JP2004078290A - Musical piece listening permission device and user registration managing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit a user to listen to all performance of one musical piece for rousing purchase will and to limit repetitive trial listening of a person who does not pay a charge. <P>SOLUTION: In a musical piece supply server 3, a comparison part 33 compares the number of trial listening request times of respective users with the set number of free trial listening times. When the number of trial listening request times is not more than the number of free trial listening times, a trial listening musical piece supply part 35 supplies the requested musical piece by a system that the musical piece cannot be preserved in a user terminal 4. If not, a request notification processing part 34 informs the user of effect that the charge is requested. When the user agrees with the request of the charge, a preservation musical piece supply part 36 supplies the requested musical piece to the user terminal 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a music listening permission device and a user registration management device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There are sites on the Internet that sell music files that allow music to be previewed or that promote music. According to a conventional general method of listening to music on such a site, it is possible to listen to music for a short time of, for example, about 30 seconds in response to a request from a person who accesses the site. However, by listening to all the performances of one song and getting used to the songs, it is thought that the purchase will be more motivated.
[0003]
If the entire song file is downloaded to the computer, those who access the site can listen to the entire performance of one song. However, in such a downloading method, the music file is accumulated in the accessed computer in a format that can be repeatedly reproduced. Therefore, a person who is familiar with the computer can find the music file and enjoy the music forever without paying the original fee.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The conventional method of listening to or downloading songs is as described above, so that you can listen to the entire performance of one song to stimulate purchase will, and those who do not pay the fee can freely enjoy the song There is a problem that it is difficult to balance the prevention of the problem.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and it is possible to listen to all performances of one music in order to stimulate purchase intention, and to limit repetitive listening to those who do not pay the fee. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a music listening permission device and a user registration management device that can be used.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The music listening permission device according to the present invention includes a comparing unit that compares the number of times of requesting trial of each user with the set number of times of free listening, and if the number of times of listening is equal to or less than the number of times of free listening, the music is requested. A sample music providing unit for providing in a format that cannot be stored in the user's device, a request notification processing unit for notifying that a fee is charged to the user if the number of times of requesting the preview exceeds the number of times of free listening; A conditional music providing unit for providing the requested music to the user's device when agreeing to the billing of the fee.
[0007]
A user registration management device according to the present invention is a user registration management device used for the music listening permission device, and for each user, a storage unit that stores an email address and a credit card number as identification information. By comparing the e-mail address and credit card number notified by the accessing person with the identification information stored in the storage unit, it is determined whether the accessing person is a registered user. A registration unit for registering information on the accessed person in the storage unit when the accessed person is not a registered user.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 shows a network system having a music listening permission device and a user registration management device according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a network such as the Internet or an intranet, 2 is a user registration management server (user registration management device), 3 is a music providing server (music listening permission device), and 4 is one of user terminals connected to the network 1 Is shown. The user registration management server 2 and the music providing server 3 are interconnected via the network 1, and the user terminal 4 can access the user registration management server 2 and the music providing server 3.
[0009]
FIG. 2 shows details of each component of the network system shown in FIG. The user registration management server 2 includes a registration unit 20, a search / update unit 21, and a storage unit 22. The registration unit 20 and the search / update unit 21 are modules of the central processing unit of the user registration management server 2, and the storage unit 22 is a storage device that stores information for user management.
[0010]
The user registration management server 2 and the music providing server 3 are managed by the same music sales company. The user registration management server 2 is a dedicated device for the music providing server 3, and manages information for authentication of a user who has contracted with a music sales company. The registration unit 20 stores information for authenticating each user in the storage unit 22 according to a registration request received from a user terminal (for example, the user terminal 4). The search / update unit 21 is used for assisting authentication of a person who has accessed the music providing server 3 and for counting the number of times of request for trial listening.
[0011]
The music providing server 3 includes a reception processing unit 31, an authentication unit 32, a comparing unit 33, a billing notification processing unit 34, a trial listening music providing unit 35, a saving music providing unit (conditional music providing unit) 36, and a storage device 37. Is provided.
[0012]
The reception processing unit 31, the authentication unit 32, the comparison unit 33, the bill notification processing unit 34, the preview music providing unit 35, and the storing music providing unit 36 are modules of the central processing unit of the music providing server 3, and A storage device 37 stores a plurality of music files.
