Data system, identification device, data system control method, and program

Abstract

The present invention makes it possible to discriminate the author of content.　This data system (1) is provided with: an acquisition unit (131) that acquires target content for synthesizing a plurality of pieces of content (SD), which are music data, into a composite content (SE) synthesized in a hierarchical manner; a data creation unit (133) that creates unique data (20) which is voice data for identifying the author of the target content; and a data synthesis unit (135) that superimposes the unique data (20) on the target content so as to correspond to a layer (L) of the target content when the target content is synthesized into the composite content (SE).

Description

Data system, identification device, data system control method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a data system, an identification device, a control method for a data system, and a program.

[0002] Services are being offered that allow multiple artists to participate and combine content created by each artist to create composite content. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a service providing server that allows users to freely buy and sell content they have created, enables interaction between users through feedback from buyers of the content, and further allows derivative content created from content on the site to be freely bought and sold, thereby enabling the content to grow.

[0003] JP 2012-118776 A

[0004] However, with such services, there is a risk that content created by others may be copied without permission and uploaded as if it were the user's own content. Therefore, when creating composite content, it is necessary to identify the author of each piece of content to be combined.

[0005] The present embodiment has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a data system, an identification device, a control method for a data system, and a program that enable identification of the author of content.

[0006] The data system of this embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires target content to be synthesized into a composite content in which multiple contents, which are music data, are synthesized in a hierarchical manner, a data creation unit that creates unique data, which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content, and a data synthesis unit that overlays the unique data on the target content so that it corresponds to the hierarchy of the target content when the target content is synthesized into the composite content.

[0007] The identification device of this embodiment comprises an acquisition unit that acquires the composite content created by the data system, an extraction unit that extracts the unique data of the content contained in the composite content from the acquired composite content, and an analysis unit that identifies the author information of the content from the extracted unique data.

[0008] The control method of the data system of this embodiment includes the steps of acquiring target content to be combined into composite content in which multiple contents, which are music data, are combined in a hierarchical manner, creating unique data, which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content, and overlaying the unique data on the target content so that it corresponds to the hierarchy of the target content when the target content is combined into the composite content.

[0009] The program of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring target content to be combined into composite content in which multiple contents, which are music data, are combined in a hierarchical manner, creating unique data, which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content, and overlaying the unique data on the target content so that it corresponds to the hierarchy of the target content when the target content is combined into the composite content.

[0010] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a data system, an identification device, a control method for a data system, and a program that enable identification of the author of content.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a data system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a user terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a tree diagram showing an example of composite content. FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of unique data. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of overlapping unique data. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a method of overlapping unique data. FIG. 8 is a flowchart explaining the processing flow of the management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a data system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of an identification device according to the second embodiment.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and when there are multiple embodiments, the present disclosure also includes configurations in which the respective embodiments are combined.

[0013] First Embodiment The configuration of a data system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a data system according to the first embodiment.

[0014] 1, the data system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a management device 100 that generates composite content and a user terminal 300 that acquires content created by a user, and the management device 100 and the user terminal 300 communicate with each other via a network N. The following briefly describes the configuration of these devices.

[0015] (Management Device) The management device 100 executes processing based on, for example, information transmitted from the user terminal 300 via the network N. The management device 100 may be realized by, for example, an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a WS (Work Station), or a computer having server functions.

[0016] (User Terminal) The user terminal 300 is an information processing device used by a user. The user terminal 300 may be, for example, an information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, a mobile phone, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Note that the example shown in FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the user terminal 300 is a smartphone.

[0017] The network N connects the management device 100 and the user terminal 300 to each other via wired or wireless communication. If the network N is wired, it may be realized by Ethernet (registered trademark) defined in IEEE 802.3. If the network N is wireless, it may be realized by a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) defined in IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like.

[0018] (Overview of Data System) The data system 1 is a system that generates a composite content SE by overlapping multiple content SDs. Here, the content SDs are audio data, and the composite content SE is music data that is generated by combining different content SDs. In this embodiment, the user terminal 300 acquires the content SDs and transmits them to the management device 100 via the network N. Then, in this embodiment, the management device 100 combines the content SDs transmitted from the user terminal 300 to generate the composite content SE. Note that the format of the audio data may be, for example, sound source data in a format such as WAV (RIFF waveform Audio Format) or MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3), but is not limited to these.

[0019] In the example of FIG. 1 , user terminal 300A of user U1 acquires content SD1 of user U1's drum performance, user terminal 300B of user U2 acquires content SD2 of user U2's singing voice, and user terminal 300C of user U3 acquires content SD3 of user U3's guitar performance. In the example of FIG. 1 , user terminals 300A, 300B, and 300C transmit content SD1, SD2, and SD3 to management device 100 via network N. In the example of FIG. 1 , management device 100 generates new composite content SE by combining content SD1, SD2, and SD3 acquired from user terminals 300A, 300B, and 300C. For example, management device 100 may distribute and output the composite content SE to user terminal 300D of user U4 based on a request from user terminal 300D. Note that the entity that generates the compound content SE is not limited to the management device 100, and the user terminal 300 may generate the compound content SE. That is, for example, the user terminal 300 may acquire the content SD stored in the management device 100 to generate the compound content SE, and the management device 100 may acquire the compound content SE generated by the user terminal 300. The management device 100 may then distribute the compound content SE to the user terminals 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D. Note that, hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between multiple users, they will be referred to as user U.

