Program listing display control apparatus, program listing display apparatus, and program listing display control method

• US 20100031293A1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Yumi, Ohde, Junya
• Granted Patent: US 9,277,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a program listing display control apparatus including: a program listing picture storage block configured to store a program listing picture in which are disposed program time slots to which a plurality of broadcast programs are allocated; a display control block configured to control a display apparatus to display the program listing picture; a control information input block configured to input control information for controlling the acquisition of additional information to be added to the program listing picture; and an information acquisition block configured to acquire program identification information for identifying the programs to which the additional information is added and the additional information regarding the programs identified by the program identification information, on the basis of the control information input through the control information input block.

Claims

1. A program listing display control apparatus comprising:

a program listing picture storage block configured to store in two-dimensional coordinates a program listing picture in which are disposed program time slots to which a plurality of broadcast programs are allocated, said two-dimensional coordinates being defined by broadcast dates on which said broadcast programs are to be broadcast along one coordinate axis;

a display control block configured to control a display apparatus to display said program listing picture stored in said program listing picture storage block;

a control information input block configured to input control information for controlling the acquisition of additional information to be added to said program listing picture; and

an information acquisition block configured to acquire program identification information for identifying the programs to which said additional information is added and the additional information regarding the programs identified by said program identification information, on the basis of the control information input through said control information input block,

wherein said display control block exercises control in such a manner that of the program time slots disposed in said program listing picture, those program time slots to which are allocated the programs identified by said program identification information acquired by said information acquisition block are supplemented with said additional information correspondingly so as to display on said display apparatus said program listing picture to which said additional information is added.

2. The program listing display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said broadcast programs are broadcast in a manner allocated to broadcast channels based either on broadcast frequencies or on program types; and

said program listing picture storage block stores said program listing picture in which are disposed said plurality of program time slots in the two-dimensional coordinates defined by two coordinate axes, one of said two coordinate axes being representative of said broadcast dates, the other coordinate axis being defined either by the broadcast times at which said broadcast programs are to be broadcast or by said broadcast channels on which said broadcast programs are to be broadcast.

3. The program listing display control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the program time slots disposed in said program listing picture are each constituted by a program listing in which a plurality of broadcast programs are allocated in the two-dimensional coordinates defined by the two coordinate axes, one representing said broadcast times and the other denoting said broadcast channels.

4. The program listing display control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said information acquisition block acquires as said program identification information the information for identifying the broadcast times of the programs to which said additional information is added, and also acquires as said additional information the picture information for indicating on said program listing picture the presence of the programs identified by at least said program identification information; and

said display control block exercises control in such a manner that of the program time slots disposed in said program listing picture, those program time slots to which are allocated the programs identified by said program identification information acquired by said information acquisition block are supplemented with the picture information for visibly indicating on said program listing picture the presence of the programs identified by said program identification information, so as to display on said display apparatus the program listing picture to which said picture information is added.

5. The program listing display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information acquisition block acquires, from the control information input through said control information input block, the program identification information for identifying the programs to which said additional information is added and the additional information regarding the programs identified by said program identification information, on the basis of the control information selectively input by a user.

6. The program listing display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said broadcast programs are broadcast using a broadcast signal including program information about the broadcast programs in question; and

said information acquisition block acquires said program identification information and the additional information regarding the programs identified by said program identification information, by extracting the program information from said broadcast signal based on the control information input through said control information input block.

7. The program listing display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information acquisition block acquires via a telecommunication line said program identification information and the additional information regarding the programs identified by said program identification information, on the basis of the control information input through said control information input block.

8. A program listing display control method comprising the steps of:

controlling the display on a display apparatus of a program listing picture retrieved from a program listing picture storage block configured to store in two-dimensional coordinates said program listing picture in which are disposed program time slots to which a plurality of broadcast programs are allocated, said two-dimensional coordinates being defined by broadcast dates on which said broadcast programs are to be broadcast along one coordinate axis;

inputting control information for controlling the acquisition of additional information to be added to said program listing picture; and

acquiring program identification information for identifying the programs to which said additional information is added and the additional information regarding the programs identified by said program identification information, on the basis of the control information input in said control information inputting step,

wherein said display controlling step exercises control in such a manner that of the program time slots disposed in said program listing picture, those program time slots to which are allocated the programs identified by said program identification information acquired by said information acquisition block are supplemented with said additional information correspondingly so as to display on said display apparatus said program listing picture to which said additional information is added.

9. A program listing display control apparatus comprising:

program listing picture storage means for storing in two-dimensional coordinates a program listing picture in which are disposed program time slots to which a plurality of broadcast programs are allocated, said two-dimensional coordinates being defined by broadcast dates on which said broadcast programs are to be broadcast along one coordinate axis;

display control means for controlling a display apparatus to display said program listing picture stored in said program listing picture storage means;

control information input means for inputting control information for controlling the acquisition of additional information to be added to said program listing picture; and

information acquisition means for acquiring program identification information for identifying the programs to which said additional information is added and the additional information regarding the programs identified by said program identification information, on the basis of the control information input through said control information input means,

wherein said display control means exercises control in such a manner that of the program time slots disposed in said program listing picture, those program time slots to which are allocated the programs identified by said program identification information acquired by said information acquisition means are supplemented with said additional information correspondingly so as to display on said display apparatus said program listing picture to which said additional information is added.