JP4709972B2 - Information processing apparatus, content distribution system, control program, computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that acquires content such as video, image, and sound, and reproduces the content, a content distribution system that distributes the content from the server apparatus to the information processing apparatus, a control program, and computer-readable recording It relates to the medium.

  In recent years, a content distribution system that distributes content such as image data and sound data to a terminal device using a communication network such as the Internet has been realized. In addition to simply distributing and playing back content to a terminal device, various attempts have been made to devise various ways of distributing and playing back content so that users are interested in the played back content.

For example, in Patent Document 1 shown below, when advertising content is being played back by an information processing device, the playback of the advertising content is paused in response to an instruction input by a viewer, A technique for playing back related content related to the content is disclosed. Further, in Patent Document 2 shown below, when a viewer watches a television broadcast or the like in the viewer device, the content related to the content of the television broadcast is displayed in response to a request from the viewer device. A content providing server for distributing to a viewer apparatus is disclosed.
JP 2004-80447 A (Publication date: March 11, 2004) JP 2002-209204 A (publication date: July 26, 2002)

  As described above, in order to improve the user's interest in the content to be distributed / reproduced, content distributors are devised every day to make various ways of distributing and reproducing the content.

  In other words, the content distributor can distribute the content at any timing or in any manner, and can reproduce the content more effectively by reproducing the content at any timing or in any manner. Whether or not you can impress is a critical theme.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, a content distribution system, a control program, and a computer-readable recording medium that reproduces the content at a timing at which the user can easily show interest in the content.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit, first writing means for writing content acquired from the outside to the storage unit, and a specification instructed by a user based on a program. When the processing means for executing the process and the start of the specific process are detected, the first storage unit stores in the at least part of the period from the start of the specific process to the completion thereof. And reproducing means for reproducing the written content.

  According to this configuration, the content acquired from the outside is reproduced during at least a part of the period from the start to the completion of the specific process instructed by the user. As a result, the user who has input the execution instruction for the specific process can view the advertisement content being played during the period from the start of the specific process to the completion of the process.

  Note that the above-mentioned “specific process” is a process that requires a certain amount of time from start to completion, and is a process that puts the user in a process completion waiting state. Processing for shifting a GUI image used during execution of the program to an input standby state), communication processing (processing for downloading data from an external device or uploading data to an external device), various processing in virus software ( Virus scan processing, etc.), processing for transferring a large amount of data from a removable recording medium to a storage device inside the device, software update processing, software installation or uninstallation processing, and the like.

  In general, in a computer, a specific process such as the startup process is not completed immediately, and a certain amount of time is required from the start to the completion of the process. Here, for the user who has input the execution instruction for the specific process, it is necessary to wait without doing anything until this time elapses.

  On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the user is allowed to view the content while waiting. Here, from the standpoint of the user, interest in the content that is played back during this waiting time increases because it is the waiting time for nothing. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the content is played back to the user at a timing at which the user can easily show interest in the content, and the content can be effectively impressed by the user. Also, there is an advantage that the user can effectively use the standby time by viewing the content during the standby time.

  Further, as a typical example of processing that requires a certain amount of time from start to completion, the program is started, and a GUI image displayed on the display unit during execution of the program is shifted to an input standby state. Processing. Therefore, it is preferable that the specific process is a process for starting the program, and a process for shifting the GUI image displayed on the display unit to the input standby state during the execution of the program.

  Furthermore, a representative example of processing that requires a certain amount of time from start to completion is processing (communication processing) for downloading or uploading data with an external device. Therefore, the specific process is preferably a process of communicating data with an external device.

  In addition to the above configuration, the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a signal generation unit that generates a start request signal at the start of the specific process and generates an end notification signal at the end of the process by the processing unit. It is preferable that the reproduction means starts the reproduction at the generation timing of the start request signal and ends the reproduction at the generation timing of the end notification signal.

  In addition, the time required for the specific process differs for each type of program that implements the process. Therefore, for example, if the reproduction time of content is constant, the content can be reproduced for a necessary and sufficient time during execution of the specific processing by a program, but the specific processing is being executed by another program. In this case, there may occur a situation where the content playback time is excessive or insufficient.

  On the other hand, according to the above configuration, since the start timing and completion timing of the specific process are actually detected every time the specific process is performed, the execution of the specific process is realized. Even if the time required for the processing differs for each program, the content can be reproduced for the time actually required for the processing regardless of the type of the program and the type of the processing.

  Furthermore, in addition to the above-described configuration, the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a signal generation unit that generates a start request signal at the start of the specific process, the type of the program, and the specific process realized by the program. The association table in which the estimated time required for each program is stored in association with each program, and when a specific process is started, the type of the program that realizes the specific process is detected. An estimated time acquisition unit that reads an estimated time associated with a type from the association table, and the reproduction unit starts the reproduction at the generation timing of the start request signal, and sends the estimated time acquisition unit When the estimated time acquired in this way has elapsed from the start, it is preferable to end the reproduction.

  According to the above configuration, when the specific process is started, the reproduction of the content is started, and the reproduction of the content is continued from the start of the specific process until the estimated time required for completion elapses. Here, since the estimated time is stored in advance in the correspondence table according to the type of the program that performs the specific process, the content reproduction time differs depending on the type of the program that performs the specific process. Can be made.

  In other words, the time required for the specific process differs depending on the type of program. According to the above configuration, the predicted time required for the specific process is stored in advance for each program, and the content corresponding to this predicted time is stored. Will play. Therefore, the content reproduction time can be set to an optimum time according to the program for performing the specific process.

  The above configuration does not require generation of the end notification signal, and is an optimal configuration when the specific processing is performed by a program that cannot generate such a signal.

  In addition to the above configuration, the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a detection unit that detects a type of a program that realizes the specific process when the specific process is started. It is preferable to change the data quality of the content to be reproduced in accordance with the type of program detected by the detection means.

  Here, the data quality means the content data amount, the number of colors, the number of pixels, the resolution, the number of gradations, and the like.

  The time required for the specific process varies depending on the type of program that executes the specific process. So, according to the said structure, the data quality of the content to reproduce | regenerate is changed according to the kind of program which is performing the said specific process. As a result, according to the time required for the specific processing, it is possible to reproduce content having data quality (data amount) suitable for the time. For example, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the data processing is completed before the content reproduction is started because the content data amount is too large.

  In addition to the above configuration, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention records, in the storage unit, a history in which the type of the program that realizes the predetermined process and the time required for the predetermined process are associated with each other. Two writing means, detection means for detecting the type of program realizing the processing when the predetermined processing is started, and the program associated with the type of program detected by the detection means It is preferable that the reading means for reading time from the storage unit and the reproducing means change the data quality of the content to be reproduced according to the amount of time read by the reading means.

  The time required for the specific process varies depending on the type of the program that executes the specific process, and if the program type is the same, the time required for the specific process tends to be substantially constant. Therefore, in the above configuration, when the specific process is started by the program, the quality of the content to be reproduced is changed according to the time required for the specific process by the program performed in the past. As a result, the content data amount can be adjusted to an amount that can be reproduced within this time according to the time required for the specific processing expected from the past history. For example, the content data amount is too large. Thus, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the application activation process is completed before the content display is started.

  Furthermore, in addition to the above configuration, the information processing apparatus of the present invention has a plurality of contents written in the first storage unit, and the reproducing means reproduces each of the plurality of contents in a predetermined order. It is preferable.

  According to the above configuration, each of the plurality of contents is not played back at least in a part of the period from the start to the completion of the specific process instructed by the user. Will be played sequentially. Therefore, since the user can view each of the plurality of contents in order, it is possible to receive a content viewing service that is richer in variation than the configuration of reproducing a single content.

  In addition to the above configuration, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, when the user inputs an instruction to skip the content being played back, the playback unit plays back the content that is the target of the skip It is preferable that the content to be reproduced next is reproduced.

  According to the above configuration, it is not necessary for the user to view all the content to be played back, and it is possible to select and view the desired content.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the above-described configuration, the plurality of contents and order data indicating the reproduction order of the plurality of contents are written in the storage unit in association with each other. Preferably, the reproducing means determines the predetermined order based on the order indicated in the order data.

  According to the above configuration, the reproduction order of each of the plurality of contents is determined based on the order data written in the first storage unit. Therefore, from the viewpoint of the user or content provider, when inputting a plurality of contents from the outside to the information processing apparatus, by simultaneously inputting the order data indicating the order of the contents, the reproduction order of the contents is set in advance. It can be determined.

