JP2008278400A - Keyword setting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To select desired one of keywords extracted from program information and to register it. <P>SOLUTION: A reception signal of digital television broadcast received by a digital television broadcast receiver 2 via an antenna is demultiplexed into video data and audio data by a demultiplexer 3. EPG data superimposed on the video data are extracted by an EPG data extraction section 7 and stored into an EPG data storage section 8. On the basis of control data received from a remote controller 200 via a remote control receiver 13, a user interface management section 11 displays keywords extracted from program information contained in the EPG data, generates display data for selecting a desired keyword and supplies the display data to an OSD plotting section 12. The OSD plotting section 12 generates OSD data corresponding to the display data and supplies the OSD data to a video/OSD signal compositing section 6, and the keyword is displayed on a video display section 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a keyword setting method, and more particularly to a keyword setting method for setting keywords used for viewing restriction, viewing reservation, recording reservation, and the like.

Conventionally, a user obtains the name and broadcast date and time of a program broadcast from a television column of a newspaper or a television program guide magazine, and when there is a program that the user wants to watch, the user sets the television receiver 100 at the date and time when the program is broadcast. Operate and watch, set a channel for broadcasting the program and a broadcast start / end time on a recording device such as a video tape recorder or hard disk recorder, etc., schedule recording, and watch the recorded program at a later date I am doing so.
However, in the conventional recording reservation, when a recording reservation is made for a program to be watched, the channel on which the program is broadcast and the broadcast start / end time must be checked for each program and manually input, and the operation is complicated. was there.
Therefore, the user inputs a desired keyword in advance using the keyboard, searches for a television program that matches the search condition based on the input keyword from the television program database, channel information corresponding to the searched program, and broadcast start In some cases, the end time is stored, and when the broadcast start time is reached, the tuner is controlled to switch to the channel on which the program is broadcasted and the reserved recording is executed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Also, by assigning priority to the keyword information, for example, when there are a plurality of programs to be reserved for recording in the same broadcast time period, it is possible to easily make a reservation for recording a desired program according to the priority. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-35451 JP 20065541 A

  However, in the conventional technique, there is a problem that the keyword must be input using a keyboard, and the input operation is troublesome.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a keyword setting method capable of solving the above-described problems.

The keyword setting device according to claim 1, a program information acquisition unit that acquires program information related to a program, a program information storage unit that stores program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit, and a keyword is extracted from the program information. An extraction means, a selection means for the user to select a desired keyword from the keywords extracted by the extraction means, a keyword storage means for storing the keyword selected by the selection means, and a keyword storage means from the program information And a search means for searching for a program related to the keyword, and an execution means for executing a predetermined process in accordance with a search result by the search means.
The selection means displays a list of keywords extracted by the extraction means on a screen of a predetermined display device, and selects a predetermined one from the keyword list displayed on the display device screen according to an instruction from the user. To be able to.
Further, priority order setting means for setting a priority order for the keywords selected by the selection means is further provided, and the selection means can display the keywords on the screen of the display device in descending order of priority.
In addition, the execution means can perform viewing reservation, recording reservation, or viewing restriction for a predetermined program according to the search result by the search means.
The execution means stores reservation data corresponding to the viewing reservation and the recording reservation, and the selection means searches for a free time zone in which no reservation is made from the reservation data, and information on a program broadcast in the free time zone. Can be acquired from the program information and displayed on the screen of the display device as selectable items.
In addition, the information processing apparatus further includes setting means for setting a viewable date / time and time zone, and the selection means searches the program information for a program that is broadcast during the date / time and time zone and is related to the keyword, and displays the search result. Can be displayed on the screen.
The keyword setting method according to claim 7 is a program information acquisition step for acquiring program information related to a program, a program information storage step for storing program information acquired in the program information acquisition step, and a keyword is extracted from the program information. An extraction step, a selection step for the user to select a desired keyword from the keywords extracted in the extraction step, a keyword storage step for storing the keyword selected in the selection step, and a program information to be stored in the keyword storage step A search step for searching for a program related to the keyword, and an execution step for executing a predetermined process according to a search result in the search step.
The keyword setting program according to claim 8 is a program information acquisition step for acquiring program information relating to a program, a program information storage step for storing program information acquired in the program information acquisition step, and a keyword is extracted from the program information. An extraction step;
A selection step for the user to select a desired keyword from the keywords extracted in the extraction step, a keyword storage step for storing the keyword selected in the selection step, and a keyword stored in the keyword storage step from the program information A search step for searching for a related program and an execution step for executing a predetermined process in accordance with a search result in the search step are executed by a computer.

