JP2010152708A - Electronic device, information display system and information display method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information display system for displaying various pieces of display information on a display device of an existing home electric appliance (client terminal) by use of an electronic device such as a network relay device (router) present in most home networks. <P>SOLUTION: A display information receiving part 12 of the network relay device 10 stores, upon receipt of display information from a server 20, the display information in a display information table 16a. A display information transmitting part 14 of the network relay device 10 determines, based on a state detection result of client terminal by a client terminal state detection part 13, attributes of display information, or the like, determines a display time or display mode for displaying the display information on the client terminal 60, and transmits the display information to the client terminal 60 according to the display time. A display control part 63 of the client terminal 60 displays the received display information on a display part 61 such as a monitor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device, an information display system, and an information display method for displaying received display information on a display device of a client terminal.

  With the spread of home networks in recent years, many home appliances in the home are connected to work and can exchange information with each other. In addition, this home network is often connected to the Internet via a broadband network, so that a large amount of information can be acquired from the Internet in a short time. Furthermore, many of these home appliances are provided with a display device (monitor), and a user can see information provided from the home appliance.

  On the other hand, information for advertisements such as information on advertisements and information on weather / disaster is provided to users through various media, but the targets and urgency of the information vary. At present, there is no guarantee that this information is provided to the preferred target with the expected urgency. For example, even if an earthquake early warning with a high degree of emergency is displayed in the middle of a television program, the user cannot immediately know the information unless the user is watching the television program. For such highly urgent information, a mechanism that can be surely and quickly provided to the user is required.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an emergency information transmission system and an emergency information transmission method in which an emergency information distribution server transmits an emergency signal to a terminal device in a home or public facility using a telephone line when an emergency occurs. It is disclosed.
JP 2006-304087 A

  However, in the emergency information transmission system described above, it is necessary to prepare a device for realizing the mechanism such as a home splitter or a terminal device in each home or public facility. Information cannot be provided.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to present various display information using an electronic device such as a network relay device (router) that exists in most home networks and is connected to each home appliance (client terminal). It is to provide an information display system and an information display method that can be displayed on a display device included in the home appliance.

  Further, the present invention further aims at the state of the client terminal (for example, a client terminal that is turned on, a client terminal that is performing network access, etc.) and an attribute of display information (for example, urgency or type). ) And the like, and to provide an electronic device, an information display system, and an information display method for controlling the timing for displaying the display information.

  Still further, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that controls a mode of displaying display information according to the type of client terminal (for example, the manufacturer, model / model number, function, etc. of the client terminal) and display information attributes, information A display system and an information display method are provided.

  A first embodiment of the present invention is an electronic device connected to a client terminal and a server via a network, the receiving means for receiving display information from the server, the detecting means for detecting the state of the client terminal, Transmitting means for transmitting the display information received from the server to the client terminal for display on the display means of the client terminal is provided. In addition, here, the transmission unit represents the display mode of the display information and the display information so that the display information is displayed on the display unit of the client terminal in a display mode according to the attribute of the display information or the type of the client terminal. Display mode information or display information edited based on the display mode information is transmitted to the client terminal.

  With this configuration of the present invention, display information is provided to the user in a more effective manner according to the type of the client terminal of the user, the attribute of the display information, and the like. In such an electronic device, the transmission unit may control the transmission timing of the display information according to the state of the client terminal detected by the detection unit, the attribute of the display information, or the type of the client terminal. . In this case, the attribute of the display information includes the urgency or type of the display information, and the transmission unit can be configured to control the transmission timing of the display information according to the urgency or type.

  The second embodiment of the present invention is configured such that, in the first embodiment, the electronic device is a network relay device that relays a message transmitted and received between the client terminal and the server. In addition, the transmission means can be configured to transmit display information to the client terminal when a change in the state of the client terminal is detected by the detection means, and the transmission means is further configured when the client terminal is powered on. In addition, the display information can be transmitted to the client terminal.

  According to a third embodiment of the present invention, in the first embodiment, the server or the transmission unit is further configured to select display information according to the user information of the client terminal.

  According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the first embodiment, the transmission means corresponds to the WEB page so that the transmission means includes the display information in the WEB page displayed by the display means of the client terminal. It is configured to be incorporated into HTML data or BML data.

  According to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an information display system including a client terminal, a server, and an electronic device connected to the client terminal and the server via a network. The server is displayed on display means of the client terminal. The electronic device includes a receiving unit that receives display information from the server, a display information storage unit that stores the display information received by the receiving unit, and a detection that detects the state of the client terminal. Means for transmitting display information to the client terminal, the client terminal receiving means for receiving the display information from the electronic device, and a display for controlling the display information received from the electronic device to be displayed on the display means Control means, and the transmission means and display control means of the electronic device further display information. Control to display on the display means at timing based on the state of the client terminal detected by the detection means, the attribute of the display information, or the type of the client terminal, or the display information is the attribute of the display information or the type of the client terminal To display on the display means in a display mode based on the above.

  A sixth embodiment of the present invention is configured such that, in the fifth embodiment, the electronic device is a network relay device that relays a message transmitted and received between the client terminal and the server. In such an information display system, when a change in the state of the client terminal is detected by the detection unit, the transmission unit and the display control unit of the electronic device cooperate to display the display information on the display unit of the client terminal. To be controlled. In addition, when the power of the client terminal is turned on, the transmission unit and the display control unit of the electronic device cooperate to control display information on the display unit of the client terminal.

  According to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, in the fifth embodiment, the server further includes user information storage means for storing user information of the client terminal, and the transmission means of the server displays the display information according to the user information. It is configured to select and transmit the selected display information to the electronic device. In such an information display system, the electronic device further includes user information storage means for storing user information of the client terminal, and the transmission means of the electronic device selects display information according to the user information, and selects the selected information. The displayed display information is transmitted to the client terminal. The attribute of the display information includes the urgency level or type of the display information, and the transmission unit and display control unit of the electronic device cooperate to display the display information on the display unit according to the urgency level or type. Control timing.

