JP2008287434A - Content exchange system, exchange control server, communication apparatus, content exchange method, content lending method, lending management server apparatus, and content lending method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate distribution of content while properly protecting copyright of the content in a content exchange system for exchanging the content between communication apparatuses. <P>SOLUTION: A request for determining exchangeability is obtained from respective communication apparatuses 1A, 1B before content exchange. The exchangeability is determined on the basis of the request. The result thereof is sent to the communication apparatuses 1A, 1B. The respective communication apparatuses 1A, 1B exchange the content with other communication apparatus in accordance with the decision result sent to the communication apparatuses 1A, 1B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content exchange system, an exchange management server device, a communication device, a content exchange method, a content loan system, a loan management server device, and a content loan method, and in particular, a content exchange system for exchanging content between communication devices. The present invention relates to an exchange management server device, a communication device, and a content exchange method used therefor, and a content lending system, a lending management server device, and a content lending method for lending content from a communication device to another communication device.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe techniques for transmitting content stored in a communication device to another communication device. Patent Document 1 describes a technology for determining a copyright protection level and controlling transmission of content data according to a determination result. Patent Document 2 describes a technique for transmitting content only to an apparatus in which a device ID is registered.
JP 2001-308849 A JP 2004-186800 A

In Patent Document 1, in order to protect the copyright of content, transmission to another device is restricted according to the copyright level. In Patent Document 2, content copyright protection is achieved by limiting the distribution range of the content.
When control for transmitting content to another device is performed within the own device, the content cannot be properly distributed if the range of the transmission destination is too limited. On the other hand, if the range of transmission destinations is too wide, a situation in which the copyright of the content is not protected is caused.

Here, if the exchange of contents can be realized while considering the protection of copyright, it is considered that the appropriate distribution of the contents can be promoted.
An object of the present invention is to provide a content exchange system, an exchange management server device, a communication device, a content exchange method, a content loan system, a loan management server device, and a content that can promote the distribution of the content while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content It is to provide a lending method.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a content exchange system for exchanging content between a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device before the content exchange An exchangeability determination request acquisition unit that acquires an exchangeability determination request from each of the communication device and the second communication device, and an exchange that determines whether an exchange is possible based on the exchangeability determination request acquired by the exchangeability determination request acquisition unit An exchange management server device comprising: an availability determination unit; and a determination result transmission unit configured to transmit a determination result by the exchange availability determination unit to the first communication device and the second communication device;
An exchangeability determination request transmission unit that transmits the exchangeability determination request, a determination result acquisition unit that acquires the determination result, and another communication device according to the content of the determination result acquired by the determination result acquisition unit A communication device having exchange means for exchanging content between them,
The content exchange system characterized by including this is provided.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to manage copyrights by requiring an inquiry as to whether or not replacement is possible in advance, and it is possible to promote the distribution of content while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is an exchange management server used in a content exchange system for exchanging contents between a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus, and exchanges contents Based on the exchangeability determination request acquisition means for acquiring the exchangeability determination request from each of the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus before, and the exchangeability determination request acquired by the exchangeability determination request acquisition means. There is provided an exchange management server device comprising exchangeability determination means for determining whether or not replacement is possible, and determination result transmission means for transmitting a determination result by the exchangeability determination means to the communication device.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, copyrights can be managed in the exchange management server device by requiring inquiries regarding whether or not exchange is possible in advance, and content distribution is promoted while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content. Can do.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is the exchange management server device according to claim 2,
The exchange availability determination request includes content value information for evaluating the content to be exchanged,
The exchange permission / inhibition judging means permits the exchange when the total values of the content value information to be exchanged are equivalent to each other.
According to invention of Claim 3, the content made into exchange object can be evaluated based on the content of content value information.

In the invention according to claim 4 of the present invention, in the exchange management server device according to claim 3, the contents to be exchanged include currency contents used for exchanging contents,
The exchange permission / inhibition determining means permits exchange when the total values of the content value information including the content value information of the currency content are equivalent to each other.
According to the invention of claim 4, by using currency content, it is possible to easily make the content values equivalent and to enhance the exchangeability of the content.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exchangeability determination request transmission means for transmitting an exchangeability determination request to an exchange management server apparatus that manages content exchange between communication apparatuses, and a determination in the exchange management server apparatus A determination result acquiring means for acquiring a result, and an exchanging means for exchanging content with another communication device when the content of the determination result acquired by the determination result acquiring means is an exchange permission. A communication device is provided.
According to the invention of claim 5, by requiring an inquiry as to whether or not exchange is possible in advance, the copyright can be managed, and the distribution of the content can be promoted while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention is a content exchange method for exchanging content between a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device before exchanging the content An exchangeability determination request acquisition step for acquiring an exchangeability determination request from each of the communication device and the second communication device, and an exchange for determining the exchangeability based on the exchangeability determination request acquired in the exchangeability determination request acquisition step The determination result transmitted in the determination result transmission step and the determination result transmission step in which the determination result in the exchange determination step, the determination result in the exchange possibility determination step is transmitted to the first communication device and the second communication device, and the determination result transmission step. In response, a content exchanging method is provided, including an exchanging step of exchanging content with another communication device.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the copyright can be managed by inquiring whether or not the exchange is possible in advance, and the distribution of the content can be promoted while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.

