Portable information terminal apparatus, information processing method, computer-program storage medium, and computer-program

• US 8,051,449 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2002
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kunii, Koji, Shimizu, Hiroyuki, Takase, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shepard; Justin E
• Application Number:
  US10/085,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20020126997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,535 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/39 for identifying broadcast space-time use of Electronic Programme Guides H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• 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 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/6582 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 5/782 on tape

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable information terminal apparatus for additionally displaying information about other programs broadcast in the same time slot as a user-selected program. A TV program recording preset program under control of an I/O control program receives input of a user-selected start time of a given TV program. In turn, the TV program recording preset program extracts from a program list memory not the user-selected time but the start and end times of the TV program relative to the selected time, and retrieves information about all TV programs to be broadcast between the extracted start and end times so as to create a table of TV programs available in the designated time slot. The table is output to a display unit for display under control of the I/O control program.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal apparatus comprising:

acquiring means for acquiring a plurality of pieces of program information about programs to be broadcast on a plurality of scheduled dates selected by a user,

wherein the plurality of scheduled dates include a current date, past dates and future dates;

first display controlling means for controlling display on a display screen of said program information acquired by said acquiring means;

extracting means for extracting a start time and an end time of said program information;

retrieving means which, based on the start time and the end time extracted by said extracting means, retrieves other program information about programs to be broadcast in a time slot between the start time and the end time,

wherein the retrieving means creates a table listing information about each program be broadcast in the time slot,

wherein the start time and the end time extracted by the extracting means are extracted based on a start time and end time of a selected program and independent of a user-selected time,

wherein the other program information comprises advertisement information targeted at the user and a specific type of portable information terminal apparatus the user is operating; and

second display controlling means for controlling display on said display screen of said other program information after retrieval by said retrieving means,

wherein said acquiring means acquires said program information by transmitting through a network, a request including a unique user ID to a provider and acquires said program information applicable to the user ID through said network.

2. A portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said time is a broadcast start time.

3. A portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising third display controlling means which, if any program name is selected by a user performing an operation from among said other program information displayed on said display screen under control of said second display controlling means, then controls display on said display screen of detailed program information about the selected program information.

4. A portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if said other program information cannot be displayed entirely at one time on said display screen, then said second display controlling means calls up an undisplayed part of said other program information for display based on an operation performed by a user.

5. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of pieces of program information about programs to be broadcast on a plurality of scheduled dates selected by a user, by transmitting through a network, a request including a unique user ID to a provider and acquiring said program information applicable to the user ID through said network,

wherein the plurality of scheduled dates include a current date, past dates and future dates;

controlling display on a display screen of said program information acquired in said acquiring step;

extracting a start time and an end time of said program information;

retrieving, based on the start time and the end time extracted in said extracting step, other program information about programs to be broadcast in a time slot between the start time and the end time,

creating a table listing information about each program to be broadcast in the time slot,

wherein the start time and the end time extracted in the extracting step are extracted based on a start time and end time of a selected program and independent of a user-selected time,

wherein the other program information comprises advertisement information targeted at the user and a specific type of portable information terminal apparatus the user is operating; and

controlling display on said display screen of said other program information after retrieval in said retrieving step.

6. A program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, executable on a computer causing the computer to perform the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of pieces of program information about programs to be broadcast on a plurality of scheduled dates selected by a user, by transmitting through a network, a request including a unique user ID to a provider and acquiring said program information applicable to the user ID through said network,

wherein the plurality of scheduled dates include a current date, past dates and future dates;

controlling display on a display screen of said program information acquired in said acquiring step;

extracting a start time and an end time of said program information;

retrieving, based on the start time and the end time extracted in said extracting step, other program information about programs to be broadcast in a time slot between the start time and an end time,

creating a table listing information about each program to be broadcast in the time slot;

wherein the start time and the end time extracted in the extracting step are extracted based on a start time and end time of a selected program and independent of a user-selected time,

wherein the other program information comprises advertisement information targeted at the user and a specific type of portable information terminal apparatus the user is operating; and

controlling display on said display screen of said other program information after retrieval in said retrieving step.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program, the program being executed by one or more processors, that when executed causes a computer to execute the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of pieces of program information about programs to be broadcast on a plurality of scheduled dates selected by a user, by transmitting through a network, a request including a unique user ID to a provider and acquiring said program information applicable to the user ID through said network,

wherein the plurality of scheduled dates include a current date, past dates and future dates;

controlling display on a display screen of said program information acquired in said acquiring step;

extracting a start time and an end time of said program information;

retrieving, based on the start time and the end time extracted in said extracting step, other program information about programs to be broadcast in a time slot between the start time and the end time,

creating a table listing information about each program to be broadcast in the time slot;

wherein the start time and the end time extracted in the extracting step are extracted based on a start time and end time of a selected program and independent of a user-selected time,

wherein the other program information comprises advertisement information targeted at the user and a specific type of portable information terminal apparatus the user is operating; and

controlling display on said display screen of said other program information after retrieval in said retrieving step.