Electronic-program-guide retrieval method and electronic-program-guide retrieval system

• US 8,392,949 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2001
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miki, Nanami, Hanai, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US09/866,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20010048752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,302 Days
• Field of Search: 725/45, 725/53
• US Class Current: 725/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/17381 the upstream transmission being initiated by the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An EPG retrieval system includes a data server, a client, and a dictionary database. The data server stores program information of an EPG. The client includes an access unit for accessing the data server, and an input unit for inputting a retrieval keyword for performing retrieval on the program information. The dictionary database stores retrieval keywords and keywords relevant to the retrieval keywords. The client inputs an arbitrary keyword, and extracts keywords relevant to the input keyword. The extracted keywords and the input keyword are used to perform retrieval on the program information.

Claims

1. An electronic-program-guide retrieval method comprising the steps of:

receiving an input retrieval keyword;

accessing a dictionary database based on an input retrieval keyword,

wherein the dictionary database is stored in a data server whereby, by providing the dictionary database in the data server, the dictionary database is used in common, and accordingly, in a client having a small data storage capacity in a home server, a HDD recorder 400, or a PC, storage capacity is not occupied by the dictionary database, and

wherein when contents of the dictionary database are updated, maintenance of difference data does not need to be performed by the home server;

extracting at least one additional keyword from a dictionary database as a function of the input retrieval keyword,

wherein, when the input retrieval keyword is received in the receiving step, the at least one additional keyword is extracted from the dictionary database as a function of the input retrieval keyword in the extracting step, and

wherein the dictionary database stores frequently misspelled words as possible misspelled words, and

wherein the at least one additional keyword may be extracted after replacing an improperly input keyword with a corrected keyword based on the stored frequently misspelled words,

wherein relevant keywords and previously used retrieval keywords are arranged in order of frequency of use increasing retrieval speed,

wherein when the input retrieval keyword is the name of a person, the dictionary database refers to a person dictionary, and extracts, as relevant keywords a reading of the person'"'"'s name, a nickname or informal name, an alias, and a group to which the person belongs; and

pre-designating one particular database from among a plurality of databases, including an electronic-program-guide database, a movie information database, and a drama information database,

wherein each of the plurality of databases are provided in separate data servers for distributed arrangements at different locations;

selecting a route to the one particular database via a routing server comprising;

a storage unit for storing information on a path to each of the plurality of databases; and

an access unit for accessing each of the plurality of databases;

searching electronic-program-guide data from the particular database that is pre-designated as a function of the input retrieval keyword and the at least one extracted additional keyword,

wherein, when the input retrieval keyword is input, relevant keywords, extracted by the dictionary database are sent to the routing server, and

wherein the routing server accesses one of the databases in a data server storing the particular database, storing desired data by selecting a route to the data server, whereby the desired data is obtained.

2. An electronic-program-guide retrieval method according to claim 1, wherein the input retrieval keyword and the at least one extracted additional keyword are interrelated to each other.

3. An electronic-program-guide retrieval method according to claim 1, wherein when part of a word to be used as the input retrieval keyword is input, said word to be used as the input retrieval keyword and the at least one extracted additional keyword are extracted from a retrieval-keyword database storing previously input keywords in a predetermined order.

4. An electronic-program-guide retrieval method according to claim 1, wherein when a particular genre is relevant to cooking, a different genre is relevant to cooks.

5. An electronic-program-guide retrieval method according to claim 1, wherein when a particular genre is relevant to place names, a different genre is relevant to names of persons.

6. An electronic-program-guide retrieval system comprising:

a data server including an electronic-program-guide database storing program information of an electronic program guide;

a dictionary database for storing a plurality of retrieval keywords and a plurality of additional keywords relevant to said retrieval keywords,

wherein the dictionary database is stored in a data server whereby, by providing the dictionary database in the data server, the dictionary database is used in common, and accordingly, in a client having a small data storage capacity in a home server, a HDD recorder 400, or a PC, storage capacity is not occupied by the dictionary database, and

wherein when contents of the dictionary database are updated, maintenance of difference data does not need to be performed by the home server; and

a client terminal for;

inputting said retrieval keywords;

accessing said dictionary database as a function of said retrieval keywords and the plurality of additional keywords;

when receiving the input retrieval keyword, extracting at least one additional keyword from the dictionary database as a function of the input retrieval keyword,

wherein, when the input retrieval keyword is input, the at least one additional keyword is extracted from the dictionary database as a function of the input retrieval keyword by the extracting means,

