JP2011071935A - Ip type broadcasting system, control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an IP type broadcast from being output out of a stationary radio broadcasting station 17 the location of which is not included in a broadcasting target area of broadcasting waves from a radio broadcasting station, even when a user intentionally inputs any other postal code than an installation place. <P>SOLUTION: A user inputs a postal code to a receiver 17 (S71). The postal code is included in an authentication request from the receiver 17 to an authentication server 55 (S76). The authentication server 55 extracts a transmission source IP address of the authentication request and outputs a conversion request to an IP conversion server 56 (S77). The IP conversion server 56 returns to the authentication server 55 a local government code of Japan (JIS X) corresponding to the transmission source IP address (S79). The authentication server 55 determines whether a local government code of Japan (JIS X) calculated from the postal code is matched with the local government code of Japan (JIS X) returned from the IP conversion server 56 (S80) and if matched, an authentication success is sent to the receiver 17 (S81). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an IP broadcast system, a control method, and a program for accurately determining an area where a broadcast receiver is present.

  Currently, distribution methods such as IP broadcast for distributing contents such as broadcast programs on the Internet, such as IP retransmission of VOD (Video on Demand) and digital terrestrial television broadcasting, and Internet radio, have become widespread. Internet radio can be viewed on a PC (personal computer) connected to the Internet using a Web browser, etc., and VOD can be viewed using a receiver such as a TV or STB (set top box) connected to the Internet. Is possible. In addition, IP retransmission of terrestrial digital television broadcasting can be viewed using an STB connected to NTT's next generation network (NGN).

  Here, when a broadcast program is distributed over the Internet, the distribution target area may be a problem. This is not a problem when content that is not restricted in the distribution area, such as Internet radio, is not a problem, but in the case of IP retransmission of digital terrestrial television broadcasting and radio broadcasting by radio waves, the broadcasting area is subject to laws and regulations. Therefore, distribution outside the broadcast target area permitted by the broadcasting station is not possible (however, the "broadcast target area" described here refers to the broadcast target area defined in the Broadcasting Law, It is not particularly distinguished from the broadcasting area stipulated by the law, and is described as a general term for the range where the broadcast can be viewed depending on the broadcast type). Therefore, in IP retransmission of terrestrial digital television broadcasting, content is not distributed outside the broadcast target area by controlling the area to be distributed via a closed communication network called NGN, which is different from the Internet. .

  Also, unlike the method of not distributing the content outside the broadcast target area, the receiver or the server located on the Internet determines whether the receiver is located within the broadcast target area, and the receiver If it is outside the broadcast target area, the broadcast cannot be received (for example, the receiver of the server that distributes the content is not notified to the receiver, or the receiver does not output the content even if it can be received. By doing so, it is possible to realize the same method as the method of not distributing content outside the broadcast target area.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a receiving device that enables viewing of Internet-distributed content with regional restrictions (Patent Document 1, paragraphs 0023 and 0025 and FIG. 1). In the receiving device, the current latitude / longitude information of the receiving device is acquired using GPS (Global Positioning System) (81 in FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1), and the flagged country area, that is, the user is in a sky perfect state or the like. The country that has a reception contract with the satellite broadcasting platform operator is examined (82 of Patent Document 1 in FIGS. 5 and 6), and if the current position is within the reception contract area, the content is output (patent) Reference 1: 84YES in FIG. 6 → 88).

  Patent Document 2 discloses an IP broadcast system (Patent Document 2 FIGS. 1 and 2). According to the broadcast system, information on the user-selected channel and the IP broadcast terminal position is transmitted from the IP broadcast terminal (set top box) to the IP broadcast server (S23, S24 in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 2). Is determined to be included in the viewing area of the selected channel with reference to the operation area table (S25 and Paragraph 0051 of FIG. 4 of Patent Document 2). The data of the selected channel is transmitted from the IP broadcast server to the IP broadcast terminal (paragraph 0051 in Patent Document 2 and S27 to S29 in FIG. 4). In the operation area table, an area where the IP broadcast terminal can operate is stored for each channel (paragraph 0047 in Patent Document 2).

  Patent Document 3 discloses a viewing terminal (mobile phone) capable of receiving content from both a broadcast network and a mobile communication network (Patent Document 3 FIG. 1). When the content quality on the broadcast network side deteriorates, the viewing terminal transmits the ID of the broadcast station of the content to the viewing management server via the mobile communication network (for example, S02 and S04 in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 3). . On the other hand, the viewing management server searches the corresponding reproduction telephone number or reproduction URL with reference to the content storage information (Patent Document 3 FIG. 2), and returns it to the viewing terminal (for example, FIG. 3 of FIG. 3). 4 S05, S06). The viewing terminal accesses the returned playback telephone number or playback URL, receives the content from the simultaneous retransmission server of the access destination, and plays the content (for example, FIG. 4 of Patent Document 3). S08-S10).

  Patent Document 3 further discloses that viewing of mobile communication network distribution content on a viewing terminal is restricted based on broadcast station specifying information (Patent Document 3, paragraph 0005).

  Patent Document 4 discloses a Web page browsing system in which a plurality of user terminals, Web servers, and IP address pool databases distributed in each region are connected via the Internet (Patent Document 4 FIG. 1). In the Web page browsing system, the IP address pool database has correspondence table information between IP addresses and regions (Patent Document 4 FIG. 5), and the Web server receives URL information from the user terminal (Patent Document 4 FIG. 2). 419), determining the IP address of the user terminal, referring to the correspondence table information in the IP address pool database, determining the area of the user terminal from the IP address, and obtaining the Web data corresponding to the area from the user A response is made to the terminal (Patent Document 4: 421 → 425 → 427 → 429 in FIG. 3).

  Patent Document 4 also discloses that the Web server specifies the area of the user terminal based on the telephone number and zip code from the user terminal (Patent Document 4, paragraphs 0041 and 0042).

