JP2010093726A - Method and system for implementing parental control - Google Patents

Abstract

A viewing restriction system that enables simple and accurate viewing restriction for each viewer based on viewing time and rating information without requiring a complicated input operation.
An STB (Set Top Box) 1 as a viewing device, a monitor 2 for reproducing contents such as a moving image and a still image received by the STB 1, and a user terminal 3 for remotely operating the STB 1 by wireless communication And an administrator terminal 4 that sets a viewing time limit value to STB 1 for each user terminal 3. In STB1, the viewing history (viewing time) and the viewing time limit value are managed for each terminal ID. When a viewing request is received from the user terminal 3, the viewing time is compared with the limit value based on the terminal ID, and viewing is performed. As long as the time is below the limit value, viewing of the content is permitted and the content is reproduced on the monitor 2.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a viewing restriction system that restricts viewing of content by identifying a viewer, and more particularly to a viewing restriction method and system for permitting or permitting new viewing based on the total viewing time.

  In TV broadcasting, if it is considered that the program content contains expressions harmful to youth, such as sexual expressions and violent expressions, it is desirable to allow viewers after confirming that the viewer is over a predetermined age It is. In response to such a request, the broadcast information rating information (age limit) is superimposed on the video signal or transmitted as digital data on the transmission side, and the received program rating information is set in advance for viewing and listening. A viewing restriction system has been devised that restricts viewing when the user is over the age of the person. According to such viewing restrictions, viewing restrictions based on the rating information can be added in advance to programs and channels that the parent determines to be inappropriate for viewing by children.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for operating setting and release of viewing restrictions based on rating information from a remote control of viewing equipment. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique that enables normal program playback by giving priority to the operation of releasing the viewing restriction function by setting a specific period in addition to the setting of the viewing restriction function by the remote controller.
JP 2002-199367 A JP 2000-354209 A

  In Patent Documents 1 and 2, ratings are set by an adult administrator first setting a password and entering and setting a code that restricts viewing based on this password, or entering a password each time it is received Viewing restrictions based on information are possible, and parents can restrict viewing of programs and channels that children do not want to view.

  Regardless of the rating conditions, it is desirable to avoid long-time content viewing from the viewpoint of children's health and education. Even in such a case, if the viewing time of the child is managed by the ID and password for identifying the viewer, the parent can restrict long-time viewing.

  However, in the above prior art, when a parent views a restricted program or channel, it is necessary to cancel the viewing restriction by entering an ID or password from a remote controller or the like each time. In addition, after viewing ended, it was necessary to resume viewing restriction by typing in an ID and password again.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art and to enable a simple and accurate viewing restriction for each viewer without requiring complicated input operations such as ID input and password input. And to provide a system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention allows a viewing facility that receives a viewing request from a user terminal to permit a request from a user terminal having viewing qualification and rejects a request from a user terminal having no viewing qualification. The viewing restriction system is characterized in that the following measures are taken.

  (1) A user terminal generates a viewing request including a terminal ID in response to an input operation of a viewing request, a terminal ID management unit that manages a terminal ID unique to the user terminal, an input operation unit that accepts an input operation And a wireless communication means for transmitting the viewing request to the viewing facility, wherein the viewing facility manages the limit value relating to the viewing time for each terminal ID and the wireless communication means for receiving the viewing request from the user terminal. Means, a means for managing viewing time for each terminal ID, and a comparison between the viewing time and the limit value for each terminal ID included in the viewing request, and a viewing request from a user terminal whose viewing time exceeds the limit value Viewing qualification determining means for refusing and permitting others, and means for reproducing content in response to a request from a user terminal permitted to view are provided.

  (2) The user terminal further includes user attribute management means for managing user attributes including the age of the user, and means for generating a registration request including the terminal ID and the user attributes, and the wireless communication means includes the registration request. A registration examination unit that examines whether or not the viewing facility further approves the registration request received from the user terminal, and a user management unit that registers the terminal ID and the user attribute of the approved registration request. And rating information management means for managing the rating information of the content provided to the user, and the viewing qualification determining means further permits or rejects viewing based on the rating information of the requested content and the user attribute. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.

  (1) Even when a limit value is set for the viewing time for each user, it is possible to easily perform viewing restriction and cancellation based on the terminal ID without inputting information such as an ID and a password.

