JP2001016202A - Data distribution method and unit and data reception method and unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To serve information of contents of a single broadcast to a user in a form depending on the attribute of the user. SOLUTION: Data including a plurality of served information sets in distribution data.contents of a single set are distributed in response to the attribute of a user. A distributor can easily handle the distribution contents. Since each served information in response to the attribute of the user in the distribution data.contents indicates data sectioned by tags, each can easily be separated and processed. Since a style sheet specifies an expression form in response to the attribute of the user, utilizing a plurality of style sheets can prepare forms of information service in response to the attribute of each user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital data distribution technique such as digital satellite data broadcasting and communication of multimedia contents, and more particularly, to digital data composed of computer language instructions having data attributes. Regarding the technology to deliver. Digital data composed of instructions in a computer language having a data attribute is described, for example, in a language (ie, markup language) format consisting of tag data separated by tags that define the data attribute.

More specifically, the present invention relates to languages (eg, XML (eXtens) that use arbitrarily definable tags.
The present invention relates to a technology for distributing digital data in the form of a digital markup language (XML).
A style sheet for defining the expression format of the document, that is, XSL (extensible Stylesh
et Language) document handling.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art In the technical field of satellite television broadcasting, digitization of data is rapidly progressing. This is based on the fact that digital data can use the bandwidth more efficiently than analog data and that it has a higher affinity for data other than video and audio.

For example, in the case of digital data, four channels of data can be carried by one channel, and high-vision data can be transmitted as it is.
In addition, EPG (Electric Program G)
By transmitting various system information such as “uide: electronic program guide” together with video information and audio information, it is possible to improve services to users (viewers). In addition to the presentation information described above, functions such as recording reservation to the VTR are included.)

Digital data has a high affinity for information devices other than televisions, such as general-purpose computer systems. For example, a tuner card for digital satellite data broadcasting is attached to a general-purpose computer system, the received EPG data is analyzed in the computer, a program table is displayed on a computer display as a window, and program switching and recording reservation are performed. And the like can be realized by operation using a mouse cursor. Of course, it is also possible to digitally record broadcast data directly on a hard disk built into a computer.

Further, by transmitting data other than video data, the interactivity of a broadcast program can be enhanced. For example, in the case of a broadcast program that provides an alternative quiz, the satellite TV broadcast receiver (that is, the viewer) can transmit the answer together with the video data,
An answer menu button is provided on the computer display, and an answer can be matched in response to an answer operation by a mouse cursor.

[0007] If the interactivity is further enhanced, it is expected that the television receiver in the home will not only handle video contents but also leap as an information control tower. For example, a television receiver can be an Internet terminal or an e-commerce terminal.

[0008] In the standardization work of digital satellite data broadcasting, MHE is conventionally used as a multimedia coding method.
G (Multimedia and Hypermed)
The use of iaExpert Group has been studied. MHEG is a type of description language (ie, markup description language) that uses tags that define data attributes, displays multimedia content on television, and is used in video-on-demand (VOD) and digital television broadcasts. It is assumed that the viewer uses desired information. For example, Japanese CS digital broadcasting (SKY
PEREGTV) employs MHEG-5.

[0009] However, MHEG has a fixed tag definition and lacks extensibility. That is, since it is necessary to describe using only a uniquely determined tag, for example, a function (API (Application Program)
Even a single change to a single ramming interface) requires considerable modification work. Also, MH
The EG specifies a multimedia coding system specialized for broadcasting, and is not compatible with contents on the Internet.

Therefore, instead of MHEG, XML (e
Specifications based on Xtended Markup Language) are being studied. As is well known in the art, XML is the current Internet description language, HTML (Hyper Text Marku).
Like p Language, it is a description language (that is, a markup language) of a type that separates content data using tags and specifies its attributes. XML
Is a link in the content like HTML, that is, access information to another resource object (reference).
Can be embedded.

XML has a high degree of freedom and a high affinity with the Internet because the definition of tags is arbitrary, that is, there is no restriction on how to describe attributes.
It is mentioned as an advantage over EG. Also, XML
Is being developed as a description language for the next generation Internet.

X as a language for digital satellite data broadcasting
In short, the ML specification specifies that a multimedia coding method for expressing transmission content on a display is described using a tag.

Further, a tag which can be arbitrarily defined can be added to the transmission content. The DTD that stipulates the description method of tags that can be arbitrarily defined is DTD.
(Document Type Definition
n). For example, D for each industry
The TD can be determined. The tag referred to here includes, for example, information necessary for each device to understand and process the meaning of the content when connected between different models such as a television receiver and a computer.

The method of expressing XML content (that is, a presentation format on a display or a print output format to a printer) is described by a style sheet which is a document different from DTD.
For example, the same DTD content can be expressed in a completely different format by changing the typeface, its size and color, etc., depending on the description of the style sheet. The style sheet is
The file is transmitted as a file different from the DTD. A style sheet for an XML document is referred to in particular as “XSL
(Extensible Stylesheet La
nguage) ". XSL has attracted attention as a conversion language for XML documents in addition to the original functions of style sheets. In addition, the load of the DTD document is heavy, and the receiver is a set top box (STB).
In the case of a type in which a hard disk drive cannot be provided as in the above, there is an advantage that a database operation can be performed by using XSL.