wherein the dictionary database stores frequently misspelled words as possible misspelled words, and

wherein the at least one additional keyword may be extracted after replacing an improperly input keyword with a corrected keyword based on the stored frequently misspelled words,

wherein relevant keywords and previously used retrieval keywords are arranged in order of frequency of use increasing retrieval speed,

wherein when the input retrieval keyword is the name of a person, the dictionary database refers to a person dictionary, and extracts, as relevant keywords a reading of the person'"'"'s name, a nickname or informal name, an alias, and a group to which the person belongs;

pre-designating one particular database from among a plurality of databases, including an electronic-program-guide database, a movie information database, and a drama information database,

wherein each of the plurality of databases are provided in separate data servers for distributed arrangements at different locations;

selecting a route to the particular database via a routing server comprising;

a storage unit for storing information on a path to each of the plurality of databases; and

an access unit for accessing each of the plurality of databases;

searching electronic-program-guide data from the one particular database that is pre-designated as a function of the input retrieval keyword and the at least one extracted additional keyword,

wherein, when the input retrieval keyword is input, relevant keywords, extracted by the dictionary database are sent to the routing server, and

wherein the routing server accesses one of the databases in a data server storing the particular database, storing desired data by selecting a route to the data server, whereby the desired data is obtained.

7. An electronic-program-guide retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein said dictionary database is provided at the client side.

8. An electronic-program-guide retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein said dictionary database is provided at the data server side.

9. An electronic-program-guide retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein said client downloads and stores the program information.

10. An electronic-program-guide retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein said client accesses a necessary part of said data server via a routing server storing information on routes to the parts of said data server.

11. An electronic-program-guide retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein previously input keywords are stored in a retrieval-keyword database, and the stored keywords are arranged in order of frequency of use.

12. An electronic-program-guide retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein the program information includes data relevant to place names.

13. An electronic-program-guide retrieval system comprising:

a data server including a plurality of databases, one of which is a television electronic-program-guide database for storing program information of an electronic program guide containing only keywords determined by an EPG provider as retrieval keywords;

a client having a certain data storage capacity comprising input means for inputting a retrieval keyword for retrieving the program information;

a dictionary database provided at the data server side and the client side for storing retrieval keywords and relevant keywords relevant to said retrieval keywords,

wherein the dictionary database is stored in a data server whereby, by providing the dictionary database in the data server, the dictionary database is used in common, and accordingly, in a client having a small data storage capacity in a home server, a HDD recorder 400, or a PC, storage capacity is not occupied by the dictionary database, and

wherein when contents of the dictionary database are updated, maintenance of difference data does not need to be performed by the home server,

a routing server having an access unit for accessing selectively said database and route information,

wherein when retrieval keyword is input, and relevant-keyword information relevant to the retrieval keyword input by said client is extracted from said dictionary database provided at the client side, said client sends the relevant-keyword to said routing server and the routing server accesses one of a plurality of databases, including an electronic-program-guide database, a movie information database, and a drama information database via said routing server storing information on routes to the parts of said data server,

wherein the dictionary database stores frequently misspelled words as possible misspelled words, and

wherein the at least one additional keyword may be extracted after replacing an improperly input keyword with a corrected keyword based on the stored frequently misspelled words,

wherein relevant keywords and previously used retrieval keywords are arranged in order of frequency of use increasing retrieval speed,

wherein when the input retrieval keyword is the name of a person, the dictionary database refers to a person dictionary, and extracts, as relevant keywords a reading of the person'"'"'s name, a nickname or informal name, an alias, and a group to which the person belongs; and

wherein said routing server accesses the database by;

pre-designating one particular database from among a plurality of databases, including an electronic-program-guide database, a movie information database, and a drama information database,

wherein each of the plurality of databases are provided in separate data servers for distributed arrangements at different locations;

selecting a route to the particular database that is pre-selected via a routing server comprising;

a storage unit for storing information on a path to each of the plurality of databases; and

an access unit for accessing each of the plurality of databases;

searching electronic-program-guide data from the one particular database that is pre-designated as a function of the input retrieval keyword and the at least one extracted additional keyword,

wherein, when the input retrieval keyword is input, relevant keywords, extracted by the dictionary database are sent to the routing server, and

wherein the routing server accesses one of the databases in a data server storing the particular database, storing desired data by selecting a route to the data server, whereby the desired data is obtained.