JP2005222189A - Content use right management system and content use right management method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize the change in substraction rate of credit of a user according to communication quality in delivery of a digital content to a user terminal. <P>SOLUTION: A communication network 1 receives a delivery request of a digital content desired by the user from a user terminal 21, and reports the delivery request information to a content delivery server 3. The content delivery server 3 prepares to deliver the digital content desired to deliver by the user to the user terminal 21 according to designation information for digital content contained in the received delivery request information. When a delivery start request is received from the user terminal 21, the digital content is transmitted to the user terminal 21 according to the communication quality contained in the delivery request information, and the subtraction of credit of the user at a charging rate differed according to the communication quality is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a system and method for distributing digital content via a communication network, and more particularly, to use content that enables subtraction of different user credits according to communication quality in distributing digital content to user terminals. The present invention relates to a rights management system and method.

  Conventionally, in a prepaid card or an IC card public telephone, there is a service for subtracting the call frequency of a public telephone used by a user from a user credit (for example, remaining frequency) of the prepaid card or IC card (for example, a patent) Reference 1).

However, there is no service that changes the credit subtraction rate according to the service quality received by the user.
JP 63-301664 A

  For example, in streaming distribution of music, video, etc., it is unfair that the same fee as the normal fee is charged even when the performance of the user terminal is poor or the bandwidth of the line used for distribution is narrow . There is an IC card public telephone as a conventional technique, which is a technique for performing variable credit subtraction with parameters of distance and time, and its communication quality is fixed at 64 kbps.

  The present invention realizes changing a user credit subtraction rate according to communication quality when digital content purchased by a user is delivered to a user terminal via a network, and eliminates unfairness of accounting. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention distributes digital content purchased by a user according to communication quality suitable for a user terminal as a distribution destination, and subtracts a user's credit according to the communication quality. It is characterized by performing.

  Specifically, the present invention provides a content distribution server that distributes content to a user terminal, and a communication quality suitable for each user terminal based on a contract between the user and a communication carrier, between the user terminal and the content distribution server. A content usage right management system comprising a communication network for realizing communication, wherein the communication network receives a distribution request for a digital content desired by a user from the user terminal, and sends information on the distribution request to the content distribution server. The content distribution server stores and manages the amount of credit purchased by the user of the user terminal, and specifies the digital content included in the distribution request information received from the communication network. According to the information, the digital device that the user wants to purchase and distribute Means for preparing distribution of the content to the user terminal, and when there is a distribution start request from the user terminal, the user terminal of the digital content according to communication quality based on information of the distribution request obtained from the communication network And means for subtracting the credit of the user at a different charging rate depending on the communication quality.

  Further, the digital content distribution request transmitted from the communication network to the content distribution server includes a user ID for uniquely identifying the user by the content distribution server, and a communication business for managing the user and the communication network. And a subscriber ID for uniquely identifying a user when a service contract with a subscriber is included, and the content distribution server associates one or more subscriber IDs with the one user ID. And the amount of credit can be managed.

  In addition, the content distribution server can change a credit subtraction rate performed when distributing the digital content to the user terminal according to parameters other than the communication quality.

  The content distribution server includes means for performing inter-terminal exclusive control for prohibiting simultaneous distribution of the digital content to a plurality of user terminals of the user, and subtracting credits purchased by the user from the user terminal It can also be performed for each digital content to be distributed.

  In addition, the present invention realizes communication between a user terminal and a content distribution server with a communication quality suitable for each user terminal based on a contract between the user and a communication carrier, and a content distribution server that distributes content to the user terminal A content usage right management method by a content usage right management system comprising a communication network, wherein the communication network receives a distribution request for a digital content desired by a user from the user terminal, and receives information on the distribution request A process of notifying the content distribution server, and the content distribution server stores and manages the amount of credit purchased by the user of the user terminal, and is included in the information of the distribution request received from the communication network According to the digital content designation information, the user Communication quality based on information on the request for distribution obtained from the communication network when the digital terminal purchases and prepares distribution of the digital content desired to be distributed to the user terminal, and when there is a distribution start request from the user terminal. The digital content is distributed to the user terminal, and the user credit is subtracted at a different charging rate according to the communication quality.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to subtract user credits at different charging rates according to communication quality and other parameters in distribution of digital content purchased by a user to a user terminal.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is intended to assist understanding of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same functions for realizing the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a content usage right management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a communication network of various communication carriers such as a subscriber telephone network, ISDN network, and mobile telephone network, 21, 22,..., 2n denote user terminals such as user personal computers and mobile phones, and 3 denotes It is a content distribution server of a content provider.

