Television receiver and system including the same

• US 20050166228A1
• Filed: 06/18/2003
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takatori, Masahiro, Wada, Hirofumi, Kataoka, Mitsuteru
• Granted Patent: US 7,861,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• 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 21/4622 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A television receiver (100) acquires numerical quantity information which indicates the number of program-related information related to a television program from program list information acquired from a television signal (11) or the like, and displays the acquired numerical quantity information on a television display screen. When a user selects a television program whose program-related information is to be acquired, the television receiver (100) acquires a URL of program-related information from an address server (200) by utilizing the program identification code of the selected television program; acquires the program-related information from an information server (300) by utilizing the acquired URL; and displays the acquired program-related information so as to be superimposed, for example, upon a television picture.

Claims

1. A television receiver which receives a television signal and acquires information via a communication network, comprising:

television broadcast receiving means for obtaining a television picture based on the television signal and displays the obtained television picture on a television display screen;

numerical quantity acquisition means for acquiring a numerical quantity of program-related information related to a television program from program list information which has been acquired;

numerical quantity display means for displaying the numerical quantity acquired by the numerical quantity acquisition means on the television display screen;

input means for inputting an instruction from a user;

information acquisition means for acquiring, via the communication network, program-related information related to a television program selected by using the input means; and

information display means for displaying, on the television display screen, the program-related information acquired by the information acquisition means.

2. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the numerical quantity acquisition means acquires the program list information from the television signal or via the communication network and acquires the numerical quantity with respect to each television program contained in the program list information.

3. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein the numerical quantity display means makes a program list in which each television program contained in the program list information is shown in a manner corresponding to the numerical quantity acquired by the numerical quantity acquisition means and displays the made program list on the television display screen.

4. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein the numerical quantity display means makes, based on the program list information, a program list including the numerical quantity acquired by the numerical quantity acquisition means and displays the made program list on the television display screen.

5. The television receiver according to claim 4, wherein the numerical quantity display means displays on the television display screen a program content screen including the numerical quantity acquired by the numerical quantity acquisition means together with the television picture having been reduced in size.

6. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the numerical quantity acquisition means acquires the numerical quantity with respect to a television program which is being displayed as the television picture.

7. The television receiver according to claim 6, wherein the numerical quantity display means displays a banner corresponding to the numerical quantity acquired by the numerical quantity acquisition means so as to be superimposed upon the television picture.

8. The television receiver according to claim 6, wherein the numerical quantity display means displays on the television display screen a program content screen including the numerical quantity acquired by the numerical quantity acquisition means together with the television picture having reduced in size.

9. The television receiver according to claim 1, further comprising program identification information acquisition means for acquiring, from the program list information, program identification information for uniquely identifying a television program,

wherein the information acquisition means acquires desired program-related information via the communication network by utilizing the program identification information acquired by the program identification information acquisition means.

10. The television receiver according to claim 9, wherein the information acquisition means acquires desired program-related information by accessing, by utilizing the program identification information acquired by the program identification information acquisition means, an information server which is connected therewith so as to be capable of communication and in which program identification information and program-related information are accumulated in association with each other.

11. The television receiver according to claim 9, wherein the information acquisition means acquires desired program-related information by:

accessing, by utilizing the program identification information acquired by the program identification information acquisition means, an address server which is connected therewith so as to be capable of communication and in which program identification information and address information of program-related information are accumulated in association with each other; and

accessing, by utilizing the address information of the program-related information acquired from the address server, an information server which is connected therewith so as to be capable of communication and in which program-related information and address information of the program-related information are accumulated in association with each other.

12. The television receiver according to claim 11, wherein the information display means displays, on the television display screen, the address information of the program-related information acquired from the address server before the information acquisition means accesses the information server.

13. The television receiver according to claim 9, wherein the program identification information is encoded information including a channel and a date and time on or at which a television program is broadcast.

14. The television receiver according to claim 13, wherein the program identification information is a G-code®

.

15. The television receiver according to claim 9, wherein the program identification information is encoded information including a broadcasting station and a date and time from or at which a television program is broadcast.

16. A system in which information is provided from an information server to a television receiver, comprising:

a television receiver and an information server which are interconnected therebetween so as to be capable of communication, wherein,

the television receiver comprises;

television broadcast receiving means for obtaining a television picture based on a received television signal and displaying the obtained television picture on a television display screen;

numerical quantity acquisition means for acquiring a numerical quantity of program-related information related to a television program from program list information which has been acquired;

program identification information acquisition means for acquiring, from the program list information, program identification information for uniquely identifying a television program;

numerical quantity display means for displaying the numerical quantity acquired by the numerical quantity acquisition means on the television display screen;

input means for inputting an instruction from a user;

information acquisition means for acquiring program-related information related to a television program selected by using the input means from the information server; and

information display means for displaying the program-related information acquired by the information acquisition means on the television display screen, and

the information server accumulates program identification information and program-related information in association with each other and, when receiving the program identification information from the television receiver, transmits the program-related information corresponding to the received program identification information to the television receiver.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the numerical quantity acquisition means acquires the program list information from the television signal or via the communication network.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein,

the numerical quantity acquisition means acquires, from the program list information, the numerical quantity with respect to a television program which is being displayed as the television picture, and

the program identification information acquisition means acquires, from the program list information, the program identification information with respect to a television program which is being displayed as the television picture.

19. The system according to claim 16, further comprising an address server which accumulates program identification information and address information of program-related information in association with each other and, when receiving the program identification information from the television receiver, transmits the address information of the program-related information corresponding to the received program identification information to the television receiver, wherein,

the information server accumulates address information of program-related information, instead of program identification information, so as to be associated with the program-related information, and

the information acquisition means acquires desired program-related information by:

accessing the address server by utilizing the program identification information acquired by the program identification information acquisition means; and

accessing the information server by utilizing the address information of the program-related information acquired from the address server.