JP2002247544A - Digital television apparatus and control method therefor, information management apparatus, method and system, storage medium, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a digital television device or the like that can provide information separate from a broadcast program to a viewer in the latest state at all times and can provide effective information. SOLUTION: A digital television apparatus 100 and an information management apparatus 200 are connected via the Internet, and the television apparatus 100 can receive a digital broadcast. The information group 302 and the like (or advertisement information 304) are provided from the management device 200 to the television device 100 via the Internet, are stored in the storage unit 103, and are displayed at an appropriate timing, for example, in parallel with the digital broadcast. Management device 200
Monitors the information group 302 and the like by acquiring the attribute information 303 from the television apparatus 100, and transmits a new information group 302 and the like to the television apparatus 100 via the Internet based on the accumulated storage time and the display history. The storage control unit 104 updates the storage contents of the storage unit 103 with the new information group 302 and the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital television apparatus for providing useful information, such as advertisement information, to a viewer who watches a digital broadcast program by means other than digital broadcast, and a control thereof. The present invention relates to a method, an information management device, a method and a system, a storage medium, and a program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A digital television apparatus plays a role of providing information to a viewer by receiving and presenting a digital broadcast. This device has been studied for various functions in addition to its basic functions as a digital television device.
One example is to add a function of connecting to the Internet to a digital television device in order to realize two-way communication. As a result, it has become possible for digital television apparatuses to provide viewers with information from the Internet as well as digital broadcast data. Specifically, CS (Communications Satelli
te) In digital television devices for digital broadcasting, program-linked two-way communication using a telephone line has already been realized.

[0003] The multifunctionalization of such a digital television apparatus enables construction of various systems. One of them,
Construction of a new information providing system different from a digital broadcast program can be considered. For example, with this system,
It is possible to provide the viewer with advertisement information other than the advertisement (CM) played by digital broadcasting, and it is possible to increase opportunities for the viewer to obtain useful information.

When providing advertisement information different from a digital broadcast program, for example, the advertisement information is stored in a memory provided in a digital television apparatus and displayed on a monitor at an appropriate timing in parallel with the digital broadcast program. An aspect in which the control is performed is conceivable.

[0005]

However, since the advertising information and the like once stored in the memory is limited, if the displayed advertising information is not new, the freshness is lost and the advertising effect tends to be weakened. It is. In addition, the effect of the advertisement may be further reduced by being displayed many times. In such a situation, effective information is not provided for both the viewer and the information provider.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide information separate from a broadcast program to a viewer in the latest state at all times to provide effective information. And a control method therefor, an information management device, a method and a system, a storage medium and a program.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital television apparatus capable of performing two-way communication with an information management apparatus and receiving and displaying a digital broadcast. In the configured digital television apparatus, a storage unit for storing predetermined information different from digital broadcast program data, and a display capable of displaying the predetermined information stored by the storage unit in association with the display of the digital broadcast program data Means, receiving means for receiving the predetermined information for update transmitted from the information management device, and updating the predetermined information stored by the storage means based on the predetermined information for update received by the receiving means And an information updating unit that performs the operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the digital television apparatus according to the first aspect, the predetermined information is advertising information separate from an advertisement in the digital broadcast program.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, two-way communication with the information management device is possible through the Internet.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the digital television device according to the third aspect, the state of the predetermined information stored by the storage means can be monitored by the information management device through the Internet.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the digital television device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in response to a request from the information management device, the predetermined information stored by the storage means is stored. An attribute information providing unit for providing attribute information indicating a state to the information management device is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the fifth aspect, the attribute information is at least one of an accumulated storage time of the predetermined information and a display history of the predetermined information. .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the fifth or sixth aspect, the two-way communication with the information management device is possible through the Internet, and the attribute information providing means transmits the attribute information. The provision is made through the Internet.

In a digital television apparatus according to the present invention, the predetermined information to be stored by the storage means is provided from the information management apparatus in the configuration according to any one of the first to seventh aspects. It is characterized by.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the eighth aspect, two-way communication with the information management device is possible through the Internet, and predetermined information to be stored by the storage means; All of the predetermined information for update to be received by the receiving means is transmitted from the information management device via the Internet.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the eighth aspect, the information management device is capable of transmitting the digital broadcast, the predetermined information to be stored by the storage means, and the receiving means. All of the predetermined information for update to be received by the information management device is transmitted from the information management device using the digital broadcast.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a digital television apparatus, comprising: a digital television apparatus configured to be capable of two-way communication with an information management apparatus and capable of receiving and displaying a digital broadcast; In the method for controlling a television apparatus, a storage step of storing predetermined information different from digital broadcast program data in a storage unit, and a display unit that stores the predetermined information stored in the storage step in correspondence with the display of the digital broadcast program data. A display step that can be displayed on the display, a receiving step of receiving predetermined information for update transmitted from the information management device, and a storage step of storing the information based on the predetermined information for update received in the receiving step. And an information updating step of updating the predetermined information.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the digital television device control method according to the eleventh aspect, the predetermined information is advertising information different from an advertisement in the digital broadcast program. .

