Image forming device and image forming method

• US 20050005292A1
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsui, Yasunori, Sakao, Katsutoshi, Kimata, Hirokatsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• 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

Abstract

The present invention is intended to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method which are high in user-friendliness and entertainment and enhanced in convenience in viewing broadcast programs. Through a modem (40), program guide data are obtained from a server arranged on the Internet, the obtained program guide data are stored in an EPG memory, and viewing log data for a selected broadcast program are stored in a viewing log memory (35). On the basis of the viewing log data and the program attribute of the program guide data, the viewing period of time for each program attribute is summarized and, on the basis of the summarized data, each character image formed by the image data stored in a character data memory is altered in accordance with user'"'"'s liking in viewing broadcast programs.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

obtaining means for obtaining program guide data including at least attribute information of each broadcast program;

use log forming means for forming, by identifying each broadcast program adapted to be viewed, use log information for said identified each broadcast program;

character image forming means for forming a character image to be displayed by use of image data for forming a character image;

viewing log summary table forming means for forming a viewing log summary table obtained by relating said use log information formed at least by said use log forming means to said attribute information included in said program guide data obtained by said obtaining means; and

character image altering means for altering said character image formed in advance, on the basis of said viewing log summary table.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said obtaining means connects a communication line with a server arranged on a communication network and obtains said program guide data from said server.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said obtaining means obtains said program guide data which are multiplexed with a received broadcast signal.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said viewing log summary table is updated in a predetermined time interval and

said character image altering means alters said character image formed in advance, in accordance with the update of said viewing log summary table.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

image data obtaining means for obtaining image data from a server holding image data for forming various character images arranged on a communication network by connecting a communication line with said server.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said broadcast signal is multiplexed with image data for forming a character image as required;

said image forming apparatus further comprising;

image data extracting means for extracting said image data from said broadcast signal to make the extracted image data usable.

7. An image forming method comprising the steps of:

obtaining program guide data including at least attribute information of each broadcast program;

forming, by identifying each broadcast program adapted to be viewed, use log information for said identified each broadcast program;

forming a character image to be displayed by use of image data for forming a character image;

forming a viewing log summary table obtained by relating said use log information formed at least in said use log forming step to said attribute information included in said program guide data obtained in said obtaining step; and

altering said character image formed in advance, on the basis of said viewing log summary table.

8. The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein, in said obtaining step, a communication line is connected with a server arranged on a communication network and said program guide data are obtained from said server.

9. The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein, in said obtaining step, said program guide data are obtained by extracting said program guide data which are multiplexed with a received broadcast signal.

10. The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein said viewing log summary table is updated in a predetermined time interval and,

in said character image altering step, said character image formed in advance is altered in accordance with the update of said viewing log summary table.

11. The image forming method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

obtaining image data from a server holding image data for forming various character images arranged on a communication network by connecting a communication line with said server.

12. The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein said broadcast signal is multiplexed with image data for forming a character image as required;

said image forming method further comprising the step of;

extracting said image data from said broadcast signal to make the extracted image data usable.