JP2002318805A - Broadcast information search device and search method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To obtain broadcast information without a special device and by a simple operation. A broadcast information broadcast during a program such as a TV or a radio is stored in an information database 1 together with a time and a channel. When the user inputs a time and a channel, the information search unit 2 searches the information database 1 for broadcast information from the input time and the channel and sends the broadcast information to the user. The user information display unit 5 displays the broadcast information sent.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a broadcast information search apparatus and a search method for enabling broadcast information broadcast during a program such as a TV or radio to be searched by a terminal connected to a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a TV or a radio, additional information different from the broadcast itself (hereinafter referred to as broadcast information) may be broadcast in an original broadcast. For example, there are a telephone number, an address, a URL, and the like of a store or a maker introduced in the program, and application requirements including a destination of a postcard in a sweepstakes performed in the program.

[0003] Normally, these pieces of broadcast information are broadcast only for a short period of time. Therefore, the user has no choice but to memorize or save the information by recording or recording on a VCR or the like. And often not in time.

As a technique for acquiring distribution information as needed as broadcast information accompanying the broadcast itself, W
The technology disclosed in WO 99/11066 is known. According to this technology, in TV broadcasting, certain distribution information is transmitted together with the broadcast itself, and the reception side separates the distribution information from the broadcast and uses it.

[0005]

The above-mentioned international publication WO9
In the technique disclosed in 9/11066, distribution information or its address information is embedded in the TV broadcast itself, and the distribution information is taken out on the receiving side. Therefore, in this technology, the receiving side requires a device composed of special hardware and software that is not widely used, which increases the cost and is not realistic. Met.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and provides a broadcast information search device and a search method capable of obtaining broadcast information by a simple operation without requiring a special device. The purpose is to

[0007]

A broadcast information search device according to the present invention has an information database and an information search unit on the database administrator side, and a time channel input unit and an information display unit on the user side. A broadcast information search device having a broadcast information stored in a data base, which stores broadcast information broadcast during a program such as a TV or radio together with a time and a channel, and inputs the time and the channel in a time channel input unit for communication. When sent to the database manager via the track, the information search unit searches the information database for broadcast information from the input time and channel and sends it to the user via the communication line, and the information display unit searches The broadcast information is displayed. The broadcast information is a telephone number, a URL, and an address broadcasted in the program.

[0008] The time channel input unit uses the current time as the time, the information search unit searches for broadcast information before the input time, and the information display unit displays the broadcast information in order from the input time.

Further, the time channel input unit may receive the radio wave of a remote control attached to a TV or a radio, and obtain and input the time and the channel from the channel and the current time included in the signal.

[0010] In the broadcast information search method according to the present invention,
The database administrator saves the broadcast information broadcast during the program such as TV or radio in the information database together with the time and channel, and inputs the time and channel from the user side to the database administrator via the communication line. When sent, the broadcast information is retrieved from the information database from the input time and channel and sent to the user via the communication line, and the user displays the sent broadcast information.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the broadcast information search device includes an information database 1 and an information search unit 2.
And a current time acquisition unit 3, a time channel input unit 4, and an information display unit 5. Information database 1 and information retrieval unit 2
The current time acquisition unit 3 is provided on the database manager P side. The time channel input unit 4 and the information display unit 5 are installed on the user U side as user terminals, and include a personal computer 6 owned by the user U and the like. The database administrator P side and the user U side are connected via a communication line 7 constituting a WWW (World Wide Web).

The information database 1 stores broadcast information broadcast on a TV. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, various records such as a time, a broadcasting station, a database administrator, and contents are stored. In this manner, the broadcast information broadcast on the TV is provided to the database manager P from a broadcast station or the like, which is the creator of the program, and stored in the information database 1.

When the user U is watching TV,
It is assumed that gift information of a product has flowed. At that time, the URL of WWW was indicated as the application destination, but the displayed time was short, so that the user U could not take a note. At this time, the user U starts up a personal computer which is the user side terminal 6, connects to the Internet, starts up a WWW browser, and accesses a WWW page of the database administrator P. The WWW page is a WWW page for operating the time channel input unit 4, and displays a screen as shown in FIG. 3 on the information display unit 5 of the user terminal 6.
To be displayed. Note that the advertisement 51 is displayed in the lower part of the screen example in FIG. 3, but this may not be provided.

This screen prompts the user U to input a region, time, and channel. Time is time input part 5
2 or the current time designation unit 53
Can be used to specify the current time. When the current time is designated by the time designation unit 53, designation of “current time” is sent to the information search unit 2 by the CGI mechanism instead of the time, and is converted to the actual time by the current time acquisition unit 3. . The area is directly input to the area input unit 54. The TV broadcast channel is also directly input to the channel input unit 55. area,
After inputting the three pieces of information of the time and the channel, when the search start unit 56 is clicked, the information search unit 2 starts searching the information database 1.

For example, it is assumed that the user U has input "Kanagawa Prefecture" as the area, "16:58" as the time, and "4" as the channel. The information search unit 1 obtains a broadcast station based on the area and the channel. This is possible by searching the table 8 shown in FIG. Thereby, "XXX-TV" is obtained as a broadcasting station. Also, since no date information was input at the time, the date of the current day (2000/12/25) is used instead. This is obtained from the current time acquisition unit 3. From the above, finally, the broadcasting station “XXX-TV”, the time “2000/12/25 16:58”
Are obtained.

