JP2006148782A - Contents processing control device, contents processing control method, contents processing control program, and computer readable recording medium recorded with the program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately and easily create information for control of recording operation or output operation of contents. <P>SOLUTION: A contents processing control device is provided with a contents storage unit 106 which stores input contents; a history information management unit 107 which stores at least one of storage history information regarding to contents stored in the contents storage unit 106, and output history information regarding to contents outputted from the contents storage unit 106; and a control information creation unit 114 which creates at least one of storage control information for control of recording operation of the contents, and output control information for control of output operation of the contents based on at least one of the storage history information, and the output history information. Thereby, the information for control of recording operation or output operation of the contents can be accurately and easily created. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a content processing control apparatus, a content processing control method, a content processing control program, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the content is recorded, which records input content and reproduces and outputs the recorded content. is there.

  In a conventional content recording device, as a method for reserving recording of content, a method for inputting various reservation recording information such as broadcast date / time, day of the week, broadcast channel, broadcast start time, broadcast end time, and recording mode of a recording medium in advance ( Hereinafter, this is referred to as a first prior art).

  As another method, there is a G code reservation method (hereinafter referred to as second prior art) in which reserved recording information for each broadcast program is converted into a code number and the code number is input.

Further, Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as “third prior art”) stores and displays past scheduled recording information in a content recording device, and displays a display screen based on the displayed past scheduled recording information. A configuration is disclosed in which the user can make a reservation recording only by changing and setting only the change items.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-256663 (published on September 21, 2001)

  However, in the first prior art, it is necessary to sequentially input various reserved recording information such as broadcast date / time, day of the week, broadcast channel, broadcast start time, broadcast end time, and recording mode of the recording medium by operating the keys. Operation becomes complicated.

  On the other hand, the second prior art eliminates the complexity of key input compared to the first prior art, but when inputting the code number, the code number of the program to be reserved for recording is read from a broadcast program table such as a newspaper or magazine. Because of this, key numbers are likely to be entered incorrectly.

  Furthermore, in the third prior art, the user needs to select the one closest to the reserved recording information of the program to be reserved for recording this time from the displayed past reserved recording information. Further, it is necessary for the user to manually change a portion different from the past scheduled recording information, and the user's operation becomes complicated.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a content processing control apparatus, a content processing control method, a content processing control program, and a content processing control program capable of accurately and easily creating information for controlling a content recording operation or an output operation. An object of the present invention is to provide a recorded computer-readable recording medium.

  The content processing control apparatus according to the present invention includes at least one of content storage means for storing input content, storage history information related to content stored in the content storage means, and output history information related to content output from the content storage means. A history information management means for storing, recording control information for controlling the content recording operation based on at least one of the accumulated history information and the output history information, and output control information for controlling the content output operation; Control information creating means for creating at least one of the above.

  The content processing control method of the present invention includes at least a content accumulation step for accumulating input content, accumulation history information relating to the content accumulated in the content accumulation step, and output history information relating to the content output from the content accumulation step. Recording information for controlling the recording operation of the content and output control information for controlling the output operation of the content based on at least one of the history information management step for storing one and the accumulation history information and the output history information And a control information creating step for creating at least one of the above.

  According to the above configuration, at least one of the storage history information related to the content stored in the content storage means or the output history information related to the content output from the content storage means, the control information creation means performs the content recording operation. At least one of the recording control information for controlling the output and the output control information for controlling the output operation of the content can be created accurately and easily.

  Content includes all multimedia content such as still image content such as photographs and drawings, video content recorded on TV broadcasts and DVDs, document content such as text, and music content such as music and radio broadcasts. It is a waste.

  The content processing control apparatus preferably includes a recording control unit that causes the content storage unit to record the input content based on the recording control information.

  Therefore, a new content can be input to the content storage unit using the recording control information created by the control information creation unit.

  The content processing control apparatus preferably includes output control means for outputting the content stored in the content storage means based on the output control information.

  For this reason, the content stored in the content storage means can be output to the outside using the output control information created by the control information creation means.

  The content processing control apparatus preferably includes a user specifying unit that specifies a user, and the history information management unit stores at least one of accumulated history information and output history information for each user specified by the user specifying unit. The control information creating means creates the control information using the information for each user specified by the user specifying means stored in the history information managing means.

  For this reason, even when a single content processing control device is used by a plurality of people such as family members, the information stored in the history information management means is stored for each user. In addition, by specifying the user to be used, at least one of the recording control information and the output control information corresponding to the specified user can be created.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the accumulation history information includes at least the content name, the content accumulation date, the broadcast channel on which the content is broadcast, and the accumulation start time of the content. Either the storage end time or the time required for storing the content is included.

  According to the above configuration, since the accumulation start time of the content is always included in the accumulation history information, the accumulation history information does not include the accumulation end time of the content but the time required to accumulate the content (hereinafter, Content accumulation time) is included, the content accumulation end time can be calculated by adding the content accumulation time to the content accumulation start time. Conversely, when the accumulation history information includes not the content accumulation time but the content accumulation end time, the content accumulation start time is subtracted from the content accumulation end time. Accumulation time can be calculated.

  As a result, the same information can be obtained regardless of whether the accumulation history information includes the accumulation end time of the content or the accumulation time of the content. When used, the control information can be appropriately created.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the accumulation history information includes at least content information regarding the content, and the content information includes at least one of a creator of the content or an owner of the content, It includes at least one of the type of the content, the size of the content, the creation date and time of the content, the genre of the content, the number of pages of the content, or the content of the content.

  Thus, since the accumulation history information includes the content information of the content accumulated in the content accumulation means, the control information creation means uses the content information to control the recording operation of the content. Recording control information can be created. Similarly, the control information creation means can create output control information for controlling the output operation of the content by using the content information. Alternatively, in the case where the control information creation means has a function of discriminating content similar to the content using the content information, the control information creation means uses the content information to Recording control information for controlling the recording operation of another similar content or output control information for controlling the output operation of another content similar to the content can be created.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the output history information includes at least the content name, the output date and time of the content, and information indicating the output start position in the content, and further includes an output end position in the content. Or the time when the content is output.

  According to the above configuration, since the information indicating the output start position of the content is always included in the output history information, the content is output in the output history information, not the information indicating the output end position in the content. The output end position in the content can be calculated by advancing the output time of the content from the output start position in the content. it can. Conversely, if the output history information includes information indicating the output end position in the content, not the output time of the content, the output start position in the content is subtracted from the output end position in the content. By doing so, the output time of the content can be calculated.

  As a result, even if the output history information includes either the information indicating the output end position in the content or the output time of the content, the same information can be obtained. When the output history information is used, the control information can be created appropriately.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the output history information includes at least operation history information by a user when the content is output, and the operation history information includes an output instruction for the content and an output instruction in the content Information indicating the position and information indicating the end position of the output instruction in the content, and the output instruction is at least one of normal playback, fast forward, rewind, pause, slow playback, and frame advance .

  Thus, since the output history information includes the operation history information by the user when the content stored in the content storage means is output, the control information creating means uses the operation history information to Recording control information for controlling the recording operation can be created. Similarly, the control information creating means can create output control information for controlling the output operation of the content by using the operation history information. Alternatively, if the control information creating means has a function of discriminating content similar to the content using the operation history information and further discriminating an operation history location on the similar content, control information creation The means also uses the operation history information to provide recording control information for controlling the recording operation of another content similar to the content, or output control information for controlling the output operation of another content similar to the content. Can be created.

  The content processing control device preferably calculates the preference degree of the user based on the preference information management means for storing the user preference information and the user preference information stored in the preference information management means. Preference level calculating means, and the control information creating means creates at least one of the recording control information of the content and the output control information of the content in accordance with the preference level of the user.

  According to said structure, a preference degree calculation means calculates a user's preference degree for every content using the user preference information memorize | stored in the preference information management means, and the control information creation means calculated Depending on the degree of preference, at least one of the content recording control information and the output control information is created. Therefore, the control information creation means can create the control information that appropriately reflects the user's preference.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the control information creating unit creates at least recording control information, and the recording control information is recording control information for controlling a recording operation for the content.

  In the above content processing control device, more preferably, the recording control information includes at least a broadcast date of the content, a broadcast channel of the content, a recording start time of the content, and a recording mode of the content, Either the recording end time or the recording time of the content is included.

  Therefore, the control information creating means can create recording control information that always includes the broadcast date of the content for controlling the recording operation, the broadcast channel of the content, the recording start time of the content, and the recording mode of the content.

  According to the above configuration, since the recording start time of the content is always included in the recording control information, the recording control information includes the recording time of the content instead of the recording end time of the content The recording end time of the content can be calculated by adding the recording time of the content to the recording start time of the content. Conversely, when the recording control information includes not the recording time of the content, but the recording end time of the content, the recording start time of the content is subtracted from the recording end time of the content. The recording time can be calculated.

  As a result, the same information can be obtained regardless of whether the recording end time of the content or the recording time of the content is included in the recording control information. When used, the recording control information can be created.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the control information creating means creates at least output control information, and the output control information is playback control information for controlling a playback operation for the content.

