Information processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program

• US 8,683,528 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2003
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohnuma, Kensuke, Kimura, Hitoshi, Wakai, Shinichi, Yoshioka, Keiichi, Utsuki, Shingo, Ichioka, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): EKPO, NNENNA NGOZI
• Application Number:
  US10/522,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,898 Days
• Field of Search: 725/55, 725/58, 725/38, 725/45, 725/53
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

Information processing methods to make it possible to reserve recording of a program without imposing a large burden on a user. A server transmits program attribute information to a video recording and reproducing apparatus via a network. The program attribute information includes program attribute names and program attribute retrieval conditions. The video recording and reproducing apparatus causes a display apparatus to display a list of the program attribute names. The user selects from the list a program attribute name to which a program that the user wishes to reserve for recording seems to be most closely related. The video recording and reproducing apparatus compares the retrieval conditions corresponding to the selected program attribute name and EPG (electronic program guide) information and, when the retrieval conditions are satisfied, records a program represented by the EPG in a recording reservation list. The methods can be applied to a hard disk video recorder.

Claims

1. An information processing method, comprising:

presenting a plurality of program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith;

accepting a selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the presented program attribute names;

storing the accepted selection of program attribute information;

acquiring program information concerning a program;

automatically acquiring retrieval conditions for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by the selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presented program attribute names are selected, wherein the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name which corresponds to the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and include the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and an escape keyword;

comparing the acquired program information and the acquired retrieval conditions; and

presenting a program that corresponds to the program information acquired, when the program information acquired satisfies the retrieval conditions acquired on the basis of the comparing,

in which the program attribute information includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names,

in which the escape keyword is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded, and

in which the presenting the plurality of program attribute names, the accepting, the storing, the acquiring program information, the acquiring retrieval conditions, the comparing, and the presenting are performed by an information processing apparatus.

2. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium recorded with a computer readable program for making a computer execute a method of processing information, the method comprising:

presenting a plurality of program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith;

accepting a selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the presented program attribute names;

storing the accepted selection of program attribute information;

acquiring program information concerning a program;

automatically acquiring retrieval conditions for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by the selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presented program attribute names are selected, wherein the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name which corresponds to the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and include the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and an escape keyword;

comparing the acquired program information and the acquired retrieval conditions; and

presenting a program that corresponds to the program information acquired, when the program information acquired satisfies the retrieval conditions acquired on the basis of the comparing,

in which the program attribute information includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names, and

in which the escape keyword is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded.

3. A system for processing information, the system comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions; and

instructions for causing the processor to execute an information processing method, the method comprising;

presenting a plurality of program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith;

accepting a selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the presented program attribute names;

storing the accepted selection of program attribute information;

acquiring program information concerning a program;

automatically acquiring retrieval conditions for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by the selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presented program attribute names are selected, wherein the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name which corresponds to the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and include the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and an escape keyword;

comparing the acquired program information and the acquired retrieval conditions; and

presenting a program that corresponds to the program information acquired, when the program information acquired satisfies the retrieval conditions acquired on the basis of the comparing,

in which the program attribute information includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names, and

in which the escape keyword is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded.

4. An information processing method, comprising:

accepting an access request from another information processing apparatus via a network;

receiving from the another information processing apparatus a transfer request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording, the program attribute information being used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

transmitting the program attribute information to the another information processing apparatus via the network, the program attribute information including program attribute names for presenting to the user and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith,

in which the retrieval conditions are for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presenting of the program attribute names are selected,

in which the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name corresponding thereto and include an escape keyword, and

in which the escape word is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded, and

in which the program attribute information further includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names.

5. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium recorded with a computer readable program for making a computer execute a method of processing information, the method comprising:

accepting an access request from another information processing apparatus via a network;

receiving from the another information processing apparatus a transfer request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording, the program attribute information being used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

transmitting the program attribute information to the another information processing apparatus via the network, the program attribute information including program attribute names for presenting to the user and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith,

in which the retrieval conditions are for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presenting of the program attribute names are selected,

in which the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name corresponding thereto and include an escape keyword,

in which the escape keyword is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded, and

in which the program attribute information further includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names.

