Abstract:
A content distribution system includes a content server and a distribution server. The distribution server distributes the content provided from the content server via a network. The distribution server includes a notice accept unit, an issuing unit, a content receiving unit and a distribution execution unit. The notice accept unit receives a notice of attribute information from the content server, the attribute information corresponding to a distribution timing of content. The issuing unit issues a permission notice according to the accepted attribute information and transmits the issued permission notice to the content server. The content receiving unit receives the content added with meta information containing the distribution timing from the content server after issuing the permission notice. The distribution execution unit distributes the content received by the content receiving unit to the terminal device according to the distribution timing contained in the meta information added to the content.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-059734, filed on Mar. 22, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a content distribution system, a content distribution server, a content distribution method and a computer readable medium for distributing content to a smartphone or a wristwatch-type information terminal device etc., for example. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In order to reduce waste in a content distribution processing, there has been proposed a technique in which a conversion processing to be performed later is executed after analyzing video content and processing an image of a part corresponding to a non-display region, thereby eliminating a conversion processing of the non-display region (see JP-A-2012-129587, for example). 
     Further, in order to distribute content conforming to the reproducing environment of a client device, there has been proposed a technique in which content is processed so as to be adapted to the reproducing environment of the content based on selection information (request information) sent from the client device and then the content thus processed is distributed (see JP-A-2004-265263, for example). 
     As well as the techniques described in JP-A-2012-129587 and JP-A-2004-265263, many techniques have been proposed in which content data is processed on a server side for distributing content to terminal (client) devices. In general, a server for distributing content executes the distribution of content data after subjecting the content data, provided from various kinds of content holders via a network, to a filtering processing and a modification processing of a display layout according to the attrite of content and in accordance with a predetermined format. 
     In addition, in recent years, wide variety of devices such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal, different in the reproduction environment of content data such as an OS or a size of displaying capacity, have been provided as terminal devices as well as a mobile phone called a feature phone having been proposed conventionally. Thus, the load of the server for distributing content data tends to increase. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, a content distribution system includes a content server and a distribution server. The content server provides content. The distribution server distributes the content provided from the content server via a network. The content sever includes an attribute noticing unit, a standby unit and a content distribution request unit. The attribute noticing unit notices attribute information to the distribution server. The attribute information corresponds to a distribution timing of content desired to be distributed. The standby unit receives a permission notice for permitting the distribution, from the distribution sever according to a notice from the attribute noticing unit. After receiving the permission notice by the standby unit, the content distribution request unit transmits the content added with meta information to the distribution server. The meta information contains the distribution timing. The distribution server includes a notice accept unit, an issuing unit, a content receiving unit and a distribution execution unit. The notice accept unit receives the notice of the attribute information from the content server. The attribute information corresponds to the distribution timing of content desired to be distributed. The issuing unit issues the permission notice according to the attribute information accepted by the notice accept unit and transmits the issued permission notice to the content server. The content receiving unit receives the content added with the meta information from the content server after issuing the permission notice by the issuing unit. The distribution execution unit distributes the content received by the content receiving unit to a terminal device according to the distribution timing contained in the meta information added to the content. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram showing the entire configuration of a content distribution system according to an embodiment of this invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an electronic circuit within a wristwatch-type terminal according to the embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a sequence diagram according to the embodiment showing processing relating to the acceptance of content distribution, executed between a content holder and a content distribution server. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are diagrams showing content tables prepared on the content distribution server side according to the embodiment. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are diagrams showing content tables prepared on the content distribution server side according to the embodiment. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are diagrams showing examples of content images displayed on the display part of the wristwatch-type terminal according to the embodiment. 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are diagrams showing examples of content images displayed on the display part of the wristwatch-type terminal according to the embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment of a content distribution system to which this invention is applied will be explained with reference to accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram showing the entire configuration of the content distribution system according to this embodiment. In this figure, a content holder  2  for providing various kinds of content is connected to a network  1  including the internet, and also a content distribution server  3  for distributing content data provided from the content holder  2  is connected to the network. 
     The content holder  2  representatively shows one of various kinds of servers, for providing various kinds of content data to be reproduced by a personal computer, a smart phone and a wristwatch-type terminal described later etc., such as a server for providing a search engine, a server for providing SNS (Social Network Service), a server for providing video images or a server used in a company foe providing own website. 
     The content distribution server  3  is provided for providing membership-based content distribution service contracted by users of smart phones  6  and wristwatch-type terminals  7  described later, for example. The content distribution server  3  prepares and distributes simple content information according to need with respect to various kinds of content data provided from the content holder  2 . 
     Access points (AP)  4  and the base station  5  of a mobile telephone network are connected to the network  1  via a not-shown service provider. The smart phone  6  as a mobile terminal carried by a general user is connectable to the network  1  by way of a wireless LAN accorded to the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n standard, for example, via the access point  4 . Further, the smart phone  6  is also connected to the network  1  via the base station  5 . 
