JP3871412B2 - WWW joint viewing system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a WWW co-viewing system provided in a premises such as a hotel, and more particularly to a WWW co-viewing system in which anyone can easily view a homepage on the WWW using an existing on-site television co-listening facility. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
As the Internet rapidly spreads to ordinary homes and the like, tremendous information has been distributed especially through the WWW. Of course, there have been many so-called websites related to specialized topics such as computers and networks. Today, public institutions, private companies, and individuals have opened various websites one after another. Various useful information such as weather forecasts, shopping malls, sightseeing guides, public information of public institutions and new product / new service guides of private companies are provided. Of course, this information is convenient to use at home or at work, but if it can be easily used at business trips or travel destinations by taking advantage of the network characteristics that do not depend on the location of the user, It is very useful to be able to get updated information about the weather and nearby attractions.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if you are going to connect to the Internet while away from your home, such as a business trip, you can carry a portable computer with a modem, telephone cable, Internet connection, and WWW browsing software. There was no choice but to connect to the phone, and for business travelers, etc., it was not practical for ordinary tourists.
[0004]
In order to eliminate such inconvenience, even if a personal computer that can be connected to the Internet is installed in a hotel room or the like, it is difficult for a general customer who is unfamiliar with the operation to use it. Also, in terms of initial capital investment, it was difficult to realize when considering the cost-effectiveness ratio. Recently, a television set called WTV, which can be viewed on the WWW, has appeared, but it was not realistic considering the introduction cost.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to make a new capital investment in a shared facility such as a hotel by using an existing on-site television hearing facility and a on-site telephone facility. It is to provide a WWW joint viewing system that allows a user to easily view the WWW of the Internet while suppressing as much as possible.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides at least one WWW browsing means that can be connected to the WWW of the Internet, obtains a file on the WWW, converts it into a predetermined video signal, and outputs the video signal. Means for converting the video output signal of the means into a television signal, and transmitting a general television broadcast signal and the television signal output from the signal conversion meansFirst transmission lineAnd saidFirst transmission lineA plurality of television receivers connected to the receiver for receiving and reproducing the television broadcast signals and television signals, and corresponding to each of the television receivers, so that the WWW browsing means acquires a predetermined file on the WWW And an instruction signal from the instruction input means.The instruction signal is transferred to any WWW browsing means selected based on the content ofSystem management means;A second transmission line connecting the instruction input means and the system management means, and a second transmission line for transmitting an instruction signal input from the instruction input means to the system management means; ,It is provided with.
[0007]
  Preferably, the instruction input means includes a bar code reader, and the bar codeWWW browsing operation commands displayed in and the URL of the WWW file to be browsedBy readingThe operation command and URLIs input to the WWW browsing meansIt can be constituted as follows.
  Each of the WWW browsing means is provided corresponding to one of the empty channels to which the TV broadcast signal is not assigned, and the TV signal corresponding to the empty channel designated by the instruction signal from the instruction input means is provided. It can be configured to send out. In this case, if the WWW browsing unit itself has not received an instruction from the instruction input unit, the WWW browsing unit informs that an empty channel corresponding to the WWW browsing unit is available. The set default screen may be sent out.
  As the second transmission path, for example, a private telephone line or a general public line can be used.
[0008]
The file acquired from the WWW by the WWW browsing means is converted into a television signal by the signal converting means and sent to a transmission path for transmitting a general television broadcast signal. A user can easily view a WWW file, a so-called home page, simply by adjusting the tuner of the television receiver to the channel assigned to view the WWW. Further, by giving an instruction from the instruction input unit to the WWW browsing unit via the system management unit, a desired home page can be selected and viewed. If the instruction input means is provided with a bar code reader, it is possible to input a bar-coded command or address to the WWW browsing means with one touch.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a case where a WWW joint viewing system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a hotel.