  In an eighth embodiment of the present invention, in the fifth embodiment, the transmission unit or display control unit of the electronic device displays the HTML data or BML data corresponding to the WEB page displayed on the display unit of the client terminal. The information is edited so as to be incorporated, and the display control unit is configured to interpret the HTML data or the BML data and display a WEB page including the display information on the display unit.

  A ninth embodiment of the present invention is an information display system including a client terminal and an electronic device connected to the client terminal via a network, the electronic device receiving a display information from a server, a client A detection unit configured to detect a state of the terminal; a transmission unit configured to transmit display information to the client terminal; the client terminal configured to receive the display information from the electronic device; Display control means for controlling display on the display means. Here, the transmission unit and the display control unit further display the display information on the display unit at a timing based on the state of the client terminal detected by the detection unit, the attribute of the display information, or the type of the client terminal. Or control to display the display information on the display means in a display mode based on the attribute of the display information or the type of the client terminal.

  A tenth embodiment of the present invention is configured so that, in the ninth embodiment, the electronic device is a network relay device that relays a message transmitted and received between the client terminal and the server. Further, in such an information display system, when a change in the state of the client terminal is detected by the detection unit, the transmission unit and the display control unit cooperate to display the display information on the display unit of the client terminal. Control. In addition, when the power of the client terminal is turned on, the transmission unit and the display control unit cooperate to control display information on the display unit of the client terminal.

  According to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, in the ninth embodiment, the server selects display information according to the user information of the client terminal, and the receiving means of the electronic device receives the display information selected by the server. Configured to do. In such an information display system, the transmission means selects display information according to user information of the client terminal, and transmits the selected display information to the client terminal. The attribute of the display information includes the urgency level or type of the display information, and the transmission unit and the display control unit cooperate to control the timing at which the display information is displayed on the display unit according to the urgency level or type. To do.

  According to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention, in the ninth embodiment, the transmission unit or display control unit of the electronic device displays the HTML data or BML data corresponding to the WEB page displayed by the display unit of the client terminal. The information is edited so as to be incorporated, and the display control unit is configured to interpret the HTML data or the BML data and display a WEB page including the display information on the display unit.

  A thirteenth embodiment of the present invention is an information display method executed by an electronic device connected to a client terminal and a server via a network, the receiving step for receiving display information from the server, and the state of the client terminal And a transmission step for transmitting the display information received from the server to the client terminal for display on the display means of the client terminal. Further, here, the transmission step represents the display mode of the display information and the display information so that the display information is displayed on the display unit of the client terminal in the display mode according to the attribute of the display information or the type of the client terminal. Display mode information or display information edited based on the display mode information is transmitted to the client terminal.

  A fourteenth embodiment of the present invention is an information display method executed in an information display system including a client terminal, a server, and an electronic device connected to the client terminal and the server via a network. A transmission step of transmitting display information that can be displayed on the display means of the terminal, wherein the electronic device receives the display information from the server; a display information storage step of storing the display information received by the reception step; and a client A detection step for detecting a state of the terminal; and a transmission step for transmitting display information to the client terminal. The client terminal receives the display information from the electronic device, and displays the display information received from the electronic device. And a display control step for controlling to display onHere, the transmission step and the display control step of the electronic device further display information to the display unit at a timing based on the state of the client terminal detected by the detection unit, the attribute of the display information, or the type of the client terminal. Control is performed to display, or display information is controlled to be displayed on the display means in a display mode based on the attribute of the display information or the type of the client terminal.

  According to a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an information display method executed by an information display system including a client terminal and an electronic device connected to the client terminal via a network. The electronic device receives display information from a server. A reception step for receiving, a detection step for detecting a state of the client terminal, and a transmission step for transmitting display information to the client terminal. The client terminal receives the display information from the electronic device, and receives the display information from the electronic device. A display control step for controlling to display the received display information on the display means of the client terminal. Here, the transmission step and the display control step further display the display information on the display unit at a timing based on the state of the client terminal detected by the detection unit, the attribute of the display information, or the type of the client terminal. Or control to display the display information on the display means in a display mode based on the attribute of the display information or the type of the client terminal.

  With the electronic device, the information display system, and the information display method of the present invention, the display to the user can be performed using an existing home appliance (client terminal) and a network relay device such as a router without introducing a new device. Information is controlled.

  In addition, according to the electronic device, the information display system, and the information display method of the present invention, display information is provided to a display device of a client terminal that is likely to be used by the user among the client terminals. Display information can be visually recognized with higher probability. Moreover, since the display timing of the display information is controlled according to the urgency or type of the display information, the display is performed at a timing suitable for each display information.

  In addition, since the display mode of the display information is adjusted according to the model of the device that is the display destination of the display information by the electronic device, the information display system, and the information display method of the present invention, the display information is It can be provided in an easily recognizable manner. In addition, since the display mode of the display information is adjusted according to the urgency level or type of the display information, important display information can be provided in a mode in which the user can easily understand the content.

  First, an outline of an information display system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The information display system 1 includes, for example, a network relay device 10, a server 20, a public network 30, a network 50, and a client terminal 60. The network relay device 10 is typically an electronic device having a routing function such as a router.

  The client terminal 60 is a home appliance having some display function used in each home, and is, for example, a television 60a, a PC (personal computer) 60b, or the like. In addition, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) recorder, a telephone, a facsimile, a refrigerator, and the like can be included. Here, the client terminal 60 does not need to include the display device integrally, and may be connected to the display device by some means. In any case, the display information is displayed on the display device from the client terminal 60 by display control. In this example, the network 50 is a relatively small network such as a home network. However, the network 50 may be a network having another topology and form including a plurality of segments.