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital television apparatus control method as defined in the eleventh or twelfth aspect.
Two-way communication with the information management device is possible through the Internet.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the control method of the thirteenth aspect, the state of the predetermined information stored in the storing step can be monitored by the information management device through the Internet. And

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the control method of the digital television device according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects, the data is stored in the storing step in response to a request from the information management device. An attribute information providing step of providing attribute information indicating a state of the predetermined information to the information management device is provided.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the digital television device control method according to the fifteenth aspect, the attribute information is at least one of an accumulated accumulation time of the predetermined information and a display history of the predetermined information. Features.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a digital television apparatus according to the fifteenth or sixteenth aspect.
The two-way communication with the information management device is possible through the Internet, and the provision of the attribute information in the attribute information providing step is performed through the Internet.

According to a eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the control method of the digital television device according to any one of the eleventh to seventeenth aspects, the predetermined information to be accumulated in the accumulation step is provided from the information management device. It is characterized by being performed.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the eighteenth aspect, two-way communication with the information management apparatus is possible through the Internet, and the predetermined information to be stored in the storing step is stored. information,
Further, the update predetermined information to be received in the receiving step is transmitted from the information management device via the Internet.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the eighteenth aspect, the information management device is capable of transmitting the digital broadcast, the predetermined information to be stored in the storing step, and The update predetermined information to be received in the receiving step is transmitted from the information management device using the digital broadcast.

[0027] To achieve the same object, an information management apparatus according to claim 21 of the present invention is an information management apparatus configured to enable two-way communication with the digital television apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A management device, a predetermined information providing unit for providing the digital television device with the predetermined information, a predetermined information monitoring unit for monitoring a state of the predetermined information stored by the storage unit of the digital television device, As a result of monitoring by the information monitoring means, when it is determined that the predetermined information stored by the storage means should be updated, the update information transmitting means for transmitting predetermined information for update to the digital television apparatus is provided. It is characterized by having.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the information management apparatus according to the twenty-first aspect, the predetermined information monitoring means includes a control information for requesting attribute information indicating a state of the predetermined information stored by the storage means. To the digital television device, and determining the necessity of updating the stored predetermined information based on attribute information returned from the digital television device in response to the transmitted control information. Features.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the twenty-second aspect, the two-way communication with the digital television apparatus is possible through the Internet, and the control information is transmitted through the Internet. It is characterized by.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information management apparatus according to any one of the twenty-first to twenty-third aspects, the two-way communication with the digital television apparatus is possible through the Internet, and the predetermined information provision is provided. The predetermined information provided by the means and the predetermined information for update transmitted by the update information transmitting means are both transmitted through the Internet.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the information management apparatus according to any one of the twenty-first to twenty-third aspects, the information management apparatus is capable of transmitting the digital broadcast and provided by the predetermined information providing means. The predetermined information to be transmitted and the predetermined information for updating transmitted by the updating information transmitting means are both transmitted using the digital broadcast.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the information management apparatus according to any one of the twenty-first to twenty-fifth aspects, the transmission of the predetermined update information by the update information transmitting means is performed by the digital television apparatus. Is performed during viewing of a digital broadcast program.

To achieve the same object, an information management method according to claim 27 of the present invention provides an information management method for an information management apparatus capable of two-way communication with a digital television apparatus capable of receiving and displaying digital broadcasts. A management method, comprising: a predetermined information providing step of providing the predetermined information to the digital television apparatus; a predetermined information monitoring step of monitoring a state of the predetermined information stored in the digital television apparatus; When it is determined that the stored predetermined information should be updated as a result of the monitoring, an update information transmitting step of transmitting predetermined update information to the digital television device is provided.

According to a twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the twenty-seventh aspect, the predetermined information monitoring step includes the step of transmitting control information for requesting attribute information indicating a state of the stored predetermined information to the digital information. It is transmitted to the television device, and the necessity of updating the stored predetermined information is determined based on attribute information returned from the digital television device in response to the transmitted control information. .

According to a twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the twenty-eighth aspect, the two-way communication with the digital television apparatus is possible through the Internet, and the transmission of the control information is performed through the Internet. It is characterized by.

According to a thirtieth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to any one of the twenty-seventh to twenty-ninth aspects, the two-way communication with the digital television apparatus can be performed through the Internet, and the predetermined information provision is provided. The predetermined information provided in the step and the update predetermined information transmitted in the update information transmitting step are both transmitted through the Internet.

According to a thirty-first aspect of the present invention, in the information management method according to any one of the twenty-seventh to twenty-ninth aspects, the information management device is capable of transmitting the digital broadcast and provided by the predetermined information providing step. The predetermined information to be transmitted and the predetermined information for updating transmitted in the updating information transmitting step are both transmitted using the digital broadcast.

[0038] In the information management method according to claim 32, in the configuration according to any one of claims 27 to 31, the transmission of the predetermined update information in the update information transmitting step is performed by the digital television apparatus. Is performed during viewing of a digital broadcast program.

