Content processing method and program

Abstract

Even if a history of user actions is not accumulated, the system will present a user interface that corresponds to at least one recommended function for the user. [Solution] The content processing method includes obtaining first information indicating the user's attributes, and, based on the first information, presenting a user interface corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among a plurality of functions for controlling content playback.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a content processing method and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a video recording / playback device that estimates a desired operation of a user based on a command history issued from the user to the device and a viewing record for each content, and displays a recommended operation procedure related to the estimated desired operation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the desired operation of the user is estimated based on the command history of the user himself / herself, if a sufficient command history for estimating the desired operation has not been accumulated, the desired operation cannot be estimated, and as a result, the recommended operation procedure cannot be displayed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A content processing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes obtaining first information indicating an attribute of a user, and presenting a user interface corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user among a plurality of functions for controlling reproduction of content based on the first information.

[0006] A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to perform the following actions: acquire first information indicating user attributes; and, based on the first information, present a user interface corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among a plurality of functions for controlling content playback. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the content distribution system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a UI that supports a function to control content playback. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows the recommended UI determination process performed by the processing unit. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the criteria used to determine the recommended UI. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of how the recommended UI is presented in the content viewing area. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the content distribution system 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the content distribution system 1 comprises a plurality of user terminals 10 and a content distribution server 20. The plurality of user terminals 10 and the content distribution server 20 communicate with each other via a network NW, such as the Internet.

[0009] User terminal 10 is a terminal operated by a user and capable of accessing the content distribution server 20 via a network (NW). More specifically, user terminal 10 is a terminal capable of launching at least a web browser as an application. Furthermore, user terminal 10 has at least the ability to display images and output sound. For example, user terminal 10 may be a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a desktop PC, a smartphone, or a tablet device. User terminal 10 is an example of a device for playing content.

[0010] The content distribution server 20 is an internet server that provides a subscription-based content distribution service. In other words, only users registered as members of the content distribution service provided by the content distribution server 20 can use that content distribution service via the user terminal 10. For example, the content distributed by the content distribution server 20 includes at least one of video, music, and audiobooks. The content distribution server 20 comprises a storage device 21 and a processing device 22.

[0011] The storage device 21 includes a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and various setting data necessary for the processing device 22 to perform various processes, and a volatile storage device that is used as a temporary storage location for data when the processing device 22 performs various processes.

[0012] The storage device 21 stores account information of users registered as members of the content distribution service. For example, account information includes account ID, password, name, age, gender, language, location, nationality, email address, and telephone number. Account information is an example of information that users have registered in advance. The storage device 21 also stores data necessary to provide the content distribution service, such as data necessary to view the content distribution service's web page, and video and audio data necessary to view the content.

[0013] The processing unit 22 performs various processes necessary to provide content distribution services according to the program stored in the storage device 21. For example, the processing unit 22 is composed of one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Some or all of the functions of the processing unit 22 may be composed of circuits such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processing unit 22 performs various processes in parallel or sequentially. The processing unit 22 is an example of a computer.

[0014] The processing unit 22 has multiple functions for controlling content playback, which are realized by executing a program. The processing unit 22 not only performs the process of distributing content, but also performs the process of presenting a user interface corresponding to the multiple functions for controlling content playback. In the following description, the user interface will be abbreviated as "UI". For example, "presenting the UI" means displaying the UI, represented by icons, etc., in the content viewing area included in the web page of the content distribution service. The content viewing area is a rectangular area included in the web page of the content distribution service, and is the area where the video of the content, the seek bar indicating the playback position of the content, and the UI corresponding to the multiple functions for controlling content playback are displayed.

[0015] Figure 2 shows an example of a UI that supports multiple functions for controlling content playback. In Figure 2, functions with "Common" in the remarks column are used as common functions that control the playback of all types of content, including videos, music, and audiobooks. Functions with "Video" in the remarks column are used to control the playback of videos among the content. Functions with "Music / Audiobook" in the remarks column are used to control the playback of music and audiobooks among the content.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, for example, the first UI named "Start from the beginning" corresponds to the function of playing the content from the beginning. The second UI named "Screen Off" corresponds to the function of dimming the content display screen and playing only the audio. The third UI named "Subtitles On" corresponds to the function of displaying subtitles in the language set by the user.