JP 2008-182604 A JP 2008-288814 A JP 2005-136879 A JP 2000-20433 A

  In the Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-80455 (hereinafter referred to as “Prior Application No. 1”), the applicant of the present application has reported that the same broadcasting station has broadcast wave type broadcasting and IP type broadcasting (“IP type broadcasting” means Internet broadcasting and IP re-transmission). When the same or different content is broadcasted both in the transmission and the like and broadcasted to distribute the content via the IP network, the permission and prohibition of the output of the IP-type broadcast content are appropriately switched. A receiving device is disclosed. Radio broadcast stations and the like are assigned broadcast target areas by law, and broadcasting contents to broadcast receivers outside the broadcast target areas is against the law.

  The first broadcast receiver in the prior application 1 (the flow chart of the prior application 1 in FIG. 3) detects the received signal level of the broadcast wave, and if the received signal level is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the broadcast of the received signal level Assuming that the broadcast station is within the broadcast target area of the law assigned to the station, the output of the IP broadcast content of the broadcast station is permitted.

  The second broadcast receiver in the prior application 1 (the flow chart in FIG. 8 of the prior application 1) measures the current location of the receiver from the GPS radio wave, and for the broadcast station having the current location as the broadcast area of the broadcast wave, Allows output of IP-type broadcast content.

  The reception quality of broadcast wave type broadcasts (especially analog broadcasts) varies greatly depending on the current location of the broadcast receiver even within the broadcast target area, whereas the reception quality of IP broadcasts is small depending on the current location of the broadcast receiver, The quality of broadcast content is higher for IP broadcast content than for broadcast wave broadcast content. In the broadcast receiver for both broadcast wave type broadcast and IP type broadcast, it is more convenient for the user to output the IP type broadcast content preferentially as in the broadcast receiver of the specification of the prior application 1 in terms of output quality. Become.

  In the Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-165785 (hereinafter referred to as “Prior Application No. 2”), the present applicant specifies the current position from the frequency of a broadcast station that can be currently received, or the user can obtain information such as a wide area, detailed area, and postal code. It is disclosed that the present location of the broadcast receiver is set by inputting.

  The broadcast receiver of the prior application 1 uses the GPS signal to identify the current position of the own apparatus, so that the stationary broadcast receiver installed indoors cannot receive the GPS signal and identifies the current position. I can't do it.

  The broadcast receiver of the prior application 2 allows the user to select the current position (wide area or detailed area), or allows the user to input a zip code or telephone number, but the area where the user actually resides You can enter different information. For example, if a user residing in the Kyushu region sets the Kanto region as a broadcast receiver, it appears that the broadcast receiver is installed in the Kanto region, and broadcasts that can be viewed only in the Kanto region are available. But you can watch it. In this way, only the broadcast corresponding to the area where the user resides can be viewed originally, but the broadcast other than the area where the user resides may be viewed. Therefore, the current position reporting method by the user of the prior application 2 cannot guarantee that the broadcast receiver that outputs the IP broadcast or the like is limited to the broadcast receiver in the broadcast target area such as the IP broadcast.

  The broadcast receiver of Patent Document 1 uses the GPS signal to detect the current position of the broadcast receiver, and thus has the same problem as the broadcast receiver of Prior Application 1.

  In the IP broadcast system of Patent Document 2, information on the position of the IP broadcast terminal is supposed to be sent from the IP broadcast terminal (set top box) to the IP broadcast server. It is unknown.

  Patent Document 3 discloses only switching content quality on the broadcast network side between content on the broadcast network and content on the mobile communication network based on the content quality on the broadcast network side at the viewing terminal, and detects the current position of the viewing terminal. There is no mention of specific methods.

  Patent Document 4 detects a request source IP address in response to a Web page browsing request from a user terminal, specifies the area of the user terminal from the request source IP address, or based on zip code information from the user terminal. The area of the user terminal is specified. In the former specific method, the location based on the IP address may deviate from the actual region depending on the user's ISP (Internet Services Provider), the region of the user terminal, and the like, and this cannot be dealt with. Further, the former specific method has the same problems as the prior application 2.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an IP broadcast system, a control method, and a control method capable of detecting the location of a broadcast receiver and accurately controlling the output of an IP broadcast from the broadcast receiver without a GPS signal. Is to provide a program.

  In this specification, “IP broadcasting” is used in a concept including Internet broadcasting and IP retransmission. That is, all broadcasts that distribute broadcast content from a server to a broadcast receiver via the network using IP (Internet Protocol) are defined as “IP-type broadcasts”. “Broadcast wave broadcasting” is defined as broadcasting using radio waves, such as normal radio broadcasting and television broadcasting.

  According to the present invention, in a broadcast receiver that receives and outputs an IP type broadcast via an IP network, the user inputs location information such as a zip code, and the area determination server is connected to the broadcast receiver via the IP network. Make an inquiry with location information. The area determination server extracts the IP address of the inquiry transmission source, and identifies the corresponding area associated with the IP address. Then, the consistency between the corresponding area and the existing area related to the existing area information is determined, and the determination result is notified to the broadcast receiver.

The IP broadcast system of the present invention includes a broadcast receiver that receives and outputs an IP broadcast via an IP network, and an area determination server that is connected to the broadcast receiver via the IP network. The broadcast receiver includes the following.
Inquiry means for making an inquiry with location information for the location information of the broadcast receiver input by the user of the broadcast receiver to the area determination server, and answer receiving means for receiving an answer from the area determination server to the inquiry .

The area determination server includes the following.
Inquiry accepting means for accepting the inquiry,
IP address detection means for detecting the source IP address from the inquiry,
Corresponding area search means for searching for a corresponding area associated with the source IP address;
Judgment means for judging the consistency between the corresponding area and the existence area related to the existence place information, and an answering means for answering the broadcast receiver about the presence or absence of the coincidence.

