Information delivery system, information delivery method, information delivery server, content delivery server and client terminal

• US 20030154217A1
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Shunichi, Etoh, Minoru, Kinno, Akira, Yonemoto, Yoshifumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,269,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/71 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7343 Query language or query format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63775 for uploading keys, e.g. for a client to communicate its public key to the server key management H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The information delivery system is configured with a media database 1009 which stores media data, a sequence information database 1008 which stores sequence information for specifying the address of media data to deliver, a scene searcher 1005 which verifies the sequence information according to a request of the controlling media received from client terminal 1000 and retrieves appropriate media data from the media database 1009 starting from a prescribed point based on a result of the verification, and an output unit 1006 which delivers the retrieved media data to the client terminal 1000.

Claims

1. An information delivery system for delivering media data such as audio and video to a client terminal comprising:

a media storing unit configured to store the media data;

a sequence information storing unit configured to store sequence information for specifying an address at the beginning of the media data;

a media control request generator configured to generate a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and to add a scene identifier which specifies an elapsed time as well as the current scene being viewed to the generated media control request;

a retriever configured to receive the media control request, to verify the sequence information based on the received media control request and to retrieve media data starting from a prescribed point according to the result of the verification of the sequence information; and

a deliverer configured to deliver a retrieved media data to the client terminal.

2. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein meta-information which links text data describing a digest of each scene to an address of the scene is included in the sequence information,

a scene keyword which specifies a requested scene to view is included in the media control request, and

the retriever detects the text data based on the received scene keyword and retrieves the media data based on the address linked to the detected text data.

3. An information delivery system for delivering media data such as audio and video to a client terminal comprising:

a media storing unit configured to store the media data;

a meta-information storing unit configured to store meta-information which links text data describing a digest of each scene of the media data to an address of the scene;

a user database configured to store a user identifier of a user with linking to the access privileges of the user;

a media control request generator configured to generate a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and to add the user identifier to the generated media control request;

a authenticator configured to receive the media control request and to implement the access privileges of the user based on a search of the user database according to the received media control request;

a retriever configured to verify the meta-information based on the access privileges implemented by the authenticator and to retrieve media data starting from a prescribed point according to the result of the verification of the meta-information; and

a deliverer configured to deliver a retrieved media data to the client terminal.

4. An information delivery system according to claim 3, wherein information which specifies an allowable time range that the user can view and an order of viewing for each scene is included in the access privileges, and

the retriever retrieves the media data based on the information.

5. An information delivery system according to claim 4, wherein the deliverer delivers the information to a client terminal of the user as a presentation description data.

6. An information delivery system according to claim 5, wherein the deliverer adds a signature and a deliverer identifier that identifies the generation of the presentation description data to the presentation description data, and

the authenticator performs authentication of the presentation description data based on the signature and the deliverer identifier.

7. An information delivery method for delivering media data such as audio and video to a client terminal wherein the media data is stored in a media storing unit, and sequence information for specifying an address at the beginning of the media data is stored in a sequence information storing unit, comprising the steps of:

(1) generating a media control request at the client terminal, which requests delivery of the media data and adding a scene identifier which specifies an elapsed time as well as the current scene being viewed to the generated media control request;

(2) receiving the media control request at an information delivery server, to verify the sequence information based on the received media control request and retrieving media data from the media storing unit starting from a prescribed point according to the result of the verification of the sequence information; and

(3) delivering a retrieved media data to the client terminal.

8. An information delivery method according to claim 7, wherein meta-information which links text data describing a digest of each scene to an address of the scene is included in the sequence information,

a scene keyword which specifies a requested scene to view is included in the media control request, and

at a step (2), the text data based on the received scene keyword is detected and the media data based on the address linked to the detected text data is retrieved.

9. An information delivery method for delivering media data such as audio and video to a client terminal wherein the media data is stored in a media storing unit, meta-information which links text data describing a digest of each scene of the media data to an address of the scene is stored in a meta-information storing unit and a user identifier of a user with linking to the access privileges of the user is stored in a user database, comprising the steps of:

(4) generating a media control request at the client terminal, which requests delivery of the media data and adding the user identifier to the generated media control request;

(5) receiving the media control request at an information delivery server and implementing the access privileges of the user based on a search of the user database according to the received media control request;

(6) verifying the meta-information based on the access privileges implemented and retrieving media data starting from a prescribed point according to the result of the verification of the meta-information; and

(7) delivering a retrieved media data to the client terminal.

10. An information delivery method according to claim 9, wherein information which specifies an allowable time range that the user can view and an order of viewing for each scene is included in the access privileges, and

at a step (6), the media data is retrieved based on the information.

11. An information delivery method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of delivering the information to a client terminal of the user as a presentation description data.

