JP2010206787A - Information processing apparatus, system for collecting audience information, and program for deciding viewing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus adapted to decide a television broadcast being viewed using collected information. <P>SOLUTION: An information collecting unit 102 extracts an acknowledgement to a process of changing a channel supplied to a tuner 120 from a broadcast processor 101 based on an input from a user. The information collecting unit 102 extracts an acknowledgement to sound information supplied to a sound card driver 142 from the broadcast processor 101 and to a process that instructs mute etc. in a sound output unit 140. A viewing decision unit 103 decides a broadcast content being viewed, in the case an acknowledgement to a process of instructing an operation of the tuner 120 and an acknowledgement to the process in the sound output unit 140 supplied to the sound output unit 140 from the broadcast processor 101 are identical. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of viewing a television broadcast using an installed tuner and software, a viewing information collection system that collects the actual state of viewing by the information processing apparatus, and a viewing determination program installed in the information processing apparatus. .

  In recent years, some information processing apparatuses such as personal computers and mobile phones are provided with tuners for television broadcasting. That is, the user can view a television broadcast using an information processing apparatus including a tuner for television broadcasting and a display device without having a conventional television receiver. In this way, viewing forms of television broadcasts are diversified. Accordingly, broadcasters, advertisement production companies, and the like have demands to grasp the viewing status of television broadcasts by the information processing apparatus, as in the case of conventional television broadcasts.

  In the case of a personal computer, it is possible to refer to an operation history of an application started on an operating system (OS) (for example, Patent Document 1). Therefore, a personal computer capable of viewing a television broadcast can refer to a history of tuner operations.

  There is also provided a method for examining the usage state of a personal computer by extracting the history of URLs accessed by the personal computer from the event log, which is the history of the operation of the personal computer (see, for example, Patent Document 2). ).

  As described above, in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a mobile phone capable of receiving a television broadcast, information regarding the viewing status of the television broadcast can be acquired.

Japanese Patent No. 3097033 Japanese Patent No. 3317705

  As a method of collecting information (event log or application usage data) in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a mobile phone, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a portable recording medium, a telephone line, etc. Information collected using various communication channels, e-mails, and the like.

  However, when a recording medium storing collected information is sent to a server, depending on the amount of information, it may be difficult to store in the recording medium. In the case of transmission using a communication channel, information sent from the information processing apparatus rushes to the collection server, and a load is applied to the network.

  Furthermore, in common with both methods of Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is a problem that the load for organizing information (event log or application usage data) collected in the information processing apparatus increases.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus that can determine that a television broadcast is being viewed, a viewing information collection system that can reduce the load on the network and server when collecting the actual state of viewing, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a viewing determination program that causes an information processing apparatus to execute processing for determining that a television broadcast is being viewed.

  In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention has the following features. A first feature of the present invention is an information processing apparatus having a viewing mode that is a state in which broadcast content transmitted by a broadcaster is reproduced, the receiving unit receiving data related to the broadcast content, and the receiving unit A broadcast processing unit that processes the received data in a viewable manner, a video output unit that outputs a video signal sent from the broadcast processing unit, and an audio output unit that outputs an audio signal sent from the broadcast processing unit And an information collecting unit that collects information related to operation of at least one of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, or the audio output unit, and the information collected by the information collecting unit Viewing that determines whether or not the viewing mode is selected based on information related to the operation or a combination of a plurality of information related to the operation Has a tough, a time information acquisition unit for acquiring time, the view determination unit is summarized in that determining whether the view mode to the time is selected.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes the viewing determination unit, and can determine whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the acquired time based on the information collected by the information collection unit. Therefore, the information processing apparatus can determine that the television broadcast is being viewed.

  A second feature of the present invention relates to the first feature of the present invention, wherein the viewing determination unit includes information related to the operation of the receiving unit and an operation supplied from the broadcast processing unit to the audio output unit. When the information related to is the same, the gist is to determine that the viewing mode is selected.

  A third feature of the present invention relates to the second feature of the present invention, wherein the information collection unit collects voice data output from the voice output unit, and the viewing determination unit receives from the voice output unit. The gist is to determine that the viewing mode is selected when a sound is output for a predetermined period.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the display according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the video output unit displays an actual video for a screen size for outputting the video signal. The gist is to determine that the viewing mode is selected when the size is changeable and the display determination unit has a display size larger than a predetermined size in the video output unit.

  A fifth feature of the present invention relates to any one of the first to third features of the present invention, and operates on each of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, or the audio output unit. The information related to the operation includes at least one of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, or the audio output unit instructed by the control unit. The gist is that it is a confirmation response for reporting to the control unit that the operation has been completed.

  A sixth feature of the present invention relates to the first feature of the present invention, wherein the information collecting unit collects at least one of a channel number and a channel frequency of a channel selected by the receiving unit, and The gist of the determination unit is to identify the broadcast content received at the time based on at least one of the channel number and the channel frequency and the time.

