Content providing device, content providing system, content providing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program capable of appropriately prompting setting of parental control.SOLUTION: The content providing device 100 includes the request acquisition unit 110 that acquires the request for providing the content from the terminal 200, the setting status acquisition unit 130 that acquires the setting status of the parental control in the terminal 200, the calculation unit 150 that calculates the degree of association between the provided content and the content related to the request when the parental control is not set, and the output determination unit 160 that outputs the recommendation for setting the parental control to the terminal 200 on the basis of the calculated degree of association.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A parental control technique is known that restricts the use of devices by minors by, for example, requiring the entry of a passcode known only to a parent in order to purchase content or view adult content. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a control device that, when channel selection navigation from a first channel to a second channel is activated, prevents multimedia data transmitted on the second channel from being displayed on the device if the transmitted multimedia data is of a predetermined content type. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-513247 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in order to use a content distribution service, it is common practice to install a dedicated application on a device such as a smart TV, and allow multiple users, such as family members, to access the content using a single user account.

[0005] However, for example, smart TVs are a type of television device, and it is not common for parental controls to be used when watching programs on ordinary television devices. Therefore, many users are unaware that parental controls can be set, or forget to set them. On the other hand, for example, in situations where only adult users use the device, there is a desire to avoid the trouble of having to set parental controls. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately encourage users with children to set parental controls.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program that can appropriately prompt users to set parental controls. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a content providing device according to the present invention comprises: a request acquisition unit that acquires a request for content provision from a terminal; a setting status acquisition unit that acquires a setting status of parental control in the terminal that sent the request; a calculation unit that calculates a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the requested content when parental control is not set on the terminal; and an output determination unit that outputs a recommendation for setting parental control to the terminal based on the relevance calculated by the calculation unit; Equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program that can appropriately prompt the user to set parental control. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a content providing system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a parental control setting screen displayed on the display screen of the terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a passcode setting registration screen displayed on the display screen of the terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a top screen of a content providing application displayed on a display screen of a terminal. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a viewing confirmation screen displayed on the display screen of the terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a passcode input screen displayed on the display screen of the terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the functional configuration of a content providing device. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram showing an example of a setting status table stored in the user database shown in FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a provision history stored in the user database shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 10] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a content database shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a parental control recommendation screen displayed on the display screen of the terminal. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a content provision unavailable screen displayed on the display screen of the terminal. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart of a recommendation determination process performed by a content providing device. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart of a provision determination process performed by the content providing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Note that this embodiment is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art may employ embodiments in which each or all of these elements are replaced with equivalents, and these embodiments are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0011] (Overall composition) A content providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using an example in which the content providing system 1 is applied to the content providing system 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the content providing system 1 includes a content providing device 100 and a plurality of terminals 200. The content providing device 100 and the terminals 200 transmit and receive information via a communication network 300. In the content providing system 1, when the content providing device 100 receives a request for content provision from the terminal 200, the content providing device 100 checks the parental control setting status of the terminal 200. Here, content includes, for example, videos, games, e-books, music, audio media, etc. If parental control has not been set, the content providing device 100 of the content providing system 1 determines whether to recommend setting parental control based on a relevance indicating the degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal 200 and the content related to the request.

[0012] FIG. 2 shows an example of the parental control setting screen 210. This parental control setting screen is a screen related to parental control settings among various setting screens. The user of the terminal 200 selects one of five security levels, thereby setting usage restrictions on the terminal 200, such as the rating of the content that requires the user to enter a passcode when using the content. Content usage includes watching or browsing the content and purchasing the content. Ratings are set in advance for each piece of content and indicate the age restriction for the content based on the content's expression, etc. Specifically, a rating of "G" indicates that the content is available to all users, including users up to the age of 11; a rating of "PG12" indicates that the content is available to users 12 years of age or older; a rating of "R15+" indicates that the content is available to users 15 years of age or older; and a rating of "R18+" indicates that the content is available to users 18 years of age or older. In addition, "adult-rated content" refers to content that includes sexual content and is subject to particularly strict usage restrictions.

[0013] If parental control is not set, the default value is set to security level "5," as shown in the figure. Security level "5" indicates that all content can be used without any usage restrictions imposed by parental control.

[0014] For example, if security level "2" is set, usage restrictions will be applied to content rated "R15+", "R18+" and "adult content", but usage restrictions will not be applied to content rated "G" or "PG12".

[0015] When a user sets parental control for the first time, the content providing system 1 requests the user to set and register a passcode. An example of a passcode setting and registration screen 220 is shown in FIG. 3. For example, when the user sets security "2" on the setting screen 210 and selects the setting change button 20, the passcode setting and registration screen 220 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the terminal 200. When the user inputs a passcode and performs an operation to set the input passcode, the content providing system 1 registers the input passcode. Note that, in the example shown, the passcode consists of a four-digit number, but the number of digits may be any number and may include letters, symbols, etc.

