JP2003274377A - Method and system for video recording reservation reception and distribution - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically video-record a target program according to user's input information, to assume the situation of an appreciation of each program to be video-recorded, and to change a video-recording method according to the situation. <P>SOLUTION: A home server 17 receives the specification of a program to be video-recorded and the specification of information on a time zone wherein the program is appreciated and video-records the specified program. Appreciation time zones specified for respective programs are confirmed and the video- recorded programs are distributed in the appreciation time zones specified for the programs to equipment (mobile terminal 10, etc.), corresponding to the appreciation time zones. According to the specified appreciation time zone, the bit rate of video-recorded program area is made different. Instead of specifying the program to be video-recorded, information as a criterion for selecting the program to be video-recorded is received, the priority of each program is decided from electronic program table data based upon the criterion, and the program to be video-recorded may automatically be determined according to the priority. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording reservation acceptance and distribution method and system for reserved recording and distribution of broadcast programs.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, hard disk drives (HD
With the advent of devices capable of TV program reservation recording with large-capacity storage such as D), it is possible to relatively freely record desired programs without having to worry about the storage capacity compared to conventional tape media such as cassette tapes. You can now do.

Even with the availability of such a large-capacity storage, the style of recording and watching TV programs and the like is such that the user searches for a desired program in the program table and makes a scheduled recording or a direct recording, and thereafter, The program is to watch the accumulated programs at a desired time.

[0004]

However, even if too many programs are recorded, there is no time to watch them as a result, and the content that accumulates in the storage must be organized in time, which requires maintenance work. there is a possibility. In addition, even if it has a large capacity, it does not mean that programs can be recorded infinitely.

On the other hand, it is considered that the recording data can be viewed even on the go by improving the technology and functions of mobile phones and wireless LANs (hot spots). Along with this, there may be a case where data conversion is required depending on the situation of viewing the program (for example, a place such as a home or an outing place or a difference in time zone). For example, for programs recorded with high image quality, it is expected that rate conversion will be necessary from the viewpoint of transfer speed, processing speed, processing load, and the like.

Further, conventionally, it has been necessary to actively search for a program to be recorded. Therefore, there are cases where the user forgets to record his / her favorite broadcast program or notices its existence after broadcasting.

The present invention has been made in such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a recording reservation acceptance distribution method and system capable of automatically recording a target program in accordance with user input information. Especially.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording reservation acceptance distribution method and system capable of automatically updating the selection criteria of programs to be automatically recorded.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording reservation acceptance / delivery method and system capable of assuming a situation at the time of viewing a program for each program to be recorded and changing the recording method according to the situation. Especially.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording reservation acceptance distribution method and system capable of distributing a recorded program to another viewing device according to a user's schedule.

[0011]

A recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to the present invention is a recording reservation acceptance / delivery method for accepting and delivering a recording reservation of a broadcast program, and is a time for designating a program to be recorded and watching the program. A step of receiving designation of band information, a step of registering information of a viewing device used for program viewing corresponding to a time zone, a step of recording a designated program, and a viewing time designated for the program. It is characterized by including a step of confirming a band and a step of distributing a recorded program to a viewing device corresponding to the viewing time zone designated for the program.

[0012] When a program is designated as a recording target of a program and the time zone for viewing the program is set to, for example, the commuting time zone, and when the time zone comes, the viewing device corresponding to the time zone, for example, a portable terminal. Deliver the program to.

The bit rate of the program data to be recorded may be varied according to the designated viewing time zone. For example, the bit rate of a program whose delivery time is specified as the viewing time zone is set lower than the bit rates of other programs.

Another recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to the present invention is a recording reservation acceptance / delivery method of accepting and delivering a recording reservation of a broadcast program, which includes a step of receiving designation of time zone information in which the program can be viewed, The step of registering the information of the viewing device used for viewing the program corresponding to the band, the step of receiving the information serving as the criterion for selecting the program to be recorded, and the electronic program guide data based on the criterion. The priority of each program is determined, the program to be recorded is determined based on this priority, the recording of the determined program is performed, the recorded program is set to the viewing time zone, and the viewing time zone is set. And a step of delivering to the viewing device corresponding to. In this case, the recording target program is automatically determined on the basis of information serving as a criterion for selecting the recording target program.

Further, the bit rate of the program data to be recorded may be different based on the priority. In this case, the viewing time slot for distributing the program may be determined according to the bit rate of each program.

The information serving as a judgment criterion for selecting the program to be recorded may include a user's preference data keyword. In this case, the keyword extracted from each program is compared with the user's preference data keyword. The priority of the program can be determined.