  In the information display system 1, display information 40 is provided from the server 20 to the network relay device 10, and the display information 40 is used as it is or after a predetermined selection process, editing / addition process, and the like (in this case, a process) The subsequent display information is represented as display information 45) and is provided to the client terminal 60. Thereafter, the client terminal 60 outputs the received display information 45 to the display device of the client terminal 60 as it is or after performing predetermined selection processing, editing processing, and the like.

  In the example of FIG. 1, one network relay device 10 is connected to two client terminals (television 60a and PC 60b) via the network 50, but connected to one, or three or more client terminals. Sometimes it is done. Here, one network relay device 10 is connected to the server 20, but the server 20 usually displays corresponding display information 40 for each user (that is, for each of the plurality of network relay devices 10). I will provide a.

  Next, each function of the components of the information display system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. 2 and FIG.

  The client terminal 60 includes a display unit 61, a display information receiving unit 62, a display control unit 63, and a network interface (I / F) unit 64.

  The network relay device 10 includes a relay control unit 11, a display information reception unit 12, a client terminal state detection unit 13, a display information transmission unit 14, and a network interface (I / F) unit 15. Further, the network relay device 10 includes a storage device 16, and the storage device 16 includes a display information table 16a, a display control information table 16b, and a routing table 16c.

  The server 20 includes a display information transmission unit 21 and a network interface (I / F) unit 22. Further, the server 20 includes a storage device 23, and the storage device 23 includes a user information table 23a and a display information table 23b.

  The display unit 61 of the client terminal 60 displays information (display information) for notifying the user of the client terminal 60 such as information about advertisements, information about earthquakes, disasters, weather, and the like. The display information receiving unit 62 receives display information from the network relay device 10. In some cases, display mode information defining the display mode of display information and the like is also received from the network relay device 10.

  The display control unit 63 controls the display unit 61 to display the display information received by the display information receiving unit 62. More specifically, the display timing of the display information is controlled, and the display content and display mode of the display information are controlled. The display timing is based not only on the timing at which the display information is received by the display information receiving unit 62 but also on the basis of the display timing information received by the display information receiving unit 62, the state of the client terminal 60, the attributes of the display information, etc. The timing can be adjusted according to the display.

  Further, the display control unit 63 can select display information received by the display information receiving unit 62 under certain conditions, or can edit part of the display information to control display contents. Further, the display control unit 63 not only displays the display information in the form received by the display information receiving unit 62 but also the display mode information received from the display information receiving unit 62, the attribute of the display information, or the client terminal. It can also be displayed in a display mode adjusted according to the type of 60 or the like.

  Here, the state of the client terminal 60 is, for example, whether the client terminal 60 is powered on (or turned on), connected to the network (or connected), Displays whether the user is accessing the network (or access is started), whether the user is operating (or the operation is started), and a WEB page (arbitrary or predetermined WEB page) HTML data or BML data (XHTML (BML document) subsetted by BML specification (ARIB STD-B24) and ECMAScript, JPEG, MPEG, etc., standardized on JavaScript (registered trademark) for display on the device Whether it was configured) Which means a change in the state or the state. Such a state of the client terminal 60 can be normally grasped by the network relay device 10 via the network 50 by a predetermined protocol. If the power is turned on, the client terminal 60 can also grasp its own state and state change.

  The attribute of display information is how urgent it is necessary to convey the display information to the user (urgent level), what kind of genre the display information is, and what kind of content it represents (information type) This means the nature of information. The type of the client terminal 60 is the manufacturer, model / model number, function, etc. of the client terminal 60, and can be classified from various viewpoints and levels. As the display mode of display information, for example, the size, color, typeface, presence / absence / background color of display information, display position (relative position in display unit 61), presence / absence of blink display (flashing display), ticker The presence / absence of display (display that displays characters as flowing from right to left) can be considered.

  The network I / F unit 64 realizes network connection with the network 50 and controls transmission / reception of data to / from the network relay device 10 via the network 50. Here, the display unit 61 has been described as a component of the client terminal 60 and integrated therein, but may be provided as an independent display device different from the client terminal 60. Such a display device is connected to the client terminal 60 with a cable or the like, and is controlled so that display information is displayed under the control of the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60.

  The relay control unit 11 of the network relay device 10 corresponds to a general relay (routing) function of a router. Data received via the public network 30 or the network 50 is referred to the routing table 16c. , Transfer to the destination address computer or other network relay device.

  The display information receiving unit 12 receives display information or at least a part of display information from the server 20, and stores the reception result in the display information table 16a. As shown in FIG. 3, the display information table 16a includes an information ID and attributes (for example, urgency and information type) of the display information in addition to the display information. Further, the display information receiving unit 12 can also transfer the display information received from the server 20 to the client terminal 60 as it is, and in such a case, there is no need to store it in the display information table 16a.

  The client terminal state detection unit 13 detects the state of all client terminals 60 connected via the network 50. In a typical home network example, the broadband router (network relay device 10) detects the state of the home appliance (client terminal 60) connected to the broadband router. Such detection is realized, for example, by acquiring the MIB (Management Information Base) of each client terminal 60 via a protocol such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). The state detection of the client terminal 60 can be grasped by various other methods and is not limited to the above method.

  The display information transmitting unit 14 transmits the display information received by the display information receiving unit 12 from the server 20 and accumulated in the display information table 16a to the target client terminal 60. Here, the display information transmission unit 14 determines, for example, whether or not each client terminal 60 is powered on and is operating normally by the client terminal state detection unit 13 and is operating normally. The client terminal 60 is the display information transmission target. Further, the display information can be transmitted at the timing when the state of the client terminal 60 changes.