[0016] The content provision system 1 prompts the user to enter a passcode when using content for which usage restrictions are applied by parental control. If the passcode entered by the user matches a pre-registered passcode, the content provision system 1 provides the content for which usage restrictions are applied to the terminal 200. For example, if security level "2" is set, content rated "R15+," "R18+," or "adult content" is provided to the user only if the passcode matches. On the other hand, if the content provision system 1 receives a request for content rated "G" or "PG12," it provides such content to the user without prompting for passcode entry. Therefore, for example, by pre-registering a passcode known only to parents, it is possible to restrict children from using "R15+," "R18+," or "adult content" content without parental permission.

[0017] If the user sets the security level to "5", usage restrictions will not be applied to any content, and therefore the user has chosen not to apply usage restrictions by parental control.

[0018] Therefore, each user will fall into one of three states: a usage restriction applied state in which parental control usage restrictions are applied by setting security levels 1 to 4, an unlimited usage state in which parental control usage restrictions are not applied by setting security level 5, or an unset state in which parental control has never been set.

[0019] Returning to FIG. 1, the content providing system 1 includes a content providing device 100 and one or more terminals 200, and the content providing device 100 and the terminals 200 are connected via a communication network 300 such as the Internet.

[0020] The content providing device 100 is configured with one or more server computers. The content providing device 100 is operated, for example, by a provider that provides content provision services over the Internet. The content providing device 100 manages various types of content and provides the content in response to requests from the terminal 200.

[0021] When the content providing device 100 receives a request for content provision from the terminal 200, it acquires the setting status of parental control on the terminal 200. If parental control is set, the content providing device 100 determines whether the requested content is subject to usage restrictions based on the parental control security level and the rating information of the requested content. If the content providing device 100 determines that the requested content is subject to usage restrictions, it prompts the user to enter a passcode, and if the entered passcode matches a registered passcode, it provides the requested content to the user.

[0022] If parental control has not been set in the terminal 200, the content providing device 100 determines whether to recommend setting parental control based on the relevance indicating the degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal 200 and the requested content. If the content providing device 100 determines that a request for content that is less relevant to the previously provided content has been received, it determines that it recommends setting parental control, and if it determines that a request for content that is more relevant to the previously provided content has been received, it determines that it does not recommend setting parental control. If the content providing device 100 determines that it recommends setting parental control, it displays a message recommending setting parental control on the display screen of the terminal 200.

[0023] Terminal 200 is a device owned by a user, such as a smart TV, a smartphone, a tablet, or a PC (Personal Computer). For example, an app for using a content providing service provided by a business operator is installed in terminal 200. The user starts the app to use the content providing service.

[0024] The terminal 200 includes a display means for displaying information and a communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from the content providing device 100. In the following description, the terminal 200 is assumed to be a smart TV, and multiple users use the content providing service through the login account of one registered user.

[0025] The display means is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc. Here, an example of a top screen 230 displayed on the display screen of the terminal 200 by the display means when the user launches a content providing app distributed by a business operator that manages the content providing device 100 is shown in FIG.

[0026] As shown in the figure, a top screen 230 displays a list of objects 22 that represent an overview of each piece of content. A user searches for content to use by entering a predetermined keyword in a search tab 23 located at the top of the top screen 230 or by selecting a genre to narrow down the content. When the user performs an operation to request the provision of any piece of content and the requested content is provided from the content providing device 100, the display means displays the provided content on the display screen.

[0027] The communication means transmits a request for provision of content to the content providing device 100. Specifically, when the user selects any of the objects 22 on the top screen 230 illustrated in Fig. 4 and performs an operation to request provision of the content, the terminal 200 transmits, via the communication means, to the terminal 200 a request signal including a user ID that is information that uniquely identifies a registered user of the running content providing app, a device ID that is information that uniquely identifies the terminal 200, and a content ID that is information that uniquely identifies the content.

[0028] 5 and 6 show an example of the screen transition from when a content provision is requested to when the content provision is received. For example, when the user selects object 22 of content A on top screen 230 shown in Fig. 4, display means displays usage confirmation screen 240 shown in Fig. 5 on the display screen. As shown in the figure, usage confirmation screen 240 has a view button 24 for viewing content A and a back button 25 for returning to top screen 230.

[0029] When the user selects the view button 24, the terminal 200 transmits a request signal to the terminal 200. For example, if the content A is content to which usage restrictions are applied by parental control, the display means displays a passcode entry screen 250, as illustrated in FIG. 6, on the display screen. When the user enters a passcode on the passcode entry screen 250, the terminal 200 transmits the entered passcode to the content providing device 100 via the communication means. When the content providing device 100 confirms that the entered passcode matches a registered passcode, the content providing device 100 transmits content data of the content A to the terminal 200. The display means displays the received content data of the content A on the display screen.

