Control device and control method

Abstract

To support a user in viewing content whose viewing has been suspended when the situation becomes suitable for the user to view the content again.SOLUTION: A content distribution device 30 includes an identification unit 33 that identifies the content that a user has stopped viewing, and a playback control unit 32 that controls a user terminal 10 used by the user to play the content identified by the identification unit 33 from the point where viewing of the content has been stopped, when the user's movement situation meets certain conditions (for example, when the user is traveling using public transportation).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for users to view content. [Background technology]

[0002] Distribution services that distribute content such as videos to user terminals such as smartphones are becoming widely used. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that when a user gets on an elevator, the continuation of content that was displayed at the elevator hall is displayed inside the elevator. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7213849 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, the time spent riding public transportation during commuting is considered to be a convenient time for users to watch content. For this reason, it is expected that there will be a certain number of users who have the habit of watching content only while riding public transportation, and it is thought that such users may repeatedly interrupt and resume watching relatively long content over the course of a day.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to support the viewing of content that a user has stopped viewing when the situation becomes suitable for resuming viewing of the content. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a control device characterized by comprising an identification unit that identifies content that a user has stopped viewing, and a playback control unit that, when the user's movement status meets certain conditions, controls the user terminal used by the user to play the identified content from the point where viewing of the content was stopped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when a situation becomes suitable for resuming viewing of content that the user has stopped viewing, it is possible to assist the user in viewing the content. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a content distribution device 30 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal 10 according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a content distribution device 30 according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a storage unit 34 of the content distribution device 30 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a storage unit 34 of the content distribution device 30 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a storage unit 34 of the content distribution device 30 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a storage unit 34 of the content distribution device 30 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the content distribution device 30. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Embodiment] [composition] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 1 is a system for providing users with a content distribution service that distributes content, such as videos, to user terminals 10, such as smartphones. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes multiple user terminals 10 used by multiple users, a content distribution device 30 that distributes content to the user terminals 10, and a communication network 2, including a wireless communication network or a wired communication network, that communicatively connects these terminals. Content distribution methods include a first method in which the content distribution device 30 distributes content to the user terminals 10 as so-called stream data and plays it back, and a second method in which the user terminals 10 download content distributed from the content distribution device 30 and play it back locally. This embodiment will be described using the first method, i.e., an example in which content playback is performed under the control of the content distribution device 30. In this case, the content distribution device 30 according to this embodiment corresponds to a control device of the present invention. Note that the content distribution device 30 may be configured as a single computer or multiple computers.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the content distribution device 30. The content distribution device 30 is physically configured as a computer including a processor 3001, a memory 3002, a storage 3003, a communication device 3004, an input device 3005, an output device 3006, and a bus connecting these devices. Each of these devices operates using power supplied from a battery (not shown). In the following description, the term "device" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, or the like. The hardware configuration of the content distribution device 30 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in FIG. 2, or may be configured without including some of the devices. Furthermore, the content distribution device 30 may be configured by communicating and connecting multiple devices each having a different housing.

[0011] Each function in the content distribution device 30 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 3001 and memory 3002, causing the processor 3001 to perform calculations, control communication via the communication device 3004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 3002 and storage 3003.

[0012] The processor 3001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system. The processor 3001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Furthermore, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 3001.

[0013] The processor 3001 reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 3003 and the communication device 3004 into the memory 3002, and executes various processes in accordance with these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the content distribution device 30 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 3002 and running on the processor 3001. Various processes may be executed by one processor 3001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 3001. The processor 3001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted to the content distribution device 30 via a telecommunications line.

[0014] The memory 3002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured by, for example, at least one of a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 3002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 3002 can store an executable program (program code), a software module, etc. for implementing the method according to this embodiment.

[0015] Storage 3003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 3003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. The storage stores an application program for playing content such as video and outputting sound or images.

[0016] The communication device 3004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module.

[0017] Each device, such as the processor 3001 and the memory 3002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0018] The content distribution device 30 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 3001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0019] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 is a computer such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, or a wearable terminal. The user terminal 10 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, and a bus connecting these. The processor 1001, the memory 1002, and the storage 1003 are the same hardware as the processor 3001, the memory 3002, and the storage 3003 of the content distribution device 30.