The IP broadcast system control method of the present invention includes a broadcast receiver control method for receiving and outputting an IP broadcast via an IP network, and an area determination server connected to the broadcast receiver via the IP network. Control method. The method for controlling the broadcast receiver includes the following steps.
An inquiry step for making an inquiry with location information for the location information of the broadcast receiver input by a user of the broadcast receiver to the region determination server, and an answer receiving step of receiving a response from the region determination server to the inquiry .

The area determination server control method includes the following steps.
An inquiry receiving step for receiving the inquiry;
An IP address detection step of detecting the source IP address from the inquiry;
A corresponding area search step for searching for a corresponding area associated with the source IP address;
A determination step of determining a match between the corresponding region and the presence region related to the presence location information; and a reply step of replying to the broadcast receiver regarding the presence or absence of the match.

  The program of the present invention causes a computer to function as each means of the IP broadcast system of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, broadcasting is performed based on the coincidence between the existence area related to the existence information input by the user at the broadcast receiver and the corresponding area associated with the IP address extracted from the inquiry from the broadcast receiver to the area determination server. Since the presence area of the receiver is determined, even if the user inputs intentional or good intentional incorrect location information, the correct determination can be made regarding the presence area of the broadcast receiver. Further, even when there is a discrepancy between the correspondence information between the IP address and the area in the database, it can be corrected based on the location information such as the postal code, and an accurate match determination can be performed.

It is a schematic block diagram of a broadcast system. It is a block diagram about the principal part of a mobile broadcast receiver. It is the block diagram which extracted the important part from the broadcasting system of FIG. It is a structural diagram of an IP packet header. It is a figure which shows each screen of the initial stage authentication process in a stationary broadcast receiver. It is a sequence diagram of initial authentication. It is a figure which shows the IP address area corresponding | compatible database with which an IP conversion server is equipped. It is a figure which shows the postal code database which the authentication server hold | maintains. It is a flowchart of a coincidence determination method. It is a flowchart of an IP address conversion method. It is a flowchart of an authentication reply method. It is a structural diagram of the database for URL search with which a stationary broadcast receiver is equipped. It is a figure which shows the database for URL search by which specific information was registered into the database structure of FIG. It is a block diagram of an IP type broadcasting system. It is a flowchart of an IP type broadcast system control method.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a broadcasting system 10. The broadcast wave type broadcast in the broadcast system 10 will be described as a radio broadcast, for example, and this includes various broadcast wave type broadcasts such as FM radio broadcast and AM radio broadcast. The broadcast station 11 includes a radio tower 12 that emits broadcast waves (radio waves) of the broadcast system, and an IP broadcast server 13 that distributes the same or related content as the broadcast system over the Internet 28. It is necessary to limit the distribution destination of the content from the IP-type broadcast server 13 to receivers existing in the broadcast target area (broadcast area) of the broadcast station 11. A specific method of limitation will be described later.

  The stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the mobile broadcast receiver 22 are assumed to be compatible with analog radio broadcasts and IP broadcasts as broadcast wave broadcasts. The stationary broadcast receiver 17, the display device 18, and the speaker 19 are installed in a facility such as a home. The stationary broadcast receiver 17 receives a radio broadcast wave from the radio tower 12 and outputs a radio broadcast sound from the speaker 19. The stationary broadcast receiver 17 is also connected to the Internet 28 by wire or wireless, receives content via the Internet 28, and displays video and audio of the content by a display device 18 and a speaker 19, respectively, by streaming technology. Output from.

  The mobile broadcast receiver 22 can receive a radio broadcast from the radio tower 12 and output the content, and is connected wirelessly to a nearby base station (not shown) and connected to the Internet via the base station. 28 can be connected. Similar to the stationary broadcast receiver 17, the mobile broadcast receiver 22 receives content via the Internet 28, and outputs video and audio of the content from the built-in speaker or earphone and display unit, respectively, using streaming technology. The mobile broadcast receiver 22 receives GPS radio waves from the GPS satellite 23 and positions the current location of the mobile broadcast receiver 22.

  The authentication server 55 and the IP conversion server 56 are connected to the Internet 28 and exchange data with the stationary broadcast receiver 17 via the Internet 28. Details of the authentication server 55 and the IP conversion server 56 will be described later with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, only one broadcast station 11, stationary broadcast receiver 17, mobile broadcast receiver 22, and GPS satellite 23 are shown for simplification of illustration. Then there are many of them.

  Radio broadcast programs received by broadcast waves by the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the mobile broadcast receiver 22 are analog signal reception, whereas they are received from the IP broadcast server 13 via the Internet 28 and output by streaming. Since IP broadcasting is a digital signal, the quality is high. Therefore, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the mobile broadcast receiver 22 give priority to the IP broadcast when the same broadcast station 11 broadcasts both the broadcast wave broadcast and the IP broadcast. ,Output. The broadcast area of the IP type broadcast broadcast by each broadcast station 11 is restricted by law to be the same as the broadcast area of the broadcast wave type broadcast broadcast by the broadcast station 11, and the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and mobile broadcast reception The machine 22 is prohibited from outputting an IP type broadcast from the broadcasting station 11 outside the broadcasting area.

  The relationship assumed for the contents broadcast in the broadcast wave type broadcast and the IP type broadcast in the broadcast station 11 is as follows. (A) IP broadcast content is the same as broadcast wave content. (B) In addition to broadcast wave content, IP-type broadcast content adds other content such as video, still images, and advertisement information. (C) IP broadcast content is completely different from broadcast wave content.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the main part of the mobile broadcast receiver 22. The stationary broadcast receiver 17 is not equipped with the current location detection unit 39 of the mobile broadcast receiver 22, and the other configuration is the same as that of the mobile broadcast receiver 22.

