JP7855110B2 - Processing method for server management device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a processing method executed by a server management device.

In recent years, technologies have emerged that allow receivers and terminals to work together to send and receive information. For example, a receiver can receive information from a website and then transmit it to the terminal.

Patent No. 5898431

As described above, for the receiver, terminal, and content provider (such as a website) to cooperate in sending and receiving information, it is necessary to link the terminal's user identifier with the receiver's identifier beforehand, and it is desirable that this linking process be carried out appropriately.

Therefore, the problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a server management device that can appropriately perform the process of linking the receiver identifier and the terminal identifier.

The processing method of the server management device in this embodiment is a processing method executed by a server management device capable of sending and receiving data with multiple server devices. It involves obtaining an authentication code containing information identifying the manufacturer of the broadcast receiving device from a content provision device, identifying a server device corresponding to the authentication code based on the authentication code containing the information identifying the manufacturer of the broadcast receiving device, and sending an authentication request containing the authentication code to the identified destination server device.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the overall configuration example of the information sharing system according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a television device according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a partial configuration of a television apparatus according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the push delivery server in the first embodiment. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration example of the push delivery server of the first embodiment. Figure 6 shows the data structure of the data stored by the push delivery server of the first embodiment. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the overall processing in the information sharing system of the first embodiment. Figure 8 shows an overview of the overall configuration example of the information sharing system according to the second embodiment. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the common reception server in the second embodiment. Figure 10 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration example of the common reception server in the second embodiment. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the overall processing in the information sharing system of the second embodiment. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the overall processing in the information sharing system of the third embodiment. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the overall processing in the information sharing system of the fourth embodiment. Figure 14 shows an example of promotional information in the information sharing system of the fifth embodiment. Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating the advertising information of the fifth embodiment. Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the display process of promotion information in the information sharing system of the fifth embodiment. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the information sharing process in the fifth embodiment of the information sharing system. Figure 18 is a flowchart showing the process for canceling the information sharing in the information sharing system of the fifth embodiment. Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the procedure for canceling a linkage via user terminal operation in the information linkage system of the fifth embodiment. Figure 20 shows an example of clickable advertisement information in the information sharing system of the fifth embodiment. Figure 21 is a flowchart showing the linkage processing procedure in the modified information linkage system.

The following describes in detail, with reference to the drawings, embodiments (first and second embodiments) of the server device, broadcast receiving device, server management device, information sharing system, and program of the present invention.

(First Embodiment)
First, with reference to Figure 1, an example of the overall configuration of the information sharing system S of the first embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the overall configuration of the information sharing system S of the first embodiment. The information sharing system S comprises a smartphone 1 (terminal), a television device 2 (broadcast receiving device), a TV cloud 3 (server device), and a content provision server 4, which is a content provision device such as an EC (Electronic Commerce) site server. The TV cloud 3 can communicate with the television device 2 and the content provision server 4 via a public communication line such as the internet. In addition, the smartphone 1 can wirelessly communicate with the content provision server 4 and the TV cloud 3 via a base station.

Smartphone 1 is an example of an information terminal owned by a user of the television system 2. Smartphone 1 includes a communication interface (interface), audio input unit (microphone), sensor group, display unit, graphics controller, touch panel controller, CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, camera, speaker, etc. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the user uses smartphone 1 to perform internet shopping.

TV Cloud 3 is a server device that can send and receive data from the television equipment 2 via a network; it is a so-called cloud server. TV Cloud 3 may, for example, be a server device operated by the manufacturer of the television equipment 2. Based on the viewing information (visual data) collected from the television equipment 2, TV Cloud 3 provides various services to the television equipment 2 via the network, such as recommended viewing programs, recommended scheduled programs, and product recommendations based on the content of the viewed programs.

The content provision server 4 is a computer device for operating an e-commerce site (online shop) on the internet. The content provision server 4 is, for example, a server device for an e-commerce platform. The content provision server 4 acts as a platform for users (consumers) to purchase goods and services via the network in response to operations on their terminal devices (such as smartphone 1). The content provision server 4 may also be a video platform providing content such as videos. For example, the content provision server 4 transmits product images to smartphone 1 in response to operations on smartphone 1. The content provision server 4 pre-registers redirect_uri with TV Cloud 3.

The details of each component in the information sharing system S will be explained below with reference to Figure 2 and subsequent figures. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the television device 2 in the first embodiment. The television device 2 performs display control for the video display unit 233, which is larger than the display unit of the smartphone 1 (details will be described later).

As shown in Figure 2, the television device 2 includes an input terminal 202, tuners 203a to 203g, a signal processing unit 207, a graphics processing unit 208, an audio processing unit 209, an OSD (On Screen Display) signal generation unit 210, and a video processing unit 211.

The input terminal 202 receives the terrestrial digital broadcast signal received by the terrestrial broadcast receiving antenna 213. The terrestrial digital broadcast signal is supplied to tuners 203a to 203g via input terminal 202.

Tuners 203a to 203g are tuners for terrestrial digital broadcasting, and they select the broadcast signal for the channel instructed by the control unit 216 (described later) from the terrestrial digital broadcasting signal supplied from the input terminal 202.

However, the television device 2 may have an input terminal to which satellite digital broadcast signals received by a BS/CS digital broadcast receiving antenna are input. The satellite digital broadcast signals are supplied to a satellite digital broadcast tuner via such an input terminal.

The signal processing unit 207 demodulates the broadcast signal, including digital video and audio signals, from the broadcast signals supplied by tuners 203a to 203g. Furthermore, the signal processing unit 207 selectively applies predetermined digital signal processing to the video signal included in the digital broadcast signal and outputs it to the graphics processing unit 208. Also, the signal processing unit 207 selectively applies desired digital signal processing to the audio signal included in the digital broadcast signal and outputs it to the audio processing unit 209.

Multiple external input terminals 214a to 214d are connected to the signal processing unit 207. These external input terminals 214a to 214d can receive analog video and audio signals from external devices such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) recorder. The signal processing unit 207 digitizes the analog video and audio signals input from the external input terminals 214a to 214d. Furthermore, the signal processing unit 207 applies predetermined digital signal processing to the digitized video signal and outputs it to the graphics processing unit 208. Similarly, the signal processing unit 207 applies predetermined digital signal processing to the digitized audio signal and outputs it to the audio processing unit 209.

The graphics processing unit 208 superimposes the OSD signal generated by the OSD signal generation unit 210 onto the digital video signal supplied from the signal processing unit 207 and outputs it to the video processing unit 211. The graphics processing unit 208 can also output either the digital video signal supplied from the signal processing unit 207 or the OSD signal generated by the OSD signal generation unit 210 to the video processing unit 211.

The video processing unit 211 converts the digital video signal or OSD signal input from the graphics processing unit 208 into an analog video signal or OSD signal in a format that can be displayed on the display screen of the video display unit 233, and outputs it to the video display unit 233. The video display unit 233 is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display.

The audio processing unit 209 converts the digital audio signal input from the signal processing unit 207 into an analog audio signal in a format playable by the speaker 215, and outputs it to the speaker 215.

The television device 2 further includes a control unit 216, a card holder 217, various interfaces 218-221, and a brightness sensor 230. The control unit 216 includes a CPU 216a, ROM 216b, RAM 216c, and non-volatile memory 216d.

The control unit 216 comprehensively controls various operations of the television system 2, including the reception of broadcast signals such as terrestrial digital broadcast signals and satellite digital broadcast signals. Furthermore, the control unit 216 controls various parts of the television system 2 according to operation information from the operation unit 222 or operation information input from the remote control 238 via the light receiving unit 223.

The CPU 216a controls the operation of the entire television system 2 by executing programs stored in the ROM 216b. The ROM 216b primarily stores programs executed by the CPU 216a. The RAM 216c provides a workspace for the CPU 216a when executing programs. The non-volatile memory 216d stores various setting information and control information for the television system 2.

The control unit 216 is connected to a card holder 217 that allows the memory card 234 to be inserted and removed via a card interface 225. This allows the control unit 216 to send and receive various information to and from the memory card 234 mounted in the card holder 217 via the card interface 225.

The control unit 216 is connected to the LAN terminal 226 via the communication interface 218. This allows the control unit 216 to send and receive various information with external devices such as the relay device 400 and LAN-compatible HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) connected to the LAN terminal 226 via the communication interface 218. However, the communication interface 218 may be configured to connect wirelessly to external devices such as the relay device 400.

The control unit 216 is connected to the HDMI terminal 227 via the HDMI® (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) I/F 221. This allows the control unit 216 to send and receive various information with an external device connected to the HDMI terminal 227 via the HDMI I/F 221.

The control unit 216 is connected to the USB terminal 228 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface 219. This allows the control unit 216 to send and receive various information with the storage device 237, which includes a USB HDD or the like, connected to the USB terminal 228, via the USB interface 219.

The storage device 237, for example, includes an HDD or SSD (Solid State Drive) and is configured to record the digital signals received by the television device 2 as recorded data. However, the storage device 237 may be built into the television device 2.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration example of the television device 2 of the first embodiment. The television device 2 comprises a storage unit 241 (ROM 216b, RAM 216c, and non-volatile memory 216d, and storage device 237 in Figure 2), and a transmission unit 242, an acquisition unit 243, and a display control unit 244, which are function modules generated as a result of the program stored in the storage unit 241 being executed by the CPU 216a.

The transmission unit 242 transmits various information to an external device. The acquisition unit 243 acquires various information from the external device and reads various information stored in the storage unit 241.

The display control unit 244 performs display processing to display various information on the video display unit 233. For example, the display control unit 244 displays an image on the video display unit 233 in response to an image display request from the smartphone 1 (details will be described later).

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the TV Cloud 3 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the TV Cloud 3 includes a communication interface 301, an operation unit 302, a CPU 303, a memory 304, and a storage device 305.

The communication interface 301 is an interface used for communication with external devices. The operation unit 302 includes input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, and a display device such as a display.

The storage device 305, for example, is equipped with an HDD or SSD and stores various types of information. The CPU 303 controls the various components of the TV Cloud 3 by executing various programs. The memory 304, equipped with ROM or RAM, stores various programs and data used for various calculation processes by the CPU 303.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration example of the TV Cloud 3 of the first embodiment. The TV Cloud 3 comprises a storage unit 311 (memory 304, storage device 305), and, as functional modules generated as a result of the execution of a program stored in the storage unit 311 by the CPU 303, an acquisition unit 312, a transmission unit 313, and a generation unit 314.

