JP2006217627A - System for processing multimedia information - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a convenient system for processing multimedia information which enables a user to easily select desired information from a large amount of various contents. <P>SOLUTION: In a method for displaying the multimedia information for displaying information about a plurality of media, a screen in which a plurality of pieces of content information represented by icons are three-dimensionally arranged is displayed and description of the contents selected by the user is displayed from the screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention provides an easy-to-use multimedia information display method, processing method, processing apparatus, and so on that allows a user to easily find and select information desired by the user from among a large amount and variety of multimedia information. It relates to a processing system.

In recent years, in the technical field of TV broadcasting, in addition to the spread of CS digital broadcasting, digitization of BS broadcasting and terrestrial broadcasting is about to start.
A large amount of various contents and various types of information are about to be sent to homes through broadcast media or communication.

In the following description, content and various types of information are collectively expressed as content, and the same is applied to claims.
In the technical field of personal computers (hereinafter referred to as PCs), networking has progressed, and it is possible to search for information from all over the world including the WWW over the Internet.

TV and PC have been used for different users and different purposes, but it is expected that TV or PC will function as an information window in the future. In this case, TV and PC are merged. It is expected to shift to the form that was made.
As a conventional technique for handling a large amount of various contents as described above, TV broadcasting has a video storage means for several hours, and information that changes with time such as news and weather forecast is automatically updated to the latest one. But a service has been proposed to make it visible.
In addition, as an interface for selecting a large amount of diverse contents, a program table is displayed, a menu is displayed as a table of contents, and a character called an icon is used as content information representing the content to present the stored content. Techniques to do this have been proposed.
Hereinafter, a character such as an icon is referred to as content information, and the same applies to claims.

As mentioned above, TV and PC are merged and a large amount of various contents are sent, but in advance of such a large amount of various contents, the user selects the information he wants himself. This is expected to be extremely difficult.
Prior art related to the interface described above is display of a program guide, display of a menu as a table of contents, and display of content using content information (icons). If there is a large amount of content, all content information is displayed unless the menu has a hierarchical structure. There is a problem that it becomes impossible to display and it becomes extremely difficult for the user to select a desired one from these.

  Further, automobile information systems called car navigation systems and intelligent road traffic systems are being introduced in automobiles, and various information such as road guidance information, traffic information, and entertainment facility information has been incorporated into the car information system. However, this has a similar problem.

  An object of the present invention is to enable a user to easily select desired information from a large amount and various contents, or to select and record information according to the user's preference on behalf of the user. An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use multimedia information display method, processing method, processing apparatus, and processing system capable of optimally displaying content that has been performed or selected and recorded and stored.

To this end, the present invention provides a multimedia information display method for displaying information on a plurality of media, displaying a screen on which a plurality of pieces of content information represented by icons are arranged in a three-dimensional manner. The content selected by the user is displayed.
In addition, the content information of different types of content is displayed in the left-right direction, and the content information size is sequentially reduced in the depth direction, taking into account the usage degree variable indicating the number of times the content is used and the recommendation level. It is what you do.
The content information has different shapes corresponding to the types of media.

  In addition, in the multimedia information processing method for processing information on a plurality of media, usage record information such as the number of usage records is given to the information based on a user's past usage record for the information on the plurality of media, Displaying information of a plurality of media according to the usage record information, or creating a plurality of types of profiles based on a user's past usage records for the information of the plurality of media, and at least of the created profiles This is accomplished by displaying the information based on one.

In addition, the object is achieved by creating the profile by adding information that uses a user time to information used by a user, or by creating a profile or a keyword of the information. .
Further, the object is to provide a multimedia information processing apparatus for processing a plurality of media information, a means for receiving a plurality of media information, a means for creating a profile based on a user's usage history, and the profile This is achieved by providing means for displaying the information according to the contents of the information and means for recording the information as necessary, or by further providing means for transmitting and receiving network information.

Further, the object is to provide means for receiving information on a plurality of media, means for displaying the information, and means for recording the information as necessary in a multimedia information processing system for processing information on a plurality of media. A first information processing apparatus having a second information processing apparatus that transmits and receives information via a network, and creates a profile based on a user's viewing history in the first and second information processing apparatuses. This is achieved by displaying information on the first or second information processing apparatus according to the contents of the profile.
Furthermore, the object is achieved by arranging content information corresponding to a plurality of contents in a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen and displaying the size of the content information in a smaller direction as it goes in the depth direction of the screen. The

  Further, the object is to arrange content information corresponding to a plurality of contents in a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen, and sequentially display the size of the content information as it goes in the depth direction of the screen. This is achieved by displaying the content information with a higher degree of use by the user.

  Further, the object is to set a plurality of content display areas extending in the depth direction in a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen, and arrange content information corresponding to the plurality of contents selected for each of the plurality of content display areas. In addition, this is achieved by displaying the size of the content information sequentially smaller in the depth direction of the screen for each content display area.