[0010]
The antenna 10 is a part of the existing joint reception facility in the hotel and covers TV waves in the VHF band and the UHF band. In addition to this antenna 10, a BS (satellite broadcast) receiving antenna may be provided and mixed with the output from the antenna 10 for transmission. The television broadcast signal received by the antenna 10 is sent to the local transmission line LT through the relay mixer 20. The local transmission line LT is a cable for transmitting a normal television broadcast signal (RF signal), and an existing joint reception facility is used as it is. From this on-site transmission line LT, branch lines are drawn into the guest rooms R1, R2,... And connected to a television receiver 30 provided in the guest room, for example, as shown for the guest room R1. The above equipment is configured by adding the relay mixer 20 to the existing television hearing equipment.
[0011]
The guest room R1 includes a telephone 40 and a barcode reader 250, and is connected to the local telephone line LC via the terminal device 200. Normally, the telephone 40 is a push phone type that transmits a tone signal, but may be a type that uses a pulse signal. The bar code reader 250 is provided for reading bar code operation commands and home page URL codes. The URL code is expressed by replacing a URL (for example, http://www.abc.co.jp) indicating the location address of the home page on the Internet with, for example, a combination of eight decimal digits. In addition, any barcode format may be used. In particular, the micro bar code, the narrowest black bar with a width of about 100 μm and a black bar with a length of about 1 to 10 mm, is very compact. The bar code is preferably applied. This is because by using such a micro bar code, it is possible to effectively utilize the paper surface of the medium on which the operation command, the URL code, etc. are printed. Note that the telephone 40 can be used as an instruction input means without using the bar code reader 250. In this case, the operation command and URL code converted into numerical codes are input from the telephone 40.
[0012]
Each terminal device 200 is connected to the private telephone exchange PBX via the private telephone line LC. The private branch exchange PBX connects the terminal device 200 to the management computer H when a predetermined extension number is called from each terminal device 200. Each extension number corresponds to each WWW connection unit WCU1 to WCU4 described later. Therefore, in this embodiment, four extension numbers are used.
[0013]
The management computer H interprets an operation command code related to WWW viewing issued from the terminal device 200 and sends it to the WWW connection units WCU1 to WCU4. Each of the WWW connection units WCU1 to WCU4 has a hardware configuration substantially similar to that of a general personal computer, and establishes a connection with the Internet N through the router RT based on a command input from the management computer H. LAN connection is established between the router RT and each of the WWW connection units WCU1 to WCU4.
[0014]
Each WWW connection unit WCU1 to 4 requests and acquires a file existing at the address indicated by the URL code instructed to be acquired by the management computer H in accordance with the HTTP protocol, as in the case of normal WWW browser software. Is converted into a video signal and output. The video signals output from the WWW connection units WCU1 to WCU4 are converted into RF band television signals by the corresponding modulators MOD1 to MOD4, and are transmitted onto the local transmission line LT via the relay mixer 20 described above. . In addition, in this embodiment, although the structure provided with 4 sets of WWW connection units WCU1-WCU4 is shown, the number of vacant channels of the television broadcasting currently operated in the location of the facility where this system is applied, It can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the demand for the WWW viewing service.
[0015]
FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of the management computer H and the terminal device 200. The management computer H is connected to a plurality of terminal devices 200 via a private telephone line LC, which is a communication line, and the exchange PBX.
[0016]
The management computer H includes a control unit 100, a display unit 130, a printing unit 140, and an input unit 150. The control unit 100 is a central part that performs arithmetic processing and input / output control of the management computer H, and is generally configured by a computer including a CPU having a required peripheral circuit. Generally, it is a personal computer that operates on an operating system such as “MSWindows” (Microsoft Corporation).
[0017]
The DTMF decoder 102 converts the DTMF signal input from the telephone line LC into a digital signal that can be processed inside the control unit 100. Multiplexer 103 includes a circuit for time-division multiplexing four lines from private branch exchange PBX.
