JP2010287030A - Content distribution system and content reproduction device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a distribution system for a content, allowing sharing of a use history of the content distributed from a server device between users connected via an identical relay device. <P>SOLUTION: In this content distribution system, the server device includes: a user authentication means with a content reproduction device; a connection information obtaining means for obtaining connection information of a plurality of content reproduction devices connected in each relay device; a connection information analysis means for analyzing the connection information obtained by the connection information obtaining means in each relay device; and a connection information provision means for providing the connection information analyzed by the connection information analysis means to the content reproduction devices connected to the identical relay device. The content reproduction device includes: a user authentication means with the server device; a connection information request means 305 for requesting the connection information of the content reproduction devices connected to the identical relay device from the server device; and a connection information obtaining means 306 for obtaining the connection information requested by the connection information request means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content distribution system and a content reproduction apparatus.

  In recent years, content playback devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and AV terminals with network functions that can be connected to a server device that distributes music and video content via a network are becoming widespread. In the system, distribution of contents can be received via a relay device (access point) not only at home but also at various places.

  Also, in such a content distribution system, technological development relating to acquisition and sharing of content to be distributed has been actively conducted, and techniques for distributing various content regardless of personal preference have been studied (for example, patents) Reference 1).

JP 2005-107892 A

  Conventionally, rating information (popularity) that gathers information such as how popular each content is by sucking the viewing status of music and video content distributed from the server device from a plurality of user terminals (content playback devices) to the server device In general, the ranking is shared among a plurality of user terminals. However, such rating information is average and statistical wide-area information that combines the preferences of a large number of users connected to the server device, and is not information on users who are closer to the local area. For this reason, there existed a problem that the community production | generation with each user who is those information sources was difficult.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a content distribution system and a content reproduction device that can share the usage history (viewing information, purchase information, etc.) of content distributed from a server device among users connected through the same relay device. There is to do.

  The content distribution system according to the present invention is a content distribution system including a server device that distributes content, a plurality of relay devices that relay the distribution of the content, and a plurality of content reproduction devices that are connected to each of the relay devices. In the system, a user authentication unit that performs connection authentication with the content reproduction device in the server device, a connection information acquisition unit that acquires connection information of the plurality of content reproduction devices for each relay device, and the connection Connection information providing means for analyzing connection information obtained by the information obtaining means for each relay device, and providing connection information for providing the connection information analyzed by the connection information analyzing means to a content reproduction device connected to the same relay device And a user authentication means for performing connection authentication with the server, Connection information requesting means for requesting connection information of a content reproduction apparatus connected to the same relay apparatus to the server apparatus, and connection information acquiring means for acquiring the connection information requested by the connection information requesting means are provided. It is characterized by that.

  More preferably, the content reproduction apparatus further includes information disclosure setting means for setting the disclosure content of the connection information of the terminal itself and the access right to the server apparatus.

  More preferably, the content includes content unique to a user who uses the content reproduction device stored in the server device from the content reproduction device.

  More preferably, the connection information provided by the connection information providing unit of the server device is meta information indicating a type of music or video content, a reproduction frequency, a reproduction order, a reproduction date and time as a usage history. And

  More preferably, the content reproduction device further includes distribution / purchase request means for requesting distribution or purchase of the content selected from the usage history, and the server device distributes the content from the content reproduction device. Alternatively, distribution / sales means for distributing or selling content requested for purchase is further provided.

  More preferably, sharing request means for requesting the content playback device to share content used in another content playback device selected from the usage history, and the content playback device uses the content playback device from the other content playback device. A share permission unit that permits sharing of the content in response to a content sharing request is further provided.

  The content reproduction apparatus according to the present invention is a content reproduction apparatus used in the content distribution system described above.

  According to the present invention, the usage history (browsing information, purchase information, etc.) of content distributed from a server device can be shared between users connected via the same relay device.

It is a lineblock diagram of contents distribution system 100 of a 1st embodiment. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an AV terminal 101. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit 202 of the AV terminal 101. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of AP102 or AP103. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server device 104. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit 507 of the server device 104. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of total connection information. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of content evaluation.

  The content distribution system and content reproduction apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing the configuration of the content distribution system 100. In FIG. 1, a content distribution system 100 includes a plurality of AV terminals 101a to 101f (corresponding to the claimed content reproduction device), two access points (AP) 102 and 103 (corresponding to the claimed relay device), The server device 104 is configured. Since the AV terminals 101a to 101f are content reproducing apparatuses having the same configuration, they are hereinafter referred to as AV terminals 101 unless a specific AV terminal needs to be described.

