JP2008271211A - Video player - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video player capable of managing parental lock according to a user. <P>SOLUTION: The DVD player 1 (video player) includes a USB connection part 4 which is portable and can communicate with a USB memory 40 in which an authentication data is stored, a password setting part 9 capable of switching between setting and non-setting of a password, and a control part 7 which has a parental lock function capable of limiting viewing of a video based on both the authentication data and password or only on the authentication data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video playback device, and more particularly to a video playback device having a restriction function such as viewing of video.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electronic device such as a video playback device having a restriction function such as video viewing is known (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 4).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a DVD player (video playback device) that restricts video viewing by authentication confirmation using a key and a password. The DVD player according to Patent Document 1 is configured to always perform double authentication confirmation using a key and a password.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an optical disc device (video playback device) that restricts viewing of video according to the date of birth of each user stored in an IC card owned by each of a plurality of users. The optical disc device according to Patent Document 2 is configured such that a plurality of users own an IC card corresponding to each person and perform authentication confirmation using only the IC card when viewing a video.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an industrial device (electronic device) that restricts access from an external network by authentication confirmation based on a user ID stored in a USB memory and an ID unique to the device to be accessed. Yes. In the industrial device according to Patent Document 3, access to the industrial device is performed by dual management of physical management by mounting / non-mounting of the USB memory and logical management by user ID and device-specific ID. Is configured to restrict.

  Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a computer (electronic device) that double manages access restrictions on files by authentication confirmation using an identification code stored in a USB memory and authentication confirmation using a password. .

JP 2003-85878 A Utility Model Registration No. 3090128 JP 2006-221563 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-12022

  However, since the DVD player described in Patent Document 1 always performs double authentication confirmation using a key and a password, management is strengthened, but for users who do not need enhanced management, Since double authentication confirmation requires time and labor, there is an inconvenience that it is inconvenient. That is, this DVD player has a problem that viewing restrictions cannot be managed according to the user.

  Further, in the optical disk device described in Patent Document 2, authentication confirmation is performed only with an IC card when viewing a video, so that authentication confirmation is simple and does not take time, but for users who require enhanced management. There is an inconvenience that management is insufficient. That is, this optical disc apparatus has a problem that viewing restrictions cannot be managed according to the user.

  Further, in the industrial device described in Patent Document 3, the industrial management is performed by dual management of physical management by mounting / non-mounting of the USB memory and logical management by user ID and device-specific ID. Since the access restriction to the device is performed, the management is strengthened. On the other hand, the user who does not need the enhanced management requires time and labor, which is inconvenient. That is, this industrial device has a problem in that it cannot manage access restrictions according to the user.

  Further, in the computer described in Patent Document 4, double authentication confirmation is performed by using the identification code and password stored in the USB memory, so that management is enhanced, but enhanced management is not required. For the user, this double authentication check takes time and labor, and is inconvenient. That is, this computer has a problem in that it cannot manage access restrictions according to the user.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide a video reproduction apparatus capable of managing viewing restrictions according to the user. is there.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  A video playback apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a storage medium connection unit that is portable and can communicate with an external storage medium that stores authentication data, and a password setting unit that can switch between setting and non-setting of a password. And a control unit having a viewing restriction function capable of restricting video viewing based on both the authentication data and the password or the authentication data.

  In the video reproduction apparatus according to this aspect, as described above, the storage medium connection unit that can be carried and can communicate with the external storage medium that stores the authentication data, and the setting and non-setting of the password can be switched. By providing a password setting unit and a control unit having a viewing restriction function capable of restricting the viewing of video based on both the authentication data and the password, or based on the authentication data, the authentication data and the password can be duplicated. Therefore, the management of viewing restrictions can be strengthened, and when the strengthened management is not required, the authentication confirmation can be performed using only the authentication data. As a result, viewing restrictions can be managed according to the user.