[0030] 1, communication network 300 may include various types of networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a wireless network, a public switched network, a satellite network, a cellular network, a public land mobile network (PLMN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a private network, an ad-hoc network, an intranet, an optical fiber-based network, or any combination of these or other types of networks.

[0031] (Functional configuration of content providing device) Next, the functional configuration of the content providing device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The content providing device 100 includes a request acquiring unit 110, a user database 120, a setting status acquiring unit 130, a content database 140, a calculation unit 150, an output determining unit 160, and a providing control unit 170.

[0032] The request acquisition unit 110 receives a request signal requesting the provision of content from the terminal 200. Upon receiving the request signal, the request acquisition unit 110 acquires the user ID of the registered user included in the request signal, the device ID of the terminal 200, and the content ID of the content related to the request.

[0033] The user database 120 is a database that stores a setting status table that indicates the setting status of parental control and a content provision history. An example of the setting status table is shown in FIG. 8, and an example of the provision history is shown in FIG.

[0034] 8, the setting status table is a table that associates a "user ID" that is information that uniquely identifies a registered user, a "device ID" that is information that uniquely identifies terminal 200, a "setting status" that indicates the setting status of parental control, a "security level" that indicates the set security level, a "passcode" that indicates the passcode registered by the registered user, and a "date" that indicates the date on which parental control was set. The setting status is entered as either "set" that indicates that parental control has been set, or "not set" that indicates that parental control has not been set. The security level is entered as one of the numerical values ​​of security levels 1 to 5 set on setting screen 210 shown in FIG. 2.

[0035] Since the default value for the security level is "5," the security level will be set to "5" for the combination of user ID "u0003" and device ID "d0003," whose setting status is "Not set," and the "Passcode" and "Date" fields will be left blank.

[0036] Also, as in the example of user ID "u0003" in the setting status table shown in the figure, parental control may be set for each of multiple terminals 200 using the user account of one registered user. Note that the security level may be set only for the user ID. In other words, the same security level may be set for all terminals used by the user identified by the user ID.

[0037] As shown in Figure 9, the provision history is a table that associates a "user ID," which is information that uniquely identifies a registered user, a "content ID," which is information that uniquely identifies previously provided content, and a "provision date," which indicates the date on which the content was provided.

[0038] Returning to Fig. 7, the setting status acquisition unit 130 acquires the setting status of parental control of the terminal 200 that transmitted the request signal requesting the provision of content. Specifically, the setting status acquisition unit 130 acquires the setting status of the terminal 200 by referring to the setting status table illustrated in Fig. 8 using the user ID and device ID included in the request signal as keys. Note that when a security level is set only for a user ID (when the same security level is set for the same user ID), the setting status acquisition unit 130 may acquire the setting status by referring to the setting status table using the user ID included in the request signal as a key.

[0039] The content database 140 is a database that stores information about each piece of content registered in the content providing device 100. An example of the content database 140 is shown in FIG. 10. As shown in the figure, the content database 140 includes the following information: a "content ID" that uniquely identifies the content; a "content name" that indicates the name of the content; a "category" that indicates the category of the content; a "genre" that indicates the genre of the content; a "rating" that indicates rating information for the content; and an "outline" that includes a sentence that outlines the content. Note that the information stored in the content database 140 is not limited to these, and may further include any information, such as the name of the content production company, the author's name, the names of the performers, and the subgenre of the content.

[0040] Returning to FIG. 7, the calculation unit 150 calculates a degree of relevance indicating the degree of relevance between provided content previously provided to the terminal 200 and content related to the request acquired by the request acquisition unit 110. For example, the calculation unit 150 calculates a first age group indicating the target age of the provided content and a second age group indicating the target age of the content related to the request, and calculates the degree of relevance based on the difference between the first age group and the second age group. The target age refers to an age group for which use is not restricted by rating information set for each content. Details of the processing by the calculation unit 150 will be described later.

[0041] The output determination unit 160 determines whether to output a recommendation for setting parental control to the terminal 200 based on the relevance calculated by the calculation unit 150. If the output determination unit 160 determines that the relevance between the provided content and the requested content is low, it determines to recommend setting parental control, and if the output determination unit 160 determines that the relevance between the provided content and the requested content is high, it determines not to recommend setting parental control.

[0042] If the output determination unit 160 determines that setting parental controls is recommended, it causes a recommendation screen including a message recommending setting parental controls to be displayed on the display screen of the terminal 200. An example of the recommendation screen 260 displayed by the output determination unit 160 is shown in FIG. 11. As shown in the figure, the recommendation screen 260 displays a message recommending setting parental controls, a setting screen transition button 26 for transitioning to a parental control setting screen 210, and a no-setting selection button 27 for selecting not to set parental controls at this time. When the user selects the setting screen transition button 26, the screen transitions to the setting screen 210 shown in FIG. 2, where the user can set parental controls by selecting one of the security levels.