[0013]
The user terminal 4 is, for example, a personal computer, and includes a CPU 41, a communication interface 42, a storage device 43, a speaker 44, and a display 45. The CPU 41 of the user terminal 4 operates based on an instruction given by the user via an input interface (not shown). The CPU 41 can communicate with the music providing server 3 via the communication interface 42, and the display 45 displays information given from the music providing server 3 to the user terminal 4. Therefore, the user of the user terminal 4 can “talk” with the music providing server 3 to receive the music.
[0014]
Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of user registration in the user registration management server 2. User registration is performed when a user terminal (for example, the user terminal 4) accesses the user registration management server 2 and requests registration. Upon receiving the registration request in step ST1, the registration unit 20 of the user registration management server 2 instructs the requesting user terminal 4 to input personal information (identification information) in step ST2, and the personal information is transmitted from the user terminal 4 in step ST3. Wait until received. According to the instruction in step ST2, an input screen for personal information is displayed on the display 45 of the user terminal 4, and the accessing person can input personal information items in a dialog box in the input screen.
[0015]
As the personal information, in addition to the user's name and date of birth, the registration unit 20 preferably requests the access person to input the e-mail address, the type of credit card company, the expiration date of the credit card, and the credit card number. . As will be described later, in this embodiment, the number of times of trial listening of one music piece by the same user is limited. Therefore, it is preferable that duplicate registration of the same user can be avoided. The user registration management server 2 restricts one user to be registered for one e-mail address and one credit card number. One person may have several e-mail addresses and several credit cards, but it is rare to have many e-mail addresses and many credit cards, so according to this embodiment the same The number of times a user can register can be limited.
[0016]
When the personal information is received from the user terminal 4, in step ST4, the registration unit 20 stores the user's name, date of birth, and validity of the credit card in a server (not shown) of the credit card company designated by the type of the credit card company. A deadline and a credit card number are notified, and an inquiry is made as to whether the credit card information is valid.
[0017]
When the response from the server of the credit card company indicates that the credit card information is not valid, the registration unit 20 notifies the user terminal 4 that the registration is refused (steps ST5 and ST6). Thereafter, the operation returns to step ST1, and waits until a registration request is received again.
[0018]
If the credit card information is valid, the registration unit 20 searches the storage unit 22 for the same user in step ST7 to check whether the same user has already been registered. An e-mail address and a credit card number are used as keys for this search.
[0019]
If the same user has already been registered, the registration unit 20 notifies the user terminal 4 that the registration is refused (steps ST8 and ST9). Thereafter, the operation returns to step ST1, and waits until a registration request is received again.
[0020]
If the same user has not been registered, it means that the accessing person intends to newly register the user. In this case, the registration unit 20 instructs input of the user ID and password in step ST10, and waits until the user ID and password are received from the user terminal 4 in step ST11. According to the instruction in step ST10, the input screen of the user ID and the password is displayed on the display 45 of the user terminal 4, and the accessing person can input the user ID and the password in the dialog box in the input screen. The user ID and password can be freely determined by the accessing person.
Thereafter, in step ST12, the registration unit 20 performs the registration process by storing the personal information, the user ID, and the password in the storage unit 22. Thereafter, the operation returns to step ST1, and waits until a registration request is received again.
[0021]
It is preferable to perform a confirmation process using an e-mail address between step ST8 and step ST10. For example, if it is confirmed in step ST8 that the same user has not been registered, the registration unit 20 sends an e-mail to the e-mail address obtained from the person requesting the user registration, asking whether the user registration has been requested. Send An attached file is attached to this e-mail so that a reply is made by an e-mail in a format specified by the music sales company that is the owner of the user registration management server 2, and the user who really requested the user registration requests an e-mail in that format. You can reply by e-mail.
If it is confirmed by such a reply that the owner of the user terminal 4 associated with the e-mail address has truly requested the user registration, the registration unit 20 proceeds to step ST10 and inputs the user ID and the password. Is instructed to the user who intends to register.
