Content management systems, methods, devices, and programs

Abstract

This approach aims to curb the increase in computer resource usage while simultaneously encouraging users to purchase access to paid content. [Solution] The content management system 1 includes a content distribution unit that distributes image content, a thumbnail generation unit that generates thumbnail images corresponding to two points in time in the image content and associates the two points in time with the thumbnail images, an interface that specifies the reference point of the image content, a content display unit that displays a thumbnail image associated with two points in time that include the reference point, and a determination unit that determines whether the user has the right to view the previous image content. The content display unit does not display the image content at a point in time when the user does not have the right to view it, and displays a thumbnail image associated with two points in time that include the reference point when the reference point is a point in time when the user does not have the right to view it.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a content management system, method, apparatus, and program.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique for switching whether to display content according to whether a user has viewing authority.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying paid content as scrambled video on a monitor screen of a terminal device that has not paid a viewing fee for video content distributed from a server.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Conventionally, there has been a problem that it is difficult to lead to a purchase because the decision-making factors for considering purchasing the viewing right of paid content are only limited information such as program descriptions.

[0006] In one aspect, the present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to promote a user's willingness to obtain a viewing right for content having a viewing right, such as paid content, while suppressing an increase in the amount of computer resource usage.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A content management system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a determination unit that determines whether a user who requests distribution of image content has a viewing right for the image content; A content distribution unit that, upon request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, will not distribute at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or will distribute the image content in a way that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and will distribute a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not. This is a content management system comprising a content display unit that displays thumbnail images regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges or not.

[0008] A content management system in one aspect of this disclosure is: If the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, the content receiving unit will not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or will receive the image content in a manner that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and will receive a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not. A content display device comprising a content display unit that displays thumbnail images regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges or not. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In one respect, this disclosure can provide users with factors to consider when deciding whether to purchase viewing rights for paid content, while suppressing an increase in the use of computer resources. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the system configuration of the content management system described herein. [Figure 2] Figure 2 illustrates the hardware configuration related to the content management system of this disclosure. [Figure 3]Figure 3 illustrates the functional configuration related to the content management system of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a content display screen when the user has viewing rights to the content of the content management system described herein. [Figure 5] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a content display screen when the user does not have access rights to view the content of the content management system described herein. [Figure 6] Figure 6 illustrates an example of a content display screen when the user has viewing rights to the content of the content management system described herein. [Figure 7] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a content display screen when the user does not have access rights to view the content of the content management system described herein. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating the processing flow of the content management system of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. The configurations of the embodiments described below, and the functions and effects brought about by such configurations, are merely examples and are not limited to the contents described below. In addition, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are used below as needed, but these ordinal numbers are used for the convenience of identification and do not indicate any particular priority or meaning unless otherwise specified. When comparing the magnitude of two numbers, unless otherwise specified, either of the two criteria "greater than or equal to" and "greater than" may be used, or either of the two criteria "less than or equal to" and "less than".

[0012] [System Overview] The content management system according to the present disclosure is a computer system that manages content played on a user terminal. Content refers to information provided by a computer or a computer system that can be recognized by a person, and includes video content expressed by video that may include audio, e-books including at least one of text and images, and the like. The video content includes video pre-generated by an imaging device or the like, and computer graphics (CG) generated in real time.

[0013] In one example, the content management system provides the content to the user by delivering the content data to the user terminal. The delivery of content refers to a process executed to provide content to the user, for example, a process of transmitting information toward the user terminal via the communication network N.

[0014] The user terminal plays the content based on the received data. In one example, the content is provided by a distributor. A distributor is a person who attempts to provide information to viewers by the content management system, and is a provider of the content. A viewer is a person who attempts to obtain information by the content management system, and is a user of the content.

[0015] The content management system transmits the content data provided from the distributor terminal to the viewer terminal. The viewer terminal processes the content data and displays the content on the screen. In the present disclosure, the distributor and the viewer may be collectively referred to as a user, and the distributor terminal and the viewer terminal may be collectively referred to as a user terminal for explanation.

[0016] In one example, the content management system may deliver video content in real time. In this case, for example, the distributor terminal processes the captured video to generate content data and transmits the content data to the content management system in real time. Real time means transmitting and receiving data over the same connection after the communication between the server (content management system) and the client terminal (user terminal) is established, and there may be a delay in transmitting the content data due to data communication and data processing.

[0017] The content management system receives the content data and distributes live streaming content by transmitting the content data to the viewer terminal in real time.

[0018] The content data may be generated in the content management system. That is, the content management system may encode the real-time video provided from the distributor terminal to generate content data and transmit the content data to the viewer terminal in real time.

[0019] The content management system may be used for an archive where the content can be viewed for a given period after real-time distribution.

[0020] In one example, the content management system may perform on-demand distribution that allows viewers to view content at any timing. In this case, the content management system stores the content data including at least one of the content data generated by processing the video captured in the past, the content data generated by processing the audio recorded in the past, or the text and images created in the past in at least one of the storage devices such as the origin server and the cache server.

[0021] The content management system transmits the stored content data to the viewer terminal in response to a request from the viewer.

[0022] The content management system displays content generated based on content data on the viewer's terminal. If there are multiple viewer terminals, it is sufficient to display the content on at least one of them.