  In the content distribution system 100, the AV terminal 101 is connected to the AP 102 or the AP 103 via wireless. Further, the AP 102 and the AP 103 are connected to the network 105 by wire, and are connected to the server device 104 that performs content distribution via the network 105. Here, in FIG. 1, only two access points AP102 and AP103 are drawn for easy understanding, but more access points may be installed in various places. For example, access points are installed at stations, airports, restaurants, coffee shops, schools, hospitals, event venues, and the like. The wireless connection is performed by, for example, a high-speed wireless connection of a mobile phone or a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) system. In the present embodiment, the AP 102 or the AP 103 and the AV terminal 101 are wirelessly connected. However, the AV terminal 101 may be connected to a relay apparatus provided in a specific area or place. In any case, the server apparatus 104 has a function of grasping which user is connected to which access point or relay apparatus.

In FIG. 1, the server device 104 includes a server body 501, a content DB 502, and a user information DB 503. For example, when the user A uses the AV terminal 101 a to use content distribution, first, the AV terminal 101 a establishes a wireless connection with the AP 102 using a predetermined protocol, and then performs user authentication with the server body 501 via the network 105. . For example, the server body 501 performs user authentication based on whether or not the user A ID and password sent from the AV terminal 101 a are registered in the user management information 503 a of the user information DB 503. In addition, the server main body 501 transmits a list of contents stored in the content DB 502 in response to a request from the AV terminal 101a of the authenticated user A. Then, the user A selects content to view from these lists and requests the server body 501 to distribute the content, and the server body 501 reads the requested content from the content DB 502 and distributes it to the AV terminal 101a. Thus, the content distribution system 100 according to the present embodiment operates. Hereinafter, each device constituting the content distribution system 100 will be described in detail.
[Configuration of AV Terminal 101 (Content Playback Device)]
Next, the configuration of the AV terminal 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 2, the AV terminal 101 includes a wireless unit 201, a control unit 202, a display unit 203, an audio unit 204, an operation unit 205, and a memory 206. The AV terminal 101 may be provided with an external interface such as a general-purpose serial bus interface (USB I / F) 207 as depicted by a dotted line in FIG. . Alternatively, a removable memory card may be used instead of the built-in memory 206, or a memory card may be mounted separately from the built-in memory 206. In this case, content can be input / output to / from an external device such as a personal computer via the memory card.

  In FIG. 2, the control unit 202 controls the entire AV terminal 101 according to operation information of the operation unit 205 operated by the user. For example, a wireless link is established between the wireless unit 201 and the AP 102 or AP 103 (hereinafter referred to as the AP 102 or AP 103 in FIG. 1 unless otherwise specified) using a predetermined wireless protocol. Establish. Alternatively, after wireless connection to the access point, user authentication is performed with the server device 104. Furthermore, specified contents such as music and video are acquired from the server device 104, and the acquired contents such as music and video are reproduced. The control unit 202 also displays video, images, characters, graphics, and the like to be reproduced on the display unit 203, and music and audio to be reproduced are converted into analog audio signals by the audio unit 204 and connected to the audio unit 204. Output to the headphones 204a. As a method for acquiring and playing back content from the server device 104, the content itself may be temporarily downloaded to the memory 206, or may be downloaded by fetching only the content data necessary for playback. You can go.

  In addition, when the USB I / F 207 is arranged in the AV terminal 101, the control unit 202 performs content and control information in accordance with the operation content of the operation unit 205 or a command from a personal computer or an external device connected to the USB I / F 207. Input / output such as. For example, user-specific content created by a personal computer or a digital camera can be stored in the memory 206, or conversely, content downloaded to the memory 206 can be copied to a personal computer or a digital camera.

  Here, the configuration of the control unit 202 of the AV terminal 101 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the control unit 202 includes, as basic processing units, a wireless connection control unit 301, a server connection control unit 302, a content acquisition unit 303, a content reproduction unit 304, a general connection information request unit 305, and a general connection. And an information acquisition unit 306. Further, the control unit 202 can be provided with an extended processing unit in addition to the basic processing unit. The extension processing unit includes a content storage unit 307, an information disclosure setting unit 308, a content sharing request unit 309, a content sharing permission unit 310, a distribution / purchase request unit 311, a user content upload unit 312, and the like. Only a part of the blocks may be added to the basic processing unit. For example, the control unit 202 may be configured with only the basic processing unit and the distribution / purchase request unit 311. Therefore, it is assumed that the control unit 202 includes all combinations of a case where only the basic processing unit is configured and a case where the basic processing unit is configured by adding at least one block of the extension processing unit.

