Information processing apparatus and method

• US 20050160460A1
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsunokawa, Motoki, Watanabe, Kazuhiro, Narahara, Tatsuya, Fujiwara, Nobuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,307,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

This invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method for simply providing the results of searches as expected by users searching for broadcast content. A search space processing section 103 acquires a search keyword based on search information coming from a user terminal, and searches a search keyword dictionary database for search-related keyword data related to the search keyword. On the basis of the search keyword and search-related keyword data, the search space processing section 103 generates a search keyword space and submits the generated space to a correction process. A search processing section 104 compares the corrected search keyword space, EPG data, and an EPG keyword space for a match. A search display processing section 105 prepares a list of display-ready information from the result of the matching and sends the list to the user terminal. This invention can be applied advantageously to systems that provide broadcast content information over the Internet.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

first generating means for generating a content information space based on content information and on additional information related to said content information;

receiving means for receiving search information from an information processing terminal over a network;

first acquiring means for acquiring a search keyword from said search information received by said receiving means;

searching means for searching a search-related information database for information related to said search keyword acquired by said first acquiring means;

second generating means for generating a search keyword space based on said related information retrieved by said searching means and on said search keyword;

comparing means for comparing information in said content information space generated by said first generating means with information in said search keyword space generated by said second generating means;

preparing means for preparing a list of display-ready information from the information deemed to match as a result of the comparison by said comparing means; and

transmitting means for transmitting said list of display-ready information prepared by said preparing means to said information processing terminal.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising updating means for updating said search-related information database on the basis of said content information space generated by said first generating means.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said preparing means prepares said list of display-related information from the matching information derived from the comparison by said comparing means, in accordance with said search information.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising second acquiring means for acquiring said content information from another information processing apparatus over said network.

5. An information processing method comprising:

a first generation step of generating a content information space based on content information and on additional information related to said content information;

a reception step of receiving search information from an information processing terminal over a network;

an acquisition step of acquiring a search keyword from said search information received in said reception step;

a search step of searching a search-related information database for information related to said search keyword acquired by in said acquisition step;

a second generation step of generating a search keyword space based on said related information retrieved in said search step and on said search keyword;

a comparison step of comparing information in said content information space generated in said first generation step with information in said search keyword space generated in said second generation step;

a preparation step of preparing a list of display-ready information from the information deemed to match as a result of the comparison in said comparison step; and

a transmission step of transmitting said list of display-ready information prepared in said preparation step to said information processing terminal.

6. A recording medium which records a program in a computer-readable format, said program comprising:

a first generation step of generating a content information space based on content information and on additional information related to said content information;

a reception controlling step of receiving search information from an information processing terminal over a network;

an acquisition step of acquiring a search keyword from said search information received in said reception controlling step;

a search step of searching a search-related information database for information related to said search keyword acquired by in said acquisition step;

a second generation step of generating a search keyword space based on said related information retrieved in said search step and on said search keyword;

a comparison step of comparing information in said content information space generated in said first generation step with information in said search keyword space generated in said second generation step;

a preparation step of preparing a list of display-ready information from the information deemed to match as a result of the comparison in said comparison step; and

a transmission controlling step of transmitting said list of display-ready information prepared in said preparation step to said information processing terminal.

7. A program which controls a computer to execute:

a first generation step of generating a content information space based on acquired content information and on additional information related to said content information;

a reception controlling step of receiving search information from an information processing terminal over a network;

an acquisition step of acquiring a search keyword from said search information received in said reception controlling step;

a search step of searching a search-related information database for information related to said search keyword acquired by in said acquisition step;

a second generation step of generating a search keyword space based on said related information retrieved in said search step and on said search keyword;

a comparison step of comparing information in said content information space generated in said first generation step with information in said search keyword space generated in said second generation step;

a preparation step of preparing a list of display-ready information from the information deemed to match as a result of the comparison in said comparison step; and

a transmission controlling step of controlling transmission of said list of display-ready information prepared in said preparation step to said information processing terminal.