JP2005309752A - Data using device and method, metadata use management device and method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data using device capable of providing metadata of further high quality over many more contents. <P>SOLUTION: The content using device 102 acquires metadata including attribute information of a content of using object, which also includes provider information showing the provider of the metadata from a metadata delivery server 101. The content using device 102 acquires advertisement information from an advertisement delivery server 103 in a case that a content using the metadata is used, presents the advertisement information, and transmits the provider information contained in the metadata to an advertisement agent server 104. The advertisment agent server 104 performs processing for paying a reward to the provider shown by the provider information. According to this, formation of metadata is promoted, and metadata of further high quality are expected to be provided over many more contents. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a data use apparatus and method that use data, a metadata use management apparatus and method that manages use of metadata, and a program.

  In recent years, many contents (particularly video contents) have been distributed due to the development of information infrastructure such as multi-channel broadcasting by digital satellite broadcasting. On the other hand, with the improvement of computer processing capacity and the spread of broadband networks such as ADSL and FTTH, it is common to record and view videos on a storage device on a personal computer or portable terminal. For home video, instead of the conventional tape media, the advent of a device with a built-in large-capacity hard disk allows multiple contents to be stored together and interactive viewing and editing utilizing random access. It has become.

In order to efficiently handle a large amount of content, information such as an index is essential. The attribute information added to the content such as an index is collectively referred to as “metadata”. In recent years, standardization has been performed as represented by MPEG-7 so that metadata can be interoperated in various environments and applications, and it becomes possible to edit and search content using metadata as a clue. ing. Some summarization techniques have also been proposed that automatically collect a portion of interest of a user from content according to the user's preference. In these summarization techniques, an event in a video is described as attribute information, and is automatically summarized according to matching with the user's preference (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, in Patent Document 1, importance for each event is obtained, events to be included in the summary video are determined based on the importance, and a summary video is created from the section of the corresponding event.
Japanese Patent No. 3176893

  There are a method of automatically creating metadata based on a feature amount of content and a method of manually creating metadata. In order to achieve high-quality content usage using metadata, high-quality metadata (for example, metadata that accurately represents the characteristics of the content) is indispensable. Because of its limitations, you have to rely on creating metadata manually.

  Although there is a delivery method in which the provision of metadata created manually is a paid service, there is a drawback that the operation becomes large. In this respect, volunteer-based metadata creation is advantageous because it can be distributed free of charge. On the other hand, however, a large burden is placed on the person who creates and provides the metadata, so there is a limit to the number of contents that can be provided in the creation of high-quality metadata by volunteers premised on free distribution.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a data use device and method, a metadata use management device and method, and a program that can provide higher-quality metadata across more contents. For the purpose.

  The content utilization device according to the present invention is a communication medium or recording that includes metadata including attribute information indicating attributes related to the contents of the used data and also including provider information indicating the provider of the metadata. A first acquisition means for acquiring via a medium; a utilization means for utilizing the used data; and when the used data using the metadata is used by the utilization means, Second acquisition means for acquiring advertisement information from the first server device to be provided, presentation means for presenting the advertisement information in the above case, and provider information included in the metadata in the above case, And a transmission means for transmitting to the second server device that manages the provider information included in the metadata used when the usage data is used.

  Further, the metadata use management apparatus according to the present invention uses metadata including attribute information indicating attributes related to the contents of the used data, and also including provider information indicating the provider of the metadata. Information receiving means for receiving the provider information included in the metadata used when the used data is used from the content using apparatus using the used data, and received by the information receiving means. And processing means for performing processing for paying a reward to the provider indicated by the provider information.

  Further, the metadata use management apparatus according to the present invention uses metadata including attribute information indicating attributes related to the contents of the used data, and also including provider information indicating the provider of the metadata. A request receiving means for receiving a request to transmit advertisement information from the content using apparatus that uses the data to be used, and when the request is received by the request receiving means, the advertisement information is sent to the content using apparatus. Transmitting means for transmitting, information receiving means for receiving provider information included in metadata used when the data to be used is used, from the content use apparatus that has transmitted the advertisement information, and the information receiving means And a processing means for performing processing for paying a reward to the provider indicated by the provider information received by .

The present invention relating to the apparatus is also established as an invention relating to a method, and the present invention relating to a method is also established as an invention relating to an apparatus.
Further, the present invention relating to an apparatus or a method has a function for causing a computer to execute a procedure corresponding to the invention (or for causing a computer to function as a means corresponding to the invention, or for a computer to have a function corresponding to the invention It can also be realized as a program (for realizing the program), and can also be realized as a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  According to the present invention, it is expected that higher quality metadata is provided across more contents.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration example of a metadata distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the present metadata distribution system includes a metadata distribution server 101, a content use client 102, an advertisement distribution server 103, and an advertisement company server 104. Each device of the metadata distribution server 101, the content use client 102, the advertisement distribution server 103, and the advertising agent server 104 includes a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from a necessary communication partner device via the network 120. ing.

  Content (content data) is, for example, data of moving images, still images, audio or text, or data of general multimedia content including all or part of moving images, still images, audio or text. is there. In the following, description will be given mainly using video content as an example.

  The metadata is created corresponding to specific content, and includes at least attribute information of the specific content. The metadata can include various additional information related to the metadata and various additional information related to the specific content.

  The content use client 102 is a client device including an application that uses content (data to be used) while using metadata.

  The metadata distribution server 101 is a server device for distributing metadata.

  The advertisement distribution server 103 is a server device for distributing advertisement data.

  The advertising agent server 104 is a server device that performs processing for paying a reward to a metadata provider according to the usage status of advertising data.

  Note that there is no particular limitation on a method for distributing content to the content use client 102. For example, a method in which a content distribution server exists on the network 120 and content is distributed from the content distribution server to the content usage client 102 via the network 120 (the content usage client 102 acquires metadata via a communication medium) Alternatively, the content may be distributed (distributed) by a recording medium such as a DVD, a CD-ROM, or a semiconductor memory (the content use client 102 acquires metadata via the recording medium), or a plurality of methods May be mixed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, description will be given mainly for a case where metadata is distributed from the metadata distribution server 101 to the content use client 102 via the network 120, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be distributed (distributed) by a recording medium such as a DVD, a CD-ROM, or a semiconductor memory.