  The mobile broadcast receiver 22 is carried by the user and enters and exits the broadcast target area of the broadcast station 11. The IP broadcast of the broadcast station 11 is output from the mobile broadcast receiver 22 only when the mobile broadcast receiver 22 exists in the broadcast target area of the broadcast wave that the broadcast station 11 associates with the IP broadcast. Thus, it is desired to control accurately.

  The antenna 32 captures radio broadcast radio waves from the radio tower 12, and the RF signal is sent to the tuner unit 33. The tuner unit 34 selects an RF signal having a predetermined frequency in accordance with an instruction from the main control unit 35, converts it to an IF signal, and sends it to the demodulation unit 36. The demodulator 36 demodulates the IF signal to generate an audio signal and sends it to the main controller 35.

  The communication unit 37 is interposed between the Internet 28 (FIG. 1) and the main control unit 35, exchanges data with the Internet 28 via the wireless antenna 38, and also communicates with the main control unit 35. Send and receive data. The data includes IP broadcast content data from the IP broadcast server 13. The current location detection unit 39 measures the current location based on GPS radio waves from the GPS satellite 23 (FIG. 1), and sends current location information to the main control unit 35.

  The operation unit 43 is equipped with a key or the like that accepts a user operation, and sends operation information to the main control unit 35. The display control unit 44 is supplied with a signal related to display information from the main control unit 35, and displays the display information on the display device 45. The voice control unit 46 converts the voice data from the main control unit 35 into a voice signal and sends the voice signal to the speaker 47. The speaker 47 converts the audio signal from the audio control unit 46 into sound and outputs the sound.

  A program and fixed data are recorded in the ROM 40, and the main control unit 35 can appropriately read the recorded data in the ROM 40. The RAM 41 is used by the main control unit 35 to temporarily store data during arithmetic processing.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram in which important parts are extracted from the broadcasting system 10 of FIG. The IP conversion server 56 has an IP address area correspondence database 57 in which an IP address and position information (such as a zip code and an address) are associated with each other, and an IP address designated by the authentication server 55 (here, a stationary type). (Refers to the IP address of the broadcast receiver 17) is converted into position information and is sent back to the requesting authentication server 55.

  When the location information (postal code or address) is sent from the stationary broadcast receiver 17, the authentication server 55 acquires the IP address of the stationary broadcast receiver 17, and converts the acquired IP address into location information. To send to the IP conversion server 56. The IP address of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 can be specified from the source IP address of the IP packet header (FIG. 4) when IP communication is performed between the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the authentication server 55. When the position information sent from the IP conversion server 56 and the position information sent from the stationary broadcast receiver 17 are geographically coincident, the authentication server 55 sends the information to the stationary broadcast receiver 17. To notify that the position information of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is correct (the procedure in which the authentication server 55 determines whether the position information of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is correct is hereinafter referred to as “initial authentication”). . As described above, the authentication server 55 plays a role of determining whether or not the position information of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is correct.

  The stationary broadcast receiver 17 is connected to the IP broadcast server 13 only when the authentication server 55 is notified that the position information (postal code or address) of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is correct, and the user can install the stationary broadcast receiver 17. The broadcast receiver 17 can view the content.

  In the following, the position information (herein referred to as a zip code) input by the user to the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and then the position information determined by the authentication server 55 from the IP address of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the stationary The screen image until it judges whether the postal code which the user input is correct by comparing with the positional information (postal code) notified from the type | mold broadcast receiver 17 is shown.

  The stationary broadcast receiver 17 displays a screen (FIG. 5A) prompting the user to input a zip code immediately after the power is turned on. After the user inputs the zip code on the zip code input screen of FIG. 5A and presses the “Done” button, a screen (FIG. 5B) for starting the initial authentication is displayed. If the user presses the “No” button on the initial authentication start confirmation screen of FIG. 5B, the process ends without performing the initial authentication. When the user presses the “Yes” button, the initial authentication screen shown in FIG. 5C is displayed. At this time, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is connected to the authentication server 55 and transmits a postal code, and waits for the result of the initial authentication from the authentication server 55. It is assumed that the connection destination (IP address, URL, etc.) of the authentication server 55 is stored in advance in the ROM of the stationary broadcast receiver 17.

  When the authentication server 55 notifies the stationary broadcast receiver 17 that the initial authentication is completed, and when the initial authentication is normally completed, the fact that the initial authentication has been completed normally as shown in FIG. Display the screen. When the authentication server 55 determines that the postal code input by the user and the location information acquired from the IP conversion server 56 are geographically different, or when the corresponding IP address is determined by the IP conversion server 56 If the initial authentication fails due to reasons such as not existing in the database (FIGS. 7 and 8), a screen indicating that the initial authentication has failed is displayed as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 shows a sequence diagram of initial authentication. In the state where the postal code input screen of FIG. 5A is displayed, the user inputs the postal code (S71). After the input of the postal code is completed, the user presses a completion button on the postal code input screen (S72) to determine the input postal code. Thereafter, the initial authentication start confirmation screen of FIG. 5B is displayed (S73), and when the user presses the “Yes” button (S74), the initial authentication in-progress screen of FIG. 5C is displayed. (S75) Initial authentication is started.

  The stationary broadcast receiver 17 is connected to the authentication server 55 and transmits an initial authentication request message (S76). At this time, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 simultaneously transmits the postal code entered by the user.

  The authentication server 55 that has received the initial authentication request acquires the IP address (source IP address) of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 from the IP packet (FIG. 4) as described above, and converts this IP address into position information. Therefore, an IP address conversion request message is transmitted to the IP conversion server 56 (S77). Of course, at this time, the IP address of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is simultaneously transmitted.

  The IP conversion server 56 searches the IP address region correspondence database 57 for a matching IP address using the IP address received from the authentication server 55 as a key (S78). FIG. 7 shows the IP address area correspondence database 57. In FIG. 7, the address, postal code, national local government code (JIS X 0401 / JIS X 0402), latitude and longitude are described as location information from the IP address. Information such as the old postal code (3 or 5 digits) may be entered.

