Information transmission/reception system and method and information processing method and apparatus for automatic detection of data for commercial messages

• US 7,673,320 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2001
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishiguchi, Masayuki, Abe, Mototsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shepard; Justin E
• Application Number:
  US09/887,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20020069408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,175 Days
• Field of Search: 725/110, 725/112
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/39 for identifying broadcast space-time use of Electronic Programme Guides H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

It is targeted that CMs by e.g., television broadcast be detected automatically, an access site to detailed contents of a specified one of the CMs be acquired automatically, and connection be made automatically to the access site to enable accessing to the detailed information. A broadcasting station 302 sends out airing signals containing CMs. A consumer terminal (303) detects these CMs from the aired signals and connects to an access site information furnishing device (305) based on the airing time and the airing channel of the detected CM to acquire the access site information of the distribution terminal (301) for e.g., an article of commerce owning the detailed information pertinent to the CM. Based on the access site information, the consumer terminal (303) accesses the distribution terminal (301) to acquire the detailed information pertinent to the CM.

Claims

1. An information transmission/reception system comprising:

a transmission unit which generates and sends out a transmission signal containing a commercial message;

a detailed information furnishing unit which furnishes detailed information related to said commercial message including air time, frequency and channel information to a database unit;

the database unit stores access site information corresponding to said detailed information received from the detailed information furnishing unit in a database on the database unit;

an access site information furnishing unit which requests a confirmation from said database unit effective to determine whether access site information corresponding to said detailed information is stored in the database unit, and furnishes said access site information if said access site information has been stored in the database unit; and

a signal processing unit including

(1) a detecting section which detects said commercial message from said transmission signal sent out from said transmission unit,

(2) a first connecting section which connects to said access site information furnishing unit,

(3) a first acquisition section which acquires the access site information corresponding to the commercial message detected by said detecting section from the access site information furnishing unit connected to said first connecting section,

(4) a second connecting section which connects to an information unit identified by an access site address included in the access site information acquired by said first acquisition section, and

(5) a second acquisition section which acquires further information related to the commercial message from the information unit based on the air time, frequency and channel of the commercial message.

2. The information transmission/reception system according to claim 1 wherein said commercial message is contained in a broadcast signal of image and/or speech signals.

3. The information transmission/reception system according to claim 1 wherein said access site information is one or a combination of an Internet IP address, a URL, an E-mail address and a telephone number.

30. The information transmission/reception system according to claim 1 wherein the detecting section detects said commercial message from said transmission signal sent based on at least one transmission property of said commercial message.

31. The information transmission/reception system according to claim 30 wherein the at least one property includes one of a time duration of the commercial message, a sound volume of the commercial message, or image switching in the commercial message.

4. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a reception section which receives a transmission signal containing a commercial message;

a detection section which detects said commercial message from the transmission signal received by said reception section;

a database section which stores at least the commercial message and access site information received from the detailed information furnishing unit in a database on the database section;

a first connecting section which connects to an access site information furnishing unit for requesting confirmation that access site information corresponding to the detailed information furnishing unit has been stored in the database on the database section, and for furnishing the access site information and the detailed information related to said commercial message if the access site information has been stored in the database section;

a first acquisition section which acquires the access site information corresponding to the commercial message detected by said detecting section from said access site information furnishing unit connected to said first connecting section;

second connecting section which connects to an information unit identified by an access site address included in the access site information acquired by said first acquisition section; and

a second acquisition section for acquiring further information related to said commercial message from the information unit based on the air time, frequency and channel of the commercial messages,

wherein,

the detailed information corresponds to the commercial message and the access site information.

5. The information transmission/reception system according to claim 4 further comprising:

a storage unit which stores said commercial message detected by said detecting section;

a browsing unit which browses a plurality of said commercial messages stored in said storage unit as necessary; and

a retrieving unit which retrieves a desired commercial message from said plurality of the commercial messages stored in said storage unit.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said commercial message is contained in a broadcast signal of image and/or speech signals.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said access site information is one or a combination of an Internet IP address, a URL, an E-mail address and a telephone number.

8. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a database section which stores at least a commercial message sent out as a transmission signal, and access site information corresponding to detailed information furnishing unit which finishes detailed information related to said commercial message;

a reception section which receives the transmission signal containing said commercial message;

a detection section which extracts said commercial message from the transmission signal received by said reception section and which detects transmission time of said commercial message in said transmission signal and a frequency and a transmission channel of said transmission signal;

a database referencing unit which references said commercial message stored in said database section on the database referencing unit, based on said commercial message detected by said detecting section, and for correlating said commercial message stored in said database section and the transmission time and the frequency or the transmission channel of said transmission signal with said access site information stored in the database section; and

access site information furnishing unit which requests confirmation from database unit effective to determine whether said access site information has been stored, and which furnishes said access site information if said access site information has been stored;

an information unit which acquires further information related to said commercial message based on the air time, frequency and channel of the transmission signal,

a connection unit which connects to the information unit identified by the access site address included in the access site information acquired by said access site information furnishing unit.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said commercial message is contained in a broadcast signal of image and/or speech signals.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said access site information is one or a combination of an Internet IP address, a URL, an E-mail address and a telephone number.