  Hereinafter, the blocks constituting the control unit 202 of the AV terminal 101 will be described in order. Each block can input / output content data and control data between the blocks as needed.

  The wireless connection control unit 301 controls the operation of the wireless unit 201 and establishes a wireless link with the access point using a predetermined wireless protocol. When the wireless link is established, the AV terminal 101 can access the server device 104 via each access point. Here, the predetermined radio protocol includes a radio frequency to be used, a modulation scheme, a connection authentication scheme, an encryption scheme, and the like, for example, a radio protocol based on the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard.

  The server connection control unit 302 performs user authentication control with the server device 104 by a user who has registered in advance with the content provider company to receive the content distribution service. For example, after a wireless link is established with the access point, the user operates the operation unit 205 to input a login ID and password, and transmits the login ID and password to the server device 104 via the access point. And get permission to connect. The AV terminal 101 that has obtained the connection permission displays, for example, an initial screen indicating the completion of login on the display unit 203. At this time, a user-specific content list authenticated from the server device 104 may be transmitted as an initial screen. In this case, for example, usage history information such as a list of contents (playlist) recently viewed by the user and purchase information is acquired from the server device 104 and displayed on the display unit 203. Further, when the user logs in to the server device 104, the server device 104 includes information such as an address that can identify the AV terminal 101 and a terminal-specific number, so that the server device 104 is information transmitted from which AV terminal 101. You can know what. For example, it is managed by an IP address in the case of Ethernet (registered trademark), a MAC address of a network device, or the like. As a result, the server device 104 can grasp the history of the content to be distributed for each AV terminal 101 (including the user to use).

The content acquisition unit 303 acquires the specified content from the server device 104. The content is specified by, for example, displaying a content list on the display unit 203 and operating the operation unit 205 with a button. Alternatively, a selection list as shown below may be displayed on the display unit 203 for selection.
(1) Select from a content list that can be distributed by the server device 104.
(2) Select from the content list viewed in the past.
(3) Select from the content list stored in the memory 206 of the AV terminal 101.
(4) Individual connection information of users connected to (or connected to) the same access point (information including usage history (name of viewing / purchased content, date / time, number of times, etc.), user age, gender, etc. ) Is selected from the content list of the results (popular ranking etc.) analyzed on the server device 104 side. Alternatively, it is selected from a content list (play list) viewed by another user acquired from the server device 104.

  In any of the above cases (1) to (4), the menu screen is arranged in a hierarchical structure, and the user first selects one of the items (1) to (4) and then selects the sub-level of the next hierarchy. It is also possible to look at the menu screen and repeat the operation of selecting the type and item to select from the list of content names displayed on the display unit 203 after narrowing down the content.

  For example, when the item (1) is selected, the type of media (video, music, etc.) that can be distributed by the server device 104 is displayed, and when the media is further selected, the category (comedy, action, love story, SF, etc.) Rock, Jazz, Classic, etc.) are displayed, and finally a list of content names such as movie titles and music titles is displayed on the screen of the display unit 203. The user operates the operation button of the operation unit 205 to select content to be acquired (viewed or purchased).

  Next, when the item (2) is selected, a list of content that the user has viewed or purchased in the past is displayed on the display unit 203 as in the initial screen described above. A part 205 selects content.

  Next, when the item (3) is selected, the content list stored in the memory 206 of the AV terminal 101 is displayed on the display unit 203. The content list stored in the memory 206 includes not only content downloaded from the server device 104 but also user-specific content stored in the memory 206 from the outside via the USB I / F 207. Also in this case, the user operates the operation unit 205 to select content to be reproduced from the content list displayed on the display unit 203.

  Next, when the item (4) is selected, a list of contents viewed by users connected to the same access point (or connected in the past (or a predetermined period in the past)) (or after statistical processing) From popular rankings). For example, in FIG. 1, it is assumed that three users A, B, and C who use the AV terminals 101a, 101b, and 101c via the AP 102 are using them. When the user A selects the item (4), the statistical processing result (popular ranking, etc.) of the connection information (usage history, etc.) of the users (users A, B, and C) connected to the AP 102 is viewed. be able to. Alternatively, the individual connection information of the user B or the user C may be viewed. The processing of the server apparatus 104 at this time, whether or not to permit disclosure of individual connection information, and the setting method will be described in detail later, but it is assumed here that disclosure is all permitted for easy understanding.

