JP2011004241A - Mediation server and distribution server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mediation server and the like capable of effectively distributing an advertisement to a user, by providing the mediation server between a user terminal and a distribution server when distributing a program from the distribution server to the user terminal over a network, and by allowing the mediation server to manage information on the user and information on the program.SOLUTION: As registration information of a user who utilizes a user terminal, user information is stored, and history information, which is received from the user terminal, as information on an operation history of the user terminal is received to be stored. Then, a content viewing request is received from the user terminal, and when transmitting a content distribution request so as to distribute content contained in the content viewing request to the distribution server, the content distribution request is transmitted while containing the user information and the history information therein so as to be utilized by the distribution server in selecting an advertisement.

Description

  The present invention relates to an intermediary server connected to a user terminal and one or a plurality of distribution servers for distributing content via a network.

  Until now, television broadcasts have been transmitted from radio towers to the receiving antennas of each house by radio waves, and users have watched programs on the user terminals in the house. In addition, with the spread of the Internet, programs are distributed from distribution servers connected to the network to user terminals in each home, and users can view programs distributed on terminals such as personal computers and televisions. Yes. Here, when an ISDN line, an ADSL line, or the like is used as a line for Internet connection, it is difficult to realize a transmission speed by radio waves of TV broadcasting, and a distributed program can be viewed on a large screen in real time. It was not the situation.

  In recent years, high-speed communication means such as a high-speed transmission path using an optical fiber and a high-speed backbone network called NGN (Next Generation Network) have been developed as lines used for Internet connection. By utilizing these high-speed communication means, the transmission speed of the network can be secured at a speed equivalent to the transmission speed by the radio wave of the conventional television broadcast. Unlike broadcasts (programs) that are transmitted by radio waves, programs can be distributed over a network from a long distance where radio waves from radio towers do not reach. It becomes.

  Further, the network environment is two-way communication, unlike television broadcasting using radio waves transmitted in one direction, and information can be transmitted from the user terminal to the distribution server. For example, when an advertisement is distributed, the distribution server receives various information of the user such as age, sex, operation history, etc. from the user, so that the distribution server uses each information based on the various information of the user. It is also possible to select an advertisement suitable for the person's interest and distribute the advertisement together with the program (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Further, when a program is distributed through a network, it is also assumed that detailed information on advertisements accompanying the program is distributed together.

JP 2001-231020 A

  However, when viewing a program through a network using the high-speed communication means described above, various problems are assumed. First, from the user's standpoint, the program can be distributed from any distribution server connected to the network as compared with the case of viewing a program by conventional television broadcasting. Therefore, it is possible to view a program in an area that could not be viewed in the past, but on the contrary, the number of programs that can be viewed increases in accordance with the number of distribution servers, so it is difficult to select a program that you want to view. End up.

  Further, when viewed from the content provider side, many users are connected to one distribution server. In this case, when various information of the user is directly received from each user to which the distribution server is connected, the amount of information becomes enormous, and based on this, an advertisement corresponding to the user's interest is distributed along with the program. Data to be transmitted and received increases and becomes inefficient.

  Furthermore, when the user wants to watch the program at a later date, the program is stored in a video recorder connected to the user terminal, or the program is stored in a network private video recorder (nPVR) connected to the network. Remember it.

  When recording a program on these recording devices, when a program distributed from various distribution servers is recorded on a plurality of recording devices, management of the recording device and the program becomes complicated when the number of recorded programs increases. There was a problem.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention aims at providing an intermediary server between a user terminal and a distribution server when the program is distributed from the distribution server to the user terminal through the network. It aims at providing the mediation server etc. which implement | achieve that an advertisement can be effectively delivered with respect to a user by managing the information regarding a user and the information regarding a program.

  An intermediary server according to the present invention is an intermediary server connected via a network to a distribution server that distributes content in which an advertisement is inserted into a program and a user terminal that receives the distributed content. User information storage means for storing user information as information, history information storage means for receiving and storing history information that is received from the user terminal and that is operation history information of the user terminal, and use Content viewing request receiving means for receiving a content viewing request from a user terminal, and content distribution request transmitting means for transmitting a content distribution request so as to distribute the content included in the content viewing request to the distribution server. The user information and the history information are sent to the distribution server for use when the distribution server selects an advertisement. Characterized in that it.

  The distribution server of the present invention is connected to a network including a distribution server that distributes content including a program, a user terminal that receives the distributed content, and a mediation server that mediates the distribution server and the user terminal. A content distribution request receiving means for receiving from the mediation server a content distribution request that includes user information that is information about a user and history information that is operation history information of a user terminal; An advertisement selection means for selecting an advertisement based on user registration information and history information; a content distribution means for inserting the advertisement selected by the advertisement selection means into a program and delivering it to the user terminal as content; It is characterized by providing.

In the distribution server of the present invention, a recording device is connected to the network.
The content distribution means distributes the content in which the advertisement is inserted to the recording device.

  According to the present invention, the mediation server provides the user with a program guide for each user, and the user can view the program based on the program guide for each user. As a result, the user can easily select a program he / she wants to view from a large number of programs.

  According to the present invention, when the distribution server distributes the advertisement, the mediation server provides the distribution server with user information to the distribution server. Then, the distribution server selects an advertisement based on the user information. Thereby, the distribution server can distribute advertisements according to each user's interest.

  Further, according to the present invention, when a single user has a plurality of recording devices via a network, the user performs operations such as selection of recording devices, recording reservation, and playback through a screen created by the mediation server. Therefore, the user can easily perform recording reservation or playback of the program.

  In addition, according to the present invention, when a user wants to use content information attached to the content on another user terminal such as a personal computer or a mobile phone, the content information is transferred from the user terminal to another user terminal. Can do. Thereby, it is possible to access detailed information on the user terminal or view content information outdoors by using another user terminal.

It is a schematic block diagram of the program delivery system in this embodiment. It is an example of the block block diagram of the delivery server in this embodiment. It is an example of the block block diagram of the mediation server in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table example of the user registration information DB of the mediation server in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the example table of the service information DB of the mediation server in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table example of the log | history information DB of the mediation server in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table example of the program information DB classified by user of the mediation server in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table example of the video recording apparatus information DB of the mediation server in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table example of the user recording condition DB of the mediation server in this embodiment. It is an example of the block block diagram of the user terminal in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table example of the video recording program DB of the user terminal in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table example of transfer destination information DB of the user terminal in this embodiment. It is an example of the block block diagram of nPVR in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the example of a table of content management DB of nPVR in this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement in case the mediation server in this embodiment extracts program information classified by user, and memorize | stores it in program information DB classified by user. It is a flowchart explaining the process which decodes and views a program from the content in this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the process of a program recording reservation in this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the program recording process in this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the program reproduction | regeneration processing in this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the content transfer process in this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the process in which the delivery server in this embodiment selects an advertisement.