  According to the keyword setting method of the present invention, a keyword is extracted from the EPG data and displayed on the screen, and a desired keyword can be selected and registered from the extracted keyword. You can easily register keywords related to. The registered keyword can be easily used for viewing restriction, viewing reservation, recording reservation, and the like.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of a television receiver to which the present invention is applied. Hereinafter, a configuration example of the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a television receiver 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives radio waves of a digital television broadcast via an antenna 1, selects a predetermined channel, and digitally selects the selected channel. Digital TV broadcast receiver 2 that outputs broadcast signals (comprised of compressed video data, compressed audio data, and compressed EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data), and output from digital TV broadcast receiver 2 A demultiplexer 3 that separates a digital broadcast signal into compressed video data, compressed audio data, and compressed EPG data, and outputs the compressed video data. The video decoding unit 4 that performs decoding processing and outputs the decoded video data, and the output from the demultiplexer 3 The decoded audio data is decoded, the decoded audio data 5 is output, and the compressed EPG data output from the demultiplexer 3 is decoded and decoded. Based on the EPG data stored in the EPG data storage unit 8 and the EPG data storage unit 8 for storing the EPG data output from the EPG data extraction unit 7. An electronic program guide composing unit 9 that composes an electronic program guide, generates and outputs electronic program guide constituent data, and an electronic program guide constituent data based on the electronic program guide constituent data generated and output by the electronic program guide constituent unit 9 An electronic program guide screen generation unit 10 for generating electronic program guide display data corresponding to the display screen of the remote controller and a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as appropriate). Based on the remote control receiving unit 13 that receives control data transmitted by infrared rays or the like from 200, the control data received by the remote control receiving unit 13, and the EPG data stored in the EPG data storage unit 8 The user interface is managed, and as will be described later, selection items such as various character information and keywords are stored in a predetermined area on the screen 110 of the television receiver 100 (in this example, in the program information display area 112). Controls a process for generating display data for OSD (on-screen display) display, a selection process for the user to select a desired keyword from the displayed keywords, and stores the keyword selected by the user. Keyword storage processing and digital TV broadcast receiver 2 selects a predetermined channel. A user interface management unit 11 that executes various processes such as a channel selection process for controlling the station to be stationed, display data supplied from the user interface management unit 11, and an electronic program guide display supplied from the electronic program guide screen generation unit 10 Based on the data, OSD display data for OSD display is generated and output, OSD drawing section 12, decoded video data supplied from video decoding section 4, and OSD display data supplied from OSD drawing section 12 A video / OSD signal synthesis unit 6 that synthesizes the OSD display data and outputs a synthesized video signal, an audio output unit 15 that outputs audio corresponding to the decoded audio data output from the audio decoding unit 5, and video / OSD signal composition unit 6 includes a video display unit 16 that displays a composite video corresponding to the composite video signal output from the signal.

  The EPG data is data indicating the schedule of a television program broadcasted by each television broadcasting station. The EPG data includes a channel name, a program title (program name), a performer's name, a broadcast date, a broadcast time zone ( Information relating to each program (hereinafter, referred to as program information) including a broadcast start time and a broadcast end time), a genre name, program content (“summary”), and the like are included.

  FIG. 2 is an external view showing a configuration example of a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 200. As shown in the figure, the remote controller 200 includes a power button 210 that is operated when turning on or off the power of the television receiver 100, a channel selection button 220 that is operated when instructing channel switching, A volume control button 250 that is operated when adjusting the volume, a keyword storage button 280 that is operated when instructing display and storage of a keyword that will be described later, and a cursor 113 that is displayed on the screen 110 are moved. The upper button 231 and the lower button 232, the left button 233, the right button 234, the determination button 240 that is operated to determine the selected item or process, and the recording button that are operated This button is operated when instructing to display, classify, and save a recording reservation button 270 and a keyword to be described later. It consists of various buttons such as the keyword classification save button 290, a transmission unit (not shown) that transmits control data corresponding to the operated button by infrared rays, and a control unit that controls each unit. Yes.

  Next, the processing procedure of the television receiver 100 will be described. FIG. 3 shows a state where a program of a predetermined channel currently selected is displayed on the screen 110 of the television receiver 100. When the user operates the keyword storage button 280 provided on the remote controller 200 while viewing the program displayed on the screen 110 of the television receiver 100, the keyword storage button 280 is transmitted from a transmission unit (not shown) of the remote controller 200. Control data indicating that has been operated is transmitted by infrared rays.

  Control data transmitted by infrared from the remote controller 200 is received by the remote control receiver 13 of the television receiver 100 and supplied to the user interface manager 11. The user interface manager 11 recognizes that the keyword storage button 280 of the remote controller 200 has been operated based on the control data supplied from the remote controller receiver 13.