  In addition, although the server is divided for each function, a configuration in which one server also has a plurality of functions may be used in practice. For example, the advertisement distribution server 103 and the advertisement server 104 operated by a certain advertisement company may be configured as independent servers or as an integrated server (in this embodiment, the main server (The former case will be described as an example).

  FIG. 2 shows an example of attribute information included in the metadata. In this example, an event occurring in the video content is an event, and the attribute information includes an event string listing the events. Events include names and movements of people and objects (for example, “XX player's shot” in the case of soccer video content), time intervals (for example, “game start”, “game end”, etc.), etc. Are described together with the time of occurrence. Of course, the format of FIG. 2 is an example, and the attribute information may be any information as long as it is additional information related to the content.

  The content use application of the content use client 102 uses content while using metadata. Content usage refers to creating new content by editing and processing content, searching for desired parts using attribute information as an index for viewing, and searching for desired content from multiple contents. Watching, or performing special playback (trick play) such as fast-forwarding, and various other things can be considered.

  Further, for example, metadata is also used for a summary process for creating a short content by extracting a section that matches a user's preference from one content. In this summarization process, for example, the attribute information (in this case, the event string) as shown in FIG. 2 is matched with the preference information, the importance level for each section or time is obtained, and the high importance level part is extracted. , In summary.

  In the present embodiment, the content use application acquires advertisement data from the advertisement distribution server 103 and uses a special (user (content user) specially) when using content at least using metadata. If the user can select whether or not to present the advertisement data depending on whether or not the procedure is performed, the advertisement data is presented to the user (when the user does not perform a special procedure) .

  Hereinafter, several examples of the processing flow in this embodiment will be sequentially described.

(First processing flow example)
FIG. 3 shows a first processing flow in the present embodiment.

  Here, it is assumed that there is only one metadata distributor who operates the metadata distribution server 101 that is the target of the present system (there may be a plurality of metadata distribution servers 101 themselves).

  In step S101, the content use application operating on the content use client 102 requests the metadata distribution server 101 to distribute metadata corresponding to the content to be used.

  In step S <b> 102, the metadata distribution server 101 transmits the requested content metadata to the content use client 102.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the metadata transmitted from the metadata distribution server 101 includes attribute information 201, and further includes metadata provider information 202 as additional information. The metadata provider information is information for identifying the metadata provider. For example, metadata providers are managed on the advertisement server 104, an identifier (ID) is individually assigned, and this identifier is used as metadata provider information. The metadata may include various other information such as metadata identification information and content identification information corresponding to the metadata.

  In step S103, the content use client 102 (its content use application) requests the advertisement distribution server 103 to distribute advertisement data.

  In step S <b> 104, the advertisement distribution server 103 distributes advertisement data to the content use client 102.

  In step S105, the content use client 102 (its content use application) uses the content (for example, editing / processing) using the attribute information included in the received metadata. As described above, there are various forms of content use, such as content editing / processing, search, special reproduction, summary processing, and the like.

  In step S106, the content use client 102 (its content use application) presents, for example, the content and / or the use result of this content (eg, other content generated based on the original content) (in this specific example). , The video is reproduced) and the advertisement data is presented (for example, the advertisement data is reproduced when the advertisement data is a video). Of course, the original content may be played back using trick play such as random access or fast forward, or may be played back by adding voice / character information.

  In step S107, the content use client 102 (its content use application) transmits operation information (advertisement operation information) for the reproduced advertisement data to the advertisement server 104 along with metadata provider information.

  As the advertisement operation information, for example, various operations information related to viewing of advertisement data, various operations information related to moving to a product sales screen by mouse click or button pressing while viewing advertisement data, various operations information related to product purchase, etc. Things can be considered.

  In step S <b> 108, when receiving the metadata provider information and the advertisement operation information from the content use client 102, the advertisement provider server 104 provides metadata corresponding to the metadata provider information from the advertisement provider based on the advertisement operation information. Process to pay the reward to the person. The advertisement operation information is referred to, for example, when calculating the reward amount. For example, the user of the content use client 102 should pay the metadata provider depending on whether the advertisement data has only been viewed, moved to product sales, or further purchased. The reward amount may be changed. Further, the amount of reward may be determined based on other information (for example, how many users have used the information or how many times it has been used). Note that the reward amount may be determined without considering the content of the user operation of the content use client 102 (for example, the reward amount may be fixed, or the reward amount may be determined based on other information). You may do it). In this case, when the advertisement operation information is not used for other purposes, the advertisement operation information may not be used.

  The process for paying the reward is to store at least the metadata provider information and the payment amount in association with each other, and further information (for example, information for identifying used metadata, used) Information for identifying the content, information for identifying the right holder of the content, information for identifying the use client 102 and / or its user utilizing the metadata, advertisement operation information, etc.) are also stored in association with each other. Also good.

  In addition, as a process for paying a reward, for example, a process for managing only the information on the payment of the reward may be performed, or a process for electronically performing a settlement or payment entrustment is also performed. May be. For example, if the advertiser server 104 manages metadata provider information, register information on the bank account that will receive the remuneration amount as one of the managed metadata provider information. In addition, payment may be made by electronically transferring the reward amount to the bank account.

  By the way, in the example of FIG. 3, after the advertisement data is actually presented to the user in step S106, the metadata provider information and the advertisement operation information are transmitted from the content use client 102 to the advertisement server 104, thereby the advertisement. Instead of paying the compensation amount from the vendor to the metadata provider, instead, as shown in FIG. 25, when sending an advertisement data distribution request from the content use client 102 to the advertisement distribution server 103 in step S103. The metadata provider information is added to the request and transmitted, and the metadata provider information is transferred from the advertisement distribution server 103 to the advertisement server 104. At this point (the advertisement data actually reaches the content use client 102). Whether or not the ad data was presented to the user even if it was reached Regardless), advertisement company server 104 may perform processing for performing the payment of compensation for the metadata provider corresponding to the metadata providing information from the advertiser (step S118). Instead of the above, the metadata provider information may be directly transmitted from the content use client 102 to the advertisement server 104 in step S103. Alternatively, the advertisement distribution server 103 distributes the advertisement data to the content use client 102 in step S104, and when the content use client 102 receives the advertisement data (whether the advertisement data is actually presented to the user). Regardless of whether or not), the content provider client 102 transmits metadata provider information to the advertiser server 104, and the advertiser server 104 sends the metadata provider corresponding to the metadata provider information to the metadata provider. You may make it perform the process for paying a reward. In these cases, the reward amount may be determined without considering the content of the user's operation (for example, the reward amount may be fixed, or the reward amount may be determined based on other information). You may do it). The above points are the same for the other processing flow examples.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 26, the advertisement distribution server and the advertising agency server may be integrated and configured as one server. In FIG. 26, this integrated single server is called an advertisement distribution server, but other names may be used. The above points are the same for the other processing flow examples.