  In the content processing control apparatus, more preferably, the playback control information includes at least the content name and information indicating a playback start position in the content, and further indicates information indicating a playback end position in the content, or Either one of the times when the content is played back is included.

  For this reason, the control information creating means can create the playback control information that always includes the name of the content to be played back and information indicating the playback start position in the content.

  According to the above configuration, since the information indicating the playback start position of the content is always included in the playback control information, the content is played back in the playback control information, not the information indicating the playback end position of the content. If the playback time of the content is included, the playback end position of the content can be calculated by adding the playback time of the content to the playback start position of the content. Conversely, when the playback control information includes information indicating the playback end position of the content, not the playback time of the content, the playback start position of the content is subtracted from the playback end position of the content. The playback time of the content can be calculated.

  As a result, similar information can be obtained regardless of whether the playback control information includes information indicating the playback end position of the content or the playback time of the content. When the control information is used, the reproduction control information can be created.

  In the content processing control device, preferably, the output control information is output control information for controlling an output operation for at least one of the content and the copy of the content.

  In the above-described content processing control apparatus, more preferably, the output control information includes at least one of accumulation history information and output history information.

  For this reason, the history information management means stores the accumulated history information or output history information when a document is copied or printed by a copier or a copier, so that the document or a document similar to the document is stored. Output control information for outputting at least one of the above can be created.

  The content processing control apparatus preferably includes a recordable remaining amount detecting means for detecting a recordable remaining amount of a recording medium on which the content is recorded, and the control information creating means is detected by the recordable remaining amount detecting means. The recording mode for recording the content is determined based on the remaining recordable amount of the recording medium.

  According to the above configuration, the recordable remaining amount detecting unit detects the recordable remaining amount of a recording medium such as a hard disk, and the control is performed in a situation where the recordable remaining amount detected by the recordable remaining amount detecting unit is small, for example. The information creating means can create recording control information for recording in a low image quality mode as a recording mode when recording content, and can create recording control information according to the status of the recording medium.

  The content processing control device preferably indicates the storage start time of the content included in the storage history information or the output start position included in the output history information used for creating the recording control information. When one or both of the information is different from the broadcast start time of the content, the control information creating means determines the recording start time included in the recording control information of the content as the broadcast start time of the content and the content. Only the difference from the accumulation start time or the output start position in the content is set to be shifted from the broadcast start time of the content.

  According to the above configuration, by using either one of the accumulated history information at the time of user's past content recording or the output history information at the time of reproduction of the user's past content, Recording control information for recording at least one of other contents in the same series as the content can be created.

  For example, when the content accumulation start time is later than the content broadcast start time, the recording start time when recording another content of the same series as the content is the content broadcast start time and the content accumulation start time. It is set later than the broadcast start time of the content by the difference time.

  Similarly, for example, when the output start position of the content is later than the broadcast start time of the content, the recording start time when recording at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content is the broadcast of the content. It is set later than the broadcast start time of the content by the difference time between the start time and the output start position of the content.

  Therefore, the control information creating means reflects the user's past content recording disclosure time or the user's past content recording start time, and the recording start time of the content or another content of the same series as the content. Can be set.

  The content processing control device preferably indicates the storage start time of the content included in the storage history information or the output start position included in the output history information, which is used to create the playback control information. When one or both of the information is different from the broadcast start time of the content, the control information creating means sets the playback start position in the content included in the playback control information of the content to the broadcast start time of the content. And the difference between the accumulation start time of the content and the output start position in the content are set to be shifted from the reproduction start position of the content.

  According to the above configuration, by using either one of the accumulated history information at the time of user's past content recording or the output history information at the time of reproduction of the user's past content, It is possible to create reproduction control information for reproducing at least one of other contents in the same series as the content.

  For example, when the content accumulation start time is later than the content broadcast start time, the reproduction start position when reproducing another content of the same series as the content is the difference between the content broadcast start time and the content accumulation start time. The content is set later than the playback start position of the content.

  Similarly, for example, when the output start position of the content is later than the broadcast start time of the content, the playback start position when reproducing at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content is the content broadcast It is set later than the reproduction start position of the content by the difference time between the start time and the output start position of the content.

  Therefore, the control information creation means reflects the user's past content recording disclosure time or the playback start position at the time of the user's past content playback, and the playback start position of the content or another content in the same series as the content. Can be set.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the accumulation history information includes a content accumulation end time, and the output history information includes information indicating an output end position in the content. Either the storage end time of the content included in the storage history information used to create the information, the information indicating the output end position in the content included in the output history information, or both of these are the contents of the content When the broadcast end time is different from the broadcast end time, the control information creating means determines the recording end time included in the recording control information of the content as the difference between the broadcast end time of the content and the accumulation end time of the content or the output end position in the content. Only by shifting from the broadcast end time of the content.

  According to the above configuration, by using either one of the accumulated history information at the time of user's past content recording or the output history information at the time of reproduction of the user's past content, Recording control information for recording at least one of other contents in the same series as the content can be created.

  For example, if the content accumulation end time is earlier than the content broadcast end time, the recording end time when recording another content of the same series as the content is the content broadcast end time and the content accumulation end time. It is set earlier than the broadcast end time of the content by the difference time.

  Similarly, for example, when the output end position of the content is earlier than the broadcast end time of the content, the recording end time when recording another content of the same series as the content is the broadcast end time of the content and the output end of the content. It is set earlier than the broadcast end time of the content by the difference time from the position.

  Therefore, the control information creation means reflects the user's past content recording end time or the user's past content recording end time, and the recording end time of the content or another content of the same series as the content. Can be set.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the accumulation history information includes a content accumulation end time, and the output history information includes information indicating an output end position in the content, and reproduction control is performed. Either the storage end time of the content included in the storage history information used to create the information, the information indicating the output end position in the content included in the output history information, or both of these are the contents of the content When the broadcast end time is different from the broadcast end time, the control information creating means determines the playback end position in the content included in the playback control information of the content as the broadcast end time of the content and the accumulation end time of the content or the output in the content Only the difference from the end position is set so as to be shifted from the playback end position of the content.

  According to the above configuration, by using either one of the accumulated history information at the time of user's past content recording or the output history information at the time of reproduction of the user's past content, It is possible to create reproduction control information for reproducing at least one of other contents in the same series as the content.

  For example, when the content accumulation end time is earlier than the content broadcast end time, the reproduction end position when another content of the same series as the content is reproduced is the difference between the content broadcast end time and the content accumulation end time. The content is set earlier than the playback end position of the content.

  Similarly, for example, when the output end position of the content is earlier than the broadcast end time of the content, the playback end position when playing back the content or another content of the same series as the content is the content broadcast It is set earlier than the playback end position of the content by the difference time between the end time and the output end position of the content.

  Therefore, the control information creation means reflects the user's past content recording end time or the playback end position of the user's past content playback, and the playback end time of the content or another content of the same series as the content. Can be set.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the accumulation history information includes a time required for content accumulation, and the output history information includes a time when the content is reproduced. Either the time required to store the content included in the storage history information and / or the time when the content was played back included in the output history information, or both of which are used to create the broadcast time of the content If the content is different from the content, the control information creating means sets the recording time included in the recording control information of the content by the difference between the broadcast time of the content and the time required to store the content or the time when the content is reproduced. Set by subtracting from the broadcast time of.

  According to the above configuration, by using either one of the accumulated history information at the time of user's past content recording or the output history information at the time of reproduction of the user's past content, Recording control information for recording at least one of other contents in the same series as the content can be created.

  For example, when the content accumulation time is shorter than the broadcast time of the content, the recording time when recording another content of the same series as the content is the difference time between the content broadcast time and the content accumulation time. It is set shorter than the broadcast time of the content.

  Similarly, for example, when the content output time is shorter than the broadcast time of the content, the recording time when recording another content of the same series as the content is the difference time between the content broadcast time and the content output time. It is set to be shorter than the broadcast time of the content.

  Therefore, the control information creation means sets the recording time of the content or another content in the same series as the content, reflecting the user's past content recording time or the user's past content playback time. be able to.

  In the content processing control apparatus, preferably, the accumulation history information includes a time required to accumulate the content, and the output history information includes a time when the content is reproduced. Either the time required to store the content included in the storage history information and / or the time when the content was played back included in the output history information, or both of which are used to create the broadcast time of the content If the content is different from the content, the control information creating means sets the content of the content to be reproduced by the difference between the broadcast time of the content and the time required to store the content or the time when the content is reproduced. Set by subtracting from the broadcast time of.

  According to the above configuration, by using either one of the accumulated history information at the time of user's past content recording or the output history information at the time of reproduction of the user's past content, It is possible to create reproduction control information for reproducing at least one of other contents in the same series as the content.

  For example, when the content accumulation time is shorter than the broadcast time of the content, the reproduction time when reproducing another content of the same series as the content is the difference time between the content broadcast time and the content accumulation time. It is set shorter than the content playback time.

