User terminal, display data generation method, and computer program

• US 20050257130A1
• Filed: 05/12/2005
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Akihiko
• Application Number:
  US11/127,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20050257130A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/00 Specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

A user terminal for displaying a content includes a root meta information acquisition unit acquiring root meta information from among meta information for displaying one of a program and a content related to the program, a link meta information acquisition unit linking the root meta information to branch meta information under the layer of the root meta information, and acquiring link meta information containing link attribute indicating a common link, a template selecting unit selecting one template from among at least one template defining a layout position where the meta information is laid out in a display area of a display screen, and a layout unit selecting a layout rule, for laying out the meta information, in accordance with the selected template and laying out one of the root meta information and the link meta information in the display area.

Claims

1. A user terminal for displaying a content, comprising:

a root meta information acquisition unit acquiring root meta information, belonging to a first layer, from among meta information for displaying one of a program and a content related to the program;

a link meta information acquisition unit linking the root meta information to at least one piece of branch meta information under the layer of the root meta information, and acquiring link meta information containing link attribute indicating a common link from among other links;

a template selecting unit selecting one template from among at least one template defining a layout position where the meta information is laid out in a display area of a display screen; and

a layout unit selecting a layout rule, for laying out the meta information, in accordance with the selected template and laying out one of the root meta information and the link meta information in the display area of the template based on the layout rule and the link attribute.

2. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the layout unit lays out the link meta information and/or the branch meta information in the display area of the template in accordance with priority information contained in the root meta information and representing a priority according to which the meta information is laid out in the template.

3. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the layout unit determines a total amount of branch meta information linked to the root meta information from the acquired link meta information and if the total amount of branch meta information is above a total amount of information displayable on the display screen, lays out, in the template, the branch meta information pointed by the link meta information, in the order from small to large amount of data, within a limit not exceeding the total amount of information displayable on the display screen.

4. The user terminal according to claim 2, wherein the layout unit determines a total amount of branch meta information linked to the root meta information from the acquired link meta information and if the total amount of branch meta information is above a total amount of information displayable on the display screen, lays out, in the template, the branch meta information pointed by the link meta information, in the order from high to low priority of data, within a limit not exceeding the total amount of information displayable on the display screen.

5. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the link attribute contained in the link meta information comprises at least one of a type of a link and a condition satisfying the link.

6. A user terminal for displaying a content, comprising:

a root meta information acquisition unit acquiring root meta information, belonging to a first layer, from among meta information for displaying one of a program and a content related to the program;

a template selecting unit selecting one template from among at least one template defining a layout position where the meta information is laid out in a display area of a display screen; and

a layout unit selecting a layout rule, for laying out the meta information, in accordance with the selected template and laying out one of the root meta information and branch meta information in the display area of the template in accordance with the selected layout rule and common attribute information of common branch meta information from among at least one piece of branch meta information under the layer of the root meta information, the common attribute information being generated according to attribute unit.

7. The user terminal according to claim 6, wherein the layout unit lays out one of the root meta information and the branch meta data in the display area of the template in accordance with priority information contained in the common attribute information and representing a priority according to which the meta information is laid out in the template.

8. The user terminal according to claim 7, wherein the layout unit determines a total amount of at least one piece of branch meta information, pointed by the common attribute information, on a per piece of common attribute information basis, the common attribute information contained in a single piece of root meta information, and if the total amount of branch meta information is above a total amount of information displayable on the display screen, lays out one of the root meta information and the branch meta information, in the order from high to, low priority of data, within a limit not exceeding the total amount of information displayable on the display screen.

9. A method for generating display data on a user terminal displaying a content, the method comprising steps of:

acquiring root meta information, belonging to a first layer, from among meta information for displaying one of a program and a content related to the program;

linking the root meta information to at least one piece of branch meta information under the layer of the root meta information;

acquiring link meta information containing link attribute indicating a common link from among other links;

selecting one template from among at least one template defining a layout position where the meta information is laid out in a display area of a display screen;

selecting a layout rule, for laying out the meta information, in accordance with the selected template;

and laying out one of the root meta information and the link meta information in the display area of the template based on the layout rule and the link attribute.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the layout step comprises laying out the link meta information and/or the branch meta information in the display area of the template in accordance with priority information contained in the root meta information and representing a priority according to which the meta information is laid out in the template.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the layout step comprises determining a total amount of branch meta information linked to the root meta information from the acquired link meta information and if the total amount of branch meta information is above a total amount of information displayable on the display screen, laying out, in the template, the branch meta information pointed by the link meta information, in the order from small to large amount of data, within a limit not exceeding the total amount of information displayable on the display screen.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the layout step comprises determining a total amount of branch meta information linked to the root meta information from the acquired link meta information and if the total amount of branch meta information is above a total amount of information displayable on the display screen, laying out, in the template, the branch meta information pointed by the link meta information, in the order from high to low priority of data, within a limit not exceeding the total amount of information displayable on the display screen.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the link attribute contained in the link meta information comprises at least one of a type of a link and a condition satisfying the link.

14. A method for generating display data on a user terminal displaying a content, the method comprising steps of:

acquiring root meta information, belonging to a first layer, from among meta information for displaying one of a program and a content related to the program;

selecting one template from among at least one template defining a layout position where the meta information is laid out in a display area of a display screen;

selecting a layout rule, for laying out the meta information, in accordance with the selected template;

and laying out one of the root meta information and branch meta information in the display area of the template in accordance with the selected layout rule and common attribute information of common branch meta information from among at least one piece of branch meta information under the layer of the root meta information, the common attribute information being generated according to attribute unit.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the layout step comprises laying out one of the root meta information and the branch meta data in the display area of the template in accordance with priority information contained in the common attribute information and representing a priority according to which the meta information is laid out in the template.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the layout step comprises determining a total amount of at least one piece of branch meta information, pointed by the common attribute information, on a per piece of common attribute information basis, the common attribute information contained in a single piece of root meta information, and if the total amount of branch meta information is above a total amount of information displayable on the display screen, laying out one of the root meta information and the branch meta information, in the order from high to low priority of data, within a limit not exceeding the total amount of information displayable on the display screen.

17. A computer program for causing a user terminal to generate display data, the computer program comprising steps of:

acquiring root meta information, belonging to a first layer, from among meta information for displaying one of a program and a content related to the program;

linking the root meta information to at least one piece of branch meta information under the layer of the root meta information;

acquiring link meta information containing link attribute indicating a common link from among other links;

selecting one template from among at least one template defining a layout position where the meta information is laid out in a display area of a display screen;

selecting a layout rule, for laying out the meta information, in accordance with the selected template;

and laying out one of the root meta information and the link meta information in the display area of the template, based on the layout rule and the link attribute.

18. A computer program for causing a user terminal to generate display data, the computer program comprising steps of:

acquiring root meta information, belonging to a first layer, from among meta information for displaying one of a program and a content related to the program;

selecting one template from among at least one template defining a layout position where the meta information is laid out in a display area of a display screen;

selecting a layout rule, for laying out the meta information, in accordance with the selected template;

and laying out one of the root meta information and the branch meta information in the display area of the template in accordance with the selected layout rule and common attribute information of common branch meta information from among at least one piece of branch meta information under the layer of the root meta information, the common attribute information being generated according to attribute unit.