  Here, when the IP address of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is “120.10.20.30”, “120.10.20.30” is registered in the IP address area correspondence database 57. The position of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 can be specified as Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka-ku. In this case, the IP conversion server 56 uses the address, postal code, local government code, latitude / longitude, and request as position information. The IP address received at this time is transmitted to the authentication server 55 as an IP address conversion response message (S79).

  The authentication server 55 that has received the position information compares the zip code of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 with the zip code of the position information received from the IP conversion server 56, and the zip code of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is geographically determined. It is determined whether or not it is correct (S80). The determination method will be described later.

  The authentication server 55 transmits the result determined in S80 to the stationary broadcast receiver 17 (S81).

  The stationary broadcast receiver 17 displays a screen indicating whether the initial authentication is successful (FIG. 5D) or failed (FIG. 5E) based on the determination result received in S81 (S82). If the initial authentication is successful, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 stores the success in the stationary broadcast receiver 17 (S83).

  The coincidence determination between the postal code of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the position information specified from the IP address will be described. FIG. 9 shows a processing flow (match determination method 100) of the authentication server 55 until the authentication server 55 receives the initial authentication request from the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and transmits the IP address conversion request to the IP conversion server 56. (Process corresponding to S76 to S77 in FIG. 6).

  When the authentication server 55 receives the initial authentication request from the stationary broadcast receiver 17, the first record is acquired from the postal code database shown in FIG. 8 held by the authentication server 55 (S101). Next, a zip code field is extracted from the acquired record (S102), and the zip code of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 given to the initial authentication request received from the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the zip code extracted in S102. Are compared (S103). If the postal codes match as a result of the comparison, the national local government code field, latitude field, and longitude field are extracted from the record acquired in S101 (S107). Similarly to the above-described content, the source IP address is acquired from the IP packet as the IP address of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 (S108), and the receiver IP address, postal code, national local government code, latitude, The longitude is associated and temporarily stored (S109). This is stored for comparison when location information is received from the IP conversion server 56 later. Next, in order to acquire position information of the receiver IP address, an IP conversion request message is transmitted by adding the IP address of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 to the IP conversion server 56 (S110), and then the IP conversion server Waiting for reception of the IP address translation response message from 56 (S111).

  If the postal code of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the postal code extracted in S102 are not matched, the next record is acquired from the database (S102) and the comparison process is repeated. As a result of repeating the comparison process, if the record acquired without matching matches the final record, there is no matching postal code, so an initial authentication response is transmitted to the stationary broadcast receiver 17 as an authentication failure.

  FIG. 10 shows a processing flow (IP address conversion method 120) of the IP conversion server 56 until the IP conversion server 56 receives the IP address conversion request from the authentication server 55 and transmits an IP address conversion response to the authentication server 55. (Process corresponding to S78 to S79 in FIG. 6).

  When the IP conversion server 56 receives the IP address conversion request from the authentication server 55, it is temporarily held as the target IP address (S121).

  In order to acquire position information corresponding to the target IP address, the IP address region correspondence database 57 shown in FIG. 7 held by the IP conversion server 56 is searched. First, the first record is acquired from the IP address area correspondence database 57 (S122).

  Next, an IP address field is extracted from the acquired record (S123), and the target IP address is compared with the IP address extracted in S123 (S124).

  As a result of the comparison, if the IP addresses match (S124 match), the address, postal code, national local government code, latitude, and longitude fields are extracted from the record acquired in S122 (S128). The extracted fields and the target IP address are associated with each other as position information, and an IP address conversion response is transmitted to the authentication server 55 (S129).

  If the result of comparison between the target IP address and the IP address extracted in S123 is that they do not match (S124 does not match), the next record is acquired from the IP address region correspondence database 57 (S125 NO → S126), and the comparison process repeat. As a result of repeating the comparison process, if the record acquired without matching matches the final record (S125 correct), since there is no matching IP address, an IP address conversion response is transmitted to the authentication server 55 as a conversion failure ( S127).

  FIG. 11 shows a processing flow (authentication reply method 150) of the authentication server 55 until the authentication server 55 receives the IP address conversion response from the IP conversion server 56 and transmits the initial authentication response to the stationary broadcast receiver 17. (Processing corresponding to S80 and S81 in FIG. 6).

  When the authentication server 55 receives the IP conversion response from the IP conversion server 56, the IP address (hereinafter referred to as “target IP address”) added to the IP conversion response and the location information (address, postal code, national area) A public organization code, latitude, and longitude are acquired (S151). In addition, in the receiver IP address, the zip code, the national local government code, the latitude, and the longitude that are temporarily stored when the authentication server 55 transmits the IP conversion request, the target IP address matches the receiver IP address. Is acquired (S152). This is because when the initial authentication request is received from a plurality of stationary broadcast receivers 17, the authentication server 55 may store a plurality of receiver IP addresses. This is to select the item. Next, the national local government code of the target IP address is compared with the national local government code of the receiver IP address (S154), and if they match (in the case of S154 "match"), the stationary broadcast receiver The initial authentication response is sent to 17 as an authentication success, and a national local government code is added and transmitted.

  Here, there may be a case where the national local government codes do not match (in the case of S154 “mismatch”), but there are two possible reasons why they do not match.

(A) A zip code different from the area where the user actually resides is input.
(B) Although the IP conversion server 56 has determined the position information from the IP address, the actual position of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 having the IP address is stored in the IP address area correspondence database 57 in FIG. There is a gap with information.