Further, the object is to set a plurality of content display areas extending in the depth direction in a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen, and arrange content information corresponding to the plurality of contents selected for each of the plurality of content display areas. In addition, the content information size is gradually reduced in the depth direction of the screen for each content display area, and the content display area to which the selected content information belongs is displayed near the center in the longitudinal direction of the screen. Is achieved.
Further, the purpose is to set the depth direction so as to become farther toward the upper side of the screen, to set a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen, and to set the size of content information corresponding to a plurality of contents on the upper side of the screen. This is achieved by displaying smaller as you go.
Furthermore, the object is to form a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen of a display device mounted on an automobile and to arrange content information corresponding to a plurality of contents sent by one-way communication, and to make the depth direction of the screen This is achieved by displaying the content information in a smaller size as it goes to.
Furthermore, the object is to form a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen of a display device mounted on an automobile and to arrange content information corresponding to a plurality of contents sent by one-way communication, and to make the depth direction of the screen This is achieved by displaying the size of the content information sequentially as it goes to, and displaying the content information on the near side that is higher in user usage.

Further, the object is to form a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen of a display device mounted on an automobile, and to set at least two content display areas extending in the depth direction in the three-dimensional space. Content information corresponding to a plurality of contents sent by one-way communication is arranged, and content information corresponding to a plurality of contents transmitted / received by two-way communication is arranged in the other one content display area. This is achieved by sequentially displaying the size of the content information as it goes in the depth direction of the screen for each display area.
Further, the object is to form a virtual three-dimensional space on the screen of a display device mounted on an automobile, set a plurality of content display areas extending in the depth direction in the three-dimensional space, and display the plurality of content Content information corresponding to the number of contents selected for each area is arranged, and the size of the content information is sequentially displayed in the depth direction of the screen for each content display area, and the selected content information This is achieved by displaying the content display area to which the icon belongs in the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the screen.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible for a user to easily select desired information from a large amount and a variety of contents provided, and according to the user's preference on behalf of the user. An easy-to-use multimedia information display method, processing method, processing apparatus, and processing system capable of selecting and recording information and storing or selecting and selecting and recording and storing content optimally for a user Can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a multimedia information display method, processing method, processing apparatus, and processing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
A multimedia information processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is a processing apparatus for which only a medium as information is a one-way communication medium such as a TV broadcast. The broadcast signal is received, and the video and audio selected by the user under the control of the user from the remote control device 400 are displayed on the display 300.
The processing device 100 includes a signal separation device 101, an information decoder 102, an information buffer 103, a comparison unit 104, a user profile 105, an A / V decoder 106, a video recording device 107, a display video switching unit 108, a guide screen creation unit 109, A filing device 110, a clock calendar 111, a display data selection unit 112, and a command reception unit 113 are provided.

In the above description, the signal separation device 101 has a function of receiving and demodulating a broadcast signal, and separates information including video and audio transmitted from related information associated with the information, and converts each of these pieces of information into A / The data is transferred to the V decoder 106 and the information decoder 102.
The related information given to the information decoder 102 is, for example, program information in the case of TV broadcasting, and includes title, time (start time to end time), genre / sub-genre, performer / player / director / etc, introductory text, media / It is text data such as a station name, and the decoded data is stored in the information buffer 103.

In TV broadcasting and the like, many programs are broadcast in parallel. However, the signal separation device 101 and the information decoder 102 can separate and decode related information of all the programs. Stored in the buffer 103.
When the processing apparatus 100 is used at home, a plurality of user profiles 105 may be provided for each family according to the structure of the family, or a plurality of user profiles 105 may be provided for individual purposes.
The user profile 105 is created based on the history of each individual using broadcast media in the past, in this case, the history of viewing.
In this history, genre / sub-genre scores, scores for each keyword (title, performer, introduction, etc.), scores for each time zone of the above-mentioned score data, and the like are recorded.

The above-mentioned score is calculated based on the viewing frequency, viewing time, etc. for each genre when the broadcast media is viewed, and this represents the degree of use for each genre. The key is not limited, and any variable that represents the degree of use may be used.
The comparison unit 104 compares the data stored in the information buffer 103 with the data stored in the user profile 105 to detect the degree of coincidence. Specifically, it compares the program information of the currently broadcast program. In the user profile 105, data having a high score is detected and the data is passed to the filing device 110.
The filing device 110 records the data personally and controls the video recording device 107 based on the data.
On the other hand, the A / V decoder 106 that has received the information including the video and audio from the signal separation device 101 decodes the information including the video and audio of the broadcast program, and sends it to the video recording device 107 and the display video switching unit 108. Forwarding.

The video recording device 107 records video and audio information of a program designated by the filing device 110 based on data from the filing device 110.
When the user operates the processing device 100 to view information recorded on the TV broadcast / video recording device 107, the user operates the remote control device 400 to sequentially transmit operation commands to the processing device 100.
The command receiving unit 113 of the processing device 100 receives a command from the remote control device 400 and passes the command to the display data selection unit 112.
The display data selection unit 112 selects a corresponding one of the filing device 110 according to the received command or when the command includes personal identification data, and transfers the command together with the data to the guide screen creation unit 109.