[0022]
Next, a method of providing music in the music providing server 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The music is provided by a user terminal (for example, the user terminal 4) accessing the music providing server 3. When determining that there is an access in step ST13, the reception processing unit 31 of the music providing server 3 instructs the requesting user terminal 4 to input a user ID and a password in step ST14. 4 until it is received. According to the instruction in step ST14, a display screen of the user terminal 4 displays a user ID and password input screen, and an accessing person can input the user ID and password in a dialog box in the input screen.
[0023]
The user ID and the password are used as authentication information for access in the authentication processing in step ST16. Upon receiving the user ID and the password, the reception processing unit 31 passes these to the authentication unit 32, and the authentication unit 32 transfers them to the search / update unit 21 of the user registration management server 2. The search / update unit 21 searches the storage unit 22 for a user having the user ID and the password transferred from the authentication unit 32, and returns a search result to the authentication unit 32 as an authentication response. When the corresponding user is found in the storage unit 22, the search / update unit 21 obtains the user's credit card information from the storage unit 22 and provides the credit response to the authentication response in order to facilitate the fee deduction process described later. It is returned to the authentication unit 32 including the card information.
[0024]
After step ST16, in step ST17, the authentication unit 32 determines whether or not the user is found in the storage unit 22 based on the authentication response. If the user is not found, the accessor is not a valid user, so the reception processing unit 31 rejects the access in step ST18, and the operation returns to step ST13.
[0025]
If the user is found, the accessor is a valid user, so the reception processing unit 31 allows the access of the user and until the access from the user is interrupted, the reception processing unit 31 Holds authentication information and credit card information. In addition, the reception processing unit 31 transmits to the user terminal 4 a signal for controlling to present the selection screen on the display 45 of the user terminal 4 in step ST19. On the selection screen, a list of music candidates with a purchase button and a trial listening button attached to each music candidate is displayed. By clicking a purchase button or a preview button on the pointing device, the user can make a purchase request or a trial listening request for the desired music. The purchase request and the trial listening request are transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the reception processing unit 31.
[0026]
The reception processing unit 31 determines whether or not there is a purchase request from the user terminal 4 in step ST20. If there is a purchase request, the operation proceeds to step ST21, in which the music file for storage related to the music designated by the user is read from the storage device 37, and this file is stored in a format that can be repeatedly played back by the user. Download to terminal 4. That is, in this embodiment, music files can be sold. The downloaded music is stored in the storage device 43 in the user terminal 4. Therefore, the user can enjoy music repeatedly repeatedly.
[0027]
Next, the storage music providing unit 36 performs a fee reduction process in step ST22. In the fee withdrawal processing, the fee of the requested music provided and the credit card information of the user held by the reception processing unit 31 are notified to the server of the credit card company. This allows the music sales company to receive a fee from the credit card company on behalf of the user, after which the credit card company deducts the fee from the user's silver account.
[0028]
When there is no purchase request from the user terminal 4, the operation proceeds to step ST23, and the reception processing unit 31 determines whether or not there is a trial listening request from the user terminal 4. If there is no request for trial listening, the operation returns to step ST20, and waits to receive a purchase request or a trial listening request.
[0029]
On the other hand, when there is a preview request, the operation proceeds to step ST24, and the reception processing unit 31 inquires of the user registration management server 2 about the number of times the user has made a preview request for the music. In this inquiry, the user registration management server 2 is notified of the identifier indicating the music and the authentication information for access of the user held by the reception processing unit 31.
[0030]
In the storage unit 22 of the user registration management server 2, in addition to the above-described identification information for registration (e-mail address and credit card information) and authentication information for access (user ID and password), each user The number of times of request for trial listening is stored. The initial value of the count is zero. The search / update unit 21 reads out from the storage unit 22 the number of times the user has made a request to listen to the music, based on the authentication information and the music identifier indicated in the inquiry from the reception processing unit 31, and subtracts one from the number. In addition, the number of times of the calculated result is rewritten in the storage unit 22. The number of times of the result calculated here is the number of times the same user has requested a trial listening of the same music. The search / update unit 21 returns the number of trial listening requests to the comparison unit 33 of the music providing server 3.
