JP2008131272A - Video on demand apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video on demand apparatus for preventing the viewing of contents being concentrated in a specified period. <P>SOLUTION: The video on demand apparatus for distributing the contents via a network determines whether or not a user who transmits the purchase request of a content viewing license purchases the content viewing license, which is recorded in a designation license table for recording the content viewing licenses satisfying a prescribed condition, on a discount purchase condition recorded in a discount purchase condition table. When it is determined that the purchase is performed on the discount purchase condition, the price of the content viewing license to be newly purchased is made to be the designated discount price. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video-on-demand device that distributes content via a network.

Video on-demand devices that distribute content specified by users via a network are drawing attention. The video on demand apparatus receives a request from a user and distributes content specified by the user. In such a video-on-demand device, as described in Non-Patent Document 1, a service that allows free viewing of up to two pieces of content every month is performed only for designated content. A user who has applied this service can select and view two contents from designated contents for free.
"Multi-channel broadcasting / video on demand [PlalaTV on 4th MEDIA (Force Media)]", [online], Plala Networks, Inc., [October 19, 2006 search], Internet <URL: http: // air . plala. tv / 4media / service. html>

  In the above video-on-demand device, when a service or the like that allows free viewing of up to two contents per month for only the specified contents is implemented, there is a problem that viewing of the contents is concentrated on the weekend or at the end of the month. Users watch content more on weekends, which are holidays, than on weekdays. In addition, when content that can be viewed free of charge remains in the month, it is often attempted to view content that can be viewed free of charge within the month. Therefore, content viewing is concentrated on weekends and at the end of the month.

  The video-on-demand device must prepare a server for distributing content so that the content can be distributed in response to a request from the user. Even when content viewing is concentrated only for a specific period, it is necessary to prepare a server or the like that distributes the content so that it can cope with the period when the content viewing is concentrated. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare more network information providing apparatuses such as servers when content viewing is concentrated in a specific period compared to when content viewing is not concentrated in a specific period.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a video-on-demand device in which content viewing is not concentrated in a specific period.

  A video-on-demand device according to the present invention is a video-on-demand device that distributes content via a network, a content distribution means that distributes content via the network, and a purchase request for a content viewing license. Purchase request receiving means, a license information table in which usage conditions of the content viewing license are recorded, a contract information table in which a purchase history of the content viewing license is recorded, and a content viewing license that satisfies a predetermined condition. A designated license table that is recorded, a discount purchase condition table that records discount purchase conditions for content viewing licenses, a purchase history extracting means that extracts a purchase history of a specific user from the contract information table, and a content viewing license A determination means for determining whether or not the user who has sent the purchase request for the content purchases the content viewing license recorded in the designated license table under the discount purchase conditions recorded in the discount purchase condition table; And a discount means for setting the price of the content viewing license newly purchased by the user determined to have purchased under the discounted purchase condition to the designated discount price.

  According to the video on demand device of the present invention, when the designated content viewing license is purchased under the discount purchase condition, the price of the newly purchased content viewing license is set to the discount price. It is possible to avoid concentration, and it is possible to suppress the facilities of the network information providing apparatus such as a server that is necessary.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a video-on-demand device according to the present invention. The video-on-demand device 1 accepts a content viewing license purchase request sent from a set-top box (hereinafter referred to as STB) 8 via the network 7 and distributes the content. The content viewing license is a right to view content. The user can view the content by purchasing a content viewing license. The STB 8 sends a purchase request for a content viewing license to the video-on-demand device 1 in accordance with a user operation. Also, the STB 8 receives the content distributed from the video on demand device 1 and outputs it to the display 9.

  The VOD server 2 is connected to the network 7 via the router 61 and distributes content to the STB 8 that has sent out a purchase request for a content viewing license. The VOD server 2 includes content distribution means 21 that distributes content in response to an instruction from the viewing control server 4 connected via the router 62.

  The Web server 3 is connected to the network 7 via the router 61, and includes purchase request reception means 31 for receiving a content viewing license purchase request from the STB 8. The Web server 3 sends the received content viewing license purchase request to the viewing control server 4 connected via the router 62.

  The viewing control server 4 is connected to the router 62, and determines the price of the content viewing license and instructs the distribution of the content to the VOD server 2. The purchase history extraction unit 41 extracts the purchase history of a specific user from the contract information table 52 in which the purchase history of the content viewing license is recorded. The determination unit 42 determines whether a discount price can be applied to a content viewing license newly purchased by the user. The discount unit 43 sets the price of the content viewing license that the determination unit 42 determines to be able to apply the discount price to the discount price.

