JP2008021366A - Content reproducing device, content reproducing method, computer program, and computer program recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content reproducing device appropriately switching a reproduction operation automatically based on the parental control of the content without requiring any special operation such as a password input at every content reproducing. <P>SOLUTION: The content reproducing device 30 imposing parental control on the content based on predetermined conditions includes: a reproduction part 56 for reproducing the content and obtaining reproduction permission related information with respect to the reproduction permission and restriction of the content; a terminal information reading part 52 for reading predetermined information in cellular phones 34 to 38 near the device; and a reproduction control unit 54 for controlling the content reproduction operation of the reproduction part 56 based on the predetermined information read by the terminal information reading part 52 and the reproduction permission related information obtained by the reproduction part 56. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for reproducing content, and more particularly, to a content reproduction apparatus, a content reproduction method, a computer program, and a computer program recording medium that allow viewing restriction.

  With the popularization of video decks and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players in recent years, it has become possible to easily view content such as movies and dramas at home. However, many of these contents are not suitable for the development of young people. Therefore, some DVD playback apparatuses can perform viewing restrictions based on age when playing back.

  According to such a DVD playback apparatus, it is possible to prohibit a young person from viewing content inappropriate for the development of the young person. However, a problem arises when a plurality of users use a single playback device, for example, when a playback device for which viewing restriction is set for a child is shared by a family. This is because even if the content is inappropriate for the development of young children, there is no problem when the seniors such as parents watch it. In such a case, the senior must always change the setting of the content playback device before viewing content inappropriate for the development of the young. As a result, the procedure for viewing content becomes complicated.

  As a technique for solving the problem that the procedure for viewing content is complicated as described above, there is a technique proposed in Patent Document 1. According to this technique, a reproducible content is set for each user. Furthermore, a password unique to the user is set, and the user inputs the password when reproducing the content. When the user inputs a password, the user can view the content that the user is permitted to play. If no password is entered, only content that is not restricted for viewing by all users can be viewed.

In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the administrator of the content reproduction apparatus determined in advance can set whether or not the user has viewing restrictions by inputting the management password. That is, only the administrator who knows the management password can control the viewing restriction of the playback device. For example, in the case of a home, a parent or other senior can set content that restricts viewing as an administrator, but children can not. In other words, the seniors such as parents can manage children's viewable content.
JP 2003-317381 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the administrator needs to store, in advance, content ID (identification data) of content that can be viewed for each user in the playback device as viewing permission information. As described above, according to the method of storing the viewing permission information for each user, every time the user tries to view the content with viewing restriction, the playback device is shown to be a user who is permitted to view the content. There is a need. In other words, it is necessary to input a password for user authentication each time a content with viewing restrictions is to be viewed. In such a method, there is a problem that the procedure for viewing the content becomes complicated and the burden on the user increases.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a content playback apparatus and content capable of automatically and appropriately switching the playback operation based on content viewing restrictions without performing a special operation such as password entry every time the content is played back. A reproduction method, a computer program, and a computer program recording medium are provided.

  The content playback apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a content playback apparatus capable of restricting viewing of content according to a predetermined condition. The content playback apparatus is related to content playback and permission and restriction of playback of the content. A reproduction means for acquiring reproduction permission related information to be performed, a terminal information reading means for reading predetermined information in a terminal device in the vicinity of the content reproduction apparatus, and a predetermined information read by the terminal information reading means And reproduction control means for controlling the reproduction operation of the content by the reproduction means based on the information and the reproduction permission related information acquired by the reproduction means.

  Predetermined information in the terminal device is automatically read by the terminal information reading means, and the content reproduction operation can be controlled based on the predetermined information and the content reproduction permission information. Therefore, the content reproduction operation is controlled without any special operation by the user. As a result, it is possible to provide a content reproduction apparatus that can automatically and appropriately switch the reproduction operation based on content viewing restrictions.

  More preferably, the content reproduction device further includes an input unit for accepting an operation input to the content reproduction device, and a content storage unit for storing a plurality of contents. The reproduction means reproduces the content specified by the user using the input means among the plurality of contents stored in the content storage means.

  A content designated by the user is reproduced from among a plurality of contents. During the reproduction, the reproduction operation is controlled by predetermined information in the terminal device. Therefore, only a suitable content is reproduced from the plurality of contents without any special operation by the user. As a result, it is possible to provide a content reproduction apparatus that can automatically and appropriately switch the viewing restrictions of a plurality of contents.

  Preferably, the reproduction control means is based on the number of terminal devices from which the terminal information reading means has read predetermined information, the predetermined information read by the terminal information reading means, and the reproduction permission-related information acquired by the reproduction means. Means for controlling the reproduction operation of the content by the reproduction means are included.

  The content reproduction operation can be controlled based on the number of terminal devices from which the terminal information reading unit has read predetermined information, the predetermined information read by the terminal information reading unit, and the reproduction permission-related information acquired by the reproduction unit. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a content reproduction apparatus that can automatically and appropriately switch the reproduction operation based on content viewing restrictions without requiring a user to perform a special operation.

  Preferably, the terminal information reading means includes means for reading the date of birth information specifying the date of birth of the user of the terminal device stored in the terminal device in the vicinity of the content reproduction device. The reproduction permission related information related to the content viewing restriction is information for specifying an age at which viewing is permitted. The reproduction control means includes an age calculating means for calculating the age of each user of the terminal device based on the birth date information of the user of the nearby terminal device read by the terminal information reading means, Based on the calculation result by the calculation means and the age at which viewing is permitted, specified by the content reproduction permission-related information, a determination means for determining whether or not the content reproduction means can reproduce the content, and reproduction by the determination means And a means for selectively performing content reproduction by the content reproduction means and an operation for restricting the reproduction of the content according to the determination result.

  Age calculation means calculates the age from the date of birth of the user of the terminal device stored in the terminal device. The determination means determines whether or not the content reproduction means can reproduce the content based on the calculation result and the age at which viewing is permitted specified by the reproduction permission related information of the content. Then, according to the determination result of whether or not playback is possible, it is possible to selectively perform the playback of the content by the content playback means and the operation for limiting the playback of the content. Therefore, only by storing the user's birth date information in the terminal device, the reproduction of the content and the operation of restricting the reproduction of the content are selectively performed. As a result, it is possible to provide a content reproduction apparatus that can automatically and appropriately switch the reproduction operation based on content viewing restrictions without requiring the user to perform a special operation during content reproduction.

