JP2004259303A - Replay information control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system capable of preventing improper use of information and used for collecting charge according to the volume of used information without depending on a network or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A user 11 sets both a disk 10 and an IC card 16 on a replay device 26. Replay control information 14 of the disk 10 and replay permission information 18 of the IC card 16 are read. In the replay device 26, the two pieces of the read information are verified to determine whether replay is permitted or not. When the replay is permitted, software information 12 is replayed, and use information is detected in parallel with it. When the replay is finished, the use information 19 is recorded in the IC card 16. In returning the disc, a rental shop 28 reads the use information 19 from the IC card 16, and calculates a charge amount from the software use information 19. The user 11 just pays the charge according to the use. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a reproduction information management system, and more specifically, to the prevention of unauthorized copying of information and the improvement of technology for using information contained in a medium.

  As is well known, in a disk package medium such as a CD, all information included in the disk is disclosed to the disk owner when the disk is obtained. Therefore, the disk owner can use all information included in the disk at the time of obtaining the disk. For this reason, the price of the disc is set for all information included in the disc, and the consumer pays the set price to purchase the disc. The idea is to pay for “owning” the information contained in the disc.

  As a method of temporarily renting package media and using the information, there is a rental business of CDs and the like. The rental fee is set based on the initial purchase amount of the package media and the rental period set as described above. This rental fee is also set for all information included in the disc or the like. In the case of such a rental business, the price is calculated on the assumption that many people use the information recorded on one package medium, so the price per package medium is necessarily expensive, The initial purchase amount at the rental store is also very high. Therefore, the rental price determined on the basis of these increases.

  On the other hand, the disk itself can be manufactured at very low cost. Thus, the price paid for a disc can be considered to be mostly for the quality and quantity of information contained on the disc. In a distribution system that pays for "ownership", even if you do not need all the information on the disc, you must pay for all the information contained on the disc in order to obtain the disc . In other words, in order to meet the quality and quantity of information worthy of the price, a wide variety of discs must be manufactured with only a slight change in the content of the information to meet the needs of various consumers. Such a distribution system is not only inconvenient for consumers, but also increases costs and complicates distribution for producers.

  On the other hand, a “super-distribution system” is considered as a distribution form in which payment is paid not for “owning” information but for “use” of information. According to this system, the consumer only needs to pay for the information used, and can eliminate the inconvenience of the distribution system in which the above-mentioned "ownership" of information is paid, which is a more rational system. Conceivable. In this super-distribution system, information usage status and usage restriction information are exchanged with a management system via a communication network.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of such a super distribution system. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the super distribution system is applied to a DVD. The software supplier 900 provides an inexpensive encrypted super-distribution DVD 902 (arrow FA). On the other hand, the super-distribution compatible DVD player 904 is provided with a connector 908 for an IC card 906 and a communication port 912 for a telephone line 910. Reproduction limit data is stored in the IC card 906 in advance, and this data is reduced every time information is reproduced. The communication port 912 is connected to the computer of the software supplier 900 via the telephone line 910, and is used for collecting a DVD playback fee (arrow FB) and setting a playback frame (arrow FC). In a normal sales system, a normal purchase type DVD 914 is provided (arrow FD), and a purchase fee is collected (arrow FE).

  According to such a super-distribution system, it is possible to accurately grasp the amount of information actually used among information included in package media such as a DVD, and to reliably collect a fee for the information. Therefore, there is no need to add the expected amount of information to be sold as in the rental price described above, and the disk itself is extremely inexpensive, so that the initial purchase amount of the disk is very low. In addition, since the user is charged for the amount of information used, a charging system that is fair and easy for the user to understand can be realized. For example, if the content of the information is dull when used halfway, if the reproduction is stopped there, no charge is made for the information that has not been reproduced.