  Next, the user interface management unit 11 reads the EPG data stored in the EPG data storage unit 8 based on the current time and the channel number of the selected channel, and information on the currently displayed program, For example, a display for displaying a broadcast date, a broadcast station name, a broadcast start time and a broadcast end time, a program name, and the like in a predetermined area (in this example, the program information display area 112) of the screen 110 together with the channel number. Data is generated and supplied to the OSD drawing unit 12.

  Based on the display data supplied from the user interface management unit 11, the OSD drawing unit 12 generates OSD display data for OSD displaying information related to the program in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110. This is supplied to the OSD signal synthesis unit 6.

  The video / OSD signal synthesis unit 6 synthesizes the decoded video data supplied from the video decoding unit 4 and the OSD display data supplied from the OSD drawing unit 12 to generate a composite video signal, and generates a video display unit. 16 is supplied. The video display unit 16 displays a composite video corresponding to the composite video signal supplied from the video / OSD signal synthesis unit 6.

  FIG. 4 shows a display example of a composite video. In this example, the composite video includes a video displayed in the video display area 111 at the center of the screen 110 and a video such as program information displayed in the program information display area 112 at the right end of the screen 110. In this way, a video corresponding to the program of the channel selected in the center of the screen is displayed, and a predetermined area (program information display at the right end of the area where the video at the left and right ends of the screen 110 is not displayed is displayed. Program information, keywords to be described later, and the like are displayed in the area 112). FIG. 5 shows a display example of the program information display area 112. In this example, the program information display area 112 includes the current date (in this example, December 29, 2005), broadcast station name (in this example, HHH), channel number (in this example, 1ch). Broadcast start time and broadcast end time (in this example, 19:00 to 21:00), program name (in this example, “natural travel”), and the like are displayed.

  Next, the user interface management unit 11 receives the EPG data from the EPG data storage unit 8 in response to the control data indicating that the keyword storage button 280 of the remote control 200 has been operated being supplied from the remote control reception unit 13. Read out and extract one or more keywords included in the “summary” of the currently viewed program included in the EPG data. Then, display data for displaying the extracted one or more keywords in the program information display area 112 of the screen 110 of the television receiver 100 is generated and supplied to the OSD drawing unit 12.

  The OSD drawing unit 12 generates OSD display data corresponding to the display data supplied from the user interface management unit 11 and supplies the OSD display data to the video / OSD signal synthesis unit 6. The video / OSD signal synthesis unit 6 synthesizes the video data supplied from the video decoding unit 4 and the OSD display data supplied from the OSD drawing unit 12 to generate a synthesized video signal and supplies it to the video display unit 16. To do. The video display unit 16 displays a composite video corresponding to the composite video signal supplied from the video / OSD signal synthesis unit 6. Thereby, the video corresponding to the video data is displayed in the video display area 111 of FIG. 3, and the program information, the extracted keyword, etc. are displayed in the program information display area 112.

  FIG. 6 shows a synthesized video corresponding to a synthesized video signal generated by synthesizing program video data and OSD display data corresponding to program information, keywords, etc., on the screen 110 of the television receiver 100. A procedure for selecting a state and a keyword is shown. In this example, the program information display area 112 includes program information such as broadcast date, broadcast station name, channel number, broadcast start / end time, and extracted keywords “nature”, “landscape”, “travel”, "Okinawa" etc. are displayed. Also, as shown in FIG. 6A, the cursor 113 is first displayed to the right of the keyword “nature” displayed at the top. In FIG. 6, the character color is expressed in black. However, when the background of the program information display area 112 is black, the character color is actually a bright color such as white.

  That is, the user interface management unit 11 generates display data for displaying the cursor 113 together with the keyword, and supplies the display data to the OSD drawing unit 12. Thereafter, the processing until the display data is displayed on the screen 110 is the same as described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the user operates the lower button 232 of the remote controller 200 in a state where the cursor 113 is displayed on the right side of the keyword “nature” displayed at the top at first. As shown in FIG. 6B, the cursor 113 moves to the right side of the keyword “landscape” one step below.

  That is, the user interface management unit 11 recognizes that the down button 232 has been operated based on the control data transmitted from the remote controller 200 and displays the cursor 113 on the right side of the keyword “landscape” one level below. Such display data is generated and supplied to the OSD drawing unit 12. As a result, the cursor 113 is displayed to the right of the keyword “landscape” in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110.

  When the user operates the upper button 231 of the remote controller 200, the cursor 113 moves to the right of the keyword one level up. That is, the user interface management unit 11 recognizes that the upper button 231 has been operated based on the control data transmitted from the remote controller 200, and displays the cursor 113 displayed on the right side of the upper keyword. Data is generated and supplied to the OSD drawing unit 12. As a result, the cursor 113 is displayed to the right of the keyword in the upper level of the program information display area 112 on the screen 110.

