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

• US 7,844,624 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Shunichi, Yonemoto, Yoshifumi, Etoh, Minoru, Kinno, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Tim T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mobin; Hasanul
• Application Number:
  US11/198,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20060048669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,940 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/783
• 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 memory configured to store the media data including a plurality of scenes, each scene having a predetermined total time duration;

a meta-information storing unit configured to store first meta-information which includes a start-time and a total-time of a scene;

a user database configured to store a user identifier of a user in association with an access privilege of the user, the access privilege indicating whether the scene is allowed for the user to view, and specifying an allowable time range out of the predetermined total time duration of the scene which the user is allowed to retrieve for viewing, wherein the user is prohibited from viewing any portion of the media data that is not included in the allowable time range and the content of the access privilege is not determined by 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;

an authenticator configured to convert the first meta-information to a second meta-information which includes the allowable time range included in the access privilege according to the access privilege corresponding to the user identifier added to the media control request, and to set duration of the one scene as the allowable time range for the user to view;

a presentation description data generator configured to generate a presentation description data by using the second meta-information, the presentation description data indicating the allowable time range specified by the access privilege and being used by a client terminal to request a delivery of media data,

a retriever configured to retrieve the media data based on receiving the presentation description data from the client terminal; and

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

2. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the access privilege includes information which specifies an order of viewing for the plurality of scenes.

3. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein

the deliverer adds a signature and a deliverer identifier that identifies the deliverer to the presentation description data, and

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

13. An information delivery system according to claim 2, wherein the order of viewing for the plurality of scenes includes mandatorily viewed content that cannot be skipped by the user.

14. The information delivery system according to claim 13, wherein the mandatorily viewed content includes an advertisement.

4. An information delivery method for delivering media data such as audio and video to a client terminal, comprising:

storing, at a memory, the media data including a plurality of scenes, each scene having a predetermined total time duration;

storing, at a meta-information storing unit, first meta-information which includes a start-time and a total-time of a scene;

storing, at a user database, a user identifier of a user in association with an access privilege of the user, the access privilege indicating whether the scene is allowed for the user to view, and specifying an allowable time range out of the predetermined total time duration of the scene which the user is allowed to retrieve for viewing, wherein the user is prohibited from viewing any portion of the media data that is not included in the allowable time range and the content of the access privilege is not determined by the user;

generating at a media control request generator of the client terminal, a media control request which requests delivery of the media data and adds the user identifier to the generated media control request;

converting, at an authenticator, the first meta-information to a second meta-information which includes the allowable time range included in the access privilege according to the access privilege corresponding to the user identifier added to the media control request;

setting, at the authenticator, duration of the one scene as the allowable time range for the user to view;

generating, at a presentation description data generator, a presentation description data by using the second meta-information, the presentation description data indicating the allowable time range specified by the access privilege and being used by a client terminal to request a delivery of media data,

retrieving, at a retriever, the media data based on receiving the presentation description data from the client terminal; and

delivering, at a deliverer, a retrieved media data to the client terminal.

5. An information delivery method according to claim 4, wherein the access privilege includes information which specifies an order of viewing for the plurality of scenes.

6. An information delivery method according to claim 4, wherein

a signature and a deliverer identifier that identifies the deliverer are added to the presentation description data, and

at said converting, performing authentication of the presentation description data based on the signature and the deliverer identifier.

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

a memory configured to store the media data including a plurality of scenes, each scene having a predetermined total time duration;

a meta-information storing unit configured to store meta-information which includes a start-time and a total-time of a scene;

a user database configured to store a user identifier of a user in association with an access privilege of the user, the access privilege indicating whether the scene is allowed for the user to view, and specifying an allowable time range out of the predetermined total time duration of the scene which the user is allowed to retrieve for viewing, being a subset of the total time of the one object, wherein the user is prohibited from viewing any portion of the media data that is not included in the allowable time range and the content of the access privilege is not determined by the user;

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

an authenticator configured to convert the first meta-information to a second meta-information which includes the allowable time range included in the access privilege according to the access privilege corresponding to the user identifier added to the media control request, and to set duration of the one scene as the allowable time range for the user to view;

a presentation description data generator configured to generate a presentation description data that includes an address at the beginning of the requested media data by using the second meta-information, the presentation description data indicating the allowable time range specified by the access privilege and being used by a client terminal to request a delivery of media data.

8. An information delivery server according to claim 7, wherein the access privilege includes information which specifies an order of viewing for the plurality of scenes.

9. An information delivery server according to claim 8, wherein the presentation description data generator adds a signature and a deliverer identifier that identifies the deliverer to the presentation description data.

10. A content delivery server for delivering a scene requested by a client terminal from among a plurality of scenes including media data such as audio and video to the client terminal, comprising:

a memory configured to store the media data including the plurality of scenes;

an access privilege retriever configured to obtain an access privilege specifying an order for each scene of the plurality of the scenes, wherein the access privilege indicates an order in which a user is allowed to view the plurality of scenes, the user being prohibited from viewing the scenes in an order different from the order in the access privilege, and the content of the access privilege is not determined by the user;

a media control request receiver configured to receive a media control request including an ID of a first scene, which is the most recently viewed scene of the plurality of scenes, an ID of a second scene requested by the client terminal, and a user identifier of the user and requesting delivery of the second scene;

a viewing record check unit configured to check whether the second scene is after the first scene as specified in the order contained in the access privilege;

a retriever configured to retrieve the second scene from the memory, when the viewing record check unit checked that the order of the second scene is after the order of the first scene as specified in the access privilege; and

a deliverer configured to deliver the second scene of the media data retrieved by the retriever to the client terminal.

11. A content delivery server according to claim 10, wherein the access privilege includes information which specifies an allowable time range that the user can view, and

the retriever retrieves media data based on the information.

12. A content delivery server according to claim 11, 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.