The invention according to claim 7 of the present invention is a content lending system for realizing content lending from a first communication device to a second communication device,
When there is a request from the first communication device, a suspend period setting unit that sets a content viewing suspend period for the first communication device, and the suspend period set by the suspend period setting unit When there is a viewing permission confirmation request from the second communication device, a loan permission determination unit that determines whether the loan is permitted or not, and viewing of the content by the second communication device only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period. A loan management server device having viewing permission means for authorizing
A first communication device that becomes incapable of viewing the content within a suspend period set by the suspend period setting means;
A second communication device in which the content can be viewed only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period permitted by the viewing permission unit;
The content lending system characterized by including this is provided.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the copyright can be managed by requiring an inquiry as to whether or not to lend in advance, and the distribution of the content can be promoted while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the content lending system according to the seventh aspect, the lending management server device activates the first communication device so that the content can be viewed after the suspend period has elapsed. Further comprising means.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, after the suspend period has elapsed, it is possible to return to a state in which the original communication device can be viewed, and to promote the distribution of the content while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.

The invention according to claim 9 of the present invention is a loan management server device for managing content lending from the first communication device to the second communication device, and there is a request from the first communication device. A suspend period setting unit for setting a suspend period for content viewing for the first communication device, and a viewing permission confirmation request from the second communication device within the suspend period set by the suspend period setting unit. A loan permission / non-permission determining unit that determines whether or not the loan is permitted, and a viewing permission unit that permits the second communication device to view the content only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period. A loan management server device is provided.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, copyrights can be managed by requiring inquiries regarding whether or not to lend in advance, and the distribution of content can be promoted while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.

The tenth aspect of the present invention is the loan management server apparatus according to the ninth aspect, further comprising activation means for setting the first communication device to be able to view content after the suspension period has elapsed. Features.
According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, after the suspend period elapses, the original communication device returns to a viewable state, and the content distribution can be promoted while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.

The invention according to claim 11 of the present invention is a content lending method for realizing content lending from a first communication device to a second communication device,
When there is a request from the first communication device, a suspend period setting step for setting a content viewing suspend period for the first communication device, and a suspend period set in the suspend period setting step, When the first communication device sets a state in which viewing of content is impossible and when there is a viewing permission confirmation request from the second communication device within the suspend period set in the suspend period setting step A loan permission determination step for determining whether or not the loan is permitted, a viewing permission step for allowing the second communication device to view the content only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period, and permission in the viewing permission step. Only within the expiry date of the suspended period Providing content lending process which comprises the steps of setting the communication apparatus to have ready viewing of the content.
According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to manage copyrights by requiring an inquiry about whether or not to lend in advance, and it is possible to promote the distribution of content while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the content lending method according to the eleventh aspect, the method further includes an activation step of setting the first communication device to be able to view the content after the suspend period has elapsed. And
According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, after the suspend period elapses, the original communication device returns to a viewable state, and the content distribution can be promoted while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.
In short, the present invention adopts a method in which it is determined whether the content to be exchanged can be exchanged by the server, and exchange is performed by controlling the terminal from the server. The characteristics of the present invention are that, when determining whether or not exchange is possible, the matching of the exchange partner and exchange conditions, and the control of the terminal from the server based on the determination result.

According to the present invention, when content is exchanged directly between communication devices, it is possible to manage copyright by requiring an inquiry about whether or not exchange is possible in advance. There is an effect that it does not need to pass.
In addition, when content is lent directly between communication devices, it is possible to manage copyright by requiring an inquiry about whether or not to lend in advance, and content with a large amount of data can be prevented from passing through the core network. There is an effect.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the same parts as those in the other drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.
(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the content exchange system according to the present embodiment. Referring to the figure, the content exchange system according to the present embodiment is a communication device 1A, 1B having a function of exchanging content between an exchange management server device 2 that manages content exchange by a communication device and another communication device. Is a system for exchanging contents between the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B.