  Furthermore, in addition to the above-described configuration, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a third writing means for writing a reproduction history for each of the plurality of contents in the storage unit, and a reproduction history stored in the storage unit. It is preferable to include order change means for rewriting the order data.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to sequentially change the playback order with reference to the past playback history without fixing the playback order of each content. Therefore, for example, the order data is rewritten so that the playback order is different from the past playback order, the order data is rewritten so that the playback order of content that has not been played back in the past is given priority, It is possible to perform control such as rewriting the order data so that the playback order of the content having a small playback time or number of playbacks is given priority. Further, the order data may be rewritten so that the order of reproduction of the content having a large number of past reproductions is given priority.

  In the case where the order change unit rewrites the order data so that the order of priority is given to the content with a small number of past playbacks or playback times, the total playback time and the total number of playbacks of each of the plurality of contents. The effect is that it can be made as close to as even as possible.

  Further, in addition to the above configuration, the information processing apparatus of the present invention is written in the storage unit in association with the content and schedule information indicating the period for reproducing the content by date and time, Preferably, the reproduction means reproduces the content only on the date and time indicated in the schedule information associated with the content.

  According to the above configuration, the date and time when content should be reproduced can be determined in advance for each content. Therefore, for each content, it is possible to reproduce the content only on the preferred date and time for reproduction (for example, in the case of content advertising a movie being screened, only during the screening period).

  In addition to the above-described configuration, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a third writing unit that writes a reproduction history for each of the plurality of contents in the storage unit, and a reproduction history stored in the storage unit. And a schedule changing means for rewriting the schedule information.

  According to the above configuration, the schedule information can be sequentially changed with reference to the past reproduction history. Therefore, for example, the schedule information is changed so that the content that has not been played back in the past is played back preferentially, the schedule information is changed so as to compress the playback period of the content having a high playback frequency in the past, It is possible to perform control such as changing the schedule information so as to extend the playback period of the past content with low playback frequency. Further, the schedule information may be changed so as to extend the playback period of the past content with high playback frequency.

  In addition, when the schedule change unit rewrites the schedule information so that the content to be played back becomes longer as the number of times of playback or the playback time in the past becomes shorter, the total playback time or the total of each of the plurality of contents There is an effect that the number of reproductions can be made as close as possible.

  In order to achieve the above object, the content distribution system of the present invention includes the information processing apparatus and a server apparatus that distributes the content to the information processing apparatus.

  According to the above configuration, if the distributor manages the server that distributes the content, the content can be played back to the user at a timing at which the user is easily interested in the content, and the content can be effectively Impress users.

  In the content distribution system of the present invention, when the information processing apparatus reproduces the content, the information processing apparatus preferably transmits reproduced information indicating that the content has been reproduced to the server apparatus.

  Thereby, it becomes possible for the administrator of the server apparatus to confirm that the content distributed to the information processing apparatus has been truly reproduced at the distribution destination.

  Further, the information processing apparatus of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, a control program that causes the computer to operate as each of the above means and a computer-readable recording medium that records the control program are also included in the present invention. It falls into the category.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit, first writing means for writing content acquired from the outside to the storage unit, and a specification instructed by a user based on a program. When the processing means for executing the process and the start of the specific process are detected, the first storage unit stores in the at least part of the period from the start of the specific process to the completion thereof. And reproducing means for reproducing the written content.

  Therefore, according to the above configuration, the content is played back to the user at a timing at which the user can easily show interest in the content, and the content can be effectively impressed by the user. Also, there is an advantage that the user can effectively use the standby time by viewing the content during the standby time.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the content distribution system of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the content distribution system 1 includes a user terminal (information processing device) 2, a distribution management server (server device) 3, a registration terminal 4, and a communication network N. As shown in the figure, the user terminals 2..., The distribution management server 3, and the registration terminal 4 are each connected to a communication network N.

  The registration terminal 4 is a terminal computer owned by a sponsor (advertiser). The sponsor accesses the distribution management server 3 from the registration terminal 4, and performs advertising content registration for the distribution management server 3.

  The advertising content is an information medium for advertising products / services handled by a sponsor (company, etc.) to the general public. In this embodiment, the advertising content is described as a still image. However, the advertising content is not limited to a still image, and may be a moving image, sound, or the like, for example. Further, the registration terminal 4 may be a terminal owned by an advertising agent instead of a sponsor.

  The distribution management server 3 is a server computer owned by a content distributor, and distributes registered advertising content to each of the user terminals 2.

  The user terminal 2 is an information processing apparatus that distributes advertising content from the distribution management server 3 and displays the advertising content to the user. Examples of the user terminal 2 include a general-purpose personal computer, a mobile phone, a PHS (Personal Handyphone System, registered trademark), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and the like.

  The communication network N includes the Internet, sanitary communication network, LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), FTTH (Fiber To The Home), CATV (Community Antenna Television), XDSL (Digital Subscribe Line), ISDN (Integrated). Services Digital Network), public telephone line networks, connection cables, and other various wireless and wired communication lines.

  In the configuration described above, the sponsor uses the registration terminal 4 to register the advertising content to be distributed to the distribution management server 3. The distribution management server 3 distributes the registered advertising content to each of the user terminals 2. Further, in the user terminal 2, the distributed advertising content is displayed to the user. In this way, the sponsor can present advertising content to the users of the user terminals 2... And can perform commercial activities.

(Registration of advertising content)
Next, a procedure in which a sponsor performs a registration operation of advertising content in the distribution management server 3 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a communication procedure realized between the distribution management server 3 and the registration terminal 4.

  First, the registration terminal 4 accesses the distribution management server 3 through a browser in accordance with an instruction input from a sponsor (an operator of the registration terminal 4). Then, the registration terminal 4 transmits a sponsor ID (Identification Data) input from the sponsor to the distribution management server 3 (S1). The sponsor ID described above is identification information of the sponsor, and is information that is uniquely given to a genuine sponsor and is stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) of the distribution management server 3. is there.

  When receiving the sponsor ID from the registration terminal 4, the distribution management server 3 performs a process (sponsor authentication) for determining whether or not the registration terminal 4 is operated by a genuine sponsor (S2). Specifically, when receiving the sponsor ID from the registration terminal 4, the distribution management server 3 collates the received sponsor ID with the sponsor ID stored in advance in the distribution management server 3.

  When the distribution management server 3 determines in the sponsor authentication process in S2 that the registered terminal 4 that has been accessed is operated by a genuine sponsor, the distribution management server 3 maintains communication with the registration terminal 4 and the content. The registration image and the display instruction for the content registration image are transmitted to the registration terminal 4 (S3). Furthermore, the registration terminal 4 displays the content registration image sent from the distribution management server 3 on the display unit of the own device (S4). Here, the content registration image is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for causing the distribution management server 3 to upload the advertising content input to the registration terminal 4 or the advertising content stored in the registration terminal 4. It is.

  If the distribution management server 3 determines that the registration terminal 4 is operated by an unauthorized sponsor in the sponsor authentication process of S2, the distribution management server 3 disconnects communication with the registration terminal 4.

  In S4, when the content registration image is displayed on the display unit of the registration terminal 4, the registration terminal 4 receives the advertisement content input to the registration terminal 4 in response to an instruction input from the sponsor. Alternatively, the stored advertising content is transmitted (uploaded) to the distribution management server 3 (S6). Thereby, the advertising content is input to the distribution management server 3 (S7).

  Thereafter, the distribution management server 3 generates a plurality of advertisement contents having the same content and different qualities from the input advertisement contents (data quality adjustment processing, S8), and generates the generated advertisement contents of each quality as contents. Save and register in the DB 18 (see FIG. 4) (S9). Specifically, in the content DB 18, advertisement contents having different qualities are stored in association with each other for the same content for advertisement. Note that the above-mentioned “quality” means the data amount, the number of colors, the number of pixels, the resolution, the number of gradations, etc. of the advertising content.

  The reason why a plurality of advertisement contents having the same content and different qualities are generated is that the specifications of the user terminals 2 are different for each terminal. This is to distribute advertising content of a quality suitable for the specifications. Here, the “spec” means data processing performance (memory capacity, CPU processing capacity) and display performance (number of colors, number of pixels, resolution, number of gradations, etc.) in the user terminal 2. .

  When the registration of the content is completed, the distribution management server 3, among the advertising content of each quality, the advertising content having a quality suitable for the performance of the registration terminal 4, a message indicating the registration, the content and the message Is transmitted to the registration terminal 4 (S10). Thereby, in the registration terminal 4, the advertising content registered in the distribution management server 3 and the message indicating registration are displayed on the display unit (S <b> 11), and the sponsor uploads the advertising content uploaded to the distribution management server 3. It is possible to confirm that the content has been registered. In this way, the advertising content registration process is performed.

  The advertising content registration process described above is merely an example, and any known technique may be used as long as it is a process for registering content to be distributed to the content distribution server. For example, in the above-described example, the advertising content is registered in the distribution management server 3 using the registration terminal 4, but the advertising content is directly registered in the distribution management server 3 without using such a registration terminal 4. May be configured, or the distribution management server 3 may generate the advertising content.

