JPH0993563A - Two-way teletext broadcast receiver and line connection method between the two-way teletext broadcast receiver and reply server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a television receiver of each house to make automatic dialing by utilizing a representative telephone number of a reply server corresponding to its subscriber area. SOLUTION: An access point telephone number group (subscriber telephone number list) is stored in a nonvolatile memory in the interior of each TV receiver 11 and plural representative telephone numbers of reply servers 15 belonging to a subscriber area of the TV 11 are described in the access point telephone number group. Thus, the TV 11 of each house uses the representative telephone number of the reply server 15 corresponding to the subscriber area to make automatic dialing. Thus, reply data are collected efficiently for each area by the reply servers 15 arranged distributingly and concentration of traffic onto a specific reply server is relaxed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bidirectional teletext receiving apparatus for realizing bidirectional teletext and a line connection method between the bidirectional teletext receiving apparatus and a response server.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, due to advances in television broadcasting technology and the like, a teletext broadcasting service for multiplexing character and graphic data on an ordinary television broadcast signal and transmitting the multiplexed data has begun to spread. The teletext programs currently in service include news, weather forecasts, traffic information, tourist information, and TV shopping.

However, since the current television broadcasting unilaterally provides information to the viewer from the television station, for example, the viewer himself / herself desires from a plurality of products introduced in the program. To selectively display the supplementary information of the product to be called, or to call the viewer in the program,
It was not possible to perform operations such as collecting responses from viewers and reflecting them in the program in real time. The same applies to teletext.

For this reason, recently, realization of interactive TV broadcasting has begun to attract attention as one of new information service forms in the multimedia age. Regarding television, the current television broadcasting is also performed using teletext. However, current television programs cannot accept a response from a viewer, so that the following problems occur.

That is, when a shopping information program is broadcast by teletext, the viewer makes a note of the desired product number or the telephone number of the mail-order company while looking at the characters displayed on the screen, and looks at the note. While making a call using a telephone. In this case, there is a problem that a wrong call is made due to a wrong dial, or the important telephone number is not written down.

By the way, recently, in the United States, an attempt of bidirectional TV broadcasting has been made on a cable television using an optical fiber network. However, this method requires the installation of an optical fiber network, and has a problem that existing communication equipment cannot be used.

[0007]

Recently, interactive TVs have been developed.
The realization of broadcasting has begun to be noticed as one of the new information service forms in the multimedia era, and is an interactive TV that fuses television broadcasting with a public network such as a telephone.
Broadcasting systems are beginning to be proposed.

In such an interactive TV broadcasting system, a telephone number is embedded in program data from a TV station such as a questionnaire program or a quiz program, and the data is transmitted. When an answer is given from the home data, the telephone number in the program data is used to automatically make a call from the home TV to the public line network, and the response data is sent to the response server for data aggregation. To be done.

However, in such an interactive TV broadcasting system, response data from a large number of TV broadcasting subscribers distributed in various regions are sent to the response server through the public line network, and therefore the telephone station on the response server side. There is a problem that traffic is concentrated on the inter-office line.

For this reason, it is preferable that the response servers are distributed all over the country and the response data are distributed by the distributed response servers for each area. However, as described above, in the form in which the telephone number of the response server is embedded in the program data from the TV station and transmitted, the same telephone number is transmitted to all the subscribers who receive the TV broadcast program. Therefore, it is very difficult to specify the telephone number of the response server that differs for each area to which the subscriber belongs.

Therefore, even if the response servers are distributed, if the telephone number of the response server is embedded in the program data from the TV station and transmitted, the local broadcast program for each limited area There is a problem that it can only be applied to.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and enables the TV of each home to automatically make a call by using the representative telephone number of the response server corresponding to the subscriber's area, and the television broadcast. An object of the present invention is to provide a bidirectional teletext receiving apparatus suitable for an bidirectional TV broadcasting system in which a public line network such as a telephone is integrated, and a line connection method between the bidirectional teletext receiving apparatus and a response server. And

[0013]

The present invention is a bidirectional teletext receiving apparatus capable of receiving and reproducing a bidirectional teletext program transmitted by being superposed on a teletext channel of a television broadcast signal. A telephone number list showing a correspondence relationship between one or more representative telephone numbers of response servers belonging to the subscriber area of the two-way teletext receiving device and the corresponding telephone number identification information among a plurality of arranged response servers. Retrieval of the interactive teletext program by searching the telephone number list for a storable storage means and a representative telephone number corresponding to telephone number identification information specified by telephone number information included in the interactive teletext program. In response to a predetermined call request input operation from the viewer that is executed during the automatic call to the response server designated by the retrieved representative telephone number via the communication network. And, characterized by comprising the automatic dialing means for sending a response data from the viewer with respect to the bidirectional character broadcast program.

In this bidirectional teletext receiver,
A telephone number list is stored in a storage device inside the interactive teletext receiving device, and the telephone number list includes one or more representative telephone numbers of response servers belonging to the subscriber area of the interactive teletext receiving device. Is described. Therefore, the TV of each home can automatically make a call using the representative telephone number of the response server corresponding to the subscriber area. Therefore, it becomes possible to efficiently collect the response data for each area by the distributed response servers, and it is also possible to alleviate the traffic concentration on a specific response server. Furthermore, since one or more representative telephone numbers are stored in the telephone number list in association with the telephone number identification information, the telephone number information for specifying the telephone number identification information should be included in the two-way teletext program for transmission. Thus, it becomes possible to operate such that the representative telephone number is properly used for each program.

