INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION DEVICE AND METHOD, AND INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

• US 20130276049A1
• Filed: 01/10/2012
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamagishi, Yasuaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,294,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

[Object] To improve efficiency of information distribution.

[Solution] A broadcast resource management server 12 obtains frequency usage state information from WSDBs 21-1 through 21-N when content to be distributed is provided, evaluates, based on the obtained frequency usage state information a distribution time slot to distribute content and a distribution frequency band to use for the distribution, notifies TVBDs 31-1 through 31-M of a distribution schedule so as to be in state capable of reception of the content to be distributed using the distribution frequency band in a distribution time slot, and the broadcast server 11 uses, when a distribution time slot arrives, the distribution frequency band to distribute the content to the TVBDs 31-1 through 31-M in a receivable state in accordance with the distribution schedule. The present invention can be applied to a content distribution system to perform distribution of the content.

Claims

1. An information distribution device comprising:

content obtaining means to obtain content to be distributed;

frequency usage state information obtaining means to obtain frequency usage state information relating to usage state of a frequency band for each time slot in each predetermined area;

distribution evaluation means to evaluate a distribution time slot to distribute the obtained content and a distribution frequency band to be used for the distribution, based on the obtained frequency usage state information;

distribution information notifying means to notify the distribution information for the content to be distributed using the distribution frequency band for the distribution time slot, as to a plurality of terminal devices within the areas; and

content distribution means to use, when the distribution time slot arrives, the distribution frequency band to distribute the obtained content to a plurality of terminal devices in a state capable of being distributed to in accordance with the distribution information.

2. The information distribution device according to claim 1, further comprising:

evaluation reference information obtaining means to obtain evaluation reference information which is a reference when evaluating the distribution time slot and distribution frequency band;

wherein the distribution evaluation means evaluate the distribution time slot and distribution frequency band, based on the obtained evaluation reference information.

3. The information distribution device according to claim 2, wherein the evaluation reference information is a reference to highly evaluate the cost of a time slot where viewing of the content by even more viewers is expected, and to highly evaluate the cost of a frequency band where an even higher distribution bit rate of the content is expected.

4. The information distribution device according to claim 2,

wherein the evaluation reference information is a reference to highly evaluate the cost of a time slot where viewing of the content by even more viewers is expected.

5. The information distribution device according to claim 2,

wherein the evaluation reference information is a reference to highly evaluate the cost of a frequency band where an even higher distribution bit rate of the content is expected.

6. The information distribution device according to claim 1,

wherein the frequency usage state information obtaining means obtain the frequency usage state information of each area from an information management device managing the frequency usage state information of each area.

7. The information distribution device according to claim 1,

wherein the information distribution device is configured of a distribution device and a management device;

and wherein the distribution device includes the content obtaining means and the content distribution means; and

and wherein the management device includes the frequency usage state information obtaining means, distribution evaluation means, and distribution information notifying means.

8. An information distribution method, including the steps of:

an information distribution device

obtaining content to be distributed;

obtaining frequency usage state information relating to an usage state of a frequency band for each time slot in each predetermined area;

evaluating a distribution time slot to distribute the obtained content and a distribution frequency band to use to the distribution, based on the obtained frequency usage state information;

notifying distribution information for the content to be distributed, using the distribution frequency band for the distribution time slot, as to a plurality of terminal devices within the areas; and

distributing, when the distribution time slot arrives, the obtained content, to a plurality of terminal devices in a state capable of being distributed to in accordance with the distribution information, using the distribution frequency band.

9. An information distribution system configured of an information distribution device, information management device, and a plurality of terminal devices;

the information distribution device including

content obtaining means to obtain content to be distributed,

frequency usage state information obtaining means to obtain frequency usage state information, from the information management device managing frequency usage state information relating to usage state of a frequency band for each time slot in each predetermined area,

distribution evaluation means to evaluate a distribution time slot to distribute the obtained content and a distribution frequency band to be used for the distribution, based on the obtained frequency usage state information, and

distribution information notifying means to notify the distribution information for the content to be distributed, using the distribution frequency band for the distribution time slot, as to the plurality of terminal devices within the areas;

each of the terminal devices including

control means to control the content to be distributed, using the distribution frequency band in a receivable state for the distribution time slot, based on the distribution information notified from the information distribution device, when the distribution time slot arrives;

the information distribution device further including

content distribution means to distribute the obtained content, using the distribution frequency band, to a plurality of terminal devices in a state capable of being distributed to in accordance with the distribution information, when the distribution time slot arrives; and

each of the terminal devices further including

reception means to receive the content distributed from the information distribution device.