JP2008125022A - User terminal, distribution server, control program therefor, computer readable recording medium with the control program stored thereon, content guiding system, and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To guide contents without the need of a high-speed throughput for a user-side terminal and without making a server side handle personal information that requires user authentication. <P>SOLUTION: A user terminal 2 comprises: a content list creation request unit 27 for requesting, to a content distribution server 4, creation of a content list that is the list of a part of contents in the content distribution server 4; a first communication unit 28 for receiving, from the content distribution server 4, the content list prepared by selecting contents according to the content list creation request in the content distribution server 4; and a guiding content determination unit 29 for determining content to be presented to a user as guiding contents on the basis of the content list received from the content distribution server 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a system for presenting content information estimated to be viewed by a user from a large amount of content distributed via a network, the user terminal, a distribution server, its control program, and recording the control program The present invention relates to a computer-readable recording medium, a content guidance system, and a control method.

  In general, since there are a wide variety of broadcast programs in digital broadcasting, it is not easy for a user (user) to find a program he / she wants to see from a program guide. For this reason, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a program table including metadata of broadcast programs such as a program name, broadcast time zone, genre to which the program belongs, and performers sent by each broadcast station There has been proposed a broadcast receiver that guides recommended programs according to user preferences from data.

  However, with regard to VoD (Video on Demand) content viewed via a network such as the Internet, the number of contents that can be viewed is enormous compared to digital broadcasting, and program guide data that is transmitted by broadcast stations There is no unified data equivalent to. For this reason, in order to search for and view a favorite content from contents such as VoD and streaming broadcast that can be viewed via the Internet, a method of visually checking a content list and selecting a content that the user wants to see Was common.

  On the other hand, it is also possible to present to the user content that can be estimated to meet the user's preference using metadata related to viewable content and preference information indicating the user's viewing history or preference. It is starting to take place.

  Specifically, in Patent Document 2, content of a user's viewing history is transmitted from the terminal device to the content server, and the content server extracts the user's preference feature from the viewing history information and corresponds to the preference feature. And a content guide device that outputs content corresponding to the preference feature on a terminal device is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 3, a plurality of items having different categories are extracted based on program guide data for each receivable program (content), and the user's preference is determined based on the extracted items and user information. A program information extraction method for extracting program information along the line and a method for scoring by searching for programs (contents) that the user seems to like are disclosed.
JP 2001-249925 A (published on September 14, 2001) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-260647 (published on September 22, 2005) JP 2006-94018 A (published April 6, 2006)

  However, in the broadcast receiver disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the method disclosed in Patent Document 3, a large amount of metadata is collected in order to collect metadata related to a very large amount of content added every day. Communication is necessary, and the huge amount of calculation for processing the large amount of metadata has a problem that a high-speed processing capability is required for the terminal on the user side.

  That is, a device and method for selecting a recommended content based on a user's preference that has a preference database for all content that can be received by the user terminal has an enormous number of contents that can be viewed compared to TV broadcasting, for example. There is a problem that it is not practical to use for content such as VoD content.

  Further, in the content guidance device disclosed in Patent Document 2, since processing based on the user's preference is performed on the server (personalized content server) side, personal information such as the user's viewing history is stored on the user side via the network. Sent from the terminal to the server. That is, since it is necessary to send personal information, which is the user's behavior history such as viewing history, from the user's terminal to an external server, it cannot be used when the user does not want to disclose his / her own personal information have.

  In addition, since the server needs to manage the viewing history and the preference database obtained from the viewing history for each user, it is necessary to perform user authentication. That is, the content guidance device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a problem in that a system for user authentication and a need for maintenance are generated, resulting in an increase in processing on the server side. Furthermore, since a registration procedure for user authentication is necessary in advance when the user uses the service, there is a problem that the content guidance service cannot be received immediately.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and the object thereof is to make it unnecessary for a terminal on the user side to have high-speed processing capability and to transfer personal information that requires user authentication to the server side. It is to provide a user terminal, a distribution server, a control program for the user terminal, a computer-readable recording medium recording the control program, a content guidance system, and a control method capable of guiding content without being handled in the network. .

  In order to solve the above problems, a user terminal according to the present invention is a user terminal that receives content distributed from a distribution server and reproduces the content so that the content can be viewed. Content list creation requesting means for requesting creation of a content list which is a list of contents of a copy; and a content list created by selecting content based on a request for creation of the content list at the delivery server And a guidance content determination unit that determines content to be presented to the user as guidance content that is recommended to the user based on the content list received from the distribution server. Yes.

  In order to solve the above problem, the control method of the present invention is a method for controlling a user terminal that receives content distributed from a distribution server and reproduces the content so that the content can be viewed. A content list creation requesting step for requesting the distribution server to create a content list that is a list of a part of the contents of the distribution server, and the first communication means to create the content list at the distribution server. Content that is recommended to the user based on the content list received from the distribution server by the first communication step of receiving from the distribution server a content list created by selecting content based on the request and the guidance content determination means Content to be presented to the user as guidance content It is characterized in that it comprises an inner content determination step.

  According to the above invention, the content list is created by the partial contents of the distribution server based on the content list creation request from the content list creation request means of the user terminal. It is not necessary to determine the guidance content by the guidance content determination means based on the content list. That is, it is possible for the guidance content determination means to determine the guidance content with a small amount of processing compared to the case where the guidance content is determined based on the content list including all the contents of the distribution server. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user terminal to have high-speed processing capability. Further, since the guidance content is determined based on the content list obtained by the first communication means by sending a request for creating the content list from the user terminal to the distribution server, personal information that requires user authentication is stored in the server. It is possible to guide the content without handling it on the side. Furthermore, since there is no need to send personal information that requires user authentication to the distribution server, the user can be provided with a sense of security and the amount of communication can be reduced.

  As a result, it is possible to guide the contents without requiring high-speed processing capability at the user terminal and not handling personal information that requires user authentication on the server side.

  In addition, the user terminal of the present invention further includes a user viewing history information storage unit that stores user viewing history information, and the guidance content determination unit stores the user viewing history information storage unit in addition to the content list. It is preferable to determine the content to be presented to the user as the guidance content based on the viewing history information.

  As a result, the guidance content is determined by the guidance content determination unit based on the user's viewing history information stored in the user viewing history information storage unit, so that the guidance content reflecting the user's viewing history information is displayed to the user. Can be presented. Furthermore, since the viewing history is managed by the user terminal, the viewing history of the content on the device (content reproducing device) that reproduces the content that is not directly connected to the IP network used by the user is displayed in the guidance content determination means. It can also be easily used for determination. As a result, it is possible to use the content viewing history on the content reproduction apparatus not directly connected to the IP network for the determination of the guidance content, so that the content viewed in the past is not presented to the user.

  Further, in the user terminal of the present invention, a preference database is created that creates a preference database that is a set of information indicating a user's preference tendency based on the viewing history information stored in the user viewing history information storage unit. And a preference database storage unit for storing a preference database created by the preference database creation means, wherein the guidance content determination means includes the preference database instead of the viewing history information in addition to the content list. It is preferable to determine the content to be presented to the user as guidance content based on the information in the preference database stored in the storage unit.

  Further, the control method of the present invention is configured to display a user's preference tendency based on the viewing history information stored in the user viewing history information storage unit that stores the user viewing history information by the preference database creating means. A preference database creation step of creating a preference database that is a set of information to be shown, further comprising a preference database storage unit that stores the preference database created in the preference database creation step, and in the guidance content determination step, In addition to the content list, it is preferable to determine the content to be presented to the user as guidance content based on the preference database stored in the preference database storage unit that stores the preference database created in the preference database creation step.

  As a result, the guidance content is determined by the guidance content determination unit based on the preference database created by the preference database creation unit based on the user viewing history stored in the preference database storage unit, so that the user's preference is reflected. It is possible to present the guided content to the user.

  Furthermore, in the user terminal of the present invention, viewing-related information that does not include personally identifiable information and that can be used for selecting content on the distribution server and that is information related to viewing of content is created. The content list creation requesting unit sends a request for creation of the content list to the distribution server, and simultaneously sends the viewing-related information to the distribution server. The first communication unit It is preferable that a content list created based on the viewing-related information in response to a request for creating the content list at the server is received from the distribution server.