  In the above processing flow example, it is assumed that the advertiser server 104 performs a process for paying a reward directly from the advertiser to the metadata provider. May be entrusted with payment of a reward to each metadata provider, and the metadata distributor may pay a reward to the metadata provider. In addition, the above point is the same also about the other example of a processing flow (what is assumed that there exists only one metadata distributor).

  As described above, it is possible to realize a mechanism in which a reward is paid from an advertising company to a provider of the metadata when the metadata is used as the content is used. Note that, for example, the advertising agency allocates a part of the consideration paid from the company or the like who requested the advertisement to a reward to be paid to the provider of the metadata.

  For example, if a metadata provider can receive more rewards as the provided metadata is used, the higher the quality metadata, the better the higher quality metadata will be used. The more you provide, the more rewards you get. For this reason, metadata providers are motivated to create high-quality metadata, smoothly provide metadata, and can use services and applications that use a lot of metadata. In addition, the content user can use metadata with better quality for more content. In addition, as the use of the content using the metadata is promoted, the advertising company can increase the chances of receiving the advertisement.

(Second processing flow example)
FIG. 5 shows a second processing flow in the present embodiment.

  The first processing flow is to pay a reward from the advertiser to the metadata provider, but the second processing flow is metadata that operates not only the metadata provider but also the metadata distribution server from the advertiser. The reward is also paid to the distributor. Here, it is assumed that there are a plurality of metadata distributors who operate the metadata distribution server 101 that is the target of the present system (there may be only one metadata distribution server 101).

  Hereinafter, the difference from the first processing flow will be mainly described.

  In step S201, the content use client 102 requests the metadata delivery server 101 to deliver metadata corresponding to the content that the user wants to use.

  In step S202, the metadata distribution server 101 adds metadata distributor information to the requested content metadata (including metadata provider information).

  The metadata distributor information is information for identifying a distributor of the metadata. As a result of adding the metadata distributor information, here, the metadata includes at least attribute information 301, metadata provider information 302, and metadata distributor information 303 as shown in FIG. As for the data format of the metadata distributor information, for example, similarly to the metadata provider information, the metadata distributor is managed on the advertisement server 104, and an identifier (ID) is assigned to each metadata distributor. It may be used as distributor information.

  In step S <b> 203, the metadata distribution server 101 transmits the metadata of the corresponding content to which the metadata distributor information is added to the content use client 102.

  In step S <b> 204, the content use client 102 requests the advertisement distribution server 103 to distribute advertisement data.

  In step S <b> 205, the advertisement distribution server 103 distributes advertisement data to the content use client 102.

  In step S206, the content use client 102 uses the content by using the attribute information included in the received metadata.

  In step S207, the content use client 102 reproduces the content and / or the content use result together with the advertisement data, for example.

  In step S208, the content use client 102 transmits operation information for the reproduced advertisement data to the advertising agency server 104 together with the metadata provider information and the metadata distributor information.

  In step S209, the advertising agency server 104 performs processing for paying a reward to the metadata provider corresponding to the metadata provider information and the metadata distributor corresponding to the metadata distributor information according to the received advertisement operation information. I do.

  In the above processing flow example, it is assumed that the advertiser server 104 performs a process for paying a reward directly from the advertiser to the metadata provider. For example, the advertiser server 104 receives the metadata from the advertiser. Entrusting the payment of the reward to the metadata provider to the metadata distributor operating the distributed metadata distribution server 101 so that the metadata distributor pays the reward to the metadata provider It may be. In addition, the above point is the same also about the other example of a processing flow (what is assumed that there exist multiple metadata distributors).

(Third processing flow example)
FIG. 7 shows a third processing flow in the present embodiment.

  In the first processing flow, a reward is paid from the advertiser to the metadata provider. However, in the third processing flow, not only the metadata provider but also the content rights holder who has a right related to the content. Even pay a reward.

  Hereinafter, the difference from the first processing flow will be mainly described.

  In step S301, the content use client 102 requests the metadata delivery server 101 to deliver metadata corresponding to the content to be used.

  In step S <b> 302, the metadata distribution server 101 transmits the requested content metadata (including metadata provider information) with the content right holder information added thereto to the content use client 102.

  The content right holder information is information for identifying the right holder of the content. The right holder of the content is, for example, a person who has various rights such as copyright and broadcast right regarding the content, such as a supplier of the content. As a result of the addition of content right holder information, here, the metadata includes content right holder information 403 in addition to attribute information 401 and metadata provider information 402 as shown in FIG. As for the data format of the content right holder information, for example, as with the metadata provider information and metadata distributor information, the right holder of the content is managed on the advertisement server 104, and an identifier (ID) is individually assigned. The identifier may be used as content right holder information.

  In step S303, the content use client 102 requests the advertisement distribution server 103 to distribute advertisement data.

  In step S <b> 304, the advertisement distribution server 103 distributes advertisement data to the content use client 102.

  In step S305, the content use client 102 uses content using attribute information included in the received metadata.

  In step S306, the content use client 102 reproduces the content and / or the content use result together with the advertisement data, for example.

  In step S307, the content use client 102 transmits operation information for the reproduced advertisement data to the advertising agency server 104 together with metadata provider information and content right holder information.

  In step S209, according to the received advertisement operation information, a process for paying a reward to the metadata provider corresponding to the metadata provider information and the content right holder corresponding to the content right holder information is performed.

