Receiver and receiving method and program

• US 7,992,185 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kanda, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl; Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): RABOVIANSKI, JIVKA A
• Application Number:
  US10/935,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20050084038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,520 Days
• Field of Search: 725/142, 725/63, 725/37, 725/47, 725/48
• US Class Current: 725/142
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/08 among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• 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 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In a TS information sharing system, digital broadcast receivers and a digital-broadcast-compliant TV receive TS information separately and may transfer the received TS information to each other in a peer-to-peer manner or may transfer and store the received TS information into a server. Thus, the digital broadcast receivers and the digital-broadcast-compliant TV can retrieve, from the server, TS information that the digital broadcast receivers and/or the digital-broadcast-compliant TV have not yet received. The invention can be applied to a receiver for receiving terrestrial digital broadcasts.

Claims

1. A receiver, comprising:

a receiving unit operable to receive broadcast signals including at least one of image data or audio data, and data relating to broadcast network details, on multiple frequencies via broadcast networks;

an extracting unit operable to extract the data from the broadcast signals;

a storing unit operable to store the data;

a communication unit operable to communicate with another receiver through an information network;

a judging unit operable to determine whether all of the data relating to broadcast network details corresponding to the multiple frequencies receivable by the receiving unit is stored in the storing unit, wherein the data relating to broadcast network details includes at least one of content name, broadcast data, content details and logo marks of broadcasters;

a notifying unit operable to notify the another receiver of identification information for identifying a portion of the data relating to broadcast network details not stored in the storing unit when the portion of the data relating to broadcast network details corresponding to one or more frequencies of the multiple frequencies is not stored in the storing unit; and

a retrieving unit operable to retrieve the portion of the data relating to broadcast network details not stored in the storing unit from the another receiver and to store the retrieved data relating to broadcast network details in the storing unit,

wherein the storing unit is operable to store both the data relating to broadcast details via a broadcast network and the data relating to broadcast details via an information network in a peer-to-peer manner, and wherein each of the data further includes a relationship information between an audio/visual content broadcast and a broadcast network.

2. A receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a supplying unit operable to supply the data stored in the storing unit to the another receiver.

3. A receiver according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast signals are terrestrial digital broadcast signals, and the data relating to the broadcast details are transport signals.

4. A receiver according to claim 3, wherein the transport signals include a network ID by which a network of terrestrial digital broadcasts can be identified.

5. A receiver according to claim 1, wherein the information network includes a server;

the notifying unit notifies the receiver of the identification information for identifying the portion of the data when the portion of the data is not stored in the storage unit;

the retrieving unit retrieves the portion of the data from the server and stores the portion of the data retrieved from the server in the storing unit; and

the supplying unit supplies the data stored in the storing unit to the server.

6. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein the data relating to broadcast details corresponding to one of the multiple frequencies is broadcasted in the corresponding frequency.

7. A method for receiving signals in a receiver, the method comprising:

receiving broadcast signals including at least one of image data or audio data, and data relating to broadcast network details, on multiple frequencies via broadcast networks;

determining whether all of the data relating to broadcast network details corresponding to the multiple frequencies receivable by the receiver are stored in the receiver, wherein the data relating to broadcast network details includes at least one of content name, broadcast data, content details and logo marks of broadcasters;

notifying another receiver having a function which is the same as that of the receiver of identification information for identifying a portion of the data relating to broadcast network details not stored in the receiver when the portion of the data relating to broadcast network details corresponding to one or more frequencies of the multiple frequencies is not stored in the receiver; and

retrieving the portion of the data relating to broadcast network details not stored in the receiver from the another receiver and storing the retrieved data relating to broadcast network details in the receiver,

wherein the receiver is operable to store both the data relating to broadcast details via a broadcast network and the data relating to broadcast details via an information network in a peer-to-peer manner, and wherein each of the data further includes relationship information between an audio/visual content broadcast and a broadcast network.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising supplying the data stored in the receiver to the another receiver.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the data relating to broadcast details corresponding to one of the multiple frequencies is broadcasted in the corresponding frequency.

10. A recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer to implement a method for receiving signals in a receiver, the method comprising:

receiving broadcast signals including at least one of image data or audio data, and data relating to broadcast network details, on multiple frequencies via broadcast networks;

determining whether all of the data relating to broadcast network details corresponding to the multiple frequencies receivable by the receiver are stored in the receiver, wherein the data relating to broadcast network details includes at least one of content name, broadcast data, content details and logo marks of broadcasters;

notifying another receiver having a function which is the same as that of the receiver of identification information for identifying a portion of the data relating to broadcast network details not stored in the receiver when the portion of the data relating to broadcast network details corresponding to one or more frequencies of the multiple frequencies is not stored in the receiver;

supplying the data stored in the receiver to the another receiver; and

retrieving the portion of the data relating to broadcast network details not stored in the receiver from the another receiver and storing the retrieved data relating to broadcast network details in the receiver,

wherein the receiver is operable to store both the data relating to broadcast details via a broadcast network and the data relating to broadcast details via an information network in a peer-to-peer manner, and wherein each of the data further includes relationship information between an audio/visual content broadcast and a broadcast network.

11. The recording medium as claimed in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises supplying the data stored in the receiver to the another receiver.

12. The recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the data relating to broadcast details corresponding to one of the multiple frequencies is broadcasted in the corresponding frequency.