11. An information transmission/reception system comprising:

detailed information furnishing unit which furnishes detailed information related to a commercial message;

a database unit which stores at least the commercial message and access site information, in a database on the database unit, which corresponds to detailed information furnishing unit which finishes detailed information related to said commercial message;

a reception section which receives the transmission signal containing said commercial message;

transmission unit which generates and sends out a transmission signal containing said commercial message and access site information corresponding to said detailed information furnishing unit if said access site information has been stored;

signal processing unit including a detecting section which detects said commercial message and the access site information corresponding to said commercial message from said transmission signal sent out from said transmission unit, a connecting section which connects to an information unit identified by an access site address included in the access site information for acquiring the detailed information related to said commercial message detected by said detecting section from said information unit based on the air time, frequency and channel of the commercial message retrieved from the access site information connected to said connecting section; and

access site information furnishing unit which requests confirmation from the database on the database unit effective to determine whether said access site information has been stored, and for furnishing said access site information if said access site information has been stored.

12. The information transmission/reception system according to claim 11 wherein said commercial message is contained in a broadcast signal of image and/or speech signals.

13. The information transmission/reception system according to claim 11 wherein said access site information is one or a combination of an Internet IP address, a URL, an E-mail address and a telephone number.

14. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a reception section which receives a transmission signal containing a commercial message and access site information;

a database section which stores at least the commercial message, and the access site information in a database on the database section;

a detecting section which detects said commercial message and the access site information from the transmission signal received by said reception section;

a connecting section which connects to an information unit based on an information unit address included in the access site information detected by said detecting section; and

an acquisition section which acquires the detailed information related to said commercial message detected by said detecting section from the information unit based on the air time, frequency and channel of the commercial message connected to said connecting section,

wherein,

the information unit furnishes detailed information related to said commercial message if the database section confirms said access site information has been stored in the database section.

15. The information processing apparatus according according to claim 14 comprising:

a storage unit which stores said commercial message detected by said detecting section;

a browsing unit which browses a plurality of said commercial messages stored in said storage unit as necessary; and

a retrieval unit which retrieves a desired commercial message from said plurality of the commercial messages stored in said storage unit.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said commercial message is contained in a broadcast signal of image and/or speech signals.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said access site information is one or a combination of an Internet IP address, a URL, an E-mail address and a telephone number.

18. A method for transmitting/receiving information comprising the steps of:

providing detailed information related to a commercial message;

generating and sending out a transmission signal containing said commercial message;

detecting said commercial message from said transmission signal sent out;

requesting confirmation from the database unit effective to determine whether access site information corresponding to said detailed information is stored in a database on a database unit; and

upon determination that said access site information has been stored

providing said access site information;

acquiring the access site information corresponding to the detailed information related to said commercial message based on said detected commercial message; and

acquiring the detailed information related to the detected commercial message from the information unit based on the air time, frequency and channel of the commercial message,

connecting to the information unit identified by an access site address included in the detected access site information.

19. The method for transmitting/receiving the information according to claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

detecting transmission time of said commercial message in said transmission signal and a frequency or a transmission channel of said transmission signal; and

acquiring said access site information based on the detected transmission time of said commercial message and the detected frequency or the transmission channel of said transmission signal.

20. The method for transmitting/receiving the information according to claim 18 wherein said commercial message is contained in a broadcast signal of image and/or speech signals.

21. The method for transmitting/receiving the information according to claim 18 wherein said access site information is one or a combination of an Internet IP address, a URL, an E-mail address and a telephone number.

22. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

receiving a transmission signal containing a commercial message;

detecting said commercial message from the received transmission signal;

requesting confirmation from the database unit effective to determine whether access site information corresponding to said detailed information has been stored in a database on a database unit; and

upon determination that said access site information has been stored;

connecting to access site information furnishing unit which furnishes access site information corresponding to detailed information furnishing unit which furnishes detailed information related to said commercial message;

acquiring the access site information corresponding to the detected commercial message from the connected access site information furnishing unit;

connecting to said detailed information furnishing unit based on the acquired access site information; and

acquiring the detailed information related to the detected commercial message from the connected access site information furnishing unit and based on the air time, frequency and channel of the commercial message.

23. The information processing method according to claim 22 further comprising the steps of:

detecting transmission time of said commercial message in said transmission signal and a frequency or a transmission channel of said transmission signal;

connecting to said access site information furnishing unit; and

acquiring said access site information corresponding to the detected transmission time of said commercial message and the detected frequency or transmission channel of said transmission signal.

24. The information processing method according to claim 22 further comprising the steps of:

storing the detected commercial messages;

browsing a plurality of the stored commercial messages as necessary; and

retrieving desired commercial messages from the plurality of stored commercial messages.

25. The information processing method according to claim 22 wherein said commercial message is contained in a broadcast signal of image and/or speech signals.

26. The information processing method according to claim 22 wherein said access site information is one or a combination of an Internet IP address, a URL, an E-mail address and a telephone number.

27. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

storing at least a commercial message sent out as a transmission signal and access site information corresponding to detailed information furnishing unit which furnishes detailed information related to said pre-set signal in a database on a database unit;

receiving the transmission signal containing said commercial message;

extracting said commercial message from the received transmission signal and detecting transmission time of said commercial message and a frequency or a channel of said transmission signal;

referencing said stored commercial message based on the extracted commercial message and correlating the transmission time of said stored commercial message and the frequency or channel of said transmission signal with said access site information; and

requesting confirmation from the database unit effective to determine whether said access site information has been stored in the database on the database unit, and furnishing said access site information if said access site information has been stored,

connecting to an information unit based on the detected commercial message and the detected access site information; and

acquiring the detailed information related to the detected commercial message from the connected information unit based on the air time, frequency and channel from said transmission signal.

28. The information processing method according to claim 27 wherein said commercial message is contained in a broadcast signal of image and/or speech signals.

29. The information processing method according to claim 27 wherein said access site information is one or a combination of an Internet IP address, a URL, an E-mail address and a telephone number.