[1. Overall overview]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. In addition, the following embodiment is an example which actualized this invention, Comprising: It is not the thing of the character which limits the technical scope of this invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a program distribution system 1 to which the present invention is applied. In the program distribution system 1, a distribution server 20, an intermediary server 30, user terminals 40 and 42, and an nPVR (Network Personal Video Recorder) 50 are connected to a network NW. The outline of the function of each device will be described below.

  The broadcast station 10 distributes content including a program to the user terminal 40 using radio waves as a medium. The user terminal 40 receives the radio wave transmitted from the broadcast station 10, decodes the program from the content, and displays it on a display unit (for example, LCD) provided in the user terminal 40.

  The distribution server 20 distributes content to the user terminal 40 and the nPVR 50 via the network NW. In addition, the distribution server 20 transmits service information related to contents that can be distributed to the mediation server 30 in advance. The service information includes information related to a program distributed from the distribution server 20 (program information) and information related to the distribution server (distribution server information).

  Further, the distribution server 20 receives information (user information) related to the user together with a content distribution request from the mediation server 30 or periodically, and distributes the advertisement based on the user information.

  The mediation server 30 mediates between the user terminal 40 and the distribution server 20 when the user terminal 40 receives content. For example, the mediation server 30 receives service information related to content from the distribution server 20 and creates a program table for transmission to the user terminal 40.

  Further, the mediation server 30 stores user information transmitted from the user terminal 40 (for example, the age and sex of the user) and history information (history information) when the user views the content. To do. User information and history information are appropriately transmitted to the distribution server 20, and the distribution server 20 selects an advertisement that matches the content based on the information.

  Further, the mediation server 30 manages the recorded program (contents) in the user terminal and the status of the recorded program (recording status). Based on the request from the user terminal 40, the mediation server 30 makes a recording reservation for the program or requests the distribution server 20 to distribute the program.

  In addition, when the mediation server 30 receives a request to reproduce a recorded program from the user terminal 40, the mediation server 30 requests the nPVR 50 in which the content related to the program is recorded to distribute the content to the user terminal 40. .

  The user terminal 40 is connected to the network NW and receives content distribution from the broadcast station 10 or the distribution server 20. Then, the program is decoded from the content, and the program is displayed on the display unit. The user can execute each operation by giving an operation instruction to the user terminal 40.

  Also, the user terminal 40 transmits a recording reservation to the nPVR 50 and a program playback instruction via the mediation server 30, receives the content distributed from the nPVR 50, and displays the content on the monitor.

  In addition to the user terminal 40, a user terminal 42 is connected. The user terminal 42 is another terminal used by the user in addition to the user terminal 40, and is composed of, for example, a mobile phone or a personal computer.

  The nPVR 50 is an example of a recording device connected to the network NW, and can store content desired by the user and distribute the content when the user desires.

  For convenience of explanation, each apparatus constituting the program distribution system 1 in the present embodiment will be described as one, but it goes without saying that a plurality of apparatuses may be connected.

[2. Functional configuration]
Subsequently, the functional configuration of each apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings.

[2.1 Broadcast station]
First, the broadcast station 10 will be described. The broadcasting station 10 is a base station that performs broadcasting using radio waves such as terrestrial digital broadcasting and satellite broadcasting. The program (content) transmitted from the broadcast station 10 is received by the user terminal 40, and the program is decoded and displayed. The configuration of the broadcast station 10 is the same as that of a conventional broadcast station, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[2.2 Distribution server]
Next, the distribution server 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, in the distribution server 20, a storage unit 210 and network data transmission / reception means 250 are connected to the control unit 200 via a bus.

  The control unit 200 is a functional unit that controls the distribution server 20, and includes a processing device such as a CPU. The control unit 200 implements each function by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 210.

  The storage unit 210 is a functional unit for storing various data and programs for operating the distribution server 20. Here, the storage unit 210 is configured by any storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive. The storage unit 210 stores a content storage area 212 and advertisement data 214.

  The content storage area 212 is a storage area for storing content distributed by the distribution server 20. The content includes service information that is information related to the content and a program that is in a moving image format that can be viewed by the user. For example, the program is decoded from the content stored in the content storage area 212 by the user terminal 40 and displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 40.

  Further, the service information includes distribution server information that is information regarding the distribution server 20 and program information as information regarding programs included in the content storage area 212. The distribution server information includes information related to the distribution server that distributes the content storage area 212, which will be described in detail later.

  The advertisement data 214 is data relating to advertisements that the distribution server 20 inserts into a program. An advertisement is inserted in the middle of the program and distributed as content.

  The network data transmission / reception means 250 is a functional unit for the distribution server 20 to transmit / receive data via the network NW. For example, it is configured by a NIC (Network Interface Card) that can be connected to Ethernet (registered trademark). Here, in this embodiment, data is transmitted to and received from the mediation server 30, the user terminal 40, and the nPVR 50.

[2.3 Mediation Server]
Next, the mediation server 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the mediation server 30 includes a storage unit 310, a program table creation unit 320, a user-specific program table creation unit 330, a user information extraction unit 340, and network data transmission / reception. Means 350 is connected via a bus.

  The control unit 300 is a functional unit that controls the mediation server 30 and includes, for example, a processing device such as a CPU. The control unit 300 implements each function by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 310.

  The storage unit 310 is a functional unit that stores various data, programs, and the like for operating the mediation server 30. The storage unit 310 includes a user registration information DB (database) 311, a service information DB 312, a history information DB 313, a user-specific program information DB 314, a recording device information DB 315, and a user recording status DB 316. Each is remembered.

  The user registration information DB 311 is a database in which registrants and information about registered users (user registration information) in the mediation server 30 are stored.

  Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the user registration information DB 311 includes a registrant ID (for example, “R001”), a contact information (for example, “090-2222-1111”), and payment as information about the registrant. Information (for example, “VISA: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx”) and a registration service (for example, “unlimited by country”) are stored, and as user information, a user ID (for example, “U001”), a login password ( For example, “PW001”), user age / sex (eg, “10, male”), user terminal model number (eg, “SH01”), and user terminal address (eg, “xx.yy.zzzz.www”) Is stored.