  Further, the display information transmission unit 14 refers to the display information table 16a, acquires the display information attributes (urgency and information type), and then refers to the display control information table 16b to correspond to the attributes. Get the display timing of the display information. In the display control information table 16b, as shown in FIG. 3, the display timing is defined for each attribute of the display information and for each type of the client terminal 60. In the display control information table 16b, as shown in FIG. 3, the display mode is also defined for each attribute of the display information and for each type of the client terminal 60. The display information transmitting unit 14 displays the display control information. The display timing and the display mode are acquired from the information table 16b, and the display information is transmitted to the client terminal 60 according to this.

  The data of each item in the display control information table 16b is set by, for example, the user of the client terminal 60 using a WEB browser operating on the client terminal 60, and the result is displayed as the display control information table 16b in the network relay device 10. Is stored in the storage device 16.

  The display information display timing is controlled by the cooperation of the display information transmission unit 14 and the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60. For example, the display information transmission unit 14 transmits the display information to the client terminal 60 at the display timing acquired as described above, and the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 immediately displays the display information on the display unit 61. . As another example, as soon as the display information transmitting unit 14 receives the display information from the server 20, the display information can be operated by adding display timing information indicating the display timing acquired as described above ( The display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 interprets the added display timing information and displays the display information to the display unit 61 when the display timing is reached. indicate.

  Similarly, the display mode of display information is controlled by the cooperation of the display information transmission unit 14 and the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60. For example, the display information transmission unit 14 edits the display information based on the display mode acquired as described above and transmits the display information to the client terminal 60, and the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 continues to edit the display information. Is displayed on the display unit 61. As another example, the display information transmitting unit 14 adds display mode information representing the display mode acquired as described above to the client terminal 60 that can operate the display information (powered on). The display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 interprets the added display mode information, edits the display information based on this, and displays the display information on the display unit 61. In the process of displaying the display information on the display unit 61, designation based on the display mode information may be performed.

  As shown in the display information table 16a and the display control information table 16b in FIG. 3, the display information with the emergency level “high”, such as information with the information type “weather / disaster”, Regardless of whether the client terminal 60 is a television or a PC (personal computer), it is displayed immediately, and the characters of the display information are displayed in large red in the center of the display unit 61 of the client terminal 60. The This is intended to notify the user of the client terminal 60 immediately and surely the display information with a high degree of urgency. Further, in this example, when the information type is information related to “traffic”, the urgency is set to “medium”, and when the client terminal 60 is a television, the display information is displayed at the timing when the power is turned on. Is displayed in white on the upper right of the display unit 61 of the client terminal 60, and when the client terminal 60 is a PC, the character of the display information is the display unit of the client terminal 60 at the timing when the PC browses the WEB page. Displayed in the upper right of 61 in a color opposite to the background color. At this time, the display information may be incorporated into a WEB page and displayed as a part of the page, as will be described later.

  In addition, display information such as CM (commercial) whose urgency level is “low” distinguishes display timing and display mode depending on whether the client terminal 60 is a television or a PC (personal computer). . In this example, when the client terminal 60 is a television, display is performed when power is turned on and video is output to the display unit 61 (if the power is turned on, the next power The character of the display information is displayed in small green in the upper right of the display unit 61 of the client terminal 60. When the client terminal 60 is a PC, a display is performed when the network 50 is accessed via the network I / F unit 64 (when the network 50 is being accessed, the next access) and the display Information characters are displayed in a small white color on the lower right of the display unit 61 of the client terminal 60. This is intended to inform the user of the client terminal 60 of display information with a low degree of urgency so as not to hinder the current use as much as possible.

  The network I / F unit 15 realizes network connection with the public network 30 and the network 50 and controls transmission / reception of data to / from these networks.

  The display information transmission unit 21 of the server 20 transmits display information to the network relay device 10 in response to a transmission request from the display information reception unit 12 of the network relay device 10 or at a predetermined timing. Information serving as a source of display information is accumulated, edited, and collected automatically or artificially from various WEB sites such as news sites and commercial sites. Further, the display information transmission unit 21 can select what display information is transmitted to each user of the client terminal 60 with reference to the user information table 23a shown in FIG.

  In the user information table 23a, information (user information) about the user is stored for each user of the client terminal 60. In this example, the urgency level and the information type are defined for each user ID of the user of the client terminal 60, and the display information transmission unit 21 receives a display information transmission request from the user of the client terminal 60. With reference to the user information table 23a, display information of urgency and information type corresponding to the user is transmitted to the client terminal 60. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, when there is a transmission request from the client terminal 60 of the user (user ID = U001), the urgency level is “high” to “low” (that is, all display information), weather / When disaster information, traffic information, and CM information are transmitted and there is a transmission request from the client terminal 60 of the user (user ID = U003), the urgency is “high” and the information type is “weather / disaster” Only certain information is sent.

  In addition, as user information stored in the user information table 23a, sex, age, hobbies, and the like are stored for each user of the client terminal 60, and display information transmitted to the network relay device 10 based on such user information. It may be selected.

  When the display information transmitting unit 21 unilaterally transmits display information to the client terminal 60 at a predetermined timing, the user information table 23a stores the IP address and transmission timing of the network relay device 10 of the target user. The display information transmitting unit 21 transmits display information to each user using these pieces of information.

  Each item stored in the user information table 23a can be registered by the user of the client terminal 60 using, for example, a WEB browser. The user information table 23a is preferably centrally managed by the server 20 for a plurality of users, but may be stored in the storage device 16 of the corresponding network relay device 10 for each user. . If comprised in this way, the display information transmission part 21 will transmit all the display information to the network relay apparatus 10 of each user, and the display information receiving part 12 or the display information transmission part 14 of the network relay apparatus 10 will be a user information table. Display information to be transmitted to the client terminal 60 is selected based on the contents of 23a.