[0017] The 4th UI named "Playback Speed Change" is a UI corresponding to the function of changing the playback speed of content. For example, when "1" is selected as the playback speed, the content is played at the normal playback speed (default playback speed). When "0.5" is selected as the playback speed, the content is played at 0.5 times the normal playback speed. When "1.5" is selected as the playback speed, the content is played at 1.5 times the normal playback speed.

[0018] The 5th UI named "Zoom In / Out" is a UI corresponding to the function of enlarging or reducing the display of part or all of the content. The 6th UI named "Repeat" is a UI corresponding to the function of repeatedly playing the same content. The 7th UI named "Continuous Playback" is a UI corresponding to the function of continuously playing a plurality of related contents. The 8th UI named "Timer" is a UI corresponding to the function of stopping the playback of content at the time specified by the user. The 9th UI named "Lyrics / Text Display" is a UI corresponding to the function of displaying the lyrics or text of the content.

[0019] Among the above 9 UIs, the 1st UI, 4th UI, 6th UI, 7th UI, and 8th UI are used as common functions for controlling the playback of all types of content. The 2nd UI, 3rd UI, and 5th UI are used as functions for controlling the playback of videos. The 9th UI is used as a function for controlling the playback of music and audiobooks.

[0020] Each time one of the above 9 UIs is used by the user, the processing device 22 acquires the information of the content for which the UI was used and the information of the user who used the UI.

[0021] For example, as information on the content used by the UI, the processing device 22 acquires the genre of the content, the language of the content, the content length which is the temporal length of the content, and the playback position of the content when the UI was used. The genre and language of the content are set by the distributor. When the content is a video, the genre of the content includes movies, dramas, animations, etc. When the content is music, the genre of the content includes Western music and Japanese music, etc. When the content is an audiobook, the genre of the content includes English listening and novels, etc. The language of the content includes English, Japanese, Spanish, etc.

[0022] As information on the user who used the UI, the processing device 22 acquires the age of the user, the language of the user, the time zone when the user used the UI, and the last visit date which is the date when the user last visited the content used by the UI. The age of the user includes the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s and above. The language of the user includes English, Japanese, Spanish, etc. The processing device 22 acquires the age and language of the user from the user's account information when using the UI. When the language is not included in the user's account information when using the UI, the processing device 22 may estimate the language of the user from the location or nationality included in the account information. Or, the processing device 22 may estimate the language of the user based on information regarding the user terminal 10 which is a device that plays the content. In this case, the information regarding the user terminal 10 acquired by the processing device 22 includes at least one of, for example, the location of the user terminal 10 and the manufacturer name. The time zone when the user used the UI includes morning, noon, night, and late at night. When the user first visits the content used by the UI, the processing device 22 acquires "0" as the last visit date.

[0023] The processing unit 22 updates the content information and user information stored in the storage device 21 based on the information acquired as described above. The content information is information individually associated with each of the multiple content items distributed by the content distribution server 20. The user information is information individually associated with each of the multiple users registered as members of the content distribution service.

[0024] For example, content information includes the content genre, content language, content playback position, content length, and content UI operation history. Content UI operation history includes the UI used by each user during content playback and the number of times it was used. For example, user information includes the user's age, user language, time of day, last visit date, number of plays per day, and user UI operation history. User UI operation history includes the UI used by a single user during content playback and the number of times it was used.

[0025] For example, when a UI is used to change the playback speed to 1.5x, the content genre is retrieved as "Western film," the content language as "English," the playback position of the content at the time the UI was used as "5:00 (minutes)," the user's age group is retrieved as "20s," the user's language is retrieved as "Japanese," and the time of day the user used the UI is retrieved as "late night."

[0026] In this case, the processing unit 22 adds 1 to the number of times the "Change Playback Speed ​​(1.5x)" UI was used in the UI operation history included in the content information, which is associated with the age group "20s" and the time of day "late at night," and adds "5:00 (minutes)" as the playback position where the "Change Playback Speed ​​(1.5x)" UI was used. The processing unit 22 also adds 1 to the number of times the "Change Playback Speed ​​(1.5x)" UI was used in the UI operation history included in the user information, which is associated with the genre "Western Films."

[0027] Based on the content information and user information described above, the processing unit 22 performs a recommended UI determination process that presents a UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among multiple functions that control content playback.

