RECEIVING APPARATUS AND RECEIVING METHOD, BROADCASTING APPARATUS AND BROADCASTING METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESING METHOD, BIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND BIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND PROVIDING MEDIUM

• US 20110131608A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Cho, Shi-hyong, Murahashi, Hideki, Sai, Kairi
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 using uplink of the CATV systems
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

When the user of a receiving apparatus presses a notice button provided for a remote controller to indicate the preference concerning the person or thing appearing on the screen of the program being viewed, the corresponding signal is transmitted to the receiving section of a set-top box. A view-log storage section stores an input operation command (including the signal indicating that the notice button has been pressed) together with the receiving time thereof as a view log. A view-information generating section reads the view log, generates a view-information packet, and outputs it to a bidirectional communication section. The bidirectional communication section transmits the view-information packet input from the view-information generating section to a broadcasting apparatus through a bidirectional communication network.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. An apparatus for generating user preference information, comprising:

a bidirectional communication section for receiving event information corresponding to a first user'"'"'s operation of a control device, the event information indicating that the first user operated the control device while an interval within content preferred by the first user was presented to the first user;

an extracting condition storage device for storing extracting conditions for extracting user preference information from the event information; and

a preference information extracting section for generating the user preference information by extracting a portion of the first user information that matches the conditions specified by the extracting conditions.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising an additional-information generating section for generating additional information including an electronic programming guide for the first user based on the extracted user preference information.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the extracting conditions include a start time and an end time for a plurality of intervals including the interval preferred by the first user.

19. A method for generating user preference information, the method comprising:

receiving event information corresponding to a first user'"'"'s operation of a control device, the event information indicating that the first user operated the control device while a portion of content preferred by the first user was presented to the first user;

storing extracting conditions for extracting user preference information from the event information; and

generating the user preference information by extracting a portion of the first user information that matches the conditions specified by the extracting conditions.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising generating additional information including an electronic programming guide for the first user based on the extracted user preference information.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the extracting conditions include a start time and an end time for a plurality of intervals including the interval preferred by the first user.

22. A computer-readable medium containing processor-readable instructions for causing a processor to execute a method for generating user preference information, the method comprising:

receiving event information corresponding to a first user'"'"'s operation of a control device, the event information indicating that the first user operated the control device while a portion of content preferred by the first user was presented to the first user;

storing extracting conditions for extracting user preference information from the event information; and

generating the user preference information by extracting a portion of the first user information that matches the conditions specified by the extracting conditions.