Receiving apparatus

• US 20040107449A1
• Filed: 10/07/2003
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aratani, Shuntaro, Fukuda, Tetsu, Mori, Shigeki, Miyamoto, Katsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,610,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• 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 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

In order to switch the transmission medium between the Internet and broadcast waves, reception/playback of communication data received via first media, such as via the Internet from an external device, and broadcast data received via second media, such as via a broadcast network from a broadcast station, is switched.

Claims

1. A receiving apparatus comprising:

first data receiving means for receiving data via a first medium;

second data receiving means for receiving data via a second medium; and

switching means for, in response to an event message, switching reception and/or playback of the data received by the first data receiving means and the data received by the second data receiving means.

3. A receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first data receiving means comprises means for receiving communication data via the Internet from an external device,

the second data receiving means comprises means for receiving broadcast data sent from a broadcast station via a broadcast network, and

the receiving apparatus further includes:

a decoder for decoding the communication data received by the first data receiving means and the broadcast data received by the second data receiving means using different decoding methods; and

switching means for switching between the decoding methods executed by the decoder.

4. A receiving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the switching means switches the decoding method performed by the decoder to a broadcast data decoding method from a communication data decoding method.

5. A receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving apparatus further includes a first recording unit for recording the broadcast data;

when broadcast data is received, the switching means performs switching control of the decoding method performed by the decoder from a communication data decoding method to a broadcast data decoding method and the broadcast data received is recorded in the first recording unit; and

after switching the decoding method to the broadcast data decoding method from the communication data decoding method, the decoder decodes the broadcast data recorded in the first recording unit.

6. A receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in response to an event message indicating that a commercial message starts or indicating that content such as news starts, the switching means switches data reception of data from an external device via the Internet to reception of data from a broadcast station via a broadcast network.

7. A receiving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the receiving apparatus further includes a second recording unit for recording information on communication data of a program;

in response to an event message indicating that the program ends, the first data receiving means interrupts reception of the communication data of the program; and

when a playback request of the program is made again, the first data receiving means receives the remaining communication data of the program from the external device based on the information on the communication data of the program recorded in the second recording unit.

8. A receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information on the communication data of the program includes identification information of the program and a playback duration of the program.

2. A receiving method for a receiving apparatus including first data receiving means for receiving data via a first medium, and second data receiving means for receiving data via a second medium, said receiving method comprising the step of, in response to an event message, switching reception and/or playback of the data received by the first data receiving means and the data received by the second data receiving means.