[0028] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the recommended UI determination process performed by the processing unit 22. The processing unit 22 performs the recommended UI determination process shown in Figure 3 by reading and executing a program from the storage device 21. The processing unit 22 performs the recommended UI determination process when it detects that a user has selected one piece of content from among multiple pieces of content on the web page of the content distribution service, based on a signal received from the user terminal 10.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, when the processing unit 22 starts the recommended UI determination process, it first obtains content information associated with the content selected by the user and user information associated with this user from the storage device 21 (step S1).

[0030] In step S1, the processing unit 22 retrieves UI operation history from the content information that is associated with the user's age and the time period during which the content was selected by the user. The processing unit 22 also retrieves UI operation history from the user information that is associated with the genre of content selected by the user. An example of content information and user information retrieved by the processing unit 22 is shown below.

[0031] (Example of retrieved content information) [1] Content genre: Movies (Foreign films) [2] Content length: 120 minutes [3] Views: 10,000 [4] UI operation history (segmented by age group in their 20s and nighttime) • Number of times "Subtitles On" has been used: 100 times • Number of times "Change playback speed (1.5x)" has been used: 80 times • Number of times "Change playback speed (1.2x)" has been used: 30 times • Total number of times "Change Playback Speed" has been used: 110 times [5] Playback stop position: Aside from 0 seconds, the playback speed is most frequently changed at 0:30 seconds.

[0032] (Example of acquired user information) [1] Age: 20s [2] Last visited: 1 month ago [3] Playback count per day: 2 [4] Time of day: Night [5] UI operation history (segmented by movie and night) • Number of times "Subtitles On" has been used: 2 • Number of times "Change playback speed (1.2x)" has been used: 10 times

[0033] Next, the processing unit 22 determines a UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among multiple functions that control content playback, based on the acquired content information and user information (step S2). In the following description, the UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user may be referred to as the "recommended UI".

[0034] Figure 4 shows an example of the criteria used to determine the recommended UI. As shown in Figure 4, for example, the processing unit 22 determines the first UI named "Start From" as the recommended UI, that is, the UI corresponding to the function of playing the content from the beginning, when both the condition that the playback position is not "0:00" and the condition that the last visit date satisfies the following condition (1) are met. In the following condition (1), M1 is a pre-set integer value. (Current date) - (Last visited date) ≥ M1 (Sun) …(1)

[0035] For example, the processing unit 22 determines a second UI named "Screen Off," which is a UI that corresponds to a function that dims the content display screen and plays only the audio, as the recommended UI if either of the following conditions is met: the content genre is music or the like, or the time of day is late at night.

[0036] For example, the processing unit 22 determines a third UI named "Subtitles On," that is, a UI corresponding to the function that displays subtitles in the language set by the user, as the recommended UI if any one of the following conditions is met: the content genre is a foreign film, the content language is different from the user's language setting, and the UI operation history included in the content information satisfies the following condition (2). In the following condition (2), k is a pre-set integer value. (Number of plays) × k (%) < (Number of UI uses) / (Number of plays) ... (2)

[0037] For example, the processing unit 22 determines the fourth UI, named "Change Playback Speed," which corresponds to the function of changing the playback speed of the content, as the recommended UI if either the content length satisfies the following condition (3) or the UI operation history included in the content information satisfies the above condition (2). In the following condition (3), M2 is a pre-set integer value. When the processing unit 22 determines the fourth UI as the recommended UI, it determines the playback speed based on the operation history included in the user information. (Content length) ≥ M2 (minutes) …(3)

[0038] For example, the processing unit 22 determines the fifth UI, named "Zoom In / Out," as the recommended UI if either the condition that the UI operation history included in the content information satisfies the above condition (2), or the condition that the UI operation history included in the user information satisfies the following condition (4), that is, the UI corresponding to the function of zooming in or out on part or all of the content. In the following condition (4), N1 is a pre-set integer value. (UI usage count) / (Total content playback count) ≥ N1 (times) ... (4)

[0039] For example, the processing unit 22 determines the sixth UI, named "Repeat," which corresponds to the function of repeatedly playing the same content, as the recommended UI if any one of the following conditions is met: the content length satisfies the following condition (5), the UI operation history included in the content information satisfies the above condition (2), or the number of plays per day satisfies the following condition (6). In the following condition (5), M3 is a pre-set integer value. In the following condition (6), N2 is a pre-set integer value. (Content length) ≥ M3 (minutes) …(5) (Number of views per day) ≥ N² (times) …(6)

[0040] For example, if the condition that the content genre is animation, drama, or English conversation is met, the processing unit 22 determines the seventh UI, named "Continuous Playback," which is a UI corresponding to a function that plays multiple related contents in succession, as the recommended UI.