Further, the present invention is a communication network to which a large number of bidirectional teletext receiving devices capable of receiving and reproducing bidirectional teletext programs transmitted by being superposed on a teletext channel of a television broadcast signal are connected. Each of which has a plurality of response servers distributed corresponding to the subscriber area of the two-way teletext receiving device, each response server,
In the server network system for interactive teletext, which receives and processes response data to the interactive teletext program transmitted from the interactive teletext receiving device via the communication network, A line connection method for connecting lines between response servers,
A predetermined response server sends a telephone number list including one or more representative telephone numbers of response servers belonging to the subscriber area of the interactive teletext receiving device to the storage device of each interactive teletext receiving device, and both of them are stored. In response to a predetermined call request input operation from the viewer which is executed during reproduction of the teletext program, each of the two-way teletext receiving devices sets the representative telephone number of the telephone number list sent to the storage device. It is characterized in that each of the two-way teletext receivers can be connected to a response server corresponding to the subscriber's area by making a call automatically by using the circuit.

In this line connection method, since the telephone number list is sent from the response server to the storage device of each bidirectional teletext receiving device via the communication line network, the telephone number is stored in the storage device of the bidirectional teletext receiving device. Compared to statically registering the list in advance, it is more flexible to change the subscriber area to which the interactive teletext receiving device belongs by moving the subscriber or transferring the interactive teletext receiving device to another subscriber. Can be dealt with. Also, since the representative telephone numbers in the telephone number list sent to the storage device are used to automatically make a call, as described above, response data distributed in a distributed manner can efficiently collect response data for each region. You can

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of an interactive TV system using an interactive teletext server network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the principle of the bidirectional TV system will be described with reference to FIG.

The interactive TV system of FIG. 1 is for realizing the interactive effect of a program by utilizing the existing character multiplex broadcasting function and telephone communication function. An interactive TV receiver 11 placed in a computer, a broadcasting station 12, a communication line network 13 including a public line network such as a telephone line network and ISDN, and an interactive server including a plurality of distributed response servers 15. T
And a V server network system 14.

The broadcasting station 12 uses a teletext channel to broadcast a computer program (script) for realizing bidirectionality in synchronization with a normal program. This script is a kind of application program that describes the progress procedure of the interactive teletext program, and is transmitted while being superimposed on the vertical blanking period of the TV broadcast signal.

This script is stored in the memory of the TV receiver 11 that receives the TV broadcast signal, and is executed by the CPU of the teletext receiver (script decoder) incorporated in the TV receiver 11. This CPU displays on the screen a symbol mark "i" indicating that the current program is a two-way teletext program and notifies the viewer of it.
The script execution is started in response to the selection command from the viewer, and the interactive teletext program is reproduced.

The response from the viewer to the interactive teletext program is received by the TV receiver 11 by operating the remote controller or the like. In this case, the response is to the TV receiver 11
However, the result of the response may be sent to the response server 15 provided in various places via the communication network 13 and may be reflected in real time on the program content provided by the broadcasting station 12 in some cases. It is also possible to let.

This system can be realized by expanding the function of the existing teletext broadcasting system by software. The response from the viewer is sent via a telephone line or the like. Therefore, there is no need to prepare new infrastructure. Further, even if the script is added to the text multiplex broadcast and broadcast, the current TV broadcast, the text broadcast, and the TV receiver are not affected at all.

Each TV receiver 11 is equipped with a script decoder circuit 113 and a transmission / reception control circuit 114 in order to realize a bidirectional program, in addition to a normal TV broadcast receiving circuit 111 and a video signal processing circuit 112. To be done. The script decoder circuit 113 extracts a script from the TV broadcast signal from the broadcasting station 12 and executes it to display the interactive teletext program on the screen.

In this case, the viewer responds to the screen of the interactive teletext program by using the remote controller for TV operation. When sending data to the response server 14, the script decoder circuit 113 issues a call request to the modem built in the transmission / reception control circuit 114, and automatic dialing to the response server 14 is performed. The transmission / reception control circuit 114 is also provided with a function of delay-controlling an actual call time using a random function or the like in order to prevent concentration of calls to the response server.

Since the modem built in the transmission / reception control circuit 114 has a function of automatically dialing, the dial operation by the viewer is not necessary only for the data transmission itself. The telephone number of the automatic dial destination is transmitted as telephone number information by embedding it in a script from the broadcasting station 12 side for each bidirectional teletext program. In this case, one of the following information is used as the telephone number information. That is, the telephone number itself, T
Telephone number identification information (hereinafter referred to as Tel ID) for selecting one from the subscriber telephone number list stored in the non-volatile memory of the V receiver 11 or a TV
The information or the like that specifies the use of one telephone number stored in the memory of the receiver 11 corresponds to this telephone number information.

In the subscriber telephone number list, among the plurality of response servers 15 arranged in a distributed manner, the TV receiver 11 of the responding server 15 is distributed.
One or more representative telephone numbers of the response servers belonging to the subscriber area to which the user belongs belong to the Tel ID. If the telephone number information embedded and transmitted in the script from the broadcasting station 12 side specifies the Tel ID, the representative telephone number corresponding to the Tel ID is searched from the subscriber telephone number list, and the representative telephone number is retrieved. The number is used for automatic dialing. The registration management of the telephone number list for subscribers and the line connection using the registration are characteristic features of the present invention, and the details thereof will be described later with reference to FIG.

The script decoder circuit 113 includes a processor that executes a program. Since the conventional character multiplex decoder also has a processor, the script decoder circuit 113 can be realized by extending the function of the conventional character multiplex decoder by software.

The broadcasting station 12 inserts a script into a broadcasting signal containing normal video and audio and transmits it when broadcasting a program of a viewer participation system in which the response of the viewer is reflected in the program. . A program production system for playing and inserting a script can be composed of a personal computer and a multiplexing device.

The broadcasting station 12 broadcasts by inserting a script into the broadcast wave in addition to a normal program. The information programs to be added are roughly classified into those produced by the broadcasting station itself and those produced by third parties such as advertising companies and mail order companies. Furthermore, there are those produced by broadcasting stations that can be prepared in advance, and those that are inserted live, such as when broadcasting sports.

In the broadcasting equipment of the broadcasting station 12, in addition to the TV program sending device 121 and the TV broadcasting signal transmitter 126 for ordinary TV broadcasting, the bidirectional teletext program producing device 12 is also provided.
2, a large-capacity storage device 123, an interactive teletext program transmission device 124, and a multiplexing device 125 are added.