The information serving as a criterion for selecting the program to be recorded may further include a user's rejection data keyword. In this case, the keyword extracted from each program is further used as a user's rejection data keyword. It is possible to make a comparison and determine the priority of the program based on the results of both comparisons.

The method may further comprise the step of automatically updating the preference data keyword and / or the rejection data keyword.

The present invention can be further understood as a system for implementing the recording reservation acceptance / delivery method or a recording reservation acceptance / delivery program executed in a home server.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the entire system to which the present invention is applied. In this system, a mobile terminal device (also simply referred to as a mobile terminal) 10 such as a mobile phone is connected to the Internet 14 via a base station 12. The mobile terminal 10 is used as a device for watching a program that is used when the user goes out. A home server 17 is installed at a predetermined place such as home of the user of the mobile terminal 10, and the recording / playback apparatus 20 is connected to the home server 17. The home server 17 is a personal computer (P
C). The recording / playback apparatus 20 can also be used as a personal computer having a hard disk drive (HDD) and a TV tuner and a moving image recording / playback function (HDD recorder). Although not an essential element of the present invention, the personal computer 18 may be arranged as a device for program viewing connected to the Internet 14 by a wired or wireless interface at a predetermined place other than home. It is assumed that both the mobile terminal 10 and the personal computer 18 according to the present embodiment have a function of reproducing a moving image with sound.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the mobile terminal 10. The mobile terminal 10 has a power supply circuit unit 151, an operation input control unit 152, an LCD (Liquid C
(rystal display) control unit 155, demultiplexing unit 157, modulation / demodulation circuit unit 158 and audio codec 159 are connected to each other via a main bus 160, and an image decoder 156, demultiplexing unit 157, modulation / demodulation circuit unit 158 and audio codec 159 are also provided. Are connected to each other via a synchronous bus 161.

The mobile terminal 10 includes a CPU, ROM and RA.
Based on the control of the main control unit 150 composed of M and the like,
The voice signal collected by the microphone 121 in the voice call mode is converted into digital voice data by the voice codec 159, the modulation / demodulation circuit unit 158 performs spread spectrum processing, and the transmission / reception circuit unit 163 performs digital analog conversion processing and frequency conversion processing. After applying, it transmits via the antenna 114. The ROM of the main controller 150 includes a control program, an application program, and the like. If the ROM includes a rewritable memory such as a flash ROM, necessary programs can be additionally installed after the fact.

The mobile terminal 10 amplifies the received signal received by the antenna 114 in the voice call mode, performs frequency conversion processing and analog-digital conversion processing, performs spectrum despreading processing in the modulation / demodulation circuit section 158, and uses the voice codec 159. After being converted into an analog audio signal, this is output via the speaker 117.

When transmitting an electronic mail in the data communication mode, the portable terminal 10 sends the text data of the electronic mail input by operating the operation keys 119 and the jog dial 122 to the main control unit 150 via the operation input control unit 152. Send out. The main control unit 150 performs spread spectrum processing on the text data by the modulation / demodulation circuit unit 158, performs digital-analog conversion processing and frequency conversion processing on the transmission / reception circuit unit 163, and then transmits the text data to the base station via the antenna 114.

When receiving an e-mail in the data communication mode, the mobile terminal 10 restores the original text by subjecting the received signal received from the base station via the antenna 114 to the spectrum despreading process in the modulation / demodulation circuit section 158. , LC
It is displayed as an electronic mail on the liquid crystal display 118 via the D control unit 155. The demultiplexing unit 157 multiplexes arbitrary coded image data and audio data supplied from the audio codec 159 by a predetermined method, performs spread spectrum processing on the resulting multiplexed data in the modulation / demodulation circuit unit 158, and transmits / receives the data. After performing the digital-analog conversion process and the frequency conversion process in the circuit unit 163, the antenna 114
To send via.

