JPH11154181A - Shopping system in bi-directional television service - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To execute check with a product condition after a product arrives by receiving, storing and preserving product information which cannot be displayed enough in program data of the product. SOLUTION: A preservation data generation means 13 collects/compiles product information which cannot be displayed enough in program data or required information which a viewer or a purchaser has sufficiently to recognize for purchasing the product and it makes them into data. The transport stream signal of a shopping program, which is selected/demodulated in a reception means 23, is separated into program data and preserved data by a data stream separation means 24. Preserved data is outputted/stored to/in a preservation means 28. At the time of recognizing preserved data of the past purchased products after the purchaser purchase-orders the product which he desires to purchase, preserved data of the designated product is decoded from preserved data outputted from the nonvolatile storage area of the preservation means 28 by using the key of a user I/F means 27. It is outputted to a display means 26 and a video is displayed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to multiplex transmission of merchandise information and sales contract condition data of the merchandise using a digital television broadcast signal, reception and reproduction of the multiplexed broadcast signal, and reproduction of a desired merchandise. This is a shopping system of an interactive television service for making a purchase order via a telephone line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a television shopping method of transmitting product information by using a television broadcast signal and purchasing the product from the product information, a product is introduced by video and audio signals of the TV signal, The product is introduced as a character multiplexed signal obtained by multiplexing a character information data signal. The product purchaser receives and reproduces the video, audio, or character multiplex signal with a television receiver, notes the product number of the desired product, and places a purchase order by telephone at a later date. In some cases, a memo mistake of the product number or erroneous dialing of the telephone number occurs, or purchase conditions such as the ordered product, the price, and the timing of payment due to the lapse of time from the order to the arrival of the product may be forgotten. As a method for preventing this memo mistake, erroneous dialing, and forgetting the purchase condition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-93555 discloses an automatic telephone connection at the time of order based on shopping data in a character multiplex signal.
A television receiver that stores and stores information on ordered products and reads out and displays the information at any time is described. The data to be stored and stored in the television receiver is the data range transmitted by the character multiplex signal, and the amount of data transmitted by the character multiplex signal is very small. Therefore, the stored data is
Item, price, quantity, total amount, payment date, lump-sum or installment payment method, amount and number of remaining payments per installment payment, payment end information, purchase date, and warranty period.

[0003]

In the conventional television shopping, a purchaser decides to purchase from a product introduced by video and audio received and reproduced by a television receiver. The size and various performance specifications may differ from the product intended by the purchaser, or the product may be damaged during transportation. May differ from this buyer ’s intent,
When the product is damaged, the conditions for canceling or returning the product are processed according to the conditions described in the manual attached to the product or the purchase contract. However, there is no guarantee that these manuals and purchase contracts will always be attached, and especially in terms of the performance specifications of the product, the purchaser memorizes the contents introduced in the video and audio received and played back on the TV set, Relying on For this reason, there is a problem that causes a trouble after the purchase of the product due to a difference in the recognition of the product by the purchaser and forgetting.

On the other hand, shopping information in a television broadcast signal introduces a large number of products within a limited time,
The content of the provided information on each product is also limited. In addition, if all necessary information of a product to be introduced in a television broadcast signal is transmitted, an extremely large-capacity storage storage memory is required to store and store all the necessary information of the product transmitted by the television receiver. Is required, which causes an increase in the cost of the television receiver. Therefore, there is a problem that a small-capacity memory for storing only limited product information must be used.

According to the present invention, program data for introducing a product and storage data of product information that cannot be fully introduced by the program data of the product are generated, and the program data and the storage data are multiplexed and transmitted by a transport stream. A digital television broadcast signal and the program data are reproduced and displayed on a television receiver that receives and reproduces the television signal, and the stored data is stored and stored in a small-capacity memory provided in the television receiver, or The present invention provides a shopping system for an interactive television service capable of storing and storing stored data of purchased products of a purchaser and checking the product conditions after the products arrive.