In order to achieve the same object, an information management system according to claim 33 of the present invention is provided in any one of claims 1 to 8
The digital television device described in the item (2) and the information management device described in any one of the items (21) to (26) are connected to each other so as to be capable of two-way communication.

To achieve the same object, a storage medium according to claim 34 of the present invention is a control device for a digital television apparatus configured to be capable of two-way communication with an information management apparatus and capable of receiving and displaying a digital broadcast. In a storage medium storing a program used in the method, a code of a storage step of storing predetermined information different from digital broadcast program data in a storage unit, and the predetermined information stored by the code of the storage step are stored in the digital broadcast. A code of a display step that can be displayed on the display unit in association with the display of the program data, a code of a reception step of receiving predetermined update information transmitted from the information management device, and a code of the reception step And a code of an information updating step of updating the predetermined information stored by the code of the storing step based on the predetermined information for updating. The features.

To achieve the same object, a storage medium according to claim 35 of the present invention is an information management apparatus capable of bidirectional communication with a digital television apparatus configured to receive and display digital broadcasts. A storage medium storing a program used in a method, wherein a code of a predetermined information providing step for providing the predetermined information to the digital television device and a predetermined code for monitoring a state of the predetermined information stored in the digital television device are provided. As a result of monitoring by the code of the information monitoring step and the code of the predetermined information monitoring step, when it is determined that the stored predetermined information should be updated, the predetermined information for updating is transmitted to the digital television device. And a code of the update information transmitting step to be performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for controlling a digital television apparatus configured to enable two-way communication with an information management apparatus and to receive and display a digital broadcast. And a computer-executable program for storing predetermined information different from digital broadcast program data in a storage unit, and the predetermined information stored by the storage step code in the digital broadcast. A code of a display step that can be displayed on the display unit in association with the display of the program data, a code of a reception step of receiving predetermined update information transmitted from the information management device, and a code of the reception step Based on the predetermined update information, the code of the information update step for updating the predetermined information accumulated by the code of the accumulation step is described. Characterized in that it has been.

To achieve the same object, a program according to claim 37 of the present invention is an information management method in an information management apparatus capable of two-way communication with a digital television apparatus configured to receive and display a digital broadcast. A computer-executable program for providing the predetermined information to the digital television apparatus, and a predetermined information monitoring step of monitoring a state of the predetermined information stored in the digital television apparatus. Process code,
As a result of monitoring by the code of the predetermined information monitoring step, when it is determined that the stored predetermined information should be updated,
A code for an update information transmitting step of transmitting predetermined update information to the digital television device is described.

[0044]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an information management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

This system is a digital television set 100
And the information management apparatus 200 are connected to each other via the Internet so as to enable two-way communication. The digital television device 100 can also receive digital broadcasts. In the present embodiment, digital broadcasting is transmitted via a communication satellite or CATV. As will be described later, the information management apparatus 200 externally monitors information such as advertisement information in the digital television apparatus 100 via the Internet.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the digital television set 100.

Hereinafter, each module in the apparatus will be described. Digital television apparatus 100 receives digital broadcast data 301 (digital broadcast program data) from receiving section 101. The received digital broadcast data 301 is decoded by the receiving unit 101, and the decoded broadcast data 301 is passed to the display unit 106 (display means) and displayed.

The digital television set 100 is connected to the outside of the information management apparatus 200 and the like via a modem 102 (receiving means), and is capable of two-way communication with the Internet. The data received via the modem 102 is stored in the storage unit 103 (storage means), or passed to the display unit 106 through the display layout processing by the layout processing unit 107 and displayed. Also,
The data received via the modem 102 is stored in the storage unit 103
In the case of the control information 305 for controlling the information inside, the control information 305 is passed from the modem 102 to the accumulation control unit 104 (information updating means, attribute information providing means).

The storage unit 103 stores an information group 302 (predetermined information) such as advertisement information to be provided to the viewer. The information group 302 includes information stored in the storage unit 103 in advance, and information received and stored via the modem 102. The information group 302 includes multimedia information such as moving images, still images, audio, and character data. The storage unit 103 can store a plurality of different information groups 302.

The information group 302 is always accompanied by attribute information 303. Therefore, the attribute information 303 is also stored in the storage unit 103. The attribute information 303 includes attributes (genre, genre, etc.) of a single piece of advertisement information 304 (predetermined information) in the information group 302.
In addition to information describing the time required for reproduction, etc., the information includes the accumulated storage time of the information 304 in the storage device 103 and the display history such as the number of times of presentation (number of times of display) to the viewer. Therefore, the attribute information 303 is the information group 3 stored in the storage unit 103.
02 to the information 304.

The storage control unit 104 manages the information group 302 and the attribute information 303. The storage control unit 104 rewrites the information group 302 and the attribute information 303 in the storage unit 103 and also transmits the information 304 from the storage unit 103 to the layout processing unit 1 in order to present the information 304 to the viewer.
07 to the display unit 106. At the same time, control information (display switching information) for switching the display is sent to the display switching unit 105. In addition, in order to enable the information group 302 to be monitored from the information management apparatus 200 and to be updated accordingly, the attribute information 3 is controlled according to the control information 305 from the information management apparatus 200.
03 is transmitted to the information management device 200 via the modem 102. The control information 305 is transmitted to request the attribute information 303, and the information management device 200 changes the state of the information groups 302 to 304 in the storage unit 103 by the attribute information 303 transmitted in response to the request. Can be monitored.