  In the above, the content right holder information is included in the metadata, but instead, for example, in the content use client 102, the identification information of the metadata or the identification information of the content corresponding to the metadata, A table registered in association with the content right holder information is stored, and the content use client 102 refers to the table based on the identification information of the metadata or the identification information of the content corresponding to the metadata. Then, content right holder information may be acquired. In addition, this table exists in an external server, and the content use client 102 instructs the external server from the metadata identification information or the content identification information corresponding to the metadata, and the corresponding content right holder information. The content right holder information may be acquired from the external server. In addition, the above point is the same also about the other example of processing flow (what uses content right holder information).

  The second processing flow pays a reward from the advertiser to the metadata provider and the metadata distributor, and this third processing flow rewards the metadata provider and the content right holder from the advertiser. These may be combined to pay the metadata provider, the metadata distributor, and the content right holder.

  Note that if the advertisement (for example, TV commercial) originally included in the content is not viewed at all due to the use of the metadata, it may be lost to the original content right holder. In the flow example, the advertising company can compensate for the loss by paying the content right holder.

(Fourth processing flow example)
FIG. 9 shows a fourth processing flow in the present embodiment.

  In the fourth processing flow, user (content user) information is taken into consideration when distributing the advertisement data. A more effective advertisement is realized by switching and distributing the advertisement data distributed from the advertisement distribution server 103 according to the user's preference or the like.

  Hereinafter, the difference from the first processing flow will be mainly described.

  In step S401, the content use client 102 requests the metadata delivery server 101 to deliver metadata corresponding to the content that the user wants to use.

  In step S <b> 402, the metadata distribution server 101 transmits the metadata of the corresponding content to which the metadata provider information is added to the content use client 102.

  In step S303, the content use client 102 transmits at least one of the attribute information included in the metadata or the preference information of the user held in the content use client 102 to the advertisement distribution server 103, and the advertisement data Request delivery of. The preference information is information related to the user's preference, such as the title and genre of the user's favorite content, and the favorite actor, athlete, team, and the like. Also, general preference information such as hobbies may be included regardless of the content.

  In step S404, the advertisement distribution server 103 searches the received attribute information and preference information for advertisement data that matches the content genre and user preference. For example, if the attribute information indicates that the program is related to a car, the car advertisement data is searched. If the preference information indicates that the travel is a hobby, the travel advertisement data is searched.

  In step S405, the advertisement distribution server 103 distributes the advertisement data searched in step S404 to the content use client 102. If appropriate advertisement data is not found, predetermined advertisement data may be distributed.

  In step S406, the content use client 102 uses the content using the attribute information included in the received metadata.

  In step S407, the content use client 102 reproduces, for example, the content and / or the content use result together with the advertisement data.

  In step S <b> 408, the content use client 102 transmits operation information for the reproduced advertisement data to the advertisement server 104 along with the metadata provider information.

  In step S409, according to the received advertisement operation information, a process for paying a reward to the metadata provider corresponding to the metadata provider information is performed.

  In addition, as in the second processing flow, the advertiser may pay the metadata provider and the metadata distributor, or in the third processing flow, from the advertiser to the metadata provider. The content right holder may be paid, or the metadata provider, the metadata distributor, and the content right holder may be paid like a combination of these.

(Fifth processing flow example)
FIG. 10 shows a fifth processing flow in the present embodiment.

  In the fifth processing flow, the advertisement data search performed in the fourth processing flow is performed on the advertising agency server 104 instead of the advertising distribution server 103.

  Hereinafter, the difference from the fourth process flow will be described in detail.

  In step S501, the content use client 102 requests the metadata delivery server 101 to deliver metadata corresponding to the content to be used.

  In step S <b> 502, the metadata distribution server 101 transmits the metadata of the corresponding content to which the metadata distributor information is added to the content use client 102.

  In step S <b> 503, the content use client 102 transmits at least one of the attribute information included in the metadata or the user's preference information held in the content use client 102 to the advertisement server 104.

  In step S504, the advertising agency server 104 searches the received attribute information and preference information for advertisement data that matches the content genre and user preference.

  In step S505, the advertisement server 104 transmits advertisement reception information (for identifying advertisement information) for receiving the advertisement data searched in step S504 from the advertisement distribution server 103 to the content use client 102. To do. As the advertisement reception information, for example, a URL indicating the position of the advertisement data in the advertisement distribution server 103 is used. If appropriate advertisement data is not found, advertisement reception information for receiving predetermined advertisement data may be transmitted.

  In step S506, the content use client 102 requests the advertisement distribution server 103 to distribute the advertisement data indicated in the advertisement reception information received in step S505.

  In step S507, the advertisement distribution server 103 distributes the requested advertisement data to the content use client 102.

  In step S508, the content use client 102 uses content using attribute information included in the received metadata.

  In step S509, the content use client 102 reproduces the content and / or the content use result together with the advertisement data, for example.

  In step S510, the content use client 102 transmits operation information for the reproduced advertisement data to the advertising agency server 104 together with the metadata provider information.

  In step S51, according to the received advertisement operation information, a process for paying a reward to the metadata provider corresponding to the metadata provider information is performed.

  In addition, as in the second processing flow, the advertiser may pay the metadata provider and the metadata distributor, or in the third processing flow, from the advertiser to the metadata provider. The content right holder may be paid, or the metadata provider, the metadata distributor, and the content right holder may be paid like a combination of these.

  In the following, further variations in various specific examples will be described.

(Configuration example in which metadata includes multiple sets of attribute information)
A case where the metadata includes a plurality of sets of attribute information will be described with reference to FIG.

  The metadata used in the description so far includes only one set of attribute information. However, in some cases, there can be a plurality of attribute information description methods for one content. A plurality of sets of attribute information may be included in the data.

  For example, when the target content is a sports video, the attribute information that collects the scene list to extract the section from the video and create the content that gathers the activities of a specific player or a specific team A method of creating can be considered. In this case, for example, different attribute information is created for each player or team.

  As illustrated in FIG. 11, the metadata 501 in such a case may include a plurality of sets of attribute information. In this example, attribute information 1, attribute information 2,..., Attribute information N indicate individual sets. For example, the attribute information 1 is the player A, the attribute information 2 is the player B, the attribute information 3 is the player C, and the like, and this is a scene list that collects the activities for each player.

