Data adapting device, data adapting method, storage medium, and program

• US 20020184622A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Munetsugu, Toshihiko, Emura, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/926 by pulse code modulation H04N5/919 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

The present invention makes it possible to achieve data adaptation in accordance with a user'"'"'s preferences, by holding a user'"'"'s preference information for each content as user preferences, selecting a data segment according to user preferences, and performing resolution conversion on the basis of segment priority level and terminal capability, thereby enabling data adaptation to be performed for each content in a form the user wishes to see.

Claims

1. A content adaptation apparatus comprising:

a content data acquisition section which acquires content and metadata of said content;

a user preference acquisition section which acquires user preference information relating to a user'"'"'s preferences; and

a user adaptation section which adapts said content to said user preferences using said metadata.

2. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user preference information is composed of user points of view for selecting arbitrary said segments from segments of said content.

3. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said user points of view are assigned a user priority level for each said user point of view.

4. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said metadata is composed of a segment point of view assigned to each said segment and indicating the contents of said segment, and a segment priority level assigned to each said segment point of view.

5. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said user adaptation section extracts said segment point of view from said metadata, compares said extracted segment point of view with said user point of view included in said user preference information, and extracts said segment that has a matching said segment point of view.

6. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said user adaptation section extracts said segment point of view and said segment priority level from said metadata, compares said extracted segment point of view with said user point of view included in said user preference information, and extracts a plurality of said segments that have a matching said segment point of view in high-to-low order of said segment priority level.

7. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said metadata is composed of a segment point of view assigned to each said segment and indicating the contents of said segment, and a segment priority level assigned to each said segment point of view.

8. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said user adaptation section extracts said segment points of view from said metadata, compares said extracted segment points of view in order from a first user point of view to which a first user priority level was assigned to a second user point of view to which a second user priority level that is a lower user priority level than said first user priority level was assigned, and after extracting said segment that has said segment point of view matching said first user point of view, extracts said segment that has said segment point of view that has said second user point of view.

9. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said user preference information includes display duration information for said content.

10. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said user adaptation section extracts a number of said segments that can be displayed within the time indicated by said display duration information.

11. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said user preference information includes display spatial range information or display position information for said content.

12. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said user adaptation section extracts a number of said segments that can be displayed within the position range indicated by said display spatial range information or said display position information.

13. The data adaptation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein with regard to said content, when there is a plurality of said segments that have the same said segment point of view, said same segment point of view is added to one of said segments that have said same segment point of view, and link information for said same segment point of view is added for other said segments that have said same segment point of view.

14. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said content further comprises a segment point of view table that contains a plurality of said segment points of view assigned to an included plurality of said segments.

15. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said segment point of view has link information that provides correspondence between said segment point of view and a target said segment.

16. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said segment has link information that provides correspondence between said segment and a target said segment point of view.

17. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a terminal information acquisition section which acquires terminal information that is the processing capability of a terminal that performs predetermined processing in said content adapted to said user preference information; and

a resolution conversion section which performs resolution conversion of said adapted content according to said terminal information.

18. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a network output section which outputts to a network said content adapted to said user preference information;

a network information acquisition section which acquires network information indicating the transmission band of said network; and

a network adaptation section which adjusts the data quantity of said adapted content to be transmitted via said network according to said network information.

19. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user preference information is stored beforehand in this apparatus.

20. The content adaptation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user preference information is sent from said terminal that performs predetermined processing in said content adapted to said user preference information via a network.

21. The data adaptation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user preferences are managed for each content identifier of said data.

22. The data adaptation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user preferences are defined by means of DTD of XML.

23. The data adaptation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user preferences are defined by means of XML Schema.

25. The content adaptation method according to claim 24, wherein:

said user preference information is composed of user points of view for selecting arbitrary said segments from segments of said content;

said metadata is composed of a segment point of view assigned to each said segment and indicating the contents of said segment, and a segment priority level assigned to each said segment point of view; and

said user adaptation step extracts said segment point of view from said metadata, compares said extracted segment point of view with said user point of view included in said user preference information, and extracts said segment that has a matching said segment point of view.

28. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 27, wherein:

said user preference information is composed of user points of view for selecting arbitrary said segments from segments of said content;

said metadata is composed of a segment point of view assigned to each said segment and indicating the contents of said segment, and a segment priority level assigned to each said segment point of view; and

said user adaptation step, in a computer, extracts said segment point of view from said metadata, compares said extracted segment point of view with said user point of view included in said user preference information, and extracts said segment that has a matching said segment point of view.

30. The program according to claim 29, wherein:

said user preference information is composed of user points of view for selecting arbitrary said segments from segments of said content;

said metadata is composed of a segment point of view assigned to each said segment and indicating the contents of said segment, and a segment priority level assigned to each said segment point of view; and

said user adaptation step, in a computer, extracts said segment point of view from said metadata, compares said extracted segment point of view with said user point of view included in said user preference information, and extracts said segment that has a matching said segment point of view.

24. A content adaptation method comprising:

a step of acquiring content and metadata of said content;

a step of acquiring user preference information relating to a user'"'"'s preferences; and

a step of adapting said content to said user preferences using said metadata.

26. A data adaptation method comprising:

a step of sending metadata of content from a server holding said content to a terminal apparatus via a network;

a step of comparing a segment point of view assigned to each segment of said metadata and indicating the contents of said segment, with a user point of view for selecting an arbitrary said segment from segments of said content, included in user preference information relating to a user'"'"'s preferences held beforehand in said terminal apparatus;

a step of sending the result of said comparison to said server; and

a step of said server selecting a segment of said content according to said result of said comparison, and transmitting the selected segment to said terminal apparatus.

27. In a computer, a computer-readable storage medium that stores a program comprising:

a step of acquiring content and metadata of said content;

a step of acquiring user preference information relating to a user'"'"'s preferences; and

a step of adapting said content to said user preferences using said metadata.

29. In a computer, a program comprising:

a step of acquiring content and metadata of said content;

a step of acquiring user preference information relating to a user'"'"'s preferences; and

a step of adapting said content to said user preferences using said metadata.