PROGRAM GUIDE PROVIDING SYSTEM, PROGRAM GUIDE PROVIDING APPARATUS, PROGRAM GUIDE PROVIDING METHOD, AND PROGRAM GUIDE PROVIDING PROGRAM

• US 20090113482A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kobota, Norio, Oikawa, Tomoya, Kawada, Masato, Wang, Honggang
• Granted Patent: US 8,230,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64761 directed to the server

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a program guide providing system including: a terminal; a content providing server including a service providing section for providing programs and a related service to the terminal in response to a request from the terminal; a SIP proxy server; a program guide providing server including a communication history acquisition section for acquiring a communication history between the content providing server and the terminal, a communication history storage section, an audience situation calculation section for calculating an audience situation concerning each of the programs based on the communication history, a program guide generation section for generating a program guide in which each program is assigned an indicator based on the audience situation, and a program guide providing section for providing the program guide to the terminal; and an NGN to which the terminal, the content providing server, the SIP proxy server, and the program guide providing server are connected.

Claims

1. A program guide providing system, comprising:

a terminal;

a content providing server configured to provide a content to said terminal;

a session initiation protocol proxy server configured to perform routing of session initiation protocol messages;

a program guide providing server configured to provide, to said terminal, a list of services offered by said content providing server as a program guide; and

a next generation network to which said terminal, said content providing server, said session initiation protocol proxy server, and said program guide providing server are connected, wherein,

said content providing server includes service providing means for providing a variety of programs and a related service to said terminal in response to a request from said terminal, and

said program guide providing server includes

communication history acquisition means for acquiring, via said session initiation protocol proxy server, a communication history between said content providing server and said terminal,

communication history storage means for storing the communication history acquired by the communication history acquisition means,

audience situation calculation means for calculating an audience situation concerning each of the programs based on the communication history stored in the communication history storage means,

program guide generation means for assigning an indicator to each program based on the audience situation calculated by the audience situation calculation means, and generating a program guide in which each program is assigned the indicator, and

program guide providing means for providing the program guide generated by the program guide generation means to said terminal.

2. The program guide providing system according to claim 1, wherein the audience situation calculation means retrieves, from the communication history, a communication history corresponding to each of the variety of programs and the related service to calculate the audience situation on a program-by-program basis.

3. The program guide providing system according to claim 1, wherein the program guide generation means generates a program guide in which the programs are ordered based on an indicator calculated based on the audience situation.

4. A program guide providing apparatus for providing a program guide via a next generation network, the apparatus comprising:

call connection monitoring means for monitoring, via a session initiation protocol proxy server, a call connection from a terminal to a connection address corresponding to any of a variety of programs and a related service provided by a content providing server that provides the variety of programs and the related service to the terminal in response to a request from the terminal, the terminal being connected to the next generation network;

connection data storage means for storing connection data obtained by the monitoring of said call connection monitoring means;

audience situation calculation means for calculating an audience situation based on the connection data stored in said connection data storage means;

program guide generation means for generating the program guide based on the audience situation calculated by said audience situation calculation means; and

program guide providing means for providing the program guide generated by said program guide generation means to the terminal.

5. A program guide providing method for providing a program guide via a next generation network, the method comprising the steps of:

call connection monitoring means monitoring, via a session initiation protocol proxy server, a call connection from a terminal to a connection address corresponding to any of a variety of programs and a related service provided by a content providing server that provides the variety of programs and the related service to the terminal in response to a request from the terminal, the terminal being connected to the next generation network;

connection data storage means storing a log of the call connection monitored in said monitoring as connection data;

audience situation calculation means calculating an audience situation based on the connection data stored in said storing;

program guide generation means generating the program guide based on the audience situation calculated in said calculating; and

program guide providing means providing the program guide generated in said generating to the terminal.

6. A program guide providing program for providing a program guide via a next generation network, the program causing a computer to perform the steps of:

monitoring, via a session initiation protocol proxy server, a call connection from a terminal to a connection address corresponding to any of a variety of programs and a related service provided by a content providing server that provides the variety of programs and the related service to the terminal in response to a request from the terminal, the terminal being connected to the next generation network;

storing a log of the call connection monitored in said monitoring as connection data;

calculating an audience situation based on the connection data stored in said storing;

generating the program guide based on the audience situation calculated in said calculating; and

providing the program guide generated in said generating to the terminal.

7. A program guide providing apparatus for providing a program guide via a next generation network, the apparatus comprising:

a call connection monitoring section configured to monitor, via a session initiation protocol proxy server, a call connection from a terminal to a connection address corresponding to any of a variety of programs and a related service provided by a content providing server that provides the variety of programs and the related service to the terminal in response to a request from the terminal, the terminal being connected to the next generation network;

a connection data storage section configured to store connection data obtained by the monitoring of said call connection monitoring section;

an audience situation calculation section configured to calculate an audience situation based on the connection data stored in said connection data storage section;

a program guide generation section configured to generate the program guide based on the audience situation calculated by said audience situation calculation section; and

a program guide providing section configured to provide the program guide generated by said program guide generation section to the terminal.