providing method and system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce user's burden by distinguishing an information processing terminal unit regenerating or storing contents by an information processing terminal unit ordering the contents. SOLUTION: The regeneration terminal unit 130 which exists in a distance enabling communication or is allowed to communicate with the ordering terminal unit 110 in advance is detected by the ordering terminal unit 110 and a local communication network 100, the ordering terminal unit 110 orders the contents for a contents server 140, and the ordering terminal unit 110 receives the contents to transfer the contents to the regeneration terminal unit 130.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing terminal having an ordering function for transmitting an order for content, a server for receiving an order for the content and transmitting the ordered content, and a server for receiving the content. Information processing terminal with reception function, information processing terminal with reproduction function for reproducing content and combination thereof, or content ordering method, content order receiving method, content providing method, content receiving method, content reproducing method, Regarding these combinations, in particular, an information processing terminal with an ordering function that performs processing using a computer, a server, an information processing terminal with a reception function, an information processing terminal with a playback function, or a computer-implemented content ordering method,
The present invention relates to a content receiving method, a content providing method, a content receiving method, and a content reproducing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional terminals for ordering and downloading contents include HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and FT via the Internet or a packet communication network.
PC (Personal Computer) that orders and downloads content based on the P (FileTrasfer Protocol) standard, etc.
Or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or WAP (Wir
There are mobile phones and the like that order and download content based on eless Application Protocol (eless Application Protocol) standards and the like.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-164362 discloses that when a wireless terminal receives a message from the outside, the message is transferred to another wireless terminal, and when the other wireless terminal receives the transferred message, the message is transferred. A message transfer method for transferring the received message to another wireless terminal is described. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-164362, when a wireless terminal receives a transferred message, the wireless terminal automatically transfers the message to a personal computer (including a PDA) connected thereto and displays it. A message transfer method for transferring and displaying the message on a connected bulletin device is described.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-270015 discloses that a best-effort bandwidth is calculated from a communication bandwidth and the number of available channels, and a plurality of bandwidths having the same content stored at the same address in the wide bandwidth and the narrow bandwidth are calculated. A content distribution system is described in which an optimal content file is selected from content files and the read content is transmitted to a wireless portable terminal.

[0005]

In the conventional content download terminal described above, a terminal for ordering content (ordering terminal) and a terminal for playing back content (playback terminal)
Are the same. For this reason, it is necessary to order content at a playback terminal that actually plays back the content, and it is often inconvenient to order or play at a terminal specialized for a specific function. For example, a mobile phone can be operated with only one hand and ordering is easy, but the display screen is smaller than a PC or PDA and is not suitable for browsing large amounts of text content because it is specialized in the call function. Often.

[0006] The technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-164362 discloses a technique for reducing the burden on the user that the user needs to know the existence of the playback terminal and the possibility of communication in advance in the form of a telephone number or a mail address. Not considered. Also,
Since the content playback performance of the playback terminal to which the content is transmitted cannot be grasped when transmitting the content, appropriate content cannot be transmitted to the playback terminal unless the user grasps the content playback performance in advance. The issue is not taken into account.

The technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-270015 can guarantee the data communication performance and the content quality, but does not consider the storage capability and display capability of the wireless portable terminal. For example, when the storage capacity of the wireless portable terminal is small, there is a problem that contents cannot be stored in the wireless portable terminal. For example, when the display area of the wireless portable terminal is small or the resolution is low, there is a problem that the user cannot visually recognize the content.

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a content ordering method which reduces the burden on the user by identifying the information processing terminal which plays or stores the content by the information processing terminal which orders the content, and an information processing terminal used therefor. It is to be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a content ordering method capable of reproducing or storing content in an information processing terminal suitable for reproducing or storing content, and an information processing terminal used for the method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a content providing method capable of providing a content according to a reproduction capability or a storage capability of an information processing terminal for reproducing or storing a content, and a system used for the method.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a second information processing terminal which is located within a distance communicable with a first information processing terminal by a wireless communication network, or which is previously permitted to communicate with the first information processing terminal.
, The first information processing terminal orders the content from the content server, the first information processing terminal receives the content, and transfers the content to the second information processing terminal. Here, the first information processing terminal is, for example, an order terminal having a function of ordering content.
The second information processing device is, for example, a playback terminal having a content playback function.

