Content distribution system that distributes line of stream data generated by splicing plurality of pieces of stream data

• US 20030212810A1
• Filed: 03/26/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tokuda, Hirokazu, Tsusaka, Yuko, Iwata, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,340,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2622 Signal amplitude transition in the zone between image portions, e.g. soft edges

Abstract

A content distribution system according to the present invention accepts content request information from a user terminal, and detects and extracts pieces of stream data of programs and commercial messages based on a keyword contained in the content request information. When splicing an extracted piece of stream data of the program with an extracted piece of stream data of the commercial message, a transition effect is added to a splicing point therebetween. A line of stream data that is generated by splicing the pieces of stream data is distributed to the user terminal.

Claims

1. A content distribution system, comprising:

a storing unit operable to store a plurality of pieces of stream data;

an accepting unit operable to accept content request information from a user terminal;

an extracting unit operable to extract more than one piece of stream data from the storing unit, according to the accepted content request information;

a determining unit operable to determine whether or not to add a transition effect to a splicing point;

a splicing unit operable to splice the pieces of extracted stream data into a line of stream data, and to add the transition effect to the splicing point when a result of the determination is affirmative; and

a distributing unit operable to distribute the generated line of stream data to the user terminal.

2. A content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

the storing unit stores the pieces of stream data respectively in correspondence with pieces of attribute information which each indicate an attribute of the piece of stream data to which the attribute corresponds, and

the determining unit determines affirmative when only one out of two pieces of stream data to be spliced has a specific attribute.

3. A content distribution system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a setting unit operable to set, based on payment information contained in content request information, a number of pieces of stream data having the specific attribute and to be extracted from the storing unit, wherein

the specific attribute is a commercial message attribute indicating that a piece of stream data is a commercial message, and the payment information indicates an amount of payment that the user pays for a content.

4. A content distribution system according to claim 3, wherein

the storing unit stores identifying information for identifying a type of the transition effect in correspondence with each of the pieces of stream data excluding the pieces of stream data having the commercial message attribute, and

the splicing unit adds, when the result of the determination is affirmative, the transition effect of the type indicated by the identifying information corresponding to another of the two pieces of the extracted stream data that does not have the commercial message attribute.

5. A content distribution system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a personal information storing unit operable to store personal information of the user; and

a selecting unit operable to select the type of the transition effect to be added, according to the personal information, wherein

the splicing unit adds the selected transition effect to the splicing point when the result of the determination is affirmative.

6. A content distribution system according to claim 3, wherein

the storing unit stores position information indicating a position where insertion of the commercial message is allowed on a reproducing time-line of the piece of stream data without the commercial message attribute,

the splicing unit inserts the piece of stream data having the commercial message attribute into the piece of stream data without the commercial message attribute at the position indicated by the position information in the piece of stream data without the commercial message attribute by priority, and splices the piece of stream data having the commercial message attribute and the piece of stream data without the commercial message attribute.

7. A content distribution system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a detecting unit operable to detect, based on keyword information, the piece of stream data associated with a stream data keyword stored in the storing unit, the keyword information indicating a user keyword associated with the content requested by the user and being contained in the content request information, wherein

the extracting unit extracts the piece of stream data detected by the detecting unit from the storing unit.

8. A method for distributing a content, comprising:

accepting content request information from a user terminal;

extracting more than one piece of stream data from a storing unit, according to the accepted content request information;

determining whether or not to add a transition effect to a splicing point;

splicing the pieces of extracted stream data into a line of stream data, and adding the transition effect to the splicing point when a result of said determining is affirmative; and

distributing the generated line of stream data to the user terminal.

9. A computer program for a content distribution system having a CPU, comprising instructions for the CPU to instruct the content distribution system or the CPU to:

accept content request information from a user terminal;

extract more than one piece of stream data from a storing unit, according to the accepted content request information;

determine whether or not to add a transition effect to a splicing point;

splice the pieces of extracted stream data into a line of stream data, and to add the transition effect to the splicing point when a result of the determination is affirmative; and

distribute the generated line of stream data to the user terminal.

10. A storage medium that stores a computer program for a content distribution system having a CPU,

the computer program comprising instructions for the CPU to instruct the content distribution system or the CPU to:

accept content request information from a user terminal;

extract more than one piece of stream data from a storing unit, according to the accepted content request information;

determine whether or not to add a transition effect to a splicing point;

splice the pieces of extracted stream data into a line of stream data, and to add the transition effect to the splicing point when a result of the determination is affirmative; and

distribute the generated line of stream data to the user terminal.