In the interactive teletext program production device 122,
A computer program for adding character and graphic data and interactivity is encoded based on a predetermined standard and converted into a script in a data format such as character code data. This script is the storage device 123
After being temporarily stored in, the program is sequentially read according to a predetermined reading procedure and sent to the interactive program sending device 124. In the interactive program transmission device 124, a synchronization code, an error correction code, and the like are added to the script, and a plurality of packets are generated from the script data. This packet is multiplexed by the multiplexer 125 during the vertical blanking period of the TV video signal.

When the TV character multiplex broadcasting signal of the hybrid transmission system is adopted, the script data includes the 14th H (277H) to 16H (second) of the vertical blanking period.
79H), and 21H (284H).

It is also possible to transmit the teletext data by mounting it on the FM broadcast signal, and in this case, the script data is superimposed on the subcarrier of the FM teletext signal of the DARC system.

Here, the structure of the script will be described. The script is created by the production system of the broadcasting station 12, and is sent together with normal images and sounds. The script is realized as a set of objects as follows.

(1) Background / display material (2) Operation button (3) Character string (4) Image etc. Each object can have a complementary procedure (procedure), and this procedure is an extended BASIC language. Described by etc. This language is obtained by giving a normal BASIC a control command for bidirectional teletext.

When the script is executed, first, screen backgrounds and screen constituent elements such as operation buttons are displayed. When the viewer selects the operation button, a program corresponding to the button is activated.

A method of processing response data is registered in advance in each response server 14, and the collected contents are redistributed to a broadcasting station, an advertising company, a sponsor, a mail order company, a center server, or the like.

The forms of interactive programs that can be realized by this interactive TV system can be roughly classified into the following four types. (1) Complementary information program-Selective display of additional information about advertising products.

Data for live broadcasting of sports is selectively displayed.・ Display the program contents.・ Memorize the cooking resapies and display them later.

Respond to answers to questions in early childhood education programs.・ Respond to viewers' answers in quiz programs. (2) Response feedback program (using a response server)-Take a questionnaire on politics, economy, and social reporting.

• Take a questionnaire on sports programs.・ Display stats of correct respondents and tournaments in viewer participation quiz programs. (3) Program with a transaction (using a response server)-An order is accepted by the response server for television shopping.

A catalog request or the like is accepted by the response server as an advertisement with a request for information or the like. -For audience rating survey, send the viewing program data to the response server with the consent of the viewer. (4-1) Online Service (Type 1) A mode in which a subsequent interactive program is transferred to an online service provided from a server via a communication network by a viewer himself / herself selecting a program for interactive TV broadcasting.

Select online shopping during CM. The request is transferred to the server via the communication network, and the server shifts to an online service for providing an interactive program including detailed product information to the TV set via the communication network.

When observing the seat reservation status of an aircraft provided as an interactive TV broadcast or a normal text multiplex broadcast, when making a reservation application for an empty flight, shift to an online service. The server sends the class, adult / child, number of people, non-smoking / smoking,
Providing interactive programs including inquiries such as window / aisle side. (4-2) Online Service (Type 2) A form in which a two-way program is provided from a server to a TV receiver via a communication network independently of TV broadcasting. In this case, information is provided from a server via a communication network, and the viewer selects the information to communicate with the server.

The viewer also selects the interactive program itself from the online service menu transferred from the server. Next, the above-mentioned subscriber telephone list will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a subscriber telephone number list registered in the non-volatile memory of the TV receiver 11. As shown, the subscriber phone number list contains
One or more representative telephone numbers (××× 1- ××× 1, ××× 1- ×) of the response server assigned to the self-subscribed area (mainly the area code part) to which the TV receiver 11 belongs XX2,
......, xx × 1-xx × n) is the Tel ID (# 01,
# 02, ..., #nn) are held in association with each other. In addition, for each representative telephone number, the telecommunications carrier (NT
T, a four-digit number (carrier designated number) that designates various type 2 telecommunications carriers) as a part of the representative telephone number Te
It can also be set for each ID. Further, in the subscriber telephone number list, checksum data corresponding to the contents of each representative telephone number (or representative telephone number + carrier designation number) is stored.

Here, the representative telephone number is a telephone number for making a plurality of lines of the response server into one group and receiving them by one number. That is, one of the telephone number groups assigned to the plurality of telephone lines of the access point of the response server accommodated in one exchange becomes the representative telephone number. In general, one representative number is given to the same telephone number group, but in this embodiment, one representative number is set to the same telephone number group or a plurality of representative numbers are set for each purpose / use. (Hereinafter, one representative telephone number is referred to as "access point telephone number", and a plurality of representative telephone numbers according to purposes and uses are referred to as "access point telephone number group").

In FIG. 2, Tel ID # 01-T
The access point telephone number group identified by el ID # nn is described in the subscriber telephone number list. When the telephone number information included in the script received from the broadcasting station 12 specifies Tel ID = # 01,
Access point telephone number corresponding to # 01 (representative telephone number XXX-1--XX1 or 0000-XX1-
XXX 1) is searched, and the calling process using it is performed.

The subscriber telephone number list of FIG. 2 is sent to the TV receiver 11 via the communication network 13 from the response server that manages the telephone number list for all subscriber areas.

FIG. 3 shows an example of telephone number lists for all subscriber areas managed by the response server, that is, representative telephone numbers of all access points held by the response server.

Here, the area code (or a combination of the area code and a part of the city code) of each subscriber area of the interactive TV broadcasting system and the representative telephone number of the response server access point allocated to it Are associated with.