  As a result, the viewing-related information creation unit creates viewing-related information that is information related to viewing of content that does not include personally identifiable information and can be used for selecting content on the distribution server. Since the content request is sent to the distribution server by the creation request means and the content server creates a content list based on the viewing-related information, the distribution server side contains a lot of content expected to meet the user's preference based on the viewing-related information A content list can be created. In addition, since it becomes possible to receive a content list containing a large amount of content expected to meet the user's preference by the first communication means and determine the guidance content by the guidance content determination means, the user's preference is further increased. It is possible to easily present the guide content along the user. Furthermore, since viewing-related information does not include personally identifiable information, content guidance can be provided without handling personal information that requires user authentication on the distribution server side. Can provide.

  Further, in the user terminal of the present invention, the individual identifiable information is at least one of information for identifying the content viewed by the user, the user's address, name, telephone number, or Web service ID and password. Preferably it contains information.

  Thereby, since there is no need to distribute and disclose information that can identify the individual user, the individual is not identified and a sense of security can be provided to the user.

  Furthermore, in the user terminal of the present invention, it is preferable that the viewing related information includes information derived from the preference database.

  This makes it possible to create a content list by the content list creation means based on information derived from the preference database, which is information indicating the user's preference tendency. It is possible to create a content list including the content list on the distribution server. In addition, since it is possible for the distribution server to create a content list that includes many content lists that include content that meets the user's preference, the content list that meets the user's preference while suppressing the number of contents included in the content list Can be created on the distribution server. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of contents included in the content list according to the user's preference received by the user terminal and reduce the processing amount of the user terminal.

  In the user terminal of the present invention, the information derived from the preference database includes at least a user's favorite genre, a user's favorite performer name, a user's favorite word, or a plurality of user's preference and content features. It is preferable to include any information of user-preferred vector information that is expressed as a multidimensional vector whose elements are values obtained by quantifying the relationship with each other.

  This makes it possible to create a content list by the content list creation means based on the user's favorite genre, the user's favorite performer name, the user's favorite word, or the user preference vector information. Therefore, it is possible to create a content list including a large amount of content according to the user's preference on the distribution server. It is also possible to reduce the amount of processing of the user terminal by suppressing the number of contents included in the content list according to the user preference received by the user terminal.

  Here, the “user preference vector” is also expressed as a semantic vector or a preference vector, and represents a semantic relationship between user preferences and many features (bright, dark, fun, interesting, etc.). It is expressed as a multi-dimensional vector that is digitized and has numerical values representing features as elements. The numerical value is defined so as to have a larger value as the relationship with each feature element is larger, for example.

  Furthermore, in the user terminal of the present invention, it is preferable that the viewing-related information includes time information necessary for reproduction of content desired by the user.

  This makes it possible to create a content list that does not include content that requires a playback time that the user does not desire based on the time information necessary for playback of the content that the user desires. It is possible to create a content list including a large amount of content in accordance with the preference on the distribution server. For example, by causing the content list creation means to create a content list that does not include content that requires a playback time that exceeds the playback time desired by the user, only content that can be viewed by the user can be presented as guide content. It is also possible to reduce the amount of processing of the user terminal by suppressing the number of contents included in the content list according to the user preference received by the user terminal.

  In the user terminal of the present invention, it is preferable that the viewing-related information includes cost information necessary for viewing the content desired by the user.

  As a result, it becomes possible to create a content list that does not include content that requires a cost that the user does not want based on cost information necessary for viewing the content that the user desires. It is possible to create a content list including a large amount of content along the distribution server. For example, by causing the content list creation means to create a content list that does not include content that does not require the user's cost, it is possible to present only content that is less than the user's desired cost as guide content. It is also possible to reduce the amount of processing of the user terminal by suppressing the number of contents included in the content list according to the user preference received by the user terminal.

  Furthermore, in the user terminal of the present invention, it is preferable that the viewing-related information includes only attribute information that is user attribute information.

  As a result, the content list can be created by the content list creation means based on the attribute information which is the attribute information of the user, so a content list including a large amount of content corresponding to the user attribute is created by the distribution server. It becomes possible to make it. Further, for example, the distribution server can use a CM according to the attribute of the user based on the attribute information when the CM is inserted into the content in the content list.

  Further, in the user terminal of the present invention, the attribute information includes at least information on the gender of the user, the user's age, the user's residence prefecture, or the presence or absence of a minor under the predetermined age in the family living together. Is preferred.

  This allows the content list creation means to create a content list based on attribute information such as the user's gender, the user's age, the user's state of residence, or the presence of minors below the specified age in the family. Therefore, the distribution server can create a content list that contains a large amount of content according to the user's gender, user's age, user's residence prefecture, or the presence of minors below the specified age in the family. Become. In addition, for example, on the distribution server side, based on attribute information such as the user's gender, the user's age, the user's residence prefecture, or the presence of minors below the predetermined age in the family, the user's gender, the user's age, the user It is possible to use when inserting a CM corresponding to the presence or absence of a minor under the predetermined age in the living prefecture of the family or the family living together into the content in the content list.

  Further, in the user terminal according to the present invention, the content list creation requesting unit requests each of the plurality of distribution servers to create the content list, and the first communication unit includes the plurality of distribution servers. Each of the plurality of distribution servers receives a content list created based on a request for creating the content list from each of the plurality of distribution servers, and the guidance content determination means receives all the content lists received from the plurality of distribution servers. It is preferable to determine the content to be presented to the user as the guidance content.

  As a result, the content list creation request means makes a content list creation request to a plurality of distribution servers, and the first communication means receives the content list created by each of the plurality of distribution servers from each of the plurality of distribution servers. Since the guidance content determination means determines the guidance content based on all the content lists received from a plurality of distribution servers, more content can be presented to the user.

  The user terminal according to the present invention further comprises first priority level setting means for setting a priority level for each of the plurality of distribution servers, and the guidance content determination means is further provided for each of the plurality of distribution servers. It is preferable to determine the content to be presented to the user as the guidance content based on the set priority level.

  Thereby, since the first priority level setting means sets the priority level for each of the plurality of distribution servers, it is possible to set a higher priority level for the distribution server that can present appropriate content to the user. It becomes possible. Further, since the guidance content determination unit determines guidance content based on the priority level, selection of a distribution server capable of presenting more suitable content to the user can be realized with a simple operation that does not place a burden on the user. Is possible.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the user terminal of the present invention further includes priority level changing means for changing the priority level set for the plurality of distribution servers according to a user's content selection result.

  As a result, the priority level set by the first priority level setting means for each content distribution server is changed by the priority level changing means in accordance with the user's content selection result, so that the priority level is set for the distribution server viewed by the user. The content of the distribution server that has transmitted the content list including the content viewed by the user can be more preferentially presented as the guidance content by dynamically changing the content. Therefore, selection of a distribution server that can present content more suitable for the user can be realized by a simple operation that does not place a burden on the user.

  In the user terminal of the present invention, the content list creation request unit requests the same distribution server to create a plurality of types of content lists, and the first communication unit sends the request to the same distribution server. The plurality of types of content lists created based on the request for creating the plurality of types of content lists are received from the same distribution server, and the guidance content determination means is the plurality of types received from the same distribution server. It is preferable to determine the content to be presented to the user as the guidance content based on the content list.

  This makes it possible to create a plurality of types of content lists for each keyword such as a plurality of performers. The presence of a plurality of types of content lists for each keyword makes it possible to easily specify the display order of the content list for each keyword such as each performer. Alternatively, the number of contents to be displayed for each keyword such as each performer can be easily set. Therefore, it is possible to easily present appropriate content to the user at the user terminal.

  In addition, for example, even when a plurality of types of content lists such as genres, titles, subtitles, and words as well as performers are created, content that is easily presented can be divided into content lists. Can be controlled.

  Furthermore, the user terminal of the present invention further includes second priority level setting means for setting a priority level for each of the plurality of types of content lists, and the guidance content determination means further includes the plurality of types of content lists. It is preferable to determine the content to be presented to the user as the guidance content based on the priority level set for each of the above.

  Thereby, a plurality of types of content lists can be created for each keyword such as a plurality of performers, and a priority level can be designated for each keyword such as each performer. Then, using the designated priority level, it is possible to easily change the content display order for each keyword such as each performer, or specify or change the number of contents to be displayed. Therefore, it is possible to easily present appropriate content to the user at the user terminal.

  In addition, for example, even when a plurality of types of content lists such as genres, titles, subtitles, and words as well as performers are created, content that is easily presented can be divided into content lists. Can be controlled.