In the data communication mode, the mobile terminal 10 receives the data of the moving image file by the antenna 114.
The modulation / demodulation circuit unit 1 receives the received signal from the base station via
At 58, the spectrum despreading process is performed, and the resulting multiplexed data is sent to the demultiplexing unit 157. The demultiplexing unit 157 separates the multiplexed data into coded image data and audio data, supplies the coded image data to the image decoder 156 via the synchronization bus 161, and outputs the audio data to the audio codec. 159. The image decoder 156 MP-codes the encoded image data.
Reproduction moving image data is generated by decoding with a decoding method corresponding to a predetermined encoding method such as EG2 or MPEG4, and this is supplied to the liquid crystal display 118 via the LCD control unit 155, whereby the moving image is generated. The video data contained in the file is displayed. At this time, at the same time, the audio codec 159 converts the audio data into an analog audio signal and supplies it to the speaker 117, whereby the audio data included in the moving image file is reproduced.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a schematic internal configuration of the recording / playback apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment. In this recording / reproducing apparatus 20, a ROM 202, a TV broadcast receiving circuit 203, a video recording device 205, a RAM 209, and a communication unit 210 are connected via a bus 220 to a CPU 201 that controls the entire device. ROM202 is CP
It is a read-only memory that stores a control program executed by U201 and fixed data in a nonvolatile manner. The RAM 209 is a generally volatile readable / writable memory used by the CPU 201 as a temporary storage area for data and a work area. TV broadcast receiving circuit 203
Receives terrestrial waves or satellite waves from the antenna 204, performs processing such as demodulation, decoding, and (decompression for digitally compressed signals), and reproduces video and audio signals. The video recording device 205 records the reproduced video and audio signals in a storage device (large-capacity storage) such as an HDD by a predetermined recording method, and reproduces them when necessary. The communication unit 210 is means for connecting to the home server 17, and is, for example, an adapter for connecting to a network such as a local area network (LAN). 1 and 3, monitors (displays, speakers, etc.) for outputting video and audio of the program are not shown.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration example of the home server 17 in the system of FIG. CPU 170
The control program and various programs are executed to control each part of the server. The various programs include various application programs. ROM171 is CP
Stores fixed data of the program executed by U170 and parameters for calculation. RAM172 is C
It provides a work area for the PU 170 and a temporary storage area for data. The ROM 171 and the RAM 172 are connected to the CPU 170 via the bus 179. An input device 174 such as a keyboard, a display device 175 such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display, and an external storage device 176 such as a hard disk device, MO, or CD-ROM are connected to a bus 179 via an interface 173. Instead of the ROM 171, an external storage device 176 such as a hard disk device may be used. The bus 179 is connected to a network such as a LAN via the communication unit 178, and is connected to the recording / reproducing apparatus 20 in this embodiment via the network.

Although not shown, each device in this system has a calendar and clock function for recognizing the current date and time. 3 and 4, the home server and the recording / playback apparatus are shown as separate entities connected to each other via the communication interface. However, as suggested earlier, both of them in the present embodiment. It may be a single device having a combination of functions (for example, the PC as described above).

The operation of the system shown in FIG. 1 will be described below. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a schematic operation of the home server 17, which is the main part of the operation. The home server is
Input information for the recording reservation of the program in the recording / reproducing apparatus 20 is received from the user (S1). This input may be performed from the input device 174 of the home server or an external device (for example, the mobile terminal 10). This input information may be information for the user to explicitly specify a specific program as a recording target, or may be information that serves as a criterion for determination for automatic recording as described later. The former information is simply that the user selects a desired program based on an electronic program guide called an EPG obtained from the outside via the Internet. The bitrate can be specified. If the bit rate is high, a high-quality moving image can be obtained, but since the data capacity increases, the storage capacity increases and the communication time also increases, which may hinder real-time program reproduction on the mobile terminal. On the contrary, if the bit rate is low, the image quality is deteriorated, but the data capacity is small, which is advantageous in storage and communication.

The latter "information that serves as a criterion for automatic recording" is, for example, information such as a keyword desired by the user. Also in this case, it is preferable that the user separately input the information on the time zone and the place where the program can be viewed. Further, the device used by the user to view the program is registered in each viewing time zone. For example, the communication address of the user's mobile terminal is registered for the commuting time zone. The home server (or the recording / playback apparatus) itself is registered in the case of soliciting appreciation for the time zone at which the user seems to be at home.

At the time of solicitation for viewing, don't you see such recorded programs on your mobile device or in-home device (such as TV or PC monitor connected to the recording / playback device)? The program list is provided in the form of. However, some users may not like this solicitation, so even if it is a push type, it is strong enough to ring the alarm of the mobile terminal or switch the screen of the home device until the user responds, Various methods are conceivable, such as sending an e-mail to a mobile terminal or displaying a telop on the screen of a home device. Further, a method of providing a list of programs that can be watched when there is access and selecting the program in preparation for an inquiry from the user without pushing is also considered. At this time, services such as searching for recorded programs can be provided. In this way, the viewing method can be customized for each user,
It is possible to specify at which level to notify at a certain time zone or whereabouts.

When the user's input information is once set and then the automatic recording is continuously performed based on the input information, new input information is not accepted in step S1 and only confirmation is performed. Become.