The storage unit 311 stores programs and databases (DBs) executed by the CPU 303. An example of the DB data structure will be explained using Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, the DB stores information including the TVID, authentication code, EC server ID, and token. The DB may also contain attribute information (such as the television model) of the television device 2 corresponding to the TVID.

The TVID is information that identifies the television device 2. The authentication code is a code required to obtain the token described later. The EC server ID is information that identifies the content provision server 4. That is, it is the ID of the EC site server, etc. The token is information used for authentication. Returning to Figure 5, the acquisition unit 312 acquires various information from the external device. The transmission unit 313 transmits various information to the external device. The generation unit 314 performs the information generation operation on the DB.

Next, the processing flow of each component in the information sharing system S will be explained. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the overall processing in the information sharing system S of the first embodiment. Here, the process starts with the user operating the remote control of the television device 2, etc., to specify the e-commerce site that the user wants to link with the smartphone 1 on a so-called portal screen (a screen for linking with e-commerce sites, etc.). Note that the processing of the smartphone 1 shown in Figure 7 may also be executed by an application program installed on the smartphone 1.

As described above, when an e-commerce site is specified by the user, in step S1, the transmission unit 242 of the television device 2 transmits information about the e-commerce site (e.g., the e-commerce site's ID, URL, etc.) and the TVID, which is the identifier of the television device 2, to the TV cloud 3. In this way, the transmission unit 242 transmits information about the content provision server 4, which is an image provisioning device that provides images from the e-commerce site, to the TV cloud 3.

The acquisition unit 312 of the TV Cloud 3 acquires information about the e-commerce site and the TVID from the television device 2. The generation unit 314 of the TV Cloud 3 generates an authentication code and stores information including the TVID, the e-commerce server ID (which identifies the content provision server 4 of the e-commerce site), and the authentication code in the database of the storage unit 311. The generation unit 314 also generates a QR code (registered trademark), which is a two-dimensional code based on the authentication code and the URL of the e-commerce site. Note that the QR code is just an example; other display information may be used. That is, other forms of display information capable of transmitting the authentication code and the e-commerce site access information may be used. The authentication code may include a portion for identifying the manufacturer and a portion for identifying the television device 2.

In step S2, the transmission unit 313 of the TV Cloud 3 transmits the QR code to the requesting television device 2. In response to the request from the television device 2, it transmits a QR code containing the URL for accessing the e-commerce site and an authentication code.

The acquisition unit 243 of the television device 2 acquires a QR code from the TV cloud 3. In this way, the acquisition unit 243 of the television device 2 acquires a QR code that represents access information based on the authentication code and the URL of the e-commerce site. The display control unit 244 of the television device 2 displays the QR code on the video display unit 233. Thus, the display control unit 244 outputs the QR code.

In step S3, the smartphone 1 reads the QR code displayed on the video display unit 233 using a QR code reading function implemented by an imaging means or the like. As a result, the smartphone 1 obtains the URL of the e-commerce site and an authentication code. In step S4, having obtained the URL of the e-commerce site and the authentication code, the smartphone 1 accesses the content provision server 4 based on the URL and transmits the authentication code.

When the content provider server 4 obtains an authentication code from the smartphone 1, in step S5, it sends the authentication code, along with information identifying the content provider server 4, to the TV cloud 3, making an authentication request. The acquisition unit 312 of the TV cloud 3 also obtains the authentication code, along with information identifying the content provider server 4. In this way, the acquisition unit 312 of the TV cloud 3 obtains the authentication code transmitted from the content provider server 4.

The generation unit 314 of the TV Cloud 3 authenticates by referring to the database (DB) of the storage unit 311 and determining whether there is information corresponding to the information identifying the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312. If the generation unit 314 refers to the DB of the storage unit 311 and finds information corresponding to the information identifying the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312, it generates a token using known technology. Furthermore, the generation unit 314 associates the token with the information containing the information identifying the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312 in the DB. The information further associated with the token includes the TVID of the requesting television device 2.

Therefore, the generation unit 314 generates correspondence information that associates the television device 2 corresponding to the authentication code with the token based on that authentication code.

In step S6, the transmission unit 313 of the TV Cloud 3 sends the token generated by the generation unit 314 to the content provision server 4. In this way, the transmission unit 313 sends a token based on the authentication code to the content provision server 4. The content provision server 4 maintains information associating the token with the user ID of the smartphone 1 that sent the authentication code.

In step S7, smartphone 1 logs in to content provider server 4 and accesses the e-commerce site. This displays the e-commerce site screen. Here, the user of smartphone 1 selects an instruction indicating a TV display request for a specific link on the e-commerce site screen. In step S8, smartphone 1, in response to this selection, sends the URL of the link to content provider server 4, thereby making a TV display request. Content provider server 4 receives the URL of the image to be displayed along with the TV display request from smartphone 1.

In step S9, the content provider server 4 sends a token corresponding to the requesting smartphone 1 and the URL of the image to be displayed to the TV cloud 3, requesting display. The acquisition unit 312 of the TV cloud 3 acquires the token and URL sent by the content provider server 4. In this way, the acquisition unit 312 acquires the token sent by the content provider server 4 and the URL of the access destination for the image to be displayed based on the request from the smartphone 1.

In step S10, the TV cloud 3 refers to the database in the storage unit 311 and identifies the TVID corresponding to the token acquired by the acquisition unit 312. Then, the transmission unit 313 of the TV cloud 3 transmits the URL of the image to be displayed to the television device 2 corresponding to that TVID.

The acquisition unit 243 of the television device 2 acquires the URL of the access destination for the image to be displayed. The transmission unit 242 of the television device 2 then accesses the content provision server 4 based on this URL, and the acquisition unit 243 acquires the image from the content provision server 4 based on the access destination of the image to be displayed. The display control unit 244 of the television device 2 then displays the image acquired by the acquisition unit 243 on the video display unit 233.

In the first embodiment, the TV Cloud 3 generates correspondence information that associates the television device 2 corresponding to the authentication code with a token based on the authentication code. Upon obtaining the token and the access destination of the image to be displayed based on the request from the smartphone 1 from the content provision server 4, the TV Cloud 3 notifies the television device 2 of the access destination of the image, thereby enabling the television device 2 to display the image requested by the smartphone 1. This allows the TV Cloud 3 to display the image requested by the smartphone 1 on the television device 2, which can display the image larger than the screen of the smartphone 1.

Furthermore, the television device 2 outputs access information including the access destination and authentication code for the content provision server 4. It then obtains the access destination for the image to be displayed based on the request from the smartphone 1 from the TV cloud 3 and displays the image on the video display unit 233. This allows the television device 2 to display the image requested by the smartphone 1 on the video display unit 233, which can display the image larger than the smartphone 1's screen.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the information sharing system S differs from the first embodiment in that the TV cloud 3 is different for each manufacturer of the television equipment 2. In other words, the information sharing system S according to the second embodiment has multiple TV clouds 3.

Here, we will describe an example of the overall configuration of the information sharing system S of the second embodiment. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an overview of the overall configuration of the information sharing system S of the second embodiment. Note that components identical to those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. As shown in Figure 8, the information sharing system S has multiple TV clouds 3 (TV cloud 3a, TV cloud 3b). TV cloud 3b can be connected to a television device 2, which is a television (not shown) from a manufacturer associated with the TV cloud 3b.

Number 2 is television.
3 is a so-called push notification server, which is a TV cloud. TV cloud 3 is a server of a television manufacturer that manufactures television equipment 2 and, based on the results of collecting viewing information from television equipment 2, provides various services to television equipment 2 via the network, such as recommendations for programs to be viewed and programs to be scheduled, and product recommendations based on the content of programs to be viewed.

Furthermore, 5 is the TV gateway, which is a common reception server. The TV gateway 5 is a server for a common site of television equipment manufacturers, integrating the TV clouds 3 of multiple TV manufacturers and connecting them to e-commerce (EC). The information sharing system S has a TV gateway 5 (server management device) that can send and receive information with the multiple TV clouds 3 via the network. The TV gateway 5 can also send and receive information via the network with the measurement server 6, which performs measurement processing to aggregate the results of advertisement display. This TV gateway 5 is a cloud server that unites each manufacturer. In other words, the TV gateway 5 is a server that integrates the TV clouds 3 of multiple TV manufacturers and connects them to the content provision server 4. The TV gateway 5 issues client credentials (client_id, client_secret) to the content provision server 4.

Furthermore, a random secret code to be set in the x-api-key between the TV Cloud 3 and the TV Gateway 5 is predetermined. The x-api-key exchanged between the TV Gateway 5 and the content provision server 4 becomes the pass-key.

4 is a content provision server, such as an e-commerce site server. Content provision server 4 is the server for the e-commerce platform. For users, i.e., consumers, content provision server 4 is the server that serves as the platform for purchasing goods and services. Furthermore, content provision server 4 pre-registers redirect_uri with the TV gateway 5.

1050 is a user terminal. The user terminal 1050 is a terminal having an application program for connecting the television device 2 and the user terminal 1050, and an optical reading device such as a camera. A smartphone 1 is an example of the user terminal 1050. In the first embodiment, the user terminal 1050 is described as a smartphone 1, but it is not limited to a smartphone. The user terminal 1050 can be a PC, tablet, or any other device that meets the conditions of the situation. Furthermore, these terminals can replace the smartphone shown in the first embodiment.

Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the television gateway 5 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the television gateway 5 includes a communication interface 501, an operation unit 502, a CPU 503, a memory 504, and a storage device 505.

The communication interface 501 is an interface used for communication with external devices. The operation unit 502 includes input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, and a display device such as a display.

The storage device 505, for example, is equipped with an HDD or SSD and stores various types of information. The CPU 503 controls the various components of the TV gateway 5 by executing various programs. The memory 504, equipped with ROM or RAM, stores various programs and data used in various calculation processes performed by the CPU 503.

Figure 10 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration example of the television gateway 5 of the second embodiment. The television gateway 5 includes a storage unit 511 (memory 504, storage device 505), and, as functional modules generated as a result of the CPU 503 executing a program stored in the storage unit 511, it comprises an acquisition unit 512, a transmission unit 513, and a generation unit 514.

The memory unit 511 stores programs and databases (DBs) executed by the CPU 503.

The acquisition unit 512 acquires various information from an external device. The transmission unit 513 transmits various information to the external device. The generation unit 514 performs information generation operations on the database.