The display switching unit 105 switches the data displayed by the display unit 106. The data displayed on the display unit 106 mainly includes digital broadcast data 301 coming from the receiving unit 101, display data via the Internet coming from the modem 102, and information 304 coming from the storage unit 103. The display switching unit 105 switches the display of these data at a designated timing based on the display switching information from the accumulation control unit 104.

The storage section 103 is, for example, a hard disk, and the storage control section 104 is composed of a CPU, a RAM serving as a work area thereof, a ROM for storing a control program, and the like.

On the other hand, although not shown, the information management apparatus 200 provides predetermined information providing means for providing the digital television apparatus 100 with an information group 302 (including information 304) via the Internet, and the information stored in the storage section 103. A predetermined information monitoring unit that monitors the status of the information group 302 and the like, and an update information transmission unit that transmits a new information group 302 and the like (predetermined information for update) to the digital television device 100 are configured. . Actually, a memory, a CPU, and the like fulfill the function of each of these means.

In such a configuration, the display of the advertisement information 304 on the digital television apparatus 100 is performed as follows.

When the viewer turns on the digital television set 100 and views the digital broadcast, the storage section 10
3 is displayed at a certain timing. There are four display timings shown in the following TM (1) to TM (4).

TM (1): When the power of the digital television set 100 is ON, it is displayed at any time in parallel with the program.

TM (2): Displayed at the start of viewing of a digital broadcast program (for example, when switching channels).

TM (3): displayed after the end of the digital broadcast program (for example, at midnight).

TM (4): Displayed by viewer's operation.

In this embodiment, all of the display timings TM (1) to TM (4) are applied, but any one of the above-described display timings TM (1) to TM (4) is used. It may be applied, or a plurality may be appropriately combined.

The display unit 106 can present an independent screen for displaying the information 304 in addition to a normal digital broadcast screen (or an Internet browser screen) in order to realize the TM (1). ing.

In the case of the above-mentioned TM (2), when the transmission method of digital data broadcasting is the data carousel method, several to several times after the viewer switches the channel to the data broadcasting program until the program is actually displayed. It takes ten seconds. Therefore, the information 304 is displayed during that time. Since the time from when the channel is switched to when the program is displayed is uncertain, the time for displaying the information 304 is determined in advance on the digital television apparatus 100 side. After the lapse of this time, the display switching unit 105 outputs the information 304.
, The display of the display unit 106 is switched to the data broadcast program. Since the display time is limited, the information 304 to be displayed is also determined in advance. In addition, in order to realize the above TM (2), the accumulation control unit 104
It is configured to have means for obtaining channel information at any time. By this means, when the viewer switches the channel to the data broadcast program, the storage control unit 104 passes the information 304 to be displayed to the display unit 106, so that the display of the information 304 when the channel is switched is realized. .

In order to realize the above TM (3), the storage control unit 104 is configured to have means for receiving attribute information of digital broadcast program data from the receiving unit 101.
This attribute information includes the presence or absence of program end information. If the program has ended, the storage control unit 104 displays the display unit 106
To the information 304 in the storage unit 103. Thus, the information 304 is displayed after the end of the program, such as at midnight. When the program is started again, the display is switched to a digital broadcast program.

The TM (4) is transmitted to the digital broadcast program data and information 304 by the viewer using a remote controller (not shown).
This is realized by switching between. When the viewer watching the digital broadcast program issues a display switching instruction to the information 304 via the remote controller, the switching information is transmitted to the storage control unit 104. The accumulation control unit 104 stores the information 30
4 is sent to the display unit 106, and at the same time, display switching information is sent to the display switching unit 105. Upon receiving the display switching information, the display switching unit 105 switches the display from the broadcast program to the information 304.

When the information 304 is displayed, the accumulation control unit 104 refers to, for example, the attribute information 303 and stores the information 304 to be displayed in the information group 3 in the accumulation unit 103.
02 and display it. This extracting method depends on the display timing.

In the above-mentioned TM (2), since the display time is limited, it is determined by the display time of the information 304. The display time is provided as a part of the attribute information 303.

In the case of the above-mentioned TMs (1), (3), and (4), the following two extraction methods (the extraction method (1),
(2)) is conceivable.

Extraction method (1): Extraction is performed in a predetermined order.

Extraction method (2): Extraction is performed according to keywords (genre, time zone to be displayed, etc.) in the attribute information 303.

In the present embodiment, any one of these extraction methods can be selected.

In the case of the extraction method (1), the information group 302
Are sequentially displayed. When the information group 302 is completely displayed, the information is displayed again from the beginning.
The order at that time may be set in advance or may be set in the accumulation order.

In the case of the extraction method (2), the accumulation control unit 1
04 is the information 3 to be displayed based on the attribute information 303.
04 is selected. Therefore, the number of times of display of the information 304 differs depending on the contents (genre and the like) of the attribute information of the information 304. In this case, the accumulation control unit 104 updates the display history in the attribute information 303 each time the information 304 is displayed.