  In FIG. 1, only three users A, B, and C are connected to the AP 102 at the present time. However, within a predetermined period (for example, two hours before, the current day, or the past one week) You may make it possible to see the statistical processing result including the user who was connected within a predetermined period such as one month). For example, when the user D currently connected to the AP 103 is connected to the AP 102 two hours ago to receive content distribution, the statistical processing result including the user D is provided to the user A connected to the AP 102. Is done.

  As described above, the content acquisition unit 303 of the control unit 202 can acquire content specified by the user from any of the content lists described above. As described above, the content acquisition method is performed by a download method or a streaming method. In the case of the download method, the downloaded content is stored in the memory 206. Here, the content accumulated in the memory 206 may be deleted after reproduction, or when purchased, the content may be stored in the memory 206 as it is and directly reproduced from the memory 206.

  The content reproduction unit 304 performs a decoding process or an expansion process according to the type of content (MPEG, JPEG, MP3, etc.) acquired by the content acquisition unit 303 to convert it into a video signal or an audio signal. Output to the unit 204.

  The general connection information request unit 305 requests the server apparatus 104 for general connection information (including rating information such as popularity ranking) statistically analyzed for each access point. The request for the comprehensive connection information is transmitted to the server device 104 when the user operates the operation unit 205 and presses the general connection information request button displayed on the display unit 203, for example.

  The general connection information acquisition unit 306 acquires the general connection information transmitted from the server device 104 that has received the request signal from the general connection information request unit 305. The acquired total connection information is displayed on the display unit 203. Or you may make it preserve | save in the memory 206 with the acquisition date of an information, an access point name, etc. As a result, it is possible to refer offline to the popularity rankings and the like when connected to the access point in the past, and it is possible to request the server device 104 to distribute or purchase content in the past popularity rankings as necessary.

  The above is the operation of each block constituting the basic processing unit of the control unit 202 of the AV terminal 101. The features of the present invention can be achieved by only the basic processing unit described above, but any one of the blocks constituting the extended processing unit described below may be added to the basic processing unit. Next, each block of the extension processing unit will be described.

  The content accumulation unit 307 accumulates the content downloaded from the server device 104 in the memory 206 and manages the content list of the own terminal stored in the memory 206. Alternatively, contents input from the outside via the USB I / F 207 may be stored in the memory 206 and managed by including these contents.

  The information disclosure setting unit 308 indicates to the server device 104 whether or not to disclose the individual connection information of the user (information including usage history (name / date and time of viewing / purchasing content, number of times) and user age, gender, etc.). Set for Note that the disclosure permission setting may be simply set for all the individual connection information of the user, but may be set for each content of the individual connection information. I do not care. For example, only access information for a specific time can be set to be openable, user information such as age and gender can be set to be disallowed, and open / closed can be set for various individual connection information such as specific contents and specific types Like that. Alternatively, an access right such as permitting or not permitting reference to the individual connection information only for a specific user may be set. As for the setting method of whether or not to allow disclosure after an item and access rights for each user, for example, a disclosure setting menu is provided, a list of disclosure contents is displayed on the display unit 203, and permission / non-permission setting is set for each item. Set the target user. When the setting completion button on the operation unit 205 is pressed, the setting content is transmitted to the server device 104 side. In this way, the information disclosure setting unit 308 sets whether or not the user's individual connection information is disclosed to the server device 104.

  The content sharing request unit 309 transmits the content sharing request to the server device 104 when there is content that the user wants to view in the popularity ranking acquired by the general connection information acquisition unit 306 or in a unique content list of another user. . As an operation example in this case, for example, a content selection menu is provided to display a popularity ranking or other user's content list on the display unit 203, and further, a cursor for selecting a content name and a share request button on the screen. indicate. When the user operates the cursor of the operation unit 205 to select a content name to be shared and presses a share request button, a share request signal for the content name selected on the screen is transmitted to the server device 104 side. Then, a sharing request signal is sent to the AV terminal 101 of the user holding the content requested to be shared via the server device 104. Here, when the requested content is stored in the content DB 502 of the server device 104 and the sharing permission setting for the content is registered in advance on the server device 104 side, the requested content is held. The sharing request signal may not be transferred to the user AV terminal 101. Alternatively, even when the sharing request signal is transmitted to the AV terminal 101 of the user holding the content requested to be shared and the sharing permission is obtained, the AV of the user is not transmitted via the server device 104 but via the same access point. You may make it transmit to a terminal. Further, the connection may be made directly between the user terminals by point-to-point communication without going through the access point. As described above, in any of the cases described above, the content sharing request unit 309 may have content to be viewed in the popularity ranking acquired by the general connection information acquisition unit 306 or in a unique content list of other users. In addition, the sharing request signal is transmitted to the server device 104 or the AV terminal 101 of the user holding the requested content.

