JP2007215215A - Channel-type communication system, communication apparatus, and communication program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a channel-type communication system, communication apparatus, and communication program in which improvement in processing efficiency, when performing communications matching various needs is attained by determining a channel attribute between communication apparatuses and performing the communication in line with the channel attribute. <P>SOLUTION: In the channel-type communication system which performs communication among communication apparatuses connected via a network, a first communication apparatus 1 determines channel attribute, in response to a channel request from a second communication apparatus 2 and transmits information to the second communication apparatus 2, in line with the channel attribute determined by a channel determination means, and the second communication apparatus 2 transmits the channel request to the first communication apparatus 1, requests information to the first communication apparatus 1 and receives the information from the first communication apparatus. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention defines a channel (channel) of information to be transmitted between communication devices connected via a network, and performs communication according to attributes such as an expiration date and price of the channel, a communication device, and It relates to communication programs.

  With the spread of the Internet, it has become possible to freely exchange various data, and it has become possible to communicate between various users such as companies versus individuals and individuals versus individuals.

  Further, in recent years, communication via a network has been emphasized not only by sending information unilaterally but also by one-to-one communication, as can be seen in some commercial transactions and advertising services.

  As mentioned above, if one-to-one communication is promoted, the information needs will be diversified, and conventional broadcast-type communication will not be able to cope.

  On the other hand, an on-demand service that distributes information in response to a request from the receiver side has also been proposed.

  However, in such a service, it becomes difficult to manage information (contents) individually as the needs of users are diversified.

  Taking a charging method as an example, there are a charging method when browsing or downloading one content, and a charging method according to the time when one content is viewed or the amount of downloaded data.

  In this case, it is necessary to set a price for each content, and procedures such as price setting work and settlement work become complicated. Also, the burden on the procedure is large for the user side, such as requiring authentication each time.

  On the other hand, some contracts are made on a monthly basis so that browsing and downloading can be performed freely during the contract period.

  In this case, since it is handled comprehensively regardless of the quality of the content, it is difficult to sufficiently satisfy the user's needs. For example, when a certain sports video is broadcast in real time, a user who cannot browse at this time pays an expensive fee, and there is a need for inexpensive broadcasting even for recording.

  Therefore, in view of such circumstances, the present invention determines channel attributes between communication devices and performs communication according to the channel attributes, thereby improving the efficiency of processing when performing communication according to various needs. A channel-type communication system, a communication apparatus, and a communication program are provided.

  The channel communication system, communication apparatus, and communication program of the present invention define a channel (hereinafter also referred to as a communication channel), which is a framework of information to be communicated, by channel attributes such as an expiration date, an abstract of transmittable information, and a price. By performing communication within this channel, information pricing and billing processing can be performed on a channel-by-channel basis, and it is possible to satisfy user needs while improving processing efficiency.

  The channel-type communication system of the present invention is a system for performing communication between communication devices connected via a network, and the first communication device determines channel attributes in response to a channel request from the second communication device. Channel determination means, and transmission means for transmitting information to the second communication device in accordance with the channel attribute determined by the channel determination means, wherein the second communication device provides a channel to the first communication device. Channel request means for transmitting a request, information request means for requesting information from the first communication apparatus, and information receiving means for receiving information from the first communication apparatus.

  In this channel-type communication system, the first communication device includes attribute notification means for notifying the second communication device of a channel attribute, and the channel request means of the second communication device uses a preset channel attribute. The channel request may be transmitted to the second communication device when the above condition matches the channel attribute notified from the first communication device.

  The communication device on the transmission side of the present invention is a communication device that communicates with another communication device via a network, and has a channel validity period, channel generation time, channel disappearance time, and transmittable content. An attribute notification means for notifying the other communication device of a channel attribute including any of the information abstract, price, and sender information, the channel input by the user by the other communication device, the genre of the content, And a transmission means for transmitting a content corresponding to the channel request to the other communication device when receiving a channel request to be notified when the channel attribute satisfies a communication policy condition including any of the conditions of price and price, Prepare.

  The communication apparatus includes attribute notification means for notifying the other communication apparatus of the channel attribute, and when there is a channel request from the other communication apparatus in response to the notification, the channel determination means is as described in the notification. The channel attribute may be determined.

  In addition, when the channel attribute is determined, a determination notification means for notifying the other communication device of the determination is provided, or when the channel attribute is determined, or information is transmitted according to the channel attribute. In such a case, it may be provided with a charging means for charging the other communication device.