  Note that FIG. 11 shows an example in which metadata provider information is added as additional information in addition to the attribute information. Of course, according to each processing flow example described so far, the metadata provider is added. All or part of the information, metadata distributor information, and content right holder information may be included.

  On the other hand, the user (content user) preference information 502 is information relating to the content user's preference, such as the title and genre of the content user's favorite content, and the favorite actor, athlete, team, and the like. Also, general preference information such as hobbies may be included regardless of the content.

  Steps S601 and S602 are performed in the content use client 102 (content use application) when the metadata distribution server 101 receives metadata from the content use client 102 in each processing flow.

  In step S601, the metadata 501 and the user preference information 502 are input, the attribute information sets and the preference information are matched, and the attribute information sets are ranked based on the matching result for each attribute information set. As a ranking method, for example, there is a method of performing according to the number of matching keywords such as player names.

  In step S602, attribute information that best matches the user's preference is selected from the ranked attribute information set. For example, the first attribute information set is selected.

  Then, the content use client 102 (its content use application) can use the content by using the selected attribute information 503.

(Configuration example for encrypting metadata distribution)
A case where the metadata distribution is encrypted will be described with reference to FIG.

  In order to reliably display the advertisement data when using the metadata in the content use client 102, it may be desired to limit the use of the metadata to a specific content use application. Therefore, by receiving the encrypted metadata from the content distribution server 101 and decrypting it in a form confined within the received content use application, plaintext metadata cannot be used by the user (content user). Can be. Since only the permitted content use application can decrypt and use the metadata, the application without the advertisement display function cannot use the metadata.

  FIG. 12 corrects a part of each processing flow example described so far. The procedure until the content use client 102 receives metadata from the metadata distribution server 101 in each processing flow example is shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to replace by step S701-S705.

  In step S701, the metadata distribution server 101 registers the metadata provided from the content provider.

  In step S702, the metadata distribution server 101 encrypts the registered metadata.

  In step S <b> 703, the content use client 102 requests the metadata distribution server 101 to distribute metadata.

  In step S <b> 704, the content distribution server 101 transmits the encrypted metadata to the content use client 102.

  In step S705, the content use client 102 decrypts the metadata in the application that uses the content.

  The content use client 102 (the content use application) can use the content by using the decrypted metadata.

(Configuration example for ranking display for multiple metadata)
A case where the metadata provided by a plurality of metadata providers is ranked and displayed will be described with reference to FIG.

  Metadata may be provided by a plurality of metadata providers for one type of content. In such a case, a plurality of metadata may be ranked and displayed on the content use client 102 as illustrated in FIG.

  A display example 601 shown in FIG. 13A is a display example when metadata is provided by a plurality of metadata providers for one type of content. The rank 602 indicates the rank given as a result of the ranking process. A provider 603 indicates a metadata provider. A point 604 indicates a score as a basis for ranking. For example, the distribution number of the metadata may be used as a point, or the point information is calculated based on the degree of coincidence with the attribute information of the metadata by using user (content user) preference information Alternatively, the points may be calculated based on the degree of coincidence with the past distributor's preference information. Note that all items in FIG. 13A may be displayed on the screen, or some of them may not be displayed as internal data. In this case, the user may select metadata from a screen such as display example 604.

  In addition, the display example 605 shown in FIG. 13B is created by the metadata provider when the content user frequently uses the metadata provided by the specific metadata provider. It is a display example in the case of displaying a list of metadata. In this case, the user may select metadata from a screen such as display example 605.

  When a plurality of metadata is ranked and displayed on the content usage client 102, when the content usage client 102 instructs the metadata distribution server 101 to request the content distribution, the metadata is requested. After all corresponding metadata is distributed from the data distribution server 101 to the content use client 102, a plurality of metadata is ranked and displayed on the content use client 102, and the metadata selected by the user is used. May be. Also, when content is instructed from the content use client 102 to the metadata delivery server 101 and the delivery of metadata is requested, only the list information for all corresponding metadata from the metadata delivery server 101 to the content use client 102 The metadata is ranked and displayed on the content use client 102, the user selects desired metadata, and the selected metadata is distributed from the content use client 102 to the metadata distribution server 101. And the corresponding metadata may be distributed from the metadata distribution server 101 to the content use client 102. If list information about metadata is accumulated in the content use client 102, a plurality of metadata may be ranked and displayed on the content use client 102 based on the list information. Good.

(Configuration example that enables the metadata distribution server to suppress the provision of metadata)
A case where provision of metadata can be suppressed in the metadata distribution server will be described with reference to FIG.

  Some content providers want to suppress the provision of metadata for the content. FIG. 14 is an example of a processing flow in which the metadata distribution server 101 distributes only metadata permitted for distribution.

  In the metadata distribution server 101, metadata distribution permission information is held in advance or is stored by being received from an external server. The metadata distribution permission information is information indicating whether or not the distribution of metadata for a specific content is permitted or not permitted. The external server is, for example, a server prepared by a content provider.

  FIG. 14 corrects a part of each processing flow example described so far, and the metadata distribution server 101 in each processing flow example transmits metadata after receiving the metadata distribution request from the content use client 102. The procedure up to this may be replaced with steps S801 to S803 in FIG.

  In step S <b> 801, the metadata distribution server 101 receives a metadata distribution request from the content use client 102.

  In step S802, the metadata distribution server 101 refers to the stored metadata distribution permission information to determine whether or not the distribution of metadata for the content corresponding to the requested metadata is permitted. judge.

  If the distribution of metadata is permitted, the process advances to step S803, and the metadata distribution server 101 transmits the metadata to the content use client 102.

  On the other hand, when the distribution of metadata is not permitted, the metadata distribution server 101 ends the process without distributing the metadata. At this time, a message indicating that the metadata cannot be distributed may be transmitted from the metadata distribution server 101 to the content use client 102.

