Information processing apparatus and method, and program used therewith

• US 20070188655A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohta, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,125,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/389.100
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/4823 using a channel name
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

An information processing apparatus may include a channel list generating unit that performs primary selection of channels as primary candidate channels for switching candidate channels from channels in a predetermined order, secondary selection of channels as secondary candidate channels from the primary candidate channels, and generation of a channel list having pieces of specifying information arranged in the order which specify details transmitted on at least one channel, a display control unit that controls displaying the channel list, and a final candidate channel selecting unit that performs, in the case of performing a selecting operation for selecting a channel from the channel list, determination of the selected channel as a final candidate channel when the selected channel is one secondary candidate channel, and determination of a different secondary candidate channel included in the channel list as the final candidate channel when the selected channel is one secondary candidate channel.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for selecting one or more switching candidate channels from a plurality of channels for a plurality of transmission sources that transmit programs, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a channel list generating unit that performs primary selection, in accordance with a first criterion, of one or more channels as one or more primary candidate channels for the one or more switching candidate channels from the plurality of channels in a predetermined order, secondary selection, in accordance with a second criterion, of one or more channels as one or more secondary candidate channels from the one or more primary candidate channels, and generation of a channel list having pieces of specifying information arranged in the predetermined order, the pieces of specifying information specifying details transmitted on one or more channels including at least the one or more secondary candidate channels among the one or more primary candidate channels;

a display control unit that controls display of the channel list for a user; and

a final candidate channel selecting unit that performs, in a case in which the user performs a selecting operation for selecting a channel from the channel list whose display is controlled by the display control unit, determination of the selected channel as a final candidate channel when the selected channel is one of the one or more secondary candidate channels, and determination of a different secondary candidate channel included in the channel list as the final candidate channel when the selected channel is not one of the one or more secondary candidate channels.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of transmission sources further transmit commercial messages, respectively; and

in the second criterion, each channel on which the commercial message is being transmitted is excluded from the one or more secondary candidate channels.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recommended program selecting unit that selects a recommended program to be recommended for the user from the plurality of programs, with the plurality of programs being respectively transmitted from the plurality of transmission sources or with the plurality of programs scheduled to be respectively transmitted from the plurality of transmission sources,

wherein, in the first criterion, a channel for one transmission source for transmitting the recommended program selected by the recommended program selecting unit is included in the one or more primary candidate channels.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the channel list generating unit further generates a cursor for indicating the final candidate channel;

after the selecting operation is performed by the user, when the selected channel is one of the one or more secondary candidate channels, the final candidate channel selecting unit determines, as a display position of the cursor, a position at a piece of specifying information of the selected channel is indicated, and, when the selected channel is not one of the one or more secondary candidate channels, the final candidate channel selecting unit determines, as the display position of the cursor, a position at which a piece of specifying information of a different secondary candidate channel included in the channel list is indicated; and

by positioning the cursor generated by the channel list generating unit at the position of the cursor determined by the final candidate selecting unit on the channel list, the display control unit further controls display of the channel indicated by the cursor as the final candidate channel.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the selecting operation designates, as the selected channel, a channel specified by a piece of specifying information corresponding to a position of the cursor next above or below a present position of the cursor; and

after the selecting operation is performed by the user, when the selected channel is one of the one or more secondary candidate channels, the final candidate channel selecting unit determines, as the display position of the cursor, the position of the cursor next above or below the present position of the cursor, and, when the selected channel is not one of the one or more secondary candidate channels, the final candidate channel selecting unit determines, as the display position of the cursor, the position at which a piece of specifying information of the different secondary candidate channel is indicated, the piece of specifying information being closest to the selected channel in an upward or downward direction on the channel list.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a channel determining unit that, when the user performs a determining operation for switching a watching-listening channel for broadcast-program watching and listening by the user to the final candidate channel whose display is controlled by the display control unit, determines, as the watching-listening channel, the final candidate channel, which is indicated by a piece of specifying information indicated by the cursor at the time the determining operation is performed.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a commercial message detecting unit that, for each of the plurality of channels, on which commercial messages are respectively transmitted from the plurality of transmission sources, detects whether or not the commercial message is being transmitted,

wherein, when the user performs a start operation for starting the selecting operation in a state in which the channel for which the commercial message detecting unit detects that the commercial message is being transmitted is determined as the watching-listening channel, the display control unit controls starting of display of the channel list and the cursor for the user, and, after the start operation is performed, when no determining operation is performed and the commercial message detecting unit detects termination of transmission of the commercial message for the watching-listening channel at the time the start operation is performed, the display control unit controls termination of display of the channel list and the cursor for the user, and the channel determining unit determines again, as the watching-listening channel, a channel set as the watching-listening channel at the time the start operation is operated.

8. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus for selecting one or more switching candidate channels for broadcast-program watching and listening by a user from a plurality of channels for a plurality of transmission sources that transmit programs, the information processing method comprising:

performing primary selection, in accordance with a first criterion, of one or more channels as one or more primary candidate channels for the one or more switching candidate channels from the plurality of channels in a predetermined order, secondary selection, in accordance with a second criterion, of one or more channels as one or more secondary candidate channels from the one or more primary candidate channels, and generation of a channel list having pieces of specifying information arranged in the predetermined order, the pieces of specifying information specifying details transmitted on one or more channels including at least the one or more secondary candidate channels among the one or more primary candidate channels;

controlling display of the channel list for the user; and

performing, in a case in which the user performs a selecting operation for selecting a channel from the channel list, determination of the selected channel as a final candidate channel when the selected channel is one of the one or more secondary candidate channels, and determination of a different secondary candidate channel included on the channel list as the final candidate channel when the selected channel is not one of the one or more secondary candidate channels.

9. A program to be executed by a computer that controls processing for selecting one or more switching candidate channels for broadcast-program watching and listening by a user from a plurality of channels for a plurality of transmission sources that transmit programs, the program comprising:

performing primary selection, in accordance with a first criterion, of one or more channels as one or more primary candidate channels for the one or more switching candidate channels from the plurality of channels in a predetermined order, secondary selection, in accordance with a second criterion, of one or more channels as one or more secondary candidate channels from the one or more primary candidate channels, and generation of a channel list having pieces of specifying information arranged in the predetermined order, the pieces of specifying information specifying details transmitted on one or more channels including at least the one or more secondary candidate channels among the one or more primary candidate channels;

controlling display of the channel list for the user; and

performing, in a case in which the user performs a selecting operation for selecting a channel from the channel list, determination of the selected channel as a final candidate channel when the selected channel is one of the one or more secondary candidate channels, and determination of a different secondary candidate channel included on the channel list as the final candidate channel when the selected channel is not one of the one or more secondary candidate channels.