  The communication device on the receiving side of the present invention is a communication device that performs communication by connecting to another communication device via a network, and any condition of the channel, content genre, and price input by the user Storage means for storing the communication policy including the effective period of the channel notified from the other communication device, the channel generation time, the channel disappearance time, the abstract of the information of the content that can be transmitted, the price, and the sender information When the channel attribute including the information satisfies the conditions of the communication policy stored in the storage unit, the channel request unit for notifying the other communication device of the channel request and the other communication device transmit Information receiving means for receiving content corresponding to the channel request.

The receiving-side communication device includes channel attribute receiving means for receiving a channel attribute from the other communication device, and the channel request means sends the channel attribute to the other communication device based on the channel attribute received by the channel attribute receiving means. It is good also as a structure which transmits a channel request | requirement.

  In the receiving communication apparatus, the channel requesting unit may transmit a channel request including a channel attribute to the other communication apparatus.

  In the communication apparatus, the channel attribute is at least one of a channel validity period, a channel generation time, a channel disappearance time, an abstract of transmittable information, a price, and sender information.

  The communication program of the present invention is a communication program operated by a communication device that communicates with another communication device via a network, and is valid for a channel, a channel generation time, a channel disappearance time, and can be transmitted. An attribute notification step of notifying the other communication device of a channel attribute including any of abstract information, price, and sender information, and the channel and content of the user input by the other communication device. A transmission step of transmitting content corresponding to the channel request to the other communication device when receiving a channel request to be notified when the channel attribute satisfies a communication policy condition including any of a genre and a price; and Execute.

  The communication program includes a step of notifying a channel attribute to the other communication device, and when there is a channel request from the other communication device in response to the notification, the notification is performed in a step of determining the channel attribute. The channel attribute is determined as follows.

  The communication program includes a step of charging the other communication device when the channel attribute is determined or when information is transmitted according to the channel attribute.

  The communication program of the present invention is a communication program that is operated in a communication device that communicates by connecting to another communication device via a network, and includes a channel input by a user, a genre of content, and a price. A storage step for storing a communication policy including any of the conditions, a channel validity period, a channel generation time, a channel disappearance time, an abstract of information on transmittable content, a price, and a transmission notified from the other communication device A channel request step for notifying the other communication device of a channel request when a channel attribute including any information of the user information satisfies a condition of the communication policy stored in the storage step; and the other communication The content corresponding to the channel request transmitted by the device is received. An information receiving step of, for the execution.

  The communication program includes a step of receiving a channel attribute from the other communication device, and the step of transmitting the channel request transmits a channel request according to the received channel attribute.

  In the present invention, the above components can be combined as much as possible.

As described above, according to the present invention, the channel attribute is determined between the communication devices, and the communication according to the channel attribute is performed, thereby improving the efficiency of the processing when performing communication according to various needs. The channel-type communication system, the communication apparatus, and the communication program which were aimed can be provided.

<Embodiment 1> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of Embodiment 1 according to the present invention.

  In this embodiment, a first communication device 1 and a second communication device 2 are connected via a network (communication network such as the Internet), and a channel communication system is defined in which communication is performed by defining a channel. Yes.

  The first communication device 1 is a so-called personal computer. As shown in FIG. 2, an arithmetic processing unit 12 including an MPU (micro processor unit), a main memory, and the like, and software for arithmetic processing are provided in the main body 11. Stored storage device (hard disk, RAM, etc.) 13, interpersonal input / output device 14 which is a data input / output unit for users, and communication control device (modem, TA, LAN card or the like).

  The interpersonal input / output device 14 is optionally provided with necessary peripheral devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a display (presenting means), and a printer.

  An operating system (OS) and application software (communication program) are installed in the storage device 13 of the main body 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the OS and applications may not be stored in the storage device 13 and may be configured to operate by a program stored in the main memory or a control circuit of each unit.

  The arithmetic processing unit 12 performs identification based on information from peripheral devices and processing based on application software, identification means 21, attribute notification means (arbitration agent) 22, channel determination means 23, attribute storage means 24, transmission means 25, communication control means ( Channel agent) 26 and billing means 27 are realized.

  As a function of the identification means 21, a channel request from another communication device (second communication device) is identified.

  As a function of the arbitration agent 22, a channel is introduced to the second communication device 2 (notification of channel attributes). In addition, the number of channels that can be distributed simultaneously is stored, and when the requester of the channel reaches the upper limit, further introduction is stopped and information congestion is prevented.

  As a function of the channel determination means 23, a channel attribute is determined in response to a channel request from the second communication device.

  As a function of the attribute storage unit 24, the channel attribute determined by the channel determination unit 23 is stored in the storage device 13 or the main memory.

