JP2006309452A - Content providing system, center-side device, terminal device, content providing method and card - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain security at a predetermined level or more at low cost through a simple system. <P>SOLUTION: A card recording code information is issued (S1), code information recorded in the issued card and a desired content ID are input to an STB (S2), and the STB transmits the input code information and content ID and the identification information of the STB to an authentication server (S3). The authentication server authenticates that the code information and the identification information of the STB received in S4 are valid by referring to a terminal management table and a code management table (S5), and a content providing server which receives a valid authentication result report extracts a content corresponding to the content ID based on a content providing rule corresponding to the code information (S9), and provides it to the STB (S10). The STB outputs the provided content to a television (S11). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content providing system, a center side device, a terminal device, a content providing method, and a card related to providing paid content such as a VOD (Video On Demand) service.

  In this specification, “code information” means the code itself, and “content information” means the content itself.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, VOD services, that is, services that allow users to enjoy viewing desired video content based on predetermined usage rules, individual contracts, and the like are becoming widespread. Various technologies related to such a VOD service have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a pay broadcast providing service used by a user using a prepaid card or the like is introduced. Here, for automation, a user side device and a center side device are charged via a network. The form which transmits and receives money amount data is described.
JP 2001-168816 A

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 requires a device configuration for ensuring security on the network, and the system inevitably has a complicated configuration and an expensive configuration.

  Also, in recent years, the spread of IC cards and the use of biometric authentication technology using fingerprint patterns and palm vein patterns have advanced, and the technology to ensure security has been dramatically improved. There is also the difficulty of becoming complicated and expensive.

  On the other hand, it is also true that there is a potential need for building a simple and inexpensive system for VOD service provision.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and is a content providing system, a center side device, a terminal device, and a content that can maintain a security of a predetermined level or more while being simple and inexpensive. An object is to provide a providing method and a card.

  In order to solve the above problems, a content providing system according to the present invention includes a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device and a center-side device capable of communicating with the terminal device via a network. In the content providing system, the terminal device inputs code information, and inputs a code input unit for inputting desired content information, the input code information and content information, and identification information of the terminal device. A transmission unit that transmits to the center side device; and an output unit that outputs the content provided from the center side device to the audiovisual device. The center side device stores identification information of a terminal device permitted as a content providing destination. Terminal management table, code management table in which code information for which content provision is permitted is recorded, and code information A storage unit that stores predetermined content provision rules determined in advance, a receiving unit that receives input code information, content information, and terminal device identification information from the terminal device, a terminal management table, and a code management table By referring to the authenticating unit that authenticates that the received code information and the identification information of the terminal device are valid, and the content providing rule corresponding to the code information when the authentication is successful, the content And a content providing unit that provides content corresponding to the information to the terminal device. The code information is preferably configured based on information written on the card.

  In addition, the content providing method according to the present invention is capable of communicating with a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device and the terminal device via a network, and identification information of a terminal device permitted as a content providing destination is recorded. Content provision comprising a terminal management table, a code management table in which code information for which content provision is permitted is recorded, and a center side device that stores a predetermined content provision rule determined according to the code information A content providing method in a system, in which a card issuing step in which a card in which code information is recorded is issued, code information recorded in the issued card is input to a terminal device, and desired content information is input Code input step, input code information and content information, and the end By referring to the transmission step transmitted to the center side device and the terminal management table and the code management table, the received code information and the terminal device identification information are valid. An authentication step for authenticating existence, and a content providing step for providing content corresponding to the content information to the terminal device based on a content provision rule corresponding to the code information when the authentication is successful, and providing And a content output step of outputting the content to the audiovisual device.