[0006]

At least program data generating means for generating program data for product introduction information, storage data generating means for generating storage data for each product which cannot be fully introduced by the program data, A broadcast apparatus having multiplex transmission means for multiplexing the data generated by the program data generation means and the stored data generation means, generating a digital television transport stream signal, and modulating and transmitting;
Receiving means for selectively receiving and demodulating a digital television signal transmitted from the broadcasting device; data stream separating means for separating the digital television transport stream signal received and demodulated by the receiving means into the program data and stored data; Program data decoding means for decoding program data separated by the data stream separation means, display means for displaying product introduction information in video and audio from a signal decoded by the program data decoding means, and display on the display means A user interface means for inputting a purchase order by a user operation based on the product introduction information and generating a purchase request signal and a confirmation request signal, and a product purchase request to a purchase applicant based on the purchase request signal generated by the user interface means. Purchase request sending means for generating and transmitting a signal; A storage unit for temporarily storing the storage data separated by the data stream separation unit, and storing the storage data of the product to be purchased based on a purchase request signal from the user interface unit, and a confirmation request signal from the user interface unit. A receiving device having a storage data decoding unit that extracts and decodes the storage data stored in the storage data unit and displays the decoded data on the display unit, wherein the storage data includes, in addition to a product name and price information, a) a still image or graphic information that can grasp the appearance and shape of the product, (b) payment method and payment condition information,
(C) A shopping system for an interactive television service, characterized by having at least one of the cancellation method and cancellation condition information (a) to (c).

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a shopping system for an interactive television service according to the present invention.

Reference numeral 11 in the figure denotes a broadcast station, which is a program data generating means 12 for generating program data for news, drama, music, sports, movies, shopping, etc., and which complements the program data, for example, character information, commentary, etc. Information, storage data generating means 13 for generating various data such as athlete performance information, and the data generated by the program data generating means 12 and the storage data generating means 13 are multiplexed according to the digital television transport stream structure. Multiplexing means 14 for generating a transmission signal;
And a transmitting antenna 15 for transmitting the signal generated in step (1) as a digital television signal.

If it is assumed that a shopping program is produced and transmitted from the broadcasting station 11, the program data generating means 12
Then, data for product introduction such as the appearance, performance, use example, and price of the product for product introduction are generated. In the program data generating means 12, since a large number of products are introduced within a limited time, there is information that cannot be introduced with respect to the corresponding product. For this reason, the storage data generating means 13
Then, the relevant product information that cannot be fully introduced and information that the viewer or the purchaser (hereinafter referred to as a purchaser) needs to fully recognize in purchasing the product are collected, edited, and converted into data.
The data contents to be collected and edited by the storage data generating means 13 include specification conditions such as appearance shape dimensions and performance of the product, product images such as appearance images or drawings, guarantee methods and conditions, payment methods and conditions, and warranty repairs. Convert conditions and other data into data.

Reference numeral 21 in the figure denotes a receiving device, which is a receiving antenna 22 for receiving a digital television signal transmitted from the broadcasting station 11, and selecting a desired broadcast channel from the digital television signal received by the receiving antenna 22. Receiving means 23 for performing station demodulation; data stream separating means 24 for separating and outputting the program data and stored data from the data stream of the digital transport stream signal of the channel selected and demodulated by the receiving means 23; A program data decoding unit 25 for decoding the program data separated by the separation unit 24; a display unit 26 for displaying video and audio based on the signal decoded by the program data decoding unit 25; Product order based on product introduction data of signal decoded by User interface means (hereinafter, referred to as user I / F means) 27 for making a request input and generating a product purchase request signal; storage means 28 for storing the storage data separated by the data stream separation means 24; A storage data decoding unit 29 which extracts storage data of a corresponding product from the storage data stored and stored in the storage data 28 according to a product purchase request signal from the user I / F unit 27 and decodes the data.
And a purchase request transmitting means having a function of generating a purchased product identification signal such as a purchased product name or number and a purchaser identification signal based on a product purchase request signal output from the user I / F means 27 and connecting to a telephone line. 30. The purchase request sending means 30 of the receiving device 21
Is connected to the purchase application destination 32 via the telephone line 31.

