Contents Reception Device and Method, Contents Transmission Device and Method, Program, and Recording Medium

• US 20110289542A1
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kitazato, Naohisa, Yamagishi, Yasuaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,584,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/115
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• 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: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2625 for delaying content or additional data distribution, e.g. because of an extended sport event
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

The present invention relates to a contents reception device and method, a contents transmission device and method, a program, and a recording medium, whereby a Push-type NRT service can be realized.

“Ch. 4” is taken as a broadcasting channel for normal broadcasting, and “Ch. 5” and “Ch. 6” are taken as broadcasting channels for NRT. The broadcasting channel “Ch. 5” is multiplexed on logical channels “VC5-1”, “VC5-2”, and “VC5-3”. The logical channel “VC5-1” is assigned to a single Push-type NRT broadcasting service, and “VC5-2” is assigned to a Pull-type NRT broadcast. The logical channel “VC5-3” is assigned to another Push-type NRT broadcasting service. Three FLUTE sessions are provided to “VC5-2”.

Claims

1. A contents reception device comprising:

control information reception means configured to receive control information relating to broadcasting of a content with a transmission rate unsynchronized with a playback rate, based on a signal to be transmitted as a broadcast wave;

downloading schedule generating means configured to generate a downloading schedule that is reserved information for receiving and recording contents to be broadcasted with a logical channel corresponding to registration information set beforehand, based on said control information;

downloading means configured to receive each of said contents and to record in a recording medium, based on said downloading schedule; and

playback means configured to play a content recorded in said recording medium with said playback rate.

2. The contents reception device according to claim 1, wherein said control information relating to broadcasting of contents includes:

predetermined descriptive data in which, in the event of taking the transmission path of said broadcast wave signal of said frequency band as a physical channel, information relating to a logical channel obtained by dividing said physical channel into a plurality of transmission paths using a predetermined method is described; and

meta data in which information relating to a content to be transmitted with each of said logical channels is described.

3. The contents reception device according to claim 2, wherein said downloading schedule generating means generate a downloading schedule for receiving and recording all of the contents to be broadcasted with said logical channel corresponding to said registration information, of a plurality of logical channels included in said physical channel.

4. The contents reception device according to claim 3, wherein said downloading schedule generating means generate said downloading schedule by determining the broadcasting start point-in-time of said contents, and also determining location information for determining the data of said contents, of data to be transmitted by said logical channels, based on description of said meta data.

5. The contents reception device according to claim 4, wherein said downloading means receive said contents by receiving, based on said downloading schedule, the broadcast wave of a frequency band corresponding to said physical channel at the broadcasting start point-in-time of said contents,

extracting a transport packet of a logical channel corresponding to said registration information, of transport packets to be transmitted by said physical channel, based on description of said predetermined descriptive data,

and determining the data of said contents based on said location information.

6. The contents reception device according to claim 5, wherein the transport packet of said logical channel is structured so as to include an IP packet;

and wherein said location information includes information for determining a file transmission session of the data of said contents to be transmitted by said IP packet;

and wherein said downloading means determine the data of said contents based on description of transmission control data obtained by said file transmission session being determined.

7. The contents reception device according to claim 6, wherein said downloading means determine an address file described in the RSS format or ATOM format, based on description of said transmission control data,

and determine the data of said contents based on said address file.

8. The contents reception device according to claim 2, wherein based on description of said predetermined descriptive data and said meta data, of said logical channels, a logical channel for providing a Push-type service for receiving a content to be viewed and listened to is determined regardless of a user request;

and wherein a list of logical channels for providing said Push-type service is presented to a user to accept registration of said Push-type service by said user;

and wherein information for determining the logical channel of said registered Push-type service is stored as said registration information.

9. The contents reception device according to claim 2, wherein said downloading schedule generating means generate a downloading schedule for receiving and recording a content determined by said predetermined descriptive data, which is, of a plurality of logical channels included in said physical channel, a content to be transmitted by said logical channel corresponding to said registration information.

10. The contents reception device according to claim 1, said downloading means comprising:

overwriting determining means configured to determine whether or not said received content is overwritten on a content recorded in said recording medium.

