JP2005056284A - File management device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a file management device capable of effectively utilizing a disk device by automatically deleting unnecessary contents files from contents files stored in the disk device of a server for distributing contents by streaming. <P>SOLUTION: A contents management information list to be managed by reference frequency obtained by correcting the access state of each contents file stored in the disk device of the distribution server by considering the number of days having elapsed from the registered date of the contents file and the playback time of the contents file by a viewer is created and managed by a contents file access state management means. The information in the contents management information list is updated in each prescribed period by a contents file access state updating means and a file matched with a prescribed deleting condition is extracted and deleted by a contents file deleting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to the use of a disk device that stores content to be distributed in a server device that distributes content such as moving images by a streaming method, and efficiently uses the disk device by appropriately deleting unnecessary content files. The content file management apparatus which implement | achieves is implement | achieved.

  In a server that distributes content by streaming, a file of the content is stored in a disk device. However, each file size of content including moving image data is considerably large, and a server that distributes many contents However, the area of the disk device may be compressed to store the content file.

  Among the content files stored in the disk device of such a server, there are many cases where content files that are not viewed and are unnecessary are often included, and the server administrator regularly In addition, it is necessary to search for such unnecessary content files and delete them from the disk device.

  However, it is difficult to determine which content file is actually required and which content file is unnecessary, and it is possible to delete unnecessary content files appropriately and effectively use the disk device. It was difficult.

  In order to solve such problems, information on the date and time of the last access is managed for each content file, and content files that have passed a predetermined period since the last access have a low frequency of reference. Each time a content management file is referred to, or a file management device (for example, see Patent Document 1) that determines that the file is an unnecessary file and performs a deletion process, the reference count is simply counted up to a predetermined count or less. There has been devised a file device that determines that a content file having only the number of accesses is an unnecessary file and automatically executes a deletion process (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  Since content files distributed by streaming cannot be understood unless the content is actually played back, the content is viewed by the user as a trial, and if it is not the content desired by the user, it is played in the middle. It is a routine practice to interrupt the process.

  In such a content file to be referred to, in the conventional file management apparatus, even when the user reproduces the content file as a trial, the access is determined as the last access, and is counted as one reference count. Thus, there is a problem that an originally unnecessary content file that has not been played back to the end only by accessing the trial is stored in the disk device without being deleted.

JP 7-225704 A JP-A-6-259293

  As described above, the conventional techniques have the following problems.

  In a server that distributes content such as moving images by streaming, the content file includes moving image data and the like, and the size of the content file is large, and the free space of the disk device storing the content file is compressed by unnecessary content files. there were.

  For this reason, it is necessary for the server administrator to periodically delete unnecessary content files from the disk device, but it is difficult to determine which content files are unnecessary. In some cases, the disk device remains on the disk device and an effective disk device cannot be used.

  In order to solve such problems, by managing the date and time of the last access for each content file stored in the disk device of the server, it is determined that the content file whose predetermined period has passed since the last access is unnecessary If a file management device or content file is accessed, the number of accesses to that file is simply counted up and managed, and it is determined that a content file that has a predetermined number of accesses or less is unnecessary. A device for automatic deletion has been devised.

  However, in such a conventional file management apparatus, any access is handled in the same manner, so that access to a content file for reproduction is limited to the top of the file, such as content distributed by streaming. There is a problem that it is not possible to deal with the case where the necessity of the content file should be determined depending on whether it has been played back or played to the end.

  An object of the present invention is to properly find unnecessary content files from distribution content files stored in a disk device and automatically delete them in a server that distributes content by streaming. An object of the present invention is to provide a file management device that can effectively use the file management.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following means.

  A list of content files stored in the distribution server device, the number of days elapsed from the date of registration to the disk device of the distribution server for each content file, and the number of references corrected by the playback time of the content file by the viewer Content file access status management means that is created and managed as a management information list is provided.

