Content Playback Device Using Contract-Based Usability Judgment

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing content delivery systems using DRM on DVDs face issues where playback devices may play content despite unauthorized conditions, leading to copyright violations or result in incomplete scenes due to deviations from preset playback paths, causing viewer confusion.

Innovation Solution

A content use device and method that selects output based on usability judgments using contract information, ensuring only playable content is displayed by acquiring and judging content usability, and if unusable, selecting alternative content, thereby preventing unauthorized playback and maintaining narrative integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the playback device plays content despite unauthorized conditions, then the content can be displayed without interruption, but copyright violations occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent playback continuityVSAvoidcopyright violation

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary judgment of content usability based on contract information before playback. The judgment unit checks whether the playback condition is satisfied with the designated content beforehand, preventing copyright violations before they occur while maintaining playback continuity when authorized

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the playback device does not play content in compliance with use condition, then copyright is protected, but playback path deviation causes missing scenes and viewer confusion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecopyright protectionVSAvoidnarrative completeness

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary judgment of content usability based on contract information before playback. The judgment unit checks whether the playback condition is satisfied with the designated content beforehand, preventing copyright violations before they occur while maintaining playback continuity when authorized

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by notifying the user when the playback condition is not satisfied. This allows the user to understand why content cannot be played and take appropriate actions, such as acquiring proper authorization or selecting alternative content

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of information

If alternative content is provided for unusable content, then narrative integrity is maintained, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenarrative completenessVSAvoidcontent management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary judgment of content usability based on contract information before playback. The judgment unit checks whether the playback condition is satisfied with the designated content beforehand, preventing copyright violations before they occur while maintaining playback continuity when authorized

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8428435B2Content use device and recording medium

Publication Date: 2013.04.23 PANASONIC HOLDINGS CORP

AI summary

To provide a content playback device that can use content appropriately by avoiding output of content not permitted to be used according to contract information. A playback control unit 102 extracts a content name from playback control information in a playback path information table 210, and inquires of a rights management unit 108 whether content identified by the extracted content name is playable or not. If the content is judged as being unplayable, the playback control unit 102 extracts an alternative playback number from the playback control information, and extracts a content name from playback control information whose playback number matches the alternative playback number. The playback control unit 102 then instructs a decryption unit 103 and a playback unit 107 to decrypt and play back encrypted content identified by the extracted content name.