  According to the present invention, when a card in which code information is recorded is issued and the code information and desired content information recorded in the issued card are input to the terminal device, the input code information and content The information and the identification information of the terminal device are transmitted from the terminal device to the center side device. The center-side device according to the present invention may be a single server or a plurality of servers, and may be arranged at one place or at a plurality of different places. Then, the center side device authenticates that the received code information and the terminal device identification information are valid by referring to the terminal management table and the code management table stored in the own device. If the authentication is successful, the center side device provides the terminal device with the content corresponding to the content information based on the content provision rule corresponding to the code information. Further, the terminal device outputs the provided content to the audiovisual device. Thereby, the user can view the provided desired content.

  In the structure of the present invention, information corresponding to the code information is transmitted from the center side device without directly reading out information related to the card (for example, information such as the remaining viewable time and remaining amount) and displaying it on the audiovisual device. Can be configured to. However, since the center side apparatus performs authentication regarding the code information and the identification information of the terminal apparatus based on the terminal management table and the code management table, security of a predetermined level or more is ensured. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to maintain security at a predetermined level or more while being simple and inexpensive.

  In the present invention, the “card” has a feature and can be described as follows. The card according to the present invention is a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device and capable of inputting code information and content information, and a terminal device that can communicate with the terminal device via a network and is permitted as a content providing destination. A card used in a content providing system configured to include a terminal management table in which information is recorded and a center side device that stores a code management table in which code information for which content provision is permitted is recorded, Code information is recorded. Here, it is desirable that the code information is printed on the surface of the card. Further, it is desirable that the code information is recorded in a readable state.

  Note that the above “audiovisual device” corresponds to a device having a function of reproducing video content or music content, such as a television or an audio device. As the “terminal device”, a set top box (hereinafter referred to as “STB”) can be adopted. This STB can be installed in any living environment such as accommodation facilities such as hotels and inns, amusement facilities, hospitals, condominiums and detached houses, corporate facilities, and rental buildings. Further, management and possession of the STB itself are not necessarily the provider of the content providing system, but may be owned by the viewer or there may be a contractor that lends the STB.

  In addition, the above-mentioned “code information” is issued as a set of a predetermined number of pieces of code information, and the one set of code information is related to random numbers and intervals from within a predetermined range of allocatable ranges. It is desirable to have a configuration in which a random interval is issued based on a predetermined mathematical formula using a parameter and a coefficient for adjusting the interval so as not to overlap. With such a configuration, it is possible to eliminate as much as possible the inconvenience that someone accidentally applies code information.

  The center-side device according to the present invention is a center-side device capable of communicating via a network with a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device, and has identification information of a terminal device permitted as a content providing destination. A recorded terminal management table, a code management table in which code information for which content provision is permitted is recorded, a storage unit that stores predetermined content provision rules determined in accordance with the code information, and input code information The received code information and the terminal device identification information are valid by referring to the receiving unit that receives the desired content information and the terminal device identification information from the terminal device, and the terminal management table and the code management table. Based on the content provision rule corresponding to the code information if the authentication unit authenticates Characterized by comprising a content provider that provides the content corresponding to the content information to the terminal device.

  A content providing method according to the present invention includes a terminal management table in which identification information of a terminal device that is communicable via a network and is permitted as a content providing destination is recorded with a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device, A code management table in which code information for which content provision is permitted is recorded, and a content providing method in a center side device that stores a predetermined content provision rule determined in accordance with the code information, the input code information and The received code information and the terminal device identification information are valid by referring to the reception step of receiving the desired content information and the terminal device identification information from the terminal device, and the terminal management table and the code management table. Authentication step to authenticate that, and if the authentication is successful, it corresponds to the code information Based on the content providing rule, characterized by having a content providing step of providing the contents corresponding to the content information to the terminal device.

  A terminal device according to the present invention is a terminal device that is connected to an audiovisual device and is capable of communicating via a network with a center side device that performs authentication and content provision related to content provision. A code input unit for inputting the content information, a transmission unit for transmitting the input code information and content information and the identification information of the terminal device to the center side device, and viewing and listening to the content provided from the center side device And an output unit for outputting to the device.