  A seventh feature of the present invention relates to the first feature of the present invention, and includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating a place where the information processing apparatus is installed, and the information collection unit includes: The position information is collected, and the viewing determination unit identifies the broadcast content received at the time based on at least one of the channel number and the channel frequency, the time, and the position information. This is the gist.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receiving unit that receives data related to broadcast content transmitted by a broadcaster, a broadcast processing unit that enables viewing of the received data, and a video signal sent from the broadcast processing unit. A viewing mode that is a state in which the broadcast content is played back, and a video information output unit that outputs the audio signal transmitted from the broadcast processing unit, and a time information acquisition unit that acquires time. Collecting information related to the operation of at least one of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, and the audio output unit in a computer mounted on the information processing apparatus having A viewing status indicating whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the time based on information related to the motion or a combination of a plurality of information related to the motion. And summarized in that a viewing determination program for executing the step of determining.

  A ninth feature of the present invention includes at least a video output unit that outputs a video signal, an audio output unit that outputs an audio signal, and a time information acquisition unit that acquires time, and is transmitted from a broadcaster. An information processing apparatus having a viewing mode in which broadcast content is reproduced, an information collection server that collects information related to viewing of the broadcast content in the information processing apparatus from information sent from the information processing apparatus, and the information A viewing information collection system comprising: an information aggregation server that aggregates information related to viewing collected in a collection server, wherein the information processing apparatus, the information collection server, and the information aggregation server are connected to each other via a network; A receiving unit connected to the network and receiving data related to the broadcast content; and the network A broadcast processing unit that processes the data received by the receiving unit so as to be viewable, and the information processing device is connected to the network and is configured to receive the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, and the video. An information collection unit that collects information related to the operation of at least one of the output unit and the audio output unit, and information related to the operation collected in the information collection unit, or a plurality of information related to the operation A viewing determination unit that determines a viewing state indicating whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the time, and a communication processing unit that communicates with the information collection server via a network. The gist of the communication processing unit is to transmit the viewing state and identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus to the information collection server.

  The viewing information collection system according to the present invention includes the viewing determination unit, and can determine whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the acquired time based on the information collected by the information collection unit. . Therefore, the information processing apparatus can determine that the television broadcast is being viewed. Further, the information processing apparatus determines whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the acquired time, and transmits information related to the time when the viewing mode is selected. Such a load can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus that determines that a television broadcast is being viewed using collected information. In addition, it is possible to provide a viewing information collection system that collects the actual state of viewing by the information processing apparatus. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a viewing determination program that causes an information processing apparatus to execute processing for determining that a television broadcast is being viewed.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a viewing information collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing an example of a viewing mode table according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing an example of a viewing content table according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining whether the viewing mode is selected. FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining broadcast content. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the real-time viewing mode. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the random viewing mode. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the recording / viewing mode. FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a viewing information collection system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  Next, a viewing information collecting system and an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Specifically, (1) schematic configuration of viewing information collection system, (2) configuration of information processing apparatus, (3) configuration of information collection server, (4) configuration of information aggregation server, (5) determination of viewing state A method, (6) viewing determination program, (7) another embodiment of the viewing information collection system, (8) operation and effect, and (9) other embodiments will be described.

  In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, the drawings are schematic and only conceptually show portions related to the present invention.

(1) Schematic Configuration of Viewing Information Collection System FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic configuration of a viewing information collection system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The viewing information collection system 1 is a device capable of receiving a television broadcast as an example of broadcast content, a viewing state indicating whether or not a viewing mode that is a state for reproducing the broadcast content is selected, and information related to viewing (hereinafter referred to as a viewing content). And viewing information). The viewing information includes, for example, a channel number, a channel frequency, and time. In this embodiment, a device capable of receiving a television broadcast is a personal computer, a mobile phone, or the like.

  The viewing information collection system 1 has an information processing apparatus 10 such as a personal computer that enables viewing of broadcast content transmitted from a broadcast station 60 (described later) of a broadcaster. Also, the viewing information collection system 1 aggregates the viewing information collected by the information collection server 20 and the information collection server 20 that collects the viewing information of the broadcast content in the information processing device 10 from the information sent from the information processing device 10. And an information totaling server 30. The information processing apparatus 10, the information collection server 20, and the information aggregation server 30 are connected to each other via the network 40.

  The viewing information collection system 1 collects the viewing state and viewing information of broadcast content from the information processing apparatus 10 registered in advance. The viewing information collection system 1 has a registration server 50. The registration server 50 has a monitor database 51. In the monitor database 51, identification information that can identify the information processing apparatus 10 and a profile of a user (called a monitor) that owns the information processing apparatus 10 are stored in association with each other. The monitor profile includes the user's name or abbreviation, age, gender, date of birth, occupation, marriage history, final education, annual income, information processing device 10 model, life consciousness, information on awareness items such as product involvement, etc. included.

  In the present embodiment, the registration server 50 is connected to the network 40. The viewing information collection system 1 includes a plurality of registered information processing apparatuses 10, 10a, 10b,. In this embodiment, a plurality of broadcasting stations 60, 60a, 60b,.

(2) Configuration of Information Processing Device FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating the information processing device 10. The basic configuration of the information processing apparatuses 10, 10a, 10b,... In FIG. Therefore, the configuration of the information processing apparatus 10 will be described below.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 10 includes an information processing unit 100, an information storage unit 110, a tuner 120, a video output unit 130, an audio output unit 140, an input unit 150, and a communication processing unit 160. Further, the information processing apparatus 10 may include a position information acquisition unit 170.