  In the video reproduction device according to the above aspect, it is preferable that the video reproduction device further includes a storage unit capable of storing second identification data corresponding to the first identification data included in the video data of the video, and the control unit includes a second storage in the storage unit. When the identification data is stored, viewing of the video including the first identification data is limited. If comprised in this way, since a user can restrict | limit viewing of the image | video containing 1st identification data by memorize | storing 2nd identification data in a memory | storage part, Limiting viewing of a predetermined image | video easily Can do.

  In this case, preferably, the first identification data is stored in a video storage medium, and each of the first identification data and the second identification data is a video title. If comprised in this way, viewing of the image | video of the image | video storage medium containing a corresponding title can be restrict | limited by a user memorize | storing the title of an image | video in a memory | storage part.

  In the configuration in which the storage unit is provided, preferably, the power supply unit is further provided, and the control unit is configured to switch the power supply unit from the on state to the off state when the second identification data is stored in the storage unit. Has been. With this configuration, since the viewing of the video including the first identification data corresponding to the second identification data is restricted by turning off the power supply unit, the viewing of the predetermined video is surely restricted. Can do.

  In the video playback device according to the above aspect, preferably, the storage unit stores a default setting value of a video lock function capable of setting a degree of video viewing restriction, and the control unit includes a video lock function. It is configured such that video viewing can be restricted based on default setting values. According to this configuration, when predetermined authentication confirmation cannot be performed, viewing of the video can be restricted based on the default setting value of the video lock function stored in the storage unit. Viewing can be restricted by the lock function.

  In the video reproduction device according to the above aspect, the control unit preferably stores the predetermined setting value of the video lock function capable of setting the degree of video viewing restriction in the external storage medium. Is configured so that video viewing can be restricted based on a predetermined set value of the video lock function. With this configuration, the owner of the external storage medium can view the video based on the predetermined setting value of the video lock function stored in advance in the external storage unit. There is no need to set video viewing restrictions.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a DVD playback apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 to 6 are diagrams showing a detailed configuration of the DVD playback apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. With reference to FIGS. 1-6, the structure of the DVD reproducing | regenerating apparatus 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. In the present embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a DVD playback apparatus 1 which is an example of a video playback apparatus will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a DVD playback apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an external device connection unit 2 to which a video player 20 of an external device can be connected, and a DVD (digital versatile disc capable of recording video data). ) A DISC reading unit 3 that reads 30, a USB connection unit 4 that can communicate with the USB memory 40, and a storage unit 5 that stores default setting values of the parental lock function. The USB connection unit 4 is an example of the “storage medium connection unit” in the present invention, and the DVD 30 is an example of the “video storage medium” in the present invention. The USB memory 40 is an example of the “external storage medium” in the present invention, and the parental lock function is an example of the “video lock function” in the present invention.

  Also, the DVD playback device 1 has a video output unit 6 that outputs video to the television device 50, a control unit 7 that controls the entire DVD playback device 1, a power supply unit 8, and password setting / non-setting. It further includes a password setting unit 9 that can be switched, and an OSD output unit 10 that performs on-screen display to display character information superimposed on the video. Each component is connected to each other via a bus (transmission path) 11 so that a control signal and control data can be communicated with each other. The parental lock function is a function that restricts viewing according to several levels of regulation. If a parental lock is set when playing a video that supports the parental lock function, It is possible to limit so that only images below the regulated level can be viewed. In other words, the parental lock function can set a restriction level (degree) of video viewing restriction.

  Further, the external device connection unit 2 is configured to acquire video data of a video reproduced by the video player 20 and transmit the acquired video data to the video output unit 6. Further, the DISC reading unit 3 includes an insertion unit into which a DVD 30 (not shown) can be inserted. The DISC reading unit 3 is configured to read a DISC title (video title) and video data included in the video data stored on the DVD 30 and transmit the video data to the video output unit 6.

