Information processing device and method, recording medium, and program

• US 20060072354A1
• Filed: 07/23/2003
• Published: 04/06/2006
• 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: Utsuki, Shingo, Ichioka, Hidetoshi, Yoshioka, Keiichi, Wakai, Shinichi, Kimura, Hitoshi, Ohnuma, Kensuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/145
• 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

To make it possible to reserve recording of a program without imposing a large load on a user. A server 2-1 transmits program attribute information to a video recording and reproducing apparatus 11 via a network 1. The program attribute information is constituted by program attribute names and program attribute retrieval conditions. The video recording and reproducing apparatus 11 causes a display apparatus 12 to display a list of the program attribute names. The user selects a program attribute name, to which a program that the user wishes to reserve for recording seems to be most closely related, out of this list. The video recording and reproducing apparatus 11 compares retrieval conditions corresponding to the selected program attribute name and EPG information and, when the retrieval conditions are satisfied, records a program represented by the EPG in a recording reservation list. It is possible to apply the invention to a hard disk video recorder.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, characterized by comprising:

presenting means that presents plural program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program;

accepting means that accepts selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the program attribute names presented by the presenting means;

storing means that stores the program attribute information for which selection is accepted by the accepting means;

first acquiring means that acquires broadcast program information concerning a program to be broadcast;

second acquiring means that acquires retrieval conditions for retrieving a program constituting the program attribute information stored in the storing means;

comparing means that compares the broadcast program information acquired by the first acquiring means and the retrieval conditions acquired by the second acquiring means; and

reserving means that, when the broadcast program information acquired by the first acquiring means satisfies the retrieval conditions acquired by the second acquiring means on the basis of a result of the comparison by the comparing means, reserves recording of a program that corresponds to the broadcast program information acquired by the first acquiring means.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the presenting means presents program attribute names including foreign film, soap opera, rebroadcast drama, baseball, soccer, midnight vaudeville, melodramatic Japanese popular song, classical music, news, cooking, hot spring, go/shogi, or the like as the program attribute names.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the second acquiring means acquires, as the retrieval conditions, retrieval conditions including 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, a keyword included in a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program, or an escape keyword that is excluded from the title of the program or the detailed information introducing contents of the program.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising receiving means that receives the program attribute information including the program attribute names and the retrieval conditions from another information processing apparatus via a network, and in that

the presenting means presents the program attribute names included in the program attribute information received by the receiving means.

5. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus, characterized by comprising:

a presenting step of presenting plural program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program;

an accepting step of accepting selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the program attribute names presented by processing in the presenting step;

a storage control step of controlling storage of the program attribute information for which selection is accepted by processing in the accepting step;

a first acquiring step of acquiring broadcast program information concerning a program to be broadcast;

a second acquiring step of acquiring retrieval conditions for retrieving a program constituting the program attribute information for which storage is controlled by processing in the storage control step;

a comparing step of comparing the broadcast program information acquired by processing in the first acquiring step and the retrieval conditions acquired by processing in the second acquiring step; and

a reserving step of, when the broadcast program information acquired by the processing in the first acquiring step satisfies the retrieval conditions acquired by the processing in the second acquiring step on the basis of a result of the comparison by the processing in the comparing step, reserving recording of a program that corresponds to the broadcast program information acquired by the processing in the first acquiring step.

6. A recording medium having recorded therein a computer readable program for an information processing apparatus, the program characterized by comprising:

a presenting step of presenting plural program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program;

an accepting step of accepting selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the program attribute names presented by processing in the presenting step;

a storage control step of controlling storage of the program attribute information for which selection is accepted by processing in the accepting step;

a first acquiring step of acquiring broadcast program information concerning a program to be broadcast;

a second acquiring step of acquiring retrieval conditions for retrieving a program constituting the program attribute information for which storage is controlled by processing in the storage control step;

a comparing step of comparing the broadcast program information acquired by processing in the first acquiring step and the retrieval conditions acquired by processing in the second acquiring step; and

a reserving step of, when the broadcast program information acquired by the processing in the first acquiring step satisfies the retrieval conditions acquired by the processing in the second acquiring step on the basis of a result of the comparison by the processing in the comparing step, reserving recording of a program that corresponds to the broadcast program information acquired by the processing in the first acquiring step.

7. A computer excutable program for controlling an information processing apparatus, characterized by causing a computer to execute:

a presenting step of presenting plural program attribute names constituting program attribute information concerning attributes of a program;

an accepting step of accepting selection of the program attribute information by a user based on the program attribute names presented by processing in the presenting step;

a storage control step of controlling storage of the program attribute information for which selection is accepted by processing in the accepting step;

a first acquiring step of acquiring broadcast program information concerning a program to be broadcast;

a second acquiring step of acquiring retrieval conditions for retrieving a program constituting the program attribute information for which storage is controlled by processing in the storage control step;

a comparing step of comparing the broadcast program information acquired by processing in the first acquiring step and the retrieval conditions acquired by processing in the second acquiring step; and

a reserving step of, when the broadcast program information acquired by the processing in the first acquiring step satisfies the retrieval conditions acquired by the processing in the second acquiring step on the basis of a result of the comparison by the processing in the comparing step, reserving recording of a program that corresponds to the broadcast program information acquired by the processing in the first acquiring step.

8. An information processing apparatus, characterized by comprising:

accepting means that accepts an access from another information processing apparatus via a network;

receiving means that receives, from the another information processing apparatus for which the access is accepted by the accepting means, a request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording that is used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

transmitting means that, when the request is received by the receiving means, transmits the program attribute information including program attribute names and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program to the another information processing apparatus via the network accepted by the accepting means.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the transmitting means transmits program attribute names including foreign film, soap opera, rebroadcast drama, baseball, soccer, midnight vaudeville, melodramatic Japanese popular song, classical music, news, cooking, hot spring, go/shogi, or the like as the program attribute names.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the transmitting means transmits, as the retrieval conditions, retrieval conditions including 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, a keyword included in a title of the program or detailed information introducing contents of the program, or an escape keyword that is excluded from the title of the program or the detailed information introducing contents of the program.

11. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus, characterized by comprising:

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

a receiving step of receiving, from the another information processing apparatus for which the access is accepted by processing in the accepting step, a request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording that is used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

a transmitting step of, when the request is received by processing in the receiving step, transmitting the program attribute information including program attribute names and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program to the another information processing apparatus via the network accepted by processing in the accepting step.

12. A recording medium having record therein a computer readable program for an information processing apparatus, the program characterized by comprising:

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

a receiving step of receiving, from the another information processing apparatus for which the access is accepted by processing in the accepting step, a request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording that is used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

a transmitting step of, when the request is received by processing in the receiving step, transmitting the program attribute information including program attribute names and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program to the another information processing apparatus via the network accepted by processing in the accepting step.

13. A program characterized by causing a computer for controlling an information processing apparatus to execute:

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

a receiving step of receiving, from the another information processing apparatus for which the access is accepted by processing in the accepting step, a request for transfer of program attribute information concerning attributes of a program to be reserved for recording that is used when a user of the another information processing apparatus selects the program to be reserved for recording; and

a transmitting step of, when the request is received by processing in the receiving step, transmitting the program attribute information including program attribute names and retrieval conditions for retrieving a program to the another information processing apparatus via the network accepted by processing in the accepting step.