The guide screen creation unit 109 creates a guide screen based on the received command, data in the filing device, information such as the video stored in the video recording device 107, and the like.
The display video switching unit 108 selects a video from the A / V decoder 106, the video recording device 107, and the guide screen 109 and displays it on the display 300. Details of the above-described user operations, guide screens, and video selection will be described later.
The multimedia information processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 is obtained from the Internet or the like via a one-way communication medium by TV broadcasting and a communication line 500 such as a CATV line or a telephone (including a communication apparatus having a mobile phone function). This is a processing device for bi-directional communication media.

The processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes a WWW browser 114 that captures information from the communication line 500, a signal separation apparatus 101 ′ that separates video information and audio signals, and a latest information buffer 115 in the processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. In addition it is configured.
In the above description, the data related to the information included in the information from the WWW browser 114 is a title, a genre / sub-genre on the directory, an introduction sentence, a keyword, and the like. About a month is stored in the latest information buffer 115 and is used in the same manner as the data stored in the information buffer 103 described with reference to FIG.

Also, video information included in the information from the WWW browser 114 is separated via the signal separation device 101 ′ and given to the A / V decoder 106.
The signal from the signal separation device 101 ′ is also used in the same manner as the signal from the signal separation device 101 described with reference to FIG.

The multimedia information processing system shown in FIG. 3 allows a service / provider to create and store a user profile, and allows a portable terminal, PC, etc. to process information obtained via a communication line. is there.
The illustrated processing system includes a processing device 100, a service provider 600, and a processing device 700 such as a portable terminal or a PC.

The processing device 100 is configured by removing the user profile 105 from the processing device 100 described with reference to FIG. 1, and is connected to the service provider 600 via a communication line.
The service provider 600 creates and holds a user profile 601 for each individual user based on command information from the processing device 100, data in the filing device 100, and the like. When viewing information or the like, the information is transmitted to the comparison unit 103 of the processing apparatus 100.

The information in the user profile 601 is used by the processing apparatus 100 as in the case of the contents of the user profile 105 described with reference to FIG.
The service provider 600 creates a celebrity profile 602 and provider recommendation information 603 and provides them as a reference when the user views video information or the like using the processing apparatus 100.
The processing device 700 includes a comparison unit 701, a latest information buffer 702, a WWW browser 703 connected to a mobile phone or the like, a filing device 704, and an operation unit 705, and the communication line described with reference to FIG. To process the media information.
A user can view information from the Internet or the like using a display 800 connected to the processing device 700.

In this case, the user uses the operation unit 705 to operate the WWW browser 703 to retrieve desired information. In this retrieval, the data in the latest information buffer 702 storing past information, the service information Data in the user profile 601 of the provider 600 is referred to via the comparison unit 701.
The processing device 700 connects the mobile phone 900 to take in information from the Internet or the like, and performs data communication with the service provider 600 to create a user profile 601 in the service provider 600.
Further, when the processing device 700 is configured by a PC or the like, a telephone line may be connected instead of connecting the mobile phone 900.
Next, the configuration of the remote control device 400 for operating the processing device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be described with reference to FIG.

As a matter of course, an operation mechanism capable of performing an operation equivalent to that which can be operated by the remote control device 400 may be provided in the processing apparatus 100.
As shown in the top view of FIG. 4A, the remote control device 400 includes a power switch 402, a menu switch 403, a zoom up / zoom down switch 404, a rotary dial 405, As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4B, the cursor switch 406, the detail switch 407, the circuit board 411 provided therein, the connection IC 414 provided on the board 411, the infrared light emitting unit 410, and the rotary dial 405 And a tact switch 412 constituting each switch.
Note that the functions and usage of each switch and the rotary dial 405 in the remote control device 400 will be described later.

The operation of the processing device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 can be performed by the remote control device having the configuration shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, but the video is directly reproduced from the video recording device 107. When there is a request to do so, a switch group 409 for directly controlling the video recording device 107 can be provided in the remote control device 400 as shown in FIG.
Next, an example of a guide screen for allowing the user to select a desired content from a large amount and various contents and a basic concept thereof will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a guide (interface) screen for information selection according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the basic concept thereof.
In general, evaluation of an interface is performed based on cognition (easy to see and understand) and operability (ease of use).

In the present invention, in order to improve the cognition of the interface screen, a “cognitive model” is set which is modeled on a virtual three-dimensional space close to the daily life.
As a result, the interface screen based on the cognitive model of the present invention can make a natural intuition suitable for daily behavior even when the user views the interface screen, and is easy to use and easy to remember even for the first time.
That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the basic idea of the present invention is to arrange content information that defines content such as icons so as to surround itself standing on a plane, and when viewing details about this content information, place it in a notebook at hand. It was that he looked down at his notebook with his gaze dropped.

