Terminal apparatus, server apparatus, information processing method, program, and linking application supply system

• US 10,616,647 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamagishi, Yasuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US14/659,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

To execute applications in link with the progression of content being viewed at user'"'"'s home.

A terminal apparatus practiced as one embodiment of the present disclosure has an extracting block configured to extract signature data indicative of features of content to be reproduced, a query generating block configured to generate a query that at least includes the above-mentioned extracted signature, a communication block configured to transmit the above-mentioned generated query to a server apparatus and receive a response returned by this server in response to the above-mentioned response, and an application executing block configured to obtain an application on the basis of an application URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in which at least application identification information is written, this URL being included in the above-mentioned received response, and execute the obtained application. The above-mentioned terminal apparatus practiced as one embodiment of the invention is applicable to TV receivers.

Claims

1. A reception apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to

output content for display to a user;

extract signature data from the content based on a watermark embedded in, or a finger print of, the content that is output for display to the user;

generate a query based on the signature data, the query including an extraction time of the signature data;

transmit the generated query to a server apparatus;

receive a response to the generated query from the server apparatus, the response to the generated query including a data structure that includes both an application URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and content reproduction time information;

obtain an application based on the application URL and the content reproduction time information; and

execute the application in synchronization with the display of the content.

2. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to

obtain the application via the Internet.

3. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the application URL indicates a location of the application on the Internet.

8. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the content, from which the signature data is extracted, is associated with a single content identifier.

10. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to

execute the application in synchronization with the display of the content based on a plurality of time information, the plurality of time information including the extraction time of the signature data corresponding to a client local time of the reception apparatus at which the signature data is extracted.

12. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to

execute the application in synchronization with the display of the content based on a plurality of time information and a difference between a time that the response to the generated query is received and the extraction time of the signature data.

13. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a television tuner configured to receive a digital broadcast signal including the content; and

a display configured to display the content.

14. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the response to the generated query is a single response string that includes the content reproduction time information and the application URL.

17. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application URL includes a query string.

19. The reception apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the query string includes the content reproduction time information.

20. The reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application URL is generated in accordance with the content reproduction time information.

4. A method of a reception apparatus for executing an application, comprising:

outputting content for display to a user;

extracting, by circuitry of the reception apparatus, signature data from the content based on a watermark embedded in, or a finger print of, the content that is output for display to the user;

generating, by the circuitry, a query based on the signature data, the query including an extraction time of the signature data;

transmitting, by the circuitry, the generated query to a server apparatus;

receiving a response to the generated query from the server apparatus, the response to the generated query including a data structure that includes both an application URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and content reproduction time information;

obtaining an application based on the application URL and the content reproduction time information; and

executing the application in synchronization with the display of the content.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

obtaining the application via the Internet.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein

the application URL indicates a location of the application on the Internet.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein

the content, from which the signature data is extracted, is associated with a single content identifier.

11. The method according to claim 4, wherein the executing comprises:

executing the application in synchronization with the display of the content based on a plurality of time information, the plurality of time information including the extraction time of the signature data corresponding to a client local time of the reception apparatus at which the signature data is extracted.

15. The method according to claim 4, wherein the executing comprises:

executing the application in synchronization with the display of the content based on a plurality of time information and a difference between a time that the response to the generated query is received and the extraction time of the signature data.

16. The method according to claim 4, wherein the response to the generated query is a single response string that includes the content reproduction time information and the application URL.

18. The method according to claim 4, wherein the application URL includes a query string.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which when executed by a computer causes the computer to:

output content for display to a user;

extract signature data from the content based on a watermark embedded in, or a finger print of, the content that is output for display to the user;

generate a query based on the signature data, the query including an extraction time of the signature data;

transmit the generated query to a server apparatus;

receive a response to the generated query from the server apparatus, the response to the generated query including a data structure that includes both an application URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and content reproduction time information;

obtain an application based on the application URL and the content reproduction time information; and

execute the application in synchronization with the display of the content.