  In order to solve the above problems, the distribution server of the present invention is a distribution server that distributes content to a user terminal, and is a content that is a list of a part of the content of the distribution server transmitted from the user terminal Content list creation means for creating a content list based on a list creation request, and second communication means for transmitting the created content list to the user terminal are provided.

  A control method of the present invention is a control method for a distribution server that distributes content to a user terminal in order to solve the above-described problem, and is a method for controlling the content transmitted from the user terminal by a content list creation unit. A content list creation step for creating a content list based on a request to create a content list that is a list, and a second communication step for transmitting the content list created in the content list creation step to the user terminal by the second communication means It is characterized by including.

  According to the above invention, based on the content list creation request transmitted from the user terminal, the content list is created by the content list creation means by the partial content of the distribution server. There is no need to transmit a content list comprising content from the second communication means. That is, the guidance content can be determined with a smaller amount of processing than when the guidance content is determined at the user terminal based on the content list including all the contents of the distribution server. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the need for a high-speed processing capability in the user terminal. Moreover, since the guidance content is determined on the user terminal side based on the content list obtained by sending a request to create a content list from the user terminal to the distribution server, personal information that requires user authentication can be obtained. It is possible to guide content without handling on the distribution server side. Furthermore, since there is no need to receive personal information that requires user authentication from the user terminal, it is possible to provide the user with a sense of security and reduce the amount of communication.

  As a result, it is possible to guide the contents without requiring high-speed processing capability at the user terminal and not handling personal information that requires user authentication on the server side.

  Furthermore, in the distribution server of the present invention, the content list creation means is a content list creation means that does not include personally identifiable information transmitted from the user terminal in addition to the request to create the content list. It is preferable to create a content list based on viewing-related information that is information related to viewing of content that can be used to select the content.

  In the content list creation step, the control method of the present invention is a content list creation unit that does not include information that can be used to identify an individual transmitted from the user terminal in addition to the request to create the content list. It is preferable to create a content list based on viewing-related information that is information related to viewing of content that can be used to select the content.

  As a result, a content list is created on the distribution server based on viewing-related information that does not include personally identifiable information and can be used to select content on the distribution server, and is related to content viewing. Therefore, it is possible to create a content list including a large amount of content expected to meet the user's preference on the distribution server side based on viewing-related information. In addition, since it is possible to transmit a content list containing a large amount of content expected to meet the user's preference to the user terminal so that the guidance content determination unit can determine the guidance content, the user's preference can be further met. It is possible to easily present the guidance content to the user. Furthermore, since viewing-related information does not include personally identifiable information, content guidance can be provided without handling personal information that requires user authentication on the distribution server side. Can provide.

  Furthermore, in the distribution server of the present invention, in response to an input from the content provider, the additional content selection means for selecting additional content that is a content that the content provider desires to present to the user, and the distribution server includes: An additional content adding means for adding the additional content selected by the additional content selecting means to the content list created based on the content list creation request and the viewing-related information transmitted from the user terminal. It is preferable to further provide.

  As a result, content can be added to the content list created by the content list creation means by the additional content selection means according to the input from the content provider. In addition to the list, it is possible to present to the user content that the content provider wants the user to view.

  The distribution server of the present invention preferably further comprises identification information adding means for adding information for identifying the additional content to the additional content.

  Accordingly, when the user selects additional content, it is possible to determine that the additional content has been selected by the identifier. Therefore, the tendency that the additional content is selected by the user, for example, as a selection ratio is a preference database. When the selection ratio is high, additional content can be presented to the user as higher-level guidance content. Therefore, it is possible to present to the user content that can be expected by the user.

  By the way, the user terminal and the distribution server may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by causing a computer to execute a program. Specifically, the control program according to the present invention is a program that causes a computer to operate as a user terminal or a distribution server, and the program is recorded in a recording medium according to the present invention.

  When these control programs are executed by a computer, the computer operates as a user terminal or a distribution server. Therefore, as with the user terminal or the distribution server, the user terminal does not require high-speed processing capability, and content information is provided without handling personal information that requires user authentication on the server side. It becomes possible to do.

  In order to solve the above problems, the content guidance system of the present invention provides a communication network used for communication between any one of the user terminals, any of the distribution servers, and the user terminal and the distribution server. It is characterized by including.

  According to the above invention, it is possible to guide content without requiring high-speed processing capability at the terminal on the user side and not handling personal information requiring user authentication on the server side. .

  In the content guidance system of the present invention, the distribution server sets a third priority level for setting a priority level for each content in the content list created by the content list creation means in accordance with an input from the content provider. It is preferable that the guidance content determination unit further determines a content to be presented to the user as the guidance content based on the priority level set by the third priority level setting unit.

  Thus, the priority level is set according to the input of the content provider by the third priority level setting unit for each content in the content list created by the content list creating unit, so that the content provider can view the content more to the user. It is possible to set a high priority level for the desired content so that the content desired by the content provider to be viewed by the user can be easily determined as the guide content by the guide content determination means. Therefore, it is possible to make it easier for the content provider to present the content that the user wants to view.

  Further, in the content guidance system of the present invention, the distribution server further includes expiration date information adding means for adding expiration date information that is information indicating an expiration date to the content list created by the content list creation means, The user terminal holds the determination result obtained by executing the determination by the guidance content determination unit in advance until the expiration date indicated by the expiration date information, and the result holding based on the expiration date information. Content list creation request instructing means for instructing a new content list creation request from the content list creation requesting means when the judgment result held in the section exceeds the expiration date, and a user In response to an operation on the user terminal from the user, the determination result held in the result holding unit is presented to the user. It is preferable to further include a determination result presentation unit.

  Thus, the determination result obtained by executing the determination by the guidance content determination unit in advance based on the expiration date information added to the content list created by the content list creation unit by the expiration date information addition unit is held. If the result of the result holding unit exceeds the expiration date, the content list creation request instructing unit instructs the new content list creation request from the content list creation requesting unit. If the expiration date of the determined determination result is exceeded, the guidance content is newly determined and the determination result is held in the result holding unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the content whose expiration date has passed by the determination result presenting means from being presented, and to provide the latest content information whose expiration date has not passed to the user as guidance content.

  According to the present invention, since the content list is created by a part of the content of the distribution server based on the content list creation request from the content list creation request means of the user terminal, the content list includes all the content of the distribution server. Compared to the case where the guidance content is determined based on the content list, the guidance content determination unit can determine the guidance content with a small amount of processing. Further, since the guidance content is determined based on the content list obtained by the first communication means by sending a request for creating the content list from the user terminal to the distribution server, personal information that requires user authentication is stored in the server. It is possible to guide the content without handling it on the side. Therefore, the user terminal is not required to have high-speed processing capability, and the contents can be guided without handling personal information requiring user authentication on the server side.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9 as follows.

  First, the outline of the configuration of the content guidance system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The content guidance system 1 of this Embodiment is a system which presents the content which suits a user preference on the screen of a display device by a user operation. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the content guidance system 1 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, content guidance system 1 in the present embodiment includes user terminal 2, communication network 3, content distribution server (distribution server) 4, remote control device 5, and external TV antenna 6.

  The user terminal 2 includes a remote control I / F (remote control interface) 16 that receives signals from the remote control device 5, a CPU (central processing unit) 11 that controls various programs, a ROM 12 that stores various programs, and a communication bus. 18 is provided with a RAM 13 connected to the display device 17 via 18 and used for a work area for storing information (data) and executing each program. The user terminal 2 includes a communication I / F (communication interface) 15 that communicates with other devices in addition to the hard disk 14, and is connected to the content distribution server 4 via the communication network 3. . Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 2 may include a TV tuner 19 that receives a broadcast wave connected to the external TV antenna 6.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration including the user terminal 2, the communication network 3, the content distribution server 4, the remote control device 5, and the external TV antenna 6 in the content guidance system 1 is shown, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the remote controller 5 and / or the external TV antenna 6 may not be included. If the remote control device 5 is not included in the content guidance system 1, the user terminal 2 is not operated by the remote control device 5 wirelessly, but the user terminal 2 is operated by the operation device provided in the user terminal 2. That's fine.