Next, the information 30 by the information management device 200
4 and a process of updating the information 304 by the accumulation control unit 104 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process of monitoring and updating the stored advertisement information 304. FIG. 7A shows a process of monitoring and updating the information 304 by the information management apparatus 200, and FIG.
4 shows a process of updating the information 304 according to FIG.

When monitoring the information in the storage unit 103, the information management apparatus 200 connected to the digital television apparatus 100 via the Internet first requests the storage control unit 104 to acquire the attribute information 303 ( Step S
301). Next, in response to this request, the accumulation control unit 104
(Step S)
302). Next, from the received attribute information 303, each information 3
Then, the accumulated accumulation time and display history of No. 04 are extracted (step S303), and it is determined whether or not the information group 302 and the information 304 should be updated based on the accumulated accumulation time and display history (step S304). For example, the accumulation unit 103
In addition, the information group 302 accumulated for a certain period of time or longer should be updated so as to always provide new information regardless of whether the viewer is viewing the digital television apparatus 100 or not. Determine. Alternatively, when the frequently displayed information 304 is presented to the viewer a certain number of times or more, it is determined that the information 304 should be updated. Thereby, the advertising effect is enhanced.

As a result of the determination, the information group 302 and the information 3
04 is not determined to be updated, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the information group 302 or the information 304 is to be updated, the process proceeds to step S3.
In step 05, a new information group 302 or information 304 (one or both to be updated) (predetermined information for update) is transmitted to the storage unit 103 via the Internet. At this time, the attribute information 303 is also transmitted. Next, the fact that an update request has been made is transmitted to the accumulation control unit 104 (step S306), and a response indicating success or failure of the update is waited.

Normally, a success notification indicating a successful update or a failure notification indicating an unsuccessful update is transmitted from the accumulation control unit 104 soon, and in the following step S307, it is determined whether or not a success notification has been received from the accumulation control unit 104. Determine. As a result of the determination, if there is a success notification, the process ends. If there is no success notification, the process waits for a certain period of time (step S308).
Returning to 305, the transmission processing of the information group 302 or the information 304 is performed again. Note that the step S3
At 07, not only when there is a failure notification but also when there is no notification, processing is performed as if there was no success notification.
For example, when the power of the digital television apparatus 100 is turned off or when the digital television apparatus 100 is not connected to the Internet, and there is no response from the accumulation control unit 104, or the like.

On the other hand, the accumulation control unit 104
In 311, it is determined whether or not there has been a request to acquire the attribute information 303 from the information management device 200. The determination is continued until there is a request to acquire the attribute information 303, and when there is a request to acquire the attribute information 303, the attribute information 303 in the storage device 103 is transmitted to the information management device 200 via the modem 102 via the Internet. (Step S312).

Next, it is determined whether or not a new information group 302 or information 304 has been received from the information management device 200 via the Internet (step S313). As a result of the determination, a new information group 302
Alternatively, the determination is continued until the information 304 is received, and the new information group 302 or the new information 3
When receiving the information 04, the process of updating the contents stored in the storage unit 103 with the new information group 302 or 304 is executed (step S314). Thereby, the latest advertisement information is always provided.

Next, it is determined whether or not the update was successful (step S315). If the result of the determination is that the update was successful, a success notification is transmitted to the information management device 200 via the Internet (step S316). If the update is unsuccessful while ending this processing, a failure notification is transmitted to the information management device 200 via the Internet (step S
317), this process ends. It should be noted that even if the update cannot be performed for some reason, a failure notification is made.

According to the present embodiment, information management device 20
0 is a digital television set 10 via the Internet.
0 of the storage unit 103 (the information group 302 or the information 3
04) can be managed and updated, so that the viewer can be provided with effective and latest advertisement information different from digital television programs. In particular, unlike active information acquisition from the Internet, the provision and acquisition of advertising information is effective for both information providers and viewers who passively use television for viewing, and digital broadcasting programs It is possible to construct a system that can provide the latest advertisement information other than the advertisement (CM) in the viewer to the viewer. Therefore, information separate from the broadcast program is always provided to the viewer in the latest state, and effective information provision can be performed.

Further, by presenting the stored information to the viewer at an effective display timing, effective information can be provided.

Since the present information management system is used as a means for providing advertisements to viewers, it is possible to expect advertisement revenues from advertisement clients. Therefore, for example, if the side that operates this information management system provides the viewer with the digital television device at a low price, the effect of suppressing the sales unit price of the digital television device, which is increasing due to the high functionality, is also expected. Can be beneficial to the audience.

Although the information group 302 is described as advertisement information, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to the provision of various types of information such as non-commercial information such as evacuation information at the time of disaster.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an information management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The present system is configured such that the digital television apparatus 100 and the information management apparatus 200 are connected to each other via the Internet so as to be capable of two-way communication.
It is the same as the first embodiment in that the advertising information and the like inside are monitored externally.