[0020] (Configuration of user terminal) Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a user terminal according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 2, a user terminal 300 according to the present disclosure includes a communication unit 310, a storage unit 320, a control unit 330, a sound input / output unit 340, and a display unit 350.

[0021] (Communication Unit) The communication unit 310 is a communication module that allows the user terminal 300 to communicate with external devices. The communication unit 310 is responsible for transmitting and receiving various types of data to and from external devices via wireless or wired communication. In the case of wireless communication, the communication unit 310 may be equipped with communication processing circuits such as a communication antenna, an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit, and a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card. In the case of wired communication, the communication unit 310 may be equipped with, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) equipped with a wired LAN terminal, a transmission circuit, and other communication processing circuits.

[0022] (Storage Unit) The storage unit 320 is a storage device that stores various types of information. The storage unit 320 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device may be realized by a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device may be realized by a hard disk, a SSD (Solid State Drive), an optical disk, or the like.

[0023] (Sound Input / Output Unit) The sound input / output unit 340 inputs and outputs various types of sound. That is, the sound input / output unit 340 has a microphone function and a speaker function. For example, the sound input / output unit 340 may output the sound of content. Furthermore, the sound input / output unit 340 may receive input of voice or the sound of a musical instrument via a microphone.

[0024] (Display Unit) The display unit 350 displays various types of information. For example, the display unit 350 may display a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for executing various processes of the user terminal 300. The display unit 350 may be realized by a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, a micro LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, or the like.

[0025] (Control Unit) The control unit 330 is a controller that manages and controls the user terminal 300. The control unit 330 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like executing various programs stored in the storage unit 120 using RAM as a work area. The control unit 330 may also be realized by an integrated circuit, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0026] 2, the control unit 330 includes an acquisition unit 331 and an output control unit 332. The control unit 330 realizes these functions and executes these processes by reading and executing a program (software) from the storage unit 320. Note that these functions of the control unit 330 may be realized by electronic circuits. Furthermore, the control unit 330 may execute these processes using a single CPU, or may be provided with multiple CPUs that execute these processes in parallel.

[0027] (Processing of User Terminal) The acquisition unit 331 acquires a content SD. The acquisition unit 331 may acquire the content SD using any method. For example, the acquisition unit 331 may acquire audio data input via the audio input / output unit 340 as the content SD. Alternatively, for example, the acquisition unit 331 may acquire the content SD from another device (e.g., the management device 100) via the communication unit 310.

[0028] The output control unit 332 transmits the content SD acquired by the acquisition unit 331 to the management device 100 via the communication unit 310. In this embodiment, the output control unit 332 associates user information indicating the user U of the user terminal 300 with the content SD and transmits the user information to the management device 100. The user information can be said to be information indicating the user U who is the sender of the content SD. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the output control unit 332 associates with the content SD merge destination information indicating a composite content SE or one content SD with which the content SD is to be merged and transmits the merge destination information to the management device 100. The merge destination information is information indicating which composite content SE or one content SD the transmitted content SD is to be merged with. Hereinafter, the composite content SE or one content SD with which the content SD is to be merged will be referred to as content data, as appropriate.

[0029] The output control unit 332 may remove audio data in the inaudible frequency band from the content SD acquired by the acquisition unit 331, and transmit the content SD from which the audio data in the inaudible frequency band has been removed to the management device 100. This allows for highly accurate determination of whether the content SD contains unique data 20, which will be described later. The inaudible frequency band refers to, for example, a frequency band below 20 Hz or above 20 kHz. Any method may be used to remove audio data in the inaudible frequency band, and any filter, such as a low-pass filter, may be used.

[0030] (Configuration of Management Device) Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a management device according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the management device 100 according to the present disclosure includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0031] (Communication Unit) The communication unit 110 is a communication module that allows the management device 100 to communicate with external devices. The communication unit 110 is responsible for sending and receiving various types of data to and from external devices via wireless or wired communication. In the case of wireless communication, the communication unit 110 may be equipped with a communication processing circuit such as a communication antenna, an RF circuit, or a wireless LAN card. In the case of wired communication, the communication unit 110 may be equipped with, for example, a NIC equipped with a wired LAN terminal, a transmission circuit, or other communication processing circuit.

[0032] (Storage Unit) The storage unit 120 is a storage device that stores various types of information. The storage unit 120 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device may be realized by semiconductor memory elements such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device may be realized by a hard disk, SSD, optical disk, etc.

[0033] (Control Unit) The control unit 130 is a controller that manages and controls the management device 100. The control unit 130 is realized by a CPU, an MPU, or the like executing various programs stored in the storage unit 120 using RAM as a work area. The control unit 130 may also be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3 , the control unit 130 includes an acquisition unit 131, a determination unit 132, a data creation unit 133, a data comparison unit 134, a data synthesis unit 135, a superposition unit 136, and a distribution unit 137. The control unit 130 realizes these functions and executes these processes by reading and executing a program (software) from the storage unit 120. Note that these functions of the control unit 130 may be realized by electronic circuits. Furthermore, the control unit 130 may execute these processes using a single CPU, or may be provided with multiple CPUs that execute these processes in parallel.