  The USB connection unit 4 has a USB connection terminal (not shown) capable of USB connection, and has a hot plug function that allows the connection terminal to be attached and detached while the power supply unit 8 is on. is doing. The USB connection unit 4 is configured to be able to read authentication data (to be described later) stored in the connected USB memory 40 and a predetermined setting value of the parental lock function.

  The storage unit 5 also has a storage area 5a for storing default setting values of the parental lock function and a storage area 5b for storing DISC titles registered in advance by the user. The video output unit 6 outputs video based on the video data transmitted from the external device connection unit 2 and the DISC reading unit 3 to the television device 50, and displays the display unit 51 of the television device 50 (FIG. 2 to FIG. 2). 6).

  Here, in the present embodiment, when the password is set by the password setting unit 9, the control unit 7 is configured to perform double authentication confirmation using both the authentication data and the password of the USB memory 40. Has been. Further, when a password is not set by the password setting unit 9, only the authentication confirmation by the authentication data of the USB memory 40 is performed. In any case of the above two authentication confirmations, when the authentication confirmation cannot be performed, the control unit 7 is based on the default setting value of the parental lock function stored in the storage area 5a of the storage unit 5. The video viewing is restricted, and the parental lock, the disk lock, and the password cannot be set / changed. Here, the disc lock is a function for restricting the viewing of video depending on whether or not a DISC title of a DVD 30 described later is stored in the storage unit 5. Examples of cases where authentication cannot be confirmed include a case where the USB memory 40 is not connected to the USB connection unit 4 and a case where the USB memory 40 does not store predetermined authentication data. Further, if the DVD 30 is inserted in the insertion unit of the DISC reading unit 3 when the authentication check cannot be performed, the control unit 7 stores the DISC title included in the video data of the DVD 30 in the storage area of the storage unit 5. It is configured to determine whether or not it is stored in 5b. The control unit 7 is configured to switch the power supply unit 8 from the on state to the off state when the DISC title of the DVD 30 is stored in the storage unit 5. Thereby, the control part 7 can restrict | limit the viewing of the image | video memorize | stored in the DVD30 reliably, when the DISC title previously registered by the user is memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 5. FIG.

  In addition, in both cases of the above two authentication confirmations, when the authentication confirmation can be performed, the control unit 7 is based on a predetermined setting value of the parental lock function stored in the USB memory 40. In addition to restricting viewing of video, it is configured so that parental lock, disk lock, and password can be set / changed.

  Further, the password setting unit 9 can switch between setting and non-setting of the password based on an instruction from the user, and can change the password to an arbitrary four-digit number by the user. It is configured.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, when a password is set by the password setting unit 9, the OSD output unit 10 performs authentication confirmation using the authentication data in the USB memory 40, and then The password input screen is displayed on the display unit 51 of the John device 50. 3 to 6, the OSD output unit 10 displays a setting screen on the display unit 51 of the television device 50 when a setting button provided on a remote controller (not shown) is pressed. It is configured. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the OSD output unit 10 sets / changes the sound, image, parental lock, disk lock, and password when the control unit 7 can confirm the authentication. The display unit 51 of the television apparatus 50 is configured to display each item of sound, image, parental lock, disk lock, and password. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the control unit 7 cannot perform authentication confirmation, the OSD output unit 10 displays the display unit 51 so that only setting / changing of audio and images can be performed. It is configured to display. That is, if the control unit 7 cannot perform authentication confirmation, the parental lock, disk lock and password are displayed on the display unit 51 so that the parental lock, disk lock and password cannot be set / changed. The item is not displayed. As a result, when the control unit 7 cannot perform authentication confirmation, setting / changing of viewing restrictions is restricted, so that viewing restrictions on video can be managed reliably. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the OSD output unit 10 displays the parameters stored in the USB memory 40 when the parental lock item is selected by an operation button arranged on a remote controller (not shown). In order to set / change the default setting value of the parental lock function stored in the storage area 5a of the storage unit 5 and the item on the USB memory side for setting / changing the predetermined setting value of the rental lock function Two items, the default value item, are displayed. As shown in FIG. 4, the OSD output unit 10 displays the DISC title of the DVD 30 inserted in the DISC reading unit when the disc lock item is selected by the operation button of the remote controller (not shown). Two items are displayed: an item called title registration for storing in the storage area 5b of the storage unit 5 and an item called title list for displaying a list of DISC titles stored in the storage area 5b of the storage unit 5. It is configured as follows. Further, on the title list display screen (not shown) displayed by the OSD output unit 10, the control unit 7 is configured to be able to delete unnecessary titles according to instructions from the user.