     The wristwatch-type terminal  7  as a wearable terminal device attached to the wrist of a user carrying the smart phone  6  is also connectable to the network  1  by way of the wireless LAN via the access point  4 . Further, the wristwatch-type terminal  7  can send and receive data with the smart phone  6  by setting in advance a paring state with the smart phone  6  according to the Bluetooth technique as the Near Field Communication standard. 
     The wristwatch-type terminal  7  has a display part which is quite small as compared with the display part of the smart phone  6 . Thus, the wristwatch-type terminal  7  displays simple image data which is obtained by processing image data for the smart phone  6  so as to reduce information amount thereof. 
     The functional configuration of the electronic circuit within the wristwatch-type terminal  7  will be explained with reference to  FIG. 2 . In  FIG. 2 , a CPU  11  comprehensively controls the entire operation of the wristwatch-type terminal  7 . The CPU  11  is connected via a bus B to a main memory  12 , a program memory  13 , a display part  14 , a touch panel  15 , a wireless LAN communication part  16 , a triaxial acceleration sensor  17 , a noticing part  18  and a Bluetooth communication part  19 . 
     The main memory  12  is configured by an SRAM, for example, and acts as a work memory of the CPU  11 . The program memory  13  is configured by a flash memory, for example. The program memory  13  stores operation programs executed by the CPU  11 , various kinds of fixed data, and the simple content data etc. received via the smart phone  6  or the wireless LAN. 
     The CPU  11  appropriately reads the operation programs including an OS and application programs from the program memory  13 , then develops the operation programs on the main memory  12  and sequentially executes the programs thus developed on the main memory  12 , thereby executing the operation control of the wristwatch-type terminal  7 . 
     Further, the CPU  11  contains an RTC (Real Time Clock) which continues the clocking operation of the current time, so that the wristwatch-type terminal  7  can also be used as a wrist watch. 
     The display part  14  is configured by a color liquid crystal panel of  240  dots in height and width, for example, a back light thereof and a driving circuit. The display part displays date and time information as a clock function and an image of various kinds of content data etc. having been received. 
     The touch panel  15  using a transparent electrode film is integrally formed on the display part  14 . The touch panel  15  generates two-dimensional coordinate information according to the touch operation by the fingers of a user wearing the wristwatch-type terminal  7  and transmits the information thus generated to CPU  11  as an operation signal. 
     The wireless LAN communication part  16  executes data transmission/reception with the nearest access point  4  via a wireless LAN antenna  20  according to the wireless LAN technique accorded to the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n standard. 
     The triaxial acceleration sensor  17  detects accelerations along mutually-orthogonal three axes acting on the wristwatch-type terminal  7  at the current time point, respectively, thereby detecting the change of a posture angle and the change of a posture due to an external force within the three-dimensional space of the wristwatch-type terminal  7  including the gravitational acceleration direction (vertical direction). 
     The noticing part  18  includes a buzzer part for generating beep sound and a vibration part for generating vibration, for example. As explained bellow, the noticing part executes a necessary noticing operation when the simple content data is transferred to the wristwatch-type terminal  7  or when the current time reaches an alarm time set in advance, for example. 
     The Bluetooth communication part  19  executes data transmission/reception with a device set in the paring state in advance such as the smart phone  6  via a Bluetooth antenna  21 . 
     Since not only the configurations of the hardware circuits of the respective servers constituting the content holder  2  and the content distribution server  3  but also the configuration of the hardware circuit of the smart phone  6  relate to the well known techniques, the explanation and figures thereof will be omitted. 
     Application program for communication linkage is installed into the smart phone  6  in advance, to thereby complete the connection setting with each of the content distribution server  3  and the wristwatch-type terminal  7  according to this application program. As a result, the simple content data provided from the content distribution server  3  can be transferred to the wristwatch-type terminal  7 . 
     The operation of this embodiment will be explained. 
       FIG. 3  is a sequence diagram showing a processing, performed at the time of accepting the content distribution, to be executed between the content holder  2  and the content distribution server  3 . 
     The content distribution server  3  registers, in advance, user information for a user using the smart phone  6  and the wristwatch-type terminal  7 , and the display setting for the smart phone  6  and the wristwatch-type terminal  7  such as version information of the OS being used and the size of the display screen etc. 
     Firstly, the content holder  2  notices information representing the kind of content to be registered to the content distribution server  3  (step S 101 ). 
     The information representing the kind of content is, for example, 
     “1: urgent content to be noticed forcedly”, and 
     “2: content associated with time information”. 