  (2) Even when viewing content for which ratings (age restrictions) are set, it is now possible to easily implement viewing restrictions and cancellations according to the user's age without entering information such as IDs and passwords. Become.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a content viewing restriction system according to the present invention, which is equipped with a receiver for CATV or satellite broadcasting, and provides video-on-demand, interactive TV, communication karaoke, or Internet service. A set-top box (STB) 1 as a viewing device, a monitor 2 for playing back content such as moving images and still images received by the STB 1, and a mobile terminal 3 as a user terminal 3 for remotely operating the STB 1 by wireless communication Mainly a telephone and a mobile phone as an administrator terminal 4 that approves or rejects registration of the user terminal 3 in the STB 1 as a remote control terminal or sets a limit value for viewing time in the STB 1 for each user terminal 3 It is configured. The user of the user terminal 3 is, for example, a minor child, and the user of the administrator terminal 4 is a parent who is an administrator.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the user terminal 3 according to the present invention. Here, configurations unnecessary for the description of the present invention are omitted.

  The terminal ID management unit 302 stores a MAC address, a mobile phone number, and the like as a terminal ID unique to the user terminal 3. The user attribute management unit 303 stores the user name, age, and the like as terminal user attribute information. The input operation unit 305 includes a key switch, a touch panel, or a jog dial, and accepts a registration request input operation and a viewing request input operation by a terminal user, as will be described in detail later. The message transmission unit 304 includes a control code storage unit 304a, a registration request generation unit 304b that generates a registration request message, and a viewing request generation unit 304c that generates a viewing request message.

  The control code storage unit 304a has a control code for identifying a message type such as a registration request message or a viewing request message, or a control code for identifying STB1 remote operation (channel switching, volume adjustment, image quality adjustment, etc.). It is registered. The registration request generation unit 304b receives a registration request input operation to the input operation unit 305, and generates a registration request message (SPP packet) including a control code, a terminal ID, and a user attribute of the registration request. The viewing request generation unit 304c receives a viewing request input operation to the input operation unit 305, and generates a viewing request message (SPP packet) including a viewing request control code and a terminal ID. Each message is wirelessly transmitted from the Bluetooth module 301 to the STB 1.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the STB 1 in the present embodiment, and here, the configuration unnecessary for the description of the present invention is also omitted.

  The message receiving unit 102 includes a registration request receiving unit 102 a that receives a registration request message from the user terminal 3, a registration response receiving unit 102 b that receives a registration response message from the administrator terminal 4, and a viewing request message from the user terminal 3. A viewing request receiving unit 102c for receiving, a setting request receiving unit 102d for receiving a request for setting a limit value related to viewing time from the administrator terminal 4, and a limit value message in which the viewing time limit value Tmax is registered. 4 includes a limit value receiving unit 102e.

  The registration examination unit 103 examines the registration request received from the user terminal 3. In this embodiment, the registration examination unit 103 includes a registration request transfer unit 103a, transfers the registration request received from the user terminal 3 to the administrator terminal 4 via the Bluetooth module 101, and requests the administrator terminal 4 to conduct the examination. . The examination result is returned from the administrator terminal 4 as a registration response.

  The user management unit 104 identifies the user terminal 3 that has been approved for registration as a remote control terminal based on the examination result included in the registration response message received by the registration response receiving unit 102b. The terminal ID and the user attribute (in this embodiment, name and age) are stored in association with each other. The rating information management unit 106 manages rating information of each content that can be provided to the user. This rating information includes R20 that prohibits viewing under the age of 20, R18 that prohibits viewing under the age of 18, and R15 that prohibits viewing under the age of 15.

  In the time limit management unit 109, various limit values Tmax related to viewing time are stored in the limit value storage unit 109a for each terminal ID. In this embodiment, the limit values Tmax1, Tmax2, Tmax3, and Tmax4 of “total viewing time”, “total late-night viewing time”, “total long-time viewing time”, and “short-distance viewing total time” are the limit value messages. Is set by The “total viewing time” is the total viewing time. The “total night viewing time” is the total viewing time in the midnight time zone. The “total viewing time for a long time” is the total time of viewing continuously over a predetermined long time (for example, 2 hours). The “total distance viewing time” is the total time of viewing at a close distance from the STB 1. The distance from the STB 1 can be detected based on, for example, the power level of the received signal in Bluetooth communication.

  In the viewing history storage unit 109b, history information (total time) T1, T2, T3, and T4 related to the four viewing times is stored for each user. As will be described in detail later, the calculation unit 109c calculates the viewing violation degree K for each user based on the limit values Tmax1, Tmax2, Tmax3, and Tmax4 related to the four viewing times and the history information T1, T2, T3, and T4. To do. In the present embodiment, the degree of divergence between each limit value Tmaxi and each history information Ti is set as the viewing violation degree K. The determination unit 109d determines whether to permit viewing based on the viewing violation degree K.