[0035] The acquisition unit 131 acquires content SD (target content) from the user terminal 300, the determination unit 132 determines whether the content SD includes unique data 20 (described later), the data creation unit 133 generates the unique data 20 for the content SD, the data comparison unit 134 decides whether to allow the content SD to be combined with the compound content SE, the data combination unit 135 overlays the unique data 20 on the content SD so as to correspond to layer L (described later) of the content SD, the superposition unit 136 combines the content SD to generate the compound content SE, and the distribution unit 137 outputs the compound content SE. Specific processing by each of these units will be described later.

[0036] In this embodiment, the management device 100 includes a determination unit 132, a data creation unit 133, a data comparison unit 134, and a data synthesis unit 135, and performs processes such as creating unique data 20, overlaying the unique data 20 on the content SD, and determining whether to allow the content SD to be synthesized. However, the entity that performs these processes is not limited to the management device 100, and the user terminal 300 may perform at least some of these processes. That is, for example, the user terminal 300 may include at least one of the determination unit 132, the data creation unit 133, the data comparison unit 134, and the data synthesis unit 135, and perform the processes.

[0037] (Composite Content) A specific example of composite content will be described below. Fig. 4 is a tree diagram showing an example of composite content.

[0038] The acquisition unit 131 acquires the content SD from the user terminal 300. As described above, in this embodiment, user information and synthesis information are also transmitted together with the content SD, so the acquisition unit 131 acquires the content SD, user information indicating the user U of the user terminal 300, and synthesis destination information indicating the content data (composite content to be synthesized).

[0039] The overlapping unit 136 generates a composite content SE by overlapping multiple content SDs. For example, the overlapping unit 136 overlaps the content SD acquired by the acquisition unit 131 with the content data (composite content SE to be combined) indicated in the composite destination information to generate the composite content SE. That is, the overlapping unit 136 overlaps the content SDs in the order in which they were acquired (the order in which they were transmitted to the management device 100) to generate the composite content SE. Hereinafter, the order in which the content SDs are combined within the composite content SE will be referred to as layer L, as appropriate. The generated composite content SE is stored in the storage unit 120.

[0040] 4 shows an example in which contents SD1, SD2, and SD3 are acquired in this order. In this case, when content SD2 is acquired, the overlapping unit 136 combines content SD2 with content SD1 to generate a composite content SE in which contents SD1 and SD2 are combined. Then, when content SD3 is acquired, the overlapping unit 136 combines content SD3 with the composite content SE in which contents SD1 and SD2 are combined to generate a composite content SE in which contents SD1, SD2, and SD3 are combined. In this case, the layer L of the first acquired content SD1 becomes layer L1 (first), the layer L of the next acquired content SD2 becomes layer L2 (second), and the layer L of the next acquired content SD3 becomes layer L3 (third).

[0041] Furthermore, the content SD can be composited with any content data (composite content SE) according to the composite destination information. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the content SD4 transmitted from the user terminal 300 of the user U4 may be superimposed on the composite content SE obtained by combining the contents SD1 and SD2, thereby generating composite content SEa obtained by combining the contents SD1, SD2, and SD4. In other words, a plurality of composite contents SE may be generated in a tree diagram.

[0042] The delivery unit 137 delivers the compound content SE generated by the overlapping unit 136 to the user terminal 300 via the communication unit 110 .

[0043] As described above, the composite content SE is generated by combining the content SD transmitted from the user terminal 300. However, the user terminal 300 may also transmit content SD acquired from another device. Therefore, even if the author of the content SD is different from the user U of the user terminal 300, there is a risk that the author of the content SD may be mistakenly identified as the user U of the user terminal 300. Therefore, for example, there is a risk that a content SD created by another person may be copied without permission, uploaded as if it were a content SD created by the user, and combined into the composite content SE. In contrast, in this embodiment, unique data 20 indicating the author of the content SD is embedded in the content SD, and whether or not to combine the content SD into the composite content SE is determined based on the unique data 20. This makes it possible to generate the composite content SE while preventing misidentification of the author of the content SD. Specific processing will be described below.

[0044] (Unique Data) In this embodiment, the data creation unit 133 generates the unique data 20, and the data synthesis unit 135 embeds (overlaps) the unique data 20 in the content SD so as to correspond to the layer L of the content SD (the order in which the content SD would be synthesized if the content SD were synthesized). The unique data 20 is audio data. More specifically, the unique data 20 according to this embodiment is audio data having a frequency in the inaudible range. The frequency of the unique data 20 is preferably, for example, less than 20 Hz or greater than 20 kHz. The data synthesis unit 135 generates unique data 20 that differs for each author. For example, the data synthesis unit 135 sets the waveform of the unique data 20 to be different for each author. This allows the author of the content SD to be identified by the unique data 20.

[0045] FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of unique data. The data synthesis unit 135 overlays the generated unique data 20 on the content SD to generate a content SD including the unique data 20. That is, the content SD becomes audio data including audio data in the audible frequency band (audio data included in the original content SD) and audio data in the inaudible frequency band (unique data 20). FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of a content SD including the unique data 20, and is an example of a waveform that has been Fourier transformed so that the horizontal axis represents frequency and the vertical axis represents amplitude. In the example of FIG. 5, the content SD becomes audio data including audio data with frequencies in the range from fMin to fMax (audible range) and audio data with frequencies above fMax (non-inaudible range). The audio data in the range from fMin to fMax is the audio data included in the original content SD, and the audio data with frequencies above fMax is the unique data 20. However, the waveform in FIG. 5 is only an example.

