Method of receiving time-specified program contents

• US 6,446,082 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Impress BV (Impress Coöperatieve UA)
• Original Assignee: Impress BV (Impress Coöperatieve UA)
• Inventors: Arita, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US09/397,939
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/101, 707/104.1, 707/5, 707/102, 370/464, 455/15, 455/512, 709/218, 709/219, 709/203, 713/150, 725/13, 725/42, 725/50
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/951 Calendar or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The program information in which the distributive transmission scheduled date and time, and the address of a distributive transmission server are registered is presented by a program management server. On the client side which has received the distributive transmission of the program information, the date and time when acquiring the program information are registered and the program management server is accessed. Then, if it is judged that the program information of the program management server is already updated on or after the date and time when acquiring the program information, then the program information on the client side is also updated on the basis of the updated contents. As a result, even if the distributive transmission date and time of the program are changed, the terminal side can follow this change.

Claims

1. In a method of distributively transmitting at least program information comprising a distributive transmission date and time, and program contents which will be transmitted on the distributive transmission date and time through a network, a method of receiving time-specified program contents comprising the steps of:

receiving the program information from a program management server in which the distributive transmission date and time, and an address of a distributive transmission server are registered;

registering the program information obtained from the program management server through the network, and registering an acquisition date and time that the program information was obtained from the program management server;

comparing the distributive transmission date and time on subsequent acquisition dates and times with the distributive transmission date and time on prior acquisition dates and times upon every access to the program management server; and

rewriting the distributive transmission date and time to reflect any changes in the distributive transmission date and time registered in the program management server from prior acquisition dates and times.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the general purpose schedule data on the basis of which a date and time are specified is produced from the distributive transmission date and time of the program information, and the information relating to the audio-visual reservation of the program contents is displayed on a general purpose scheduler of the audio-visual terminal unit.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein charging information is recorded whenever the program information is registered.

4. In a method of distributively transmitting at least program information comprising a distributive transmission date and time, and program contents which will be transmitted on the distributive transmission date and time through a network, a method of receiving time-specified program contents, comprising the steps of:

receiving the program information from a program management server in which the distributive transmission date and time, and an address of a distributive transmission server are registered;

registering the program information obtained from the program management server through the network;

comparing the distributive transmission date and time on subsequent acquisition dates and times with the distributive transmission date and time on prior acquisition dates and times upon every access to said program management server to detect whether the distributive transmission date and time have updated in said program management server;

rewriting the distributive transmission date and time to reflect any changes in the distributive transmission date and time registered in the program management server from prior acquisition dates and times;

accessing a program contents server on the registered distributive transmission date and time to receive and reproduce the program contents for reproduction thereof; and

receiving advertisement contents from an advertisement presentation server prior to or synchronously with receiving the program contents to reproduce the advertisement contents.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the advertisement contents correspond to the program contents or categories of the program contents, and the advertisement contents are determined on the basis of the reservation histories of past program contents of a user.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the advertisement contents are determined on the basis of personal information accumulated in an audio-visual terminal unit or an advertisement presentation server.

7. In a system for distributively transmitting at least program information comprising a distributive transmission date and time, and program contents which will be transmitted on the distributive transmission date and time through a network, a system for presenting time-specified program information, comprising:

a program management server having program information in which at least the distributive date and time and an address of a distributive transmission server are registered;

a program contents presentation server for distributively transmitting the program contents;

program information setting management means for registering therein the program information obtained from the program management server through the network, said program information setting management means comprising means for comparing the distributive transmission date and time on subsequent acquisition dates and times with the distributive transmission date and time on prior acquisition dates and times upon every access to said program management server to detect whether the distributive transmission date and time have updated in said program management server, and means for rewriting the distributive transmission date and time to reflect any changes in the distributive transmission date and time registered in the program management server from prior acquisition dates and times; and

means for accessing the program contents presentation server on the distributive transmission date and time the information of which has been obtained from the program information to acquire the program contents to reproduce the program contents thus acquired.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said program information setting management means further comprises:

means for recording an acquisition date and time that program information was acquired by accessing said program management server, and the distributive transmission date and time of the program information obtained from the program management server.

9. A system according to claim 7, wherein said program information setting management means further comprises program table producing means for producing a program table in a table form on a program audio-visual terminal side on the basis of the program information.

10. A storage medium storing therein a program which receives at least program information containing a distributive transmission date and time, and program contents which will be transmitted on the distributive transmission date and time through a network, said program comprising the steps of:

receiving the program information from a program management server in which the distributive transmission date and time, and an address of a distributive transmission server are registered;

registering the program information obtained from said program management server through said network;

comparing the distributive transmission date and time on subsequent acquisition dates and times with the distributive transmission date and time on prior acquisition dates and times upon every access to said program management server to detect whether the distributive transmission date and time have updated in said program management server;

rewriting the distributive transmission date and time to reflect any changes in the distributive transmission date and time registered in the program management server from prior acquisition dates and times;

accessing a program contents presentation server on the distributive transmission date and time; and

reproducing the program contents obtained from said program contents presentation server.