Content delivery methods and systems

Abstract

This provides a content delivery method and system for protecting the copyright of content provided in image format. [Solution] The method may include the steps of receiving a viewing request for content from a user terminal, confirming user information relating to a user account logged into the user terminal, editing a plurality of scene images constituting the content based on the user information, and providing the content including the edited plurality of scene images to the user terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for providing content into which information about a user is inserted for the purpose of protecting the copyright of the content.

Background Art

[0002] As technology develops, the utilization rate of digital devices has been increasing. In particular, electronic devices (e.g., smartphones, tablet PCs, etc.) have various functions such as communication functions like phone calls and text messages, as well as Internet surfing, music appreciation, viewing video content, etc. using the Internet.

[0003] With the popularization of such electronic devices, the consumption of content has increased rapidly. As a typical example of such content, there is content composed of visualized images (e.g., webtoon content).

[0004] As the consumption of such content increases, various methods for protecting the copyright of content have been actively studied. Typically, a method of protecting the copyright of content by providing the content using a digital watermark and a fingerprint is known.

[0005] On the other hand, recently, there have been many cases of infringement of the copyright of content by illegally capturing and photographing the content and editing it into a video or image and leaking it.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a method of inserting information about a user into content for protecting the copyright of content composed of visual information (e.g., images).

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] This invention relates to a method and system for providing content for copyright protection of content provided in image format.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a content provision method and system that can protect copyrights in response to various illegal copying and distribution methods.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention can be realized in a way that allows information about a user to be estimated from content provided to a user terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The content provision method according to the present invention may include the steps of: receiving a request to view content from a user terminal; confirming user information relating to a user account logged into the user terminal; editing a plurality of scene images constituting the content based on the user information; and providing the content, including the edited plurality of scene images, to the user terminal.

[0011] On the other hand, the content provision system according to the present invention includes a communication unit that receives a request to view content from a user terminal, and a control unit that confirms user information relating to a user account logged into the user terminal. Based on the user information, the control unit can edit a plurality of scene images that constitute the content and provide the content, including the edited plurality of scene images, to the user terminal.

[0012] On the other hand, the program according to the present invention is a program that is executed by one or more processors in an electronic device and stored in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may include a command that causes the program to perform the steps of: receiving a request to view content from a user terminal; confirming user information relating to a user account logged into the user terminal; editing a plurality of scene images constituting the content based on the user information; and providing the content, including the edited plurality of scene images, to the user terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The content provision method and system according to the present invention can insert user information into images that constitute the content by editing and providing images based on user information.

[0014] In this invention, user information can be inserted into content simply by deleting or editing images, and various types of illegal copying and distribution of content (such as screen captures and camera photos) can be detected.

[0015] On the other hand, according to various embodiments of the present invention, by preserving the region containing important content of an image and editing only other regions, it is possible to prevent distortion of important content. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram illustrating the content delivery system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart illustrating the content delivery method according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating how content is provided with different edits depending on the user's information. [Figure 4] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the content editing method according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the content editing method according to the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the content editing method according to the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the content editing method according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but identical or similar components will be denoted by the same or similar reference numerals regardless of the drawing number, and their descriptions will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are added or mixed to facilitate the preparation of the specification and do not have any significance or usefulness in themselves. Furthermore, when describing the embodiments disclosed herein, if it is determined that a specific description of the relevant prior art would obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed herein, such detailed description will be omitted. The accompanying drawings are merely for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein, and the technical ideas disclosed herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. Any modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the idea and scope of the present invention should be understood as being included in the present invention.

[0018] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as "1st," "2nd," etc., are used to describe various components, but the components are not limited to those defined by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.

[0019] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "joined" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or joined to the other component, or there may be additional components in between. In contrast, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly joined" to another component, it should be understood that there are no additional components in between.

[0020] Unless otherwise specified, singular expressions include plural expressions.

[0021] In this specification, terms such as "including" and "having" are intended to specify the presence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should not be construed as precluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0022] The present invention relates to a content providing method and system capable of performing different editing on original content based on content information so as to extract an outfielder who illegally copies (e.g., photographs, records, captures, etc.) content and illegally distributes (circulates) it.

