Digital broadcast reception system, digital broadcast reception apparatus and digital broadcast printing apparatus

• US 6,774,951 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2001
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Narushima, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US09/791,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20010022003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 348/552, 348/553, 348/468, 348/473, 348/207.2, 358/1.15, 358/1.1, 725/37-61, 725/131-133, 725/139-141, 725/151-153
• US Class Current: 348/552
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00294 for printing images at a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0067 Converting to still picture data

Abstract

A printing apparatus for printing the content information contained in the digital broadcast received by an STB, in which flexible printing is achieved efficiently at a low cost. The digital broadcast is received by an STB 30 and demonstrated on a display device 31 as the contents information comprehended in the ddb is printed by a printer 32. The contents information comprehended in the digital broadcast is converted by a contents information conversion unit 68 into contents suited for printing.

Claims

1. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

said receiver includes

reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device; and

outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and to said printer; and

wherein

said printer includes

inputting means for receiving the contents information output from said reception device;

contents information converting means for converting characteristics of at least a portion of said contents information received from said inputting means to modify the appearance of said contents information when printed, wherein the characteristics of said contents information is converted by changing a background color of said contents information; and

printing means for printing the contents information converted by said contents information converting means.

2. The digital broadcast reception system according to claim 1 wherein said receiver includes

a first contents information converting means for converting a portion of the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to modify the appearance of a portion of said contents information when printed;

said outputting means of said receiver outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and outputting the contents information partially converted by said first contents information converting means to said printer; and

said contents information converting means of said printer being a second contents information converting means that converts the partially converted contents information outputted to said printer to fully converted contents information in which the appearance of said contents information is fully modified.

8. The digital broadcast reception system according to claim 1 wherein contents information of said digital broadcast is described in HTML form, and wherein a HTML tag of the digital broadcast specifying a background color is maintained unchanged for pictures to be displayed on said display device so as to maintain unchanged the background color of displayed pictures, and is changed by said conversion means for pictures to be printed by said printer, so as to change the background color of the printed pictures.

3. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

(1) said receiver includes

(a) reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

(b) contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device;

(c) first contents information converting means for converting a portion of the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to modify the appearance of a portion of said contents information when printed;

(d) outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and for outputting the contents information partially converted by said first contents information converting means to said printer;

wherein

(2) said printer includes

(a) inputting means for receiving the partially converted contents information output from said outputting means of said receiver;

(b) second contents information converting means for converting the partially converted contents information to fully converted contents information in which the appearance of said contents information is fully modified; and

(c) printing means for printing the contents information converted by said second contents information converting means; and

wherein

said first contents information conversion means performs conversion processing of pictures in need of relatively high computational capability, and

said second contents information conversion means performs conversion processing requiring relatively low computational capability.

4. The digital broadcast reception system according to claim 3 wherein said conversion processing performed by said second contents information conversion means comprises processing to change tag contents of a markup language.

5. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

said receiver includes

reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device; and

outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and to said printer; and

wherein

said printer includes

inputting means for receiving the contents information output from said reception device;

contents information converting means for converting characteristics of at least a portion of said contents information received from said inputting means to modify the appearance of said contents information when printed, wherein said contents information converting means converts characteristics of said contents information by changing color or resolution of text or picture data of said contents information; and

printing means for printing the contents information converted by said contents information converting means.

6. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

said receiver includes

reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device; and

outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and to said printer; and

wherein

said printer includes

inputting means for receiving the contents information output from said reception device;

contents information converting means for converting characteristics of at least a portion of said contents information received from said inputting means to modify the appearance of said contents information when printed, wherein said contents information converting means converts characteristics of said contents information by adjusting color or density of text or picture data of said contents information relative to a background color of said contents information; and

printing means for printing the contents information converted by said contents information converting means.

7. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

said receiver includes

reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device; and

outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and to said printer; and

wherein

said printer includes

inputting means for receiving the contents information output from said reception device;

contents information converting means for converting characteristics of at least a portion of said contents information received from said inputting means to modify the appearance of said contents information when printed, wherein said contents information converting means converts characteristics of said contents information by performing dithering or smoothing processing of said contents information to improve printing quality thereof; and

printing means for printing the contents information converted by said contents information converting means.

9. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

said receiver includes

reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device;

contents information converting means for converting characteristics of at least a portion of the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to modify the appearance of said contents information when printed, wherein said contents information converting means converts characteristics of said contents information by changing a background color of said contents information; and

outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and outputting the contents information partially converted by said contents information conversion means to said printer; and

wherein

said printer includes

inputting means for receiving the contents information output by said receiver; and

printing means for printing the contents information received from said inputting means.

13. The digital broadcast reception system according to claim 9 wherein contents information of said digital broadcast is described in HTML form, and wherein a HTML tag of the digital broadcast specifying a background color is maintained unchanged for pictures to be displayed on said display device so as to maintain unchanged the background color of displayed pictures, and is changed by said conversion means for pictures to be printed by said printer, so as to change the background color of the printed pictures.

10. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

said receiver includes

reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device;

contents information converting means for converting characteristics of at least a portion of the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to modify the appearance of said contents information when printed, wherein said contents information converting means converts characteristics of said contents information by changing color or resolution of text or picture data of said contents information; and

outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and outputting the contents information partially converted by said contents information conversion means to said printer; and

wherein

said printer includes

inputting means for receiving the contents information output by said receiver; and

printing means for printing the contents information received from said inputting means.

11. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

said receiver includes

reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device;

contents information converting means for converting characteristics of at least a portion of the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to modify the appearance of said contents information when printed, wherein said contents information converting means converts characteristics of said contents information by adjusting color or density of text or picture data of said contents information relative to a background color of said contents information; and

outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and outputting the contents information partially converted by said contents information conversion means to said printer; and

wherein

said printer includes

inputting means for receiving the contents information output by said receiver; and

printing means for printing the contents information received from said inputting means.

12. A digital broadcast reception system having a receiver for receiving digital broadcast, a display device for displaying the digital broadcast received by said receiver, and a printer for printing contents information of the digital broadcast received by said receiver, said receiver, display device and the printer being connected to one another, wherein

said receiver includes

reception means for receiving the digital broadcast;

contents information generating means for performing pre-set signal processing on signals of the digital broadcast received by said reception means to generate contents information for demonstration on said display device;

contents information converting means for converting characteristics of at least a portion of the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to modify the appearance of said contents information when printed, wherein said contents information converting means converts characteristics of said contents information by performing dithering or smoothing processing of said contents information to improve printing quality thereof; and

outputting means for outputting the contents information generated by said contents information generating means to said display device and outputting the contents information partially converted by said contents information conversion means to said printer; and

wherein

said printer includes

inputting means for receiving the contents information output by said receiver; and

printing means for printing the contents information received from said inputting means.