System and method for searching and providing contents, and software storage media

• US 20020052864A1
• Filed: 05/14/2001
• Published: 05/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Tomoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,725,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 : End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 : Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 : Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 : Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A content searching/providing system searching a record content from a randomly accessible memory storing contents and providing the record content to a user is provided. The system comprises: a content classification unit classifying the record contents of the memory in accordance with a predetermined rule; a channel assignment unit assigning a virtual channel to each classification; a content arrangement unit arranging the record contents classified into the same classification on the corresponding virtual channels; a user operation receiving unit receiving a user operation for commanding channel selection and content search on a channel; and a content providing unit acquiring a record content from a selected virtual channel in response to the user operation received via the user operation receiving unit and providing the record content.

Claims

1. A content searching/providing system for searching a record content from a randomly accessible memory apparatus storing a plurality of contents and for providing the record content to a user, comprising:

content classification means classifying the record contents of said memory apparatus in accordance with a predetermined rule;

channel assignment means assigning a virtual channel to each classification;

content arrangement means arranging the record contents classified into the same classification on the corresponding virtual channels;

user operation receiving means receiving a user operation for commanding channel selection and content search on a channel; and

content providing means acquiring a record content from a selected virtual channel in response to the user operation received via said user operation receiving means and providing the record content.

2. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said content arrangement means dispose the record contents on the virtual channel along its time axis in accordance with their presentation sequence; and

said content providing means acquire the record content from a position which is moved along said time axis for a time period corresponding an operation amount of the content search operation on said virtual channel selected by said user operation receiving means.

3. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said user operation receiving means include a first command means commanding an amount of operation in a first direction and a second command means commanding an amount of operation in a second direction;

said content providing means specifies a virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in said first direction by said first commanding means, and specifies a record content on said virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in said second direction by said second commanding means.

4. The content searching/providing system according to claim 3, wherein:

said second commanding means accept a press-in operation executed by a user; and

said content providing means acquire a record content from a position that is moved along said time axis of said virtual channel for an amount corresponding to said press-in operating time executed by said second commanding means.

5. The content searching/providing system according to claim 4, wherein:

said content providing means move said position within the same record content which is being presented if said press-in operating time by said second commanding means is less than a predetermined value, and moves said position among the record contents if said press-in operating time is not less than the predetermined value.

6. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving means receiving broadcast program contents that are being broadcasted from one or a plurality of broadcasting stations;

wherein

said channel assigning means assign a real channel to a receivable broadcasting station;

said user operation receiving means accept the channel selection operation regardless of type difference between the virtual channel and the real channel; and

said content providing means provide the broadcast program content or the record content, said broadcast content being a content currently being broadcasted on the real channel that is selected in response to the user operation executed via said user operation receiving means, and said record content being a content acquired from the virtual channel that is selected in response to the user operation executed via said user operation receiving means.

7. The content searching/providing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said user operation receiving means include a first command means commanding an amount of operation in a first direction and a second command means commanding an amount of operation in a second direction;

said content providing means specifies a virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in said first direction by said first commanding means, and specifies a record content on said virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in said second direction by said second commanding means.

8. The content searching/providing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said user operation receiving means include a set of numeral keys for specifying a channel number;

said channel assignment means assign a part of available channels corresponding to broadcasting stations to the real channels, and the rest of said available channels that are not used for the real channels to the virtual channels; and

said content providing means acquire the content from the real channel or the virtual channel corresponding to the numeral key specified by said user operation receiving means.

9. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said content classification means classify or filter the record contents in accordance with user preferences or profile information inputted by a user.

10. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said content arrangement means determine said order of content presentation or a priority of the record content on the virtual channel in accordance with user preferences or profile information inputted by a user.

11. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said memory apparatus store multimedia contents including multimedia data and a replay application program for replaying said multimedia data.

12. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said memory apparatus store multimedia contents including multimedia data and a replay application program for replaying said multimedia data in addition to picture contents;

said channel assignment means assign the virtual channel to each replay application program;

said content arrangement means dispose the multimedia data on the virtual channel, to which the replay application program is assigned, in replay sequence by the replay application program; and

said content providing means activate the replay application program and replay the multimedia data in response to the selection of the multimedia data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.

13. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said memory apparatus store multimedia contents including multimedia data, meta-data, and a replay application program for replaying said multimedia data and said meta-data;

said channel assignment means assign the virtual channel to each replay application program;

said content arrangement means dispose pairs of multimedia data and meta-data on the virtual channel, to which the replay application program is assigned, in replay sequence by the replay application program;

said content providing means activate the replay application program and replay the pairs of multimedia data and meta-data in response to the selection of the pair of multimedia data and meta-data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.

14. The content searching/providing system according to claim 13, wherein:

said content providing means start replaying of pre-recorded default multimedia data and meta-data without waiting further input in response to the selection of the multimedia content on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.

15. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said content providing means re-start the content presentation from a point of time that is moved for an amount of actual time passed in the virtual channel when the virtual channel is re-selected after switching to the other channel.

16. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said content providing means re-start the content presentation from a point of time wherein the switching to the other channel was made when the virtual channel is re-selected after switching to the other channel.

17. The content searching/providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said content providing means display a replay start time and a replaying time and/or a mark indicating a replaying position of each program on the time axis of each virtual channel.

19. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

in said content arrangement step, the record contents are disposed on the virtual channel along its time axis in accordance with an order of their presentation sequence; and

in said content providing step, the record content is acquired from a position which is moved along said time axis for a time period corresponding an operation amount of the content search operation on said virtual channel selected in said user operation receiving step.

20. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

said user operation receiving step include a first command step commanding an amount of operation in a first direction and a second command step commanding an amount of operation in a second direction; and

in said content providing step, a virtual channel is specified in accordance with the operation amount in said first direction in said first commanding step, and a record content is specified on said virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in said second direction in said second commanding step.

21. The content searching/providing method according to claim 20, wherein:

in said second commanding step, a press-in operation executed by a user is accepted; and

in said content providing step, a record content is acquired from a position that is moved along said time axis of said virtual channel for an amount corresponding to said press-in operating time executed in said second commanding step.

22. The content searching/providing method according to claim 21, wherein:

in said content providing step, said position is moved within the same record content which is being presented if said press-in operating time in said second commanding step is less than a predetermined value, and said position is moved among the record contents if said press-in operating time is not less than the predetermined value.

23. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, further comprising:

receiving step receiving broadcast program contents that are being broadcasted from one or a plurality of broadcasting stations;

wherein

in said channel assigning step, a real channel is assigned to a receivable broadcasting station;

in said user operation receiving step, the channel selection operation is accepted regardless of type difference between the virtual channel and the real channel; and

in said content providing step, the broadcast program content or the record content is provided, said broadcast content being a content currently being broadcasted on the real channel that is selected in response to the user operation executed in said user operation receiving step, and said record content being a content acquired from the virtual channel that is selected in response to the user operation executed in said user operation receiving step.

24. The content searching/providing method according to claim 23, wherein:

said user operation receiving step include a first command step commanding an amount of operation in a first direction and a second command step commanding an amount of operation in a second direction;

in said content providing step, a virtual channel is specified in accordance with the operation amount in said first direction determined in said first commanding step, and a record content on said virtual channel is specified in accordance with the operation amount in said second direction determined in said second commanding step.

25. The content searching/providing method according to claim 23, wherein:

said user operation receiving step include accepting a user operation to specify a channel number via a set of numeral keys;

in said channel assignment step, a part of available channels corresponding to broadcasting stations is assigned to the real channels, and the rest of said available channels that are not used for the real channels is assigned to the virtual channels; and

in said content providing step, the content is acquired from the real channel or the virtual channel corresponding to the numeral key specified in said user operation receiving step.

26. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

in said content classification step, the record contents are classified or filtered in accordance with user preferences or profile information inputted by a user.

27. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

in said content arrangement step, said order of content presentation or a priority of the record content on the virtual channel is determined in accordance with user preferences or profile information inputted by a user.

28. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

said memory apparatus store multimedia contents including multimedia data and a replay application program for replaying said multimedia data.

29. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

said memory apparatus store multimedia contents including multimedia data and a replay application program for replaying said multimedia data in addition to picture contents;

in said channel assignment step, the virtual channel is assigned to each replay application program;

in said content arrangement step, the multimedia data are disposed on the virtual channel, to which the replay application program is assigned, in replay sequence by the replay application program; and

in said content providing step, the replay application program is activated and the multimedia data is replayed in response to the selection of the multimedia data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.

30. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

said memory apparatus store multimedia contents including multimedia data, meta-data, and a replay application program for replaying said multimedia data and said meta-data;

in said channel assignment step, the virtual channel is assigned to each replay application program;

in said content arrangement step, pairs of multimedia data and meta-data are disposed on the virtual channel, to which the replay application program is assigned, in replay sequence by the replay application program;

in said content providing step, the replay application program is activated, and the pair of multimedia data and meta-data is replayed in response to the selection of the pair of multimedia data and meta-data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.

31. The content searching/providing method according to claim 30, wherein:

in said content providing step, replaying of pre-recorded default multimedia data and meta-data is started without waiting further input in response to the selection of the multimedia content on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.

32. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

in said content providing step, the content presentation is re-started from a point of time that is moved for an amount of actual time passed in the virtual channel when the virtual channel is re-selected after switching to the other channel.

33. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

in said content providing step, the content presentation is re-started from a point of time wherein the switching to the other channel was made when the virtual channel is re-selected after switching to the other channel.

34. The content searching/providing method according to claim 18, wherein:

in said content providing step, a replay start time and a replaying time and/or a mark indicating a replaying position of each program on the time axis of each virtual channel are displayed.

36. The software memory medium according to claim 35, wherein:

in said content arrangement step, the record contents are disposed on the virtual channel along its time axis in accordance with an order of their presentation sequence; and

in said content providing step, the record content is acquired from a position which is moved along said time axis for a time period corresponding an operation amount of the content search operation on said virtual channel selected in said user operation receiving step.

37. The software memory medium according to claim 35, wherein:

said user operation receiving step include a first command step commanding an amount of operation in a first direction and a second command step commanding an amount of operation in a second direction; and

in said content providing step, a virtual channel is specified in accordance with the operation amount in said first direction in said first commanding step, and a record content is specified on said virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in said second direction in said second commanding step.

38. The software memory medium according to claim 35, further comprising:

receiving step receiving broadcast program contents that are being broadcasted from one or a plurality of broadcasting stations;

wherein

in said channel assigning step, a real channel is assigned to a receivable broadcasting station;

in said user operation receiving step, the channel selection operation is accepted regardless of type difference between the virtual channel and the real channel; and

in said content providing step, the broadcast program content or the record content is provided, said broadcast content being a content currently being broadcasted on the real channel that is selected in response to the user operation executed in said user operation receiving step, and said record content being a content acquired from the virtual channel that is selected in response to the user operation executed in said user operation receiving step.

39. The software memory medium according to claim 38, wherein:

said user operation receiving step include accepting a user operation to specify a channel number via a set of numeral keys;

in said channel assignment step, a part of available channels corresponding to broadcasting stations is assigned to the real channels, and the rest of said available channels that are not used for the real channels is assigned to the virtual channels; and

in said content providing step, the content is acquired from the real channel or the virtual channel corresponding to the numeral key specified in said user operation receiving step.

40. The software memory medium to claim 35, wherein:

said memory apparatus store multimedia contents including multimedia data and a replay application program for replaying said multimedia data in addition to picture contents;

in said channel assignment step, the virtual channel is assigned to each replay application program;

in said content arrangement step, the multimedia data are disposed on the virtual channel, to which the replay application program is assigned, in replay sequence by the replay application program; and

in said content providing step, the replay application program is activated and the multimedia data is replayed in response to the selection of the multimedia data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.

41. The software memory medium according to claim 35, wherein:

said memory apparatus store multimedia contents including multimedia data, meta-data, and a replay application program for replaying said multimedia data and said meta-data;

in said channel assignment step, the virtual channel is assigned to each replay application program;

in said content arrangement step, pairs of multimedia data and meta-data are disposed on the virtual channel, to which the replay application program is assigned, in replay sequence by the replay application program;

in said content providing step, the replay application program is activated, and the pair of multimedia data and meta-data is replayed in response to the selection of the pair of multimedia data and meta-data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.

18. A content searching/providing method for searching a record content from a randomly accessible memory apparatus storing a plurality of contents and for providing the record content to a user, comprising:

content classification step classifying the record contents of said memory apparatus in accordance with a predetermined rule;

channel assignment step assigning a virtual channel to each classification;

content arrangement step arranging the record contents classified into the same classification on the corresponding virtual channels;

user operation receiving step receiving a user operation for commanding channel selection and content search on a channel; and

content providing step acquiring a record content from a selected virtual channel in response to the user operation received in said user operation receiving step and providing the record content.

35. A software memory medium storing computer readable software described so as to control a computer system to execute a content searching/providing processing for searching a record content from a randomly accessible memory apparatus storing a plurality of contents and for providing the record content to a user, said software comprising:

content classification step classifying the record contents of said memory apparatus in accordance with a predetermined rule;

channel assignment step assigning a virtual channel to each classification;

content arrangement step arranging the record contents classified into the same classification on the corresponding virtual channels;

user operation receiving step receiving a user operation for commanding channel selection and content search on a channel; and

content providing step acquiring a record content from a selected virtual channel in response to the user operation received in said user operation receiving step and providing the record content.

42. A computer readable program to control a computer system to execute a content searching/providing processing for searching a record content from a randomly accessible memory apparatus storing a plurality of contents and for providing the record content to a user, said program comprising:

content classification step classifying the record contents of said memory apparatus in accordance with a predetermined rule;

channel assignment step assigning a virtual channel to each classification;

content arrangement step arranging the record contents classified into the same classification on the corresponding virtual channels;

user operation receiving step receiving a user operation for commanding channel selection and content search on a channel; and

content providing step acquiring a record content from a selected virtual channel in response to the user operation received in said user operation receiving step and providing the record content.