  The information storage unit 110 stores various types of information necessary for information processing in the information processing unit 100 described later. Further, the information storage unit 110 stores a program executed by the information processing unit 100. The information storage unit 110 temporarily stores data used when the information processing unit 100 executes a program. In the present embodiment, the information storage unit 110 includes a hard disk 111 and a hard disk driver 112 that drives the hard disk 111. Further, a semiconductor memory (not shown) is included.

  The tuner 120 receives a television broadcast wave transmitted from the broadcast station 60. The tuner 120 captures the video signal into the information processing apparatus 10. The tuner 120 receives, for example, a terrestrial digital television broadcast wave.

  The video output unit 130 includes a display unit 131 and a display unit driver 132 that drives the display unit 131. The display unit 131 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device (LCD). The video output unit 130 outputs a video signal received by the tuner 120 and processed by the information processing unit 100.

  The audio output unit 140 includes a sound card 141, a sound card driver 142 that drives the sound card 141, and a speaker 143. The audio output unit 140 outputs an audio signal received by the tuner 120 and processed by the information processing unit 100.

  The input unit 150 functions as an interface with a user (that is, a monitor) who uses the information processing apparatus 10.

  The communication processing unit 160 functions as an interface with the network 40. The communication processing unit 160 communicates with the information collection server 20 via the network 40. The communication processing unit 160 transmits the viewing state of the broadcast content, identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus 10, and the like to the information collection server 20.

  The position information acquisition unit 170 acquires position information where the information processing apparatus 10 is installed. The position information acquisition unit 170 is, for example, a GPS. The position information may be included in the profile of the monitor that is input when registered in the registration server 50. For example, the profile input when registered in the registration server 50 may be stored in advance in the information storage unit 110, and the position information may be extracted from the profile at a necessary timing.

  The information processing unit 100 includes a broadcast processing unit 101, an information collection unit 102, and a viewing determination unit 103. In addition, the information processing unit 100 includes a clock 104 that measures time. Further, although not shown, the information processing unit 100 also has a function as a driver for driving the tuner 120.

  The broadcast processing unit 101 processes the data related to the broadcast content received by the tuner 120 so as to be viewable. The broadcast processing unit 101 separates the terrestrial digital television broadcast wave into a video signal and an audio signal, and supplies them to the video output unit 130 and the audio output unit 140. The information collection unit 102 collects information related to the operation of at least one of the tuner 120, the broadcast processing unit 101, the video output unit 130, or the audio output unit 140. The viewing determination unit 103 determines a viewing state indicating whether or not the viewing mode is selected based on information related to the operation collected by the information collection unit 102 or a combination of a plurality of information related to the operation.

  The viewing mode includes a real-time viewing mode in which broadcast content received at the tuner 120 is played back at the same time as the broadcaster (broadcast station 60) broadcasts, and broadcast content received at the tuner 120 is broadcaster (broadcast). A time-shift viewing mode that is played back at a different time from the time broadcast by the station 60).

  The information processing unit 100, the broadcast processing unit 101, the information storage unit 110, the tuner 120, the video output unit 130, and the audio output unit 140 that constitute the information processing apparatus 10 all operate according to a program process executed by the system. The “system” in the present embodiment includes a so-called OS, an application that enables television viewing, or a dedicated application that sends information to the information collection unit 102.

  In the following description, the term “process” refers to a process of a program executed by the system unless otherwise specified.

  Here, the information related to the operation is the operation instructed by at least one of the information processing unit 100, the broadcast processing unit 101, the information storage unit 110, the tuner 120, the video output unit 130, and the audio output unit 140. Acknowledgment that reports to the system that it has completed. Each process has a process identifier (hereinafter referred to as a process ID). By using the confirmation response in which the operation instructed by the system is completed, it is possible to reliably determine whether or not the viewing mode is selected. The information related to the operation may be information that specifies the operation of the information processing unit 100, the broadcast processing unit 101, the information storage unit 110, the tuner 120, the video output unit 130, and the audio output unit 140. (Ie, process ID).

  Further, both the process ID and the confirmation response can be used. Thereby, the accuracy of the determination of whether or not the viewing mode is selected can be further increased.

  In the present embodiment, the information collection unit 102 confirms a response to a process that specifies the operations of the information processing unit 100, the broadcast processing unit 101, the information storage unit 110, the tuner 120, the video output unit 130, the audio output unit 140, and the like. To get. Also, the time is acquired from the clock 104.

  Specifically, the information collection unit 102 acquires a confirmation response to the process of changing a channel, which is supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the tuner 120 based on an input from the user. In addition, the information collection unit 102 acquires the channel number, channel frequency, and the like selected by the tuner 120. In addition, the information collection unit 102 acquires a confirmation response to the process of designating audio information, mute, and the like supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the sound card driver 142 in the audio output unit 140. In addition to the confirmation response, the information collection unit 102 acquires audio data output from the speaker 143. The audio data output from the speaker 143 is PCM data. In addition, the information collection unit 102 acquires a confirmation response to the process of reading the file supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the hard disk driver 112 in the information storage unit 110.