Note that “exchange” in this system refers to data transmission / reception characterized by the following. That is, data is transmitted / received in both directions of the receiver and the sender, and data transmission / reception is permitted only when the exchange condition is satisfied. A plurality of patterns can be assumed for setting conditions (exchange conditions) for associating data to be transmitted with data to be received. Further, the transmitted data does not remain in the communication device, but the data received as consideration is held in the communication device.
On the other hand, “distribution” refers to data transmission / reception characterized by the following. That is, data transmission is performed in one direction from the sender to the receiver, and data transmission is permitted when the conditions of the sender are satisfied. Note that the data to be transmitted need not be associated with other data. The transmitted data may be held in the communication device.

(Exchange management server device)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the exchange management server device 2 in FIG. Referring to the figure, the exchange management server device 2 includes an exchangeability determination request acquisition function 21 for acquiring an exchangeability determination request from each of the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B before exchanging contents, and this exchangeability determination request acquisition function. An exchangeability determination function 22 for determining whether or not exchange is possible based on the exchangeability determination request acquired by the control unit 21; and a determination result transmission function 23 for transmitting a determination result by the exchangeability determination function 22 to the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B. have.

(Communication device)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the communication device 1A in FIG. Referring to the figure, the communication device 1A transmits an exchange availability determination request transmission function 11 that transmits an exchange availability judgment request to the exchange management server device 2 before exchanging contents, and the exchange management server device 2 sends a judgment result about the availability of exchange. The determination result acquisition function 12 acquired from the above, and the exchange function 13 for exchanging content with another communication apparatus (here, the communication apparatus 1B) according to the content of the determination result acquired by the determination result acquisition function 12 And have.

The communication device 1B in FIG. 1 also has the same functional configuration as the communication device 1A shown in FIG. In other words, in order to realize the exchange of contents, it is necessary that the communication device 1A, 1B has the same function.
The communication device 1A and the communication device 1B are, for example, mobile phones.
Each of the functions described above is actually realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) in the communication device executing software or firmware stored in a memory or the like in the communication device to operate each unit in the communication device. Is done.

(Example of implementation on a mobile telephone network)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example when the present system is realized in a mobile telephone network. In the figure, the mobile telephone network of this example includes a radio base station (Base Transceiver Station; BTS) 3, a base station controller (Radio Network Controller; RNC) 4, and a mobile phone company. And a core network (CN) 5 managed by the network. A content providing device 6 is connected to the core network 5. The content providing device 6 stores content and has a function of providing content to the communication devices 1A and 1B.

In this example, the exchange management server device 2 described above is connected to the base station control device 4. If the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B, which are mobile telephones, are located in the radio cell 100, the exchange management server device 2 is inquired of the exchange management server device 2 from the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B, and the exchange is permitted. The contents are exchanged between the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B.
In addition, you may provide each function of the exchange management server apparatus 2 inside the base station control apparatus 4. FIG.

(Operation example)
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the present system. The figure shows processing contents such as data exchange by the content providing device 6, the exchange management server device 2, and the communication devices 1A and 1B.
In the figure, content is transmitted from the content providing device 6 (S101). Along with this content, information on whether exchange is possible and exchange conditions are transmitted. Since whether or not to exchange can be set, the copyright of the content can be protected. Here, the following may be considered as replacement conditions. For example, the exchange conditions for the period, target, number of downloads (hereinafter abbreviated as DL), and range are conceivable.

As the “period”, for example, it is possible to set a condition that exchange is possible only after ○ days have elapsed from the release date.
As the “target”, for example, setting of a condition that only a specified type of content such as an animation, a document, or music can be exchanged can be considered. In addition, it may be possible to set a condition that exchange is possible only for a specified amount, such as exchange for one content with a price of less than 100 yen and exchange for two contents with a price between 100 yen and 300 yen. .

As the “number of DLs”, for example, setting of a condition that replacement is possible only when a specific number of DLs (100 to 500 times or the like) is exceeded is conceivable.
As the “range”, for example, it is conceivable to set a condition that exchange is possible only within the range of friends registered in the address book and within the range of a family to which a discount on the call charge is applied.
The exchange management server apparatus 2 receives and stores a large number of contents as described above from the contents providing apparatus 6. The contents stored in the exchange management server device 2 are distributed to the communication devices 1A and 1B, respectively (S102a and S102b). Here, it is assumed that the contents distributed to the communication devices 1A and 1B are different from each other.

  After that, when content is exchanged between the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B, first, the device ID and the ID of the content to be exchanged are notified to the exchange partner device. That is, the device ID and the exchange content ID of the communication device 1A are notified to the communication device 1B (S103a). Also, the device ID and exchange content ID of the communication device 1B are notified to the communication device 1A (S103b). This notification is performed by infrared communication or communication by Bluetooth (registered trademark). In addition, the notification of the ID may be performed by exchanging an IC card storing the ID and reading it with each other's device, or sending and receiving an e-mail attached with the ID.