The content sharing permission unit 310 sets in advance whether or not to permit sharing in response to a content sharing request signal transmitted from the content sharing request unit 309 of the AV terminal 101 of another user. respond. In addition, when setting whether sharing is permitted or not is set in advance, it may be set for each content or may be set for each user. For example, the user B is permitted to share the contents A and B, but the user C is permitted to share only the content B without allowing the content A to be shared. The following are variations of sharing settings.
-Reject sharing requests from all users.
-Allow sharing requests from all users.
・ Reject sharing requests from users who meet certain conditions.
・ Allows sharing requests from users who meet certain conditions.
Here, as an example of a certain condition, conditions such as age range and gender may be used, or a sharing request from a user who frequently views a specific type of content may be rejected. Alternatively, settings such as rejecting a sharing request from a user who uses the server device 104 a predetermined number of times or less (for example, twice or less) may be performed. Various variations other than the above can be considered, but they are all included in the content distribution system according to the present embodiment, and the same effects can be obtained.

  Further, the setting contents of sharing permission / sharing rejection are held in the memory 206 of the AV terminal 101. Then, a sharing permission notification is sent to the AV terminal 101 of the request destination user, and if sharing is possible, the requested content is distributed from the memory 206 of the own terminal. Alternatively, the server apparatus 104 is notified of the distribution permission of the content stored in the user individual area of the content DB 502 of the server apparatus 104. When the content is stored in the user individual area of the content DB 502 of the server device 104, the sharing permission setting content may be registered in advance on the server device 104 side. In this case, as described above, the sharing request signal is processed by the server device 104, and the sharing request is notified to the AV terminal 101 of the requesting user, or the requested content is distributed if sharing is possible. . As described above, in any of the cases described above, the content sharing permission unit 310 can share the content sharing request signal transmitted from the content sharing request unit 309 of the AV terminal 101 of another user. When the sharing is possible, the requested content is distributed from the content DB 502 of the server device 104 or the memory 206 of the own terminal.

  The distribution / purchase request unit 311 sends a request for distribution / purchase of content to the server when there is content to be distributed or purchased in the popularity ranking acquired by the general connection information acquisition unit 306 or a content list unique to another user. To device 104. As an operation example in this case, for example, a content selection menu is provided, the popularity ranking and other user's content list are displayed on the display unit 203, and a cursor for selecting a content name and a distribution request button / purchase are displayed on the screen. Displays a request button. When the user operates the cursor of the operation unit 205 to select a content name to be shared and presses a distribution request button or a purchase request button, a distribution / purchase request signal for the content name selected on the screen is displayed. The content is transmitted to the server device 104 side, and the content is distributed or sold to the AV terminal 101 of the user who requests from the server device 104. At this time, the user is charged in the user information DB 503 of the server device 104. Then, for example, the content providing company aggregates the billing contents on a monthly basis and charges the user.

  The user content upload unit 312 uploads user-specific content to the individual area for each user in the content DB 502 of the server device 104. In this case, the data is uploaded to the content DB 502 from an external device such as a personal computer or a digital camera connected to the memory 206 of the AV terminal 101 or the USB I / F 207 of each user.

As described above, the AV terminal 101 is configured as described with reference to FIGS.
[Configuration of AP102 or AP103 (access point)]
Next, the configuration of the AP 102 or AP 103 will be described. Since the AP 102 and the AP 103 have the same configuration, the configuration of the AP 102 will be described here with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the AP 102 includes a wireless unit 401, a control unit 402, and a communication unit 403.

  The wireless unit 401 establishes a predetermined wireless link with the wireless unit of the AV terminal that requests connection (for example, the wireless unit 201 of the AV terminal 101 in FIG. 2).

  The control unit 402 includes a wireless connection control unit 451 and a terminal connection management unit 452 as depicted in the enlarged portion of FIG. The wireless connection control unit 451 establishes a wireless link by transmitting and receiving control according to a predetermined wireless link protocol between the wireless unit 401 and the AV terminal. The terminal connection management unit 452 performs terminal management such as a terminal unique number acquired from the AV terminal when establishing a wireless link, a communication speed, a radio wave state, and disconnection detection.