[0012] The present invention receives reproduction capability data for reproducing content together with order data for ordering content, creates or selects content in accordance with the reproduction capability data, and sends the content to a destination where the content was ordered or to an order. Send the content to the destination specified by the data.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the order terminal 110.
FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the communication terminal 120. Figure 4
3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the playback terminal 130. FIG. Figure 5
FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a content server 140. Figure 6
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a main processing procedure of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed procedure of a terminal list creation process 210. Fig. 8
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a detailed procedure of the content server connection processing 220. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed procedure of the content list display process 230. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a detailed procedure of the content download processing 240. FIG. 11 shows the ordering terminal 110
21 is a display screen of the content list 2310 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system configuration of the present invention comprises an order terminal 110 for ordering contents, a communication terminal 120 for communicating with an external communication network, and a reproduction terminal 130 for reproducing contents. Local communication network 100 between
And the communication terminal 120 and the content server 140 are connected by the external communication network 101.

The local communication network 100 is a specific device (person)
It is a closed network that is open only to the public, such as the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic
neers) 802.11 standard, IrDA (Infrared Data Association)
Short-range wireless communication networks (communicable range: 50 meters, 100 meters, 1 km, etc.) using infrared rays or radio waves, such as standards and digital cordless phones, Ethernet (registered trademark), LAN (Local Area Network), WAN ( Wide Ar
ea Network), USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE1394, etc., but physical restrictions such as wireless signals from a central terminal within a certain distance, owner or user Out of the restrictions that a common encryption key and user ID (identification data for identifying the owner or user) for identifying the
A communication network in which the number of terminals existing in the communication network is limited to a finite number by at least one, and a one-to-many communication path centered on at least any terminal in the communication network can be secured. . The central terminal can be changed as needed.

The external communication network 101 is an open network open to an unspecified number of devices (persons), such as the Internet, a public packet line, a data communication network using a telephone line, and the like, and an unspecified number of terminals and servers. It is a communication network for connecting with. Devices in the external communication network 110 are uniquely identified by IDs such as IP addresses and telephone numbers.

The order terminal 110 is, for example, a wristwatch, a mobile phone, a remote controller for a TV or a video, or the like.
It is a terminal that the user usually wears or is portable in a form close to it, but is an information processing terminal for requesting the content server 140 to transmit content, and can be played back by a terminal in the local communication network 100. A content list 2310 (hereinafter, referred to as a “content list”) is displayed, a content user is selected from the content list 2310 to download, a content 1320 transmitted from the content server 111 is relayed in accordance with the selection result, and a playback terminal is displayed. Send to 130. The input device and the display device of the order terminal 110 do not impair the original functions of the order terminal 110. For example, when a wristwatch is used as the order terminal 110, the number of characters that can be displayed on the display device is about 7 characters and 7 lines in consideration of the wearability and the readability of the menu.
In addition, the input device also has buttons for selecting a content list and buttons for deciding the selection.

The communication terminal 120 is, for example, a mobile phone or a PHS (Per
Sonal Handyphone System), a modem, a kiosk terminal, etc., and has a function of communicating with the content server 140 via the external communication network 101.

The reproduction terminal 130 is, for example, a terminal such as a PDA, an electronic book viewer, a PC, or a TV. The reproduction terminal 130 records contents 1320 inside the terminal in accordance with an instruction from the ordering terminal 110.
It is an information processing terminal capable of reproducing. What is playback?
This is a process of making the content usable by the user. For example, text content such as newspaper is displayed on an image output device, and audio content such as music is output to an audio output device and sound is output. Is to generate Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a case where text content is handled will be described. Playback terminal 130
There are no particular restrictions on the specifications of the input device and display device of
It is desirable to have sufficient performance for content reproduction.
For example, in the case of handling text content, if the PDA is the playback terminal 130, it is desirable that the number of characters that can be displayed on the display device be at least about 15 characters and 10 lines.

The contents server 140 is a server for managing contents, and in response to a request from the ordering terminal 110 via the external communication network 101, a contents list 23.
10 and the content 1320 are transmitted to the order terminal 110.

Order terminal 110, communication terminal 120, reproduction terminal 130
May exist in the local communication network 100. In this case, the order terminal 110 indicates a terminal on which the user is actually operating.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hardware configuration of the order terminal 110 includes an input device 111, a display device 112, a storage device 113,
A processing device 114 and a local communication device 115 are mutually connected by a bus 116 which is a data transfer path.

