Information processing apparatus, information processing method, broadcast system, storage medium, and computer program

• US 20040113929A1
• Filed: 12/04/2003
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuzaki, Eiichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,562,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/700
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/09 Arrangements for receiving desired information automatically according to timetables
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• 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 21/4334 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• 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 5/782 on tape

Abstract

An information processing apparatus has the capability of making a registration for timer-controlled automatic viewing/recording not only in units of programs but also in units of sub-programs. The information processing apparatus includes a display control unit for displaying information on a display on the basis of the program information data such that when a program includes a plurality of sub-programs, sub-program information associated with sub-programs is displayed on the display, a processing unit for performing a specified process on sub-program content data of a sub-program included in the program content data received by the receiving means, and a timer-controlled automatic operation setting unit for specifying a sub-program indicated by the sub-program information displayed on the display and setting a timer-controlled automatic operation for the specified sub-program such that the specified process is to be performed on the specified sub-program at a specified time.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for processing program content data and program information data associated with a television broadcast program received via receiving means, comprising

display control means for displaying information on display means on the basis of the program information data such that when a program includes a plurality of sub-programs, sub-program information associated with sub-programs is displayed on the display means;

processing means for performing a specified process on sub-program content data of a sub-program included in the program content data received by the receiving means; and

timer-controlled automatic operation setting means for specifying a sub-program indicated by the sub-program information displayed on the display means and setting timer-controlled automatic operation for the specified sub-program such that the specified process is to be performed on the specified sub-program at a specified time.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the particular process is displaying or recording of the sub-program content data.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means has a first mode in which the program information is displayed but the sub-program information is not displayed and a second mode in which sub-program information is displayed together with program information, the display control means being capable of switching the displaying mode between the first mode and the second mode.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the first mode, the display control means displays the program information data in the form of a program table on the display means and further displays, in the program table, a mark indicating that the program includes a plurality of sub-programs.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein if a sub-program is set to be subjected to a timer-controlled automatic operation by the timer-controlled automatic operation setting means, the display control means changes the form of displaying the mark.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display control means switches the mode of displaying information from the first mode to the second mode in response to manual clicking on the mark.

10. A television program broadcast system including a television program broadcast station and a television receiver, wherein the television receiver has a capability of functioning as an information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. An information processing apparatus for receiving television broadcast program data and processing it, comprising

acquisition means for, when program data including a plurality of sub-program data is received as the television broadcast program data, acquiring sub-program data including at least one of video data, audio data, and text data and also acquiring information associated with sub-programs from the received program data;

and

display means for displaying a screen on the basis of the sub-program information acquired by the acquisition means in such a manner that each of sub-programs is colored in accordance with a genre of the sub-program determined on the basis of the sub-program information.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising

processing means for performing a specified process on sub-program data acquired by the acquisition means;

and

timer-controlled automatic operation setting means for setting timer-controlled automatic operation for a sub-program specified on the screen displayed on the display means such that the specified process is to be performed on the specified sub-program at a specified time.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising designation means for, on the screen displayed on the display means, designating a sub-program to be set to be viewed and/or recorded in a timer-controlled automatic operation mode,

wherein the timer-controlled automatic operation setting means controls the processing means such that the specified process is performed on the sub-program designated by the designation means at the specified time.

11. An information processing method for processing television broadcast program content data and program information data associated with a program received in a receiving step, comprising

a display control step for displaying information on display means on the basis of the program information data such that when a program includes a plurality of sub-programs, sub-program information associated with sub-programs is displayed on the display means;

a processing step for performing a specified process on sub-program content data of a sub-program included in the program content data received in the receiving step; and

a timer-controlled automatic process setting step for specifying a sub-program indicated by the sub-program information displayed on the display means and setting timer-controlled automatic operation for the specified sub-program such that the specified process is to be performed on the specified sub-program at a specified time.

13. A computer-readable storage medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute steps of an information processing method according to claim 11 is stored.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute steps of an information processing method according to claim 11.

12. An information processing method for receiving television broadcast program data and processing it, comprising

an acquisition step for, when program data including a plurality of sub-program data is received as the television broadcast program data, acquiring sub-program data including at least one of video data, audio data, and text data and also acquiring information associated with sub-programs from the received program data;

and

a displaying step for displaying a screen on the basis of the sub-program information acquired in the acquisition step in such a manner that each of sub-programs is colored in accordance with a genre of the sub-program determined on the basis of the sub-program information.