[0046] In this embodiment, in cases where the content SD acquired by the management device 100 from the user terminal 300 does not include the unique data 20, the management device 100 overlays the unique data 20 on the content SD and synthesizes the content SD with the content data to generate a composite content SE. This process by the management device 100 will now be described in detail.

[0047] (Processing of Management Apparatus) Next, the processing content of the management apparatus 100 will be described.

[0048] (Content Acquisition) The acquisition unit 131 acquires a content SD (target content) from the user terminal 300. As described above, in this embodiment, user information is also transmitted along with the content SD, so the acquisition unit 131 also acquires the content SD and user information indicating the user U who transmitted the content SD. Similarly, in this embodiment, composite destination information is also transmitted along with the content SD, so the acquisition unit 131 also acquires the content SD and composite destination information indicating the content data (composite content SE) to be composited with the content SD.

[0049] (Determining Whether Unique Data Is Included) The determination unit 132 determines whether the content SD (target content) acquired by the acquisition unit 131 includes unique data 20. For example, if the content SD includes audio data in a predetermined frequency band (audio data in the inaudible range in this example), the determination unit 132 may determine that the content SD includes unique data 20, and if the content SD does not include audio data in the predetermined frequency band (audio data in the inaudible range in this example), the determination unit 132 may determine that the content SD does not include unique data 20.

[0050] In this embodiment, the data creation unit 133, data comparison unit 134, data synthesis unit 135, and overlap unit 136 execute processes according to the determination result of the determination unit 132. These processes will be described below.

[0051] (When Unique Data Is Not Included) When the determination unit 132 determines that the content SD does not include unique data 20, the data creation unit 133 generates unique data 20. The data creation unit 133 generates unique data 20 unique to the user who is the author of the content SD (in this example, unique data 20 having a waveform different from that of unique data 20 that identifies other authors).

[0052] Furthermore, if it is determined that the content SD does not contain unique data 20, the data synthesis unit 135 identifies the layer L of the content SD and overlays the unique data 20 created by the data creation unit 133 on the content SD so as to correspond to the layer L. That is, the data synthesis unit 135 generates audio data in which the unique data 20 is overlaid on the content SD acquired by the acquisition unit 131 as the content SD. Note that the layer L of the content SD refers to the order in which the content SD was combined with the content data (the composite content SE to be combined). While any method for identifying the layer L of the content SD may be used, in this embodiment, it is identified based on the composite-destination information associated with the content SD. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, if content SD3 is acquired and the composite-destination information indicates a composite content SE of contents SD1 and SD2, the layer L of content SD3 is layer L3 (the third layer). By overlapping the unique data 20 in this way so as to correspond to the layer L, even when a composite content SE is generated by combining a plurality of content SDs, the layer L of each content SD is different, so that the unique data 20 of each content SD can be properly recognized.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method for overlaying unique data. The data synthesis unit 135 may overlay the unique data 20 to correspond to layer L using any method based on the layer L of the content SD. However, the data synthesis unit 135 according to this embodiment embeds the unique data 20 at a time position corresponding to layer L. Specifically, the data synthesis unit 336 overlays the unique data 20 in a time period corresponding to layer L within the entire time period of the content SD (the time period from the start timing to the end timing of the content SD). That is, the data synthesis unit 336 divides the entire time period of the content SD into multiple time periods, extracts a time period corresponding to layer L (order) of the content SD from the multiple time periods, and overlays the unique data 20 in the extracted time period. By overlaying the unique data 20 in a time period corresponding to layer L in this way, even when multiple content SDs are combined to generate a composite content SE, the unique data 20 of each content SD can be properly recognized because the time periods during which the unique data 20 of each content SD is played are different from each other.

[0054] In the example of Fig. 6, the entire time period for contents SD1, SD2, and SD3 is from time t0 to t4. In the example of Fig. 7, since layer L for content SD1 is layer L1 (first), the data synthesis unit 336 overlays the unique data 20 for content SD1 in the time period from time t0 to t1, which is a portion of the time period from time t0 to t4, for content SD1. Similarly, in the example of Fig. 6, the data synthesis unit 336 overlays the unique data 20 for content SD2 in the time period from time t1 to t2 for content SD2, and overlays the unique data 20 for content SD3 in the time period from time t2 to t3 for content SD3. Note that the method of overlaying the unique data 20 in Fig. 6 is just one example.

[0055] 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a method for overlaying unique data. The data synthesis unit 135 may embed the unique data 20 in the content SD as audio data having a frequency band corresponding to layer L of the content SD. Specifically, the data synthesis unit 135 divides the inaudible frequency band (e.g., a frequency band below 20 Hz or a frequency band above 20 kHz) into multiple frequency bands, extracts a frequency band corresponding to layer L (order) of the content SD from the multiple frequency bands, and overlays the unique data 20 on the content SD as audio data having a frequency of the extracted frequency band. By using the unique data 20 as audio data in the frequency band corresponding to layer L in this way, even when multiple content SDs are combined to generate a composite content SE, the unique data 20 of each content SD can be properly recognized because the frequency bands of the unique data 20 of each content SD are different from each other.