After step S1, the program to be recorded is determined according to the direct instruction from the user or according to the result of the automatic determination (S2). At the broadcast date / time of the program, the recording / playback apparatus 20 is caused to record the program (S3).
After this recording is completed, the program is distributed to the user at a predetermined time (S4). This is because the home server 17 sends the mobile terminal 10 (or PC) of the user via the Internet from the home server 17 at a time when it is estimated that the user is present outside the home.
18), a list of recorded programs is transmitted to invite viewing (viewing), and reproduction information of a specific program is sent to the mobile terminal 10 (or PC 1) of the user in response to a user's instruction.
8). The home server 17 (or the recording / reproducing device 20) may be invited to appreciate the user during the time period when it is estimated that the user is at home. However, solicitation for viewing at home is not essential and may be performed according to the user's initial settings.

FIG. 6 shows a general schedule of a user for one day. Here, a weekday schedule is shown as a typical schedule, but a holiday (Saturday and Sunday) schedule may be provided separately. Alternatively, a calendar for all days may be prepared. In this case, the user's PIM (Personal Information Manager)
The schedule stored in the personal database managed in r) may be used. 1 shown in FIG.
According to the schedule of the day, the time period during which the user can watch the recorded program is the "morning" time period B other than the "sleep" time period A and the "work" time period D, the going "commuting" time period C,
It is the "commuting" time zone E, the "night" time zone F, and the "before bedtime" time zone G on the way back. Out of the time slots where these programs can be viewed, the "commuting" time zone C for going and the "commuting" time for returning
Since the time zone E is out, the device used for viewing is a mobile terminal. Also, the "morning" time zone B and the "before bedtime" time zone G are estimated to be at home, and the device used for viewing is the home server 17 (or the recording / reproducing device 20). "Night"
Regarding the time zone F, if there are times when overtime, going out, or staying at home, (1) this time zone is a non-viewing time zone, (2) matching with a highly probable one, ( 3) The user may instruct a specific delivery destination (the mobile terminal 10 or the PC 18 or the like), (4) It may be corrected in accordance with a highly probable one, and sequentially corrected. A method of using the current position information of the user can be considered as a correction method. The current location information of the user can be obtained based on the location registration information of the mobile terminal that is grasped by the mobile phone base station control station, etc. on the assumption that the user always has the mobile terminal nearby. is there. Also,
In the case of a mobile terminal with a GPS (Global Positioning System) function, the home server can recognize by inquiring the mobile terminal about the current position detected by GPS.

There are various concrete methods of correcting the schedule based on the current position in any appreciable viewing time zone. For example, when trying to solicit a mobile terminal while commuting to work, it is possible to confirm that the current position is a position on the way to work and then do so. If the current position is the work location, it can be determined that the user is working and the solicitation can be stopped. When trying to invite a device in the home for viewing, it can be done after confirming that the current position is at home. At this time, when it is determined that the user is out of home, the mobile terminal can be solicited.

As another modification method, the user can explicitly modify the home server via the portable terminal.

Although the above schedule correction is temporary, if the history information in which such a mismatch between the schedule and the actual situation occurs is saved and the same mismatch frequently occurs. It is also possible to change the contents of the schedule (FIG. 6) based on the information. For example, if it is confirmed that the employee is in the work place during the commuting time zone E on the way home or during the evening time zone F, it can be judged that he / she is working overtime. The schedule can be automatically modified based on the judgment of the objective data. In addition, it is possible to improve the prediction efficiency by predicting fluctuations in conditions such as seasons, units of days, weeks, and months. For example, on a weekly basis, the overtime hours for the following week may be linearly predicted from the increasing trend of overtime hours for the first week and the second week in December, and similar predictions may be made for yearly and daily units. It is possible to improve the prediction efficiency and predict that the seasonal pattern bedtime will be earlier or later.

In order to perform such processing, it is necessary to register the current position, work location, and commuting position in the home server in advance.