  However, in the super-distribution system described above, a large-scale system is required, for example, information usage status and usage restriction information are exchanged via a communication network. Further, there is no clear standard indicating how much information has been used to achieve the same purpose with packaged media, and no means or method for knowing how much information has been used.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to reproduce information using a recording medium, particularly a disk, without requiring a large-scale network and charging according to the use situation. It is to do. Another object is to prevent unauthorized reproduction of information and production of unauthorized products.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following means 1) to 5).
That is,
1) an information recording medium on which software information to be reproduced and reproduction management information necessary for reproduction management of the software information are recorded;
A management medium on which reproduction permission information for reproducing the software information is recorded;
Reproducing means for reproducing the software information;
First reading means for reading the reproduction management information;
Second reading means for reading the reproduction permission information;
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not permitted by the reproducing means based on the reproduction management information and the reproduction permission information read by the first and second reading means;
Usage information detection means for detecting the usage status of the software information in the reproduction means as software usage information;
Writing means for writing the detected software usage information to the management medium;
With
The software usage information is reproduction time information of the software information, wherein the information recording medium is a disk, and the reproduction management information is recorded on the disk at a lower density than the software information. Information management system.
2) an information recording medium on which software information to be reproduced and reproduction management information required for reproduction management of the software information are recorded;
A management medium on which reproduction permission information for reproducing the software information is recorded;
Reproducing means for reproducing the software information;
First reading means for reading the reproduction management information;
Second reading means for reading the reproduction permission information;
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not permitted by the reproducing means based on the reproduction management information and the reproduction permission information read by the first and second reading means;
Usage information detection means for detecting the usage status of the software information in the reproduction means as software usage information;
Writing means for writing the detected software usage information to the management medium;
With
The software information is divided into a plurality of pieces, the software usage information is the number of the sections that have been reproduced, and the information recording medium is a disc, and the reproduction management information has a lower density than the software information. A reproduction information management system recorded on the disk.
3) an information recording medium on which software information to be reproduced and reproduction management information necessary for reproduction management of the software information are recorded;
A management medium on which reproduction permission information for reproducing the software information is recorded;
Reproducing means for reproducing the software information;
First reading means for reading the reproduction management information;
Second reading means for reading the reproduction permission information;
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not permitted by the reproducing means based on the reproduction management information and the reproduction permission information read by the first and second reading means;
Usage information detection means for detecting the usage status of the software information in the reproduction means as software usage information;
Writing means for writing the detected software usage information to the management medium;
With
A plurality of reproduction determination points are set in the software information, the software usage information is the number of reproduced reproduction determination points, and the information recording medium is a disk, and has a lower density than the software information. A reproduction information management system, wherein the reproduction management information is recorded on the disc.
4) an information recording medium on which software information to be reproduced and reproduction management information required for reproduction management of the software information are recorded;
A management medium on which reproduction permission information for reproducing the software information is recorded;
Reproducing means for reproducing the software information;
First reading means for reading the reproduction management information;
Second reading means for reading the reproduction permission information;
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not permitted by the reproducing means based on the reproduction management information and the reproduction permission information read by the first and second reading means;
Usage information detection means for detecting the usage status of the software information in the reproduction means as software usage information;
Writing means for writing the detected software usage information to the management medium;
With
The software usage information is billing information calculated based on the software usage information, and the information recording medium is a disk, and the reproduction management information is recorded on the disk at a lower density than the software information. A reproduction information management system characterized by the following.
5) The reproduction information management system according to claim 4, further comprising display means for displaying the amount of money based on the billing information.