Area code (eg 0
428) or some combination of the area code and city code (for example, 03-3 ××× − ×××× in 23 wards of Tokyo)
033) is several hundreds (hereinafter, referred to as "TV subscriber station number"), and the amount of table increases if each is associated with an access point telephone number group. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the upper digits are common to the TV subscriber station numbers to which the same response server access point is assigned, a wild card "*" is used to represent a plurality of TV subscriber station numbers. in use. Here, a wildcard is a character that can be replaced with an arbitrary character in a file name for the purpose of specifying multiple files at once if there are commonalities in the file names on the computer. In general, "*" is used.

For example, TV subscriber station numbers 0422 and 04
23, 0424, 0425, 0426, 0427, 04
When a common response server access point is allocated to 28, these TV subscriber station numbers are expressed as 042 *.

Correspondence between the TV subscriber station number and the access point telephone number group allocated to it is as described above in T.
el ID is used. As a result, the correspondence between the TV subscriber station number and the access point telephone number group assigned thereto can be expressed as shown in FIG.

For example, each T of the TV subscriber station number of 011 *
The V receiver 11 displays “011-111” as the access point telephone number group of the response server 15 belonging to the area.
-1111 "," 011-111-1112 "," 01 "
1-111-1113 ", ..." 011-111-111 "
9 ”or the like can be assigned.

Further, T of 017 *, 018 *, 019 *
As shown in the figure, each TV receiver 11 having the V subscriber station number has “0222-222-222” as the access point telephone number group of the response server 15 corresponding to those areas.
1 "," 022-2222222 "," 022-22 "
It is also possible to commonly use "2-2223", ... "0222-222-2229".

In order to improve the search efficiency of the representative telephone number table, for example, for 01 * area, As described above, the access point telephone number group may be associated with the TV subscriber station number using the upper two digits as an index.

Further, as each access point telephone number, a representative telephone number of a plurality of different response server access points can be set for one Tel ID. That is, in the list shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of lists having different "access point telephone numbers" are provided.

This enables the following usages. a) When there are a plurality of competing response servers (companies) for the same purpose, the representative server company or the Tel ID manager must entrust the server companies to manage them collectively.

B) The TV maker provides the same Tel ID (for example, # 01) to the home-made TV set in order to provide a specific service such as a homepage service.
A different access point telephone number can be set for each TV maker.

In this case, from the response server to the TV receiver 11
When transferring the access point phone number group to
T included in the response data from the TV receiver 11 to the server
The TV maker is identified from the VID, and the TV maker access point telephone number group is transferred.

C) If the TV owner desires to make a call to the access point via the second type telecommunications carrier, a number indicating the second type telecommunications carrier via the access point telephone number (for example, , 0077 or 0088) can be used as the access point telephone number.

Next, a method of properly using the Tel ID will be described. The following four modes can be mainly considered as the proper use of Tel ID. (1) Method to use according to each call charge system Usage to use according to the following charging targets ・ Tele ID that specifies the access point phone number that charges the TV subscriber for the call charge and is the caller charge ・ Call charge for the response server provider Tel ID that designates the access point telephone number to be billed as incoming call-Tel ID that designates the access point telephone number that bills the interactive TV subscriber for the call charge and pay service charge As described above, a plurality of representatives having different call charge systems By using the telephone number, it is possible to select a different call charge system for each program, even though the communication is with the same response server. (2) Method to use properly for each two-way teletext program-When simultaneously providing online service programs for incoming call billing, different Tel IDs are used for each program and call charges are set independently for each online service program. Claim. (3) Method to use properly for each broadcasting station-When each broadcasting station provides different interactive teletext programs at the same time, different Tel IDs are used. (4) Method to use properly for each TV manufacturer-When different homepages (one type of online service) are provided for each TV manufacturer, different Tel I
Use D.

Next, a concrete example of utilizing the Tel ID in the script transmitted from the broadcasting station 11 will be described. (1) In the interactive TV program script (hereinafter referred to as "program script"), the telephone number of the access point can be set directly. In this case, the telephone number of the access point is set for each TV subscriber station number. This leads to an increase in useless data amount and an increase in processing overhead in the TV receiver 11. Therefore, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, Tel I is used instead of the telephone number in the script.
It is preferable to set D and dynamically specify the telephone number of the access point for each purpose / use for each TV subscriber station number. (2) In this case, in the program script, either the telephone number itself or the Tel ID can be selectively set as the telephone number information, and if the first character of the telephone number information is a number, the telephone number itself Is provided, and a symbol such as # represents Tel ID. (3) Also, a script that stores the telephone number itself and Te
The script storing the l ID may be explicitly distinguished and transmitted.

Next, a telephone number used when the TV receiver 11 dials will be described. (1) If the telephone number information set in the program script is the telephone number itself, the TV receiver 11 performs automatic dialing using the telephone number. (2) The TV receiver 11 uses the Tel ID as an index when the access point telephone number group is correctly stored in the memory and the telephone number information set in the program script is Tel ID. The corresponding access point telephone number is searched from and automatic dialing is performed using the telephone number. (3) When the access point telephone number group is correctly stored in the memory, the TV receiver 11 indexes the Tel ID set in the homepage program script stored in the ROM of the TV receiver 11 in advance. The corresponding access point telephone number is searched from the access point telephone number group, and automatic dialing is performed using the telephone number. (4) Further, the TV receiver 11 checks whether a parity error or a parity error occurs when the access point telephone number group is not stored in the memory, or even if the access point telephone number group is stored in the memory, the error detection code is added to the access point telephone number. When a thumb error or the like is detected, automatic dialing is performed using the free service providing access point telephone number, and a transfer request for the access point telephone number group to the TV receiver 11 is made.

The access point telephone number for providing the free service is, for example, a toll-free number (0120-nnn-mmm) for designating a specific response server, and a TV
It is set in the nonvolatile memory of the TV at the time of shipment or installation. This free service providing access point telephone number may be the same telephone number for each TV vendor for the same access point, or a different telephone number may be set for each TV vendor. The access point telephone number for providing free service can also be used for the purpose of maintenance service.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the interactive TV server network system 14. The server network system 14 receives and processes a response from the TV receiver 13 of each home via a communication line network 13 such as a telephone line, and sends the processing result to a broadcasting station or the like via a high-speed digital transmission network. The response server systems 151 to 153 are provided to provide a delivery service, for example, the response server systems 151 to 153 are installed at a plurality of locations distributed throughout the country, and these response server systems 151 are provided.
To 153, the center server system 161 processes the response from each TV receiver 13 individually or in cooperation with each response server.