The input device 111 is, for example, a button, a touch panel, a pen input device, a voice input device, or the like. A display request of a content list 2310 from a user, a content 1320 to be downloaded, and a reproduction terminal 13 at a download destination are provided.
Make a selection of 0.

The display device 112 is, for example, a liquid crystal monitor, an EL display, or the like.
And the name of the content 2310 selected by the user for download.

The storage device 113 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory attached to a base inside the ordering device 110, or a removable IC card or a removable memory card. Terminal identification data) and owner key 11
8, a program 119 describing the procedure of processing executed by the ordering terminal 110, terminal data 1110 of the ordering terminal itself, and a terminal list 112 which collects terminal data of terminals in the local communication network 100.
0, store the external communication network ID 145 of the content server to be connected, and use it as a temporary storage area for displaying the content list 2310 and transferring the downloaded content 1320 to the playback terminal 130. The terminal ID 117 is an ID uniquely assigned in the local communication network 100, which is assigned by a manufacturer at the time of manufacture or by previously generating a random number in the order terminal 110 or the like. The owner key 118
This is an encryption key given by a user in advance and uniquely determined for each owner of the terminal, using common key encryption such as DES (Data Encryption Standard). The terminal data 1110 stores information on the content reproduction capability of the terminal. Specifically, a flag 111 indicating the presence or absence of an external communication device
1, the number of characters that can be displayed on the display device 1112, the storage device 113
Unused area capacity 1113 and the terminal name 1114. The terminal list 1120 is a list of all ordering terminals in the local communication network.
It collects information on 110, the communication terminal 120, and the reproduction terminal 130. Specifically, terminal ID1 corresponding to one terminal
This is a list in which 121 and terminal data 1122 are one record. In the terminal list 1120, the terminal ID 1121 is a key value.
In the initial state, only the terminal ID 117 and the terminal data 1110 of the ordering terminal 110 itself are input as one record.

The processing device 114 reads the program 119 stored in the storage device 113, and executes a terminal list creation process 210, a content server connection process 220, and a content list display process 230.
Then, the content download processing 240 is executed.

The external communication network ID 145 of the content server is
The data is input by the user via the input device 111, or recorded at the time of manufacture, and stored in the storage device 113. The local communication device 115 communicates with another terminal in the local communication network 100 described above.

The hardware configuration of the communication terminal 120 is such that a storage device 121, a processing device 122, a local communication device 123, and an external communication device 124 are mutually connected by a bus 125, as shown in FIG.

The storage device 121 is the storage device 11 of the order terminal 110.
As in 3, terminal ID 126, owner key 127, external communication network ID 12
8, a program 12 that describes the procedure of processing to be performed on the communication terminal
9 and terminal data 1210 are stored. The terminal ID 126 is a local communication network assigned by the manufacturer at the time of manufacture or by generating a random number in the communication terminal 120 in advance.
An ID that uniquely identifies a terminal within 100. The owner key 127 is an encryption key provided by the user in advance and uniquely determined for each owner of the terminal by common key encryption. The terminal data 1210 stores information on the content reproduction capability of the terminal and the like, and includes a flag 1211 indicating the presence or absence of an external communication device,
12, unused area capacity 1213 of storage device 113, terminal name 1
Including 214. The external communication network ID 128 is an ID previously assigned by an administrator of the external communication network 101 and for uniquely identifying a terminal in the external communication network 101.

The processing device 122 is the processing device 11 of the order terminal 110.
Similarly to 4, the program 129 is read from the storage device 121 and the content server connection processing 220 is executed.

The local communication device 123 is a local communication network 1
It communicates with other terminals in 00.

The external communication device 124 communicates with the content server 140 via the external communication network 101.

As shown in FIG. 4, the hardware configuration of the reproduction terminal 130 is such that an input device 131, a display device 132, a storage device 133, a processing device 134, and a local communication device 135 are mutually connected by a bus 136. . Further, it is preferable that the reproduction terminal 130 has a function of reading data and programs from the IC card insertion section and the IC card.

The input device 131 controls content reproduction by a user operation.

The display device 132 reproduces the content stored in the storage device 133.

The storage device 133 has a terminal ID 137, an owner key 13
8, a program 13 describing processing to be executed on the playback terminal 130
9, the terminal data 1310 and the content 1320 downloaded from the content server 140 are stored. Terminal ID 137
May be provided by the manufacturer at the time of manufacture or
This is an ID that uniquely identifies a terminal in the local communication network 100 and is assigned by, for example, generating a random number.
The owner key 138 is an encryption key based on common key encryption, which is uniquely determined for each owner of the terminal. The terminal data 1310 stores information on the content reproduction capability of the terminal and the like, and includes a flag 1311 indicating the presence or absence of an external communication device, the number of characters 1312 that can be displayed on the display device, the capacity 1313 of an unused area of the storage device 113, the terminal Including the name 1314.