  Next, the outline of the configuration of the user terminal 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the user terminal 2 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 2 includes an operation input unit 21, an operation execution unit 22, an operation history information storage unit (user viewing history information storage unit) 23, a preference database creation unit (preference database creation unit) 24, a preference. Database storage unit 25, viewing related information creation unit (viewing related information creation unit) 26, content list creation request unit (content list creation request unit) 27, first communication unit (first communication unit) 28, guidance content determination unit ( Guidance content determination unit) 29, result holding unit 30, content list creation request instruction unit (content list creation request instruction unit) 31, guidance content presentation unit (determination result presentation unit) 32, and second priority level setting unit (second Priority level setting means) 33.

  First, the operation input unit 21 is an input means for a user to input using the remote control device 5 or the like. Further, the operation execution unit 22 executes an operation corresponding to an input to the operation input unit 21. Here, the input operation includes ON / OFF of screen display, change of viewing channel, determination of viewing content, and the like. The operation history information storage unit 23 stores information (operation history information) about the operation input to the operation input unit 21. The contents stored in the operation history information storage unit 23 include operation history information such as a user viewing history obtained from an input operation to the operation input unit 21, metadata of viewing content selected and viewed by the user, and the like. Information, user's gender, user's age, user's prefecture, or family living in the same age include minors below the specified age (minors below the specified age in the living family) It may be configured to include user attribute information (attribute information) such as presence / absence), time information necessary for reproducing the content desired by the user, cost information necessary for viewing the content, and the like. Note that the metadata here refers to high-abstraction data or additional data associated with each data in order to handle data managed collectively. A specific example of the metadata will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  In addition, the preference database creation unit 24 creates a preference database indicating user preferences (a set of information indicating user preference trends) based on data stored in the operation history information storage unit 23. is there. Examples of data stored in the operation history information storage unit 23 used to create the preference database include metadata of viewing content, viewing time, and the number of times of viewing the same content. The preference database storage unit 25 stores the preference database created by the preference database creation unit 24. The viewing related information creation unit 26 does not include information that can identify an individual from the information stored in the operation history information storage unit 23 and / or the preference database stored in the preference database storage unit 25. Viewing-related information, which is information related to viewing content, that can be used for selecting content on the distribution server is extracted and transmitted from the content list creation request unit 27 to the content distribution server 4. The information that can identify an individual referred to here includes information for identifying content viewed by the user, the user's address, name, telephone number, Web service ID, password, and the like.

  Subsequently, the content list creation request unit 27 transmits a content list creation request to the content distribution server 4 through the communication network 3 such as the Internet in accordance with an instruction from the operation execution unit 22.

  The first communication unit 28 receives the content list created by the content distribution server 4 and sends it to the guidance content determination unit 29. The first communication unit 28 receives the information on the expiration date of the content and the information on the priority level of the content, which will be described later, together with the content list from the content distribution server 4 and receives the information to guide the content. This is sent to the content determination unit 29. The content expiration date information and the content priority level information transmitted from the content distribution server 4 will be described in detail later.

  The guidance content determination unit 29 uses the preference database stored in the preference database storage unit 25 and the metadata of viewing content presented in the past stored in the operation history information storage unit 23 as guidance content. The content to be presented to the user and the order in which the guidance content is presented to the user are determined. The result holding unit 30 stores the determination results sorted in the order of presentation to the user based on the determination by the guidance content determination unit 29, that is, the guidance content sorted in the order of presentation to the user. When expiration date information is given to the guidance content held in the result holding unit 30, the content list creation request instructing unit 31 is held in the result holding unit 30 based on the expiration date information. It is determined whether or not the guidance content has expired. The content list creation request instructing unit 31 transmits a new content list creation request to the content distribution server 4 to the content list creation request unit 27 when the guidance content has expired. Is to give instructions. And the guidance content presentation part 32 presents the guidance content currently hold | maintained in the result holding | maintenance part 30 according to a user's operation to the operation input part 21. FIG. As the user's operation mentioned here, there is an input for requesting the presentation of guidance content from the user. The metadata of the viewing content presented as the guidance content is stored in the operation history information storage unit 23.

  The second priority level setting unit 33 sets a priority level for each content list when a plurality of types of content lists are transmitted from the same content distribution server 4. The priority level is used for correcting the required content priority when the guidance content determination unit 29 determines the content priority, which is the degree to which the guidance content is preferentially presented, and determines the guidance content. It is. For example, the higher the priority level, the higher the required content priority, and the lower the priority level, the lower the required content priority. Is done.

  Here, the setting method of the second priority level will be described by taking as an example a case where a plurality of performers are sent to the content distribution server 4 as keywords and the same number of content lists are transmitted.

  First, from the metadata of the content viewed within a predetermined period from the present stored in the operation history information storage unit 23 in which information of the user's past operation history is stored, the performer database creation unit 24 selects the performers in advance. The name of the performer and the number of appearances are extracted and stored in the preference database storage unit 25. Next, a content list creation request is sent to the content distribution server 4 with the performer having the highest number of appearances among the performers stored in the preference database storage unit 25 as the first keyword. In response, the content list created by the content distribution server 4 is received as the first content list. Similarly, a content list creation request is sent to the content distribution server 4 with the second most performer as the second keyword, and the content list created by the content distribution server 4 in response to the content list creation request is sent to the second content list. Receive as a content list.

  For each content list thus obtained, the number of appearances of the first keyword is set as the priority level of the first content list, and the number of appearances of the second keyword is set as the priority level of the second content list. When there is a restriction such as the number of digits at the time of calculation, it is desirable to perform a normalization process, for example, a process that sets all products of the second priority levels to 1 while maintaining the ratio of the number of appearances.

  As described above, the priority level can be set for each content list. In the same way, in addition to the performers, it is possible to set the priority level according to items such as genre and fee required for viewing the content.

  In the present embodiment, after the input from the user, the content list creation request unit 27 makes a content list creation request in accordance with an instruction from the operation execution unit 22 to present the guidance content. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, a configuration in which a series of processes necessary for presenting the guidance content is executed in advance and the guidance content is presented immediately after an input from the user may be employed.

  Next, the outline of the configuration of the content distribution server 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the content distribution server 4 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the content distribution server 4 includes a content list creation unit (content list creation unit) 41, a content storage unit 42, a second communication unit (second communication unit) 43, and an additional content selection unit (additional content selection unit). Means) 44, additional content adding section (additional content adding means) 45, identification information adding section (identification information adding means) 46, content distribution server side input section 47, third priority level setting section (third priority level setting means). 48 and an expiration date information adding unit (expiration date information giving means) 49.

  First, the content list creation unit 41 selects content from the content storage unit 42 that stores a distributable content list based on the content list creation request and viewing-related information transmitted from the user terminal 2. To create a content list. The second communication unit 43 transmits the content list created by the content list creation unit 41 to the user terminal 2.

  The additional content selection unit 44 selects content (additional content) to be added to the content list created by the content list creation unit 41 in response to an input from the content provider to the content distribution server side input unit 47 described later. To do. The additional content can be selected from the content storage unit 42. The additional content adding unit 45 adds the additional content selected by the additional content selecting unit 44 to the content list created by the content list creating unit 41. The identification information adding unit 46 adds identification information for identifying the additional content selected by the additional content selection unit 44 and the content selected by the content list creation unit 41 to the additional content.

  Subsequently, the content distribution server side input unit 47 sends the input result from the content provider to the additional content selection unit 44 or a third priority level setting unit 48 described later. The input from the content provider mentioned here may be to select specific content, or to input conditions for associating specific content with specific viewing-related information. May be.

  The third priority level setting unit 48 sets the priority level for each content in the content list created by the content list creation unit 41 in response to the input of the content provider to the content distribution server side input unit 47. It is to set.

  The expiration date information assigning unit 49 assigns expiration date information to each content in the content list created by the content list creation unit 41. The expiration date information here is information indicating the expiration date of the content, that is, the publication expiration date.

  Next, the flow of data among the remote control device 5, the user terminal 2, and the content distribution server 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data flow among the remote control device 5, the user terminal 2, and the content distribution server 4 in the present embodiment. Note that the time axis in FIG. 4 is from top to bottom. In addition, before performing a series of processes shown in FIG. 4, user data information, that is, a preference database is created in advance. For example, it is possible to create a preference database from metadata of viewing content viewed by a user by a method similar to the method for extracting program information in accordance with user preferences disclosed in Patent Document 3 described above. is there.