As shown in FIG. 10, the distribution of the XML content involves, for example, a DTD document and an XSL document in addition to the XML document (however, the XM
L documents may not include a DTD). The document is not necessarily limited to a document described in the XML language format.
GML (Standard GeneralizedM)
arkup Language) or HTML. Further, when a document described in XML is applied to, for example, a TV broadcast, and operates together with other multimedia contents to give a presentation of the content, real-time multimedia content is also included in the document body.

On the receiving side, these received documents are parsed by a parsing program called "XML Parser". The XML parser is
The XML document is analyzed using the DTD document, and a document object is output. This document object is a structured document in which a tree structure is formed according to the tags in the original XML document.

Next, this document object is referred to as “XS
The conversion processing is performed by a conversion program called “L processor”. The XSL processor converts the XSL document into a script format, for example, and converts the document object into a representation format according to the description of the XSL document. For example, a document described in an advanced XML format can be browsed using a so-called HTML browser.
It can be converted into a document in TML format or into a custom document that can be browsed by a custom browser other than HTML.

By the way, there is a demand for providing multimedia contents distributed by various means such as broadcasting and communication as information according to the attributes of a user (ie, a broadcast viewer or a receiver user). Was higher than before.

[0019] However, broadcasting is one-way information transmission that simultaneously reports to an unspecified number of people regardless of whether they are wired or wireless, terrestrial or satellite, and the information given to the user is of a single purpose. there were. In other words, it has been almost impossible to change the content of the broadcast information according to the attributes of the individual recipients.

In the Internet world, it is already possible to determine the attributes of a user via an input screen prepared on a homepage. For example, WW
A character string "Cookie" is prepared as character string information for a W (World Wide Web) server to identify a user. That is, the WWW server that provides the customization service is a CWW for each user.
Generate the cookie and transfer it to the browser, which stores it. When the browser accesses the customization service again, it is possible to customize the information by transferring the Cookie. However, it is not necessary to provide information according to the attributes of individual users with a single piece of content information, but it is necessary to exchange different contents describing the attributes between the server and client, which simplifies operation and processing. Lack.

[0021]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a language (eg, XML (e)
Xtensible Markup Language
e) An object of the present invention is to provide an excellent data distribution technology capable of providing information of a document in a format according to an attribute of each user.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an excellent data which can provide a single content in a form corresponding to the attribute of each user when distributing the data via broadcasting or a network. To provide distribution technology.

[0023]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and a first aspect of the present invention is a data distribution method or apparatus for distributing data described in a computer language. Data distribution characterized by comprising a step or means of including a plurality of pieces of information provided according to an attribute of a user in a single distribution data content, and a step or means of distributing the distribution data content. A method or apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data distribution method or apparatus for distributing data in a language format using a tag, wherein a plurality of pieces of provided information according to a user attribute are distributed by a single distribution. A data distribution method or apparatus comprising: a step or means for including in data content; and a step or means for distributing the distribution data content.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data distribution method or apparatus for distributing data in a language format using arbitrarily definable tags, comprising a plurality of pieces of provided information corresponding to user attributes. Is included in a single distribution data content, and a step or means of distributing the distribution data content is a data distribution method or apparatus.

Here, each piece of provided information according to the attribute of the user may be data separated by a tag.

Further, the distribution data / content may include designation of a style sheet to be applied.

The expression format of the distribution data / content can be defined by a style sheet.

Further, the style sheet may define a format of information provision according to a user attribute.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data receiving method or apparatus for receiving data described in a computer language, wherein one or more style sheets defining an expression format of data contents are prepared. A step or means for receiving a single distribution data content including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to the attribute of the user; and Or a means for converting the data into an expression format.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data receiving method or apparatus for receiving data in a language format using a tag, comprising preparing one or more style sheets defining a data content expression format. Or a step of receiving a single distribution data content including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to a user attribute, and a step of receiving the distribution data content with reference to a suitable style sheet. And a step or means for converting the data into a predetermined expression format.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data receiving method or apparatus for receiving data in a language format using an arbitrarily definable tag, comprising at least one data format defining an expression format of data contents. Or a step of preparing a style sheet of the same, a step or means of receiving a single distribution data content including a plurality of provided information according to the attribute of the user, and receiving with reference to a suitable style sheet. A step or means for converting distribution data / contents into a predetermined expression format.

In the data receiving method or apparatus according to the fourth to sixth aspects of the present invention, a suitable style sheet may be selected according to the designation in the distribution data / content.

Alternatively, a suitable style sheet may be selected according to the request of the user of the distribution data / content.

Further, the style sheet may define a format of information provision according to a user attribute.

[0036]

According to the data distribution method or apparatus of the present invention, data distribution is performed by including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to the attributes of the user in a single distribution data content. As a result, handling of the distribution content is simplified at the distributor.

Each piece of the provided information according to the attribute of the user in the distribution data / content is data separated by a tag, so that each piece of information can be easily separated and processed.

The form of information provision according to the attribute of the user, that is, the expression form is defined by the style sheet. Therefore, by using a plurality of style sheets, it is possible to prepare in advance a form of information provision according to each user's attribute.

Further, according to the data receiving method or apparatus of the present invention, when a single distribution data content including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to the attribute of the user is received, the content is adapted to the content. It is converted into a predetermined expression format using a style sheet.