However, in the present system, the information management device 200 further has means for providing information to the digital television device 100 through digital broadcasting. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a digital broadcast is transmitted from the information management device 200, and the digital television device 100 receives the digital broadcast.

In the first embodiment, the Internet is used for updating the information in the storage unit 103 by the information management apparatus 200. However, in the second embodiment,
The digital broadcast data 301 is used for updating the information. Information group 302 and attribute information 303 associated therewith;
The control information 305 is included in the digital broadcast data 301.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital television apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment.

The individual configuration of each module in the device is the same as the configuration of the digital television device 100 of the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, the information group 3
02, the attribute information 303 and the control information 305
02, and is received by the receiving unit 101 as digital broadcast data 301.

Various data are multiplexed in the digital broadcast data 301, and the received digital broadcast data 3
01 is separated by the receiving unit 101. When the received digital broadcast data 301 includes the information group 302 and the attribute information 303 to be stored in the storage unit 103, only the information group 302 and the attribute information 303 are stored in the storage unit 10
Passed to 3. Storage unit 1 in digital broadcast data 301
When there is control information 305 for controlling the information in 03, only the control information 305 is passed to the accumulation control unit 104. Then, after the remaining digital broadcast data 301 is decoded by the receiving unit 101, it is passed to the display unit 106 and displayed.

The other signal flows and processes are the same as in the first embodiment. In order to enable the information group 302 to be monitored from the information management apparatus 200 and to be updated accordingly, the process of transmitting the attribute information 303 to the information management apparatus 200 via the modem 102 according to the control information 305 is described in This is the same as the first embodiment.

Therefore, the information management apparatus 200 sends the information group 3
02 and the update information group 302 are provided using the digital broadcast data 301. The information group 302
At the time of monitoring, the attribute information 303 from the information management apparatus 200 is transmitted using the digital broadcast data 301, but the attribute information 3 from the digital television apparatus 100 is transmitted.
The reply of 03 is made through the Internet.

In the present embodiment, the display timing of the information 304 in the storage unit 103 to the viewer is the same as in the first embodiment. The information 30 in the storage unit 103
4 is also the same as in the first embodiment.
However, the method of updating the information in the storage unit 103 is different from that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of monitoring and updating the stored advertisement information 304 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7A shows a process of monitoring and updating the information 304 by the information management apparatus 200, and FIG. 7B shows a process of updating the information 304 by the accumulation control unit 104.

The information management device 200 monitors the information in the storage unit 103 of the digital television device 100,
First, the storage controller 104 is requested to acquire the attribute information 303 (step S601). This is performed by multiplexing the control information 305 with the digital broadcast data 301 to be transmitted. Next, in response to this request, the accumulation control unit 10
4 receives the attribute information 303 transmitted from Step 4 (Step S602). Next, the accumulated accumulation time and display history of each information 304 are extracted from the received attribute information 303 (step S603), and it is determined whether the information group 302 and the information 304 should be updated based on the accumulated accumulation time and display history. (Step S604). The determination method is the first
This is the same as the case of step S304 in FIG.

As a result of the determination, the information group 302 and the information 3
04 is not determined to be updated, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the information group 302 or the information 304 is to be updated, the process proceeds to step S6.
05, the information group 302 is added to the digital broadcast data 301.
Alternatively, information 304 (one or both of which are to be updated) and attribute information 303 are multiplexed and transmitted. Next, the fact that an update request has been made is transmitted to the accumulation control unit 104 (step S606), and a response indicating success or failure of the update is waited.

Normally, a success notification indicating success of updating or a failure notification indicating non-success is transmitted from the accumulation control unit 104 soon. Execute the process.

On the other hand, the accumulation control unit 104
In 611, it is determined whether or not there has been a request to acquire the attribute information 303 from the information management device 200. The determination is continued until there is a request to acquire the attribute information 303, and when there is a request to acquire the attribute information 303, the attribute information 303 in the storage device 103 is transmitted to the information management device 200 via the modem 102 via the Internet. (Step S612). Note that the multiplexed digital broadcast data 301 is transmitted to the receiving unit 1.
When the control information 305 is received at 01, the control information 305 is separated from the digital broadcast data 301 by the receiving unit 101 and passed to the storage control unit 104. The accumulation control unit 104 controls the control information 30
5, the information in the storage unit 103 is controlled.

Next, in step S613, it is determined whether or not the current time is in an idle time zone in which the viewer is not watching the digital television. If the result of the determination is that it is a free time zone, a process of updating the storage contents of the storage unit 103 is executed (step S614). Here, the multiplexed information group 302 and attribute information 303 are separated from the digital broadcast data 301 by the receiving unit 101. Therefore, the content stored in the storage unit 103 is updated by the information group 302 or the information 304 multiplexed on the digital broadcast data 301.

Next, it is determined whether or not the update was successful (step S615). If the result of the determination is that the update was successful, a success notification is transmitted to the information management device 200 via the Internet (step S616). If the update is unsuccessful while ending this processing, a failure notification is transmitted to the information management device 200 via the Internet (step S
617), this process ends. It should be noted that even if the update cannot be performed for some reason, a failure notification is made.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S613 is that the current time is not in a vacant time zone, a failure notification is made (step S617). Therefore, the update timing is
It becomes a free time zone.