  The position information (FIG. 7) in the IP address area correspondence database 57 may have different accuracy depending on the area of the ISP (Internet Services Provider) or the stationary broadcast receiver 17 with which the user has a contract. The position information registered in the correspondence database 57 may be different from the actual position of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 having the IP address. In this case, it may be considered that the initial authentication has failed unconditionally, but in consideration of the positional information misalignment, between the two points of the position of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and the position acquired from the database, If the distance is within a certain range, the position information of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 may be determined to be correct.

  If the national local government codes do not match (S154 “mismatch”), the distance between the two points of the latitude / longitude of the target IP address and the latitude / longitude of the receiver IP address is calculated (S156). Although there are various calculation methods, they are not particularly specified. For example, a method described in JP-A-11-30453 may be used. This publication discloses a method for calculating the distance between two points from the latitude and longitude of the two points. If the distance between the two points is within the specified range (S157 correct), the initial authentication response is sent to the stationary broadcast receiver 17 as a successful authentication, and the national local government code is added and transmitted (S159). . If not within the specified range (No at S157), an initial authentication response is transmitted as an authentication failure to the stationary broadcast receiver 17 (S158).

  In the processing flow, if the distance between the two points is within the specified range, the position information (postal code) designated by the stationary broadcast receiver 17 may be regarded as correct. Broadcasting system such as what range of viewing is permitted for IP broadcasting (in the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 9 to 11, IP broadcasting is used in the same meaning as the above-described IP broadcasting). Because it depends on how the area of the broadcast target area is determined, the specified range may be uniformly 10 km, or in the case of more strict operation, the specified range may be 3 km, and the specified range is uniform in the present invention. It is not defined.

  When the stationary broadcast receiver 17 receives the initial authentication response as a successful authentication, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 holds the authentication result in the stationary broadcast receiver 17 and also holds the national local government code added to the initial authentication response. To do. The stationary broadcast receiver 17 can view the IP broadcast only when the initial authentication response is successful. Also, when viewing IP broadcasts, the national local government code stored inside the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is transmitted to the IP broadcast server 13 or the like, so that the server determines whether or not viewing is possible. The IP broadcast server 13 refers to the national local government code of the stationary broadcast receiver 17, and if the national local government code is in the broadcast target area in the broadcast viewed by the stationary broadcast receiver 17, the stationary broadcast is received. The receiver 17 can be allowed to view the broadcast.

  Here, as described above, the authentication server 55 refers to the postal code notified from the stationary broadcast receiver 17 by referring to the database in FIG. Describe the reason for conversion.

  Due to the merger of municipalities, there may be multiple postal codes in one municipality. For example, in the case of West Tokyo City, Tokyo, there are both “202-00xxx” and “188-00xxx” with a 7-digit zip code, which is a merger of Former Hoya City and Former Tanashi City. Due to that.

  Here, when the postal code of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is “202-00OO” and the postal code specified from the IP address of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is “188-00OO”, A simple comparison of both values does not match the values. Therefore, if the postal code is converted into the national local government code, and the national local government code converted by the authentication server 55 is compared with the national local government code obtained from the IP conversion server 56, it is calculated on a municipal basis. Since it can be determined whether or not they match, the comparison process can be simplified. Although it is possible to determine whether or not the location information matches with a character string such as an address, the national local government code is just a numerical value, and the advantage is that the comparison process is simple and the processing load is further reduced. is there.

  In addition, by managing the national local government code for the broadcast area of the IP broadcast in units of municipalities, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is also used when confirming the position information of the stationary broadcast receiver 17 after the initial authentication. The location information can be exchanged between the servers with this national local government code, and the comparison of the location information can be simplified.

  The second and subsequent authentications are performed every time the power is turned on again after the stationary broadcast receiver 17 has been turned off for a predetermined time or longer, for example.

  The output control of the IP broadcast in the stationary broadcast receiver 17 will be described. 12 is a diagram showing the structure of a URL search database provided in the stationary broadcast receiver 17, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a URL search database in which specific information is registered in the database structure of FIG. In order to make it possible to determine IP broadcasts that can be viewed without any trouble regardless of the prefecture where the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is installed, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is a URL only for some prefectures. It is shipped with a national version URL search database instead of a search database.

  The URL search database may be installed in a predetermined URL search server on the Internet 28 without being installed in the stationary broadcast receiver 17 in order to cope with quick update. In this case, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 stores the URL of the URL search server, accesses the URL search server based on the URL, and is allowed to output at the installation location of the stationary broadcast receiver 17. After obtaining the IP broadcast URL from the URL search server, the URL is accessed.

  In the URL search database, each radio broadcast station is registered in units of prefectures, and each radio broadcast station distributes the prefectural state that the radio broadcast station is a broadcast target area, the frequency of radio broadcast, and IP-type broadcast content. You can see the URL. In one or more URLs where each broadcasting station in each prefecture distributes IP-type broadcast content in a stream, (a) only the same content as the broadcast wave content, (b) in addition to the broadcast wave content, A plurality of contents to which other contents such as still images and advertisement information are added, or (c) contents completely different from the broadcast wave contents are a stationary broadcast receiver stationary broadcast receiver 17 and a mobile broadcast receiver mobile broadcast receiver 22. Delivered to.

  In the URL search database of FIG. 13, the prefecture is defined by text. To facilitate the processing for the national local government code acquired from the authentication server 55 when the authentication is successful, the prefecture is represented by the national local government code. It is advantageous to define.

  Radio broadcast stations broadcast only audio content in radio broadcast waves, whereas IP-type broadcast content is usually content including both audio and video. When each radio broadcasting station implements IP-type broadcasting from a plurality of URLs, different contents are distributed from each URL. Each radio broadcasting station can, for example, assign a URL for each genre (eg, news, music, sports, etc.), or broadcast another program for each URL.