  Preferably, the determination means is close to the calculation means for calculating the number of ages calculated by the age calculation means that satisfy the condition for not being subject to viewing restriction by the reproduction permission related information, and the terminal information reading means. For determining whether or not the content reproduction means is permitted to reproduce the content according to whether or not the number of birth date information read from the terminal device and the number calculated by the calculation means satisfy a predetermined condition. Means.

  Whether or not content reproduction is permitted by the content reproduction means can be automatically determined according to whether or not the number of terminal devices satisfies a condition for not being subject to viewing restriction by the reproduction permission related information. Therefore, based on the number of users and the number of those users who are not subject to viewing restrictions, it is automatically determined whether or not the conditions necessary for permitting content reproduction are satisfied. As a result, when there are a plurality of users, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can automatically switch playback operations appropriately based on content viewing restrictions without performing any special operation during content playback.

  More preferably, the content reproduction apparatus further uses the input unit to allow the user to input predetermined information for each of the terminal devices and the predetermined information input by the means for inputting the information. Information output means for outputting to a terminal device corresponding to

  The user can input predetermined information for each of the terminal devices, and further output the information to the terminal device through the information output means. When reproducing the content, the terminal information reading unit reads the output predetermined information, and based on the information, it is determined whether or not the content can be reproduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide a content reproduction apparatus that allows a user to manage information for controlling content reproduction and that can appropriately switch the reproduction operation based on the information during content reproduction.

  Preferably, the predetermined information includes reproduction permission information necessary for specifying content permitted to be viewed by a user of each terminal device.

  It is possible to specify content permitted to be viewed for individual users. Therefore, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can realize fine viewing restrictions and can automatically switch the playback operation automatically during playback.

  Preferably, the means for inputting includes means for causing the reproduction permission information to be input only by an operation using the input means by a specific user who is an administrator of the content reproduction apparatus.

  Only a specific user who is an administrator of the content reproduction apparatus can input the reproduction permission information. Therefore, only those who have management authority among the users can determine whether or not to permit reproduction, and those who do not have management authority cannot input reproduction permission information. As a result, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can perform appropriate content playback control during playback.

  Preferably, the reproduction permission information includes a content identifier unique to the content permitted to be viewed by the user of each terminal device. The terminal information reading unit includes an identifier reading unit for reading a content identifier held in the terminal device in the vicinity of the content reproduction device. The reproduction control means is instructed to reproduce by the user of the certain terminal device depending on whether the content identifier read from the terminal device by the identifier reading means matches the content identifier of the content instructed to reproduce. Means for determining whether or not viewing of the content is permitted, and content if the number of terminal devices determined to be permitted to be viewed by the means for determining is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value And means for controlling the reproducing means to execute the reproduction.

  It is determined whether the identifier unique to the content matches the content identifier read from the terminal device. If they match, it is determined that viewing is permitted. If the number of terminal devices determined to be permitted to be viewed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the content is played back. Therefore, content reproduction control can be automatically performed by using a unique identifier for the content. As a result, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can perform appropriate content playback control without requiring the user to perform a special operation during content playback.

  Preferably, the predetermined information is a terminal identifier unique to each terminal device, the reproduction permission related information is age information that specifies an age at which reproduction of content is restricted, and more preferably, the content reproduction device further includes Each of the terminal devices includes storage means for storing the terminal identifier and the date of birth of the user of the terminal device in association with each other, and the reproduction control means is read from each terminal device by the terminal information reading means. By calculating the age of each user by reading the birth date of the user of each terminal device from the storage means using the terminal identifier, and calculating the age of each user by the means for calculating A means for determining whether or not to restrict viewing of the content by comparing the specified age with the age information of the content instructed to be reproduced, and According constant results, and means for controlling the reproduction operation of the reproducing means.

  Using the terminal identifier read from each terminal device, it is possible to read the birth date of the user of each terminal device from the storage means and calculate the age of each user. Then, content reproduction control is performed by comparing the calculated age information with the age information of the content instructed to be reproduced. Therefore, content reproduction control can be automatically performed based on the date of birth stored in the terminal device. As a result, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can perform appropriate content playback control without requiring the user to perform a special operation during content playback.

  More preferably, the content reproduction apparatus further includes means for causing the user to input the terminal identifier and the date of birth of the user associated with the terminal identifier, and to store them in the storage means.

  The user can cause the user to input the terminal identifier and the date of birth of the user associated with the terminal identifier, and store them in the storage means. Therefore, when it is necessary to change the date of birth that has already been stored, or when a user and a date of birth are newly registered, the user can input appropriately. Once this input is made, there is no need to input a password again when the content is reproduced. As a result, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus capable of automatically performing appropriate content playback control.

  Preferably, the predetermined information is a terminal identifier unique to each terminal device, the reproduction permission related information is a content identifier, and more preferably, the content reproduction device is further unique to the terminal device as reproduction permission information. Storage means for associating and storing the identifier and the content identifier of the content permitted to be played by the user of the terminal device, and the playback control means uses the terminal identifier read from each terminal device, A content identifier stored in the storage means in association with the terminal identifier is read out, and a means for determining whether the content identifier matches the content identifier of the content instructed to be reproduced is determined. Means for controlling the reproducing operation of the reproducing means in accordance with the determination result of the means for.

  Using the terminal identifier read from each terminal device, the content identifier permitted to be viewed by the user of each terminal device can be read from the storage means. Then, by comparing the read content identifier with the content identifier of the content instructed to be reproduced, content reproduction control is performed without further input. Therefore, content reproduction control can be automatically performed based on the content identifier stored in the terminal device. As a result, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can perform appropriate content playback control without requiring the user to perform a special operation during content playback.

  More preferably, the content reproduction apparatus further includes means for causing the user to input a terminal identifier and a content identifier associated with the terminal identifier, and to store them in the storage means.

  The user causes the user to input a terminal identifier and a content identifier associated with the terminal identifier, and store them in the storage means. Therefore, when it is necessary to change the content identifier already stored, or when registering the content identifier of the content permitted to be viewed by a new user, the user can appropriately change the content identifier. In this way, the information appropriately managed is always held in the storage means, so that the user can reproduce the content from the information held in the storage means based on the terminal identifier read by the terminal identifier reading means. It can be determined whether or not it is appropriate to do. As a result, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can perform appropriate content playback control.

  Preferably, the terminal information reading unit includes a unit for exchanging information with the terminal device by wireless communication.