  Here, the registrant ID is an ID for identifying the registrant, and the contact information indicates the contact information of the registrant. The payment information is card payment information for the registrant to make a card payment when using the distribution service.

  The registration service identifies a distribution service for which a registrant has applied for registration. For example, in the case of this embodiment, it is used to identify the country (affiliation country) to which the distribution server 20 belongs. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when “unlimited by country” is stored as the registration service, the distribution server is used regardless of the country to which the distribution server 20 belongs (that is, all over the world). be able to. Further, if “two countries limited (Japan, France)” is stored, the distribution server 20 can be used by being limited to two countries, Japan and France.

  The user ID and login password store an ID and password for identifying the user when connecting to the distribution server. The user terminal 40 inputs the user ID and password when using the distribution service. When the stored user ID and password match, the distribution service can be used. The user ID and password may be, for example, the login ID and password used at the time of terminal login in the user terminal 40.

  The user age / sex stores the age and sex as an example of the user's personal information. In addition to those shown in the present embodiment, various personal information such as “family structure”, “hobby”, and “address” may be registered.

  The user terminal model number stores a model number indicating the type of user terminal used by the user. By referring to the user terminal model number, it becomes possible to determine the screen size of the user terminal 40, the processing speed, the data format that can be processed, etc., and the distribution server 20 and the intermediary server 30 to the user terminal 40. It is possible to convert the content data to be distributed into an appropriate format.

  The user terminal address is an address on the network for uniquely identifying the user terminal 40 on the network. For example, an IP address indicated by IPv4 or IPv6 is stored.

  The service information DB 312 is a database that stores service information distributed from the distribution server 20. The service information includes information related to the distribution server (distribution server information) and program information of programs included in the content.

  Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the service information DB 312 includes a distribution server ID (for example, “S001”), a distribution server address (for example, “pp.qq.rr.sss”), and a distribution server as distribution server information. Name (for example, “ABC”), requested user information item (for example, “age, gender, viewing genre”), country (for example, “Japan”), channel ID (for example, “C001”), channel name (for example) For example, “AAA”) is stored, and program information includes a date (for example, “March 1”), a broadcast time (for example, “7:00”), and a title (for example, “7 o'clock news”). , A program summary (for example, “news”) and a genre (for example, “report”) are stored.

  The distribution server ID is an ID for identifying the available distribution server 20, and the distribution server address is a uniquely assigned address (for example, an IP address) for identifying the distribution server 20 on the network. . The distribution server name is the name of the distribution server 20 and is used when creating a program guide to be described later.

  The requested user information item is an item of user information requested to select an advertisement according to the user information when the distribution server 20 inserts an advertisement into the program. For example, when age / sex and viewing genre are stored, “age / sex” is extracted from the user registration information DB 311. Also, the viewing genre is extracted based on the user history information. Then, an advertisement is selected based on the extracted user information.

  FIG. 5 shows that different requested user information items can be set for each distribution server. For example, the distribution server whose distribution server ID is “S001” requests the user's “sex / age” and viewing genre as the requested user information item, and the distribution server whose distribution server ID is “S002”. The viewing genre is requested as the requested user information item.

  Subsequently, the country of affiliation is the name of the country to which the distribution server 20 belongs (installed). The channel ID and the channel name are an ID and a name for identifying a channel through which the distribution server 20 distributes content. The channel name will be displayed in the program guide to be described later.

  The program information is program information of a program provided by the distribution server 20. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the date, broadcast time, title, program outline, and genre of each program are recorded in chronological order as an example of program information.

  The service information DB 312 may store not only information related to the distribution server 20 but also information related to the broadcast station 10 in the same manner. For example, service information can be stored in the same manner as the distribution server 20 by registering the channel frequency of the broadcast station 10 instead of the distribution server address. Thereby, the user can view the content distributed from the distribution server 20 and the content distributed from the broadcast station 10 without being conscious of it.

  The history information DB 313 is a database in which information related to a history when the user operates the user terminal 20 is stored as history information.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the history information DB 313 includes a user ID (for example, “U001”), a user terminal model number (for example, “SH01”), and a date (for example, “May 1st”). ”), Broadcast time (for example,“ 12:15 to 13:00 ”), operation content (for example,“ program viewing ”), and genre (for example,“ animation ”) are stored.

  Here, the operation content stores a history of operations performed on the user terminal 40 by the user. For example, when a program is viewed, “program viewing” is stored. The history information may be appropriately transmitted from the user terminal 40 every predetermined time, or may be transmitted to the mediation server 30 every time the user terminal 40 is operated.

  The user-specific program information DB 314 is a database in which program information related to a program desired by a user is stored from all program information extracted from service information.

  As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the user-specific program information DB 314 includes a user ID (eg, “U001”), a channel ID (eg, “C001”), a channel name (eg, “ZZZ”), and program information ( For example, “date: May 1st, broadcast time: 23: 00-23: 15, title: baseball digest, program overview: introduction of today's victory and defeat results and highlights, genre: sports”) is stored.

  Here, from the information stored in the service information DB 312, only the program information of the desired program such as the channel and genre desired by the user is extracted and stored. As will be described later, a user-specific program guide is created based on the program information stored in the user-specific program information DB 314.

  In FIG. 7, channel IDs “C002” and “C003” are set to the same channel name “XXX”. As will be described later, this is an example in which a program searched by a user by keyword search, genre search, or the like is assigned to one channel name. Even if there are a plurality of channel IDs of channels broadcasting a program included in the search result. good. That is, the channel name can be arbitrarily set by the user and does not necessarily match the channel name stored in the service information DB 312.

  The recording device information DB 315 is a database that stores information (recording device information) related to recording devices that can be used by the user.

  Here, the recording device information DB 315 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a user ID (for example, “U001”), a recording device ID (for example, “D001”), and a recording device address (for example, “vv.www.xx”). .Yyy ”), login ID (eg“ L001 ”), login password (eg“ PW001 ”), remaining amount (eg“ 10 GB ”), and priority (eg“ 1 ”) as recording device information. It is remembered.

  The recording device ID is an ID for identifying a recording device that stores content. The recording device address is an address for uniquely identifying a recording device (for example, nPVR50) connected on the network. The login ID and the login password are an ID and a password that are required when the user accesses the recording apparatus. Here, the user ID and the login ID may be the same or different.