  In the first method for controlling the output of the IP broadcast from the stationary broadcast receiver 17, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 sets the prefectural area that has received authentication success from the authentication server 55 as the broadcast target area of the IP broadcast. The URL of the IP broadcast server 13 (this URL will be referred to as “access permission URL”) is grasped from the URL search database of FIG. The stationary broadcast receiver 17 accesses these access permission URLs and outputs IP broadcast content from the access permission URL. However, access to URLs other than the access permission URL is prohibited or accessed. Even if IP-type broadcast content data is received, output is prohibited. The stationary broadcast receiver 17 receives the information that the authentication server 55 has received the authentication success and the information on the national local government code that is the basis of the authentication success when accessing the IP broadcast server 13. Presented to the IP broadcast server 13, the IP broadcast server 13 may be configured to deliver the corresponding IP broadcast to the stationary broadcast receiver 17 only when authentication is presented.

  The second method for controlling the output of the IP broadcast from the stationary broadcast receiver 17 is a case where the URL search database in FIG. 13 is installed in the URL search server instead of the stationary broadcast receiver 17. Is. In this case, the stationary broadcast receiver 17 accesses the URL search server when receiving an IP broadcast output request from the user, and receives authentication success from the authentication server 55. Information on the national local government code that is the basis is presented to the URL search server. The URL search server returns an access permission URL existing in the authenticated prefecture to the stationary broadcast receiver 17. The stationary broadcast receiver 17 selects a desired one from them and outputs it.

  FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of the IP broadcast system 180. The IP broadcast system 180 includes one or more broadcast receivers 181 and typically one area determination server 182, and the broadcast receiver 181 and the area determination server 182 are connected to each other via an IP network 183. . The broadcast receiver 181 receives the IP broadcast via the IP network 183 and outputs the content. Specific examples of the IP broadcast system 180 and the broadcast receiver 181 are the broadcast system 10 and the stationary broadcast receiver 17 (FIG. 1). The broadcast receiver 181 can also be applied to a vehicle-mounted or mobile broadcast receiver. Specific examples of the area determination server 182 are the authentication server 55 and the IP conversion server 56.

  The broadcast receiver 181 includes an inquiry unit 187 and an answer reception unit 188. The broadcast receiver 181 can further include output control means 189. The inquiry unit 187 makes an inquiry with location information to the region determination server 182 for the location information of the broadcast receiver 181 input by the user of the broadcast receiver 181. The answer accepting unit 188 accepts an answer from the area determination server 182 to the inquiry.

  The area determination server 182 includes an inquiry reception unit 194, an IP address detection unit 195, a corresponding area search unit 196, a determination unit 197, and an answer unit 198. The inquiry receiving unit 194 receives an inquiry. The IP address detecting means 195 detects the source IP address from the inquiry.

  The corresponding area search unit 196 searches for a corresponding area associated with the transmission source IP address. The judging means 197 judges the coincidence between the corresponding area and the existing area related to the existing place information. The answering means 198 answers to the broadcast receiver 181 regarding the presence or absence of matching.

  “Matched” is a concept that includes not only the case where the corresponding area and the existing area are completely matched or partially matched, but also the case where it can be regarded as matched. For example, the determination unit 197 determines that the distance from the existing location determined from the existing location information to the corresponding region is within a predetermined value even if there is no overlapping region between the corresponding region and the existing region related to the existing location information. Is determined to be consistent.

  The location information is, for example, a zip code, a fixed telephone number, or an address. The prefecture where the fixed telephone is installed can be determined from the area code of the fixed telephone of NTT. When the user inputs his / her own address, that is, the place where the broadcast receiver 181 exists, the user can enter the street name (street name) without entering the street address, or only the prefecture or the name of the municipality. This is because in Japan, the broadcast target area allocated to each broadcast station (particularly FM analog broadcast station) is in units of prefectures.

  In this way, even if the user intentionally or intentionally inputs wrong location information, a correct determination can be made regarding the location where the broadcast receiver 181 is present.

  Typically, the broadcast receiver 181 allows output only for IP-type broadcasts that include the location related to the location information that is the basis of the response with a match from the region determination server 182 in the broadcast target region. Output control means 189 is provided. A specific example of IP type broadcast output control in the broadcast receiver 181 based on the coincidence from the area determination server 182 is as described for the stationary broadcast receiver 17.

  The broadcast receiver 181 is equipped with a database as shown in FIG. 13, and shows the IP broadcast URL of a broadcasting station that includes the location related to the location information that is the basis of the determination of consistency in the broadcast target area. It is possible to search from 13 databases, permit only access of the corresponding URL, and prohibit access from other URLs. In addition, the IP broadcast URL search server is equipped with a database as shown in FIG. 13, and the broadcast receiver 181 sends the location related to the location information based on the determination of the match to the URL search server. The URL search server searches the database of FIG. 13 for the IP broadcast URL of the broadcasting station that includes the location in the broadcast target area, notifies the broadcast receiver 181 of the URL, and broadcasts the broadcast. The receiver 181 permits access to only the URL notified from the URL search server. Thus, it is possible to prevent the content of the IP broadcast from being output from the broadcast receiver 181 outside the broadcast target area for the broadcast target location set for the IP broadcast.

  The area determination server 182 can include an authentication server 205 (specific example: authentication server 55) and an IP conversion server 206 (specific example: IP conversion server 56) that can communicate with each other. The mutual communication between the authentication server 205 and the IP conversion server 206 may be the Internet or a dedicated line. The authentication server 205 includes inquiry accepting means 194, IP address detecting means 195, determining means 197, and answering means 198. The IP conversion server 206 includes corresponding area search means 196. Information on the inquiry source IP address is transmitted from the authentication server 205 to the IP conversion server 206, and information on the corresponding area associated with the inquiry source IP address is transmitted from the IP conversion server 206 to the authentication server 205. The

  Further, the authentication server 205 includes a first database that associates each location with the region to which the location belongs, and the IP conversion server 206 includes a first database that associates each IP address with the region to which the IP address is assigned. 2 databases (specific example: IP address region correspondence database 57 in FIG. 3) can be provided. The determination unit 197 uses the correspondence region searched by the corresponding region search unit 196 as the region assigned to the inquiry source IP address in the second database, and the inquiry with presence information in the first database. Judgment is made based on the coincidence with the existing area as the area associated with the existing place related to the existing place information.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the IP type broadcast system control method 220. The IP broadcast system control method 220 is applied to the IP broadcast system 180 (FIG. 14). The IP broadcast system control method 220 includes a broadcast receiver control method 221 and an area determination server control method 222.