[0023] As content consumption increases, cases of illegally distributing content (especially paid product types of content, e.g., using payment of a viewing ticket or electronic money (e.g., cookies, etc.)) continue.

[0024] Research has been actively conducted on technologies (e.g., watermarking) for identifying outfielders by inserting the ID information of illegally distributing users into content (e.g., images constituting the content), but outfielders continue to attempt to avoid watermarks by recognizing their presence.

[0025] In particular, if content is leaked as "video" by being filmed, recorded, or captured, and the content is subjected to video manipulation attacks using cameras (for example, various signal attacks or geometric deformations), it becomes difficult to extract complete information from the watermark.

[0026] Therefore, the present invention proposes a technology for editing and providing content based on user information.

[0027] More specifically, in the present invention, different edits can be made to the original content based on the different user information of the users viewing (or using) the content, and each user terminal can display content having a different visual appearance (e.g., resolution or aspect ratio) based on the different edits made to the original content.

[0028] Therefore, if content provided in this invention is leaked, the user who leaked the content can be identified by comparing the leaked content with the original content and extracting user information reflected in the leaked content.

[0029] The method and system for providing content in the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the content provision system according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the content provision method according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating that content with different edits is provided according to user information, and Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are conceptual diagrams illustrating the content editing method according to the present invention.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the content provision system 100 according to the present invention may include at least one of the communication unit 110, the storage unit 120, and the control unit 130.

[0031] The communication unit 110 may be configured to communicate with at least one of the user terminal 1 and the content server 2.

[0032] The communication unit 110 can, upon receiving a content viewing request from the user terminal 1, edit content based on user information and provide it to the user terminal 1.

[0033] User terminal 1 is an electronic device capable of accessing content, and there are no restrictions on its type. For example, user terminal 1 may be a mobile phone, smartphone, notebook computer, laptop computer, slate PC, tablet PC, ultrabook, desktop computer, digital broadcasting terminal, PDA (personal digital assistant), PMP (portable multimedia player), navigation system, wearable device (such as a smartwatch, smart glasses, or HMD (head-mounted display)), etc.

[0034] The communication unit 110 can receive content from the content server 2 in order to provide content to the user terminal 1.

[0035] Content Server 2 can be understood as a server that provides content services. Content Server 2 may include at least one of a cloud server 2a that performs a set of functions to control the content services, and a database (DB) 2b in which multiple content items are stored.

[0036] In this invention, the content stored in database 2b is referred to as "original content." Original content can be understood as content that has not been edited based on user information.

[0037] In contrast, in the present invention, the content provided to the user terminal 1 is referred to as "edited content 3" and described accordingly.

[0038] The content described in this invention consists of "multiple scene images." The scene images constitute an episode or story of the content, and the order of the scene images may correspond to the order in which the episode is composed. The order of the scene images that constitute the first content of an episode may correspond to the first order, the order of the scene images that constitute the next content may correspond to the second order, and the order of the scene images that constitute the next content may correspond to the third order.

[0039] In this invention, at least a portion of the multiple scene images that constitute the original content can be edited and provided to the user terminal 1. As shown in Figure 1, the edited multiple scene images 3a and 3b may be displayed sequentially on the user terminal 1 in a manner corresponding to the scene order.

[0040] On the other hand, the content server 2 can perform the function of editing original content based on user information and providing the edited content 3 to the user terminal 1. In other words, the content provision system 100 according to the present invention can be considered a function of the content server 2. Therefore, the storage unit 120 described below can be used interchangeably with the database 2b of the content server 2, and the control unit 130 can be used interchangeably with the cloud server 2a.

[0041] The storage unit 120 may contain various information for providing the edited content 3. The storage unit 120 may also contain user accounts and user information matched to those user accounts.

[0042] A user account can be understood as a user account that has subscribed to a content service (or content delivery system). The user information matched to each user account may include at least one of the following: user account information (e.g., ID), username, nickname, identification code information (e.g., a hash code generated by a hash function), and unique information that can identify the user.

[0043] Furthermore, the storage unit 120 may contain editing code information (see Figure 4) that serves as the basis for editing content based on user information.

