Receiving apparatus and method, information distribution method, filtering and storing program, and recording medium

• US 20030004884A1
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kitazato, Naohisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

It is possible for the content distribution side to control the conditions of target viewers for distributions without depending on the functions specific to a receiver. Content which is broadcast, a content profile, and a program are received. In an initial step of the program, prestored viewer profile information is read. All the content profiles and the contents are downloaded temporarily. Next, the profile information is read, and then a process of matching the profile information with the viewer profile information is performed. When it is determined that they do not match, a matching process for the next content profile is performed. If, on the other hand, they match, at the next step, the content is stored. The viewer reproduces the stored content at an appropriate time.

Claims

1. A receiving apparatus in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means, said receiving apparatus comprising:

means for inputting viewer profile information in accordance with a viewer profile setting program, storing said input viewer profile information, and transmitting the viewer profile information to said customer management center;

means for receiving content, profile condition information of target viewers of said content, and a filtering and storing program, and executing said filtering and storing program so that a process of matching said stored viewer profile information with said profile condition information is performed, and matched content is filtered and stored in said content storage means; and

means for reproducing said stored content.

3. A receiving apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the content distribution apparatus comprises an information provider and a broadcaster which distributes the content and the profile condition information, which are received from said information provider by a broadcast.

4. A receiving apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein, by reproducing the content stored in said content storage means, access is made to other content in a server which exists at a specific location on a communication network, which is described in said content, so that said other content is reproduced.

5. A receiving apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said viewer profile setting program is provided from said customer management center.

6. A receiving apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said receiving apparatus displays a list of names of the contents stored in said content storage means.

7. A receiving apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said receiving apparatus receives said profile condition information and said filtering and storing program, which are transmitted repeatedly at the same time as a broadcast program containing a video signal.

8. A receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when content stored on the basis of said matching in accordance with said filtering and storing program exists, a display for informing a viewer of the presence of the stored content is displayed on a reproduction screen of a broadcast program.

9. A receiving apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, further comprising an automatic receiving program for receiving distributions at a predetermined time, wherein, by executing said automatic receiving program, said profile condition information and the filtering and storing program are received.

10. A receiving apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein, when said content stored in said content storage means is reproduced, information for identifying the content and reproduction log information containing a reproduction time are transmitted to said customer management center.

11. A receiving apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said viewer profile information comprises a plurality of items which can be specified by binary values for an applicable case and for a non-applicable case,

as said profile condition information, a case matching said item of said viewer profile information is set to one of the binary values in such a manner as to have a one-to-one correspondence with each item of said viewer profile information, and

a logical computation of said viewer profile information and said profile condition information is performed so as to determine matching according to the logical computation result.

18. A filtering and storing program according to claim 17, further comprising a step of reproducing content stored in said content storage means so that another content on a server, which exists at a specific location on a communication network, described in said content is accessed, and said other content is stored or reproduced.

2. A receiving apparatus in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means, said receiving apparatus comprising:

means for inputting viewer profile information in accordance with a viewer profile setting program, storing said input viewer profile information, and transmitting the viewer profile information to said customer management center;

means for receiving and storing content, profile condition information of target viewers of said content, and a filtering and storing program, and executing said filtering and storing program so that a process of matching said stored viewer profile information with said viewer profile condition information is performed, and matched content within the stored content is filtered and stored in said content storage means; and

means for reproducing said stored content.

12. A receiving method in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means, said receiving method comprising:

a step of inputting viewer profile information in accordance with a viewer profile setting program, storing said input viewer profile information, and transmitting the viewer profile information to said customer management center;

a step of receiving content, profile condition information of target viewers of said content, and a filtering and storing program, and executing said filtering and storing program so that a process of matching said stored viewer profile information with said profile condition information is performed, and matched content is filtered and stored in said content storage means; and

a step of reproducing said stored content.