11. The contents reception device according to claim 1, wherein an expiration date is set to said contents recorded by said downloading means based on description of said meta data;

and wherein said contents of which said expiration date has elapsed are eliminated.

17. A recording medium in which the program according claim 10 or claim 13 is recorded.

12. A contents reception method comprising the steps of:

receiving control information relating to broadcasting of a content with a transmission rate unsynchronized with a playback rate, based on a signal to be transmitted as a broadcast wave;

generating a downloading schedule that is reserved information for receiving and recording contents to be broadcasted with a logical channel corresponding to registration information set beforehand, based on said control information;

receiving each of said contents and recording in a recording medium, based on said downloading schedule; and

playing a content recorded in said recording medium with said playback rate.

13. A program causing a computer to serve as a contents reception device comprising:

control information reception means configured to receive control information relating to broadcasting of a content with a transmission rate unsynchronized with a playback rate, based on a signal to be transmitted as a broadcast wave;

downloading schedule generating means configured to generate a downloading schedule that is reserved information for receiving and recording contents to be broadcasted with a logical channel corresponding to registration information set beforehand, based on said control information;

downloading means configured to receive each of said contents and to record in a recording medium, based on said downloading schedule; and

playback means configured to play a content recorded in said recording medium with said playback rate.

14. A contents transmission device comprising:

contents information obtaining means configured to obtain information relating to a content to be broadcasted with a transmission rate unsynchronized with a playback rate, from a broadcasting schedule created beforehand;

determining means configured to determine whether or not said content is a content of a Push-type service for receiving a content to be viewed and listened to regardless of a user request;

first control information generating means configured to describe, in the event that said content is a content of said Push-type service, information representing that said content is a content of said Push-type service, along with information relating to said content, in first control information generated as information relating to a content to be broadcasted by a predetermined logical channel;

second control information generating means configured to generate second control information describing information for determining each of said logical channels in a physical channel serving as a transmission path of a broadcast wave signal of a predetermined frequency band;

multiplexing means configured to multiplex said first control information and said second control information with the data of said content, and also to multiplex data to be broadcasted by a plurality of said logical channels as data to be broadcasted by a single physical channel; and

broadcast wave transmission means configured to modulate said multiplexed data to transmit as a broadcast wave.

15. A contents transmission method comprising the steps of:

obtaining information relating to a content to be broadcasted with a transmission rate unsynchronized with a playback rate, from a broadcasting schedule created beforehand;

determining whether or not said content is a content of a Push-type service for receiving a content to be viewed and listened to regardless of a user request;

describing, in the event that said content is a content of said Push-type service, information representing that said content is a content of said Push-type service, along with information relating to said content, in first control information generated as information relating to a content to be broadcasted by a predetermined logical channel;

generating second control information describing information for determining each of said logical channels in a physical channel serving as a transmission path of a broadcast wave signal of a predetermined frequency band;

multiplexing said first control information and said second control information with the data of said content, and also multiplexing data to be broadcasted by a plurality of said logical channels as data to be broadcasted by a single physical channel; and

modulating said multiplexed data to transmit as a broadcast wave.

16. A program causing a computer to serve as a contents transmission device comprising:

contents information obtaining means configured to obtain information relating to a content to be broadcasted with a transmission rate unsynchronized with a playback rate, from a broadcasting schedule created beforehand;

determining means configured to determine whether or not said content is a content of a Push-type service for receiving a content to be viewed and listened to regardless of a user request;

first control information generating means for describing, in the event that said content is a content of said Push-type service, information representing that said content is a content of said Push-type service, along with information relating to said content, in first control information generated as information relating to a content to be broadcasted by a predetermined logical channel;

second control information generating means configured to generate second control information describing information for determining each of said logical channels in a physical channel serving as a transmission path of a broadcast wave signal of a predetermined frequency band;

multiplexing means configured to multiplex said first control information and said second control information with the data of said content, and also to multiplex data to be broadcasted by a plurality of said logical channels as data to be broadcasted by a single physical channel; and

broadcast wave transmission means configured to modulate said multiplexed data to transmit as a broadcast wave.