(Distribution of advertising content)
Next, a process in which the distribution management server 3 distributes the advertising content to the user terminal 2 will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing details of a configuration for executing content distribution processing in the distribution management server 3 and the registration terminal 4.

  As shown in the figure, the distribution management server 3 includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 19, a terminal / spec DB (database) 17, and a content DB 18. The control unit 19 is a computer that controls the distribution management server 3, and includes a content registration monitoring unit 12, a specification information transmission unit 13, a specification information update processing unit 14, a content request reception unit 15, and a content distribution unit 16. It is out.

  The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for communicating with an external device (for example, the user terminal 2) via the communication network N.

  The terminal / spec DB 17 stores the location information (for example, IP) of the user terminal 2 of the user terminal 2 of the user who has concluded a contract with the administrator (content distributor) of the distribution management server 3 in advance. This is a database in which address, URL, etc.) and specification information indicating the specifications of the user terminal 2 are stored in association with each other. When the distribution management server 3 concludes the contract with the user terminal 2, the distribution management server 3 receives the position information and spec information of the user terminal 2 from the user terminal 2 and stores them in the terminal / spec DB 17. It shall be remembered.

  The content DB 18 is a database for registering and accumulating advertisement content uploaded from the registration terminal 4. Note that, as described above, in the content DB 18, advertisement contents having different qualities are stored in association with each other with respect to the same advertisement contents.

  The content registration monitoring unit 12 is a block for monitoring the content DB 18. When new content is registered in the content DB 18, the content registration monitoring unit 12 notifies the specification information transmission unit 13 and the content distribution unit 16 that new content has been registered. Is.

  When new content is registered in the content DB 18, the spec information transmission unit 13 reads the position information and spec information of each user terminal 2 from the terminal / spec DB 17 and sends each user terminal 2 to each user terminal 2. It is a block for transmitting specification information of the terminal 2.

  As will be described later, the user terminal 2 that has received the specification information transmits a content request to the distribution management server 3 when the specification indicated in the received specification information matches the current specification of the device itself. . In addition, when the specification indicated in the received specification information does not match the current specification of the own device, the user terminal 2 authentic information (spec information indicating the current specification of the user terminal 2) and the specification information. An update request is transmitted to the distribution management server 3.

  When receiving the content request from the user terminal 2, the content request receiving unit 15 reads the position information and spec information of the user terminal 2 that has sent the content request from the terminal / spec DB 17, and reads the read position information and spec. It is a block for transmitting information to the content distribution unit 16.

  When the location information and the specification information of the user terminal 2 that has sent the content request are transmitted, the content distribution unit 16 is the newly registered advertising content, and is most suitable for the specification indicated in the specification information. This is a block for reading the advertising content of suitable quality from the content DB 18 and transmitting the read advertising content to the user terminal 2 indicated by the position information.

  When the specification information update processing unit 14 receives the genuine specification information and the specification information update request from the user terminal 2, the specification information associated with the position information of the user terminal 2 in the terminal / spec DB 17 is It is a block for performing processing (update processing) for rewriting the above-mentioned genuine specification information. When the update process is completed, the specification information update processing unit 14 gives an instruction to the specification information transmission unit 13 to transmit the specification information again to the user terminal 2 in which the specification information has been updated. .

  Next, the configuration of the user terminal 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the user terminal 2 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 28, a specification information storage unit 26, and a content storage unit 27. The control unit 28 is a computer that controls the user terminal 2, and includes a specification information matching unit 22, a content request unit 23, a specification information update request unit 24, and a content acquisition unit 25.

  The communication unit 21 is a communication interface for communicating with an external device (for example, the distribution management server 3) via the communication network N.

  The specification information storage unit 26 is a storage area included in a writable nonvolatile memory (EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory), a hard disk, or the like, and is a storage area in which the specification information of the user terminal 2 is stored. In the spec information storage unit 26, spec information indicating the specs of the current user terminal 2 is updated and stored in real time.

  The content storage unit (storage unit) 27 is a storage area included in a writable nonvolatile memory or a hard disk, and is a storage area in which advertising content distributed from the distribution management server 3 is written.

  The spec information collation unit 22 is a block that collates the received spec information when the spec information is received from the distribution management server 3. Specifically, the spec information collation unit 22 collates the spec information received from the distribution management server 3 with the spec information stored in the spec information storage unit 26 (spec information indicating the current model of the device itself). Then, it is determined whether or not the specification information received from the distribution management server 3 matches the current specification information of the own device.

  Then, when the spec information received from the distribution management server 3 matches the current spec information of the device itself, the spec information collation unit 22 instructs the content request unit 23 to transmit the content request and receives it from the distribution management server 3. If the specified spec information does not match the current spec information of the device itself, the spec information update request unit 24 is instructed to transmit a spec information update request.

  Upon receiving a content request transmission command from the specification information matching unit 22, the content request unit 23 transmits a content request (a signal indicating a content request) to the distribution management server 3.

  When the specification information update request unit 24 receives a command to transmit a specification information update request from the specification information matching unit 22, the specification information update request unit 24 reads the current specification information (that is, authentic model information) of the device itself from the specification information storage unit 26. The specification information and a specification information update request (a signal indicating an update request) are transmitted to the distribution management server 3.

  The content acquisition unit (first writing unit) 25 is a block that performs processing of writing and storing the advertising content in the content storage unit 27 when the advertising content is distributed from the distribution management server 3.

  Next, a communication procedure for distributing advertising content from the distribution management server 3 to the user terminal 2 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a communication procedure realized between the distribution management server 3 and the user terminal 2.

  First, the distribution management server 3 monitors whether new content is registered in the content DB 18. When a new content is registered in the content DB 18 (YES in S11), the distribution management server 3 reads the location information and spec information of each user terminal 2 from the terminal / spec DB 17 and stores it in each user terminal 2. On the other hand, the specification information of each user terminal 2 is transmitted (S12).

  On the other hand, the user terminal 2 receives the specification information and performs a collation process between the received specification information and the specification information indicating the current specification of the device itself (S13).

  Further, as a result of the collation processing, when the specification information received from the distribution management server 3 matches the spec information indicating the current model of the own device, the user terminal 2 makes a content request to the distribution management server 3. Is transmitted (S14). When receiving the content request (S15), the distribution management server 3 distributes the newly registered advertising content to the user terminal 2 that has sent the content request (S16). Note that the content to be distributed is newly registered advertising content that best matches the specifications indicated in the specification information of the user terminal 2 that is the distribution destination (spec information stored in the terminal / spec DB). Quality advertising content is delivered. Then, the user terminal 2 receives the advertisement content and stores the advertisement content in the content storage unit 27 (S17).

  If the specification information received from the distribution management server 3 and the specification information indicating the current model of the user apparatus do not match as a result of the collation processing in S13, the user terminal 2 determines that the user terminal 2 The authentic specification information indicating the current model of the apparatus is read, and the authentic specification information and the specification information update request are transmitted to the distribution management server 3 (S18). The distribution management server 3 that has received the genuine specification information and the specification information update request converts the specification information associated with the position information of the user terminal 2 in the terminal / spec DB 17 into the genuine specification information. A rewriting process (update process) is performed (S19). Furthermore, after completing the update process of S19, the distribution management server 3 transmits the updated specification information to the user terminal 2 in which the specification information has been updated (S12). Then, the processing of S13 to S16 is performed until the advertising content is stored in the user terminal 2 (S17).

  According to the advertisement content distribution procedure described above, the distribution management server 3 holds the specification information indicating the specifications of the user terminal 2 in advance, and the quality advertisement conforming to the specifications indicated in the specification information. Content is transmitted to the user terminal 2. As a result, the advertising content distributed from the distribution management server 3 to each user terminal 2 has specifications (storage capacity, number of displayable colors, number of gradations, resolution, number of pixels, etc.) of the user terminal 2 as the distribution destination. ). For example, although the specifications of the display unit of the mobile phone and the specifications of the display unit of the general-purpose PC are significantly different, the distribution management server 3 displays the mobile phone display for the same content for advertisement. Advertising content in a data format that conforms to the specifications of the general-purpose PC can be transmitted, and advertising content in a data format that conforms to the specifications of the display section of the general-purpose PC can be transmitted to the general-purpose PC.

  Further, according to the advertisement content distribution procedure described above, whether or not the spec information stored in the distribution management server 3 matches the spec of the current user terminal 2 on the user terminal 2 side. A determination is made (S13). If they match, the advertising content corresponding to the spec indicated in the spec information is distributed (S14 to S16). If they do not match, the spec information stored in the distribution management server 3 is updated. (S18, S19), and thereafter, the advertising content corresponding to the specifications indicated in the updated specification information is distributed (S14 to S16). By doing so, for example, when the location information and specification information of the user terminal 2 are registered in the terminal / spec DB 17 and then the specification is changed in the user terminal 2 (for example, the memory capacity is changed). Etc.), it is possible to distribute advertising content that conforms to the changed specifications.