In addition, when it is desired to move to another selection method (keyword search or the like), there is a method of looking up a menu signboard that is lifted forward.
By performing such a display, the operation of the screen can be performed in a form close to the daily behavior.
Various types of content information are selected and arranged by genre and category in the left-right direction, that is, around the person standing.

In addition, those with a high degree of use such as a high recommendation degree, a high interest of the user, or a high number of uses are arranged in the front, and the size gradually decreases in the depth direction as the degree of use decreases. They are arranged in order. It should be noted that in the following explanation, the expression of the degree of use is collectively used for items that have a high degree of recommendation, items that are of great interest to the user, or items that are frequently used, and the same applies to the claims.
By displaying in this way, the user can look around the content information in the surroundings by changing his or her field of view to the left and right, and can see the whole picture of the recommended content information .

And because users are highly prominent content information such as the most recommended content information, content information that they are interested in, or content information that is frequently used The content information can be easily selected and used or viewed.
FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the interface screen created based on the above-described concept. In this example, only the content information in the front is visible from the center where the user is standing, but the content is also in the back. Information is arranged.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the content genre (FA) related to fashion, the content genre (TR) related to travel, the content genre (MO) related to movies, the morning that is life time, and the recommended content genre (TI) distributed to evenings. In this way, a plurality of content display areas are set, and corresponding content information is arranged in each content display area.
This content display area extends in the depth direction, and is set so as to give the user an impression of becoming farther away from the depth.
The content information in this case is displayed as FA1, TR1 to TR3, MO1 to MO6, TI1 to TI4, and corresponds to what is usually called an icon.
It should be noted that other content information is also arranged in the rear that is not visible in this figure, and by operating the rotary dial 405 of the remote control device 400, the field of view can be changed to the left and right and called into the screen.

As described above, each content information display area has a size in the depth direction from a highly recommended item such as a highly recommended item, a highly interested user, or a frequently used item. They are arranged in order of decreasing size.
Further, the depth direction extends toward the upper side of the screen, and accordingly, the content information is set to be displayed smaller as it goes to the upper side of the screen.
Next, the classification of the content display area arranged around the center point where the user is standing is arbitrary.

  For example, a set of recommended contents by genre used in various information magazines, a set of recommended contents for each style based on lifestyle, keywords that users may be interested in as subcategories (for example, A set of contents relating to a talent name, a program name, etc.) is conceivable, but is not limited thereto.

Since the interface screen according to the cognitive model of the present invention performs more realistic expression, not only displays the size of content information in the distance, but also displays the brightness, saturation, The color can be changed or displayed with a slight blur.
7 to 15 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 16 to 19 are diagrams showing examples of screens sequentially displayed according to the operation.
The flow shown in FIGS. 7 to 15 will be described below with reference to the screen examples shown in FIGS. 16 to 19. The flow described below relates to the processing apparatus shown in FIG. Here, the same processing is performed also in the case of FIG. 1 and FIG.

(1). In the flow shown in FIG. 7, when the processing apparatus 100 is turned on, a user selection screen as shown in FIG. 1616 (a) is displayed. (Steps 1001, 1002)
(2). The user who turned on the processing apparatus 100 selects who he / she is by operating the cursor switch 406 of the remote controller 400 up / down / left / right to move the cursor to the displayed user name, and the cursor A decision input is made by depressing the switch 406.

The operation of the remote control device is indicated by a circle “W” in the flow. In the following description, this operation will be described as operation W. (Step 1003)
(3). When the user name is selected and input, the selected user mode is set in the processing device. (Step 1005)
(4). If no user name is input during a predetermined time (for example, about 5 seconds) in step 1003, the family mode is automatically selected and set if the processor is commonly used.
In addition, if the family does not use this processing device in common, a predetermined mode common to those users, for example, the channel mode of the program that was viewed last time or the recommended channel mode in the system is set. Is done. (Step 1004)
(5). An on-air program according to the profile of the user selected by the mode set in steps 1004 and 1005 is displayed as shown in FIG. (Step 1006)
(6). When the user selects another program or information while the screen as shown in FIG. 16B is displayed, the user presses the menu switch 403 of the remote control device 400.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 16C, the menu is displayed at the top of the screen as if the user's own line of sight was shifted upward. (Steps 1007 and 1008)
(7). The menu displayed in step 1008 is, for example, “Recommendation”, “Select from other media”, “Search by keyword”, “Mail corner”, [Weather forecast, NEWS mini information], etc. One is selected by performing an operation W of the cursor switch.
As a result, a screen corresponding to those menus is displayed. Here, it is assumed that “Recommendation” is selected from the menu. (Step 1009)
(8). Moving to the flow of FIG. 8, first, the content information (icon) group indicating the recommended content as shown in FIG. 16D is displayed with the highly recommended content information as shown in FIG. The content display area to which the selected content information belongs is displayed near the center in the longitudinal direction of the screen. (Step 1100)
(9). Here, when the user presses the detail switch 407 of the remote control device 400 in order to know the details of the recommended content, the user is most recommended at the bottom of the screen as if holding the book as shown in FIG. The title (TL) of the high content is displayed. (Steps 1101 and 1106)
(10). When the user wants to know more detailed information of the content, when the user presses the detail switch 407 again, as shown in FIG. 16F, the detailed information (DT) of the content, for example, recommended drama, movie Etc., the name of the performer, an outline story, etc. are displayed.