With reference to FIG. 7, an example of a concrete criterion for automatically determining the necessity of recording a program will be described. Here, E of each program is used by using electronic program guide (EPG) data.
The keyword obtained from the PG data is compared with the preference data keyword and the rejection data keyword given by the user in advance to determine the priority of the program, and the necessity of recording is determined based on this priority. The preference data keyword is a user's favorite keyword regarding the genre, characters, articles, etc. of the program, and the priority of the program having the keyword corresponding to this keyword is set high. The rejection data keyword is a keyword that the user does not like, and the priority of a program having a keyword corresponding to this keyword is set low. The “EPG data keyword” is a keyword obtained from the EPG data for each program, and if prepared in advance in the EPG data, those keywords can be used. If not prepared in advance, it can be extracted from the title, content description, genre, etc. of the program. The algorithm for determining the necessity of recording in the present embodiment is as follows. (1) First, the EPG data keywords 80a and 80b of a given program are compared with the preference data keyword 82,
Check the number of matching keywords. For convenience, this number is called a positive factor number. (2) Next, the EPG data keywords 80a and 80b of the given program are compared with the rejection data keyword 84,
Check the number of matching keywords. For convenience, this number is called a negative factor number. (3) When the result (difference) of subtracting the number of negative factors from the number of positive factors is a predetermined value (2 in the example in the figure) or more, the program is recorded. Figure 7 (a)
Indicates that the number of positive factors is 2, the number of negative factors is 0, and the difference is +2. In this case, it is determined to record. On the contrary, if the result (difference) of subtracting the number of negative factors from the number of positive factors is less than the predetermined value, the program is not recorded. Figure 7
In (b), the difference between the number of positive factors and the number of negative factors is −
It is 1 and shows the case where it is determined that recording is not performed.

As described above, the priority of a program that includes as many preferable keywords as possible and that does not include undesired keywords becomes high, and a program having a high priority is selected as a recording target.

The preference data keyword and the rejection data keyword are initially designated by the user, but their contents can be automatically updated afterwards.
Such an example will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the preference data keyword 82 and the rejection data keyword 84 are statistically updated according to whether the recorded program has been viewed by the user or deleted (reviewed without viewing). Whether or not a program has been watched can be determined by, for example, whether or not at least a part (for example, half) of the program has been played. In the present embodiment, the deletion of a program (deletion of program data) is performed when the entire program is reproduced or after a predetermined time has elapsed after recording. In the present embodiment, the deletion is performed automatically, but it may be performed on the condition of the user's consent.

In the example of FIG. 8, a preference data table 81 (81a, 81b) and a rejection data table 83 (83a, 83b) are provided as work data tables. The pre-update preference data table 81a adds the cumulative value of the EPG data keyword 80 of the recorded program, when the recorded program is viewed, to the EPG data keyword 80 of the program if the keyword does not exist in the preference data table 81a. If it already exists, the cumulative value is incremented by 1. In this way, every time a program is viewed, the cumulative value in the preference data table 81a for the keyword of the program is incremented. A new preference data keyword 82 is obtained by extracting a predetermined number of keywords from the larger cumulative value in the updated preference data table 81b.

Similarly, regarding the rejection data table 83, when the viewing of the recorded program is finally rejected,
First, the EPG data keyword 80 of the program that is the same as the preference data keyword 82 is removed.
This is because there is a possibility that a favorite data keyword may be included in a program that one does not want to see. In addition to the fact that the program was not what I wanted to watch, it is also possible that I happened to have no time to watch it. Therefore, with respect to the EPG data keyword 80 from which the preference data keyword 82 is removed, the keyword in the pre-update rejection data table 83a is added or the cumulative value is incremented by 1. In this way, each time the program is finally rejected, the rejection data table 83a is updated. A predetermined number of keywords extracted from the larger cumulative value in the updated rejection data table 83b is set as a new rejection data keyword 84.

The rejection data table 83 can be said to be a blacklist, but even the keywords listed in the table are ignored unless the cumulative value thereof becomes high (it does not become a rejection data keyword). On the contrary, the keywords appearing many times in the program rejected to be viewed are largely considered, and become the higher keywords in the rejection data table 83. As a result, the keyword becomes a rejection data keyword. According to such statistical processing, it is possible to automatically learn and extract preference data keywords and rejection data keywords that the user does not recognize. In addition, it is possible to cope with a long-term change in user preference.

FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the recorded program management table 90 stored in the storage device (for example, RAM 172) of the home server 17. This table is a data table for managing recorded programs. This table creates one record for each program. Each record includes a “program ID” as a program identifier, a “program title” as a program name, a “station name” of a broadcasting station, “start” and “end” times of “recording date and time”, and “keyword (group) ) ”,“ Bit rate ”(here, high“ H ”or low“ L ”), and“ priority ”. Most of these can be obtained from EPG data. The "bit rate" can be directly specified by the user or can be determined by priority or the like in the case of automatic determination. In this example, one record can specify a plurality of bit rates at the same time, but a plurality of records having different bit rates may be created for the same program. The priority is directly specified by the user, or in the case of automatic determination, it is determined based on the keyword described above.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of the recording process when the program to be recorded is automatically determined. This processing is periodically executed by the server. It is considered that the cycle is preferably about 1 to several weeks, but is not limited to this. Even if this cycle is fixed in advance,
Alternatively, the setting may be variably set by the user.