The processing device 134 is the processing device 11 of the order terminal 110.
Similarly to 4, the program 139 is read from the storage device 133 and the content download processing 240 is executed. The local communication device 135 communicates with another terminal in the local communication network 100.

As shown in FIG. 5, the hardware configuration of the content server 140 is such that a storage device 141, a processing device 142, and an external communication device 143 are interconnected by a bus 144.
The storage device 141 includes an external communication network ID 145, a program 146, a content database 1410, and a content conversion filter 14.
Stores 7. The external communication network ID 145 is stored in the external communication network 101 in advance.
This is an ID for uniquely identifying a terminal in the external communication network 101, which is assigned by an administrator or the like. The content database 1410 stores the content downloaded by the playback terminal 130. Specifically, content ID 1411
Is a database file having the general-purpose content 1412 as one record. General content 1412 is XML (Extens
The content can be arbitrarily converted in accordance with the number of characters that can be displayed on the playback terminal 130, described in, for example, an ible markup language). That is, the general-purpose content 1412 preferably includes a plurality of components in advance. For example, in the case of news article content, it is created by describing a headline, an outline of the main body, and details of the main body, and adding a corresponding tag to each. In the content database 1410, the content ID 1411 is a key value. Content conversion filter 147
Is a program that receives the general-purpose content 1412 stored in the content database 1410 and the number of displayable characters as input, and outputs content suitable for the given number of displayable characters. For example, for news article content,
When the number of displayable characters is small (for example, 50 characters or less), only the headline of the article is output by extracting only the portion of the general-purpose content 1412 to which the heading tag is attached, while the number of displayable characters is large (for example, In the case of 200 characters or more, the details of the article are output by extracting only the portion of the general-purpose content 1412 to which the heading tag and the detail tag of the text are added. It is preferable that the priorities of the components are stored in accordance with the importance of the information of the components constituting the content, and the content is created in accordance with the priorities. The setting of the priority is preferably created by the creator of the content or the user of the content server 140.

The processing device 143 reads the program 146 from the storage device 141, and executes a content server connection process 220, a content list display process 230, a content download process 240, and a content conversion filter 147.

The external communication device 143 communicates with the communication terminal 120 via the external communication network 101.

Hereinafter, the processing procedure of the present invention will be described.
The order terminal 110, the communication terminal 120, and the reproduction terminal 130 include:
It is assumed that a common owner key is stored in advance by a user operation.

As shown in FIG. 6, an outline of the processing procedure is as follows. First, after receiving a content list request operation 201 by a user via the input device 111 of the order terminal 110, the order terminal 110
And a terminal list creation process 210 between the terminal and each terminal in the local communication network 100.
A terminal list 1120 of the terminals in 0 is created. Next, it is confirmed that the communication terminal 120 exists in the local communication network 100 by confirming that there is a record in which a flag indicating presence / absence of an external communication device is set in the terminal list 1120 (step 202). If such a record does not exist, it is considered that there is no communication terminal 120, and the subsequent processing is interrupted. Next, content server connection processing 220 is performed between order terminal 110, communication terminal 120, and content server 140, and a communication path between order terminal 110 and content server 140 is established. The ordering terminal checks whether it has been established (step 203), and if it cannot be established, the subsequent processing is interrupted. Next, a content list display process 230 is executed between the order terminal 110 and the content server 140, and the order terminal 110
A content list 2310 describing a list of contents that can be optimized for the terminals described in the terminal list 1120 in the
Is transmitted from the content server 140 to the order terminal 110 and displayed on the display device 112 of the order terminal 110. Order terminal 11
From the content list 2310 displayed at 0, the user selects a content and a reproduction terminal to be downloaded via the input device 111 of the ordering terminal (step 20).
4), and transmits the selected content to the content server 140 as order data for ordering the content,
10. The content download processing 240 is executed between the content server 140 and the reproduction terminal 130, and the content is stored in the memory device 133 of the reproduction terminal 130. The playback terminal 130
If the device has an IC card insertion unit and a reading function, it is preferable to digitally sign the order data using the user's IC card. In this case, before sending the order data to the content server 140, the ordering terminal 110 may read the IC card data from the reproduction terminal 130 and apply an electronic signature to the order data at the ordering terminal 110, or The order data may be transmitted from the 110 to the reproduction terminal 130, the reproduction terminal 130 may give an electronic signature using the user's IC card, and transmit the electronic data to the order terminal 110.