It is assumed that a digital television signal transmitted from the broadcasting station 11 is received by the receiving device 21 and a shopping program channel in the signal is selected and demodulated by the receiving means 23. The transport stream signal of the shopping program is separated by the data stream separating means 24 into program data and stored data. The separated program data is decoded into a predetermined format signal by the program data decoding means 25 and output to the display means 26.
In this display means 26, the broadcast station 1 is displayed by video and audio.
The introduction data of various commodities transmitted from 1 are sequentially displayed. Further, the output of the program data decoding means 25 is also supplied to the user I / F means 27. The purchaser views the product introduction data displayed on the display means 26 and, when a product desired to be purchased is introduced, uses the key provided on the user I / F means 27 to change the product number of the corresponding product. input.

On the other hand, the data stream separating means 24
The storage data separated by is output to the storage means 28 and stored. The storage means 28 has a temporary storage area and a non-volatile storage area, and the data stream separation means 2
4 is stored in a temporary storage area of the storage unit 28. The product number desired by the purchaser input by the user I / F means 27 is converted into data and output to the storage means 28 and the purchase request sending means 30. The storage means 28 is provided with the user I / F means 27
The storage data of the corresponding product number is extracted from the storage data stored in the temporary storage area on the basis of the purchase desired product number data output from, and transferred to the non-volatile storage area and stored. Further, the purchase request sending means 30 generates a purchaser identification signal, and places a purchase order for the product with the purchase application destination 32 via the telephone line 31 together with the purchase desired product number data. At this time, the telephone number data of the purchase application destination 32 included in the program data is transmitted from the program data decoding unit 25 to the user I / F unit 2.
7 and a function of outputting the telephone number data together with the desired product number data inputted by the purchaser from the user I / F means 27 to the purchase request sending means 30 and automatically dialing based on the telephone number data. In the purchase request sending means 30.

Next, when the purchaser confirms the stored data of the past purchased goods after the purchase order of the desired goods, the key of the user I / F means 27 is used to store the data in the nonvolatile storage of the storing means 28. A control signal for reading out the purchased product storage data stored in the area is generated and output, and the storage unit 28
Is output to the stored data decoding means 29. This stored data decoding means 29
Decodes the storage data of the designated product from the storage data output from the non-volatile storage area of the storage unit 28, and outputs the decoded data to the display unit 26 for video display.

In other words, the broadcasting station 11 can collect, edit, and transmit product information and purchase information that cannot be fully introduced in the program data as storage data. It is possible to confirm the presence or absence of payment, and to confirm the conditions such as payment upon arrival of goods, warranty repair, and cancellation. Further, the storage means 28 for storing the stored data includes:
By having both temporary storage and non-volatile storage areas, it is not necessary to use a large storage capacity to store only storage data of purchased products from storage data in a broadcast signal in the non-volatile storage area. 21 can be prevented from rising.

Next, an application example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

This application example is to prevent a product introduced by a shopping program transmitted from the broadcasting station 11 and a purchaser from causing a trouble of a product transaction or a product content after the purchase or a trouble. In order to solve the trouble quickly and correctly, a third-party check organization 35 is provided. The third-party check organization 35 stores and stores shopping program information transmitted from the broadcasting station 11 and investigates erroneous transmission of information contents. To check.

The third party checking organization 35 includes a receiving antenna 36 for receiving the digital television signal transmitted from the broadcasting station 11, and a receiving means 37 for selecting and demodulating the broadcasting signal received by the receiving antenna 36. A data stream separating means 38 for separating the digital TV transport stream signal selected and demodulated by the receiving means 37 and outputting program data and storage data; Program data decoding means 39 for decoding into a predetermined format signal
A storage data decoding unit 40 for decoding the storage data separated by the data stream separation unit 38 into a predetermined format signal; and a program data decoding unit 39
And the stored data content checking means 41 for checking the consistency between the product information introduced by the program data in the two predetermined format signals decoded by the stored data decoding means 40 and the product information introduced by the stored data, and storing the same. It is configured.

