Television receiver and method for counting the number of accesses from the receiver

• US 7,926,082 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2002
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takatori, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chokshi; Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US10/433,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20040021793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,094 Days
• Field of Search: 725/109, 725/110, 725/112, 725/113, 725/136, 725 9- 21, 725/46, 725/51, 725/34, 725/134, 725/142, 725/40, 725/44, 706/206, 706/207
• US Class Current: 725/112
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A name and a URL of a specific link destination are stored in a specific link destination information storing section. A microcomputer changes a process to be performed on a link destination depending on whether or not a link destination targeted for the process is a specific link destination. The specific link destination is highlighted when displaying link destinations as icons, and the specific link destination is displayed first when displaying a list of the link destinations. An access history about the specific link destination is stored in an access history storing section. An information server collects the access history from a television receiver and counts the number of accesses to the specific link destination. When the advertisement site is selected as the specific link destination, the number of accesses to the specific link destination is used as an index for indicating an advertising effect.

Claims

1. A television receiver having a television broadcast receiving function and an information acquisition function, the television receiver comprising:

a television broadcast receiving section operable to output video and audio information based on a received television signal;

a link destination information extracting section operable to extract attribute information of accessible link destinations from the received television signal;

an information acquisition section operable to acquire information from the link destinations designated by a user by using attribute information extracted by the link destination information extracting section;

an identification information storing section operable to store, in advance, identification information for identifying specific link destinations which are accessed by the television receiver and whose access is subject to notification;

a control section operable to change a manner in which the accessible link destinations are displayed and change a sound output in accordance with a determination as to whether or not the attribute information extracted by the link destination information extracting section is contained in the identification information stored in the identification information storing section, wherein the accessible link destinations are determined to be the specific link destinations when the attribute information is stored in the identification information storing section, and the accessible link is destinations are determined not to be the specific link destinations when the attribute information is not stored in the identification information storing section;

a presenting section operable to, present the accessible link destinations by using a prescribed displayed form when the accessible link destinations are determined not to be specific link destinations, and present the accessible link destinations as an audio output or in a displayed form which is more highlighted than the prescribed displayed form when the accessible link destinations are determined to be the specific link destinations based on the determination by the control section, the accessible link destinations being presented by superimposing the accessible link destinations as a list of accessible link destinations, the list including both accessible link destinations determined to be the specific link destinations and the accessible link destinations determined not to be the specific link destinations, on an image obtained from a received television signal and currently being displayed;

a comparing section operable to compare the accessible link destination with the specific link destinations to determine whether or not attribute information extracted by the link destination information extracting section is contained in the identification information stored in the identification information storing section;

a link destination designating section operable to allow the user to designate link destinations presented by the presenting section; and

an access history storing section operable to store an access history to the link destinations which are presented by the presenting section and which are designated by the user,

wherein, among link destinations presented by the presenting section, only when the link destinations determined to be the specific link destinations are designated by the user, the control section updates the access history and transmits the access history at a prescribed time to an information server connected to a communication line, and

wherein the access history includes information indicating that the user has designated specific link destinations.

2. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein when the presenting section displays the accessible link destinations using icons, the presenting section is operable to change a displayed form of the icons based on the determination of the control section.

3. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein when the presenting section displays a list of accessible link destinations, the presenting section is operable to change a displayed form for each accessible link destination based on the determination of the control section.

4. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the control section is operable to receive the identification information from the information server and is operable to write the received identification information to the identification information storing section.

5. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the control section is operable to extract the identification information from television receiver maintenance data, which is included in the received television signal, and is operable to write the extracted attribute information to the identification information storing section.

6. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein:

the link destination information extracting section is operable to extract at least address information of the accessible link destinations as the attribute information;

the identification information storing section is operable to store at least address information of the specific link destinations as the identification information; and

the control section is operable to determine whether or not the accessible link destinations are the specific link destinations by determining whether or not the attribute information is stored in the identification information storing section.

7. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein:

the link destination information extracting section is operable to extract at least a name and address information of the accessible link destinations as the attribute information;

the identification information storing section is operable to store at least a name and address information of the specific link destinations as the identification information; and

the control section is operable to determine whether or not the link destinations are the specific link destinations by determining whether or not the attribute information extracted by the link destination information extracting section is stored in the identification information storing section.

8. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein:

the link destination information extracting section is operable to extract at least a name, address information, and manager information of the accessible link destinations as the attribute information;

the identification information storing section is operable to store at least a name, address information, and manager information of the specific link destinations as the identification information; and

the control section is operable to determine whether or not the accessible link destinations are the specific link destinations by determining whether or not the attribute information is stored in the identification information storing section.

9. A method for counting a number of accesses when a plurality of television receivers are operable to access specific link destinations, the method being performed when each of the television receivers includes:

a communication section;

a television broadcast receiving section operable to output video and audio information based on a received television signal;

a link destination information acquisition section operable to extract attribute information of accessible link destinations from the television signal;

an information acquisition section operable to acquire information from the link destinations designated by a user by using the attribute information;

an identification information storing section operable to store, in advance, identification information for identifying specific link destinations which are accessed by the television receiver and whose access is subject to notification;

an access history storing section operable to store an access history about the accessible link destinations;

a control section operable to perform a process for determining that the accessible link destinations are the specific link destinations only when the accessible link destinations are determined to be the specific link destinations in accordance with a determination as to whether or not the attribute information is contained in the identification information stored in the identification information storing section, and determining that the link destinations are not the specific link destinations when the attribute information is not stored in the identification information storing section, and operable to perform a process for updating the access history when the information acquisition section accesses the specific link destinations, and transmit the access history at a prescribed time by using the communication section;

a presenting section operable to, present the accessible link destinations by using a prescribed displayed form when the accessible link destinations are determined not to be specific link destinations, and present the accessible link destinations as an audio output or in a displayed form which is more highlighted than the prescribed displayed form when the accessible link destinations are determined to be the specific link destinations, based on the determination by the control section, the accessible link destinations being presented by superimposing the accessible link destinations as a list of accessible link destinations, the list including both accessible link destinations determined to be the specific link destinations and the accessible link destinations determined not to be the specific link destinations, on an image obtained from a received television signal and currently being displayed;

a comparing section operable to compare the accessible link destinations with the specific link destinations to determine whether or not attribute information extracted by the link destination information extracting section is contained in the identification information stored in the identification information storing section;

a link destination designating section operable to allow the user to designate link destinations presented by the presenting section; and

an access history storing section operable to store an access history to the link destinations which are presented by the presenting section and which are designated by the user,

wherein, among link destinations presented by the presenting section, only when the link destinations determined to be the specific link destinations are designated by the user, the control section updates the access history and transmits the access history at a prescribed time to an information server connected to a communication line, and

wherein the access history includes information indicating that the user has designated the specific link destinations, the method comprising;

providing the identification information to each of the television receivers;

transmitting a television signal including the attribute information of the accessible link destinations from the television receivers by using a television broadcasting system;

receiving the access history transmitted by each of the television receivers; and

obtaining the number of accesses to the specific link destinations based on the access history received from each of the television receivers.

10. The method for counting the number of accesses according to claim 9, further comprising providing the number of accesses obtained to a specific link destination manager system.

11. The method for counting the number of accesses according to claim 9, further comprising providing the number of accesses obtained to the television broadcasting system.

12. The method for counting the number of accesses according to claim 9, wherein a specific link destination is an advertisement site.