A style sheet conforming to the distribution data / content can be described, for example, in the distribution content itself. In this case, information provision according to the attribute of the user is performed under the initiative of the distributor.

Further, the user can select a style sheet suitable for the distribution content by using a user interface on the receiver. In this case, information provision according to the attribute of the user is performed at the initiative of the user.

When the present invention is applied to a satellite or terrestrial broadcasting business, information can be provided according to the attributes of the user based on a single distribution content. Such information provision may be either user-driven or broadcaster-led.

Further, when the present invention is applied to information distribution via the Internet, by judging the attributes of the user through an input screen on a homepage, the user can be identified based on a single content. Information provision according to the attribute can be realized. Such information provision may be either user-driven or broadcaster-led.

Still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are:
It will become apparent from the following more detailed description based on the embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

[0045]

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

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a digital satellite data broadcasting system 100 used in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a digital satellite data broadcasting system 100 includes a broadcasting station (Broa) that provides a broadcasting service.
dcast Server 1, a broadcast satellite (Satellite) 5 that relays broadcast data, and a receiving station (Receiver / D) that receives broadcast data from the broadcast satellite 5.
(encoder) 10. One or more broadcasting stations 1 exist on the ground, and broadcasting satellites 5 are scattered far above the earth. Further, the receiving stations 10 correspond to general homes and the like, and actually exist innumerable on the ground. Data distribution via the broadcasting station 1 and the broadcasting satellite 5, that is, broadcasting is one-way communication.

In digital data broadcasting, 10 to 50 M
Data is transmitted at a transfer rate of bps. In this embodiment, the data distributed by the broadcasting station 1 is, for example, XML (eX
Tensible Markup Language)
Digital content described in a language format.
Includes ML documents, DTD documents, and XSL documents (however, XML documents are DTD
May not include documentation. At the time of distribution, an XSL document may not be included). The distribution data is usually MPEG2 (Motion Pic).
cure Experts Group phase
2) Data is compressed in a format.

The receiving station 10 and the broadcasting station 1 may be bidirectionally connected by a wide area network 50 such as the Internet or a dedicated line. For example, it is also possible to provide a partial on-demand broadcast service using the Internet 50. However, in this case, a high-speed analog telephone line of 56 kbps or more,
High speed wireless communication of ~ 64kbps, 128kb
ps ISDN (Integrated Service)
es Digital Network) or 5
It is preferable to be connected by a cable of a class of 30 Mbps.

FIG. 2 schematically shows the hardware configuration of an example 10-A of the receiving system in the receiving station 10 (ie, a general home). The system 10-A includes:
For example, it is widely used in a form called STB (set top box). Each hardware component in the system 10A is interconnected via a bus 15. Hereinafter, each unit will be described.

A broadcast wave received by an antenna (not shown) is supplied to a tuner 11. The broadcast wave follows a prescribed format. For example, the program guide information (EP
G: Electric Program Guide)
Etc. are included. The broadcast wave may be a cable broadcast wave or a terrestrial wave in addition to the above-described broadcast wave, and is not particularly limited.

The tuner 11 tunes a broadcast wave of a predetermined channel according to an instruction from a CPU 21 (described later), and outputs the tuned broadcast wave to a TS (Transport Stream) decoder 12. As the received data, data such as video information, audio information, and other program information are MPEG-compressed and serially concatenated to form a “transport stream”. The transport stream is OSI (Open Systems Int)
This is defined by the “transport layer” in the reference model.

The configuration of the tuner 11 can be changed or expanded as appropriate depending on whether the transmitted broadcast wave is analog or digital.

The TS decoder 12 interprets the transport stream to obtain video and audio information, that is, A
The V data block is sent to the AV decoder 13, and the other data blocks such as program information are sent to the CPU 21 via the bus 15. The TS decoder 12 may include a work data storage memory 12A locally.

The AV decoder 13 interprets the AV data passed from the TS decoder 12, that is, audio and image data, reproduces the original video signal and audio signal, and
Output to the audio output unit 18. The AV decoder 13 may include a work data storage memory 13A locally. The entity of the video / audio output unit 18 is C
RT (Cathode Ray Tube) display (or flat panel display such as liquid crystal)
And speakers.

The user interface control unit 17
This module processes input operations from the user, and includes, for example, operation buttons for direct operation by the user and a remote control for remote operation. Further, it may include a display panel and an LED indicator (not shown) for displaying the current setting contents.

CPU (Central Process)
(ing Unit) 21 is a main controller that controls the operation of the entire receiving system 10-A. CPU
On a platform provided by an operating system (OS), various software programs (described later) for processing XML contents, such as XML parsing, XSL processing, and browsing, can be executed.

RAM (Random Access M)
The memory 22 is a writable volatile memory used to load an execution program code of the CPU 21 and write work data of the execution program. In addition, ROM (Read Only Memory)
ry) 23 is a read-only memory that permanently stores a self-diagnosis / initialization program to be executed when the power of the system 10-A is turned on and microcode for hardware operation.

Serial input / output (SIO) controller 2
Reference numeral 4 denotes a peripheral controller for performing serial data exchange with devices outside the system 10-A. A high-speed modem 25 (for example, a transfer rate of 56 Kbps) for modulating and demodulating transmission data on an analog telephone line is attached to a serial port prepared by the SIO controller 24. By making a PPP connection to a predetermined access point (not shown) by the modem 25, the system 10-A is connected to the Internet.