[0023] [System Configuration] Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a content management system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the content management system 1 comprises a server 10, a distributor terminal 20, and a viewer terminal 30. The server 10, the distributor terminal 20, and the viewer terminal 30 are connected to a network N such as the Internet and can communicate with each other. The content management system 1 of this embodiment is described assuming a known client-server type content management system, but is not limited thereto. The number of distributor terminals 20, servers 10, and viewer terminals 30 shown in Figure 1 is not limited to the number shown. The communication network N may include the Internet or may include an intranet.

[0024] Server 10 may consist of one or more computers. If multiple computers are used, they may be connected to each other via a communication network N, thereby logically forming a single server 10.

[0025] The broadcaster terminal 20 is a computer used by the broadcaster. In one example, the broadcaster terminal 20 has the function of accessing the content management system 1 and transmitting content data that indicates the content. The broadcaster terminal 20 may be a mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet, head-mounted display (HMD), smart glasses, smartwatch, laptop personal computer, or mobile phone, a stationary device such as a desktop personal computer, or a shooting system that has the function of shooting, recording, and transmitting video.

[0026] The viewer terminal 30 is a computer used by the viewer. In one example, the viewer terminal 30 has the function of accessing the content management system 1, receiving content data that indicates the content, and displaying it. The viewer terminal 30 may be a mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet, head-mounted display (HMD), smart glasses, smartwatch, laptop personal computer, or mobile phone, or a stationary device such as a desktop personal computer.

[0027] The broadcaster can log in to the content management system 1 by operating the broadcaster terminal 20, thereby providing content to viewers. Viewers can log in to the content management system 1 by operating the viewer terminal 30, thereby viewing the content. This disclosure assumes that viewers and broadcasters are already logged in to the content management system 1. However, viewers may omit logging in to the content management system 1. That is, the content management system 1 may send content data to the viewer terminal 30 of a general viewer who is not logged in. In this case, general viewers who are not logged in can also view the content.

[0028] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration related to a content management system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As an example, the server computer 100 includes a processor 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary storage unit 103, and a communication unit 104. The processor 101 is an arithmetic unit that executes the operating system and application programs, and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The main memory unit 102 is a device that stores programs to be executed, calculation results, etc., and is generally a device that can read and write data at a higher speed than the auxiliary storage unit 103, which will be described later, and is composed of a volatile storage medium such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The auxiliary storage unit 103 is generally a device that can store a larger amount of data than the main memory unit 102, and is composed of a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk or flash memory. The auxiliary storage unit 103 stores the server program P1 and various data necessary for the server computer 100 to function as a server 10. The communication unit 104 is a device that performs data communication with other computers via the communication network N.

[0029] In this embodiment, the content management program is implemented as the server program P1. Each functional element of the server 10 is realized by loading the server program P1 onto the processor 101 or the main memory 102 and having the processor 101 execute the program. The server program P1 includes code for realizing each functional element of the server 10. The processor 101 operates the communication unit 104 according to the server program P1 and performs data reading and writing in the main memory 102 or the auxiliary memory 103.

[0030] As an example, the terminal computer 200 includes, as hardware components, a processor 201, a main memory unit 202, an auxiliary memory unit 203, a communication unit 204, an input interface 205, an output interface 206, and an imaging unit 207.

[0031] The processor 201 is a computing device that runs the operating system and application programs, and is, for example, a CPU, GPU, ASIC, or FPGA.

[0032] The main memory unit 202 is a device that stores programs to be executed, calculation results, etc., and is generally capable of reading and writing data at a higher speed than the auxiliary memory unit 203, which will be described later. For example, it is composed of a volatile storage medium such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0033] The auxiliary storage unit 203 is generally a device capable of storing a larger amount of data than the main memory unit 202, and is composed of a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk or flash memory. The auxiliary storage unit 203 stores the client program P2 and various data for enabling the terminal computer 200 to function as a broadcaster terminal 20 or a viewer terminal 30.

[0034] The communication unit 204 is a device that performs data communication with other computers via the communication network N.

[0035] The input interface 205 is a device that receives data based on user operations or actions, and is comprised of at least one of the following: a keyboard, operation buttons, a pointing device, a touch panel, a microphone, a sensor, and a camera.

[0036] The output interface 206 is a device that outputs data processed by the terminal computer 200, and includes, for example, a display device such as a display.

[0037] Each functional element of the broadcaster terminal 20 or the viewer terminal 30 is implemented by loading the corresponding client program P2 into the processor 201 or the main memory unit 202 and having the processor 201 execute the program. The client program P2 includes code for implementing each functional element of the broadcaster terminal 20 or the viewer terminal 30. The processor 201 operates the communication unit 204, the input interface 205, the output interface 206, or the imaging unit 207 according to the client program P2, and reads and writes data to the main memory unit 202 or the auxiliary memory unit 203.

[0038] At least one of the server program P1 and client program P2 may be provided non-temporarily recorded on a tangible recording medium such as magnetic tape, magneto-optical disk, optical disk, magnetic disk, and semiconductor memory. Alternatively, at least one of these programs may be provided via a communication network N as a data signal superimposed on a carrier wave. These programs may be provided separately or together.

[0039] Figure 3 shows an example of the functional configuration related to the content management system 1. The server 10 includes a thumbnail generation unit 11, a determination unit 12, and a content distribution unit 13 as functional elements.