  There is a possibility that all or part of an advertisement (for example, a TV commercial) originally included in the content to be used may not be viewed due to the use of metadata (for example, creating a summary video of the video content) In such a content usage form, the advertisement video is not cut into an important scene and is cut from the summary video), which is inconvenient for the content owner who wants to watch the advertisement originally included in the content to be used. Profit or loss. In the third processing flow example of the metadata distribution method, etc., it can be considered that the loss is compensated for by the advertiser paying the content right holder, but the content right owner is originally included in the content. If you want to prioritize the viewing of your ads, you can set the metadata distribution permission information to indicate that metadata distribution is not permitted, so that you cannot use the metadata when using the content. As a result, the advertisement originally included in the content can be viewed.

(Configuration example to include the advertisement originally included in the content in the summary content)
With reference to FIG. 15, a description will be given of a case where an advertisement originally included in the content to be summarized is included in the summary content in a usage form in which the summary content summarizing the content is created.

  FIG. 15 shows a procedure executed when content is used by the content use application in the content use client 102 (for example, step S105 in FIG. 3).

  In step S901, the content use client 102 receives the advertisement position information.

  The advertisement position information is information indicating the insertion position of advertisement data in the content. For example, a scene list including time codes of scene start time and end time is used. For example, the advertisement position information may be added to the content, or may be acquired from a correspondence table in the own apparatus or an external server based on the identification information of the content.

  In step S902, the importance for each scene or each time of the content to be summarized is calculated based on the attribute information included in the metadata.

  In step S903, among the importance levels calculated in step S903, the importance level of the section included in the advertisement position information is set high.

  In step S904, a section to be included in the summary content is selected based on the importance corrected in step S903. In step S903, since the importance of the position of the advertisement data of the content to be summarized is set to be high, summary content including a lot of advertisement data is generated.

  As a result, even when the user views the summary content, the advertisement originally included in the content to be summarized can be viewed.

(Configuration example that allows alternative ads to be viewed in place of ads originally included in the content)
With reference to FIG. 16, a case will be described in which, when it is difficult to view an advertisement originally included in content, a substitute advertisement is viewed instead.

  For example, when the content use client 102 or the content use application does not have a function of reproducing video data, if the content to be used includes video advertisement data, the video advertisement data is converted into a still image, audio , Text and other forms of advertisement data that can be output, and when the content application creates a summary video, the video advertisement data included in the content to be used becomes a summary video because the scene time is long. If not adopted, various forms such as a form in which this long video advertisement data is replaced with a short video advertisement are conceivable.

  FIG. 16 is executed in place of a procedure (for example, steps S105 and S106 in FIG. 3) executed when content is used by the content use application in the content use client 102.

  In step S1001, the content use client 102 receives alternative advertisement information. The substitute advertisement information is advertisement data to be reproduced instead of the advertisement data originally included in the content to be used or information indicating this. The substitute advertisement information may be acquired from an external server by instructing an identifier of the content, for example. For example, alternative advertisement information may be received from the metadata distribution server 101 following the metadata. For example, alternative advertisement information may be added to the content or the metadata. Further, for example, alternative advertisement information may be received from the advertisement distribution server 103. When the alternative advertisement information is instruction information for instructing advertisement data, for example, based on the instruction information, advertisement data is received from an external server such as the metadata distribution server 101 or the advertisement distribution server 103. You may get it. Further, for example, based on the instruction information, the corresponding advertisement data may be selected from the substitute advertisement data stored in the content use client 102 in advance.

  The alternative advertisement information may be requested / received or selected prior to using the content, or may be requested / received or selected when it becomes necessary while using the content. Also good.

  In addition, regardless of the content to be used, substitute advertisement information is appropriately selected from substitute advertisement data stored in the content use client 102 in advance, or obtained from an external server. Also good.

  Note that the data for reproducing these advertisements may be included together as alternative advertisement information, or may be referred to by placing the data on its own device or an external server.

  In step S1002, content is used (for example, editing / processing) using metadata.

  In step S1003, for example, the content edited and processed in step S1002 and the alternative advertisement data are integrated and reproduced. If there is advertisement data received from the advertisement distribution server 103, it is also integrated and reproduced.

(Configuration example that enables the content use client to suppress the provision of metadata)
A case where provision of metadata can be suppressed in the content use client will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 14, the metadata distribution server determines whether or not the distribution of metadata corresponding to specific content is permitted. In some cases, it may be better to determine permission / non-permission of the use of content using metadata. Therefore, in this case, the content use client 102 uses the content using the metadata within the range of the use permission condition given by the content right holder.

  FIG. 17 is executed in place of a procedure (for example, steps S105 and S106 in FIG. 3) executed when content is used by the content use application in the content use client 102.

  In step S1101, the content use client 102 receives the content use permission condition. The content usage permission condition is information including at least the expiration date, distribution range, and permission for secondary usage of the content.

  The content use permission condition is acquired by, for example, inquiring an external server prior to using the content.

  In step S1102, it is determined whether the content to be used satisfies the content use permission condition received in step S1101.

  If the content use permission condition is satisfied, the process advances to step S1103 to edit and process the content.

  In step S1104, for example, the content edited and processed in step S1103 and the advertisement data are integrated and displayed.

  On the other hand, if the content use permission condition is not satisfied in step S1102, the process ends. In this case, the content use client 102 may display a message indicating that the content use permission condition is not satisfied.

  In the following, a method of integrating and reproducing content (original content, content related to usage results) and advertisement data in the content usage client 102 will be described.

  FIG. 18 is an example of a screen that displays video content and advertisement data in an integrated manner.

  A display example 701 shown in FIG. 18A includes an advertisement display area 703 for displaying advertisement data distributed from the advertisement distribution server 103 outside the content display area 702 for displaying content video. It has become.

  A display example 704 shown in FIG. 18B has a configuration in which an advertisement display area 706 for displaying advertisement data distributed from the advertisement distribution server 103 is provided inside a content display area 705 for displaying content video. It has become.

  The advertisement data displayed in these advertisement display areas is advertisement data based on video, still images, text, and the like.

  In FIG. 19, when a summary of video content is created and the summary video and the advertisement data are integrated and displayed, the position of the advertisement data is automatically set according to the importance of each section of the summary video. An example of a processing flow is shown.

  In step S1201, the importance for each section or time of the content to be summarized is calculated based on the attribute information included in the metadata.

  In step S1202, a summary video is created based on the importance calculated in step S1201. For example, a summary video is created by selecting a section with high importance.