Each response server system 151-153
A response server 15 that receives and processes responses from each TV receiver, and a CCP (Communication Network) that constitutes an access point for receiving response frames from each TV receiver via the communication network 13.
ork processor 16).

There are many configurations of the CCP 16 and connection formats of the CCP 16 and the response server 15, and it is preferable to properly use these configurations and formats depending on the configuration scale of the response server system. As the CCP 16, (1) CCP installed at the same location as the response server (2) Adapter type CCP (multi-line accommodating CCP) for accommodating multiple lines (3) Adapter 17 for accommodating a small number of lines was used CCP (4) Remote CCP installed separately from the response server (5) CCP (CCP facility) built in the response server can be used.

Regarding the connection format of the CCP 16 and the response server 15, for the response server system 151 installed in a major base such as Tokyo, the CCP 16 and the response server 15 can be connected via a LAN as shown in the figure. preferable. Further, in the response server system 151, it is desirable to provide two response servers 15 in a dual or duplex configuration in order to improve fault tolerance performance and processing performance.

The response server 15 receives the response frame from the TV receiver via the corresponding CCP 16 and performs various processes on it. The following three basic processes are executed by the response server 15.

Store the response from the TV receiver. The accumulated response data is processed according to a predetermined instruction from a broadcasting station or a program ID or special number included in the response data.

The transfer destination of the processing result is determined according to the program ID or special number included in the predetermined instruction or response data from the broadcasting station, and it is transmitted to the broadcasting station or the like. CC
P16 is a communication control device for configuring an access point with the communication line network 13, and has a modem function and a protocol control function for communicating with a TV receiver line-connected through the communication line network 13. Have

The center server system 161 is provided with a center server 18, a router 19, and a network management device 20. The center server 18 is for integrally processing the responses from the TV receivers in various places in cooperation with the response server systems 151 to 153 as described above, and in order to improve the fault tolerance performance and the processing performance, For example, it is composed of two computer systems of dual or duplex configuration.

The router 19 is connected to the high-speed digital communication network 22, and the center server system 161, the broadcasting station, and the SP (Se) are connected via the high-speed digital communication network.
riverprovider) / IP (Information)
communication provider 10) and the like. The network management device 20 is an integrated operation server that manages the operation and maintenance of the entire server network system 14, and is operated by a network administrator. Each of the broadcasting stations 12 and the SP / IP 10 also has a router 121, which is connected to the high-speed digital communication network 22,
101 is provided.

The function of the center server 18 can also be executed by each response server. Further, although the high-speed digital communication network 22 is shown as a network via a router in FIG. 4, the center server system 161, the broadcasting station, and the SP (Service Provider) / IP.
(Information Provider) 10 and the like are connected by X. 25 packet switching network, ISDN or other data switching network, or telephone line or other public network.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an actual operating mode of the server network system 14 of FIG. The response server 15 and the CCP 16 are arranged only at some bases in the initial operation of the interactive TV system, but with the spread of the interactive TV system, for example, in each communication service area such as a telephone network or locally. It will be added at any time in each service area of the broadcasting station. In FIG. 5, as an example, the response servers 15 and C are provided for each of the communication networks 131 to 134 in areas where communication services such as subscriber area codes are different.
A state in which a plurality of response server systems each configured of the CP 16 are installed and they are connected by the center server system 161, each broadcasting station 12, and the IP / SP 15 via the high-speed digital communication network 22 such as WAN is shown. There is. The IP / SP 15 can also be connected to the center server 18 via a dedicated communication line or the like.

Here, the procedure of processing the response data from the viewer will be described by taking the forms of some interactive telecast programs as examples. First, the response feedback program will be described.

The auto-feedback program provides information related to the viewer-participating main broadcast program (for example, selectors of answers to questions inquired by the viewer by the program) by interactive text broadcasting. Is reflected in the program content by selecting this.
A typical example of the auto feedback program is a quiz program.

When the script is received by the TV receiver 11 while the main broadcast screen of the quiz program is displayed, the symbol mark "i" indicating that the script is a two-way teletext program.
(Interactive mark) is displayed on the screen of the TV receiver 11.

When the viewer selects the symbol mark "i" by operating the remote controller or the like, the CPU of the script decoder circuit 113 in FIG. 1 starts program execution, and first, the selector for the answer to the question is selected. Information to be shown is displayed on the screen. When the viewer selects a predetermined selector by operating the remote controller, Te specified by the telephone number information embedded in the script is selected.
l Automatic call (dialing) using the access point telephone number corresponding to the ID and C of the response server system to which the access point telephone number is assigned
It is line-connected to CP16. Then, the predetermined response data including the selector from the TV receiver 11 is CCP16,
It is sent to the broadcasting station 12 via the response server 15 and the digital communication network 22. In this case, the response server 15 aggregates the data of the selector, and the aggregated result is the broadcasting station 1
It is sent to 2 and reflected in the program content. In addition, when this quiz program is a national broadcast from a broadcasting station in Tokyo, the data aggregated for each district by the response server 15 in each place is once sent to the center server 18 and then aggregated again. , To the broadcasting station 12.