[0043] Furthermore, the output determination unit 160 may determine the timing to display the recommendation screen 260 based on a comparison between the first age group and the second age group calculated by the calculation unit 150. When the second age group is lower than the first age group, the output determination unit 160 determines that, for example, only adults have been using the content providing app until now, but a child has recently started using the service and is about to view content targeted at a younger age, and determines to display the recommendation screen 260 after the requested content has been provided.

[0044] Furthermore, if the second age group is higher than the first age group, the output determination unit 160 determines that, for example, the user has only used content for a younger age group up until now, but is now trying to use content for adults, and decides to display the recommendation screen 260 before providing the requested content.

[0045] 7, the provision control unit 170 controls the provision of content to the terminal 200 based on the setting status of parental control. Specifically, when the provision control unit 170 receives a request for the provision of content to which usage restrictions due to parental control are applied, the provision control unit 170 requests the user to input a passcode, and provides the content if the input passcode matches a pre-registered passcode.

[0046] On the other hand, if the input passcode does not match the pre-registered passcode, the provision control unit 170 decides not to provide the content. An example of a provision not allowed screen 270 notifying that the content cannot be provided is shown in Fig. 12. When the provision control unit 170 decides not to provide the content, it displays the provision not allowed screen 270 on the display screen of the terminal 200, notifying that the content cannot be provided due to usage restrictions imposed by parental control.

[0047] (Hardware configuration of information processing device) 13 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing device 10 in which the content providing device 100 and the terminal 200 are realized. The information processing device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that executes processing according to a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 that is a volatile memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 that is a non-volatile memory, a storage unit 14 that stores data, an input unit 15 that accepts input of information, a display unit 16 that visualizes and displays information, and a communication unit 17 that transmits and receives information, all of which are connected via an internal bus 99.

[0048] The CPU 11 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 10, is connected to each component, and exchanges control signals and data. The CPU 11 executes various processes by reading programs stored in the storage unit 14 into the RAM 12 and executing them. The CPU 11 executes each process by the setting status acquisition unit 130, calculation unit 150, output determination unit 160, and provision control unit 170 of the content providing device 100, as main functions provided by the programs.

[0049] The RAM 12 is used to temporarily store data and programs, and stores programs and data read from the storage unit 14, as well as other data necessary for communication. The RAM 12 is used as a work area for the CPU 11.

[0050] The ROM 13 stores a control program executed by the CPU 11 for the basic operation of the information processing device 10, a BIOS (Basic Input Output System), and the like.

[0051] The storage unit 14 includes a hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc., and stores programs executed by the CPU 11 and various data used when executing the programs. The storage unit 14 functions as a user database 120 and a content database 140 of the content providing device 100.

[0052] The input unit 15 is a user interface including a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, a communication device, etc. The input unit 15 receives an operation input from a user of the information processing device 10 and outputs a signal corresponding to the received operation input to the CPU 11.

[0053] The display unit 16 is a display device that visualizes and displays information, such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, etc. The display unit 16 functions as a display means of the terminal 200.

[0054] The communication unit 17 is a network termination device or a wireless communication device connected to the network, and a serial interface or a LAN (Local Area Network) interface connected thereto. The information processing device 10 communicates with other information processing devices, etc. via the communication unit 17. The communication unit 17 functions as the request acquisition unit 110 and output determination unit 160 of the content providing device 100, and as communication means of the terminal 200.

[0055] (Recommended judgment process) Next, a description will be given of the operation of the content providing device 100. First, a recommendation determination process for determining whether or not to output a recommendation for setting parental control will be described with reference to FIG.

[0056] For example, when the user operates the terminal 200 to start a content providing application pre-installed in the terminal 200, the content providing device 100 displays a top screen 230 illustrated in Fig. 4 on the display screen of the terminal 200. When the user logs in to the content providing service by inputting a user ID and a password on the top screen 230, or by sending a user ID and a password previously set in the terminal 200 to the content providing device 100 immediately after starting the application, the recommendation determination process is started.

[0057] The request acquisition unit 110 receives a request signal requesting the provision of content from the terminal 200 (step S101). Specifically, when the user selects one of the objects 22 displayed on the top screen 230, the screen transitions to a usage confirmation screen 240 illustrated in Fig. 5. When the user selects the view button 24 arranged on the usage confirmation screen 240, the terminal 200 transmits a request signal including the content ID, user ID, and device ID of the content corresponding to the selected object 22 to the content providing device 100.

[0058] When the request acquisition unit 110 receives the request signal (step S102; Yes), it notifies the setting status acquisition unit 130 of the user ID and device ID included in the request signal, and proceeds to step S103.