  A content providing method according to the present invention is a content providing method in a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device and capable of communicating via a network with a center side device that performs authentication and content provision related to content provision. A code input step for inputting desired content information, a transmission step for transmitting the input code information and content information and identification information of the terminal device to the center side device, and a center side device. A content output step of outputting the content to the audiovisual device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain security at a predetermined level or more while being simple and inexpensive.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 shows one configuration example of the content providing system 1. As shown in the figure, the content providing system 1 includes an STB 30 connected to audiovisual equipment (in this embodiment, a television 40 as an example), and a center-side device 10 that can communicate with the STB 30 via the network 20. Consists of including. Among these, the center side apparatus 10 is comprised including the authentication server 10A which authenticates a user, and the content provision server 10B which provides a content with respect to the user who authenticated normally. The authentication server 10A and the content providing server 10B may be arranged at one place or at a plurality of different places. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the center side device 10 is configured by a plurality of servers, but this is not essential and may be configured by a single server. Further, the content providing server 10B may be singular or plural. In the case of a plurality, different business operators may own and manage the content providing server 10B.

  Among these, the STB 30 is a user who purchases a card 50 in which code information (in this embodiment, code information consisting of a 6-digit number sequence) is recorded, inputs the 6-digit code information, and selects desired content. Code input unit 31 for inputting information (for example, a content ID for identifying content), input code information and content ID, and identification information of STB 30 (in this embodiment, a 6-digit terminal as an example) Number) to the authentication server 10A, and an output unit 33 that outputs the content provided from the content providing server 10B to the television 40. Note that the code input unit 31 does not have to be configured integrally with the STB 30, and may be configured to be physically separated from the STB 30, such as a remote control device for the STB 30, for example. In addition, the content ID input format using the code input unit 31 may select a content ID by selecting a desired content from a predetermined selection screen, in addition to inputting the content ID itself.

  The authentication server 10A receives from the STB 30 the storage unit 11 that stores a code management table 11A, which will be described later, the code information and the content ID input to the STB 30, and the identification information of the STB 30, and authentication by the authentication unit 13, which will be described later. Authentication for authenticating that the received code information and terminal number are valid by referring to the transmission / reception unit 12 that transmits the result to the content providing server 10B and the terminal management table 11B and code management table 11A described later. Part 13. The content providing server 10B, when successfully authenticating by the content database (content DB) 15 storing various provided contents and the authentication unit 13, based on the content providing rule corresponding to the code information, And a content providing unit 14 that extracts content corresponding to the content DB 15 and provides the content to the STB 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 11 stores a code management table 11A in which code information for which content provision is permitted is recorded, and identification information (terminal number) of the STB 30 that is permitted as a content provision destination. The terminal management table 11B, the service management table 11D in which the genre name (herein referred to as the service name) for classifying the provided content is recorded, and the identification information (content ID) for each content are associated with each other. A content management table 11E in which a service ID related to the service name of the content, the content name, and the like are recorded, a card viewing table 11C for recording history information of viewing content using a card, and additional charging are required. To record information necessary for the additional charge when viewing is performed And additional charging management table 11F, and stores the predetermined content providing rule information (not shown). The content provision rule information is stored in a database format, for example, in addition to the code management table 11A and the like.

[About code information]
Next, code information used in the present embodiment will be described. Code information is managed as a set of hundreds to thousands. Each set of code information is called a number set (NS). The code information is generated for a plurality of number sets at once using a random number generation program described later. By this random number generation program, code information for a plurality of number sets is generated in one process so that there is no duplication of code information within one number set and there is no duplication of code information between different number sets. The

  In this embodiment, in order to avoid duplication of code information between number sets, for example, if code information is expressed by a 6-digit number sequence, a range of 1 million numbers (000000 to 999999) that can be assigned. There is. Among them, a predetermined number range (for example, 3000) is selected at random from the number of number sets (for example, 10). That is, the number for each number set is selected from the range of 1 million numbers by the number of number sets (in this case, 3000 × 10 = 30000). The “code information” only needs to be input from the code input unit 31 of the STB 30 and may be a letter / kanji / kana such as ABC Kooto Iroha or a sign / symbol such as ◎ Δ # $.

