JPH07235912A - Bidirectional broadcast system and its receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a user to confirm the correct reception of the telephone number of his replying destination by broadcasting the prescribed replying destination information after multiplexing it with the main broadcast signal at a broadcast station and showing the success or failure of reception of the replay information separated from the main broadcast signal on a display element at the receiver side. CONSTITUTION:A broadcast station superimposes the replay destination information on the telephone number of the replaying destination, etc., at a prescribed position of an image formed by the main broadcast signal of a bidirectional broadcast program. Thus the superimposed information is broadcast for a proper time as a video signal. When a TV receiver is switched on, a preprocessing circuit 31 and a DTMF decoder 32 always monitor the DTMF signal mixed into the audio signal of the program selected at present. If the DTMF signal mixed into the audio signal of the broadcast program under reception is detected, a CPU 21 fetches the decoding output of the DTMF signal. If the received data is a function signal, the received signal is shown on a display means 16 and also stored in a DRAM 23.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bidirectional broadcasting system and a bidirectional broadcasting receiving apparatus suitable for a response through a telephone line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in television shopping, questionnaire surveys, viewer participation type quiz programs, etc., the reception telephone number for the response is on the television broadcasting side.
There is interactive television broadcasting that is displayed on the screen in a superimposed manner only for an appropriate time, and the response from the viewer is made by telephone or facsimile.

[0003]

By the way, in interactive television broadcasting, which is being tested in North America, a method of providing a viewer with information such as a telephone number to reply to is required as a method of providing the information as a bitmap. Since the amount of data and the like is enormous, in most cases, a method of multiplexing by a character multiplexing method and broadcasting in an empty horizontal period of a vertical blanking period of a video signal is adopted. However, the reply destination information such as the reply destination telephone number is not conventionally displayed on the television screen.

If the telephone number of the reply destination provided by the broadcasting station is not displayed in this way, the viewer cannot naturally know the telephone number. Further, there is no means for confirming whether the telephone number is received without error or whether it is the correct return destination telephone number.

If the answering telephone number is incorrect or is not correctly received, if the answering information for the two-way number is transmitted without noticing it, the answering information is the answering party having the wrong telephone number. Will be sent.
For this reason, not only does the other party who made the wrong call a great deal of trouble, but also the user who sent the response pays a useless telephone line usage fee.

When the response destination information is multiplexed, the CRC
It is possible to add a code and a checksum so that the receiving side can check the received data, but this is not perfect due to the bad reception condition of the broadcast. Further, even if there is an error, if the user is not notified of the error, the disadvantage of transmitting useless response information cannot be avoided.

In view of the above point, the object of the present invention is to confirm the telephone number of the reply destination broadcast from the broadcasting station side,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a two-way broadcast system and a two-way broadcast receiver that can notify the viewer of the success or failure of reception of a correct telephone number of a reply destination.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the interactive broadcasting system according to the present invention is an interactive program which prompts a receiver to respond from a broadcasting station by making reference numerals of the embodiments described later correspond to each other. Broadcast the information of the response from the receiving side,
In the two-way broadcasting system in which the data is transmitted to a predetermined reply destination through a telephone line, when a two-way program, the broadcasting station side multiplexes the predetermined reply destination information with the main broadcast signal and broadcasts it. Then, the information of the reply destination separated from the main broadcast signal is stored in the storage means 23, and the information of the reply destination is displayed on the display means 16 for displaying the image by the broadcast signal. .

The bidirectional broadcasting receiving apparatus according to the present invention, when the reference numerals of the embodiments described later are made to correspond, the receiving means 11, 12 and 14 of the broadcast signal and the display for displaying the image by the received broadcast signal. Means 16, input means 34 for inputting information on a response to a question from the broadcasting station side in the case of an interactive program, and telephone line 2 for inputting the information on the response
Via the transmitting means 33 for transmitting to the predetermined reply destination, the separating / reproducing means 31, 32 for separating and reproducing the reply destination information multiplexed in the received broadcast signal, and the output of the separating / reproducing means as the reply destination information. It is characterized in that it is provided with a fetching means 20 and a storage means 23 for storing the reproduced reply destination information, and displays the reply destination information on the display means 16.

[0010]

According to this structure, the receiving side indicates that the receiving side has received the information of the predetermined reply destination which is multiplexed and broadcast on the main broadcast signal from the broadcasting station side during the interactive program.
You can see and confirm by the display.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a bidirectional broadcasting system and a broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to the present invention will be described below.
In this example, on the broadcast station side, when the interactive program is broadcast, the interactive program-related information as the sub-broadcast information,
Broadcast by being multiplexed with the main broadcast television signal. On the other hand, the receiving side separates and reproduces the interactive program related information from the received video signal, stores it in the memory, and uses it for a response to the interactive broadcast program.