  Accordingly, by operating at least one of the upper button 231 and the lower button 232, the user can move the cursor 113 to the right of the desired keyword and select the keyword indicated by the cursor 113.

  In FIG. 6C, the cursor 113 is displayed on the right side of the keyword “journey”. In this state, when the determination button 240 of the remote controller 200 is operated by the user, the selection of the keyword “journey” is determined. Under the control of the user interface management unit 11, in this example, as shown in FIG. 6D, the selected keyword (in this case, “journey”) is different from the display color of other keywords, for example, red. Etc. are highlighted. The selected keyword “journey” is stored in a keyword storage unit (not shown) of the user interface management unit 11.

  FIG. 7 shows another method for selecting a keyword. When the keyword save button 280 of the remote controller 200 is operated by the user, only the extracted first keyword “nature” is displayed in the program information display area 112 as shown in FIG. In addition, a cursor 113 is displayed on the right side below the keyword “nature”.

  Next, when the user operates the lower button 232 of the remote controller 200, as shown in FIG. 7B, the keyword “nature” moves down one step, and the next keyword “landscape” is displayed at the top. Is displayed. In this state, the cursor 113 is located to the right of the keyword “nature”.

  Further, when the user operates the lower button 232 of the remote controller 200, as shown in FIG. 7C, the keywords “nature” and “scenery” move down one step, respectively, The keyword “journey” is displayed. In this state, the cursor 113 is located on the right side of the keyword “landscape”.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7D, the cursor 113 is displayed on the right side of the keyword “journey” and the user operates the decision button 240 of the remote controller 200 in a state where the keyword “journey” is selected. Then, the selection of the keyword “journey” is determined, and the display color is highlighted such as red. The selected keyword “journey” is stored in a keyword storage unit (not shown) of the user interface management unit 11.

  FIG. 8 shows yet another method for selecting keywords. When the keyword save button 280 of the remote controller 200 is operated by the user, only the extracted first keyword “nature” is displayed in the program information display area 112 as shown in FIG. A cursor 113 is displayed to the right of the keyword “nature”.

  Next, when the user operates the lower button 232 of the remote controller 200, as shown in FIG. 8B, the keyword “nature” is deleted and the next keyword “landscape” is displayed. In this state, the cursor 113 is located on the right side of the keyword “landscape”.

  Further, when the user operates the lower button 232 of the remote controller 200, the keyword “landscape” is deleted and the next keyword “travel” is displayed as shown in FIG. 8C. In this state, the cursor 113 is located on the right side of the keyword “journey”.

  Further, when the user operates the lower button 232 of the remote controller 200, the keyword “journey” is deleted and the next keyword “Okinawa” is displayed as shown in FIG. 8D. In this state, the cursor 113 is located to the right of the keyword “Okinawa”.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8D, the cursor 113 is displayed on the right side of the keyword “Okinawa”, and the user operates the decision button 240 of the remote controller 200 while the keyword “Okinawa” is selected. Then, the selection of the keyword “Okinawa” is determined, and the display color is highlighted, for example, changed to red. The selected keyword “Okinawa” is stored in a keyword storage unit (not shown) of the user interface management unit 11. As described above, the user can easily select a desired keyword.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, a program information display area 112 is set in an area in the screen 110 of the television receiver 100 where the video of the program of the currently selected channel is not displayed. As shown in FIG. 9, the small screen 114 is displayed in the video display area 111 in which the video of the currently selected channel is displayed, and the program information is displayed in the small screen 114. And keywords can be displayed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, program information and keywords are transparently displayed in a predetermined area (transparent display area 115) in the video display area 111 where the video of the currently selected channel is displayed. It can also be. Here, the transparent display is to display the characters so that the background of the characters is transparent and the video is the background. In addition, the characters themselves can be displayed translucently.

  Next, a processing procedure of the television receiver 100 at the time of keyword selection determination will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S1, it is confirmed that the keyword storage button 280 of the remote controller 200 is operated when the television receiver 100 is displaying a program of a predetermined channel selected by the user on the screen 110. The user interface management unit 11 determines whether or not the control data to be indicated has been received by the remote control reception unit 13.

  As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the control data indicating that the keyword save button 280 has been operated by the user has not been received, the process returns to step S1 and the processes after step S1 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that control data indicating that the keyword save button 280 has been operated by the user has been received, the process proceeds to step S2.

  In step S2, the user interface management unit 11 acquires the current time when the user is viewing the program, the channel number of the channel on which the selected program is broadcast, and EPG data. The current time can be obtained from a clock circuit (not shown) provided in the television receiver 100. Since the EPG data is stored in the EPG data storage unit 8, it can be obtained therefrom. It is assumed that EPG data is periodically extracted by the EPG data extraction unit 7 and the latest EPG data is stored in the EPG data storage unit 8.