[0041] For example, the processing unit 22 determines the eighth UI, named "Timer," which is a UI that stops content playback at a time specified by the user, as the recommended UI if either the condition that the time period is late at night or the condition that the number of UI usages for each time period satisfies the following condition (7). In the following condition (7), N3 is a pre-set integer value. (Number of UI usages per time period) ≥ N3 (times) …(7)

[0042] For example, if the condition that the content genre is Western music, Japanese music, or a novel is met, the processing unit 22 determines the ninth UI, named "Lyrics / Text Display," that is, the UI corresponding to the function of displaying the lyrics or text of the content, as the recommended UI.

[0043] Here, we set M1=30 (days), M2=60 (days), M3=5 (minutes), N1=10 (times), N2=3 (times), N3=3 (times), and k=1 (%), and explain which UI is determined as the recommended UI based on the above example of content information and user information.

[0044] In the above case, both the condition that the playback position is not "0:00" and the condition that the last visit date satisfies condition (1) are met, so the processing unit 22 decides that the first UI named "From the beginning" is the recommended UI.

[0045] In the above case, neither the condition that the content genre is music or the condition that the time of day is late at night is met, so the processing unit 22 does not decide on the second UI named "Screen Off" as the recommended UI.

[0046] In the above case, one of the following conditions is met: the content genre is a foreign film, the language of the content is different from the user's language setting, and the operation history included in the content information satisfies condition (2). Therefore, the processing unit 22 decides that the third UI named "Subtitles On" is the recommended UI.

[0047] In the above case, either the condition that the content length satisfies condition (3) or the condition that the operation history included in the content information satisfies condition (2) is met, so the processing unit 22 decides that the fourth UI named "Playback Speed ​​Change" is the recommended UI.

[0048] In the above case, since at least one of the conditions is not met—that the operation history included in the content information satisfies condition (2) and that the operation history included in the user information satisfies condition (4) below—the processing unit 22 does not determine the fifth UI named "Zoom In / Out" as the recommended UI.

[0049] In the above case, since at least one of the following conditions is not met—that the content length satisfies condition (5), that the operation history included in the content information satisfies condition (2), and that the number of plays per day satisfies condition (6)—the processing unit 22 does not determine the sixth UI named "Repeat" as the recommended UI.

[0050] In the above case, the condition that the content genre is animation, drama, or English conversation is not met, so the processing unit 22 does not determine the 7th UI named "Continuous Playback" as the recommended UI.

[0051] In the above case, since at least one of the conditions—that the time period is late at night and that the number of UI usages for each time period satisfies condition (7)—is not met, the processing unit 22 does not determine the 8th UI named "Timer" as the recommended UI.

[0052] In the above case, the condition that the content genre is Western music, Japanese music, or a novel is not met, so the processing unit 22 does not determine the 9th UI named "Lyrics / Text Display" as the recommended UI.

[0053] Let's return to Figure 3 and continue the explanation. After determining the recommended UI as described above, the processing unit 22 determines the timing for presenting the recommended UI (step S3).

[0054] For example, if there are multiple functions recommended to the user, the processing unit 22 determines the timing for presenting the UI corresponding to each of the multiple functions according to a predetermined priority. For example, when content playback starts, the timing is determined so that the UIs "Start from the beginning," "Screen off," "Subtitles on," and "Timer" are presented in that order. Just before the end of content playback, the timing is determined so that the UIs "Continuous playback" and "Repeat" are presented. For example, as in the example above, if a first UI named "Start from the beginning," a third UI named "Subtitles on," and a fourth UI named "Change playback speed" are determined as recommended UIs, the processing unit 22 determines the timing so that the recommended UIs are presented in the order of the first UI, third UI, and fourth UI.