[0031]
In step ST25, the comparing unit 33 compares the number of trial listening requests with the number of free trial listenings. The number of free previews is the upper limit of the number of times that the music sales company has set free trials for each user. The number of free previews may be different for individual songs, or may be uniform for all songs. If the number of free trial listenings differs for each song, the storage device 37 storing the music file stores the number of free trial listenings determined for each song, and the comparing unit 33 reads out the number of free trial listenings and compares it for comparison. I just need to provide. The number of free auditions may be any number as long as it is one or more.
[0032]
If it is determined in step ST25 that the number of times of request for previewing is equal to or less than the number of times of free trial listening, the operation proceeds to step ST26, in which the file for musical composition requested by the user is read out by the musical composition providing section for trial 35, and the request is made. The provided music is provided in a format that cannot be stored in the user terminal 4. The method of providing this will be described later.
[0033]
Thereafter, the operation returns to step ST19, in which the reception processing unit 31 transmits a control signal for presenting a selection screen to the display 45 of the user terminal 4 to the user terminal 4 so that the user can request another music. .
[0034]
If it is determined in step ST25 that the number of trial requests exceeds the number of free trials, the operation proceeds to step ST27, and the billing notification processing unit 34 notifies the user that a fee is to be billed. That is, a signal is transmitted to the user terminal 4 for controlling the display so that the display 45 of the user terminal 4 is charged.
[0035]
Thereafter, the billing notification processing unit 34 waits until there is a response from the user terminal 4 (step ST28), and if there is a response, the operation proceeds to step ST29, and determines whether or not the response is consent to the payment of the fee. If the user agrees with the payment of the fee, the operation proceeds to step ST21, in which the storage music providing unit 36 reads out the music file relating to the music requested by the user from the storage device 37, and the storage format in which the music file can be repeatedly reproduced. Downloads this file to the user terminal 4. That is, the music file is sold. The downloaded music is stored in the storage device 43 in the user terminal 4. Therefore, the user can enjoy music repeatedly repeatedly. Next, in the same manner as described above, the music-for-save providing unit 36 performs a fee reduction process in step ST22.
[0036]
On the other hand, if the response from the user terminal 4 means that the user does not agree with the payment of the fee, the operation proceeds to step ST30, and the billing notification processing unit 34 notifies the user that the music cannot be heard. That is, a signal is transmitted to the user terminal 4 so as to control the display 45 of the user terminal 4 to indicate that "the music cannot be heard". In this way, it is possible to allow the user to listen to the entire performance of a single song a predetermined number of times in order to stimulate purchase willingness. And can be obtained in a format that allows this person to repeatedly play music files.
[0037]
Next, a method of providing the requested music in a format that the music providing server 3 cannot store in the user terminal 4 will be described in detail. In order to realize this method, a music file for trial listening is preferably stored in the storage device 37 of the music providing server 3. A sample music file is a set of segments having a length corresponding to a predetermined reproduction time (for example, one second), and is generated by dividing one complete music file into a plurality of segments and ordering the segments. You.
[0038]
When the trial listening is accepted (when the number of times of trial listening is less than or equal to the number of free trials), the trial music providing unit 35 of the music providing server 3 reads out a music file for trial related to the trial request from the storage device 37. Then, the segments of the music file for trial listening are downloaded to the user terminal 4 according to the ordering.
[0039]
The downloaded segments are sequentially stored in the storage device 43 by the CPU 41 in the user terminal 4. In addition, the CPU 41 sequentially reads out the segments stored in the storage device 43 and plays the music by causing the speaker 44 to sound based on the segments. Each time the reproduction based on each segment ends, the CPU 41 deletes the segment from the storage device 43. That is, the segments are sequentially erased every predetermined time (for example, every one second). Therefore, the data of the tune listened to does not remain in the user terminal 4. In order to prevent the reproduction sound from being interrupted, the reproduction timing is set so that the next segment can be received prior to the reproduction of each segment.
[0040]
Such a series of download, reproduction, and erasure procedures may be realized only by a dedicated program. For example, when the user is registered in the user registration management server 2, the dedicated program may be transmitted from the user registration management server 2 or the music providing server 3 to the user terminal 4.
[0041]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the music providing server 3 can allow the user to listen to all the performances of one music for a predetermined number of times in order to stimulate the willingness to purchase. When the number of times exceeds the limit, there is an effect that only the user who pays the fee can obtain the music file in a format that can be repeatedly reproduced.