  The content reproduction device and the terminal device can automatically exchange information by wireless communication. Then, content reproduction control is performed based on the exchanged information. It is not necessary for the user to take any action in order to perform communication between the terminal device and the content reproduction device. Therefore, it is automatically determined whether or not the content reproduction should be permitted based on the information regarding all the users of the terminal devices in the vicinity of the content reproduction device. As a result, appropriate content reproduction control can be automatically performed in consideration of all users in the vicinity of the content reproduction apparatus.

  The computer program according to the second aspect of the present invention, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to operate as any one of the content playback devices described above, and therefore has the same effect as any of the content playback devices described above. can get.

  A recording medium according to the third aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium that records the above-described computer program.

  A content reproduction method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a content reproduction method for restricting viewing on content in a content reproduction apparatus capable of restricting viewing on content according to a predetermined condition. A playback step for playing back content by the content playback device and acquiring playback permission-related information related to the playback permission and restriction of the content, and a terminal for reading predetermined information in the terminal device in the vicinity of the content playback device An information reading step; and a reproduction control step for controlling a content reproduction operation in the content reproduction device based on the predetermined information read in the terminal information reading step and the reproduction permission-related information acquired in the reproduction step.

  In the terminal information reading step, predetermined information in the terminal device in the vicinity of the content reproduction device is automatically read, and in the reproduction control step, content reproduction operation is performed based on the predetermined information and content reproduction permission information. Is controlled. Even if the user does not perform a special operation, the content reproduction operation is controlled. As a result, it is possible to provide a content reproduction method that can automatically and appropriately switch the reproduction operation based on content viewing restrictions.

  According to the content playback device of the present invention, the date of birth of the user of the terminal device stored in a terminal device such as a mobile phone in the vicinity of the content playback device, or a content identifier permitted to be viewed by the user, Alternatively, by automatically reading a terminal identifier unique to the terminal device, it is automatically determined whether or not the content can be reproduced, and content reproduction control is performed. Therefore, a content playback device, a content playback method, a computer program, and a computer program that can automatically switch the playback operation based on content viewing restrictions without performing a special operation such as password entry every time the content is played. A computer program recording medium can be provided.

<First Embodiment>
[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a content reproduction system 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a content playback system 20 includes a content playback device 30 that plays back content, a display device 32 that displays the content played back by the content playback device 30, and each user carries the owner. Mobile phones 34 to 38 as small terminal devices having a function of storing the date of birth of the user and transmitting the same to the content reproduction device 30. The mobile phones 34 to 38 can communicate with the content reproduction apparatus 30 by a method defined by IEEE 802.11.

  The content playback device 30 includes a plurality of push buttons, a display screen, and the like. The content playback device 30 receives an operation input to the content playback device 30 by a user, such as playback, fast forward, and content selection. When there is a reproduction instruction, the viewing restriction is determined, and when the reproduction control unit 54 performs reproduction control of the content according to the result, and receives the information reading command from the reproduction control unit 54, the mobile phones 34 to 38 And a terminal information reading unit 52 that reads the date of birth of the user and gives it to the reproduction control unit 54.

  The content playback device 30 further stores the content when the content storage unit 60 for storing the content together with the viewing age restriction information and the content playback start command as the playback permission related information is issued from the playback control unit 54. A reproducing unit 56 for reading from the unit 60 and outputting the information.

  The input unit 50 has a function of reading a content name from the content storage unit 60 for content selection and displaying it on the display screen. The reproduction control unit 54 has a function of comparing the user's date of birth given from the terminal information reading unit 52 with the information regarding the age limit for viewing the content read from the content storage unit 60 to determine viewing restriction. .

  The content playback device 30 further includes the content played back by the playback unit 56 and the content playback prohibition message generated by the playback control unit 54 based on a command output from the playback control unit 54 according to the determination result of the content viewing restriction. And an output unit 58 for selectively outputting any of the above to the display device 32.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a computer program for realizing the function of the reproduction control unit 54. Referring to FIG. 2, first, when playback control unit 54 starts operation, in step 70, a process for determining whether or not a content playback instruction is input from input unit 50 is performed. If a reproduction instruction has been input, the process proceeds to step 72. If not, the process returns to step 70 and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  In step 72, a process of reading age information, which is viewing restriction information in the content, from the content storage unit 60 is performed.

  In step 74, processing for confirming the number of terminals in the vicinity of the content reproduction apparatus 30 is performed.

  In step 76, a read command is output to the terminal information reading unit 52, and content reproduction permission information represented by predetermined information is obtained from any of the mobile phones 34 to 38 via the terminal information reading unit 52. It is. In the present embodiment, the content reproduction permission information is the user's date of birth.

  In step 78, the age of the user is calculated from the date of birth of the user obtained in step 76 using the current date.

  In step 80, a process of comparing the calculated age of the user with the age of viewing restriction read in step 72 is performed. If the age of the user is not less than the age of viewing restriction, the process proceeds to step 82. Otherwise, go to step 86.

  In step 86, processing is performed to output to the output unit 58 that the reproduction has been stopped and a message indicating the reason for the reproduction being stopped because there is a user near the age limit. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 70, and the process for the next content reproduction instruction is repeated.

  On the other hand, in step 82, processing for determining whether or not age determination has been performed for all terminals in the vicinity of the content reproduction apparatus 30 is performed. If the age has been determined for all terminals, the process proceeds to step 84. If not, the process returns to step 76 and the process for the next terminal is repeated.

  In step 84, processing for outputting an instruction to start playback of content to the playback unit 56 is performed.

  In step 88, processing for determining whether or not an instruction to stop the reproduction of content is given from the input unit 50 is performed. If so, the process proceeds to step 70, and the process for the next content reproduction instruction is repeated. If not, return to step 88. That is, it waits until a content playback stop command is given.

[Operation]
The content reproduction apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment operates as follows. It is assumed that the date of birth of the user who is the owner is recorded on the mobile phones 34 to 38 in advance.

  Referring to FIG. 1, first, the user performs an operation for selecting content from input unit 50. By this operation, information related to the content stored in the content storage unit 60 is read by the input unit 50 and the content name is displayed on the screen provided in the input unit 50. The user selects content to be viewed from the content displayed on the screen and presses a playback button provided in the input unit 50.