[0044] The editing code information may contain different editing codes matched to each character that makes up the user information. For example, as shown in Figure 4, let's assume that 26 lowercase letters of the alphabet are set as characters to make up the user information. The editing code information may contain different editing codes matched to each lowercase letter of the alphabet (from a to z).

[0045] Here, the editing code can be understood as information that defines the editing style for the original content. More specifically, the editing code can be understood as information that defines which scene image, among the multiple scene images that make up the original content, should be edited with which editing style. For example, the editing code "{0,1,-1}" matched to the lowercase letter "h" can be understood as defining that the first scene image should be edited with the "0" corresponding edit (e.g., Maintain, Nothing), the second scene image should be edited with the "1" corresponding edit (e.g., Pixel Insertion), and the third scene image should be edited with the "-1" corresponding edit (e.g., Pixel Remover).

[0046] Furthermore, as mentioned above, at least a portion of the storage unit 120 can represent the database 2b of the content server 2. In other words, in the present invention, the storage unit 120 is sufficient as long as it is a space in which the information according to the present invention is stored, and there are no constraints on physical space.

[0047] On the other hand, the storage unit 120 may be configured to control the overall operation of the content provision system 100 according to the present invention. The aforementioned communication unit 110 and storage unit 120 can be understood as being controlled by the control unit 130. The method of editing and providing original content based on user information will be described in detail below.

[0048] In this invention, the process of receiving a request to view content from a user terminal can be performed (S210, see Figure 2).

[0049] The control unit 130 can receive a viewing request from the user terminal 1 for a specific piece of content among the multiple pieces of content provided to the content service.

[0050] A variety of requests are made to view content from user terminal 1.

[0051] For example, on a service page containing information about multiple pieces of content (e.g., thumbnail, title, etc.), the communication unit 110 can receive a viewing request for a specific piece of content from the user terminal 1 based on the selection of information about a specific piece of content (e.g., thumbnail).

[0052] As another example, on a service page related to specific content, the communication unit 110 can receive a viewing request for a specific episode from the user terminal 1 based on the selection of one of several episodes that make up that specific content.

[0053] In this invention, a viewing request for an episode constituting a specific piece of content can be described as a viewing request for the content itself.

[0054] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is possible to perform a process to confirm user information related to a user account logged into a user terminal (S220, see Figure 2).

[0055] Based on receiving a viewing request for specific content from the user terminal 1, the control unit 130 can verify the user information of the user account logged into the user terminal 1.

[0056] If the user terminal 1 is not logged in, the control unit 130 can provide the user terminal 1 with a login page and proceed with the user's login process.

[0057] As mentioned above, user information may include at least one of the following: user account information (e.g., ID), username, nickname, identification code information (e.g., hash code generated by a hash function), and unique information that can identify the user.

[0058] In the present invention, the process of editing multiple scene images that constitute the requested content can be performed based on user information (S230, see Figure 2).

[0059] The aforementioned editing process can be understood as a process of inserting the user information into the content by editing the multiple scene images. The control unit 130 can insert the user information into the multiple scene images by editing the multiple scene images using editing codes that match the characters constituting the user information.

[0060] The control unit 130 can identify the editing style for each identified scene image based on the editing code matched to the characters that make up the user information.

[0061] The editing code is information that defines the editing style for each of the multiple scene images, and different editing styles may exist that are matched to each code value that makes up the editing code.

[0062] Furthermore, in the present invention, each of the multiple scene images can be edited using one of the first to third editing styles. The first editing style is an editing style that inserts additional pixels into the scene image to be edited among the multiple scene images, the second editing style is an editing style that deletes some pixels from the scene image to be edited among the multiple scene images, and the third editing style may be an editing style that preserves the scene image to be edited among the multiple scene images.

[0063] For example, in the present invention, the first editing style may be matched with the code value "1", the second editing style may be matched with the code value "-1", and the third editing style may be matched with the code value "0".

[0064] Here, the scene image can be edited using one of the following editing styles: i) editing by adding pixels to the scene image (first editing style), ii) editing by deleting pixels that make up a specific area of ​​the scene image (second editing style), and iii) editing by keeping the scene image as is without editing (third editing style).

[0065] The first editing style for adding pixels may involve adding pixel lines to the scene image horizontally or vertically.