Next, a program with a transaction will be described. A program with a transaction is a program form in which an order from a viewer is received and data is transmitted to the response server 15 in, for example, TV shopping, and when a script is received while the main broadcast screen of the TV shopping program is flowing. , A symbol mark “i” (interactive mark) indicating that the program is an interactive teletext program is displayed on the screen. When the viewer selects the symbol mark “i” by operating the remote control,
The program execution by the CPU of the script decoder circuit 113 is started, and first, product information and the like are displayed.
When the viewer specifies that a predetermined product should be purchased by operating the remote control, an automatic call (dialog) is made using the access point phone number corresponding to the Tel ID specified by the phone number information embedded in the script. Ringing is performed and a line connection is made with the CCP 16 of a predetermined response server system to which the access point telephone number is assigned. Then, predetermined response data including selection information indicating products, quantity, etc. is sent to the IP / SP 10 such as an advertising company or a mail order company via the CCP 16, the response server 15, and the digital communication line network 22. Again,
It may be sent to the IP / SP 10 via the center server 18.

Next, the online service (type 1) will be described. Online service (Type 1) is
For example, it is a form in which a purchase request from a viewer is received in a television commercial or the like and the mode shifts to the online service mode, and when the script is received while the main broadcast of the commercial is flowing, it is a two-way teletext program. The symbol mark “i” indicating “” is displayed on the screen. When the symbol mark “i” is selected by the viewer operating the remote controller or the like, the script decoder circuit 113
The program execution by the CPU is started, and first, a screen for confirming the shift to the online service mode is displayed. When the viewer specifies the shift to the online service mode by the operation of the remote controller (a specific product may be specified at this time), the T number specified by the telephone number information embedded in the script and transmitted.
An automatic call (dialing) is performed using the access point telephone number corresponding to the el ID, and a line connection is made with the CCP 16 of a predetermined response server system to which the access point telephone number is assigned. And program I
Predetermined response data including D and designated product selection information is sent to the CCP 16 and the response server 15. The response server 15 transfers the preregistered interactive program script for the online service to the TV receiver for the program on the route opposite to the route on which the response data is transferred.
After that, the purchase procedure of the product is performed by the same operation as that of the program with transaction.

Next, the online service (type 2) will be described. Online service (Type 2)
Regardless of TV broadcasting, it is a form that shifts to the online service by a predetermined operation of the remote controller by the viewer.
The CPU of the script decoder circuit 113 starts the program execution according to the online service script stored in advance in the storage medium such as the ROM of the V receiver, and first, a screen for confirming the execution of the online service is displayed. When the viewer specifies execution of the online service by operating the remote control, an automatic call is made using the access point telephone number corresponding to the Tel ID embedded in the ROM script (dialing).
Is performed, and a line connection is made with the CCP 16 of a predetermined response server system to which the access point telephone number is assigned. Then, predetermined response data indicating the online service request is sent to the CCP 16 and the response server 15.
The response server 15 transfers the online service (homepage) interactive program script registered in advance to the TV receiver through the route opposite to the route through which the response data is transferred. After that, the purchase procedure of the product is performed by the same operation as that of the program with transaction.

FIG. 6 shows another example of the operating mode of the server network system 14 of FIG. Here, a response server system including a response server 15 and a CCP 16 is connected to a high-speed digital communication network 22 such as WAN via a router 21, and the response server system itself is used as a center server.

When the interactive TV system is small in scale, the response server system itself can be operated as a center server in this way. Next, with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a usage pattern of the access point telephone number in this system will be described.

FIG. 7 shows a first example thereof.
That is, here, a plurality of response server systems are distributed and arranged for each TV subscriber area, and for the same program, a separate response server is designated for each subscriber station number or each subscriber station number group. It is shown that the access point telephone number is being used. That is, different answer server systems are connected to the subscriber station number, the subscriber station number group, or the different communication line networks 131 to 134, and the TV subscriber of the communication line network 131 is an access point telephone of the corresponding reply server system. Use the number (representative telephone number 1),
The TV subscriber of the communication network 132 is the access point telephone number (representative telephone number 2) of the corresponding response server system.
The TV subscriber of the communication network 133 provides the access point telephone number (representative telephone number 3) of the corresponding response server system, and the TV subscriber of the communication network 134 has the access point telephone number (representative of the corresponding response server system). The response data for the same program is transmitted using each telephone number 4).

As described above, the TV receivers 11 of the respective homes automatically call using the representative telephone number of the response server corresponding to the subscriber's area, so that the response servers arranged in a distributed manner make it possible to change the area for each area. Response data can be collected efficiently, and traffic concentration on a specific response server can be alleviated.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8, different Tel IDs are used even among TV subscribers belonging to the same subscriber area.
By using, it is possible to use different representative telephone numbers for different purposes and purposes. Therefore, for example, for a TV subscriber who receives a free online service among TV subscribers of the communication network 131, Tel ID = #
01 access point telephone number (representative telephone number 1-
1) For a TV subscriber who receives a pay online service, use the access point telephone number of Tel ID = # 02 (representative telephone number 1-2) and use the communication network 13
It is possible to operate such as connecting to the same response server connected to 1.

Next, the transfer processing of the access point telephone number group from the response server to each TV 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The response server 15 (center server or distributed response server) includes a telephone number list for all subscriber areas as shown in FIG.
It holds a subscriber database 100 showing the correspondence between the TV ID and the subscriber telephone number given to each. The response server 15 identifies the access point telephone number group corresponding to the subscriber station number in the subscriber area of the TV 11 from the TV ID or the subscriber telephone number notified from the TV 11 to which the access point telephone number group should be transferred,
The access point telephone number group is sent to the corresponding TV 11 and stored in the nonvolatile memory. After that, the response server 15 reads the access point telephone number group from the TV 11 and compares it.

The procedure of a specific transfer process will be described in detail below. (1) First, a response server is applied by a TV owner or an agent (hereinafter referred to as a "TV subscriber") to register by purchasing an interactive TV / notification of moving to a different subscriber station number area / transfer notification of an interactive TV. The automatic transfer request for the access point telephone number group to the TV 11 is set to the corresponding entry in the 14 TV subscriber database 100. In addition, the access point telephone to the TV 11 for the corresponding entry of the TV subscriber database 100 of the response server of all the TV subscribers belonging to the TV subscriber station number whose assigned access point telephone number group is changed by the addition of the access points. A transfer request for a group of numbers is set.