  When the playback button is pressed, a signal indicating a playback instruction for the selected content is provided from the input unit 50 to the playback control unit 54. In response to this signal, the reproduction control unit 54 reads information related to the viewing restriction by the age of the selected content from the content storage unit 60. Further, the reproduction control unit 54 gives a read command for instructing the terminal information reading unit 52 to read the date of birth registered in the mobile phones 34 to 38. Based on this command, the terminal information reading unit 52 reads the date of birth information from all of the mobile phones 34 to 38 and gives the information on the date of birth to the reproduction control unit 54. The reproduction control unit 54 calculates all the ages of the holders of the mobile phones 34 to 38 from the date of birth and the current date given from the terminal information reading unit 52. The playback control unit 54 compares the calculated age of the user with information related to viewing restrictions based on age read from the content storage unit 60, and determines whether the user's age has reached the viewing-restricted age. judge.

  If all users have reached the viewing-restricted age, the reproduction control unit 54 gives a content reproduction start command, which is reproduction permission-related information, to the reproduction unit 56 so as to start reproduction of the content. In this case, the playback unit 56 reads the content specified by the playback control unit 54 from the content storage unit 60 and provides it to the output unit 58. The output unit 58 gives the given content to the display device 32 and displays the content on the screen.

  When there is even one user who has not reached the viewing limit age, the reproduction control unit 54 instructs the reproduction unit 56 not to reproduce the content. The playback control unit 54 further displays character information such as “This content has an age that can be viewed. The content that has not reached the age that can be viewed will be stopped for viewing.” It is displayed on the display screen 32 via the output unit 58 and indicates that the reproduction is stopped and the reason.

  In the present embodiment, a mobile phone is used as a device that stores information about the date of birth of the user. However, other small terminals may be used instead of the mobile phone.

  The terminal device may be any device as long as it can store birth date information and output the information to the terminal information reading unit 52. For example, a wireless IC (Integrated Circuit) tag or the like may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the content reproduction device 30 is used by three users using a mobile phone that is three terminal devices, but the number of terminal devices may be any number.

  In the present embodiment, the screen provided in the input unit 50 is used for content selection, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, if the display device 32 is a television receiver, the input unit 50 may be realized using a screen of the display device 32 and a remote controller of the display device 32.

  According to the content reproduction apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment, the age of the user is calculated based on the date of birth of the user read by the terminal information reading unit 52 from the mobile phones 34 to 38. Then, the reproduction control unit 54 compares the calculated age with the content viewing limit age, and automatically performs appropriate content reproduction control. Therefore, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can automatically switch the playback operation appropriately based on content viewing restrictions without performing a special operation such as password entry every time the content is played.

<Second Embodiment>
[Constitution]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a content reproduction system 98 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their functions and names are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  Referring to FIG. 3, a content reproduction system 98 includes a content reproduction device 90 that reproduces content, a display device 32 that displays the content reproduced by the content reproduction device 90, and content reproduction permission information. Mobile phones 92 to 96 having a function of storing a content ID that is a unique identifier and transmitting the content ID to the content playback device 90 in response to a request from the content playback device 90. The cellular phones 92 to 96 can communicate with the content reproduction apparatus 90 by a method defined by IEEE 802.11.

  In the present embodiment, content reproduction permission information relating to mobile phones 92 to 96 is set by content reproduction device 90, and the set content reproduction permission information is transmitted from content reproduction device 90 to mobile phones 92 to 96. The cellular phones 92 to 96 have a function of holding the content reproduction permission information and sending a reply in response to a request from the content reproduction device 90 (or another similar reproduction device).

  The content playback device 90 is configured by a plurality of push buttons, a display screen, and the like, and is played back by the user for playback, fast-forwarding, input of content playback permission information to the mobile phones 92 to 96, selection of content, and the like. An input unit 110 that receives the operation input, and a permission information output unit 112 that obtains content reproduction permission information from the input unit 110 and outputs the content reproduction permission information to the mobile phones 92 to 96.

  The content playback device 90 further restricts viewing of content based on the specified content viewing restriction information and content reproduction permission information collected from mobile phones existing in the vicinity when a playback instruction is received from the input unit 110. Are received and an information read command output from the playback control unit 114 for collecting content viewing information is received in the mobile phones 92-96. And a terminal information reading unit 118 for reading the content reproduction permission information represented by the stored content ID.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that content that is permitted to be reproduced is more than half of terminals such as mobile phones that are present in the vicinity, and that content that is not reproduced is not reproduced. Therefore, as will be described later, when the reproduction control unit 114 is instructed to reproduce a certain content, whether the content should be reproduced based on whether or not the content reproduction is instructed for more than half of the surrounding terminals. Has a function to determine whether or not.

  The content playback device 90 further includes a content storage unit 116 for storing content together with the content ID, and a content playback start command that is playback permission-related information from the playback control unit 114 when the content storage unit 116 issues a content playback start command. And a reproducing unit 56 for reading out and outputting. The input unit 110 has a function of acquiring a content name from the content storage unit 116 at the time of content selection and displaying the content name on the screen of equipment. The playback control unit 114 has a function of reading the content ID from the content storage unit 116 in order to determine whether playback is possible.

  The content playback device 90 further selects either the content provided from the playback unit 56 or the content playback prohibition message provided from the playback control unit 114 based on a command provided from the playback control unit 114 according to the determination result of the content viewing restriction. And an output unit 58 for selectively outputting the information to the display device 32.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a computer program for realizing the function of the permission information output unit 112. Referring to FIG. 4, when permission information output unit 112 starts operating, in step 120, processing for confirming the number of nearby mobile phones is performed.

  In step 122, processing for determining whether or not a permission information output command is given from the input unit 110 is performed. If yes, go to step 124. If not, the process proceeds to step 122 and waits until the next permission information output command is received.

  In step 124, processing for obtaining the administrator's password is performed. Here, the administrator is requested to input a password using the input unit 110, and the input is obtained.

  In step 126, processing for determining whether or not the management password acquired in step 124 is correct is performed. If it is correct, the process proceeds to step 128. If not correct, the process proceeds to step 122 and waits until the next permission information output command is received.

  In step 128, processing for outputting the content ID of the content set to permit viewing to the terminal device as reproduction permission information is output as reproduction permission information to one terminal device.

  In step 130, processing for determining whether or not permission information has been output to all terminals is performed. If it is output, the process proceeds to step 122 and waits until the next permission information output command is received. If not output, the process proceeds to step 128, and a process for outputting the reproduction permission information for the next terminal is performed. Steps 128 and 130 are repeated until the reproduction permission information is output to all terminals.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a computer program for realizing the function of the reproduction control unit 114. Referring to FIG. 5, when reproduction control unit 114 starts operating, in step 140, a process for determining whether or not a content reproduction instruction is input from input unit 110 is performed. If yes, go to Step 142. If not, the process returns to step 140 and waits until a content reproduction instruction is given.