  Similarly, for example, when the output time of the content is shorter than the broadcast time of the content, the playback time when playing another content in the same series as the content is the difference time between the broadcast time of the content and the playback time of the content It is set to be shorter than the broadcast time of the content.

  Therefore, the control information creating means can set the playback time of another content of the same series as the content, reflecting the user's past content recording time or the playback time of the user's past content playback.

  In the content processing control device, preferably, the output history information includes at least operation history information by a user when the content is output, and further includes information indicating at least a fast-forward start position and a fast-forward end position as the operation history information. Control information creation means creates recording control information except during fast-forwarding, or outputs control information except during fast-forwarding. create.

  For this reason, the portion that the user has fast-forwarded when viewing past content is recorded excluding the portion that has been fast-forwarded when recording at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content. Recording control information can be created.

  Similarly, when at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content is played back, playback control information that can be played back except for the fast-forwarded portion can be created.

  Therefore, the control information creating means can create the recording control information or the playback control information of the content or another content in the same series as the content, reflecting the operation history information when the user viewed the past content. it can.

  According to the content processing control apparatus of the present invention, the content recording operation is controlled using at least one of the storage history information related to the content stored in the content storage means or the output history information related to the content output from the content storage means. Recording control information for output or output control information for controlling the output operation of content can be created.

  In addition, not only the content but also other content in the same series as the content, similarly, recording control information for controlling the content recording operation, or output control for controlling the content output operation Information can be created.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used for the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

(Functional configuration)
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a functional configuration of content processing control apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the content processing control apparatus 100 includes a receiving unit 101, an input unit 102, an input unit 103, and a user recognition unit 104. Further, the content processing control apparatus 100 includes a content storage processing unit 105, a content storage unit 106, a history information management unit 107, a preference information management unit 108, a history information extraction unit 109, a content information extraction unit 110, a preference information extraction unit 111, A preference level calculation unit 112, a recordable remaining amount detection unit 113, a control information creation unit 114, a content output processing unit 115, and a control information output unit 116 are provided.

  Content refers to all multimedia content such as still image content such as photos and figures, video content recorded on TV broadcasts and DVDs, document content such as texts, and music content such as music and radio broadcasts. To do.

  The receiving unit 101 receives the content 10 via a network or the like. However, the form of the network is not limited. It may be wired or wireless.

  The input unit 102 is for inputting content from the recording medium 11.

  The input unit 103 is for inputting user preference information 13. Here, the input preference information of the user is not particularly limited. For example, it may be a user's favorite person, a keyword representing the user's preference, a user's favorite genre, or a user's favorite content.

  The user recognition unit 104 recognizes a user who is currently using the apparatus from the input user identification information 12.

  The content accumulation processing unit 105 performs recording processing (accumulation processing) on the content accumulation unit 106 for the content input via the reception unit 101 or the input unit 102.

  The content storage unit 106 stores the content recorded by the content storage processing unit 105. When content information is attached to content, the content storage unit 106 also stores content information in association with the content.

  Here, the content information indicates all pieces of information indicating the details of the content, such as the genre of the content, the details of the content, or the performers of the content. Further, if the content is a document, the content information of the content includes the creator of the content, the owner of the content, the type of the content, the size of the content (data size), the creation date and time of the content, It refers to the genre of the content, the number of pages of the content, or the content of the content.

  The history information management unit 107 stores storage history information when content is stored and output history information when content is output.

  When the user is recognized by the user recognition unit 104, the history information management unit 107 stores the accumulated history information and the output history information for each recognized user. The preference information management unit 108 stores user preference information 13 input via the input unit 103. Furthermore, when a user is recognized in the user recognition unit 104, the preference information management unit 108 stores the user preference information 13 for each recognized user. The user preference information 13 is, for example, a user's favorite person, a keyword representing the user's preference, a user's favorite genre, or a user's favorite program name. The user preference information 13 may be information input by the user himself / herself to the content processing control apparatus 100, or the user preference information automatically extracted by an external device as user preference information to the content processing control apparatus 100. It may be the one entered.

  The history information extraction unit 109 extracts the accumulated history information and the output history information stored in the history information management unit 107.

  The content information extraction unit 110 extracts content information stored in the content storage unit 106 and content information 14 input from the outside.

  The preference information extraction unit 111 extracts user preference information stored in the preference information management unit 108.

  The preference level calculation unit 112 uses the content information extracted by the content information extraction unit 110 and the user preference information extracted by the preference information extraction unit 111 to calculate the user's preference level for the content.

  The recordable remaining amount detection unit 113 detects the recordable remaining amount of the recording medium 15 or the like.

  The control information creation unit 114 creates recording control information (recording control information) for controlling the content recording operation and output control information (reproduction control information) for controlling the content output operation. In addition, in order to create the recording control information and the output control information, the control information creation unit 114 includes information extracted by the history information extraction unit 109, content information extracted by the content information extraction unit 110, and a preference level calculation unit 112. Information indicating the preference level calculated in step S1 and the recordable remaining amount detected by the recordable remaining amount detection unit 113 are used.

  The content output processing unit 115 performs a reproduction process for displaying the content stored in the content storage unit 106 on the display device 16.

  The control information output unit 116 outputs the recording control information and output control information created by the control information creation unit 114 to a predetermined external device 17 or user (user-owned device) 18.

(Configuration of a computer system that implements the content processing control apparatus 100)
The content processing control apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is substantially realized by computer hardware, a program executed by the computer hardware, and data stored in the computer hardware. FIG. 2 shows an internal configuration of the computer system 200.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the computer system 200 includes a computer 220 having an optical disk drive 201 and a magnetic disk drive 202, a monitor 203, and a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as “remote controller”) 204.

  In addition to the optical disk drive 201 and the magnetic disk drive 202, the computer 220 includes a remote control interface (I / F) 205 that receives a signal from the remote control 204, a CPU (central processing unit) 206, a remote control interface 205, a CPU 206, and an optical disk. A bus 207 connected to the drive 201 and the magnetic disk drive 202, a read-only memory (ROM) 208 connected to the bus 207 and storing a boot-up program and the like, and also connected to the bus 207, program instructions, system programs, And a random access memory (RAM) 209 for storing work data and the like.

  Although not shown here, the computer 220 may further include a network adapter board that provides a connection to a local area network (LAN).

  A program for causing the computer system 200 to realize the functions of the content processing control apparatus 100, the content 10 (see FIG. 1), the user identification information 12, the user preference information 13, and the content information 14 are all the optical disk drive 201 or the magnetic disk. The data is stored in the optical disk 210 or the magnetic disk 211 inserted into the drive 202 and further transferred to the hard disk 212. Alternatively, the program, the content 10, the user identification information 12, the user preference information 13, and the content information 14 may be transmitted to the computer 220 through a network (not shown) and stored in the hard disk 212. The program is loaded into the RAM 209 when executed. The program may be loaded directly into the RAM 209 from the optical disk 210, from the magnetic disk 211, or via a network.

  This program includes a plurality of instructions for causing the computer 220 to realize the functions of the content processing control apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. Some of the basic functions necessary to realize these functions are provided by an operating system (OS) or a third-party program running on the computer 220 or various toolkit modules installed on the computer 220. Therefore, this program does not necessarily include all functions necessary for realizing the functions of the content processing control apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. This program includes only instructions for executing the control of the content processing control apparatus 100 by calling an appropriate function or “tool” in a controlled manner so as to obtain a desired result. It only has to be. The operation of computer system 200 is well known and will not be repeated here.

  A recording medium on which the program for realizing the functions of the content processing control apparatus 100, the content 10 (see FIG. 1), the user identification information 12, the user preference information 13, or the content information 14 is recorded is a CD-ROM ( The present invention is not limited to the optical disk 210 such as a compact disk read-only memory), MO (Magneto-Optical disc), MD (Mini Disc), and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and FD (flexible disk) and magnetic disks 211 such as a hard disk. Tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, card-type recording media such as IC (Integrated Circuit) cards and optical cards, and semiconductors such as mask ROM, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and flash ROM It can be either memory. However, the computer system 200 needs to be equipped with a reading device for reading from these recording media.

(Overview of overall operation)
Content processing control apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has accumulated history information, output history information recorded in history information management unit 107, content information accumulated in content accumulation unit 106, content information input from the outside. Control information such as recording control information and output control information using at least one of user preference information stored in the preference information management unit 108 and information indicating the remaining recordable amount of a recording medium or the like Create Below, the outline | summary of the whole operation | movement of the content processing control apparatus 100 including the operation | movement at the time of producing control information is demonstrated.

  In the content processing control apparatus 100, the content (content 10) received by the receiving unit 101 or input from the recording medium 11 via the input unit 102 is subjected to recording processing in the content storage processing unit 105, and the content storage unit Accumulated and managed at 106. At this time, the history information management unit 107 stores the storage history information when the content storage processing unit 105 records the content.

  The user preference information 13 input via the input unit 103 is managed by the preference information management unit 108.

  The control information creation unit 114 uses at least one of the storage history information, the output history information, the content information, the user preference level for the content, and the information indicating the remaining recordable amount to record control information about the content. And / or output control information.