Then, at the time of test communication to the response server 15 when the TV 11 is installed (calling by toll-free), the TV 11 responds to the response feedback program from the response server 1.
5, when accessing the response server 15 from the TV 11 in the online service, or at a transfer opportunity such as an instruction from the response server operator.
11, the access point telephone number group assigned to the TV subscriber station number is automatically transferred together with the correspondence information with the Tel ID.

Example: # 01: 011-111-1111, # 02: 011-
111-1112, # 03: 011-111-111
3, ..., #nn: 011-111-11119 Further, instead of the automatic transfer of the access point telephone number group described above, the TV image is received from the response server 15 to prompt the receiving of the access point telephone number group from the TV receiver 11. It can also be automatically transferred to the machine 11.

Upon receiving this notification, the TV receiver 11 displays on the TV screen with characters or a dedicated icon,
The TV viewer again requests transfer of the access point telephone number group based on the display. (2) The access point telephone number group transferred from the response server 15 to the TV 11 may explicitly show the correspondence with the Tel ID, or the transfer order of the access point telephone numbers may be implicitly the Tel ID. May be indicated.

Examples: 011-111-1111, 011-111-111
2, 011-111-1113, ..., 011-111-
1119 (3) A parity pit and / or a checksum is added to each access point telephone number of the access point telephone number group transferred from the response server 15 to the TV 11.

Example: # 01: 011-111-1111: ck1, # 02:
011-111-1112: ck2, # 03: 011-
111-1113: ck3, ..., #nn: 011-11
1-1119: ckn Here, ck1, ck2, ck3, ..., Ckn represent respective checksum codes.

Also, from the response server 15 to the TV receiver 11
The number of the second type telecommunications carrier (for example, 0077 or 0088) may be added to each access point telephone number of the access point telephone number group transferred to. (4) In addition to such automatic transfer, the response server 15 responds to an explicit transfer request from the TV 11 by the TV.
The access point telephone number group may be transferred to 11. (5) There are the following two methods for knowing the subscriber telephone number of the TV 11 used for specifying the access point telephone number group assigned to the TV subscriber station number.

A) When the TV is registered in the TV subscriber database 100 of the response server 15, the T stored in the response data from the TV 11 which is the transfer opportunity.
The subscriber telephone number of the TV 11 stored in the TV subscriber database 100 is checked from the VID.

In this case, it is not necessary to set the subscriber telephone number of the TV 11 in the response data from the TV 11, so that it is not necessary to register the own subscriber telephone number in the ROM of the TV 11.

B) When the TV 11 is not registered in the TV subscriber database 100 of the response server 15, the TV 1 is added to the response data from the TV 11 which is a transfer opportunity.
It is necessary to store and send one subscriber telephone number. In this case, it is necessary to register the own subscriber telephone number in the ROM of the TV 11.

In this way, each TV 1 from the response server 15
By sending the access point telephone number group corresponding to 1 through the communication line network 13, it is possible to flexibly cope with the change of the subscriber area to which the TV 11 belongs due to the relocation of the subscriber or the transfer of the TV 11 to another subscriber. It becomes possible to do.

Next, the process of storing and collating the Tel ID and the access point telephone number in the TV 11 will be described. (1) The TV 11 stores the access point telephone number group transferred from the response server 15 in a rewritable nonvolatile memory so that the access point telephone number group can be retained even when the power of the TV 11 is turned off. To do.

Example: # 01: 011-111-1111: ck1, # 02:
011-111-1112: ck2, # 03: 011-
111-1113: ck3, ..., #nn: 011-11
1-1119: ckn After that, in order to confirm whether or not the information regarding the access point telephone number is correctly stored in the TV 11, the stored individual access point telephone numbers are read and the parity bit and / or the checksum is stored. Check.

When an error is detected at this point, a negative response is given to the transfer from the response server 15. (2) In order to confirm whether the information regarding the access point telephone number is correctly stored in the TV 11, the response server 1
5 reads and verifies the access point telephone number information stored in the interactive TV. (3) If it is confirmed by this collation that the data has been transferred and stored correctly, the automatic transfer request set in the corresponding entry of the TV subscriber database 100 of the response server 16 is reset. If the data is not properly transferred / stored, the re-transfer is executed or the transfer is stopped. The transfer request is not reset at this point. (4) When the TV 11 receives a response from the response server 15 indicating that the verification result is correct, the TV 11 may display the access point telephone number on the screen of the TV 11 to inform the TV viewer of the position of the access point. desirable.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the access point telephone number group (telephone number list for subscribers) is stored in the non-volatile memory inside each TV receiver 11, and the access point telephones are stored. In the number group, a plurality of representative telephone numbers of the response server 15 belonging to the subscriber area of the TV 11 are described. Therefore, the TV 11 of each home can automatically call using the representative telephone number of the response server 15 corresponding to the subscriber area. Therefore, the response servers 15 arranged in a distributed manner can efficiently collect the response data for each area, and can also reduce the traffic concentration on a specific response server. Furthermore, the access point telephone number group is Te
Since it is stored in association with the l ID, it is possible to use, for example, by properly using the access point telephone number to be used for each program by including the telephone number information specifying the Tel ID in the program script. It will be possible.

Furthermore, since the access point telephone number group is sent from the response server 15 to the non-volatile memory of each TV 11 via the communication line network 13, the telephone number list is statically registered in advance in the non-volatile memory of the TV 11. Compared with the case of leaving, it is possible to flexibly deal with the change of the subscriber area to which the TV 11 belongs due to the moving of the subscriber or the transfer of the TV 11 to another subscriber.

[0107]

As described above, according to the present invention, the TV of each home can automatically make a call by using the representative telephone number of the response server corresponding to the subscriber area, and the television broadcasting. It is possible to realize a telephone number management suitable for an interactive TV broadcasting system in which a public network such as a telephone is integrated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of an interactive TV system using an interactive teletext server network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view showing an example of a subscriber telephone number list stored in a TV receiver used in the interactive telecast server network system of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a telephone number list for all subscribers managed by a response server used in the interactive teletext server network system in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of the server network system of FIG.