  In step S1203, the display position of the advertisement data is calculated based on the importance calculated in step S1201.

  In step S1204, the summary video and the advertisement data are integrated and reproduced in the set advertisement display area.

  Here, as the calculation method of the advertisement display position, there are a method of calculating a spatial position and a method of calculating a temporal position.

  First, as an example of a spatial position calculation method, when an advertisement display area is arranged over a content display area as shown in FIG. 18B, an advertisement is not disturbed in an important video portion. A method of adjusting the size can be considered.

  For example, an advertisement is displayed large as shown in FIG. 20 (a) in a section or time with a low importance level of the summary video, and an advertisement is displayed small as shown in FIG. 20 (b) in a section or time with a high importance level. To do. The size of the advertisement display area (for example, the length or area of the side of the advertisement display area) is, for example, proportional to 1 / w, where w is the importance of a section of the summary video. It is possible to calculate and set the length or area of the side of the advertisement display area when displaying a section or the like.

  Next, as an example of a temporal position calculation method, a method of inserting an advertisement video immediately after an important video can be considered.

  FIG. 21 shows a method of selecting a summary video section from a temporal change in the importance of content.

  The importance curve 901 indicates a temporal change in the importance of the content, and the threshold value 902 indicates a lower limit of the importance included in the summary video. The sections indicated by the thick line (903) (five sections in FIG. 21) are sections that are included in the summary video and have a degree of importance equal to or higher than the threshold value. In this case, for example, the advertisement data may be inserted immediately after a section (2 places in FIG. 21) with particularly high importance as indicated by 904 in the figure.

  FIG. 22 shows a method for obtaining a temporal position for inserting advertisement data based on the volume of content.

  A curve 1001 indicates a temporal change in the volume of the content, and a threshold 1002 indicates a lower limit of the volume included in the summary video. A section where the volume of the content is smaller than the threshold value 1002 is indicated by a thick line (1003) (two sections in FIG. 22). In this case, for example, by reproducing the advertisement data including sound in the section indicated by the thick line (1003), interference with the sound of the content can be suppressed and the sound of the advertisement data can be easily heard.

  Also, for example, when using content such as inserting narration that is not included in the original content video, if the position where the narration is inserted is known, the selection procedure based on the threshold is used as described above. Even if it is not, the advertisement data including the sound may be reproduced by avoiding the portion where the narration or the like is inserted.

  Note that the advertisement data including sound means both advertisement data including only sound and advertisement data including media other than sound such as video.

  FIG. 23 shows an example in which an advertisement is inserted into the video effect at the time of content editing / processing. For example, when receiving attribute information including the progress of scores of sports matches and processing to insert a video effect that displays the score at the goal moment, a part of the video effect is used as a display area for advertising data You may make it insert advertisement data in the lower part.

  FIG. 24 shows a process for creating a summary for a specified time including advertisement data to be inserted when creating a summary from video content to be summarized by specifying keywords and time using metadata. An example flow is shown.

  In step S1301, the importance for each section or time of the content to be summarized is calculated based on the attribute information included in the metadata.

  In step S1302, the time required for displaying the advertisement data distributed from the advertisement distribution server 103 is subtracted from the designated summary time.

  In step S1303, a threshold for creating the remaining summary time is calculated, and a section to be included in the summary video is selected.

  In step S1304, the created summary video and advertisement data are integrated and reproduced.

  Note that various processing flow examples and variations so far can be combined as appropriate.

Each of the above functions can be realized even if it is described as software and processed by a computer having an appropriate mechanism.
The present embodiment can also be implemented as a program for causing a computer to execute a predetermined procedure, causing a computer to function as a predetermined means, or causing a computer to realize a predetermined function. In addition, the present invention can be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium that records the program.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

The figure which shows the basic structural example of the metadata delivery system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Diagram showing an example of attribute information The figure which shows the 1st example of the processing flow of the metadata delivery in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the metadata delivered in the processing flow of FIG. The figure which shows the 2nd example of the processing flow of the metadata delivery in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the metadata delivered in the processing flow of FIG. The figure which shows the 3rd example of the processing flow of the metadata delivery in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the metadata delivered in the processing flow of FIG. The figure which shows the 4th example of the processing flow of the metadata delivery in the embodiment The figure which shows the 5th example of the processing flow of the metadata delivery in the embodiment The figure for demonstrating the method of selecting attribute information from several attribute information sets The figure which shows an example of the basic processing flow which encrypts and distributes metadata Diagram showing an example of metadata ranking display The figure which shows an example of the basic processing flow which determines about metadata delivery permission The figure which shows an example of the basic processing flow which sets the importance of the advertisement section of the original content high and creates a summary The figure which shows an example of the processing flow which reproduces a substitute advertisement instead of the advertisement of original contents The figure which shows an example of the processing flow which determines about content use permission Diagram showing an example of integrated display of content and advertisement The figure which shows an example of the basic processing flow which sets the display position of an advertisement based on importance The figure which shows an example of the spatial position setting of contents based on importance and advertisement display Diagram for explaining time-based setting of content and advertisement display based on importance Diagram for explaining time-based setting of content and advertisement display based on volume The figure which shows an example of the integrated display of the advertisement using a video effect The figure which shows an example of the basic processing flow of the summary which considered the playback time of advertisement The figure which shows the other example of the processing flow of the metadata delivery in the embodiment The figure which shows the further another example of the processing flow of the metadata delivery in the same embodiment

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Metadata delivery server, 102 ... Content use client, 103 ... Advertisement delivery server, 104 ... Advertising agency server, 120 ... Network

Claims (20)