  The accumulated history information and the output history information are extracted from the history information management unit 107 in the history information extraction unit 108. Content information is extracted from the content storage unit 106 by the content information extraction unit 110. The user's preference level for content is obtained by using the user preference information extracted from the preference information management unit 108 in the preference information extraction unit 111 and the content information extracted from the content storage unit 106 in the content information extraction unit 110. The degree calculation unit 112 calculates the degree. The information indicating the recordable remaining amount is the recordable remaining amount of the recording medium 15 and the like detected by the recordable remaining amount detecting unit 113.

  Based on the recording control information created by the control information creation unit 114, the content accumulation processing unit 105 performs a recording process and accumulates the content in the content accumulation unit 106. The accumulated history information at the time of performing the recording process is stored in the history information management unit 107.

  In addition, based on the output control information created by the control information creation unit 114, the content output processing unit 115 performs a reproduction process, and displays the content stored in the content storage unit 106 on the display device 16. Output history information when the reproduction process is performed is recorded in the history information management unit 107.

(Outline of main operations)
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of main operations of the content processing control apparatus 100.

  Referring to FIG. 3, when the content processing control apparatus 100 is turned on, the program 300 is activated and the process proceeds to step S301.

  In step S301, a process for creating control information is performed. Details of the control information creation process will be described later.

  In step S302, it is determined whether the control information has been successfully created. If the creation of control information has succeeded, the process proceeds to step S303, and if the creation of control information has failed, the process ends.

  In step S303, the type of control information created in step S302 is determined. If the control information created in step S302 is recording control information, the process proceeds to step S304. If the control information is reproduction control information, the process proceeds to step S305. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S306.

  In step S304, the content storage processing unit 105 performs content recording processing on the content storage unit 106 based on the created recording control information, and ends the processing.

  In step S305, the content output processing unit 115 performs content playback processing based on the generated playback control information, and ends the processing.

  In step S306, the control information output unit 116 outputs the created control information to the predetermined external device 17 or the user (user-owned device) 18, and ends the process.

  The external device 17 performs processing based on the output control information.

(Control information creation process)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control information creation process executed in step S301 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4, when control information creation processing 350 is started, in step S351, user recognition unit 104 determines whether or not user identification information 12 exists. When the user identification information 12 exists, it progresses to step S352, and when it does not exist, it progresses to step S353.

  In step S352, the user recognition unit 104 recognizes the user from the user identification information 12, and proceeds to step S353.

  Here, the user identification information 12 and the user identification method are not limited. For example, a method of uniquely identifying a user by causing the user to input or select at least one of a user name or a user identification number as the user identification information 12 may be used. In addition, human body information such as a user's fingerprint and iris is registered in advance, the information is input when the content processing control apparatus 100 is used, and the user is identified by comparing with the pre-registered information. The method may be used.

  In step S353, the history information extraction unit 109 determines whether there is accumulated history information managed by the history information management unit 107. If accumulated history information exists, the process proceeds to step S354, and if not, the process proceeds to step S355. However, when the user is identified in step S352, the history information extraction unit 109 determines whether or not there is accumulated history information regarding the identified user. If there is accumulated history information regarding the identified user, the process proceeds to step S354, and if not, the process proceeds to step S355.

  In step S354, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulated history information from the history information management unit 107. However, when the user is identified in step S352, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulated history information regarding the identified user. After reading the accumulated history information, the process proceeds to step S355.

  In step S355, the history information extraction unit 109 determines whether there is output history information managed by the history information management unit 107. If the output history information exists, the process proceeds to step S356, and if not, the process proceeds to step S357. However, when the user is recognized, that is, identified in step S352, the history information extraction unit 109 determines whether there is output history information regarding the identified user. If there is output history information regarding the identified user, the process proceeds to step S356, and if not, the process proceeds to step S357.

  In step S356, the history information extraction unit 109 reads output history information from the history information management unit 107. However, when the user is identified in step S352, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the output history information related to the identified user. After reading the output history information, the process proceeds to step S357.

  In step S357, the control information creation unit 114 determines whether there is other information. If other information exists, the process proceeds to step S358, and if not, the process proceeds to step S359.

  In step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads other information and proceeds to step S359. Here, as other information, there are content information, user preference level for content, information indicating remaining recordable amount, and the like. The content information extraction unit 110 extracts the content information stored in the content storage unit 106 and passes it to the control information creation unit 114. The preference level calculation unit 112 calculates the user's preference level for the content from the user preference information and the content information, and passes the calculated preference level to the control information creation unit 114. The recordable remaining amount detecting unit 113 detects the recordable remaining amount of the recording medium 15 and the like, and passes it to the control information creating unit 114.

  In step S359, the control information creation unit 114 selects the type of control information to be created. If control information related to recording control information is to be created, the process proceeds to step S360. If control information related to playback control information is to be generated, the process proceeds to step S361. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S362. The selection of the type of control information to be created may be automatically selected by the content processing control apparatus 100, or may be instructed or selected by the user.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates recording control information from each piece of information read in at least one of steps S354, S356, and S358, and ends the control information creation process.

  In step S361, the control information creation unit 114 creates playback control information from each piece of information read in at least one of steps S354, S356, and S358, and ends the control information creation process.

  In step S362, the control information creation unit 114 creates output control information from each piece of information read in at least one of steps S354, S356, and S358, and ends the control information creation process.

  Hereinafter, examples 1 to 10 are illustrated as specific operations of the content processing control apparatus 100.

Example 1
The first embodiment described below exemplifies an operation for creating recording control information from accumulated history information managed by the history information management unit 107.

  FIG. 5 shows accumulation history information when the user X accumulates content in the content accumulation unit 106. The accumulation history information illustrated in FIG. 5 is accumulation history information when the content accumulation processing unit 105 records content input via the receiving unit 101. The content accumulation processing unit 105 creates accumulation history information every time content is recorded, and the history information management unit 107 stores the accumulation history information.

  In FIG. 5, a content name 500, a broadcast date (day of week) 501, a broadcast channel 502, a recording start time 503, a recording end time 504, and a recording mode 505 are managed in association with each other. For example, a program “content A-1” broadcast on “8 channels” on “May 1, 2004 (Sat)” is recorded in “standard” mode from “21:00” to “21:54”. Represents that. Furthermore, the last number of the content name indicates the number of broadcasts of the same series, and “content A-1” and “content A-2” represent the same series program.

  However, the accumulated history information managed by the history information management unit 107 is not necessarily limited to this.

  In addition, in FIG. 5, only “standard” and “three times” (the bit rate is three times the standard) exist in FIG. 5, but the recording mode is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the classification may be “high image quality”, “standard”, and “low image quality”, or any other classification.

  FIG. 6 shows details of the broadcast date, broadcast channel, and broadcast time of the content shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, a broadcast date 521, a broadcast channel 522, a broadcast start time 523, and a broadcast end time 524 are associated with the content name 520, respectively. For example, the series program “content C” indicates that “every Monday” is broadcast from “21:00” to “21:54” on “8 channels”. Note that the information shown in FIG. 6 may be information managed in the content storage unit 106 as content information, or may be input from the outside.

  Here, in the case of creating recording control information for making a recording reservation for “content C-2”, the processing flow of the content processing control device 100 at that time follows the flowchart 350 of the control information creation processing shown in FIG. explain.

  When a recording reservation instruction for “content C-2” is given by the user X to the content processing control apparatus, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognizing unit 104 uses the above-described method to set “content C-2”. It is recognized that the user X performs the recording.

  In step S353 and step S354, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulation history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S355, since no output history information exists, the process proceeds to step S357.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads information related to “content C- *” shown in FIG.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S360 in order to create the recording control information of “content C-2”.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates the recording control information of “content C-2”. In creating the recording control information, the control information creation unit 114 indicates that the broadcast end time of “content C-1” is “21:54” from FIG. 5 and FIG. -1 ”is recorded only until“ 21:52 ”, and“ Content C-1 ”, which is the same series program as“ Content C-2 ”, is changed from“ 21:00 ”to“ 21:52 ”. The information that the video is recorded in the “3 times” mode is referred to.

  FIG. 7 shows the recording control information of “content C-2” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 7, a content name 540, a recording date (day of week) 541, a recording broadcast channel 542, a recording start time 543, a recording end time 544, and a recording mode 545 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, “content C-1”, which is the same series program as “content C-2”, is recorded only up to “21:52” even though the broadcast end time is “21:54”. Therefore, the recording end time of the recording control information for “content C-2” is set to “21:52”. However, the recording control information creation method is not necessarily limited to this.

  For example, when the broadcast start time of “content C-3”, which is the same series program as “content C-2”, is “21:00”, but only “21:03” is recorded. The recording start time of the recording control information for “content C-2” may be set to “21:03”.

  The recording control information shown in FIG. 7 is transferred to the content accumulation processing unit 105, and the content accumulation processing unit 105 performs the recording process of “content C-2” based on the recording control information shown in FIG. “Content C-2” recorded in the content storage unit 106 is managed in the content storage unit 106.