The details of each process will be described below.

The details of the processing procedure of the terminal list creation processing 210 are as shown in FIG.

First, in response to the content list request operation 201 by the user, a one-to-many communication path is established between the order terminal 110 and each terminal in the local communication network 100 (step 211). Establishing a communication path refers to, for example, arranging terminals within a communicable range in the case of wireless communication, and physically connecting the terminals in a wired manner in the case of wired communication. Is a state in which transmission and reception are possible. In this processing 210, the reproduction terminal 130 and the communication terminal 120 perform the same processing, and hence only the processing between the order terminal 110 and the reproduction terminal 130 will be described below.

Next, the order terminal 110 generates a random number 2111, and transmits data 2110 to which the terminal ID 117 of the order terminal 110 has been added to the reproduction terminal 130 (step 212).

Upon receiving the data 2110, the reproduction terminal 130 receives the random number 2111 and the terminal data 13 of the reproduction terminal.
10 is encrypted with the owner key 138, and the obtained value (encrypted data
2121), and transmits data 2120 obtained by adding its own terminal ID 137 to the ordering terminal 101 (step 213).

The ordering terminal 110 transmits the data 2110 and transmits the data 2110 to the reproduction terminal 130 for a predetermined time as a waiting time in consideration of a time required for data communication and a processing time in the reproduction terminal 130. With respect to the received data 2120, an attempt is made to decrypt the encrypted data 2121 with its own owner key 118 (step 214). If the encrypted data 2121 can be correctly decrypted and the value obtained after decryption is equal to the random number 2111 generated in the ordering terminal in step 211, the ordering terminal and the owner are regarded as the same terminal, and the terminal of the data 2120 ID137
And add terminal data 1310 to terminal list 1120
(Step 215).

Instead of the processing from step 212 to step 214, the terminal ID or user ID of the reproduction terminal 130 permitted to communicate with the order terminal 110 by the user is registered in the order terminal 110 in advance. Compare the terminal ID or user ID registered in the ordering terminal 110 with the terminal ID or user ID of the playback terminal 130, and match the terminal ID or the user ID registered in the ordering terminal 110 with the terminal ID or the user ID. The reproduction terminal 130 having the user ID may be listed up to create the terminal list 1120.

FIG. 8 shows the details of the processing procedure of the content server connection processing 220.

First, a communication path is established between the order terminal 110 and the communication terminal 120, and the order terminal 110
It transmits data 2210 including the terminal ID 117 of the ordering terminal 110, the terminal ID 126 of the communication terminal 120, and the external communication network ID 145 of the content server, and requests connection to the content server (step 221).

Upon receiving data 2210, communication terminal 120 transmits test data 2221 to content server 140 indicated by external communication network ID 145 included in the data, and
It is determined whether communication is possible (step 222).

Upon receiving the test data 2221, the content server returns data 2222 indicating that the reception has been confirmed (step 222).

After transmitting the test data 2221 from the communication terminal 120, a period of time determined in advance as a waiting time in consideration of the time required for data communication with the content server 140 and the processing time in the content server 140 is considered. If the acknowledgment data 2222 is returned from the content server 140 (step 224), the communication terminal 120 transmits the subsequent reception data from the order terminal 110 to the content server 140.
To the order terminal 1
10 (step 225), and transmits data 2223 indicating that a communication path with the content server 140 has been established to the order terminal 110 (step 226).

In the communication terminal 120, the content server 1
If reception confirmation data 2222 cannot be received from 40, data 2224 indicating that communication channel establishment has failed is transmitted to order terminal 110 (step 227).

Hereinafter, the order terminal 110 and the content server 140
Is communicated via the communication terminal 120, but its description is omitted.

The details of the processing procedure of the content list display processing 230 are as shown in FIG.

The terminal list 1120 is transmitted from the ordering terminal 110 to the content server 140, and a display of the content list is requested (step 231).

In the content server 140, the terminal list 112
When 0 is received, the general-purpose content 1412 included in each record of the content database 1410 is sequentially read (step 232), and the following processing is repeated.

