SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTENT NOTIFICATION AND USER TERMINAL DEVICE

• US 20130014194A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: FUKUI, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25 Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand

Abstract

Information on content supplied in various forms is monitored for a long period, and a user is notified of the information with a method with which the user can easily remember the information. A content notification system includes: a search key storage server configured to receive image data on content, and store the image data; an information collection server configured to read out the image data from the search key storage server, perform a search through a network based on the image data to find a new form in which the content is supplied, and collect information on the content supplied in the new form; and one or more user terminal devices each configured to receive the image data used for the search from the information collection server and the information, and display the information together with the image data.

Claims

1. A content notification system, comprising:

a search key storage server configured to receive image data on content, and store the image data;

an information collection server configured to read out the image data from the search key storage server, perform a search through a network based on the image data to find a new form in which the content is supplied, and collect information on the content supplied in the new form; and

one or more user terminal devices each configured to receive the image data used for the search from the information collection server and the information, and display the information together with the image data.

2. The content notification system of claim 1, wherein

the information collection server is configured to send the image data used for the search and the information to a predetermined one of the user terminal devices according to a type of the information.

3. The content notification system of claim 1, wherein

the information collection server is configured to extract a keyword from the image data, and performs the search with the keyword.

4. The content notification system of claim 1, wherein

the information collection server is configured to read out the image data from the search key storage server irregularly as necessary.

5. The content notification system of claim 1, further comprising:

a program information server configured to supply EPG data, wherein

the user terminal devices include a specific user terminal device configured to display an electronic program guide,

the specific user terminal device includes

a data receiver configured to receive EPG data from the program information server, and

a screen generator configured to generate an electronic program guide to be displayed based on the EPG data, and

the screen generator is configured to place the image data received from the information collection server, in an information display region for a program specified by the information received from the information collection server in the electronic program guide.

6. The content notification system of claim 1, further comprising:

a paid content management server configured to perform a VOD delivery of content, wherein

the user terminal devices include a specific user terminal device configured to display a purchase screen of content to be VOD-delivered,

the specific user terminal device includes

a data receiver configured to receive VOD delivery information from the paid content management server, and

a screen generator configured to generate a purchase screen of content to be VOD-delivered based on the VOD delivery information, and

the screen generator is configured to place the image data received from the information collection server, in an information display region for content specified by the information received from the information collection server in the purchase screen.

7. A user terminal device, comprising:

a data receiver configured to receive image data on content and information on the content in a new form in which the content is supplied and which is found by a search through a network based on the image data; and

a screen generator configured to generate a screen on which the information is displayed together with the image data.

8. The user terminal device of claim 7, wherein

the data receiver is configured to receive EPG data from a program information server, and

the screen generator is configured to generate an electronic program guide to be displayed based on the EPG data, and place the image data in an information display region for a program specified by the information in the electronic program guide.

9. The user terminal device of claim 7, wherein

the data receiver is configured to receive VOD delivery information from a paid content management server, and

the screen generator is configured to generate a purchase screen of content to be VOD-delivered based on the VOD delivery information, and place the image data in an information display region for content specified by the information in the purchase screen.

10. A content notification method, wherein

a search key storage server receives image data on content, and stores the image data,

an information collection server reads out the image data from the search key storage server, performs a search through a network based on the image data to find a new form in which the content is supplied, and collects information on the content supplied in the new form, and

one or more user terminal devices receive the image data used for the search and the information from the information collection server, and display the information together with the image data.

11. The content notification method of claim 10, wherein

the information collection server sends the image data used for the search and the information to a predetermined one of the user terminal devices according to a type of the information.