Although not shown in the screen example, the operation panel of this program is displayed and an operation menu is displayed.
The operation menu is, for example, “play”, “stop”, “turn back”, “fast forward”, “save”, “delete”, and the like, and is selected by the operation W of the cursor switch.
The operation when each menu is selected is as shown with the operation W. (Steps 1108 and 1109)
(11). When the user presses the detail switch 407 again in the state of step 1109, the user can return to step 1100 and perform another operation. (Step 1110)
(12). When the cursor switch 406, which is the determination key of the remote control device, is depressed while the screen shown in FIG. 16E is displayed in step 1106, a program operation panel is displayed and the program is viewed as described later. be able to. (Step 1107)
(13). When the cursor switch 406, which is the determination key of the remote control device, is depressed in the display state in step 1100, it is possible to view the most recommended content as selectable content. The operation in this case will be described later. (Step 1102)
(14). When the menu key 403 is pressed in the display state in step 1100, a menu is displayed at the top of the recommendation screen as shown in FIG. 16G, and the operation from step 1008 described above can be returned to. (Steps 1103, 1111)
(15). When the user intends to select content information with the cursor in the display state in step 1100, the user moves the cursor in the screen by operating the cursor switch 406 to display the screen as shown in FIG. The displayed content information (icon) can be instructed.

In this case, the cursor can be moved only within the area where the recommended content information is displayed. (Step 1104)
(16). When viewing the content pointed to by the cursor in the operation of step 1104, the program can be viewed by pressing the enter key. The operation in this case will be described later. (Steps 1112 and 1120)
(17). If it is desired to change the content to be selected, the cursor can be moved further upward (far), and the cursor can be moved out of the area of the circle where the content information is arranged as shown in FIG. . (Steps 1113 and 1116)
(18). When the cursor switch operation W is performed while the cursor in step 1116 is outside the circle where the content is arranged, another user mode is selected, and the content information is arranged according to the profile of the other user. ) Is displayed, and then the operation returns to step 1005. (Steps 1117 and 1121)
(19). As another method for changing the content to be selected in step 1112, a method of moving the cursor to the adjacent area by pressing the cursor switch 406 left or right can be used.
When the cursor moves to the adjacent area as shown in FIG. 17 (d), the circle in which the content information is arranged rotates as shown in FIG. 17 (e), and the adjacent area is shown in FIG. 17 (f). As shown in the center.

As a result, a screen on which content information such as another genre next to the area where the recommended content information is arranged is arranged, and the operation from step 1100 can be performed on this screen. (Steps 1115, 1118, 1119, 1123)
(20). As yet another method for changing the content information selected in step 1112, the user should select content information from the genres other than the recommendation currently displayed in the center of the screen in the display state in step 1100. In this case, the user rotates the rotary dial 405 of the remote control device 400 as shown in FIG.
As a result, the display screen is rotated according to the rotation of the rotary dial 405, the selection area is changed, and the content information group of the desired genre is displayed in the central portion so as to be selectable. (Steps 1105, 1124)
(21). In the state of the display screen in step 1124, the user can perform the operation from step 1100, and can view the most recommended content information that can be selected by the user pressing the enter key. It can be carried out. (Steps 1125, 1126).

(22). As another method for changing the content to be selected in step 1112, there is a method in which the zoom up / zoom down switch 404 of the remote control device 400 is pressed.
If the enter key is pressed without pressing the switch 404, the program indicated by the cursor can be viewed at that time. (Steps 1114 and 1122).

(23). Turning to FIG. 9, it is assumed that the zoom-up switch has been pressed. Then, as shown in FIG. 17 (g), the image is enlarged and focused around the content near the cursor.
Here, if the enter key is pressed, the content information program indicated by the cursor can be viewed at this time. (Steps 1201-1203)
(24). When the image shown in FIG. 17G in step 1202 is displayed, if the zoom down key is pressed, the original state is restored and operations from step 1100 in FIG. 8 can be performed (steps 1204, 1205). ).