When the cycle arrives (S31, Yes), the home server extracts the keyword of each program from the electronic program guide data within the new period (S32). As described with reference to FIG. 7, the priority of each program is determined based on the extracted keyword and the user preference data registered in advance (S33). Further, the program to be recorded is determined based on this priority (S34). Both high-rate and low-rate bit rates are set for the programs of the highest priority category (S35). Next, a high rate is set for the program of the category having the highest priority (S36). Low rates are set for other programs to be recorded (S37).
Programs whose priority does not reach the predetermined threshold are not included in the recording target. However, the relationship between the priority and the bit rate is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

The home server constantly checks whether or not the broadcast time of the program to be recorded has arrived (S38). At that time, the recording / playback apparatus is controlled or instructed to record the program at the bit rate set for the program (S39). For a program for which a low rate has been designated, the program data recorded at a high rate may be once obtained by rate conversion. in this case,
For programs for which only low rates are specified, high rate program data is immediately deleted. High-rate program data is left for programs for which both rates are specified. Preferably,
At the time of recording, it is confirmed whether or not there is a remaining capacity in the program storage area of the storage device. In addition, the total reproduction time required to reproduce the program to be recorded is the period (eg, S3 in FIG. 10).
Recording that exceeds the total time (or the time obtained by adding or subtracting a predetermined time thereto) of the appreciable viewing time period of one cycle period) may be suppressed. This is because if such recording is allowed, the number of recorded programs that are difficult to physically view in the storage device may increase, which may cause a situation in which additional recording of high-priority programs is difficult.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of solicitation to view a recorded program and the subsequent processing accompanied by updating of the preference data table and the rejection data table described above. The home server constantly checks (including periodically) whether or not the viewing time zone designated by the schedule described in FIG. 6 has come (S61). When the time comes, the recorded programs are listed and transmitted to the user's device corresponding to the time (for example, a mobile terminal when commuting) to encourage viewing (S62). in this case,
If the device used for viewing is a mobile terminal, it is preferable to deliver only low-rate programs. for that reason,
For a program with only a high rate, the bit rate may be converted to a low rate before distribution when it is placed on the viewing list addressed to the mobile terminal. This avoids unnecessarily occupying storage capacity with both high and low rate program data. If the device used for viewing is a device at home, preferably only high-rate programs are presented. However, if the low-rate program data can be viewed without any trouble on the in-home device, the low-rate program may be included in the viewing list.

When any program is viewed (S6
3, Yes), and the preference data table (and the preference data keyword in some cases) is updated as described above with reference to FIG. 8A (S64). Further, the viewed program data is deleted from the storage device (S65). Along with this, the record in the recorded program management table 90 is also deleted.

The home server also constantly checks whether or not there is a recorded program which exceeds the retention period (S66). The storage period may be, for example, an arbitrary period of several weeks to one to several months, but is not limited to this. This period may be fixed in advance or may be variably set by the user. If there is a program that has exceeded the retention period, the program data is deleted from the storage device (S67). Along with this, the record in the recorded program management table 90 is also deleted. Further, the rejection data table (and the rejection data keyword in some cases) is updated as described above with reference to FIG. 8B (S68).

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing an example of the remaining capacity check processing of the storage device when the program priority is adopted. This processing is periodically executed by the home server (or recording / playback apparatus). When that cycle arrives (S5
1, Yes), and checks the remaining capacity of the area allocated to program recording in the storage device (S52). When the remaining capacity falls below a predetermined threshold, the oldest program data of the programs with the lowest priority is deleted (S
53). Along with this, the record in the recorded program management table 90 is also deleted.

FIG. 13 shows the recorded program management table 9 of FIG.
Another recorded program management table 91 in which the item of “priority” is deleted from 0 and the item of “viewing time zone” is added
The example of composition of is shown. In this case, when the user individually designates the program to be recorded, the "watching time zone" is also designated. Instead of the user designating each program for which viewing time slot, the program may be automatically determined based on keywords such as program genre and talent name. In this case, the "bit rate" can be automatically determined based on the viewing time zone designated or determined for the program. For example,
A low bit rate is used for a program viewed while commuting, and a high bit rate is used for a program viewed at home. In the recorded program management table 91, there may be a program whose viewing time slot is not designated. For the program, for example, data of both H and L bit rates may be stored so that the program can be viewed both at home and at home. When soliciting viewing to a mobile terminal, select a program stored at a low bit rate.

The table 91 shown in FIG. 13 may be combined with the table 90 shown in FIG. 9 so that a program whose priority is determined and a program whose viewing time zone is specified are mixed in one table. .