First, the received records of the terminal list 1120 are sequentially read out, and the content conversion filter 147 is executed with the number of displayable characters and the general-purpose content 1412 included in the terminal data 1122 as inputs (step 233). The process of the content conversion filter 147 is, for example, in the case of news article content, when the number of displayable characters is, for example, 50 characters or less, only the headed tag portion of the general-purpose content 1412 is output, and 50 to 200 characters In the case of, the heading tag of the general-purpose content 1412 and the part with the outline tag of the text are output, and in the case of 200 characters or more, the heading tag of the general-purpose content 1412 and the detail tag of the text are added. Output part.

Next, the data size of the content obtained as an output is compared with the free space of the storage device included in the terminal data 1122 in the terminal list 1120. If the free space of the storage device is smaller, the process is skipped to step 236 (step 234).

The data size of the output content is
If less than the free space of the storage device included in the terminal data 1122 in the terminal list 1120, the content ID 2311, the content name 1413, the terminal ID
Data 2320 including 1121 is added as a record (step 235).

After that, if there is a next record in the terminal list 1120, it is read out, and the processing after step 233 is continued (step 236).

When all the records in the terminal list have been read, the next record in the content database 1410 is read, and the processing after step 232 is continued (step 237).

When the processing from step 232 to step 235 is completed for all contents in the content database 1410 and all terminal data in the terminal list 1120, the created content list 2310 is transmitted to the ordering terminal 110.
(Step 238).

Upon receiving the content list 2310, the ordering terminal 110 checks each record in the content list 2310, searches the terminal list 1120 using the terminal ID 1121 included therein as a key, and searches the terminal list 1122 for the terminal data 1122 obtained. The terminal name 2330 and the content name 1413 included in the record of the content list 2310 are displayed on the display device 112 (step 239). FIG. 11 shows an example of the display of the content list 2310.

FIG. 10 shows the details of the processing procedure of the content download processing 240.

In the ordering terminal 110, when the user designates a reproduction terminal to which a content to be downloaded from the content list is to be downloaded, the ordering terminal receives the designation of the user and receives data including the corresponding content ID 1411 and the terminal ID 137 of the reproduction terminal. 2410 to Content Server 1
The content is transmitted to 40 to request the download of the content (step 241).

Upon receiving the data 2410, the content server 140 searches the content database 1410 using the content ID 1411 therein, and reads out the general-purpose content 1412 included in the record having the same content ID (step 242).

Next, using the terminal ID 137 included in the data 2410, the terminal list 1120 received in the content list display processing 230 is searched to determine the number of displayable characters in the device data 1122 included in the record having the same terminal ID. The content conversion filter 147 is executed using the read content and the general-purpose content 1412 read in step 241 as an input, and the content 1320 is obtained as an output (step 243).

Next, the obtained content 1320 is transmitted from the content server 140 to the order terminal 110 (step 24).
Four).

Upon receiving the content 1320, the order terminal 110 transmits the content 1320 to the reproduction terminal 130 indicated by the terminal ID 137 specified in Step 241 (Step 245).

Upon receiving the content 1320, the reproducing terminal 130 stores it in the storage device 133 (step 246).

In this embodiment, the order terminal 110 and the communication terminal 1
20, the reproduction terminal 130 is different from each other, but actually, a single terminal may have the functions of a plurality of terminals described above. In this case, some of the steps described in the present embodiment can be omitted. For example, if a mobile phone is
When the terminal is used as a terminal having both functions of “0” and the communication terminal 120, in the content server connection processing 220, steps 221, 225, and 226 for performing communication between the order terminal 110 and the communication terminal 120 can be omitted.

In the present embodiment, text content is assumed as content, but the present invention can be applied to content such as music, still images, and moving images.
In this case, the display device 132 of the playback terminal 130 is replaced with a playback device for each content, and the terminal data 1310
The number 1312 of characters that can be displayed in the field is also a parameter that defines the content playback capability. For example, when dealing with music, the maximum sampling frequency of reproducible music content is used, and for still images and moving images, the number of vertical / horizontal dots of the display device is used.

In this embodiment, the content server
140 stores the general-purpose content 1412 and executes the content conversion filter 147 in accordance with the number of displayable characters of the reproduction terminal 130 included in the terminal list 1120 to create content suitable for the reproduction terminal 130. Instead of storing a plurality of contents created in advance according to the number of displayable characters of the reproduction terminal 130 for the same content ID in the content server 140, instead of using the content conversion filter 147 in steps 233 and 243, One content may be selected from the plurality of contents and output according to the number of displayable characters of the reproduction terminal 130 included in the terminal list 1120.