  Next, in step S3, based on the acquired EPG data, the user interface management unit 11 broadcasts the broadcast date and time of the program currently displayed on the screen 110 of the television receiver 100, the broadcast station name, the broadcast start time, and Display data for displaying the broadcast end time, program name, etc. in the program information display area 112 is generated and supplied to the OSD drawing unit 12. Thereafter, the processing as described above is performed, and the program information corresponding to the display data is displayed in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110 as shown in FIG.

  Next, in step S4, under the control of the user interface management unit 11, the “summary” included in the program information is separated and extracted from the EPG data.

  Next, in step S <b> 5, a word is cut out from “Synopsis” and is temporarily stored as a keyword in a memory provided in the user interface management unit 11. Next, under the control of the user interface management unit 11, the keyword extracted from “Synopsis” is read from the memory and displayed in the program information display area 112.

  Next, in step S6, it is determined whether or not the keyword to be saved has been selected and determined by the user from the keywords displayed in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110. The selection and determination of keywords are performed according to the procedure described above with reference to FIGS.

  As a result, if it is determined that the keyword to be stored has not yet been selected, the process of step S6 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the keyword to be saved has been selected, the selected keyword is saved in the keyword storage unit, and the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, it is determined whether or not the end of the process has been instructed by operating the power button 210 to turn off the power. As a result, when it is determined that the end of the process is not instructed, the process returns to step S6, and the processes after step S6 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the end of the process has been instructed, the present process ends.

  In addition, the order in which keywords are displayed in the program information display area 112 in step S5 can be set. For example, keywords (for example, “news”, “sports”, “variety”, “movie”, “drama”, “music”, “documentary”, etc.), Priority is given to keywords belonging to the categories "News", "Sports", "Variety", "Movies", "Drama", "Music", "Documentary", etc. (eg "Report", "Soccer", "Comedy", etc.) Or other keywords belonging to the category “Performer Name” (for example, “Moderator”, “Actor”, “Director”, “Screenwriter”, “Musician”, “Entertainer”, “Caster” )), And keywords belonging to lower-level categories “Moderator”, “Actor”, “Director”, “Screenwriter”, “Musician”, “Entertainer”, “Caster”, etc. Or it can be displayed.

  Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 12, a desired keyword is selected from the words (keywords) extracted from the program information, the selected keywords are classified into categories consisting of a plurality of hierarchies, and the folders corresponding to the categories are stored. The procedure for saving will be described.

  First, in step S21, the user interface management unit 11 determines whether or not the remote control receiving unit 13 has received control data indicating that the keyword classification storage button 290 of the remote control 200 has been operated. As a result, when it is determined that the remote control receiving unit 13 has not received control data indicating that the keyword classification storage button 290 of the remote controller 200 has been operated, the process of step S21 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the remote control receiving unit 13 has received control data indicating that the keyword classification storage button 290 of the remote controller 200 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S22, the channel number corresponding to the program displayed on the screen 110 of the television receiver 100 and the current time are acquired. Next, in step S23, EPG data including program information related to the program is acquired based on the acquired channel number and time. For example, if the program is a terrestrial digital broadcast program, EPG data including information on the terrestrial digital broadcast program is acquired.

  Next, in step S <b> 24, the user interface management unit 11 separates and extracts “summary” included in the program information from the EPG data. Next, in step S <b> 25, the user interface management unit 11 extracts and extracts words (keywords) from the “summary”.

  Next, in step S26, it is determined whether or not the extracted word has already been registered in a database (not shown) provided in the user interface management unit 11. As a result, when it is determined that the extracted word is not yet registered in the database, the process proceeds to step S27. On the other hand, if it is determined that the extracted word is already registered in the database, the process proceeds to step S29.

  In step S27, the user interface management unit 11 stores the extracted words in a temporary storage folder created in a memory or the like. Thereafter, in step S28, the words stored in the temporary storage folder are displayed in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110 by the processing described above. Then, the word selected by the user as described above is classified into a predetermined category by the user.

  That is, the user interface management unit 11 displays words read from the temporary storage folder and a plurality of categories as selection items in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110. For example, category names such as a category “program genre”, a category “performer name”, a category “keyword”, and the like are displayed. When the user operates the remote controller 200 to select a category, the user interface management unit 11 classifies the word into the selected category and stores it in a folder corresponding to the category.

  Next, in step S30, classification processing to a lower hierarchy is performed. That is, the user interface management unit 11 displays the category name of the lower hierarchy in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110. For example, when the word to be classified at the lower level is classified into the category “program genre”, the categories “news”, “sports”, “variety”, Display category names such as “movie”, “drama”, “music”, “documentary”, etc.