[0018]
The management control unit 104 includes a CPU unit that executes data arithmetic processing inside the control unit 100 and input / output control with peripheral devices. Needless to say, the CPU unit includes a peripheral circuit for input / output control, a RAM for temporarily storing data, and the like.
[0019]
The audio data generation means of this embodiment is composed of a memory unit 106 and a D / A converter 110.
[0020]
The memory unit 106 is a storage unit that stores data input from the input unit 150 or the like, and generally uses a hard disk device. Further, a general-purpose external storage device such as a floppy disk device or a magneto-optical disk device may be used. The voice memory unit 108 is a block that holds voice guidance data corresponding to an input extension number or operation code as digital data. In general, there is a method in which sampled digital audio data is stored and held in a ROM, and desired audio data is read and controlled by addressing. Alternatively, other storage media such as a hard disk device may be used.
[0021]
The D / A converter 110 converts the digital audio signal read from the audio memory unit 108 into an analog signal. The converted analog audio signal is sent to the telephone line LC via an interface circuit (not shown).
[0022]
In addition to the configuration in which the speech data itself is stored in the memory as described above, text data corresponding to the input code data is stored in the memory unit 106, and the corresponding text data is stored in the management control unit 104. , And based on this, audio data may be synthesized using an appropriate sound source and audio data generation software. In addition, for example, a sentence corresponding to code data may be recorded in a storage medium such as a hard disk in advance as audio data and read based on an instruction from the management control unit 104.
[0023]
The display unit 130 is a display device using a CRT, LCD, or the like, and is controlled by the management control unit 104 via a display control unit 112 including a video control circuit provided in the control unit 100. The printing unit 140 is a printer, and various types such as laser, ink jet, dot impact, and thermal may be employed. The printing unit 140 is controlled by the printing control unit 114 of the control unit 100 including an appropriate printer driver.
[0024]
The input unit 150 includes a general input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a barcode reader, and a pen tablet, and gives an instruction to the management control unit 104 via the interface unit 116. In addition, as the input unit 150, various devices such as a voice recognition system that can input commands or data using voice and a touch panel monitor can be applied.
[0025]
The WWW connection unit control unit 112 is an adapter provided for taking an interface between the management computer H and the WWW connection unit WCU, and is appropriately selected according to a communication protocol applied between the two. Generally, serial connection such as RS232C is applied. Based on the command from the management control unit 104, the WWW connection unit control unit 112 instructs the WWW connection unit WCU to connect to and terminate the connection to the Internet N, and corresponds to the URL code requested from the terminal device 200. An instruction is given to download a home page (HTML file) existing at the address. As already described, since the URL code transferred from the terminal device 200 is converted into a numerical code unique to each URL, the corresponding URL is obtained by inquiring the URL code conversion unit 120. The URL is transferred to the WWW connection unit WCU. That is, the URL code conversion unit 120 is a conversion engine including a correspondence table between URLs and unique numerical codes corresponding thereto. The correspondence table provided in the URL code conversion unit 120 needs to be updated in a timely manner in order to reflect changes in the viewable homepage, abolition changes regarding the URL of the homepage, and the like. Therefore, the correspondence table is rewritten and updated by data communication via a storage medium such as a floppy disk or a telephone line. Further, if each WWW connection unit WCU is always connected to the Internet N via a dedicated line via the router RT, the URL stored in the URL code conversion unit 120 is switched and read out at regular intervals, for example. By sending to the WWW connection unit WCU of the unused channel, different home pages can be downloaded sequentially and sent to the local transmission line LT via the channel of the unused WWW connection unit WCU. In this way, when the channel is viewed on the television receiver 30 in the guest room, an effect such as a “slide show” in which the screen display is automatically switched sequentially can be achieved. You may make it superimpose the guidance telop of the in-house facility using the image of this homepage as the background.
