Program selection support device
First Claim
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1. A program selection support device comprising:
- a program information acquisition unit operable to acquire program information for a plurality of programs, the program information comprising constituent elements used for a predetermined similarity judgment;
a display unit operable to display a program guide, such that parts of the program guide showing the plurality of programs are arranged in a matrix on one screen, the program guide being displayed based on the program information of the plurality of programs acquired by the program information acquisition unit;
a program designation unit operable to designate a program from the plurality of programs in the program guide displayed by the display unit;
a category acquisition unit operable to acquire a category, which is determined based on the program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit, and to which the designated program belongs;
a determination unit operable to determine an algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment, based on the category acquired by the category acquisition unit;
a search unit operable to search the plurality of programs for programs similar to the program designated by the program designation unit, using the algorithm determined by the determination unit, with reference to the program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit; and
a criterion storage unit operable to store, for each respective category, criterion information that indicates (i) constituent elements in the program information that are used for the predetermined similarity judgment of a program in the respective category and (ii) an importance of each of the constituent elements, whereinthe determination unit determines the algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment that is based on the category acquired by the category acquisition unit, based on the criterion information of the category acquired by the category acquisition unit,the display unit changes how the display unit displays first parts and second parts of the program guide, such that the first parts are displayed differently from the second parts while relative portions, on the displayed program guide, of the parts showing the plurality of programs are maintained, the first parts being parts of the program guide that show the programs found by the search unit, and the second parts being remaining parts of the program guide that show other programs, andthe criterion storage unit stores, for each respective category, a different combination of constituent elements used for the predetermined similarity judgment, such that the importance of each of the constituent elements is different for each respective category.
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Abstract
When searching for programs similar to a program designated by a viewer, a program selection support device not only searches for similar programs based on program-related information such as program contents, but also determines an algorithm used for similarity judgment based on viewer-related information, such as a program viewing history of a viewer, personal information of the viewer, evaluations by other viewers, and information added by a program producer, or based on a category of the designated program, and searches for similar programs using the determined algorithm. The program selection support device displays the programs found as a result of the search.
22 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A program selection support device comprising:
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a program information acquisition unit operable to acquire program information for a plurality of programs, the program information comprising constituent elements used for a predetermined similarity judgment; a display unit operable to display a program guide, such that parts of the program guide showing the plurality of programs are arranged in a matrix on one screen, the program guide being displayed based on the program information of the plurality of programs acquired by the program information acquisition unit; a program designation unit operable to designate a program from the plurality of programs in the program guide displayed by the display unit; a category acquisition unit operable to acquire a category, which is determined based on the program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit, and to which the designated program belongs; a determination unit operable to determine an algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment, based on the category acquired by the category acquisition unit; a search unit operable to search the plurality of programs for programs similar to the program designated by the program designation unit, using the algorithm determined by the determination unit, with reference to the program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit; and a criterion storage unit operable to store, for each respective category, criterion information that indicates (i) constituent elements in the program information that are used for the predetermined similarity judgment of a program in the respective category and (ii) an importance of each of the constituent elements, wherein the determination unit determines the algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment that is based on the category acquired by the category acquisition unit, based on the criterion information of the category acquired by the category acquisition unit, the display unit changes how the display unit displays first parts and second parts of the program guide, such that the first parts are displayed differently from the second parts while relative portions, on the displayed program guide, of the parts showing the plurality of programs are maintained, the first parts being parts of the program guide that show the programs found by the search unit, and the second parts being remaining parts of the program guide that show other programs, and the criterion storage unit stores, for each respective category, a different combination of constituent elements used for the predetermined similarity judgment, such that the importance of each of the constituent elements is different for each respective category. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program causing a computer to execute a program search method comprising:
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acquiring program information for a plurality of programs, the program information comprising constituent elements used for a predetermined similarity judgment; displaying a program guide, such that parts of the program guide showing the plurality of programs are arranged in a matrix on one screen, the program guide being displayed based on the program information of the plurality of programs; designating a program from the plurality of program in the program guide; acquiring a category, which is determined based on the program information acquired by the acquiring of the program information, and to which the designated program belongs; determining an algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment, based on the category acquired by the acquiring of the category; searching the plurality of programs for programs similar to the designated program using the determined algorithm with reference to the acquired program information; storing, for each respective category, criterion information that indicates (i) constituent elements in the program information that are used for the predetermined similarity judgment of a program in the respective category and (ii) an importance of each of the constituent elements; and changing how first parts and second parts of the program guide are displayed by the displaying of the program guide, such that the first parts are displayed differently from the second parts while relative positions, on the displayed program guide, of the parts showing the plurality of programs are maintained, the first parts being parts of the program guide that show the programs found by the searching, and the second parts being remaining parts of the program guide that show other programs, wherein the determining of the algorithm determines the algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment that is based on the category acquired by the acquiring of the category, based on the criterion information of the category acquired by the acquiring of the category, and the storing stores, for each respective category, a different combination of constituent elements used for the predetermined similarity judgment, such that the importance of each of the constituent elements is different for each respective category.