In this example, the program-related information of the interactive program is a signal in an audio band that can be easily distinguished from the main broadcast sound, for example, DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) used in a telephone push line or the like. The signal should be superimposed on the main broadcast audio signal.

That is, on the broadcast station side, the program-related information as the sub-broadcast information is multiplexed (mixed) with the main broadcast audio signal and broadcasted as a signal structure in the DTMF signal format. On the other hand, on the receiving side, the DTMF signal is separated / decoded from the received broadcast audio signal, the program-related information is reproduced, stored in the memory, and used for telephone communication with a service station or for program reservation.

[DTMF Signal] First, the DTMF signal will be described with reference to FIG. The DTMF signaling system has one low frequency group (low group) and another one
One is an audio band signaling system that simultaneously sends two tones of a high frequency group (high group). Each of these low and high frequency groups consists of tones of four audio band frequencies, no two of which are in articulatory relation.

In the DTMF signal, the four frequencies of the low group are, for example, 697 Hz, 770 Hz, 852 Hz and 941H.
z, and the four frequencies of the high group are, for example, 1209 Hz,
It is set to 1336 Hz, 1477 Hz, and 1633 Hz. Then, each of the low group and the high group is combined with one frequency, and each DTMF composed of the combination is combined.
Signals (each of these DTMF signals are hereinafter referred to as function signals) are assigned to push buttons "0" to "D" arranged in 4 rows and 4 columns, as shown in FIG.

In telephone communication, only 12 out of 16 functional signals of DTMF signals are generally used for subscriber address (telephone number) signals. That is,
"0" used as a so-called numeric keypad on the telephone
The function signals of the above 12 combinations correspond to the numbers "9" and the symbols "*" and "#". Figure 2
The function signals corresponding to the letters "A", "B", "C", and "D" indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3 are not generally used in Japan, but data using the push button (PB) dial. It is only used for transmission.

When line selection is performed by telephone number using such a DTMF signal, the signal transmission conditions are as shown in FIG.
It is prescribed as shown in.

Due to the combination of the two frequencies and the transmission conditions as described above, the DTMF signal rarely occurs in the natural world and can be clearly distinguished from natural sounds such as human voice. It is possible to multiplex (mix) the broadcast audio signal and broadcast it, and separation on the receiving side is relatively easy.

By the way, the DTMF signal is also used in a multi-function telephone, and by pressing a button on a push-button telephone from outside, a message recorded on the telephone at home can be played back or an answering machine can be recorded. You can record, play back, and delete the message.

[Broadcast of a plurality of sub-broadcast information] At the transmitting side of this embodiment, that is, the broadcasting station side, when transmitting the sub-broadcast information, "A", which is not used for PB line selection, as described above, Among the function signals meaning “B”, “C”, and “D”, the function signals “A”, “B”, and “C” are used as the transmission start information of the sub broadcast information, and the function of “D” is used. The signal is used as transmission end information.

Since there are three types of transmission start information, in this example, three types of sub broadcast information can be transmitted separately. In other words, the three types of sub broadcast information are
Any of the function signals of “A”, “B”, and “C”,
It is broadcast by being separated from the function signal of "D".

For example, for information relating to response access to interactive programs, for example, sub-broadcast information such as the telephone number of the access destination (reception telephone number) and the transmission rate, the function signal "A" is used as the transmission start information and the transmission ends. It is transmitted between the function signal of information "D". Similarly, for sub-broadcast information related to environment settings such as the end limit of the telephone number of the answering side and the current time setting, the received data is cleared between the function signal of "B" and the function signal of "D". The information regarding the information is multiplexed and broadcast as a signal sandwiched between the "C" function signal and the "D" function signal.

On the receiving side, a numerical value sandwiched between any one of the function signals "A", "B" and "C" as the transmission start information and the function signal "D" as the transmission end information. The symbol data is regarded as a sub-broadcast data string (information group), and is separately stored in a predetermined storage area of the memory as described later.

For example, as information regarding response access, a receiver whose interactive television standard version is 00 accesses a reception telephone number 0990-1234-1234 as a reply destination of a response at a transmission rate of 300 bps. In the case of permitting, the sub-broadcast information is such that the data string composed of each function signal of the DTMF signal such as 00 # 0990 * 1234 * 1234 is between the function signal of “A” and the function signal of “D”. It is multiplexed with the main broadcast audio signal and transmitted in the state of being sandwiched between. Here, the first 00 in the data string is
The interactive television standard version indicates 00 (transmission rate 300 bps), and the numerical data after the symbol "#" is the reception telephone number of the reply destination.