[0055] Furthermore, for example, the processing unit 22 determines the timing to present a recommended UI based on the UI operation history included in the user information, so that the recommended UI is presented at the time when the UI corresponding to at least one recommended function for the user is used most frequently. For example, if the playback speed is changed most frequently at the 0:30 second playback position, the processing unit 22 determines the 0:30 second playback position as the timing to present the fourth UI, "Change Playback Speed".

[0056] Then, the processing unit 22 presents a recommended UI at the timing determined in step S3 (step S4). In other words, if there are multiple functions recommended to the user, the processing unit 22 presents a recommended UI corresponding to each of the multiple functions according to a predetermined priority order. Furthermore, based on the UI operation history included in the user information, the processing unit 22 presents a recommended UI at the timing when the UI corresponding to at least one of the functions recommended to the user has been used the most.

[0057] Figure 5 shows an example of how a recommended UI is presented in the content viewing area 51. As shown in Figure 5, the content viewing area 51 is a rectangular area included in the web page 50 of the content distribution service, and is the area where the video of the content, the seek bar 52 indicating the playback position of the content, etc. are displayed. For example, if the first UI named "Start from the beginning" is presented as the recommended UI, an icon 53 containing the message "Do you want to play from the beginning?" is presented (displayed) in the content viewing area 51 as the first UI.

[0058] Furthermore, when the recommended UI is used by a user, the processing unit 22 acquires information about the content on which the recommended UI was used and information about the user who used the recommended UI, and updates the content information and user information based on the acquired information.

[0059] The content processing method of this embodiment is realized when the processing unit 22 performs the recommended UI determination process described above. That is, the content processing method of this embodiment includes acquiring first information indicating the user's attributes and, based on the first information, presenting a UI (recommended UI) corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among a plurality of functions that control the playback of the content. Acquiring the first information is achieved when the processing unit 22 performs step S1 above, and presenting a recommended UI based on the first information is achieved when the processing unit 22 performs steps S2 to S4 above. In this embodiment, for example, the user's age, gender, language, and nationality correspond to the first information indicating the user's attributes. According to the content processing method of this embodiment, based on first information indicating the user's attributes, a UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among multiple functions that control content playback is presented. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user is not accumulated, a recommended UI can be presented to the user.

[0060] In the content processing method of this embodiment, the first information includes at least one of information pre-registered by the user and information regarding a device for playing the content. In this embodiment, the information pre-registered by the user is the user's account information, and the information regarding a device for playing the content includes at least one of the location and manufacturer name of the user terminal 10. According to this embodiment, based on at least one of the information registered by the user in advance and information about the user terminal 10, a UI corresponding to at least one of multiple functions that control content playback and is recommended to the user is presented. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user is not accumulated, a recommended UI can be presented to the user.

[0061] The content processing method of this embodiment further includes acquiring second information generated by launching an application or device for playing content, and presenting a recommended UI includes presenting a recommended UI based on the first and second information. Acquiring the second information is achieved when the processing device 22 executes step S1 above. Presenting a recommended UI based on the first and second information is achieved when the processing device 22 executes steps S2 to S4 above. In this embodiment, the application for playing content is a web browser, and the device for playing content is a user terminal 10. In this embodiment, the second information generated by launching an application or device for playing content is the last visit date and time, etc. According to this embodiment, based on the first information and the second information generated by launching an application or device that plays content, a UI corresponding to at least one of several functions that control content playback and is recommended to the user is presented. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user is not accumulated, a more desirable recommended UI can be presented to the user.

[0062] The content processing method of this embodiment further includes acquiring third information generated by starting content playback, and presenting a recommended UI includes presenting a recommended UI based on the first information and the third information. Acquiring the third information is achieved by the processing device 22 executing step S1 above. Presenting a recommended UI based on the first information and the third information is achieved by the processing device 22 executing steps S2 to S4 above. In this embodiment, the third information generated by starting content playback includes genre, number of plays, number of plays per day, content length, and last visit date. According to this embodiment, based on the first information and the third information generated by starting content playback, a UI corresponding to at least one of the multiple functions that control content playback and is recommended to the user is presented. Therefore, even if a history of user actions is not accumulated, a more desirable recommended UI can be presented to the user.