[0056] In the example of Figure 7, a frequency band higher than frequency fMax is set as the frequency band of the inaudible range, and the frequency band of the inaudible range is divided into a frequency band of frequencies fMax to f1, a frequency band of frequencies f1 to f2, a frequency band of frequencies f2 to f3, and a frequency band of frequencies f3 to f4. Since layer L of content SD3 is layer L3 (third), the data synthesis unit 336 superimposes unique data 20 having a frequency in the frequency band of frequencies f2 to f3 on content SD3. Note that the method of superimposing unique data 20 in Figure 7 is one example.

[0057] Furthermore, if it is determined that the content SD does not include the unique data 20, the data comparison unit 134 permits the content SD on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid to be combined with the content data (composite content SE as the combination destination). In other words, the data comparison unit 134 permits the content SD on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid to be uploaded as a content SD to be included in the composite content SE. The superposition unit 136 generates the composite content SE by combining the content SD on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid with the content data (composite content SE as the combination destination) indicated in the combination destination information. In other words, the superposition unit 136 uploads the content SD on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid as a content SD to be included in the composite content SE.

[0058] In this way, for content SD in which the unique data 20 is not embedded, by embedding the unique data 20 and then combining it with the composite content SE, it becomes possible to properly recognize the author of the content SD.

[0059] (When Unique Data Is Included) When the determination unit 132 determines that the content SD includes unique data 20, it determines whether the author indicated by the unique data 20 matches the user U who sent the content SD. The determination unit 132 determines whether the author indicated by the unique data 20 included in the content SD (i.e., the author of the content SD) matches the user U indicated in the user information associated with the content SD, i.e., whether they are the same person. This determination method may be arbitrary, but for example, a table indicating the correspondence between the unique data 20 and the user U may be set up, and the determination unit 132 may extract the user U corresponding to the unique data 20 included in the content SD from this table as the author. Then, the determination unit 132 may determine whether the extracted author matches the user U indicated by the user information. For example, the judgment unit 132 may obtain the unique data 20 of the user U indicated in the user information and compare the unique data 20 of the user U with the unique data 20 included in the content SD using waveform analysis or the like, thereby determining whether the author and the user U indicated by the user information match.

[0060] (When the Author and User Are Different) If the determination unit 132 determines that the author indicated by the unique data 20 does not match the user U who sent the content SD, the data comparison unit 134 does not permit the content SD to be combined with the content data (the composite content SE that is the destination of the combination). In other words, the data comparison unit 134 does not permit the content SD to be uploaded as a content SD to be included in the composite content SE. Therefore, the overlapping unit 136 does not combine the content SD with the content data (the composite content SE that is the destination of the combination) indicated in the combination destination information, and does not upload the content SD as a content SD to be included in the composite content SE. Note that in this case, because the content SD includes the unique data 20, the data creation unit 133 does not generate unique data 20 for this content SD, and the data combination unit 135 does not newly embed the unique data 20 in this content SD.

[0061] In this way, if the author indicated by the unique data 20 does not match the user U who sent the content SD, the synthesis (uploading) of the content SD is not permitted, thereby preventing the content SD from being treated as a work of a user who is not the author.

[0062] (When the Author and User are the Same) If the author indicated by the unique data 20 matches the user U who transmitted the content SD, the determination unit 132 determines whether the unique data 20 is overlaid to correspond to layer L of the content SD. For example, if the time period in which the unique data 20 is embedded matches the time period corresponding to layer L of the content SD, the determination unit 132 determines that the unique data 20 is overlaid to correspond to layer L of the content SD. On the other hand, if the time period in which the unique data 20 is embedded does not match the time period corresponding to layer L of the content SD, the determination unit 132 determines that the unique data 20 is not overlaid to correspond to layer L of the content SD (i.e., is overlaid so as not to correspond to layer L of the content SD). Also, for example, if the frequency band of the unique data 20 matches the frequency band corresponding to layer L of the content SD, the determination unit 132 determines that the unique data 20 is overlaid to correspond to layer L of the content SD. On the other hand, if the frequency band of the unique data 20 does not match the frequency band corresponding to layer L of the content SD, the judgment unit 132 judges that the unique data 20 is not overlaid to correspond to layer L of the content SD (i.e., is overlaid so as not to correspond to layer L of the content SD).

[0063] (When unique data is layered to correspond to the content hierarchy) When the unique data 20 is layered to correspond to the hierarchy L of the content SD, the data comparison unit 134 permits the content SD to be combined with the content data (composite content SE as the destination of the combination). That is, the data comparison unit 134 permits the content SD to be uploaded as a content SD included in the composite content SE. Therefore, the overlapping unit 136 combines the content SD with the content data (composite content SE as the destination of the combination) indicated in the combination-destination information. In other words, the overlapping unit 136 uploads the content SD as a content SD included in the composite content SE. Note that in this case, since the content SD includes the unique data 20, the data creation unit 133 does not generate unique data 20 for this content SD, and the data combining unit 135 does not newly embed the unique data 20 in this content SD.