To permit access to the telephone number 0990-1234-1235 as the reply destination of the response to the receiver whose interactive television standard version is 01 at the transmission rate of 1200 bps, 01 # 0990 * 1234 * A data string composed of each functional signal of the DTMF signal such as 1235 is multiplexed with the main broadcast audio signal and transmitted while being sandwiched between the functional signal of "A" and the functional signal of "D". To be done. Here, the first 01 in the data string is
The interactive television standard version indicates 01 (transmission rate 1200 bps), and the numerical data after the symbol "#" is the reception telephone number of the reply destination.

In the data string relating to the response access as described above, the symbol "#" represents a separator (separation of individual data) and the symbol "*" represents a pause.

As information relating to environment setting, when access is restricted only to viewers who have a specific telephone number (subscriber number), for example, when access is permitted only to the number ending with 0, 0 When the data string composed of each function signal of the DTMF signal such as # 0 permits access to only the number with the telephone number ending with 1, the each function signal of the DTMF signal such as 0 # 1 The composed data strings are respectively multiplexed with the main broadcast audio signal and transmitted while being sandwiched between the "B" function signal and the "D" function signal. In this case, the number “0” before the symbol “#” means that access is permitted from a telephone number having the number next to the symbol “#” as the end.

Further, when permitting access to only the numbers having an even number at the end of the telephone number, each function signal of the DTMF signal such as 0 # 0 * 0 # 2 * 0 # 4 * 0 # 6 * 0 # 8 is used. The composed data string is multiplexed with the main broadcast audio signal and sent in a state of being sandwiched between the "B" function signal and the "D" function signal. Here, the symbol "*" means a logical sum.

Further, as time information for reservation of reception of broadcast programs and reservation of recording, for example, the current time is 199.
In the case of 7:00 on Tuesday, December 15, 3rd, a data string composed of each function signal of the DTMF signal such as 1 # 1993121520700 is composed of the function signal of “B” and the function signal of “D”. It is multiplexed between the main broadcast audio signals and transmitted in a state of being sandwiched between them.

Also, when a certain broadcast program is viewed from the present time,
When broadcasting from 7:00 to 7:29 on the next Sunday, the data string composed of each function signal of the DTMF signal such as 10 # 07000729 is composed of the function signals of "B" and "D". When it is sent by being sandwiched between the function signals and another broadcast program is broadcast on the following Monday from 12:00 to 14:15, each function signal of the DTMF signal such as 11 # 12001415 is used. The composed data string is sandwiched between the "B" function signal and the "D" function signal and transmitted.

In the data string relating to the environment setting as described above, the symbol "#" represents a separator and the symbol "*" represents "OR (logical sum)".

As information on clearing the received data, for example, in the case of clearing the number restriction, a data string composed of each functional signal of the DTMF signal such as 99 # 0 is a functional signal of "C". When the reception telephone number is cleared, it is sandwiched between the function signal of "D" and transmitted, and in the case of clearing the reception telephone number, the data string composed of each function signal of the DTMF signal such as 99 # 1 is "C". It is sent by being sandwiched between the function signal of "" and the function signal of "D".

As described above, the function signals of "A", "B", "C" and "D" which are not used as the selection signal of the telephone line are transmitted as the transmission start information and the transmission end information of the sub broadcast information. Thus, even if the DTMF sound is transmitted, for example, in a scene where a telephone call is made in a drama, it is not confused with the program-related information. In addition, the sub broadcast information can be transmitted and received with certainty.

[Structure of Receiving Device] Next, referring to FIGS. 1 and 4 to 7, the bidirectional broadcasting receiving device according to the present invention is applied to a television receiver compatible with a bidirectional broadcasting program. An embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of one embodiment of the bidirectional broadcast receiving apparatus of this example. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 is a signal system of the television receiver, and 20 is a control system thereof.

Broadcast radio waves received by the antenna 1 are supplied to the tuner 11. A channel selection signal is supplied from the control system 20 to the tuner 11, and a broadcast signal of a desired channel is selected by the tuner 11 and converted into an intermediate frequency signal. This intermediate frequency signal is supplied to the intermediate frequency circuit 12. The intermediate frequency circuit 12 includes a video demodulator 13 and an audio demodulator 14, and demodulates a video signal and an audio signal.

The video signal S13 from the video demodulator 13 is supplied to the picture tube 16 via the video signal processing circuit 15.
The audio signal S14 from the audio demodulator 14 is supplied to the audio multiplex decoder 17, and the bilingual signal or the stereo signals SL and SR are decoded. Then, these signals SL and SR are supplied to the left and right speakers 19L and 19R through the amplifiers 18L and 18R, respectively.

