Television – Basic receiver with additional function – For display of additional information
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-18
2002-11-26
Miller, John (Department: 2614)
Television
Basic receiver with additional function
For display of additional information
C348S564000, C348S569000, C348S901000, C725S039000, C725S046000, C725S053000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06486920
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a broadcast system for broadcasting program information multiplexed with audio and video data, and more particularly to the program information producing apparatus and method for producing program information to be broadcasted, and a related receiving apparatus for displaying a program guide based on the received program information.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. Kokai 7-160732 discloses a program guide display technique, wherein predetermined search or retrieval conditions are given to display a rearranged program information in accordance with the agreement between the program information and the given search or retrieval conditions. However, this program guide display technique has no function for displaying the searched or retrieved programs as a channel and has no advanced navigation function. Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. Kokai 8-340310 discloses an advertisement data display technique, wherein the advertisement is displayed in a limited time slot designated by display start and end times included in the advertisement data. However, this advertisement data display technique does not consider the coexistence of the program guide and the advertisement data. Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. Kokai 9-46648 discloses a CM recording technique, wherein the time codes multiplexed with CM data are used to remove unnecessary portions in the program recording.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a receiving apparatus capable of displaying a personalized channel collecting user's preferable or receiver's own program information in addition to common channels.
Another object of the present invention is to provides a broadcast system capable of establishing cooperative coexistence in the relationship between the program guide display and the CM or program broadcasting, or sponsor information.
Another object of the present invention is to provides a broadcast system capable of setting a variety of fees corresponding to program ranks and providing fine services in accordance with the fees.
Another object of the present invention is to provides a broadcast system allowing users or receivers to smoothly select a next program after finishing a present program.
Another object of the present invention is to provides a broadcast system capable of controlling the display of program guides (including the control of display start time and display position) or performing the promotion using other channels, thereby providing an advanced scheme for reserving or tuning the programs.
Another object of the present invention is to provides a broadcast system capable of linking program information between different networks when the same program is broadcasted through digital and analog channels in the simulcast services.
To accomplish the above and other related objects, the present invention provides a program information producing system for producing and transmitting improved program information as well as an advanced receiving system for processing the program information. The present invention realizes support for user's selection of programs, establishes the coexistence between the program guide display and the CM/program broadcasting, allows the sponsors to provide fine services according to recording/viewing fees, gives a flexible scheme for reserving and tuning the programs, and correlates the program guides between different networks. The present invention discloses the detailed arrangement of the apparatus and method for realizing the above system.
One aspect of the present invention provides a receiving apparatus comprising a program information storing section for storing program information including program name, program start time and channel discriminating information, a program information search section for searching the program information stored in the program information storing section according to designated search conditions and for producing personalized program information resulting from the search, and a program guide display section for displaying a program guide including a personal channel including the personalized program information. With this arrangement, it becomes possible to display a user's personal channel.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a program information producing apparatus comprising a program related information producing section for producing program related information, and means for producing both program information and the program related information or producing program information including the program related information.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a receiving apparatus comprising an advertisement information storing section for storing advertisement information, and a display section for outputting an advertisement stream to a limited space on a screen when a program guide is displayed on the screen, the advertisement stream being referred to by the advertisement information.
Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides a program information producing apparatus comprising a program information producing section for producing ordinary program information, and a sub program information producing section for producing sub program information including sub program identification data and sub program position data. With this arrangement, it becomes possible to provide a program guide including the sub program on a screen of the receiving apparatus.
Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides a receiving apparatus comprising a sub program search section for accessing sub programs to search a relevant sub program with reference to sub program reference information of a viewed broadcasted program, and a program guide display section for displaying the relevant sub program by using a limited space of a screen when a program guide is displayed on the screen.
Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides a program information producing apparatus comprising a charge information producing section for adding program recording fees to program information, the program recording fees including a plurality of ranks classified in accordance with a recording or viewing type of a sub program. With this arrangement, it becomes possible to set a variety of charge ranks according to the recording or viewing type of the sub program (e.g., CM and preview).
Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides a receiving apparatus comprising a program recording section for recording a sub program together with an ordinary program when a recording request includes both of the ordinary and sub programs and for recording only the ordinary program by skipping the sub program when the recording request includes only the ordinary program, and a charging section for differentiating a recording fee in accordance with the inclusion of the sub program in the recording of the ordinary program.
Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides a program information producing apparatus comprising a program information producing section for producing ordinary program information, and a sub program playback frequency information producing section for producing program information describing a mandatory playback frequency of a recorded ordinary program performed without skipping a sub program.
Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides a receiving apparatus comprising a program recording section for recording an ordinary program and a sub program separately, a playback order table producing section for producing an ordinary/sub program playback order table describing a playback order of the ordinary program and the sub program, and a program playback section for reproducing the ordinary program and the sub program in accordance with the ordinary/sub program playback order table.
Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides a receiving apparatus comprising a sub program position table producin
Arai Yuko
Fujita Ken-ichi
Nagao Takeshi
Suzuki Takayuki
Lowe Hauptman Gilman & Bener, LLP
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Miller John
Tran Trang U.
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