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7. A program search method used in a program selection support device, the program search method comprising:
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acquiring program information for a plurality of programs, the program information comprising constituent elements used for a predetermined similarity judgment; displaying a program guide, such that parts of the program guide showing the plurality of programs are arranged in a matrix on one screen, the program guide being displayed based on the program information of the plurality of programs; designating a program from the plurality of program in the program guide; acquiring a category, which is determined based on the program information acquired by the acquiring of the program information, and to which the designated program belongs; determining an algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment, based on the category acquired by the acquiring of the category; searching the plurality of program for programs similar to the designated program using the determined algorithm with reference to the acquired program information; storing, for each respective category, criterion information that indicates (i) constituent elements in the program information that are used for the predetermined similarity judgment of a program in the respective category and (ii) an importance of each of the constituent elements; and changing how first parts and second parts of the program guide are displayed by the displaying of the program guide, such that the first parts are displayed differently from the second parts while relative positions, on the displayed program guide, of the parts showing the plurality of programs are maintained, the first parts being parts of the program guide that show the programs found by the searching, and the second parts being remaining parts of the program guide that show other programs, wherein the determining of the algorithm determines the algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment that is based on the category acquired by the acquiring of the category, based on the criterion information of the category acquired by the acquiring of the category, and the storing stores, for each respective category, a different combination of constituent elements used for the predetermined similarity judgment, such that the importance of each of the constituent elements is different for each respective category.
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8. An integrated circuit for a program selection support device, the integrated circuit comprising:
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a program information acquisition unit operable to acquire program information for a plurality of programs, the program information comprising constituent elements used for a predetermined similarity judgment; a display unit operable to display a program guide, such that parts of the program guide showing the plurality of programs are arranged in a matrix on one screen, the program guide being displayed based on the program information of the plurality of programs acquired by the program information acquisition unit; a program designation unit operable to designate a program from the plurality of program in the program guide displayed by the display unit; a category acquisition unit operable to acquire a category, which is determined based on the program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit, and to which the designated program belongs; a determination unit operable to determine an algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment, based on the category acquired by the category acquisition unit; a search unit operable to search the plurality of programs for programs similar to the program designated by the program designation unit, using the algorithm determined by the determination unit, with reference to the program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit; and a criterion storage unit operable to store, for each respective category, criterion information that indicates (i) constituent elements in the program information that are used for the predetermined similarity judgment of a program in the respective category and (ii) an importance of each of the constituent elements, wherein the determination unit determines the algorithm used for the predetermined similarity judgment that is based on the category acquired by the category acquisition unit, based on the criterion information of the category acquired by the category acquisition unit, the display unit changes how the display unit displays first parts and second parts of the program guide, such that the first parts are displayed differently from the second parts while relative positions, on the displayed program guide, of the parts showing the plurality of programs are maintained, the first parts being parts of the program guide that show the programs found by the search unit, and the second parts being remaining parts of the program guide that show other programs, and the criterion storage unit stores, for each respective category, a different combination of constituent elements used for the predetermined similarity judgment, such that the importance of each of the constituent elements is different for each respective category.
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Specification