  The database 5 is connected to the router 62, and stores a license information table 51, a contract information table 52, a designated license table 53, and a discount purchase condition table 54. The license information table 51 records usage conditions, prices, and the like of content viewing licenses. In the contract information table 52, the purchase history of the content viewing license is recorded. In the designated license table 53, a content viewing license that satisfies a predetermined condition is recorded. In this embodiment, the designated license table 53 records content viewing licenses that a single user can purchase up to two free per month. The discount purchase condition table 54 records discount purchase conditions used when the determination unit 42 determines whether a discount price can be applied to the content viewing license.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the license information table 51. In the item of the identification number, an identification number that is a number assigned to identify each content viewing license is recorded. In the name item, the name of the content viewing license is recorded. In the content item, the content number of the content that can be viewed by purchasing the content viewing license is recorded. In the use period and period unit items, a period during which content can be viewed is recorded. When the usage period is “10” and the period unit is “hour”, the content can be viewed for 10 hours. In the price item, the price of the content viewing license is recorded. The price recorded here is the price before receiving the discounted price.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the contract information table 52. In the item of the contract number, a contract number that is a number assigned to identify each of the content viewing license purchase contracts is recorded. In the license item, an identification number of the purchased content viewing license is recorded. In the user item, the user number of the user who purchased the content viewing license is recorded. The user number is a number assigned to identify each user. The date and time when the content viewing license is purchased is recorded in the contract date and time item. In the start date / time item, a date / time at which content viewing can be started is recorded. In the end date / time item, the date / time at which the period during which content can be viewed ends is recorded. In the price item, the price of the content viewing license paid by the user is recorded.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the designated license table 53. In the designated license table 53, an identification number of a content viewing license that satisfies a predetermined condition is recorded. The predetermined condition is a content viewing license that one user can purchase up to two free per month. Only the content viewing license recorded in the designated license table 53 can be purchased free by the user up to two per month. Hereinafter, the content viewing license recorded in the designated license table 53 is referred to as a designated content viewing license. The predetermined condition may be a content viewing license that one user can purchase up to 5 per month for 100 yen.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the discount purchase condition table 54. The discount purchase condition name is the name of the discount purchase condition. In the discount purchase condition, a condition under which a discount price can be applied to a content viewing license newly purchased by the user is recorded. The user can purchase a newly purchased content viewing license at a discount price only when the specified content viewing license is purchased under the discount purchase conditions. In the discount purchase condition of the discount purchase condition table 54, “purchase from Monday to Thursday of the month” is recorded. In this case, when a user purchases a new content viewing license, a discount price can be applied if the designated content viewing license is purchased between Monday and Thursday of the month. The discount purchase condition may be purchase from Monday to Friday of the month, purchase from Monday to Thursday excluding the last week of the month, or the like.

  FIG. 6 shows the operation of the price determination routine for determining the price of the content viewing license paid by the user. The price determination routine is periodically executed by interruption by a controller (not shown) of the viewing control server 4.

  The controller confirms whether or not there is a purchase request for the content viewing license (step S601). If there is no purchase request for a content viewing license, the process ends. When there is a content viewing license purchase request, the controller checks whether or not the purchase request is a request to purchase a designated content viewing license (step S602). If the purchase request is a request to purchase the designated content viewing license, the controller issues a command to extract the purchase history of the user who sent the purchase request to the purchase history extracting means 41 (step S603). Upon receiving a command from the controller, the purchase history extraction unit 41 extracts the purchase history of the user designated from the contract information table 52. After the purchase history is extracted, the controller determines whether the number of designated content viewing licenses already purchased in the month by the user who sent the purchase request from the purchase history is less than the designated number, in this case, two. Is confirmed (step S604). If the number of purchases of the designated content viewing license for the month is less than 2, the controller sets the price of the content viewing license to 0 yen (step S605). The designated content viewing license satisfies the condition of a content viewing license that can be purchased free of charge up to two per month. Therefore, when the number of purchases of the designated content viewing license for the month is less than two, the user can purchase the designated content viewing license for free. After setting the price of the content viewing license, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S606).