FIG. 14 shows an example of bit rate setting processing corresponding to the recorded program management table 91 of FIG. 13 in the home server. The user receives designation of the program to be recorded and the viewing time zone (S11). If this time zone is during commuting or going out (S12, Yes), the bit rate of the program is set to a low rate (S13). When the time zone is other than commuting, going out, etc. (S12, No), the bit rate of the program is set to a high rate (S14).

FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing an example of the recording of the home server corresponding to the recorded program management table 91 of FIG. 14 and the subsequent processing.

The home server uses the recorded program management table 9
According to the contents registered in 1, it is constantly checked whether or not the broadcast time of the program designated by the user has arrived (S21). At that time, recording is instructed at the bit rate set for the program (S2
2).

Further, it is constantly checked whether or not the recorded program has reached the designated viewing time (S).
23). Whether or not it has been recorded can be estimated by comparing the recording end date and time of the recorded program management table 91 with the current date and time, and if the current date and time has passed the recording end date and time. Whether or not the video has been actually recorded can be determined by whether or not the program data corresponding to the video data is present in the storage device in the video recording device 205. When the designated viewing time comes, a program title or the like for which the time is designated is listed, and a device corresponding to the designated time (for example, a mobile terminal when commuting to work) is prompted to watch the program (S24). ).
If any program is viewed (S25, Ye
s), the program data is deleted from the storage device (S2)
6). However, as described above, this deletion may be conditional on the user's permission. When the program data is deleted, the record in the recorded program management table 91 is also deleted.

The recorded program is also periodically monitored whether it has exceeded a predetermined storage period from the time of recording (S27). If there is such a program, the program data is deleted (S28). The deletion in this case may be subject to the user's permission. The record in the recorded program management table 91 is also deleted together with the program data.

In this way, by storing the recorded program in a format suitable for the viewing time zone and delivering it to the user during the viewing time zone, it is possible to deliver appropriate data according to the device of the delivery destination. In addition to being able to do so, it becomes possible to efficiently enjoy the recorded program while minimizing the burden on the user. Moreover, the capacity of the storage device can be more appropriately managed by automatically deleting the program data.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but various modifications and changes can be made. For example,
Although the program data is deleted based on the retention period, the priority may also be taken into consideration, and the deletion may be performed based on the retention period only for programs with low priorities.

[0064]

According to the present invention, the target program can be automatically recorded according to the information input by the user.
It is possible to prevent forgetting to record. Moreover, by recording only the target program, the burden on the user for securing the viewing time can be reduced.

By automatically updating the selection criterion of the program to be recorded according to the viewing information of each individual user, the selection criterion can be automatically changed to an appropriate one.

By assuming the situation at the time of viewing the program for each program to be recorded and changing the recording method according to the situation, it becomes possible to record in a format necessary and sufficient for distribution of the program. . In particular, it is possible to make the data size of the program data more appropriate and save the storage capacity as a whole.

By distributing the recorded program to another viewing apparatus according to the user's schedule, it is possible to efficiently watch the recorded program by using the time zone where the user can watch the program on the go. . If the schedule is modified based on the user's position information, more realistic control becomes possible.

By automatically recording and deleting, the user does not need to perform recording operation for each program,
In addition, the complicated management work for many recorded programs is released.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an entire system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a mobile terminal 10 in the system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a recording / playback apparatus 2 in the system shown in FIG.
It is a block diagram which shows an example of a schematic internal structure of 0.

FIG. 4 is a home server 1 in the system shown in FIG.
7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of 7.

5 is a flowchart showing a schematic operation of the home server 17 shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of a user's daily schedule.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a specific determination criterion in the case of automatically determining the necessity of recording a program according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method of automatically updating preference data keywords and rejection data keywords afterwards.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a recorded program management table 90 stored in the storage device of the home server in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a recording process when a recording target program is automatically determined in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an example of solicitation to view a recorded program and subsequent processing accompanied by updating of the preference data table and the rejection data table in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a remaining capacity check process of the storage device when the priority of a program is adopted in the embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of another recorded program management table 91 in which an item of "viewing time zone" is added to the recorded program management table 90 of FIG.

14 is a flowchart showing an example of a bit rate setting process corresponding to the recorded program management table 91 of FIG.