  The remaining amount is the remaining amount of data capacity that can be stored by the user in the recording apparatus. The priority order is a priority order when the user uses the recording apparatus. Here, examples of the recording apparatus include all nPVRs 50 that can be used by the user via the mediation server 30, a hard disk recorder directly connected to the user terminal 40, a user terminal having a recording function, and the like. .

  The user ID stored in the recording device information DB 315 is the same as the user ID stored in the user registration information DB 311.

  The user recording situation DB 316 is a database for storing a recording state of a program (content) and a recording state relating to a content in an overlook service period to be described later.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the user recording status DB 316 has a user ID (for example, “U001”), a recorded program ID (for example, “PG001”), and program information (for example, “date: April 1, broadcast time: 6: 00 to 6: 25, title: Japanese song, program overview: special feature of the Showa genre: XX, genre: song song)) and the recording device that records the program Recording device ID (for example, “D001”) for recording, a recording state (for example, “recording completed”), and a channel ID (for example, “C001”) that is a broadcast channel of the program reserved for recording are stored.

  The recorded program ID is an ID for identifying the content that is recorded or reserved for recording and the content that is in the missed service period. The program information is program information related to a program recorded or scheduled to be recorded or a program in a missed service period.

  The recording state indicates the recording state of the content. In this embodiment, “recording complete” indicating that the recording has been performed correctly, “recording reservation” indicating that the recording reservation is being performed, and “missing”. The state is memorized.

  Here, the “missing” state means that when the distribution server 20 provides a missing service that can deliver the content as VOD (Video On Demand) for a certain period from the start of the distribution of the content, And the VOD viewing period is stored together.

  In FIG. 9, the recording state of the user ID “U002” and the recorded program ID “PG003” is “missed December 30”. This indicates that the content is in the missed service period until December 30, and the recording has not yet been performed even though the distribution start time has already passed. Furthermore, the mediation server 30 does not transmit a recording command to the recording device until the missed service end date is close (that is, a period during which distribution as VOD is possible). During this time, if the user cancels the recording reservation, it is not necessary to distribute the content related to the missed service from the distribution server 20.

  If the user requests to play back the content related to the missed service by the end date of the missed service period, the mediation server 30 requests the distribution server 20 to distribute the program related to the missed service at that time.

  When the user does not cancel the recording reservation until near the end date of the missed service period, the mediation server 30 warns the user that the missed service has ended at that time, and selects whether to perform the recording. Alternatively, recording may be automatically started.

  The program guide creation means 320 takes out data necessary for program guide creation from various DBs and creates various program guides such as a program guide based on all program information available to the user. The program here refers to a display screen created based on program information. Various programs such as a user-specific program guide, a reproducible program selection screen, and the like for the user to use the mediation server 30. An operation screen is also included. The created program guide is transmitted to the user terminal 40 by the network data transmitting / receiving means 250 and can be displayed on the user terminal 40.

  It is assumed that a distribution server ID, a channel ID, and program information are associated with each program in the created program guide.

  Specifically, when creating a program table including all program information available to the user, the user registration service is referred to from the user ID in the user registration information DB 311 and registered from the service information DB 312. Get the program information of the distribution server in the country that matches the service. Then, the user terminal model number in the user registration information DB 311 is referenced to create a display screen that can be displayed on the user terminal 40. For example, a program guide having a table format suitable for the display screen size of the user terminal 40 is created, or a program guide having a low load at the processing speed of the user terminal 40 is created.

  When creating a user-specific program guide, the program information of the corresponding channel is acquired from the user ID of the user-specific program information DB 314, and the user terminal model number of the user registration information DB 311 is referred to. Then, a display screen in a format that can be displayed on the user terminal 40 is created.

  When creating a recorded program guide, the corresponding program information and recording status are extracted from the user ID in the user recording status DB 316, and the user terminal model number in the user registration information DB 311 is referred to. A display screen in a format that can be displayed on the terminal 40 is created.

  The user-by-user program table creation means 330 performs a program search from all program information (program table) available to the user to create a program table for selecting a program or selecting a channel. Further, the program search means 320 generates a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for selecting a program by selecting a program from all the program guides available to the user and selecting a channel. The stored program and channel information are stored in the user-specific program information DB 314.

  The user information extraction means 340 extracts the requested user information item corresponding to the distribution server ID of the service information DB 312, while taking out the corresponding history information from the user ID of the history information DB 313 and from the user registration information, Extract user information. Here, if necessary, the user information corresponding to the requested user information item may be extracted from the user registration information DB 311 by referring to the age, sex, etc. of the user.

  The network data transmission / reception means 350 is connected to the network and transmits / receives data to / from the distribution server 20, the nPVR 50, the user terminal 40, and the like. The distribution server 20 is requested to distribute the content desired by the user, or user information necessary for the distribution server to select an advertisement to be distributed simultaneously when the content is distributed is transmitted.

  In addition, the distribution server 20 receives information related to distributable content, and receives a decoding key necessary for decrypting data when receiving distributed content.

  Also, from the user terminal 40, a content viewing request, which is a request for distributing content from the distribution server to the user terminal 40, is received to the intermediary server 30, or a program table browsing or editing control command is received. , Receiving a recording command to the nPVR 50, a control command such as playback / stop, and receiving history information of the user terminal 40.

  In addition, to the user terminal 40, a program guide, a user-specific program guide, etc., nPVR 50 operation screen information, or the like is distributed from the distribution server 20 so that the user can perform a desired operation. Or sending a decoding key for decrypting the content. Here, the communication method in the present embodiment uses IP packet communication or the like, and the transmission source IP address is also transmitted during data transmission.

  Further, it is possible to transmit a control command from the user terminal 40 to the nPVR 50, and inquire about the operation status, the remaining amount of data capacity available to the user, and the like.

[2.4 User terminal]
Further, the user terminal 40 will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the user terminal 40 includes a control unit 400, a storage unit 410, a radio broadcast receiving unit 420, a content decoding unit 430, a video frame creating unit 440, a network data transmitting / receiving unit 450, Transfer content creation means 460, operation unit 470, and display unit 480 are connected via a bus.

  The control unit 400 is a functional unit that controls the user terminal 40, and includes a processing device such as a CPU. The control unit 400 implements each function by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 410.

  The storage unit 410 is a functional unit that stores various data and programs for operating the user terminal 40. The storage unit 410 stores a recorded program DB 412 and a transfer destination information DB 414, respectively.

