Information providing system, information terminal device, information server device and information providing method

• US 20060107300A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirayama, Tomoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/117
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/09 Arrangements for device control with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time; Arrangements for control of broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An information providing system allows to intentionally modify the arrangement of clips to be reproduced from that of the first transmission. The program clips and the CM clips obtained by receiving those broadcast are stored in recorded result storage section 11 and rearrangement examining section 15 carries out a processing operation of comparing the attributes of each of the clips and the applicable profile data generated by applicable profile generating section 14. Then, the sequence of reproducing the contents clips is modified on the basis of the result of the processing operation and download operating section 16 downloads the contents clips to be added on an on-demand basis. Then, the final arrangement section 17 rearranges the sequence of reproducing the contents clips including those to be added to set up the final arrangement.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a transmission server section for transmitting a continuous stream of contents data of a group of multimedia contents including prearranged combinations of program main body data and groups of auxiliary materials;

terminal sections for receiving the continuous stream of contents data transmitted from said transmission server section; and

said terminal sections being provided with an arrangement control function of preparing a new arrangement by modifying the arrangement order of the contents data by processing the attribute data of each program main body data and that of each auxiliary material of a program as separated from each other as well as the profile data of the user and that of the user device.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein each of said terminal sections has an on-demand control function of requesting additional contents data on an on-demand basis and taking in said additional contents data on the basis of the result obtained by processing said attribute data and said profile data.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein each of said terminal sections has a memory means adapted to temporarily replace the profile data with some other profile data.

4. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein each of said terminal sections has a function of notifying said transmission server section of the result of reproducing the contents data according to the new arrangement prepared by means of said arrangement control function;

and

said transmission server section has a management function of settling the accounts on the basis of the result of reproducing the contents data according to the new arrangement as notified from said terminal section.

5. An information terminal for receiving the continuous stream of contents data transmitted from said transmission server section, said terminal sections being provided with an arrangement control function of preparing a new arrangement by modifying the arrangement order of the contents data by processing the attribute data of each program main body data and that of each auxiliary material of a program as separated from each other as well as the profile data of the user and that of the user device.

6. The information terminal according to claim 5, additionally having an on-demand control function of requesting additional contents data on an on-demand basis and taking in said additional contents data on the basis of the result obtained by processing said attribute data and said profile data.

7. The information terminal according to claim 5, additionally having a memory means adapted to temporarily replace the profile data with some other profile data.

8. The information terminal according to claim 5, additionally having a function of notifying said transmission server section of the result of reproducing the contents data according to the new arrangement prepared by means of said arrangement control function.

9. An information providing method comprising:

transmitting a continuous stream of contents data of a group of multimedia contents including prearranged combinations of program main body data and groups of auxiliary materials from a transmission server; and

receiving the continuous stream of contents data by means of an information terminal and preparing a new arrangement by modifying the arrangement order of the contents data by processing the attribute data of each program main body data and that of each auxiliary material of a program as separated from each other as well as the profile data of the user and that of the user device.

10. The information providing method according to claim 9, wherein additional contents data are provided on an on-demand basis in response to a request for the additional contents data made on the basis of the result obtained by processing said attribute data and said profile data.

11. The information providing method according to claim 9, wherein the management function is notified of the result of reproducing the contents data according to the new arrangement prepared modifying the arrangement order of the contents data and an operation of settling the accounts on the basis of the result of reproducing the contents data.

12. An information providing system comprising:

a transmission server section for transmitting a continuous stream of contents data of a group of multimedia contents including prearranged combinations of program main body data prepared with sorting information annexed thereto and groups of auxiliary materials;

terminal sections having a function of receiving the continuous stream of contents data transmitted from said transmission server section and transmitting the sorting information annexed to the program main body data and the auxiliary materials to be reproduced along with the terminal ID information; and

a processing server section for sending the revision assisting materials, if any, corresponding to the auxiliary materials combined with the program main body data to be reproduced by appropriate ones of said terminal sections on the basis of the sorting information and the terminal ID information transmitted from the terminal sections.

13. The information providing system according to claim 12, wherein said sorting information contains program sorting numbers allocated so as to unequivocally indicate the positions for inserting the auxiliary materials in the program.

14. The information providing system according to claim 12, wherein said sorting information contains a return address identifying the location of said processing server section.

15. The information providing system according to claim 12, wherein said terminal sections have a recording function of recording the program main body data and the auxiliary materials received by the terminal section and a recording function of recording the sorting information annexed to the program main body data and the auxiliary materials.

16. The information providing system according to claim 12, wherein said terminal sections are adapted to return the program sorting numbers contained in said sorting information along with the terminal ID information to the processing server section specified by the return address contained in said sorting information.

17. An information terminal having:

a function of receiving the continuous stream of contents data transmitted from said transmission server section;

a function of transmitting the sorting information annexed to the program main body data and the auxiliary materials to be reproduced along with the terminal ID information; and

a function of receiving, if any, the revision assisting materials corresponding to the auxiliary material and transmitted on the basis of said sorting information and said terminal ID information.

18. The information terminal according to claim 17, additionally having a function of recording the program main body data and the auxiliary materials received by it;

and

a function of recording the sorting information annexed to said program main body data and said auxiliary materials.

19. The information terminal according to claim 17, additionally having a function of sending back said sorting information along with said terminal ID information on the basis ofthe return address contained in said sorting information.

20. An information providing method comprising;

transmitting a continuous stream of contents data of a group of multimedia contents including prearranged combinations of program main body data prepared with sorting information annexed thereto and groups of auxiliary materials;

receiving the continuous stream of contents data and transmitting the sorting information annexed to the program main body data and the auxiliary materials to be reproduced along with the terminal ID information; and

sending the revision assisting materials, if any, corresponding to the auxiliary materials on the basis of the sorting information and the terminal ID information.

21. The information providing method according to claim 20, wherein said sorting information contains program sorting numbers allocated so as to unequivocally indicate the positions for inserting the auxiliary materials in the program.

22. The information providing method according to claim 20, wherein said sorting information contains a return address identifying the location of said processing server section for sending back said sorting information along with said terminal ID information.

23. The information providing method according to claim 20, wherein the program sorting numbers contained in said sorting information are sent back to the processing server identified by the return address contained in said sorting information along with the terminal ID information.

24. An information terminal device having:

a function of receiving the continuous stream of contents data;

a function of recording the program main body data and the auxiliary materials received by it;

a function of recording the sorting information annexed to said program main body data and said auxiliary materials; and

a function of transmitting the sorting information annexed to the program main body data and the auxiliary materials selected by it along with the terminal ID information;

25. The information terminal according to claim 24, additionally having a function of receiving the instruction for the change to be made to the auxiliary materials from said processing server section and sending back the conditions for the instruction for the change and an acknowledgment or refusal of the change.

26. The information terminal according to claim 24, additionally having a function of receiving the instruction for the change to be made to the auxiliary materials from said processing server section and recording the instruction for the change before starting the reproduction of said auxiliary materials.