Audio signal S14 from the voice demodulator 14
Is also transmitted via the pre-processing circuit 31 to the DTMF decoder 3
2 is supplied. The DTMF decoder 32 constantly searches the DTMF signal in the input signal, and when detecting the DTMF signal, decodes which function signal the DTMF signal is. That is, the numbers "0" to "9", "#", "*", and "A" to "D" are decoded. Then, the decoded data is supplied to the control system 20.

In the case of this example, a widely available commercially available DTMF decoder is used as the DTMF decoder 32. The pre-processing circuit 31 is provided for performing pre-processing so that the DTMF signal can be decoded with higher accuracy even when a commercially available DTMF decoder is used as the DTMF decoder 32. That is, the pre-processing circuit 31 removes frequency components other than the DTMF signal from the audio signal S14, and the input signal of the DTMF decoder 32 is a commercially available DTM.
It is a signal that the F decoder allows, and is composed of a filter circuit.

Further, in this embodiment, a modem (modulator / demodulator) 33 for data communication is provided in order to deal with interactive broadcast programs such as responses to viewer participation type programs. The telephone line 2 is connected to the line connection terminal Line of the modem 33, and the telephone 3 is connected to the telephone terminal Tel. The modem 33 is connected to the system bus 200 of the control system 20. Further, the data from the modem 33 is supplied to the DTMF decoder 32 so that the DTMF signal sent through the telephone line 2 can be decoded by the DTMF decoder 32 and taken into the control system 20. Has been done.

The control system 20 includes a CPU 21 and a ROM 22.
, DRAM 23, SRAM 24, video RAM 2
5 and each of which is connected to the system bus 200. The ROM 22 stores various control programs as well as a DTMF data reception and reception processing program described later, and also stores font and graphic data used for display. The DRAM 23 is mainly used as a work area for calculation, and the SRAM 24 stores setting information of the receiving device itself, own television identification information, and the like.

Here, the own television identification information is, for example, "S".
“ONY-00-00000001”, which is identification information unique to each device set at the time of production of a television receiver compatible with a two-way broadcast program. The user
After purchasing a television receiver that supports interactive broadcast programs, register this own TV identification information and the user's name, address, telephone number, etc. in the database of the database center, which is the reply destination of the interactive television viewer's response. To do. In the database center, the personal information corresponding to this own television identification information is managed in the database.

The video RAM 25 is used for display. Display controller 2 for video RAM 25
5C is provided. The display controller 25C controls reading and writing of video data to and from the video RAM 25, and converts the read video data into an analog video signal. Then, the analog video signal obtained from the display controller 25C is supplied to the video signal processing unit 15, and the control unit 20
In combination with the control of the video signal processing unit 15 from the above, the video signal is superimposed on the video signal from the intermediate frequency circuit 1211 or is switched and combined.

The control system 20 also includes an I / O port 26.
1, 262, 263, 264 and VTR control port 27. A control signal is sent through the I / O port 261 to the video signal processing circuit 15 and the audio multiplex decoder 17.
Is supplied to. Further, for example, an infrared remote control signal from the remote control transmitter 34 is received by the remote control receiver 35, the received remote control signal is decoded by the remote control decoding circuit 36, and the decoded remote control signal is sent to the I / O port 261. More taken into the control system 20.

The CPU 21 controls the remote control transmitter 34 according to the user's operation according to the program in the ROM 22. For example, in the case of remote control operation such as channel selection and volume control, tuner channel selection and volume control are executed, and at the same time, font data for displaying necessary characters and symbols is read from the ROM 22 and stored in the video RAM 25. Transferred. And this video R
The data of AM25 is supplied to the video signal processing circuit 15,
By being combined (for example, superimposed) with the video signal S13, it is displayed on the screen of the picture tube 16 for an appropriate time.

Data for tuning and volume control are
When each operation is written in the nonvolatile SRAM 24, when the power is turned off and then turned on again, a so-called last memory function is realized in which the same channel is watched at the same volume as immediately before the power is turned off. .

A tuning signal is supplied to the tuner 11 through the I / O port 263. Also, in this example,
Time data from the timer circuit 37 for notifying the real time or generating an interrupt at a predetermined time is input to the control system 20 through the I / O port 264.

Also, the control port 27 of the VTR
In this example, three VTR1, VTR2, and VTR3 can be controlled. The control system 20 can supply a control signal to the VTR through the control port 27, take in a status signal from the VTR, and perform desired control on the VTR.