  The recorded program DB 412 is a database that stores the stored content.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the recorded program DB 412 has a user ID (for example, “U001”), a recorded program ID (for example, “PG001”), and program information (for example, “date: May 1, broadcast time: 16:00 to 16:30, title: news at 16:00, program overview: news, genre: news report ") and stream data (for example," 0 ") are stored.

  That is, the program information related to the recorded program is stored in association with the user ID and the recorded program ID.

  The stream data indicates where the recorded content is stored. Specifically, it is information indicating where the recording device connected to the network is stored and where the recording device connected to the user terminal 40 is stored. The control unit 400 can identify the position where the content (program) is stored by referring to this data, and can read out the content (program) from the position and reproduce and display it. .

  The transfer destination information DB 414 is a database that stores information necessary for transferring information related to a program or information (content information) such as a URL thereof to another user terminal (for example, the user terminal 42). is there. Here, the user terminal 42 may be various devices, and may be a control device such as a remote controller in addition to a mobile phone or a personal computer.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the transfer destination information DB 414 includes a user ID (for example, “U001”), a transfer destination name (for example, “remote control”) that is text information for the user to identify the transfer destination, A communication medium (for example, “IR”) used when transferring content, a communication protocol (for example, “IrDA”) used at the time of communication, an IP address of a transfer destination, and address information such as a mail address (for example, “−”). )) Is stored.

  Here, the transfer destination name is text information for the user to identify the transfer destination. The communication medium indicates a communication medium used when transferring content information. The communication protocol is a communication protocol used when transferring content information. The address is information such as an IP address or a mail address of a transfer destination of content information.

  That is, the transfer destination information DB 414 stores information related to other user terminals as transfer destination information. In addition, a device such as a personal computer or a mobile phone may be designated as the transfer destination, or a protocol such as mail (sendmail) may be used.

  The radio broadcast receiving unit 420 is a functional unit for receiving a broadcast (content) distributed from the broadcast station 10. The radio broadcast receiving unit 420 receives content via the connected external antenna 425.

  The content decrypting unit 430 is a functional unit for decrypting service information and programs from the received content. Note that if the content is compressed, decompression processing is performed, and if the content is encrypted, decryption is performed.

  Here, when a decoding key is necessary for decryption, it is received in advance from the distribution server 20 via the intermediary server 30 or an IC (Integrated Circuit) card or the like is mounted on the user terminal 40, and the IC card is used in advance. Obtain a decoding key.

  The video frame creation unit 440 is a functional unit for inputting the program decoded by the content decoding unit 430, creating a video frame, converting it into an RGB signal or the like, and outputting it to the display unit 480. Also, when screen information of a program guide or operation screen is input from the content decoding unit 430, it is converted into an RGB signal or the like and the signal is output to the monitor. Since a method for creating a video frame from content such as a program is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The network data transmission / reception means 450 connects to the network and receives content from the distribution server 20, receives content from the nPVR 50, transmits history information of the user terminal 40 to the mediation server 30, Receive program guide, user-specific program guide, recorded program guide, and other operation screen information, send control commands for controlling nPVR50 such as recording reservation, playback / stop, etc. A control command for editing is transmitted, or a control command for requesting viewing of content is transmitted.

  In addition, as a login process, when transmitting data to the mediation server 30, a user ID, a login password, and a user terminal ID may be transmitted together.

  Further, as an example of the communication method, IP packet communication may be used, and the transmission source IP address may be transmitted when data is transmitted. It is also possible to communicate with other user terminals by wireless LAN or infrared communication.

  When the transfer content creation means 460 receives the input of the transfer destination information and the content information that the user desires to transfer under the control of the control unit 400, the transfer content creation means 460 converts the content information into an appropriate format according to the transfer destination information, It is a functional unit that creates transfer content.

  For example, when the communication protocol of the transfer destination information is sendmail, the content is processed into the MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) format. Alternatively, if the communication protocol of the transfer destination information is IrDA, the content is processed into an IrDA data format.

  The operation unit 470 is a functional unit for operating the user terminal 40. For example, it is configured by operation buttons provided in the user terminal 40, a touch panel formed integrally with the display unit 480, or the like.

  In addition, a remote controller is raised as one aspect of the operation unit 470. The remote control transmits a control signal to the user terminal 40 by infrared communication. The user remotely controls the user terminal 40 using the remote controller. In addition, another user terminal may be used as a remote controller for performing a remote operation. In this case, content information can be received from the user terminal by infrared communication.

  The display unit 480 is a functional unit for displaying content and various operation screens on the user terminal 40. For example, it is configured by a liquid crystal display, an organic EL panel, or the like. In the present embodiment, the user terminal 40 is described as including the display unit 480. However, it goes without saying that the user terminal 40 may output to a display device connected to the outside, for example.

[2.5 nPVR]
Next, the nPVR 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, in the nPVR 50, a storage unit 510, a content decrypting unit 530, and a network data transmitting / receiving unit 550 are connected to the control unit 500 via a bus.

  The nPVR 50 is connected to the network NW, records and saves the content (program) desired by the user, and reproduces it. Control commands such as recording / playback are received from the mediation server 30, and the recorded content is distributed to the user terminal 40 or the content distributed from the distribution server is recorded.

  The control unit 500 is a functional unit that controls the nPVR 50 and includes, for example, a processing device such as a CPU. The control unit 500 implements each function by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 510.

  The storage unit 510 is a functional unit that stores various data and programs for operating the nPVR 50. The storage unit 510 stores a content storage area 512 and a content management DB 514.

  The content storage area 512 is an area in which content distributed from the distribution server is stored. The content management DB 514 is a database in which information for managing the content stored in the content storage area 512 is stored.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the content management DB 514 has a user ID (for example, “U001”), a recorded program ID (for example, “PG001”), and program information (for example, “date: May 1, broadcast time: 16:00 to 16:30, title: news at 16:00, program overview: news, genre: news report ") and stream data (for example," 0 ") are stored.

  Here, the stream data indicates where the content is recorded on the storage medium.

  FIG. 14 shows an example in which the recorded program ID “PG003” of the user ID “U001” and the user ID “U002” is common and the same content is recorded in “pqr” of the storage medium. Yes.

  In such a case, it is not necessary to store the same content in the content storage area 512 as many as the number of users in a plurality of storage media. The nPVR 50 may distribute the same content recorded on the storage medium to each user terminal 40 according to the user's request, and the storage medium is effectively used in this way.