That is, the third-party checking organization 35
A shopping program produced and transmitted by the broadcasting station 11,
Checks whether the product introduced in the program data and the stored data transmitted at the same time as the product are the stored data content of the relevant product.For example, the product number introduced in the program data and the product number transmitted in the stored data Match
The program and the save data are stored and saved. If there is an error in the matching between the program data and the stored data, the third-party checking organization 35 corrects the program and the stored data from the third-party checking organization 35 to the broadcasting station 11 using a communication line (not shown). It has a function to prompt correction and prevent a trouble caused by a purchaser's misalignment between program data and stored data. Further, when the purchaser stores the stored data different from the purchased product in the permanent storage area of the storage unit 28 due to an operation error of the receiving device 21, when the trouble occurs during the receipt of the purchased product or during the use of the product, Third party checking organization 35
It is possible to solve a trouble early based on a program recorded and stored in the PC.

Next, a modified example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The difference between FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of the modification of FIG. 3 is that the data stream separating means 24 of the receiving device 21
Extracts and separates only program data from the digital television transport stream signal selected and demodulated by the receiving means 23, and does not extract and separate stored data. Therefore, the storage means 28 of the storage data and the storage data decoding means 2
9 is not included. However, the receiving device 21
The purchase request sending means 30 includes a third-party organization 45 described later.
, A dialing function for connecting via a telephone line 31 is additionally installed.

The third party 45 selects a receiving antenna 46 for receiving a digital television broadcast signal transmitted from the broadcasting station 11 and a desired broadcast channel from the broadcast signal received by the receiving antenna 46. A broadcast receiving means 45 for demodulating a digital television transport stream signal of the broadcast channel and extracting and outputting only stored data of the transport stream signal, and a purchaser to be described later from the stored data output from the broadcast receiving means 47. Storage data selecting means 48 for selectively extracting the stored data of the purchased product based on the purchase request from the customer, storage means 49 for storing the stored data selected and extracted by the stored data selecting means 48, and the telephone line 31. Is connected to the user I / F unit 2 of the receiving device 21
7, a purchase request receiving means 50 for receiving a purchase request signal from the purchase request sending means 30 and outputting a selection signal of a product desired by the purchaser to the stored data selecting means 48.

That is, the display means 26 of the receiving device 11
Shows only the program data decoded by the program data decoding means 25. When a product to be purchased is determined from the program data displayed on the display means 26, an order signal is generated from the user I / F means 27, and the purchase request sending means 30 is connected to the purchase application destination via the telephone line 31. 32 and the third party 45. On the other hand, the third party 45 receives the broadcast signal of the shopping program transmitted from the broadcasting station 11, selects and extracts the stored data in the shopping program signal, and receives the data from the receiving device 21 via the telephone line 31. The received purchase request signal is received by the purchase request receiving means 50, and the stored data of the product corresponding to the product number in the purchase request signal is selectively extracted by the stored data selection means 48 and stored in the storage means 49. . The storage data stored in the storage means 49 is
For example, for each product, a list of purchaser identification numbers and storage data of the product are stored in pairs.

As a result, the receiving device 21 does not need the storage means 28 and the stored data decoding means 29,
Further, it is not necessary to generate an output from the user I / F unit 27 for controlling the storage unit 28 and the stored data decoding unit 29. Further, the third-party organization 45 has a capacity for storing the storage data for which the purchase order is placed in order to store only the storage data for which the purchase order is placed from the purchaser in the broadcast signal from the broadcasting station 11. Is enough.

Next, another modified example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in FIG.
The detailed description is omitted.

