SYSTEM, APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING INFORMATION, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20080107404A1
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Abe, Mototsugu, Nakamura, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/124
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a detecting unit for detecting a commercial message contained in a broadcast television program, a feature quantity calculating unit for calculating a feature quantity of the detected commercial message, a recording unit for recording incidental information relating to the commercial message and the feature quantity of the commercial message, a searching unit for searching for a commercial message satisfying an identification condition, from among commercial messages detected, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast and a communication unit for receiving a transmitted transmission request requesting transmission of the feature quantity and the incidental information of the broadcast commercial message satisfying the identification condition, and for transmitting the feature quantity and the incidental information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus, connected to each other via a communication network,

the first information processing apparatus including:

detecting means for detecting a commercial message contained in a broadcast television program;

feature quantity calculating means for calculating a feature quantity of the detected commercial message;

first recording means for recording incidental information relating to the commercial message and the feature quantity of the commercial message;

searching means for searching for a commercial message satisfying an identification condition, from among commercial messages detected, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast; and

first communication means for receiving a transmission request requesting transmission of the feature quantity and the incidental information of the commercial message satisfying the identification condition, the transmission request e being transmitted from the second information processing apparatus, and for transmitting the feature quantity and the incidental information of all messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search; and

the second information processing apparatus including;

second communication means for transmitting the transmission request to the first information processing apparatus and for receiving the incidental information and the feature quantity transmitted from the first information processing apparatus; and

second recording means for recording the received incidental information and the received feature quantity.

2. An information processing apparatus comprising:

detecting means for detecting a commercial message contained in a broadcast television program;

feature quantity calculating means for calculating a feature quantity of the detected commercial message;

recording means for recording incidental information relating to the commercial message and the feature quantity of the commercial message;

searching means for searching for a commercial message satisfying an identification condition, from among commercial messages detected, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast; and

communication means for receiving a transmitted transmission request requesting transmission of the feature quantity and the incidental information of the broadcast commercial message satisfying the identification condition, and for transmitting the feature quantity and the incidental information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification information identifies a broadcast station.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising acquisition means for acquiring the incidental information of the detected commercial message, the detected commercial message being input by an operator of the information processing apparatus.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication means receives the incidental information transmitted from another information processing apparatus connected thereto via a communication network.

6. An information processing method comprising steps of:

detecting a commercial message contained in a broadcast television program;

calculating a feature quantity of the detected commercial message;

controlling the recording of incidental information relating to the commercial message and the feature quantity of the commercial message;

controlling the receiving of a transmitted transmission request requesting transmission of the feature quantity and the incidental information of the commercial message satisfying an identification condition, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast;

searching for a commercial message satisfying the received identification condition from among detected commercial messages; and

controlling the transmitting of the feature quantity and the identification information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search.

7. A computer program for causing a computer to perform steps of:

detecting a commercial message contained in a broadcast television program;

calculating a feature quantity of the detected commercial message;

controlling the recording of incidental information relating to the commercial message and the feature quantity of the commercial message;

controlling the receiving of a transmitted transmission request requesting transmission of the feature quantity and the incidental information of the commercial message satisfying an identification condition, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast;

searching for a commercial message satisfying the received identification condition from among detected commercial messages; and

controlling the transmitting of the feature quantity and the identification information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search.

8. An information processing apparatus comprising:

communication means for transmitting a transmission request requesting transmission of incidental information relating to a commercial message satisfying an identification condition and a feature quantity of the commercial message, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast, and for receiving the feature quantity and the incidental information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification information transmitted in response to the transmission request; and

recording means for recording the received incidental information and the received feature quantity.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the identification information identifies a broadcasting station.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

detecting means for detecting the commercial message contained in a broadcast television program;

feature quantity calculating means for calculating the feature quantity of the detected commercial message; and

search means for searching for the incidental information of the detected commercial message by comparing the feature quantity of the detected commercial message with the recorded feature quantity.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising deleting means for deleting incidental information, having failed to be hit in the search for a predetermined period of time since the reception thereof, out of the incidental information recorded on the recording means, and the corresponding feature quantity of the commercial message having the incidental information to be deleted.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising search means for searching for a commercial message identified by an input keyword by referencing the recorded incidental information.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising deleting means for deleting incidental information and a feature quantity of the commercial message, each having failed to be hit in the search for a predetermined period of time since the reception thereof, out of the incidental information and the feature quantities recorded on the recording means.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising deleting means for deleting the incidental information and a feature quantity, each having aged for a predetermined period of time since the reception thereof, from among the incidental information and the feature quantities recorded on the recording means.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving means for receiving a broadcast television program;

detecting means for detecting the commercial message contained in the received television program;

feature quantity calculating means for calculating the feature quantity of the detected commercial message; and

video recording means for recording the detected commercial message if the feature quantity of the detected commercial message matches the feature quantity of the commercial message to be program-recorded on the recording means.

16. An information processing method comprising steps of:

controlling the transmitting of a transmission request requesting transmission of incidental information relating to a commercial message satisfying an identification condition and a feature quantity of the commercial message, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast;

controlling the receiving of the feature quantity and the incidental information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification information transmitted in response to the transmission request; and

recording the received incidental information and the received feature quantity.

17. A computer program for causing a computer to perform steps of:

controlling the transmitting of a transmission request requesting transmission of incidental information relating to a commercial message satisfying an identification condition and a feature quantity of the commercial message, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast;

controlling the receiving of the feature quantity and the incidental information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification information transmitted in response to the transmission request; and

recording the received incidental information and the received feature quantity.

18. An information processing system comprising a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus, connected to each other via a communication network,

the first information processing apparatus including:

a detecting unit detecting a commercial message contained in a broadcast television program;

a feature quantity calculating unit calculating a feature quantity of the detected commercial message;

a first recording unit for recording incidental information relating to the commercial message and the feature quantity of the commercial message;

a searching unit searching for a commercial message satisfying an identification condition, from among commercial messages detected, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast; and

a first communication unit receiving a transmission request requesting transmission of the feature quantity and the incidental information of the commercial message satisfying the identification condition, the transmission request being transmitted from the second information processing apparatus, and for transmitting the feature quantity and the incidental information of all messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search; and

the second information processing apparatus including;

a second communication unit transmitting the transmission request to the first information processing apparatus and for receiving the incidental information and the feature quantity transmitted from the first information processing apparatus; and

a second recording unit recording the received incidental information and the received feature quantity.

19. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit detecting a commercial message contained in a broadcast television program;

a feature quantity calculating unit calculating a feature quantity of the detected commercial message;

a recording unit recording incidental information relating to the commercial message and the feature quantity of the commercial message;

a searching unit searching for a commercial message satisfying an identification condition, from among commercial messages detected, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast; and

a communication unit receiving a transmitted transmission request requesting transmission of the feature quantity and the incidental information of the broadcast commercial message satisfying the identification condition, and for transmitting the feature quantity and the incidental information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search.

20. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a communication unit transmitting a transmission request requesting transmission of incidental information relating to a commercial message satisfying an identification condition and a feature quantity of the commercial message, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast, and receiving the feature quantity and the incidental information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification information transmitted in response to the transmission request; and

a recording unit recording the received incidental information and the received feature quantity.