  The number of references corrected by the elapsed time from the registration date for each content file managed in the content file management information list and the playback time by the viewer from the contents of the file access log by the content file viewer for each predetermined period By providing content file access status update means for updating information, grasp the access status in consideration of the percentage of playback time by the viewer of the content file that should be considered as access to the content file by streaming delivery To be able to.

  Content file deletion means for determining whether the access status of each content file updated by the content file access status update means satisfies a predetermined deletion condition, and automatically deleting the content file that satisfies the deletion condition from the disk device It comprises so that it may be provided.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

  A distribution server that distributes content by streaming needs to store content files for distribution in a disk device. However, many content files have a large size such as video data. In order to store the data, a considerably large disk capacity is required, and it is necessary to effectively use the disk device.

  Under such circumstances, some content files are rarely viewed and become unnecessary, and these unnecessary content files put pressure on the free capacity of the disk device of the distribution server. There was a problem of being.

  In the past, these unnecessary content files were regularly deleted by the server administrator. However, it is difficult for the administrator to determine which content files are really unnecessary content files. Eventually, unnecessary content files remain in the disk device, and the disk device may not be used effectively.

  In order to solve such problems, file management devices that extract unnecessary content files from the last access time and the number of accesses of content files and automatically delete them have been devised. In these file management devices, streaming is performed. There is a problem in that only the first person is viewed as a trial by distribution, and contents that should not be reproduced until the end should remain on the disk device without being deleted.

  By using the present invention, unnecessary content suitable for how content files are used in streaming distribution can be managed by correcting the number of references in consideration of the playback time of the content file by the viewer of the content file. Files can be automatically deleted, and a file management device that can effectively use the disk device of the streaming distribution server can be provided.

  The present invention takes the following embodiments.

  Content file management including a list of content files stored in the disk device of the distribution server, the number of days elapsed from the registration date of each content file on the server device, and the number of references corrected by the playback time of the content file by the viewer Content file access status management means for creating and managing the information list is provided.

  As a result, it is possible to manage the number of days elapsed since the date registered in the disk device of all the content files stored in the disk device and the usage status by the viewer using the content file management information list. The file can be extracted.

  Reference corrected by the number of days elapsed from the registration date for each content file managed by the content file access status management means and the playback time by the viewer from the contents of the file access log by the content file viewer for each predetermined period A content file access status update unit for updating the number-of-times information is provided.

  Thereby, the information in the content file management information list is updated to the latest information every predetermined period, so that unnecessary content files can be extracted in a timely manner.

  Content file deletion means for determining whether the access status of each content file updated by the content file access status update means satisfies a predetermined deletion condition, and automatically deleting the content file that satisfies the deletion condition from the disk device Configure to include.

  As a result, it is possible to automatically delete a content file that matches a predetermined deletion condition, and it is possible to prevent an empty area from being pressed by an unnecessary content file in the disk device of the distribution server. The disk device can be operated.

  Instead of automatically deleting the file by the content file deletion means, the administrator of the server device refers to the contents of the content management information list, determines the unnecessary content, and deletes the content file determined to be unnecessary Or processing such as compression may be performed.

  A typical embodiment according to the present invention will be described. In the following, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description may be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the content file access status management means 1 acquires a list of content files 4b stored in the disk device 4 from a predetermined folder in which content files are stored by a file name list acquisition command, Create a list of content files.

  As the items of this list, the number of days elapsed from the date registered in the disk device 4 for each content file and the reference count corrected in consideration of the playback time by the viewer of the content file are added as content file management information. The content management information list 1a is created.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the content management information list 1a is a list in which information of all content files is managed with a file name, the number of days elapsed from the registration date, and the number of correction references as one set.

  FIG. 2 shows an example in which there are seven content files, but the content file access status management means 1 sets 0 as the elapsed days and the corrected reference count as initial values when creating the content management information list 1a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the content file access status update unit 2 refers to the file access log every predetermined period, and updates the correction reference count of the content management information list 1a from the contents of the file access log.

  Specifically, from the information in the file access log collected when distributing content from the distribution server to the viewer as shown in FIG. Get the time played by the person.