  The viewing qualification determining unit 105 extracts the user attribute associated with the terminal ID registered in the viewing request message received by the viewing request receiving unit 102c from the user management unit 104, and uses the viewing request message to The rating information of the requested content is extracted from the rating information management unit 106. Then, it is determined whether or not the user's age is older than the age restricted by the rating information. If the user's age is exceeded, the content reproduction unit 107 is permitted to reproduce the content. The content reproduction unit 107 acquires the permitted content from the content reception unit 108, outputs it to the monitor 2, and reproduces it.

  The viewing qualification determination unit 105 further refers to the determination result of the viewing qualification in the time limit management unit 109 with respect to the terminal ID registered in the viewing request message received by the viewing request reception unit 102c. If the value is below the limit value, the viewing request is permitted, and if not, the viewing request is rejected.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the administrator terminal 4 in the present embodiment, and here also the configuration unnecessary for the description of the present invention is omitted.

  The registration request receiving unit 404 receives the registration request message transferred from the STB 1 via the Bluetooth module 401. The display unit 402 extracts and displays a terminal ID and user attributes from the registration request message. The input operation unit 405 receives an examination result as to whether or not to approve the registration request by an administrator who refers to the display unit 402.

  In the message transmission unit 403, the registration response generation unit 403a generates a registration response message in which the examination result is registered. The setting request generation unit 403b generates a setting request message for requesting the STB 1 to set a limit value related to viewing time in response to a setting request operation by the administrator to the input operation unit 405. The limit value generation unit 403c generates a limit value message in which the limit value Tmax is registered in response to an input operation of the limit value Tmax by the administrator to the input operation unit 405. Each message is transmitted from the Bluetooth module 401 to the STB 1.

  5 and 6 are diagrams showing packet structures of various messages transmitted and received between the STB 1, the user terminal 3, and the administrator terminal 4. In this embodiment, by using SPP (Serial Port Profile), Emulates a state in which devices are connected with a serial cable.

  A start mark is registered in each field of DLE (1) and STX. The length of the Date field is registered in the LEN field. The Date field includes a CMD (command) field and a plurality of Value fields. An end mark is registered in each field of DLE (2) and ETX. A checksum is registered in the SUM field.

  If the registration request message is transmitted from the user terminal 3 to the STB 1 and the registration request message is transmitted from the STB 1 to the administrator terminal 4, a control code corresponding to “user registration” is stored in the CMD field. The user attribute (here, name and age) is registered in the Value (1) field, and the terminal ID (here, the mobile phone number) is registered in the Value (2) field. . If it is a registration response message returned from the administrator terminal 4 to the STB 1, a control code corresponding to “user authentication” is registered in the CMD field, and an examination result (here, approval or rejection) is entered in the Value (1) field. ) Is registered.

  Further, in the case of a viewing request message transmitted from the user terminal 3 to the STB 1, a control code corresponding to the requested command is registered in the CMD field, and an operation value of the command is registered in the Value (1) field. In the Value (2) field, a terminal ID and various types of information are registered as appropriate. For example, if the command is channel switching, a control code corresponding to “channel” is registered in the CMD field, and “channel number” is registered in the Value (1) field.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 and the time charts of FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the user terminal 3, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the STB 1, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the administrator terminal 4. Here, a description will be given assuming that a Bluetooth communication session is established in advance between the user terminal 3 and the STB 1 and between the administrator terminal 4 and the STB 1.

  In step S1 in FIG. 7, the user terminal 3 determines whether or not an input operation (registration request operation) for registering the user terminal 3 in the STB 1 as a remote control terminal has been detected. In step S2, a request for viewing is made. It is determined whether or not an input operation (view request operation) is detected. In this embodiment, in order to be able to use the user terminal 3 as a remote control terminal, it is necessary to register the user terminal 3 in the STB 1 in advance, and here, an input operation for a registration request is detected in step S1. Continue to explain as a thing.

  In step S <b> 3, a terminal ID unique to the user terminal 3 is read from the terminal ID management unit 302. In step S4, the attribute of the terminal user (child) is read from the user attribute management unit 303. In the present embodiment, the user's age and name are read as user attributes. In step S5, the registration request generator 304b generates a registration request message in which the registration request control code, the terminal ID, and the user attributes are set in the Data field. In step S6, the registration request message is transmitted from the Bluetooth module 301 to STB1.