Next, the processing flow of each component in the information linkage system S of the second embodiment will be described. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the overall processing in the information linkage system S of the second embodiment. The flowchart in Figure 11 also starts with the user operating the remote control of the television device 2, etc., and specifying the e-commerce site that the user wants to link with their smartphone 1 on a so-called portal screen. The authentication code and token generated by TV Cloud 3 include information identifying the manufacturer. That is, TV Cloud 3 includes information identifying its own device in the authentication code and token.

Furthermore, step S21 in Figure 11 is the same as step S1 in Figure 7, so its explanation is omitted. In step S22, a URL authentication code is sent from TV Cloud 3 to the television device 2. The URL authentication code 2010 contains URL information that identifies the content provision server 4 and an authentication code for authentication between the content provision server 4 and TV Cloud 3. The authentication code may include a part for identifying the manufacturer of the television device 2 and a part for identifying the television device 2. The part of the authentication code used to identify the television device 2 is a random value. TV Cloud 3 may also associate the time it sent this value to the television device 2 with the information in the DB of the storage unit 311.

An example of URL authentication code 2010 information is as follows:
https://XXXXXXXX YYYYYYYYY
The X part contains the URL of content provider server 4, and the Y part contains the authorization code for OAuth2. The authorization code contains information that identifies the manufacturer and the television. Either one of the pieces of information that identifies the manufacturer or the television device 2 is sufficient. The URL authentication code 2010 can be sent in any format as long as it contains the above information.

When the acquisition unit 243 of the television device 2 acquires the URL authentication code 2010 from the TV cloud 3, the display control unit 244 optically displays the contents of the URL authentication code 2010 as an image or video using the video display unit 233. The display format used by the display control unit 244 can be a QR code, barcode, text, etc., as long as it can optically display and output the information contained in the URL authentication code 2010 as an image or video. Furthermore, although the first embodiment uses a QR code for explanation, it is not limited to a QR code, as is the case in this embodiment.

Furthermore, similar to step S3 in Figure 7, in step S23, the user terminal 1050 reads the URL authentication code 2011 information optically displayed on the video display unit 233 from the image information optically captured by the imaging means using the URL authentication code reading function. As a result, the user terminal 1050 obtains the URL of the e-commerce site and the authentication code. The authentication code portion is a time-limited authentication code and is configured as follows.
“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <string> // Random number

In step S24, the user terminal 1050 obtains the URL of the e-commerce site and the authentication code. Based on the URL, it accesses the content provision server 4 and transmits the authentication code 2020.

Authentication code 2020 is the authentication code portion (<authorization code>) of URL authentication code 2010 and URL authentication code 2011. Authentication code 2021 is as follows:
“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <string> // Random number Note that authentication code 2020 may also include the URL information of content provider server 4 in addition to the above.

In step S25, when the content provider server 4 receives authentication code 2020, it sends authentication code 2021 to the TV gateway 5 and makes an authentication request. The content provider server 4 sends the authentication request information to, for example, the Token Endpoint of OAuth2 on the TV gateway 5. The information for authentication code 2021 has the following structure.
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (<client_id> + “:” + <client_secret>)
Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
・grant_type: “authorization_code”
• code: <authorization code> (authentication code)
- redirect_uri: This is the entry point when returning to the EC site of content provider server 4, and is pre-registered with TV gateway 5.
- client_id: An identifier assigned to each e-commerce site on the content provision server 4. This is the one that has been pre-registered with the TV gateway 5.
The client_secret is assigned by the TV gateway 5 based on the client_id for each site of the content provision server 4. The TV gateway 5 redirects based on the manufacturer extension of the code for each site.

In step S26, the transmission unit 313 of the TV gateway 5 refers to the acquired authentication code 2021, refers to the manufacturer identification information contained in the authentication code 2021, and identifies the destination TV cloud 3. Specifically, the transmission unit 313 of the TV gateway 5 checks the authentication code and determines which TV cloud 3 it is.

Then, in step S27, the transmission unit 313 of the TV gateway 5 makes an authentication request by sending an authentication request 2022 to the destination TV cloud 3.
In this manner, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 sends an authentication request 2022 to the destination TV cloud 3, which is identified based on the Authorization_code (authentication code) of the authentication code 2021. The information in the authentication request 2022 sent by the transmission unit 313 of the TV gateway 5 is the same as the information in the authentication code 2021 obtained from the content provision server 4. Other examples of information in the authentication request 2022 include the following.
GET https://each-maker. example. com/common/devices/id
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access_token>
The acquisition unit 312 of TV Cloud 3 acquires the authentication code described in the URL authentication code 2010 along with information identifying the content provision server 4.

The generation unit 314 of the TV Cloud 3 authenticates by referring to the DB of the storage unit 311 and determining whether there is information corresponding to the information identifying the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312. If the generation unit 314 refers to the DB of the storage unit 311 and finds information corresponding to the information identifying the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312, it generates a token 2030. Furthermore, the generation unit 314 associates the token 2030 with the information in the DB that contains the information identifying the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312.

In step S28, the transmission unit 313 of the TV cloud 3 transmits the token 2030 generated by the generation unit 314 to the TV gateway 5.

Specifically, the transmission unit 313 of TV Cloud 3 sends the OAuth2 Token Response as token 2030 to the TV gateway 5. The OAuth2 Access Token Response of this response is configured as follows.
{“access_token”: <access token>,
“token_type”: “Bearer”,
“expires_in”: 3600,
“refresh_token”: <refresh token>}
When TV Cloud 3 accesses TV Gateway 5, it appends an access_token. expires_in is the validity period (in seconds) of the access_token, and is stored along with the time when the access_token becomes invalid when it is received. Until then, this access_token is used repeatedly. The refresh_token is stored secretly by the content provision server 4. This is because it is not good for security reasons to simply store it in local storage. When each manufacturer issues an access_token or refresh_token, they can identify the TV manufacturer by adding an identifier that identifies the TV manufacturer at the beginning.

The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires token 2030. Then, in step S29, the TV gateway 5 transmits token 2030 as token 2031 to the content provision server 4, and the content provision server 4 acquires token 2031. Alternatively, the transmission unit 313 of the TV cloud 3 may directly transmit the token to the content provision server 4.

The content provision server 4 stores information that associates token 2031 with the user ID of the user terminal 1050 that sent the authentication code.

Then, in step S30, the content provision server 4 sends the token 2031 and the user ID as a response, sending the token + user ID 2040 to the TV gateway 5. This allows the content provision server 4 to send the user ID of the user terminal 1050 to the TV gateway 5.

The structure of the information consisting of the token + user ID 2040 transmitted by content provider server 4 is as follows:
POST https://tv-common. example. com/common/users/id
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (<client_id> + “:” + <client_secret>)
Content-type:application/x-www-form-urlencoded
{grant_type: “access_token”,
access_token: <access token> (information issued as access token in step S28),
client_id: An identifier assigned to each site of content provision server 4. Pre-registered on the manufacturer's common site.
user_id: User ID on the content provision server 4 site,
Preference: <Current user attributes (Current user attributes: User's date of birth, gender, postal code, purchase history, etc.)>

The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires the token + user ID 2040 from the content provision server 4. In step S31, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 identifies the destination TV cloud 3 from the token + user ID 2040 and sends a device ID request 2041 (TVID) to the destination TV cloud 3. Note that the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 may also transmit the token when sending the device ID request 2041.

Device ID request 2041 is a request from the TV gateway 5 to query each manufacturer (TV cloud 3) for the TV's device_id (TVID) using the access_token of OAuth2, and is, for example, as follows:
GET https://each-maker. example. com/common/devices/id
・Authorization: “Bearer” + <access_token>
• x-api-key: <A random secret code set by each manufacturer and shared by the manufacturer>
・Content-type: application/json
- client_id: An identifier assigned to each manufacturer's common website.

The TV Cloud 3 refers to the DB in the storage unit 311 and obtains a TVID corresponding to the acquired token. The TV Cloud 3 may also obtain device information corresponding to the acquired TVID (attribute information of the television device 2 for that TVID). In step S32, the transmission unit 313 of the TV Cloud 3 transmits the TVID and other information as a device ID response 2050 to the TV gateway 5. An example of a device ID response 2050 is as follows.
• “device_id”: <id> (TVID assigned to television device 2 by TV Cloud 3)
• “model”: <model name> (the model of the television device 2, i.e., display screen size in inches, pixel count information such as 2K, 4K, 8K, etc.)

In step S33, the generation unit 514 of the TV gateway 5 registers the information binding information, which associates the acquired TVID (device ID), user ID, and model information (model) of the television device 2, as DB information in the storage unit 511.

Furthermore, the generation unit 514 of the TV gateway 5 generates a pass key 2051. Also, in step S34, the transmission unit 513 transmits the pass key to the content provision server 4. The pass key includes the following information.
• “pass_key”: <pass_key>, (This pass_key is used as the ID when executing operation commands 2090 to 2093 from step S44 onwards)
• “expires_in”: 86400 (expires_in returns a grace period of 10 days or so even if preference cannot be provided on the first access.)
• “model”: <model name> (Information about the model in the device ID response, such as the model of the television device 2, i.e., the display screen size in inches, and pixel count information such as 2K, 4K, 8K, etc.)

Furthermore, in step S35, the generation unit 514 of the television gateway 5 stores the generated pass key in the storage unit 511.

When the content provision server 4 obtains a pass key from the TV gateway 5, it stores the information contained in the pass key. Specifically, the following information is stored for each user ID of the e-commerce site.
・access_token
・refresh_token
・pass_key
• model // Linked TV model information

In step S36, the user terminal 1050 logs in to the service provided by the content provision server 4 by launching the application. As a result, the smartphone 1 displays the e-commerce site screen. The e-commerce site screen output by the application also displays a button for connecting to the television device 2. In step S37, the content provision server 4 sends device information 2070 to the user terminal 1050 in response to the login in step S36. The device information 2070 here refers to one, two, or three combinations of the device ID, user ID, and model name included in the pass key 2051.

The user of smartphone 1 selects a button on the EC site screen to connect to television device 2. In step S38, the user terminal 1050 sends a television display request (TV display request 2071) by transmitting the URL of the linked destination to the content provision server 4, in accordance with the selection.