  In addition, the information collection unit 102 includes a tuner 120, an audio output unit 140, a confirmation response to a process for designating audio information supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the sound card driver 142, mute, etc., and a broadcast processing unit in the information storage unit 110. The time at which the system receives a confirmation response to the process of reading the file supplied from 101 to the hard disk driver 112 is acquired. Further, the information collecting unit 102 may acquire the time when these confirmation responses are sent to the system.

  Next, viewing mode determination by the viewing determination unit 103 will be described.

  The viewing determination unit 103 determines whether the viewing mode is selected at this time based on the result of the determination method described above and the time collected by the information collection unit 102.

  When the confirmation response to the process for designating the operation of the tuner 120 and the confirmation response to the process of the audio output unit 140 supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the audio output unit 140 are the same, the viewing determination unit 103 has a viewing mode. It is determined that it is selected.

  The viewing determination unit 103 counts the output period of PCM data output from the speaker 143 using the clock 104. When the period is longer than the predetermined period, it is determined that the viewing mode is selected.

  The viewing determination unit 103 has a confirmation response to the process in which the hard disk driver 112 is continuously driven by the same process ID as the process ID of the process that specifies the operation of the tuner 120 and the operation of the tuner 120 is specified. When the confirmation response to the process of the audio output unit 140 supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the audio output unit 140 is not the same, it is determined that the viewing mode is not selected.

  The viewing determination unit 103 further determines whether the above-described real time viewing mode or time shift viewing mode is selected. For example, although the hard disk driver 112 is continuously driven by the same process ID as the process ID of the process that specifies the operation of the tuner 120, the confirmation response to the process that specifies the operation of the tuner 120, and the broadcast processing unit 101. When the confirmation response to the process of the audio output unit 140 supplied to the audio output unit 140 is not the same, it is determined that the time-shift viewing mode is selected.

  The information processing apparatus 10 can change the display size for actually displaying video with respect to the screen size of the display unit 131. For example, the viewing determination unit 103 determines that the viewing mode is selected when the display size is larger than a predetermined size. For example, the process ID of a process such as mouse movement, mouse click, keyboard input, application movement on the screen, resizing, maximizing, minimizing, window deactivating, etc. It can also be used to determine viewing.

  Also, the viewing determination unit 103 determines that the viewing mode is selected according to the value of the proportion of the window that actually displays the video (referred to as screen occupancy) with respect to the screen size of the display unit 131. To do. For example, the viewing determination unit 103 determines that the viewing mode is selected when the screen occupation ratio is greater than a predetermined value.

  The information processing apparatus 10 can specify not only the viewing mode but also the broadcast content by providing the information storage unit 110 with broadcast content information corresponding to the channel number, channel frequency, time, and the like of the channel, for example. it can. Broadcast content information stored in the information storage unit 110 is updated at a predetermined timing.

  The viewing determination unit 103 receives at this time based on at least one of the channel number and channel frequency of the channel selected by the tuner 120 collected by the information collecting unit 102 and the time acquired by the clock 104. Broadcast content can be identified.

  Furthermore, the broadcast content received at this time can be specified using at least one of the channel number and channel frequency of the channel, the time acquired by the clock 104, and the position information collected by the information collecting unit 102. .

  When meta information is included in the broadcast content, the viewing determination unit 103 specifies the broadcast content using the meta information.

  As described above, the viewing determination unit 103 creates a table (viewing mode table) of the time when the viewing mode was selected using at least the time. The viewing mode table is stored in the hard disk 111. The communication processing unit 160 transmits the viewing mode table and identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus 10 to the information collection server 20 via the network 40.

  FIG. 3A shows an example of the viewing mode table. The viewing mode table lists the viewing mode selection start time and viewing mode selection end time.

  When the received broadcast content can be identified, the viewing determination unit 103 creates a broadcast content table (referred to as a viewing content table). The viewing content table is stored in the hard disk 111. The communication processing unit 160 transmits the viewing content table and identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus 10 to the information collection server 20 via the network 40.

  FIG. 3B shows an example of the viewing content table. The viewing content table includes a channel number or channel frequency, a viewing mode selection start start time, and a viewing mode selection end time.

(3) Configuration of Information Collection Server The information collection server 20 acquires, via the network 40, the viewing content table created based on the identification information and the viewing state of the information processing apparatus 10 sent via the network 40. . Although not shown, the information collection server 20 has a storage unit that stores the collected identification information and the viewing content table.

(4) Configuration of Information Aggregation Server The information aggregation server 30 acquires the identification information and the viewing content table of the information processing apparatus 10 collected by the information collection server 20 via the network 40. The information totaling server 30 acquires a monitor profile from the registration server 50. The information totaling server 30 calculates an index related to the viewing state from the viewing state of each broadcast content by an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a mobile phone that can receive a television broadcast.

(5) Viewing State Determination Method (5-1) Viewing Mode Determination Hereinafter, a viewing state determination method will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b).

  FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining whether or not the viewing mode is selected.

  In step S1, the information collection unit 102 collects confirmation responses to the process. The information collection unit 102 collects confirmation responses to processes sent from the system to the tuner 120, the information processing unit 100, the video output unit 130, and the audio output unit 140, and the time when the system receives the confirmation response.

  In step S2, the viewing determination unit 103 determines a viewing state indicating whether or not the viewing mode is selected using a confirmation response to the process sent from the system. In step S <b> 3, the viewing determination unit 103 determines that the confirmation response to the process specifying the operation of the tuner 120 is the same as the confirmation response to the process of the audio output unit 140 supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the audio output unit 140. (Step S3: yes), the process proceeds to Step S4.