Each VTR has a built-in tuner and an intermediate frequency circuit, and the antenna 1 is connected via, for example, a distributor.
, And reserve recording can be performed under the control of the control system 20 as described later.

[Reception Destination Information Reception Processing] Next, the reception processing of the return destination information of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this embodiment, in the DTMF signal format as described above, the "A" function signal is followed by the numbers "0" to "9" or "*" indicating the telephone number of the reply destination.
A data string with the symbol "#" is transmitted from the broadcasting station side. Further, in this embodiment, at the same timing as the transmission of the reply destination information as described above, the reply destination telephone number is a predetermined position of the image by the main broadcast signal of the bidirectional broadcast program, for example, a superimposition on the left side of the central portion. Imposed and broadcast as a video signal for an appropriate time.

When the power of the television receiver is on, the DTMF signal mixed with the audio signal of the program of the currently selected channel is always used by the preprocessing circuit 31 and the DTMF decoder 32. Monitor. That is, the CPU 21 constantly searches the output of the DTMF decoder 32 through the I / O port 262 or at a predetermined cycle (step 101), and the DTMF signal is mixed with the audio signal S14 of the broadcast program which is currently being received. When this is detected (step 102), the decoded output D32 of the DTMF signal is taken in as the number or symbol as described above.

At this time, the transmission condition as described above, that is, whether the length of the DTMF signal continuing is 50 milliseconds or more,
It is checked whether the pause time from the disappearance of the MF signal to the rise of the next signal is 30 milliseconds or more, or whether the sum of the length of the DTMF signal and the pause time is 120 milliseconds or more, which is a specified value. As a result, it is possible to prevent the reception of error data when the reception condition of the broadcast radio wave is poor, and it is possible to prevent the erroneous reception when the normal audio accidentally contains the same frequency component as the DTMF signal. .

In step 102, the received data is D
If it is not a TMF signal, the process returns to step 101 and D
The output check of the TMF decoder 32 is continued. Also,
If the received data is a DTMF signal, step 10
Proceed to step 3 to check whether the function signal is "A".

If the received data is the function signal of "A", the process proceeds to step 104, and the receiving flag is turned on to return the reply information regarding the response access to the interactive program as described above. The reception mode of In the next step 105, the display pointer for displaying the number on the screen of the picture tube 16 and the memory for storing the number, for example, the storage pointer of the DRAM 23 are initialized, and then the process returns to step 101 to return to the DTMF decoder 32. Continue the output check.

When the received data of the next DTMF signal is not the function signal of "A" (steps 102, 10)
3) The process proceeds to step 106, where it is checked whether the receiving flag is on. If this flag is not on, that is, if it is not in the reply destination information reception mode, the received data is invalidated, the process returns to step 101,
Check the following received data.

The receiving flag of the reply destination information is ON,
The next received data is a number from "0" to "9" or "*",
If it is a "#" symbol (step 107), the received number font is indicated by the video RAM 2 indicated by the display pointer.
By setting to 5, the received number is displayed digit by digit at a predetermined position, for example, the lower portion of the screen 16s of the picture tube 16 as shown in FIG. 6A (step 108). Then, the display pointer is updated to the next location. The received number is saved in the storage area on the DRAM 23 indicated by the save pointer (step 109). Then, the save pointer is updated to the next location.

In the data string of the telephone number of the response destination,
When the checksum data string is added by being divided into "*", it is not displayed on the screen 16s, but "*" and the checksum data string are also stored in the DRAM 23.

By repeating the above steps 101 to 109, the data string of the telephone number of the response destination in the DTMF signal format is received and sequentially displayed on the screen 16s as shown in FIG. 6B. After that, the routine proceeds to step 111, where it is checked whether or not the next received data is the function signal of "D".

When the received data is the function signal of "D", the receiving number confirmation processing of the routine 120 shown in FIG. 5 is performed. The processing of this routine 120 will be described later.

The received data is "A", "0"-
If it is neither "9", "*", "#", or "D", it is error data due to bad reception condition of the broadcast, so the receiving flag is turned off and the reception mode ends. (Step 112). Then, after displaying the reception error message for a certain period of time, the number displayed on the screen 16s is erased (steps 113 and 114), and the reception of the reply destination information is once ended.

If the broadcast reception condition is good and the reliability of the received reply destination information is assured, in step 111, the function signal of "D" is simply transmitted as shown by the broken line in FIG. You may make it wait for reception.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the reception number confirmation processing routine 120, in step 121, the receiving flag is first turned off to end the reception mode, and in the next step 122, "A", " Whether the received data string sandwiched between the function signals of D "is not too long, is an impossible number, or is not different from the checksum data added after" * "as described above. It is checked for consistency.