  In this example, the user information table 23a defines display information to be transmitted for each user of the client terminal 60, but for each type of the user and the client terminal 60 (manufacturer, model / model number, function, etc.). Display information to be transmitted can also be defined. With this configuration, for example, even for the same user, only the display information of “high” urgency level is displayed on the television set of manufacturer A, and the “urgency level” is set on the television set of manufacturer B. It is possible to perform control such that display information of “medium” and “low” is displayed.

  In addition, there is a plurality of users (that is, members of a family) in one home, and user information is provided so that a plurality of users correspond to one network relay device 10 so as to cope with such a situation. The table 23a and the like can also be configured.

  The display information table 23b has the same configuration as the display information table 16a shown in FIG. The network I / F unit 22 realizes network connection with the public network 30 and controls transmission / reception of data to / from these networks.

  2 and 3, tables are used for storing user information and display information. However, these are merely examples, and various data may be stored in any data system / format.

  Next, an outline of processing of the information display system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 4 shows a series of processing for each processing subject (that is, divided into the server 20, the network relay device 10, and the client terminal 60).

  First, in step S10, the display information receiving unit 12 of the network relay device 10 requests display information from the server 20 at a predetermined timing such as a predetermined time interval or a specified time (transmission request is sent). Issue). Next, in step S12, the display information transmission unit 21 of the server 20 receives this transmission request. In step S14, is there display information to be transmitted to the user of the network relay device 10 that is the transmission request transmission source? Check if. This is, for example, checking whether there is display information corresponding to the urgency level and information type defined to be transmitted to the user with reference to the user information table 23a and the display information table 23b. In addition, a transmission flag or the like may be provided in the display information table 23b so that display information once transmitted is not transmitted redundantly.

  If there is no display information to be transmitted (NO in step S14), a message to that effect is transmitted to the display information receiving unit 12 of the network relay device 10. If there is display information to be transmitted (YES in step S14), the process proceeds to step S16, where display information matching the condition, that is, display information corresponding to a predetermined urgency level and information type is selected as a transmission target. To the network relay device 10.

  In step S18, the display information receiving unit 12 of the network relay device 10 receives the selected display information from the server 20, and stores the received display information in the display information table 16a. Next, in step S20, the client terminal state detection unit 13 of the network relay device 10 detects whether or not there is a client terminal 60 that matches the timing for transmitting the display information. For this condition, for example, referring to the display control information table 16b, it is checked whether or not the received display information is to be displayed, and then whether or not there is a client terminal 60 that satisfies such a condition exists. To do.

  For example, if the check in step S20 is repeated for a certain period and it is determined that there is no client terminal 60 that satisfies this condition (NO in step S20), the process ends. When the client terminal 60 exists or when the client terminal 60 is in such a state (YES in step S20), the process proceeds to step S22, where the display information transmission unit 14 of the network relay device 10 displays the display control information. The display mode information corresponding to the display information is acquired with reference to the table 16b.

  Next, in step S <b> 24, the display information transmission unit 14 transmits the display information and the display mode information to the detected client terminal 60. Thereafter, in step S26, the display information receiving unit 62 of the client terminal 60 receives the display information and the display mode information, and proceeds to step S28.

  In step S <b> 28, the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 controls to display the received display information on the display unit 61 based on the received display mode information. For example, the display control unit 63 edits the contents of the display information according to the display mode information, or changes the parameters for displaying the display information according to the display mode information. When the display information has already been edited according to the display mode information by the network relay device 10, it is not necessary to transmit this display mode information to the client terminal 60.

  In this example, the display information transmission unit 14 of the network relay device 10 immediately transmits display information to the client terminal 60 when the display timing arrives, and the client terminal 60 receives the display information immediately after receiving the display information. The display information is controlled to be displayed on the display unit 61.

  In the information display system of the present invention, the above-described table can be arranged in the constituent elements in various patterns, and various processing procedures can be taken in each constituent element accordingly. Here, various implementation patterns of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Pattern 1 shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to the above-described embodiment. That is, the server 20 includes a user information table 23a that stores information about the user of the client terminal 60, and a display information table 23b that stores original data of display information. The network relay device 10 includes display timing information and display mode. It has a display control information table 16b for storing information.

  In such a situation, when the network relay device 10 transmits a transmission request to the server 20, the display information transmission unit 21 of the server 20 selects display information to be transmitted from the display information and user information, and the network relay device 10 To transmit the selected display information. Thereafter, the display information transmission unit 14 of the network relay device 10 sets the display timing for displaying the display information on the client terminal 60 based on the selected display information and display timing information and the detection result by the client terminal state detection unit 13. The selected display information and display mode information are transmitted to the client terminal 60 at the determined timing. Upon receiving the selected display information and display mode information, the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 interprets the display mode information and edits the display information (or uses the display mode information for display control or the like) Display information is displayed on the display unit 61.

  Pattern 2 shown in FIG. 5 is based on another embodiment. That is, the server 20 includes a user information table 23a, a display information table 23b, and a display control information table 16b. Compared to the pattern 1, the server 20 is configured to include the display control information table 16b that the network relay device 10 has.

  In such a situation, when the network relay device 10 transmits a transmission request to the server 20, the display information transmission unit 21 of the server 20 selects display information to be transmitted from the display information and user information, and further selects Display timing information and display mode information corresponding to the displayed display information are extracted from the display control information table 16 b and transmitted to the network relay device 10. Thereafter, the display information transmission unit 14 of the network relay device 10 sets the display timing for displaying the display information on the client terminal 60 based on the selected display information and display timing information and the detection result by the client terminal state detection unit 13. The selected display information and display mode information are transmitted to the client terminal 60 at that timing. Upon receiving the selected display information and display mode information, the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 interprets the display mode information and edits the display information (or uses the display mode information for display control or the like). The display information is displayed on the display unit 61.