  In step S <b> 3, the viewing determination unit 103 confirms the confirmation response to the process of designating the operation of the tuner 120, and the process of the audio output unit 140 supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the audio output unit 140. If the confirmation response to is not the same (step S3: no), the process returns to step S1.

  In step S <b> 4, the viewing determination unit 103 counts the output period of the PCM data output from the speaker 143 using the clock 104. In step S5, when it is longer than the predetermined period, it is determined that the viewing mode is selected, and the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, the viewing determination unit 103 creates a table of time (viewing mode table) when the viewing mode was selected.

  The communication processing unit 160 periodically transmits the viewing mode table to the information collection server 20. The communication processing unit 160 may transmit the viewing mode table to the information collection server 20 on time. Alternatively, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit the viewing mode table to the information collection server 20 in response to a request from the information collection server 20.

  FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the broadcast content received by the information processing apparatus 10 when the broadcast content can be specified.

  In step S11, the information collection unit 102 collects confirmation responses to the process. The information collection unit 102 collects confirmation responses to processes sent from the system to the tuner 120, the information processing unit 100, the video output unit 130, and the audio output unit 140, and the time when the system receives the confirmation response.

  In step S12, the viewing determination unit 103 determines a viewing state indicating whether the viewing mode is selected using a confirmation response to the process sent from the system. In step S <b> 13, the viewing determination unit 103 determines that the confirmation response to the process specifying the operation of the tuner 120 is the same as the confirmation response to the process of the audio output unit 140 supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the audio output unit 140. (Step S13: yes), the process proceeds to Step S14.

  In step S <b> 13, the viewing determination unit 103 checks the confirmation response to the process of designating the operation of the tuner 120 and the process of the audio output unit 140 supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the audio output unit 140. If the confirmation response to is not the same (step S13: no), the process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S <b> 14, the viewing determination unit 103 counts the output period of the PCM data output from the speaker 143 using the clock 104. In step S15, it is determined that the viewing mode is selected when the period is equal to or longer than the predetermined period.

  In step S16, the viewing determination unit 103 updates the viewing content table. The viewing determination unit 103 is a broadcast content that has been viewed based on the channel number or channel frequency of the channel selected by the tuner 120 collected by the information collecting unit 102, the time acquired by the clock 104, and the position information. Is identified.

  The communication processing unit 160 periodically transmits the viewing content table to the information collection server 20. The communication processing unit 160 may transmit the viewing content table to the information collection server 20 on time. Alternatively, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit the viewing content table to the information collection server 20 in response to a request from the information collection server 20.

(5-2) Determination of Real-Time Viewing Mode FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the real-time viewing mode. Specifically, a method for determining the real-time viewing mode will be described. The real-time viewing mode is a mode in which the information processing apparatus 10 receives and plays back at the time when the broadcast content is broadcast. The “real time” in the present embodiment includes a mismatch between the broadcast time and the playback time, which is caused by processing on the reception side of the propagated broadcast wave.

  In step S21, the information collection unit 102 receives the confirmation response to the process sent from the tuner 120, the information processing unit 100, the video output unit 130, and the audio output unit 140 to the system, the time when the system received the confirmation response, and the broadcast. The broadcast time broadcast at the station 60, that is, the time when the broadcast content is received and the playback time of the information processing apparatus 10 are collected.

  In step S <b> 22, the information collecting unit 102 receives the broadcast content and the time when the system receives the confirmation response, that is, at least the confirmation response to the process sent from the tuner 120, the video output unit 130, and the audio output unit 140. Compare the time the system received.

  In step S23, when the time when the system receives the confirmation response is included in the time when the broadcast content is received (step S23: yes), the viewing determination unit 103 proceeds to step S24. In step S23, the viewing determination unit 103 returns to step S21 when the time when the system receives the confirmation response is not included in the time when the broadcast content is received (step S23: no).

  In step S <b> 24, the viewing determination unit 103 counts the output period of the PCM data output from the speaker 143 using the clock 104. In step S25, when it is not less than the predetermined period, it is determined that the real-time viewing mode is selected, and the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S26, the viewing determination unit 103 creates a table (viewing mode table) of the time when the viewing mode was selected. The communication processing unit 160 periodically transmits the viewing mode table to the information collection server 20.

(5-3) Determination of Time Shift Viewing Mode Next, a method for determining the time shift viewing mode will be described. The time shift viewing mode further includes a random viewing mode and a recording viewing mode. Random viewing mode means that the content is recorded at the same time during the real-time viewing mode, and it is possible to return to the past part of the currently acquired content and play back, or between the past part and the content part being acquired. In this mode, the content portion is played back.

  For example, on the assumption that the broadcast content being broadcast in the broadcast frame including the current time is recorded in advance from the broadcast start time (which may be past from the current broadcast position), the viewer broadcasts it. This includes a playback method in which viewing is started 10 minutes after the start time and the commercial part is fast-forwarded while approaching the real-time broadcast position. Alternatively, on the assumption that the broadcast content being broadcast in the broadcast frame including the current time is recorded in advance from the broadcast start time (which may be past from the current broadcast position) This includes a playback method in which a past scene from the broadcast position is reproduced and viewed again, and the display returns to real-time viewing again.