  Proceeding to FIG. 8, in STB1, when the registration request message is received by the registration request receiving unit 102a in step S21, the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, the received registration request message is transferred to the administrator terminal 4 by the registration request transfer unit 103a. In step S23, the system stands by in preparation for receiving a registration response returned from the administrator terminal 4.

  Proceeding to FIG. 9, in the administrator terminal 4, when the registration request message is received by the registration request receiving unit 404 in step S51, the process proceeds to step S52, and the terminal ID and the user attribute are extracted from the message. In step S53, the terminal ID and user attributes are displayed on the display unit 402. The administrator confirms the name and age by referring to the displayed content, and if there is no error, responds with a key operation for permitting registration, and responds with a key operation for rejecting registration if there is an error. In step S54, registration permission / rejection is determined based on the key operation. If registration is permitted, the process proceeds to step S56, and a registration permission registration response message is returned. On the other hand, if the registration is rejected, the process proceeds to step S55, and a registration rejection registration response message is returned.

  Returning to FIG. 8, in STB1, when the registration response message is received in step S23, the process proceeds to step S24, in which it is determined whether registration is permitted. If registration is permitted, the process proceeds to step S25, where the terminal ID and the user attribute are extracted and registered in the user management unit 104 in step S26.

  On the other hand, in the administrator terminal 4, a setting request operation regarding the viewing time limit value is performed on the input operation unit 405, and when this is detected in step S57 of FIG. In step S58, a setting request message is generated by the setting request generation unit 403b and transmitted to STB1.

  Returning to FIG. 8, in STB1, when the setting request message is received by the setting request receiving unit 102d in step S40, the process proceeds to step S41, and control for processing the setting request is started. In this setting request process, information necessary for the administrator to set a limit value is first output to the monitor 2. In the present embodiment, the names of all registered users are displayed in a list in the user management unit 104.

  Returning to FIG. 9, when the administrator who refers to the monitor 2 operates the input operation unit 405 of the administrator terminal 4 to designate a user on the monitor 2, this operation is detected in step S <b> 59 and proceeds to step S <b> 60. . In step S60, the limit values Tmax1, Tmax2, Tmax3, and Tmax4 of the “total viewing time”, “total midnight viewing time”, “total long viewing time”, and “total short distance viewing time” are input by the administrator. Input from the unit 405. In step S61, registered limit value messages of the respective limit values Tmax1, Tmax2, Tmax3, and Tmax4 are generated by the limit value generation unit 403c and transmitted to the STB1.

  Returning to FIG. 8, in STB1, when the limit value message is received in the setting request processing in step S41, limit values Tmax1, Tmax2, Tmax3, and Tmax4 registered in the message are registered in the limit value storage unit 109a. The

  Next, a viewing operation such as channel switching or volume adjustment is performed on the user terminal 3 that has been successfully registered, and if this is detected in step S2 of FIG. 7, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the terminal ID is read from the terminal ID management unit 302. In step S8, a viewing request message in which the viewing request control code and the terminal ID are set in the Data field is created, and is transmitted to STB1 in step S9.

  Returning to FIG. 8, in STB1, when the viewing request message is detected in step S27, the process proceeds to step S28, and the terminal ID is extracted from the message. In step S29, it is determined whether or not the requested content is subject to regulation. If the request is not related to the rating or the viewing time limit, such as volume adjustment or image quality (brightness) adjustment, the process proceeds to step S30 to make a request. The corresponding control is executed.

  On the other hand, if the request is a viewing request for content for which ratings are set, the process proceeds to step S31, and the rating of the requested content is read from the rating information management unit 106. In step S32, the user management unit 104 compares the user attribute (here, age) associated with the extracted terminal ID and the rating information. If the user is a restriction target, the process proceeds to step S39. Viewing is refused.

  On the other hand, if the user age is not the restriction target, the process proceeds to step S33, and it is determined whether or not the restriction value Tmax related to the viewing time of the user (terminal ID) is registered in the restriction value storage unit 109a. . If the limit value Tmax is already registered, the process proceeds to step S34, and each limit value Tmaxi of the user is read from the limit value storage unit 109a. In step S35, each viewing history Ti of the user is read from the viewing history storage unit 109b. In step S36, the viewing violation degree K is calculated by applying each limit value Tmaxi and history information Ti to the following equation (1).