In this embodiment, the local communication network 10
In 0, communication is performed only between terminals having the same owner key, but when using wireless communication, etc., in an environment where the number of terminals that can communicate due to physical distance is finite , Order terminal 110, communication terminal 120, playback terminal
By omitting the owner key (118, 127, 138) of 130 and omitting the process of confirming the owner key of each other (steps 213, 214), the content may be downloaded to any terminal. . Alternatively, a list of owner keys permitted to distribute contents is stored in advance in the ordering terminal 110 by the user, and in step 214, the data 21 is stored in one of the owner keys in the owner key list.
If 21 can be decoded, the playback terminal data 1310 is added to the terminal list.
It may be added to 1110 to allow downloading of the content only to a specific plurality of terminals.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that there are a plurality of downloadable contents. However, if the content ID of the content to be downloaded at the order terminal 110 is known in advance, the content list display processing 220 is omitted. You may. In this case, in step 241, terminal data of the reproduction terminal 130 as a download destination is also sent, so that the content server 140 can grasp the performance of the reproduction terminal 130.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, a content ordering terminal and a reproducing terminal are separated from each other and interconnected by a local communication network. It becomes possible to download content to a terminal having high content reproduction performance. Further, a list of contents that can be provided to the reproduction terminal in the local communication network by the content server is automatically created without the need for the user to obtain information such as the performance of the separated reproduction terminal in advance and can be displayed on the ordering terminal. At the same time, it is possible for the user to download the content to the corresponding playback terminal simply by selecting an arbitrary content from the list.

[0081]

According to the present invention, the information processing terminal for ordering the content can identify the information processing terminal for reproducing or storing the content, so that the user's burden is reduced.

Alternatively, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the content can be reproduced or stored in the information processing terminal suitable for reproducing or storing the content.

Alternatively, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a content corresponding to the reproduction capability or storage capability of the information processing terminal that reproduces or stores the content.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an order terminal of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of a communication terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of a playback terminal of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the content server of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing between devices of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a terminal list creation process of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing content server connection processing of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a content list display process of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing content download processing of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display screen of a content list in the ordering terminal of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100: Local communication network, 101: External communication network, 110: Ordering terminal, 111: Input device, 112: Display device, 113: Storage device, 1
14 processing unit, 115 local communication device, 116 bus, 12
0 communication terminal, 130 playback terminal, 140 content server, 121 storage device, 122 processing device, 123 local communication device, 124 external communication device, 125 bus, 131 input device, 132 display Device, 133: storage device, 134: processing device,
135: a local communication device; 136: a bus; 141: a storage device; 142: a processing device; 143: an external communication device;

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 17/60 336 G06F 17/60 336 510 510 G10K 15/02 G10K 15/02 H04N 7/173 640 H04N 7 / 173 640Z (72) Inventor Narita Hamada 1099 Ozenji Temple, Aso-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term in Hitachi, Ltd. System Development Laboratory 5B085 AA01 AA08 BC02 BE01 BE07 5C064 BA01 BA07 BB07 BC07 BC16 BC18 BC20 BC23 BC27 BD02 BD07 BD08 BD09