  Further, the accumulated history information when the recording process of “content C-2” is performed is stored in the history information management unit 107. When “content C-2” is recorded according to the recording control information shown in FIG. 7, the accumulated history information is the same information as the recording control information.

  Also, the recording control information shown in FIG. 7 may be output to the external device 17 via the control information output unit 116, and processing based on the recording control information output by the external device 17 may be performed. For example, when the external device 17 includes a display device, the recording control information shown in FIG. 7 may be displayed on the display device and presented to the user. At this time, if the recorded recording control information is corrected by the user, a means for inputting the corrected recording control information is prepared separately, and the input correction content is managed and stored in the history information management unit 107. This may be used when creating control information in the future.

  In the first embodiment, recording control information preferable for the user is created when recording at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content by using the accumulation history information of the past content of the user. be able to.

(Example 2)
The second embodiment described below exemplifies an operation for creating reproduction control information from accumulated history information managed by the history information management unit 107.

  Assume that the content shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the content storage unit 106.

  Here, FIG. 4 shows a flow of processing of the content processing control apparatus 100 at the time of creating reproduction control information for reproducing “content D-2” accumulated in the content accumulation unit 106. A description will be given according to the flowchart 350 of the control information creation process.

  When the user X instructs the content processing control apparatus to create the reproduction control information of “content D-2”, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognition unit 104 performs “content D- It is recognized that the user X performs the reproduction of “2”.

  In step S353 and step S354, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulation history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S355, since no output history information exists, the process proceeds to step S357.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads information related to “content D- *” shown in FIG.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S361 in order to create reproduction control information for “content D-2”.

  In step S361, the control information creation unit 114 creates the playback control information for “content D-2”. In creating the playback control information, the control information creation unit 114 indicates that the broadcast end time of “content D-2” is “23:25” from FIG. 5 and FIG. Reference is made to the information that “content D-1”, which is the same series program as “-2”, is recorded only until “23:23”.

  FIG. 8 shows the reproduction control information of “content D-2” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 8, a content name 560, a reproduction date (day of the week) 561, a reproduction start position (reproduction start data position) 562, and a reproduction end position (reproduction end data position) 563 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, “content D-1”, which is the same series program as “content D-2”, is recorded only until “23:23” even though the broadcast end time is “23:25”. Therefore, the playback end position of the playback control information for “content D-2” is set to “23:23”. However, the method for creating the reproduction control information is not necessarily limited to this.

  For example, when the broadcast start time of “content D-3”, which is the same series program as “content D-2”, is “22:54”, but only “22:55” is recorded. The playback start time of the playback control information for “content D-2” may be set to “22:55”.

  The reproduction control information shown in FIG. 8 is passed to the content output processing unit 115, and the content output processing unit 115 performs reproduction processing of “content D-2” based on the reproduction control information shown in FIG. “Content D-2” to be reproduced is called from the content storage unit 106.

  Further, output history information when the reproduction processing of “content D-2” is performed is stored in the history information management unit 107. When “content D-2” is reproduced according to the reproduction control information shown in FIG. 8, the output history information is the same information as the reproduction control information. Further, when an output instruction such as fast-forwarding is performed from the user X during the reproduction process of “content D-2”, the output instruction performed is associated with the start position and the end position of the output instruction, respectively. The history information management unit 107 stores the output history information.

  8 may be output to the external device 17 via the control information output unit 116, and processing based on the playback control information output from the external device 17 may be performed. For example, when the external device 17 includes a display device, the playback control information shown in FIG. 8 may be displayed on the display device and presented to the user. At this time, when the presented playback control information is corrected by the user, a means for inputting the corrected playback control information is prepared separately, and the input correction content is managed and stored in the history information management unit 107. This may be used when creating control information in the future.

  In the second embodiment, by using the accumulated history information of the user's past contents, reproduction control information preferable for the user is created when reproducing the content or another content in the same series as the content. be able to.

(Example 3)
In Example 3 described below, an operation of creating recording control information from output history information managed by the history information management unit 107 is illustrated.

  FIG. 9 shows output history information by the user X managed by the history information management unit 107. The output history information shown in FIG. 9 assumes that the content shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the content storage unit 106, and a part of the content is reproduced by the user X through the content output processing unit 115 in the past. Is the output history. The content output processing unit 115 creates output history information each time content is played back, and the history information management unit 107 stores the output history information.

  In FIG. 9, a content name 580, a reproduction date (day of the week) 581 of the content, a reproduction start position 582 of the content, and a reproduction end position 583 of the content are managed in association with each other. For example, “Content A-1” is reproduced on “Sunday, May 2, 2004”, and “Content A-1” is reproduced from “21:00” to “21:52”. Represents.

  However, the output history information managed by the history information management unit 107 is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the playback operation history by the user X when viewing the content may be managed at the same time.

  Also, the playback start position 582 and the playback end position 583 represent the playback start position and the playback end position using the time when the content was broadcast, but are not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the elapsed time from the beginning of the content may be represented. For example, the history information management unit 107 may manage information indicating that content having a length of 60 minutes is reproduced from 0 minute to 50 minutes as output history information.

  Here, “content B-2”, “content D-1”, “content D-2”, and “content L-3” in FIG. 9 are “−” except for the content name 580. Indicates that each content has not been reproduced.

  Here, in the case of creating recording control information for making a recording reservation for “content A-3”, the processing flow of the content processing control device 100 at that time is in accordance with the flowchart 350 of the control information creation processing shown in FIG. explain.

  When the recording reservation instruction of “content A-3” is given by the user X to the content processing control apparatus, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognition unit 104 uses the above-described method to set “content A-3”. It is recognized that the user X performs the recording.

  In step S353 and step S354, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulation history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S355 and step S356, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the output history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads information related to “content A- *” shown in FIG.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S360 to create the recording control information of “content A-3”.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates the recording control information of “content A-3”. In creating the recording control information, the control information creation unit 114 determines that “content A-1” and “content A-2”, which are the same series programs as “content A-3”, are “21” from FIG. 5 and FIG. Referring to the information that only the recording from “21:00” to “21:52” is performed despite the recording from “2:00” to “21:54”.

  FIG. 10 shows the recording control information of “content A-3” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 10, a content name 600, a recording date and time (day of the week) 601, a recording broadcast channel 602, a recording start time 603, a recording end time 604, and a recording mode 605 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 9, between “21:00” and “21:52” of “content A-1” and “content A-2” which are the same series program as “content A-3”. Since only the content has been reproduced, the recording end time of “content A-3” is set to “21:52”. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, since the recording mode of “content A-1” and “content A-2” is “standard”, the recording mode of “content A-3” is set to “standard”. However, the recording control information creation method is not necessarily limited to this.

  For example, when “content A-4”, which is the same series program as “content A-3”, is played only from “21:02”, the recording start time of the recording control information for “content A-3” is set. It may be set to “21:02”.

  In the third embodiment, by using the output history information of the past content of the user, recording control information preferable for the user is created when recording at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content. be able to.

Example 4
Example 4 described below exemplifies an operation of creating reproduction control information from output history information managed by the history information management unit 107.

  Assume that the content shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the content storage unit 106, and FIG. 9 is output history information when the user X reproduces part of the content in the past.

  Here, FIG. 4 shows a processing flow of the content processing control apparatus 100 at the time of creating reproduction control information for reproducing “content B-2” accumulated in the content accumulation unit 106. A description will be given according to the flowchart 350 of the control information creation process.

  When the user X instructs the content processing control apparatus to create reproduction control information for “content B-2”, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognition unit 104 uses the above-described method to “content B- It is recognized that the user X performs the reproduction of “2”.

  In step S353, since the accumulation history information is not used, the process proceeds to step S355.

  In step S355 and step S356, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the output history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S357, since no other information is used, the process proceeds to step S359.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S361 in order to create reproduction control information for “content B-2”.

  In step S361, the control information creation unit 114 creates the playback control information for “content B-2”. In creating the playback control information, the control information creation unit 114 performs “content B-1”, which is the same series program as “content B-2” from FIG. 9, from “20:00” to “20:44”. Refer to the information that you are playing between.

  FIG. 11 shows reproduction control information of “content B-2” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 11, a content name 620, a reproduction date (day of the week) 621, a reproduction start position 622, and a reproduction end position 623 are displayed.

  Here, although “content B-1”, which is the same series program as “content B-2”, has been recorded from “20:00” to “20:45”, the user has set “20 Since only “0:00” to “20:44” are reproduced, the reproduction end position of the reproduction control information for “content B-2” is set to “20:44”. However, the method for creating the reproduction control information is not necessarily limited to this.

  For example, in the case where “content B-3”, which is the same series program as “content B-2”, has been recorded from “20:00” but is only played back from “20:01”, The playback start time of the playback control information for “content B-2” may be set to “20:01”.

  In the fourth embodiment, by using output history information of a user's past content, playback control information preferable for the user is created when playing back the content or another content in the same series as the content. be able to.