When it is determined that the received data string sandwiched between the function signals of "A" and "D" is inconsistent, that is, is an incorrect data string, the number stored in the DRAM 23 is cleared. At the same time, the pointer is initialized (step 123) and a reception error message is displayed for a certain period of time (step 124).

If it is determined that the received data string sandwiched between the function signals of "A" and "D" has consistency, that is, is a correct data string, in step 125,
A message requesting confirmation as shown in FIG. 6C is displayed on the screen 16s of the picture tube 16 to prompt the viewer to confirm that the received data is the correct telephone number of the reply destination.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, at a predetermined position of the screen 16s of the picture tube 16, for example, on the left side of the central portion,
The reply-to telephone number superposed on the image of the interactive program and broadcast as a video signal is displayed adjacent to the telephone number received as a DTMF signal. The viewer visually checks both telephone numbers and
It can be confirmed that the received data received as the F signal is the correct telephone number of the reply destination transmitted by the broadcast side.

When the viewer performs a confirmation operation with the commander 34, a remote control signal for the confirmation operation is received (step 126), and it is checked whether the remote control signal from the commander 34 corresponds to the number confirmation operation (step 1).
27) If the confirmation operation is performed, the number stored in the DRAM 23 is validated (step 128).

If the confirmation operation is not performed due to cancellation or time-out, the number stored in the DRAM 23 is cleared (step 129).

When the reception number confirmation processing of the routine 120 is completed in this way, steps 124, 128, 12
9, the process proceeds to step 115 of FIG. 4, the number displayed on the screen 16s is erased, and the receiving process of the reply destination information is once ended.

In the above embodiment, in the case of an interactive program,
The return destination information transmitted in the DTMF signal format is sent to the picture tube 16
By simultaneously displaying the reply destination information broadcast as a video signal for verification on the screen 16s, the viewer can visually check whether the reply destination information in the DTMF signal format is correct or not. It can be easily confirmed.

Also, waiting for the confirmation operation by the viewer, the DRA
Since the reply destination information stored in M23 is valid, the wrong number is not called even when the reply destination information is used for the automatic response.

That is, in step 127 of the reception number confirmation processing of the routine 120, the reply destination telephone number of the DRAM 23 is validated and stored only when the received number is confirmed. To respond to the question of the interactive broadcast program, the response information with the viewer's ID number added to the correct reply destination telephone number stored in the DRAM 23 by the automatic response process is transmitted to the modem. It is transmitted through 33.

It is of course possible that the viewer confirms the telephone number of the reply destination when the response is made, and the response information is transmitted. FIG. 7 shows an example of the response processing operation in that case.

[Confirmation of Reply Destination at Response] In FIG. 7, when the viewer operates the remote control transmitter 34, the remote control signal (command) transmitted from the remote control transmitter 34 is received by the remote control receiver 35. (Step 131). Then, it is determined whether or not the received command is a response command to a two-way broadcast program such as a viewer participation type quiz program (step 132).

When the received command is, for example, a general command such as channel switching, the process corresponding to the command is performed (step 140).

In the case of the response command to the interactive broadcast program, in step 133, the reply destination telephone numbers stored in the DRAM 23 are sequentially displayed on the screen. The viewer confirms this telephone number on the screen, and when it is correct, performs confirmation input operation using the remote control commander 34.
In step 134, it is determined whether or not this confirmation input has been received.

When the confirmation input is received, step 1
Proceeding to 35, information as a response to the broadcast program,
Viewer's ID number (own TV ID) and DRAM2 already
The response information is created by adding the program identification information and the question identification information stored in FIG. Then, the communication speed is set according to the response destination information as described above, and the DRA
It is transmitted via the modem 33 to the telephone number of the database center as a predetermined reply destination stored in M23 (step 135).

At the next step 136, it is judged whether or not the transmission is successful, and if the transmission is normally completed, the line is disconnected (step 137), and a message indicating that the transmission is successful is displayed on the picture tube for a predetermined time. It is displayed on 16 screens (step 138). If the transmission is unsuccessful, a message to that effect is displayed on the screen for a certain period of time (step 139).

When the viewer's confirmation input of the reply telephone number is not received in step 134 (for example, when the confirmation input is not received for a certain period of time or when the non-confirmation input is received), Proceeding to step 141, transmission of response information is stopped.

As described above, by confirming the reply-destination telephone number when making a response, it is possible to more reliably prevent a situation in which the reply is transmitted to the other party who is not the reply destination.

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiments, the reply destination information for the response of the bidirectional broadcast program is constructed by using the DTMF signal, and is multiplexed and broadcast with the main broadcast audio signal. However, the reply destination information may be multiplexed in the vertical blanking period of the television broadcast as in the case of the character multiplex broadcast.

