Communication method

• US 7,844,259 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2008
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwatsu, Takeshi, Sakoh, Noriyuki, Murase, Yasuhiro, Yamashita, Shinsuke, Moriya, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US12/167,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20080275954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 705/51, 380/279
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/237 Communication with additional data server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

According to the present invention, the step of requesting of an associated information provision server KS for associated information about contents broadcast in a broadcast program being received is provided. The step of acquiring the associated information corresponding to the request from the associated information provision server KS and storing this is provided. And the retrieval step of transmitting a part of the associated information as a retrieval key to retrieve contents to a CD seller server 31, and obtaining retrieval results from the CD seller server 31 is provided. Thereby, the associated information about the contents broadcast in the broadcast program being received is obtained. The retrieval results are obtained from a contents retrieval server by using the part of the associated information as retrieval keys. Therefore, retrieval results having variety that are not limited to results conceived by the user in a certain degree can be obtained.

Claims

1. A communication terminal apparatus, comprising:

a request unit configured to request an associated information provision server for associated information about contents broadcast in a broadcasting program being received;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire the associated information corresponding to said request from said associated information provision server;

a storage unit configured to store the associated information; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a part of said associated information as retrieval keys for retrieving said contents to a contents retrieval server, and obtaining retrieval results from said contents retrieval server.

2. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said acquiring unit acquires associated information including contents identification information to identify said contents is acquired from said associated information provision server, and said contents identification information being the part of said associated information is transmitted as said retrieval keys to said contents retrieval server by said transmitting unit.

3. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said acquiring unit acquires said associated information including broadcasting station identification information to identify a broadcasting station that broadcasts said contents from said associated information provision server, and said transmitting unit transmits said broadcasting station identification information being the part of said associated information as said retrieval keys to said contents retrieval server.

4. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said acquiring unit acquires said associated information including media identification information showing a kind of recording media storing said contents from said associated information provision server;

and

said transmitting unit transmits said media identification information being the part of said associated information as said retrieval keys to said contents retrieval server.

5. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said acquiring unit acquires said associated information including supplier identification information showing the supplier of said contents from said associated information provision server, and said transmitting unit transmits said supplier identification information being the part of said associated information as said retrieval keys to said contents retrieval server.

6. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit configured to display said stored associated information based on common keywords by dividing into directories.