[0059] On the other hand, if the request acquisition unit 110 has not received a request signal (step S102; No), the process returns to step S101 and the request acquisition unit 110 accepts a request signal.

[0060] Next, the setting status acquisition unit 130 determines whether parental control has been set in the terminal 200 that sent the request signal (step S103). Specifically, the setting status acquisition unit 130 acquires the setting status by referring to the setting status table illustrated in FIG. 8 using the user ID and device ID received in step S102 as keys. For example, when the user ID "u0001" and device ID "d0001" are notified, the setting status acquisition unit 130 acquires by referring to the setting status table that the parental control setting status indicates that parental control has been set and that the parental control security level is "2."

[0061] If the setting status acquisition unit 130 determines that parental control has been set in the processing target terminal 200 (step S103; Yes), it proceeds to content provision processing. On the other hand, if the setting status acquisition unit 130 determines that parental control has not been set (step S103; No), it notifies the calculation unit 150 that parental control has not been set.

[0062] Next, the calculation unit 150 accesses the user database 120, and refers to the provision history exemplified in FIG. 9 to acquire information on the content that has been provided in the past to the terminal 200 to be processed (step S104).

[0063] Next, the calculation unit 150 calculates the degree of association between the content requested by the terminal 200 and the provided content acquired in step S104 (step S105). Specifically, the calculation unit 150 calculates the degree of association by referring to the content database 140 illustrated in Fig. 10 and calculating a first age group indicating the target age of the provided content and a second age group indicating the target age of the requested content based on the rating information of the requested content and the provided content, respectively.

[0064] For example, if there are two pieces of provided content, each rated "PG12" and "R15+," the calculation unit 150 first determines that the first age group is 12 years or older based on the minimum age for "PG12," the lowest age at which use is permitted. Next, if the requested content is rated "R18+," the content providing device 100 determines that the second age group is 18 years or older based on the minimum age at which use of "R18+" content is permitted. The calculation unit 150 compares the minimum ages of the first and second age groups and calculates a score (0 to 1) according to the difference in minimum age as the relevance. A relevance score of 1 indicates the highest relevance, and a relevance score of 0 indicates no relevance. Note that the first age group, which includes multiple pieces of provided content, may be determined by performing any calculation, such as the average, median, or mode, of the minimum ages of each piece of provided content. Furthermore, provided content within a set period, such as within one week, one month, or six months, may be extracted from the provision history, and the first age group may be determined from the extracted provided content.

[0065] Next, the output determination unit 160 determines whether the relevance between the provided content and the requested content is low (step S106). Specifically, if the relevance calculated by the calculation unit 150 is less than a preset threshold, the output determination unit 160 determines that the relevance is low, and if it is equal to or greater than the threshold, the output determination unit 160 determines that the relevance is high. For example, if the threshold is 1, the output determination unit 160 determines that the relevance is 1 and the relevance is high when the minimum ages of the first age group and the second age group match, and determines that the relevance is less than 1 and the relevance is low when there is a difference between the minimum ages of the first age group and the second age group.

[0066] In the above example, since there is a difference in the minimum age between the first age group and the second age group, the output determination unit 160 determines that the relevance between the provided content and the requested content is low (step S106; Yes), and proceeds to step S107.

[0067] On the other hand, the output determination unit 160 compares the minimum ages of the first and second age groups, and if there is no difference between the first and second age groups, determines that the relevance between the provided content and the requested content is high (step S106; No), and decides not to output a recommendation for setting parental control (step S108).Then, the process proceeds to content provision processing.

[0068] The method for calculating the relevance is not limited to this. For example, the content database 140 illustrated in Fig. 10 may be referenced to calculate the degree of co-occurrence between the provided content and the requested content based on keywords included in the outlines of the provided content and the requested content, and if the degree of co-occurrence is less than a predetermined threshold, it may be determined that the relevance between the provided content and the requested content is low. Alternatively, the relevance may be calculated using any method, such as calculating the degree of relevance between the provided content and the requested content based on attribute information of the content.

[0069] In step S107, the output determination unit 160 compares the first age group and the second age group calculated by the calculation unit 150 in step S105 (step S107). In the above example, the first age group is 12 years old or older, and the second age group is 18 years old or older, so the output determination unit 160 determines that the second age group is older than the first age group and decides to output a recommendation to set parental control before providing content. Next, the output determination unit 160 displays a recommendation screen 260, illustrated in FIG. 11, on the display screen of the terminal 200 (step S109).

[0070] Next, the output determination unit 160 determines the type of selection operation by the user (step S110). Specifically, when the no-setting selection button 27 is selected on the recommendation screen 260, the output determination unit 160 determines that the selection has been made not to set parental control, and proceeds to content provision processing without updating the parental control settings.