6. A system for processing information, the system comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions; and

instructions for causing the processor to execute an information processing method, the method including;

accepting an access request from another information processing apparatus via a network;

receiving from the another information processing apparatus a transfer request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording, the program attribute information being used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

transmitting the program attribute information to the another information processing apparatus via the network, the program attribute information including program attribute names for presenting to the user and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith,

in which the retrieval conditions are for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presenting of the program attribute names are selected,

in which the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name corresponding thereto and include an escape keyword,

in which the escape word is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded, and

in which the program attribute information further includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names.

7. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a processor,

said processor configured;

to present a plurality of program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith;

to accept a selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the presented program attribute names;

to store the accepted selection of program attribute information;

to acquire program information concerning a program;

to automatically acquire retrieval conditions for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by the selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presented program attribute names are selected, wherein the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name which corresponds to the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and include the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and an escape keyword;

to compare the acquired program information and the acquired retrieval conditions; and

to, when the program information acquired satisfies the retrieval conditions acquired on the basis of a comparison result, present a program that corresponds to the program information acquired,

in which the program attribute information includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names, and

in which the escape keyword is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded.

8. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a processor,

said processor configured;

to accept an access request from another information processing apparatus via a network;

to receive from the another information processing apparatus a transfer request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording, the program attribute information being used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

to transmit the program attribute information to the another information processing apparatus via the network, the program attribute information including program attribute names for presenting to the user and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith,

in which the retrieval conditions are for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presenting of the program attribute names are selected,

in which the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name corresponding thereto and include an escape keyword,

in which the escape word is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded, and

in which the program attribute information further includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names.

9. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured;

to present a plurality of program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith;

to accept a selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the presented program attribute names;

to store the accepted selection of program attribute information;

to acquire program information concerning a program;

to automatically acquire retrieval conditions for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by the selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presented program attribute names are selected, wherein the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name which corresponds to the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and include the stored, accepted selection of program attribute information and an escape keyword;

to compare the acquired program information and the retrieval conditions to obtain a comparison result; and

when the acquired program information satisfies the retrieval conditions on the basis of the comparison result, presents a program that corresponds to the acquired program information,

in which the program attribute information includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names, and

in which the escape keyword is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the program attribute names include at least one of foreign film, soap opera, rebroadcast drama, baseball, soccer, midnight vaudeville, melodramatic Japanese popular song, classical music, news, cooking, hot spring, or go/shogi.

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the retrieval conditions include at least one of a genre of a program, a day of week on which the program is broadcast, a time frame in which the program is broadcast, a length of the program, or a keyword included in a title of the program or in detailed information introducing contents of the program.

12. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a receiving unit to receive the program attribute information including the program attribute names and the retrieval conditions from another information processing apparatus via a network, wherein

the processor presents the program attribute names included in the program attribute information received by the receiving unit.

16. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a recording unit that records the program presented by the reserving unit.

13. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a processor to accept an access request from another information processing apparatus via a network;

a receiving unit to receive from the another information processing apparatus a transfer request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording, the program attribute information being used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

a transmitting unit to transmit the program attribute information to the another information processing apparatus via the network, the program attribute information including program attribute names for presenting to a user and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program, wherein the program attribute names are other than a title of a program, indicate a program type and are presented for selection without presentation of titles of programs therewith,

in which the retrieval conditions are for retrieving a program based on a determination whether all of the program attribute names for which a flag is set by selection of the program attribute information by the user based on the presenting of the program attribute names are selected,

in which the retrieval conditions are set other than by the user in association with the program attribute name corresponding thereto and include an escape keyword,

in which the escape word is a word which is to be excluded from a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program such that if the escape keyword is included in the title or the detailed information of a respective program then the respective program is to be excluded, and

in which the program attribute information further includes at least genre information different from the program attribute name or names.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the program attribute names include at least one of a foreign film, soap opera, rebroadcast drama, baseball, soccer, midnight vaudeville, melodramatic Japanese popular song, classical music, news, cooking, hot spring, or go/shogi.

15. An information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the retrieval conditions further include at least one of a genre of a program, a day of week on which the program is broadcast, a time frame in which the program is broadcast, a length of the program, or a keyword included in a title of the program or in detailed information introducing contents of the program.