IEEE 1394 interface 26
Is a serial high-speed interface capable of transmitting and receiving data of about several tens MBps. An IEEE 1394-compatible external device can be daisy-chain connected or tree-connected to the 1 1394 port. IEEE
Examples of the 1394-compatible device include a video camera 27 and a scanner (not shown).

Hard disk drive (HDD) 2
Reference numeral 9 denotes an external storage device for storing programs, data, and the like in a file format of a predetermined format, and usually has a large capacity of about several GB. The HDD 29 is connected to the bus 15 via the interface 28.

The OSD display controller 16 controls the OSD
(Open Software Description
n) A dedicated controller for displaying format data on the screen.

In the receiving system 10-A, the CPU 2
1 controls the tuning operation of the tuner 11 in accordance with a user input command via the user interface control unit 17, and controls display of program information. That is, the program information supplied from the TS decoder 12 is processed, converted into display data, and supplied to the OSD display controller 16. OSD display controller 1
6 generates an image signal of program information based on the display data and supplies the image signal to the mixer 19. The mixer 19 combines the video signal supplied from the AV decoder 13 and the video signal supplied from the OSD display controller 16 and outputs the resultant to the video / audio output unit 18.

The OSD is an information description format for software distribution and installation.
DF (Channel Definition For)
mat) to push distribution and automatic installation of programs. OSD is US Mari
Inspired by the proposals of mba and Microsoft,
Netscape, CyberMedia, Ins
supported by tallShieldSoftware.

FIG. 3 shows a receiving system 10 according to another example.
3B schematically illustrates the hardware configuration. The system 10-B is implemented, for example, in a form in which a general-purpose computer system 30 is equipped with a digital tuner card 40 for digital satellite data broadcasting.

The digital tuner card 40 includes a tuner 11, a TS decoder 12, and an AV decoder 13
And each of the RAMs 12A and 13A. Since the functions of the tuner 11, the TS decoder 12, and the AV decoder 13 are substantially the same as those in the example shown in FIG. 2, they will not be described further here.

On the other hand, the general-purpose computer system 30
Includes a printed circuit board (not shown) on which main circuit components including a CPU 31 (described later) are mounted. The board is also called "motherboard". The aforementioned tuner card 40 is, for example, an “adapter card”.
The bus is provided in the form of
It is installed in a slot (not shown). The tuner card 40 installed in the bus slot is connected to a bus (PCI bus) in the computer system 30 via the PCI interface 17 (shown).

The tuner card 40 is not an adapter card, but a PCMCIA (Person)
al Computer Memory Card I
international Association)
/ JEIDA (Japan Electronic In
dusty Development Associate
) is provided in the form of a PC card that conforms to the specification of the PC Card, and may be incorporated into the system configuration by inserting it into a PC card slot.

The CPU 31 is a computer system 3
CPU 21 is a main controller that controls the overall operation of the entire system.
Various software programs (described later) for processing XML content, such as ML parsing, XSL processing, and browsing, can be executed.

The processor bus directly connected to the external pins of the CPU 31 is interconnected to the system bus 33 via the bus bridge 32.

The bus bridge 32 of this embodiment includes a data buffer for absorbing a speed difference between the processor bus and the system bus 33, and a memory buffer for the RAM 34.
The configuration includes a memory controller for controlling access.

RAM (Random Access M)
The memory 34 is a writable volatile memory used to load an execution program code of the CPU 21 and write work data of the execution program. Usually, a plurality of DRAMs (dynamic RA
M) Consists of chips.

The bus 33 is a common signal transmission path including an address bus, a data bus, a control bus and the like, and is, for example, a PCI (Peripheral Comp.).
One interconnect corresponds to this. On the bus 33, various peripheral devices conforming to the PCI interface specifications are interconnected. One example of the peripheral device is the digital satellite data broadcasting tuner card 40 described above. Each of these peripheral devices is assigned a unique I / O address, and the CPU 31 (more precisely, a program executed by the CPU 31)
By specifying the O address, transfer of data and commands to a desired peripheral device can be realized.

ROM (Read Only Memory)
y) 35 is a read-only memory for permanently storing a self-diagnosis program (POST) executed when the power of the computer system 30 is turned on and a basic input / output system (BIOS) for hardware operation. ROM35
Is, for example, E capable of electrically erasing and rewriting operations.
EPROM (Electrically Erasab)
(Le and Programmable ROM).

Serial input / output (SIO) controller 3
Reference numeral 6 denotes a peripheral controller for performing serial data exchange with devices external to the system 30. The serial port provided by the SIO controller 36 is equipped with a high-speed modem 37 (for example, a transfer rate of 56 Kbps) for modulating and demodulating transmission data on an analog telephone line. By making a PPP connection to a predetermined access point (not shown) by the modem 37, the system 30 is connected.
Is connected to the Internet.

IEEE 1394 interface 38
Is a serial high-speed interface capable of transmitting and receiving data of about several tens MBps. An IEEE 1394-compatible external device can be daisy-chain connected or tree-connected to the 1 1394 port. IEEE
Examples of the 1394-compatible device include a video camera 39 and a scanner (not shown).