     For example, in the case of the content service of weather information, various kinds of alarms are classified to the urgent content “1”, and weather forecast information at the fixed hours is classified to the content “2” associated with the time information. 
     The content distribution server  3  is always in a standby state so as to wait for a notice from the content holder  2  (step S 201 ). When it is determines that the notice is received, the content distribution server  3  issues a content registration ticket, which is a unique code for discriminating content, and sends the ticket to the content holder  2  having sent the notice (step S 202 ). 
     When the content holder  2  receives the content registration ticket transmitted from the content distribution server  3  in response to the notice, the content holder  2  determines whether or not the information is the urgent information depending on whether or not the information representing the kind of content is “1” (step S 103 ). 
     When the information representing the kind of content is “1” and hence it is determined that the content is the urgent information, the content holder  2  transmits a set of content data to the content distribution server  3  (step S 104 ). 
     The set of content data to be transmitted at this time is configured by “content registration ticket+content meta information+content”, for example, based on a format set between the content holder  2  and the content distribution server  3  in advance. 
     On the other hand, when the information representing the kind of content is not “1” but “2” and hence it is determined that the content is not the urgent information, since the content belongs to the kind associated with the time information, the content holder  2  transmits a set of content data according to this kind to the content distribution server  3  (step S 105 ). 
     The set of content data to be transmitted at this time is configured by “content registration ticket+content meta information (containing notice time)+content”, for example, based on the format set between the content holder  2  and the content distribution server  3  in advance. 
     When the content distribution server  3  receives the set of content data transmitted in the processing of step S 104  or S 105 , the content distribution server  3  transmits to the content holder  2 , in response to the reception, a success notice representing that a content distribution request has been succeeded (step S 204 ). 
     When the content holder  2  receives this success notice (step S 106 ), since a series of processings to be performed on the content holder  2  side have been completed, the processing returns to the step S 101  in order to provide next content. 
     On the other hand, the content distribution server  3  prepares content to be distributed actually based on the set of content data received in the step S 203  (step S 205 ). 
       FIG. 4A  shows a transmission content table which is prepared on the content distribution server  3  side in correspondence to the set of content data of the content kind “1” which is transmitted from the content holder  2  in the processing of the step S 104 . 
     It will be understood from this table that, with respect to the content of the content data having an ID “1” received from the content holder  2 , the contents of the content registration ticket transmitted in the just previous step S 202  is “abcdefghijk” and the kind of content is “1” representing the necessity of the urgent notice. 
     In this respect, since the content kind “1” is set based on the notice from the content holder  2 , it is not necessary on the content distribution server  3  side to perform a filtering processing for determining whether or not the content is urgent information, for example. Thus, a load on the content distribution server  3  can be saved by an amount corresponding to the filtering processing. 
     The content distribution server  3  prepares an urgent notice content table shown in  FIG. 4B  based on the set of content data received in the step S 203  in accordance with the ID “1” of the transmission content table. Then, the content distribution server  3  reads the content “warning of heavy rains and flooding. gif” of the transmission content ID “1” shown by the urgent notice content table, and prepares various kinds of content of different specifications accorded to the specifications of the respective terminal devices including the smart phone  6  and the wristwatch-type terminal  7  as a contracted distribution destination. Thereafter, the content distribution server shifts to the transmission processing for transmitting the content thus prepared (step S 206 ). In this manner, when the content distribution server  3  terminates a series of the processing concerning the acceptance of the content, the processing returns to the step S 201  in order to accept the next content. 
     In the transmission processing executed thereafter by the content distribution server  3 , since the content of the content ID “1” belongs to the content kind “1” as shown in  FIG. 4A , this content is determined as urgent. Thus, the content distribution server  3  immediately prepares respective content of different specifications accorded to the respective terminal devices including the smart phone  6  and the wristwatch-type terminal  7  and distributes the content thus prepared. 
       FIG. 6A  shows an example of the content image representing a warning of heavy rains and flooding, which is transmitted to the wristwatch-type terminal  7  and displayed on the display part  14  thereof, for example. 
       FIG. 6B  shows an example of the content image representing (traffic) jam information, which is also transmitted to the wristwatch-type terminal  7  and displayed on the display part  14  thereof, for example, in accordance with the urgent notice. 
     The operation on the content distribution server  3  side will also be explained in the case where the content holder  2  transmits the set of content data associated with the time information belonging to the content kind “2” to the content distribution server  3  according to the processing of the step S 105 . 
     In this case, the content distribution server  3  prepares content to be distributed actually based on the set of content data received in the step S 203  (step S 205 ). 
       FIG. 5A  shows a transmission content table which is prepared on the content distribution server  3  side in correspondence to the two sets of content data of the content kind “2” which are transmitted from the content holder  2  in the processing of the step S 105 . 