  The recording / viewing mode is a mode in which broadcast content that has been completely recorded is played back in a time zone that is completely different from the actual broadcast frame of the broadcast content.

(5-3-1) Determination Method of Random Viewing Mode FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a determination method of the random viewing mode. Specifically, in the random viewing mode determination, the information collection unit 102 acquires the currently selected channel number, the current time, and time information indicating the viewing scene of the content included in the content being viewed. To do. The viewing determination unit 103 compares the current time with time information indicating a content viewing scene.

  In step S31, the information collection unit 102 executes a command (channel) for changing a channel among information exchanged between the tuner 120 and an application that is executed by the system and enables the information processing apparatus 10 to view TV. (Referred to as a change command), the currently selected channel is identified (viewing channel).

  In step S <b> 32, the information collection unit 102 acquires the current time from the clock 104.

  In step S <b> 33, the information collection unit 102 acquires time information (referred to as viewing position information) indicating a viewing scene of the broadcast content. The viewing position information is calculated by the information processing apparatus 10 with reference to the recording start time of the broadcast content. The recording start time is included in the time zone (broadcast frame) when the broadcast content is actually broadcast. The recording start time is also the time at the time of reception in the information processing apparatus 10. When the information processing apparatus 10 records broadcast content, the reception time may be associated with the broadcast content file.

  For example, when a viewer views a recorded broadcast content file, when viewing for 10 minutes, viewing position information “recording start time + viewing time 10 minutes” is acquired.

  For example, when a viewer plays back broadcast content using the information processing apparatus 10, interrupts, and then resumes playback of the broadcast content, that is, an application that enables the information processing apparatus 10 to play back the broadcast content is broadcast. When the playback of the content is interrupted and then re-executed, if it has a function that allows viewing from the previous continuation, the viewing position information is temporarily stored in the storage area such as the information storage unit 110 by the operation system. Stored in

  The information collection unit 102 acquires the viewing position information. The system may always notify the information collection unit 102 of the viewing position information of the broadcast content currently being played. For example, in Windows Media Center (registered trademark), the viewing position in the present embodiment related to the content played by the PC. In some cases, information corresponding to information can be acquired.

  In step S34, when the current time does not match the viewing position information (step S34: no), the viewing determination unit 103 proceeds to step S35. In step S <b> 35, the viewing determination unit 103 counts the output period of the PCM data output from the speaker 143 using the clock 104. In step S36, it is determined that the random viewing mode is selected when the predetermined period or longer, and the process proceeds to step S37.

  In step S37, the viewing determination unit 103 creates a table (viewing mode table) of the time when the viewing mode was selected. The communication processing unit 160 periodically transmits the viewing mode table to the information collection server 20.

  As described above, the random viewing mode can be determined.

(5-3-2) Recording / Viewing Mode Determination Method FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the recording / viewing mode determination method. Broadcast content reproduced in the recording / viewing mode is stored in the information storage unit 110 as a file.

  If a file (recorded file) in which recorded content is stored is opened and the content is continuously read, there is a high possibility that the recorded file is being reproduced.

  Therefore, in the recording / viewing mode determination method, the information collection unit 102 includes a plurality of confirmation responses related to reading of data from the information storage unit 110, confirmation responses from the audio output unit 140, confirmation responses from the tuner 120, and the like. Using the condition, it can be determined that the recording / viewing mode is set.

  In step S41, the information collection unit 102 acquires channel information from the file name of the recording file. Alternatively, channel information is acquired from management information (table of contents file) of the recording file. Alternatively, the channel information is acquired from the recording that accessed the recording file.

  In step S <b> 42, the information collection unit 102 acquires current time information from the clock 104.

  In step S43, information on the viewing position when the broadcast content of the recording file is being reproduced is acquired.

  In step S44, when the current time does not match the viewing position information (step S44: no), the viewing determination unit 103 proceeds to step S45. In step S <b> 45, the viewing determination unit 103 counts the output period of the PCM data output from the speaker 143 using the clock 104. In step S46, when it is longer than the predetermined period, it is determined that the recording / viewing mode is selected, and the process proceeds to step S47.

  In step S47, the viewing determination unit 103 creates a table (viewing mode table) of the time when the viewing mode was selected. The communication processing unit 160 periodically transmits the viewing mode table to the information collection server 20.

  As described above, it can be determined that the recording / viewing mode is set.

(6) Viewing Determination Program In the present embodiment, the viewing determination unit 103 and the information collection unit 102 may be prepared as dedicated hardware. Moreover, you may implement | achieve as a software module performed by control parts, such as CPU.

  Therefore, the processing shown in FIG. 3 is performed by a program that executes each software module prepared as described above on a general multitasking OS having functions such as device control, a multitasking operation environment, and a timer. This can be realized by operating the information processing apparatus 10.

  The viewing determination program is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 10 when registered in the registration server 50, for example. The viewing determination program is stored in the hard disk 111 of the information processing apparatus 10 and then installed, thereby causing the information processing unit 100 of the information processing apparatus 10 to operate as the information collection unit 102 and the viewing determination unit 103.