First, metadata including attribute information indicating attributes related to the contents of the used data and including provider information indicating the provider of the metadata is acquired via a communication medium or a recording medium. Acquisition means;
A means of using the data to be used;
Second acquisition means for acquiring advertisement information from a first server device that provides advertisement information when the usage data using the metadata is used by the utilization means;
In the above case, a presentation means for presenting the advertisement information;
In the above-described case, the information processing apparatus includes transmission means for transmitting the provider information included in the metadata to a second server device that manages the provider information included in the metadata used when the used data is used. A data utilization device characterized by that.   The data utilization device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the provider information to the second server device on condition that the advertisement information is presented by the presentation unit.   The transmission means is requested to transfer the advertisement information from the second acquisition means to the first server apparatus when the second acquisition means acquires the advertisement information from the first server apparatus. 2. The data utilization device according to claim 1, wherein the provider information is transmitted so as to reach the second server device directly or via another device on the condition. In addition to the provider information, the metadata has rights regarding the distributor information indicating the metadata distributor that distributes the metadata by the communication medium or the recording medium, and the used data targeted by the metadata. Including one or both of the rights holder information indicating the rights holder,
In this case, the transmission means transmits one or both of distributor information and right holder information included in the metadata to the second server device in addition to the provider information. The data utilization apparatus according to claim 1.   The data according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit also transmits operation information indicating an operation performed by a user in relation to the advertisement information presented by the presentation unit to the server device. Use device.   The use of the used data using the metadata includes editing or processing the used data based on the attribute information, generating new data from the used data based on the attribute information, When the used data is viewable data, a search is performed on the used data based on the attribute information, and all or a part of the used data is viewed according to the search result, the used data When the data is reproducible data, the data to be used is specially reproduced based on the attribute information, or the data to be used can be divided into a plurality of sections or has time information. In some cases, the degree of importance for each section or time in the used data is obtained based on the attribute information, and the used data is determined according to the obtained importance. The data utilizing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that by creating a summary against.   In using the used data using the metadata, the using means acquires the advertisement originally present in the used data acquired in a form added to the metadata or separately from the metadata. 2. The data utilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the utilization data is utilized so that advertisement information originally existing in the utilization data is always presented based on information on the position of information.   The second acquisition unit transmits at least one of the attribute information included in the metadata and the preference information related to the user's preference stored in advance in the storage unit to the first server device, and The data utilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein advertisement information matching the transmitted attribute information and / or preference information is acquired from one server apparatus.   The second acquisition unit sends at least one of the attribute information included in the metadata and the preference information related to the user's preference stored in the storage unit in advance to a server device different from the first server device. Transmitting the identification information for identifying the advertisement information that matches the transmitted attribute information and / or preference information from the server device, and then transmitting the identification information to the first server device. The data utilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein advertisement information corresponding to the transmitted identification information is acquired from the apparatus.   When presenting the advertisement information together with the data to be used or the result of the use, the presenting means presents the timing for presenting the advertisement information, and the advertisement information is visible information. 2. The data utilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a position on a screen on which the advertisement information is presented or a volume at which the advertisement information is presented when the advertisement information is audible information is controlled. .   In the case where the presenting data cannot be used to present the advertisement information originally present in the used data when using the used data using the metadata, the presenting means replaces this with other advertising information. The data utilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The metadata includes multiple sets of attribute information to be used exclusively;
The data utilization device further comprises means for selecting the most suitable attribute from the plurality of sets of attribute information based on preference information relating to user preferences stored in advance in a storage means. The data utilization apparatus according to claim 1.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for ranking the plurality of metadata when the plurality of metadata exist, and presenting information on the plurality of metadata according to the rank. Data utilization equipment. From the data using apparatus that uses the used data using the metadata including the attribute information indicating the attribute related to the content of the used data and also including the provider information indicating the provider of the metadata. Information receiving means for receiving the provider information included in the metadata used when the used data is used;
A metadata use management apparatus comprising: processing means for performing processing for paying a reward to a provider indicated by the provider information received by the information receiving means. From the data using apparatus that uses the used data using the metadata including the attribute information indicating the attribute related to the content of the used data and also including the provider information indicating the provider of the metadata. Request receiving means for receiving a request to send advertisement information;
When the request is received by the request receiving means, a transmitting means for transmitting advertisement information to the data using device;
Information receiving means for receiving provider information included in metadata used when the data to be used is used, from the data use device that has transmitted the advertisement information;
A metadata use management apparatus comprising: processing means for performing processing for paying a reward to a provider indicated by the provider information received by the information receiving means. In addition to the provider information, the metadata has rights regarding the distributor information indicating the metadata distributor that distributes the metadata by the communication medium or the recording medium, and the used data targeted by the metadata. Including one or both of the rights holder information indicating the rights holder,
The receiving means receives the provider information and the distributor information and / or the right holder information from the data using device,
The processing means pays a reward to each of the provider indicated by the provider information received by the information receiving means, the distributor indicated by the distributor information, and / or the right holder indicated by the right holder information. 17. The metadata use management apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising processing means for performing processing for performing the processing. The information receiving means also receives operation information indicating an operation performed by a user of the data utilization device in relation to the advertisement information presented in the data utilization device from the data utilization device;
The metadata use management apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the processing unit determines the amount of the reward based on the operation information received by the information receiving unit. In a program for causing a computer to function as a data utilization device,
The program is
First, metadata including attribute information indicating attributes related to the contents of the used data and including provider information indicating the provider of the metadata is acquired via a communication medium or a recording medium. An acquisition step;
A usage step for using the data to be used;
A second acquisition step of acquiring advertisement information from a first server device that provides advertisement information when the usage data using the metadata is used in the use step;
In the case, a presenting step for presenting the advertisement information;
In this case, the transmission step of transmitting the provider information included in the metadata to the second server device that manages the provider information included in the metadata used when the data to be used is used. A program characterized by being executed. From the data using apparatus that uses the used data using the metadata including the attribute information indicating the attribute related to the content of the used data and also including the provider information indicating the provider of the metadata. An information receiving step for receiving provider information included in the metadata used when the data used is used;
A metadata usage management method comprising: a processing step of performing a process for paying a reward to a provider indicated by the provider information received in the information receiving step. From the data using apparatus that uses the used data using the metadata including the attribute information indicating the attribute related to the content of the used data and also including the provider information indicating the provider of the metadata. A request receiving step for receiving a request to send advertisement information;
If the request is received by the request reception step, a transmission step of transmitting advertisement information to the data utilization device;
An information receiving step of receiving provider information included in metadata used when the data to be used is used from the data use device that has transmitted the advertisement information;
A metadata usage management method comprising: a processing step of performing a process for paying a reward to a provider indicated by the provider information received in the information receiving step.

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