  The communication network 1 receives, for example, a digital content distribution request (distribution request information) desired by the user from the user terminal 21 and notifies the content distribution server 3 of the distribution request information.

  The content distribution server 3 prepares for distribution to the user terminal 21 of the digital content that the user purchases and desires distribution according to the digital content designation information included in the distribution request information received from the communication network 1. If there is a distribution start request from the user terminal 21, the digital content is distributed to the user terminal 21 in accordance with the communication quality (communication quality parameter) included in the distribution request information, and predetermined according to the communication quality. User credits are subtracted at different billing rates.

  The distribution request information transmitted from the user terminal 21 to the communication network 1 includes a user ID. This user ID is a management identifier for the content provider to uniquely identify the user. A user acquires a user ID when signing a service contract with a content provider.

  Further, the credit subtraction rate performed when the content distribution server 3 distributes the digital content to the user terminal 21 may be variable according to not only the communication quality but also other parameters.

  Further, the content distribution server 3 may perform inter-terminal exclusion control that prohibits simultaneous distribution of digital content to a plurality of user terminals having the same user ID. For example, the user terminal 21 and the user terminal 22 can be prohibited from receiving digital content distribution with the same user ID at the same time.

  Here, various parameters such as “average communication speed”, “communication transmission delay”, “communication speed stability”, and “communication continuity guarantee” can be considered as communication quality parameters. The communication quality is a quality defined by a service (for example, subscriber telephone / ISDN, ADSL maximum 40 Mbps type, etc.) provided by a communication carrier of the communication network 1. The content distribution server 3 can request and acquire the communication quality parameter of the communication service used by the user terminal that requested the content distribution from the communication carrier.

  The user's credit is a quantity corresponding to the “frequency” of an IC card or a prepaid card, for example. The user purchases credit with a credit card or cash in advance.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the content distribution server 3. The content distribution server 3 is requested in accordance with a communication unit 31 that performs communication via the communication network 1, a distribution request receiving unit 32 that receives a digital content distribution request from a user terminal, and digital content designation information included in the distribution request information. A distribution preparation unit 33 for preparing the distribution of the digital content, a content distribution unit 34 for distributing the digital content to the user terminal according to the communication quality obtained from the distribution request information by the distribution start request from the user terminal, and the distribution of the digital content On the other hand, a credit subtracting unit 35 that subtracts a user's credit at a different charging rate depending on communication quality, a content database 36 that stores data of digital content to be distributed, and a user that stores management information of credits purchased by the user・Comprising a JIT management information storage unit 37.

  FIG. 3 is an operation sequence of the content usage right management system in the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the user terminal 21 makes a content distribution request.

  Upon receiving a digital content distribution request (distribution request information) desired by the user from the user terminal 21 (SQ1), the communication network 1 notifies the content distribution server 3 of the distribution request information (SQ2).

  In the content distribution server 3, the distribution request receiving unit 32 receives a distribution request from the communication network 1 through the communication unit 31, and the distribution preparation unit 33 follows the designation information of the digital content included in the received distribution request information. 21 users purchase and prepare for distribution of digital contents desired to be distributed (SQ3).

  Next, when the content distribution server 3 receives a distribution start request from the user terminal 21 (SQ4), the content distribution unit 34 reads the requested digital content from the content database 36, and transmits the digital content to the user terminal 21. Distribution is started (SQ5). Further, the credit subtraction unit 35 subtracts the credit of the user of the user terminal 21 stored in the user / credit management information storage unit 37 at a different charging rate depending on the communication quality (SQ6).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of user credit management information for each content stored in the user / credit management information storage unit 37. In the user / credit management information shown in FIG. 4, the content identifier is a management identifier for uniquely identifying digital content. As described above, the user ID is a management identifier of the user that is given by the content provider to uniquely manage the user when the user contracts for the content providing service. The contractor ID is a management identifier for the telecommunications carrier to manage users. For example, in the case of a subscriber phone, it is a calling telephone number. When a user signs a service contract with a content provider, the user registers a contractor ID with the content provider. The credit amount is information indicating how many remaining credits each user has purchased.

  The content distribution server 3 manages, for each digital content, the user who purchased the digital content and the remaining credit amount of the user using the user credit management information as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the credit amount of the user is managed for each digital content, but this is to make it possible to cope with a case where the content holder for holding the digital content is different for each digital content. By using such user / credit management information, centralized management of users for each digital content by the content provider becomes possible.