(7) Another Embodiment of Viewing Information Collection System Next, another embodiment of the viewing information collection system will be described. FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram illustrating the configuration of the viewing information collection system 2.

  In the viewing information collection system 2 shown in FIG. 8, an information collection server 20, an information aggregation server 30, a network 40, a registration server 50, an information processing device 10 ′, a reception device 60, and an information storage device 70 are connected to a network 40. Yes. In the viewing information collection system 2, the information processing apparatus 10 ′ only needs to have a configuration capable of reproducing broadcast content, and may not include a tuner that directly receives broadcast content.

  The receiving device 60 includes a tuner 61 and a broadcast processing unit 62 that processes data related to broadcast content received by the tuner 61 so as to be viewable. The information storage device 70 includes a hard disk 71 and a hard disk driver 72 that drives the hard disk 71.

  In the viewing information collecting system 2, the information processing apparatus 10 'corresponds to a personal computer. The information storage device 70 corresponds to a home server. In this case, the network 40 corresponds to, for example, a home network configured in the home. Although not shown in FIG. 8, the information totaling server 30, the network 40, and the registration server 50 are connected via a gateway server.

  That is, the viewing information collection system 2 can determine whether or not the viewing mode is selected at a certain time in the home network. In addition, it is possible to determine a real-time viewing mode or a time-shifted viewing mode among broadcast content viewing modes.

(8) Operation / Effect The information processing apparatus 10 includes the viewing determination unit 103, and determines whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the acquired time based on the information collected by the information collection unit 102. can do. Therefore, the information processing apparatus 10 can determine that the television broadcast is being viewed.

  The viewing information collection system 1 can determine whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the acquired time because the information processing apparatus 10 includes the viewing determination unit 103. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 10 determines whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the time, and transmits information related to the time when the viewing mode is selected to the network. Can be reduced.

(9) Other Embodiments As described above, the contents of the present invention have been disclosed through the embodiments of the present invention. However, it is understood that the description and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. Should not. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the type of process ID used for the determination is an example, and it can be determined that the broadcast content is being viewed using a process ID not illustrated in the embodiment. For example, the hardware connected to the input pin of the crossbar device driver and the process ID of the process supplied to the crossbar device driver can be used.

  In the present embodiment, the tuner 120 has been described as a tuner for terrestrial digital television broadcasting. However, the tuner 120 uses 12 segments of the frequency band allocated for terrestrial digital television broadcasting, so-called full segment broadcasting. It may be a tuner. Further, it may be a tuner for 4-segment broadcasting. Further, it may be a tuner for one-segment broadcasting.

  In the viewing mode determination method according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, the viewing determination unit 103 executes the determination process in step S2 and the determination process in step S4. It is not necessary to execute. For example, when a plurality of different confirmation responses are used for the purpose of improving the accuracy of determination, the tuner 120, the broadcast processing unit 101, the video output unit 130, or the audio output unit 140 collected by the information collecting unit 102 is used. The process ID of at least one of the processes, or the confirmation response that reports to the system that the operation instructed by the process has been completed.

  In this embodiment, the information collection unit 102 receives a confirmation response to the process sent from the system to the tuner 120, the information processing unit 100, the video output unit 130, and the audio output unit 140, and the system receives the confirmation response. Explained to collect time. However, the information collection unit 102 may acquire the time when the confirmation response is sent to the system instead of the time when the confirmation response is received by the system.

  In this embodiment, the viewing determination unit 103 has the same confirmation response to the process that specifies the operation of the tuner 120 and the confirmation response to the process of the audio output unit 140 supplied from the broadcast processing unit 101 to the audio output unit 140. In the case described above, it is determined that the viewing mode is selected. However, the viewing determination unit 103 may determine the viewing mode by video output instead of audio output. In this case, for example, the viewing determination unit 103 counts the output period of the video signal displayed on the display unit 131 by the clock 104. When the period is longer than the predetermined period, it is determined that the viewing mode is selected.

  In the embodiment, the expression “content reception” includes acquisition of content via the network 40 and the meaning of receiving a broadcast wave broadcast from the broadcast station 60.

  In the present embodiment, the time may be a time based on the clock 104 built in the information processing apparatus 10. For example, the time information is stored in a server such as the information collection server 20 and the information aggregation server 30 or another server. It may be obtained from a server-based clock provided. Furthermore, a time measuring device capable of acquiring accurate time information may be used.

  In the present embodiment, it has been described that the method for acquiring the selected channel information in the random viewing mode determination method or the like is acquired from an application. However, it may be acquired from image data such as a channel number displayed on the television screen when the channel is changed and a broadcasting station logo displayed at a predetermined position on the screen. From these image data, the channel number may be determined by a character recognition (character analysis) technique or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 10 such as a personal computer that enables viewing of broadcast content transmitted from the broadcast station 60 of the broadcaster has been described. However, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention is capable of determining that a television broadcast is being viewed as an example, and has a function capable of accessing a network and a server when collecting the actual state of viewing. Often, devices sold as so-called televisions (for example, televisions that support digital television broadcasting, televisions that only support one-segment broadcasting), devices that are sold as radios (radio that supports digital broadcasting), etc. It is included in this embodiment.

  In the viewing information collecting system 2 shown in FIG. 8, a device having the function of the information processing unit 100 in the information processing device 10 ′ may be connected to the outside of the information processing device 10 ′.