According to the present embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

The storage medium storing the program codes of the software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the information management system, the digital television set 100 or the information management apparatus 200, and the system and the computer of the apparatus are provided. It goes without saying that the object of the present invention is also achieved when the CPU (or CPU or MPU) reads out and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and when the program code is supplied via a transmission medium or the like, the program code itself is used. It constitutes the invention. The storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

The functions of each of the above-described embodiments are realized not only by the computer executing the readout program code, but also by the operating system running on the computer based on the instructions of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. Needless to say, a CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0110]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Information independent of the broadcast program is always provided to the viewer in the latest state, and effective information provision can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an information management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital television device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flowchart showing a monitoring / updating process of accumulated advertisement information in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital television device in the same embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart showing a monitoring / updating process of accumulated advertisement information in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 digital television device 101 receiving unit 102 modem (receiving unit) 103 storage unit (storage unit) 104 storage control unit (information updating unit, attribute information providing unit) 105 display switching unit 106 display unit (display unit) 200 information management device 301 Digital broadcast data 302 Information group (predetermined information) 303 Attribute information 304 Advertising information (predetermined information) 305 Control information

Claims (37)

[Claims] 1. Two-way communication with an information management device is possible,
A digital television apparatus configured to receive and display digital broadcasts; a storage unit for storing predetermined information different from digital broadcast program data; and a storage unit configured to store the predetermined information stored by the storage unit in the digital broadcast program data. Display means capable of displaying the information in correspondence with the display of, reception means for receiving predetermined information for update transmitted from the information management device, based on the predetermined information for update received by the reception means, A digital television device comprising: an information updating unit that updates predetermined information stored by a storage unit. 2. The digital television apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is advertising information that is separate from an advertisement in the digital broadcast program. 3. The digital television device according to claim 1, wherein the two-way communication with the information management device is possible through the Internet. 4. The digital television apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a state of the predetermined information stored by said storage means can be monitored by said information management apparatus through the Internet. 5. In response to a request from the information management device,
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an attribute information providing unit that provides attribute information indicating a state of the predetermined information stored by the storage unit to the information management device. Digital television equipment. 6. The digital television apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the attribute information is at least one of an accumulated storage time of the predetermined information and a display history of the predetermined information. 7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the two-way communication with the information management apparatus is possible through the Internet, and the provision of the attribute information by the attribute information providing unit is performed through the Internet. Digital television equipment. 8. The digital television device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information to be stored by the storage unit is provided from the information management device. 9. The two-way communication with the information management device is possible through the Internet, and the predetermined information to be stored by the storage unit and the predetermined information for update to be received by the reception unit are: 9. The digital television device according to claim 8, wherein the information is transmitted from the information management device via the Internet. 10. The information management device is capable of transmitting the digital broadcast, and the predetermined information to be stored by the storage means and the predetermined update information to be received by the reception means are both digital data. 9. The digital television device according to claim 8, wherein the digital television device is transmitted from the information management device using a broadcast. 11. A control method for a digital television apparatus configured to be capable of two-way communication with an information management apparatus and capable of receiving and displaying a digital broadcast, wherein predetermined information different from digital broadcast program data is stored in a storage unit. An accumulating step of accumulating; a display step of displaying the predetermined information accumulated in the accumulating step on a display unit in association with the display of the digital broadcast program data; A digital television apparatus, comprising: a receiving step of receiving information; and an information updating step of updating the predetermined information stored in the storing step based on the predetermined information for updating received in the receiving step. Control method. 12. The control method for a digital television device according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined information is advertising information different from an advertisement in the digital broadcast program. 13. The two-way communication with the information management device,
13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the method can be performed through the Internet. 14. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the state of the predetermined information accumulated in the accumulation step can be monitored by the information management device through the Internet. 15. An attribute information providing step of providing attribute information indicating a state of predetermined information stored in the storage step to the information management apparatus in response to a request from the information management apparatus. Claims 11 to 1
5. The control method for a digital television device according to any one of 4. 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the attribute information is at least one of an accumulated storage time of the predetermined information and a display history of the predetermined information. 17. The two-way communication with the information management device,
17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the attribute information is provided through the Internet, and the attribute information is provided through the Internet. 18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined information to be accumulated in the accumulation step is provided from the information management device. 19. The two-way communication with the information management device,