  In addition, when the word to be classified in the lower hierarchy is classified into the category “performer name”, the categories “moderator”, “actor”, “ Category names such as “Director”, “Screenwriter”, “Musician”, “Entertainer”, “Caster” are displayed.

  In addition, if the word to be classified in the lower hierarchy is classified in the category “keyword”, the category “noun”, “verb”, “adjective”, etc. Display the name.

  When the user operates the remote controller 200 to select a desired category name from the category names displayed in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110, the above words are classified into the selected category names, and in step S31, the corresponding words are selected. The above words are stored in the folder.

  On the other hand, if there is an extracted word in the existing database, the process proceeds to step S29, where it is determined whether or not the user is instructed to classify the extracted word into a lower hierarchy category by the operation of the remote controller 200 by the user. Is done. This instruction is performed, for example, by pressing the keyword classification storage button 290 again. As a result, when it is determined that the classification into the lower-level category is instructed, the process proceeds to step S30, and after the classification process is performed in the same manner as described above, the word is stored in the corresponding folder in step S31. The On the other hand, when it is determined that the classification into the lower-level category is not instructed, this process is terminated.

  The desired ones are classified into categories from the words (keywords) extracted from the EPG data and stored in the corresponding folder, thereby completing the word registration. In this way, a word can be registered by a simple operation of selecting a desired word from the words displayed on the screen 110 without inputting the word.

  When the word registration is completed, the registered word can be appropriately displayed in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110 by the user operating the remote controller 200. That is, the keyword stored in each folder is read out by the user interface management unit 11 and displayed in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110.

  The user selects a desired keyword from the keywords displayed in the program information display area 112 on the screen 110, and various processes such as viewing reservation, viewing restriction, and recording reservation are performed based on the selected keyword. Can be set.

  For example, when viewing reservation is set for the keyword “journey”, the user interface management unit 11 assigns the keyword “travel” to the “summary” or program name extracted from the program information of each program based on the EPG data. Is searched, a program obtained as a search result is reserved for viewing, and the program is switched to the channel on which the program is broadcast from the broadcast start time to the broadcast end time of the program to display the video display area 111. Is displayed.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, when the television receiver 100 has a recording device composed of a hard disk or the like, a recording reservation can be set for the keyword “travel” or the like. In that case, based on the EPG data, a program including the keyword “travel” in the “synopsis” or program name extracted from the program information of each program is searched, and the program obtained as a search result is reserved for recording. Recording of the program is executed between the broadcast start time and the broadcast end time of the program.

  Further, for example, it can be set so that the viewing restriction process is performed for a predetermined keyword. In that case, based on the EPG data, a program including a keyword set in the “summary” or program name extracted from the program information of each program is searched, and viewing of the program obtained as a search result is restricted. In other words, during the period from the broadcast start time to the broadcast end time of the program, the video of the program is restricted from being displayed on the screen 110, and the audio of the program is restricted from being output.

  In the above embodiment, the EPG data is extracted and acquired from the reception signal of the digital TV broadcast radio wave. However, the EPG data is accessed via the Internet and acquired from there. It can also be done. Alternatively, it is possible to extract and obtain EPG data superimposed on a reception signal of an analog television broadcast radio wave.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, when keywords are displayed in the program information display area 112, a higher priority is set for the keywords belonging to the upper hierarchy, and each hierarchy is lowered as the hierarchy descends from higher to lower. It is possible to lower the priority set for keywords belonging to, and display them in order from the highest priority.

  Alternatively, a higher priority is set for keywords belonging to the lower hierarchy, and the priority set for the keywords belonging to each hierarchy is lowered as the hierarchy goes from lower to higher, and the keywords are displayed in order from the highest priority. You can also

  Alternatively, priority can be arbitrarily set for keywords belonging to each category, and keywords related to the category “program genre” can be preferentially displayed, or keywords related to the category “performer name” can be preferentially displayed. .

  Further, after the keywords are stored in the corresponding folder according to the above-described procedure and are made into a database, one or a plurality of desired keywords are selected for each function from the keywords made in the database, and viewing reservation, recording reservation, viewing restriction, etc. It can be used for each function.

  In that case, a database keyword stored in the memory is read out and displayed in the program information display area 112, and a predetermined keyword is selected from the displayed keywords. At this time, the keywords displayed in the program information display area 112 can be displayed for each genre to which each keyword belongs, or can be displayed in order from the above-described highest priority.

  Next, a recording reservation method will be described. When the user operates the recording reservation button 270 of the remote controller 200 and the corresponding control data is transmitted to the television receiver 100, the user interface management unit 11 reads the recording reservation information stored in the memory.