[0042]
In the user registration management server 2, the storage unit 22 stores an e-mail address and a credit card number for each user as identification information for registration, and stores the e-mail address and the credit card number notified by the accessing person. By comparing with the identification information stored in the unit 22, it is determined whether or not the accessing person is a registered user. Therefore, the number of times that the same user can register can be limited, and thus the same user can be restricted from listening to an unreasonable number of times for one music piece.
[0043]
Embodiment 2 FIG.
In the first embodiment, the music providing server 3 sells the music file to the user in accordance with the request or the consent of the user. However, as in the second embodiment described below, the server does not sell the music but listens to the user. May be permitted. For example, it is considered that a server dedicated to trial listening provided for the purpose of advertisement often operates as in the second embodiment.
[0044]
Unlike the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the music providing server 3 does not include the storage music providing unit 36 (FIG. 2), but other configurations may be the same as the first embodiment. The user registration management server 2 has the same components as in the first embodiment, and operates in the same manner.
[0045]
In this embodiment, when the comparison unit 33 determines that the number of trial requests from the user terminal 4 exceeds the number of free trials, the billing reason notification processing unit 3 notifies the user that a fee is to be charged. I do. If the user does not agree with the billing, the billing notification processing unit 34 notifies the user that the music cannot be heard. If the user agrees to charge the fee, the preview music providing unit 35 operates as a conditional music providing unit, and provides the requested music to the user's device. The method of providing is the same as that of free trial listening. Therefore, even when a fee is charged to the user, the requested music is provided in a format that cannot be stored in the user terminal 4. It is preferable that the fee charged here is lower than the fee for selling music.
[0046]
Therefore, the flowchart showing the method of providing music in the music providing server 3 in this embodiment is basically similar to FIG. 4, but in step ST21, the music is not provided in a format that can be stored, but in step ST26. In the same manner as in the above, the music composition providing unit 35 provides the music composition in a format that cannot be stored. Further, the purchase request is not determined in step ST20, and the operation proceeds to step ST23 immediately after step ST19.
[0047]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the music providing server 3 can allow the user to listen to all the performances of a single music a predetermined number of times in order to stimulate the purchase intention. When the number of times is exceeded, only the user who pays the fee can listen to the music.
[0048]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the details of the embodiments can be modified, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. For example, when the music sales company knows that the same user is registered twice, a plurality of user IDs relating to the same user are associated with each other, and even if the number of times of requesting a preview from the user is equal to or less than the number of times of free listening. However, the user may not be able to listen to the trial, or the user may be notified that the fee is charged, and the fee may be obtained.
Further, the user registration management server 2 may be integrated with the music providing server 3.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to allow the user to listen to all the performances of one piece of music a predetermined number of times in order to stimulate the willingness to purchase, and it is possible to limit the repetitive listening of a person who does not pay the fee. effective.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a network system having a music listening permission device and a user registration management device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of components of the network system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a user registration method in the user registration management device.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing music in the music listening permission device.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 network, 2 user registration management server (user registration management device), 3 music providing server (music listening permission device), 4 user terminal, 20 registration unit, 21 search / update unit, 22 storage unit, 31 reception processing unit, 32 Authentication unit, 33 comparison unit, 34 billing notification processing unit, 35 trial music providing unit, 36 storage music providing unit (conditional music providing unit), 37 storage device, 41 CPU, 42 communication interface, 43 storage device, 44 Speaker, 45 display.

Claims (2)

A comparison unit that compares the number of times of requesting trials of each user with the set number of times of free trials;
If the number of listening requests is equal to or less than the number of free listening, a listening music providing unit that provides the requested music in a format that cannot be stored in the user's device,
A request notification processing unit that notifies the user that a fee is to be charged if the number of trial requests exceeds the number of free trials,
A music listening permission device including a conditional music providing unit that provides a requested music to a user's device when the user agrees to charge. A user registration management device used for the music listening permission device according to claim 1,
A storage unit for storing an e-mail address and a credit card number as identification information for each user;
By comparing the e-mail address and credit card number notified by the accessing person with the identification information stored in the storage unit, it is determined whether the accessing person is a registered user or not, A user registration management device, comprising: a registration unit that registers information on the accessed person in the storage unit when the accessed person is not a registered user.

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