After the exchange of the ID, the exchange content ID and the exchange partner ID (that is, the ID of the communication apparatus 1B) are notified from the communication apparatus 1A to the exchange management server apparatus 2 (S104a). Further, the exchange content ID and the exchange partner ID (that is, the ID of the communication device 1A) are notified from the communication device 1B to the exchange management server device 2 (S104b).
Upon receiving these notifications, the exchange management server device 2 confirms the relationship between exchange partners, the validity of the exchange partners, and whether or not content can be exchanged (S105). By managing the exchange conditions in the exchange management server device 2, it becomes possible to determine whether or not the exchange is possible based on a fluctuation evaluation (that is, a dynamic evaluation) as will be described later.

  The result of whether or not the exchange management server device 2 can exchange is transmitted to the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B (S106). If the content of the exchangeability determination result is exchange permission, content exchange is performed between the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B (S107). At this time, the exchange process is controlled by the middleware in the communication apparatus.

(Example of processing of the exchange management server device)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the exchange management server device. In the figure, when the exchange management server device receives a request for determining whether or not content can be exchanged (step S501), processing for extracting a content exchange request source, a content exchange request destination, and a content name is performed (step S502). ). Next, the exchange condition regarding the content is acquired (step S503). This exchange condition is composed of information relating to the possibility of movement, content value, and exchangeable period. This exchange condition is stored in, for example, a content exchange management database (DB).

  Only when both the exchange request from the exchange request source and the exchange request from the exchange request destination are received, the process proceeds to the next process (step S504). First, an exchange request source and exchange request destination matching process is performed (step S505). That is, the exchange request destination matches the exchange request destination included in the exchange request from the exchange request source, and the exchange request source and the exchange request source included in the exchange request from the exchange request destination match. Confirmation is made.

After this matching process, it is checked in turn whether the content can be moved (step S506), within the content exchange period (step S507), or whether the value of the exchanged content is equivalent (step S505). After all the confirmations are made, a determination result “exchangeable” is notified to the exchange request source and exchange request destination communication devices (step S509), and the exchange function of the communication device is activated (step S510).
On the other hand, when the content cannot be moved, when the content is out of the exchangeable period, or when the value of the exchanged content is not equivalent, a determination result of “no exchange” is notified to the exchange request source and exchange request destination communication devices. (Step S511).

(Content exchange method)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a content exchanging method employed in the content exchanging system described above. In the figure, first, a request for determining whether or not content can be exchanged is transmitted from the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B storing the content to the exchange management server device 2 (step S201). The exchange management server device 2 that has acquired the exchange availability determination request determines whether or not the content can be exchanged (step S202). This exchange possibility determination result is transmitted from the exchange management server device 2 to the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B (step S203).

  The transmitted exchangeability determination result is acquired in each of the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B, and when the determination result is an exchange rejection, the process ends (steps S204 → S206). On the other hand, if the determination result is exchange permission, the content is transmitted and received between the communication terminals, the content is directly exchanged (step S205), and then the process ends (step S205 → S206).

That is, this content exchange method includes an exchange availability determination request acquisition step (corresponding to step S201 above) for obtaining an exchange availability determination request from each of the first communication device 1A and the second communication device 1B before content exchange. An exchangeability determination step (corresponding to step S202) for determining exchangeability based on the exchangeability determination request acquired in the exchangeability determination request acquisition step, and a determination result in the exchangeability determination step as the first communication A determination result transmission step (corresponding to step S203) transmitted to the device 1A and the second communication device 1B and another communication device according to the content of the determination result transmitted in the determination result transmission step A content exchange step (corresponding to step S205).
By adopting this content exchange method, it is possible to manage copyrights by requiring an inquiry as to whether or not exchange is possible in advance, and content with a large amount of data can be prevented from passing through the core network. Therefore, the influence on network resources can be suppressed.

(Variation evaluation)
Next, an example of value evaluation for realizing exchange of contents of the same value by dynamically changing the evaluation in the determination of whether or not content can be exchanged will be described.
(1) For example, the amount of money is set according to a rule determined in advance between the producer and DOCOMO according to the number of DLs of the content, etc., by linking evaluation / popularity with the selling price. For example, by adopting the following rules, popular contents (having a large number of DLs) are made expensive. That is, 0 yen for the 0th to 99th DLs, 100 yen for the 100th to 500th DLs, and 300 yen for the 500th and subsequent DLs. In this case, the 99th DL person can do DL for 0 yen, that is, free of charge, while the 100th DL person will be DL for 100 yen. Note that DLs from the same communication device are not counted twice.
Also, an evaluation (“◯” or “×”) is obtained from a DL specific user, and if it is “◯”, it is counted as 0.5 DL. For this specific user, for example, it is desirable to authorize in the same manner as a TV audience rating monitor.