  In step 142, processing for confirming the number of mobile phones in the vicinity is performed.

  In step 144, a read command is given to the terminal information reading unit 118. The playback control unit 114 acquires content playback permission information in each mobile phone as a terminal device via the terminal information reading unit 118. As described above, in the present embodiment, the content reproduction permission information is a content ID.

  In step 146, whether or not there is a content ID that matches the content ID of the content to be reproduced in the content reproduction permission information of the terminal, that is, the reproduction of the content designated to be reproduced is permitted to the terminal. A process for determining whether or not the If yes, go to Step 148. Otherwise, go to step 150.

  In step 148, a process of adding 1 to the number of terminals permitted to reproduce content is performed.

  In step 150, processing for determining whether or not content playback permission has been determined for all mobile phone terminals in the vicinity of the content playback device 90 is performed. If so, the process proceeds to step 152. If not, the process proceeds to step 144 to repeat the process of determining whether or not the next mobile phone terminal is permitted to reproduce the content instructed to be reproduced.

  In step 152, a threshold value for determining whether or not to play the instructed content is calculated. That is, the threshold value for determination is calculated by dividing the number of terminals of all nearby mobile phones by two.

  In step 154, a process is performed to determine whether or not the number of mobile phones that are permitted to play is greater than or equal to a threshold value for the content that is instructed to be played. If the number of terminals for which content reproduction is permitted is greater than or equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to step 156. If it is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step 158. However, when the determined total number of terminals is 0, the process proceeds to step 158. This means that at least one authorized terminal is required.

  In step 156, processing for outputting an instruction to start playback of the content to playback unit 56 is performed.

  In step 158, processing for outputting a message not permitting reproduction to output unit 58 is performed. This means that the user's operation is not accepted unless the power is cut off.

  In step 160, processing for determining whether or not an instruction to stop the reproduction of content has been issued from the input unit 110 is performed. If yes, the process returns to step 140, and the process related to the next content reproduction instruction is executed. If not, the process returns to step 160 and waits until a playback stop command is received.

[Operation]
The content reproduction apparatus 90 according to the second embodiment operates as follows. First, the operation when setting the content reproduction permission information will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the administrator inputs a password using the display screen and buttons of input unit 110. By inputting the password, the administrator can input the content ID of the content permitted to be viewed on each mobile phone. Therefore, the administrator inputs the content ID of the content permitted to be viewed. When the administrator uses the input unit 110 to instruct permission information output, the input unit 110 sets the content ID (content reproduction permission information) of the content permitted to be viewed for each mobile phone to each mobile phone 92. The permission information output unit 112 is instructed to output the data to 96.

  In response to this instruction, the permission information output unit 112 outputs the content reproduction permission information to each of the mobile phones set with the content reproduction permission information by the input unit 110. Each of the mobile phones 92 to 96 holds content reproduction permission information output from the permission information output unit 112.

  At the time of content reproduction, the content reproduction device 90 operates as follows. The user performs an operation for selecting content from the input unit 110. By this operation, information regarding the content name stored in the content storage unit 116 is read from the content storage unit 116 to the input unit 110 and displayed in a list format on a screen provided in the input unit 110. The user selects content to view from the list of content displayed on the screen and presses the play button.

  When the playback button is pressed by the user, the input unit 110 gives a signal indicating a playback instruction of the selected content to the playback control unit 114. In response to this, the reproduction control unit 114 reads the content ID of the content from the content storage unit 116. The playback control unit 114 further measures the number of mobile phone terminals in the vicinity of the content playback device 90. Next, the reproduction control unit 114 gives a read command for instructing the terminal information reading unit 118 to read the content ID stored as the content reproduction permission information from the mobile phones 92 to 96. In response to this read command, the terminal information reading unit 118 reads the content ID held as the content reproduction permission information from all mobile phones (mobile phones 92 to 96) existing in the vicinity. The terminal information reading unit 118 gives these content IDs to the reproduction control unit 114.

  The reproduction control unit 114 compares the content ID read from the mobile phones 92 to 96 given from the terminal information reading unit 118 with the content ID of the content instructed to be reproduced, and the content of the content to be reproduced The number of mobile phones holding the content ID that matches the ID as the content playback permission information (number of playback permissions) is counted. When the content IDs are compared for all the mobile phones, the reproduction control unit 114 calculates the threshold value by dividing the number of terminals of all the mobile phones in the vicinity by 2. The reproduction control unit 114 compares the number of permitted reproductions with this threshold value, and determines that the reproduction of the specified content is permitted if the permitted number of reproductions is equal to or greater than the threshold value, otherwise. It is determined that playback is not permitted.

  When the reproduction is permitted, the reproduction control unit 114 gives the reproduction unit 56 a reproduction start command for starting reproduction of the specified content. The playback unit 56 reads this content from the content storage unit 116 and gives it to the output unit 58. The output unit 58 provides the given content to the display device 32, and the display device 32 displays the content on the screen.

  If reproduction is not permitted, the reproduction control unit 114 stops the reproduction operation of the reproduction unit 56. The playback control unit 114 also instructs the output unit 58 to display a message on the display device 32, for example, “Operation is not possible because there are few users permitted to play”.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the threshold value is 1.5. If the content ID stored as the content playback information in the mobile phones 92 and 94 matches the content ID of the content instructed to be played back, the playback permission number is 2. Since this value is equal to or greater than the threshold value, reproduction is started. On the other hand, for example, if only the mobile phone 92 holds the content ID of the designated content as the content playback information, the playback permission number is 1. This value is below the threshold. Therefore, this content is not reproduced, and instead, as described above, a message indicating that reproduction has been stopped and the reason thereof are displayed on the display device 32.

  Here, a mobile phone is taken as an example of a terminal device that holds reproduction permission information. However, the terminal device is not limited to a mobile phone, and may be any terminal device that can communicate with content reproduction device 90 wirelessly.

  In the present embodiment, the content reproduction device 30 is used by three users using a mobile phone that is three terminal devices, but the number of terminal devices may be any number.

  As described above, according to the content reproduction apparatus 90 according to the present embodiment, the reproduction permission information input from the input unit 110 is stored in the mobile phones 92 to 96 via the permission information output unit 112. When the content is reproduced, the reproduction control unit 114 automatically performs reproduction control based on the reproduction permission information stored in the mobile phones 92 to 96. Therefore, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can automatically switch the playback operation appropriately based on content viewing restrictions without performing a special operation such as password entry every time the content is played.