  One number set may correspond to one content, or may correspond to a facility / company / residential environment in which one content provider or STB is installed. When there are a plurality of content providers in the content providing system 1, one number set may be associated with each content provider. Alternatively, the same content provider may start using another number set when one number set is used up. Basically, if the number set generated at the same time is used up and the next number set is generated and used, the same number set is not used and security can be maintained. In addition, when providing the same service in a hotel or the like that exists in the same area and is close thereto, security can be enhanced by assigning different number sets.

In the present embodiment, in order to avoid duplication of code information within one number set, for example, a predetermined number range using a logical average interval, an adjustment coefficient, and a random number as in the following formula (1): The code information is generated within.
Num (n) = Num (n-1) + (logical average interval × adjustment coefficient) × random number (0 to 1) +1 (1)
Here, Num (n) is the nth code, and Num (n-1) is the (n-1) th code, both of which are integers. The logical average interval is obtained by dividing an assignable number (for example, 1 million) by a predetermined number range (for example, 3000) and further dividing by the number of number sets (for example, 10). The adjustment coefficient is used to adjust the logical average interval in an appropriate range (for example, 0.5 to 2 times). The random number is a decimal number from 0 to less than 1. Num (0) is an initial value and may be an appropriate number (for example, 0). Here, numerical values are exemplified, but when characters and symbols are used, characters and symbols may be assigned and replaced with numbers 0 to 9, or numbers other than decimal numbers are used, and characters of 11 or more are used. Or a symbol may be assigned.

  As a result, it is possible not only to generate numbers randomly using only random numbers, but also to generate random code information without regularity using logical average intervals and adjustment coefficients.

  At this time, in the generated 6-digit code information, if the number of numbers is 2 or less, it is determined that the code information is likely to be accidentally overlooked, and the code information is deleted without adopting it. May be adopted. Further, instead of sequentially generating individual number sets, a plurality of number sets generated at a time may be generated simultaneously.

[About each table in FIG. 2]
Next, each table in FIG. 2 will be outlined.

  First, in the code management table 11A, among the code information generated as described above, registered code information (code information for which content provision is permitted) is associated with a number set (management number). Are recorded. “NS-22” means number set 22.

  In the terminal management table 11B, the terminal number of the STB 30 that is permitted as a content providing destination is recorded in association with information on the installation location of the STB 30 (here, identification information indicating the installation location). For example, the first row of the terminal management table 11B in FIG. 2 indicates that the STB 30 with the terminal number # 123456 is installed at the installation location # 6001.

  In the service management table 11D, genre names (herein referred to as service names) for classifying provided contents are recorded in association with service IDs.

  In the content management table 11E, a service ID related to the service name of the content, the content name, and the like are recorded in association with identification information (content ID) for each content.

  In the card viewing table 11C, when a user views content using the issued card, history information of the viewing is recorded. Specifically, the code information of the card used for viewing, the terminal number of the viewed STB 30, the date and time information for starting viewing, and whether or not the viewing is charged and whether additional charging is required Is recorded in the card viewing table 11C.

  In the additional billing management table 11F, as information necessary for the additional billing when viewing requiring additional billing is performed, the code information of the card used for viewing, the terminal number of the viewed STB 30, the viewing Is recorded, date and time information for starting the content, content ID to be additionally charged, and service ID of the content.