As described above, the present invention has the following effects.
(1) When information is reproduced using a recording medium, particularly a disk, it is possible to perform charging according to the use situation without requiring a large-scale network.
(2) It is possible to satisfactorily prevent illegal use of information and production of illegal products.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 shows a reproduction information management system according to one embodiment. This system assumes DVD disk rental in a rental store. As shown in FIG. 2A, the user 11 goes to the rental store 28. Then, from among the many disks 13, as shown in FIG. 2B, the disk 10 storing the software information 12 to be viewed is selected. On the disc 13, reproduction management information 14 unique to each disc is recorded. The unique reproduction management information 14 includes, for example, a title ID of recording information, a serial number of a disc, and the like. In the case of a DVD disc, a BCA (Burst Cutting Area) signal is recorded at the innermost circumference of the disc at a recording density lower than that of the software information. The BCA signal is recorded in the form of a bar code for each disc, and the recorded content cannot be read from the appearance alone. Therefore, it is excellent as a recording method of the reproduction management information 14.

  At the same time as the disk 10, the membership card in which the reproduction permission information 18 is recorded is handed to the user 11 as the reproduction permission management medium 16. As the reproduction permission management medium 16, for example, an IC card can be used. If a membership card indicating that the user is a member of the rental store is issued as an IC card, the reproduction permission information can be rewritten and reused each time the user uses the card. The reproduction permission information 18 includes information on the user indicating whether the user is a valid user, information on the disc to be lent (such as a title ID and a serial number), and information on the expiration date.

  When renting the disk 10, there is no charge for using the software information. All that is required is a lending fee and a security deposit if the disc 10 is not returned. When renting a plurality of disks, a plurality of pieces of reproduction permission information corresponding to the rent are recorded on the IC card. However, since the recording capacity of the IC card is usually large, one membership card 16 is sufficient. For example, even if the reproduction permission information 18 necessary for renting one disk 10 needs about 512 bytes, the reproduction permission information 18 on a plurality of disks 10 can be recorded on one IC card.

  Next, an information reproducing method at the time of software reproduction by the user 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the playback device 26 according to the present embodiment includes a disk playback unit 20, a playback information comparison unit 21, an IC card recording / reproduction unit 22, a usage information detection unit 23, a display unit 24, and a usage information storage unit 25. In. Note that the IC card recording / reproducing unit 22 may be connected to the outside of the playback device 26 by an adapter without being built in the playback device 26. The user 11 brings back the disk 10 and the IC card 16 and sets them both in the reproducing device 26 for software reproduction as shown in FIG. 1B (FIG. 2, step S10). That is, the disc 10 is set in the disc reproducing unit 20, and the IC card 16 is set in the IC card recording / reproducing unit 22.

  The playback device 26 reads the playback management information 14 of the set disc 10 and the playback permission information 18 of the IC card 16 (step S12). Specifically, the reproduction management information 14 is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit 20, and the reproduction permission information 18 is reproduced by the IC card recording / reproducing unit 22. The read information 14 and 18 are collated by the reproduction information collation unit 21 (Step S14), and it is determined whether or not the reproduction may be permitted (Step S16). Since the playback device 26 has date and time (year, month, day, and time) information, this information is also referred to at the time of determination.

  For example, only the disc 10 is set without setting the IC card 16, or even if both the disc 10 and the IC card 16 are set, the disc 10 is reproduced beyond the lending period registered in the IC card 16, Alternatively, if reproduction is attempted beyond the usage information recorded on the IC card 16, the reproduction is not permitted (N in step S16). At this time, a message such as "This disc cannot be played on this card." Or "This disc has expired. Please return it" is displayed on the display unit 24 (step S18). The operation is stopped (step S32).

  As a result of the comparison, if the reproduction is permitted (Y in step S16), the software information 12 of the disk 10 is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit 20 (steps S20 and S26). During reproduction, the usage information is detected in parallel by the usage information detection unit 23 (step S22), and is stored in the usage information storage unit 25 (step S24).

Here, the method of detecting the usage information includes, for example, the following methods, and the software creator can arbitrarily set how to charge. Which method is used is specified by the reproduction management information 14 and the reproduction permission information 18.
(1) The time at which the user played back the software information is used as usage information. The reproduction time itself may be used, or information corresponding to the reproduction time, for example, the time may be divided into a certain range of less than one hour, less than one and a half hours, two hours or more, and may be set stepwise.

