Message communication device

• US 7,761,504 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Socionext Inc.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshino, Manabu, Watanabe, Taiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US11/826,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20080022318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An outgoing message judging device judges if an outgoing message transmitted by a sending process is cacheable or not; An outgoing message queue queues the outgoing message, when the judging result indicates to be noncacheable. A returning message judging device judges if a returning message transmitted by a receiving process is cacheable or not; A returning message queue queues the returning message, when the judging result indicates to be noncacheable. A message cache unit stores the returning message in association with the outgoing message corresponding to the outgoing message when the judgment result is cacheable, or caches the returning message corresponding to the outgoing message to transmit the returning message to the returning message queue when the judgment result is cacheable.

Claims

1. A message communication device executing message communications between plural processes, comprising:

an outgoing message judging device for judging if an outgoing message sent from a sending process is cacheable or not, based on outgoing message judging conditions;

an outgoing message queue for queuing the outgoing message and sending out the queued message sequentially to a receiving process when the outgoing message judging device judges the outgoing message to be noncacheable;

a returning message judging device for judging if a returning message sent from the receiving process is cacheable or not, based on returning message judging conditions;

a returning message queue for queuing the returning message and sending out the queued message sequentially to the sending process when the returning message judging device judges the returning message to be noncacheable;

a message cache device for storing the returning message by associating the returning message to the corresponding outgoing message, when the returning message judging device judges the returning message to be cacheable, and sending out the returning message to the returning message queue, when the returning message judging device judges the returning message to be cacheable;

an outgoing message judging condition changer for dynamically changing the outgoing message judging conditions through a third process; and

a returning message judging condition changer for dynamically changing the returning message judging conditions through the third process, wherein

the outgoing message judging device changes the message judging conditions based on notifications from the outgoing message judging condition changer,

the returning message judging device changes the returning message judging conditions based on notifications from the returning message judging condition changer,

the outgoing message judging device judges the outgoing massage is cacheable when the outgoing message is not necessary to be transmitted from the sending process to the receiving process and judges the outgoing massage is noncacheable when the outgoing message is necessary to be transmitted from the sending process to the receiving process, and

the returning message judging device judges the returning message is cacheable when the returning message is not necessary to be transmitted from the receiving process to the sending process and judges the returning massage is noncacheable when the returning message is necessary to be transmitted from the receiving process to the sending process.

2. The message communication device of claim 1, wherein the message cache device comprises:

a message cache memory for memorizing cashed messages,

a cache searching device for searching through messages cached in the message cache memory,

an outgoing message updating device for updating the cache content of the message cache memory according to the content of the outgoing message, and

a returning message updating device for updating the cache content of the message cache memory according to the content of the returning message.

3. The message communication device of claim 2, further comprising:

an outgoing message judging condition list containing a set of the outgoing message judging conditions selected based on arbitrary basis;

a returning message judging condition list containing a set of the returning message judging conditions having the same content as the outgoing message judging condition list; and

a message judging condition changer for changing the outgoing message judging condition list and the returning message judging condition list, wherein

the outgoing message judging device judges outgoing messages, transmitted from the sending process, according to the outgoing message judging condition list, and

the returning message judges returning messages, transmitted from the receiving process, according to the returning message judging condition list.

4. A digital TV receiving circuit, comprising:

a demodulator for demodulating digital TV broadcast wave to convert it into transport stream;

a transport stream separator for decoding the transport stream demodulated by the demodulator to separate the decoded transport stream into AV stream and program information;

an AV decoder for decoding the AV stream to form audio signal and picture signal;

a program information controller for storing the program information;

the message communication device of claim 1;

an EPG screen drawing device for preparing electronic program guide screen image based on the results of inquiry after inquiring the program information controlled by the controller to the program information controller; and

an output device for superimposing the electronic program guide screen image on the picture signal and audio signal.

5. The digital TV receiving circuit of claim 4, further comprising;

a cache discarding device for discarding the cache information cached by the message communication device when the received program information contains an emergency alert broadcasting identifier.

6. A digital TV receiving circuit, comprising;

a demodulator for demodulating digital TV broadcasting wave to convert it into transport stream;

a transport stream separator for decoding the transport stream to separate the decoded transport stream into AV stream and program information;

an AV decoder for decoding the AV stream to form audio signal and video signal;

a program information controller for storing the program information;

the message communication device of claim 1;

a picture recording program selector for selecting programs to be recorded based on the result of inquiry after inquiring the program information controlled by the program information controller using the message communication device;

a picture recording reservation list controller for storing picture recording reservation information of the programs selected by the picture recording program selector;

a picture recording executing device for recording the video signal and audio signal; and

a picture recording time controller for starting the recording through operating the picture recording executing device when it is confirmed that a picture recording time set in the picture recording reservation list controller is arrived in view of the current time.