  In the example of FIG. 2, viewing started from 22:00 on March 22, 2005 using the card of code information “424326” and the STB 30 of terminal number “# 123457” is viewing that requires additional charging. Therefore, “1” is set in the “additional charge viewing presence / absence” column of the card viewing table 11C. Further, in the additional charge management table 11F, as information necessary for the additional charge, code information “424326”, the terminal number “# 123457” of the viewed STB 30 and the viewing start date and time information “2005/3/22 22:00” The additional charging target content ID “4321” and the service ID “# 1” of the content are recorded. In this example, since the movie content “6578” subject to additional charging has been viewed from 23:20 on the same day, one line of information necessary for additional charging is additionally recorded in the additional charging management table 11F. That is, as information necessary for additional charging, code information “424326”, terminal number “# 123457” of the viewed STB 30, viewing start date / time information “2005/3/22 23:20”, additional charging target content ID “ 6578 ”and the service ID“ # 2 ”of the content are recorded.

  Note that the content providing system of the present embodiment can be applied to various content providing rules, and the content providing rules are not particularly limited. For example, the “content” here may be video information with a predetermined viewing time and fee, such as a movie, sports broadcast, e-learning training, etc., and the fee may vary depending on the length of the viewing time. It may be determined. Also, it may be so-called personal content such as an interactive video dialogue system. As described above, the content providing system of the present embodiment that provides various contents includes the service management table 11D and the content management table 11E, so that, for example, the content related to the language teaching material with the service ID “# 1” is unlimited. Thus, it is possible to provide a detailed service for each content genre, such as collecting an additional fee of 300 yen per hour for the content related to the movie with the service ID “# 2” from the second.

[About card]
Next, a card used in the content providing system of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a card 50 in which 6-digit code information is recorded in a readable state on the card surface is employed. That is, a simple configuration in which the user visually recognizes 6-digit code information (for example, “424326”) recorded on the surface of the card 50 and inputs the 6-digit code information from the code input unit 31. Is adopted.

  Of course, it is not essential that (a) the code information is printed on the card surface and (b) the code information is recorded in a readable state.

  For example, code information may be recorded electronically or magnetically using an IC card or a magnetic card that does not satisfy both of the requirements (a) and (b). Further, an aspect satisfying only the requirement (a), that is, code information may be represented by a non-readable code such as a barcode and printed on the card surface. Furthermore, although it is not an aspect satisfying only the requirement (b), that is, a form in which the code information is printed on the card surface, the code is formed by punching at a position corresponding to the number of the code information like the card 50A shown in FIG. Information may be recorded in a legible state.

[System Operation]
Next, processing operations in the content providing system of this embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, a card having code information recorded on the surface is issued (S1). The card issuing process in the present embodiment includes a card printing process for printing code information on the card surface, and a registration process for registering the printed code information for the printed card in the code management table 11A of the authentication server 10A. Can be broadly divided. This registration process confirms that the code information has already been paid for viewing. For example, code information may be printed at the same time as the received amount and service contents on a receipt when processing payment for viewing. In exchange for the disclosure of the code information to those who wish to view, the payment has been completed.

  However, it is not essential to execute the card printing process and registration process continuously at the same time. By executing only the card printing process first, a “printed but unregistered card” is created. If necessary, it is possible to flexibly operate such that the person who sold the product registers when paying an additional fee later. For example, when a pre-printed card is stocked and the card is registered when the card is sold, or when the card is sold by a vending machine, the card is processed after the registration process. You may make it set to. Thus, security can be further enhanced by limiting the number of issued registered cards.

  In addition, the card in the present embodiment is not limited to a card that can be used only once after it is issued, and can be used multiple times as long as it is within the range of available time or available amount according to the code information. What can be used over a wide range can also be employed. Further, it is also possible to adopt an aspect in which the available time or the available amount according to the code information of the card is increased (recharged) by paying an additional fee for the printed card.