(2) Information on the number of breaks of information in software, such as the number of playback chapters, is used as usage information. Similarly to the above (1), the number of divisions may be the same, or stepwise setting may be performed for each fixed number.

(3) It is detected that a specific portion in the software information has been reproduced, and the number of times is used as usage information. The specific location can be set arbitrarily, and if you see a specific scene, it will be counted once, or multiple specific locations will be scattered throughout the software, and if that location is reproduced, the detection count will be increased and used as usage information . As a method of setting the specific location, for example, a method of recording a signal indicating the specific location in the reserved area of the sector ID and detecting the signal in response to a command from the IC card 16 or a method of controlling reproduction There is a method in which a specific location is recorded by designating a chapter number, a sector number, or the like in the information 14, and the fact that the specified specific location designated by the instruction from the IC card 16 is reproduced is detected.

  The reproduction operation (step S26) is stopped when the software is finished or when the user performs a reproduction stop operation (Y and S32 in step S28). At this time, as shown in FIG. 1C, the use information 19 is recorded on the IC card 16 by the IC card recording / reproducing unit 22 when the reproduction ends or is stopped (step S30).

  Next, return of the rented disk 10 will be described. The user 11 goes to the rental store 28 with the disk 10 and the IC card 16. The rental store 28 reads the usage information 19 from the IC card 16 returned from the user 11, and calculates the charge amount from the usage information recorded in step S30.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects are obtained.
(1) When reproducing information using media, especially discs, prevent unauthorized use such as duplication of information or piracy, and ensure that information contained on discs does not depend on large-scale infrastructure such as networks. In addition, a fee can be collected according to the usage amount.
(2) Since the user cannot play the disc after the expiration date, the return rate of the disc is improved. Even if the disc is not returned, secondary use is impossible unless the reproduction permission information 18 is updated, and there is no fear of unauthorized use. Discs can be reimbursed with a small deposit. Further, since the disc itself is inexpensive and the package itself is small, it is possible to prepare a large number of discs, and it is unlikely that the next user will be inconvenienced during lending.

The present invention has many embodiments, and can be variously modified based on the above disclosure. For example, the following is also included.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the simplest and most reliable reproduction permission information 18 and the reproduction management information 14 are illustrated, but a more complicated form may be used. For example, if the software information 12 is encrypted and the reproduction permission information 18 is made to associate the decryption key with the reproduction management information 14 unique to each disk 10, a stronger protection against unauthorized use is provided. become. Alternatively, if the reproduction permission information 18 is obtained by multiplying the reproduction management information 14 by the decryption key, the reproduction management information 14 is different for each disc 10. 18 also differs for each sheet. Therefore, even if the same reproduction permission information 18 is used for another disk, reproduction cannot be performed. In addition, since there are an infinite number of multiplication methods, there is an advantage that it is not easily decoded.

(2) This embodiment is a suitable application example of a disk medium such as a DVD. However, the present embodiment can be applied to any medium as long as it corresponds to a system in which the restriction on reproduction can be released by reproduction permission. is there. In the case of a DVD, a so-called BCA is suitable as an area for recording disc-specific information such as a disc ID.

(3) In the above embodiment, the usage information 19 is collectively recorded on the IC card 16 after the reproduction is ended or stopped. However, the usage information 19 may be recorded and updated on the IC card 16 at any time during the reproduction. . The recorded usage information 19 may be billing information calculated on the basis of the above-mentioned information in addition to the above-described information. It is convenient for the user to display the usage information 19 or the billing information on the display unit 24 of the playback device 26 or a display for playing back and displaying the software information, which is convenient for the user, and prevents trouble when paying a fee when returning the disc. Can be. Further, an information recording / reproducing card having an information display section may be used as a management medium, and the usage information 19 or the billing information may be displayed on the information display section of the card immediately before the card is taken out from the card recording / reproducing machine. .