[0063] The content processing method of this embodiment further includes obtaining a fourth piece of information indicating the operation history of each UI corresponding to a plurality of functions recommended to the user, and presenting a recommended UI includes presenting a recommended UI based on the first piece of information and the fourth piece of information. Obtaining the fourth piece of information is achieved when the processing device 22 executes the above step S1. Presenting a recommended UI based on the first piece of information and the fourth piece of information is achieved when the processing device 22 executes the above steps S2 to S4. In this embodiment, the operation history of each UI corresponding to a plurality of functions recommended to the user is the UI operation history included in the user information. According to this embodiment, based on the first information and the fourth information which shows the operation history of each UI corresponding to a plurality of functions recommended to the user, a UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among the plurality of functions that control content playback is presented. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user is not accumulated, a more desirable recommended UI can be presented to the user.

[0064] In the content processing method of this embodiment, presenting a recommended UI includes, when there are multiple functions recommended to the user, presenting the UI corresponding to each of the multiple functions in accordance with a predetermined priority. Presenting the UI corresponding to each of the multiple functions in accordance with a predetermined priority is achieved when the processing device 22 executes steps S3 and S4 described above. According to this embodiment, when there are multiple functions recommended to the user, the UI corresponding to each of the multiple functions is presented according to a predetermined priority, so that the recommended UI can be presented to the user in a desirable order.

[0065] The content processing method of this embodiment further includes obtaining fourth information indicating the operation history of each UI corresponding to a plurality of functions recommended to the user, and presenting a recommended UI includes presenting the recommended UI at the timing when the UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user is used most frequently, based on the fourth information. Obtaining the fourth information is achieved by the processing device 22 executing step S1 above. Presenting the recommended UI at the timing when the UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user is used most frequently, based on the fourth information, is achieved by the processing device 22 executing steps S3 and S4 above. According to this embodiment, based on the fourth piece of information showing the operation history of each UI corresponding to multiple functions recommended to the user, the recommended UI is presented at the time when the UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user is used most frequently, thus allowing the recommended UI to be presented to the user at a desirable time.

[0066] The program of this embodiment causes the processing unit 22 to perform a recommended UI determination process. The processing unit 22 is an example of a computer. In other words, the program of this embodiment causes the computer to perform the following: acquire first information indicating the user's attributes, and, based on the first information, present a UI corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among a plurality of functions that control content playback. According to the program of this embodiment, the computer is instructed to present a UI corresponding to at least one of several functions that control content playback, based on first information indicating the user's attributes. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user is not accumulated, a recommended UI can be presented to the user.

[0067] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, the technical scope of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, in this embodiment, a content distribution system 1 that distributes content from a content distribution server 20 to a plurality of user terminals 10 has been illustrated, but the system in which the content processing method of this disclosure is implemented is not limited to this.

[0068] [Summary of this disclosure] A summary of this disclosure is provided below.

[0069] (Note 1) A content processing method comprising: obtaining first information indicating the user's attributes; and, based on the first information, presenting a user interface corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among a plurality of functions for controlling content playback.

[0070] According to the content processing method described in Appendix 1, based on first information indicating the user's attributes, a user interface corresponding to at least one of several functions that control content playback and are recommended to the user is presented. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user is not accumulated, a recommended user interface can be presented to the user.

[0071] (Note 2) The content processing method according to Note 1, wherein the first information includes at least one of the information registered in advance by the user and information relating to a device for playing the content.

[0072] According to the content processing method described in Appendix 2, a user interface corresponding to at least one of several functions that control content playback is presented to the user, based on at least one of the information registered by the user in advance and information about the device that plays the content. Therefore, a recommended user interface can be presented to the user even if a history of operations performed by the user has not been accumulated.

[0073] (Note 3) The content processing method according to Note 1 or 2, further comprising obtaining second information generated by activating an application for playing the content or a device for playing the content, and presenting the user interface, which includes presenting the user interface based on the first information and the second information.

[0074] According to the content processing method described in Appendix 3, based on the first information and the second information generated by activating an application or device that plays the content, a user interface corresponding to at least one of several functions that control content playback and is recommended to the user is presented. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user is not accumulated, a more desirable user interface that is recommended to the user can be presented.

[0075] (Appendix 4) The content processing method according to Appendix 1 or 2, further comprising obtaining third information generated by starting playback of the content, and presenting the user interface, which includes presenting the user interface based on the first information and the third information.