[0026]
However, if the same type of service provided on the Internet N, for example, “URL code → URL conversion service” provided by the link server LS shown in FIG. 1 can be used, the URL code conversion unit In this case, the WWW connection unit controller 112 passes the URL code transferred from the terminal device 200 to the WWW connection unit WCU as it is. The link server LS is a kind of conversion engine that replaces an input URL code with a corresponding URL and outputs the URL.
[0027]
Note that the inside of the control unit 100 as hardware does not need to be configured for each block as shown in FIG. In addition, it is possible to appropriately incorporate an interface circuit or the like (not shown) between the blocks in terms of design.
[0028]
The terminal device 200 is provided with a DTMF encoder 202, a terminal control unit 204, an interface unit 206, a switch 208, an amplifier 210, and a speaker 212. The bar code reader 250 reads various operation codes (such as “channel selection”) that are represented in advance as bar codes or URL codes of home pages. The read barcode information is input to the terminal control unit 204 of the terminal device 200 via the interface unit 206.
[0029]
The switch 208 for calling the management computer H is also used for switching the line between the power source of the terminal device 200 and “telephone 40 ← → terminal device 200”. By operating the “telephone 40” side, the line to the telephone 40 is alive, and by operating the “terminal device 200” side, the line from the terminal device 200 to the management computer H is opened. Is off-hook. In this state, when a bar code such as an extension number call corresponding to each WWW viewing channel, an operation command, or a URL code is input by the bar code reader 250, a trigger for starting transmission control for the management computer H to the terminal control unit 204. A signal is given and the management computer H is called. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the system of the present invention is applied to a hotel. However, when the present invention is applied to a system other than a premises such as a cable television system, the extension number is used instead. An appropriate outside line number may be used.
[0030]
First, the terminal control unit 204 transfers an ID (for example, a guest room number) for discriminating a guest room to the management computer H. The terminal control unit 204 detects code data input from the barcode reader 250 and sends the data to the local telephone line LC via the DTMF encoder 202. As described above, the terminal control unit 204 sends a DTMF signal to the local telephone line LC in response to the code input from the bar code reader 250, and during the period when the line with the management computer H is held, the bar code reader The code data from 250 is converted into a DTMF signal and transferred to the management computer H.
[0031]
The amplifier 210 provided in the terminal device 200 is read from the audio memory unit 108 provided in the control unit 100 of the management computer H, and an analog audio signal converted by the D / A converter 110 is input. Thus, the audio data is reproduced through the speaker 212.
[0032]
The private branch exchange PBX is interposed in a telephone line LC that connects the management computer H and the terminal device 200 installed in each guest room, determines a line connection request from each terminal device 200, and manages the management computer H And the terminal device 200 are secured.
[0033]
In the above embodiment, the management computer H and the terminal device 200 are provided with a voice response function, but it is of course possible to omit this function. Further, although data transferred between the management computer H and the terminal device 200 is converted into a DTMF signal, a pulse signal conventionally used for a telephone line can also be used.
[0034]
Next, the configuration of the WWW connection unit WCU will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the WWW connection unit WCU according to the present embodiment. The control unit 300, which is a main part of the WWW connection unit WCU, has almost the same configuration as a computer incorporating hardware and software that enable connection to the Internet N as a whole.
[0035]
The control unit 310 is a CPU unit including a RAM, a peripheral interface circuit, and the like, and can adopt a configuration equivalent to that of a general personal computer. The memory 320 is a general purpose auxiliary storage medium such as a hard disk device, and stores program software for browsing the WWW and is also used as a disk cache space for caching the acquired HTML file. The communication adapter 330 is an interface for the CPU of the control unit 310 to communicate with the router RT according to a predetermined communication protocol, and various LAN adapters can be applied. The video circuit 340 converts the HTML format digital data downloaded from the WWW by the control unit 310 into a video signal and outputs the video signal. This video signal is, for example, an RGB signal that is usually used for monitoring a computer, or a composite signal that is common in consumer video equipment. The interface unit 350 is an adapter for mediating communication between the management computer H and the control unit 310, and is appropriately selected depending on the communication mode between the management computer H and the control unit 310 of the control unit 300. A serial connection is used so that the control unit 300 functions as a slave of the management computer H. The input unit 360 is an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse that is provided to operate the WWW connection unit WCU separately from a command from the management computer H. The monitor 370 is used not only as a display for monitoring the output from the video circuit 340 but also as a display device for operating the WWW connection unit WCU via the input unit 360. Since the WWW control unit WCU can be manually operated via the management computer H, the input unit 360 and the monitor 370 are not necessarily provided.