(4) In the above embodiment, the IC card is used as the reproduction permission management medium. However, as long as the reproduction permission information 18 and the software use information 19 can be rewritten and recorded by an appropriate method such as magnetic or electric, A medium may be used.

It is a figure showing the reproduction information management system of one embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the reproduction | regeneration operation in the said form. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a playback device according to the embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of a super distribution system.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Disc 11 ... User 12 ... Software information 14 ... Reproduction management information 16 ... IC card 18 ... Reproduction permission information 19 ... Software usage information 20 ... Disk reproduction part 21 ... Reproduction information collation part 22 ... IC card recording / reproduction part 23 ... Usage information detection unit 24 Message display unit 25 Usage information storage unit 26 Playback device 28 Rental store

Claims (5)

An information recording medium on which software information to be reproduced and reproduction management information necessary for reproduction management of the software information are recorded;
A management medium on which reproduction permission information for reproducing the software information is recorded;
Reproducing means for reproducing the software information;
First reading means for reading the reproduction management information;
Second reading means for reading the reproduction permission information;
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not permitted by the reproducing means based on the reproduction management information and the reproduction permission information read by the first and second reading means;
Usage information detection means for detecting the usage status of the software information in the reproduction means as software usage information;
Writing means for writing the detected software usage information to the management medium;
With
The software usage information is reproduction time information of the software information, wherein the information recording medium is a disk, and the reproduction management information is recorded on the disk at a lower density than the software information. Information management system. An information recording medium on which software information to be reproduced and reproduction management information necessary for reproduction management of the software information are recorded;
A management medium on which reproduction permission information for reproducing the software information is recorded;
Reproducing means for reproducing the software information;
First reading means for reading the reproduction management information;
Second reading means for reading the reproduction permission information;
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not permitted by the reproducing means based on the reproduction management information and the reproduction permission information read by the first and second reading means;
Usage information detection means for detecting the usage status of the software information in the reproduction means as software usage information;
Writing means for writing the detected software usage information to the management medium;
With
The software information is divided into a plurality of pieces, the software usage information is the number of the sections that have been reproduced, and the information recording medium is a disc, and the reproduction management information has a lower density than the software information. A reproduction information management system recorded on the disk. An information recording medium on which software information to be reproduced and reproduction management information necessary for reproduction management of the software information are recorded;
A management medium on which reproduction permission information for reproducing the software information is recorded;
Reproducing means for reproducing the software information;
First reading means for reading the reproduction management information;
Second reading means for reading the reproduction permission information;
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not permitted by the reproducing means based on the reproduction management information and the reproduction permission information read by the first and second reading means;
Usage information detection means for detecting the usage status of the software information in the reproduction means as software usage information;
Writing means for writing the detected software usage information to the management medium;
With
A plurality of reproduction determination points are set in the software information, the software usage information is the number of reproduced reproduction determination points, and the information recording medium is a disk, and has a lower density than the software information. A reproduction information management system, wherein the reproduction management information is recorded on the disc. An information recording medium on which software information to be reproduced and reproduction management information necessary for reproduction management of the software information are recorded;
A management medium on which reproduction permission information for reproducing the software information is recorded;
Reproducing means for reproducing the software information;
First reading means for reading the reproduction management information;
Second reading means for reading the reproduction permission information;
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not permitted by the reproducing means based on the reproduction management information and the reproduction permission information read by the first and second reading means;
Usage information detection means for detecting the usage status of the software information in the reproduction means as software usage information;
Writing means for writing the detected software usage information to the management medium;
With
The software usage information is billing information calculated based on the software usage information, and the information recording medium is a disk, and the reproduction management information is recorded on the disk at a lower density than the software information. A reproduction information management system characterized by the following.   5. The reproduction information management system according to claim 4, further comprising display means for displaying the amount of money based on the billing information.

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