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) 6
Reference numeral 2 denotes an external storage device for storing programs, data, and the like in a file format of a predetermined format, and usually has a large capacity of about several GB. The HDD 62 is connected to the system bus 33 via the interface 51. Interface standards for connecting a hard disk drive to the computer system 30 include, for example, I
DE (Integrated Drive Select)
ronics) and SCSI (Small Computing)
er System Interface).

Keyboard / Mouse Controller (KM
C) 63 is a dedicated controller for processing user input from the keyboard 64, the mouse 65, and the like. K
The MC 63 issues an interrupt request to the CPU 31 in response to detecting a scan code input from the keyboard 64 and a coordinate instruction input from the mouse 65.
In the present embodiment, in addition to a normal command input to the computer system 30, an input operation to the receiving system 10 -B such as channel selection can be performed via the keyboard 64 and the mouse 65.

The video controller 66 has the CPU 31
This is a dedicated controller for controlling the screen display in accordance with the drawing command from the CPU, and has a frame memory (VRAM) 67 for temporarily storing drawing information. Note that, in order to suitably implement the present invention, the video controller 67 is required.
Is a VGA (Video Graphics Array)
y) or more drawing capability (for example, SVGA (Super
video Graphics Array) or XGA
(Extended Graphics Arra
y)) is preferred.

In the receiving system 10-B, the CPU 3
Reference numeral 1 controls the tuning operation of the tuner 11 in accordance with a user input command via the keyboard 64 and the mouse 65, and controls display of program information. That is, the program information supplied from the TS decoder 12 is processed, converted into display data, and supplied to the video controller 66. The video controller 66 generates an image signal of the program information based on the display data and supplies the image signal to the mixer 19. In the mixer 19, the video signal supplied from the AV decoder 13 and the video signal supplied from the video controller 67 are combined and output to the video / audio output unit 68.

In order to configure the digital satellite data broadcast receiving system 10, many electric circuits and the like other than those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are required. However, since these are well known to those skilled in the art and do not constitute the gist of the present invention, they are omitted in this specification. Also, it should be noted that only some of the connections between the hardware blocks in the drawings are shown in order to avoid complication of the drawings.

For example, although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
The receiving system 10 is an FD (Floppy Disc)
And CD-ROM, MO (Magneto-Optica)
ldisc), a data-accessible FDD (FDD) loaded with a portable recording medium such as a memory stick.
An external storage device such as a Loppy Disc Drive, a CD-ROM drive, an MO drive, and a memory slot may be provided.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a hierarchical structure among various software programs executed in the digital broadcast data receiving system 10. Hereinafter, the functions of the software of each layer will be described.

The lowermost hardware control layer has the purpose of absorbing differences in hardware with respect to upper software such as an operating system (OS), and performs direct input / output operations for each hardware and hardware interrupts. Execute the processing corresponding to.

The hardware control layer is, for example, a ROM 23
BIOS (Basic I / 35) permanently stored in / 35
nOutput / Output System) or
It is provided to the receiving system 10 in the form of a “device driver” installed in the HDD 28/62.

The operating system (OS) is
Basic software for comprehensively managing hardware and software in the receiving system 10. The OS includes a “file manager” for managing recording of files on the HDD 28/62, a “memory manager” for managing memory space, a “resource manager” for managing allocation of system resources, and managing task execution. Subsystems, such as a "scheduler" that controls the display of windows on the display.

The system service is a group of functions for a higher-level program such as an application to call (call) each function to the OS.
application Programming In
terface) and the run-time library correspond to this. The existence of the system service eliminates the need for the application to directly operate each piece of hardware, and ensures uniformity of hardware operation.

An XML application is an XML document corresponding to XML content and described in a tagging language, XML, which can be arbitrarily defined. Each XML document is accompanied by a DTD document for defining a document type and an XSL (style sheet) document that defines a display format. However, the XML document may not include the DTD document. Further, there is a case where the XSL document is not attached when the XML document is distributed.

The XML parser is a software program for analyzing a DTD document and an XML document, and converts a document object as an analysis result into an XSL document.
Pass to processor. This document object is the original XM
This is a structured document in which a tree structure is formed according to the tags in the L document.

The XSL processor is a software program that converts a document object into an expression format according to the description of the XSL document. The document converted by the XSL processor can be browsed by an XML browser. Also, by using another XSL document, it is possible to convert the document into a document that can be browsed by another browser (for example, an HTML browser or another custom browser).

Next, a processing procedure for receiving broadcast content such as an XML document in the digital satellite data broadcast receiving system 10 will be described.

In the digital satellite data broadcasting system 100, first, as shown in FIG.
Is transmitted to the receiving station 10 from the broadcasting satellite 5.

The broadcast content is composed of a document body described in XML format (but may not include a DTD document) and a style sheet described in XSL format. The XML document body includes information other than style information that specifies how to be displayed (for example, text and multimedia contents such as image objects used for the text).

In a one-way transmission environment such as satellite broadcasting, contents described in a standard XML language are transmitted in a form in which an XML document and a style sheet are bundled unless a style sheet to be used is limited. Is done.

On the receiving system 10 side, necessary data among the received data is temporarily stored in a large-capacity storage device such as the HDD 29/62. Stored on other storage media, such as portable memory cards / sticks). If the received data is a document in a markup language format such as XML, the received data is processed in the receiving system 10,
The screen is output to a display device 18/68 such as a TV.

