Broadcast receiving system

• US 8,272,016 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nakamura, Yasufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Kieu Oanh T
• Application Number:
  US12/261,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20090204999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725/38, 725/58, 725/61, 725/134, 725/142
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords

Abstract

A reservation recording module registers program information in a reserved program EPG database and a restriction period in a restriction period setting information. A reserved program keyword extracting module extracts an associative keyword from the program information registered in the reserved program EPG database and registers the associative keyword in an associative keyword database. An information content analyzing module extracts a keyword group from the program information about a now-broadcasting program in electronic program guide (EPG) data. An associated information restriction period determining module specifies as a restriction target program, only a not-yet-viewed program satisfying the restriction period in the respective programs registered in the reserved program EPG database. A program related information determining module calculates, for every restriction target program, an association level between the keyword group registered in the associative keyword database and the keyword group extracted by the information content analyzing module. If there exists the restriction target program with the association level being higher than a predetermined threshold value, an alarm issuing module 39 outputs an alarm message on a display.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiving system receiving and recording a broadcasted program in a storage device, comprising:

a reservation module to register a channel and a broadcasting time zone of a program designated by a user in a reserved program database, and to register in a storage a restriction period for the program, the restriction period being selected by the user from preset restriction periods each defining a period from current time during which an alarm is to be issued when another program which may disclose contents of the program is displayed;

a keyword extracting module, for each program, the channel and the broadcasting time zone of which are registered in the reserved program database, to extract keywords from broadcasted electronic program information and to register the keywords in a keyword database;

a display device to acquire information from outside of said system and to display information on a screen based on the acquired information;

an information analyzing module to analyze a content of the information acquired by the display device and to extract keywords from the information;

a checking target determining module to determine as a checking target, each program, the channel and the broadcasting time zone of which are registered in the reserved program database and the restriction period for which has not yet expired;

an associated information determining module to calculate an association level between the keywords registered in the keyword database for each program determined as the checking target by the checking target determining module and the keywords extracted by the information analyzing module, and to determine whether or not there is at least one program with the calculated association level exceeding a predetermined threshold value; and

an alarm issuing module to issue an alarm when the associated information determining module determines that there is at least one program with the association level exceeding the threshold value.

2. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein the display device acquires a program now on broadcasting and electronic program information on the program and displays a content of the program on the screen, and the information analyzing module analyzes the content of the electronic program information acquired by the display device.

3. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein the display device acquires information via the Internet, and displays a content of the information on the screen.

4. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 3, wherein the information analyzing module further extracts transmission time from the information acquired by the display device, the associated information determining module makes determination except a case in which the transmission time extracted by the information analyzing module is earlier than broadcasting time zones of all the programs registered in the reserved program database.

5. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 4, wherein the information acquired by the display device is an electronic mail.

6. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 4, wherein the information acquired by the display device is Web data.

7. A computer readable medium storing a computer program read and executed by a computer including a tuner receiving broadcasting signals, a storage device and a communication device connected to a network and having a function of recording video signals in the broadcasting signals received by the tuner on the storage device, and a function of acquiring information via the communication device, the computer program makes the computer execute:

registering a channel and a broadcasting time zone of a program designated by a user in a reserved program database, and registering in a storage a restriction period for the program, the restriction period being selected by the user from preset restriction periods each defining a period from current time during which an alarm is to be issued when another program which may disclose contents of the program is displayed;

extracting, for each program, the channel and the broadcasting time zone of which are registered in the reserved program database, keywords from broadcasted electric program information and registering the keywords in a keyword database;

displaying information acquired via the communication device on a screen;

extracting keywords from the information acquired by the communication device;

determining as a checking target, each program, the channel and the broadcasting time zone of which are registered in the reserved program database and the restriction period for which has not yet expired;

calculating an association level between the keywords registered in the keyword database for each program determined as the checking target and the keywords extracted from the information acquired by the communication device; and

issuing, if there is at least one program with the association level exceeding the threshold value, an alarm showing this purport.

8. A method executed by a broadcast receiving system including a tuner receiving broadcasting signals, a storage device and a communication device connected to a network and having a function of recording video signals in the broadcasting signals received by the tuner on the storage device, the method comprising:

registering a channel and a broadcasting time zone of a program designated by a user in a reserved program database, and registering in a storage a restriction period for the program, the restriction period being selected by the user from preset restriction periods each defining a period from current time during which an alarm is to be issued when another program which may disclose contents of the program is displayed;

extracting, for each program, the channel and the broadcasting time zone of which are registered in the reserved program database, keywords from broadcasted electric program information and registering the keywords in a keyword database;

extracting, when information is acquired by the communication device, keywords from the information;

determining as a checking target, each program, the channel and the broadcasting time zone of which are registered in the reserved program database and the restriction period for which has not yet expired;

calculating an association level between the keywords registered in the keyword database for each program determined as the checking target and the keywords extracted from the information acquired by the communication device; and

issuing, if there is at least one program with the association level exceeding the threshold value, an alarm showing this purport.