  In the advertisement content distribution process described above, model information indicating the model of the user terminal 2 may be used instead of the specification information of the user terminal 2. This is because the specifications of the apparatus are specific to the model of the apparatus, and thus the specifications of the user terminal 2 can be specified even with such model information.

  In the advertising content distribution process described above, the user terminal 2 stores the distributed advertising content in the content storage unit 27 (S17) and then receives a content acceptance signal indicating that the advertising content has been received. Is transmitted to the distribution management server 3, and the distribution management server 3 transmits the advertising content to the user terminal 2 again if the content reception signal is not received within a predetermined time after transmitting the advertising content. You may do it. Thereby, for example, when the user terminal 2 cannot receive the advertising content because the power of the user terminal 2 is turned off, the distribution management server 3 sends the advertisement to the user terminal 2 again. The content for advertisement can be transmitted, and the distribution processing of the content for advertisement can be executed more reliably.

  Moreover, according to the process shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, although the delivery management server 3 has memorize | stored beforehand the specification information of the user terminal 2, it is not necessary to memorize | store in this way. For example, every time advertising content is newly registered in the distribution management server 3 (YES in S11), the distribution management server 3 acquires the specification information of the user terminal 2 from the user terminal 2, and the acquired specification information It is also possible to distribute advertising content that conforms to the specifications shown in FIG.

  The distribution process of the advertisement content shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is merely an example, and the advertisement content can be sent from the distribution management server 3 to the user terminal 2 by applying a known content distribution process. It is possible to deliver.

  The content distribution process disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3555756 by the inventor of the present application can also be applied to the advertising content distribution process of the present embodiment. Furthermore, the content distribution processing disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2004-245798, 2004-318414, and 2005-024554, which are unpublished but are prior patent applications by the inventors of the present application, is described in this embodiment. It is also possible to distribute the advertising content from the distribution management server 3 to the user terminal 2 by applying to the advertising content distribution process.

(Display of advertising content)
Next, the contents of the advertising content display process in the user terminal 2 will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing details of a configuration for executing display of advertising content in the user terminal 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 2 includes an input unit 31, a display unit 32, a control unit 33, a content storage unit 27, an application storage unit (storage unit) 34, and a communication unit 21.

  The input unit 31 receives various inputs from the user, and includes an input button, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, and other input devices. The input unit 31 converts information input from the operator into input data and transmits the input data to the control unit 33.

  The display unit 32 includes a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube), an LCD (liquid crystal display element), a PDP (plasma display), an organic EL (electroluminescence) display, or an inorganic EL display. The display unit 32 displays and outputs various types of information such as characters and images based on the display data received from the control unit 28.

  The application storage unit 34 is a storage area included in a nonvolatile memory (ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory) or a hard disk, and stores and stores various applications (application programs) installed in the user terminal 2. Storage area. Examples of various applications include applications such as document creation software and drawing software, and communication applications such as mail software, browsers, and streaming data playback software. In the user terminal 2, various processes can be realized by starting such an application.

  The content storage unit 27 is the same member as the content storage unit 27 shown in FIG. That is, it is a storage area in which advertising content distributed from the distribution management server 3 is stored.

  The control unit 33 is a computer that controls the user terminal 2, and includes a startup processing unit 36, a content acquisition unit 25, a monitoring unit 38, and a playback unit 39.

  The content acquisition unit 25 is the same member as the content acquisition unit 25 shown in FIG. That is, the content acquisition unit 25 is a block that performs processing of writing and storing the advertising content in the content storage unit 27 when the advertising content is distributed from the distribution management server 3 via the communication unit 21.

  The activation processing unit (data processing means) 36 is a block that activates an application stored in the application storage unit 34 in accordance with a user command input from the input unit 31. Specifically, in the present embodiment, when the activation processing unit 36 inputs an application activation command by the user from the input unit 31, the activation processing unit 36 reads the application designated by the user from the application storage unit 34 and executes the application. A process (application activation process) is performed for shifting the GUI image displayed on the display unit 32 from the input disabled state to the input standby state.

  The monitoring unit (signal generation unit) 38 monitors the activation processing unit 36, and generates an activation request signal (start request signal) that is an activation request for the application when the activation processing unit 36 starts activation of the application. The activation request signal is transmitted to the reproduction unit 39. In addition, the monitoring unit 38 monitors the activation processing unit 36, and during the application activation process, the GUI image is completely displayed on the display unit 32, whereby the GUI image is in an input standby state (the user is in the application waiting state). The GUI image is shifted to an input standby state, an input standby signal (end notification signal) indicating that the application has been started is generated, and this input standby signal is transmitted to the reproduction unit 39. Communicating.

  That is, the above-described activation request signal can be said to be a signal indicating that the application activation process is started, and the input waiting signal is changed from the input disabled state to the input waiting state during the activation process. It can be said that this is a signal indicating that the activation process has been completed.

  When the reproduction unit (reproduction means) 39 detects that the application activation process has been started, the reproduction unit (reproduction unit) 39 reads the advertising content from the content storage unit 27 and displays (reproduces) the read advertising content on the display unit 32. Note that the playback unit 39 detects the start by transmitting the generation of the activation request signal by the monitoring unit 38.

  Further, when the reproduction unit 39 detects that the application activation process is completed, the reproduction unit 39 ends the display (reproduction) of the content. Note that the reproduction unit 39 detects the completion of the application activation process by transmitting the generation of the input standby signal by the monitoring unit 38.

  That is, after the application activation process is started until the GUI image is in the input standby state, the display unit 32 displays advertising content in addition to the GUI image (GUI image before the input standby state). Will be. In addition, as a display mode of the advertising content, as illustrated in FIG. 14A, a mode in which the advertising content 101 is superimposed on the GUI image 100 displayed on the display unit 32 may be displayed. As shown in FIG. 14B, the advertisement content 101 may be displayed in a different area from the GUI image 100 displayed on the display unit 32 in a reduced size.

  The user terminal 2 described above includes the content storage unit 27, the content acquisition unit 25 that writes the advertising content acquired from the distribution management server 3 to the content storage unit 27, the application storage unit 34 that stores the application, When detecting the start of the application start process and the start processing unit 36 for executing the application start process (process for starting the application and shifting the GUI image of the application to the input standby state) which is a process instructed by the user It can be said that the configuration includes a reproduction unit 39 that reproduces the advertising content written in the content storage unit 27 from the start to the completion of the activation process.

  According to this configuration, the advertising content distributed from the distribution management server 3 to the user terminal 2 is played back after the application activation process in the user terminal 2 is started and completed. . In other words, when the application is activated, the advertising content is reproduced from when the GUI image in the application starts to be displayed until the GUI image enters the input standby state. Thus, for a user who has input an application activation command, the advertisement being played until the GUI image in the application is in an input standby state (until the user can use the application). Content for viewing.

  In general, in a computer, even if an application is started, the GUI image does not immediately enter an input standby state, and requires a certain amount of time to enter an input standby state. Here, the user who is going to use the application must wait without doing anything until this time elapses.

  On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the user is allowed to view the advertising content while waiting. Here, from the standpoint of the user, interest in advertising content that is played back during this waiting time increases because it is a waiting time for nothing. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the advertising content is played back to the user at a timing at which the user can easily show interest in the advertising content, and the advertising content is effectively impressed by the user. Can do. In addition, there is an advantage that the user can effectively use the standby time by viewing the advertisement content during the standby time.

  Further, the time required for the application activation process varies depending on the type of application. Therefore, for example, if the playback time of the advertisement content by the playback unit 39 is constant, the advertisement content can be played for a necessary and sufficient time during the startup process of a certain application, but the startup process of another application is being executed. In this case, there may be a situation where the reproduction time of the advertising content is excessive or insufficient.

  Therefore, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the monitoring unit 38 monitors the activation processing unit 36, generates an activation request signal at the start of the application activation process, and completes the application activation process (input of a GUI image in the application). When the transition to the standby state is completed, an input standby signal is generated. The reproducing unit 39 starts the reproduction at the generation timing of the activation request signal and ends the reproduction at the generation timing of the input waiting signal. According to this configuration, since the start timing and completion timing of the application startup process are actually detected every time the application is started, even if the time required for the startup process differs for each application, The content for advertisement can be reproduced for the time required for the actual activation of the application.

  In the embodiment described above, the advertising content as the sponsor's advertising medium is reproduced. However, the reproduced content is not limited to the advertising content. For example, it may be news content including today's news or the like, or content including various gravure images or landscape images.

