Television broadcast receiving apparatus

• US 7,886,332 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kikkawa, Teruki, Mizutome, Atsushi, Yamamoto, Takashi, Aratani, Shuntaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONTOYA, OSCHTA I
• Application Number:
  US10/385,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,890 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/139, 725/151
• US Class Current: 725/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• 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

Abstract

A receiving apparatus for, in a case that an application program is executed at a television receiving apparatus, permitting execution of the application program during a period in which a predetermined channel or a broadcast program is viewed.

Claims

1. A receiving apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit adapted to receive television broadcast data containing (a) an application program and (b) condition data indicating a predetermined condition for executing the application program, the application program including a byte code file based on a source code described in JAVA language;

a viewing control unit adapted to control a viewing state of a television broadcast program;

an application executing unit adapted to execute the application program obtained from the television broadcast data; and

a control unit adapted to control said application executing unit on the basis of the condition data obtained from the television broadcast data so as to allow the execution of the application program in the case that the predetermined condition is satisfied, and inhibit the execution of the application program in the case that the predetermined condition is not satisfied,

wherein the condition data indicates (a) the broadcast service ID associated with the application program and (b) an audio level condition for executing the application program, and

wherein the control unit allows executing the application program corresponding to the broadcast service ID indicated by the condition data in response to the broadcast program corresponding to the broadcast service ID indicated by the condition data having been viewed with a higher audio level than an audio level indicated by the condition data, and

wherein the viewing control unit synthesizes image data associated with the application program and image data associated with the television broadcast data, and outputs the synthesized image data to a monitor device.

2. A control method for controlling a receiving apparatus, said method comprising:

a receiving step for receiving television broadcast data containing (a) an application program and (b) condition data indicating a predetermined condition for executing the application program, the application program including a byte code file based on a source code described in JAVA language;

a viewing control step for controlling a viewing state of a television broadcast program;

an application executing step for executing the application program obtained from the television broadcast data; and

a control step for controlling said application executing step on the basis of the condition data obtained from the television broadcast data so as to allow the execution of the application program in the case that the predetermined condition is satisfied, and inhibit the execution of the application program in the case that the predetermined condition is not satisfied,

wherein the condition data indicates (a) a broadcast service ID associated with the application program and (b) an audio level condition for executing the application program,

wherein the control step allows executing the application program corresponding to the broadcast service ID indicated by the condition data in response to the broadcast program service corresponding to the broadcast service ID indicated by the condition data having been viewed with a higher audio level than an audio level indicated by the condition data, and

wherein the viewing control step includes steps of (a) synthesizing image data associated with the application program and image data associated with the television broadcast data, and (b) outputting the synthesized image data to a monitor device.