  As a function of the transmission means 25, information is transmitted to the communication apparatus that has requested the channel.

  As a function of the channel agent 26, information to be transmitted to another communication apparatus is controlled by the transmission unit 25 according to the channel attribute determined by the channel determination unit 23.

  That is, channel management is performed. For example, (1) a channel is generated (communicable state), (2) a channel is extinguished (communication impossible state), (3) a participant's profile is provided upon request ( 4) Respond to inquiries about channels, (5) Respond to inquiries about channel attributes.

  As a function of the charging means 27, when the channel attribute is determined or information is transmitted according to the channel attribute, the other communication apparatus is charged.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the second communication device 2. As shown in the figure, the second communication device 2 has substantially the same hardware configuration as that of the first communication device 1, and the functions of each means realized by the arithmetic processing unit 12 and the like are different.

  The arithmetic processing unit 12 of the second communication apparatus 2 performs channel attribute receiving means 31, channel requesting means 32, information requesting means 33, information receiving means 34, channel display by processing based on information from peripheral devices and application software. The function of the means 35 is realized.

  As a function of the channel attribute receiving means 31, the channel attribute from the first communication device 1 is received.

  As a function of the channel request means 32, it is determined whether or not to accept a channel based on the channel attribute received by the channel attribute reception means 31, and when accepted, a channel request is transmitted to the first communication device 1.

  As a function of the information request means 33, information is requested from the first communication apparatus 1 when the channel is established.

  As a function of the information receiving means 34, the information (content) transmitted from the first communication device 1 is received in response to the information request.

  As a function of the channel agent 35, the channel agent 26 on the first communication device side is inquired about the channel attribute and is managed so that information is requested according to the channel attribute.

  In this example, general-purpose computers are used as the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2, and each means is realized by the arithmetic processing unit 12, application software (communication program), etc. It is also possible to use a dedicated communication device configured by an electronic circuit designed in the above.

  The channel attributes are information related to the channel such as the channel validity period, channel generation time, channel disappearance time, abstract of transmittable information (content title, genre, PR, etc.), price, and sender information. It is. In the present embodiment, the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 have been shown to function as the communication device of the present invention by operating the communication program of the present invention on a general-purpose computer. The communication device of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be an electronic device configured by using a dedicated electronic circuit for each means.

  Next, channel-type communication procedures according to these configurations will be described. In this example, the push type communication in which the first party who transmits the content works to establish the communication channel for the second party is shown.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of this procedure.
[Stage 0]

Both the first party and the second party prepare for communication such as installing application software in their respective communication devices (step 1, hereinafter abbreviated as S1).

  The first party stores information such as the presence and name of the second party in the first communication device 1 (S2). For example, the second party registers with the first party and notifies the name, address, e-mail address, billing (information fee) payment method, and the like.

The second party determines the conditions of the channel to accept (communication policy: from whom the channel is, conditions for the channel attributes such as the content genre and price), and stores them in the storage device 13 of the second communication device 2 ( S3).
[Stage 1]

  The first communication device 1 sends a channel to the second communication device 2. That is, channel attributes such as channel generation time and disappearance time, abstract of transmittable information, price, sender information, etc. are set and transmitted by the attribute notification means 22 (S4).

The second communication device 2 receives the channel attribute from the first communication device 1 by the channel attribute receiving means 31 (S5).
[Stage 2]

  The second communication device 2 determines whether or not the channel requesting unit 32 accepts a channel from the first party according to a predetermined communication policy, and when it accepts (when the condition is satisfied), requests the channel ( S6). By this channel request, it is notified that the user has agreed on the attributes such as the payment of the price and the time limit of the channel.

When the first communication device 1 identifies the channel request from the second communication device 2 (S7), the consent of the second party is obtained for the channel attribute notified by the attribute notification means 22, and the channel is It is determined that the channel has been accepted, and the channel determination means 23 determines the channel attribute as described above (S8) and establishes the channel. Further, the determined channel attribute is stored in the storage device 13 (S9).
[Stage 3]

  When the channel is established, the channel agent 26 of the first communication device 1 manages the channel according to the channel attribute, and generates the channel at the channel generation time (S10).

  The second communication device 2 requests the first communication device 1 for necessary information during the channel live period (the period from the channel generation time to the disappearance time) (S11).

  If this information is in the range defined by the channel attribute, the channel agent 26 of the first communication device 1 permits transmission and transmits the information by the transmission means 25 (S12).

  The second party receives the transmitted information by the information receiving means 34 of the second communication device 2 (S13), and can watch a movie or listen to music using a player according to the information. it can.

