Information processing apparatus, log accumulation control device, contents delivery control device, and contents delivery systems using these

• US 20020083162A1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Oeda, Shigeto, Ito, Hiromichi, Ozaki, Tomochika, Naito, Akira, Shinagawa, Tetsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,275,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An apparatus for offering a device operation history of a user to the outside as log information has not allowed for the fact that the ratio or proportion of disclosure of the log information is fixed, and the user sets and changes the proportion of disclosure of the log information according to user'"'"'s purposes.

An information processing apparatus such as an in-home device operated by a user is provided with a user-designated information accuracy setting means capable of setting log accuracy and a user-designated information notifying means capable of changing the ratio of disclosure of log information to an external device according to accuracy setting information set by the user-designated information accuracy setting means.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

user-designated information acquiring means for acquiring user-designated information including contents selection information of a user;

user-designated information notifying means for notifying the user-designated information to an external device; and

user-designated information accuracy setting means for specifying the ratio of disclosure of the acquired user-designated information to the external device,

whereby the user-designated information notifying means is controlled according to accuracy setting information of the user-designated information accuracy setting means to thereby transmit log information obtained by restricting the user-designated information with the accuracy setting information to the external device.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the log information obtained by restricting the user-designated information with the accuracy setting information is transmitted to the external device together with log accuracy information generated based on the accuracy setting information.

3. A information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further including AV function control means including any of a broadcast-type contents receiving function, a storage-type contents reproducing function, a contents recording function and an Internet access function, and herein at least part of the user-designated information is device operation information or contents selection information for the AV function control means.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further including pseudo information generating means capable of generating pseudo user-designated information, and wherein the user-designated information acquired from the user-designated information acquiring means is substituted with the pseudo user-designated information according to the accuracy setting information.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further including storing means capable of storing part of the log information or the log accuracy information transmitted to the external device, and wherein the storing means transmits the stored log information or log accuracy information to the external device.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user-designated information acquiring means acquires user-designated information from each of external AV devices respectively having AV function control means, which are independent of the information processing apparatus.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user-designated information acquiring means acquires user-designated information from a home appliance independent of the information processing apparatus.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a method for receiving contents information comprising both contents substantial information, and contents selection information for specifying a method of reproducing at least part of the contents substantial information, and reproducing the contents substantial information is determined according to contents selection information and user-designated information.

9. A log accumulation control device for restricting user-designated information including contents selection information of a user by accuracy setting information for specifying the ratio of disclosure of the user-designated information to an external device, and transmitting together with log accuracy information as log information together with log accuracy information generated based on the accuracy setting information, comprising:

accumulating means for receiving and accumulating the transmitted log information and log accuracy information; and

log storing means for recording the individual log information as at least two log information set according to accuracy, according to the log accuracy information.

10. A log accumulation control device for restricting user-designated information including contents selection information of a user by accuracy setting information for specifying the ratio of disclosure of the user-designated information to an external device, and transmitting the user-designated information as log information together with log accuracy information generated based on the accuracy setting information, comprising:

accumulating means for receiving and accumulating the transmitted log information and log accuracy information; and

log storing means for recording the log accuracy information and the log information, which generates by-accuracy log information designated based on log accuracy designation information requested from outside and transmits the same to the outside.

11. A contents delivery control device suitable for use in an information processing apparatus for restricting user-designated information including contents selection information of a user by accuracy setting information for specifying the ratio of disclosure of the user-designated information to an external device, comprising:

contents recording means for storing contents information comprising both contents selection information for specifying a method of reproducing contents substantial information, based on information transmitted as log information, and the contents substantial information,

contents managing means for selecting the contents information recorded in the contents recording means; and

delivering means for transmitting the selected contents information to the information processing apparatus.

14. The contents delivering system according to claim 13, further including a log operating unit comprising,

at least one log acquiring means for transmitting the log accuracy designation information to the log accumulation control device and receiving by-accuracy log information transmitted from the log accumulation control device;

and

at least one contents information sending means for transmitting contents substantial information corresponding to the received by-accuracy log information to the contents delivery control device.

12. A contents delivering system comprising:

an information processing apparatus for restricting user-designated information including contents selection information of a user by accuracy setting information for specifying the ratio of disclosure of the user-designated information to an external device, and transmitting the user-designated information to a log accumulation control device as log information together with log accuracy information generated based on the accuracy setting information;

the log accumulation control device for receiving, accumulating and recording the transmitted log information and log accuracy information and generating and transmitting by-accuracy log information designated based on required log accuracy designation information; and

a contents delivery control device for storing contents information comprising contents substantial information generated based on the by-accuracy log information transmitted from the log accumulation control device and contents selection information for specifying a method of reproducing the contents substantial information, selecting the stored contents information, and transmitting the selected contents information to the information processing apparatus.

13. A contents delivering system comprising:

an information processing apparatus including,

user-designated information acquiring means for acquiring user-designated information including contents selection information of a user;

user-designated information notifying means for notifying the user-designated information to each of external devices; and

user-designated information accuracy setting means for specifying the ratio of disclosure of the acquired user-designated information to the external device,

said information processing apparatus controlling the user-designated information notifying means according to accuracy setting information outputted from the user-designated information accuracy setting means and transmitting log information obtained by restricting the user-designated information with the accuracy setting information from the user-designated information notifying means to a log accumulation control device together with log accuracy information generated based on the accuracy setting information;

the log accumulation control device including,

accumulating means for receiving and accumulating the transmitted log information and log accuracy information; and

log storing means for recording the log accuracy information and the log information,

said log accumulation control device generating and transmitting by-accuracy log information designated based on required log accuracy designation information; and

a contents delivery control device including,

contents recording means for storing contents information comprising both contents substantial information generated based on the by-accuracy log information transmitted from the log accumulation control device, and contents selection information for specifying a method of reproducing the contents substantial information;

contents managing means for selecting the contents information recorded in the contents recording means; and

delivering means. for transmitting the selected contents information to the information processing apparatus.