When the content provision server 4 receives a TV display request 2071 from the user terminal 1050, in step S39, it sends a display request 2072 to the television gateway 5, which includes a token, a pass key, and the URL of the link destination, thereby making a display request to the television device 2. The information in the display request 2072 is structured as follows.
POST https://tv-common. example. com/common/devices/control
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access_token>
x-api-key:<pass_key>
Content-type:application/jison
{“command_type”: “keycode”
“keycode”: “<common key code>”}
{“command_type”: “webview”,
“site”: “<Website URL>”,
“Template”: “full”}

The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 receives information from the content provision server 4 regarding the display request 2072, including the token, pass key, and the URL of the linked page. The acquisition unit 512 then extracts the pass_key from the x-api-key header.

In step S40, the acquisition unit 512 uses the pass key (pass_key) and the information stored in the storage unit 511 to determine the access destination and access source. In step S41, the transmission unit 513 transmits information including the token URL to the TV cloud 3 based on the determination result, and also sends a display request. In this way, the transmission unit 513 transmits the token and the access destination of the image to be displayed to the destination TV cloud 3. The TV gateway 5 measures the number of accesses by access source and manufacturer.

The display request 2073 that the transmitting unit 513 sends to the TV cloud 3 includes a token, client ID, URL, and message. An example of this information is as follows:
POST https://each-maker. example. com/common/devices/control
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access_token>
x-api-key: <A common site for manufacturers and a random secret set by each manufacturer>
Content-type:application/json
{“command_type”: “keycode”,
“keycode”: <common key code>,
“client_id”:<client_id>,
“messageid:<message ID>}
{“command_type”: “webview”,
“site”: <Website URL> (Website URL for TV),
“template”: “full”,
“client_id”:<client_id>,
“messageid”:<message ID>}

The acquisition unit 312 of the TV Cloud 3 receives a display request 2073 from the TV gateway 5. The acquisition unit 312 extracts the access_token from the Authorization header of the display request 2073 and identifies the television device 2. In step S42, the transmission unit 313 of the TV Cloud 3 outputs a display request 2074 to the television device 2 based on the identification result. Note that this display request may be replaced with a manufacturer-specific display request command. Furthermore, if necessary, the TV Cloud 3 may aggregate access data for each client_id and send requests to the television.

In step S43, the television device 2 launches a browser in response to a display request, executes JavaScript (registered trademark) in an onLoad or onClick event, and displays the image at the URL to be displayed. The television device 2 also notifies the measurement server 6 of a display operation result notification 2080, identifying the servicer, user, TV manufacturer, and the displayed advertisement. The measurement server 6 aggregates the results of the advertisement display by the TV cloud 3 to multiple television devices 2. Based on these aggregated results, the manufacturer, TV gateway 5, or the owner of the measurement server 6 requests advertising fees from the e-commerce platform provider that owns the content provision server 4.

The application on the user terminal 1050 can operate the screen of the television device 2 based on the operation command 2090 in step S44. The operation command 2090 is sent to the content provision server 4 in response to the operation from the user terminal 1050.

In step S45, the content provision server 4 sends an operation command 2091, including a common key code, to the TV gateway 5 based on the operation command 2090 sent in step S44. The common key code is a command configured to correspond to the operation buttons on a TV remote control. It includes numbers, directional cursors, volume/channel/power, color keys, function keys, media controls, and manufacturer-specific commands. These manufacturer-specific commands are commands used to operate the system uniquely for each manufacturer. In other words, manufacturer-specific commands are manufacturer-specific operation commands set by each manufacturer. The common key code, excluding the manufacturer-specific commands, is a key code used for common operations across manufacturers.

The number commands are "11", "12", "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", and ".".

The crosshair cursor commands are “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “page up”, “page down”, “page left”, “page right”, “enter”, “exit”, and “back”.

The volume/channel/power commands are “power”, “power off”, “power on”, “volume up”, “volume down”, “channel up”, and “channel down”.

The color keys are "blue," "red," "green," and "yellow."

The function key commands are “electronic program guide”, “initial configuration”, “select broadcast type”, “input select”, “display information”, “mute”, “contents menu”, and “closed caption”.

The media control commands are "Play," "Stop," "Pause," "Rewind," "Forward," "Backward," "Skip Forward," "Skip Backward," and "Record."

When the TV gateway 5 receives the operation command 2091 in step S45, it sends the operation command 2092 to the TV cloud 3 in step S46. Operation command 2092 is the same command as operation command 2091.
In step S47, the TV gateway 5 sends response message ID 2094 as a response message to the content provision server 4. The message ID has the following structure:
{messageid: <message ID>}

When TV Cloud 3 receives operation command 2092 from the TV Gateway 5, in step S48, it transmits operation command 2093 to the television device 2. Operation command 2093 is a manufacturer-specific command that controls the display screen of the television device 2, containing the same or equivalent information as operation command 2092. TV Cloud 3 replaces operation command 2092 with operation command 2093, which is the manufacturer's key code for operating the television device 2. If the operation commands of the television device 2 become standardized, operation command 2092 can be used directly as operation command 2093 without conversion.

The television device 2 operates the image displayed on its video display unit 233 based on the operation command 2093. Furthermore, in step S49, the television device 2 notifies the measurement server 6 of an operation result notification 2081 that identifies the operation command.

The flowchart shown in Figure 11 illustrates the process of integrating multiple manufacturers to access the platform provider's content delivery server 4. However, as in the first embodiment's TV Cloud 3, a manufacturer can also access the content delivery server 4 independently. In this case, the TV Cloud 3 combines the operation of the TV Gateway 5. At this time, the exchange of information between the TV Cloud 3 and the TV Gateway 5 is omitted.

The TV gateway 5 obtains an authentication code from the content provider server 4, sends the authentication code to the destination TV cloud 3 identified based on the authentication code, obtains a token and the access destination of the image to be displayed from the content provider server 4, and sends the token and the access destination of the image to the destination TV cloud 3. This allows the content provider server 4 to process the data without having to decide which of the multiple TV clouds 3 to send it to.

Furthermore, the programs executed by each device in this embodiment (user terminal 1050, television device 2, TV cloud 3, content provision server 4, TV gateway 5, measurement server 6) can be provided as installable or executable files recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), flexible disk (FD), CD-R (Recordable), or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Alternatively, these programs may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

(Third Embodiment)
The information sharing system S according to the third embodiment has the same overall configuration as the information sharing system S according to the second embodiment. In the information sharing system S according to the third embodiment, the TV gateway 5 obtains tokens not only from the TV cloud 3 but also from the content provision server 4, and uses these tokens to link the ID of the television device 2 with the user ID of the user terminal 1050.

Note that the data structure stored by TV Cloud 3, as shown in Figure 6, is different. Specifically, TV Cloud 3 stores an HA-ID instead of the TVID shown in Figure 6. Also, it stores a PF-ID instead of the EC site server ID shown in Figure 6. The HA-ID is identification information that includes the TC-ID, which is the company ID of the TV manufacturer, and the TV-ID, which is the device ID of the television equipment 2. The PF-ID is the company ID of the video platform. The TC-ID serves as an identifier to identify TV Cloud 3. Furthermore, the PF-ID serves as an identifier to identify the content provision server 4.

Next, the processing flow of each component in the information linkage system S of the third embodiment will be described. Figure 12 is a flowchart of the overall processing in the information linkage system S of the third embodiment. The flowchart shown in Figure 12 also starts with the user operating the remote control of the television device 2, etc., to specify the e-commerce site (for example, a server that provides content) that the user wants to link with their smartphone 1 on a so-called portal screen. The authentication code and token generated by TV Cloud 3 include information that identifies the manufacturer. That is, TV Cloud 3 includes information that identifies its own device in the authentication code and token.

Furthermore, step S61 in Figure 12 is the same as step S1 in Figure 7 and step S12 in Figure 11. In step S61, the television device 2 transmits the PF-ID corresponding to the EC site (video platform) specified by the user to the TV cloud 3.

In step S62, the TV Cloud 3 sends a QR code containing the URL of the TV Gateway 5 and a URL authentication code to the Television Device 2 as a response. This QR code contains the URL of the TV Gateway 5 and the following time-limited authentication code.

{"code": <authorization code> (authentication code),
“state”: HEX (JSON. stringify ({“tcid”; <TC-ID>, “pfid”; <PF-ID>, “salt”; <random string>}) + hash) (state information)}

The URL authentication code is information that includes URL information to identify the TV gateway 5, an authentication code for authentication between the content provision server 4 and the TV cloud 3, and state information. The authentication code may include a portion for identifying the manufacturer of the television device 2 and a portion for identifying the television device 2. The portion of the authentication code used to identify the television device 2 is a random value. The TV cloud 3 may also associate the time this value was transmitted to the television device 2 with information in the database of the storage unit 311. The state information may include information encoded with the manufacturer's TC-ID and the video platform's PF-ID.

An example of URL authentication code information is as follows:
https://XXXXXXXX YYYYYYYYY
The X part contains the URL of TV Gateway 5, and the Y part contains the authorization code for OAuth2. The authorization code contains information that identifies the manufacturer and the television. Either one of the pieces of information that identifies the manufacturer or the television device 2 is sufficient. The URL authentication code can be sent in any format as long as it contains the above information. Note that state information may also be included in the Y part.

When the acquisition unit 243 of the television device 2 acquires a URL authentication code from the TV cloud 3, the display control unit 244 optically displays the contents of the URL authentication code as an image or video using the video display unit 233. The display format used by the display control unit 244 can be a QR code, barcode, text, etc., as long as the information contained in the URL authentication code can be optically displayed as an image or video. Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments use QR codes for explanation, the invention is not limited to QR codes, as is the case in these embodiments.

Furthermore, similar to step S3 in Figure 7 and step S23 in Figure 11, in step S63, the user terminal 1050 reads the URL authentication code information optically displayed on the video display unit 233 from the image information optically captured by the imaging means using the URL authentication code reading function. As a result, the user terminal 1050 obtains the URL and authentication code of the TV gateway 5. The authentication code portion is a time-limited authentication code and is configured as follows.
“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <string> // Random number

In step S64, the user terminal 1050 obtains the URL, authentication code, and state information of the TV gateway 5. Based on the URL, it accesses the TV gateway 5, transmits the authentication code and state information, and submits an authentication request. The state information includes the TC-ID and PF-ID, as described above.

The information to be sent when submitting an authentication request is as follows:
“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <string> // Random number

In step S65, when the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 receives the authentication code and state information, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 sends an HTML screen containing a linking button indicating a linking instruction to the user terminal 1050. This HTML may include a URL and parameters for accessing the PF-ID's OAuth2 Authorization Endpoint.