  Pattern 3 shown in FIG. 5 is based on yet another embodiment. That is, the server 20 has only the display information table 23b, and the network relay device 10 has the user information table 23a and the display control information table 16b. Compared to the pattern 1, the network relay device 10 is configured to include the user information table 23a that the server 20 has.

  In such a situation, the display information transmission unit 21 of the server 20 transmits the display information to the network relay device 10 at a predetermined timing. When the display information receiving unit 12 of the network relay device 10 receives the information, the display information transmitting unit 14 selects the display information to be transmitted from the display information and the user information, and further corresponds to the selected display information. Display timing information and display mode information are extracted from the display control information table 16 b and transmitted to the network relay device 10. Thereafter, the display information transmission unit 14 of the network relay device 10 sets the display timing for displaying the display information on the client terminal 60 based on the selected display information and display timing information and the detection result by the client terminal state detection unit 13. The selected display information and display mode information are transmitted to the client terminal 60 at that timing. Upon receiving the selected display information and display mode information, the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 interprets the display mode information and edits the display information (or uses the display mode information for display control or the like). The display information is displayed on the display unit 61.

  Pattern 4 shown in FIG. 6 is based on yet another embodiment. That is, the server 20 includes a user information table 23a and a display information table 23b, and the network relay device 10 includes a display control information table 16b that stores display timing information and display mode information.

  In such a situation, when the network relay device 10 transmits a transmission request to the server 20, the display information transmission unit 21 of the server 20 selects display information to be transmitted from the display information and user information, and the network relay device 10 To transmit the selected display information. Thereafter, the display information transmission unit 14 of the network relay device 10 sets the display timing for displaying the display information on the client terminal 60 based on the selected display information and display timing information and the detection result by the client terminal state detection unit 13. decide. After that, the display mode information is interpreted, the display information is edited, and transmitted to the client terminal 60. The display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 displays the received display information after editing on the display unit 61 as it is.

  The pattern 5 shown in FIG. 6 is based on still another embodiment. That is, the server 20 includes a user information table 23a, a display information table 23b, and a display control information table 16b. In this example, the client terminal 60 is also provided with the function of the client terminal state detection unit 13.

  In such a situation, when the network relay device 10 transmits a transmission request to the server 20, the display information transmission unit 21 of the server 20 selects display information to be transmitted from the display information and user information. Thereafter, the selected display information is edited based on the display mode information, and the selected / edited display information and display timing information are transmitted to the network relay device 10. The display information transmission unit 14 of the network relay device 10 detects the client terminal 60 in a normal operation state by the client terminal state detection unit 13, and the display information and display timing selected and edited for the client terminal 60. Send information.

  Thereafter, the display control unit 63 of the client terminal 60 determines the display timing for displaying the display information based on the detection result of the client terminal state, and displays the received display information after editing on the display unit 61 at that timing. To do.

  Like each pattern demonstrated with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the information display system 1 of this invention memorize | stores various data in the server 20, the network relay apparatus 10, and the client terminal 60, and various according to it. It is possible to process various patterns. The pattern shown here is only an example, and the idea of the present invention is realized by many other patterns.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a display control information setting screen for the user of the client terminal 60 to set display control information. The display control information setting screen 100 is displayed on the display unit 61 of the client terminal 60 via, for example, a WEB browser. The user designates what information is to be displayed on what device on the display control information setting screen 100 by using an input unit such as a mouse or a keyboard. The designation result is transmitted to the network relay device 10 via the network 50, and is stored in the display control information table 16b as shown in FIG. 3 by the WEB server function (not shown).

  The display control information setting screen 100 is provided with an urgency display area 101 and an information type display area 102 as areas for displaying information attributes. A client terminal type display area 103 is provided as an area for displaying the type of the client terminal 60 related to the device. In the example of FIG. 7, these display areas are fixedly provided on the display control information setting screen 100, but the user may appropriately select from several candidates.

  Further, the display control information setting screen 100 is provided with a display timing specifying area 104 for specifying the display timing and a display mode setting button 105 for displaying another screen for setting the display mode. When the user displays the display information represented by the urgency display area 101 and the information type display area 102 on the device represented by the client terminal type display area 103, the display timing of the display is displayed. It designates from the pull-down menu of the timing designation area 104. Further, when the display mode setting button 105 is pressed, a screen for setting how to display the display information in this case is displayed. Therefore, for example, the user designates the size, color, typeface, bold / background color, display position, blink display, ticker display, etc. of the display information.

  When the user sets the display timing and the display mode for the combination of the display information attribute and the client terminal type of the client terminal 60 that displays the display information, the user presses the registration button 106. By pressing the registration button 106, the specified content is stored in the display control information table 16b. In this example, the user of the client terminal 60 sets such display timing information and display mode information. However, a common setting for each user group is prepared in advance, or a third party sets it. You can also

  FIG. 8 illustrates the display device (display unit 61) of the client terminal 60 when the display information is displayed. In this example, the client terminal 60 is a PC, and the display device is a monitor connected to the PC. In the display area 201 of the display device 200, for example, the display control information setting screen 100 as described in FIG. 7 is displayed in one window of the WEB browser. When display information is displayed by the information display system 1 of the present invention, for example, the window 202 is pop-up displayed on the forefront of the display area 201 (that is, before any window).

  Here, the earthquake early warning is displayed in the window 202. In the earthquake bulletin, the urgency is “high” and the information type is “weather / disaster”. The client terminal type is PC. When this is applied to the display control information table 16b shown in FIG. 3, the display mode is “immediate”, the display mode is the character size “large”, the character color “red”, and the display position “center”. In 202, display information (earthquake early warning) is displayed in this manner.