12. An information delivery method according to claim 11, wherein a signature and a deliverer identifier that identifies the generation of the presentation description data are added to the presentation description data, and

at a step (6), performing authentication of the presentation description data based on the signature and the deliverer identifier.

13. An information delivery server for delivering media data such as audio and video to a client terminal comprising:

a media storing unit configured to store the media data;

a sequence information storing unit configured to store sequence information for specifying an address at the beginning of the media data;

a media control request receiver configured to receive a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and which a scene identifier is added for specifying an elapsed time as well as the current scene being viewed at the client terminal;

a retriever configured to receive the media control request, to verify the sequence information based on the received media control request and to retrieve media data starting from a prescribed point according to the result of the verification of the sequence information; and

a deliverer configured to deliver a retrieved media data to the client terminal.

14. An information delivery server according to claim 13, wherein meta-information which links text data describing a digest of each scene to an address of the scene is included in the sequence information,

a scene keyword which specifies a requested scene to view is included in the media control request, and

the retriever detects the text data based on the received scene keyword and retrieves the media data based on the address linked to the detected text data.

15. An information delivery server for delivering media data such as audio and video to a client terminal comprising:

a media storing unit configured to store the media data;

a meta-information storing unit configured to store meta-information which links text data describing a digest of each scene of the media data to an address of the scene;

a user database configured to store a user identifier of a user with linking to the access privileges of the user;

a media control request receiver configured to receive a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and which the user identifier is added;

a authenticator configured to implement the access privileges of the user based on a search of the user database according to the received media control request;

a presentation description data generator configured to verify the meta-information based on the access privileges implemented by the authenticator and to generate a presentation description data that includes an address at the beginning of the requested media data according to the result of the verification.

16. An information delivery server according to claim 15, wherein information which specifies an allowable time range that the user can view and an order of viewing for each scene is included in the access privileges, and

the presentation description data generator adds the information to the presentation description data.

17. An information delivery server according to claim 16, wherein the presentation description data generator adds a signature and a deliverer identifier that identifies the generation of the presentation description data to the presentation description data.

18. A content delivery server for delivering media data such as audio and video to a client terminal comprising:

a media storing unit configured to store the media data;

a sequence information storing unit configured to store sequence information for specifying an address at the beginning of the media data;

a media control request receiver configured to receive a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and which includes the presentation description data for specifying an address at the beginning of the media data based on the access privileges of a user and an elapsed time of the media data currently being viewed at the client terminal;

a retriever configured to verify the sequence information based on the received media control request and to retrieve media data from the media storing unit starting from a prescribed point according to the result of the verification of the sequence information; and

a deliverer configured to deliver a retrieved media data to the client terminal.

19. A content delivery server according to claim 18, wherein information which specifies an allowable time range that the user can view and an order of viewing for each scene is included in the access privileges, and

the retriever retrieves the media data based on the information.

20. A content delivery server according to claim 19, further comprising an authenticator configured to authenticate an encrypted signature using a public key which pairs with a secret key that is issued for the client terminal.

21. A client terminal for receiving media data such as audio and video from an information delivery server comprising:

a media control request generator configured to generate a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and which a scene identifier is added for specifying an elapsed time as well as the current scene being viewed;

a transmitter configured to transmit the generated media control request to the information delivery server; and

a receiver configured to receive a media data which is retrieved from a prescribed point according to the transmitted media control request.

22. A client terminal according to claim 21, wherein a scene keyword which specifies a requested scene to view is included in the media control request.

23. A client terminal for receiving media data such as audio and video from an information delivery server comprising:

a media control request generator configured to generate a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and which a user identifier is added for identifying a user;

a transmitter configured to transmit the generated media control request to the information delivery server; and

a receiver configured to receive a media data which is retrieved from a prescribed point according to the access privileges implemented based on the user identifier.

24. A client terminal according to claim 23, wherein information which specifies an allowable time range that the user can view and an order of viewing for each scene is included in the access privileges, and

the media data is retrieved based on the information.

25. A client terminal according to claim 24, wherein the receiver receives the information from the information delivery server as a presentation description data and the transmitter transmits the media control request based on the received presentation description data.

26. A client terminal for receiving media data such as audio and video from an information delivery server comprising:

a media control request generator configured to generate a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and which includes the presentation description data for specifying an address at the beginning of the media data based on the access privileges of a user and an elapsed time of the media data currently being viewed;

a transmitter configured to transmit the generated media control request to the information delivery server; and

a receiver configured to receive a media data which is retrieved from a prescribed point according to the presentation description data and the current elapsed time being viewed at the client terminal.

27. A client terminal according to claim 26, wherein the media control request generator adds a client terminal identifier for identifying a client terminal and a user identifier for identifying the user of the client terminal.