15 is a flowchart showing an example of recording and subsequent processing of the home server corresponding to the recorded program management table 91 of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Mobile terminal, 12 ... Base station, 10 ... Mobile terminal, 14
... Internet, 17 ... Home server, 20 ... Recording / playback device, 81 ... Preference data table, 82 ... Preference data keyword, 83 ... Rejection data table, 84 ... Rejection data keyword, 90 ... Recorded program management table, 91 ...
Recorded program management table

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5C052 AA01 AB02 CC01 DD10                 5C053 FA23 FA29 LA07 LA11 LA14                 5C064 BA07 BB03 BC16 BC20 BD02                       BD08                 5D044 AB05 AB07 BC01 CC05 DE22                       EF05 GK08 GK10

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A recording reservation acceptance and distribution method for receiving and distributing a recording reservation of a broadcast program, the method comprising: receiving a designation of a program to be recorded and designation of time zone information for viewing the program, and corresponding to the time zone. Register the information of the viewing equipment to be used for watching the program, record the specified program, check the specified viewing time slot for the program, and record the recorded program to that program. And a step of delivering to a viewing device corresponding to the designated viewing time zone, the recording reservation acceptance delivery method. 2. The recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to claim 1, wherein the bit rate of the program data to be recorded is varied according to the designated viewing time zone. 3. A recording reservation reception and distribution method for receiving and distributing a recording reservation of a broadcast program, the step of receiving designation of time slot information in which the program can be watched, and utilizing the program watching in correspondence with the time slot. The step of registering the information of the viewing device, the step of accepting the information serving as the criterion for selecting the program to be recorded, the priority of each program is determined from the electronic program guide data based on the criterion, and Determining the program to be recorded based on the priority, recording the decided program, and delivering the recorded program to the viewing device corresponding to the viewing time zone. A recording reservation acceptance / delivery method characterized by comprising: 4. The recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to claim 3, wherein the bit rate of the program data to be recorded is varied based on the priority. 5. The recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to claim 4, wherein the viewing time zone for delivering the program is determined according to the bit rate of each program. 6. The information serving as a criterion for selecting the program to be recorded includes a user's preference data keyword, and the keyword extracted from each program is compared with the user's preference data keyword to determine the program. 4. The recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to claim 3, wherein the priority is determined. 7. The information serving as a criterion for selecting the program to be recorded includes a user's rejection data keyword, and the keyword extracted from each program is further compared with the user's rejection data keyword, and both comparisons are made. 7. The recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to claim 6, wherein the priority of the program is determined based on the result. 8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of automatically updating the preference data keyword.
Recording reservation acceptance delivery method described. 9. The recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of automatically updating the preference data keyword and the rejection data keyword. 10. The recording reservation acceptance distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of deleting the distributed recorded program data after the distribution is completed. 11. The recording reservation acceptance / delivery method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of deleting unviewed recorded program data when a predetermined storage period has elapsed. 12. A recording reservation acceptance / delivery system, comprising at least a home server and a recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein the home server is connected to a portable terminal via a network, wherein the recording / reproducing apparatus includes means for recording a broadcast program. The home server includes means for receiving designation of a program to be recorded and designation of time zone information for viewing the program, means for causing the recording / playback apparatus to record the designated program, and designation for the program. A recording reservation characterized in that it comprises means for confirming the viewing time zone specified and delivering the recorded program to the viewing equipment corresponding to the viewing time zone specified for the program. Reception delivery system. 13. A recording reservation acceptance / delivery system, comprising at least a home server and a recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein the home server is connected to a portable terminal via a network, wherein the recording / reproducing apparatus comprises means for recording a broadcast program. The home server includes means for accepting information serving as a criterion for designating time zone information for viewing a program and selecting a program to be recorded, and each program from the electronic program guide data based on the criterion. Means for determining the priority and determining a recording target program based on the priority; means for causing the recording / playback apparatus to record the determined program; and the recorded program during the viewing time zone. A recording reservation acceptance / delivery system, comprising means for delivering to a viewing device corresponding to a viewing time zone. 14. A recording reservation acceptance distribution program executed in a home server connected to a recording / reproducing apparatus and connected to a portable terminal via a network, wherein a program to be recorded is designated and time to watch the program. A step of receiving designation of band information; a step of causing the recording / playback device to record a designated program; a viewing time zone designated for the program is confirmed, and the recorded program is designated for the program. A recording reservation acceptance and distribution program, characterized in that the recording reservation reception and distribution step is executed in the viewing time zone, and the step of delivering to the viewing device corresponding to the viewing time zone. 15. A recording reservation acceptance distribution program executed in a home server connected to a recording / reproducing apparatus and connected to a mobile terminal via a network, wherein designation and recording of time zone information for viewing a program are possible. A step of receiving information serving as a judgment criterion for selecting a target program, a step of judging a priority of each program from electronic program guide data based on the judgment standard, and a step of deciding a recording target program based on the priority A step of causing the recording / playback apparatus to record the determined program, and a step of distributing the recorded program to a viewing device corresponding to the viewing time zone during the viewing time zone. A recording reservation reception and distribution program that features.