In this case, on the broadcast station side, the program-related information as shown in FIG. 8 is formed in the character multiplex signal format and is multiplexed as sub-broadcast information and broadcast in the vertical blanking period of the video signal. On the other hand, in the receiver, the preprocessing circuit 3 of the embodiment of FIG.
In place of the 1 and DTMF decoder 32, a character multiplex decoder is mounted, and the output signal S13 of the video demodulation circuit 13 is supplied to this decoder. Then, the decoded output is fetched into the control system 20, decoded, the program-related information is reproduced and stored in a memory such as a DRAM, and the reply information as shown in FIG. 9 corresponding to the received program-related information. Create and transmit over the telephone line.

In FIG. 8, the time information is the information of the current time, and in this embodiment, it is updated for each field, and in the case of the NTSC system, the accuracy is 1/60 second. It should be noted that, in the conventional character multiplex broadcasting, the accuracy is updated for each frame, and the accuracy is 1/30 second in the case of the NTSC system. This time information may be constantly broadcast, or may be broadcast only during a period in which the viewer's reaction is expected among the programs participating in the viewer.

The selection procedure information is prepared on the broadcasting station side for each problem such as a quiz program and prepared for broadcasting the program. In the case of a three-choice question, the selection procedure is one in which three answers are displayed in a menu and the viewer is allowed to select one. For example, in the case of a quiz program, the reply destination is, for example, the receiving system on the broadcast station side, and the communication protocol to this system and the telephone number for receiving are set as reply destination information.

Then, during the broadcasting of a quiz program or the like, the selection procedure information and the reply destination information are broadcast in the character multiplex broadcasting format before the scene where the answer is left to the viewer.

The selection procedure information is, so to speak, a group of programs, such as a communication protocol, and is composed of selection procedure identification information, selection procedure, display data, time limit information, etc., and can be a considerable amount of information. , May be multiplexed over multiple fields.

The selection procedure identification information is an identifier indicating which selection procedure, that is, which question, questionnaire, or quiz question is the answer, and is added to the selection result of the viewer and transmitted to the reply destination. Hereafter, based on this information, the answer is classified for each selection procedure. The selection procedure is a menu selection program described in an intermediate language, and images are displayed on the screen in the form of images, character strings, moving images, etc. according to the flow described here. Also, a response process such as reception of an operation from a viewer and switching of a screen in response to this operation is performed.

The display data is an image, as described above.
Data such as fonts, graphics, animations, and movies used to display character strings and movies.

The time limit information is the valid time for replying to the selected content, which is indicated by the identifier as described above, and the time until the receiving side automatically stops the display when there is no operation in the menu display. And. When the display is stopped on the receiving side, the scheduled time until the correct answer is broadcast is set. In addition, the effective time for replying to the selection contents is added to the scheduled time until the correct answer is broadcast in consideration of the congestion of the telephone line as described above, and a little extra time.

The reply destination information is composed of the communication speed at the time of reply, the presence / absence of parity, the presence / absence of NMP use, communication environment setting information such as the X-modem method, and the telephone number of the reply destination. On the other hand, according to the set environment,
Reply information as shown in FIG. 9 is returned from the viewer.

In FIG. 9, the reply data identification information at the head is an identifier for distinguishing whether the data received on the broadcast station side is reply data or other access data.

The next check data is for checking whether or not the data has changed due to bit loss during transmission, noise, etc., and for matching using checksums.

Of the reply data, the selection procedure identification information is
The values shown in FIG. 8 are used to determine which menu and which question the answer from the viewer is. Even if the broadcasting station broadcasts in the order of question 1, question 2, ..., Depending on the situation of the telephone line, the answers from the viewers may not be returned in the same order as the broadcasting. Identification information is required.

As the selection result information, information indicating the menu item finally selected is returned.

As the reply source identification information subsequent to the reply data, a number unique to the viewer, such as a telephone number or a manufacturing number of the receiving device, is used.

As described above, when the program-related information as shown in FIG. 8 is formed in the character multiplex signal format, the transmission speed of the information is remarkably increased. Therefore, the telephone number of the reply destination is DT.
It is not necessary to display each digit on the screen as in the case of transmission by the MF signal, and when the reception of the reply destination information is completed, it is collectively displayed on the screen of the picture tube.

The correctness of the reply destination information can be easily confirmed by the viewer by displaying the reply destination information broadcast as a video signal on the screen as in the above-described embodiment.

