Interactive video distribution systems – User-requested video program system – Video-on-demand
Reexamination Certificate
1996-07-29
2001-11-20
Harvey, David E. (Department: 2614)
Interactive video distribution systems
User-requested video program system
Video-on-demand
C725S098000, C434S30700R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321383
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information supplying device for supplying several kinds of information to an information output device.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been recently proposed a video-on-demand service supplying system. This system is capable of supplying video information, such as movie information, to a user who has requested the video supplying service. In the video-on-demand service supplying system, a set top box is installed at the user's location. An information supplying device called a “video server” is provided at the servicing establishment. The information supplying device is provided with a data memory for storing information. When the user manipulates the set top box to request supply of a certain information, the information supplying device transmits the requested information to the user's side.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is preferable that the information supplying device supplies not only movie information but also other various kinds of services such as game software supplying services, shopping services, and educational services. The user can watch video movies, play games, and shop with the aid of such services.
Some information provided by these services is composed of a plurality of different kinds of data. For example, data of each movie is composed of a set of movie image data and a set of movie sound data. Accordingly, when the user requests a movie supplying service, the information supplying device has to supply both the movie image data and the movie sound data to the user's side. When the movie is produced in a foreign language, image data of each movie includes a set of movie image data but also a set of movie subtitle image data. Accordingly, the information supplying device has to supply not only the movie image data but also the movie subtitle image data to the user's side. The information supplying device therefore has to store these various kinds of data (movie sound data, movie image data, and movie subtitle data) for each movie.
It is also preferable that the information supplying device can further supply karaoke entertaining services. The set top box may store information on a number of karaoke songs. That is, the set top box may store a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) file and a text file for each song. The MIDI file includes accompaniment music data, and the text file includes lyric image data. When a user requests a song at the set top box, the information supplying device supplies data of a background image suited for the requested song. The set top box composes the supplied background image with the lyric image of the requested song. The set top box displays the composite image on a monitor television in synchronization with playing the accompaniment music data.
According to this structure, however, the set top box has to include a memory, such as a hard disk, for storing the accompaniment music data and the lyric image data. This increases size and price of the set top box.
It is therefore conceivable that the lyric image data or the accompaniment music data not be stored in the set top box. Instead, the information supplying device may supply background image data, lyric image data, and accompaniment music data to the set top box. In this case, however, the information supplying device has to store those several kinds of data (background image data, lyric image data, and accompaniment music data) for each song.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an information supplying device which can store, in a memory of a small capacity, the above-described type of information that is composed of a plurality of kinds of data.
In order to attain the above object and other objects, the present invention provides an information supplying device for supplying information to an information output device for outputting information, the information supplying device comprising: information storing means for storing at least one kind of first information and at least one kind of second information, the first information capable of being combined with the second information; composing means for composing the first information and the second information read out from the information storing means: and supplying means for supplying the composite information to an information output device.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides an information supplying device for supplying information to an information output device for outputting information, the information supplying device comprising: first information storing means for storing first information; second information storing means for storing second information; composing means for composing the first information read out from the first information storing means and the second information read out from the second information storing means; and supplying means for supplying the composite first and second information to an information output device.
The second information storing means may store a plurality of sets of second data, and the first information storing means may store a plurality of sets of first data, each set of first data being capable of being combined with one or more sets of second data, the composing means composing a certain set of first data and one of the corresponding one or more sets of second data, the supplying means supplying the composite first and second data to the information output device.
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Ramanathan et al., “Towards Personalized Multimedia Dial-Up Services”, 8213 Computer Networks and ISDN Systems No. 10, Amsterdam, NL, Jul. 1984.
Funahashi Yasuhiro
Kuno Takuma
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Harvey David E.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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