  If the user who has sent the purchase request has two or more designated content viewing licenses already purchased in the month, the controller confirms whether or not the designated content viewing license has been purchased under a discount purchase condition ( Step S608). The discount purchase condition is “purchase from Monday to Thursday of the month”. The controller confirms from the purchase history extracted by the purchase history extraction means 41 whether the designated content viewing license has been purchased from Monday to Thursday of the month. If the user who sent the purchase request has purchased the designated content viewing license from Monday to Thursday of the month, the controller determines that the user has purchased the discounted purchase condition. When the user who sent the purchase request has not purchased the designated content viewing license from Monday to Thursday of the month, the controller determines that the user has not purchased under the discount purchase condition.

  When the designated content viewing license is purchased under discount purchase conditions, the controller sets the price of the content viewing license to the discount price (step S609). The discount price is a price obtained by reducing a predetermined discount rate, for example, 20% from the price of the content viewing license recorded in the license information table 51. If the price of the content viewing license recorded in the license information table 51 is 500 yen, the discount price is 400 yen, which is a 20% reduction from 500 yen. After setting the price of the content viewing license, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S606). When the designated content viewing license has not been purchased under the discount purchase conditions, the controller sets the price recorded in the license information table 51 as the price of the content viewing license (step S610). Then, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S606).

  If it is determined in step S602 that the purchase request is not a request for purchasing the designated content viewing license, the controller issues a command to the purchase history extraction unit 41 to extract the purchase history of the user who sent the purchase request ( Step S607). Upon receiving a command from the controller, the purchase history extraction unit 41 extracts the purchase history of the user designated from the contract information table 52. After the purchase history is extracted, the controller confirms whether or not the designated content viewing license has been purchased under discounted purchase conditions (step S608). When the designated content viewing license is purchased under the discount purchase conditions, the controller sets the price of the content viewing license to the discount price (step S609). Then, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S606). When the designated content viewing license has not been purchased under the discount purchase conditions, the controller sets the price recorded in the license information table 51 as the price of the content viewing license (step S610). Then, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S606).

  As the discount price, a price obtained by subtracting a certain amount from the price of the content viewing license recorded in the license information table 51 can also be used.

  In this way, if the specified content viewing license is purchased from Monday to Thursday of the month, the price of the newly purchased content viewing license is set to the discount price, so content viewing is concentrated on the weekend. Nothing will happen. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the equipment of the network information providing apparatus such as a server that is required. In addition, by setting the discount purchase conditions to be purchased from Monday to Thursday excluding the last week of the month, it is possible to prevent content viewing from being concentrated at the end of the month.

  FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the video on demand apparatus according to the present invention. The video-on-demand device 1 accepts a content viewing license purchase request sent from a set-top box (hereinafter referred to as STB) 8 via the network 7 and distributes the content. The content viewing license is a right to view content. The user can view the content by purchasing a content viewing license. The STB 8 sends a purchase request for a content viewing license to the video-on-demand device 1 in accordance with a user operation. Also, the STB 8 receives the content distributed from the video on demand device 1 and outputs it to the display 9.

  The VOD server 2 is connected to the network 7 via the router 61 and distributes content to the STB 8 that has sent out a purchase request for a content viewing license. The VOD server 2 includes content distribution means 21 that distributes content in response to an instruction from the viewing control server 4 connected via the router 62.

  The Web server 3 is connected to the network 7 via the router 61, and includes purchase request reception means 31 for receiving a content viewing license purchase request from the STB 8. The Web server 3 sends the received content viewing license purchase request to the viewing control server 4 connected via the router 62.

  The viewing control server 4 is connected to the router 62, and determines the price of the content viewing license and instructs the distribution of the content to the VOD server 2. The purchase history extraction unit 41 extracts the purchase history of a specific user from the contract information table 52 in which the purchase history of the content viewing license is recorded. The determination unit 42 determines whether a discount price can be applied to a content viewing license newly purchased by the user. The discount unit 43 sets the price of the content viewing license that the determination unit 42 determines to be able to apply the discount price to the discount price.

