Information processing apparatus, television receiver, information processing method, program, and information processing system

• US 9,363,550 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Kazuhisa, Nomura, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US13/349,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20120192245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• 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 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including an operation section which performs remote control of a television receiver, and a content information acquisition section which acquires content information related to content provided by the television receiver, and causes a storage section to store the content information.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an operation section performs remote control of a television receiver having a display screen;

a content information acquisition section (a) retrieves first content information related to broadcast content currently output by the television receiver including at least channel and title information, (b) acquires second content information from the television receiver, the second content information includes a plurality of information related to the first content information, and (c) causes a storage section to store the first and second content information; and

a display controller controls a display screen of the information processing apparatus to display information on the display screen of the information processing apparatus while the display screen of the television receiver displays the broadcast content, the display screen displaying (1) a first display area indicating location of the television receiver, (2) a second display area indicating a keyboard input area and (3) a third display area displaying the first content information in a first viewing area and displaying the second content information in a second viewing area, wherein the display controller controls the display screen of the information processing apparatus to display an availability information indicating (a) whether a second content, corresponding to the second content information, is purchasable based on an internet search while the broadcast content is currently broadcast and output by the television receiver and (b) location of internet purchase site.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a search section searches for related information using as a keyword the first content information retrieved by the content information acquisition section,

wherein the display controller controls display of the display screen including the related information in addition to the content information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the search section searches for the related information from among information stored in an external apparatus which is connected through a network.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the operation section performs remote control of the television receiver based on the related information included in the display screen.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, even after the television receiver comes into a state of not providing content, the display controller updates the display screen including the related information based on the content information acquired by the content information acquisition section.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the operation section changes a channel received by the television receiver to a channel for providing content indicated by the related information.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the content information acquisition section acquires content information related to content being provided by the television receiver, and

wherein, when the content provided by the television receiver is changed, the display control section updates contents of the display screen.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second content information is retrieved from both of a home network and an internet network.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a device, containing the recommended program of the second content information, is manually pre-registered in the home network.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein an existence of content related to the second content information is notified in a device on the home network.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second content information is linked to internet content.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a user can bookmark the second content information.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controller controls display of the display screen of the information processing apparatus to display history information of an Internet application accessed from the television receiver in addition to display of the first and second content information.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an Internet browser is displayed on the display screen of the information processing apparatus in addition to the first and second content information.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein third content information is acquired and simultaneously displayed with the first and second content information, the third content information contains history information of content provided from the television receiver.

20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a browser, wherein a character string of the first or second content information is copyable for searching by the browser and wherein the plurality of contents of the second content information are music content information.

8. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an operation section performs remote control of a content reproduction apparatus having a display screen;

a content information acquisition section (a) retrieves first content information related to broadcast content currently reproduced by the content reproduction apparatus including at least channel and title information, (b) acquires second content information from the content reproduction apparatus, the second content information includes a plurality of information related to the first content information and (c) causes a storage section to store the first and second content information; and

a display controller controls a display screen of the information processing apparatus to display information on the display screen of the information processing apparatus while the display screen of the content reproduction apparatus displays the broadcast content, the display screen displaying (1) a first display area indicating location of the television receiver, (2) a second display area indicating a keyboard input area and (3) a third display area displaying the first content information in a first viewing area and displaying the second content information in a second viewing area, wherein the display controller controls the display screen of the information processing apparatus to display an availability information indicating (a) whether a second content, corresponding to the second content information, is purchasable based on an internet search while the broadcast content is currently broadcast and displayed on the content reproduction apparatus and (b) location of internet purchase site.

21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein third content information is acquired and simultaneously displayed with the first and second content information, the third content information contains history information of content provided from the television receiver.

22. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a browser, wherein a character string of the first or second content information is copyable for searching by the browser and wherein the plurality of contents of the second content information are music content information.

9. An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus including an operation section which performs remote control of a television receiver, the information processing method comprising:

retrieving first content information related to broadcast content currently output by a display screen of the television receiver including at least channel and title information;

acquiring second content information related to the retrieved first content information, the second content information includes a plurality of information related to the first content information;

causing a storage section to store the first and second content information; and

controlling a display screen of the information processing apparatus to display information on the display screen of the information processing apparatus while the display screen of the television receiver displays the broadcast content, the display screen displaying (1) a first display area indicating location of the television receiver, (2) a second display area indicating a keyboard input area and (3) a third display area displaying the first content information in a first viewing area and displaying the second content information in a second viewing area, wherein the display screen of the information processing apparatus is controlled to display an availability information indicating (a) whether a second content, corresponding to the second content information, is purchasable based on an internet search while the broadcast content is currently broadcast and output by the television receiver and (b) location of internet purchase site.

23. The information processing method according to claim 9, wherein third content information is acquired and simultaneously displayed with the first and second content information, the third content information contains history information of content provided from the television receiver.

24. The information processing method according to claim 9, further comprising a browser, wherein a character string of the first or second content information is copyable for searching by the browser and wherein the plurality of contents of the second content information are music content information.

10. A program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for causing a computer to function as an information processing apparatus including

an operation section performs remote control of a television receiver having a display screen,

a content information acquisition section (a) retrieves first content information related to broadcast content currently output by the television receiver including at least channel and title information, (b) acquires second content information from the television receiver, the second content information includes a plurality of information related to the first content information, and (c) causes a storage section to store the first and second content information;

and

a display controller controls a display screen of the information processing apparatus to display information on the display screen of the information processing apparatus while the display screen of the television receiver displays the broadcast content, the display screen displaying (1) a first display area indicating location of the television receiver, (2) a second display area indicating a keyboard input area and (3) a third display area displaying the first content information in a first viewing area and displaying the second content information in a second viewing area, wherein the display controller controls the display screen of the information processing apparatus to display an availability information indicating (a) whether a second content, corresponding to the second content information, is purchasable based on an internet search while the broadcast content is currently broadcast and output by the television receiver and (b) location of internet purchase site.

25. The program according to claim 10, wherein third content information is acquired and simultaneously displayed with the first and second content information, the third content information contains history information of content provided from the television receiver.

26. The program according to claim 10, further comprising a browser, wherein a character string of the first or second content information is copyable for searching by the browser and wherein the plurality of contents of the second content information are music content information.

18. An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus including an operation section which performs remote control of a content reproduction apparatus, the information processing method comprising:

retrieving first content information related to broadcast content currently output by a display screen of the content reproduction apparatus including at least channel and title information;

acquiring second content information related to the retrieved first content information, the second content information includes a plurality of information related to the first content information;

causing a storage section to store the first and second content information; and

controlling a display screen of the information processing apparatus to display information on the display screen of the information processing apparatus while the display screen of the content reproduction apparatus displays the broadcast content, the display screen displaying (1) a first display area indicating location of the television receiver, (2) a second display area indicating a keyboard input area and (3) a third display area displaying the first content information in a first viewing area and displaying the second content information in a second viewing area, wherein the display screen of the information processing apparatus is controlled to display an availability information indicating whether (a) a second content, corresponding to the second content information, is purchasable based on an internet search while the broadcast content is currently broadcast and displayed on the content reproduction apparatus and (b) location of internet purchase site.

27. The information processing method according to claim 18, wherein third content information is acquired and simultaneously displayed with the first and second content information, the third content information contains history information of content provided from the television receiver.

28. The information processing method according to claim 18, further comprising a browser, wherein a character string of the first or second content information is copyable for searching by the browser and wherein the plurality of contents of the second content information are music content information.