[0020] The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc., to realize at least one of Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). For example, a transmitting / receiving antenna, an amplifier unit, a transmitting / receiving unit, a transmission path interface, etc. may be realized by the communication device 1004. The transmitting / receiving unit may be implemented as a transmitting unit and a receiving unit that are physically or logically separated.

[0021] The input device 1005 is an input device (for example, a key, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (for example, a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (for example, a touch screen).

[0022] The positioning device 1007 is, for example, a GPS unit, which measures the position of the user terminal 10 and generates position information indicating that position.

[0023] 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of content distribution device 30. In content distribution device 30, processor 3001 reads programs and the like from storage 3003 to memory 3002 and executes them, thereby realizing the functions of location information acquisition unit 31, playback control unit 32, identification unit 33, and storage unit 34.

[0024] The storage unit 34 stores a plurality of contents to be played back on the user terminal 10. These contents are distributed from the content distribution device 30 to the user terminal 10 as so-called stream data.

[0025] The location information acquisition unit 31 acquires location information indicating the location of each user. In this embodiment, the location of the user terminal 10 carried by each user is used as the location of that user. The location information of the user terminal 10 may be obtained by any known positioning method, for example, location information measured by a positioning device 1007 provided in the user terminal 10. The location information of the user terminal 10 may also be location information acquired from a positioning system that measures the location of the user terminal 10 using identification information and the location of a wireless device, such as a cellular base station, a wireless access point, or a beacon device, that wirelessly communicates with the user terminal 10. The location information acquisition unit 31 acquires the location information of the user terminal 10 from the user terminal 10 or the positioning system, for example, via the communication network 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 34 stores a user ID, which is identification information for identifying each user, and a location information history, which is a history of location information indicating the location of the user (here, each user terminal 10), in association with each other. The location information history includes location information indicating the user's location and a positioning date and time indicating the date and time when the positioning was performed.

[0026] 4, the playback control unit 32 controls playback of content in the user terminal 10. Specifically, the playback control unit 32 reads out the content from the identification unit 33 and distributes it as stream data to the user terminal 10 via the communication network 2.

[0027] In a method in which content is distributed to user terminal 10 as stream data, the user's viewing history for each content is stored in storage unit 24, and the user can resume playback of content that the user has stopped viewing from the point where the viewing was stopped, or can start playback from the beginning of the content. Identification unit 33 identifies the content that the user has stopped viewing, from among the content that has been distributed from content distribution device 30 to user terminal 10 and played back.

[0028] In order for the identification unit 33 to identify the content whose viewing has been interrupted by the user and the interruption position, the storage unit 24 stores a user ID, which is identification information for identifying each user, a content ID, which is identification information for identifying the content whose viewing has been interrupted by the user, and the interruption position of each content, in association with each other, as illustrated in Fig. 6. The interruption position of the viewing is expressed as the elapsed time when the beginning of the content is set to 0 on the time axis. Fig. 5 shows an example in which a user with user ID "U0001" interrupted viewing of a content with content ID "C00001" at a position of "5 minutes 23 seconds" from the beginning of the content.

[0029] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 4, when the user's movement situation matches a specific condition (hereinafter referred to as the movement condition), the playback control unit 32 controls the user terminal 10 used by the user to play back the content identified by the identification unit 33 from the interrupted position of viewing of the content. The case where the user's movement situation matches the movement condition means that it is estimated that the content whose viewing the user has interrupted is suitable for viewing again, and for example, this may correspond to the movement situation that the user regularly engages in (for example, commuting to work or school, daily walk or jog). In other words, the movement condition in this case means that the user's movement situation is a regular movement of the user.