[0071] On the other hand, when the setting screen transition button 26 is selected on the recommendation screen 260, the output determination unit 160 causes the setting screen 210 illustrated in FIG. 2 to be displayed on the display screen of the terminal 200. When the user selects one of the security levels and selects the setting change button 20, the output determination unit 160 determines that parental control has been set and causes the terminal 200 to display the passcode setting registration screen 220 illustrated in FIG. 3. When the user inputs a passcode, the output determination unit 160 accesses the user database 120 and updates the setting status table illustrated in FIG. 8 with the set information (step S111). Specifically, the output determination unit 160 changes the "setting status" from "not set" to "set," updates the "security level" from the default value "5" to the newly set value, and inputs the input passcode and the date the parental control was set into the "passcode" and "date" fields, thereby updating the setting status table with the set information. Then, the process proceeds to content provision processing.

[0072] If the back button 21 is selected without setting parental control on the setting screen 210, and the no setting selection button 27 is selected on the recommendation screen 260 that is displayed again, the output determination unit 160 may determine that the selection has been made not to set parental control, and may proceed to content provision processing without updating the parental control settings.

[0073] Returning to step S107, if the output determination unit 160 determines that the second age group is lower than the first age group, it decides to output a recommendation screen 260 recommending setting parental controls after providing the requested content (step S112). Then, the process proceeds to content provision processing. When the content is provided to the user through the content provision processing and a viewing completion notification is received from the terminal 200, the output determination unit 160 displays the recommendation screen 260 illustrated in FIG. 11 on the display screen of the terminal 200. The output determination unit 160 executes the same processes as steps S110 and S111. If the user sets parental controls, the output determination unit 160 updates the setting status table. If the user selects not to set parental controls, the output determination unit 160 terminates the process without updating the setting status table.

[0074] If the calculation unit 150 calculates the relevance without using the first and second age groups in step S105, the calculation unit 150 calculates the first and second age groups in step S107, and the output determination unit 160 compares the calculated first and second age groups. In this case, if the output determination unit 160 determines that there is no difference between the first and second age groups, it may determine that setting parental control is not recommended and proceed to content provision processing.

[0075] (Provision determination process) Next, the provision determination process for determining whether or not to provide content to the terminal 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0076] The provision control unit 170 acquires rating information for the content related to the request signal received in step S102 (step S201). Specifically, the provision control unit 170 refers to the content database 140 illustrated in Fig. 10 and identifies rating information using the content ID as a key. For example, when a request signal requesting the provision of "content A" is received, the provision control unit 170 identifies the rating of "content A" as "PG12," indicating that the content is restricted to use by persons under the age of 12, using the content ID "v0001" included in the request signal as a key.

[0077] Next, the provision control unit 170 determines whether or not a usage restriction is applied to the requested content (step S202). Specifically, the provision control unit 170 determines whether or not a usage restriction is applied based on the security level of parental control and the rating information of the content identified in step S201. In the case where the user ID is "u0001", as illustrated in FIG. 7, the security level is "2" and there is no restriction on the use of the content "PG12". Therefore, the provision control unit 170 determines that a usage restriction is not applied to the requested content (step S202; No), and provides the requested content to the terminal 200 (step S206).

[0078] On the other hand, for example, if the rating of the requested content is "R15+" or "R18+", the security level "2" restricts the use of content with these ratings, so the provision control unit 170 determines that usage restrictions apply to the requested content (step S202; Yes), and requests the user to enter a passcode (step S203). Specifically, the provision control unit 170 displays a passcode entry screen 250 shown in Fig. 6 on the terminal 200, and accepts the entry of a passcode.

[0079] Next, the provision control unit 170 determines whether the input passcode matches a registered passcode (step S204). Specifically, the provision control unit 170 determines whether the passcode input on the passcode input screen 250 matches a passcode registered in the setting status table illustrated in Fig. 8. If the provision control unit 170 determines that the input passcode matches the registered passcode (step S204; Yes), it provides the requested content to the terminal 200 (step S206).

[0080] On the other hand, if the provision control unit 170 determines that the entered passcode does not match the registered passcode (step S204; No), it decides not to provide the requested content to the terminal 200, and causes the terminal 200 to display a provision unavailable screen 270, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0081] As described above, the content providing device 100 outputs a recommendation to set parental controls to a user who has not set parental controls if it determines that the provided content and the requested content are not highly related. Therefore, if it determines that the user's content usage habits have changed, such as a child newly starting to receive content, or a user who used content for children is about to use content for adults, it outputs a recommendation to set parental controls. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately prompt the user to set parental controls.

[0082] (Variation) In the above embodiment, the setting status acquisition unit 130 of the content providing device 100 is described as acquiring the setting status of parental control of each terminal 200 by referring to the setting status table, but this is not limited to this. For example, the terminal 200 may retain the setting status of parental control of its own device, and when transmitting a request signal to the content providing device 100, transmit the setting status information of parental control together with the request signal. In step S103, the setting status acquisition unit 130 may acquire the setting status of the terminal 200 based on the setting status information transmitted from the terminal 200. In this case, the user database 120 of the content providing device 100 does not need to store the setting status table.