The difference between FIG. 4 and another modification of FIG.
The broadcast station 11 is provided with a confirmation data receiving unit 51,
The point is that the third party organization 45 is provided with a confirmation data transfer means 52. Further, the user I /
The F means 26 is provided with an order confirmation function, and when a purchase order confirmation request is input, a confirmation request signal is generated from the purchase request sending means 30 and the third party 45 is transmitted via the telephone line 31. Is output to the purchase request receiving means 50. The purchase request receiving means 50 extracts the corresponding data of the confirmation request purchaser from the data such as the purchaser identification signal and the order item number stored in the storage means 49 based on the confirmation request signal. The data is output to the confirmation data transfer means 52 and transmitted from the third party organization 45 to the purchase request receiving means 53 of the broadcasting station 11. Upon receiving the confirmation data transmitted from the confirmation data transfer means 52 of the third party organization 45, the confirmation data receiving means 53 of the broadcasting station 11 outputs the data to the multiplex transmission means 14, and the multiplex transmission means 14 A multiplexed digital television signal is generated together with a generated signal from the program data generating means 12 and the stored data 13 to be multiplexed and transmitted to the receiving device 21. On the other hand, the broadcasting station 11 produces and transmits a plurality of programs, and a viewing contract for each viewing program is concluded with the receiving device 21. Based on the viewing contract, each receiving device 21 An identification signal of the receiving device 21 indicating a viewable program is multiplexed. Therefore, when a purchase confirmation request is received from the purchaser via the third party organization 45, the purchase confirmation data can be transmitted using the receiving device identification signal, thereby securing the privacy of the purchaser. , And can also respond to a confirmation request.

It should be noted that the third-party checking organization 35 of the application example of the embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 2 is provided with the third-party organization 45 of the modification example described with reference to FIGS.
More advanced services can be provided in response to requests from buyers.

Further, according to the present invention, the broadcasting station 11, the receiving device 21, the third type checking organization 35 and the third party organization 45 are provided.
Although the transmission of the digital television broadcast signal between the two uses radio transmission using the transmission antenna 15, the reception antenna 22 and the antenna 46, the transmission of the broadcast signal using a cable may be used. Although the telephone line 31 was used to transmit the request signal to the application destination 32, the third-party check organization 35, and the third-party organization 45, the signal transmitted by the cable was divided into a downstream signal and an upstream signal, so that the same cable was used. It is also possible to do.

[0028]

According to the invention described above, the storage data for each product of the shopping information is generated and transmitted as a digital multiplex signal together with the program data, so that only the storage data of the product ordered for purchase is stored. By providing the means in the receiving device or a third party, for the trouble after purchasing the product, the conditions for solving the problem can be quickly identified from the stored data, and the trust relationship between both the product purchasing side and the selling side is established. This has the effect of realizing a maintained interactive digital television shopping system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an interactive digital television shopping system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an application example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another modification of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... broadcast station, 12 program data generation means, 13 stored data generation means, 14 multiplex transmission means, 15 transmission antenna, 2
1 receiving apparatus, 22 receiving antennas, 23 receiving means, 24 data stream separating means, 25 program data decoding means, 26 display means, 27 user interface means, 28 storage means, 29 stored data decoding means, 30
Purchase request sending means, 31 telephone line, 32 purchase application destination, 3
5 third party checking organization, 36 receiving antenna, 37 receiving means, 38 data stream separating means, 39 program data decoding means, 40 stored data decoding means, 41 stored data contents checking means.

Claims (4)