  This request for information can be made at any time as long as it is within the range specified by the channel attribute (such as the channel's lifetime or content genre).

  The channel agent 26 of the first communication device 1 deletes the channel when the channel disappearance time is reached (S14).

  In addition, the charging unit 27 of the first communication apparatus 1 performs the charging process when the channel is exhausted or when the payment of the fee for the channel is agreed (when the channel is requested). (S15)

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, channel attributes are determined between communication devices, and communication according to the channel attributes is performed, thereby improving processing efficiency when performing communication according to various needs. be able to.

  In particular, since the price can be determined according to the information content, time zone, recipient demand, etc., various prices can be set such that the channel through which the new content flows is provided at a high price.

  In addition, since the number of channels supplied can be adjusted by the arbitrating agent, information requests exceeding the transmission capability on the transmission side can be limited.

  Providing a good channel can keep customers on the receiving side and turn them into repeaters.

  From the number of transmissions of the channel, it is possible to grasp the demand situation for the channel, which can be used for marketing and channel price determination.

  It is possible to effectively place an advertisement on a channel having a customer with a certain taste.

  When the purchase price when the sender purchases the content for transmission is determined according to the number of viewers, the number of viewers can be determined, so that the purchase can be made at an appropriate price.

  In addition, since this system is a mechanism for charging a channel to which content is provided instead of charging for each content, the efficiency of the charging process can be improved.

  <Embodiment 2>

  In the present embodiment, pull-type communication has been shown in which a second party receiving content works to establish a communication channel for the first party.

  The hardware configurations of the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 are substantially the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and the channel request and attribute determination procedures are different. For this reason, the duplicate description was abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol to the same element.

FIG. 5 shows the procedure of pull-type communication in this example.
[Stage 0]

  Both the first party and the second party prepare for communication such as installing application software in each communication device (S21).

  The first party stores the presence and name of the second party in the first communication device 1 (S22). For example, the second party registers with the first party and notifies the name, address, e-mail address, billing (information fee) payment method, and the like.

The first party registers a list of contents that can be provided in the arbitration agent (attribute notification means) 22 of the first communication device 1 (S23).
[Stage 1]

  The second party inputs a channel inquiry request to the second communication device 2, and transmits this request to the first communication device by the channel agent 35 (S24).

  At this time, several desired conditions can be included in the request. The second party can specify not only a list of channels but also a preference such as “morning sports-related video channel” by attribute.

  The arbitration agent 22 of the first communication device 1 that has received the request selects a channel that matches the request of the second party from the registered channels, and transmits this channel to the second communication device 2. (S25).

The channel agent 35 of the second communication device 2 presents the attribute of this channel to the second party.
[Stage 2]

  The channel request means 32 requests the first communication device 1 for the channel selected by the second party based on the channel profile information presented by the arbitration agent. If the channel is transmitted from the first party at this time, it is determined as a communication policy to accept (S26).

  The first communication device 1 transmits the requested channel to the second communication device 2 (S27).

  The second communication device 2 that has received the channel accepts the channel based on the communication policy, and notifies the first communication device 1 that it has agreed on attributes such as payment and expiration date for this channel (S28). Also, channel establishment processing is performed.

The first communication device 1 performs a channel establishment process after receiving a notification that the attribute has been agreed (S29). Also, the number of remaining viewers of the mediation agent is subtracted by one.
[Stage 3]

  When the channel is established, the channel agent 26 of the first communication device 1 manages the channel according to the channel attribute, and generates the channel at the time when the channel is generated (S30).

  The second communication device 2 requests the first communication device 1 for necessary information during the channel live period (the period from the channel generation time to the disappearance time) (S31).

  If this information is within the range defined by the channel attribute, the channel agent 26 of the first communication device 1 permits transmission and transmits information by the transmission means 25 (S32).

  The second party receives the transmitted information by the information receiving means 34 of the second communication device 2 (S33), and can watch a movie or listen to music using a player according to the information. it can.

This request for information can be made at any time as long as it is within the range specified by the channel attribute (such as the channel's lifetime or content genre).

  The channel agent 26 of the first communication device 1 deletes the channel when the channel disappearance time is reached (S34).

  In addition, the charging unit 27 of the first communication device 1 performs a charging process when the channel is exhausted or when the payment of a charge for the channel is agreed (when a channel request is made) (S35).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained, such as the efficiency of processing when performing communication according to various needs and the setting of a price according to information. It is done.

  In addition, by transmitting a channel in response to a request on the receiving side, the satisfaction level of the needs on the receiving side can be further increased. The channel-type communication system, communication apparatus, and communication program of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. .

