Information processing apparatus, information processing method and a medium

• US 7,631,329 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2000
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Ustaris; Joseph G
• Application Number:
  US09/610,773
• Time in Patent Office: 3,442 Days
• Field of Search: 725/57, 725 38- 39, 725/40, 725 43- 45, 725/51, 725/53, 725/60, 725/61, 715/716, 715/718, 715/726
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/40 characterised in that additional data relating to the broadcast data are available via a different channel than the broadcast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

In a television broadcasting system intended to present information pertaining to a main broadcast program to viewers, a ground-wave broadcast station produces and broadcasts the main program in the conventional manner and a CS (communication satellite) broadcast station which is supplied with main program composition information and various source data from the ground-wave station produces supplemental broadcast programs for the main program. The CS station also produces symbolic labels indicative of the content of the supplemental programs, and broadcasts the supplemental programs and symbolic labels together. An IRD (integrated receiver/decoder) unit of a viewer'"'"'s receiver set receives the broadcast signals from the ground-wave station and CS station, and displays the main program and the symbolic labels of supplemental programs together on a display unit. The IRD unit operates in response to the selection of a symbolic label by the viewer to display a supplemental program corresponding to this symbolic label.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

first reception means which receives television programs via a first transmission path, the first transmission path including a ground-wave broadcast;

second reception means which receives supplementary information via a second transmission path, the second transmission path including a communication satellite broadcast;

display control means which operates a display device to display a specified television program received by the first reception means in a first region of the display device and a plurality of symbolic images in a second region of the display device, each symbolic image indicating a kind of supplementary information received by the second reception means, the display control means configured to absolve a user from switching between the ground-wave and satellite broadcasts;

selection means for selecting a symbolic image from the plurality of the symbolic images;

wherein in response to the selection of said symbolic image, the display control means controls to display an animation effect by;

(a) moving and resizing the displayed selected symbolic image from the second region to the first region;

(b) moving and resizing the displayed specified television program from the first region to the second region, wherein;

(i) said movement and resizing from the second region to the first region; and

(ii) said movement and resizing from the first region to the second region occur simultaneously;

(c) for a point in time when said simultaneous movement and resizing occurs, simultaneously displaying;

(i) at least a portion of said displayed selected symbolic image at a position; and

(ii) at least a portion of said displayed specified television program at said position, wherein when said display control means controls said animation effect by simultaneously displaying said portion of said displayed selected symbolic image and said portion of said portion of said displayed specified television program at said position;

(i) said portion of the displayed selected symbolic image overlays said displayed specific television program;

or (ii) said displayed specific television program overlays said portion of the displayed selected symbolic image; and

wherein;

(a) said symbolic image is resized to fit within a space in the first region previously occupied by the specified television program; and

(b) said specified television program is resized to fit within a space in the second region previously occupied by the symbolic image.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising access means which accesses a server to obtain further data related to the supplementary information.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first region is a larger screen area at a top section of the display device.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second region is a smaller screen area at a bottom section of the display device.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, the supplementary information including user residential location information, the display control means operating the display device to display the plurality of symbolic images based the user residential location information.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, the supplementary information including an access restrict flag, the display control means operating the display device to prevent display of the plurality of symbolic images based the access restrict flag.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a recording medium in connection with the display device, wherein the recording medium stores the supplementary information in internal memory in response to the selection of the symbolic image.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control means controls to display the supplementary information indicated by the selected symbolic image in place of the selected symbolic image in the first region.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said moving and resizing said displayed selected symbolic image from said second region to said first region includes expanding said displayed selected symbolic image from said second region to said first region.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said moving and resizing said displayed specified television program from said first region to said second region includes contracting said displayed television program from said first region to said second region.

11. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

receiving television programs via a first transmission path, the first transmission path including a ground-wave broadcast;

receiving supplementary information via a second transmission path, the second transmission path including a communication satellite broadcast;

controlling a display device to display a specified television program received via the first transmission path in a first region of the display device and a plurality of symbolic images in a second region of the display device, each symbolic image indicating a kind of supplementary information received via the second transmission path, and controlling the display device such that a user is absolved from switching between the ground-wave and satellite broadcasts;

selecting a symbolic image from the plurality of the symbolic images; and

displaying an animation effect by;

(a) moving and resizing the displayed selected symbolic image from the second region to the first region;

(b) moving and resizing the displayed specified television program from the first region to the second region, wherein;

(i) said movement and resizing from the second region to the first region; and

(ii) said movement and resizing from the first region to the second region occur simultaneously;

(c) for a point in time when said simultaneous movement and resizing occurs, simultaneously displaying;

(i) at least a portion of said displayed selected symbolic image at a position; and

(ii) at least a portion of said displayed specified television program at said position, wherein when simultaneously displaying said portion of said displayed selected symbolic image and said portion of said displayed specified television program at said position;

(i) said portion of the displayed selected symbolic image overlays said displayed specific television program;

or (ii) said displayed specific television program overlays said portion of the displayed selected symbolic image; and

wherein;

(a) said symbolic image is resized to fit within a space in the first region previously occupied by the specified television program; and

(b) said specified television program is resized to fit within a space in the second region previously occupied by the symbolic image.

12. The information processing method of claim 11, further comprising the step of accessing a server to obtain further data related to the supplementary information.

13. The information processing method of claim 11, wherein the controlling step controls to display the supplementary information indicated by the selected symbolic image in place of the selected symbolic image in the first region.

14. The information processing method of claim 11, the supplementary information including user residential location information, further comprising the step of controlling the display device to display the plurality of symbolic images based the user residential location information.

15. The information processing method of claim 11, the supplementary information including an access restrict flag, further comprising the step of controlling the display device to prevent display of the plurality of symbolic images based the access restrict flag.

16. The information processing method of claim 11, a recording medium being in connection with the display device, and further comprising the step of storing the supplementary information in internal memory of the recording medium in response to the selection of the symbolic image.