(2) As an investment type with risk, the producer sets the total sale amount and time limit and collects it from the viewer every predetermined period. For example, by adopting the following rules, the value of the content at that time is determined according to the time and the number of DLs.
That is, it is set to 100,000 yen from the release date one month later, 50,000 yen from one month to three months later, and 10 yen per 1 DL (payback period) after four months. In this case, viewers who DL in the first month share charges according to the number of viewers (number of DLs) during that period (that is, from the release date to one month later). For example, in the case of 1000 times DL, it is 100 yen per person (= 100,000 yen / 1000). Similarly, viewers who DL in the subsequent two months also share a fee according to the number of viewers (number of DLs) during that period (two to three months). For example, in the case of 1000 times DL, it is 50 yen per person (= 50,000 yen / 1000). Furthermore, from the fourth month, the viewer who purchased the profits by the third month pays the purchase amount at that time according to the purchase time. For example, a population parameter of the first month is 2000 (= 1000 × 2, “2” is a weight based on the viewing amount and calculated from 100 yen / 50 yen), and a population parameter of 1000 from the first month to the third month is 1000, The income from the 4th month is distributed.
In the case of such an investment type with risk, since the viewer can only grasp the approximate price at the time of DL, the viewer evaluates himself / herself based on the thumbnail of the content and so on and acquires it (DL). .

(Example of processing for determining whether or not exchangeable)
In the operation example described above with reference to FIG. 5, information regarding whether or not content can be exchanged and information regarding exchange conditions are transmitted from the content providing apparatus, and the exchange management server apparatus that has received the information performs a process for determining whether or not exchange is possible. Another example of this exchangeability determination process will be described with reference to FIG.
(A) of the same figure is a figure which shows the example in the case of setting exchange conditions in a communication apparatus. In the example shown in the figure, exchange conditions are set in the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B, respectively, and the set exchange conditions are notified to the exchange management server device 2 together with the content ID. The exchange management server device 2 determines whether or not the contents can be exchanged based on the notified exchange conditions. The exchange conditions once set in the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B may be changed later.

FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example in which the content providing apparatus sets exchange conditions in advance. In the example shown in the figure, the exchange conditions are set in advance in the content providing device 6. The set exchange conditions are respectively acquired by the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B via the network and stored in the device as they are. Changing the exchange conditions stored in the communication device is not permitted.
The stored exchange condition is notified to the exchange management server apparatus 2 together with the content ID. The exchange management server device 2 determines whether or not the contents can be exchanged based on the notified exchange conditions.

FIG. 6C is a diagram showing another example in the case where the content providing apparatus sets exchange conditions in advance. In the example shown in the figure, the exchange conditions are set in advance in the content providing device 6. The set exchange conditions are respectively acquired by the communication device 1A and the communication device 1B via the network and stored in the device as they are. In this example, the change or addition of the exchange condition stored in the communication device is permitted. The changed or added exchange condition is similarly stored in the communication device.
The stored exchange condition is notified to the exchange management server apparatus 2 together with the content ID. The exchange management server device 2 determines whether or not the contents can be exchanged based on the notified exchange conditions.

(Content exchange management database)
As described with reference to FIG. 6, the exchange management server device acquires exchange conditions from the content exchange management database. A configuration example of this content exchange management database is shown in FIG. Referring to the figure, in the content exchange management database of this example, “content ID” that is information for identifying content, “movability” that is information indicating whether or not the content can be moved, and exchange for that content A “replaceable period” that is information indicating a possible period and a “content value” that is information indicating the value of the content are stored.

If “Moveable” is “Moveable”, the content is movable and can be exchanged if other conditions are met. On the other hand, if the movement is “No”, the content cannot be moved and cannot be exchanged even if other conditions are satisfied.
If the date and time to be exchanged is within the “exchangeable period” period, the content can be exchanged. In the case of "as needed", it can be exchanged at any time if other conditions are met.

  The content value is information set to determine whether the value of the content to be exchanged is equal. The content with a high content value may be exchanged for a plurality of contents. For example, in FIG. 10A, the content value of the moving image content stored in the communication device 1A is “100 points”, and the content value of the moving image content stored in the communication device 1B is “70 points”. Since these are not equivalent, the one-to-one content exchange is not permitted by the exchange management server device. In this case, if the music content stored in the communication device 1B and having the content value of “30 points” is combined with the moving image content, the content value becomes “100 points” in total, and the content values are equivalent. For this reason, one-to-two content exchange is permitted by the exchange management server device. In addition, one-to-three content exchange may be permitted, and plural-to-multiple content exchange may be permitted.