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A content ordering method for ordering content from a first information processing terminal via an external communication network, wherein the content ordering method is located within a distance communicable with the first information processing terminal by a wireless communication network. The first information processing terminal stores, in the first information processing terminal, identification data for identifying a second information processing terminal that has been allowed to communicate with the first information processing terminal in advance. Ordering the content to a content server via a network; receiving the content from the content server to the first information processing terminal via the external communication network; A content ordering method for transferring the content to the second information processing terminal specified by the identification data. 2. The second information processing terminal has a large number of displayable characters, a large display area, a high resolution, or a large storage capacity, as compared with the first information processing terminal.
The content ordering method according to claim 1. 3. A content ordering method for ordering content from a first information processing terminal via an external communication network, wherein the content ordering method exists within a distance communicable with the first information processing terminal by a wireless communication network. Detecting a second information processing terminal that has been previously allowed to communicate with the first information processing terminal, and from the first information processing terminal to the content server via the external communication network, Transmitting a terminal list from the content server to the first information processing terminal via the external communication network, and receiving a content list corresponding to the terminal list. Displaying a content list, receiving designation of content in the content list, and specifying the content from the first information processing terminal to the content server via the external communication network Ordering the received content, receiving the content from the content server to the first information processing terminal via the external communication network, and receiving the content corresponding to the content from the first information processing terminal. 2. A content ordering method for transferring the content to an information processing terminal. 4. An information processing terminal for ordering content to a content server, wherein the information processing terminal is located within a distance communicable with the information processing terminal by a wireless communication network or other information processing which is allowed to communicate with the information processing unit in advance. A storage processing unit that stores identification data for specifying a terminal; an order processing unit that orders the content from the content server; a reception processing unit that receives the content from the content server; An information processing terminal comprising: a transfer processing unit configured to transfer the content to the specified other information processing terminal. 5. The information processing terminal according to claim 4, wherein said identification data is data for specifying a user or an owner of said another information processing terminal. 6. An information processing terminal for ordering content to a content server, wherein the information processing terminal is located within a distance communicable with the information processing terminal by a wireless communication network or other information processing that is allowed to communicate with the information processing unit in advance. A detection processing unit that detects a terminal; an order processing unit that transmits order data for ordering the content to the content server; a reception processing unit that receives the content from the content server; and the other information An information processing terminal comprising: a transfer processing unit configured to transfer the content to a processing terminal. 7. An acquisition processing unit for acquiring, from the other information processing terminal, reproduction capability data including at least one of the number of displayable characters, the size of a display area, and the resolution of the other information processing terminal. Item 7. An information processing terminal according to item 6. 8. The information processing terminal according to claim 7, wherein the order processing unit transmits the reproduction capability data together with the order data. 9. The information processing terminal according to claim 6, further comprising an acquisition processing unit that acquires storage capability data including a storage capacity of the another information processing terminal from the other information processing terminal. 10. The information processing terminal according to claim 9, wherein the order processing unit transmits the storage capability data together with the order data. 11. A display control processing unit for displaying a terminal list of said another information processing terminal on a display screen, and an input control processing unit for receiving designation of said another information processing terminal in said terminal list from a user. The information processing terminal according to claim 6 provided. 12. When the detection processing unit detects the other information processing terminal that has been previously allowed to communicate with the information processing unit, the detection processing unit identifies the identification data that matches the identification data stored in the information processing terminal. The information processing terminal according to claim 6, wherein the information processing terminal detects the other information processing terminal having: 13. The communication processing unit according to claim 1, wherein said detection processing unit detects the other information processing terminal located within a distance communicable with the information processing terminal by a wireless communication network. 7. The information processing terminal according to claim 6, wherein a possible flag is detected. 14. The information processing terminal according to claim 6, wherein the order processing unit applies an electronic signature to the order data using an IC card inserted in the second information processing terminal. 15. The information processing terminal according to claim 6, further comprising a display device having a smaller number of displayable characters, a smaller display area, or a lower resolution than the other information processing terminals. 16. A content providing method for providing ordered content via an external communication network, comprising: order data for ordering the content, the number of displayable characters for reproducing the content, and the size of a display area. And receiving the reproduction capability data including at least one of the resolution, the presence or absence of the moving image reproduction function, and the presence or absence of the music reproduction function, creating or selecting a content according to the reproduction capability data, via the external communication network, A content providing method for transmitting the content to a destination where the content is ordered or to a destination specified by the order data. 17. A content list corresponding to the reproduction capability data is created, and the content list is sent via the external communication network to a destination where the content is ordered or to a destination specified by the order data. 17. The content providing method according to claim 16, wherein the content is transmitted. 18. The content providing method according to claim 16, wherein storage capability data is received together with order data for ordering the content, and content according to the storage capability data is created or selected. 19. A content providing system for providing a requested content via an external communication network, a storage device for storing a content including a plurality of components and a priority of the component for displaying the content. A reception processing unit that receives reproduction capability data including at least one of the number of displayable characters, the size of a display area, and the resolution for reproducing the content, together with the order data for ordering the content; And a transmission processing unit that transmits the content to an information processing terminal that has requested the content, based on the priority of the content. 20. A content providing system for providing a requested content via an external communication network, comprising: a displayable number of characters for reproducing the content; a size and resolution of a display area; A storage device for storing a plurality of contents corresponding to playback capability data including at least one of functions, a reception processing unit receiving the playback capability data together with order data for ordering the content, and a playback capability A content providing system, comprising: a selection processing unit that selects content corresponding to the content from the storage device; and a transmission processing unit that transmits the content to an information processing terminal that has requested the content.