TRANSMISSION APPARATUS, TRANSMISSION METHOD, RECEPTION APPARATUS, RECEPTION METHOD, PROGRAM, AND BROADCASTING SYSTEM

• US 20120054784A1
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KITAZATO, Naohisa, Dewa, Yoshiharu
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• 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 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a transmission apparatus for transmitting AV (Audio/Video) content, including: an acquirer configured to acquire an estimated number of audience terminals indicative of an estimated number of reception apparatuses receiving the AV content; a computer configured, in conjugation with the AV content, to compute, on the basis of the estimated number of audience terminals, a validity probability of trigger information associated with control of an application program to be executed in the reception apparatus; a generator configured to generate the trigger signal including the computed validity probability; and a transmitter configured to transmit the generated trigger information with the AV content.

Claims

1. A transmission apparatus for transmitting AV (Audio/Video) content, comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring an estimated number of audience terminals indicative of an estimated number of reception apparatuses receiving said AV content;

computation means for, in conjugation with said AV content, computing, on the basis of said estimated number of audience terminals, a validity probability of trigger information associated with control of an application program to be executed in said reception apparatus;

generation means for generating said trigger signal including said computed validity probability; and

transmission means for transmitting said generated trigger information with said AV content.

2. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generation means generates, including said computed validity probability, trigger information for controlling, in said reception apparatus, at least one of processing of acquiring said application program, processing of launching said acquired application program, processing of event firing in said active application program, processing of suspending said active application program, and processing of terminating said active application program.

3. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said generation means generates, including said computed validity probability, said trigger information for controlling, in said reception apparatus, at least one of processing of acquiring said application program that involves processing of accessing a predetermined server and processing of event firing in said active application program.

4. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said acquisition means acquires said estimated number of audience terminals on the basis of past viewing statistics.

5. The transmission apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said acquisition means acquires said estimated number of audience terminals on the basis of actual measurements of access to said server.

6. A transmission method for a transmission apparatus for transmitting AV (AudioNideo) content, comprising the steps of:

acquiring, by said transmission apparatus, an estimated number of audience terminals indicative of an estimated number of reception apparatuses receiving said AV content;

computing, by said transmission apparatus, in conjugation with said AV content, on the basis of said estimated number of audience terminals, a validity probability of trigger information associated with control of an application program to be executed in said reception apparatus;

generating, by said transmission apparatus, said trigger information including said computed validity probability; and

transmitting, by said transmission apparatus, said generated trigger information with said AV content.

7. A program for controlling a transmission apparatus for transmitting AV (Audio/Video) content, said program causing a computer of said transmission apparatus to execute processing comprising the steps of:

acquiring an estimated number of audience terminals indicative of an estimated number of reception apparatuses receiving said AV content;

computing, in conjugation with said AV content, on the basis of said estimated number of audience terminals, a validity probability of trigger information associated with control of an application program to be executed in said reception apparatus;

generating said trigger information including said computed validity probability; and

transmitting said generated trigger information with said AV content.

8. A reception apparatus for receiving transmitted AV (Audio/Video) content, comprising:

extraction means for extracting trigger information associated with control of an application program, transmitted with said AV content, to be executed in conjugation with said AV content;

determination means for determining whether said trigger information is valid on the basis of a validity probability included in said extracted trigger information; and

control means for controlling processing associated with said application program in response to a command indicated by said extracted trigger information only when said trigger information is determined to be valid.

9. The reception apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control means controls at least one of processing of acquiring said application program, processing of launching said acquired application program, processing of event firing in said active application program, processing of suspending said active application program, and processing of terminating said active application program in accordance with a command indicated by said extracted trigger information only when said trigger information is determined to be valid.

10. The reception apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control means controls at least one of processing of acquiring said application program that involves processing of accessing a predetermined server and processing of event firing in said active application program in accordance with a command indicated by said extracted trigger information only when said trigger information is determined to be valid.

11. A reception method for a reception apparatus for receiving transmitted AV (Audio/Video) content, comprising the steps of:

extracting, by said reception apparatus, trigger information associated with control of an application program, transmitted with said AV content, to be executed in conjugation with said AV content;

determining, by said reception apparatus, whether said trigger information is valid on the basis of a validity probability included in said extracted trigger information; and

controlling, by said reception apparatus, processing associated with said application program in response to a command indicated by said extracted trigger information only when said trigger information is determined to be valid.

12. A program for controlling a reception apparatus for receiving transmitted AV (Audio/Video) content, said program causing a computer of said reception apparatus to execute processing comprising the steps of:

extracting trigger information associated with control of an application program, transmitted with said AV content, to be executed in conjugation with said AV content;

determining whether said trigger information is valid on the basis of a validity probability included in said extracted trigger information; and

controlling processing associated with said application program in response to a command indicated by said extracted trigger information only when said trigger information is determined to be valid.

13. A broadcasting system comprising:

a transmission apparatus for transmitting AV (AudioNideo) content; and

a reception apparatus for receiving said AV content transmitted from said transmission apparatus, wherein

said transmission apparatus has

acquisition means for acquiring an estimated number of audience terminals indicative of an estimated number of reception apparatuses receiving said AV content,

computation means for, in conjugation with said AV content, computing, on the basis of said estimated number of audience terminals, a validity probability of trigger information associated with control of an application program to be executed in said reception apparatus,

generation means for generating said trigger information including said computed validity probability, and

transmission means for transmitting said generated trigger information with said AV content; and

said reception apparatus has

extraction means for extracting trigger information transmitted with said AV content, to be executed in conjugation with said AV content,

determination means for determining whether said trigger information is valid on the basis of a validity probability included in said extracted trigger information, and

control means for controlling processing associated with said application program in response to a command indicated by said extracted trigger information only when said trigger information is determined to be valid.

14. A transmission apparatus for transmitting AV (AudioNideo) content, comprising:

an acquirer configured to acquire an estimated number of audience terminals indicative of an estimated number of reception apparatuses receiving said AV content;

a computer configured, in conjugation with said AV content, to compute, on the basis of said estimated number of audience terminals, a validity probability of trigger information associated with control of an application program to be executed in said reception apparatus;

a generator configured to generate said trigger signal including said computed validity probability; and

a transmitter configured to transmit said generated trigger information with said AV content.

15. A reception apparatus for receiving transmitted AV (Audio/Video) content, comprising:

an extractor configured to extract trigger information associated with control of an application program, transmitted with said AV content, to be executed in conjugation with said AV content;

a determinator configured to determine whether said trigger information is valid on the basis of a validity probability included in said extracted trigger information; and

a controller configured to control processing associated with said application program in response to a command indicated by said trigger information in accordance with a validity probability included in said extracted trigger information only when said trigger information is determined to be valid.