(25). If the detail switch is pressed while the image shown in FIG. 17G in step 1202 is displayed, the title of the content information indicated by the cursor at this time is displayed as shown in FIG. Operations from step 1106 or 1108 in FIG. 8 can be performed. (Steps 1206, 1207)
(26). When the menu switch 403 is pressed while the image shown in FIG. 17G in step 1202 is displayed, a menu is displayed at the top of the currently displayed screen as shown in FIG. It is possible to return to the operation from 1008. (Steps 1208 and 1209)
(27). In the state where the image shown in FIG. 17G of step 1202 is displayed, the content can be selected as shown in FIG. 18B using the cursor key.
By performing an operation W of changing and selecting content with the cursor key and pressing the enter key, the program of the content pointed to by the cursor can be viewed. (Steps 1210-1212)
(28). When the content is changed by the cursor in step 1211, when the cursor switch is further pushed left and right, the cursor moves to the adjacent area as shown in FIG. Returning to FIG. 8, the operation from step 1100 in FIG. 8 can be performed. (Steps 1213-1215)
Next, the operation when the determination key is pressed in steps 1102, 1120, 1122, 1126, and 1203 in the flow described above will be described with reference to the flow shown in FIG.
As described above, pressing the enter key means that the four-way cursor switch 406 of the remote control device 400 is pressed down instead of up / down / left / right.

(29). When the enter key is pressed, the contents of the selected content are displayed. When the content is broadcast on TV, recorded on TV, homepage, data broadcast, or electronic publication, the user can use the content immediately by pressing the enter key. (Steps 1301 to 1304)
(30). The appreciation of the content in step 1303 is a program being broadcast on TV, and when the program has been viewed until the end of the program, a questionnaire survey table for the content is displayed as shown in FIG.

This questionnaire is performed in a simple format for selecting one of a plurality of answers, and can be selected and answered with the cursor switch.
When the user answers this questionnaire, the information is stored as profile data. Thereafter, the user can return to step 1108 and perform the next operation. (Steps 1305 to 1307)
(31). If the user stops viewing and presses the detail switch 407 during the viewing of the content in steps 1303 and 1304, a questionnaire survey table for the content is displayed as described above.
When the user answers this questionnaire, the information is stored as profile data, and then the process returns to step 1106 or 1108 to perform the next operation. (Steps 1308, 1309, 1307)
(32). If the user stops viewing and presses the menu switch 403 during the viewing of the content in steps 1303 and 1304, the questionnaire survey table for the content is displayed as described above.
When the user answers this questionnaire, the information is stored as profile data, and then the process returns to step 1008 to perform the next operation. (Steps 1310, 1311, 1307)
(33). If the user presses the enter key again during the viewing of the content in step 1303, the flow proceeds to the flow shown in FIG.
If the user presses the enter key again while viewing the content in step 1304, if the content is electronic publishing, the flow proceeds to the flow shown in FIG. 12, and if the content is a home page, the flow is changed to FIG. The process proceeds to the flow shown (steps 1313 and 1314).

(34). If the determined content of step 1302 is scheduled to be recorded on TV (including when it is being broadcasted and watched in parallel) or has been recorded on TV, the process proceeds to the flow shown in FIG. (Step 1312)
(35). Moving to the flow shown in FIG. 11, when the enter key is pressed again in step 1302, detailed information on the content is displayed as shown in FIG. 19A, and a program operation panel corresponding to the cursor switch 406 is displayed. Is done.
By operating the cursor switch 406 in accordance with the displayed program operation panel, the user can “play”, “save”, “delete”, etc. the program.
In addition, “return” and “end” can return to the recommendation screen and the TV screen. (Steps 1401 and 1402)
(36). Moving to the flow shown in FIG. 12, when the user presses the enter key again while viewing the content in step 1304 described above, and the content is electronic publication, as shown in FIG. 19B. The detailed information of the content is displayed at the same time, and a program operation panel corresponding to the cursor switch 406 is displayed.
The user can “read”, “delete”, “save”, etc. the publication by operating the cursor switch 406 according to the displayed program operation panel.
In addition, “return” and “end” can return to the recommendation screen and the TV screen. (Steps 1501, 1502)
(37). Shifting to the flow shown in FIG. 13, when the user presses the enter key again during the viewing of the content in the above step 1304 and the content is a home page, as shown in FIG. 19C. Detailed information of the content is displayed, and a program operation panel corresponding to the cursor switch 406 is displayed.
The user can “view”, “delete”, “save”, etc. the home page by operating the cursor switch 406 in accordance with the displayed program operation panel. In addition, “return” and “end” can return to the recommendation screen and the TV screen. (Steps 1601, 1602)
(38). Moving to the flow shown in FIG. 14, when the user presses the enter key again during the viewing of the TV being broadcast and the recorded content in step 1303, a display as shown in FIG. 1919 (d) is displayed. A program operation panel corresponding to the cursor switch 406 is displayed on the screen.

By operating the cursor switch 406 according to the displayed program operation panel, the user can pause, fast-forward, rewind, etc. the program.
In addition, “return” and “end” can return to the recommendation screen and the TV screen. (Steps 1701, 1702)
(39). When the user presses the enter key while reading the electronic publication or the homepage described with reference to the flow shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the process proceeds to the flow shown in FIG. 15 and the browser operation panel is displayed as shown in FIG. Is done.
If the end is instructed on this operation panel, the screen returns to the recommendation screen, and if an operation is performed in accordance with an operation instruction in the other panel, a dedicated operation as a browser can be performed (steps 1801 and 1802).

  FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a method for setting user preferences in profile data in the initial state, FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of profile data created by the flow shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. -It is a figure explaining guide data, and profile data is demonstrated below.

  As shown in FIG. 20, in the initial state, when the user instructs initial registration of profile data by means not shown, a number of genre names and numerical lines for scoring them are displayed.

  This numerical line is defined as wanting to see the left end (score 100) and not wanting to see the right end (score 0). The user who wants to make initial settings selects one genre with the cursor, Is moved to a position on the line indicating the degree to which the user wants to see, the operation of pressing the enter key is performed for all genres, and finally the enter key is pressed again. As described above, a profile in which initial data of the user is set is created.

The profile for each user created as described above is updated when the user views some content such as a TV program using the processing device.
As shown in FIG. 21, the profile data for each user includes a user genre profile table in which genres are arranged in descending order of scores by genre and time period, and user keywords in which scores for keywords are arranged in the descending order of scores by genre. -Consists of a profile table, etc.

The content guide data shown in FIG. 22 is created for a plurality of contents belonging to video program / data broadcasting, homepage, and electronic publication, as shown in FIGS. 22 (a) to 22 (c). The content may be the content displayed when the detail switch is pressed in the above flow.
This data is also referred to when changing the score for each content in the profile.

  That is, when the user views or saves the content, the content guide data of the content is referred to, and if the user's profile data has the same genre notation, if there is a keyword, the genre of the profile data, The score according to the viewing time is added to the keyword.

The profile data created as described above is referred to in order to display the screen in the screen example for selecting content in the operation flow described above, and the content information with the highest score on the front side at that time Is placed and displayed.
Further, the recommendation screen in the above-described flow description can be created as a collection of, for example, the six best scores for each genre, keyword, and time period in the profile data for each user.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart for explaining processing for accessing a profile when the processing apparatus 700 in FIG. 3 is a PC placed in an office or the like, which will be described below.
When the processing apparatus 700 in FIG. 3 is a PC placed in an office or the like, it is common that the PC can be used by another person, so that another person accesses a profile that is an individual. It is necessary to be unable to do that.

The flow shown in FIG. 23 makes it possible to access the profile after the personal authentication confirmation process is performed for such a case.
(1). When a password for personal authentication is entered after the PC is started, the service provider 600 connected to the PC checks whether this password is correct and, if it is correct, accesses the user's profile. Allow. (Steps 1901, 1902)
(2). Thereafter, the user can view the recommended information or other desired information based on the data from the user profile 601 in the service provider 600, and the viewing data is learned in the user profile after viewing. The (Steps 1903 to 1905)
According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of pieces of content information are arranged three-dimensionally, different types of content information are displayed in the left-right direction, and the higher the user usage level, the closer to the front. Thus, since the display in the depth direction is performed, the user can easily select information as if he / she is on a plane and selects what is around.
Further, according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of types of profiles in which a variable indicating the degree of use is added to the information based on a user's past use record with respect to information on a plurality of media are created and created. Since the content information is displayed based on at least one of the profiles, the content information most preferred by the user can be selected immediately.

Next, an embodiment in which the basic concept of the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is introduced into an automobile information system called a car navigation system or an intelligent road traffic system will be described below.
FIG. 24 shows a configuration diagram of an automobile information system, and various kinds of information can be taken into the automobile.
Various types of information include information on the location of cars from GPS satellites, information on reservations and ticketing of designated tickets for airlines and railways, information on traffic congestion and traffic regulations from the road information center, information on transactions with banks, tourist information and reservations Information on hotel / restaurant guidance / reservation or vacation from the center, information on office computer / PC calling and work processing, etc. can be considered.

  These pieces of information are taken in via an antenna mounted on the automobile, a mobile phone, or a mobile terminal having a telephone function.

Here, one-way communication such as information on the position of the vehicle from the GPS satellite and information on traffic congestion and traffic regulation from the road information center is received via the antenna.
On the other hand, information on reservations and ticketing of designated tickets for airlines and railways, information on transactions with banks, information on hotel / restaurant guidance / reservation or excursions from tourist information / reservation centers, and calling and processing of office computers and computers Two-way communication such as information on the information is received and transmitted via a mobile phone or a mobile terminal having a telephone function.

Such an automobile information system performs information processing using a processing device similar to the processing device shown in FIG.
That is, one-way communication such as information on the position of the vehicle from the GPS satellite and information on traffic congestion and traffic regulation from the road information center is received via the antenna 200.

  In addition, by replacing the telephone line 500 with a mobile phone or a mobile terminal having a telephone function, information on reserved ticket reservations and ticketing of airlines and railways, information on transactions with banks, hotels and restaurants from tourist information and reservation centers Two-way communication such as information on guidance / reservation or excursion and information on office computer or personal computer calling and work processing is received and transmitted.

