Receiver and receiving system and method

• US 6,907,232 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2002
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sato, Shigeru, Suzuki, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US10/133,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20020177434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550, 455/566, 455/150.1, 455/151.2, 455/154.1, 455/154.2, 455/156.1, 455/157.1, 455/157.2, 455/158.4, 455/158.5, 455/158.1, 455/159.1, 455/176.1, 455/180.1, 455/185.1, 455/186.1, 455/186.2
• US Class Current: 455/186.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

A receiver and a receiving system capable of obtaining content related information corresponding to a retrieval key are provided. When a retrieval instruction is performed by a user, a retrieval key setting section sets the artist name of a musical piece provided by a program being received as a retrieval key. A related information retrieval section obtains program content data added to distribution information of another program, and retrieves content related information (for example, information such as the scheduled date of the sale of a new musical piece) corresponding to the retrieval key set by the retrieval key setting section. When the content related information corresponding to the retrieval key is extracted, a display processing section creates image data for displaying the extracted content related information and displays the image data on a display section.

Claims

1. A receiver for retrieving content related information from a plurality of broadcasting channels, said receiver comprising:

a receiving section operable to receive distribution information containing program information and incidental information from said plurality of broadcasting channels;

an operation section operable to designate retrieval key information corresponding to a retrieval key inputted by a user;

a retrieval section operable to identify broadcasting channels with incidental information containing said retrieval key information, retrieve one or more broadcasting channels with incidental information containing said retrieval key information, and retrieve content related information from said one or more broadcasting channels with incidental information containing said retrieval key information; and

a display section operable to display content related information;

a confirmation section operable to ask a user to confirm retrieval of content related information before the payment obligation of an additional fee occurs;

wherein a free charge or a fixed charge is set within a predetermined range and a payment obligation of an additional fee occurs when this predetermined range is exceeded during communication via said network, and

wherein said retrieval section retrieves said content related information when the execution of a retrieval is instructed by said confirmation section.

2. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said retrieval section retrieves content related information from each of said one or more broadcasting channels containing said retrieval key information.

3. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said incidental information contains an artist, said content related information contains works of said artist, and said display section displays said works of said artist when the name of said artist is specified as said retrieval key information.

4. A receiving system comprising:

a receiver for retrieving content related information from a plurality of broadcasting channels, said receiver comprising a receiving section operable to receive distribution information containing program information and incidental information from said plurality of broadcasting channels, an operation section operable to designate retrieved key information corresponding to a retrieval key inputted by a user, a retrieval section operable to identify broadcasting channels with incidental information containing said retrieval key information, retrieve one or more broadcasting channels with incidental information containing said retrieval key information, and retrieve content related information from said one or more broadcasting channels with incidental information containing said retrieval key information, and a display section for displaying the content of said content related information;

an external device including a recording medium having said incidental information stored thereon,

a confirmation section operable to ask a user to confirm retrieval of content related information before the payment obligation of an additional fee occurs;

wherein a free charge or a fixed charge is set within a predetermined range and a payment obligation of an additional fee occurs when this predetermined range is exceeded during communication via said network, and

wherein said retrieval section is operable to retrieve said content related information from said distribution information received by said receiver when the execution of retrieval is instructed by said confirmation section and from said incidental information stored in said storage medium within said external device.

5. The receiving system of claim 4, further comprising a database containing said incidental information, which is connected to said receiver via a predetermined network,

wherein said retrieval section is operable to retrieve said content related information from said distribution information received by said receiver and from said database.

6. The receiving system of claim 5, wherein said predetermined network is the Internet.

7. The receiving system of claim 5, wherein said display section displays said content related information retrieved by said retrieval section in order of time of retrieval.

8. The receiving system of claim 4, wherein,

said retrieval section retrieves said content related information from said database when the execution of a retrieval is instructed by said confirmation section.

9. The receiving system of claim 4, further comprising:

a database containing said incidental information, which is connected to said receiver via a predetermined network,

wherein said retrieval section is operable to retrieve said content related information from said distribution information received by said receiver, from said incidental information stored in said storage medium within said external device, and from said database.

10. The receiving system of claim 9, wherein said predetermined network is the Internet.

11. The receiving system of claim 9, wherein said display section displays said content related information retrieved by said retrieval section in order of time of retrieval.

12. A receiving method for retrieving content related information corresponding to a retrieval key by using distribution information of a plurality of broadcasting channels received, said receiving method comprising the acts of;

receiving said distribution information containing program information and incidental information;

designating retrieval key information;

identifying broadcasting channels having incidental information including said retrieval key information;

asking a user to confirm retrieval of content related information before a payment obligation of an additional fee occurs in a case;

retrieving content related information from at least one of said broadcasting channels having said incidental information including said retrieval key information; and

displaying said content related information from at least one of said broadcasting channels having incidental information including said retrieval key information;

wherein a free charge or a fixed charge is set regarding within a predetermined range and a payment obligation of an additional fee occurs when this predetermined range is exceeded during communication via said network; and

wherein said content related information is retrieved when the confirmation result instructs the execution of a retrieval.

13. A receiving method of claim 12, wherein said act of retrieving content related information includes retrieving content related information from each of said broadcasting channels having incidental information including said retrieval key information.

14. A receiving method of claim 12, wherein said incidental information contains an artist, said content related information contains works of said artist, and said display section displays said works of said artist when the name of said artist is specified as said retrieval key information.

15. A receiving method of claim 12, further comprising the acts of:

storing said incidental information on a storage medium; and

retrieving said content related information from said received distribution information and from said storage medium.

16. A receiving method of claim 12, further comprising the acts of:

connecting to a database containing said incidental information via a predetermined network; and

retrieving said content related information from said received distribution information and from said database as a target.

17. The receiving method of claim 16 wherein said predetermined network is the Internet.

18. A receiving method according to claim 12, further comprising the acts of:

storing said incidental information on a storage medium;

connecting to a database containing said incidental information via a predetermined network; and

retrieving said content related information from said received distribution information, from said incidental information stored on said storage medium, and from said database.

19. A receiving method according to claim 16, wherein said retrieved content related information is displayed in order of time of retrieval.