  In addition, the DVD 30 stores a plurality of video data corresponding to the regulation level of the parental lock function.

  The USB memory 40 is configured to be portable, and has a storage area 41 for storing authentication data and a storage area 42 for storing predetermined setting values of the parental lock function. Here, the authentication data is data for allowing the control unit to identify an administrator who manages video viewing restrictions in the DVD playback device 1.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation at the time of starting the DVD reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. Next, with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 7, an operation at the time of starting the DVD reproducing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the DVD playback apparatus 1 has been started. If it is determined that the DVD playback apparatus 1 has not been started, this determination is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the USB memory 40 has been activated, it is determined in step S2 whether or not the USB memory 40 is connected to the USB connection unit 4 and authentication can be confirmed using predetermined authentication data. In step S3, it is determined whether the password setting unit 9 has set a password. If it is determined that the password is not set, the process proceeds to step S6. If it is determined that the password is set, the password input screen (see FIG. 2) is displayed in step S4. 50 display parts 51. Next, in step S5, it is determined whether or not the correct password has been input from the password input screen. If it is determined that the correct password has been input, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, settings are made so that the parental lock, disk lock, and password can be set / changed. Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, each item of parental lock, disk lock, and password is displayed and can be selected by the user. In step S7, the video viewing restriction is set based on a predetermined setting value of the parental lock function stored in the USB memory 40, and the operation ends.

  In step S2, if authentication confirmation cannot be performed, the process proceeds to step S8. If it is determined in step S5 that the correct password has not been input, the process proceeds to step S8 as described above. In step S8, settings are made so that parental lock, disk lock, and password cannot be set / changed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the parental lock, disk lock, and password items are hidden, and the selection by the user can be made impossible. In step S9, the video viewing restriction is set based on the default setting value of the parental lock function stored in the storage unit 5. Next, in step S10, it is determined whether or not the DISC title of the DVD 30 inserted in the DISC reading unit 3 is stored in the storage unit 5, and if it is determined that it is stored, in step S11, The power supply unit 8 is switched from the on state to the off state, and the operation ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that no title is stored, the operation is terminated as it is.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the USB connection unit 4 that can be carried and can communicate with the USB memory 40 that stores the authentication data, and the password setting unit 9 that can switch between setting and non-setting of the password, By providing the control unit 7 having a viewing restriction function capable of restricting the viewing of video based on both the authentication data and the password, or based on the authentication data, double authentication confirmation using the authentication data and the password Thus, the management of viewing restrictions can be strengthened, and if the strengthened management is not required, authentication confirmation can be performed using only the authentication data. As a result, viewing restrictions can be managed according to the user.

  In the present embodiment, the storage unit 5 capable of storing the DISC title is provided, and when the DISC title is stored in the storage unit 5, the viewing of the video including the DISC title is restricted. With this configuration, when the user stores the DISC title in the storage unit 5, viewing of the video including the DISC title can be restricted, so that viewing of the predetermined video can be easily restricted.

  In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 8 is provided, and the control unit 7 is configured to switch the power supply unit 8 from the on state to the off state when the DISC title is stored in the storage unit 5. Since viewing of the video including the DISC title is restricted by turning off the power supply unit 8, viewing of the predetermined video can be surely restricted.