  The communication unit 403 transmits / receives data transmitted / received by the AV terminal 101 connected via the wireless unit 401 to / from the server device 104 connected via the network 105. In addition, when transmitting information to the server apparatus 104, since it transmits including the address which can identify an access point, an access point specific number, etc., the server apparatus 104 is the information transmitted from which access point. You can know what. For example, it is managed by an IP address in the case of Ethernet (registered trademark), a MAC address of a network device, or the like. As a result, the server apparatus 104 can grasp the history of the AV terminal 101 (including the user to be used) connected to each access point and the content to be distributed.

In this way, the access point (AP 102 or AP 103) relays content, control information, and the like transmitted and received between the plurality of AV terminals 101 accommodated under the access point and the server device 104. Alternatively, communication between a plurality of accommodated AV terminals 101 (for example, between the AV terminal 101a and the AV terminal 101c in FIG. 1) may be performed via the AP 102 without passing through the server device 104. Further, as described above with respect to the AV terminal 101, direct communication may be performed between the AV terminal 101a and the AV terminal 101c without using the AP 102.
[Configuration of Server Device 104]
Next, the configuration of the server device 104 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the server device 104 includes a server main body 501, a content database (content DB) 502, a user information database (user information DB) 503, an operation unit 504, and a monitor 505. The operation unit 504 and the monitor 505 are an operation unit configured with a mouse and a keyboard while looking at the maintenance screen displayed on the monitor 505 by the operator during maintenance of the server main body 501 (such as when content or user information is updated). The server apparatus 104 is maintained by operating 504. Therefore, the operation unit 504 and the monitor 505 may be connected only during maintenance, and may not be connected during normal operation.

  The server body 501 basically includes a communication unit 506 and a control unit 507, but may include an external I / F 508. A communication unit 506 communicates with a plurality of access points (AP 102 and AP 103 in the case of FIG. 1) connected via the network 105. As described above, since the address including the address that can identify the access point and the number unique to the access point are transmitted to and from the communication unit 403 of each access point, the control unit 507 of the server body 501 It is possible to know from which access point the information is transmitted. Accordingly, the control unit 507 can grasp the history of the AV terminal 101 (including the user to be used) connected to each access point and the content to be distributed.

  Next, the configuration of the control unit 507 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the control unit 507 includes, as basic processing units, a user connection control unit 601, a content distribution unit 602, an individual connection information acquisition unit 603, a connection information analysis unit 604, a connection information provision unit 605, and a user. A management unit 606, a content management unit 607, and a connection information management unit 608 are configured. In addition to the basic processing unit, the control unit 507 may provide a distribution / sales unit 609 as an expansion processing unit.

  Hereinafter, each block of the control unit 507 of the server main body 501 will be described in order. Each block can input / output content data and control data between the blocks as needed.

  The user connection control unit 601 is registered in advance with the user (registered in the user information DB 503) to receive the content distribution service for the content providing company with the server connection control unit 302 of the AV terminal 101 described above. User authentication control is performed to determine whether or not the user is a user, and connection permission is given. Here, the user connection control unit 601 grasps which access point the user's terminal is connected to when granting connection permission to the user. When the connection permission information is transmitted to the AV terminal 101, the user's usage history information (for example, recently viewed content list or purchase information) is transmitted as the login screen (initial screen) of the AV terminal 101. It doesn't matter. User usage history information is managed by the user management unit 606, and usage history information for each user is stored in the user information DB 503. In addition, the user connection control unit 601 manages charging information such as a fee for contents sold by the distribution / sales unit 609 described later and a connection fee for the user for each user, and stores the information in the user information DB 503.

  The content distribution unit 602 reads the content specified by the content acquisition unit 303 of the AV terminal 101 from the content DB 502 and distributes it. In addition to the content supplied by the content supplier, the content DB 502 also includes a personal area dedicated to each user. As described above, the content DB 502 is stored in the personal area for users who have permitted sharing. Distribute content that is

  The individual connection information acquisition unit 603 acquires user-specific connection information such as the name of the content viewed by the logged-in user. Here, as described above, the individual user connection information (individual connection information) is information including the usage history (viewed / purchased content name, date / time, number of times, etc.), the user's age, sex, and the like. Examples of individual connection information include the type and name of content that has been delivered to the user in the past (the type and name of music or video content), the playback frequency (the number of playbacks for each content and the playback interval (the date until the next playback). And time)), playback order (contents A, B, A, C, A, etc.), and playback history. Furthermore, personal information such as the user's age, sex, residential area, and hobbies may be included. Note that the usage history information related to the content is referred to as meta information with respect to the information of the content itself.