[0040] The thumbnail generation unit 11 is a functional element that generates thumbnail images (described later) associated with the reference location of the content. The reference location of the content refers to information used to find a specific location of the content, such as the playback time of video content and audio content, and the page number indicating the display position of e-book content.

[0041] If the content is video content, the reference position can be any two points in the video. For example, the content position can be specified as "2 minutes 30 seconds" and "2 minutes 45 seconds" relative to the start of the video (or, to put it another way, specifying the section from 2 minutes 30 seconds to 2 minutes 45 seconds in the video).

[0042] If the content is an ebook, it consists of multiple pages with a defined display order (each of which may be referred to as a unit of content). Each page contains at least one of an image and text. Even if each page contains only text, it will be displayed as an image if displayed, and will therefore be referred to as image content. The reference position is any two or more consecutive pages, for example, specified as "pages 5-10".

[0043] The determination unit 12 is a functional element for determining whether a user viewing content has the right to view that content.

[0044] The content distribution unit 13 is a functional element that distributes a thumbnail image, a reference position, and content data to the viewer terminal 30. As described above, if the content is video content, the content data is video data. If the content is an ebook, the content data is image data of multiple pages (unit content).

[0045] In one example, a thumbnail image is delivered as a sprite image. If the content is video content, the sprite image consists of an image file in which multiple frames from the video are arranged in a tiled pattern. The images that make up the sprite image may be scaled-down versions of the original content images. The sprite image may be a single image file or multiple image files.

[0046] The content distribution unit 13 may distribute data in the same file format as the content data received from the distributor terminal 20 as content data, or it may distribute data obtained by transcoding the content data received from the distributor terminal 20 as content data.

[0047] The broadcaster terminal 20 includes a content generation unit 21 as a functional element. The content generation unit 21 is a functional element that generates content data and transmits it to the server 10.

[0048] The viewer terminal 30 includes a content display unit 31 as a functional element. The content display unit 31 receives content, a thumbnail image, and a reference position associated with the thumbnail image from the server 10, and displays the content, a seek bar that allows specifying the playback position of the content, and a thumbnail image corresponding to the position indicated by the seek bar via the output interface 206. If the content is a video, the reference position may be the point in time when the comment was displayed (i.e., at what point in the video it was posted). If the content is an ebook, the reference position may be the page that was displayed when the comment was displayed (i.e., on which page of the ebook it was posted).

[0049] Note that the seek bar is just one example of an interface. You may also specify a reference point using other interfaces (such as directly inputting a specific reference point).

[0050] The content display unit 31 determines which frame image included in the sprite image to display as the thumbnail image based on the reference position associated with the thumbnail image.

[0051] [Content display screen] Figures 4 and 5 show examples of content display screens when the content is video content.

[0052] Figure 4 shows an example of a content display screen when a user has permission to view the content. In this example, the display screen 300 of the viewer terminal 30 shows a video player, a comment posting field for posting comments on the video content, and an information display field for displaying information about the video content being played.

[0053] The video player displays content 301, a seek bar 302, comments 303, and a thumbnail image 304. In this example, video content is displayed as the content. In Figure 4, content 301 shows the point 48 minutes and 15 seconds after the start of the live video stream.

[0054] The viewer terminal 30 receives comments posted on the content it is displaying from the server 10 and displays them on the video player.

[0055] In this example, a comment 303 posted to content 301 from viewer terminal 30 is displayed superimposed on content 301, moving from right to left. The movement direction of comment 303 is not limited to right to left; for example, comment 303 may be displayed superimposed on content 301, moving from bottom to top. Alternatively, comment 303 may be displayed as a pop-up superimposed on content 301, and then disappear after a certain period of time.

[0056] In this example, the thumbnail image 304 is associated with the playback position indicated by the position where the cursor C on the seek bar 302 is manipulated, and is displayed on top of the seek bar 302, overlapping with the content.

[0057] The comment section displays a text box 305 for entering comments and a post button 306 for submitting the entered text. Viewers or broadcasters playing video content can post comments on the video content they are currently playing by entering text in the text box 305 and pressing the post button 306.

[0058] The information display area shows the number of views (307), the number of comments (308), and the comment list (309). The number of views (307) indicates the number of times the currently playing video content has been viewed. The number of comments (308) indicates the total number of comments posted for the currently playing video content. The comment list (309) displays a list of comments posted for the currently playing video content. The comment list (309) does not need to display all comments at once; it is sufficient if all comments can be viewed by scrolling. The comment list (309) does not need to display all posted comments; it may also display only comments that have been filtered, such as inappropriate comments.

[0059] Figure 5 shows an example of a content display screen when the user does not have permission to view the content. In this example, the display screen 300 of the viewer terminal 30 shows a video player, a comment posting field for posting comments on the video content, and an information display field for displaying information about the video content being played.

[0060] The video player displays a seek bar 302, a thumbnail image 304, and a cover image 310. The cover image 310 includes a button 311 that leads to a video purchase screen with text encouraging the purchase of the video. On the other hand, the video player does not display content 301 like that shown in Figure 4, which is displayed when the user has viewing permission.

[0061] In this example, comment 303 is not displayed on the video player, but it may be displayed on the video player as well.

[0062] In this example, the cursor C on the seek bar 302 indicates a position where the user of the viewer terminal 30 does not have viewing permission. The thumbnail image 304 is associated with the playback position indicated by the position where the cursor C on the seek bar 302 was manipulated, and is displayed overlaid on the content above the seek bar 302.