(Example 5)
In the fifth embodiment described below, an operation of creating recording control information from the operation history information of the output history information managed by the history information management unit 107 is exemplified.

  FIG. 12 shows operation history information when the user X managed by the history information management unit 107 reproduces “content F-1”. The operation history information shown in FIG. 12 indicates that when the user X reproduces “content F-1” in the past via the content output processing unit 115, the user X gives an output instruction such as fast-forwarding to the content processing control device. The information indicating the start position and the information indicating the end position are shown. The content output processing unit 115 creates operation history information each time an output instruction such as fast-forwarding is performed, and the history information management unit 107 stores the operation history information.

  In FIG. 12, immediately after the user X reproduces “content F-1”, fast-forwarding is performed until “19:02”, normal reproduction is performed from there, and thereafter “19:15” to “19:17”. , Fast forward from "19:30" to "19:32", and from "19:43" to "19:45", and finish playback at "19:52" It shows that you are doing.

  Here, in the case of creating recording control information for making a recording reservation for “content F-2”, the processing flow of the processing control information 100 at that time will be described according to the flowchart 350 of the control information creation processing shown in FIG. To do.

  When a recording reservation instruction for “content F-2” is given by the user X to the content processing control apparatus, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognizing unit 104 uses the method described above to set “content F-2”. It is recognized that the user X performs the recording.

  In step S353 and step S354, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulation history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S355 and step S356, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the operation history information of “content F-1” by the user X shown in FIG. 12 managed in the history information management unit 107.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads information related to “content F- *” shown in FIG.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S360 in order to create the recording control information of “content F-2”.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates the recording control information of “content F-2”. In creating the recording control information, the control information creation unit 114 refers to the operation history information of “content F-1”, which is the same series program as “content F-2”.

  FIG. 13 shows the recording control information of “content F-2” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 13, a content name 640, a recording date (day of week) 641, a recording broadcast channel 642, a recording start time 643, a recording end time 644, and a recording mode 645 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, “content F-1”, which is the same series program as “content F-2”, is fast-forwarded to “19:02” immediately after the start of playback of “content F-1”, and is normally played back. Since the playback is ended at “19:52”, the recording start time of the recording control information for “content F-2” is set to “19:02” and the recording end time is set to “19:52”. However, the recording control information creation method is not necessarily limited to this.

  Furthermore, from the operation history information of “content F-1” shown in FIG. 12, from “19:15” to “19:17”, from “19:30” to “19:32”, “19 : 43 ”to“ 19:45 ”, information indicating that fast-forwarding is being performed, as shown in FIG. 14, recording control information that does not perform recording at those times may be created. . In FIG. 14, a content name 660, a recording date (day of the week) 661, a recording broadcast channel 662, a recording start time 663, a recording end time 664, and a recording mode 665 are displayed in association with each other, and information indicating the deletion start position. 666 and information 667 indicating the deletion end position are displayed in association with each other. That is, “content F-2” starts broadcasting from “19:00”, but recording starts from “19:02”, and “19:15” to “19:17” There is recording control information that recording is not performed between “19:30” and “19:32” and between “19:43” and “19:45”, and recording is ended at “19:52”. Created.

  However, although recording is also performed from the deletion start position to the deletion end position, it is possible not to reproduce those times during reproduction of the content. For example, when recording content, a mark is provided so that the deletion start position and deletion end position can be identified, the mark given at the time of content playback is discriminated, and playback is performed from the deletion start position to the deletion end position. It does not matter if you do not.

  In the fifth embodiment, by using the operation history information at the time of the user's past content reproduction, when recording at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content, recording control information preferable for the user is recorded. Can be created.

(Example 6)
In the sixth embodiment described below, an operation of creating recording control information from user preference information managed by the preference information management unit 108 is illustrated.

  FIG. 15 shows various pieces of information about the content to be broadcast from now on. In FIG. 15, the content name 680, the scheduled broadcast date (day of the week) 681, the broadcast channel 682, the broadcast start time 683, and the broadcast end time 684 are displayed in association with each other, and the content name 685 and the genre to which the content belongs 686, a performer 687 of the content, and a keyword 688 of the content are displayed in association with each other. For example, “content G-1” is broadcast on “4ch” from “19:00” to “19:54” on “May 17, 2004 (Monday)”. The genre belongs to “J1”, the performers are “P1”, “P2” and “P3”, and the keywords are “K1”, “K2”, “K3” and “K4”. Yes.

  Further, as the preference information of the user X, the favorite genre is “J1”, the favorite performers are “P1” and “P2”, and the favorite keywords are “K2”, “K3”, and “K5”. It is assumed that the preference information is managed by the preference information management unit 108.

  Here, the user's preference degree for “content G-1” and “content H-1” is calculated, and recording reservations for “content G-1” and “content H-1” are made according to the calculated preference degree. A case of creating recording control information for performing will be described.

  The preference information extraction unit 111 extracts the user X's preference information from the preference information management unit 108.

  The content information extraction unit 110 extracts the content information of “content G-1” and “content H-1” shown in FIG.

  The preference level calculation unit 112 calculates the preference levels of “content G-1” and “content H-1” from the information extracted by the preference level information extraction unit 111 and the information extracted by the content information extraction unit 110. .

  Here, as a method of calculating the preference level, the preference information of the user and the content information are compared, and the preference level is increased by 10 points for each matching item.

  Accordingly, when the preference level of “content G-1” is calculated, the five items “genre“ J1 ”, performers“ P1 ”and“ P2 ”, and keywords“ K2 ”and“ K3 ”match. −1 ”is set to 50.

  Similarly, when the degree of preference of “content H-1” is calculated, the two items of the performer “P1” and the keyword “K5” match, so the degree of preference of “content H-1” is set to 20.

  However, the preference degree calculation method is not necessarily limited to this.

  FIG. 4 shows a flow of processing of the processing control 100 in the case of creating recording control information for making a recording reservation for “content G-1” using the calculated degree of preference of “content G-1”. The control information creation process shown in FIG.

  When a recording reservation instruction for “content G-1” is given by the user X to the content processing control apparatus, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognition unit 104 uses the method described above to set “content G-1”. It is recognized that the user X performs the recording.

  In step S353, since there is no accumulated history information, the process proceeds to step S355.

  In step S355, since no output history information exists, the process proceeds to step S357.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads the information on “content G-1” shown in FIG. 15 and the preference level of “content G-1” calculated above.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S360 in order to create the recording control information of “content G-1”.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates the recording control information of “content G-1”.

  FIG. 16 shows the recording control information of “content G-1” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 16, a content name 700, a recording date (day of week) 701, a recording broadcast channel 702, a recording start time 703, a recording end time 704, and a recording mode 705 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, the recording mode is “high quality” when the preference level is 50 points or more, “standard” when the preference level is 30 points or more and less than 50 points, and “low image quality” when the preference level is less than 30 points. ”Is set, the preference level of“ content G-1 ”is“ 50 points ”, so the recording mode of the recording control information for“ content G-1 ”is set to“ high image quality ”. Here, the recording mode is represented by three categories of “high image quality”, “standard”, and “low image quality”, but is not necessarily limited to this. Further, the recording control information creation method is not necessarily limited to this.

  On the other hand, in the case of creating recording control information for making a recording reservation of “content H-1” using the calculated preference of “content H-1”, the processing of the content processing control apparatus 100 at that time The flow will be described according to the flowchart of the control information creation process shown in FIG.

  When the recording reservation instruction of “content H-1” is given by the user X to the content processing control apparatus, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognition unit 104 uses the above-described method to set “content H-1”. It is recognized that the user X performs the recording.

  In step S353, since there is no accumulated history information, the process proceeds to step S355.

  In step S355, since no output history information exists, the process proceeds to step S357.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads the information on “content H-1” shown in FIG. 15 and the preference level of “content H-1” calculated above.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S360 in order to create the recording control information of “content H-1”.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates the recording control information of “content H-1”.

  FIG. 17 shows the recording control information of “content H-1” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 17, a content name 720, a recording date (day of week) 721, a recording broadcast channel 722, a recording start time 723, a recording end time 724, and a recording mode 725 are displayed in association with each other.

  Since the preference level of “content H-1” is “20 points”, the recording mode of the recording control information for “content H-1” is set to “low image quality”.

  In the sixth embodiment, by using user preference information, it is possible to create recording control information that is preferable for the user when recording content.

(Example 7)
In the seventh embodiment described below, an operation of creating recording control information from information indicating the remaining recordable amount of the recording medium 15 or the like detected by the recordable remaining amount detection unit 113 is illustrated.

  FIG. 18 shows the recordable remaining amount of the recording medium detected by the recordable remaining amount detecting unit 113. In FIG. 18, the recordable time 740 when the remaining recording capacity of the recording medium is converted into the “high quality” mode, the recordable time 741 when converted into the “standard” mode, and when converted into the “low image quality” mode The recordable time 742 is shown. For example, in the “high image quality” mode, only the remaining 50 minutes can be recorded, but in the “low image quality” mode, it can be recorded for 3 hours and 46 minutes.