  One user may register a plurality of contractor IDs, such as a user with user ID = 002 shown in FIG. For example, a user may contract a communication service with a different carrier such as a mobile phone network or ISDN network, and desire to distribute digital contents to each user terminal such as a mobile phone or a personal computer. In this case, two contractor IDs corresponding to the communication carrier are registered at the time of contract for the content providing service. In FIG. 4, the user whose user ID is “002” has registered “LMN1234” and “XYZ1234” as the contractor ID. The content distribution server 3 identifies the distribution destination user terminal from the contractor ID included in the distribution request information. Communication quality information is also acquired.

  As a result, the user can use various terminals for content reproduction according to the situation, and so-called one-stop purchase of content becomes possible.

  Each time the user receives the content, the content distribution server 3 subtracts the credit amount of the user / credit management information at a charging rate corresponding to the communication quality of the content. In addition to changing the charging rate according to the communication quality, for example, the user can also change the charging rate according to the reproduction quality of the user terminal that receives the content.

  Communication content information may be included in the distribution request information from the user terminal that the content distribution server 3 receives from the communication network 1, and the content distribution server 3 informs the telecommunications carrier of the communication network 1, The communication quality may be inquired and acquired based on the contractor ID included in the distribution request information.

  When the content distribution server 3 makes an inquiry to the communication network 1 to acquire communication quality, it is possible to select digital content with an appropriate bit rate for the user terminal from the acquired communication quality. There is no need to select digital contents suitable for the bit rate being communicated at the user terminal.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the content usage right management system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the content delivery server in this Embodiment. It is an operation | movement sequence of the content usage right management system in this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the user credit management information in this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication network 21, 22, ..., 2n User terminal 3 Content distribution server 31 Communication part 32 Distribution request receiving part 33 Distribution preparation part 34 Content distribution part 35 Credit subtraction part 36 Content database 37 User credit management information storage part

Claims (5)

A content distribution server that distributes content to user terminals, and a communication network that realizes communication between the user terminals and the content distribution server with communication quality suitable for each user terminal based on a contract between the user and the communication carrier A content usage right management system,
The communication network is:
Means for receiving a digital content distribution request desired by the user from the user terminal, and notifying the content distribution server of the distribution request information;
The content distribution server includes:
Means for storing and managing the amount of credit purchased by a user of the user terminal;
Means for preparing to distribute to the user terminal the digital content that the user has purchased and desired to distribute according to the digital content designation information included in the information of the distribution request received from the communication network;
Means for delivering the digital content to the user terminal according to the communication quality based on the delivery request information obtained from the communication network when there is a delivery start request from the user terminal;
Means for subtracting the credit of the user at a different charging rate depending on the communication quality. In the content usage right management system according to claim 1,
The digital content distribution request information transmitted from the communication network to the content distribution server includes a user ID for uniquely identifying the user by the content distribution server, and a communication business for managing the user and the communication network. Subscriber ID for the carrier to uniquely identify the user at the time of service contract with the subscriber,
The content distribution right management system, wherein the content distribution server stores one or more contractor IDs in association with the one user ID and manages the credit amount. In the content usage right management system according to claim 1 or 2,
The content distribution server includes:
A content usage right management system, comprising: means for changing a credit subtraction rate for distribution of the digital content to the user terminal in accordance with the communication quality and other parameters. In the content usage right management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The content distribution server includes:
Means for performing exclusive control between terminals for prohibiting simultaneous distribution of the digital content to a plurality of user terminals of the user;
A content usage right management system, wherein the credit purchased by the user is subtracted for each digital content distributed to the user terminal. A content distribution server that distributes content to user terminals, and a communication network that realizes communication between the user terminals and the content distribution server with communication quality suitable for each user terminal based on a contract between the user and the communication carrier A content usage right management method by a content usage right management system,
The communication network is
Receiving a digital content delivery request desired by the user from the user terminal, and notifying the content delivery server of the delivery request information;
The content distribution server is
Storing and managing the amount of credit purchased by the user of the user terminal;
In accordance with the digital content designation information included in the delivery request information received from the communication network, the user purchases and prepares delivery of the digital content desired to be delivered to the user terminal;
A process of delivering the digital content to the user terminal according to the communication quality based on the delivery request information obtained from the communication network when there is a delivery start request from the user terminal;
And subtracting the user's credit at a different charge rate according to the communication quality.

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