[0063] The comment section displays a text box 305 for entering comments and a post button 306 for submitting the entered text. Viewers or broadcasters playing video content can post comments on the video content they are currently playing by entering text in the text box 305 and pressing the post button 306.

[0064] The information display area shows the number of views (307), the number of comments (308), and the comment list (309). The number of views (307) indicates the number of times the currently playing video content has been viewed. The number of comments (308) indicates the total number of comments posted for the currently playing video content. The comment list (309) displays a list of comments posted for the currently playing video content. The comment list (309) does not need to display all comments at once; it is sufficient if all comments can be viewed by scrolling. The comment list (309) does not need to display all posted comments; it may also display only comments that have been filtered, such as inappropriate comments.

[0065] Figures 6 and 7 show examples of content display screens when the content is e-book content.

[0066] Figure 6 shows an example of a content display screen when the user has permission to view the content. In this example, the display screen 300a of the viewer terminal 30a shows an ebook viewer, a comment posting field for posting comments on the ebook content, and an information display field for displaying information about the ebook content being played.

[0067] The ebook viewer displays content 301a, a seek bar 302a, comments 303a, and a thumbnail image 304a. In Figure 6, page 206 of an ebook consisting of 328 pages is displayed as content 301b.

[0068] The viewer terminal 30a receives comments posted on the content it is displaying from the server 10 and displays them on the e-book viewer.

[0069] In this example, comment 303a is displayed superimposed on content 301a, moving from right to left depending on its display position (e.g., which page it is on). The movement direction of comment 303a is not limited to right to left; for example, comment 303a may be displayed superimposed on content 301a, moving from bottom to top. Alternatively, comment 303a may be displayed as a pop-up superimposed on content 301a, and then disappear after a certain period of time.

[0070] In this example, the thumbnail image 304a is associated with the playback position indicated by the position where the cursor Ca on the seek bar 302a is manipulated, and is displayed on top of the seek bar 302a, overlapping with the content.

[0071] The comment section displays a text box 305a for entering comments and a post button 306a for submitting the entered text. Viewers or publishers playing ebook content can post comments on the ebook content they are playing by entering text 305a into the text box and pressing the post button 306a.

[0072] The information display area shows the number of views (307a), the number of comments (308a), and the comment list (309a). The number of views (307a) indicates the number of times the displayed ebook content has been viewed. The number of comments (308a) indicates the total number of comments posted for the displayed ebook content. The comment list (309a) displays a list of comments posted for the displayed ebook content, received from server 10a. The comment list (309a) does not need to display all comments at once; it is sufficient that all comments can be viewed by scrolling. The comment list (309a) may also not display all posted comments, but only display comments that have been filtered to remove inappropriate comments, etc.

[0073] Figure 7 shows an example of a content display screen when the user does not have permission to view the content. In this example, the display screen 300a of the viewer terminal 30a shows an ebook viewer, a comment posting field for posting comments on the ebook content, and an information display field for displaying information about the ebook content being played.

[0074] The ebook viewer displays a seek bar 302a, a thumbnail image 304a, and a cover image 310a. The cover image 310a includes a button 311a that transitions to the ebook purchase screen, which contains text encouraging the purchase of the ebook. On the other hand, the video player does not display content 301a, such as that shown in Figure 6, which is displayed when the user has viewing permission.

[0075] In this example, comment 303a is not displayed on the ebook viewer, but it may be displayed on the ebook viewer as well.

[0076] In this example, the cursor Ca on the seek bar 302a indicates a position where the user of the viewer terminal 30a does not have viewing permission. The thumbnail image 304a is associated with the playback position indicated by the position where the cursor Ca on the seek bar 302a was manipulated, and is displayed on top of the seek bar 302a, overlapping with the content.

[0077] The comment section displays a text box 305a for entering comments and a post button 306a for submitting the entered text. Viewers or broadcasters playing ebook content can post comments on the ebook content they are playing by entering text 305a into the text box and pressing the post button 306.

[0078] The information display area shows the number of views (307a), the number of comments (308a), and the comment list (309a). The number of views (307a) indicates the number of times the displayed ebook content has been viewed. The number of comments (308a) indicates the total number of comments posted for the displayed ebook content. The comment list (309a) displays a list of comments posted for the displayed ebook content, received from server 10a. The comment list (309a) does not need to display all comments at once; it is sufficient that all comments can be viewed by scrolling. The comment list (309a) may also not display all posted comments, but only display comments that have been filtered to remove inappropriate comments, etc.

[0079] [System operation] The processing flow of the content management system 1 according to one embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 8. This example describes a case where viewing rights are set for the entire content, but is not limited to this. For example, viewing rights may be set for only a part of the content, such as the first half of the content being viewable by anyone for free, and only users who have purchased viewing rights being able to view the second half of the content.

[0080] In step S11, the content generation unit 21 generates content data that represents the content.