  The content decrypting means 530 performs a decompression process if the content is compressed, and decrypts the program if the content is encrypted, and decrypts the program from the content. Further, when a decoding key is required for decryption, it may be received from the mediation server 30.

  The network data transmission / reception means 550 is connected to the network NW, receives content from the distribution server 20, transmits content to the user terminal 40, and transmits user information stored in the content management DB 514 to the mediation server 30. Responding to inquiries from the mediation server 30 regarding the data capacity available to the user and whether the recording is operating normally, or receiving control commands such as recording reservation, playback / stop / fast-forward from the mediation server To do.

[3. Process flow]
Next, the flow of processing in each device and function unit will be described using an operation flow and a sequence diagram.

[3.1 Program listing by user]
FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when the mediation server 30 extracts user-specific program information and stores it in the user-specific program information DB 314.

  A user performs a service subscription procedure at a store window or the like, and enters necessary information in a user registration information DB 311 in a subscription application form. The administrator of the mediation server 30 registers information in the subscription application form in advance in the user registration information DB 311 (S101).

  Service information is periodically transmitted from the distribution server 20 to the mediation server 30 (S102). Further, the mediation server 30 stores the service information transmitted from the distribution server 20 in the service information DB 312 (S103).

  The mediation server 30 also receives service information broadcast from the broadcast station 10 and stores it in the service information DB 312. Further, the program information in the user-specific program information DB 314 is updated based on the received service information.

  When the user operates the user terminal 40 and inputs a program guide request (S104), the user terminal 40 transmits the program guide request to the mediation server 30 (S105). When receiving the program guide request, the mediation server 30 authenticates the user using the user ID and the login password included in the program guide request. Then, the user-specific program table creation means 330 refers to the user registration information DB 311 based on the user ID, and extracts all program information related to programs that can be viewed by the user. Then, the program guide creation means 320 creates a program guide from the extracted program information (S106). The program table created here is transmitted to the user terminal 40 (S107).

  The program guide request in S105 may include a keyword for search. In that case, the user-specific program information creation means 330 performs a keyword search from a viewable program, creates a program guide based on program information that matches the keyword, and transmits it to the user terminal 40.

  The user terminal 40 displays the received program guide on the display unit 480 (S108). Then, the user selects a desired program from the program guide (S109). Here, the selected program may be an individual program based on the program information, or any item that can specify the program information, such as a channel or a genre.

  When the user finishes selecting the program (S110; Yes), the selected program information is transmitted to the mediation server 30 as selected program information (S111).

  The mediation server 30 creates a user-specific program information DB 314 based on the received selected program information (S112). Here, when the program information for each user is already stored in the program information DB for each user 314, the updating process is executed.

[3.2 Content viewing processing]
Next, a process of decoding and viewing a program from content will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the operations of the user terminal 40, the mediation server 30, and the distribution server 20 when the user views the content (program) distributed from the distribution server 20.

  The user terminal 40 stores an operation history every time the user operates the user terminal 40 (S201), and periodically transmits the history information to the mediation server 30 (S202).

  When receiving the history information from the user terminal 40, the mediation server 30 stores the history information in the history information DB 313. Here, the timing at which the history information is transmitted may be transmitted in response to a request from the mediation server 30.

  When the user wants to view the program, the user terminal 40 is operated to input a user-specific program guide request (S204). As a result, a user-specific program guide request is transmitted from the user terminal 40 to the mediation server 30 (S205).

  Upon receiving the user-specific program guide request, the mediation server 30 refers to the user-specific program information DB 314 and creates a user-specific program guide having a user ID that matches the user ID transmitted at the time of reception. (S206), the user-specific program guide is transmitted to the user terminal 40 (S207).

  The user terminal 40 displays the received user-specific program guide on the display unit 480 (S208). The user selects a desired program from the programs displayed in the user-specific program table displayed on the display unit 480 (S209).

  The user terminal 40 transmits a content viewing request for viewing the content including the selected program to the mediation server 30 (S210). Here, the content distribution request includes information necessary for specifying the content among information such as a distribution server ID, a channel ID, and program information as information for specifying the program. .

  Upon receiving the content viewing request, the mediation server 30 extracts user information corresponding to the requested user information item by the user information extracting unit 340 based on the user ID included in the content viewing request (S211). ).

  Then, with reference to the service information DB 312, the distribution server identified by the distribution server ID receives the content viewing request received, the user information extracted in S211 and the user terminal address of the user terminal that is the content distribution destination. Is transmitted as a content distribution request (S212).

  Then, it waits for the decoding key to be transmitted from the distribution server 20. Here, the content distribution request is an instruction that the mediation server 30 requests the distribution server 20 to distribute the content to the user terminal 40.

  When receiving this, the distribution server 20 transmits a decoding key necessary for decrypting the content to the mediation server 30 (S213). The mediation server 30 transmits the received decoding key to the user terminal 40 that has transmitted the content viewing request (S214).

  After transmitting the decoding key to the mediation server 30, the distribution server 20 selects an advertisement that matches the user information transmitted in S212, and inserts the advertisement into the content requested by the user (S215). Then, the content in which the advertisement is inserted is distributed to the user terminal 40 (S216).

  The user terminal 40 decrypts the content distributed from the distribution server 20 by the content decryption means 430 using the decode key received from the mediation server 30, and displays it on the display unit 480 via the video frame creation means (S217). ).

[3.3 Program recording reservation process]
Next, program recording reservation processing will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining the operations of the user terminal 40 and the mediation server 30 when the user makes a program recording reservation.

  When the user wants to make a recording reservation for a program, the user terminal 40 is operated to transmit a user-specific program guide request from the user terminal 40 (S301). Upon receiving this, the mediation server 30 refers to the user-specific program information DB 314 and extracts user program information having a user ID that matches the user ID included in the user-specific program guide request. A program guide is created (S302). Then, the created user-specific program guide is transmitted to the user terminal 40 that has transmitted the user-specific program guide request (S303).

  The user terminal 40 displays the received user-specific program guide on the display unit 480 (S304). The user selects a program to be reserved for recording from the user-specific program table displayed on the display unit 480 (S305). Then, the user terminal 40 transmits the distribution server ID, channel ID, and program information associated with the selected program to the mediation server 30 as a program recording reservation request (S306).