  As described above, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments that are not described herein. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the invention specifying matters according to the scope of claims reasonable from the above description.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Viewing information collection system, 10 ... Information processing apparatus, 20 ... Information collection server, 30 ... Information totaling server, 40 ... Network, 50 ... Registration server, 51 ... Monitor database, 60 ... Broadcasting station, 100 ... Information processing part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Broadcast processing part, 102 ... Information collection part, 103 ... Viewing determination part, 104 ... Clock, 110 ... Information storage part, 111 ... Hard disk, 112 ... Hard disk driver, 120 ... Tuner, 130 ... Video output part, 131 ... Display , 132 ... Display unit driver, 140 ... Audio output unit, 141 ... Sound card, 142 ... Sound card driver, 143 ... Speaker, 150 ... Input unit, 160 ... Communication processing unit, 170 ... Location information acquisition unit

Claims (11)

An information processing apparatus having a viewing mode in which broadcast content transmitted by a broadcaster is reproduced,
A receiving unit for receiving data relating to the broadcast content;
A broadcast processing unit that processes the data received by the receiving unit so as to be viewable;
A video output unit for outputting a video signal sent from the broadcast processing unit;
An audio output unit for outputting an audio signal sent from the broadcast processing unit;
An information collecting unit for collecting information related to the operation of at least one of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, or the audio output unit;
A viewing determination unit for determining a viewing state indicating whether or not the viewing mode is selected based on information related to the operation collected in the information collection unit or a combination of a plurality of pieces of information related to the operation;
A time information acquisition unit for acquiring time,
The viewing determination unit is an information processing apparatus that determines whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the time.   When the information related to the operation of the receiving unit and the information related to the operation supplied from the broadcast processing unit to the audio output unit are the same, the viewing determination unit is selected as the viewing mode The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 for determining. The information collection unit collects audio data output from the audio output unit;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the viewing determination unit determines that the viewing mode is selected when audio is output for a predetermined period from the audio output unit. The video output unit can change a display size for actually displaying video with respect to a screen size for outputting the video signal,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the viewing determination unit determines that the viewing mode is selected when a display size in the video output unit is larger than a predetermined size. . A control unit for instructing an operation to each of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, or the audio output unit;
The information related to the operation is that the control unit indicates that at least one of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, or the audio output unit has completed the operation instructed by the control unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus reports the confirmation response. The information collecting unit collects at least one of a channel number and a channel frequency of the channel selected by the receiving unit;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the viewing determination unit identifies the broadcast content received at the time based on at least one of the channel number and the channel frequency and the time. A position information acquisition unit for acquiring position information indicating a place where the information processing apparatus is installed;
The information collection unit collects the position information,
The information according to claim 1, wherein the viewing determination unit identifies the broadcast content received at the time based on at least one of the channel number and the channel frequency, the time, and the position information. Processing equipment.   The viewing determination unit compares the time when the broadcast content is received with at least the channel number of the broadcast content, the broadcast time information, and the time acquired from the time information acquisition unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast content broadcast on the channel number is determined to be played back in real time. The information processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores the broadcast content,
The broadcast content includes
Viewing position information which is time information indicating a viewing scene of the broadcast content;
The file information when stored as a file in the storage unit is stored in association with each other,
The said viewing determination part determines with the broadcast content memorize | stored in the said memory | storage part being reproduced | regenerated from the said viewing position information, the said file information, and the time acquired from the said time information acquisition part. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9. A receiving unit that receives data related to broadcast content transmitted by a broadcaster, a broadcast processing unit that enables viewing of the received data, a video output unit that outputs a video signal sent from the broadcast processing unit, An audio output unit that outputs an audio signal sent from the broadcast processing unit, and a time information acquisition unit that acquires time, and is mounted on an information processing apparatus having a viewing mode in which the broadcast content is reproduced On the computer,
Collecting information related to operation of at least one of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, and the audio output unit;
And a step of determining a viewing state indicating whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the time based on the collected information related to the motion or a combination of a plurality of pieces of information related to the motion. At least a video output unit that outputs a video signal, an audio output unit that outputs an audio signal, and a time information acquisition unit that acquires time, and is a state in which broadcast content transmitted from a broadcaster is played back An information processing apparatus having a mode;
An information collection server for collecting information related to viewing of the broadcast content in the information processing device from information sent from the information processing device;
Viewing information collection comprising: an information totaling server for totaling information related to viewing collected by the information collecting server, wherein the information processing apparatus, the information collecting server, and the information totaling server are connected to each other via a network A system,
A receiving unit connected to the network and receiving data relating to the broadcast content;
A broadcast processing unit connected to the network and processing the data received by the receiving unit so as to be viewable;
The information processing apparatus includes:
An information collecting unit that is connected to the network and collects information related to the operation of at least one of the receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, the video output unit, and the audio output unit;
A viewing determination unit that determines a viewing state indicating whether or not the viewing mode is selected at the time based on information related to the motion collected in the information collecting unit or a combination of a plurality of pieces of information related to the motion; ,
A communication processing unit that communicates with the information collection server via a network;
The communication processing unit is a viewing information collection system that transmits the viewing state and identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus to the information collection server.

Images