Schematic configuration diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block diagram of the 1st communication apparatus in Embodiment 1. The block diagram of the 2nd communication apparatus in Embodiment 1. Explanatory drawing of the communication procedure in Embodiment 1. Explanatory drawing of the communication procedure in Embodiment 2.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st communication apparatus 2 2nd communication apparatus 11 Main body 12 Arithmetic processing part 13 Storage device 14 Interpersonal input / output device 18 Communication control apparatus 21 Identification means 22 Attribute notification means (arbitration agent)
23 Channel determination means 24 Attribute storage means 25 Transmission means 26 Communication control means (channel agent)
27 Charging means 31 Channel attribute receiving means 32 Channel requesting means 33 Information requesting means 34 Information receiving means 35 Channel display means (channel agent)

Claims (5)

A first communication device that is a personal computer and a second communication device that is a personal computer, and performs communication between the first communication device and the second communication device connected via a network. A channel communication system,
The first communication device is:
The second communication device has a channel attribute including any information of a channel validity period, abstract of content information that can be transmitted, sender information, and price, channel generation time, and channel disappearance time information. Attribute notification means for notifying to,
When a channel request is notified from the second communication device, channel determination means for storing the channel attribute notified by the attribute notification means;
When the channel generation time included in the channel attribute stored by the channel determination means is reached, communication with the second communication device is possible until the channel disappearance time included in the channel attribute is reached. Communication control means for generating a channel by setting
When an information request is received from the second communication device while the channel is generated, transmission means for transmitting content satisfying the channel attribute to the second communication device,
The second communication device is
Storage means for storing a communication policy including any information of a channel input by a user, a content genre, a price, and an accepting sender's condition;
When the channel attribute notified from the attribute notification means satisfies the communication policy stored in the storage means, the channel request which is a notification that the channel attribute is agreed is sent to the first communication device. Channel request means to notify
Information requesting means for transmitting the request for information to the first communication device while the channel is occurring;
Information receiving means for receiving the content transmitted from the first communication device,
Channel communication system. A communication device that communicates with another communication device via a network,
The other communication device has a channel attribute including any information of the effective period of the channel, the abstract of the content information that can be transmitted, the sender information, and the price, and the information of the channel generation time and the channel disappearance time. Attribute notification means to notify;
When a channel request is notified from the other communication device, a channel determination unit that stores the channel attribute notified by the attribute notification unit;
When the channel generation time included in the channel attribute stored by the channel determination means is reached, communication with the other communication device is possible until the channel disappearance time included in the channel attribute is reached. Communication control means for generating a channel by setting a state;
A communication apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit content satisfying the channel attribute to the other communication apparatus when an information request is received from the other communication apparatus while the channel is generated. A communication device that communicates with another communication device via a network,
Storage means for storing a communication policy including any information of a channel input by a user, a content genre, a price, and an accepting sender's condition;
Includes information on channel validity period, abstract of content information that can be transmitted, sender information, and price information, and channel generation time and channel disappearance time information notified from other communication devices Channel request means for notifying the other communication device of a channel request, which is a notification that the channel attribute is agreed, when the channel attribute satisfies the communication policy stored in the storage means;
Information request means for transmitting an information request to the other communication device while the channel is generated;
Information receiving means for receiving content transmitted from the other communication device,
Communication device. A communication program operated by a communication device that communicates with another communication device via a network,
The other communication device has a channel attribute including any information of the effective period of the channel, the abstract of the content information that can be transmitted, the sender information, and the price, and the information of the channel generation time and the channel disappearance time. An attribute notification step to notify;
When a channel request is notified from the other communication device, a channel determination step for storing the channel attribute notified by the attribute notification step;
When the channel generation time included in the channel attribute stored in the channel determination step is reached, communication with the other communication device is possible until the channel disappearance time included in the channel attribute is reached. A communication control step for generating a channel by setting a state;
A communication program that, when receiving an information request from the other communication device while the channel is generated, transmits a content satisfying the channel attribute to the other communication device. A communication program operated by a communication device that communicates with another communication device via a network,
A storage step of storing a communication policy that includes information on any of the channel entered by the user, the genre of the content, the price, and the conditions of the accepting sender;
Includes information on channel validity period, abstract of content information that can be transmitted, sender information, and price information, and channel generation time and channel disappearance time information notified from other communication devices A channel request step of notifying the other communication device of a channel request, which is a notification that the channel attribute is agreed, when the channel attribute satisfies the communication policy stored in the storing step;
An information requesting step of transmitting an information request to the other communication device while the channel is occurring;
Performing an information receiving step of receiving content transmitted from the other communication device;
Communication program.

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