[0064] In this way, when the author indicated by the unique data 20 matches the user U who sent the content SD, combining (uploading) of the content SD is permitted, thereby preventing the content SD from being treated as a work of a user U who is not the author. Furthermore, when the unique data 20 is embedded at a position corresponding to the layer L, the unique data 20 can be uploaded as is without newly embedding the unique data 20, thereby allowing the unique data 20 of each content SD to be properly recognized.

[0065] (When Unique Data is Overlaid in a Time Period Corresponding to a Layer of a Content) For example, if the unique data 20 of content SD3 is embedded in the time period t2 to t3 corresponding to layer L3 of that content SD3, the data comparison unit 134 permits the content SD to be merged with the content data (the composite content SE to be merged). That is, the data comparison unit 134 permits the content SD to be uploaded as a content SD to be included in the composite content SE. Therefore, the overlapping unit 136 merges the content SD with the content data (the composite content SE to be merged) indicated in the merge-destination information. In other words, the overlapping unit 136 uploads the content SD as a content SD to be included in the composite content SE. Note that in this case, because the content SD includes the unique data 20, the data creation unit 133 does not generate unique data 20 for this content SD, and the data merger unit 135 does not newly embed the unique data 20 in this content SD.

[0066] In this way, when the author indicated by the unique data 20 matches the user U who sent the content SD, combining (uploading) of the content SD is permitted, thereby preventing the content SD from being treated as a work of a user U who is not the author. Furthermore, when the unique data 20 is embedded at a position corresponding to the layer L, the unique data 20 can be uploaded as is without newly embedding the unique data 20, thereby allowing the unique data 20 of each content SD to be properly recognized.

[0067] (When Unique Data is Overlaid so as Not to Correspond to the Layer of the Content) When the unique data 20 is overlaid so as not to correspond to layer L of the content SD (for example, when the unique data 20 of content SD3 is embedded in a time period different from the time period t2 to t3 corresponding to layer L3 of that content SD3), the data synthesis unit 135 re-overlays the unique data 20 so that it corresponds to layer L of the content SD. That is, in this case, the data synthesis unit 135 deletes the unique data 20 included in that content SD from that content SD and overlays the unique data 20 on that content SD so that it corresponds to layer L of that content SD. The data comparison unit 134 then permits the content SD on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid to be combined with the content data (the composite content SE to be combined). In other words, the data comparison unit 134 permits the content SD on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid to be uploaded as a content SD to be included in the composite content SE. The overlapping unit 136 generates the composite content SE by combining the content SD on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid with the content data (composite content SE) indicated in the destination information. That is, the overlapping unit 136 uploads the content SD on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid as a content SD included in the composite content SE.

[0068] In this way, if the author indicated by the unique data 20 matches the user U who sent the content SD, but the unique data 20 is not embedded in a position corresponding to layer L, the unique data 20 can be re-embedded in a position corresponding to layer L and uploaded, thereby allowing the unique data 20 of each content SD to be properly recognized.

[0069] (Processing Flow) Next, the processing flow of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the management device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the management device 100 acquires a content SD from the user terminal 300 via the acquisition unit 131 (step S10). The determination unit 132 determines whether the content SD acquired by the acquisition unit 131 contains unique data 20 (step S12). If the content SD does not contain unique data 20 (step S12; No), the data creation unit 133 generates unique data 20, and the data synthesis unit 135 superimposes the generated unique data 20 at a position corresponding to layer L of the content SD (step S14). The data comparison unit 134 permits uploading of the content SD (combining it with content data), and the superposition unit 136 uploads the content SD (combines it with content data) (step S16). On the other hand, if the content SD contains unique data 20 in step S12 (step S12; Yes), the determination unit 132 determines whether the author identified by the unique data 20 already included in the content SD matches the user U who sent the content SD (user U indicated by the user information) (step S18). If the author and user U do not match (step S18; No), the data comparison unit 134 does not permit uploading of the content SD (combining it with the content data), and the superposition unit 136 does not upload the content SD (combining it with the content data) (step S20).

[0070] If the author and user U match in step S18 (step S18; Yes), the determination unit 132 determines whether the unique data 20 already included in the content SD is embedded at a position corresponding to layer L of the content SD (step S22). If the unique data 20 is embedded at a position corresponding to layer L of the content SD (step S22; Yes), the process proceeds to step S16, where the data comparison unit 134 permits uploading of the content SD (combining it with the content data), and the superposition unit 136 uploads the content SD (combines it with the content data). On the other hand, if the unique data 20 is not embedded at a position corresponding to layer L of the content SD (step S22; No), the data superposition unit 135 re-superimposes the unique data 20 at a position corresponding to layer L of the content SD (step S24), and then proceeds to step S16. After step S16 or step S20 is executed, the process ends.

[0071] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes an identification device 400 that identifies, from the compound content SE, the author information of the content SD included in the compound content SE. In the second embodiment, the description of the parts of the configuration common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0072] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a data system according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the data system 2 according to the second embodiment includes a management device 100, a user terminal 300, and an identification device 400, and the management device 100, the user terminal 300, and the identification device 400 communicate with each other via a network N.

[0073] (Identification Device) The identification device 400 is a device that identifies author information of content SD included in compound content SE based on the compound content SE. The identification device 400 may be any device, and may be, for example, an information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, a mobile phone, or a PDA. Note that the example shown in Fig. 9 shows a case where the identification device 400 is a smartphone.