  The database 5 is connected to the router 62, and stores a license information table 51, a contract information table 52, a designated license table 53, a discount purchase condition table 54, and a new purchase condition table 55. The license information table 51 records usage conditions, prices, and the like of content viewing licenses. FIG. 2 shows an example of the license information table 51. This is the same as the license information table 51 of the first embodiment. In the contract information table 52, the purchase history of the content viewing license is recorded. FIG. 3 shows an example of the contract information table 52. This is the same as the contract information table 52 of the first embodiment. In the designated license table 53, a content viewing license that satisfies a predetermined condition is recorded. In this embodiment, the designated license table 53 records content viewing licenses that a single user can purchase up to two free per month. FIG. 4 shows an example of the designated license table 53. This is the same as the designated license table 53 of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the content viewing license recorded in the designated license table 53 is referred to as a designated content viewing license. In the discount purchase condition table 54 and the new purchase condition table 55, the discount purchase condition and the new purchase condition used when the determination unit 42 determines whether a discount price can be applied to the content viewing license are recorded. . FIG. 5 shows an example of the discount purchase condition table 54. This is the same as the discount purchase condition table 54 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the new purchase condition table 55. The new purchase condition name is the name of the new purchase condition. In the new purchase condition, a condition under which a discount price can be applied to a content viewing license newly purchased by the user is recorded. A user who purchases a designated content viewing license under discount purchase conditions can purchase a newly purchased content viewing license at a discount price only when purchasing the content viewing license under this new purchase condition. The new purchase condition in the new purchase condition table 55 is recorded as “Up to two per specified content viewing license purchased on Monday to Thursday and purchased under discount purchase conditions”. When a user purchases one specified content viewing license under discounted purchase conditions, only two content viewing licenses are purchased at a discounted price if the new content viewing license is purchased from Monday to Thursday. I can do it. If the user has purchased two designated content viewing licenses under discounted purchase conditions, only up to four content viewing licenses can be purchased at a discounted price if the new content viewing license is purchased from Monday to Thursday. I can do it.

  FIG. 9 shows the operation of the price determination routine of the second embodiment. The price determination routine is periodically executed by interruption by a controller (not shown) of the viewing control server 4.

  The controller confirms whether or not there is a purchase request for the content viewing license (step S901). If there is no purchase request for a content viewing license, the process ends. When there is a content viewing license purchase request, the controller checks whether or not the purchase request is a request to purchase a designated content viewing license (step S902). If the purchase request is a request to purchase the designated content viewing license, the controller issues a command to extract the purchase history of the user who sent the purchase request to the purchase history extracting means 41 (step S903). Upon receiving a command from the controller, the purchase history extraction unit 41 extracts the purchase history of the user designated from the contract information table 52. After the purchase history is extracted, the controller determines whether the number of designated content viewing licenses already purchased in the month by the user who sent the purchase request from the purchase history is less than the designated number, in this case, two. Is confirmed (step S904). When the number of purchases of the designated content viewing license for the month is less than 2, the controller sets the price of the content viewing license to 0 yen (step S905). The designated content viewing license satisfies the condition of a content viewing license that can be purchased free of charge up to two per month. Therefore, when the number of purchases of the designated content viewing license for the month is less than two, the user can purchase the designated content viewing license for free. After setting the price of the content viewing license, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S906).

  If the user who has sent the purchase request has two or more designated content viewing licenses already purchased in the month, the controller confirms whether or not the designated content viewing license has been purchased under a discount purchase condition ( Step S908). The discount purchase condition is “purchase from Monday to Thursday of the month”. The controller confirms from the purchase history extracted by the purchase history extraction means 41 whether the designated content viewing license has been purchased from Monday to Thursday of the month. If the user who sent the purchase request has purchased the designated content viewing license from Monday to Thursday of the month, the controller determines that the user has purchased the discounted purchase condition. When the user who sent the purchase request has not purchased the designated content viewing license from Monday to Thursday of the month, the controller determines that the user has not purchased under the discount purchase condition.

  When the designated content viewing license is purchased under discount purchase conditions, the controller checks whether or not the newly purchased content viewing license satisfies the new purchase conditions (step S909). The new purchase condition is “Up to two for each designated content viewing license purchased on Monday through Thursday and purchased under discount purchase conditions”. The controller checks whether the purchase date is Monday to Thursday. If the purchase date is other than Monday to Thursday, it is determined that the new purchase condition is not satisfied. When the purchase date is Monday to Thursday, it is confirmed from the purchase history extracted by the purchase history extraction means 41 how many designated content viewing licenses have been purchased under discounted purchase conditions. Since the discount purchase condition is “purchase from Monday to Thursday of the month”, the number of designated content viewing licenses purchased from Monday to Thursday of the month is obtained. From the obtained number, the number of content viewing licenses that can be purchased at a discount price is calculated. When one specified content viewing license is purchased under discount purchase conditions, the number of items that can be purchased at a discount price is two. If two specified content viewing licenses are purchased under discounted purchase conditions, the number of items that can be purchased at a discounted price is four. Then, the controller checks whether or not the number of content viewing licenses that have already been purchased at a discount price is less than the number that can be purchased at the calculated discount price. If the number of content viewing licenses that have already been purchased at a discount price is less than the number that can be purchased at the calculated discount price, it is determined that the new purchase condition is satisfied. If the number of content viewing licenses that have already been purchased at a discount price is greater than or equal to the number that can be purchased at the calculated discount price, it is determined that the new purchase condition is not satisfied. The number of content viewing licenses already purchased at a discount price is obtained from the purchase history extracted by the purchase history extraction means 41. If the price recorded in the purchase history is less than the price recorded in the license information table 51, it is determined that the content viewing license is purchased at a discount price.