13. A receiving method in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means, said receiving method comprising:

a step of inputting viewer profile information in accordance with a viewer profile setting program, storing said input viewer profile information, and transmitting the viewer profile information to said customer management center;

a step of receiving and storing content, profile condition information of target viewers of said content, and a filtering and storing program, and executing said filtering and storing program so that a process of matching said stored viewer profile information with said profile condition information is performed, and matched content within the stored content is filtered and stored in said content storage means; and

a step of reproducing said stored content.

14. An information distribution method in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive apparatus and content storage means, said information distribution method comprising the steps of:

referring to viewer profile information which is input by a receiving apparatus and which is stored in the customer management center in order to set profile condition information so that target viewers for distributions are set; and

distributing, to the receiving apparatus, content, said set profile condition information, and a filtering and storing program containing a process of matching said viewer profile information with said profile condition information.

15. An information distribution method in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means, said information distribution method comprising:

a step in which the receiving apparatus inputs viewer profile information, stores said input viewer profile information, and transmits the viewer profile information to said customer management center;

a step in which said customer management center receives and stores the viewer profile information input by said receiving apparatus and provides the stored viewer profile information to a content distribution apparatus;

a step in which said content distribution apparatus sets profile condition information by referring to said provided viewer profile information in order to set target viewers for distributions, and distributes content, said set profile condition information, and a filtering and storing program; and

a step in which said receiving apparatus receives content, said profile condition information, and said filtering and storing program, and executes said filtering and storing program so that a process of matching said stored viewer profile information with said profile condition information is performed, matched content is filtered and stored in the content storage means, and said stored content is reproduced.

16. An information distribution method in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means, said information distribution method comprising:

a step in which the receiving apparatus inputs viewer profile information, stores said input viewer profile information, and transmits the viewer profile information to said customer management center;

a step in which said customer management center receives and stores the viewer profile information input by said receiving apparatus, and provides the stored viewer profile information to the content distribution apparatus;

a step in which said content distribution apparatus sets profile condition information by referring to said provided viewer profile information in order to set target viewers for distributions, and distributes content, said set profile condition information, and a filtering and storing program; and

a step in which said receiving apparatus receives and stores content, said profile condition information, and said filtering and storing program, and executes said filtering and storing program so that a process of matching said stored viewer profile information with said profile condition information is performed, matched content within the stored content is filtered and stored in said content storage means, and said stored content is reproduced.

17. A filtering and storing program for making a computer of a receiving apparatus in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means perform:

a step of receiving content and profile condition information of target viewers of said content;

a step of reading viewer profile information which is input in advance and stored;

a step of performing a process of matching said profile condition information with said viewer profile information in order to determine whether or not they match; and

a step of storing the content in the content storage means when they match and of not storing the content when they do not match.

19. A filtering and storing program for making a computer of a receiving apparatus in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means perform for each content:

a step of receiving content and profile condition information of target viewers of said content;

a step of reading the viewer profile information which is input in advance and stored;

a step of performing a process of matching said profile condition information with said viewer profile information in order to determine whether or not they match; and

a step of accessing another content which exists at a specific location on a communication network, described in said content when they match and of storing or reproducing said other content.

20. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a filtering and storing program for making a computer of a receiving apparatus in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means perform for each content:

a step of receiving content and profile condition information of target viewers of said content;

a step of reading the viewer profile information which is input in advance and stored;

a step of performing a process of matching said profile condition information with said viewer profile information in order to determine whether or not they match; and

a step of storing the content in the content storage means when they match and of not storing the content when they do not match.

21. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 20, further comprising a step of reproducing content stored in said content storage means so that another content on a server, which exists at a specific location on a communication network, described in said content is accessed, and said other content is stored or reproduced.

22. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a filtering and storing program for making a computer of a receiving apparatus in an information distribution system made up of a customer management center and receiving apparatuses, which receive distributed content, including a content distribution apparatus and content storage means perform for each content:

a step of receiving content and profile condition information of target viewers of said content;

a step of reading the viewer profile information which is input in advance and stored;

a step of performing a process of matching said profile condition information with said viewer profile information in order to determine whether or not they match; and

a step of accessing another content which exists at a specific location on a communication network, described in said content when they match and of storing or reproducing said other content.