  Here, for example, if content with content value = 1 point is prepared, the content can be used like currency for exchanging content (hereinafter, this content is referred to as currency content). The currency content can be just an empty file that is neither video, music nor text. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the content value of the moving image content stored in the communication device 1A is “100 points”, the currency content of “1 point” is stored in the communication device 1B as 100 files. If the content is stored, the content value becomes equivalent, so that content exchange is permitted by the exchange management server device. That is, the exchange is permitted when the total values of the content value information including the content value information of the currency content are equivalent.

  If this example is applied to the case of FIG. 5A, if one point of currency content is stored in the communication apparatus 1B for 30 files in addition to the moving image content whose content value is “70 points”, they are combined. It becomes "100 points" by this. For this reason, the exchange management server device permits the exchange with the moving image content having the content value “100 points” stored in the communication device 1A. When the content value is set to a value including a fraction, etc., the content value can be easily equalized by using the currency content, and the exchangeability between the contents can be increased.

(Other operation examples)
FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing another operation example of the present system. This system is a content lending system that does not exchange contents between communication devices, but allows the communication devices to lend viewing rights and realize viewing on other communication devices only for a certain period of time.
The figure shows processing contents such as data exchange by the content providing device 6, the loan management server device 7, and the communication devices 1A and 1B. In the figure, content is transmitted from the content providing device 6 (S301). Along with this content, information on whether or not to lend and lending conditions are transmitted. Since whether or not to lend can be set, the copyright of the content can be protected. Here, the following conditions can be considered as loan conditions. For example, exchange conditions for the period and range can be considered.

As the “period”, for example, it is possible to set a condition that a loan of a maximum of ○ days is permitted.
As the “range”, for example, it is conceivable to set a condition that exchange is possible only within the range of friends registered in the address book and within the range of a family to which a discount on the call charge is applied.
The loan management server device 7 receives and stores a large number of contents as described above from the content providing apparatus 6. In this example, the content stored in the loan management server device 7 is distributed to the communication device 1A (S302). The communication apparatus 1A that has acquired the distributed content can view the content (S303).

  Thereafter, in the case of lending content from the communication device 1A to the communication device 1B, first, content viewing suspend registration is performed from the communication device 1A to the lending management server device 7 (S304). The loan management server device 7 starts managing the suspend period (S305). Then, information regarding viewing right update is transmitted from the loan management server device 7 to the communication device 1A (S306). In this case, information (hereinafter referred to as suspend information) for preventing viewing and transfer of the content held in the communication device 1A is transmitted. That is, since the content itself in the communication device is not erased, it is dealt with by updating the viewing right. That is, the original expiration date is backed up by the loan management server device 7, and the viewing right in the communication device is updated as the expiration date expires.

The content is lent from the communication device 1A that has received the suspend information to the communication device 1B (S307). That is, the suspended content is copied to the communication device 1B. When the content is copied, the communication terminal 1A cannot view the content. However, it may be possible to check the thumbnail.
Next, whether or not viewing is possible is performed from the communication device 1B to which the content has been copied to the loan management server device 7 (S308). The loan management server device 7 confirms the relationship between the loan source and the loan destination and confirms whether or not the loan viewing right is issued (S309). If these confirmations can be made, the loan viewing right is provided from the loan management server device 7 to the communication device 1B (S310). This rental viewing right is a short-term viewing right with an expiration date set within the suspend period. Note that the suspend period is a period during which content is held but cannot be viewed or transferred. After the suspend period has elapsed, the communication device 1A can be viewed.

By acquiring this loan viewing right, the communication device 1B can view the loaned content only within the expiration date (S311). Thereafter, when the set expiration date has passed, viewing of the lent content is stopped (S312). That is, the content is invalidated.
Further, when the suspend period elapses (S313), information related to viewing right update is transmitted from the loan management server device 7 to the communication device 1A (S314). In this case, information for activating the content held in the communication device 1A so as to be able to view and transfer again is transmitted. Thus, the content can be viewed on the communication device 1A.

(Lending management server device)
In order to realize the processing described with reference to FIG. 11, the loan management server apparatus 7 has a functional configuration as shown in FIG. That is, when there is a request from the first communication device 1A, the suspend period setting function 71 for setting the content viewing suspend period for the communication device 1A and the suspend period set by the suspend period setting function 71 When the communication apparatus 1B receives a viewing permission confirmation request, the loan permission determination function 72 that determines whether or not the loan is permitted, and the viewing that permits the communication apparatus 1B to view the content only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period. And a permission function 73. Then, within the suspend period set by the suspend period setting function 71, the communication device 1A is in a state where viewing of content is impossible. Also, the communication device 1B is in a state where the content can be viewed only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period permitted by the viewing permission function 73. Thus, by requiring inquiries regarding whether or not to lend in advance, it is possible to manage copyrights and promote the distribution of content while appropriately protecting the copyright of the content.
Note that the overall configuration of the content lending system employing the lending management server device 7 is a configuration in which the lending management server device 7 is installed instead of the exchange management server device 2 in FIGS. 1 and 4.

