Content storage control apparatus and control method therefor

• US 8,074,249 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shikata, Yasushi, Shibamiya, Yoshikazu, Maruyama, Kazuna, Matsubayashi, Kazuhiro, Mito, Koji, Urabe, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US11/872,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/109, 725/110, 725/112, 725/136, 725/139, 725/142
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

If there are program-related associated Web pages, a TV receiver 1000 acquires the content information of the associated Web pages from a Web server 2000 and stores it in a Web page storage unit 1006. The correspondence between the stored content information and recorded program is stored in a correspondence information holding unit 1005. The data of the program is outputted to a TV program recorder 3000, where it is recorded. The user can configure the timing, at which the storage of the associated Web pages is carried out.

Claims

1. A content storage control apparatus comprising:

a content acquiring unit configured to be capable of accessing a designated Web page and acquiring the content information of the Web page from a Web server;

a confirmation unit configured to check for the presence of an associated Web page URL associated with a broadcast program;

an output unit configured to output the data of the broadcast program to a recording apparatus during the broadcast program is being broadcast; and

a control unit configured to use, in case the associated Web page URL is present, the content acquiring unit to acquire the content information of the associated Web page corresponding to the associated Web page URL and store the acquired content information in a storage unit in association with the broadcast program;

a playback unit configured to acquire the data of a recorded broadcast program from the recording apparatus, play back the broadcast program using the acquired data, and output it to a display; and

a Web page output unit configured to read the content information of the associated Web page that corresponds to the associated Web page URL associated with the broadcast program, from the storage unit and output the associated Web page to the display,

wherein the confirmation unit, during the output of the data of the broadcast program to the recording apparatus, acquires update timing information of the associated Web page from the Web server that stores the associated Web page and determines whether the associated Web page that is stored the Web server has been updated, by comparing the acquired update timing information with a latest update timing information of the associated Web page that has already been acquired, and

wherein the control unit, if the result of the comparison shows that the acquired update timing information and the latest update timing information do not match, determines that the associated Web page has been updated and acquires the content information of the updated associated Web page from the Web server by using the content acquiring unit, and stores the content information of the updated associated Web page in the storage unit in association with the broadcast program, and

wherein the control unit allows to a user to choose whether to output the associated Web page stored in the storage unit when the content information of the associated Web page associated with the broadcast program is present, or to acquire the content information of the associated Web page by the content acquiring unit using the associated Web page URL and output the acquired associated Web page.

2. The content storage control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit presents a selection screen that allows a user to choose whether to store the content information of the updated associated Web page in the storage unit in association with the broadcast program when it is determined that the associated Web page has been updated or to store the content information of the associated Web page in the storage unit in association with the broadcast program at a predetermined timing.

3. The content storage control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus also serves as the storage unit and wherein the control unit controls the output unit to multiplex the content information of the associated Web page with the data of the broadcast program and output them to the recording apparatus.

4. The content storage control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in case where a plurality pieces of content information of the associated Web page are associated with the broadcast program, the control unit, based on an elapsed time of the broadcast program played back by the playback unit and a timing point at which the plurality of content information is stored, selects one of the plurality pieces of content information and directs the Web page output unit to output the selected content information, and

wherein the control unit, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the playback of the broadcast program ends, determines if content information to be displayed subsequent to the content information being output by the Web page output unit exist based on the timing point at which the plurality of content information is stored, and, if it is determined that no content information is to be displayed subsequent to the content information being output by the Web page output unit exists, waits for use instructions to terminate the browsing of the Web page.

5. The content storage control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit selects content information stored at a timing point corresponding to a time closest to the elapsed time and earlier than the elapsed time.

6. The content storage control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, as the elapsed time progresses, the control unit successively and automatically switches the content to be output by the Web page output unit.

7. A method for controlling a content storage control apparatus comprising:

a content acquisition step of accessing designated Web page to permit acquisition of the content information on the Web page from a Web server;

a confirmation step of checking for the presence of an associated Web page URL associated with a broadcast program;

an output step of outputting the data of the broadcast program to a recording apparatus during the broadcast program is being broadcast; and

a control step of acquiring, in case the associated Web page URL is present, the content information of the associated Web page corresponding to the associated Web page URL in the content acquisition step and storing the acquired content information in a storage unit in association with the broadcast program;

a playback step of acquire the data of a recorded broadcast program from the recording apparatus, play back the broadcast program using the acquired data, and output it to a display; and

a Web page output step to read the content information of the associated Web page that corresponds to the associated Web page URL associated with the broadcast program, from the storage unit and output the associated Web page to the display,

wherein in the confirmation step, during the output of the data of the broadcast program to the recording apparatus, it acquires update timing information of the associated Web page from the Web server that stores the associated Web page and is determined whether the associated Web page that is stored the Web server has been updated, by comparing the acquired update timing information with a latest update timing information of the associated Web page that has already been acquired, and

wherein the control unit, if the result of the comparison shows that the acquired update timing information and the latest update timing information do not match, determines that the associated Web page has been updated and acquires the content information of the updated associated Web page from the Web server by using the content acquiring unit, and the content information of the updated associated Web page is stored in the storage unit in association with the broadcast program, and

wherein the control step allows to a user to choose whether to output the associated Web page stored in the storage unit when the content information of the associated Web page associated with the broadcast program is present, or to acquire the content information of the associated Web page by the content acquisition step using the associated Web page URL and output the acquired associated Web page.

8. The method for controlling a content storage control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, in the control step, a selection screen is presented that allows a user to choose whether to store the content information of the updated associated Web page in the storage unit in association with the broadcast program when it is determined that the associated Web page has been updated or to store the content information of the associated Web page in the storage unit in association with the broadcast program at predetermined timing.

9. The method for controlling a content storage control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the recording apparatus also serves as the storage unit and wherein the control step controls the output step in such a manner that the content information of the associated Web page is multiplexed with the data of the broadcast program and output to the recording apparatus.

10. The method for controlling a content storage control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in the control step, in case where a plurality pieces of content information of the associated Web page are associated with the broadcast program, an elapsed time of the broadcast program played back in the playback step and a timing point at which the plurality of content information is stored, are used to select one of the plurality pieces of content information and output the selected content information in the Web page output step, and

wherein the control step, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the playback of the broadcast program ends, determines if content information to be displayed subsequent to the content information being output by the Web page output step exist based on the timing point at which the plurality of content information is stored, and, if it is determined that no content information is to be displayed subsequent to the content information being output by the Web page output step exists, waits for use instructions to terminate the browsing of the Web page.

11. The method for controlling a content storage control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, in the control step, content information is selected that is stored at a timing point corresponding to a time closest to the elapsed time and earlier than the elapsed time.

12. The method for controlling a content storage control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in the control step, the content that is outputted in the Web page output step is successively and automatically switched as the elapsed time progresses.