  The connection information analysis unit 604 statistically analyzes the individual connection information of a plurality of users acquired by the individual connection information acquisition unit 603 and performs rating such as popularity ranking. For example, the popularity ranking is analyzed for each user, each access point, each sex, age, or period. In particular, the present embodiment is characterized in that the connection information analysis unit 604 statistically analyzes individual connection information of a plurality of users accommodated for each access point. For example, the individual connection information of a plurality of users connected to (or connected to) the AP 102 is analyzed to obtain an analysis result (hereinafter referred to as general connection information) that “content A is first in popularity ranking”. it can. As a result, other users can see that users using the AP 102 often watch the content A.

  The connection information providing unit 605 transmits the general connection information to the user who requests the result (total connection information) analyzed by the connection information analysis unit 604. Alternatively, individual connection information of each user is transmitted to the user permitted by the user. The general connection information and the individual connection information are managed by a connection information management unit 608 described later.

  As described above, the user management unit 606 manages user information registered in advance using the user information DB 503. For example, user authentication information such as ID and password, user individual connection information (including personal information such as age and gender and usage history information), user billing information, and the like are managed for each user and stored in the user information DB 503. accumulate.

  The content management unit 607 manages content stored in the content DB 502. For example, video content, music content, user-specific content, and the like are managed, and the content type, content update date and time, the number of content distributions, and the like are managed. Note that the content content stored in the content DB 502 may be deleted or updated by the operator operating the operation unit 504 and inputting new content from a predetermined device on the network via the communication unit 506. New content may be input via the external I / F 508. In particular, it is more convenient to upload content stored in the personal area dedicated to each user from the AV terminal 101 of each user to the content DB 502. In this case, as described above, the user content upload unit 312 of the control unit 202 of the AV terminal 101 uploads from the memory 206 of each user's AV terminal 101 to the content DB 502.

  The connection information management unit 608 displays individual connection information acquired from each user by the individual connection information acquisition unit 603, total connection information analyzed by the connection information analysis unit 604, and the like by user, access point, or information type ( Manage by popularity ranking, sex, age or period). For example, as described above, the individual connection information is managed in association with the user information registered in the user information DB 503, and the general connection information is managed for each access point. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user information DB 503 includes the access point management.

  The distribution / sales unit 609 distributes or sells the content in response to the content distribution or purchase request transmitted from the distribution / purchase request unit 311 of the AV terminal 101 described above. If pay information such as sales is necessary, the user DB 503 is referred to, the sales history to the user is counted, and a bill is mailed to the user at the end of the month, for example.

  As described above, the server apparatus 104 is configured as described with reference to FIGS.

  Next, an analysis example performed by the connection information analysis unit 604 will be described. FIG. 7 is an example showing a result of analyzing individual connection information of a user connected to (or connected to) the AP 102. In FIG. 7, the first popular ranking is content A, the second is content B, and the third is content C. In the above description, the individual connection information acquisition unit 603 of the server device 104 automatically acquires the user's individual connection information such as the name of the content viewed by the logged-in user. May evaluate the content viewed on its own AV terminal and transmit the evaluation information to the individual connection information acquisition unit 603 of the server device 104. For example, the evaluation result of the content A is evaluated by the number of ☆ from the AV terminal 101 of each user and transmitted to the server device 104. At this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the user may evaluate content that can be cryed or content that can be laughed as emotion information. In FIG. 8, an example of the evaluation result of the content viewed by the user A and an example of the evaluation result of the content viewed by the user B are drawn. The user A has a high evaluation of the content A and “laughing” content. Evaluate that there is. Also, the user B evaluates that the content C is highly evaluated as “crying” content. Such an evaluation result of each user is transmitted to the server device 104 side, and the connection information management unit 608 of the server device 104 accumulates in the user information DB 503. Then, the connection information analysis unit 604 analyzes these pieces of information, and collects the analysis results as comprehensive connection information for each access point and each user as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 8, the evaluation results of the AP 102 are collected.

  Of course, as in the prior art, analysis results such as popularity rankings of all access points accommodated by the server device 104 may be collected, but the feature of this embodiment is that connection information is analyzed for each access point. As a result, it is possible to share community-specific content connection information such as stations, airports, restaurants, coffee shops, department stores, government offices, schools, hospitals, baseball fields, temporary event venues, etc. Can develop high quality community activities.