Further, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the content transmitted via the broadcasting satellite 5 includes only the XML document itself and only the XSL document, in addition to the content including the XML document and the XSL document. I have. An XSL document is distributed / distributed by means other than broadcasting, for example, file download via a network such as the Internet, or carried on a portable storage medium such as an FD, CD-ROM, MO, or memory stick. Can be supplied.

The receiving system 10 according to the present embodiment separates and stores the supplied XML document and XSL document. That is, the HD storing these supplied document files
D29 / 62 includes a document body storage unit 80 that stores and manages only XML documents (but may include DTD documents).
And a style sheet storage unit 90 for storing and managing only the XSL document as a style sheet. As style sheets have become more sophisticated and value-added, style sheets, that is, XSL documents themselves, have literary properties like document bodies. Therefore, in order to eliminate unauthorized use or unauthorized use of the style sheet, the style sheet storage unit 90 is preferably a storage area that is security-managed.

Next, a procedure for processing the received broadcast content in the receiving system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. As described below, an XML document as a broadcast content body is converted into a desired executable format by applying a style sheet that meets a request of a broadcaster or a broadcast user.

[0098] The receiving system 10 acquires the style sheet together with the broadcast content or separately from the broadcast content. The body of the broadcast content is not necessarily limited to a document described in the XML language format. For example, SGML (Standard Generali)
zed Markup Language) and HTML
For example, a markup language format other than XML may be used. Also, when an XML document is applied to, for example, TV broadcasting and operates together with other multimedia contents to give a content presentation, the multimedia content is also included in the document body. In addition, the style sheet is described in XSL format, XML
This is a document that defines the expression format of the document body.

The broadcast content body may include a DTD document in addition to the XML document. XML documents are XML
The data is input to a parser called a parser and subjected to parsing processing. The XML parser outputs the processing result as a document object, and outputs this to a subsequent XSL processor.
Pass to module. It should be understood that the document object handled here is a structured document in which a tree structure is formed according to tags in the original XML document.

The XSL document is a style sheet that defines the expression format and the like of the XML document (described above). In the present embodiment, the external storage device 29 provided in the receiving system 10
(Or 62), one or more XSL document files are stored in advance. Further, the present inventor has proposed that XSL
Write the attribute information of the user in the document, and
Several types of XSL documents including different user attribute information are stored in the external storage device 29/62.

The XSL processor is connected to the external storage device 29 /
62, one XSL document is taken out and the XSL
According to the description of the document, the document object is converted into an executable format (for example, a format that can be displayed by a browser) according to a prescribed style.

The generated executable document is
Submitted to the execution engine. An example of the execution engine is a browser that performs drawing processing on the display 18 (or 68). The browser uses X to make the XML document browsable.
An ML browser or an HTML browser for an HTML document may be used. A custom browser other than these may be used. An execution engine such as a browser generally runs on a platform provided by an operating system. That is, an API (Application P
Processing can be realized with good operability by calling a programming interface.

There are several ways to specify a style sheet to be used by the XSL processor. For example, the identifier of the XSL document to be used can be written in the original XML document to be processed. In this case, the designator of the style sheet is the broadcaster who is the distributor of the XML document. In other words, the style sheet (and the user attribute defined by the style sheet) is selected under the initiative of the broadcaster.

Alternatively, the user may directly select the XSL document on the receiving system 10. For example, a dialog box may be opened on the screen of the display 18 (or 68) to prompt a user input as to which style sheet to apply. Further, a user input of the user attribute may be prompted on the browser screen of the display 18 (or 68), and a style sheet matching the input result may be automatically selected. In such a case, the designator of the style sheet is the user who is the content recipient. In other words, a style sheet (and a user attribute defined by the style sheet) is selected by the user.

Further, in an authentication procedure when a user purchases broadcast content, a style sheet according to a purchase contract or the like may be automatically selected. For example,
The style sheet is selected according to the rank, level, type, and the like relating to the quality and the like of the broadcast service contracted by the user. In this case, the style sheet is selected according to the agreement between the broadcaster and the user.

As already mentioned, even for the same broadcast content, that is, an XML document, the display form on the display screen is greatly different only by changing the style sheet to be applied. In this embodiment, according to the intention of one or both of the broadcaster and the broadcast user, the style sheet defining the attributes of the user is selectively used to use the style sheet based on a single distribution content. This makes it possible to provide information suitable for the attributes of the person.

An example of the source code of the XML document processed in this embodiment is shown below. As described above, an XML document is a markup language format document including a series of tag data separated by tags that define data attributes.

[0108]

(Equation 1)

Here, the contents of the XML document shown in [Equation 1] will be briefly described. This XML source code is for describing a broadcast program of introduction / notification information of a certain product. The second line from the top of this code corresponds to control information. That is, in the first line, "
"version = ..." describes the XML version information, and "encode = ..." defines the character code format.In the second line, "stylesheet" is used.
Specify the style sheet type with "type = ..."
href = ... ”designates the file name of the reference style sheet. In this example, the file name“ product3.
xsl "is designated as an XSL style sheet. That is, in this example, the style sheet is designated at the request of the broadcaster who is the creator of the XML document (that is, led by the broadcaster), and the style sheet is designated. The information is provided in accordance with the attribute (however, the user can specify the style sheet on the user interface of the receiving system 10 instead of specifying the style sheet in the XML document). In this case, the information provision according to the attribute of the user is realized by the request of the user (that is, the user drive).