  In the present embodiment, the default setting value of the parental lock function capable of setting the degree of video viewing restriction is stored in the storage unit 5, and the control unit 7 stores the default value of the parental lock function. By configuring so that video viewing can be restricted based on the setting value, the default setting value of the parental lock function stored in the storage unit 5 when predetermined authentication confirmation cannot be performed. Since viewing of the video can be restricted based on the above, viewing can be easily restricted by the parental lock function.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the USB memory 40 stores a predetermined setting value of the parental lock function that can set the degree of video viewing restriction, the control unit performs parental lock. By configuring so that video viewing can be restricted based on a predetermined setting value of the function, the owner of the USB memory 40 can set a predetermined setting of the parental lock function stored in the USB memory 40 in advance. Since the video can be viewed based on the value, it is not necessary to set the video viewing restriction again for the owner.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiments but by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

  For example, in the above embodiment, a DVD playback apparatus is shown as an example of a video playback apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any video playback apparatus having a video viewing restriction function can be used. It can also be applied to other video playback devices.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the first identification data and the second identification data are used as the titles of the videos has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the data can be identified, identification data other than the title may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the power supply unit is switched from the on state to the off state when the same title as the DVD video title is stored in the storage unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration other than the configuration in which the power supply unit is turned off may be used as long as the configuration restricts viewing of the video, such as stopping the playback of the video.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the authentication data and the predetermined setting value of the parental lock function are stored in one USB memory is shown. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a plurality of USB memories are prepared. A predetermined setting value of the parental lock function corresponding to each owner may be stored in each USB memory so that video viewing restriction corresponding to each of a plurality of users may be performed. Further, if necessary, the authentication data may be stored in a plurality of USB memories so that a plurality of users can set / change parental lock, disk lock, and password.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which a storage area for storing a predetermined setting value of the parental lock function is provided in the USB memory is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the USB memory has a parental lock function. If there is no storage area for storing the preset value and authentication can be confirmed, the video can be viewed without restriction without restricting video viewing. May be.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a DVD playback apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a password input screen displayed by an OSD output unit of the DVD playback apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a setting screen displayed by an OSD output unit of the DVD playback apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a setting screen displayed by an OSD output unit of the DVD playback apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a setting screen displayed by an OSD output unit of the DVD playback apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a setting screen displayed by an OSD output unit of the DVD playback apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of starting of the DVD reproducing apparatus by one Embodiment shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 DVD playback device 4 USB connection section (storage medium connection section)
5 Storage Unit 7 Control Unit 8 Power Supply Unit 9 Password Setting Unit 30 DVD (Video Storage Medium)
40 USB memory (external storage medium)

Claims (6)

A storage medium connection that is portable and can communicate with an external storage medium that stores authentication data;
A password setting section capable of switching between setting and non-setting of a password;
A video reproduction apparatus comprising: a control unit having a viewing restriction function capable of restricting video viewing based on both the authentication data and the password or the authentication data. A storage unit capable of storing second identification data corresponding to the first identification data included in the video data of the video;
The video according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to limit viewing of the video including the first identification data when the second identification data is stored in the storage unit. Playback device. The first identification data is stored in a video storage medium,
The video reproduction device according to claim 2, wherein each of the first identification data and the second identification data is a title of the video. A power supply,
4. The video reproduction according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to switch the power supply unit from an on state to an off state when the second identification data is stored in the storage unit. 5. apparatus. The storage unit stores a default setting value of a video lock function capable of setting a degree of viewing restriction of the video,
The video playback according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to limit viewing of the video based on a default setting value of the video lock function. apparatus.   The control unit, when the external storage medium stores a predetermined setting value of the video lock function capable of setting the degree of viewing restriction of the video, the predetermined setting of the video lock function The video playback device according to claim 1, wherein the video playback device is configured to be able to limit viewing of the video based on a value.

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