JP2003015990A - Information display method, device and program thereof, recording medium with same program recorded thereon - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an information provider to add new contents after a user having received a scenario and started reproduction of contents, and the added new contents to be reproduced. SOLUTION: A push information detecting unit 103 receives push information including position information of the contents to be added from the information provider. A reproduction contents decision unit 102, when receiving the push information from the push information detecting unit 103, sends the position information included therein to a contents reading unit 104. The contents reading unit 104 acquires the contents from the position information, which are inserted into a joint between the contents under reproduction and the next contents, and displayed on a display unit 105.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention reads a scenario, which is a text file in which a plurality of location information such as a URL, which indicates a storage location of multimedia contents, is described, and reads the location information in the order described in the scenario. The present invention relates to an information display device that acquires content based on time and reproduces the content in time series.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a scenario is described for each user by using a technique of sequentially acquiring the content based on position information of a plurality of multimedia contents described in the scenario and reproducing the content in time series. However, contents are provided according to the taste of the user.

The information display device according to this prior art is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the scenario reading unit 401, the reproduction content determination unit 402, the content reading unit 403, and the display unit 4
04, the content position information described in the scenario as shown in FIG. 3 is read in order to reproduce a plurality of multimedia contents in time series. This processing procedure will be described below with reference to FIG. First, step 5
At 01, N representing the number of rows of the scenario is initialized to 1. The role of the counter N is an example. In addition, for example, first, the total number of lines of a scenario is first counted and assigned to the counter, and when the process loops once, the counter becomes 1
It is also possible to adopt a method of ending the processing when the counter finally becomes 0 by subtracting. Next, in step 502, the scenario reading unit 401
Reads the content position information of the Nth line of the scenario. Next, in step 503, it is determined whether the read value is null (blank line), that is, whether all the information of the scenario has been processed. If the processing has been completed, the processing ends. If the read value includes the position information of the content, it means that the position information to be processed still remains in the scenario, and the process proceeds to step 504. In step 504, the content reading unit 403 accesses and reads the substance of the content at the designated position based on the position information of the content read in step 502. At step 505, 1 is added to the counter N. In step 506, the content reading unit 403 reproduces the content read in step 504 on the display unit 604.

[0004]

By using the above-mentioned conventional information display device, a plurality of contents 602 can be reproduced based on a scenario 601, as shown in FIG. By creating a scenario for each user of the digest video of a movie, it is possible to change the content to be provided according to the user and play the service in chronological order. However, this conventional information display device has a problem that once the scenario is received and the reproduction of the content is started, the content to be reproduced cannot be flexibly changed.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information display method and apparatus in which an information provider can add new content and can reproduce the added new content even after the user receives the scenario and starts reproducing the content. It is to be.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, when a content addition request from an information provider is detected during time-sequential reproduction of content, adds the content to be added. It is obtained from the position information, and is inserted and reproduced at the joint between the content currently being reproduced and the content to be reproduced next.

As a result, the information provider can add any content not described in the scenario and provide it to the user.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The information display apparatus according to the present embodiment uses a scenario in which the position information of multimedia contents such as URL shown in FIG. When the information provider makes a request to add new content as push-type information during playback display on, the content requested to be added is played after the content being played at that time is finished and added. After the reproduction of the requested content is completed, the original content can be reproduced.

The information receiver selects his / her favorite scenario from a plurality of scenarios, requests the scenario management server for the scenario, and acquires the scenario. For this reason, the information provider can know which scenario the information recipient has selected, so that push information described below can be accurately inserted for each information provider who has selected the same scenario.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information display apparatus according to the present embodiment reads the received scenario shown in FIG. 3 and extracts the first one from the position information of the unreproduced contents, and a scenario reading unit 101. A reproduction content determination unit 102 that determines the content to be played, and a push information detection unit 103 that detects a new content addition request from the information provider.
The display unit 105 and the content reading unit 104 that acquires the substance of the content based on the position information of the content determined by the reproduction content determination unit 102 and displays it on the display unit 105.