  In the broadcast receiver control method 221, in S227, an inquiry with location information is made to the region determination server 182 for the location information of the broadcast receiver 181 input by the user of the broadcast receiver 181. In S228, an answer from the area determination server 182 to the inquiry is accepted.

  In the area determination server control method 222, in S231, an inquiry is accepted. In S232, the source IP address is detected from the inquiry. In S233, the corresponding area associated with the source IP address is searched. In S234, the matching between the corresponding area and the existing area related to the existing area information is determined. In S235, the broadcast receiver 181 is answered as to whether there is a match.

  The processes in S227 and S228 correspond to the functions of the inquiry unit 187 and the answer reception unit 188 of the broadcast receiver 181, respectively. The processing of S231 to S235 corresponds to the functions of inquiry receiving means 194 to answering means 198 of the area determination server 182, respectively. The specific modes described above for each means of the broadcast receiver 181 and the area determination server 182 can also be applied as specific modes of corresponding steps in the IP type broadcast system control method 220. Steps corresponding to the function of the output control means 189 can be added to the IP broadcast system control method 220. The order or insertion position of the additional steps is arranged so that the steps corresponding to the output side means are ahead of the steps corresponding to the input side means according to the input / output relationship between the means.

  The program to which the present invention is applied causes a computer to function as each unit of the IP broadcast system 180. Another program to which the present invention is applied causes a computer to execute the steps of the IP broadcast system control method 220.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications (including addition and deletion) are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  This specification discloses various ranges and levels of the invention. In addition to various devices and methods of various technical scopes and specific levels described in the present specification, the present invention has operations and effects independent of each device and each method within the scope of expansion or generalization. Extracting one or more elements, changing one or more elements within the scope of expansion or generalization, and combining one or more elements between devices and methods Includes replacements.

180: IP broadcast system, 181: broadcast receiver, 182: area determination server, 183: IP network, 187: inquiry means, 188: answer acceptance means, 189: output control means, 194: inquiry acceptance means, 195: IP Address detection means, 196: corresponding area search means, 197: determination means, 198: answer means, 205: authentication server, 206: IP conversion server, 220: IP broadcast system control method, 221: broadcast receiver control method, 222 : Regional determination server control method.

Claims (8)

An IP broadcast system comprising: a broadcast receiver that receives and outputs an IP broadcast via an IP network; and an area determination server that is connected to the broadcast receiver via the IP network,
The broadcast receiver
Inquiry means for making an inquiry with location information for the location information of the broadcast receiver input by the user of the broadcast receiver to the area determination server, and answer receiving means for receiving an answer from the area determination server to the inquiry ,
With
The regional determination server is
Inquiry accepting means for accepting the inquiry,
IP address detection means for detecting the source IP address from the inquiry,
Corresponding area search means for searching for a corresponding area associated with the source IP address;
Judgment means for judging the consistency between the corresponding area and the existence area related to the presence information, and a reply means for replying to the broadcast receiver about the presence or absence of the consistency,
An IP-type broadcasting system comprising:   In the case where the distance from the location determined from the location information to the corresponding area is within a predetermined value even if the corresponding location and the location related to the location information are inconsistent, 2. The IP broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that there is a match.   The broadcast receiver includes output control means for permitting output only for IP-type broadcasts that include the presence area related to the presence place information that is the basis of the response with matching from the area determination server in the broadcast target area. The IP broadcast system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The area determination server includes an authentication server and an IP conversion server that are capable of communicating with each other,
The authentication server includes the inquiry accepting unit, the transmission source IP address extracting unit, the determining unit, and the answering unit.
The IP conversion server includes the corresponding area search means,
Information on the source IP address of the inquiry is transmitted from the authentication server to the IP conversion server,
The IP type according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein information on a corresponding area associated with a source IP address of the inquiry is transmitted from the IP conversion server to the authentication server. Broadcast system. The authentication server includes a first database that associates each location with a region to which the location belongs,
The IP conversion server includes a second database in which each IP address is associated with an area to which the IP address is assigned.
The determination means searches for the match between the corresponding area searched for as the area assigned to the inquiry source IP address in the second database by the corresponding area search means, and the presence location in the first database. 5. The IP broadcasting system according to claim 4, wherein the determination is made based on the coincidence with the presence area as the area associated with the presence area related to the presence information of the inquiry with information.   The IP broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein the location information is a postal code, a fixed telephone number, or an address. IP broadcast system control comprising: a broadcast receiver control method for receiving and outputting an IP broadcast via an IP network; and a regional determination server control method connected to the broadcast receiver via the IP network A method,
The broadcast receiver control method is:
An inquiry step for making an inquiry with location information for the location information of the broadcast receiver input by a user of the broadcast receiver to the region determination server, and an answer receiving step of receiving a response from the region determination server to the inquiry ,
With
The control method of the area determination server is as follows:
An inquiry receiving step for receiving the inquiry;
An IP address detection step of detecting the source IP address from the inquiry;
A corresponding area search step for searching for a corresponding area associated with the source IP address;
A determination step of determining consistency between the corresponding region and the presence region related to the presence location information, and a reply step of replying to the broadcast receiver about the presence or absence of the match,
An IP type broadcast system control method comprising:   The program which makes a computer function as each means of the IP type | mold broadcast system of any one of Claims 1-6.

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