The user terminal 1050 acquires the HTML-formatted screen shown above. When the user terminal 1050 presses the link button (step S66), it sends an authorization request to the content provision server 4, which is the video platform. The content provision server 4 receives this authorization request and sends information to the user terminal 1050 indicating its response (step S67).

The information sent when making the above authorization request may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (<client_id> + “:” + <client_secret>) Request
{
“response_type”: “code”
“code”: <authorization code> (authentication code)
“redrect_uri”: <TGW Endpoint> (Endpoint of TV Gateway 5)
“client_id”: <TG-ID> (ID of TV Gateway 5)
“scope”: <Provided by VPF> (Token authentication scope)
“state”: HEX (JSON. stringify ({“tcid”; <TC-ID>, “pfid”; <PF-ID>, “salt”; <random string>}) + hash) (state information)
}

If user information is not registered on the content provision server 4, a user registration process is performed between the user terminal 1050 and the content provision server 4 (step S68). Here, the user registration process involves registering the user ID and password, which are the information needed to log in to the content provision server 4, and registering the user's attribute information.

Next, the user terminal 1050 requests login from the content provision server 4, and the content provision server 4 responds to the login request (step S69). As an example of the response, the following information (authorization code) is output.
Response
{“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <state>}

Upon receiving the above response, the user terminal 1050 redirects to the TV gateway 5 to instruct it to cooperate (step S70). Alternatively, the user terminal 1050 may also transmit the above authorization code to the TV gateway 5.

When the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 receives a redirect indicating a linkage instruction, the TV gateway 5 identifies the manufacturer based on the TC-ID contained in the state information acquired from the user terminal 1050. That is, the TV gateway 5 assigns the manufacturer (step S71).

Then, in step S72, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 requests a token by sending an authentication code to the destination TV cloud 3 (step S72).

The information sent when requesting the token may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (TG-ID + “:” + <client_secret>)
Request Parameters
{
grant_type: “authorization_code”,
code: <authorization code> (authentication code)
state: <string> (state information),
redirect_uri:<redirect_uri>,
client_id:<TG-ID>
}

The generation unit 314 of the TV Cloud 3 authenticates by referring to the DB of the storage unit 311 and determining whether there is information corresponding to the information identifying the content provider server 4 (for example, information included in the state information) and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312. The generation unit 314 refers to the DB of the storage unit 311 and, if there is information corresponding to the information identifying the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312, generates a token (first token). Furthermore, the generation unit 314 associates the first token with the information in the DB that identifies the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312.

In step S73, the transmission unit 313 of the TV cloud 3 transmits the first token generated by the generation unit 314 to the TV gateway 5.

Specifically, the transmission unit 313 of the TV Cloud 3 sends the OAuth2 Token Response as a token to the TV Gateway 5. The OAuth2 Access Token Response in this response is structured as follows.
Response
{“access_token”: <access token>,
“token_type”: “Bearer”,
“expires_in”: 3600,
“refresh_token”: <refresh token>}

When TV Cloud 3 accesses TV Gateway 5, it attaches an access_token. `expires_in` is the validity period (in seconds) of the access_token; it is stored along with the time it expires when the access_token is received, and the access_token is reused repeatedly until then. The refresh_token is stored secretly by the content provision server 4. For security reasons, simply storing it in local storage is not advisable. When each manufacturer issues an access_token and refresh_token, they can identify the TV manufacturer by adding an identifier to the beginning of the token.

When the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires the first token, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 transmits information including the authorization code and requests a token from the content provision server 4 (step S74).

The information sent when requesting the token may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (TG-ID + “:” + <client_secret>)
Request
{
grant_type: “authorization_code”,
code: <code> (authorization code),
state: <string> (state information),
redirect_uri:<TGW Endpoint>,
client_id:<TG-ID>
}

The content provision server 4 identifies the user ID corresponding to the authorization code obtained from the TV gateway 5. Then, the content provision server 4 generates a second token, which is a token based on that user ID.

In step S75, the content provision server 4 transmits the generated second token to the television gateway 5. The content provision server 4 may also store the second token in association with the user ID and user attribute information.

Specifically, the content provider server 4 sends the OAuth2 Token Response as a token to the TV gateway 5. The OAuth2 Access Token Response in this response is structured as follows.
{“access_token”: <access token>,
“token_type”: “Bearer”,
“expires_in”: 3600,
“refresh_token”: <refresh token>}

The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires a second token from the content provision server 4. Then, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 transmits the second token to the content provision server 4 and requests user information from the content provision server 4 (step S76).

The information transmitted when requesting user information may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access token>)

The content provision server 4 searches for the user ID and user attribute information corresponding to the second token obtained from the TV gateway 5, and sends this information to the TV gateway 5 as a response (step S77). As a result, the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 obtains the user ID and user attribute information. The information in the response is structured as follows.
Response
{"user_id": <UR-ID> (User ID on the content provision server 4 site),
"Preference": <Current user attributes>(User's date of birth, gender, postal code, purchase history, etc.)

In step S78, the content provision server 4 transmits the PF-ID and requests device information. The information transmitted at the time of the device information request is, for example, configured as follows.
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (PF-ID + “:” + <client_secret>)

When the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 receives a device information request from the content provision server 4, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 transmits a first token corresponding to the second token transmitted in step S74 to the TV cloud 3, and also requests device information (step S79). The information transmitted at the time of the device information request has the following configuration, for example.
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access token>)

When the acquisition unit 312 of the TV Cloud 3 acquires the first token, it acquires the HA-ID corresponding to the first token and the device information corresponding to the HA-ID (attribute information of the television device 2 corresponding to the HA-ID).

In step S80, the transmission unit 313 of the TV cloud 3 sends information such as the HA-ID as a response to the TV gateway 5. The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires the HA-ID and information about the device corresponding to the HA-ID. An example of such a response is as follows.
Response
{
・“device_id”: <HA-ID> (HA-ID)
• “model”: <model name> (the model of the television device 2, i.e., display screen size in inches, pixel count information such as 2K, 4K, 8K, etc.)
}

In step S81, the generation unit 514 of the TV gateway 5 registers the acquired HA-ID, user ID, model information (model), and PF-ID as bind information in the storage unit 511 as DB information. The generation unit 514 of the TV gateway 5 may also include user attribute information as part of the bind information.

Furthermore, the generation unit 514 of the TV gateway 5 generates a pass key. Also, in step S82, the transmission unit 513 transmits the pass key to the content provision server 4. The pass key includes the following information.
• “pass_key”: <pass_key> (This pass_key is used as the ID when executing operation commands)
• “expires_in”: 86400 (expires_in returns a grace period of 10 days or so even if preference cannot be provided on the first access.)
• “model”: <model name> (Information about the model in the device ID response, such as the model of the television device 2, i.e., the display screen size in inches, and pixel count information such as 2K, 4K, 8K, etc.)

Furthermore, the generation unit 514 of the TV gateway 5 stores the generated pass key in the storage unit 511.

When the content provision server 4 obtains a pass key from the TV gateway 5, it stores the information contained in the pass key. Specifically, the content provision server 4 stores the following information for each user ID of the e-commerce site.
・access_token
・refresh_token
・pass_key
• model // Linked TV model information

The TV gateway 5 obtains an authentication code from the user terminal 1050, transmits the authentication code to the TV cloud 3 (the destination identified based on the authentication code), obtains a first token from the TV cloud 3, and obtains a second token from the content provision server 4. Then, the TV gateway 5 obtains the user ID by transmitting the second token to the content provision server 4, and obtains the ID of the television device 2 (e.g., HA-ID) by transmitting the first token to the TV cloud 3. In this way, the TV gateway 5 can associate the user ID with the ID of the television device 2 by obtaining the user ID from the content provision server 4 and the ID of the television device 2 from the TV cloud 3.

In this case, since the TV gateway 5 stores the user ID in association with the ID of the television device 2, the TV cloud 3 does not need to manage the user ID, thus reducing the information management burden on the TV cloud 3. Furthermore, since the TV gateway 5 obtains the authentication code from the user terminal 1050, the content provision server 4 does not need to transmit the authentication code to the TV gateway 5, thus reducing the processing burden on the content provision server 4. In other words, the TV gateway 5 can appropriately perform the process of linking the receiver identifier (the ID of the television device 2) with the terminal identifier (the user ID of the user terminal 1050).

(Fourth Embodiment)
The information sharing system S according to the fourth embodiment has the same overall configuration as the information sharing system S according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the case in which the authentication code is also included in the QR code was described, but in the information sharing system S according to the fourth embodiment, the authentication code is displayed separately as a PIN code.

Next, the processing flow of each component in the information sharing system S of the fourth embodiment will be described. Step S21 in Figure 13 is the same as step S21 in Figure 11 and step S1 in Figure 7, so its explanation will be omitted.

In step S91, the TV Cloud 3 transmits a QR code containing a URL to the television device 2. The TV Cloud 3 also transmits a PIN code corresponding to the authentication code to the television device 2.

Examples of URL information contained in a QR code are as follows:
https://XXXXXXXX
The "X" part contains the URL of content provider server 4. The URL of the QR code can be sent in any format as long as it includes the above information.

When the acquisition unit 243 of the television device 2 acquires a QR code and a PIN code from the TV cloud 3, the display control unit 244 optically displays and outputs the QR code as an image or video on the video display unit 233. The display control unit 244 also displays and outputs the PIN code.

In step S92, the user terminal 1050 reads the URL information optically displayed on the video display unit 233 using a reading function from the image information optically captured by the imaging means.

In step S93, the user terminal 1050 launches the application (app) and makes it ready to accept PIN code input.

In step S94, when a PIN code is entered by the user, the user terminal 1050 acquires the PIN code as an authentication code. Steps S24 to S35 are the same as steps S24 to S35 in Figure 11.

In the fourth embodiment, the TV Cloud 3 transmits a PIN code corresponding to the authentication code to the television device 2, which then displays the PIN code. The user of the user terminal 1050 then performs an input operation based on the PIN code, and the user terminal 1050 transmits the PIN code as the authentication code to the content provision server 4.

In this case, even if the authentication code cannot be included in the 2D code along with the URL, the user terminal 1050 can still send the authentication code to the content provision server 4.

(Fifth Embodiment)
The information linkage system S according to the fifth embodiment has the same overall configuration as the information linkage system S according to the third embodiment. In the information linkage system S according to the fifth embodiment, the television gateway 5 transmits campaign information to the television device 2 as promotional information to encourage the process of linking the ID of the television device 2 with the user ID of the user terminal 1050, as in the information linkage system S according to the third embodiment. In the information linkage system S, when the television device 2 is instructed to link the ID of the television device 2 with the user ID of the user terminal 1050 based on the promotional information, the process of linking the ID of the television device 2 with the user ID of the user terminal 1050 is executed.