  Next, the user reads the code information recorded on the issued card, and inputs the read code information through the code input unit 31. Further, the user selects desired content from the predetermined content selection screen displayed on the television 40 by the code input unit 31. Thereby, the code input unit 31 inputs the code information and the content ID corresponding to the desired content to the STB 30 (S2). Then, in the STB 30, the transmission unit 32 transmits the input code information and content ID and ID (terminal number) information of the STB 30 to the authentication server 10A (S3).

  In the authentication server 10A, the transmission / reception unit 12 receives the code information, the content ID, and the ID information of the STB 30 (S4), and the authentication unit 13 refers to the terminal management table 11B and the code management table 11A in the storage unit 11. Thus, it is authenticated that the received code information and the ID information of the STB 30 are valid (S5).

  Specifically, if the received code information is stored in the code management table 11A of FIG. 2, the code information is authenticated as valid, and the code information is stored in the code management table 11A. Otherwise, the code information is not authenticated as valid. Similarly, if the received ID information of the STB 30 is stored in the terminal management table 11B of FIG. 2, the ID information of the STB 30 is authenticated as valid, and the ID information of the STB 30 is stored in the terminal management table 11B. Otherwise, the ID information of the STB 30 is not authenticated as valid.

  By the way, it is not indispensable to authenticate the ID information of the STB 30 at this time, and authentication may be performed by automatically transmitting the terminal number information from the STB 30 to the authentication server 10A when the STB 30 is turned on. .

  If the authentication is not successful in S5, the process is terminated as it is (S7). At this time, the message may be displayed on the television 40 by transmitting to the STB 30 a message indicating that authentication cannot be performed normally.

  On the other hand, when the authentication is successful in S5, the transmission / reception unit 12 of the authentication server 10A notifies the content providing unit 14 of the content providing server 10B that the authentication has been successful together with the code information, the content ID, and the ID information of the STB 30. (S8). Upon receiving this notification, the content providing unit 14 extracts the content corresponding to the received content ID from the content DB 15 based on the content provision rule corresponding to the received code information (S9), and provides the extracted content to the STB 30. (S10).

  In the STB 30, the output unit 33 outputs the content provided from the content providing server 10B to the television 40 (S11). As a result, the user can view the desired content that has been provided.

  According to the present embodiment, information corresponding to the code information is read from the center side device without directly reading out information related to the card (for example, information such as the remaining viewable time and remaining amount) and displaying the information on the audiovisual device. It can be configured to transmit. However, since the authentication server 10A authenticates the code information and the identification information of the terminal device based on the terminal management table and the code management table, security of a predetermined level or more is ensured. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to maintain security at a predetermined level or more while being simple and inexpensive.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a content provision system. It is a figure which shows an example of the various tables stored in the memory | storage part of an authentication server. It is a figure which shows the modification which records code information on a card | curd. It is a flowchart which shows the process in a content provision system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Content provision system, 10 ... Center side apparatus, 10A ... Authentication server, 10B ... Content provision server, 11 ... Memory | storage part, 11A ... Code management table, 11B ... Terminal management table, 11C ... Card viewing table, 11D ... Service management Table 11E ... Content management table 11F ... Additional charge management table 12 ... Transmitting / receiving unit 13 ... Authentication unit 14 ... Content providing unit 15 ... Content DB 20 ... Network 30 ... STB (terminal device) 31 ... Code input unit, 32 ... transmission unit, 33 ... output unit, 40 ... TV (audiovisual equipment), 50, 50A ... card.

Claims (11)