  Upon receiving the program recording reservation request, the mediation server 30 selects a recording device available to the user from the recording device information DB 315 based on the user ID included in the program recording reservation request, and further receives the received program. The amount of storage media used when recording from the broadcast time of information is calculated. Then, the calculated storage medium usage amount is compared with the remaining amount of the available recording device to determine a recording device capable of recording. Then, a selection screen for the user to select a recording device is created using the program guide creation means 320 (S307) and transmitted to the user terminal 40 (S308).

  The user terminal 40 displays the received selection screen on the display unit 480. Then, the recording device (here, nPVR) for recording the program is selected from the displayed recording devices by the user (S309).

  When the user selects a recording device (S310), the user terminal 40 is information for specifying the selected recording device (for example, any information stored in the recording device information DB, for example, recording Device ID etc.) is transmitted to the mediation server 30 (S311).

  When the mediation server 30 receives the information for specifying the recording device, the user recording status DB 316 stores the user ID, the recorded program ID assigned by the mediation server 30, and the program information associated with the selected program. And the recording device ID related to the selected recording device and the recording state are stored as the user recording state. In this case, the recording state is stored as recording reservation information (S312).

  Then, a timer is set so that a program recording process described later is started at the broadcast time of the program reserved for recording (S314).

[3.4 Program recording process]
Next, the program recording process will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining operations of the mediation server 30, the distribution server 20, and the nPVR 50 when a program reserved for recording by the user is recorded on the nPVR 50.

  When the broadcast time of the program reserved for recording comes, the mediation server 30 starts a timer and selects a recording reservation to be recorded from the user recording status DB 316. Then, referring to the recording device ID and the user ID of the user recording status, the nPVR 50 that should be recorded is selected from the recording device information DB 315 (S401).

  Also, from the channel ID of the user recording situation DB 316, the distribution server 20 to be distributed is selected with reference to the service information DB 312. Then, the requested user information item of the distribution server 20 is referenced from the service information DB 312 and the user information corresponding to the requested user information item of the distribution server 20 is extracted using the user information extracting means 340 (S402). .

  Then, the program information, the user information extracted in S402, and the recording device address of the nPVR 50 serving as the content distribution destination are transmitted as a content recording request to the distribution server 20 identified by the distribution server ID in the service information DB 312 ( S403). Then, it waits for the decoding key to be transmitted from the distribution server 20.

  Upon receiving this, the distribution server 20 transmits a decoding key necessary for decrypting the content to the mediation server 30 (S404). The mediation server 30 transmits the user ID, the login ID, the login password, the recorded program ID, and the program information to the content distribution destination nPVR 50 together with the received decoding key (S405).

  After transmitting the decoding key to the mediation server 30, the distribution server 20 selects an advertisement suitable for the user based on the user information included in the content recording request transmitted in S403, and selects the selected advertisement in S403. It is inserted into the program based on the transmitted content recording request (S406). Then, the content in which the advertisement is inserted into the program is distributed to the nPVR 50 (S407).

  The nPVR 50 authenticates the user with the login ID and the login password, and decrypts the content received from the distribution server 20 using the decode key received from the mediation server 30. Then, the content data is stored in the storage medium of the content storage area 512, and the user ID of the user who has logged into the content management DB 514, the recorded program ID, program information, and stream data are stored (S408). .

  When the recording is completed, the nPVR 50 transmits the information (recording completion information) including the user ID and the program information to the mediation server 30 (S409). Upon receiving this, the mediation server 30 changes and updates the recording state of the recorded content from the recording reservation to the recording completion based on the user ID and the program information stored in the user recording status DB 316. (S410).

[3.5 Program playback processing]
Next, a process for reproducing a program will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining the operations of the user terminal 40, the mediation server 30, and the nPVR 50 when a program reserved for recording by the user is played.

  The user terminal 40 is operated by the user, and a reproducible program selection screen request is transmitted from the user terminal 40 to the mediation server 30 (S501). The mediation server 30 authenticates the user with the user ID and login password included in the reproducible program selection screen request.

  The intermediary server 30 refers to the user recording status DB 316, and among the user recording statuses having a user ID that matches the authenticated user ID, the program whose recording status is recording or the recording status is overlooked and the missed service is provided. Extract programs within the available period.

  Then, the mediation server 30 creates a reproducible program selection screen for the user to select a reproducible program by the program guide creation means 320 (S502), and the user terminal that has transmitted the reproducible program selection screen request. 40 (S503).

  Upon receiving the reproducible program selection screen, the user terminal 40 displays it on the display unit 480, and the user selects a desired program from the programs displayed on the reproducible program selection screen (S504). Then, the user terminal 40 transmits information necessary for specifying the selected program (for example, a recorded program ID) to the mediation server 30 as a content reproduction request (S505).

  Upon receiving this, the mediation server 30 refers to the user recording status DB 316 and determines whether the recording status of the content identified by the recorded program ID is complete or not (S506).

  In S506, when the recording state is overlooked, the mediation server 30 refers to the requested user information item of the distribution server 20 from the service information DB 312, and uses the user information extraction unit 340 to request the requested user information item of the distribution server 20. User information corresponding to is extracted (S507).

  Next, the mediation server 30 refers to the service information DB 312 and sends a content reproduction request to the distribution server identified by the distribution server ID, the user information created in S507, and the user terminal 40 serving as the content distribution destination. The user terminal address is transmitted as a content distribution request (S508). Then, the mediation server 30 waits for the decoding key to be transmitted from the distribution server 20.

  When receiving the content distribution request from the mediation server 30, the distribution server 20 transmits a decoding key necessary for decrypting the content to the mediation server 30 (S509). The mediation server 30 transmits the received decoding key to the user terminal 40 that was transmitted in the content distribution request (S510).

  The distribution server 20 transmits the decoding key to the mediation server 30, and then selects an advertisement suitable for the expected user's interest based on the user information transmitted in S508, and uses the content included in the content reproduction request. An advertisement is inserted into the content specified by the program information of the person recording status (S511). That is, an advertisement is inserted into a program included in the content. Then, the content with the advertisement inserted is distributed to the user terminal 40 (S512).

  The user terminal 40 decrypts the content distributed from the distribution server 20 using the decode key received from the mediation server 30, and displays the content on the display unit 480 (S518).

  On the other hand, when the recording state is “completed” in S506, the mediation server 30 selects the nPVR 50 corresponding to the recording device ID from the recording device information DB 315 (S514).

  Next, the login ID and login password of the corresponding nPVR 50 are extracted from the recording device information DB 315, and the user terminal address and the user terminal ID of the user terminal 40 that is the content distribution destination are extracted from the user registration information DB 311. To do. Then, the mediation server 30 transmits the extracted information and information necessary for specifying the selected program (for example, a recorded program ID) to the nPVR 50 selected in S514 as a content distribution request (S515).