  First, the remote control device 5 transmits data (control data) for requesting content reproduction (content reproduction operation), and the user terminal 2 receives the data. Then, the user terminal 2 requests the content distribution server 4 for the content that has been requested for reproduction. Subsequently, the content distribution server 4 transmits the requested content data to the user terminal 2. Then, the content is reproduced on the user terminal 2. In the user terminal 2, when the content is reproduced, history data (metadata) of the reproduced content is generated and stored in the operation history information storage unit 23, and the information stored in the operation history information storage unit 23 is stored in the information. A preference database is created based on the preference database, and the preference database is stored in the preference database storage unit 25.

  Next, the remote control device 5 transmits data requesting content guidance (control data) (content guidance operation), and the user terminal 2 receives it. Then, the user terminal 2 generates a content list request at the content list creation request unit 27 and transmits the content list creation request to the content distribution server 4. Subsequently, the content distribution server 4 creates a content list in the content list creation unit 41 based on the content list creation request. Then, the content distribution server 4 transmits the created content list to the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 that has received the content list performs filtering of the received content list. Then, the guidance content determination unit 29 determines the content to be presented as the guidance content, and presents the guidance content to the guidance content presentation unit 32 (content guidance display).

  Subsequently, the remote control device 5 transmits data (control data) for selecting content (content selection operation), and the user terminal 2 receives it. Then, the user terminal 2 requests the selected content from the content distribution server 4. Subsequently, the content distribution server 4 transmits the selected content data to the user terminal 2. Then, the user terminal 2 generates history data (metadata) of the selected content, stores it in the operation history information storage unit 23, and plays back the selected content. In the user terminal 2, after the content is reproduced, a new preference database is created based on the information stored in the operation history information storage unit 23, and the new preference database is stored in the preference database storage unit 25.

  Here, FIG. 5 is used to show an example of content metadata in the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of content metadata in the present embodiment.

  The metadata shown in FIG. 5 stores the release start date / time, the release end date / time, and the content URL together so that the distribution server and the content can be identified. Further, the metadata shown in FIG. 5 is the content of the content so that the detailed content of the guidance content can be presented at the same time when the guidance content is presented to the guidance content presentation unit 32. A detailed description which is a description is stored. The total number of series and the series number are stored together so that the order of the contents of the series can be identified. Furthermore, although the genre, title, subtitle, performer, and word are used as the keyword types in the metadata in FIG. 5, the present invention is not limited to this, and other keyword types may be used, for example. .

  Next, the operation flow in the content guidance system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the content guidance system 1. Note that the operations from the content reproduction operation to the content guidance operation in FIG. 4 are not the gist of the content guidance system 1 of the present invention, and therefore the operation flow after the content guidance operation in FIG. Do.

  First, in step S1, the above-described content guidance operation (content request guidance operation) is performed by the user's operation of the remote controller 5, and the process proceeds to step S2. In step S <b> 2, the viewing related information creation unit 26 creates viewing related information to be transmitted to the content distribution server 4 together with the content list creation request based on the preference database stored in the preference database storage unit 25. In the present embodiment, as an example, viewing-related information is obtained by extracting genre information and performer names most viewed by the user from the preference database. As genre information used for viewing-related information, for example, a genre code in hexadecimal notation defined in advance corresponding to the genre content as shown in FIG. 7 can be used.

  The viewing-related information includes user attribute information, content playback time desired by the user (time information necessary for content playback), and maximum viewing cost (cost information necessary for viewing content, viewing cost). Information) and the like. The user attribute information is effective when the content distribution server 4 inserts a CM into the content. In addition, the content reproduction time can be improved by specifying the time that can be viewed by the user. Furthermore, the viewing cost information can improve the accuracy of content guidance by excluding contents with a price not desired by the user in advance.

  Subsequently, in step S3, the content list creation request unit 27 transmits the content list creation request and the preference information created by the viewing-related information creation unit 26 to the content distribution server 4 through the communication network 3. As the communication network 3, the Internet constructed by an IP network can be used. In step S4, the content distribution server 4 receives the content list creation request and the viewing related information from the user terminal 2, and the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, the content list creation unit 41 of the content distribution server 4 that has received the content list creation request and the viewing related information stores the content list that can be distributed based on the content list creation request and the viewing related information. A content list is created by selecting content from 42. In the present embodiment, as an example, a search is performed using genre information and performer names as keywords, and 100 contents are extracted (selected) from the latest contents stored in the contents storage unit 42, It is a content list. Note that the content list can be created by any method, such as giving priority to content with a short time until the publication deadline.

  Subsequently, in step S6, the second communication unit 43 of the content distribution server 4 transmits the content list created by the content list creation unit 41 to the user terminal 2, and the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the first communication unit 28 of the user terminal 2 receives the content list transmitted from the content distribution server 4, and proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, for each content in the content list received from the content distribution server 4, the content priority is calculated by the guidance content determination unit 29, and the process proceeds to step S9. Here, the content priority indicates the degree of guidance to the user as guidance content. Based on the information in the user preference database stored in the preference database storage unit 25, the guidance content determination unit 29 searches the content included in the content list for content that the user is likely to like and sets the content priority.

  A method for setting content priority based on information in the user preference database will be described with reference to FIG. 8 as an example. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a preference database in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the preference database stores keywords, viewing frequencies, and the like for each genre, and also stores keywords, viewing frequencies, etc., for each keyword type, such as title, performer name, and word. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the viewing frequency for each keyword can be used as an index (preference point) for searching for content that the user is likely to like. Specifically, the higher content priority may be set as the content that the user is likely to like for the content that contains more keywords with high viewing frequency, that is, high preference points. In addition, a content with a lower frequency of viewing, that is, a content including many keywords with a lower preference point may be set with a lower content priority as content that the user seems not to like. The method for calculating the content priority is different from the gist of the present invention and will not be described in detail. For example, a method for obtaining the degree of coincidence with the user preference disclosed in Patent Document 3 is used. be able to. In addition, if there is a matching content in the viewing history stored in the operation history information storage unit 23, it is preferable that the guidance content determination unit 29 changes the content priority of the content to be low. Furthermore, if the content is in the same series as the content in the viewing history, it is preferable that the guidance content determination unit 29 sets the content priority of the content following the viewed content high. For example, if the user has watched up to the fourth episode of the content of the series included in the “drama” genre, the content priority of the content of the fifth episode is set high, so that the content of the same series that is continuous for the user can be set. It becomes possible to present easily to select.

  Subsequently, in step S9, based on the content priority obtained by the calculation, the guidance content determination unit 29 sorts the content in descending order of content priority, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S <b> 10, the guidance content is stored in the result holding unit 30. In this embodiment, as an example, twelve pieces of content are stored in descending order of content priority. In step S11, the guidance content presenting unit 32 presents the guidance content stored in the result holding unit 30. The guidance content presented in the guidance content presentation unit 32 is presented as shown in FIG. 9, for example. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of guidance content in the present embodiment.

  Subsequently, in step S12, content to be viewed is selected from the guidance content by the user using the cross key or the like of the remote control device 5. If the content is selected (Yes in step S12), the process proceeds to step S13. If no content is selected (No in step S12), the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S13, the metadata as shown in FIG. 5 of the selected content (viewing content) is stored in the operation history information storage unit 23, and the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the user terminal 2 receives and reproduces the content selected by the user from the content distribution server 4, and the process proceeds to step S15.

  Subsequently, in step S15, the user performs an end operation of the content guidance system 1. When the user performs an end operation (Yes in step S15), the process in the content guidance system 1 is ended and the flow is ended. If the end operation has not been performed by the user (No in step S15), the process returns to step S1 to repeat the flow in order to continue the processing in the content guidance system 1.

  As described above, the content guidance system 1 can receive the guidance content without sending personally identifiable information to the communication network 3. The content distribution server 4 also allows the user to add content that the user wants to view or to set the priority level for each content in the content list to be transmitted to the user terminal 2 on the content provider side. Or can be guided to.

  In this embodiment, the content distribution server 4 includes the content list creation unit 41 and the second communication unit 43. However, a server for creating a content list and a server for distributing content are provided. It is also possible to perform distributed processing.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the example which transmits a genre information and a performer name with a content list creation request | requirement to the content delivery server 4 from the user terminal 2 as viewing relevant information was shown, it does not necessarily need to be this. It is possible to change the genre information and performer name to other viewing-related information according to the above.