[0030] For this purpose, the playback control unit 32 analyzes elements such as the starting point of the user's movement, the speed of the movement, and the date and time when the movement started from each user's location information history stored in the storage unit 24. Then, based on the location information history in which these elements have a predetermined similarity relationship, the playback control unit 32 calculates ranges for the starting point, speed, and date and time when the user's periodic movement starts, and stores these ranges as movement conditions corresponding to the user in the storage unit 24 in association with the user's user ID, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The playback control unit 32 then compares each user's location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 31 with the above-mentioned ranges as movement conditions, and determines that the user's movement status is periodic movement if a similarity between the starting point, speed, and date and time of the movement is equal to or greater than a certain threshold. The playback control unit 32 then references the contents stored in the identification unit 33 to identify the content the user has stopped viewing and the interruption location, and starts streaming content delivery from the interruption location of the content.

[0031] Furthermore, a case where it is estimated that the content that the user has stopped viewing is suitable for resuming viewing may be a case where the user is traveling by public transportation such as a train or bus, etc. In other words, the travel condition in this case is a condition that means traveling by public transportation.

[0032] Because the speed ranges and travel routes of each type of public transportation, such as trains and buses, are known in advance, the playback control unit 32 stores the speed ranges and travel routes for each type of public transportation as travel conditions in the storage unit 24, as shown in Fig. 8. The playback control unit 32 then compares the location information of each user acquired by the location information acquisition unit 31 with the above-mentioned travel conditions, and if a similarity between the two in terms of travel speed ranges and routes is found to be equal to or greater than a certain threshold, determines that the user's travel situation is travel using public transportation. The playback control unit 32 then refers to the contents stored in the identification unit 33 to identify the content that the user has stopped viewing and the interruption location, and starts streaming content delivery from the interruption location of the content.

[0033] Furthermore, the travel conditions may include a condition for distinguishing between the travel of a user riding public transportation and the travel of a user transferring between public transportation (typically walking). In this case, the playback control unit 32 can distinguish between the travel of a user riding public transportation and the travel of a user transferring between public transportation by comparing the location information of each user acquired by the location information acquisition unit 31 with the travel conditions. The playback control unit 32 then controls the playback of content from the interruption point during the period of travel on public transportation, and prevents the playback of the identified content during the period of travel transferring between public transportation. This makes it possible to repeatedly play and interrupt content while riding public transportation and transferring.

[0034] [Operation] Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In the following description, for example, when the content distribution device 30 is described as a processing subject, this specifically means that the processing is executed by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 3001 and memory 3002, causing the processor 3001 to perform calculations and control communication via the communication device 3004 and reading and / or writing of data from the memory 3002 and storage 3003. The same applies to the user terminal 10. Independently of the processing shown in Fig. 9, the location information acquisition unit 31 of the content distribution device 30 acquires location information of each user, for example, periodically or intermittently, and the identification unit 33 stores this location information as location information history in association with the user ID of the user.

[0035] First, when a user performs an operation to start an application program for playing back content, a start notification including the user's user ID is transmitted from the user terminal 10 to the content distribution device 30 via the communication network 2. Upon receiving this start notification (step S11), the playback control unit 32 of the content distribution device 30 refers to the location information history corresponding to the user ID in the storage unit 34 and analyzes the user's movement status (step S12).

[0036] Next, the playback control unit 32 determines whether the analyzed user's movement status matches the movement conditions stored in the storage unit 34 (step S13). If it is determined that the user's movement status matches the movement conditions (step S13; YES), the identification unit 33 uses the user ID in the storage unit 34 as a key to determine whether the user has stopped viewing any of the content that has been delivered from the content delivery device 30 to the user terminal 10 and played back (step S14).

[0037] If there is content whose viewing has been interrupted by the user (step S14; YES), the identification unit 33 further identifies the interruption position of the viewing. Then, the playback control unit 32 controls the user terminal 10 used by the user to play the content from the interruption position of the viewing identified by the identification unit 33 (step S15).

[0038] If it is determined in step S13 that the user's movement status does not match the movement condition (step S13; NO), and if there is no content that the user has stopped viewing in step S14 (step S14; NO), the playback control unit 32 performs normal playback control for the content (step S16). The normal playback control here refers to control that plays back the content specified by the user on the user terminal 10 from the beginning.