  In the present embodiment, the content to be played back has been described on the premise that it is a still image. However, the content is not limited to a still image, and may be a moving image or sound. Note that when playing back moving image content, for example, content showing a movie scene may be played, or content showing a short animation may be played. In the case of reproducing acoustic content, for example, popular music may be reproduced, or a ringtone (registered trademark) of a mobile phone may be reproduced as acoustic content.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, the advertising content stored in the content storage unit 27 is distributed from the distribution management server 3, but is separate from the program installed in the user terminal 2. If it is acquired from the outside, it is not limited to what has been distributed from the distribution management server 3. For example, the content acquisition unit 25 can also write the advertising content in the content storage unit 27 of the user terminal 2 by causing the user terminal 2 to read the advertising content recorded on various removable recording media. .

  Further, the content for advertisement stored in the content storage unit 27 may be appropriately updated by the distribution management server 3.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the advertising content is played back from the start of the application activation process in the user terminal 2 to the completion thereof, but the application activation process is started. It is not limited to a form that is played back for the entire period from the start to the completion, but may be a form that plays back during at least a part of the period from the start of the application activation process to the completion.

  Further, when the advertising content stored in the content storage unit 27 is distributed from the distribution management server 3, the user terminal 2 reproduces the advertising content after reproducing the advertising content. Reproduced information indicating this may be transmitted to the distribution management server 3. The distribution management server 3 stores the reproduced information in a storage unit (not shown) and presents the reproduced information to the administrator. As a result, the administrator of the distribution management server 3 can confirm that the advertising content distributed to the user terminal 2 is truly played back at the distribution destination.

  In the above-described embodiment, content is played back at the time of application startup processing. However, this processing requires a certain amount of time from start to completion, and is processing that puts the user in a process completion waiting state. If it exists, it is not limited to the said application starting process.

  For example, communication processing (processing to download data from an external device or upload data to an external device), various processing in virus software (virus scanning processing, etc.), a large amount of data from a removable recording medium to a storage device inside the device The content may be reproduced during the period from the start to the completion of the process of transferring the information, the software update process, and the software installation or uninstallation process.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment, the aspect in which the advertising content is played after the application activation process is started until the GUI image enters the input standby state has been described. However, in this embodiment, the communication application is A description will be given of an aspect in which the advertising content is reproduced from the start to the completion of the communication process.

  The communication processing by the communication application requires a certain waiting time from the start to the completion, and the user usually does nothing during this waiting time. Therefore, if the advertising content is played during this waiting time, the advertising content is shown to the user at a timing at which the user is likely to be interested in the advertising content, as in the first embodiment. Content can be effectively impressed by users. In addition, there is an advantage that the user can effectively use the standby time by viewing the advertisement content during the standby time.

  In the present embodiment, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only differences from the first embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing details of a configuration for executing display of advertising content in the user terminal 2a. As shown in FIG. 6, the user terminal 2a includes a control unit 33a and a communication application storage unit 41 in addition to the input unit 31, the display unit 32, the content storage unit 27, and the communication unit 21 described in the first embodiment. It is the composition which includes.

  The communication application storage unit (storage unit) 41 is a storage area included in a non-volatile memory or a hard disk, and is a storage area in which various communication applications installed in the user terminal 2 are stored and stored. .

  The control unit 33a is a computer that controls the user terminal 2a, and includes a monitoring unit 38a, a reproduction unit 39a, and a communication processing unit 42 in addition to the content acquisition unit 25 described in the first embodiment.

  The communication processing unit (data processing means) 42 is a block that performs communication processing with an external device based on a communication application in the communication application storage unit 41 in accordance with a communication command input from the input unit 31. . Here, the communication means a process of downloading data from an external device and a process of uploading data to the external device.

  In this embodiment, the monitoring unit 38a monitors the communication processing unit 42. When the communication processing unit 42 starts the communication process, the monitoring unit 38a generates a start request signal that is a request for starting the communication process. The signal is transmitted to the reproducing unit 39a. The monitoring unit 38a monitors the communication processing unit 42. When the communication processing is completed, the monitoring unit 38a generates an end signal (end notification signal) indicating the end of communication, and transmits this end signal to the reproduction unit 39a. ing.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the start request signal is generated by the monitoring unit 38, the playback unit 39a reads the advertising content from the content storage unit 27 and displays the read advertising content on the display unit 32. (Reproduce. In addition, when the end signal is generated by the monitoring unit 38, the playback unit 39a ends the display (playback) of the content.

  By doing so, it is possible to reproduce the advertising content on the display unit 32 from the start to the end of the communication process.

  In the present embodiment, the monitoring unit 38a is configured to monitor the communication processing unit 42 and generate a start request signal and an end signal. For example, a communication port, a communication source, and a communication used at the time of communication processing are used. In some cases, the start signal and end signal can be generated by detecting the timing of communication start and communication end by monitoring the previous address (URL, etc.), network port, network protocol, and the like.

[Embodiment 3]
In the first and second embodiments, the playback unit 39 ends the playback of the advertising content at the timing when the monitoring unit 38 generates the input standby signal or the end signal. Another form may be sufficient. In the present embodiment, a mode in which the playback unit 39 ends the playback of the advertising content by another method will be described. In the present embodiment, the same members as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof is omitted, and only points different from the first and second embodiments will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing details of a configuration for executing display of advertising content in the user terminal 2b. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the user terminal 2 b includes the input unit 31, the display unit 32, the content storage unit 27, the application storage unit 34, the communication unit 21, and the application / time described in the first and second embodiments. The configuration includes a correspondence table 51 and a control unit 33b.

  In the application / time correspondence table (correspondence table) 51, the relationship between the type of each application stored in the application storage unit 34 and the estimated time required for starting and completing the application activation process corresponds to each application. Attached and memorized.

  The control unit 33b is a computer that controls the user terminal 2b, and in addition to the activation processing unit 36 and the content acquisition unit 25 described in the first embodiment, the monitoring unit 38b, the reproduction unit 39b, and the estimated time acquisition unit 52. It is the structure containing.

  The monitoring unit (signal generation unit) 38b monitors the activation process in the activation processing unit 36, and when the activation processing unit 36 activates the application, generates an activation request signal that is an activation request for the application, and this activation request signal Is transmitted to the reproducing unit 39b.

  The estimated time acquisition unit (estimated time acquisition means) 52 detects the type of the activated application when the activation processing is performed in the activation processing unit 36, and estimates associated with the detected type of application. The time is read from the application / time correspondence table 51, and information indicating the read estimated time is transmitted to the reproduction unit 39b.

  When the generation of the activation request signal by the monitoring unit 38b is transmitted, the reproducing unit 39b reads out the advertising content from the content storage unit 27 and displays (reproduces) the read advertising content on the display unit 32. Further, the playback unit 39b continues the playback from the start of playback until the estimated time read by the estimated time acquisition unit 52 elapses, and ends the playback when the estimated time elapses from the start of playback.

  According to the above configuration, when the application activation process is started, the reproduction of the advertisement content is started, and the reproduction of the advertisement content is performed from the start of the application activation process until the estimated time required for completion elapses. Continue to be done. Here, since the estimated time is stored in advance in the application / time correspondence table 51 according to the type of application, the reproduction time of the advertising content can be made different for each type of application to be activated. .

  In other words, the time required for the application activation process varies depending on the type of application. According to the above configuration, the estimated time required for the application activation process is stored in advance for each application, and only this estimated time is stored. Advertising content will be played. Therefore, it is possible to set the reproduction time of the advertising content to an optimal time according to the application to be activated.

  In addition, the above configuration does not require an input standby signal indicating completion of application activation processing, and is optimal when an application that cannot generate such a signal is activated.

  Note that, in the present embodiment, the content reproduction during the application activation process has been described as an example. However, the present embodiment also applies when the content is reproduced during the communication process (in the case of the second embodiment). Needless to say, this configuration can be applied.

[Embodiment 4]
Further, in the user terminal 2 described above, the quality of the content to be reproduced may be changed according to the type of the program to be activated or the type of the program performing the communication process. Below, the structure which implement | achieves this change is demonstrated. In the present embodiment, the same members as those in the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof is omitted, and only differences from the first to third embodiments will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing details of a configuration for executing display of advertising content in the user terminal 2c. As shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the input unit 31, the display unit 32, and the application storage unit 34 described in the first and second embodiments, the user terminal 2c includes a control unit 33c, a content storage unit 27a, and a quality table 64. It is the structure containing.

  In FIG. 8, for convenience of explanation, the members of the network N, the communication unit 21, and the content acquisition unit 25 are omitted, but these members are also configured in the user terminal 2c of FIG. And

  The content storage unit 27a is a storage area in which advertising content is stored, but in the present embodiment, a plurality of different types of advertising content are stored for the same content of advertising content. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, in the content storage unit 27a, for the content A indicating the advertisement of the company A, the "quality a" advertising content, the "quality b" advertising content, and the "quality c" Are stored in association with each other. Here, the advertising content of each quality shows the same advertising content, but each has a different quality. Here, “quality” means the data amount of advertisement content, the number of colors, the number of pixels, the resolution, the number of gradations, and the like, as described above.