[0066] Here, a pixel line may consist of multiple pixels. For example, if a first editing style that adds 10 pixel lines horizontally is applied to a specific scene image consisting of 250 horizontal pixels and 400 vertical pixels, the specific scene image will consist of 260 horizontal pixels and 400 vertical pixels. In this case, the aspect ratio of the scene image before editing will change from 5:8 to 13x20. That is, the first edit changes the aspect ratio of the scene image (or the aspect ratio of the scene image, the aspect ratio of the scene image size). As another example, if a first editing style that adds 10 pixel lines vertically is applied to a specific scene image consisting of 250 horizontal pixels and 400 vertical pixels, the specific scene image will consist of 250 horizontal pixels and 410 vertical pixels. In this case, the aspect ratio of the scene image before editing (or the aspect ratio of the scene image, the aspect ratio of the scene image size) will change from 5:8 to 25x41.

[0067] On the other hand, when editing to add pixels is performed using the first editing style, the control unit 130 can generate the added pixels using pixels in areas adjacent to the area where the pixels are to be added. The control unit 130 can add pixels to the scene image that are the same color as or similar to the color of pixels in areas adjacent to the area where the pixels are to be added.

[0068] On the other hand, the editing that removes pixels using the second editing style may remove some pixel lines from the scene image horizontally, or some pixel lines from the scene image vertically. As mentioned above, a pixel line may consist of multiple pixels. For example, if a second editing style that removes 10 pixel lines horizontally is applied to a specific scene image consisting of 250 horizontal pixels and 400 vertical pixels, the specific scene image will consist of 240 horizontal pixels and 400 vertical pixels. In this case, the aspect ratio of the scene image before editing will change from 5:8 to 3:5. In other words, the second editing changes the aspect ratio of the scene image (or the aspect ratio of the scene image, the aspect ratio of the scene image size). As another example, if a second editing style that removes 10 pixel lines vertically is applied to a specific scene image consisting of 250 horizontal pixels and 400 vertical pixels, the specific scene image will consist of 250 horizontal pixels and 390 vertical pixels. In that case, the aspect ratio (or aspect ratio of the scene image, aspect ratio of the scene image size) of the scene image before editing will be changed from 5:8 before editing to 25x39 after editing.

[0069] Editing using the third editing style, which preserves scene images without editing, results in the same scene images before and after editing. In this case, the number of images and their aspect ratios are all the same.

[0070] In this way, when editing is performed on multiple scene images, the aspect ratio of at least some of the scene images after editing can be made different from the aspect ratio of at least some of the scene images before editing.

[0071] On the other hand, the aspect ratio of which of the multiple scene images has been changed can be made to vary depending on the user information.

[0072] Thus, in this invention, the aspect ratio of at least some of the multiple scene images is changed, and as a result, the size of at least some of the multiple scene images is changed. In this invention, this is expressed as resizing the scene images. In this invention, editing a scene image can also be understood as resizing a scene image. The term "editing" can be replaced with terms such as "resizing" or "retargeting."

[0073] The control unit 130 can edit each of the multiple scene images by combining the first to third editing styles described above, based on user information. This will be explained in more detail later.

[0074] Through such editing, the user terminal is provided with multiple edited scene images, and these multiple scene images provided to the user terminal are configured to include user information.

[0075] On the other hand, each editing code may have a predetermined degree of pixels (or pixel lines) to be deleted or inserted. For example, if the types of code values ​​are 0, 1, and -1, then code value 1, which indicates pixel insertion, and code value -1, which indicates pixel deletion, may have a predetermined matching degree (amount or number) of pixels to be deleted or inserted according to each code value. For example, code value 1 corresponds to the addition of 10 pixel lines, and code value -1 corresponds to the deletion of 10 pixel lines.

[0076] Furthermore, if the types of code values ​​are diverse, the degree to which pixel lines are added or deleted can be further diversified. For example, if the types of code values ​​are -2, -1, 0, 1, and 2, then code value 2 corresponds to the addition of 20 pixel lines, code value 1 corresponds to the addition of 10 pixel lines, code value -1 corresponds to the deletion of 10 pixel lines, and code value -2 corresponds to the deletion of 20 pixel lines.