<Third Embodiment>
[Constitution]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of content reproduction system 174 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 1 or 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their functions and names are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  Referring to FIG. 6, content reproduction system 174 includes content reproduction device 160 that reproduces content, display device 32 that displays the content reproduced by content reproduction device 160, and a terminal ID that is a unique identifier. Mobile phones 162 to 166 having a function of storing and transmitting to the content reproduction device 160.

  The content playback device 160 is composed of a plurality of push buttons, a display screen, and the like, and is played back, fast forwarded, input of content playback permission information represented by predetermined information, and content selection by the user to the content playback device 160. An input unit 176 that accepts the operation input, and a playback permission information storage unit 170 for storing in advance the playback permission information of the content that is input via the input unit 176 and that is represented by the viewable age, content ID, and the like Including.

  The content reproduction permission information is information for determining whether or not a user possessing each terminal is permitted to view the content to be reproduced. In the present embodiment, the user's date of birth associated with the terminal ID is used as the reproduction permission information. Based on this date of birth, the age of the user can be calculated. If the age of the user can be calculated, it can be determined whether or not the age limit for viewing the content is violated. Content reproduction permission information is stored in advance by user input or the like. Details of the content reproduction permission information and the reproduction permission determination based thereon will be described later.

  The content reproduction device 160 further includes a terminal information reading unit 178 for reading the terminal ID stored in the mobile phones 162 to 166, and a terminal ID and input unit 176 read from the mobile phones 162 to 166 by the terminal information reading unit 178. The user's date of birth, the viewing age restriction information imposed on the content instructed to be reproduced via the input unit 176, and the terminal information reading unit read from the reproduction permission information storage unit 170 according to the reproduction instruction from 178 includes a playback control unit 172 for determining whether to permit playback of the instructed content based on the number of mobile phones from which the terminal ID has been read, and for controlling playback of the content according to the determination result.

  The content playback device 160 further receives a playback start command from the content storage unit 116 for storing content, the playback control unit 172, and plays back the content stored in the content storage unit 116. Based on the command output by the control unit 172 according to the determination result, either the content reproduced by the reproduction unit 56 or the content reproduction prohibition message given from the reproduction control unit 172 is selectively output and displayed on the display device 32. Output part 58 for the purpose.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the content reproduction permission information stored in the reproduction permission information storage unit 170. Referring to FIG. 7, the reproduction permission information includes a plurality of entries 180, 182, 184,. Each entry consists of a combination of a terminal ID and the date of birth of the user of the terminal ID.

  For example, the entry 180 indicates that a user who has a mobile phone whose terminal ID is 12345567890 has a date of birth of January 2, 1966. Similarly, entry 182 indicates that a user who has a mobile phone with a terminal ID of 2345678901 has a birth date of November 23, 1968, and entry 184 has a mobile phone with a terminal ID of 34567889012. This shows that the user's date of birth is July 7, 1998.

  The playback control unit 172 uses the content playback permission information represented by the date of birth of these users and the current date to allow the owner of the mobile phone having a certain terminal ID to view the content. Determine if you are of age.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a computer program for realizing the function of the playback control unit 172. Referring to FIG. 9, when reproduction control unit 172 starts operation, in step 200, a process for determining whether or not a content reproduction instruction is input from input unit 176 is performed. If yes, go to Step 202. If not, the process proceeds to step 200 and waits until a content reproduction instruction is received.

  In step 202, processing for confirming the number of mobile phone terminals in the vicinity is performed.

  In step 204, a read command is output to the terminal information reading unit 178, the terminal ID information stored in each terminal device is read, and the terminal ID is acquired from the terminal information reading unit 178. .

  In step 206, processing for determining whether or not the one terminal ID acquired in step 204 is stored in the reproduction permission information storage unit 170 is performed. If stored, the process proceeds to step 208, and if not, the process proceeds to step 216.

  In step 208, processing is performed to determine whether or not the user having the terminal that can be identified by the terminal ID acquired in step 204 is permitted to view the content instructed to be played in step 200. Specifically, the age of the user is calculated based on the date of birth information stored in combination with the terminal ID in the reproduction permission information storage unit 170, and compared with the viewing-restricted age of the content. If permitted, that is, if the user's age has reached the content viewing limit age, the process proceeds to step 210. If not allowed, proceed to step 216.

  In step 210, it is determined whether or not the determinations in steps 206 and 208 have been made for all terminals in the vicinity of the content reproduction device 160. If it is determined for all terminals, the process proceeds to step 212. If not, the process returns to step 204 to determine information on another terminal, and the processes of step 204 to step 210 are repeated for the remaining terminals.

  In step 212, since it has been found that the reproduction of the content specified in step 200 is permitted for all terminal users, a process for outputting an instruction to start the reproduction of content to the reproduction unit 56 is performed. It is.

  In step 214, processing for determining whether or not an instruction to stop the reproduction of content is received from the input unit 176 is performed. If it has been received, the process proceeds to step 200 to wait until the next content reproduction instruction, and if there is an instruction for the next content reproduction, the above-described processing is repeated. If the instruction to stop the reproduction of the content has not been received, the process returns to step 214 to continue the reproduction of the content. That is, it waits until it receives a content playback stop command.

  On the other hand, as described above, when it is determined in step 206 that the terminal ID is not stored, or in step 208, the user having this terminal ID is permitted to view the content instructed to be played. If it is determined that the process has not been performed, the process proceeds to step 216. In the present embodiment, when there is a user who is restricted in viewing content even by one person, the limited reproduction is performed in which only the first third of the content is reproduced. That is, in step 216, in order to start limited playback, a command to start content limited playback is output to the playback unit 56, and the process proceeds to step 218.

  In step 218, it is determined whether or not an instruction to stop the reproduction of the content has been issued from the input unit 176, or whether or not the content has been reproduced for a third of the first time. If an instruction to stop playback has been input, or if the content has been played for a third of the time from the beginning, the process proceeds to step 200 and waits until the next content playback instruction is received. Otherwise, the determination in step 218 is repeated. That is, the reproduction is continued until an instruction to stop the reproduction is received or until the content is reproduced for a third of the time from the beginning.

[Operation]
The content reproduction system 174 according to the third embodiment described above operates as follows. It is assumed that each mobile phone 162 to 166 stores a unique terminal ID in advance.

  The operation of the content reproduction system 174 has two phases. Content reproduction permission information is input in the first phase, and content is reproduced in the second phase. It is preferable to complete the processing of the first phase before reproducing the content.