  In the first embodiment, the distribution management server 3 generates a plurality of advertisement contents of different quality for the same advertisement contents, and among the plurality of advertisement contents, the distribution destination user terminal 2 Only the advertising content of the quality that best fits the above is distributed to the user terminal 2. However, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the distribution management server 3 distributes all of the plurality of advertisement contents to the user terminal 2.

  The quality table 64 is a table in which type information indicating the type of application is associated with quality information indicating the degree of quality of the advertising content. Here, quality information with a large amount of data is associated with application type information that is expected to take a long time for startup processing, and application type information that is expected to take a short time for startup processing The quality information with a small amount of data is associated with the data.

  The control unit 33c is a computer that controls the user terminal 2c. In addition to the activation processing unit 36 and the monitoring unit 38 described in the first embodiment, the reproduction unit 39c, the application type detection unit 61, and the quality selection unit The configuration includes the part 62.

  When application activation processing is started in the activation processing unit 36, the application type detection unit (detection means) 61 detects the type of application to be activated, and transmits type information indicating the type to the quality selection unit 62. It is a block to do.

  When the type information is transmitted, the quality selection unit 62 refers to the quality table 64, reads the quality information associated with the transmitted type information, and further determines the quality indicated in the quality information. This is a block for reading out advertising content of close quality from the content storage unit 27a and transmitting it to the playback unit 39c.

  When the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38, the reproduction unit 39c displays (reproduces) the advertising content read by the quality selection unit 62 on the display unit 32. In addition, when the input waiting signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38, the playback unit 39 ends the display (playback) of the advertising content.

  According to the above configuration, the advertising content played back by the playback unit 39c has the same content but the quality of the advertising content is changed according to the type of application to be activated.

  Further, in the above configuration, an application that takes a longer time for the startup process is played back during the startup process, and a high-quality advertising content is played back. In addition, the advertising content with a small amount of data is reproduced.

  In other words, when launching an application with a relatively long startup time, the playback time of the advertising content is sufficient, so high-quality (high resolution, high pixel count, multicolor) advertising content with a large amount of data is played back. When an application with a relatively short activation time is activated, there is no room for the reproduction time of the advertising content, so the low-quality (low resolution, low pixel count) advertising content with a small amount of data is reproduced.

  Thereby, according to the activation time of the application, it is possible to reproduce the advertising content having a data amount suitable for the activation time. For example, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the application activation process is completed before the display of the advertising content is started because the data amount of the advertising content is too large.

  Note that, in the present embodiment, the content reproduction during the application activation process has been described as an example. However, the present embodiment also applies when the content is reproduced during the communication process (in the case of the second embodiment). Needless to say, this configuration can be applied.

[Embodiment 5]
In the fourth embodiment, the form in which the quality of the advertising content to be played is changed according to the type of the program to be started or the type of the program performing the communication processing has been described. The form which changes the quality of the content for advertisement to reproduce may be sufficient. Below, the structure which implement | achieves this change is demonstrated. In the present embodiment, FIG. 8 used in the fourth embodiment is used, and the same members as those in the fourth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Only points different from 4 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the user terminal 2c has a history in addition to the input unit 31, display unit 32, application storage unit 34, control unit 33c, content storage unit 27a, quality table 64 described in the fourth embodiment. The configuration includes the storage unit 60.

  Further, in the control unit 33c, in addition to the activation processing unit 36, the monitoring unit 38, the reproduction unit 39c, the monitoring unit 38, the application type detection unit 61, the quality selection unit 62 described in the fourth embodiment, a history writing unit 63.

  The history writing unit (second writing unit) 63 performs application activation processing in the activation processing unit 36, and after the advertising content is reproduced in the reproduction unit 39c, the type of the activated application and the application This is a block for recording in the history storage unit (storage unit) 60 a history associated with the startup time required for the startup process. The history writing unit 63 detects the type of the activated application from the application type detection unit 61 and detects the activation time required for the activation process from the activation processing unit 36.

  In this embodiment, the quality selection unit (reading unit) 62 starts the application activation process in the activation processing unit 36, and the type information (information indicating the type of application) is transmitted from the application type detection unit 61. Then, the activation time associated with the type of application indicated in the transmitted type information is read from the history storage unit 60, and the advertisement content read from the content storage unit 27a is read according to the amount of the activation time. Choose quality.

  Specifically, the quality selection unit 62 selects a high-quality advertising content as the read activation time is long, and selects a low-quality advertising content as the read activation time is short. is doing. Then, the advertising content read from the content storage unit 27a by the quality selection unit 62 is transmitted to the reproduction unit 39c.

  Then, when the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38, the reproduction unit 39c displays (reproduces) the advertising content read by the quality selection unit 62 on the display unit 32. Further, when the input waiting signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38, the playback unit 39c ends the display (playback) of the advertising content.

  According to the above configuration, when an application activation process is started, an advertisement that is played back during the currently activated activation process according to the amount of time required for activation of the application in the past activation process. The quality of the content will be changed. Specifically, the longer the time required for launching in the past, the higher the amount of high-quality advertising content that is played, and the shorter the time required for launching in the past, the smaller the amount of data, the lower-quality advertising content. Will be played.

  That is, the time required for the application activation process varies depending on the type of application, and if the application type is the same, the time required for the application activation process tends to be substantially constant. Therefore, in the above configuration, when the application startup process is started, the quality of the advertising content to be played back during the startup process of the currently started application is selected from the startup time in the past startup process of this application. is doing.

  Specifically, when launching an application with a relatively long past launch time, it is considered that there is a sufficient launch time, so high-quality (high resolution, high pixel count, multicolor) advertising content with a large amount of data When starting an application with a relatively short startup time, it is considered that there is not enough startup time, so low-quality (low resolution, low pixel count) advertising content with a small amount of data is played. is doing.

  As a result, it is possible to predict the application activation time from the past activation history and reproduce the advertising content having a data amount suitable for the activation time. Therefore, for example, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the application activation process is completed before the display of the advertising content is started because the data amount of the advertising content is too large.

  Note that the quality selection process in the quality selection unit 62 is realized if the history storing unit 60 does not write a history that associates the type of the activated application with the activation time required for the application activation process. I can't. Therefore, when the history is not yet written, the quality selection unit 62 may select the quality of the advertising content with reference to the quality table 64 (that is, the processing of the fourth embodiment may be performed).

  In the present embodiment, when the application activation process is started, the playback unit 39c refers to the history storage unit 60 and responds to the amount of time required for activation of the application during the past activation process. Thus, the playback time of the advertising content may be adjusted. In this way, it is possible to predict the activation time of the application from the past activation history, and to match the reproduction time of the advertising content with this activation time.

  Note that, in the present embodiment, the content reproduction during the application activation process has been described as an example. However, the present embodiment also applies when the content is reproduced during the communication process (in the case of the second embodiment). Needless to say, this configuration can be applied.

[Embodiment 6]
In addition, in the application activation process, it is also possible to sequentially reproduce each of a plurality of advertisement contents having different contents instead of reproducing a single advertisement content. Below, this point is demonstrated concretely. In the present embodiment, the same members as those in the first to fifth embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof is omitted, and only points different from the first to fifth embodiments will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating details of a configuration for executing reproduction of advertising content in the user terminal 2d. As shown in FIG. 11, the user terminal 2d includes a control unit 33d and a content storage unit 27b in addition to the input unit 31, the display unit 32, and the application storage unit 34 described in the first to fifth embodiments. is there. In FIG. 11, for convenience of explanation, the members of the network N, the communication unit 21, and the content acquisition unit 25 are omitted, but these members are also configured in the user terminal 2d of FIG. And

  The content storage unit 27b is a storage area in which advertising content is stored, but in the content storage unit 27b of the present embodiment, a plurality of different contents and the playback order of each advertising content are associated with each other. Is remembered. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, in the content storage unit 27b, content A, content B, and content C having different contents, and order data indicating the reproduction order of these contents (order of A, B, and C) Are stored in association with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 33d includes a monitoring unit 38 and a playback unit 39d, as in the first embodiment. That is, when the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38, the reproduction unit 39d displays (reproduces) the content read by the quality selection unit 62 on the display unit 32. Further, when the input waiting signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38, the playback unit 39d ends the display (playback) of the content.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the reproducing unit 39d does not simply reproduce one content until the activation request signal is transmitted and the input standby signal is transmitted, but a plurality of contents different from each other are reproduced. Each piece of content is played sequentially. Specifically, when the monitoring unit 38 generates the activation request signal, the playback unit 39d refers to the order data stored in the content storage unit 27b and circulates in the order of the contents A, B, and C. Play the content.