  This video recording reservation information is set by the user by inputting the channel number, the broadcast date, and the broadcast start / end time, and the reservation data including the channel number, the broadcast date, and the broadcast start / end time, or the database as described above. It consists of reservation data for recording reservations based on keywords.

  Next, the user interface management unit 11 searches the recording reservation information for a time slot for which no recording reservation has been made, displays information on a program broadcast in the time slot obtained as a search result on the screen 110, and displays each program. The user selects whether or not to make a recording reservation every time. If the user selects not to make a recording reservation for all programs, the recording reservation process is terminated without making a recording reservation. On the other hand, when one or more programs that can be reserved for recording are selected, reservation data corresponding to the selected program is newly generated and stored. In this case, the program information displayed on the screen 110 can be limited to information related to all of the keywords stored in the keyword storage unit or a part selected by the user.

  In this way, it is possible to make a recording reservation quickly and efficiently in a free time zone in which no recording reservation is made. This method can also be applied when viewing reservations are made.

  When the user operates the remote controller 200 to input a time zone in which the user can view, the user interface management unit 11 stores the time zone in a memory, and searches for program broadcast in the time zone from the program information. The programs obtained as a search result are classified into programs that can be viewed from the start to the end of the program and programs that cannot be viewed partially, and the priority of programs that can be viewed is set high. Then, information (program name, etc.) related to the programs is displayed on the screen 110 of the video display unit 16 in order from the program with the highest priority.

  In this way, information related to a program broadcast in a viewable time zone can be displayed. Therefore, if there is a program that the user wants to view, the user can simply view the program simply by selecting information related to the program. be able to. Also in this case, the program information displayed on the screen 110 can be limited to information related to all of the keywords stored in the keyword storage unit or a part selected by the user.

  Next, a program search procedure using a keyword after storing the keyword will be described. After the keyword is stored in the keyword storage unit (not shown) of the user interface management unit 11 by the above-described procedure, when the keyword program search button 300 of the remote controller 200 is pressed by the user, the keyword storage is performed under the control of the user interface management unit 11. The keyword stored in the section is read out, and display data for displaying the read keyword in the program information display area 112 is generated and then supplied to the OSD drawing section 12. The OSD drawing unit 12 supplies the display data supplied from the user interface management unit 11 to the video / OSD signal synthesis unit 6. As a result, the video of the currently selected channel is displayed in the video display area 111 of the screen 110 of the television receiver 100, and the keyword list is displayed in the program information display area 112.

  When the user selects a desired keyword by operating the upper button 231 and the lower button 232 of the remote controller 200 and instructs the confirmation of the selection by operating the decision button 240, the program corresponding to the selected and confirmed keyword is displayed. Information (program title, broadcast date and time, broadcast channel, etc.) is searched based on the EPG data stored in the EPG data storage unit 8, and the program title, broadcast date and time related to the keyword obtained as a search result, A program list including broadcast channels and the like is displayed in the program information display area 112 of the screen 110. By selecting a desired program from the program list, the program can be viewed, reserved for viewing, or reserved for recording.

  Next, a procedure for setting keyword priorities after storing keywords will be described. After the keyword is stored in the keyword storage unit (not shown) of the user interface management unit 11 according to the procedure described above, when the keyword priority order setting button 310 of the remote controller 200 is pressed by the user, the keyword is controlled under the control of the user interface management unit 11. The keyword stored in the storage unit is read out, and display data for displaying the read keyword in the program information display area 112 is generated, and then supplied to the OSD drawing unit 12. The OSD drawing unit 12 supplies the display data supplied from the user interface management unit 11 to the video / OSD signal synthesis unit 6. As a result, the video of the currently selected channel is displayed in the video display area 111 of the screen 110 of the television receiver 100, and the keyword list is displayed in the program information display area 112. The keyword list is displayed in a predetermined order such as alphabetical order or aiueo order when priority is not set. Or it can also display in the order preserve | saved at the keyword memory | storage part.

  The user selects a desired keyword by operating the upper button 231 and the lower button 232 of the remote controller 200, and instructs confirmation of the selection by operating the determination button 240. When the up button 231 is operated after selecting and confirming the keyword, the selected keyword moves up by one step. On the other hand, when the down button 232 is operated, the selected keyword is moved down by one stage. After the keyword is moved to a desired position, the position of the keyword is determined by pressing the determination button 240. This vertical position corresponds to the priority order. That is, it is set so that the priority order of the keyword at the top level is the highest and the priority order becomes lower as it goes down. By repeatedly performing the above operation, a desired priority order can be set for all keywords. In addition, when keywords can be divided into categories, priorities can be set for each keyword within the category, and priorities can also be set between categories. For example, the priority of the category “sports” can be set higher than the priority of the category “news”.

  In the above embodiment, the keyword is extracted from the “summary” included in the program information. However, the keyword is extracted from not only the “summary” but also other information of the program information and displayed. Can do.