  The pop-up display as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed based on the display mode information immediately after the application running on the PC (in the background) receives the display information and the display mode information from the network relay device 10, for example. Operates to display information in a popup window. When the client terminal 60 is a television, the display information can be displayed on the television program image by, for example, a so-called OSD (On Screen Display) function.

  FIG. 9 shows another example in which display information is displayed on the display device (display unit 61) of the client terminal 60. Also in this example, the client terminal 60 is a PC, and the display device is a monitor connected to the PC. In the display area 251 of the display device 250, for example, a window 255 created by an application such as a WEB browser (BML browser) capable of interpreting and displaying HTML data (BML data) or the like is displayed. In 255, a WEB page designated by the user of the client terminal 60 is displayed. In this WEB page, a display information display area 256 is provided, and text display information such as “Urgent information! The display information display area 256 is an area for displaying display information according to a predetermined display timing, and is not present on a normal WEB page. Here, when dealing with BML data, the WEB page becomes BML content, but in this embodiment, description will be made with HTML data as a typical example. Even for BML data, the basic processing method is the same.

  When a user of the client terminal 60 designates a predetermined URL to view (access) a WEB page using a WEB browser or the like, the WEB browser or the like uses a protocol such as HTTP to display HTML data, image data, or the like. Various data necessary for displaying the WEB page is acquired. In the example of FIG. 9, display information is incorporated into HTML data among these data. The display information is stored in advance in the network relay device 10 or the client terminal 60, for example, and when the HTML data is received in response to a request for browsing the WEB page by the user, the network relay device 10 or the client terminal 60 The received HTML data is edited so that the display information display area 256 is displayed.

  The network relay device 10 or the client terminal 60 performs the editing process when the display timing of the display control information table 16b is “immediate” or “when accessing the WEB page”, and then the WEB page Is displayed. Further, the editing process may be performed only when the client terminal 60 attempts to browse a predetermined WEB page.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing HTML data before being edited by the network relay device 10 or the client terminal 60, and HTML data after being edited. As can be seen from FIG. 10, an additional description portion 355 including display information is newly added to the edited HTML data 350. The network relay device 10 or the client terminal 60 can display the display information to the user of the client terminal 60 at a predetermined display timing by making such a change to the HTML data. In addition, it is possible to set in advance at which position of the HTML data (that is, on which line) the additional description portion 355 is added. As a result, the position of the display information display area 256 on the display device is determined.

  In addition to the display information, the FONT tag attributes such as “size” and “color” can be specified in the additional description portion 355, and the display mode such as the size and color of the display information is changed by this specification. be able to. Such a display mode can be specified by various other methods such as using a script language that can be incorporated into HTML data or a file that can be interpreted by a plug-in application that can be operated by a WEB browser.

  Next, an example of the hardware configuration of each device (computer) of the information display system 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the computer illustrated in FIG. 11 only exemplifies a typical configuration, and is not limited to such a configuration.

  A computer 500 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, a memory 502, an audio output device 503, a network interface 504, a display controller 505, a display 506, an input device interface 507, a keyboard 508, a mouse 509, an external storage device 510, and an external recording medium. It includes a drive device 511 and a bus 512 that connects these components to each other.

  The CPU 501 controls the operation of each component of the computer 500 and executes each function under the control of the OS. For example, the execution of each functional unit of the network relay device 10, the server 20, and the client terminal 60 shown in FIG. 2 is controlled.

  The memory 502 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores a program executed when the computer 500 is started up. The RAM temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU 501 for realizing the functions of the present invention and data used in the programs.

  The audio output device 503 is a device such as a speaker, and receives audio data from a music player or a video player activated by a WEB browser or the like and outputs audio. The network interface 504 realizes connection to a network 520 such as the Internet, and controls data transmission / reception among the network relay device 10, the server 20, and the client terminal 60, for example. The network 520 corresponds to the public network 30 and the network 50 in FIG. A program for realizing each function of the present invention may be provided from another server via the network 520.

  The display controller 505 processes drawing data issued by the CPU 501 and outputs the processed drawing data to the display 506. The display 506 is a display device configured by, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), which corresponds to the display unit 61 of the client terminal 60 shown in FIG. The display device may be configured as a device different from the main body of the computer 500.

  The input device interface 507 receives a signal generated by pressing the keyboard 508 or clicking the mouse 509 and transmits a predetermined command to the CPU 501 according to the signal. The external storage device 510 is a storage device such as a hard disk, and stores programs and the like for realizing the functions executed by the CPU 501. This program can be acquired through various routes such as the network 520 and the external recording medium 530. The external storage device 510 corresponds to the storage device 16 of the network relay device 10 and the storage device 23 of the server 20 shown in FIG.

  The external recording medium driving device 511 is a device that accesses the external recording medium 530 and reads data recorded therein. The external recording medium 530 is, for example, a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a flash memory, or the like. A program for realizing each function of the present invention is generally provided from such an external recording medium 530.

  As described above, the computer 500 is applicable to the server 20 and the network relay device 10, but is not particularly a computer used by the user, and therefore, these devices usually include an audio output device 503 and a display controller 505. The display 506, the input device interface 507, the keyboard 508, and the mouse 509 are not required.

  So far, the embodiment of the information display system 1 of the present invention has been described. However, the above embodiment is merely an example, and the technical idea of the present invention can be realized by various other configurations and processing methods.