[Claims] At least program data generating means for generating program data for product introduction information, storage data generating means for generating storage data for each product which cannot be introduced by the program data, and program data generation Means for multiplexing the data generated by the means and the stored data generating means to generate a digital TV transport stream signal, and then modulating and transmitting the signal; and selectively receiving and demodulating the signal transmitted from the broadcasting apparatus. Receiving means, a data stream separating means for separating the digital television transport stream signal received and demodulated by the receiving means into the program data and the stored data, and program data for decoding the program data separated by the data stream separating means. Decoding means, and a signal decoded by the program data decoding means Display means for displaying product introduction information in video and audio from the user, a user interface means for inputting a purchase order by a user operation based on the product introduction information displayed on the display means, and generating a purchase request signal and a confirmation request signal. A purchase request sending means for generating and transmitting a product purchase request signal to a purchase application destination based on the purchase request signal generated by the user interface means; and temporarily storing storage data separated by the data stream separating means, A storage unit for storing storage data of the purchased product based on a purchase request signal from the interface unit; and a confirmation request signal from the user interface unit, extracting and decoding the storage data stored in the storage data unit, A receiving device having stored data decoding means for displaying on the display means. The stored data, in addition to the product name and price information,
(A) Still image or graphic information from which the appearance shape of the product can be grasped, (b) payment method and payment condition information, (c) cancellation method and cancellation condition information, and at least one of (a) to (c) An interactive television service shopping system characterized by having information. 2. A receiving means for selectively receiving and demodulating a digital television signal transmitted from the broadcasting device; a data stream separating means for separating a data stream demodulated by the receiving means into program data and storage data; Program data decoding means for decoding program data separated by the stream means, storage data decoding means for decoding storage data separated by the data stream separation means, data decoded by the program data decoding means and storage data decoding means And a third-party check organization device having a stored data content checking means for storing and storing the stored data. The stored data content checking means checks the consistency between the program data and the stored data. If there is a difference, the program data transmitted from the broadcasting device 2. A shopping system for a dual television service according to claim 1, wherein either the data or the stored data is corrected. 3. At least program data generation means for generating program data for product introduction information, storage data generation means for generating storage data for each product which cannot be introduced by the program data, and program data generation Means for multiplexing the data generated by the means and the stored data generating means to generate a digital TV transport stream signal, and then selecting a digital television signal transmitted from the broadcasting apparatus having a multiplex transmission means for modulating and transmitting. Receiving means for receiving and demodulating, and data stream separating means for separating the program data in the digital television transport stream signal received and demodulated by the receiving means,
Program data decoding means for decoding the program data separated by the data stream separation means; display means for displaying product introduction information in video and audio from a signal decoded by the program data decoding means; and display means for displaying on the display means. User interface means for inputting a purchase order by a user operation based on product introduction information to generate a purchase request signal, and generating a product purchase request signal to a purchase applicant based on the purchase request signal generated by the user interface means A receiving device having a purchase request sending means for transmitting, a broadcast receiving means for receiving and demodulating a digital television signal transmitted from the broadcasting device, and separating stored data in the transport stream signal; and Receiving the purchase request signal from the purchase request sending means, and Purchase request receiving means for generating a signal for selecting and controlling the stored data; temporarily storing the stored data separated by the broadcast receiving means; and A third-party device having storage data selection means for selecting storage data, and storage means for storing the storage data selected by the storage data selection means, wherein the storage data includes a product name and a price. In addition to the information, (a) Still image or graphic information that can grasp the appearance and shape of the product, (b) Payment method and payment condition information, (c) Cancellation method and cancellation condition information (a)
A shopping system for an interactive television service, comprising at least one piece of information from among (c) to (c). 4. The user interface means of the receiving device has a purchase confirmation request input function, and has a function of generating and transmitting a purchase confirmation request signal to the third party device in response to the purchase confirmation request input. The receiving device having the purchase request sending unit; a purchase request receiving unit of the third party device having a function of receiving a purchase confirmation signal transmitted from the receiving device and generating a purchase confirmation signal; In accordance with the purchase confirmation signal generated by the purchase request receiving means, the stored data is extracted and controlled based on the purchase request from the receiving device stored in the storage means, and confirmation data is generated and transmitted to the broadcasting device. The third-party device having a confirmation data transfer unit, and the receiving device in response to a purchase confirmation request signal transmitted from the third-party device. And a broadcast device having a function of retransmitting the stored data that has been requested.The broadcast device responds to a purchase request confirmation requested from the reception device to the broadcast device via the third party device. 4. The interactive television service shopping system according to claim 3, wherein the stored data of the purchase request product is transmitted from the device for each identification signal of the receiving device.