In the main part of the XML document, viewers are divided into three levels, a special contractor, a general contractor, and a non-contractor, and different use information is defined for each level. Traditionally, if the information provided is different,
As shown in FIG. 7 (a), there is no other way than to distribute as different broadcast contents. On the other hand, in the case of the broadcast content described in the XML document, the definition of the tag is arbitrary (described above). The inventor of the present invention has determined that each of broadcast contents different according to the attribute of a user (ie, a viewer) is serially connected by separating the broadcast contents with a tag and distributed as a single content. X
When the broadcast content is described in the ML language format, FIG.
As shown in (b), all broadcast contents for each user attribute are listed in a single XML source code.

As a result, the broadcaster can handle and manage the distribution contents simply and easily. In addition, the viewer can enjoy information provision according to the individual attribute information, and the service is expanded.

As shown in FIG. 6, an XML document that is received content is first thrown into an XML parser, parsed, and output as a structured document object. This document object is cast on the XSL processor.

The XSL processor fetches the XSL document specified in the XML document, that is, the style sheet, from the external storage device 29 or 62, and converts the document object into an executable format while referring to the style sheet. (Of course, instead of specifying a style sheet in the XML document, the user can specify the style sheet on the user interface of the receiving system 10. In this case, the request of the user instead of the broadcaster ( That is, the information provision according to the attribute of the user is realized by the initiative of the user.)

If the designated style sheet does not exist in the external storage device 29/62, that is, if the designated style sheet is not prepared locally in the receiving system 10, measures such as applying a default style sheet may be taken. Good.

XS applicable to the above XML document
The source code of an example of the L document is shown below. This style sheet is an XSL document specified in the XML document shown in [Equation 1], that is, a file name “
product3. xsl "is a style sheet in the XSL format. However, for convenience of description, a single XSL document is described using two mathematical expressions [Equation 2] and [Equation 3]. It should be understood that they are serially linked as one document file.

[0116]

(Equation 2)

[0117]

(Equation 3)

The XSL version is designated by “? Xml version =...” In the first line of the XSL style sheet shown in [Equation 2].
The character encoding format is designated by "ding = ...".
The tag “<HTML ...>” on the second line specifies acquisition of a meta data file of Japanese Namespace. The tag <HEAD> specifies the title,
Template selection and sorting processing can be specified. The <SCRIPT> tag can specify a script to be used and define a function to be used in the script. Also, <SCRIPT LA
NGUAGE ...> is the actual script part.
In the source code exemplified here, the script is "J
For details, refer to commercially available manuals (for example, Asahi Kawanishi, "Introduction to JavaScript to Decorate the Revised New Edition Homepage" (Technical Review Company)).

Further, “<xsl:
The viewer / information content in the XML source code is received by value-of select = “viewer / information content”>, which is output to the first line of the display screen.

Further, the above-mentioned XML document is
The source code of the SORT document specified in the SL style sheet is shown below.

[0121]

(Equation 4)

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the XM shown in [Equation 1].
A display example of a displayable format document generated by applying a specified XSL document to an L document is shown.

[Supplement] The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. That is, the present invention has been disclosed by way of example, and should not be construed as limiting. In order to determine the gist of the present invention, the claims described at the beginning should be considered.

[0124]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention,
Languages that use arbitrarily definable tags (eg, XML
(EXtensible Markup Langua
ge)) It is possible to provide an excellent data distribution technique capable of providing information of a document in a format according to an attribute of each user.

Further, according to the present invention, when distributing data via broadcasting or a network, it is possible to provide an excellent data which can provide a single content in a form according to the attribute of each user. Delivery technology can be provided.

When the present invention is applied to a satellite or terrestrial broadcasting business, it is possible to provide information according to the attributes of the user based on a single content. Such information provision may be either user-driven or broadcaster-led.

Further, when the present invention is applied to information distribution via the Internet, by judging the attributes of the user through an input screen on the homepage, the user can be identified based on a single content. Information provision according to the attribute can be realized. Such information provision may be either user-driven or broadcaster-led.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital satellite data broadcasting system 100 provided for implementing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration of an example of a receiving system 10-A in the receiving station 10 (that is, a general home), and more specifically, is called an STB (set top box). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a receiving system 10-A implemented in a form.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration of a receiving system 10-B according to another example, and more specifically,
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a receiving system 10-B implemented in a form in which a general-purpose computer system is equipped with a tuner card for digital satellite data broadcasting.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a hierarchical structure of various software programs executed in the digital broadcast data receiving system 10.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which broadcast content is transferred from a broadcast station 1 to a receiving station 10 via a broadcast satellite 5;

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a procedure for using a style sheet in the receiving system 10.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the structure of a broadcast content to be distributed.

FIG. 8 is a display example of a displayable format document generated by applying a specified XSL document to the XML document shown in [Equation 1].

FIG. 9 is a display example of a displayable format document generated by applying a specified XSL document to the XML document shown in [Equation 1].