[0081] In step S12, the content generation unit 21 transmits content data to the server 10, which has established a connection with the broadcaster terminal 20. The content generation unit 21 may sequentially generate content data that shows a part of the content and sequentially transmit the generated content data to the server 10. In this case, the content may be provided to the viewer terminal 30 as live streaming content. The content generation unit 21 may also transmit content data that includes the entire content to the server 10. In this case, the content may be provided to the viewer terminal 30 as on-demand streaming content. The server 10 sets the received content as content that can only be viewed by users with viewing rights (hereinafter referred to as paid content that can only be viewed by paying users). The server 10 may also set it so that only a part of the received content can be viewed by paying users (i.e., non-paying users can also view a part of the content), or it may set it so that only paying users can view the entire received content (i.e., non-paying users cannot view the content at all).

[0082] In step S13, the thumbnail generation unit 11 generates thumbnail images based on the content data. A reference position is associated with the thumbnail image where it will be displayed. The reference position associated with a thumbnail image may be set by the start and end display positions of the thumbnail image, or by the length of time the thumbnail image is displayed and the order in which the thumbnail images are displayed.

[0083] The thumbnail generation unit 11 may set a thumbnail image based on a scene with a high number of views or a scene with many positive reactions (for example, a reduced version of such a scene). A scene with many positive reactions is, in the case of a platform where users can send reference locations associated with user actions such as comments, likes, favorites, or emojis, a scene with a large number of these user actions.

[0084] The thumbnail generation unit 11 may set a thumbnail image based on the scene immediately preceding the scene with a high number of views or a scene with a high number of positive reactions (for example, a reduced version of such a scene). If the content is video content or audio content, the scene immediately preceding the scene with a high number of views or a high number of positive reactions is the scene a few seconds before the scene with a high number of views or a high number of positive reactions begins, for example, the scene 1 to 10 seconds before the scene with a high number of views or a high number of positive reactions begins.

[0085] If the content is video content, the thumbnail generation unit 11 can generate a thumbnail image from a point in time that falls between two points in time in the video content, and associate the two points in time with the generated thumbnail image.

[0086] As a specific example, the thumbnail generation unit 11 generates a thumbnail image by reducing the size of the scene at 2 minutes 30 seconds, corresponding to the 2 minutes 30 seconds to 2 minutes 45 seconds mark of the video content. The thumbnail generation unit 11 then associates the generated thumbnail image with two points in time: "2 minutes 30 seconds" and "2 minutes 45 seconds".

[0087] In the example above, the reduced-size image is a reduced version of an image from the video content at a specific point in time, 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

[0088] If the content is image content that includes multiple unit contents (e.g., multiple pages) with a defined display order, such as e-book content, the thumbnail generation unit 11 can generate a thumbnail image from unit contents contained between two or more consecutive unit contents in the image content, and associate the two or more consecutive unit contents with the generated thumbnail image.

[0089] As a specific example, the thumbnail generation unit 11, corresponding to pages 5 to 10 of the e-book content, uses a reduced image of page 5 as the thumbnail image. The thumbnail generation unit 11 then associates the generated thumbnail image with the six consecutive pages, "pages 5 to 10".

[0090] In step S14, a request to view paid content is sent from the viewer terminal 30 to the server 10.

[0091] In step S15, the determination unit 12 determines whether the user of the viewer terminal 30 has the right to view the paid content in response to a request from the viewer terminal 30 to view the paid content.

[0092] In step S16, the content distribution unit 13 sends a thumbnail image and a reference position to the viewer terminal 30 of a user who is determined not to have viewing privileges. The content distribution unit 13 may or may not distribute content data to the viewer terminal 30.

[0093] It is desirable for the content distribution unit 13 to distribute different thumbnail images or reference locations to viewer terminals 30 of users who are determined to have viewing rights, and to distribute different thumbnail images or reference locations to viewer terminals 30 of users who are determined not to have viewing rights.

[0094] When changing the thumbnail image distributed depending on whether or not the user has viewing rights, the thumbnail image of the portion of the thumbnail that cannot be viewed without viewing rights (or the entire thumbnail image) distributed to the viewer terminal 30 of a user who is determined not to have viewing rights may be a lower resolution image than the thumbnail image distributed to the viewer terminal 30 of a user who is determined to have viewing rights. This prevents users from losing their desire to purchase content by being able to see the entire content without purchasing it, while providing users with factors to consider when deciding whether to purchase viewing rights for paid content.

[0095] When changing the thumbnail image distributed depending on whether or not the user has viewing rights, the thumbnail image distributed to the viewer terminal 30 of a user who is determined not to have viewing rights may be a blurred version of the thumbnail image distributed to the viewer terminal 30 of a user who is determined to have viewing rights, specifically the part of the thumbnail image that cannot be viewed without viewing rights (or the entire thumbnail image). This prevents users from losing their desire to purchase content by seeing the entire content without purchasing it, while providing users with factors to consider when deciding whether to purchase viewing rights for paid content.

[0096] When changing the thumbnail images distributed depending on whether or not the user has viewing rights, the thumbnail images distributed to viewer terminals 30 of users who are determined not to have viewing rights may be fewer in variety than the thumbnail images distributed to viewer terminals 30 of users who are determined to have viewing rights. Specifically, two or more consecutive identical thumbnail images are set for the parts of the tiled image included in the sprite image that cannot be viewed without viewing rights. This prevents users from losing their desire to purchase content by showing them the flow of the content in detail without purchasing it, while providing users with factors to consider when deciding whether to purchase viewing rights for paid content.