When a designated ticket is reserved, issued, or money is transferred such as banking, an electronic commerce system 80 using an IC card 90 is mounted on the processing device 100. The electronic commerce system 80 is obtained from the command receiving unit 113 and the user profile 105. Receive information.
Therefore, when the electronic commerce system 80 is activated, the electronic commerce system 80 displays detailed information on the display 300 and executes the commercial transaction according to the command from the command receiving unit 113.

  A specific example of the interface screen of such an automobile information system is shown in FIG. 25. In this example, only the content information in the front is visible from the center where the user is standing, but the content information is also arranged in the rear. Has been.

In the example shown in FIG. 25, the content genre (VA) related to excursions that are two-way communication, the content genre (FL) related to information processing such as search and editing of documents and drawings by a personal computer, etc. A plurality of content display areas such as a genre (RV), a content genre (BA) related to bank transactions, and a content genre (TR) related to traffic information that is one-way communication are set, and each corresponds to each content display area. Content information is arranged.
The content display area is divided into each genre as shown in FIG. 5, but the one shown in FIG. 25 is divided into at least two genres of content by one-way communication and content by two-way communication. It is subdivided into four genres.
The content information in this case is displayed as VFA1, FL1 to FL3, RV1 to RV6, BA1 to BA34, TRA1, and the like.
It should be noted that other content information is also arranged behind the invisible image in the same manner as in FIG. 5, and the visual field can be changed to the left and right by operating the rotary dial 405 of the remote control device 400, and can be called in the screen. it can.

As described above, each content information display area has a size in the depth direction from a highly recommended item such as a highly recommended item, a highly interested user, or a frequently used item. They are arranged in order of decreasing size.
According to such an automobile information system, a plurality of pieces of content information are arranged three-dimensionally, different types of content information are displayed in the left-right direction, and the higher the user usage level, the closer to the front side. Since the display in the depth direction is performed, the user can easily select information as if he / she is on a plane and selects what is around.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the processing apparatus of the multimedia information by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of the processing apparatus of the multimedia information by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the processing system of the multimedia information by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a remote control device. It is a figure explaining the example of a guide screen for the information selection by this invention. It is a figure explaining the basic view of a guide screen. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a flowchart explaining operation which selects the information to view using the processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and operation | movement by it. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed sequentially according to operation. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed sequentially according to operation. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed sequentially according to operation. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed sequentially according to operation. It is a figure explaining the method of setting a user preference to profile data in an initial state. It is a figure explaining the specific example of the profile data produced by the flow shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining content guide data. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining processing for accessing a profile when the processing device 700 in FIG. 3 is a PC placed in an office or the like. It is a system configuration diagram of an automobile information system. It is a figure explaining the example of the guide (interface) screen for the information selection of the display apparatus used for a motor vehicle information system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Processing apparatus, 101, 101 '... Signal separation apparatus, 102 ... Information decoder, 103 ... Information buffer, 104 ... Comparison part, 105 ... User profile, 106 ... A / V decoder, 107 ... Video recording apparatus, 108 ... Display Image switching unit 109 109 Guide screen creation unit 110 Filing device 111 Clock calendar 112 Display data selection unit 113 Command reception unit 114 WWW browser 115 Latest information buffer 200 Antenna 200 ... Display 400 ... Remote control device 401 ... Remote control device main body 402 ... Power switch 403 ... Menu switch 404 ... Zoom up / zoom down switch 405 ... Rotary dial 406 ... Cursor switch 407 ... Detail switch 410 ... Infrared light emitter 411 ... circuit board, 412 ... tact switch, 413 ... rotation detection unit, 414 ... connection IC, 500 ... communication line, 600 ... service provider, 700 ... processing device, 701 ... comparison unit, 702 ... latest information buffer, 703 ... WWW Browser, 704 ... filing device, 705 ... operation unit, 800 ... display, 900 ... mobile phone.

Claims (6)

  A multimedia information processing apparatus that displays content of a plurality of media, a display unit, a content information receiving unit, a profile creating unit that creates a profile based on a viewing history, and the content information and the An information recording unit that records various types of information including profile information, and assigns a score to the content information based on a viewing history for the content information and records the content information in the profile. An apparatus for processing multimedia information, wherein a screen for selecting information arranged three-dimensionally is displayed on the display unit in accordance with a score recorded in a profile.   2. The multi-type profile according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of types of profiles are created, and a screen for selecting the information is displayed according to a score recorded in at least one of the plurality of profiles. Media information processing device.   3. The multimedia information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the profile is created by adding a score that takes a viewing time into view of content information that has been viewed.   4. The multimedia information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the profile is created with respect to a genre or a keyword of the content information.   The screen for selecting information in which icons of the content information are arranged three-dimensionally is a screen that displays the recommendation degree of the content information in the depth direction based on the profile. 5. The multimedia information processing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4.   6. The multimedia information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the icon is displayed in a different shape corresponding to each type of media.

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