Next, the information database 1 is searched based on the information. At this time, broadcast stations that match the input time are searched from those that match, and are sent to the information display section 5 in the order of the closest time. The information display unit 5 provides the broadcast information 9 shown in FIG. Thereby, the user U
Can easily obtain the broadcast information 9 even if the user forgets to take a note of the broadcast information 9 broadcasted on the TV. When the broadcast information 9 is a URL or the like, the U
It is also possible to access the corresponding WWW page using RL.

In this example, the user U has specified a specific time, but may specify a current time. In this case, the broadcast information after the designated time has no meaning and is excluded from the search. As a result, a search result 10 as shown in FIG. In this manner, necessary broadcast information can be easily obtained without specifying a specific time.

In the above-described embodiment, a channel is inputted, and a search is performed by converting the channel into a broadcast station based on the regional information.

Further, in the above embodiment, the time channel input section 4 is configured on the user terminal 6 via the screen of the information display section 5. However, the time channel input section 4a having the configuration as shown in FIG. You can also. The time channel input unit 4a includes a light receiving unit 41 that receives a radio wave of the TV remote controller 11, a channel acquisition unit 42, and a current time acquisition unit 43. The data acquired by the channel acquisition unit 42 and the current time acquisition unit 43 can be sent to the personal computer 6 as a user terminal by the information transmission unit 44.

When a channel button is pressed by the TV remote controller 11, the radio wave is received by the light receiving section 41, and the channel number is obtained by the channel obtaining section 42. At the same time, the time is acquired by the current time acquisition unit 43 and the personal computer 6 connected by the information transmission unit 44
Sent to The personal computer 6 is connected to the Internet and sends time and channel information to the information search unit 2. Thus, broadcast information can be easily obtained by simply pressing the button of the TV remote controller 11. In this embodiment, the current time acquisition unit 4 in the time channel input unit 4a is used.
3, the current time may be obtained from the current time acquisition unit 3 on the information search unit 2 side as in the previous embodiment.

The broadcast information described above is provided from an information provider (sponsor) to a program creator (broadcasting station).
Passed from the program creator to the database manager. Then, the broadcast information stored by the database administrator in the information database 1 can be provided to the user. A series of steps of such a broadcast information providing method is arranged and arranged as follows.

First, an information provider passes broadcast information to a program creator. Next, the program creator passes the broadcast information and the time and channel on which it is broadcast to the database manager. The database administrator stores the broadcast information in the information database 1
To enter. In this state, when the user inputs a time and a channel from the personal computer 6 connected to the network, the information search unit 2 sends back the searched broadcast information to the personal computer 6.

In the series of steps described above, when the database manager inputs the broadcast information into the information database 1, the advertisement information is also input, so that the advertisement 51 is displayed as shown in FIGS. It can be displayed on the display unit 5.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, broadcast information can be searched by time and channel. Therefore, even if important broadcast information during TV or radio broadcast is overlooked or forgotten, The necessary broadcast information can be obtained with a simple operation.

Further, the information provider can surely provide the broadcast information to the user, and the program creator can improve the quality of the program. In addition, more information providers can be expected as sponsors. Further, the database creator can manage the broadcast information and obtain compensation from the program creator or the database administrator depending on the amount of access or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a broadcast information search system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a record stored in an information database.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen of a time channel input unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a broadcast station table.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a search result displayed on an information display unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of a search result.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of another example of the time channel input unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Information database, 2; Information search part, 3, 11; Current time acquisition part, 4; Time channel input part, 5; Information display part, 6; User terminal, 7; Communication line, 8; A light receiving unit, 10; a channel acquiring unit, 12; an information transmitting unit.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 5/445 H04N 5/445 Z

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A broadcast information search device having an information database and an information search unit on a database administrator side and a time channel input unit and an information display unit on a user side. Saves broadcast information broadcast during TV and radio programs along with time and channel,
When the time and channel are input at the time channel input unit and sent to the database manager via the communication line, the information search unit searches the information database for broadcast information from the input time and channel and performs communication line operation. The broadcast information is sent to the user via the Internet, and the information display unit displays the searched broadcast information. 2. The broadcast information search device according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast information is a telephone number, a URL, and an address broadcasted in the program. 3. The time channel input unit uses the current time as a time, the information search unit searches for broadcast information before the input time, and the information display unit displays the broadcast information in order from the input time. Item 3. The search device for broadcast information according to item 1 or 2. 4. The time channel input section receives a radio wave of a remote control attached to a TV or a radio, and obtains and inputs a time and a channel from a channel and a current time included in the signal. The broadcast information search device according to any one of the above. 5. A database administrator stores broadcast information broadcast during a program such as a TV or radio in an information database together with a time and a channel, and inputs a time and a channel from a user and transmits the information via a communication line. When sent to the database administrator, the broadcast information is retrieved from the information database from the input time and channel and sent to the user side via the communication line, and the user side displays the sent broadcast information. Search method for broadcast information that is characteristic.