  Here, in the case of creating recording control information for making a recording reservation of “content J” from “21:00” to “22:54”, the processing of the content processing control apparatus 100 at that time The flow will be described with reference to the flowchart 350 of the control information creation process shown in FIG.

  When an instruction for recording reservation of “content J” is given by the user X to the content processing control apparatus, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognition unit 104 records “content J” by the above-described method. Recognizes that it is user X.

  In step S353, since there is no accumulated history information, the process proceeds to step S355.

  In step S355, since no output history information exists, the process proceeds to step S357.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads the information on “content J” shown in FIG. 6 and the information on the remaining recordable amount shown in FIG.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S360 in order to create the recording control information of “content J”.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates the recording control information of “content J”. In creating the recording control information, the control information creation unit 114 includes information that the broadcast time of “content J” is “1 hour 45 minutes” from “21:00” to “22:54”, and a recording medium Reference is made to information indicating the remaining recordable amount.

  FIG. 19 shows the recording control information of “content J” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 19, a content name 760, a recording date (day of week) 761, a recording broadcast channel 762, a recording start time 763, a recording end time 764, and a recording mode 765 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, since the broadcast time of “content J” is “1 hour 54 minutes”, the recording capacity is insufficient in “high image quality” mode and “standard” mode. Set the recording mode to “Low Quality”. However, the recording control information creation method is not necessarily limited to this. For example, using the recordable remaining amount of the recording medium and user preference information, one part of “content J” is recorded in “high quality” mode, and another part is recorded in “standard” mode, and the rest In this part, recording control information that is recorded in the “low image quality” mode may be created.

  In the seventh embodiment, it is possible to set recording control information preferable for the user when recording content by using information on the remaining recordable amount of the recording medium.

(Example 8)
The eighth embodiment described below exemplifies an operation of creating output control information when outputting the content from the accumulated history information managed by the history information management unit 107.

  FIG. 20 shows accumulated history information when Mr. A and Mr. B use the copy machine 780 to copy or print documents such as Word text. The accumulation history information illustrated in FIG. 20 is accumulation history information when the content accumulation processing unit 105 copies or prints documents such as Word text input via the reception unit 101. The content accumulation processing unit 105 creates accumulation history information every time a document such as Word text is copied or printed, and the history information management unit 107 stores the accumulation history information.

  In FIG. 20, a document name 781 (content name), an owner 782 (content owner) of the document, a document type 783 (content type), a print date 784 (content accumulation date) of the document, and the document Are printed in association with each other. For example, “Mr. A” indicates that “Word text” having the file name “W-A-1” was printed with “Double-sided 2-Up” on “May 10, 2004”.

  However, the accumulated history information shown in FIG. 20 managed by the history information management unit 107 is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the number of pages of the document (the number of pages of content), a keyword indicating the content of the document (contents of content), or the like may be included. The accumulation history information shown in FIG. 20 only needs to include either the creator of the document or the owner of the document, and further includes the type of the document, the size of the document, the creation date and time of the document, It only needs to include at least one of the genre of the document, the number of pages of the document, or the content of the document.

  The accumulation history information shown in FIG. 20 may be accumulation history information when a document print instruction is sent from the external device such as a PC connected to the copier 780 via a network to the copier 780. It may be accumulated history information when printing documents directly from the copier 780, and documents managed in an external device such as a PC connected to the copier 780 via a network may be stored on the copier 780 side. The accumulated history information at the time of issuing a print instruction may be used.

  In this case, “Mr. A” is content processing control at the time of creating output control information for printing “Word text” consisting of “page 8” with a document name “WA-3”. The process flow of the apparatus 100 will be described with reference to the 350 flowchart of the control information creation process shown in FIG.

  When “Mr. A” gives an instruction to print the “Word text” with the document name “W-A-3” to the content processing control apparatus, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognizing unit 104 performs the above-described process. According to the technique, it is recognized that the user X prints the “Word text” having the document name “W-A-3”.

  In steps S353 and S354, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulated history information by “Mr. A” shown in FIG.

  In step S355, since no output history information exists, the process proceeds to step S357.

  In step S357, since no other information exists, the process proceeds to step S359.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S362 in order to create output control information for printing the document “W-A-3”.

  In step S362, the control information creation unit 114 creates output control information for printing the document “W-A-3”. In creating the output control information, the control information creation unit 114 refers to the information that “Mr. A” always prints “Word text” in “Double-sided 2-Up” from FIG. 20.

  FIG. 21 shows the output control information “W-A-3” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 21, a document name 800, a type 801, and printing time information 802 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, “Mr. A” is the same “Word sentence” as “W-A-3”, and “W-A-1” and “W-A-2” are always “2-sided 2-Up”. Since printing is being performed, “WA-3” creates output control information that can be printed with “double-sided 2-Up”. However, the method for creating the output control information is not necessarily limited to this.

  The output control information shown in FIG. 21 is transferred to the control information output unit 116, and the control information output unit 116 performs a copy or print process of “W-A-3” based on the output control information shown in FIG.

  Further, the history information management unit 107 stores the output history information when the “WA-3” is copied or printed. When the copy or print process of “W-A-3” is performed according to the output control information shown in FIG. 21, the output history information is the same information as the output control information.

  In the eighth embodiment, control information for copying or printing documents is managed, and when using the information, the document or a document similar to the document is copied or printed. Furthermore, output control information preferable for the user can be created.

Example 9
The ninth embodiment described below exemplifies an operation for creating the recording control information from the storage history information and the output history information managed by the history information management unit 107.

  Assume that the content shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the content storage unit 106, and FIG. 9 is output history information when the user X reproduces part of the content in the past.

  Here, in the case of creating recording control information for making a recording reservation for “content K-3”, the processing flow of the content processing control device 100 at that time follows the flowchart 350 of the control information creation processing shown in FIG. explain.

  When a recording reservation instruction for “content K-3” is given by the user X to the content processing control apparatus, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognizing unit 104 uses the method described above to set “content K-3”. It is recognized that the user X performs the recording.

  In step S353 and step S354, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulation history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S355 and step S356, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the output history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads information regarding “content K- *” shown in FIG.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S360 in order to create the recording control information of “content K-3”.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates the recording control information of “content K-3”. In creating the recording control information, the control information creation unit 114 determines that “content K-1” and “content K-2”, which are the same series programs as “content K-3”, are “ Information that only “21:15” to “21:55” are recorded in spite of being broadcast from “21:15” to “22:00”, and “contents K-1” and “ “Content K-2” refers to information indicating that playback is started from “21:16” despite being recorded from “21:15”.

  FIG. 22 shows the recording control information of “content K-3” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 22, a content name 820, a recording date and time (day of the week) 821, a recording broadcast channel 822, a recording start time 823, a recording end time 824, and a recording mode 825 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, “content K-1” and “content K-2”, which are the same series programs as “content K-3”, are recorded only up to “21:55”. Since both are not played back only from “21:16”, the recording start time of “content K-3” is set to “21:16”, and the recording end time is set to “21:55”. Set to. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, since the recording modes of “content K-1” and “content K-2” are “standard”, the recording mode of “content K-3” is also set to “standard”. However, the recording control information creation method is not necessarily limited to this.

  In the ninth embodiment, by using both the accumulated history information and the output history information of the past content of the user, it is possible for the user to record at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content. Preferred recording control information can be generated more appropriately.

(Example 10)
In the tenth embodiment described below, an operation of creating reproduction control information from the accumulated history information and output history information managed by the history information management unit 107 is exemplified.

  Assume that the content shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the content storage unit 106, and FIG. 9 is output history information when the user X reproduces part of the content in the past.

  Here, in the case of creating reproduction control information for reproducing “content L-3”, the processing flow of the content processing control apparatus 100 at that time will be described according to the flowchart 350 of the control information creation process shown in FIG. To do.

  When the user X instructs the content processing control apparatus to create the reproduction control information of “content L-3”, in step S351 and step S352, the user recognition unit 104 performs “content L- It is recognized that the user X performs the reproduction of “3”.

  In step S353 and step S354, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the accumulation history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S355 and step S356, the history information extraction unit 109 reads the output history information by the user X shown in FIG.

  In step S357 and step S358, the control information creation unit 114 reads information related to “content L- *” shown in FIG.

  In step S359, the process proceeds to step S360 in order to create reproduction control information of “content L-3”.

  In step S360, the control information creation unit 114 creates playback control information for “content L-3”. In the generation of the reproduction control information, the control information creation unit 114 determines that “content L-1” and “content L-2”, which are the same series programs as “content L-3”, are “22” from FIG. 5 and FIG. 3:00 ”to“ 23:00 ”, the information that only“ 22:02 ”is recorded, and“ content L-1 ”and“ content L-2 ”are“ Reference is made to the information that only "22:54" has been reproduced.