In the information sharing system S, when the television device 2 requests the acquisition of program guide information, the television gateway 5 accepts the request. The television gateway 5 acquires program guide configuration information and transmits it to the television device 2. The program guide configuration information includes carrier information, channel information, program information, commercial information, and VOD information. The file server that implements the television gateway 5 stores the program guide configuration information. In other words, the television gateway 5 stores the program configuration information and transmits the stored program configuration information to the television device 2 in response to a program guide information acquisition request from the television device 2.

The TV gateway 5 stores campaign information and transmits campaign information in response to requests from the television device 2 when transmitting program schedule configuration information.

Here, the content of the campaign information will be explained using Figure 14. Figure 14 shows an example of promotional information. The campaign information typically consists of a linked data section 330, a campaign linked data section 340, and one or more advertising information sections 350.

The standard linked data section 330 includes information indicating the Object for ID linking data (idbind), information indicating the base URL of the URL where the image file is stored (img_base_url), information indicating an image explaining the linking method (explanation_img of bind), and information indicating an image explaining the unlinking method (explanation_img of unbind).

The campaign integration data section 340 includes information indicating the Array status of the campaign information object (idbind_campaign), information indicating the target TV manufacturer (tv), information indicating the base URL of the URL where the image file is stored (img_base_url), information indicating an image explaining the campaign content (campaign_img), information indicating an image to display if integration has already been completed (hasbound_img), information indicating an image explaining the integration method (explanation_img), information indicating an image recommending permission for tracking via IFA-ID (recommend_tracking_img), information indicating the campaign start date and time (start), and information indicating the campaign end date and time (end).

The image information in the campaign linkage data section 340 may be set differently for each TV manufacturer using macros or similar methods. This allows for the assignment of different campaign images to multiple TV manufacturers with a simple configuration.

The advertising information section 350 includes sequence information (tv) indicating the target TV manufacturer, an ad_info unique identifier (id), advertising information (ad_info) including information indicating the type of advertisement and the content of the advertisement, the display start date and time (start), and the display end date and time (end).

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, the advertisement information includes information indicating the type of advertisement (type), information indicating the ID of the screen on which it will be displayed (place), the text message to be displayed if the advertisement type is text (message), the URL of the display image to be displayed if the advertisement type is image (image), the URL of the video to be displayed if the advertisement type is movie (movie), and information indicating the advertisement's display period (period). The text message, the URL of the display image, and the URL of the video are examples of information indicating the content of the advertisement.

The campaign information shown in Figure 14 includes an ad information section 350a for text ads, an ad information section 350b for image ads, and an ad information section 350c for movie ads. When the television device 2 receives the campaign information shown in Figure 14, it displays a text message ad, an image ad, and a video ad.

Next, we will explain the procedure for displaying advertisements based on campaign information, using Figure 16. Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the process for displaying advertisements based on campaign information.

The process shown in Figure 16 is executed by the television device 2 in the program guide display process. In response to user operation, the television device 2 requests the television gateway 5 to retrieve program guide information (program guide) for the e-commerce site specified by the user. When the television device 2 requests the program guide information, the television gateway 5 accepts the request. The television gateway 5 transmits the program guide information to the television device 2. The television device 2 then displays the program guide information. The program guide information includes carrier information, channel information, program information, commercial information, and VOD information.

Thus, when the television device 2 displays the program guide information, it requests the television gateway 5 to retrieve campaign information. If the television device 2 does not retrieve campaign information from the television gateway 5 (step S101: No), it terminates the process.

If the television device 2 obtains campaign information from the television gateway 5 (step S101: Yes), it refers to the campaign information and determines whether there is any advertising information within the validity period based on the display start date and time and display end date and time (step S102). If there is no advertising information within the validity period (step S102: No), the television device 2 terminates the process.

If television device 2 has advertising information within its validity period (step S102: Yes), it extracts the information to be displayed from the campaign information (step S103). Then, television device 2 executes the loop process in step S104 until all the extracted information is displayed or the program guide display is terminated by user operation.

In the loop processing of step S104, the television device 2 displays an advertisement according to the type of advertisement (step S105).

Furthermore, the television device 2 may, while displaying an advertisement (for example, during the loop processing in step S104), display survey information, accept input of the survey information, and request a linking instruction if the user selects to apply for the campaign. This survey accepts input of the user's attributes (gender, address, etc.).

Furthermore, the television device 2 may refer to the campaign information, first display a screen where users can select to apply for the campaign, and then execute the flowchart shown in Figure 16. In other words, the television device 2 may execute the advertising display process and the ID linking process separately and independently.

Next, the linkage processing procedure will be explained using Figure 17. Figure 17 is a flowchart of the linkage processing procedure. The authentication code and token generated by TV Cloud 3 shall include information identifying the manufacturer. That is, TV Cloud 3 shall include information identifying its own device in the authentication code and token.

Before executing the flowchart shown in Figure 16, the television device 2 generates an IFA-ID using random numbers and notifies the TV cloud 3 (step S111). This IFA-ID is a numerical value with a sufficient number of digits to guarantee uniqueness. The television device 2 may also transmit its TV model name. Furthermore, bearer authentication may be performed in steps S111 and S112.

TV Cloud 3 transmits the IFA-ID to the TV Gateway 5 (step S112). Then, in step S113, the flowchart shown in Figure 16 is executed. When a linkage instruction is given in step S113, the television device 2 requests a QR code (step S114).

Furthermore, step S114 in Figure 17 is the same as step S1 in Figure 7, step S12 in Figure 11, and step S61 in Figure 12. In step S114, the television device 2 transmits the PF-ID corresponding to the EC site (video platform) specified by the user to the TV cloud 3.

In step S115, the TV Cloud 3 sends a QR code containing the URL of the TV Gateway 5 and a URL authentication code to the Television Device 2 as a response. This QR code contains the URL of the TV Gateway 5 and the following time-limited authentication code.

{"code": <authorization code> (authentication code),
“state”: HEX (JSON. stringify ({“tcid”; <TC-ID>, “pfid”; <PF-ID>, “salt”; <random string>}) + hash) (state information)}

The URL authentication code is information that includes URL information to identify the TV gateway 5, an authentication code for authentication between the content provision server 4 and the TV cloud 3, and state information. The authentication code may include a portion for identifying the manufacturer of the television device 2 and a portion for identifying the television device 2. The portion of the authentication code used to identify the television device 2 is a random value. The TV cloud 3 may also associate the time this value was transmitted to the television device 2 with information in the database of the storage unit 311. The state information may include information encoded with the manufacturer's TC-ID and the video platform's PF-ID.

An example of URL authentication code information is as follows:
https://XXXXXXXX YYYYYYYYY
The X part contains the URL of TV Gateway 5, and the Y part contains the authorization code for OAuth2. The authorization code contains information that identifies the manufacturer and the television. Either one of the pieces of information that identifies the manufacturer or the television device 2 is sufficient. The URL authentication code can be sent in any format as long as it contains the above information. Note that state information may also be included in the Y part.

When the acquisition unit 243 of the television device 2 acquires a URL authentication code from the TV cloud 3, the display control unit 244 optically displays the contents of the URL authentication code as an image or video using the video display unit 233. The display format used by the display control unit 244 can be a QR code, barcode, text, etc., as long as the information contained in the URL authentication code can be optically displayed as an image or video. Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments use QR codes for explanation, the invention is not limited to QR codes, as is the case in these embodiments.

Furthermore, similar to step S3 in Figure 7, step S23 in Figure 11, and step S63 in Figure 12, in step S116, the user terminal 1050 reads the URL authentication code information optically displayed on the video display unit 233 from the image information optically captured by the imaging means using the URL authentication code reading function. As a result, the user terminal 1050 obtains the URL and authentication code of the TV gateway 5. The authentication code portion is a time-limited authentication code and is configured as follows.
“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <string> // Random number

In step S117, the user terminal 1050 obtains the URL, authentication code, and state information of the TV gateway 5. Based on the URL, it accesses the TV gateway 5, transmits the authentication code and state information, and submits an authentication request. The state information includes the TC-ID and PF-ID, as described above.

The information to be sent when submitting an authentication request is as follows:
“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <string> // Random number

In step S118, when the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 receives the authentication code and state information, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 sends an HTML screen containing a linking button indicating a linking instruction to the user terminal 1050. This HTML may include a URL and parameters for accessing the PF-ID's OAuth2 Authorization Endpoint.

The user terminal 1050 acquires the HTML-formatted screen shown above. When the user terminal 1050 presses the link button (step S119), it sends an authorization request to the content provision server 4, which is the video platform. The content provision server 4 receives this authorization request and sends information to the user terminal 1050 indicating its response (step S120).

The information sent when making the above authorization request may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (<client_id> + “:” + <client_secret>) Request
{
“response_type”: “code”
“code”: <authorization code> (authentication code)
“redrect_uri”: <TGW Endpoint> (Endpoint of TV Gateway 5)
“client_id”: <TG-ID> (ID of TV Gateway 5)
“scope”: <Provided by VPF> (Token authentication scope)
“state”: HEX (JSON. stringify ({“tcid”; <TC-ID>, “pfid”; <PF-ID>, “salt”; <random string>}) + hash) (state information)
}

Furthermore, if the television device 2 requests confirmation of the connection status from the television gateway 5 via the TV cloud 3 at step S119 (steps S151 and S152), the television gateway 5 transmits information to the television device 2 indicating that the connection is not yet complete (steps S153 and S154).

If user information is not registered on the content provision server 4, a user registration process is performed between the user terminal 1050 and the content provision server 4 (step S121). Here, the user registration process involves registering the user ID and password, which are the information needed to log in to the content provision server 4, and registering the user's attribute information.

Next, the user terminal 1050 requests login from the content provision server 4, and the content provision server 4 responds to the login request (step S122). As an example of the response, the following information (authorization code) is output.
Response
{“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <state>}

Upon receiving the above response, the user terminal 1050 redirects to the TV gateway 5 to instruct it to cooperate (step S123). Alternatively, the user terminal 1050 may also transmit the above authorization code to the TV gateway 5.

When the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 receives a redirect indicating a linkage instruction, the TV gateway 5 identifies the manufacturer based on the TC-ID contained in the state information acquired from the user terminal 1050. That is, the TV gateway 5 assigns the manufacturer (step S124).