  Further, in the above embodiment, a search condition in which a plurality of keywords are combined using a logical operator is set, a program that matches the search condition is searched from EPG data, viewing reservation, recording reservation, viewing restriction, etc. It can be performed.

  The configuration and operation of the above embodiment are examples, and it goes without saying that they can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  As an application example of the present invention, for example, the present invention can be applied not only to a television receiver but also to viewing a digital television broadcast program using a portable terminal.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of one Embodiment of the television receiver with which this invention is applied. It is an external view of a remote controller. It is a figure which shows the state in which the program of the predetermined channel currently selected is displayed on the screen of a television receiver. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a synthetic | combination image | video. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a program information display area. It is a figure which shows the procedure in which the synthetic | combination image | video with which the image | video of the program, the program information, the keyword, etc. were synthesize | combined was displayed on the screen of the television receiver, and the keyword selection procedure. It is a figure which shows the other procedure which selects a keyword. It is a figure which shows the further another procedure which selects a keyword. It is a figure which shows that a small screen is displayed in an image | video display area, and program information and a keyword are displayed in it. It is a figure which shows that program information and a keyword are transparently displayed by the predetermined area | region within an image | video display area. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detailed process sequence of the television receiver at the time of keyword selection determination. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure which classify | categorizes a keyword into the category which consists of a several hierarchy.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna 2 Digital television broadcast image receiving part 3 Demultiplexer 4 Video decoding part 5 Audio decoding part 6 Video / OSD signal composition part 7 EPG data extraction part 8 EPG data storage part 9 Electronic program guide structure part 10 Electronic program guide screen generation part 11 User interface management unit 12 OSD drawing unit 13 Remote control reception unit 15 Audio output unit 16 Video display unit 100 Television receiver 110 Screen 111 Video display area 112 Program information display area 113 Cursor 114 Small screen 115 Transparent display area 200 Remote controller (remote controller) )
210 power button 220 channel selection button 231 up button 232 down button 233 left button 234 right button 240 enter button 250 volume control button 260 menu button 270 recording reservation button 280 keyword save button 290 keyword classification save button 300 keyword program search button 310 keyword priority Order setting button

Claims (8)

Program information acquisition means for acquiring program information relating to the program;
Program information storage means for storing the program information acquired by the program information acquisition means;
Extracting means for extracting a keyword from the program information;
A selection means for the user to select a desired one from the keywords extracted by the extraction means;
Keyword storage means for storing the keyword selected by the selection means;
Search means for searching for a program related to the keyword stored by the keyword storage means from the program information;
A keyword setting device comprising: an execution unit that executes a predetermined process in accordance with a search result obtained by the search unit. The selection means displays a list of the keywords extracted by the extraction means on a screen of a predetermined display device,
The keyword setting device according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined item is selected from the list of keywords displayed on the screen of the display device in accordance with an instruction from a user. Priority order setting means for setting a priority order for the keywords selected by the selection means;
The keyword setting device according to claim 2, wherein the selection unit displays the keywords on the screen of the display device in descending order of priority. The keyword setting device according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit performs a viewing reservation, a recording reservation, or a viewing restriction of a predetermined program according to a search result by the searching unit. The execution means stores reservation data corresponding to viewing reservation and recording reservation,
The selection means searches the reservation data for a free time zone in which no reservation is made, acquires information about a program broadcast in the free time zone from the program information, and selects the items of the display device as selectable items. The keyword setting device according to claim 2, wherein the keyword setting device is displayed on a screen. It further comprises a setting means for setting a viewable date and time and a time zone,
The said selection means searches the program relevant to the said keyword which is broadcast on the said date and time slot | zone from the said program information, and displays a search result on the screen of the said display apparatus. The keyword setting device described in 1. A program information acquisition step for acquiring program information relating to the program;
A program information storage step for storing the program information acquired in the program information acquisition step;
An extraction step of extracting a keyword from the program information;
A selection step for the user to select a desired one from the keywords extracted in the extraction step;
A keyword storage step for storing the keyword selected in the selection step;
A search step of searching for a program related to the keyword stored in the keyword storage step from the program information;
An execution step of executing a predetermined process in accordance with a search result in the search step. A program information acquisition step for acquiring program information relating to the program;
A program information storage step for storing the program information acquired in the program information acquisition step;
An extraction step of extracting a keyword from the program information;
A selection step for the user to select a desired one from the keywords extracted in the extraction step;
A keyword storage step for storing the keyword selected in the selection step;
A search step of searching for a program related to the keyword stored in the keyword storage step from the program information;
A keyword setting program that causes a computer to execute an execution step of executing a predetermined process in accordance with a search result in the search step.

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