[0083] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the content providing device 100 has been described as proceeding to content providing processing when the recommendation screen 260 is output in step S109 and it is determined in step S110 that the selection not to set parental control has been made, but this is not limited thereto, and the content providing device 100 may decide not to provide the requested content and output the unavailable screen 270 to the terminal 200.

[0084] Furthermore, if the content providing device 100 determines in step S112 to output recommendations after providing content, and the recommendation screen 260 is output after the content is actually provided and the unset selection button 27 is selected, the content providing device 100 may be configured not to provide other content thereafter until parental control is set.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the rating set for each content is described as being in five categories: G, PG12, R15+, R18+, and adult content. However, this is not limited to this, and the number of categories may be any number. In this case, the number of security levels to be set may be set according to the number of rating categories. Furthermore, the number of rating categories may differ for each type of content, and different security levels may be set.

[0086] The content providing device 100 according to the above embodiment can be realized using a normal computer, not a dedicated device. For example, the content providing device 100 that executes the above processes may be configured by installing a program for executing any of the above processes on a computer from a recording medium that stores the program. The content providing device 100 may also be configured by multiple computers operating in cooperation with each other.

[0087] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned functions are realized by sharing the functions between an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between the OS and the application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the medium.

[0088] It is also possible to superimpose the program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the program may be distributed through an application store (App Store) or posted on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a communication network and distributed via the network. These programs may then be launched and run under the control of an operating system in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-described processing to be performed.

[0089] Furthermore, the information stored in the content providing device 100 may be collectively managed by a cloud server on the network, and the content providing device 100 may access the cloud server as needed to read and write information. In this case, the content providing device 100 may not have the user database 120 and the content database 140. Furthermore, the list providing process by the content providing device 100 may be executed on the cloud using information stored in the cloud server.

[0090] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0091] (Appendix 1) a request acquisition unit that acquires a request for content provision from a terminal; a setting status acquisition unit that acquires a setting status of parental control in the terminal that sent the request; a calculation unit that calculates a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the requested content when parental control is not set on the terminal; and an output determination unit that outputs a recommendation for setting parental control to the terminal based on the relevance calculated by the calculation unit; A content providing device comprising:

[0092] (Appendix 2) the calculation unit determines a first age group indicating an age group for which use of the provided content is not restricted and a second age group indicating an age group for which use of the requested content is not restricted based on rating information indicating a range of age restrictions previously set for each content, and calculates the relevance based on the difference between the determined first age group and the determined second age group; When there is a difference between the first age group and the second age group, the output determination unit determines that the relevance is low and outputs the recommendation to the terminal. 2. The content providing device according to claim 1.

[0093] (Appendix 3) the output determination unit outputs the recommendation to the terminal after completing provision of the content related to the request if the first age group is higher than the second age group, and outputs the recommendation to the terminal before providing the content related to the request if the first age group is lower than the second age group; 3. The content providing device according to claim 2.

[0094] (Appendix 4) The system further includes a provision control unit that controls provision of the requested content to the terminal based on the parental control setting status acquired by the setting status acquisition unit. 4. A content providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

[0095] (Appendix 5) When the provision control unit determines that the requested content is content to which usage restrictions based on parental control are applied, the provision control unit requests the terminal to input a passcode, and when the input passcode matches a pre-registered passcode, provides the requested content to the terminal. 5. The content providing device according to claim 4.

[0096] (Appendix 6) a provision control unit that controls provision of the requested content to the terminal based on the parental control setting status acquired by the setting status acquisition unit; If the first age group is higher than the second age group, the provision control unit outputs the recommendation after completing provision of the requested content, and suppresses provision of other content until parental control is set on the terminal or until a setting is made not to apply usage restrictions by parental control. 3. The content providing device according to claim 2.

[0097] (Appendix 7) a provision control unit that controls provision of the requested content to the terminal based on the parental control setting status acquired by the setting status acquisition unit; If the first age group is lower than the second age group, the provision control unit outputs the recommendation before providing the requested content, and suppresses provision of the requested content until parental control is set on the terminal, or until a setting is made not to apply usage restrictions by parental control. 3. The content providing device according to claim 2.

[0098] (Appendix 8) A content providing system including a server and a terminal, The terminal transmits the setting status of parental control on the terminal to the server together with a request for providing content; The server a request acquisition unit that acquires the request from the terminal; a calculation unit that calculates a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the requested content when parental control is not set on the terminal; and an output determination unit that outputs a recommendation for setting parental control to the terminal based on the relevance calculated by the calculation unit; Equipped with Content delivery system.