  In this way, since a user who is waiting for the application startup process to finish can view each of a plurality of contents in order, the configuration in which a single content is played back can be achieved. It is possible to provide a content viewing service rich in variations.

  Further, in the above configuration, when an instruction to skip the content being played back is input from the user via the input unit 31, the playback unit 39b stops the playback of the content targeted for skipping, and next The content to be reproduced may be reproduced. For example, when the user inputs a skip instruction at the moment when the content A is being reproduced, the reproduction unit 39d reproduces the content B to be reproduced next. With such a configuration, it is not necessary for the user to view all the reproduced content, and it is possible to select and view the desired content.

  In the above configuration, the content storage unit 27b stores the order data in association with the plurality of contents. The combination of the plurality of contents and the order data is distributed from the distribution management server 3. Or may be read from a removable recording medium.

  When the combination of the plurality of contents and the order data is distributed from the distribution management server 3, the combination of the plurality of contents and the order data is registered in the distribution management server 3 from the registration terminal 4 by the sponsor. Is. However, only a plurality of contents may be registered in the distribution management server 3 from the registration terminal 4, and the order data may be associated with the plurality of contents automatically by the distribution management server 3 or by an input from the administrator.

  Further, the order data stored in the content storage unit 27b may be written according to an input instruction from the user of the user terminal 2 or rewritten according to an input instruction from the user of the user terminal 2. .

  Furthermore, the combination of the plurality of contents and the order data stored in the content storage unit 27b may be appropriately updated by the distribution management server 3.

  Further, in the content storage unit 27, schedule data indicating a time zone in which the content is to be reproduced is stored in association with each of a plurality of contents having different contents, and the reproduction unit 39d is configured to store each piece of content according to the schedule data. A form of reproducing content may be used. For example, as in the content storage unit 27c shown in FIG. 12, schedule data indicating 8 o'clock to 10 o'clock is associated with content A, schedule data indicating 10 o'clock to 14 o'clock is associated with content B, and content C Is stored in association with schedule data indicating 15:00 to 17:00. Then, the reproduction unit 39d refers to the schedule data in the content storage unit 27c, and reproduces the content A when the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38 in the time period from 8 o'clock to 10 o'clock. When the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38 in the time zone of -14: 00, the content B is reproduced, and when the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38 in the time zone of 15:00 to 17:00 The content C is reproduced. In this way, each content can be reproduced according to a predetermined schedule. That is, each of a plurality of contents having different contents can be reproduced in different time zones.

  In the content storage unit 27c shown in FIG. 12, only the time zone is stored as the schedule data, but the date may be stored as the schedule data. In this way, for each content, the content can be played back only on the preferred date and time for playback (for example, in the case of content that advertises a movie being shown, only during the screening period).

  Note that the combination of content and schedule data shown in FIG. 12 may be delivered from the delivery management server 3 or read from a removable recording medium.

  The schedule data shown in FIG. 12 may be written according to an input instruction from the user of the user terminal 2 or rewritten according to an input instruction from the user of the user terminal 2. .

  Further, when the combination of the content and the schedule data is distributed from the distribution management server 3, the combination of the content and the schedule data is registered in the distribution management server 3 from the registration terminal 4 by the sponsor. It is. However, only the content may be registered in the distribution management server 3 from the registration terminal 4, and the schedule data may be associated with the content by the distribution management server 3 automatically or by input from the administrator.

  Furthermore, when registering the combination of the content and the schedule data, the distribution management server 3 restricts the registration of the content so that a plurality of content is not registered in the same time zone, and the time when the content is already registered When a registration instruction for another content is input from the registration terminal 4 to the band, an error notification may be sent to the registration terminal 4.

  In the content storage unit 27c shown in FIG. 12, only a single content is registered for the same time zone, but a plurality of contents can be registered for the same time zone. For example, in the content storage unit 27d shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of contents having different contents and order data indicating the playback order of each content are stored in association with each other for the same time zone.

  Specifically, in the content storage unit 27d, the content data A, B, C and the order data of A → B → C are stored in association with the schedule data indicating the time zone from 8:00 to 10:00. Yes. The schedule data indicating the time zone from 10:00 to 12:00 stores the contents C, D, E and the order data of C → D → E in association with each other. When the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38 in the time period from 8 o'clock to 10 o'clock, the playback unit 39d that refers to the content storage unit 27d performs content while the application activation process is being performed. Each is reproduced in the order of A, B, and C. In addition, when the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38 in the time period from 10:00 to 12:00, the reproduction unit 39d is in the order of the contents A, B, and C while the application activation process is being performed. Will be played sequentially. Furthermore, when the activation request signal is transmitted from the monitoring unit 38 in the time period from 10:00 to 12:00, the reproduction unit 39d is in the order of the contents D, E, and F during the application activation process. Will be played sequentially.

  When the content storage unit 27d shown in FIG. 10 is applied, the combination of the schedule data indicating the time zone, the plurality of contents, and the order data may be distributed from the distribution management server 3. Alternatively, it may be read from a removable recording medium.

  Further, when a combination of schedule data indicating a time zone, a plurality of contents, and order data is distributed from the distribution management server 3, the combination of these data is sent from the registration terminal 4 to the distribution management server 3 by the sponsor. Is registered. However, only a plurality of contents may be registered in the distribution management server 3 from the registration terminal 4, and the order data may be associated with the plurality of contents automatically by the distribution management server 3 or by an input from the administrator.

  In FIG. 13, three contents are registered in the schedule data indicating the same time period. The maximum number of contents that can be registered in the same time period is the content registration. Is defined in the distribution management server 3 in which is performed. When the number of contents exceeding the maximum value is to be registered from the registration terminal 4, the distribution management server 3 notifies the registration terminal 4 of an error and the number exceeding the maximum value Prohibit content registration. This maximum value can be adjusted by the administrator of the distribution management server 3.

  Note that, in the present embodiment, the content reproduction during the application activation process has been described as an example. However, the present embodiment also applies when the content is reproduced during the communication process (in the case of the second embodiment). Needless to say, this configuration can be applied.

  Further, the content reproduction processing may be performed by combining the point of sequentially reproducing a plurality of contents having different contents described in the present embodiment and the point of appropriately changing the quality of the content described in the fifth embodiment. .

[Embodiment 7]
In the sixth embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a plurality of contents are stored in the content storage unit 27b and each content is sequentially played back according to the order data stored in association with the plurality of contents.

  However, according to this configuration, since only the playback order is defined, there is a possibility that the contents are not played back equally. For example, in the content storage unit 27b of FIG. 13, each content is reproduced in the order of content A → content B → content C → content A →... When finished, the content C has a smaller number of times of reproduction and reproduction time than the contents A and B.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the content reproduction history is stored and the order data is rewritten in accordance with the reproduction history. Hereinafter, this configuration will be described in detail. In the present embodiment, FIG. 11 used in the sixth embodiment is used, and the same members as those in the sixth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Only points different from 6 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the user terminal 2d includes a history storage unit 60a in addition to the input unit 31, the display unit 32, the application storage unit 34, the control unit 33d, and the content storage unit 27b described in the sixth embodiment. It is the composition which includes. The control unit 33d includes a history writing unit 63a and an order changing unit 70 in addition to the monitoring unit 38 and the reproduction unit 39d.

  The history storage unit (storage unit) 60a is a recording area in which a playback history in which the type of content played back by the playback unit 39d, the playback time of the content, and the playback count of the content are associated is recorded. It is.

  The history writing unit (third writing unit) 63a monitors the playback unit 39d and sequentially detects the type and playback time of the played content, and is recorded for each content type in the history storage unit 60a. This is a block for performing a process of sequentially updating the playback time and the number of times of playback.

  The order changing unit (order changing unit) 70 sequentially refers to the history storage unit 60a, and uses the sequential data stored in the content storage unit 27b so that the content with a small number of playbacks or playback times is prioritized. This is a block for performing update (rewrite) processing. For example, the order data of the content storage unit 27b shown in FIG. 13 is determined to be in the order of the contents A, B, and C. However, in the history storage unit 60a, the reproduction time of the content C is the shortest, and the content A When the reproduction time is the next shortest, the order changing unit 70 performs a process of rewriting the order data in the order of the contents C, A, and B.

  According to the above configuration, the playback order of the contents is not fixed, and the playback order is sequentially changed so that the playback order of the contents with a small past playback time or number of playbacks is given priority. Therefore, the total playback time and the total number of playbacks of each of the plurality of contents can be made as close as possible to each other.