7. A digital TV receiving circuit, comprising:

a CPU;

a demodulator connected to the CPU for demodulating digital TV broadcast wave to convert it into transport stream;

a transport stream separator for decoding the transport stream to separate the decoded transport stream into AV stream and program information;

an AV decoder for decoding the AV stream to form audio signal and video signal;

an output device for superimposing screen image to the audio signal and video signal to output an obtained signal;

a program information controller for storing the program information;

the message communication device of claim 1; and

an EPG screen drawing device for preparing electronic program guide image based on the results of inquiry after inquiring the program information controlled by the program information controller using the message communication device.

8. A digital TV receiving circuit comprising;

a first CPU having a constitution where a program information controller for receiving and saving program information is operated;

a second CPU connected to the first CPU;

a demodulator connected to the first and second CPUs for demodulating digital TV broadcast wave to convert it into transport stream;

a transport stream separator for decoding the transport stream to separate the decoded transport stream into AV stream and program information;

an AV decoder for decoding the AV stream to form audio signal and video signal;

an output device for superimposing screen image to the audio signal and video signal;

the message communication device of claim 1; and

an EPG screen drawing device for preparing electronic program guide image based on the result of inquiry after inquiring the program information controlled by the program information controller using the message communication device, wherein

the second CPU has a constitution where the EPG screen drawing device is operated.

9. A digital TV receiving circuit, comprising;

a CPU;

a demodulator connected to the CPU for modulating digital TV broadcast wave to convert it into transport stream;

a transport stream separator for decoding the transport stream demodulated by the demodulator to separate the decoded transport stream into AV stream and program information;

an AV decoder for decoding the AV stream to form audio signal and video signal; and

a picture recording executing device for generating AV stream from the video signal and audio signal output from the AV decoder during the period from a reception of a picture recording start signal up to the reception of a picture recording finish signal;

wherein

the CPU has a constitution where at least a picture recording program selector, a picture recording reservation list controller and a picture recording time controller are operated,

the picture recording program selector comprises a program information controller receiving and saving program information and the message communication device of claim 1, and selects a program to be recorded based on an inquiry result after inquiring the program information controlled by the program information controller using the message communication device,

the picture recording reservation list controller saves picture recording reservation information of programs selected by the picture recording program selector, and

the picture recording time controller transmits a picture recording start signal through detecting the arrival of a picture recording reservation time in the picture recording reservation information set in the picture recording reservation list controller and transmits a picture recording finish signal through detecting the end of the picture recording reservation time, in view of the current time.

10. A digital TV receiving circuit, comprising;

a first CPU having a constitution where a program information controller for receiving and saving program information is operated;

a picture recording program selector connected to the first CPU;

a picture recording reservation list controller for saving picture recording reservation information of programs selected by the picture recording program selector;

a second CPU having a constitution where a picture recording time controller transmits a picture recording start signal through detecting the arrival of a picture recording reservation time set in the picture recording reservation list controller and transmits a picture recording finish signal through detecting the end of the picture recording reservation time, in view of the current time;

a demodulator connected to the second CPU for demodulating digital TV broadcast wave to convert it into transport stream;

a transport stream separator for decoding the transport stream to separate the decoded transport stream into AV stream and program information;

an AV decoder for decoding the AV stream to form audio signal and video signal; and

a picture recording executing device for generating AV stream from the video signal and audio signal output from the AV decoder during the period from a reception of the picture recording start signal up to the reception of the picture recording finish signal, wherein

the picture recording program selector comprises the message communication device of claim 1, and selects a program to be recorded based on an inquiry result after inquiring the program information controlled by the program information controller using the message communication device.

11. A digital TV receiving apparatus, comprising;

a tuner for receiving digital TV broadcasting waves; and

the digital TV receiving circuit of claim 4 for generating video signal and audio signal from the digital TV broadcasting wave received by the tuner to output the signal to a display device.

12. A digital TV receiving apparatus, comprising;

a tuner for receiving digital TV broadcasting wave; and

the digital TV receiving circuit of claim 6 for generating AV stream from the digital TV broadcasting wave received by the tuner to output the signal to an external storage device.