[0036]
===== Action of this system =====
Next, the operation of the WWW joint viewing system according to an embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described. When a user staying in the guest room R1 in FIG. 1 tries to view the WWW homepage on the television 30, the present system operates as follows.
[0037]
(1) The user matches the channel reserved for WWW viewing with the television receiver 30 and confirms which channel is available. In the available channels, a default screen (for example, “Internet service is available on 9 channels”) supplied from any one of the WWW connection units WCU1 to WCU4 is displayed. The default screen is stored in advance in the memory 320 included in the WWW connection unit WCU corresponding to the channel as graphic data.
[0038]
(2) When the user operates the switch 208 of the terminal device 200, the terminal device 200 is connected to the management computer H via the private telephone line LC and the private telephone exchange PBX. Usually, the management computer H sets the time when this extension is connected as the connection start time that is the basis of charging. Next, one of the available channels confirmed in the above (1) is selected, and the selected channel (here, 9 channels) is selected from the barcode printed on the Internet operation sheet provided in the guest room R1. The barcode corresponding to the WWW connection unit WCU1) is read using the barcode reader 250. The terminal device 200 converts the 9-channel selection code input from the barcode reader 250 into a DTMF signal and sends it to the management computer H via the private branch exchange PBX. The Internet operation sheet includes “channel selection”, “screen scroll” (a function to move the screen up and down when the home page displayed on the television 30 does not fit on one screen), and “end WWW viewing service”. Contains code data to indicate.
(3) The management computer H decodes and interprets the received DTMF signal into a digital pulse signal, and confirms “request for viewing 9 channels from the guest room R1”. Correspondingly, a voice message for prompting bar code input corresponding to the URL of the home page desired to be viewed is taken out and returned to the terminal device 200 and reproduced by the amplifier 210 and the speaker 212.
[0039]
(4) When a bar code indicating a desired home page is read by the bar code reader 250 when the user receives the voice message, the bar code reader 250 converts the bar code into a DTMF signal and manages it via the local telephone line LC. Input to computer H.
[0040]
(5) The management computer H, after decoding the received DTMF signal, inquires the URL code conversion unit 120 about the URL code, transfers the URL obtained as a result to the WWW connection unit WCU1, and sends it to the WWW connection unit WCU1. To give an instruction to access the Internet N.
[0041]
(6) When an access command to the Internet N is received from the management computer H, the WWW connection unit WCU1 connects to the Internet N via the router RT using the TCP / IP protocol and is placed at the URL input by the user. Homepage (which is substantially a data file in HTML format as is well known). The downloaded file is converted into a predetermined video signal by the video circuit 340 and output. When dial-up connection is adopted as a connection format between the WWW connection unit WCU and the Internet N, the WWW connection unit WCU1 sends it to the management computer H when the WWW connection unit WCU1 establishes a connection with the Internet N. Notification may be made, and the time point may be used as a reference for charging.
[0042]
(7) The video signal output from the WWW connection unit WCU1 is input to the corresponding modulator MOD1, converted into an RF signal corresponding to the VHF9 channel, and transmitted to the local transmission line LT via the relay mixer 20. The
[0043]
(8) When the user in the guest room R1 sets the television receiver 30 to the VHF 9 channel, the home page downloaded according to the request of the user is displayed on the television 30.