  In the above configuration, the order data indicating the playback order of each content in FIG. 13 is rewritten based on the playback history, but the data to be rewritten is not limited to the order data. For example, the schedule data indicating the time zone in FIG. 12 or 13 may be rewritten based on the reproduction history. Specifically, in the user terminal 2d shown in FIG. 11, referring to the reproduction history stored in the history storage unit 60a, the above-mentioned time zone becomes longer as the content has a smaller number of past reproductions or reproduction times. A schedule change unit (schedule change means, not shown) for rewriting the schedule information may be included. Even in this case, the total reproduction time and the total number of reproductions of each of the plurality of contents can be made as close as possible to each other.

  Further, the user terminal 2 appropriately transmits the history information recorded in the history recording unit 63a to the distribution management server 3, and causes the distribution management server 3 to hold the history information, thereby managing the distribution management server 3. The history information may be displayed on the display unit of the distribution management server 3 in response to a request from the person. Thereby, the administrator of the distribution management server 3 can appropriately check the reproduction status of the content in the user terminal 2 as the content distribution destination.

  By the way, the function which each part contained in the control part 19,28,33 shown in the above embodiment plays, the arithmetic circuit, such as a processor, executes the program memorize | stored in memory | storage means, such as ROM and RAM, It can also be realized by controlling various peripheral circuits and sensors. Therefore, various functions and various processes of the user terminal 2 of the present embodiment are realized by a computer having the above arithmetic circuit, peripheral circuit, and the like only by reading the recording medium storing the program and executing the program. be able to. In addition, by recording the program on a removable recording medium, the various functions and various processes described above can be realized on an arbitrary computer.

  Examples of the recording medium include a tape system such as a magnetic tape and a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk / hard disk, and an optical disk such as a CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  Further, the user terminal may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Further, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and the embodiments can be obtained by appropriately combining the respective technical means disclosed in the above-described embodiments. The form is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The information processing apparatus of the present invention can be used for computer devices such as general-purpose personal computers, mobile phones, PHS, and PDAs.

It is the functional block diagram which showed the structure of the user terminal which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the content delivery system containing the user terminal shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the communication processing between the terminal for registration contained in the content delivery system shown in FIG. 2, and a delivery management server. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating various configurations for realizing communication processing for a distribution management server and a user terminal included in the content distribution system illustrated in FIG. 2. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the communication process between the delivery management server shown in FIG. 4, and a user terminal. It is the functional block diagram which showed the structure of the user terminal which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is the functional block diagram which showed the structure of the user terminal which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is the functional block diagram which showed the structure of the user terminal which can switch the quality of the content to reproduce | regenerate. It is the schematic diagram which showed the content of the information memorize | stored in the content memory | storage part contained in the user terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing that a plurality of contents, schedule data indicating a playback time zone, and schedule data indicating a playback order are associated with each other in a content storage unit. It is the functional block diagram which showed the structure of the user terminal which reproduces | regenerates several content from which a content differs mutually in predetermined order. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing that a plurality of contents are associated with schedule data indicating a reproduction time zone of the contents in the content storage unit. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing that a plurality of contents are associated with order data indicating the playback order of each content in the content storage unit. (A) is the schematic diagram which showed the aspect by which the content for advertisement was superimposed and displayed on the GUI image in an application, (b) is the content for advertisement displayed in the area | region different from the GUI image in an application. It is the schematic diagram which showed the aspect which is.

Explanation of symbols

1 Content distribution system 2 User terminal (information processing device)
3 Distribution management server (server device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 Registration terminal 11 Communication part 12 Content registration monitoring part 13 Specification information transmission part 14 Specification information update process part 15 Content request reception part 16 Content distribution part 19, 28, 33 Control part 21 Communication part 22 Specification information collation part 23 Content request Unit 24 specification information update request unit 25 content acquisition unit (first writing means)
26 Specification Information Storage Unit 27 Content Storage Unit (Storage Unit)
31 Input unit 32 Display unit 34 Application storage unit (storage unit)
36 Start processing unit (data processing means)
38 Monitoring unit (signal generating means)
39 Reproduction unit (reproduction means)
41 Communication application storage unit (storage unit)
42 Communication processing unit (data processing means)
51 Application / time correspondence table (correspondence table)
52 Estimated time acquisition unit (estimated time acquisition means)
60 History storage unit (storage unit)
60a History storage unit (storage unit)
61 Application type detection unit (detection means)
62 Quality selection section (reading means)
63 History writing unit (second writing means)
63a History writing unit (third writing means)
64 Quality table 70 Order change section (order change means)

Claims (18)

A storage unit;
A first writing means for writing contents acquired from the outside in the storage unit,
Processing means for executing specific processing instructed by the user based on the program;
When it is detected that the specific process has been started, reproduction means for reproducing the content written in the storage unit for at least a part of the period from the start of the specific process to the completion thereof ,
Signal generating means for generating a start request signal at the start of the specific process;
A correspondence table in which the type of the program and the estimated time required for the specific processing realized by the program are associated with each program;
When a specific process is started, an estimated time acquisition unit that detects the type of the program realizing the specific process and reads the estimated time associated with the detected type of program from the association table; Including
The reproduction means starts the reproduction at the generation timing of the start request signal, and terminates the reproduction when the estimated time acquired by the estimated time acquisition means elapses from the start. apparatus. A storage unit;
A first writing means for writing contents acquired from the outside in the storage unit,
An information processing apparatus comprising processing means for executing specific processing instructed by a user based on a program ,
The storage unit stores a plurality of content sets that have the same content but different data quality from each other,
Detecting means for detecting a type of a program realizing the specific process when the specific process is started;
A quality table in which the type of the program is associated with quality information indicating data quality according to the type of the program;
The quality information associated with the type of program detected by the detection means is read from the quality table, and the content having the data quality closest to the data quality indicated in the quality information read from the quality table is A quality selection unit read from the storage unit;
When the specific process is started, reproduction means for reproducing the content read by the quality selection unit in at least a part of the period from the start of the specific process to the completion thereof Prepared,
The above data quality, the information processing apparatus, wherein said data amount of the content, number of colors, the number of pixels, the resolution is one of the gradation number. A storage unit;
A first writing means for writing contents acquired from the outside in the storage unit,
Processing means for executing specific processing instructed by the user based on the program;
When it is detected that the specific process has been started, reproduction means for reproducing the content written in the storage unit for at least a part of the period from the start of the specific process to the completion thereof ,
A second writing unit that records in the storage unit a history in which the type of the program realizing the specific process is associated with the time required for the specific process;
Detecting means for detecting the type of program realizing the processing when the specific processing is started;
Reading means for reading the time associated with the type of program detected by the detection means from the storage unit;
The reproduction means reproduces content having a large amount of data as the time read by the reading means increases, and reproduces content having a small amount of data as the time read by the reading means decreases. the information processing apparatus characterized by there. The above specific process, a starting process of the program, characterized in that it is a process of shifting to the standby state enter GUI image displayed on the display unit during the execution of the program from the input impossible state according Item 4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the specific process is a process of communicating data with an external apparatus. Including a signal generation means for generating a start request signal at the start of the specific process and generating an end notification signal at the end of the process by the processing means;
4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the reproduction unit starts the reproduction at a generation timing of the start request signal and ends the reproduction at a generation timing of the end notification signal. A plurality of contents are written in the storage unit,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reproduction unit reproduces each of the plurality of contents in a predetermined order. When the user inputs an instruction to skip the content being played, the playback means stops playback of the content targeted for skipping and plays back the content to be played next the information processing apparatus according to claim 7,. In the storage unit, the plurality of contents and order data indicating the reproduction order of each of the plurality of contents are written in association with each other,
It said reproducing means, the information processing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein determining the predetermined order based on the order shown in the sequence data. A third writing means for writing a reproduction history of each of the plurality of contents into the storage unit;
Order change means for rewriting the order data with reference to the reproduction history stored in the storage unit;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , comprising: The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the order changing unit rewrites the order data so that a content with a small number of playback times or playback times is prioritized. In the storage unit, the content and schedule information indicating a period in which the content is to be reproduced are shown in association with each other.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the reproduction unit reproduces the content only on a date and time indicated in schedule information associated with the content. A third writing means for writing a reproduction history of each of the plurality of contents into the storage unit;
A schedule changing means for rewriting the schedule information with reference to the reproduction history stored in the storage unit;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 12 , comprising: The schedule changing unit, as less time should the reproduction as the contents of past views or reproduction time is long, the information processing apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that rewriting the schedule information. A content distribution system comprising the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 and a server apparatus that distributes the content to the information processing apparatus. 16. The content distribution system according to claim 15 , wherein when the content is reproduced, the information processing device transmits reproduced information indicating that the content has been reproduced to the server device. The control program of the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer functions as each unit of the information processing apparatus . A computer-readable recording medium storing the control program according to claim 17 .