[0076] According to the content processing method described in Appendix 4, based on the first information and the third information generated by starting content playback, a user interface corresponding to at least one of the multiple functions that control content playback and is recommended to the user is presented. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user is not accumulated, a more desirable user interface that is recommended to the user can be presented.

[0077] (Appendix 5) The content processing method according to Appendix 1 or 2, further comprising obtaining a fourth piece of information indicating the operation history of each of the user interfaces corresponding to the plurality of functions, and presenting the user interface includes presenting the user interface based on the first piece of information and the fourth piece of information.

[0078] According to the content processing method described in Appendix 5, based on the first information and the fourth information which shows the operation history of each of the user interfaces corresponding to multiple functions recommended to the user, a user interface corresponding to at least one of the multiple functions that control content playback and is recommended to the user is presented. Therefore, even if a history of operations performed by the user has not been accumulated, a more desirable user interface that is recommended to the user can be presented.

[0079] (Note 6) The content processing method according to any one of Notes 1 to 5, wherein presenting the user interface includes, when there are multiple functions recommended to the user, presenting the user interface corresponding to each of the multiple functions in order of a predetermined priority.

[0080] According to the content processing method described in Appendix 6, when there are multiple functions recommended to the user, the user interface corresponding to each of the multiple functions is presented according to a predetermined priority order, so that the user interface can be presented to the user in the desired order.

[0081] (Appendix 7) A content processing method according to any one of Appendix 1 to 6, further comprising obtaining a fourth piece of information indicating the operation history of each of the user interfaces corresponding to the multiple functions, wherein presenting the user interface includes presenting the user interface at the time when the user interface corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user is used most frequently, based on the fourth piece of information.

[0082] According to the content processing method described in Appendix 7, based on the fourth piece of information which shows the operation history of each of the user interfaces corresponding to multiple functions recommended to the user, the user interface is presented at the time when the user interface corresponding to at least one of the functions recommended to the user is used most frequently, thus allowing the user interface to be presented to the user at a desirable time.

[0083] (Note 8) A program that causes a computer to perform the following actions: to obtain first information indicating the user's attributes, and, based on the first information, to present a user interface corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user from among a plurality of functions that control the playback of content.

[0084] According to the program described in Appendix 8, the computer is instructed to present a user interface corresponding to at least one of several functions that control content playback, based on first information indicating the user's attributes. Therefore, even if a history of user actions has not been accumulated, a recommended user interface can be presented to the user. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0085] 1…Content distribution system, 10…User terminal, 20…Content distribution server, 21…Storage device, 22…Processing device, 50…Web page of content distribution service, 51…Content viewing area, 52…Seek bar, 53…Recommended UI icon, NW…Network

Claims

1. Obtaining the first piece of information that indicates the user's attributes, Based on the first information, a user interface is presented that corresponds to at least one of several functions that control content playback and is recommended to the user. Content processing methods, including those mentioned above.

2. The content processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first information includes at least one of information pre-registered by the user and information relating to a device for playing the content.

3. To obtain second information generated by activating an application or device that plays the aforementioned content, It further includes, The content processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein presenting the user interface includes presenting the user interface based on the first information and the second information.

4. To obtain third information generated by starting playback of the aforementioned content, It further includes, The content processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein presenting the user interface includes presenting the user interface based on the first information and the third information.

5. To obtain a fourth piece of information indicating the operation history of each of the user interfaces corresponding to the aforementioned multiple functions, It further includes, The content processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein presenting the user interface includes presenting the user interface based on the first information and the fourth information.

6. The content processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein presenting the user interface includes, when there are multiple functions recommended to the user, presenting a user interface corresponding to each of the multiple functions in a predetermined order of priority.

7. To obtain a fourth piece of information indicating the operation history of each of the user interfaces corresponding to the aforementioned multiple functions, It further includes, The content processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein presenting the user interface includes presenting the user interface at the timing when the user interface corresponding to at least one function recommended to the user is most frequently used, based on the fourth information.

8. Obtaining the first piece of information that indicates the user's attributes, Based on the first information, a user interface is presented that corresponds to at least one of several functions that control content playback and is recommended to the user. A program that causes a computer to execute something.

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