[0077] Thus, each code value determines the editing level regarding how and to what extent the scene image is edited (how many pixels are added or deleted), and the control unit 130 can edit multiple scene images that make up the content based on the preset editing level matched to each code value. On the other hand, the editing level can also be understood as the number of pixel lines that make up the area to be edited in the scene image.

[0078] Furthermore, even when the control unit 130 receives a viewing request for the same content, it can edit multiple scene images that make up the original content using editing codes matched to each user's information, based on the fact that the user information is different.

[0079] As an example, let's assume that the first user information (ex: ID) is "honggd" as shown in Figure 3(b). Based on the first user information, the control unit 130 can edit the scene image 310 using an editing style (second editing style) that removes some of the pixels of the scene image 310 that constitute the original content. The edited scene image 320 may have a visual appearance in which the area corresponding to the deleted pixels is reduced compared to the original scene image 310 (the area corresponding to L2 is smaller than the area corresponding to L1).

[0080] As another example, let's assume that the second user information (e.g., ID) is "kimstar," as shown in Figure 3(c). Based on the second user information, the control unit 130 can edit the scene image 310 using an editing style (second editing style) that inserts some of the pixels of the scene image 310 that constitute the original content into the scene image 310. In other words, it can perform editing on the original content that is different from editing that removes the original content based on the first user information. In that case, the edited scene image 330 can have a visual appearance with an increased area (the area corresponding to L3 is larger than the areas corresponding to L1 and L2) compared to the original scene image 310 and the scene image 320 from which pixels have been removed.

[0081] Furthermore, the present invention allows for the process of providing edited content to a user terminal (S240, see Figure 2).

[0082] Based on user information, the control unit 130 can provide the user terminal 1 with content composed of edited scene images, based on the fact that at least a portion of the multiple scene images have been edited.

[0083] In this invention, even when users request to view the same content, each user terminal 1 can be provided with content that has been edited differently based on the differences in user information. The differently edited content may be displayed on the user terminal 1 with different visual appearances (e.g., different resolutions, different aspect ratios, different width-to-height ratios).

[0084] For example, when original content 310 that has not been edited based on user information is provided (see Figure 3(a)), when content 320 that has been edited by pixel removal based on first user information (e.g., "ID:honggd") is provided (see Figure 3(b)), and when content 330 that has been edited by pixel insertion based on second user information (e.g., "ID:kimstar") is provided (see Figure 3(c)), each of the content 310, 320, and 330, which have different visual appearances, will be displayed on the user terminal, respectively.

[0085] Thus, in this invention, content having different visual appearances depending on the information of the user viewing the content is provided, and if the content is illegally copied (e.g., captured or photographed) and leaked and distributed, the person who leaked it can be identified based on the extent of editing of the leaked content.

[0086] On the other hand, the control unit 130 can edit multiple scene images constituting the content by combining the first editing style, the second editing style, and the third editing style based on user information. As a result, content with different visual appearances can be provided to the user terminal. Which of the first to third editing styles to use to edit each of the multiple scene images constituting the content can be determined based on user information.

[0087] User information consists of at least one character, and the content provision system (or storage unit) that provides the content may store and contain first matching information in which a different code is matched to each different character, and second matching information in which one of the first, second, and third editing styles is matched to each different code value that constitutes the code. Here, different editing styles may be matched to different code values. At least one of the first matching information and the second matching information may exist as table-type information. The control unit 130 can refer to at least one of the first matching information and the second matching information to perform editing that reflects the user information in multiple scene images.

[0088] The control unit 130 can confirm a specific editing code corresponding to the user information based on the first matching information, and edit the multiple scene images using editing styles matched to the code values ​​constituting the specific editing code. The control unit 130 can also edit the multiple scene images by referring to the editing code corresponding to the user information.

[0089] In this way, the control unit 130 can provide the user terminal with content consisting of multiple scene images having different visual appearances, based on the fact that at least one of the following is different for the characters constituting the user information: i) character type, ii) number of characters (or length of string), iii) editing code matched to the characters, and iv) number of digits of the editing code.

[0090] On the other hand, the editing code shown in Figure 4 can be set by the administrator of system 100 or by the control unit 130.