[0097] When changing the reference position to be delivered depending on whether or not the user has viewing rights, the length of the reference position associated with the thumbnail image that cannot be viewed without viewing rights (or the entire thumbnail image) among the reference positions associated with the thumbnail image delivered to the viewer terminal 30 of a user who is determined not to have viewing rights may be made longer than the length of the reference position associated with the thumbnail image delivered to the viewer terminal 30 of a user who is determined to have viewing rights.

[0098] As an example, a 5-second reference position is set for each tile in a sprite image delivered to users with viewing privileges. On the other hand, a 10-second reference position is set for some of the tile in a sprite image delivered to users without viewing privileges, while the rest have no reference position set. In other words, the interval at which thumbnail images switch for users without viewing privileges will be longer than the interval at which thumbnail images switch for users with viewing privileges.

[0099] By changing the length of the thumbnail reference position for the paid content depending on whether or not the user has viewing rights, it is possible to prevent users from losing their desire to purchase content by showing them the detailed flow of the content without purchasing it, while providing users with factors to consider when deciding whether or not to purchase viewing rights for the paid content. In addition, it eliminates the need to generate sprite images for each level of viewing rights.

[0100] If it is determined that the user of the viewer terminal 30 does not have viewing privileges, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, the content display unit 31 displays a video player or ebook viewer for playing the content. Along with the display of the video player or ebook viewer, the content display unit 31 also displays a seek bar that allows the user to specify the playback position of the content. If the content distribution unit 13 does not send content data, the video player or ebook viewer does not display the content, and only the UI of the video player or ebook viewer is displayed.

[0101] If the content is video content and the content distribution unit 13 transmits content data, the video player may mute the audio and further cover the content to prevent the viewer from viewing paid content without viewing privileges. If the content is video content and the content distribution unit 13 transmits content data, the video player may mute the audio and further blur the content to prevent the viewer from viewing paid content without viewing privileges. The content distribution unit 13 may also encrypt the content data requiring viewing privileges and transmit it to the viewer terminal 30 to prevent the viewer from viewing paid content without viewing privileges.

[0102] If the content is ebook content and the content distribution unit 13 transmits content data, the ebook viewer may prevent the viewer from viewing paid content without viewing permission by covering the content with a lid. If the content is ebook content and the content distribution unit 13 transmits copy player data, the ebook viewer may prevent the viewer from viewing paid content without viewing permission by blurring the content. The content distribution unit 13 may also prevent the viewer from viewing paid content without viewing permission by encrypting the content data that requires viewing permission and transmitting it to the viewer terminal 30.

[0103] If a user does not have permission to view only a portion of the content, the portion they do have permission to view can be sent as usual (similar to when sending content to a user with permission to view the entire content), while the portion they do not have permission to view can be sent in a manner that prevents them from viewing it, such as by covering it with an image or blurring it, as described above.

[0104] If it is determined that the user of the viewer terminal 30 does not have viewing privileges, the process proceeds to step S18. In step S18, when the user of the viewer terminal 30 changes the cursor position of the seek bar slider to a position where they do not have viewing privileges, the content display unit 31 displays a thumbnail image associated with the reference position corresponding to that cursor position.

[0105] Although not shown in the diagram, if it is determined in step S15 that the user has viewing rights, the content distribution unit 13 transmits the content data, a thumbnail image, and a reference position to the viewer terminal 30 of the user who has been determined to have viewing rights. Next, the content display unit 31 plays the content based on the received content data (displaying the video in video content, displaying each page in ebooks, etc.). The content display unit 31 plays the content and displays a seek bar that allows the user to specify the display position of the content. When the user of the viewer terminal 30 changes the cursor position on the seek bar slider, the content display unit 31 displays a thumbnail image associated with the reference position corresponding to that cursor position. The content distribution unit 13 may also encrypt the content data requiring viewing rights and transmit it to the viewer terminal 30. In this case, the content distribution unit 13 distributes a key to decrypt the encrypted content data to the viewer terminal 30 that has viewing rights. The content display unit 31 decrypts the content data based on the received key and plays the content.

[0106] By displaying thumbnail images even for parts that users do not have viewing rights to, it is possible to provide users with factors to consider when deciding whether to purchase viewing rights to paid content simply by delivering thumbnail images. This eliminates the need to deliver separate advertising content, suppresses the increase in computer resource usage, and can stimulate users' willingness to purchase viewing rights to paid content.

[0107] Any part or all of the functional components described herein may be implemented by program. Programs referred to herein may be distributed by non-temporarily recording them on a computer-readable storage medium, by communication lines such as the Internet (including wireless communication), or by being installed on any terminal. Alternatively, a program may run on a web browser (a so-called web application). In this case, the computer may receive the program, written in a markup language file (e.g., an HTML file), from a server and execute it using a web browser.

[0108] Based on the above description, those skilled in the art may be able to conceive of additional effects and various modifications of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, modifications, and partial deletions are possible without departing from the conceptual idea and spirit of the present invention derived from the claims and their equivalents.

[0109] For example, what is described herein as a single device (or component, hereinafter the same) (including what is depicted as a single device in the drawings) may be implemented by multiple devices. Conversely, what is described herein as multiple devices (including what is depicted as multiple devices in the drawings) may be implemented by a single device. Alternatively, some or all of the means or functions included in one device (e.g., a server) may be included in another device (e.g., a user terminal). Furthermore, "system" may consist of a single device or of two or more devices (e.g., a server and a user terminal, or multiple user terminals).

