CONTENT DISTRIBUTION DEVICE, CONTENT DISTRIBUTION METHOD, VIEWER TERMINAL, AND CONTENT REPRODUCTION METHOD

• US 20100242065A1
• Filed: 09/22/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Murakami, Tomoko
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A content distribution device includes a first receiver which receives, from the broadcasting station, the program content having the commercial image data and electronic program information; an commercial extractor which extracts the commercial image data and creates commercial metadata based on the electronic program information; a first storage which stores the commercial image data and the commercial metadata that are associated with each other; a second storage which stores distribution contents; a content selector which selects the distribution content according to a request from the view terminal from the second storage; a third receiver which receives, from the viewer terminal, viewing history information of program contents; an commercial inserter which selects the commercial metadata from the first storage based on the viewing history information and inserts the commercial image data corresponding to the selected commercial metadata in the distribution content; and a distribution unit which distributes the distribution content to the viewer terminal.

Claims

1. A content distribution device for communicating, through a network, with a viewer terminal which views program content having commercial image data inserted therein, the program content broadcasted by a broadcasting station, comprising:

a first receiver configured to receive a broadcast signal from the broadcasting station, the broadcast signal including the program content and electronic program information, the program content having a commercial image data inserted therein;

an commercial extractor configured to extract the commercial image data from the program content and create, based on the electronic program information, commercial metadata including a performer, genre, and title of the program content;

a first storage configured to store the commercial image data and the commercial metadata that are associated with each other;

a second storage configured to store distribution contents each of which is image content to be distributed to the viewer terminal through the network;

a second receiver configured to receive a content distribution request from the viewer terminal;

a content selector configured to select the distribution content specified by the content distribution request from the second storage;

a third receiver configured to receive, from the viewer terminal, viewing history information of the viewer terminal, the viewing history information including a performer, genre, and title of program contents which have been viewed through the viewer terminal;

an commercial inserter configured to select the commercial metadata from the first storage based on the viewing history information and insert the commercial image data corresponding to a selected commercial metadata in the distribution content selected by the content selector; and

a distribution unit configured to distribute the distribution content having the commercial image data inserted therein to the viewer terminal.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the commercial inserter specifies at least one performer, at least one genre, or at least one title based on appearance frequency of each of the performers, the genres, or the titles included in the viewing history information, and selects the commercial metadata including a specified performer, genre, or title.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the commercial inserter specifies a title of a program content having a performer common to the distribution content specified by the content distribution request and selects the commercial metadata including the title.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic program information includes detail description of the program content,

the broadcast signal includes caption data describing textual information of voice used in the program content,

the commercial extractor detects a keyword from at least one of the detail description of the program content and the caption data, and includes the keyword in the commercial metadata,

the viewing history information includes keywords relating to the program contents which have been viewed through the viewer terminal, and

the commercial inserter specifies one or more keywords based on appearance frequencies of each keyword included in the viewing history information, and selects the commercial metadata including the one or more keywords.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the broadcast signal includes caption data which includes progress schedule of the program content,

the electronic program information includes an airdate of the program content,

the commercial extractor detects air date and time of the commercial image data based on the electronic program information and the caption data, and includes the air date and time in the commercial metadata, and

the commercial inserter selects the commercial metadata in which the air date and time are close to date and time of the content distribution request, or the commercial metadata in which the time of the air date and time is close to the time of the content distribution request.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the broadcast signal includes caption data which includes progress schedule of the program content, and

the commercial extractor detects commercial start time and commercial ending time based on the caption data, and extracts data between the commercial start time and the commercial ending time in the program content as the commercial image data.

7. A viewer terminal which views program content having commercial image data inserted therein serving as a broadcast program broadcasted by a broadcasting station and creates and accumulates viewing history information including a performer, genre, and title of program contents which have been viewed;

a first receiver configured to receive a broadcast signal from the broadcasting station, the broadcast signal including the program content having the commercial image data inserted therein and electronic program information of the program content;

an commercial extractor configured to extract the commercial image data from the program content and create commercial metadata including a performer, genre, and title of the program content based on the electronic program information;

a first storage configured to store the commercial image data and the commercial metadata that are associated with each other;

a distribution request unit configured to transmit a content distribution request via a network to a content delivery device configured to manage distribution of distribution contents each of which is image content to be distributed through the network and obtain the distribution content specified by the content distribution request from the content delivery device;

an commercial inserter configured to select the commercial metadata from the first storage based on the viewing history information and inserts the commercial image data corresponding to a selected commercial metadata in the distribution content obtained by the distribution request unit; and

a content reproduction unit configured to reproduce the distribution content having the commercial image data inserted therein.

8. A content distribution method executed by a computer which communicates, through a network, with a viewer terminal which views program content having commercial image data inserted therein, the program content serving as a broadcast program broadcasted by a broadcasting station, comprising:

receiving a broadcast signal from the broadcasting station, the broadcast signal including the program content having the commercial image data inserted therein and electronic program information of the program content;

extracting the commercial image data from the program content, creating commercial metadata including a performer, genre, and title of the program content based on the electronic program information, and storing the commercial image data and the commercial metadata by relating these data to each other in a first storage;

receiving a content distribution request from the viewer terminal;

a content selector configured to select a distribution content specified by the content distribution request from a second storage configured to store distribution contents each of which is image content to be distributed to the viewer terminal through the network;

receiving, from the viewer terminal, viewing history information of the viewer terminal, the viewing history information including a performer, genre, and title of program contents which have been viewed through the viewer terminal;

selecting the commercial metadata from the first storage based on the viewing history information and inserting the commercial image data corresponding to a selected commercial metadata in the distribution content selected; and

distributing the distribution content having the commercial image data inserted therein to the viewer terminal.

9. A content reproduction method executed by a viewer terminal which views program content having commercial image data inserted therein serving as a broadcast program broadcasted by a broadcasting station and creates and accumulates viewing history information including a performer, genre, and title of program contents which have been viewed;

receiving a broadcast signal from the broadcasting station, the broadcast signal including the program content having the commercial image data inserted therein and electronic program information of the program content;

extracting the commercial image data from the program content, creating commercial metadata including a performer, genre, and title of the program content based on the electronic program information, and storing the commercial image data and the commercial metadata by relating these data to each other in a first storage;

transmitting a content distribution request via a network to a content delivery device configured to manage distribution of distribution contents each of which is image content to be distributed through the network and obtaining the distribution content specified by the content distribution request from the content delivery device;

selecting the commercial metadata from the first storage based on the viewing history information and inserting the commercial image data corresponding to a selected commercial metadata in the distribution content obtained; and

reproducing the distribution content having the commercial image data inserted therein.