[0091] The editing code can be understood as information defining which of the three editing styles described above will be used to edit the original content. Furthermore, the editing code can be understood as information defining which scene image, among the multiple scene images that make up the requested content, will be edited using which editing style.

[0092] The control unit 130 can edit a number of consecutive scene images corresponding to the number of digits that make up the editing code, using an editing style that matches the code value that makes up each digit.

[0093] For example, as shown in Figure 4, if the editing code consists of three digits, the control unit 130 can perform editing on three consecutive scene images (e.g., the first scene image, the second scene image, and the third scene image). In this case, the control unit 130 can edit the first scene image with an editing style matched to the first code value, the second scene image with an editing style matched to the second code value, and the third scene image with an editing style matched to the third code value.

[0094] Each of the code values ​​that make up the editing code (for example, "0", "1", "-1") may be matched with one of several editing styles. For example, the code value "1" may be matched with an editing style (or first editing style) that adds pixels that constitute a specific area in the scene image to the scene image, the code value "-1" may be matched with an editing style (or second editing style) that removes pixels that constitute a specific area in the scene image from the scene image, and the code value "0" may be matched with an editing style (or third editing style) that maintains the scene image as it is without editing.

[0095] On the other hand, the control unit 130 can determine the number of digits in the editing code (scenes) based on the number of characters (Characters) and the number of editing styles (stages) that can be used to construct the user information, as shown in the following formula. In the present invention, the determination of the number of digits in the editing code can be understood as the number of scene images that are to be edited in order to reflect one character. That is, the control unit 130 can identify the minimum number of scene images required to represent all the characters that can be used to construct the user information.

[0096]

number

[0097] For example, if user information is in the English alphabet, there are 26 letters in the alphabet. Based on the above formula, the control unit 130 can determine at least one of the types of code values ​​and the number of scene images that can represent all 26 letters of the alphabet. Here, the types of code values ​​that match the editing style (e.g., 1, -1, 0) (or the number of types) correspond to "stage" in the above formula, and the number of scene images necessary to represent user information corresponds to "scenes". If the types of code values ​​are specified, the control unit 130 can refer to the above formula to determine the number of scene images so that all user information can be represented. For example, if the code values ​​are specified to be 1, -1, and 0, a minimum of 3 scene images are needed to represent the 26 letters of the alphabet (3^3=27). Conversely, if the number of scene images is specified, the control unit 130 can refer to the above formula to determine the types of code values ​​(or the number of types) so that all user information can be represented. For example, if the number of scene images is specified to be 3, a minimum of 3 types of code values ​​are needed to represent the 26 letters of the alphabet (3^3=27).

[0098] The control unit 130 can determine at least one of the number of types of code values ​​(stage) and the number of scene images (scenes) such that the number of characters used to represent user information is within the range of the number of types of code values ​​(stage)^the number of scene images (scenes) derived by the above formula.

[0099] For example, if there are three types of code values—0, 1, and -1—a minimum of three scene images are required to represent the letter "a" among the user information that can be represented by letters. Here, the number of scene images can be understood as the number of code values ​​(digits) that make up the editing code. In that case, the editing code may consist of three digits. Each three-digit editing code can have one digit consisting of either 0, 1, or -1, and a total of 27 editing codes can be combined, in which case all 26 letters of the alphabet can be represented.

[0100] On the other hand, the above example described how to represent 26 characters. As another example, to represent 45 characters, three types of code values ​​(for example, 0, 1, -1) and four scene images (four-digit editing codes) would be sufficient to represent each of the 45 characters (3^4 = 81).

[0101] As described above, the control unit 130 inserts the user information into the multiple scene images by editing the multiple scene images that constitute the content, and the number of the multiple scene images is determined based on the number of characters that make up the user information.

[0102] In other words, the number of scene images required to insert user information varies depending on the number of characters that make up the user information.

[0103] For example, if the number of code values ​​(number of digits in the editing code) required to represent different characters (unit characters) is 3 (or 3 digits), and the number of characters constituting the user information is 4 (for example, ID: abcd corresponding to the user information), then the number of scene images required to insert the user information is 12. In other words, "3 scene images" are required to represent each character (unit character), and therefore, to represent a 4-digit character, 12 scene images are required, which corresponds to "3" scene images required to represent the unit character multiplied by "4" characters constituting the user information.