  That is, the limit values Tmax1, Tmax2, Tmax3, and Tmax4 of the total viewing time, the total midnight viewing time, the long-time viewing total time, and the short-distance viewing total time are (200, 100, 100, 50 [hour / month]), If each viewing history T1, T2, T3, T4 is (150, 30, 40, 10 [hour / month]), the viewing violation degree K can be obtained by the following equation (2), where K = 0.41. Become.

  In the present embodiment, the feature vector of viewing time has four total times (total viewing time, late-night viewing total time, long-time viewing total time, short-distance viewing total time). It may be a feature vector having time as an element.

  In step S37, the viewing violation degree K is compared with a reference value Kref. If K <Kref, the process proceeds to step S38 and viewing is permitted. On the other hand, if K ≧ Kref, the process proceeds to step S39 and viewing is rejected.

  According to the present embodiment, since viewing can be restricted not only in ratings but also in total viewing time, it is possible to prevent minors from viewing content for a long time.

  In each of the above embodiments, the user terminal 3 and the administrator terminal 4 are described as mobile phones. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a PDA or a personal computer. Further, the input operation units 305 and 405 are not limited to a numeric keypad, a touch panel, or a jog dial, and may be a keyboard, a mouse, an acceleration sensor, or the like.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a content viewing restriction system according to the present invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the user terminal in this invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an STB in the present invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the administrator terminal in this invention. It is the figure which showed the packet structure of a message. It is the figure which showed the content of the Data field of a message packet. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of the user terminal. 3 is a flowchart showing STB operation. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of the administrator terminal. It is the time chart which showed operation | movement when a user terminal transmitted the registration request. It is the time chart which showed operation when a user terminal transmitted a viewing-and-listening request.

Explanation of symbols

  1 ... set top box (STB), 2 ... monitor, 3 ... user terminal, 4 ... administrator terminal

Claims (9)

In a viewing restriction system in which a viewing facility that receives a viewing request from a user terminal permits a request from a user terminal that has viewing qualifications and rejects a request from a user terminal that does not have viewing qualifications,
User terminal
A terminal ID management means for managing a terminal ID unique to the user terminal;
An input operation means for receiving an input operation;
Means for generating a viewing request including the terminal ID in response to an input operation of the viewing request;
Wireless communication means for transmitting the viewing request to viewing equipment,
The viewing equipment
Wireless communication means for receiving a viewing request from a user terminal;
Means for managing limit values related to viewing time for each terminal ID;
Means for managing viewing time for each terminal ID;
A viewing qualification determining unit that compares a viewing time with a limit value for each terminal ID included in the viewing request, rejects a viewing request from a user terminal whose viewing time exceeds the limit value, and permits others;
A viewing restriction system comprising: means for reproducing content in response to a request from a user terminal permitted to view.   The viewing restriction system according to claim 1, wherein the viewing qualification determining unit compares a feature vector having a plurality of types of viewing time as elements and a feature vector having a limit value of each viewing time as an element.   The viewing restriction system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of types of viewing time include at least two of total viewing time, total late-night viewing time, long-time viewing total time, and short-distance viewing total time.   The viewing restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an administrator terminal that communicates with the viewing facility wirelessly and sets a restriction value of a viewing time for each terminal ID. The user terminal further comprises:
User attribute management means for managing user attributes including the age of the user;
Generating a registration request including a terminal ID and a user attribute,
The wireless communication means transmits the registration request to a viewing facility,
More viewing facilities
Registration examination means for examining whether to approve the registration request received from the user terminal;
A user management means for registering the terminal ID and user attribute of the approved registration request;
A rating information management means for managing rating information of content provided to a user;
The viewing restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the viewing qualification determination unit further permits or rejects viewing based on rating information and user attributes of content requested to be viewed.   6. The viewing restriction system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication means is a Bluetooth module.   7. The viewing restriction system according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal is one of a mobile phone, a PDA, and a personal computer.   8. The viewing restriction system according to claim 1, wherein the input operation means is any one of a numeric keypad, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and an acceleration sensor. In a viewing restriction method in which a viewing facility that receives a viewing request from a user terminal permits a request from a user terminal that has viewing qualification and rejects a request from a user terminal that does not have viewing qualification,
User terminal
In response to a viewing request input operation, a procedure for generating a viewing request including a terminal ID,
Transmitting the viewing request to a viewing facility,
The viewing equipment
A procedure for receiving a viewing request from a user terminal;
For each terminal ID included in the viewing request, the viewing time managed separately is compared with the limit value, the viewing request from the user terminal whose viewing time exceeds the limit value is rejected, and the others are permitted Procedure and
And a procedure for playing back content in response to a request from a user terminal permitted to view.

Images