[0044]
(9) When viewing of the WWW is ended, the switch 208 of the terminal device 200 is operated to the telephone 40 side, and the connection between the terminal device 200 and the management computer H is disconnected. The management computer H detects the disconnection with the terminal device 200 and records the time as the connection end time of the guest room R1. Then, the connection time from the guest room R1 to the Internet N is calculated and recorded together with the previously acquired connection start time.
[0045]
As described above, since the homepage image converted into the television signal of the selected channel is sent out on the local transmission line LT of the television hearing aid facility, some customers staying outside the requested guest room R1. If the indoor TV 30 is set to 9 channels, the image of the homepage selected in the guest room R1 can be viewed.
[0046]
In addition, when the WWW viewing service is provided for a fee, the management computer H can total the viewing time for each room and calculate the amount charged to the user.
[0047]
In addition, in order to suppress long-term continuous WWW viewing by a specific user, a message that calls attention to the elapsed time from the start of connection generated by the WWW connection unit and continuous viewing every time a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) elapses. Or the like may be displayed superimposed on the image of the homepage.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the WWW joint viewing system according to the present invention, it is possible to use the existing on-site television common-listening equipment and the on-site telephone line, and add only a small amount of hardware and software. You can watch the WWW website through the hearing facility. In addition, if an operation command, a desired homepage address, or the like is input using a bar code reader, the operation can be greatly simplified as compared with the case of browsing a WWW by operating a normal personal computer. .
[0049]
In addition, since the URL of the home page is encoded and provided, the user can see only the home page of the URL for which the service is provided in advance, and harmful home page images that are against public order and morals are shared with television. It is not sent to the listening equipment.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a WWW joint viewing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a management computer and a terminal device applied to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a WWW connection unit applied to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Antenna
20 Relay mixer
30 TV receiver
40 telephone
200 terminal device (instruction input means)
LT Local transmission line
LC local telephone line
PBX private branch exchange
H Management computer (system management means)
WCU1, WCU2, WCU3, WCU4 WWW connection unit (WWW browsing means)
MOD1, MOD2, MOD3, MOD4 modulator (signal conversion means)
RT router
N Internet

Claims (5)

At least one WWW browsing means that is connectable to the WWW of the Internet, obtains a file on the WWW, converts it into a predetermined video signal, and outputs it;
Signal converting means for converting the video output signal of the WWW browsing means into a television signal;
A first transmission path for transmitting a general television broadcast signal and a television signal output from the signal conversion means;
A plurality of television receivers connected to the first transmission line and receiving and reproducing the television broadcast signal and the television signal;
Instruction input means provided corresponding to each of the television receivers and instructing the WWW browsing means to acquire a predetermined file on the WWW;
System management means for transferring the instruction signal to any WWW browsing means selected based on the content of the instruction signal from the instruction input means;
A second transmission line connecting the instruction input means and the system management means, and a second transmission line for transmitting an instruction signal input from the instruction input means to the system management means; ,
A WWW joint viewing system characterized by comprising: The instruction input unit includes a barcode reader, and reads the operation command for browsing the WWW displayed in the barcode and the URL of the WWW file to be browsed, and inputs the operation command and the URL to the WWW browsing unit. The WWW joint viewing system according to claim 1. Each of the WWW browsing means is provided corresponding to one of the empty channels to which the TV broadcast signal is not assigned, and transmits a TV signal corresponding to the empty channel designated by the instruction signal from the instruction input means. The WWW joint viewing system according to claim 1. Each of the WWW browsing means is set in advance to notify that an available channel corresponding to the WWW browsing means is available when the WWW browsing means itself has not received an instruction from the instruction input means. The WWW joint viewing system according to claim 1, wherein a default screen is transmitted. 2. The WWW joint viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission path is a local telephone line or a general public line.

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