[0104] Thus, the number of digits in the editing code (the number of code values) is the minimum number of scene images required to represent a single character. For example, three scene images are needed to represent one alphabet character, and nine scene images are needed to represent three alphabet characters.

[0105] On the other hand, the number of code value types and the number of scene images (number of digits in the editing code, number of code values) differ depending on the number of characters that can be used to construct the user information.

[0106] The control unit 130 can identify the number of scene images necessary to insert user information based on the number of characters that make up the user information, and can perform editing on the scene images corresponding to that number from among the scene images that make up the requested content, in order to insert the user information.

[0107] Furthermore, the control unit 130 can identify the editing style to be applied to each of the multiple scene images based on the code value that constitutes the editing code corresponding to the user information.

[0108] The control unit 130 can edit multiple scene images, each of which has been identified as an object to be edited, based on the editing style of the code value that constitutes the editing code corresponding to the user information.

[0109] For example, let's assume that the user information is "honggd," which consists of six characters, as shown in Figure 5. As mentioned earlier, in the case of six characters, 18 scene images are required to represent the user information once. The control unit 130 can insert the user information using 18 consecutive scene images. Here, three scene images are required to represent one character, and the user information consists of six characters, so a total of 18 scene images are required. Therefore, the control unit 130 can edit the 18 scene images to represent the user information "honggd."

[0110] The control unit 130 can confirm the editing code matched to each character based on at least one of the first matching information and the second matching information described above, and edit the scene image according to the editing style matched to the code value of the editing code. Here, each digit of the editing code can correspond to the arrangement order of the scene image to be edited.

[0111] For example, if the editing code 81 for the first character 31, "h", is {0,1,-1}, the control unit 130 can edit the first scene image (first scene image) 21 of the three consecutive scene images with an editing style matched to the code value "0" in the first digit (for example, a third editing style, Nothing, which maintains the scene image as is), edit the second scene image (second scene image) 22 with an editing style matched to the code value "1" (for example, a first editing style that inserts a specific pixel into the scene image), and edit the third scene image (third scene image) 23 with an editing style matched to the code value "-1" (for example, a second editing style that deletes a specific pixel from the scene image). Furthermore, based on the fact that the editing code for the second character 32, "o", is {-1, -1, 1}, the control unit 130 can edit the fourth scene image 24 with an editing style matched to the code value "-1" (second editing style that deletes pixels), edit the fifth scene image (not shown) with an editing style matched to the code value "-1" (second editing style that deletes pixels), and edit the sixth scene image (not shown) with an editing style matched to the code value "1" (first editing style that inserts pixels). In this way, the control unit 130 can edit a total of 18 scene images to represent the user information "honggd". On the other hand, the control unit 130 can insert user information into the content, either entirely or partially, by repeatedly editing the scene images that make up the content in units of the number of scene images necessary to represent the user information (for example, 18 images).

[0112] On the other hand, the control unit 130 can select and edit relatively less important areas of the scene image without interfering with the user's use of the content and without the user being aware of the content editing. The control unit 130 can prevent editing of areas in the scene image that contain highly important content (or graphic objects) (which can also be called "editing-restricted areas"), while allowing editing of areas that contain less important objects (which can also be called "editable areas").

[0113] Areas of low or high importance in a scene image can be determined based on various criteria. For example, the control unit 130 can identify areas to be edited based on user information, using the pixel energy of each of the multiple pixels constituting the scene image as a criterion. In this invention, energy can also be called energy level. The control unit 130 can identify areas with low energy levels in each scene image using content deformation-based retargeting techniques such as seam carving, and identify these as areas to be edited.

[0114] Here, "pixel energy" can be understood as the complexity of a pixel. For example, the control unit 130 can obtain (calculate or calculate) the pixel energy based on at least one of the following: the magnitude of the pixel's tilt, entropy, visual saturation, and line of sight movement.

[0115] The control unit 130 can calculate the sum of the pixel energies of pixels that form a line in one direction in the scene image and detect the line with the smallest sum of pixel energies. The control unit 130 can identify the region (or pixels) corresponding to the line with the smallest detected sum of pixel energies as the region (or pixels) to be edited.