The predetermined information to be stored in the storage step and the predetermined information for updating to be received in the receiving step are transmitted from the information management apparatus through the Internet. The method for controlling a digital television apparatus according to claim 18. 20. The information management device is capable of transmitting the digital broadcast, and the predetermined information to be stored in the storage step and the predetermined update information to be received in the reception step are both digital information. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the information is transmitted from the information management device using a broadcast. 21. An information management device configured to enable two-way communication with the digital television device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is provided to the digital television device. Predetermined information providing means; predetermined information monitoring means for monitoring a state of the predetermined information stored by the storage means of the digital television apparatus; predetermined information stored by the storage means as a result of monitoring by the predetermined information monitoring means And an update information transmitting unit that transmits predetermined information for update to the digital television device when it is determined that the update should be performed. 22. The predetermined information monitoring means transmits control information for requesting attribute information indicating a state of the predetermined information stored by the storage means to the digital television device, and transmits the transmitted control information. 22. The information management device according to claim 21, wherein the necessity of updating the stored predetermined information is determined based on attribute information returned from the digital television device in response to the information management device. 23. The information management device according to claim 22, wherein the two-way communication with the digital television device is possible through the Internet, and the transmission of the control information is performed through the Internet. 24. Two-way communication with the digital television apparatus is possible through the Internet, and predetermined information provided by the predetermined information providing means and predetermined information for updating transmitted by the updating information transmitting means. The information management apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein all of the information is transmitted through the Internet. 25. The information management device is capable of transmitting the digital broadcast, and the predetermined information provided by the predetermined information providing means and the predetermined information for updating transmitted by the updating information transmitting means are: 21. The method according to claim 21, further comprising transmitting the digital broadcast using the digital broadcast.
4. The information management device according to any one of 3. 26. The transmission method according to claim 21, wherein the transmission of the predetermined information for update by the update information transmitting means is performed during viewing of a digital broadcast program in the digital television device. Information management device according to the paragraph. 27. An information management method in an information management device capable of two-way communication with a digital television device configured to receive and display a digital broadcast, wherein the predetermined information is provided to the digital television device. A predetermined information providing step; a predetermined information monitoring step of monitoring a state of the predetermined information stored in the digital television device; and a result of monitoring by the predetermined information monitoring step, it is determined that the stored predetermined information should be updated. Transmitting the predetermined information for update to the digital television apparatus when the update has occurred. 28. The predetermined information monitoring step includes transmitting control information for requesting attribute information indicating a state of the stored predetermined information to the digital television device, and responding to the transmitted control information. And determining whether the stored predetermined information needs to be updated based on attribute information returned from the digital television apparatus.
7. The information management method according to 7. 29. The information management method according to claim 28, wherein the two-way communication with the digital television device is possible through the Internet, and the transmission of the control information is performed through the Internet. 30. Two-way communication with the digital television device is possible through the Internet, and predetermined information provided in the predetermined information providing step and predetermined updating information transmitted in the updating information transmitting step. The information management method according to any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein each of the information is transmitted via the Internet. 31. The information management device is capable of transmitting the digital broadcast, and the predetermined information provided in the predetermined information providing step and the update predetermined information transmitted in the update information transmitting step are: 27 is also transmitted using the digital broadcast.
9. The information management method according to any one of items 9 to 9. 32. The transmission method according to claim 27, wherein the transmission of the predetermined information for updating in the updating information transmitting step is performed during viewing of a digital broadcast program in the digital television device. Information management method described in section. 33. The digital television device according to claim 1 and the information management device according to claim 21 are connected to each other so as to be capable of two-way communication. An information management system characterized by being constituted. 34. A storage medium storing a program used in a control method of a digital television device configured to be capable of two-way communication with an information management device and capable of receiving and displaying a digital broadcast, comprising: A code of a storage step of storing predetermined information different from data in a storage unit; and a display step of displaying the predetermined information stored by the code of the storage step on a display unit in association with the display of the digital broadcast program data. A code of a receiving step of receiving predetermined information for update transmitted from the information management device; and a code of the storage step based on the predetermined information for update received by the code of the receiving step. And a code for an information updating step of updating the stored predetermined information. 35. A storage medium storing a program used in an information management method in an information management device capable of two-way communication with a digital television device configured to receive and display digital broadcasts, A code of a predetermined information providing step for providing the predetermined information to the digital television apparatus; a code of a predetermined information monitoring step for monitoring a state of the predetermined information stored in the digital television apparatus; and monitoring by the code of the predetermined information monitoring step. As a result, when it is determined that the stored predetermined information should be updated,
A storage medium storing a code for an update information transmitting step of transmitting predetermined update information to the digital television device. 36. A computer-executable program used in a control method of a digital television device configured to be capable of two-way communication with an information management device and capable of receiving and displaying a digital broadcast, comprising: A code of a storage step of storing predetermined information different from program data in a storage unit; and a display capable of displaying predetermined information stored by the code of the storage step on a display unit in association with display of the digital broadcast program data. A code of a step, a code of a receiving step of receiving predetermined information for update transmitted from the information management device, and a code of the storing step based on the predetermined information for update received by the code of the receiving step. And a code for an information updating step of updating the predetermined information accumulated by the program. 37. A computer-executable program used in an information management method in an information management apparatus capable of bidirectional communication with a digital television apparatus configured to receive and display digital broadcasts, the computer-executable program comprising: A code of a predetermined information providing step for providing the predetermined information to the television device; a code of a predetermined information monitoring process for monitoring a state of the predetermined information stored in the digital television device; As a result, when it is determined that the stored predetermined information should be updated,
A program for transmitting predetermined information for update to the digital television device, the code for an information transmission step for update being described.