[0110] Furthermore, not all matters described herein are essential requirements. In particular, matters described herein but not in the claims can be considered optional additional matters. Moreover, if a higher-level concept is described herein but a specific lower-level concept is not mentioned, that specific lower-level concept may or may not be applied (i.e., this specification discloses the higher-level concept excluding that specific lower-level concept). Also, if it is not mentioned whether a certain apparatus (method) comprises a specific configuration (process), it may or may not comprise that specific configuration (process).

[0111] It should also be noted that the applicant is only aware of the prior art inventions described in the "Prior Art Documents" section of this specification, and the present invention is not necessarily intended to solve the problems described in those prior art inventions. The problems that the present invention aims to solve should be determined by considering this specification as a whole. For example, if this specification describes that a certain effect is achieved by a particular configuration, it can also be said that the problem that is the inverse of that predetermined effect is solved. However, this does not necessarily mean that such a particular configuration is an essential requirement.

[0112] [Note] This disclosure discloses the following configuration: [Section 1] A determination unit that determines whether a user requesting the distribution of image content has the right to view the said image content, A content distribution unit that, in response to the aforementioned request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, does not distribute at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or distributes the image content in such a way that the user cannot view at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and distributes a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not, A content management system comprising: a content display unit that displays the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has listening privileges or not. [Section 2] The content management system described in item 1, wherein the thumbnail images delivered to users with viewing privileges are different from the thumbnail images delivered to users without viewing privileges. [Section 3] The content management system according to item 2, wherein the thumbnail image delivered to a user who does not have the aforementioned viewing rights has a lower resolution than the thumbnail image delivered to a user who does have the aforementioned viewing rights. [Section 4] The content management system according to item 2, wherein the thumbnail image distributed to a user who does not have the viewing rights is an image obtained by blurring the thumbnail image distributed to a user who does have the viewing rights. [Section 5] The content management system according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, wherein the thumbnail images distributed to users who do not have the aforementioned viewing rights include at least two identical images in succession. [Section 6] A content management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a thumbnail generation unit that generates thumbnail images corresponding to two points in time in the image content, wherein the thumbnail generation unit makes the length of the two points in the thumbnail image distributed to a user who does not have viewing rights longer than the length of the two points in the thumbnail image distributed to a user who has viewing rights. [Section 7] A content management system according to any one of items 1 to 6, comprising a thumbnail generation unit that creates the thumbnail image based on scenes in the image content that have a high number of views or scenes that have a high number of positive reactions. [Section 8] A content management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a thumbnail generation unit that creates the thumbnail image based on the scene immediately preceding the scene in the image content that has a high number of views or a high number of positive reactions. [Section 9] The content management system described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, wherein the image content is a moving image or includes multiple unit contents with a defined display order. [Section 10] The aforementioned thumbnail image is associated with two points in time in the image content. The content display unit displays an interface for specifying the reference time of the image content, and a thumbnail image associated with two time points including the reference time indicated by the interface, according to any one of items 1 to 9. [Section 11] One or more hardware processors, The first step is to determine whether the user requesting the distribution of the image content has the right to view the said image content, In response to the request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, the second step is to not deliver at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or to deliver the image content in a way that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and to deliver a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not. A content management method that causes the user to perform a second step of displaying the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has listening privileges. [Section 12] If a user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, the content receiving unit will not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or will receive the image content in a manner that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and will receive a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not. A content display device comprising: a content display unit that displays the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has listening privileges or not. [Section 13] One or more hardware processors, If the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, the first step is to not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or to receive the image content in a manner that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and to receive a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not. A content display program that performs a second step of displaying the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has listening privileges. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0113] 1...Content management system, 10...Server, 20...Distributor terminal, 30...Viewer terminal, 11...Thumbnail generation unit, 12...Decision unit, 13...Content distribution unit, 21...Content generation unit, 31...Content display unit

Claims

1. A determination unit that determines whether a user requesting the distribution of image content has the right to view the said image content, A content distribution unit that, in response to the aforementioned request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, does not distribute at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or distributes the image content in a way that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and distributes a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not. The system includes a content display unit that displays the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges, (1) The thumbnail images distributed to users who have viewing privileges are different from the thumbnail images distributed to users who do not have viewing privileges, or (2) The thumbnail images distributed to users who do not have viewing privileges include at least two identical images consecutively, a content management system.

2. The content management system according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail image distributed to a user who does not have the viewing rights has a lower resolution than the thumbnail image distributed to a user who does have the viewing rights.

3. The content management system according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail image distributed to a user who does not have the viewing rights is an image obtained by blurring the thumbnail image distributed to a user who does have the viewing rights.

4. The thumbnail image is generated corresponding to two points in time in the image content, The content management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the length of the two time points in the thumbnail image distributed to a user who does not have the viewing rights is longer than the length of the two time points in the thumbnail image distributed to a user who has the viewing rights.

5. A determination unit that determines whether a user requesting the distribution of image content has the right to view the said image content, In response to the aforementioned request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, the content distribution unit shall not distribute at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or shall distribute the image content in such a way that the user cannot view at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not, the content distribution unit shall distribute a thumbnail image of the image content, in which two points in time in the image content are associated with the thumbnail image. A content management system comprising: an interface for specifying the reference point of the image content, regardless of whether the user has viewing rights; and a content display unit for displaying the thumbnail image associated with two time points including the reference point indicated by the interface.