Then, in step S125, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 requests a token by sending an authentication code to the destination TV cloud 3 (step S125).

The information sent when requesting the token may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (TG-ID + “:” + <client_secret>)
Request Parameters
{
grant_type: “authorization_code”,
code: <authorization code> (authentication code)
state: <string> (state information),
redirect_uri:<redirect_uri>,
client_id:<TG-ID>
}

The generation unit 314 of the TV Cloud 3 authenticates by referring to the DB of the storage unit 311 and determining whether there is information corresponding to the information identifying the content provider server 4 (for example, information included in the state information) and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312. The generation unit 314 refers to the DB of the storage unit 311 and, if there is information corresponding to the information identifying the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312, generates a token (first token). Furthermore, the generation unit 314 associates the first token with the information in the DB that identifies the content provider server 4 and the authentication code acquired by the acquisition unit 312.

In step S126, the transmission unit 313 of the TV cloud 3 transmits the first token generated by the generation unit 314 to the TV gateway 5.

Specifically, the transmission unit 313 of the TV Cloud 3 sends the OAuth2 Token Response as a token to the TV Gateway 5. The OAuth2 Access Token Response in this response is structured as follows.
Response
{“access_token”: <access token>,
“token_type”: “Bearer”,
“expires_in”: 3600,
“refresh_token”: <refresh token>}

When TV Cloud 3 accesses TV Gateway 5, it attaches an access_token. `expires_in` is the validity period (in seconds) of the access_token; it is stored along with the time it expires when the access_token is received, and the access_token is reused repeatedly until then. The refresh_token is stored secretly by the content provision server 4. For security reasons, simply storing it in local storage is not advisable. When each manufacturer issues an access_token and refresh_token, they can identify the TV manufacturer by adding an identifier to the beginning of the token.

When the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires the first token, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 transmits information including the authorization code and requests a token from the content provision server 4 (step S127).

The information sent when requesting the token may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (TG-ID + “:” + <client_secret>)
Request
{
grant_type: “authorization_code”,
code: <code> (authorization code),
state: <string> (state information),
redirect_uri:<TGW Endpoint>,
client_id:<TG-ID>
}

The content provision server 4 identifies the user ID corresponding to the authorization code obtained from the TV gateway 5. Then, the content provision server 4 generates a second token, which is a token based on that user ID.

In step S128, the content provision server 4 transmits the generated second token to the television gateway 5. The content provision server 4 may also store the second token in association with the user ID and user attribute information.

Specifically, the content provider server 4 sends the OAuth2 Token Response as a token to the TV gateway 5. The OAuth2 Access Token Response in this response is structured as follows.
{“access_token”: <access token>,
“token_type”: “Bearer”,
“expires_in”: 3600,
“refresh_token”: <refresh token>}

The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires a second token from the content provision server 4. Then, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 transmits the second token to the content provision server 4 and requests user information from the content provision server 4 (step S129).

The information transmitted when requesting user information may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access token>)

The content provision server 4 searches for the user ID and user attribute information corresponding to the second token obtained from the TV gateway 5, and sends this information to the TV gateway 5 as a response (step S130). As a result, the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 obtains the user ID and user attribute information. The information in the response is configured as follows.
Response
{"user_id": <UR-ID> (User ID on the content provision server 4 site),
"Preference": <Current user attributes>(User's date of birth, gender, postal code, purchase history, etc.)

In step S131, the content provision server 4 transmits the PF-ID and requests device information. The information transmitted at the time of the device information request is, for example, configured as follows.
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (PF-ID + “:” + <client_secret>)

When the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 receives a device information request from the content provision server 4, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 sends a first token corresponding to the second token sent in step S127 to the TV cloud 3 and requests device information (step S132). The information sent at the time of the device information request has the following configuration, for example.
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access token>)

When the acquisition unit 312 of the TV Cloud 3 acquires the first token, it acquires the HA-ID corresponding to the first token and the device information corresponding to the HA-ID (attribute information of the television device 2 corresponding to the HA-ID).

In step S133, the transmission unit 313 of the TV cloud 3 sends information such as the HA-ID as a response to the TV gateway 5. The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires the HA-ID and information about the device corresponding to the HA-ID. An example of such a response is as follows.
Response
{
・“device_id”: <HA-ID> (HA-ID)
• “model”: <model name> (the model of the television device 2, i.e., display screen size in inches, pixel count information such as 2K, 4K, 8K, etc.)
}

In step S134, the generation unit 514 of the TV gateway 5 registers the acquired HA-ID, user ID, model information (model), and PF-ID as bind information in the storage unit 511 as database information. The generation unit 514 of the TV gateway 5 may also include user attribute information as part of the bind information.

In step S135, the TV gateway 5 responds to the user terminal 1050 with the authorization code (step S135).

If, after step S134, the television device 2 requests confirmation of the connection status from the television gateway 5 via the TV cloud 3 (steps S136, S137), the television gateway 5 transmits information indicating the completion of the connection (such as information identifying the connected content provision server 4) to the television device 2 (steps S138, S139). The television gateway 5 also notifies the content provision server 4 of the IFA-ID (step S140).

Furthermore, if the IFA-ID is updated in the television device 2, the updated IFA-ID is notified to the TV cloud 3 (step S141). The TV cloud 3 then transmits the updated IFA-ID to the television gateway 5. The television gateway 5 then transmits the updated IFA-ID to the content provision server 4 (step S143).

Next, the link cancellation process will be explained using the flowchart shown in Figure 18. Figure 18 is a flowchart of the link cancellation process. The television device 2 requests a link cancellation from the TV cloud 3 in response to user operation (step S161). The TV cloud 3, in response to the cancellation request from the television device 2, requests a link cancellation from the TV gateway 5 (step S162). Note that in steps S161 and S162, the television device 2 or the TV cloud 3 may also transmit an IFA-ID along with the link cancellation request.

The TV gateway 5 notifies the content provider server 4 of a request to cancel the connection (step S163). The content provider server 4 deletes the generated second token. The TV gateway 5 deletes the bind information and notifies the TV cloud 3 of the deletion (step S164). The TV cloud 3 notifies the television device 2 that the bind information has been deleted (step S165). The TV cloud 3 may also delete the first token. Furthermore, the content provider server 4 notifies the TV gateway 5 that the connection has been canceled (step S166), and the TV gateway 5 notifies the TV cloud 3 that the connection has been canceled (step S167).

Next, the procedure for canceling the connection via the user terminal 1050 will be explained using Figure 19. Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the procedure for canceling the connection via the user terminal 1050.

The process begins with the user operating the remote control or similar device of the television unit 2 to specify the content provider server 4 on a portal screen, where the user wishes to revoke the connection with smartphone 1.

Step S180 in Figure 19 is the same as step S1 in Figure 7 and step S12 in Figure 11. In step S180, the television device 2 transmits the PF-ID corresponding to the content provision server 4 specified by the user to the TV cloud 3.

In step S181, the TV Cloud 3 sends a QR code containing the URL of the TV Gateway 5 and a URL authentication code to the Television Device 2 as a response. This QR code contains the URL of the TV Gateway 5 and the following time-limited authentication code.

{"code": <authorization code> (authentication code),
“state”: HEX (JSON. stringify ({“tcid”; <TC-ID>, “pfid”; <PF-ID>, “salt”; <random string>}) + hash) (state information)}

The URL authentication code is information that includes URL information to identify the TV gateway 5, an authentication code for authentication between the content provision server 4 and the TV cloud 3, and state information. The authentication code may include a portion for identifying the manufacturer of the television device 2 and a portion for identifying the television device 2. The portion of the authentication code used to identify the television device 2 is a random value. The TV cloud 3 may also associate the time this value was transmitted to the television device 2 with information in the database of the storage unit 311. The state information may include information encoded with the manufacturer's TC-ID and the video platform's PF-ID.

An example of URL authentication code information is as follows:
https://XXXXXXXX YYYYYYYYY
The X part contains the URL of TV Gateway 5, and the Y part contains the authorization code for OAuth2. The authorization code contains information that identifies the manufacturer and the television. Either one of the pieces of information that identifies the manufacturer or the television device 2 is sufficient. The URL authentication code can be sent in any format as long as it contains the above information. Note that state information may also be included in the Y part.

When the acquisition unit 243 of the television device 2 acquires a URL authentication code from the TV cloud 3, the display control unit 244 optically displays the contents of the URL authentication code as an image or video using the video display unit 233. The display format used by the display control unit 244 can be a QR code, barcode, text, etc., as long as the information contained in the URL authentication code can be optically displayed as an image or video. Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments use QR codes for explanation, the invention is not limited to QR codes, as is the case in these embodiments.

Furthermore, similar to step S3 in Figure 7 and step S23 in Figure 11, in step S182, the user terminal 1050 reads the URL authentication code information optically displayed on the video display unit 233 from the image information optically captured by the imaging means using the URL authentication code reading function. As a result, the user terminal 1050 obtains the URL and authentication code of the TV gateway 5. The authentication code portion is a time-limited authentication code and is configured as follows.
“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <string> // Random number

In step S183, the user terminal 1050 obtains the URL, authentication code, and state information of the TV gateway 5. Based on the URL, it accesses the TV gateway 5, transmits the authentication code and state information, and submits an authentication request. The state information includes the TC-ID and PF-ID, as described above.

The information to be sent when submitting an authentication request is as follows:
“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <string> // Random number

In step S184, when the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 receives the authentication code and state information, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 sends an HTML screen containing a link cancellation button indicating a link cancellation instruction to the user terminal 1050. This HTML may also include a URL and parameters for accessing the PF-ID's OAuth2 Authorization Endpoint.

The user terminal 1050 acquires the HTML-formatted screen shown above. When the user terminal 1050 presses the "cancel link" button (step S185), it sends an authorization request to the content provision server 4, which is the video platform. The content provision server 4 receives this authorization request and sends information to the user terminal 1050 indicating its response (step S186).

The information sent when making the above authorization request may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (<client_id> + “:” + <client_secret>) Request
{
“response_type”: “code”
“code”: <authorization code> (authentication code)
“redrect_uri”: <TGW Endpoint> (Endpoint of TV Gateway 5)
“client_id”: <TG-ID> (ID of TV Gateway 5)
“scope”: <Provided by VPF> (Token authentication scope)
“state”: HEX (JSON. stringify ({“tcid”; <TC-ID>, “pfid”; <PF-ID>, “salt”; <random string>}) + hash) (state information)
}

Furthermore, if the television device 2 requests confirmation of the connection status from the television gateway 5 via the TV cloud 3 at step S185 (steps S251 and S252), the television gateway 5 transmits information indicating that the connection is established to the television device 2 (steps S253 and S254).