It is an approximate line figure showing an outline of an information display system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram of each component of the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows the example of the table used in the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of a process until display information is displayed by the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows another process pattern of the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows another process pattern of the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows the example of the display control information setting screen in the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. In the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is a basic diagram showing the aspect by which display information is displayed on a display apparatus. In the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is a basic diagram showing the aspect by which display information is displayed on a display apparatus. In the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, in order to display display information on a display apparatus, it is a basic diagram showing the condition where HTML data is changed. It is a basic diagram which shows the example of the hardware constitutions of each component in the information display system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Network relay apparatus 20 Server 30 Public network 40 Display information 45 Display information 50 Network 60 Client terminal 60a Television 60b PC

Claims (15)

An electronic device connected to a client terminal and a server via a network,
Receiving means for receiving display information from the server;
Detecting means for detecting the state of the client terminal;
Transmission means for transmitting the display information received from the server to the client terminal for display on the display means of the client terminal;
The transmission means displays the display information and the display information so that the display information is displayed on the display means of the client terminal in a display mode according to the attribute of the display information or the type of the client terminal. An electronic apparatus characterized by transmitting display mode information representing a display mode or the display information edited based on the display mode information to the client terminal. The electronic device according to claim 1,
The electronic device is a network relay device that relays a message transmitted and received between the client terminal and the server. The electronic device according to claim 1,
The server or the transmission means further selects the display information according to user information of the client terminal. The electronic device according to claim 1,
The transmission means edits the display information to be incorporated into HTML data or BML data corresponding to the WEB page so that the display information is included in the WEB page displayed by the display means of the client terminal. Electronic equipment characterized by An information display system including a client terminal, a server, and an electronic device connected to the client terminal and the server via a network,
The server
Transmission means for transmitting display information that can be displayed on the display means of the client terminal;
The electronic device is
Receiving means for receiving the display information from the server;
Display information storage means for storing the display information received by the receiving means;
Detecting means for detecting the state of the client terminal;
Transmission means for transmitting the display information to the client terminal,
The client terminal is
Receiving means for receiving the display information from the electronic device;
Display control means for controlling to display the display information received from the electronic device on the display means,
The transmission unit and the display control unit of the electronic device may further determine the display information based on a state of the client terminal detected by the detection unit, an attribute of the display information, or a type of the client terminal. The information is controlled to be displayed on the display means, or the display information is controlled to be displayed on the display means in a display mode based on an attribute of the display information or a type of the client terminal. Display system. The information display system according to claim 5,
The information display system, wherein the electronic device is a network relay device that relays a message transmitted and received between the client terminal and the server. The information display system according to claim 5,
The server further includes:
Comprising user information storage means for storing user information of the client terminal;
The information display system, wherein the transmission unit of the server selects the display information according to the user information, and transmits the selected display information to the electronic device. The information display system according to claim 5,
The transmission means or the display control means of the electronic device edits the HTML data or BML data corresponding to the WEB page displayed on the display means of the client terminal so as to incorporate the display information,
The information display system characterized in that the display control means interprets the HTML data or BML data and controls the display means to display the WEB page including the display information. An information display system including a client terminal and an electronic device connected to the client terminal via a network,
The electronic device is
Receiving means for receiving display information from the server;
Detecting means for detecting the state of the client terminal;
Transmission means for transmitting the display information to the client terminal,
The client terminal is
Receiving means for receiving the display information from the electronic device;
Display control means for controlling the display information received from the electronic device to be displayed on the display means of the client terminal;
The transmission unit and the display control unit further display the display information at a timing based on a state of the client terminal detected by the detection unit, an attribute of the display information, or a type of the client terminal. Or displaying the display information on the display means in a display mode based on an attribute of the display information or a type of the client terminal. The information display system according to claim 9,
The information display system, wherein the electronic device is a network relay device that relays a message transmitted and received between the client terminal and the server. The information display system according to claim 9,
The server selects the display information according to user information of the client terminal,
The information display system, wherein the receiving means of the electronic device receives display information selected by the server. The information display system according to claim 9,
The transmission means or the display control means of the electronic device edits the HTML data or BML data corresponding to the WEB page displayed on the display means of the client terminal so as to incorporate the display information,
The information display system characterized in that the display control means interprets the HTML data or BML data and controls the display means to display the WEB page including the display information. An information display method executed by an electronic device connected to a client terminal and a server via a network,
A receiving step of receiving display information from the server;
A detection step of detecting a state of the client terminal;
Transmitting the display information received from the server to the client terminal for display on the display means of the client terminal,
In the transmission step, the display information and the display information are displayed so that the display information is displayed on the display unit of the client terminal in a display mode according to the attribute of the display information or the type of the client terminal. An information display method characterized by transmitting display mode information representing a display mode or the display information edited based on the display mode information to the client terminal. An information display method executed in an information display system including a client terminal, a server, and an electronic device connected to the client terminal and the server via a network,
The server
A transmission step of transmitting display information that can be displayed on the display means of the client terminal;
The electronic device is
Receiving the display information from the server;
A display information storing step for storing the display information received in the receiving step;
A detection step of detecting a state of the client terminal;
Transmitting the display information to the client terminal,
The client terminal is
Receiving the display information from the electronic device;
A display control step for controlling to display the display information received from the electronic device on the display means,
The transmission step and the display control step of the electronic device may further include timing of the display information based on the state of the client terminal detected by the detection unit, the attribute of the display information, or the type of the client terminal. The information is controlled to be displayed on the display means, or the display information is controlled to be displayed on the display means in a display mode based on an attribute of the display information or a type of the client terminal. Display method. An information display method executed in an information display system including a client terminal and an electronic device connected to the client terminal via a network,
The electronic device is
A receiving step for receiving display information from the server;
A detection step of detecting a state of the client terminal;
Transmitting the display information to the client terminal,
The client terminal is
Receiving the display information from the electronic device;
A display control step for controlling the display information received from the electronic device to be displayed on the display means of the client terminal,
The transmission step and the display control step further include displaying the display information at a timing based on a state of the client terminal detected by the detection unit, an attribute of the display information, or a type of the client terminal. Or displaying the display information on the display unit in a display mode based on an attribute of the display information or a type of the client terminal.

Images