[0039] According to the embodiment described above, when a situation is suitable for a user to resume viewing of content that has been interrupted, the user can resume playback of the content from the interruption point simply by activating an application for playing the content (i.e., without having to perform operations to instruct playback of the content whose viewing has been interrupted). This makes it possible to support the user in viewing the content from the interruption point.

[0040] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. Furthermore, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented.

[0041] [Variation 1] When a user rides public transportation, it is considered that the user uses earphones connected wirelessly or by wire to the user terminal 10. Therefore, when the travel condition indicates travel using public transportation, if the user terminal 10 of a user determined to be riding public transportation is not connected to earphones, an image may be displayed on the user terminal 10 to prompt the user to confirm the connection between the earphones and the user terminal 10. A display control unit that performs such display control is provided in either the user terminal 10 or the content distribution device 30. If the user terminal 10 is provided with a display control unit, the display control unit detects that there is no electrical continuity between the earphone jack and the earphones of the user terminal 10 and displays the image on a display or the like. On the other hand, if the content distribution device 30 is provided with a display control unit, the display control unit receives from the user terminal 10 a detection result that there is no electrical continuity between the earphone jack and the earphones via the communication network 2, and if there is no electrical continuity between the earphone jack and the earphones, instructs the user terminal 10 to display the image on a display or the like. This makes it possible to prompt the user to connect earphones when the user terminal 10 of the user who is determined to be riding on public transportation is not connected to the earphones.

[0042] [Variation 2] Even if the user has stopped viewing a piece of content, there may be cases where the user wants to play the piece from the interruption point when the user is moving in a way that meets the movement conditions, and cases where the user does not want to play the piece from the interruption point. Also, while Figure 6 shows an example in which the user has stopped viewing one piece of content, there may be cases in which the user has stopped viewing multiple pieces of content at the same time, and in this case it is necessary to determine which piece of content should be played from the interruption point.

[0043] Therefore, when the user's movement status matches the movement conditions, the playback control unit 32 may identify the content whose viewing has been interrupted to be played back from the interruption point, and play back the identified content from the interruption point.

[0044] For example, if the user's past viewing history indicates that there is a certain commonality in the attributes (e.g., the title, genre, category, characters, supervisor, etc.) of the content that is being continued from the interruption point when the movement condition is met, the playback control unit 32 determines that, from among the content whose viewing has been interrupted, the content having attributes that match the commonality should be played back from the interruption point. As a method for determining such commonality of content, a well-known method for determining the similarity between content may be used.

[0045] Furthermore, for example, if the user's past viewing history shows that the commonality of the attributes (e.g., content title, genre, category, characters, supervisor, etc.) of the content being continued from the interruption point differs depending on the travel conditions (e.g., when going to work in the morning and when coming home in the evening, or when riding a train and when riding a bus), the playback control unit 32 determines to play back from the interruption point the content whose viewing has been interrupted that has attributes that match the commonality corresponding to the travel conditions that match the user's travel situation.

[0046] This makes it possible to play back content that the user is likely to want to view from the interruption point.

[0047] [Variation 3] In the above-described second modification, when there are multiple pieces of content whose viewing has been interrupted that are determined to be played back from the interruption point, the playback control unit 32 may present the titles of the multiple pieces of content to the user by, for example, displaying them on the user terminal 10, and play back the content with the title selected by the user from the interruption point. This makes it possible to play back the content that the user wants to view from the interruption point.

[0048] [Variation 4] The playback of the content may be terminated just before the user's movement ends, for example, just before a user on a train arrives at the station nearest to their workplace. In this case, the playback control unit 32 analyzes the user's location information history, particularly the difference between the start and end times of the movement, to estimate the time when the user's movement status will no longer match the movement conditions. Then, the playback control unit 32 interrupts the playback of the content being played back from the interruption point according to the estimated time. This can prevent, for example, the user from being distracted by watching the content and missing their destination station.