Next, the user terminal 1050 requests login from the content provision server 4, and the content provision server 4 responds to the login request (step S188). As an example of the response, the following information (authorization code) is output.
Response
{“code”: <authorization code>,
“state”: <state>}

Upon receiving the above response, the user terminal 1050 redirects to the TV gateway 5 to instruct it to cooperate (step S189). Alternatively, the user terminal 1050 may also transmit the above authorization code to the TV gateway 5.

Then, in step S72, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 requests a token by sending an authentication code to the destination TV cloud 3 (step S190).

The information sent when requesting the token may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (TG-ID + “:” + <client_secret>)
Request Parameters
{
grant_type: “authorization_code”,
code: <authorization code> (authentication code)
state: <string> (state information),
redirect_uri:<redirect_uri>,
client_id:<TG-ID>
}

The generation unit 314 of the TV Cloud 3 authenticates by referring to the database in the storage unit 311 and determining whether there is information identifying the content provider server 4 (for example, information included in the state information) and information corresponding to the authentication code obtained by the acquisition unit 312. If the generation unit 314 refers to the database in the storage unit 311 and finds information identifying the content provider server 4 and information corresponding to the authentication code obtained by the acquisition unit 312, the transmission unit 313 of the TV Cloud 3 transmits the first token to the TV gateway 5 (step S191).

Specifically, the transmission unit 313 of the TV Cloud 3 sends the OAuth2 Token Response as a token to the TV Gateway 5. The OAuth2 Access Token Response in this response is structured as follows.
Response
{“access_token”: <access token>,
“token_type”: “Bearer”,
“expires_in”: 3600,
“refresh_token”: <refresh token>}

When TV Cloud 3 accesses TV Gateway 5, it attaches an access_token. `expires_in` is the validity period (in seconds) of the access_token; it is stored along with the time it expires when the access_token is received, and the access_token is reused repeatedly until then. The refresh_token is stored secretly by the content provision server 4. For security reasons, simply storing it in local storage is not advisable. When each manufacturer issues an access_token and refresh_token, they can identify the TV manufacturer by adding an identifier to the beginning of the token.

When the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires the first token, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 transmits information including the authorization code and requests a token from the content provision server 4 (step S192).

The information sent when requesting the token may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Basic” + Base64 (TG-ID + “:” + <client_secret>)
Request
{
grant_type: “authorization_code”,
code: <code> (authorization code),
state: <string> (state information),
redirect_uri:<TGW Endpoint>,
client_id:<TG-ID>
}

In step S193, the content provision server 4 transmits the generated second token to the television gateway 5.

Specifically, the content provider server 4 sends the OAuth2 Token Response as a token to the TV gateway 5. The OAuth2 Access Token Response in this response is structured as follows.
{“access_token”: <access token>,
“token_type”: “Bearer”,
“expires_in”: 3600,
“refresh_token”: <refresh token>}

The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires a second token from the content provision server 4. Then, the transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 transmits the second token to the content provision server 4 and requests user information from the content provision server 4 (step S194).

The information transmitted when requesting user information may consist of the following, for example:
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access token>)

The content provision server 4 searches for the user ID and user attribute information corresponding to the second token obtained from the TV gateway 5, and sends this information to the TV gateway 5 as a response (step S195). As a result, the acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 obtains the user ID and user attribute information. The information in the response is configured as follows.
Response
{"user_id": <UR-ID> (User ID on the content provision server 4 site),
"Preference": <Current user attributes>(User's date of birth, gender, postal code, purchase history, etc.)

The transmission unit 513 of the TV gateway 5 transmits the first token to the TV cloud 3 and requests device information (step S196). The information transmitted when requesting device information has the following configuration, for example.
Authorization: “Bearer” + <access token>)

When the acquisition unit 312 of the TV Cloud 3 acquires the first token, it acquires the HA-ID corresponding to the first token and the device information corresponding to the HA-ID (attribute information of the television device 2 corresponding to the HA-ID).

In step S197, the transmission unit 313 of the TV cloud 3 sends information such as the HA-ID as a response to the TV gateway 5. The acquisition unit 512 of the TV gateway 5 acquires the HA-ID and information about the device corresponding to the HA-ID. An example of such a response is as follows.
Response
{
・“device_id”: <HA-ID> (HA-ID)
• “model”: <model name> (the model of the television device 2, i.e., display screen size in inches, pixel count information such as 2K, 4K, 8K, etc.)
}

The TV gateway 5 deletes the bind information and notifies the content provider server 4 of the deletion (step S198). Alternatively, the TV gateway 5 may also notify the TV cloud 3 of the deletion.

If the television device 2 requests confirmation of the connection status from the television gateway 5 via the TV cloud 3 after step S198 (steps S199, S200), the television gateway 5 transmits information to the television device 2 indicating that the connection is not established (steps S201, S202).

In the above embodiment, we described the case where campaign information is displayed when displaying the program guide. However, campaign information may also be displayed when displaying advertisements on the screen at a specified timing during program broadcast (a program with linearly distributed video content) via the network.

For example, campaign information may be displayed using clickable ads as shown in Figure 20. Figure 20 shows an example of clickable ad information. This ad information includes information indicating an array of ad information objects (ad_list), information indicating the ad type (ad_type), information indicating the URL of the ad image (img_url), etc.

In the embodiment described above, the flowchart in Figure 17 describes a case where the TV gateway 5 requests user information from the content provision server 4 and obtains a UR-ID from the content provision server 4. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, Figure 21 shows a modified version of the flowchart in Figure 17. Parts of the process similar to those described in Figure 17 will be omitted from the explanation. Instead of the content provision server 4 providing the UR-ID in step S128 or S130 shown in Figure 21, the TV gateway 5 may issue a temporary UR-ID in step S118 and include its parameter in the value of "state" in the HTML code. In this case, the user terminal 1050 sends this value to the content provision server 4 in step S120. Furthermore, in the flowchart of Figure 12, the TV gateway 5 may also issue a temporary UR-ID as described above.

The television gateway 5 in this embodiment stores campaign information and transmits the campaign information to the television device 2 at predetermined timings, such as when the television device 2 displays the program guide. The campaign information includes an advertising information section 350 that contains information indicating the type of advertisement to be displayed and information indicating the content of the advertisement.

Furthermore, the TV gateway 5 obtains an authentication code from the user terminal 1050, transmits the authentication code to the TV cloud 3 identified as the destination based on the authentication code, obtains a first token from the TV cloud 3, and obtains a second token from the content provision server 4. Then, the TV gateway 5 obtains the user ID by transmitting the second token to the content provision server 4, and obtains the ID of the television device 2 (e.g., HA-ID) by transmitting the first token to the TV cloud 3. In this way, the TV gateway 5 can associate the user ID with the ID of the television device 2 by obtaining the user ID from the content provision server 4 and the ID of the television device 2 from the TV cloud 3.

In this case, since the TV gateway 5 stores the user ID in association with the ID of the television device 2, the TV cloud 3 does not need to manage the user ID, thus reducing the information management burden on the TV cloud 3. Furthermore, since the TV gateway 5 obtains the authentication code from the user terminal 1050, the content provision server 4 does not need to transmit the authentication code to the TV gateway 5, thus reducing the processing burden on the content provision server 4. In other words, the TV gateway 5 can appropriately perform the process of linking the receiver identifier (the ID of the television device 2) with the terminal identifier (the user ID of the user terminal 1050). Additionally, by outputting campaign information, the TV gateway 5 can facilitate the process of linking the ID of the television device 2 with the user ID of the user terminal 1050. Moreover, since the TV gateway 5 has advertising information that includes information indicating the type of advertisement to be displayed and information indicating the content of the advertisement, the television device 2 can further facilitate the process of linking with the user ID of the user terminal 1050 by switching the display mode according to the type of advertisement to output the advertising information. Furthermore, by including multiple advertisements in the campaign information of the TV gateway 5, the television device 2 can sequentially output multiple advertisements.

Furthermore, the TV gateway 5 links the ID of the television device 2 with the user ID of the user terminal 1050, and then transmits the IFA-ID to the content provision server 4. This allows the TV gateway 5 to provide information that identifies the television device 2 without disclosing the ID of the television device 2 to the content provision server 4.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. For example, the television device in the above embodiments may be an electronic device that does not have a display means, such as a set-top box or a recorder, but has a receiving function that outputs a video signal to an external display device. Furthermore, these novel embodiments can be carried out in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents.
For example, among the image icons displayed on the user terminal, image icons that can be enlarged on the television device may have a button on or near the image icon to instruct the television device to enlarge it. Alternatively, the color, shape, or display format of such enlargeable image icons may be changed to make them distinguishable from other image icons that cannot be enlarged. Furthermore, when the user terminal instructs the television device to enlarge the image, or during the display processing on the television device, an audio notification may be provided via the user terminal or the television device.

1…Smartphone, 2…Television equipment, 3…TV cloud, 4…Content provision server, 5…TV gateway, 6…Measurement server, S…Information sharing system

Claims (2)

A processing method performed by a server management device capable of sending and receiving data with multiple server devices,
The user terminal obtains an authentication code containing information identifying the manufacturer of the broadcast receiving device.
A screen including a linking button for linking with the broadcast receiving device is sent to the user terminal.
When a linkage instruction is received from the user terminal by pressing the linkage button, the server device corresponding to the authentication code is identified based on the authentication code which includes information identifying the manufacturer of the broadcast receiving device.
The authentication code is sent to the identified server device in order to request a token .
Obtain the first token generated from the identified server device,
The authentication code and token request are sent to the content provider device.
A second token is obtained based on the user ID of the user terminal identified by the authentication code generated from the content providing device.
The second token and the user information request are transmitted to the content providing device.
The user ID and user attribute information are obtained from the content provisioning device, and a device information request is received.
The server device is sent the first token for the second token and the device information request.
The server device obtains the ID of the broadcast receiving device corresponding to the first token and the device information corresponding to the ID of the broadcast receiving device.
The ID of the broadcast receiving device and the user ID are registered in association with each other .
Processing method for server management devices. The authentication code, which includes information identifying the manufacturer of the broadcast receiving device, is sent from the server device to the content providing device via the broadcast receiving device.
The processing method for the server management device according to claim 1.