INFORMATION PROVIDING DEVICE, INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICE, INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING PROGRAM STORED THEREIN

• US 20100281407A1
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yokogawa, Kazuyuki, Kashito, Kiyotaka, Matsubara, Takanobu
• Application Number:
  US12/810,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281407A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A sidebar providing server (2) according to the present invention includes a request message analysis section (70), a control script generation section (80), and a display data generation section (63). The request message analysis section (70) receives service setting data transmitted from a digital television (1). The control script generation section (80) generates a control script for causing the digital television (1) to display an object indicating a brief description of the service, that is associated with setting information utilized to acquire information related to the service, which setting information is included in the service setting data thus received. The display data generation section (63) generates display data which includes the object and the control script thus generated, and transmits the display data thus generated to the digital television (1).

Claims

1. An information providing device which provides display data for presentation of a user interface on an information display device, the information display device acquiring information related to one or more services from a service providing device via the user interface and displaying the information thus acquired,

said information providing device, comprising:

service setting data receiving means for receiving, from the information display device, service setting data which includes (i) setting information for causing the information display device to acquire the information related to the one or more services and (ii) identification information of the one or more services;

control script generation means for generating a control script which causes the information display device to display an object indicating a brief description of the one or more services, the object being associated with the setting information included in the service setting data thus received; and

display data transmission means for generating display data which includes the object and the control script thus generated, and transmitting the display data thus generated to the information display device.

2. The information providing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the information display device stores the service setting data as fixed length data in a first storage section of the information display device, and

the service setting data receiving means receives the service setting data stored in the first storage section in units of the fixed length data.

3. The information providing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

in a case where attribute information of the one or more services is included in a group of attribute information of a service in which the object is displayed on the information display device, the service being identified by the identification information included in the service setting data received by the service setting data receiving means, and the group of attribute information being set, in advance, in a second storage section of the information providing device,

the control script generation means generates the control script for causing the information display device to display the object of the service which (i) is identified by the identification information included in the service setting data thus received, and (ii) has the attribute information which is included in the group.

4. The information providing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

in a case where the attribute information of the service is included in a group of attribute information of services of which its object is to be displayed in priority to other objects on the information display device, the service being identified by the identification information included in the service setting data received by the service setting data receiving means, and the group of attribute information being set in a second storage section of the information providing device in advance,

the control script generation means generates the control script for causing the information display device to display the object of the service in priority to the other objects, the service (i) being identified by the identification information included in the service setting data thus received, and (ii) having the attribute information which is included in the group.

5. The information providing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the service setting data is data of a binary format and includes an area in which combinations of the identification information of the service and the setting information are stored.

6. The information providing device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising object acquisition means for acquiring the object from the service providing device.

7. An information display device comprising:

display data requesting means for transmitting service setting data stored in a first storage section in units of fixed length data to an information providing device recited in claim 1 so as to carry out a request for providing display data with respect to the information providing device to provide display data; and

display data displaying means for causing a display section of the information display device to display the object included in the display data acquired from the information providing device in response to the request, based on the control script included in the display data acquired from the information providing device.

8. An information providing system comprising:

an information providing device which provides display data for presentation of a user interface on an information display device, the information display device acquiring information related to one or more services from a service providing device via the user interface and displaying the information thus acquired; and

said information display device,

said information providing device, including;

service setting data receiving means for receiving, from the information display device, service setting data which includes (i) setting information for causing the information display device to acquire the information related to the one or more services and (ii) identification information of the one or more services;

control script generation means for generating a control script which causes the information display device to display an object indicating a brief description of the one or more services, the object being associated with the setting information included in the service setting data thus received; and

display data transmission means for generating display data which includes the object and the control script thus generated, and transmitting the display data thus generated to the information display device, and

said information display device including;

display data requesting means for transmitting the service setting data stored in a first storage section in units of fixed length data to the information providing device so as to carry out a request for providing display data with respect to the information providing device to provide display data; and

display data displaying means for causing a display section of the information display device to display the object included in the display data acquired from the information providing device in response to the request, based on the control script included in the display data acquired from the information providing device.

9. An information providing method for controlling an information providing device which provides display data for presentation of a user interface on an information display device, the information display device acquiring information related to one or more services from a service providing device via the user interface and displaying the information thus acquired,

said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the information display device, service setting data which includes (i) setting information for causing the information display device to acquire the information related to the one or more services and (ii) identification information of the one or more services;

generating a control script which causes the information display device to display an object indicating a brief description of the one or more services, the object being associated with the setting information included in the service setting data thus received;

generating display data which includes the object and the control script thus generated; and

transmitting the display data thus generated to the information display device.

10. A program for causing a computer to function as each of means of the information providing device, the information providing device providing display data for presentation of a user interface on an information display device, the information display device acquiring information related to one or more services from a service providing device via the user interface and displaying the information thus acquired,

said information providing device, comprising:

service setting data receiving means for receiving, from the information display device, service setting data which includes (i) setting information for causing the information display device to acquire the information related to the one or more services and (ii) identification information of the one or more services;

control script generation means for generating a control script which causes the information display device to display an object indicating a brief description of the one or more services, the object being associated with the setting information included in the service setting data thus received; and

display data transmission means for generating display data which includes the object and the control script thus generated, and transmitting the display data thus generated to the information display device.

11. A program for causing a computer provided in an information display device to function as each of means of the information display device, the information display device acquiring information related to one or more services from a service providing device via the user interface and displaying the information thus acquired,

said information display device, comprising:

display data requesting means for transmitting service setting data stored in a first storage section in units of fixed length data to an information providing device so as to carry out a request for providing display data with respect to the information providing device to provide display data, the information providing device providing display data for presentation of a user interface on the information display device; and

display data displaying means for causing a display section of the information display device to display the object included in the display data acquired from the information providing device in response to the request, based on the control script included in the display data acquired from the information providing device.

12. A computer-readable storage medium in which a program for causing a computer provided in an information providing device to function as each of means of the information providing device is stored, the information providing device providing display data for presentation of a user interface on an information display device, the information display device acquiring information related to one or more services from a service providing device via the user interface and displaying the information thus acquired,

said information providing device, comprising:

service setting data receiving means for receiving, from the information display device, service setting data which includes (i) setting information for causing the information display device to acquire the information related to the one or more services and (ii) identification information of the one or more services;

control script generation means for generating a control script which causes the information display device to display an object indicating a brief description of the one or more services, the object being associated with the setting information included in the service setting data thus received; and

display data transmission means for generating display data which includes the object and the control script thus generated, and transmitting the display data thus generated to the information display device.

13. A computer-readable storage medium in which a program for causing a computer provided in an information display device to function as each of means of the information display device is stored, the information display device acquiring information related to one or more services from a service providing device via the user interface and displaying the information thus acquired,

said information display device, comprising:

display data requesting means for transmitting service setting data stored in a first storage section in units of fixed length data to an information providing device so as to carry out a request for providing display data with respect to the information providing device to provide display data, the information providing device providing display data for presentation of a user interface on the information display device; and

display data displaying means for causing a display section of the information display device to display the object included in the display data acquired from the information providing device in response to the request, based on the control script included in the display data acquired from the information providing device.