Next, the operation of the information display device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, at step 200, a counter N representing the number of lines of the scenario to be read is initialized. This method of the counter N is an example, and in addition, for example, first, the total number of rows of the scenario is first counted and assigned to the counter, and when the process loops once, the counter is decremented by 1 to finally It is also possible to adopt a method of ending the process when the counter reaches 0. Next, step 201
Then, the scenario reading unit 101 reads the Nth line of the scenario in FIG. 3 and acquires the position information of the content, and the process proceeds to step 202. In step 202, the reproduction content determination unit 102 determines whether or not all the position information described in the scenario has been processed, and if all the position information has been processed, the process ends. When the position information to be processed remains in the scenario, the process proceeds to step 203. Step 20
In the reproduction content determination unit 102 of No. 2, whether the position information to be processed remains in the scenario is determined by determining the scenario when the blank line (null) next to the last line is read in the scenario reading process of step 201. It is determined that all have been processed. In step 203, the reproduction content determination unit 102 determines the content for which it is determined whether the push information including the position information of the content to be added shown in FIG. 4 received from the push information detection unit 103 has been received. When adding content, the information provider sends push information including position information of the additional content shown in FIG. 4 to the push information detection unit 103 by mail in a file format, or a file transfer method such as ftp. Copy by using. Push information detector 1
03 detects the copied push information and notifies the reproduction content determination unit 102 of this information.

In the above description, in order to detect the push information, the push information detecting unit 103 actively transmits the data to the reproduction content determining unit 102. However, the pseudo push in the recent Web system is performed. As in the method for realizing the above, the reproduction content determination unit 102 periodically transmits a command of an information acquisition request to the push information detection unit 103, and the push information from the information provider is copied to the push information detection unit 103. If it exists, the push information may be detected by acquiring the information.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a push information detecting section having the same function as the push information detecting section 103 in FIG. 1 may be arranged on the computer network 106.

The reproduction content determination unit 102 has a switch (not shown) for turning on / off the reception of push information. When the user does not feel the need for push information, the switch is turned off. It is possible to prevent the information provider from receiving the newly added content.

When push information is received by the above functions, the process proceeds to step 207. In step 207,
The content reading unit 104 reads the position information of the new content included in the push information detected in step 203, accesses the location, acquires the substance of the content, and reproduces it in step 206. When step 206 ends, the process returns to step 201, and the process is performed again for the contents of the Nth row in the scenario that could not be processed last time.

On the other hand, if there is no push information, the position information of the scenario described in step 201 is held and the process proceeds to step 204. In step 204, the content reading unit 104 accesses the position indicated by the position information,
The substance of the content is read, and the content is reproduced on the display unit 105 in step 206. In step 205, a process of adding 1 to the counter N indicating the number of lines of position information in the scenario to be read is performed so that the position information of the Nth line currently being processed can be read when returning to step 201. Returning to step 201, the processing from step 201 is repeated until the reproduction of all the contents described in the scenario is completed.

As described above, in the information display device of this embodiment, step 20 in the flow chart of FIG.
1, step 202, step 203, step 20
4, the steps 205 and 206 are repeated for all the location information of the contents in the scenario, and the URL in the scenario read by the scenario reading unit 101
The contents are reproduced in time series in the order in which the position information of the contents is described. If the information provider tries to add new content that is push type information while repeating such processing, the push information detecting unit 103 detects the information when the processing of step 203 is approaching, The process branches to step 207, the position information of the new content to be added by the reproduction content determination unit 102 is passed to the content reading unit 104, and the content reading unit 104 accesses the substance of the content to acquire the content, and the display unit The actual content is reproduced at 105. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the data 3 is reproduced at the joint between the content 302 to be reproduced and the content.
By interrupting 04, the information provider can freely add and reproduce the new content 304 indicated by the content position information 303 even after the information display device receives the scenario 301 and starts reproduction. Becomes

As a result of the above, for example, for the user who is watching the digest video of a plurality of movies provided by the information provider, the scenario has not been published when it was created, so the scenario describes it. It is possible to easily provide a service that delivers the latest movie information that has not been posted as push information. Also, when it comes to the service time when a specific store is set up during a service where information on each store is continuously flown to customers who are shopping at the shopping center, that information is displayed during normal store guidance. It is also possible to provide a service that tells the customer by interrupting. This has the advantage that both the information provider and the information receiver can send and receive information in a timely manner.