(Communication device)
In order to realize the processing described with reference to FIG. 11, the communication device 1 </ b> A has a functional configuration as illustrated in FIG. In other words, the communication device 1A has a viewing state control function 81 for setting the viewing of the content to an impossible state or a possible state when information related to viewing right update is received from the loan management server device 7. Yes.
The communication device 1B has a functional configuration as shown in FIG. That is, the communication device 1B has a viewing state setting function 82 for setting the viewing of the content when the loan viewing right is provided from the loan management server device 7.
Each function described above is actually realized by causing the CPU in the communication device to execute software or firmware stored in a memory or the like in the communication device to operate each unit in the communication device.

(Content lending method)
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a content lending method employed in the above-described content lending system. In the figure, first, when there is a request from the first communication device 1A, a content viewing suspend period is set for the communication device 1A (step S401). Next, within the set suspend period, the communication device 1A is set in a state in which the content cannot be viewed (step S402). If there is a viewing permission confirmation request from the second communication device 1B within the suspend period set in step S401, it is determined whether or not lending is possible (step S403). If the determination result is loan rejection, the process ends (steps S404 → S408). On the other hand, if the determination result is loan permission, viewing of the content by the communication device 1B is permitted only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period (step S404 → S405), and the suspend permitted in step S405. Only within an arbitrary expiration date within the period, the communication device 1B is set in a state in which the content can be viewed (step S406).
Thereafter, after the suspend period elapses, the communication device 1A is set to be able to view content, and the process ends (steps S407 → S408).

That is, this content lending method is a content lending method for realizing content lending from the first communication device to the second communication device, and when there is a request from the first communication device, A suspend period setting step (corresponding to step S401) for setting a content viewing suspend period for one communication device, and the first communication device for the content within the suspend period set in the suspend period setting step. Lending when there is a viewing permission confirmation request from the second communication device within the suspend period set in the suspend period setting step (corresponding to step S402) and the suspend period setting step. Loan availability determination step for determining availability (corresponding to step S403 above) A viewing permission step (corresponding to step S405) for permitting viewing of the content by the second communication device only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period, and the suspend permitted in the viewing permission step. A step (corresponding to step S406) of setting the second communication device in a state in which the content can be viewed only within an arbitrary expiration date within the period. Then, after the suspend period has elapsed, an activation step (corresponding to step S407) for setting the first communication device to be able to view content is further included.
By adopting this content lending method, it is possible to manage copyrights by requiring inquiries about whether or not to lend in advance. Content distribution can be promoted while appropriately protecting the content.

(Modification)
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the range of the technical thought. As modifications, for example, the following can be considered.
(1) The above-described exchange or lending system may be applied to paid content in which an advertisement is embedded.
In the case of advertisement-embedded pay content, if a viewer suspends viewing for a certain period, another viewer can view only during that period. In the case of advertisement-embedded paid content, transfer / exchange (temporary registration) can be performed between friends, and long-term viewing can be performed by main registration (viewer change). Based on the value evaluation managed in the management server device, content of the same value can be exchanged by proximity communication under the control of the management server device. Note that in the case of advertisement-embedded content, viewing on the loaned communication device may also be counted as the number of views and recorded in the advertising cost.
(2) In the above description, a case has been described in which digest version content is created on a mobile phone, and the created digest version content is exchanged between mobile phones. You may utilize communication apparatuses, such as a type | mold computer and PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

  The present invention can be used when exchanging contents between communication devices.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the content exchange system by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structural example of the exchange management server apparatus in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the communication apparatus in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example at the time of implement | achieving a content exchange system in a mobile telephone network. It is a sequence diagram which shows the example of 1 operation | movement of a content exchange system. It is a flowchart which shows the process example of an exchange management server apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the content exchange method employ | adopted in the content exchange system. It is a figure which shows the other example of the determination process of exchange possibility. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a content exchange management database. It is a figure which shows the example of determination of the value of content. It is a sequence diagram which shows one operation example of a content lending system. It is a block diagram which shows the function structural example of a loan management server apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the communication apparatus for implement | achieving the process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content loan method employ | adopted in the content loan system.