A terminal device connected to the audiovisual device;
A center side device capable of communicating with the terminal device via a network;
A content providing system configured to include:
The terminal device
A code input unit for inputting code information and inputting desired content information;
A transmission unit that transmits the input code information and content information and identification information of the terminal device to the center side device;
An output unit that outputs the content provided from the center side device to the audiovisual device,
The center side device is:
A terminal management table in which identification information of a terminal device permitted as a content providing destination is recorded, a code management table in which code information in which content provision is permitted is recorded, and a predetermined content provision rule defined according to the code information A storage unit that stores
A receiving unit that receives the input code information and content information and identification information of the terminal device from the terminal device;
An authentication unit that authenticates that the received code information and terminal device identification information are valid by referring to the terminal management table and the code management table;
A content providing system comprising: a content providing unit that provides content corresponding to the content information to the terminal device based on a content provision rule corresponding to the code information when authentication is successful.   The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the code information is based on information written on a card. A center side device capable of communicating via a network with a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device,
A terminal management table in which identification information of a terminal device permitted as a content providing destination is recorded, a code management table in which code information in which content provision is permitted is recorded, and a predetermined content provision rule defined according to the code information A storage unit that stores
A receiving unit that receives the input code information, desired content information, and terminal device identification information from the terminal device;
An authentication unit that authenticates that the received code information and terminal device identification information are valid by referring to the terminal management table and the code management table;
A content providing unit that provides content corresponding to the content information to the terminal device based on a content provision rule corresponding to the code information when the authentication is successful;
Center side device with A terminal device connected to an audiovisual device and capable of communicating via a network with a center side device that performs authentication and content provision related to content provision,
A code input unit for inputting code information and inputting desired content information;
A transmission unit that transmits the input code information and content information and identification information of the terminal device to the center side device;
An output unit that outputs the content provided from the center side device to the audiovisual device;
A terminal device comprising: A terminal device connected to the audiovisual device;
A terminal management table in which identification information of a terminal device allowed to communicate with the terminal device via a network and permitted as a content providing destination is recorded; a code management table in which code information permitted to provide content is recorded; and A center side device that stores predetermined content provision rules determined according to code information;
A content providing method in a content providing system configured to include:
A card issuing step in which a card with code information recorded is issued;
A code input step in which the code information recorded on the issued card is input to the terminal device and desired content information is input;
A transmission step in which the input code information and content information and the identification information of the terminal device are transmitted to the center side device;
An authentication step for authenticating that the received code information and terminal device identification information are valid by referring to the terminal management table and the code management table;
A content providing step in which content corresponding to the content information is provided to the terminal device based on a content provision rule corresponding to the code information when the authentication is successful;
A content output step in which the provided content is output to the audiovisual device;
A content providing method comprising: A terminal management table in which identification information of a terminal device that is allowed to communicate with a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device via a network and is permitted as a content providing destination is recorded, and code information that is permitted to provide content is A content providing method in the center side device that stores the recorded code management table and a predetermined content providing rule determined according to the code information,
A receiving step of receiving the input code information, desired content information, and identification information of the terminal device from the terminal device;
An authentication step for authenticating that the received code information and terminal device identification information are valid by referring to the terminal management table and the code management table;
A content providing step of providing content corresponding to the content information to the terminal device based on a content provision rule corresponding to the code information when the authentication is successful;
A content providing method comprising: A content providing method in a terminal device connected to an audiovisual device and capable of communicating via a network with a center side device that performs authentication and content provision related to content provision,
A code input step for inputting desired content information as well as inputting code information;
A transmission step of transmitting the input code information and content information and identification information of the terminal device to the center side device;
A content output step of outputting the content provided from the center side device to the audiovisual device;
A content providing method comprising: The code information is issued as a set of a predetermined number of pieces of code information,
The set of code information is a random interval based on a predetermined mathematical formula using a random number, a parameter related to the interval, and a coefficient for adjusting the interval from a predetermined range of the allocatable range. As issued,
The content providing method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the method is provided. A terminal device connected to an audiovisual device and capable of inputting code information and content information, a terminal capable of communicating with the terminal device via a network, and recording terminal device identification information permitted as a content providing destination A card used in a content providing system configured to include a management table and a center side device storing a code management table in which code information for which content provision is permitted is recorded,
A card characterized in that code information is recorded.   The card according to claim 9, wherein the code information is printed on a surface of the card. The card according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the code information is recorded in a legible state.

Images