JPH0983994A - Interactive service system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an interactive service system provided with a function retrieving by service summary information included in service information and automatically judging a countermeasure to a service by service corresponding time information (the acceptance or prohibition of offer, or the retrieval of service information) in particular. SOLUTION: All service broadcasts or only service information is detected and recorded in a service broadcast recording means 31 or a service information recording means 32. At the time of recording only service information, a service information detection means 21 detects service information to detect. On the other hand, period information is extracted from service information and recorded in a service retrieval information recording means 33. A service information judging means 42 compares extracted period information and the present date with each other to judge whether the date is in a service period or not. Based on this, a service operation means 51 prohibits or permits the offer of a service.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention transmits service information from a broadcasting station to a receiver (user) composed of general viewers or subscribers, and the user receives the service information.
It relates to an interactive service system that makes it possible to receive services.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Broadcasts with conventional service information are
It was a one-way service provision from the sender (broadcasting station) to the receiver (user). Therefore, if the service requires feedback from the recipient to the originator,
The recipient had to judge the content and deal with it. In particular, when the service information is added to the broadcast or only the service information is recorded and the service is received except when the broadcast is received, it is necessary to judge whether or not the service is available.

[0003]

That is, the user has to perform various operations and judgments based on the unilaterally provided service information, which is very inconvenient for the service receiving side. It was a system.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems.
An interactive service system equipped with a function (permitting, prohibiting, or searching service information, etc.) that can automatically determine service support based on service response time information by performing a search based on service summary information included in service information The purpose is to provide.

[0005]

According to another aspect of the present invention, an interactive service system according to claim 1 stores all video information or extracts and records only service information from the video information, and records the recorded service information. By playing it back, the service can be received even outside the broadcast time.

[0006] Transmission means for multiplexing and transmitting service information, reception means for receiving and demodulating a video signal from the transmission means, and a video signal demodulated by the reception means or multiplexed. Provision of service information requested by a user, provided with means for storing and reproducing only service information, and means for extracting search information for searching service information from service information and storing and reproducing this Alternatively, a control means for automatically performing an operation associated therewith is provided.

From the structure described in claim 1, what specifically shows a part which automatically performs an operation such as acceptance or prohibition of service information, search, etc., which is the feature of the present invention, is defined in claims 2 to 2.
5 is an interactive service system described in 5.

In the second aspect, the service period is extracted from the period information contained in the service information (record information in which all video information is recorded, record information in which only service information is recorded, etc.), and this is extracted in the TV or VTR. The comparison means for comparing with the data of the clock section is provided. Therefore,
The end of the service period or the number of remaining days can be detected.
The detection result can be output from the speaker by voice or can be displayed by characters on the display unit, and the user can be notified that the service period has expired or the service period is about to end.

According to claim 3, the user is prevented from receiving the service by mistake when the service period ends,
In addition to issuing the above-mentioned warning, the stored information can be erased from the recording unit. In addition, it is possible to secure a storage unit for receiving the new service and reduce the capacity of the storage unit used.

This portion can be realized by erasing or overwriting with an erase head or the like in the case of VTR. In addition, if the storage unit is a semiconductor device,
Can be easily realized by a configuration such as overwriting with a read / write controller. This operation command depends on the determination information from the comparison means.

Further, in addition to the warning, in order to prevent the user from accidentally receiving the service, the user is informed that the service is before, during, or after the service period, and if the service is not performed, the service is provided. The invention according to claim 4 is provided with means for prohibiting at all.

When it is determined from the determination result from the comparison means that the service is accepted within the service period, a permission signal is supplied to the storage or reproduction means so that the service information can be searched or the service information can be reproduced. In other cases, storage, reproduction, retrieval, etc. are prohibited. The prohibition is, for example, prohibition of the reproduction operation of the storage unit. For example, if the reproduction is performed by a command from the operation unit before or after the period, no operation command is stored in the storage unit. Not supplied. Further, there is also a configuration in which a logic gate is provided in a path for supplying an operation signal from the operation section to the control means to prohibit the operation.

A fifth aspect of the present invention further comprises means for determining the priority of the search according to the determination result of the comparing means.
It is the described invention. This is an improvement so that the search priority can be updated when a new service is stored or deleted.

Here, regarding the search, there is a configuration in which the search information, for example, a title or the like is stored as a keyword in the search information storage means and the search is displayed on the display unit. Therefore, a search can be performed by inputting a title or the like from the operation unit or by pointing a display menu (displaying data from the search information storage means) with a cursor. In this search information (title etc.),
The search order can be changed by adding the start date or the end date of the service period and comparing the start date or the end portion by the comparison means. Further, when the search information is stored in the auxiliary storage device or the like, the service information can be searched by a configuration in which the title is searched from the information in the main storage device (for example, VTR) and the stored information after the title is reproduced. In the VTR, for example, the head is tracing a track, and when a predetermined keyword (eg title) is detected, the servo is reversed and reproduced from the head of the VTR. For those with a short remaining service period, the search order is set to be high based on the determination result from the comparison means. Therefore, it is possible to display from the one with the shortest service period.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. Of the components shown in FIG. 1, the system control means 1, the service information determination means 41, and the service operation means 51 are, for example, microprocessors. The service broadcast recording means 31 and the service information recording means 32 are, for example, VTRs, and the service search information recording means 33 are semiconductor recording devices.
The storage unit and the reproduction unit of the VTR are composed of a recording modulation unit, a reproduction demodulation unit, an RF modulation unit for converting into a broadcast signal, a head control unit, a tape transport unit, etc. It shall be included in the selection / control means. Further, the receiving section also uses a tuner section (including a VBI decoder, etc .; VBI is a vertical blanking period) in the TV receiver or VTR, which is also included in the service information selection / control means 11. And

Service information is supplied to the service information selection / control means 11. Service information selection / control means 1
In 1, the service information is detected from the service information broadcast,
Either that information is stored or all of the video signal is stored. Here, the service broadcast is recorded according to the instruction from the operation mode input means 61. The applicant of the present application has proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-213716 a configuration in which a receiving unit is always operated and a broadcast signal (here, service information) can be recorded. Then, a configuration is also presented in which information on only relevant keywords is stored. In this way, if only the service information is detected by the detecting means and is stored,
The memory capacity can be reduced.