  FIG. 23 shows reproduction control information of “content L-3” created by the control information creation unit 114. In FIG. 23, a content name 840, a reproduction date (day of the week) 841, a reproduction start position 822, and a reproduction end position 823 are displayed in association with each other.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, “content L-1” and “content L-2”, which are the same series programs as “content L-3”, are recorded only from “22:02”. Since both are not played back until “22:54”, the playback start time of “content L-3” is set to “22:02” and the playback end time is set to “22:54”. Set to. However, the method for creating the reproduction control information is not necessarily limited to this.

  In the tenth embodiment, by using both the accumulated history information and output history information of the past content of the user, the user can play back at least one of the content or another content in the same series as the content. Preferred reproduction control information can be created more appropriately.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  Since the present invention can accurately and easily create control information for controlling the content recording operation or the output operation, the content recording operation can be efficiently performed in a device having a content recording or storage function. Or a content output operation can be efficiently performed in a device having a content reproduction or output function.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the content processing control apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the computer system which implement | achieves each function part of the content processing control apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. 3 is a flowchart showing main operations of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the control information creation process performed by step S301 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the accumulation | storage log | history information currently accumulate | stored and managed in the log | history information management part regarding one Example of the process control content apparatus shown in FIG. 1, another Example, and another Example. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing information such as a broadcast date, a broadcast channel, and a broadcast time of the content shown in FIG. 5 with respect to one embodiment, another embodiment, and still another embodiment of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. is there. It is explanatory drawing which shows the video recording control information produced | generated regarding one Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced | generated reproduction control information regarding the other Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the output log | history information accumulate | stored and managed in the log | history information management part regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced recording control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced | generated reproduction control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation history information of the output history information accumulate | stored and managed in the history information management part regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced recording control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced recording control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the broadcast schedule date of a content, a broadcast channel, broadcast time, and the preference degree of the said content regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced recording control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced recording control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the recordable remaining amount of the recording medium detected by the recordable remaining amount detection part regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced recording control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the accumulation | storage log | history information accumulate | stored and managed in the log | history information management part regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced output control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced recording control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the produced | generated reproduction control information regarding the further another Example of the content processing control apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Content 12 User identification information 13 User preference information 14 Content information 100 Content processing control apparatus 104 User recognition part (user identification means)
105 Content accumulation processing unit (recording control means)
106 Content storage unit (content storage means)
107 History information management unit (history information management means)
108 Preference information management unit (preference information management means)
112 Preference level calculation unit (preference level calculation means)
113 Recordable remaining amount detecting unit (recordable remaining amount detecting means)
114 Control information creation unit (control information creation means)
115 Content output processing unit (output control means)
116 Control information output unit

Claims (26)

Content storage means for storing the input content;
History information management means for storing at least one of storage history information related to the content stored in the content storage means and output history information related to the content output from the content storage means;
Control for creating at least one of recording control information for controlling content recording operation and output control information for controlling content output operation based on at least one of the accumulation history information and the output history information A content processing control apparatus comprising: an information creating unit.   The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a recording control unit that causes the content storage unit to record the input content based on the recording control information.   The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output control unit that outputs the content stored in the content storage unit based on the output control information.   User identification means for identifying a user, wherein the history information management means stores at least one of the accumulated history information and the output history information for each user identified by the user identification means; 2. The content processing control according to claim 1, wherein the control information is created by using information for each user specified by the user specifying means stored in the history information management means. apparatus.   The accumulation history information includes at least the content name, the content accumulation date, the broadcast channel on which the content is broadcast, and the accumulation start time of the content, and further includes the accumulation end time of the content or the accumulation of the content. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein any one of the required times is included. The accumulation history information includes at least content information regarding the content,
The content information includes at least one of the creator of the content or the owner of the content, and further includes the type of the content, the size of the content, the creation date and time of the content, the genre of the content, The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the number of pages or the contents of the content.   The output history information includes information indicating at least the content name, the output date and time of the content, and the output start position in the content, and further information indicating the output end position in the content or the content is output. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein any one of the times is included. The output history information includes at least operation history information by a user when outputting the content,
The operation history information includes an output instruction for content, information indicating a start position of the output instruction in the content, and information indicating an end position of the output instruction in the content. The output instruction includes normal playback, fast-forwarding, The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content processing control apparatus is at least one of rewind, pause, slow playback, and frame advance. Preference information management means for storing user preference information;
A preference level calculation unit that calculates a user preference level for the content based on the user preference information stored in the preference information management unit;
2. The content processing control according to claim 1, wherein the control information creating unit creates at least one of the recording control information of the content and the output control information of the content in accordance with the user's preference level. apparatus. The control information creating means creates at least the recording control information,
The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording control information is recording control information for controlling a recording operation for the content.   The recording control information includes at least the broadcast date of the content, the broadcast channel of the content, the recording start time of the content, and the recording mode of the content, and further includes the recording end time of the content or the recording time of the content. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 10, comprising any one of them. The control information creating means creates at least the output control information,
The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output control information is reproduction control information for controlling a reproduction operation for the content.   The playback control information includes at least the content name and information indicating a playback start position in the content, and further indicates either one of information indicating a playback end position in the content or a time during which the content is played back. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:   The content processing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output control information is output control information for controlling an output operation for at least one of the content and a copy of the content.   The content processing control apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the output control information includes at least one of the accumulation history information and the output history information. A recordable remaining amount detecting means for detecting a recordable remaining amount of a recording medium on which content is recorded;
11. The control information creating unit determines a recording mode for recording the content based on a recordable remaining amount of the recording medium detected by the recordable remaining amount detecting unit. The content processing control apparatus according to 1.   Either the storage start time of the content included in the storage history information used to create the recording control information, or the information indicating the output start position in the content included in the output history information, or these When both are different from the broadcast start time of the content, the control information creating means determines the recording start time included in the recording control information of the content as the broadcast start time of the content and the accumulation start time of the content or within the content. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the content processing control apparatus is set so as to be shifted from a broadcast start time of the content by a difference from the output start position of the content.   Either the storage start time of the content included in the storage history information used to create the reproduction control information, or the information indicating the output start position in the content included in the output history information, or these When both are different from the broadcast start time of the content, the control information creating means sets the playback start position in the content included in the playback control information of the content as the broadcast start time of the content and the storage start of the content. 14. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 11 or 13, wherein the content processing control device is set so as to be shifted from a reproduction start position of the content by a time or a difference from an output start position in the content. The accumulation history information includes content accumulation end time,
Further, the output history information includes information indicating the output end position in the content,
Either the storage end time of the content included in the storage history information used to create the recording control information, or the information indicating the output end position in the content included in the output history information, or these When both are different from the broadcast end time of the content, the control information creation means sets the recording end time included in the recording control information of the content as the broadcast end time of the content and the accumulation end time of the content or within the content. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the content processing control device is set so as to be shifted from the broadcast end time of the content by a difference from the output end position of the content. The accumulation history information includes content accumulation end time,
Further, the output history information includes information indicating the output end position in the content,
Either the storage end time of the content included in the storage history information used to create the reproduction control information, or the information indicating the output end position in the content included in the output history information, or these When both are different from the broadcast end time of the content, the control information creation means sets the playback end position in the content included in the playback control information of the content as the broadcast end time of the content and the accumulation end of the content. 14. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 11 or 13, wherein the content processing control apparatus sets the time or the difference from the output end position in the content by shifting from the playback end position of the content. The accumulation history information includes the time required for content accumulation,
Furthermore, the output history information includes the time when the content was played,
Either the time required to store the content included in the storage history information used to create the recording control information, the time when the content is played back included in the output history information, or both Is different from the broadcast time of the content, the control information generating means uses the recording time included in the recording control information of the content as the broadcast time of the content and the time required to store the content or the content is reproduced. 14. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 11 or 13, wherein the content processing control apparatus is set by subtracting from the broadcast time of the content by a difference from the measured time. The accumulation history information includes the time required for content accumulation,
Furthermore, the output history information includes the time when the content was played,
Either the time required to store the content included in the storage history information used to create the playback control information, the time when the content is played back included in the output history information, or both Is different from the broadcast time of the content, the control information creating means uses the playback time included in the playback control information of the content as the broadcast time of the content and the time required to store the content or the content is played back. 14. The content processing control apparatus according to claim 11 or 13, wherein the content processing control apparatus is set by subtracting the difference from the broadcast time of the content from the broadcast time of the content. The output history information includes at least operation history information by a user when outputting the content,
Furthermore, when the operation history information is managed in association with at least information indicating the fast-forward start position and information indicating the fast-forward end position, respectively,
The said control information preparation means produces the recording control information except during the time when fast-forwarding was performed, or creates output control information except during the time when fast-forwarding was performed. Content processing control device. A content storage step for storing the input content;
A history information management step for storing at least one of accumulation history information relating to the content accumulated in the content accumulation step and output history information relating to the content output from the content accumulation step;
Control for creating at least one of recording control information for controlling content recording operation and output control information for controlling content output operation based on at least one of the accumulation history information and the output history information A content processing control method comprising: an information creation step.   A program for operating the content processing control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the processing control program causes a computer to function as each of the above means.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the processing control program according to claim 25 is recorded.

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