  Referring to FIG. 6, in the first phase, a user who is an administrator inputs content reproduction permission information using buttons, screens, and the like provided in input unit 176. In the present embodiment, for all assumed users, the terminal ID of the mobile phone held by the user and the date of birth of the user are input. The input reproduction permission information of the content is stored in the reproduction permission information storage unit 170 shown in FIG. 6 in the format shown in FIG. This completes the preparation.

  In the second phase, the content reproduction system 174 operates as follows. The user uses the input unit 176 to perform an operation for selecting content to be reproduced. By this operation, the input unit 176 reads the content name of the content stored in the content storage unit 116 and displays it in a list format on the screen provided in the input unit 176. The user selects the content to view from the list of contents displayed on the screen and presses the play button.

  When the playback button is pressed, a playback instruction signal designating content is given from the input unit 176 to the playback control unit 172. In response to this signal, playback control unit 172 reads the date of birth stored in playback permission information storage unit 170 together with the terminal ID.

  In addition, the playback control unit 172 instructs the terminal information reading unit 178 to read the terminal ID registered in the mobile phones 162 to 166. In response to this instruction, terminal information reading unit 178 reads the terminal IDs of all nearby mobile phones. The terminal information reading unit 178 gives the read terminal ID to the reproduction control unit 172.

  The playback control unit 172 determines whether or not the given terminal ID is stored in the playback permission information storage unit 170. If it is stored, the date of birth of the user associated with the terminal ID is compared with the information related to the viewable age of the content read from the content storage unit 116.

  Specifically, the playback control unit 172 calculates the age of the user from the current date and the date of birth of the user. The calculated age of the user is compared with the viewable age of the content. As a result of the comparison, if the date of birth associated with a certain terminal ID does not reach the age at which the content can be viewed, it is determined that the owner of the mobile phone having that terminal ID is not permitted to view the content. . This comparison is performed for all mobile phones in the vicinity of the content reproduction device 160.

  If there is one person who has not reached the viewable age among the mobile phone users in the vicinity, the reproduction control unit 172 reproduces only one third of the content from the beginning of the content to the reproduction unit 56. Gives a restricted playback command. Upon receiving this restricted playback command, the playback unit 56 reads the content from the content storage unit 116 and gives it to the output unit 58. The output unit 58 outputs and displays the content on the display device 32. In this case, when the playback ends from the beginning of the content until one third of the time, the playback unit 56 ends the playback of the content.

  If all mobile phone users in the vicinity have reached the viewable age, the playback control unit 172 gives a normal playback start command to the playback unit 56 so as to play back until the end of the content. Upon receiving this command, the playback unit 56 reads the content from the content storage unit 116 and gives it to the output unit 58. The output unit 58 outputs the content and causes the display device 32 to display the content. The playback unit 56 plays back to the end of the content, and ends the playback when the end of the content is reached or when the playback control unit 172 receives a playback stop instruction from the input unit 176.

  In the said 3rd Embodiment, the combination of terminal ID and a user's date of birth was used as reproduction | regeneration permission information. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. As the reproduction permission information, a combination of the terminal ID and the content ID of the content permitted to be viewed by the user of the terminal may be used as the reproduction permission information.

  FIG. 8 shows another example of such content playback permission information. The reproduction permission information includes a plurality of entries 190, 192, 194,. One entry corresponds to one terminal. Each entry includes a combination of a terminal ID and one or more content IDs.

  For example, the entry 190 indicates that content IDs of content permitted to be viewed by a user who has a mobile phone whose terminal ID is 12345567890 are ABCD-1234, EFGH-5678, and IJKL-9901. ing. Similarly, the entry 192 includes ABCD-1234, EFGH-5678, and IJKL-9901 as content IDs of contents permitted to be viewed by a user who has a mobile phone whose terminal ID is 2345678901. This indicates that the content ID of the content that is permitted to be viewed by the user who has a mobile phone whose ID is 3456789902 is IJKL-9010.

  As in this example, when the content reproduction permission information is a content ID, the reproduction control unit 172 displays the content ID stored in the reproduction permission information storage unit 170 and the content storage unit 116 in step 208 of FIG. Is compared with the content ID of the content instructed to be reproduced. By this comparison, it is possible to determine whether or not a user who has a mobile phone terminal having a certain terminal ID is permitted to view the content instructed to be played.

  That is, the playback control unit 172 combines the content ID of the content received from the input unit 176 with the terminal ID in the playback permission information storage unit 170 for all terminal IDs obtained from nearby mobile phones. The stored content ID is compared. As a result of comparison, if there is a mobile phone in the vicinity where none of the content IDs associated with the terminal ID matches the content ID of the content instructed to be played, the owner of the mobile phone It is determined that viewing is not permitted.

  The following is the same as the case where the date of birth is stored as the reproduction permission information. For example, if a person who is not permitted to view the content is included in the mobile phone users in the vicinity, The playback control unit 172 gives a limited playback start command to the playback unit 56 so that only one third of the content is played from the beginning. If all the mobile phone users in the vicinity have permission to view the content, the playback control unit 172 gives a normal playback start command to the playback unit 56 so as to play back until the end of the content.

  As described above, according to the present invention, playback permission information is stored in advance in a terminal device such as a mobile phone held by each user, or playback permission information that is paired with a terminal ID is stored in advance in a content playback device. In this case, at the time of content reproduction, the content reproduction device collects necessary information from nearby terminal devices, and determines whether or not normal reproduction should be performed based on the information. There is no need for the user to perform a special operation such as entering a password during content playback. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can automatically perform appropriate playback restrictions on content with viewing restrictions in accordance with a combination of a nearby mobile phone user and the content instructed to be played.

  In the present embodiment, the mobile phone is used as the device that stores the information related to the user's date of birth and the terminal ID. However, other small terminals may be used instead of the mobile phone. .

  In the present embodiment, the content reproduction device is used by three users using a mobile phone that is three terminal devices, but the number of terminal devices may be any number.

  According to content reproduction apparatus 160 according to the present embodiment, reproduction permission information (birth date information or content ID for which reproduction is permitted) input by a user using input unit 176 is used as reproduction permission information storage unit 170. To remember. When reproduction of content is instructed, the reproduction permission information (birth date information or content ID for which reproduction is permitted) is read using the terminal ID stored in the mobile phones 162 to 166 as a key, and the reproduction permission information is read. Based on the comparison with the age or content ID at which viewing of the content instructed to be played is permitted, the playback control unit 172 automatically controls the playback of the content. Therefore, it is possible to provide a content playback apparatus that can automatically switch the playback operation appropriately based on content viewing restrictions without performing a special operation such as password entry every time the content is played.