Explanation of symbols

1A, 1B Communication device 2 Exchange management server device 3 Wireless base station 4 Base station control device 5 Core network 6 Content providing device 7 Loan management server device 11 Exchangeability determination request transmission function 12 Determination result acquisition function 13 Exchange function 21 Exchangeability determination Request acquisition function 22 Exchangeability determination function 23 Determination result transmission function 71 Suspend period setting function 72 Lentability determination function 73 Viewing permission function 81 Viewing state control function 82 Viewing state setting function 100 Wireless cell

Claims (12)

A content exchange system for exchanging content between a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the exchange is performed from each of the first communication device and the second communication device before exchanging content. Exchangeability determination request acquisition means for acquiring an availability determination request, exchangeability determination means for determining whether exchange is possible based on the exchangeability determination request acquired by the exchangeability determination request acquisition means, and determination by the exchangeability determination means An exchange management server device having determination result transmission means for transmitting a result to the first communication device and the second communication device;
An exchangeability determination request transmission unit that transmits the exchangeability determination request, a determination result acquisition unit that acquires the determination result, and another communication device according to the content of the determination result acquired by the determination result acquisition unit A communication device having exchange means for exchanging content between them,
A content exchange system comprising:   An exchange management server used in a content exchange system for exchanging content between a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device are exchanged before content exchange. A replaceability determination request acquisition means for acquiring a replaceability determination request from each of the communication devices, a replaceability determination means for determining the replaceability based on the replaceability determination request acquired by the replaceability determination request acquisition means, and An exchange management server apparatus, comprising: a determination result transmission unit that transmits a determination result by the exchange availability determination unit to the communication device. The exchange availability determination request includes content value information for evaluating the content to be exchanged,
3. The exchange management server apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the exchange availability determination unit permits the exchange when the total values of the content value information to be exchanged are equivalent to each other. The exchangeable content includes currency content that is used to exchange content,
4. The exchange management server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the exchange permission / inhibition determination unit permits exchange when total values of content value information including content value information of the currency content are equivalent to each other.   An exchange availability determination request transmission unit that transmits an exchange availability determination request to an exchange management server device that manages content exchange between communication devices, a determination result acquisition unit that acquires a determination result in the exchange management server device, and the determination A communication apparatus, comprising: an exchange means for exchanging content with another communication apparatus when the content of the determination result obtained by the result obtaining means is exchange permission.   A content exchanging method for exchanging content between a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein each of the first communication device and the second communication device is exchanged before exchanging content. An exchangeability determination request acquisition step for acquiring an availability determination request, an exchangeability determination step for determining whether an exchange is possible based on the exchangeability determination request acquired at the exchangeability determination request acquisition step, and a determination at the exchangeability determination step A determination result transmission step of transmitting a result to the first communication device and the second communication device, and content between other communication devices according to the content of the determination result transmitted in the determination result transmission step A content exchanging method comprising an exchanging step of exchanging. A content lending system for realizing content lending from a first communication device to a second communication device,
When there is a request from the first communication device, a suspend period setting unit that sets a content viewing suspend period for the first communication device, and the suspend period set by the suspend period setting unit When there is a viewing permission confirmation request from the second communication device, a loan permission determination unit that determines whether the loan is permitted or not, and viewing of the content by the second communication device only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period. A loan management server device having viewing permission means for authorizing
A first communication device that becomes incapable of viewing the content within a suspend period set by the suspend period setting means;
A second communication device in which the content can be viewed only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period permitted by the viewing permission unit;
A content lending system comprising:   The content lending system according to claim 7, wherein the lending management server device further includes an activating unit that sets the first communication device to be able to view the content after the suspend period has elapsed.   A lending management server device for managing content lending from the first communication device to the second communication device, and the content of the first communication device when requested by the first communication device Suspend period setting means for setting a suspend period for viewing, and whether or not the loan is permitted is determined when there is a viewing permission confirmation request from the second communication device within the suspend period set by the suspend period setting means. A loan management server device comprising: a determination unit; and a viewing permission unit that permits viewing of the content by the second communication device only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period.   The loan management server device according to claim 9, further comprising an activating unit that sets the first communication device to be able to view content after the suspend period has elapsed. A content lending method for realizing content lending from a first communication device to a second communication device,
When there is a request from the first communication device, a suspend period setting step for setting a content viewing suspend period for the first communication device, and a suspend period set in the suspend period setting step, When the first communication device sets a state in which viewing of content is impossible and when there is a viewing permission confirmation request from the second communication device within the suspend period set in the suspend period setting step A loan permission determination step for determining whether or not the loan is permitted, a viewing permission step for allowing the second communication device to view the content only within an arbitrary expiration date within the suspend period, and permission in the viewing permission step. Only within the expiry date of the suspended period Content lending process which comprises the steps of setting the communication apparatus to have ready viewing of the content.   12. The content lending method according to claim 11, further comprising an activation step of setting the first communication device to be able to view content after the suspend period has elapsed.

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