In the information display method described above, a floppy disk, a CD-R is used as an information display program.
It can be recorded in a portable recording medium such as an OM or a magneto-optical disk or a hard disk and executed by a computer such as a personal computer.

[0022]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

According to the first and third aspects of the invention, the position information is not described in the scenario by the information provider by interrupting the push information at the joint between the multimedia contents reproduced in time series using the scenario. Any content can be easily added and provided to the user.
Further, it is only the scenario in which the data size is small text data that must be read into the information display device, and in order to read and display the multimedia contents one by one based on the position information described in this scenario,
Since it is not necessary to read the multimedia content data described in the scenario all at once, even a portable information terminal with a small memory capacity can receive information without being conscious of memory restrictions.

According to the inventions of claims 2 and 4, after the reproduction of the content added by the push information from the information provider is completed, the continuation of the information received until then can be reproduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a single information display device is provided by inserting and newly reproducing the content to be added at the joint between the contents reproduced in the order of the position information described in the scenario. Since it does not matter, the user does not need to prepare another information display device to receive the push information.

According to the invention of claim 6, the information provider can prevent the newly added contents from being displayed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an information display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the information display device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of position information of contents included in push information.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an information display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how data is interrupted at a joint between contents to be reproduced.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a conventional example of an information display device.

8 is a flowchart showing an operation of the information display device of FIG.

9 is a diagram showing how information is reproduced in the information display device of FIG. 7. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 scenario reading unit 102 reproduced content determination unit 103 push information detection unit 104 content reading unit 105 display unit 106 network 200 to 207 step 301 scenario 302 multimedia content group 303 to be reproduced position information of content 304 included in push information 304 push information Entity of content 401 included in scenario reading unit 402 Playback content determination unit 403 Content reading unit 404 Display units 501 to 506 Step 601 Scenario 602 Multimedia content group to be played back

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Nihashi Ohashi             2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Inside Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Nobuo Miyamoto             2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Inside Telegraph and Telephone Corporation F-term (reference) 5C064 BA07 BB10 BC18 BC23 BD02                       BD08

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A step of reading a scenario, which is a text file in which a plurality of location information indicating a storage location of multimedia contents are arranged side by side, and the location information is sequentially extracted from the scenario to obtain the content of the location information. , The step of playing back in time series, and when the content addition request from the information provider is detected while playing back the content in time series, the content to be added is acquired from the position information and the content currently being played back. And an information display method including a step of inserting the content to be reproduced next and reproducing the content. 2. When the reproduction of the added content is completed, the position information of the content which is scheduled to be reproduced next to the content immediately before the reproduction of the added content is acquired from the scenario, and the position information is used as the position information. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicated content is read and played. 3. A scenario reading means for reading a scenario, which is a text file in which a plurality of position information indicating a storage location of multimedia contents are arranged side by side, a content display means for reproducing the contents, and an addition from an information provider. Content addition request detection means for detecting a content addition request including position information of the content to be taken out, position information is taken out in order from the scenario, content of the position information is acquired, and the content is reproduced by the content display means, When the content addition request is detected during content reproduction, the content to be added is acquired from its position information, and is inserted at the joint between the content currently being reproduced and the content to be reproduced next. An information display device having a reading means. 4. When the reproduction of the added content is completed, the reproduction content determination / content reading means selects, from the scenario, a content that is to be reproduced next to the content immediately before the reproduction of the added content. The information display device according to claim 3, wherein the position information is acquired, and the content indicated by the position information is read and reproduced. 5. The new content added by the information provider can be reproduced in a single information display device so as to be inserted into a joint between the contents being reproduced and reproduced. The described device. 6. The reproduction content determining / content reading unit has a unit for setting enable / disable of reception of a content addition request from the content addition request detection unit, according to any one of claims 3 to 5. The described device. 7. An information display program for causing a computer to execute the information display method according to claim 1. 8. A recording medium recording an information display program for causing a computer to execute the information display method according to claim 1.