  A ratio of the reproduced time to the entire content time (reproduction time / total time) is obtained, and this is added as the corrected reference number to the corrected reference number managed in the content management information list 1a.

  In the example of the file access log in FIG. 3, the file access log of the content A is collected in the logs of the log number 1, the log number 2, the log number 6, and the log number 7. From the contents of these logs, the content A Since the total playback time is 15 minutes (1 minute + 5 minutes + 6 minutes + 3 minutes), the number of correction references for content A is 15/30 = 0.5.

  Similarly, FIG. 4 shows the content of the content management information list 1a after the update processing is performed by the content file access status update unit 2 from the content of the file access log of FIG.

  If the update process by the content file access status update unit 2 is performed once a day, the content management is performed by adding 1 to the number of days elapsed from the registration date for each update process. The number of days elapsed from the registration date for each content file in the information list 1a is updated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, content that matches a predetermined deletion condition from the content of the content management information list 1a in which the latest access state is managed by the periodic update processing by the content file access status update unit 2 as described above. Content file deletion means 3 is provided for extracting a file and automatically deleting the content file from the disk device 4.

  For example, when the deletion condition is set to delete a content file whose correction reference count is 10 or less among the content files that have passed 10 days or more from the registration date, the content management information list 1a When the contents of FIG. 5 are the contents as shown in FIG. 5, the contents A, the contents C, and the contents E meet the deletion condition, so that these contents files are deleted from the disk device 4.

  Unnecessary content file deletion conditions may be fixed conditions, or may be set freely by the administrator of the distribution server.

  Various conditions can be set as deletion conditions. For example, a predetermined number of times of reference per day (for example, two times or more) is set, and the number of times of reference per day is ensured every predetermined period. (For example, it is determined whether the correction reference count has increased by 20 or more than the previous determination every 10 days), and unnecessary content files may be deleted.

  Such unnecessary content file deletion processing by the content file deletion unit 3 is periodically performed at a timing after the content management information list 1a update processing by the content file access status update unit 2.

  As a result, when a predetermined period elapses and the content management information list 1a becomes the latest information, unnecessary content files are extracted in a timely manner and automatically deleted.

  In addition, at the timing after the unnecessary content file deletion process by the content file deletion unit 3, the content file access status management unit 1 acquires a list of file names of the content files stored in the disk device 4, and includes them. If there is a content file name not registered in the content management information list 1a, it is added to the content management information list 1a as a content file newly registered in the disk device 4, and the file name in the content management information list 1a is added. Among them, a content file that is not in the file name list of the content file stored in the obtained disk device 4 is deleted from the content management information list 1a as a deleted content file, and the content management information list 1a is stored. It is to be updated to the new information.

  6 and 7 show an example of the update processing of the content management information list 1a. The content file name list on the disk device shown in FIG. 6A and the content management information shown in FIG. The latest content management information list shown in FIG. 7 is created from the list.

  It should be noted that the number of days elapsed from the registration date of the newly added content file and the number of correction references are set to 0 as initial values.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of a content management information list. It is explanatory drawing of a file access log. It is explanatory drawing of the content management information list after information update. It is explanatory drawing of the content management information list after progress for a predetermined period. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a content management information list update process. It is explanatory drawing of the content management information list after an update process.

Explanation of symbols

1: Content file access status management means 1a: Content management information list 2: Content file access status update means 3: Content file deletion means 4: Disk device 4a: File access log 4b: Content file

Claims (2)

In a file management device that manages content files stored in a disk device of a server device that distributes content by streaming,
Content file access status management that creates and manages a list of content files and the number of days elapsed from the date of registration in the disk device of the distribution server for each content file and the number of references corrected by the playback time of the content as a content file management information list Means,
Content file access status that refers to the file access log of the content file every predetermined period and updates the number of days elapsed since the registration date managed by the content file access status management means and the reference count corrected by the playback time of the content Update means;
A file management apparatus comprising: In a file management device that manages content files stored in a disk device of a server device that distributes content by streaming,
Content file deletion means for deleting the content file from the disk device when a predetermined deletion condition is satisfied,
The file management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

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