[0049] [Variation 5] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the content distribution device 30 distributes content to the user terminal 10 as so-called stream data and plays it back. In this case, the content distribution device 30 corresponds to an example of a control device of the present invention. In contrast, when the second method is used in which the user terminal 10 downloads content distributed from the content distribution device 30 and plays it back locally, the user terminal 10 corresponds to an example of a control device of the present invention. That is, in this case, the processor 1001 in the user terminal 10 reads a program or the like from the storage 1003 to the memory 1002 and executes it, thereby realizing functions corresponding to the location information acquisition unit 31, the playback control unit 32, the identification unit 33, and the storage unit 34 of the above embodiment.

[0050] [Variation 6] In the above embodiment, when the user's movement status meets specific movement conditions and the user launches an application program for playing content on the user terminal 10, the content is played back from the interruption point without the user having to perform any operation to instruct playback of the content whose viewing was interrupted. In other words, when the user launches the application program, playback of the content is immediately resumed from the interruption point, but the trigger for content playback in the present invention is not necessarily limited to this example. For example, the content whose viewing was interrupted may be played back from the interruption point in response to a user operation to instruct playback of the content.

[0051] [Other variations] The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining the single device or multiple devices with software.

[0052] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, election, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how these functions are implemented.

[0053] For example, the content distribution device 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs the processing of the present disclosure.

[0054] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems using LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (New Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-Wideband), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other appropriate systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. Furthermore, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G) may also be applied.

[0055] The present invention may also be a control method comprising: a step of identifying content that a user has stopped viewing; and a playback control step of, when the user's movement status meets certain conditions, controlling a user terminal used by the user to play the identified content from the point where the viewing of the content was stopped. The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered as long as there is no contradiction. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0056] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be sent to another device.

[0057] The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0058] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0059] Software, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise, shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc. Additionally, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then such wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of a transmission medium.

[0060] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof. In addition, terms explained in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings.

[0061] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information.

[0062] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0063] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0064] The "unit" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "means," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0065] When used in this disclosure, the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when used in this disclosure, the term "or" is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0066] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0067] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different." [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1: Information processing system, 2: Communication network, 10: User terminal, 1001: Processor, 1002: Memory, 1003: Storage, 1004: Communication device, 1005: Input device, 1006: Output device, 30: Content distribution device, 31: Location information acquisition unit, 32: Playback control unit, 33: Identification unit, 34: Memory unit, 3001: Processor, 3002: Memory, 3003: Storage, 3004: Communication device.

Claims

1. an identification unit that identifies content that a user has stopped viewing; a playback control unit that controls a user terminal used by the user to play the specified content from a position where viewing of the content was interrupted when the user's movement status matches a specific condition; A control device comprising:

2. The playback control unit controls playback of the content from the interruption point when the user's movement status meets a specific condition and an application program for playing the content is started by the user on the user terminal.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

3. The specific condition is a condition that means that the user moves regularly.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

4. The specific condition is a condition that means travel using public transportation.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

5. The specific conditions include conditions for distinguishing between a user's movement while riding the public transportation system and a user's movement while transferring between the public transportation systems; The playback control unit controls playback of the identified content from the interruption position during the period of travel while riding on the public transportation, and does not play back the identified content during the period of travel while changing public transportation.

5. The control device according to claim 4.

6. and a display control unit that, when the specific condition is a condition that means travel using public transportation and the user terminal is not connected to the earphones used by the user, displays an image on the user terminal to prompt the user to confirm connection between the earphones and the user terminal.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

7. When the user's movement status matches a specific condition, the playback control unit identifies a piece of content whose viewing has been interrupted to be played back from the interruption position, and controls the playback of the identified piece of content from the interruption position.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

8. When there are a plurality of contents to be reproduced from the interruption position among the contents whose viewing has been interrupted, the reproduction control unit presents the titles of the plurality of contents to the user and controls the reproduction of the content with the title selected by the user from the interruption position.

8. The control device according to claim 7.

9. The playback control unit estimates a time when the user's movement status will no longer match a specific condition, and controls the playback of the content being played back from the interruption position to be interrupted according to the estimated time.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

10. a step of identifying content that the user has stopped viewing; a playback control step of controlling, when the user's movement status matches a specific condition, the user terminal used by the user to play the specified content from a position where viewing of the content was interrupted; A control method comprising:

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