6. A content management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5, comprising a thumbnail generation unit that creates the thumbnail image based on scenes in the image content that have a high number of views or scenes that have a high number of positive reactions.

7. A determination unit that determines whether a user requesting the distribution of image content has the right to view the said image content, A thumbnail generation unit creates a thumbnail image based on the scene immediately preceding the scene in the aforementioned image content that has a high number of views or a high number of positive reactions. A content distribution unit that, in response to the aforementioned request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, does not distribute at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or distributes the image content in such a way that the user cannot view at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and distributes the thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not, A content management system comprising: a content display unit that displays the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges or not.

8. The content management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, or 7, wherein the image content is a moving image, or includes a plurality of unit contents whose display order is defined.

9. One or more hardware processors, The first step is to determine whether the user requesting the distribution of the image content has the right to view the said image content, In response to the request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, the second step is to not deliver at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or to deliver the image content in a way that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and to deliver a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not. Regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges, the third step of displaying the thumbnail image is performed, A content management method comprising: (1) a thumbnail image delivered to a user with viewing rights and a thumbnail image delivered to a user without viewing rights being different; or (2) the thumbnail image delivered to a user without viewing rights containing at least two identical images consecutively.

10. A content receiving unit that, if a user does not have the right to view at least a portion of the image content, does not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have the right to view, or receives the image content in a manner that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have the right to view, and receives a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has the right to view it or not. The system includes a content display unit that displays the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges, (1) The thumbnail image received when the user has viewing rights is different from the thumbnail image received when the user does not have viewing rights, or (2) When the user does not have the aforementioned viewing rights, the thumbnail image received includes at least two identical images consecutively, a content display device.

11. One or more hardware processors, If the user does not have permission to view at least a portion of the image content, the first step is to not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have permission to view, or to receive the image content in a manner that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have permission to view, and to receive a thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has permission to view it or not. Regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges, the second step of displaying the thumbnail image is performed, (1) A content display program in which the thumbnail image received when the user has viewing rights is different from the thumbnail image received when the user does not have viewing rights, or (2) when the user does not have the aforementioned viewing rights, the thumbnail image received includes at least two identical images consecutively.

12. One or more hardware processors, The first step is to determine whether the user requesting the distribution of the image content has the right to view the said image content, In response to the request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, the second step is to not deliver at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or to deliver the image content in a way that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not, to deliver a thumbnail image of the image content that associates two points in time in the image content with the thumbnail image, A content management method that causes the user to perform the following steps, regardless of whether the user has viewing rights: an interface for specifying the reference time of the image content; and a third step of displaying the thumbnail image associated with two time points including the reference time indicated by the interface.

13. If a user does not have the right to view at least a portion of the image content, the content receiving unit receives the image content in a manner in which it does not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have the right to view, or in a manner in which it cannot view at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have the right to view, and regardless of whether the user has the right to view, the content receiving unit receives a thumbnail image of the image content, wherein two points in time in the image content are associated with the thumbnail image, A content display device comprising: an interface for specifying the reference time of the image content, regardless of whether the user has viewing rights; and a content display unit for displaying the thumbnail image associated with two time points including the reference time indicated by the interface.

14. One or more hardware processors, If a user does not have the right to view at least a portion of the image content, the first step is to receive a thumbnail image of the image content, where two points in time in the image content are associated with the image content, and regardless of whether the user has the right to view it or not, the user does not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have the right to view, or the user does not receive the image content in a manner that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have the right to view, and regardless of whether the user has the right to view it or not, the user receives a thumbnail image of the image content. A content display program that causes the user to perform the following steps: an interface for specifying the reference time of the image content, regardless of whether the user has viewing rights; and a second step of displaying the thumbnail image associated with two time points including the reference time indicated by the interface.

15. One or more hardware processors, The first step is to determine whether the user requesting the distribution of the image content has the right to view the said image content, The second step is to create a thumbnail image based on the scene immediately preceding the scene with the most views or the most positive reactions in the aforementioned image content. In response to the aforementioned request, if the user does not have viewing rights to at least a portion of the image content, the third step is to not deliver at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, or to deliver the image content in a way that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have viewing rights to, and to deliver the thumbnail image of the image content regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not. A content management method that causes the user to perform a fourth step of displaying the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges.

16. A content receiving unit that, if a user does not have the right to view at least a portion of the image content, does not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have the right to view, or receives the image content in a manner that prevents the user from viewing at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have the right to view, and regardless of whether the user has the right to view the image content, receives a thumbnail image of the image content which is generated based on the scene immediately preceding the scene in the image content that has a high number of views or a high number of positive reactions, A content display device comprising: a content display unit that displays the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has viewing rights or not.

17. One or more hardware processors, If a user does not have permission to view at least a portion of the image content, the first step is to receive the image content in a manner in which the user does not receive at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have permission to view, or in a manner in which the user cannot view at least the portion of the image content that the user does not have permission to view, and regardless of whether the user has permission to view the image content, the first step is to receive a thumbnail image of the image content that is generated based on the scene immediately preceding the scene in the image content that has a high number of views or a high number of positive reactions, A content display program that performs a second step of displaying the thumbnail image regardless of whether the user has viewing privileges.

Images