     It will be understood from this table that, with respect to the content of the content data having an ID “2” received from the content holder  2 , the contents of the content registration ticket transmitted in the just previous step S 202  is “abcdefghijk” and the kind of content is “2” associating with the time information. 
     Similarly, it will be understood from this table that, with respect to the content of the content data having an ID “3” received from the content holder  2 , the contents of the content registration ticket transmitted in the just previous step S 202  is “abcdefghijk” and the kind of content is “2” associating with the time information. 
     In this respect, since the content kind “2” is set based on the notice from the content holder  2 , it is not necessary on the content distribution server  3  side to perform the filtering processing for determining whether or not the time information is to be associated, for example. Thus, a load on the content distribution server  3  can be saved by an amount corresponding to the filtering processing. 
     The content distribution server  3  prepares a time notice content table shown in  FIG. 5B  based on the sets of content data received in the step S 203  in accordance with the ID “2” of the transmission content table. Then, the content distribution server reads the content of the transmission content ID “2” shown by the time notice content table, and prepares various kinds of content of different specifications accorded to the specifications of the respective terminal devices including the smart phone  6  and the wristwatch-type terminal  7  as a contracted distribution destination. Thereafter, the distribution server shifts to the transmission processing for transmitting the content thus prepared (step S 206 ). In this manner, when the content distribution server  3  terminates a series of the processing concerning the acceptance of the content, the processing returns to the step S 201  in order to accept the next content. 
     In the transmission processing executed thereafter by the content distribution server  3 , since each of the respective content of the content IDs “2” and “3” belongs to the content kind “2” as shown in  FIG. 5A , each of these content is determined as being associated with the time information. Thus, as to each of the respective content of these content IDs, at the notice time associated with the time information, the content distribution server  3  prepares respective content of different specifications accorded to the respective terminal devices including the smart phone  6  and the wristwatch-type terminal  7  and distributes the content thus prepared. 
       FIG. 7A  shows an example of the content image representing “weather forecast 1” information of Manhattan District, which is transmitted to the wristwatch-type terminal  7  and displayed on the display part  14  thereof, for example. 
       FIG. 7B  shows an example of the content image representing “schedule 1” information as content also associated with the time information, which is transmitted to the wristwatch-type terminal  7  and displayed on the display part  14  thereof, for example. 
     In the aforesaid embodiment, the content distribution server  3  distributes content to the terminal devices including the smart phone  6  and the wristwatch-type terminal  7  in accordance with the “notice time” set by the content data of the content kind “2”, and the content thus transmitted is reproduced on the respective terminal device sides. In contrast, the content distribution server  3  may distribute the content in advance at a time point before the “notice time”, and the content thus transmitted may be reproduced on the terminal device side when the terminal device determines that the current time reaches the “notice time”. 
     According to the embodiment described in detail above, since it becomes unnecessary to determine the distribution timing of content to be distributed, the load of the server for distributing content data to the terminal devices can be further reduced. 
     In addition, in the aforesaid embodiment, content data is distributed in a manner that the information of reproduction time for noticing content on the terminal device side is contained in the meta information based on the information provided from the content holder  2 . Thus, content can be distributed at the time arbitrarily set on the content holder  2  side for providing the content, without increasing a load on the content distribution server  3  side. 
     The aforesaid embodiment is explained as to the example that the content distribution server  3  prepares the simple content, by reducing information amount from the content provided from the content holder  2 , and distributes the simple content to the wristwatch-type terminal  7  on the terminal side. In this manner, since the content distribution server  3  is not required to perform the processing concerning the determination of distribution timing etc., the content distribution server can handle, well in advance, processing such as the processing of content data accorded to the specification of the terminal device as the distribution destination. 
     Although the aforesaid embodiment is explained as to the case that content is an image (still image), this invention does not limit the kind etc. of content. For example, this invention can also distribute other content such as a video image, sound or an application program or the combination thereof. 
     This invention is not limited to the aforesaid embodiment and can be modified in various manners without departing from the gist of this invention at the time of practicing the invention. Further, the functions executed in the aforesaid embodiment may be suitably combined as possible. The aforesaid embodiment includes various stages and hence various inventions can be extracted by suitably combining the constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, if the similar effects can be obtained even when some of the entire constituent elements of the embodiment are removed, the remaining constituent elements can be extracted as an invention. 
     EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS 
     
         
           1  network 
           2  content server 
           3  content distribution server 
           4  access point (AP) 
           5  base station 
           6  smart phone 
           7  wristwatch-type terminal 
           11  CPU 
           12  main memory 
           13  program memory 
           14  display part 
           14 B redirect button 
           15  touch panel 
           16  wireless LAN communication part 
           17  triaxial acceleration sensor 
           18  noticing part 
           19  Bluetooth communication part 
           20  wireless LAN antenna 
           21  Bluetooth antenna 
         B bus