[0099] (Appendix 9) The computer receiving a request for providing content from a terminal; acquiring a setting status of parental control on the terminal that sent the request; If parental control is not set on the terminal, calculating a degree of relevance indicating a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the requested content; outputting a recommendation for parental control settings to the terminal based on the calculated relevance; A content delivery method that performs the following.

[0100] (Appendix 10) On the computer, A process of receiving a request for providing content from a terminal; A process of acquiring the setting status of parental control on the terminal that sent the request; If parental control is not set on the terminal, a process of calculating a degree of relevance indicating a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the content related to the request; A process of outputting a recommendation for parental control settings to the terminal based on the calculated relevance; A program that executes the following.

[0101] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0102] The present invention can be suitably employed in a content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program that can appropriately prompt the user to set parental control. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1 Content providing system, 100 Content providing device, 200 Terminal, 300 Communication network, 110 Request acquisition unit, 120 User database, 130 Setting status acquisition unit, 140 Content database, 150 Calculation unit, 160 Output determination unit, 170 Provision control unit, 210 Setting screen, 220 Passcode setting registration screen, 230 Top screen, 240 Usage confirmation screen, 250 Passcode input screen, 260 Recommended screen, 270 Provision unavailable screen, 10 Information processing device, 11 CPU, 12 RAM, 13 ROM, 14 Storage unit, 15 Input unit, 16 Display unit, 17 Communication unit, 20 Setting change button, 21, 25 Back button, 22 Object, 23 Search tab, 24 View button, 26 Setting screen transition button, 27 Unset selection button, 28 Top screen button, 99 Internal bus

Claims

1. a request acquisition unit that acquires a request for content provision from a terminal; a setting status acquisition unit that acquires a setting status of parental control in the terminal that sent the request; a calculation unit that calculates a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the requested content when parental control is not set on the terminal; and an output determination unit that outputs a recommendation for setting parental control to the terminal based on the relevance calculated by the calculation unit; A content providing device comprising:

2. the calculation unit determines a first age group indicating an age group for which use of the provided content is not restricted and a second age group indicating an age group for which use of the requested content is not restricted, based on rating information indicating a range of age restrictions previously set for each content, and calculates the relevance based on the difference between the determined first age group and the determined second age group; When there is a difference between the first age group and the second age group, the output determination unit determines that the relevance is low and outputs the recommendation to the terminal. The content providing device according to claim 1 .

3. the output determination unit outputs the recommendation to the terminal after completing provision of the content related to the request if the first age group is higher than the second age group, and outputs the recommendation to the terminal before providing the content related to the request if the first age group is lower than the second age group. The content providing device according to claim 2 .

4. The system further includes a provision control unit that controls provision of the requested content to the terminal based on the parental control setting status acquired by the setting status acquisition unit. The content providing device according to claim 1 .

5. When the provision control unit determines that the requested content is content to which usage restrictions based on parental control are applied, the provision control unit requests the terminal to input a passcode, and when the input passcode matches a pre-registered passcode, provides the requested content to the terminal. The content providing device according to claim 4 .

6. a provision control unit that controls provision of the requested content to the terminal based on the parental control setting status acquired by the setting status acquisition unit; If the first age group is higher than the second age group, the provision control unit outputs the recommendation after completing provision of the content related to the request, and suppresses provision of other content until parental control is set on the terminal or until a setting is made not to apply usage restrictions by parental control. The content providing device according to claim 2 .

7. a provision control unit that controls provision of the requested content to the terminal based on the parental control setting status acquired by the setting status acquisition unit; If the first age group is lower than the second age group, the provision control unit outputs the recommendation before providing the requested content, and suppresses provision of the requested content until parental control is set on the terminal or until a setting is made not to apply usage restrictions by parental control. The content providing device according to claim 2 .

8. A content providing system including a server and a terminal, The terminal transmits the setting status of parental control on the terminal to the server together with a request for providing content; The server a request acquisition unit that acquires the request from the terminal; a calculation unit that calculates a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the requested content when parental control is not set on the terminal; and an output determination unit that outputs a recommendation for setting parental control to the terminal based on the relevance calculated by the calculation unit; Equipped with Content delivery system.

9. The computer receiving a request for providing content from a terminal; acquiring a setting status of parental control on the terminal that sent the request; If parental control is not set on the terminal, calculating a degree of relevance indicating a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the requested content; outputting a recommendation for parental control settings to the terminal based on the calculated relevance; A content delivery method that performs the following.

10. On the computer, A process of receiving a request for providing content from a terminal; A process of acquiring the setting status of parental control on the terminal that sent the request; If parental control is not set on the terminal, a process of calculating a degree of relevance indicating a degree of relevance between content previously provided to the terminal and the content related to the request; A process of outputting a recommendation for parental control settings to the terminal based on the calculated relevance; A program that executes the following.

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