  The embodiment disclosed herein is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The scope of the present invention is indicated by each claim of the claims after taking into account the description of the detailed description of the invention, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the wording described therein are included. Including.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the content reproduction system 20 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a reproduction control unit 54. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the content reproduction system 98 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a program for realizing the function of permission information output unit 112 of content reproduction device 90. 10 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a program for realizing a function of a playback control unit 114 of the content playback device 90. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the content reproduction system 174 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the reproduction | regeneration permission information memorize | stored in the reproduction | regeneration permission information storage part 170 of the content reproduction apparatus 160 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other example of reproduction | regeneration permission information. 10 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a program for realizing a function of a playback control unit 172 of the content playback device 160.

Explanation of symbols

20, 98, and 174 Content playback system, 30, 90, and 160 Content playback device, 32 Display device, 34, 36, 38, 92, 94, 96, 162, 164, and 166 Cellular phone, 50, 110, and 176 input unit, 52, 118, and 178 terminal information reading unit, 54, 114, and 172 playback control unit, 56 playback unit, 58 output unit, 60 and 116 content storage unit, 112 permission information output unit, 170 playback permission information Memory

Claims (17)

A content playback device capable of restricting viewing of content according to predetermined conditions,
Reproduction means for performing reproduction of content and reproduction permission related information related to reproduction permission and restriction of the content,
Terminal information reading means for reading predetermined information in a terminal device in the vicinity of the content reproduction device;
Content control means for controlling the playback operation of the content by the playback means based on the predetermined information read by the terminal information reading means and the playback permission related information acquired by the playback means Playback device. The content playback device further includes:
Input means for accepting an operation input to the content reproduction device;
Content storage means for storing a plurality of contents,
The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction unit reproduces a plurality of contents stored in the content storage unit, which are designated by a user using the input unit.   The reproduction control means includes the number of terminal devices from which the terminal information reading means has read the predetermined information, the predetermined information read by the terminal information reading means, and the reproduction permission-related information acquired by the reproducing means. The content playback apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit for controlling a playback operation of the content by the playback unit. The terminal information reading means includes means for reading birth date information for specifying a date of birth of a user of the terminal device stored in a terminal device in the vicinity of the content reproduction device,
The reproduction permission related information related to the viewing restriction of the content is information for specifying the age at which viewing is permitted,
The reproduction control means includes
Age calculating means for calculating the age of each user of the terminal device based on the birth date information of the user of the nearby terminal device read by the terminal information reading means;
A determination unit for determining whether or not the content reproduction unit can reproduce the content based on the calculation result by the age calculation unit and the age permitted to view and specified by the reproduction permission related information of the content;
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for selectively performing content reproduction by the content reproduction means and an operation for restricting reproduction of the content in accordance with a determination result of whether or not reproduction is possible by the determination means. The content reproduction device described. The determination means includes
A calculating means for calculating the number of ages calculated by the age calculating means that satisfy a condition for not being subject to viewing restriction by the reproduction permission related information;
Content by the content reproduction means according to whether or not the number of the birth date information read from the nearby terminal device by the terminal information reading means and the number calculated by the calculation means satisfy a predetermined condition The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: means for determining whether or not reproduction permission is permitted. The content playback device further includes:
Means for causing the user to input the predetermined information for each of the terminal devices using the input means;
The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: information output means for outputting the predetermined information input by the input means to a terminal device corresponding to the information.   The content reproduction device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined information includes reproduction permission information necessary for specifying content permitted to be viewed by a user of each terminal device.   The means for inputting includes means for allowing the reproduction permission information to be input only by an operation using the input means by a specific user who is an administrator of the content reproduction apparatus. The content reproduction device described. The reproduction permission information includes a content identifier unique to the content permitted to be viewed by the user of each terminal device,
The terminal information reading means includes an identifier reading means for reading the content identifier held in a terminal device in the vicinity of the content reproduction device,
The reproduction control means includes
Depending on whether or not the content identifier read from the terminal device by the identifier reading means matches the content identifier of the content instructed to be reproduced, the user of the terminal device is informed of the content instructed to be reproduced. Means for determining whether viewing is permitted;
Means for controlling the playback means to execute playback of content if the number of terminal devices determined to be permitted to be viewed by the means for determining is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; The content reproduction device according to claim 8, further comprising: The predetermined information is a terminal identifier unique to each terminal device,
The reproduction permission related information is age information for specifying an age at which reproduction of content is restricted,
The content playback device further includes:
For each terminal device, including a storage means for storing the terminal identifier in association with the date of birth of the user of the terminal device,
The reproduction control means includes
Means for reading the date of birth of the user of each terminal device from the storage means and calculating the age of each user, using the terminal identifier read from each terminal device by the terminal information reading means;
By the means for calculating, the age calculated for the user of the nearby terminal device is compared with the age information of the content instructed to be reproduced, thereby determining whether or not to restrict viewing of the content. Means for
The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for controlling a reproduction operation of the reproduction unit according to a determination result of the determination unit.   The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising means for causing the user to input the terminal identifier and a user's date of birth associated with the terminal identifier and to store the user identifier in the storage means. Content playback device. The predetermined information is a terminal identifier unique to each terminal device,
The reproduction permission related information is a content identifier,
The content playback device further includes:
Storage means for storing the identifier unique to the terminal device and the content identifier of the content permitted to be played back by the user of the terminal device in association with the playback permission information;
The reproduction control unit reads a content identifier stored in association with the terminal identifier in the storage unit using the terminal identifier read from each terminal device, and the content identifier is instructed to be reproduced. Means for determining whether the content identifier matches the content;
The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for controlling a reproduction operation of the reproduction unit according to a determination result of the determination unit.   13. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising means for causing a user to input the terminal identifier and a content identifier associated with the terminal identifier and storing the terminal identifier in the storage means.   The content reproduction device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal information reading unit includes a unit for exchanging information with the terminal device through wireless communication.   A computer program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to operate as the content reproduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the computer program of Claim 15. A content reproduction method for restricting viewing on content in a content reproduction apparatus capable of restricting viewing on content according to a predetermined condition,
A reproduction step of performing reproduction of content by the content reproduction device and acquisition of reproduction permission-related information related to reproduction permission and restriction of the content;
A terminal information reading step of reading predetermined information in a terminal device in the vicinity of the content reproduction device;
A playback control step of controlling a playback operation of the content in the content playback device based on the predetermined information read in the terminal information reading step and the playback permission related information acquired in the playback step. Playback method.

Images