[0116] For example, as shown in Figure 6, in the scene image 410, a specific line 510 can be detected in which the sum of the pixel energies of the pixels forming the line horizontally is smallest. The control unit 130 can identify the region (or pixels) corresponding to the detected line 510 as the region (pixels) to be edited.

[0117] As another example, less important areas (editable areas) or more important areas (editable restricted areas) in a scene image can be determined based on at least one of the types of graphic objects included in the scene image or the content (or meaning) of the graphic objects.

[0118] The control unit 130 can prevent editing of areas containing important graphic objects or graphic objects corresponding to important content (or meaning), i.e., high-priority objects. The type of important graphic object or the content (or meaning) of a graphic object may be based on pre-set criteria.

[0119] The control unit 130 can identify areas in a scene image that contain important graphic objects (or significant graphic objects) as edit-restricted areas based on pre-set criteria, and perform editing on other areas (areas to be edited). The control unit 130 can control pixels containing important graphic objects so that they are not detected (identified) as areas (or lines) to be edited. In other words, pixels containing important graphic objects can become edit-restricted areas.

[0120] For example, as shown in Figure 6, if a pre-set criterion is set for important objects such as the speech bubble 412, the text 413, and the face 414, the control unit 130 can set the area containing the objects 412, 413, and 414 as an editing-restricted area and set other areas as editing-target areas. The control unit 130 can perform editing on areas that do not contain the objects 412, 413, and 414. In this way, if the scene image 410 contains the tree image 411, the speech bubble 412, the text 413, and the face 414, the control unit 130 can set the editing-target areas based on the energy level or important objects based on the pre-set criterion described above.

[0121] Furthermore, the control unit 130 can edit areas with low pixel energy (i.e., areas to be edited) in the scene image using an editing code matched to user information.

[0122] If an editing code that "deletes" low-energy pixels is matched to the user information, the control unit 130 can perform editing to delete the low-energy pixels 510. For example, as shown in Figure 7(a), the edited scene image 420 may include a shortened tree trunk 421 from which the low-energy pixels have been deleted.

[0123] If an editing code for "inserting" low-energy pixels into the scene image matches the user information, the control unit 130 can perform editing by copying (duplicating) the low-energy pixels and inserting them into the scene image. For example, as shown in Figure 7(b), multiple copied low-energy pixels 530 can be inserted into the edited scene image 430. The edited scene image 430 may include a tree trunk 431 that has been lengthened by the insertion of low-energy pixels.

[0124] As described above, the content provision methods and systems according to various embodiments of the present invention can insert user information into images that constitute the content by editing and providing images based on user information.

[0125] In this invention, user information can be inserted into content simply by deleting or editing images, and various types of illegal copying and distribution of content (such as screen captures and camera photos) can be detected.

[0126] On the other hand, according to various embodiments of the present invention, by preserving the region containing important content of an image and editing only other regions, it is possible to prevent distortion of important content.

[0127] The present invention described above can be implemented as computer-readable code or commands on a program recording medium. In other words, the present invention can be provided in the form of a program.

[0128] Computer-readable media include all types of recording devices on which data read by computer systems is stored. Examples of computer-readable media include HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), SSDs (Solid State Disks), SSDs (Silicon Disk Drives), ROMs, RAMs, CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, and optical data storage devices.

[0129] Furthermore, the computer-readable medium includes a storage location, which may be a server or cloud storage location accessible by an electronic device via communication. In this case, the computer may download the program according to the present invention from the server or cloud storage location via wired or wireless communication.

[0130] Furthermore, in the present invention, the aforementioned computer is an electronic device equipped with a processor, i.e., a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and any type thereof is acceptable.

[0131] Furthermore, the above detailed description should not be interpreted restrictively in any way and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the claims, and any modifications within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the present invention.

Claims

[Claim 1] The steps include receiving a request to view content from a user terminal, The steps include: verifying user information related to the user account logged into the aforementioned user terminal; The steps include editing multiple scene images that constitute the content based on the user information, A content provision method characterized by comprising the step of providing the content, which includes the edited plurality of scene images, to the user terminal.

Images