[0074] (Configuration of Identification Apparatus) Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram of an identification apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 10, the identification apparatus 400 includes a communication unit 410, a storage unit 420, a control unit 430, a sound input / output unit 440, and a display unit 450.

[0075] (Communication Unit) The communication unit 410 is a communication module that allows the identification device 400 to communicate with external devices. The communication unit 410 is responsible for transmitting and receiving various types of data to and from external devices via wireless communication or wired communication. In the case of wireless communication, the communication unit 410 may be equipped with a communication processing circuit such as a communication antenna, an RF circuit, or a wireless LAN card. In the case of wired communication, the communication unit 410 may be equipped with, for example, a NIC equipped with a wired LAN terminal, a transmission circuit, or other communication processing circuits.

[0076] (Storage Unit) The storage unit 420 is a storage device that stores various types of information. The storage unit 420 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device may be realized by semiconductor memory elements such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device may be realized by a hard disk, SSD, optical disk, etc.

[0077] (Sound Input / Output Unit) The sound input / output unit 440 inputs and outputs various types of sound. That is, the sound input / output unit 440 has a microphone function and a speaker function. For example, the sound input / output unit 440 may output the sound of the content SD. Furthermore, the sound input / output unit 440 may receive input of the sound of content data via a microphone.

[0078] (Display Unit) The display unit 450 displays various types of information. For example, the display unit 450 may display a GUI for executing various processes of the identification device 400. The display unit 450 may be realized by a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a micro LED display, or the like.

[0079] (Control Unit) The control unit 430 is a controller that manages and controls the identification device 400. The control unit 430 is realized by a CPU, an MPU, or the like executing various programs stored in the storage unit 420 using RAM as a work area. The control unit 430 may also be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

[0080] 10 , the control unit 430 includes an acquisition unit 431, a reception unit 432, an extraction unit 433, an analysis unit 434, and a display control unit 435. The control unit 430 realizes these functions and executes these processes by reading and executing a program (software) from the storage unit 420. Note that these functions of the control unit 430 may be realized by electronic circuits. Furthermore, the control unit 430 may execute these processes using a single CPU, or may include multiple CPUs that execute these processes in parallel.

[0081] (Processing of Identification Device) The processing details of the identification device 400 will be described below.

[0082] The acquisition unit 431 controls the sound input / output unit 440, which is a microphone, to cause the sound input / output unit 440 to acquire (collect sound) the compound content SE reproduced by an external device. Any device may reproduce the compound content SE, and in the example of Fig. 9, the compound content SE is reproduced by the user terminal 300D. That is, in this embodiment, the acquisition unit 431 may receive and acquire the compound content SE itself, which is audio data, or may acquire the compound content SE that has been collected by a microphone and reproduced in analog form by a speaker (not shown) separate from the sound input / output unit 440.

[0083] The receiving unit 432 receives an analysis request, which is a request to identify author information from the compound content SE, from user U5, who is the user U of the identification device 400. The method for receiving the analysis request may be any method, and for example, the receiving unit 432 may display an analysis request reception screen on the display unit 450 of the identification device 400 and receive a touch operation by user U5 as an analysis request from user U5.

[0084] The extraction unit 433 extracts the unique data 20 included in the composite content SE based on the composite content SE acquired (sound collected) by the acquisition unit 431. Any method may be used to extract the unique data 20 from the composite content SE, and for example, the extraction unit 433 according to the present embodiment performs a filter process on the acquired composite content SE that leaves only audio data in the inaudible frequency band, thereby removing audio data in the audible frequency band, and extracts the unique data 20 included in the composite content SE.

[0085] The analysis unit 434 identifies author information for each layer L of the composite content SE (for each content SD included in the composite content SE) from the unique data 20 extracted by the extraction unit 433. Any method may be used to identify author information for each layer L of the composite content SE from the unique data 20. For example, the analysis unit 434 according to this embodiment may acquire the waveform of the unique data 20 by frequency analysis of the extracted unique data 20. In this case, a table showing the correspondence between waveforms and authors is set in advance, and the analysis unit 434 identifies the author corresponding to the acquired waveform as the author information. Here, the unique data 20 of each content SD included in the composite content SE is embedded in a different position depending on the layer L of the content SD. Therefore, the analysis unit 434 can individually extract the unique data 20 of each content SD from the composite content SE acquired (collected) by the acquisition unit 431 and identify the author for each content SD.

[0086] The display control unit 435 displays the author information identified by the analysis unit 434 on the display unit 450. Any method for displaying the author information may be used, and for example, the display control unit 435 according to this embodiment displays a tree diagram showing the author information for each content SD on the display unit 450. Furthermore, for example, the display control unit 435 may display a table that lists the author information for each content SD on the display unit 450.

[0087] As described above, the identification device 400 according to this embodiment calculates author information for each content SD from the composite content SE. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to calculate author information for each content SD from the reproduced composite content SE.

[0088] (Effects) As described above, the data system 1 of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit 131 that acquires target content to be synthesized into a composite content SE in which multiple content SD, which is music data, are synthesized in a hierarchical structure; a data creation unit 133 that creates unique data 20, which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content; and a data synthesis unit 135 that overlays the unique data 20 on the target content so that it corresponds to the layer L of the target content when the target content is synthesized into the composite content SE. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to identify the author of the content SD. By embedding the unique data as audio data, copyright information can be included in the analog audio itself when the audio data is played back.