  If the newly purchased content viewing license satisfies the new purchase condition, the controller sets the price of the content viewing license to a discount price (step S910). The discount price is a price obtained by reducing a predetermined discount rate, for example, 20% from the price of the content viewing license recorded in the license information table 51. If the price of the content viewing license recorded in the license information table 51 is 500 yen, the discount price is 400 yen, which is a 20% reduction from 500 yen. After setting the price of the content viewing license, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S906).

  When it is determined that the purchase is not made under the discount purchase condition in the process of S908 and when it is determined that the new purchase condition is not satisfied in the process of S909, the controller uses the price recorded in the license information table 51 as the content. The price of the viewing license is set (step S911). Then, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S906).

  If it is determined in step S902 that the purchase request is not a request to purchase the designated content viewing license, the controller issues a command to the purchase history extraction unit 41 to extract the purchase history of the user who sent the purchase request ( Step S907). Upon receiving a command from the controller, the purchase history extraction unit 41 extracts the purchase history of the user designated from the contract information table 52. After the purchase history is extracted, the controller confirms whether or not the designated content viewing license has been purchased under discounted purchase conditions (step S908). When the designated content viewing license is purchased under discount purchase conditions, the controller checks whether or not the newly purchased content viewing license satisfies the new purchase conditions (step S909). When the content viewing license to be newly purchased satisfies the new purchase condition, the controller sets the price of the content viewing license to a discount price (step S909). Then, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S906).

  When it is determined that the purchase is not made under the discount purchase condition in the process of S908 and when it is determined that the new purchase condition is not satisfied in the process of S909, the controller uses the price recorded in the license information table 51 as the content. The price of the viewing license is set (step S911). Then, the controller registers in the contract information table 52 (step S906).

  As described above, since the days when the content viewing license to be newly purchased can be purchased at a discount price are set from Monday to Thursday, content viewing is not concentrated on the weekend more than in the first embodiment.

  Note that the content distributed by the video-on-demand device can include not only video content but also music content.

  As described above, in the video on demand device of the present invention, when the designated content viewing license is purchased under the discount purchase conditions, the price of the newly purchased content viewing license is set as the discount price. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the concentration of content viewing during a specific period, and it is possible to suppress the facilities of the network information providing apparatus such as a server that is required.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a video on demand device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the license information table of the video on demand apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the contract information table of the video on demand apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the designation | designated license table of the video on demand apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the discount purchase condition table of the video on demand apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the price determination routine of the video on demand apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the video-on-demand apparatus which is the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the new purchase condition table of the video on demand apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the price determination routine of the video on demand apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Video on demand apparatus 2 VOD server 3 Web server 4 Viewing control server 5 Database 61-62 Router 7 Network 8 Set top box 9 Display

Claims (2)

A video-on-demand device that distributes content via a network,
Content distribution means for distributing content via the network;
Purchase request accepting means for accepting a purchase request for a content viewing license via the network;
A license information table in which the usage conditions of the content viewing license are recorded;
A contract information table in which the purchase history of the content viewing license is recorded;
A designated license table in which content viewing licenses satisfying predetermined conditions are recorded;
Discount purchase condition table in which discount purchase conditions for content viewing licenses are recorded,
Purchase history extraction means for extracting a purchase history of a specific user from the contract information table;
Judgment means for judging whether or not a user who has transmitted a purchase request for a content viewing license has purchased a content viewing license recorded in the designated license table under a discount purchase condition recorded in the discount purchase condition table When,
A video-on-demand apparatus comprising: discount means for setting a price of a content viewing license newly purchased by a user determined to be purchased under a discount purchase condition by the determination means to a specified discount price.   The discount means includes a content viewing license to be newly purchased when the content viewing license newly purchased by the user determined to be purchased under the discount purchase condition by the determining means satisfies a predetermined new purchase condition. The video-on-demand device according to claim 1, wherein the discount price is a specified discount price.

Images