Since the character multiplex broadcasting system has high reliability, the telephone number of the reply destination is not displayed on the screen, and the progress of reception of the relevant telephone number (for example, the progress of reception of each digit).
Alternatively, the result of successful or unsuccessful reception may be displayed by a symbol or the like. In this case, an appropriate icon (pictogram) corresponding to the interactive broadcast program may be displayed on the screen to indicate reception of the reply destination information.

By thus displaying only the reception progress and not the telephone number, the viewer can know the success or failure of the reception of the telephone number of the reply destination, and at the broadcasting station side, it is only for mischief. It is possible to avoid the access, to be relieved of the trouble of receiving a call, and to avoid unnecessary load on the telephone line.

[0100]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a two-way broadcast in which the response of the receiving side is transmitted to the broadcasting side through the telephone line, the predetermined reply destination information is sent from the broadcasting station side. The signal is multiplexed and broadcast on the main broadcast signal, and on the receiving side, the success or failure of reception of the reply destination information separated from the main broadcast signal is displayed on the display element, so the user visually confirms whether the reply destination information is correct or not. be able to.

At this time, by displaying the reply destination information in the image of the main broadcast signal and displaying the multiplexed reply destination information as the sub broadcast information on this screen, the user can confirm whether the reply destination information is correct or not. Can be easily checked.

Since it is possible to store in the memory only the reply destination information which has been checked for correctness and confirmed as correct, when making an interactive program response, the wrong partner is called as the reply destination. Can be prevented. In particular, by displaying the reply destination information at the time of sending the response and prompting the user to confirm it, and sending the response only when it is confirmed, it is possible to more reliably prevent a wrong call.

Further, for example, when the number of digits is fixed, such as a telephone number, not the reply destination information itself but the transition of the reception is displayed by a symbol so that the reception transition is correctly received. It is possible to effectively indicate whether or not it has been done. In the case of displaying the transition of reception in this way, since the actual reply destination information is not displayed on the screen, it is possible to avoid the load on the telephone line due to unnecessary mischievous access.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a bidirectional broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a DTMF signal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a transmission condition of a DTMF signal.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an overall operation of receiving reply destination information by a DTMF signal according to the embodiment of FIG.

5 is a flowchart of a main part of the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a receiving operation of reply destination information in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining a processing operation at the time of response in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a configuration of a main part of another embodiment of the bidirectional broadcasting system according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the configuration of another main part of another embodiment of the bidirectional broadcasting system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 signal system 14 audio demodulator 20 control system 21 CPU 23 DRAM 24 SRAM 31 preprocessing circuit 32 DTMF decoder 33 modem

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A two-way broadcasting system in which a broadcasting station broadcasts an interactive program that prompts the receiver to respond, and information on the response from the receiver is transmitted to a predetermined reply destination through a telephone line, In the case of the interactive program, the broadcasting station side broadcasts the information of the predetermined reply destination by multiplexing it with the main broadcast signal, and the receiving side outputs the information of the reply destination separated from the main broadcast signal. A two-way broadcasting system characterized in that the information of the reply destination is displayed on a display means for displaying an image by a broadcast signal while being stored in a storage means. 2. The two-way broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein not the information itself of the reply destination but only the reception transition of the information of the reply destination is displayed. 3. In the case of the interactive program, the broadcasting station side broadcasts the information of the predetermined reply destination by the main broadcast signal and multiplexes the information of the predetermined reply destination in the main broadcast signal. On the receiving side, the information of the reply destination broadcast by the main broadcast signal is displayed on the display means, and the information of the reply destination separated from the main broadcast signal is displayed on the display means. The two-way broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein 4. A receiving means for receiving a broadcast signal, a displaying means for displaying an image of the received broadcast signal, an input means for inputting information of a response to a question from the broadcasting station side in the case of an interactive program, and an input. Transmitting means for transmitting the information of the above-mentioned response to a predetermined reply destination through a telephone line; separating / reproducing means for separating and reproducing the reply destination information multiplexed in the received broadcast signal; A receiving device for interactive broadcasting, comprising: a storage unit for storing reply destination information, wherein the reply destination information is displayed on the display unit. 5. In the interactive program, the reply destination information that has passed through the separating and reproducing means is displayed on the display means, and a display prompting the user to confirm the operation is displayed.
When there is a confirmation operation input from the input means, the reply destination information stored in the storage means is validated, and when there is no confirmation operation input, the reply destination information in the storage means is invalidated. The interactive broadcast receiving device according to claim 4. 6. The response destination information of the storage means is displayed on the display means when a response operation is performed by the input means, and when a confirmation operation input is performed by the input means,
5. The interactive broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the response information corresponding to the response operation is transmitted to the reply destination by the transmitting means. 7. The interactive broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for notifying a reception error of the reply destination information.