  In the present embodiment, the AV terminal 101 is an example of a portable AV terminal including the display unit 203 and the audio unit 204. However, the AV terminal 101 is a content reproduction apparatus having a communication function, a video reproduction function, and an audio reproduction function. If applicable, it is equally applicable. For example, it may be an AV device such as a digital camera or a video camera, an information device such as a PDA or a notebook computer, or a portable game device, or may be a stationary video deck, a DVD player, a personal computer, or a game device. I do not care. Also, the connection method between the access point, which is a relay device, and the terminal may be wireless connection using radio waves or infrared rays, or may be wired such as a telephone line, optical fiber, or CATV. The present invention can be similarly applied to any network system having a configuration in which access management can be performed for each area via a relay device and the server device can manage users for each relay device.

  As described above, the content distribution system (corresponding to the content distribution system 100) and the content reproduction device (corresponding to the AV terminal 101) according to the present invention analyze the usage history and popularity ranking of the content distributed from the server device 104. Can be shared between users connected via the same access point (corresponding to a relay device).

  As described above, the content distribution system and the content reproduction apparatus according to the present invention have been described by way of examples in the embodiment, but can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof. . Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner. The present invention is shown by the scope of claims, and the present invention is not limited to the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

100 ... Content distribution system 101 (101a to 101f) ... AV terminals 102, 103 ... Access point (AP)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 104 ... Server apparatus 105 ... Network 201 ... Wireless part 202 ... Control part 203 ... Display part 204 ... Audio | voice part 205 ... Operation part 206 ... Memory 207 ... USB I / F 301 ... wireless connection control unit 302 ... server connection control unit 303 ... content acquisition unit 304 ... content reproduction unit 305 ... general connection information request unit 306 ... general connection information acquisition Unit 307 ... content storage unit 308 ... information disclosure setting unit 309 ... content sharing request unit 310 ... content sharing permission unit 311 ... distribution / purchase request unit 312 ... user content upload unit 401 ... Wireless unit 402 ... Control unit 403 ... Communication unit 451 ... Wireless connection control unit 452 ... Terminal connection management unit 501 ... Server Body 502 ... content DB 503 ··· user information DB
504: Operation unit 505 ... Monitor 506 ... Communication unit 507 ... Control unit 508 ... External I / F 601 ... User connection control unit 602 ... Content distribution unit 603 ... Individual connection information acquisition unit 604 ... connection information analysis unit 605 ... connection information provision unit 606 ... user management unit 607 ... content management unit 608 ... connection information management unit 609 ... distribution / sales Part

Claims (7)

In a content distribution system including a server device that distributes content, a plurality of relay devices that relay the distribution of the content, and a plurality of content reproduction devices that are connected to each of the relay devices,
In the server device,
User authentication means for performing connection authentication with the content reproduction device;
Connection information acquisition means for acquiring connection information of the plurality of content reproduction devices for each relay device;
Connection information analysis means for analyzing connection information acquired by the connection information acquisition means for each relay device;
Providing connection information providing means for providing the connection information analyzed by the connection information analyzing means to a content reproduction device connected to the same relay device;
In the content reproduction device,
User authentication means for performing connection authentication with the server device;
Connection information requesting means for requesting connection information of a content reproduction device connected to the same relay device to the server device;
A content distribution system comprising: connection information acquisition means for acquiring the connection information requested by the connection information request means. The content distribution system according to claim 1,
In the content reproduction device,
A content distribution system, further comprising information disclosure setting means for setting the disclosure contents of the connection information of the own terminal and the access right for the server device. The content distribution system according to claim 1 or 2,
The content distribution system, wherein the content includes content unique to a user who uses the content reproduction device stored in the server device from the content reproduction device. In the content delivery system as described in any one of Claim 1 to 3,
The content distribution system, wherein the connection information provided by the connection information providing means of the server device is meta information indicating a type of music or video content, a reproduction frequency, a reproduction order, a reproduction date and time as a usage history. The content distribution system according to claim 4,
In the content reproduction device,
A delivery / purchase request means for requesting delivery or purchase of the content selected from the usage history;
In the server device,
A content distribution system further comprising distribution / sales means for distributing or selling content requested to be distributed or purchased from the content reproduction apparatus. The content distribution system according to claim 4,
In the content reproduction device,
Sharing request means for requesting sharing of content used in another content playback device selected from the usage history;
A content distribution system, further comprising: a share permission unit that permits sharing of the content in response to a request to share the content used by the own device from another content playback device. The content reproduction apparatus utilized for the content delivery system as described in any one of Claim 1 to 6.

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