Further, the service information selection / control means 11
Then, the search information for searching the service information is extracted from the service information and recorded in the service search information recording means 33. The part for detecting only the service information or the part for extracting the search information may have a configuration in which the receiving part demodulates the service information transmitted according to a predetermined data format.

On the other hand, the operation mode setting / control means 12 is set to permit or prohibit the service provision. This is done by the service information judging means 41 judging the service period from the service information. The service information judging means 41 is provided with a comparison unit (not shown), and compares the data from the clock unit such as the TV receiver or the VTR with the period information included in the service information. Based on the comparison result, the service operation means 51 is used to perform an operation such as permission, prohibition or search. Further, a warning is issued from the operation mode warning means 71 so that the user can confirm the service period.

The search mode is set when the search is performed. For example, an instruction to change to the search mode is issued from the operation unit, and the search information is displayed on the display unit (not shown) based on this instruction. The service search information recording means 33 stores search information such as a title, which is displayed on a display unit (not shown). Further, according to a cursor instruction or search information input from the operation mode input means 61,
The operation mode setting / control means 12 selects service information,
The control means 11 is instructed to reproduce the service information.
Further, based on the judgment result of the service information judging means 41, a message before the period, during the period or after the period can be outputted.

If it is before the period, a reproduction prohibition signal is supplied to the service information selection control means 11 so that the service is not provided together with the message. Further, if a logic gate is provided in the path for transferring the operation signal from the operation means to the operation mode setting / control means 12, and if prohibited, the signal from the operation mode input means cannot be transferred to the operation mode setting / control means 12. You can

In addition to supplying such a prohibition command to each means, a deletion command is further issued to the service information selection / control means 11 to delete the recorded service information. At this time, leave the service information as it is,
The old service information can be confirmed and only the record information of the service search information recording means 33 can be erased.

With the above configuration, the service can be provided to the user only during the service period. Further, before the service period, it can be notified that it is before the service period, and after the end of the service period, that it is after the service period. Furthermore, it is possible to notify that the period is approaching, based on the determination result of the comparison unit. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to check the service period.

Further, since the search information and the like are updated, the remaining period and the like can be confirmed only by looking at this display screen. In other words, the order of display is changed based on the number of remaining days and the service period does not have to be confirmed one by one.

As described above, since the service information and the control information are multiplexed on the broadcast signal and transmitted to each subscriber, the reception side receives the service information and the control information necessary for receiving the service. By setting up departments, we can improve from one-way services to two-way services.

Furthermore, the service information other than the broadcasting period can be viewed, and the user does not need to confirm the period, so that the service environment can be prepared. The service broadcast is assumed to be transmitted from the broadcast station by, for example, multiplex broadcast such as VBI or broadcast dedicated to service information.

Further, the determination of the service period is made by the determination means when the service information is stored even in the configuration in which the recorded service information is reproduced and the service period is sequentially determined from the reproduced service information. The configuration may be such that the determination result is recorded in the recording means together with the service information.

[0027]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1 of the present invention, since service broadcast can be recorded, it is possible to receive the service even during the period other than the broadcast period.

The invention according to claim 2 automatically determines whether or not it is the service period from the period information included in the service information and the current date, so that the user does not have to bother. Is.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the above-mentioned claim, it is possible to automatically permit or prohibit the provision of service information in addition to the determination.

According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect of the above-mentioned claim, the service information after the period is surely erased, the wrong provision of the service information is prevented, and the service information is rewritten to the latest service information. It is possible and uses memory efficiently.

According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect of the above-mentioned claim, it is possible to change the search order in response to deletion or addition of new service information.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an interactive service system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ... Service information selection / control means 12 ... Operation mode setting control means 21 ... Service information detection means 31 ... Service broadcast recording means 32 ... Service information recording means 33 ... Service search information recording means 41 ... Service information judging means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A transmitting means for multiplexing service information to transmit to a user, a receiving means for receiving and demodulating a video signal from the transmitting means, and a video signal demodulated by the receiving means. Alternatively, the service requested by the user may be provided with a unit for recording / reproducing only the multiplexed service information and a unit for extracting search information for searching the service information from the service information and recording / reproducing this. An interactive service system comprising: a control unit for automatically providing information or an operation associated with the information. 2. The control means extracts information including a service period from the service information, and means for comparing the service period with the current time from this information; and a means for ending or near the end of the service period from the means. The interlacing service according to claim 1, further comprising: a means for notifying that 3. The control means extracts information including the service period from the service information, and means for comparing the service period with the current time from the information, and the end of the service period detected by the means. In this case, the interactive service system according to claim 1, further comprising: a means for supplying an operation signal to a recording / reproducing means to erase the recorded service information. 4. The control means, when the comparison result of the comparison means is within a period,
It is provided with means for permitting provision of service information, and means for prohibiting provision of service information and issuing a warning if the comparison result of the comparison means is outside the service period. Claim 1
Described interactive service system. 5. The interactive service system according to claim 1, wherein the control means comprises means for newly deciding a search priority order with the lapse of the service period.