Data processing apparatus, data processing method and program, and data processing system

• US 20060010470A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nomura, Yasuo, Kurosaki, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/47 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus, a data processing method and a program, and a data processing system which are configured to provide an EPG as a user interface that further facilitates decision on whether to view or record a program. By aggregating information uploaded from a user side, statistical data, such as the number of persons who viewed a program during its broadcast time, an audience rating of a program during its broadcast time, or a good impression level representing how the user feels about a program, are calculated, whereby an EPG page is automatically generated in which the statistical data and program guide data that gives guidance on programs are superimposed. The present invention is applicable to, e.g., a broadcasting system that broadcast television broadcasting programs.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus that performs data processing to generate an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) to be displayed on display means displaying information, characterized by including:

program guide data acquiring means for acquiring program guide data that gives guidance on programs;

statistical data acquiring means for acquiring statistical data representing degree of interest in the programs shown by users; and

Epg generating means for generating an EPG in which said program guide data and said statistical data are superimposed;

2. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

said statistical data includes at least one or more of the number of persons who viewed a program during a broadcast time thereof, an audience rating of the program during the broadcast time thereof, the number of persons who scheduled the program for recording, the number of persons who viewed the program recorded during the broadcast time thereof by playback, and a good impression level representing how a user feels about the program.

3. The data processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that:

said statistical data is obtained on the basis of information transmitted from user terminals of users, and

said audience rating of the program during the broadcast time thereof is obtained using the number of users of said user terminals which transmitted the information a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period, as a population parameter.

4. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further including:

EPG transmission means for transmitting a latest EPG generated by said EPG generating means to a user of a user terminal.

5. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further including:

history data acquiring means for acquiring, as to each of the users, history data which is a history of actions related to program viewing taken by the user;

wherein said EPG generating means generates said EPG in which said program guide data, said statistical data, and said history data are superimposed.

6. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further including:

operation data acquiring means for acquiring operation data operated when a user terminal of a user is caused to perform a predetermined process;

wherein said EPG generating means generates said EPG in which said program guide data, said statistical data, and said operation data are superimposed.

7. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

said EPG generating means generates said EPG in which said program guide data is displayed in a different manner for different broadcast status of a program.

8. The data processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that:

said EPG generating means generates said EPG in which said program guide data is displayed in different manners for a program which ended, a program which is being broadcast and a program which will be broadcast.

9. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

said EPG generated by said EPG generating means is displayable by a web browser.

10. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

said EPG generated by said EPG generating means is displayable by a dedicated browser.

11. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further including:

aggregation means for aggregating information transmitted from user terminals of users and obtaining said statistical data;

wherein said statistical data acquiring means acquires said statistical data obtained by said aggregation means.

12. The data processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that:

the information transmitted from said user terminals is first information representing that a program is viewed during a broadcast time thereof, second information representing that a program recorded during a broadcast time thereof is viewed by playback, or third information representing that a program is scheduled for recording or that a recording schedule is cancelled.

13. The data processing apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that:

said first information includes information which specifies the program viewed by a user and a viewing date/time of the program;

said second information includes information which specifies a recorded program viewed by the user and a viewing date/time of the recorded program which uses a broadcast date/time of the recorded program viewed by the user as a reference; and

said third information includes information which specifies the program which is scheduled for recording or whose recording schedule is cancelled, and information representing the recording schedule or cancellation thereof.

14. The data processing apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that:

said first and second information further include a good impression level representing how the users feel about the program.

15. The data processing apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that:

the second information further includes an actual viewing date/time at which the user viewed the recorded program.

16. The data processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that:

the information transmitted from said user terminal includes date/time information about broadcast dates/times of the programs, and

said aggregation means aggregates the information transmitted from said user terminals for predetermined time intervals on the basis of said date/time information included in the information.

17. The data processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that:

said aggregation means sorts and stores the information transmitted from said user terminals by the users.

18. The data processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that:

said aggregation means determines whether or not the information transmitted from said user terminals is valid, and takes only valid information for aggregation.

19. The data processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that:

said aggregation means aggregates the information transmitted from said user terminals for each of user attributes.

20. The data processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that:

the information transmitted from said user terminals includes a good impression level representing how the users feel about a program, and

said aggregation means aggregates said good impression level for each of the programs.

21. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

said EPG generating means generates an EPG in which said program guide data for one day is displayed on one page.

22. A data processing method of performing data processing to generate an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) to be displayed on display means displaying information, characterized by including:

a program guide data acquiring step of acquiring program guide data that gives guidance on programs;

a statistical data acquiring step of acquiring statistical data representing degree of interest in the programs shown by users; and

an EPG generating step of generating an EPG in which said program guide data and said statistical data are superimposed.

23. A program that causes a computer to perform data processing to generate an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) that is displayed on display means displaying information, characterized by including:

a program guide data acquiring step of acquiring program guide data that gives guidance on programs;

a statistical data acquiring step of acquiring statistical data representing degree of interest in the programs shown by users; and

an EPG generating step of generating an EPG in which said program guide data and said statistical data are superimposed.

24. A data processing system including:

a server for transmitting information; and

a user terminal for receiving information from said server, the data processing system being characterized in that;

either said server or said user terminal includes;

program guide data acquiring means for acquiring program guide data that gives guidance on programs;

statistical data acquiring means for acquiring statistical data representing degree of interest in the programs shown by users; and

EPG generating means for generating an EPG in which said program guide data and said statistical data are superimposed.