[0089] Furthermore, the data system 1 of the present disclosure further includes a determination unit 132 that determines whether the target content includes unique data 20, and a data comparison unit 134 that decides whether to permit merging of the target content into the compound content SE based on the determination result of the determination unit 132. When the target content does not include the unique data 20, the data synthesis unit 135 overlays the unique data 20 on the target content so as to correspond to the layer L of the target content, and the data comparison unit 134 permits merging of the target content on which the unique data 20 has been overlaid. When the target content includes the unique data 20 but the author indicated by the unique data 20 is different from the user U that transmitted the target content, the data comparison unit 134 prohibits merging of the target content. When the target content includes unique data 20, the author indicated by the unique data 20 is the same as the user U who transmitted the target content, and the unique data 20 is overlaid to correspond to the layer L of the target content, the data comparison unit 134 allows the merging of the target content, and when the target content includes unique data 20, the author indicated by the unique data 20 is the same as the user U who transmitted the target content, and the unique data 20 is overlaid without corresponding to the layer L of the target content, the data merging unit 135 re-overlays the unique data 20 to correspond to the layer L of the target content, and the data comparison unit 134 allows the merging of the target content with the re-overlaid unique data 20. According to the present disclosure, by making it possible to determine the author of the content SD and canceling the upload if the user U attempting to upload is different from the author of the content SD to be uploaded, it is possible to prevent unauthorized uploading of content SD by users U other than the author of the content SD.

[0090] The identification device 400 of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit 431 that acquires compound content SE created by the data system 1, an extraction unit 433 that extracts unique data 20 of content SD included in the acquired compound content SE from the compound content SE, and an analysis unit 434 that identifies author information of the content SD from the extracted unique data 20. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to calculate author information for each layer L of the compound content SE from the compound content SE. Furthermore, the identification device 400 of the present disclosure can calculate copyright information not only when the compound content SE is acquired via communication, but also when the compound content SE played on an arbitrary speaker is acquired via a microphone.

[0091] The control method of the data system 1 according to the present disclosure includes the steps of acquiring target content to be synthesized into a composite content SE in which a plurality of content SD, which is music data, are synthesized in a hierarchical manner, creating unique data 20, which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content, and overlaying the unique data 20 on the target content so as to correspond to the layer L of the target content when the target content is synthesized into the composite content SE. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to determine the author of the content SD.

[0092] A program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring target content to be combined into composite content SE in which multiple content SD, which is music data, are combined in a hierarchical manner, creating unique data 20, which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content, and overlaying the unique data 20 on the target content so that it corresponds to layer L of the target content when the target content is combined into the composite content SE. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to determine the author of the content SD.

[0093] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to the contents of these embodiments. Furthermore, the above-described components include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the scope of what is called equivalents. Furthermore, the above-described components can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the above-described embodiments.

[0094] The data system, identification device, data system control method, and program of this embodiment can be used, for example, in a service that combines multiple contents to create composite content.

[0095] 1 Data system 100 Management device 300 User terminal 400 Identification device N Network

Claims

1. A data system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires target content to be synthesized into a composite content in which multiple music data contents are synthesized in a hierarchical manner; a data creation unit that creates unique data, which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content; and a data synthesis unit that overlays the unique data on the target content so that it corresponds to the hierarchy of the target content when the target content is synthesized into the composite content.

2. The system further comprises a judgment unit which judges whether the target content includes the unique data, and a data comparison unit which decides whether to permit the target content to be combined with the composite content based on a judgment result of the judgment unit, wherein if the target content does not include the unique data, the data combination unit overlays the unique data on the target content so as to correspond to the hierarchy of the target content, and the data comparison unit permits the combination of the target content overlaid with the unique data, if the target content includes the unique data but the author indicated by the unique data is different from the user who transmitted the target content, the data comparison unit does not permit the combination of the target content, if the target content includes the unique data, the author indicated by the unique data is the same as the user who transmitted the target content, and the unique data is overlaid in accordance with the hierarchy of the target content, the data comparison unit permits the combination of the target content, The data system of claim 1, wherein when the target content includes the unique data, the author indicated by the unique data is the same as the user who sent the target content, and the unique data is overlaid without corresponding to the hierarchy of the target content, the data synthesis unit re-overlays the unique data to correspond to the hierarchy of the target content, and the data comparison unit allows synthesis of the target content on which the unique data has been overlaid.

3. An identification device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires the compound content created by the data system described in claim 1 or claim 2; an extraction unit that extracts the unique data of the content contained in the compound content from the acquired compound content; and an analysis unit that identifies author information of the content from the extracted unique data.

4. A method for controlling a data system, comprising the steps of: acquiring target content to be synthesized into a composite content in which multiple music data contents are synthesized in a hierarchical manner; creating unique data which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content; and overlaying the unique data on the target content so as to correspond to the hierarchy of the target content when the target content is synthesized into the composite content.

5. A program that causes a computer to execute the steps of: acquiring target content to be synthesized into a composite content in which multiple music data contents are synthesized in a hierarchical manner; creating unique data which is audio data that identifies the author of the target content; and overlaying the unique data on the target content so that it corresponds to the hierarchy of the target content when the target content is synthesized into the composite content.

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