  In the present embodiment, the content distribution server 4 is configured to include the additional content selection unit 44, the additional content addition unit 45, and the identification information addition unit 46. 44, the additional content adding unit 45, and the identification information adding unit 46 may be omitted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the content distribution server 4 is configured to include the identification information adding unit 46. However, the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto, and the configuration not including the identification information adding unit 46 may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the content distribution server 4 is configured to include the third priority level setting unit 48. However, the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto, and the configuration may not include the third priority level setting unit 48. Good.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the content delivery server 4 becomes a structure provided with the expiration date information provision part 49, not only this but the structure which does not necessarily comprise the expiration date information provision part 49 may be sufficient.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the user terminal 2 receives one content list from one content distribution server 4 has been mainly described, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, as described above, the user terminal 2 may receive a plurality of types of content lists from one content distribution server 4. In this case, the guidance content determination unit 29 may determine the guidance content by calculating the content priority of each of the contents included in the plurality of types of content lists, as in the case of receiving one content list.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the user terminal 2 becomes a structure provided with the 2nd priority level setting part 33, it is not necessarily this, The structure which is not necessarily provided with the 2nd priority level setting part 33 may be sufficient. .

[Embodiment 2]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. Configurations other than those described in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those shown in the drawings of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and explanation thereof is omitted.

  The content guidance system 1a of the present embodiment is different from the configuration of the content guidance system 1 of the first embodiment in that a plurality of content distribution servers 4 are included.

  First, an outline of the configuration of the content guidance system 1a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the content guidance system 1a in the present embodiment. The content guidance system 1a in this Embodiment is provided with the user terminal 2a, the communication network 3, the some content delivery server (delivery server) 4, and the remote control apparatus 5, as shown in FIG. The content guide system 1a may include the external TV antenna 6 or may not include the remote control device 5 and / or the external TV antenna 6. Further, the user terminal 2a can be realized by the same hardware configuration as that of the first embodiment, and the content distribution server 4 can be realized by a server having the same function as that of the first embodiment.

  Next, the outline of the configuration of the user terminal 2a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the configuration of the user terminal 2a in the present embodiment. The user terminal 2a includes the user terminal 2 except that the user terminal 2a further includes a priority level changing unit (priority level changing unit) 51 and a first priority level setting unit (first priority level setting unit) 52 shown in FIG. It has the same member.

  First, the priority level changing unit 51 sets the priority level set for the plurality of content distribution servers 4 in the first priority level setting unit 52 described later by the user input to the operation input unit 21 (user content selection result). ). The first priority level setting unit 52 sets a priority level for each of the plurality of content distribution servers 4 based on the viewing history information stored in the operation history information storage unit 23.

  Next, the operation flow of the user terminal 2a will be described with reference to FIG. The operation flow in the content guidance system 1a is the same except for steps S3, S4, and S9 in the flowchart of FIG. 6 described in the above embodiment.

  First, in step S21, a built-in timer (not shown) for measuring time is set to 0, and the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, the content list creation request unit 27 transmits a content list creation request to all communicable content distribution servers 4, and the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the content list creation request unit 27 determines whether or not the transmission of the content list creation request to all of the communicable content distribution servers 4 has been completed. If all transmissions have been completed (Yes in step S23), the process proceeds to step S24. If all transmissions have not been completed (No in step S23), the process returns to step S22 and the flow is repeated.

  In step S24, the content list transmitted from the second communication unit 43 of the content distribution server 4 is received, and the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, the first communication unit 28 determines whether or not the reception of the content list from all the content distribution servers 4 that transmitted the content list creation request has been completed. If reception of the content list from all the content distribution servers 4 that transmitted the content list creation request has been completed (Yes in step S25), the reception of the content list is terminated and the flow ends. If reception of the content list from all the content distribution servers 4 that transmitted the content list creation request has not been completed (No in step S25), the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S26, it is determined whether or not the time measured by the timer set in step S21 has passed a predetermined time. If the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in step S26), the reception of the content list is terminated and the flow is terminated. If the predetermined time has not elapsed (No in step S26), the process returns to step S24 to repeat the flow. Note that the predetermined time here can be arbitrarily set, and for example, the predetermined time can be set to 10 seconds or the like.

  Next, the operation of the “sorting guide content in order of priority” portion corresponding to step S9 in the content guidance system 1a, which is different from the operation in the content guidance system 1, will be described.

  First, in the content guidance system 1a, as in the content guidance system 1, the guidance content determination unit 29 is the same as that in the first embodiment for all contents included in the content list received by the first communication unit 28. Calculate the content priority with the method. In the content guidance system 1a, unlike the content guidance system 1, correction is performed for each content list of each content distribution server 4 as shown in the following formula (1).

Score = Sr × Ws (1)
Score: corrected content priority Sr: content priority Ws: priority level for content distribution server s Note that the value of Ws is (number of content views of content distribution server s + correction value) / ((individual content distribution server The total number of content viewing numbers + correction value) is calculated. Further, s is for distinguishing each of the plurality of content distribution servers 4. When there are three content distribution servers 4, for example, the priority levels of the three content distribution servers 4 are set to W ₁ and W, respectively. ₂ , W _3, and the like.

  Further, the number of contents for each content distribution server 4 is obtained from the viewing history stored as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the correction value is set to 10 as an example. However, the correction value is not limited to this, and other values may be used. Moreover, the above formula (1) is an example of the calculation performed by the guidance content determination unit 29 of the content guidance system 1a, and the use of other calculations does not affect the gist of the present invention.

  Then, the guidance content determination unit 29 of the content guidance system 1a sorts the content based on the corrected content priority obtained as described above, and the content presented as guidance content to the user by the guidance content presentation unit 32 Is determined (selected). The guidance content determination unit 29 may be configured to select a certain number of higher-order contents from the sorted contents and present the same genre contents together in the guidance content presentation unit 32.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 13, description will be given of the guidance content that is actually presented by the user terminals 2 and 2a based on the information of the viewing history of the user. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a viewing history in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the viewing history information includes the time when the user viewed the content, the content distribution server 4 that distributed the content viewed by the user (viewing content), the title of the viewing content, and the viewing content. Genre, detailed contents of viewing contents, and the like. Note that the viewing history information is not limited to this, and may include other information.

  In the present embodiment, the guidance content determination unit 29 selects the top 12 contents, collects the content by genre, and sets the presentation content presentation unit 32 as an example. Do. At this time, the genre name may be presented at the same time so as to assist the user in selecting content. It is also possible to present a content URL or the like so that the content distribution server can be understood.

  Actually, the guidance contents were determined by the user terminals 2 and 2a based on the viewing history shown in FIG. 13 and presented. As a result, the display screen shown in FIG. 9 was presented. As a result, as shown in the display example of FIG. 9, based on the viewing history of FIG. 13, the user terminal 2. 2 a determines the next content of the continuous series of content as the guidance content, and the guidance content presentation unit 32. It can be seen that Also, it can be seen that the content including the word “pirate” included in the title of the viewing history shown in FIG. 13 in the title is presented as the guidance content.

  As described above, in the user terminals 2 and 2a of the present invention, appropriate guidance content can be presented to the content distribution server 4 without sending personal information such as detailed preference information to the communication network (contents). Guidance) can be performed.

  Further, according to the present invention, since it is not necessary to send personal information unnecessary for content guidance to the content distribution server 4, it is possible to provide a sense of security to the user and reduce the amount of communication. In the content distribution server 4 as well, it is not necessary to manage user IDs, viewing histories, etc. for each individual user and perform user authentication at the time of access, so the load on the content distribution server 4 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the viewing history is managed by the user terminal 2, it is integrated with the viewing history of the content in the device (content playback device) that plays back the content that is not directly connected to the IP network used by the user. Is easily possible. As a result, it is possible to use the content viewing history on the content reproduction apparatus not directly connected to the IP network for the determination of the guidance content, so that the content viewed in the past is not presented to the user. That is, the user can select unviewed content without being bothered by unnecessary viewed content.

  When determining the content of the continuous series as the guidance content, flexible operation such as guidance of the first content or guidance of the subsequent content viewed on another terminal is also possible. Furthermore, by grasping the operation status / history of the user terminal or home appliances that can communicate with the user terminal, the user's status can be estimated, and the content can be guided according to the user's status. For example, it is possible to provide a guide for contents of different genres such as news for work mornings and movies on holidays.