  When the nPVR 50 receives the content distribution request, the nPVR 50 authenticates the user with the login ID and the login password. Next, the content management DB 514 is referred to, and content having a recorded program ID that matches the recorded program ID of the user recording status included in the content distribution request is selected (S516). Then, referring to the user terminal ID, the content is processed if necessary so that the video can be appropriately displayed on the user terminal 40, and the content is distributed to the user terminal 40 (S517).

  The user terminal 40 decodes the distributed content by the content decoding unit 430, and displays the program on the display unit 480 via the video frame creation unit (S518).

[3.6 Content Information Transfer Processing]
Next, the content information transfer process will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the user terminal 40 when the user transfers content from the user terminal 40 to another user terminal 42 using a remote controller that is an example of the operation unit 470. is there.

  When the user terminal 40 is displaying a program on the display unit 480 (S601), a content display request is transmitted so that the user can display content including the program from the remote controller (S602).

  When receiving the content display request, the user terminal 40 displays the content obtained by decoding the program on the display unit 480 (S603). In other words, the content transferred from the currently displayed program is displayed on the display unit 480.

  Then, when a content transfer request, which is a request to transfer the displayed content to another user terminal 42, is transmitted from the remote control to the user terminal 40 (S604), the user terminal 40 receives the request and receives the content. It is determined whether or not a transfer destination address is included in the transfer request (S605).

Here, if the transfer destination address is not included in the content transfer request, a transfer destination selection screen is displayed on the display unit 480 (S606), and information (transfer destination selection information) for selecting the transfer destination is transmitted from the remote control. (S607).
Then, the content is converted into a format suitable for the transfer destination included in the content transfer request or the transfer destination selected by the transfer destination selection information (S608), and the content is transmitted to another user terminal 42 (S609). . Then, the other user terminal 42 decrypts the received content and displays it (S610).

[3.7 Advertisement selection processing]
Next, a process in which the distribution server 20 selects an advertisement will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the distribution server 20 when the distribution server 20 selects and inserts an advertisement into the content.

  The distribution server 20 receives the requested user information item from the mediation server 30, and extracts user information such as the age / sex, viewing genre, etc. of the user that matches the requested user information item (S701).

  Next, the distribution server 20 selects advertisement data that matches the user information from the advertisement data 214 (S702).

  Then, if there is other advertisement data that matches the user information, the distribution server 20 further selects the advertisement data (S703; No), and there is no other advertisement data that matches the user information. Completes the selection of advertisement data (S703; Yes).

  Thereby, the distribution server 20 selects one or a plurality of advertisement data based on the user information, and can distribute the advertisement according to the user's interest.

  In addition, when there is no advertisement data suitable for the received user information, the distribution server 20 selects, for example, the order in which the accumulation date of the advertisement data is newest, the order in which the selected number of advertisement data is large, etc. You may choose by other criteria. Moreover, you may preset the upper limit of the number of advertisements which the delivery server 20 selects.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the design and the like within the scope of the present invention are also within the scope of the claims. include.

  In the above-described embodiment, the program guide has been described as being created by the mediation server 30, but may be created by the user terminal 40. That is, the program information is transmitted from the mediation server 30 to the user terminal 40, and a program guide is created and displayed on the user terminal 40.

  As a result, it is possible to reduce communication data and display an appropriate program guide for each user terminal. Note that, as described in the embodiment, creating the program guide on the mediation server 30 reduces the load on the user terminal 40, and is particularly effective when the processing capacity of the user terminal 40 is low.

  Further, the user information has been described as being transmitted by being included in the content distribution request transmitted from the mediation server 30 to the distribution server 20, but the user information may not be included in the content distribution request. For example, the mediation server 30 may transmit user information to the distribution server 20 at an arbitrary timing separately from the content distribution request.

  In addition to the user terminal 40, the user can use another user terminal 42 such as a mobile phone or a personal computer. The user terminal 40 has a function of transferring content information such as advertisements included in the content, information related to the program, or their URLs to other user terminals.

  Further, as a device for storing content, not only the recording device (nPVR50) but also, for example, it may be stored directly in the user terminal 40.

1 Program Distribution System 10 Broadcast Station 20 Distribution Server 30 Mediation Servers 40, 42 User Terminal 50 nPVR
200 Control Unit 210 Storage Unit 212 Content Storage Area 214 Advertising Data 250 Network Data Transmission / Reception Means 300 Control Unit 310 Storage Unit 311 User Registration Information DB
312 Service information DB
313 History information DB
314 Program information DB by user
315 Recording device information DB
316 User Recording Status DB
320 Program guide creation means 330 User-specific program guide creation means 340 Request user information item creation means 350 Network data transmission / reception means 400 Control unit 410 Storage unit 412 Recorded program DB
414 Transfer destination information DB
420 Radio wave receiving means 430 Content decoding means 440 Video frame creation means 450 Network data transmission / reception means 460 Transfer content creation means 470 Operation unit 480 Display unit 500 Control unit 510 Storage unit 512 Content storage area 514 Content management DB
530 content decrypting means 550 network data transmitting / receiving means

Claims (3)

An intermediary server connected via a network to a distribution server that distributes content in which an advertisement is inserted into a program and a user terminal that receives the distributed content;
User information storage means for storing user information as registered information about the user;
History information storage means for receiving and storing history information, which is received from the user terminal, as information on the operation history of the user terminal;
Content viewing request receiving means for receiving a content viewing request from a user terminal;
Content distribution request transmitting means for transmitting a content distribution request so as to distribute the content included in the content viewing request to the distribution server;
With
A mediation server, wherein the distribution server transmits the user information and the history information to the distribution server for use when the distribution server selects an advertisement. A distribution server connected to a network including a distribution server that distributes content including a program, a user terminal that receives the distributed content, and a mediation server that mediates the distribution server and the user terminal,
Content distribution request receiving means for receiving a content distribution request including user information that is information about the user and history information that is operation history information of the user terminal from the mediation server;
An advertisement selection means for selecting an advertisement based on the user information and history information;
Content distribution means for inserting the advertisement selected by the advertisement selection means into a program and distributing it to the user terminal as content;
A distribution server comprising: A recording device is connected to the network,
The distribution server according to claim 2, wherein the content distribution unit distributes the content in which the advertisement is inserted to the recording device.

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