Display apparatus, user terminal, distribution apparatus, control method tereof, computer program and storage medium

• US 20060015572A1
• Filed: 07/14/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,918 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

There is provided a content distribution system configured by a distribution apparatus for storing content data, a display apparatus for displaying content data distributed from the distribution apparatus in accordance with a predetermined display schedule, and a user terminal for acquiring the content data displayed on the display apparatus from the distribution apparatus. The user terminal receives data of a display schedule from the display apparatus, and requests the distribution apparatus to send data of content identified from the display schedule.

Claims

1. A user terminal which connects to a distribution apparatus for distributing content data to a display apparatus for displaying the content data in accordance with a predetermined display schedule and to the display apparatus, via the network;

the user terminal comprising;

a first request unit for requesting the display apparatus to send the display schedule;

a display unit for displaying the display schedule received in response to the request made by the first request unit;

a specification acceptance unit for accepting specification of content data based on content data to be displayed on the display apparatus, which is included in the display schedule displayed by the display unit, and information about display time of the content data to be displayed, from a user of the user terminal; and

a second request unit for requesting the distribution apparatus to send the content data the specification of which has been accepted;

wherein the display unit displays the content data received in response to the request made by the second request unit.

2. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus displays first identification information about the display apparatus together with the content data;

and

the first request unit requests the display apparatus to send the display schedule with the use of the first identification information.

3. The user terminal according to claim 2, wherein the display schedule received in response to the request made by the first request unit includes second identification information about the distribution apparatus;

and

the second request unit requests the distribution apparatus to send the content data with the use of the second identification information.

4. The user terminal according to claim 3, wherein the first identification information is the URL of a web page to be accessed by the user terminal, and the second identification information is the network address given to the distribution apparatus.

5. A display apparatus for displaying content data distributed from a distribution apparatus via a network in accordance with a predetermined display schedule;

the display apparatus comprising;

a display unit for displaying first identification information about the display apparatus together with the content data;

a request receiving unit for receiving a request to send the display schedule based on the first identification information, from a user terminal via the network; and

a sending unit for sending the display schedule to the user terminal via the network in response to the request.

6. A distribution apparatus for distributing content data to a display apparatus for displaying the content data in accordance with a predetermined display schedule, via a network;

the distribution apparatus comprising;

a storage unit for storing content data;

a registration unit for registering distribution information about distribution of the content data;

an receiving unit for receiving a content data sending request from the user terminal;

a determination unit for determining whether or not to send the content data for which the sending request has been received to the user terminal based on the distribution information; and

a sending unit for sending the content data relevant to the sending request via the network if it is determined by the determination unit that sending to the user terminal is possible.

7. The distribution apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the distribution information includes flag information indicating whether or not to permit to send the requested content data in response to the content data sending request made by the user terminal;

and

the determination unit makes the determination based on the flag information.

8. The distribution apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the distribution information includes a content name of content data stored in the storage unit;

and

the determination unit makes the determination based on the content name.

9. A method for controlling a user terminal which connects to a distribution apparatus for distributing content data to a display apparatus for displaying the content data in accordance with a predetermined display schedule and to the display apparatus, via the network;

the control method comprising;

a first requesting step of requesting the display apparatus to send the display schedule;

a displaying step of displaying on a display unit the display schedule received in response to the request at the first requesting step;

a specification acceptance step of accepting specification of content data based on content data to be displayed on the display apparatus, which is included in the display schedule displayed by the display unit, and information about display time of the content data to be displayed, from a user of the user terminal; and

a second requesting step of requesting the distribution apparatus to send the content data the specification of which has been accepted;

wherein the display unit displays the content data received the request made at the second requesting step.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the display apparatus displays first identification information about the display apparatus together with the content data;

and

at the first requesting step, the display apparatus is requested to send the display schedule with the use of the first identification information.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the display schedule received in response to the request made at the first requesting step includes second identification information about the distribution apparatus;

and

at the second requesting step, the display apparatus is requested to send the content data with the use of the second identification information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first identification information is the URL of a web page to be accessed by the user terminal, and the second identification information is the network address given to the distribution apparatus.

17. A computer program for causing a computer to

perform the method according to claims 9.

20. A computer-readable storage medium in which the

computer program according to claim 17 is stored.

13. A method for controlling a display apparatus for displaying content data distributed from a distribution apparatus via a network in accordance with a predetermined display schedule;

the control method comprising;

a displaying step of displaying on a display unit first identification information about the display apparatus together with the content data;

a request receiving step of receiving a request to send the display schedule based on the first identification information, from a user terminal via the network; and

a sending process of sending the display schedule to the user terminal via the network in response to the request.

18. A computer program for causing a computer to

perform the method according to claims 13.

21. A computer-readable storage medium in which the

computer program according to claim 18 is stored.

14. A method for controlling a distribution apparatus for distributing content data to a display apparatus for displaying the content data in accordance with a predetermined display schedule via a network, the distribution apparatus comprising a storage unit for storing content data and a registration unit for registering distribution information about distribution of the content data, the control method comprising:

an receiving step of receiving a content data sending request from the user terminal;

a determination step of determining whether or not to send the content data for which the sending request has been received to the user terminal based on the distribution information; and

a sending step of sending the content data relevant to the sending request via the network if it is determined at the determination step that it sending to the user terminal is possible.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the distribution information includes flag information indicating whether or not to permit sending in response to the content data sending request made by the user terminal;

and

at the determination step, the determination is made based on the flag information.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the distribution information includes a content name of content data stored in the storage unit;

and

at the determination step, the determination is made based on the content name.

19. A computer program for causing a computer to

perform the method according to claims 14.

22. A computer-readable storage medium in which the

computer program according to claim 19 is stored.