  In the user terminal 2 of the present invention, the viewing related information may include information derived from the preference database. Note that the information derived from the preference database quantifies at least the user's favorite genre, the user's favorite performer name, the user's favorite word, or the relationship between the user's preference and each of the plurality of features of the content. It includes any information of user preference vector information that is expressed as a multidimensional vector having values as elements. The term “user preference vector” here is also expressed as a semantic vector or preference vector, meaning user preference and many features (bright, dark, fun, interesting, etc.). The relationship is expressed numerically and expressed as a multidimensional vector whose elements are numerical values representing features. The numerical value is defined so as to have a larger value as the relationship with each feature element is larger, for example.

  As a result, information added to the content distribution server 4 from the user terminal 2, for example, genre information such as “soccer” and “SF movie”, keywords such as performers and team names, derived from the preference database, It can be sent as information that can be used to create a list.

  Furthermore, in the user terminal 2 of the present invention, the content list creation requesting unit 27 sends a user as guidance content to each of the plurality of content distribution servers 4 based on all the content lists received from the content distribution server 4. The content to be presented may be determined.

  Thus, by sending a content list creation request to a plurality of content distribution servers 4, it is possible to present more guidance content to the user, and when the load on a specific content distribution server 4 is high, By avoiding communication with the content distribution server 4, a more comfortable content viewing environment can be realized.

  Further, the user terminal 2 of the present invention may be configured to further include priority level changing means for changing the priority level set for the plurality of content distribution servers 4 in accordance with the content selection result of the user.

  Thus, the priority level set for each content distribution server 4 is created by the same content distribution server 4 by dynamically changing the priority level, for example, so as to increase the priority level for the content distribution server 4 viewed by the user. Opportunities for the content in the content list to be presented as higher-level guidance content are increased. Therefore, the opportunity to select the content distribution server 4 that can present appropriate content increases, and the selection of the content distribution server 4 that is more suitable for the user can be realized with a simple operation that does not place a burden on the user. Therefore, the content distribution server 4 can focus on providing a content list that can be selected by the user as in the case of the current TV broadcast, and the user can view the content that suits his / her preference based on the result. A synergistic effect will occur.

  Further, the content distribution server 4 of the present invention may be configured to add content that the content provider wants to uniquely present to the user in addition to the content list created based on the information sent from the user terminals 2 and 2a. .

  Furthermore, in the content distribution server 4 of the present invention, the content list creation unit 41 may be configured to create a content list including information indicating priority levels that can be defined by the content provider.

  In the content guidance system 1 or 1a of the present invention, the content list created by the content list creation unit 41 of the content distribution server 4 includes information indicating priorities that can be defined by the content provider, and includes user terminals 2 and 2a. The guide content determination unit 29 may determine the content to be presented to the user as the guide content based on the priority level included in the content list.

  In the content guidance systems 1 and 1a according to the present invention, the content distribution server 4 adds an expiration date information adding unit that adds expiration date information, which is information indicating an expiration date, to the content list created by the content list creation unit 41. 49, the user terminal 2 or 2a includes a result holding unit 30 that holds a determination result obtained by executing the determination by the guidance content determination unit 29 in advance until the expiration date indicated by the expiration date information, and the validity Based on the time limit information, when it is determined that the determination result held in the result holding unit 30 has exceeded the expiration date, an instruction to create a new content list from the content list creation request unit 27 is issued. A content list creation request instructing unit 31 to be performed and the result holding unit 30 store the content list according to the user's operation on the user terminals 2 and 2a. A guide content presentation unit 32 for presenting the determination result is the user may be further provided configure.

  As a result, the expiration date information can be provided in the content list, so that it is possible to prevent the content that has passed the expiration date from being presented, and a series of processing (determination by the guidance content determination unit 29) necessary for the content guidance service is executed in advance. Even in such a case, the latest guidance content can be provided to the user.

In the present embodiment, the content list creation unit 41 is configured to create a content list based on the content list creation request and the viewing-related information, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the content list creation unit 41 may be configured to create a content list based only on a content list creation request. in this case,
In the content distribution server 4, a content list is created by the content list creation unit 41 in accordance with the content list creation request in descending order of the number of content views in a predetermined period, for example, one week, without using viewing-related information. do it.

  In addition, the content list creation unit 41 generates a content list based on a plurality of predetermined periods in the content distribution server 4, for example, in the order of the most viewed content in the past 3 days as a short term and the past month as a long term. There may be. In this way, a content list that includes both content linked to recent topics and content that has been viewed stably over the long term can be created by referring to all of the content views in multiple types of periods. It can be generated by the content list creation unit 41.

  In this embodiment, the guidance content determination unit 29 is configured to determine the guidance content based on the preference database. However, the guidance content determination unit 29 is not necessarily limited to this. A configuration may be adopted in which guidance content is determined based on information stored in the information storage unit 23. In this case, first, the user terminals 2 and 2a store the content distribution server 4 in the operation history information storage unit 23, and information on the content that the user has viewed immediately before, for example, information on the content genre or performers, etc. The content list creation request may be sent. Then, the content distribution server 4 may search for content having information common to the received information, and the content list creation unit 41 may generate a content list.

  In addition, in this Embodiment, although the user terminal 2 becomes a structure provided with the priority level change part 51, it is not necessarily this and the structure which is not provided with the priority level change part 51 may be sufficient.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the user terminal 2 becomes a structure provided with the 1st priority level setting part 52, it is not necessarily this, The structure which is not necessarily provided with the 1st priority level setting part 52 may be sufficient. .

  Note that, in the user terminal 2 or 2a of the present invention, the operation history information storage unit 23 that stores the user's viewing history information, and the viewing history information stored in the operation history information storage unit 23, the user A preference database creation unit 24 that creates a preference database (indicating user's preference characteristics) that is a set of information indicating the tendency of user preferences, and a preference database storage unit that stores the preference database created by the preference database creation unit 24 25, and the guidance content determination unit 29 is configured to determine content to be presented to the user as guidance content based on the preference database stored in the preference database storage unit 25 in addition to the content list. Also good.

  Finally, the operation input unit 21, the operation execution unit 22, the preference database creation unit 24, the viewing related information creation unit 26, the content list creation request unit 27, the first communication unit 28, the guidance content determination unit 29, the result holding unit 30, Content list creation request instruction unit 31, guidance content presentation unit 32, second priority level setting unit 33, content list creation unit 41, second communication unit 43, additional content selection unit 44, additional content addition unit 45, identification information addition unit 46, the content distribution server side input unit 47, the third priority level setting unit 48, the priority level changing unit 51, and the first priority level setting unit 52 may be configured by hardware logic, or as described below. It may be realized by software using

  That is, the user terminal 2 and the content distribution server 4 include a CPU (central processing unit) that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a ROM (read only memory) that stores the program, and a RAM ( random access memory), a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data. The object of the present invention is to record the program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of the control program for the user terminal 2 and the content distribution server 4 which is software for realizing the above-described functions so as to be read by a computer. This can also be achieved by supplying the recorded medium to the user terminal 2 and the content distribution server 4, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) reading out and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium.

  Examples of the recording medium include tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, and disks including optical disks such as CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  Further, the user terminal 2 and the content distribution server 4 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Also, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and the present invention can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the user terminal, the distribution server, the control program thereof, the computer-readable recording medium storing the control program, the content guidance system, and the control method of the present invention require high-speed processing capability in the user terminal. In addition, it is possible to guide content without handling personal information that requires user authentication on the server side. Therefore, the present invention can be suitably used in industrial fields related to devices such as personal computers and televisions capable of reproducing broadband content, as well as recording and reproducing devices.