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a procedure for processing XML content.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital broadcast data receiving system 11 ... Tuner, 12 ... TS decoder 13 ... AV decoder, 12A, 13A ... RAM 15 ... Bus, 16 ... OSD display controller 17 ... User interface controller 18, 68 ... Video / audio output unit 19 / Mixer 21/31 CPU / 22/34 RAM 23/35 ROM 24/36 Serial I / O controller 25/37 High-speed modem 26/38 IEEE1394 interface 27/39 Video camera 28/61 ... Hard disk interface 29/62 ... Hard disk drive 63 ... Keyboard / mouse controller 64 ... Keyboard, 65 ... Mouse 66 ... Video controller, 67 ... VRAM 100 ... Digital satellite data broadcasting system

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) // H04N 7/173 610 F term (reference) 5B082 HA05 5B089 JA33 JB22 KA01 KH04 5C064 BA01 BA07 BB05 BB10 BC10 BC16 BC20 BC25 BD07 BD08 BD09 BD13 5K030 HB21 JT04 LD07 LD13 9A001 EE01 JJ72 JZ25 JZ67 KK60

Claims (26)

[Claims] 1. A data distribution method for distributing data described in a computer language, comprising: a step of including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to an attribute of a user in a single distribution data content; Distributing the content. 2. A data distribution method for distributing data in a language format using a tag, comprising a step of including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to a user attribute in a single distribution data content; And a step of distributing the content. 3. A data distribution method for distributing data in a language format using tags that can be arbitrarily defined, including a step of including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to a user attribute in a single distribution data content. And a step of distributing the distribution data / content. 4. Each of the provided information according to the attribute of the user is:
The data distribution method according to claim 2, wherein the data is data separated by tags. 5. The data distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the distribution data content includes designation of a style sheet to be applied. 6. The data distribution method according to claim 5, wherein the expression format of the distribution data content can be defined by a stall sheet. 7. The data distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the style sheet defines a format of information provision according to a user attribute. 8. A data distribution device for distributing data described in a computer language, comprising: means for including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to an attribute of a user in a single distribution data content; And a means for distributing content. 9. A data distribution device for distributing data in a language format using a tag, comprising: means for including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to a user attribute in a single distribution data content; A data distribution device comprising: means for distributing content. 10. A data distribution device for distributing data in a language format using tags that can be arbitrarily defined, wherein a plurality of pieces of information provided according to an attribute of a user are included in a single distribution data content. And a means for distributing the distribution data / contents. 11. The data distribution apparatus according to claim 9, wherein each of the provided information according to the attribute of the user is data delimited by a tag. 12. The distribution data content includes a specification of a style sheet to be applied.
A data distribution device according to claim 1. 13. The data distribution apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the expression format of the distribution data content can be specified by a stall sheet. 14. The style sheet defines a format of information provision according to an attribute of a user.
A data distribution device according to claim 1. 15. A data receiving method for receiving data described in a computer language, comprising the steps of: preparing one or more style sheets defining the expression format of data / content; Receiving a single distribution data content including the provided information of the above, and converting the received distribution data content to a predetermined expression format with reference to a suitable style sheet;
A data receiving method, comprising: 16. A data receiving method for receiving data in a language format using a tag, comprising the steps of: preparing one or more style sheets defining the expression format of data / content; Receiving a single distribution data content including a plurality of provided information; converting the received distribution data content with reference to a suitable style sheet into a predetermined expression format;
A data receiving method, comprising: 17. A data receiving method for receiving data in a language format using tags that can be arbitrarily defined, comprising the steps of: preparing one or more style sheets defining a format of data content; Receiving a single distribution data content including a plurality of provided information according to the attribute of the attribute; converting the received distribution data content with reference to a suitable style sheet into a predetermined expression format;
A data receiving method, comprising: 18. The data receiving method according to claim 15, wherein a suitable style sheet is selected according to the specification in the distribution data / content. 19. The data receiving method according to claim 15, wherein a suitable style sheet is selected according to a request of a user of the distribution data / content. 20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the style sheet defines a format of information provision according to a user attribute.
6. The data receiving method according to 5. 21. A data receiving apparatus for receiving data described in a computer language, comprising: means for preparing one or more style sheets defining an expression format of data / content; Means for receiving a single piece of distribution data / content including the provided information, and means for converting the received distribution data / content with reference to a suitable style sheet into a predetermined expression format. Data receiving device. 22. A data receiving apparatus for receiving data in a language format using a tag, comprising: means for preparing one or more style sheets defining the expression format of data / content; Means for receiving a single distribution data content including a plurality of provided information; and means for converting the received distribution data content with reference to a suitable style sheet into a predetermined expression format. Characteristic data receiving device. 23. A data receiving apparatus for receiving data in a language format using arbitrarily definable tags, comprising: means for preparing at least one style sheet defining a representation format of data / content; Means for receiving a single distribution data content including a plurality of pieces of provided information according to the attribute of the attribute; means for converting the received distribution data content by referring to a suitable style sheet into a predetermined expression format; A data receiving device comprising: 24. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a suitable style sheet is selected according to a specification in the distribution data / content. 25. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a suitable style sheet is selected according to a request of a user of the distribution data / content. 26. The style sheet according to claim 2, wherein a format of information provision according to a user attribute is defined.
2. The data receiving device according to 1.