It is a functional block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the user terminal in this invention. It is a hardware block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the content guidance system in this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows one Embodiment of a content delivery server. It is a figure which shows the flow of the data among the remote control device in this invention, a user terminal, and a content delivery server. It is the figure which showed an example of the metadata of the content in this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow in the said content guidance system. It is the figure which showed an example of the genre code list in this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the preference database in this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of a display of the guidance content in this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows other one Embodiment of the content guidance system in this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows other one Embodiment of the user terminal in this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow in the said content guidance system. It is the figure which showed an example of the viewing history in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Content guidance system 1a Content guidance system 2 User terminal 2a User terminal 3 Communication network 4 Content distribution server (distribution server)
21 Operation Input Unit 22 Operation Execution Unit 23 Operation History Information Storage Unit (User Viewing History Information Storage Unit)
24 preference database creation part (preference database creation means)
25 preference database storage unit 26 viewing related information creation unit (viewing related information creation means)
27 Content list creation request section (content list creation request means)
28 1st communication part (1st communication means)
29 Guide content determination unit (guide content determination means)
30 result holding unit 31 content list creation request instructing unit (content list creation request instructing means)
32 Guidance content presentation unit (determination result presentation means)
33 Second priority level setting unit (second priority level setting means)
41 Content list creation unit (content list creation means)
42 content storage unit 43 second communication unit (second communication means)
44 Additional content selection unit (additional content selection means)
45 Additional content adding section (additional content adding means)
46 Identification information adding unit (identification information adding means)
47 Content distribution server side input unit 48 Third priority level setting unit (third priority level setting means)
49 Expiration date information giving unit (expiration date information giving means)
51 Priority level changing section (priority level changing means)
52 1st priority level setting part (1st priority level setting means)

Claims (30)

A user terminal that receives content distributed from a distribution server and reproduces the content for viewing.
Content list creation request means for requesting the delivery server to create a content list that is a list of a part of the content of the delivery server;
First communication means for receiving from the distribution server a content list created by selecting content based on a request to create the content list at the distribution server;
A user terminal comprising: guide content determination means for determining content to be presented to a user as guide content that is recommended content to the user based on the content list received from the distribution server. A user viewing history information storage unit for storing user viewing history information;
The guidance content determination means determines content to be presented to a user as guidance content based on the viewing history information stored in the user viewing history information storage unit in addition to the content list. Item 4. The user terminal according to Item 1. A preference database creating means for creating a preference database that is a set of information indicating a tendency of user preference based on the viewing history information stored in the user viewing history information storage unit;
A preference database storage unit for storing a preference database created by the preference database creation means,
In addition to the content list, the guidance content determination means determines content to be presented to the user as guidance content based on the preference database information stored in the preference database storage instead of the viewing history information. The user terminal according to claim 2. It further includes viewing related information creating means for creating viewing related information that is information related to viewing of content that can be used for selecting content in the distribution server, and does not include information that can identify an individual.
The content list creation request means sends a request for creation of the content list to the distribution server, and simultaneously sends the viewing-related information to the distribution server,
The said 1st communication means receives the content list produced | generated based on the said viewing relevant information by the request | requirement of creation of the said content list in the said delivery server from the said delivery server. A user terminal given in any 1 paragraph.   The personally identifiable information includes at least information for identifying content viewed by the user, information on the user's address, name, telephone number, or Web service ID and password. Item 5. A user terminal according to Item 4.   The user terminal according to claim 4, wherein the viewing-related information includes information derived from the preference database.   The information derived from the preference database is a value obtained by quantifying at least the user's favorite genre, the user's favorite performer name, the user's favorite word, or the relationship between the user's preference and each of the plurality of characteristics of the content. 7. The user terminal according to claim 6, comprising any information of user preference vector information that is expressed as a multidimensional vector having an element as an element.   The user terminal according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the viewing-related information includes time information necessary for reproduction of content desired by the user.   The user terminal according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the viewing-related information includes cost information necessary for viewing the content desired by the user.   The content guidance system according to claim 4, wherein the viewing-related information includes only attribute information that is user attribute information.   The attribute information includes at least one of a user's gender, a user's age, a user's residence prefecture, and the presence or absence of a minor under a predetermined age in a cohabiting family. User terminal. The content list creation request means requests each of a plurality of distribution servers to create the content list,
The first communication means receives the content list created based on the request for creating the content list at each of the plurality of distribution servers from each of the plurality of distribution servers,
The said guidance content determination means determines the content shown to a user as said guidance content based on all the said content lists received from said several delivery server, The any one of Claims 1-11 characterized by the above-mentioned. The user terminal according to item. A first priority level setting means for setting a priority level for each of the plurality of distribution servers;
The user terminal according to claim 12, wherein the guidance content determination unit further determines content to be presented to the user as the guidance content based on a priority level set in each of the plurality of distribution servers. .   The user terminal according to claim 13, further comprising priority level changing means for changing the priority level set for the plurality of distribution servers in accordance with a user's content selection result. The content list creation request means requests the same distribution server to create a plurality of types of content lists,
The first communication means receives from the same distribution server a plurality of types of content lists created by the same distribution server based on the request for creation of the plurality of types of content lists,
The said guidance content determination means determines the content shown to a user as said guidance content based on the said several types of content list received from the said same delivery server, The any one of Claims 1-14 characterized by the above-mentioned. The user terminal according to item 1. A second priority level setting means for setting a priority level for each of the plurality of types of content lists;
16. The user according to claim 15, wherein the guidance content determination unit further determines content to be presented to the user as the guidance content based on a priority level set for each of the plurality of types of content lists. Terminal. A distribution server that distributes content to user terminals,
Content list creation means for creating a content list based on a request to create a content list that is a list of a part of contents of the distribution server transmitted from the user terminal;
And a second communication means for transmitting the created content list to the user terminal.   The content list creation means, in addition to a request to create the content list, does not include personally identifiable information transmitted from the user terminal, and can be used for content selection in the content list creation means. The distribution server according to claim 17, wherein the content list is created based on viewing-related information that is information related to content viewing. An additional content selection means for selecting additional content that is content that the content provider desires to present to the user in response to an input from the content provider;
The distribution server adds an additional content selected by the additional content selection unit to the content list created based on the request for creating the content list and the viewing-related information transmitted from the user terminal The distribution server according to claim 18, further comprising content adding means.   The distribution server according to claim 19, further comprising identification information adding means for adding information for identifying the additional content to the additional content.   The control program which operates a computer as said each means with which the user terminal of any one of Claims 1-16 is provided.   A control program for operating a computer as each of the means included in the distribution server according to any one of claims 17 to 20.   A computer-readable recording medium in which the control program according to claim 21 or 22 is recorded. The user terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
The distribution server according to any one of claims 17 to 20,
A content guidance system including a communication network used for communication between the user terminal and the distribution server. The distribution server further includes third priority level setting means for setting a priority level for each content in the content list created by the content list creating means in accordance with an input from a content provider,
The content guidance according to claim 24, wherein the guidance content determination unit further determines content to be presented to the user as the guidance content based on the priority level set by the third priority level setting unit. system. The distribution server further includes expiration date information adding means for adding expiration date information, which is information indicating an expiration date, to the content list created by the content list creation means,
The user terminal holds a determination result obtained by executing the determination by the guidance content determination unit in advance until an expiration date indicated by the expiration date information;
Based on the expiration date information, when it is determined that the determination result held in the result holding unit exceeds the expiration date, an instruction to create a new content list from the content list creation request unit Content list creation request instruction means for performing
The content guidance according to claim 24 or 25, further comprising determination result presenting means for presenting a determination result held in the result holding unit to a user in response to an operation on the user terminal by the user. system. A method for controlling a user terminal that receives content distributed from a distribution server and reproduces the content for viewing.
A content list creation requesting step for requesting the delivery server to create a content list that is a list of a part of the contents of the delivery server by the content list creation request means;
A first communication step of receiving, from the distribution server, a content list created by selecting content based on a request to create the content list in the distribution server by the first communication means;
A guidance content determination step of determining content to be presented to the user as guidance content that is recommended to the user based on the content list received from the distribution server by the guidance content determination means. . Based on the viewing history information stored in the user viewing history information storage unit that stores the user viewing history information by the preference database creating means, a preference database that is a set of information indicating the tendency of the user's preference is created. It further includes a preference database creation step to create,
A preference database storage unit for storing the preference database created in the preference database creation step,
In the guidance content determination step, content presented to the user as guidance content based on the preference database stored in the preference database storage unit that stores the preference database created in the preference database creation step in addition to the content list The control method according to claim 27, wherein: A method for controlling a distribution server for distributing content to a user terminal,
A content list creating step of creating a content list based on a request to create a content list, which is a list of contents, transmitted from the user terminal by the content list creating means;
And a second communication step of transmitting the content list created in the content list creation step to the user terminal by a second communication means.   In the content list creation step, in addition to a request to create the content list, the content list creation means does not include information that can be used to identify an individual transmitted from the user terminal, and can be used to select content in the content list creation unit. 30. The control method according to claim 29, wherein a content list is created based on viewing-related information that is information related to viewing of content.

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