5 is a diagram showing an example of an operating form of the server network system of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of another operation mode of the server network system of FIG.

7 is a diagram showing an example of a usage pattern of access point telephone numbers in the server network system of FIG.

8 is a diagram showing another example of a use form of access point telephone numbers in the server network system of FIG.

9 is a diagram for explaining a process of registering an access point telephone number group to each TV receiver in the server network system of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... TV receiver, 12 ... Broadcasting station, 13 ... Communication network,
14 ... Server network system, 15 ... Response server, 16 ... CCP, 18 ... Center server, 113 ... Script decoder circuit, 151-153 ... Response server system, 161 ... Center server system.

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A bidirectional teletext receiving device capable of receiving and reproducing a bidirectional teletext program transmitted by being superposed on a teletext channel of a television broadcast signal, the response server comprising a plurality of distributed response servers. Storage means capable of storing a telephone number list showing a correspondence relationship between one or more representative telephone numbers of response servers belonging to a subscriber area of the two-way teletext receiving device and telephone number identification information corresponding thereto; A representative telephone number corresponding to the telephone number identification information specified by the telephone number information included in the interactive telecast program is searched from the telephone number list, and a viewer is executed during the reproduction of the interactive telecast program. In response to the predetermined call request input operation of (1), the response server designated by the retrieved representative telephone number is automatically called through the communication line network, and Bidirectional teletext receiving apparatus characterized by comprising an auto dialing means for sending a response data from viewers for. 2. The response server manages the telephone number list for all subscriber areas, and the two-way teletext receiving device is a telephone number corresponding to the subscriber area of the two-way teletext receiving device. 2. The two-way according to claim 1, wherein the list is received from a response server managing the telephone number list for all subscriber areas via the communication network and stored in the storage means. Teletext receiver. 3. A telephone number list stored in the storage means includes a plurality of representative telephone numbers having different call charge systems, and is designated by telephone number information included in the interactive teletext program. 2. The interactive teletext receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the call charge system is determined according to the telephone number identification information. 4. A telephone number list stored in the storage means includes a plurality of representative telephone numbers, and an online service provided by the response server via the communication network for each of the interactive teletext programs. 2. The interactive teletext receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a different representative telephone number is used for each service program or for each response server prepared for each manufacturer of the interactive teletext receiving apparatus. 5. A bidirectional teletext receiving device capable of receiving and reproducing a bidirectional teletext program transmitted by being superposed on a teletext channel of a television broadcast signal, the response server comprising a plurality of distributed response servers. Storage means capable of storing a telephone number list showing one or more representative telephone numbers of a response server belonging to a subscriber area of the interactive teletext receiving device, and executed during reproduction of the interactive teletext program. In response to a predetermined call request input operation from the viewer, a call is automatically made to a response server designated by the representative telephone number of the telephone number list via a communication network, and the interactive telecast program is viewed. An automatic dialing means for transmitting response data from a person. 6. A communication line network to which a large number of bidirectional teletext receivers capable of receiving and reproducing bidirectional teletext programs transmitted by being superposed on a teletext channel of a television broadcast signal are respectively connected. , A plurality of response servers distributed in correspondence with a subscriber area of the interactive teletext receiving device, each response server being transmitted from the interactive teletext receiving device via the communication network. A line connection method for connecting a line between each bidirectional teletext receiving device and a response server in a bidirectional teletext server network system for receiving and processing response data for the bidirectional teletext program From the server to the storage device of each bidirectional teletext receiving device, one or more representatives of response servers belonging to the subscriber area of the bidirectional teletext receiving device. A telephone number list including a speech number is sent, and in response to a predetermined call request input operation from a viewer performed during reproduction of the interactive teletext program, each of the interactive teletext receivers stores the storage device. By making a call automatically using the representative telephone number of the telephone number list sent to the user, the two-way teletext receiving device can be connected to the response server corresponding to the subscriber's area. And the line connection method. 7. The telephone number list includes a plurality of representative telephone numbers in association with telephone number identification information, and each of the two-way teletext receiving devices is included in the two-way teletext program. A representative telephone number corresponding to the telephone number identification information designated by the telephone number information is searched from the telephone number list, and a predetermined call request input operation from the viewer is performed during the reproduction of the two-way teletext program. In response to the request, the response server designated by the retrieved representative telephone number is automatically called through a communication network to transmit response data from the viewer to the interactive teletext program. The line connection method according to claim 6. 8. The two-way teletext program selectively includes first telephone number information for designating the telephone number identification information and second telephone number information for designating a telephone number of a predetermined response server. When the telephone number information included in the two-way teletext program is the second telephone number information, each of the two-way teletext receivers is designated by the second telephone number information. 8. The line connection method according to claim 7, wherein a telephone number is used to automatically make a call. 9. The response server adds error detection data to each representative telephone number and sends the telephone number list to a storage device of each of the two-way teletext receiving devices, wherein each of the two-way teletext receiving devices. When an error of the representative telephone number of the storage device is detected by the error detection data, an automatic call is made using the free service providing telephone number registered in advance in the storage device instead of the telephone number list. 7. The line connection method according to claim 6, wherein: 10. After the process of sending the telephone number list from the response server to the storage device of the interactive teletext receiving device, the interactive character broadcast receiving device to which the telephone number list has been sent is stored in the response server. 7. The line connection method according to claim 6, wherein the telephone number list in the device is sent back to check the validity of the sent telephone number list. 11. The response server holds the telephone number list for all subscriber areas, and a subscriber database showing a correspondence relationship between a device ID of each of the two-way teletext receiving devices and a subscriber telephone number. The response server specifies a telephone number list corresponding to the subscriber area of the interactive teletext receiving device from the device ID of the interactive teletext receiving device or the subscriber telephone number to which the telephone number list is to be sent. Then, the line connection method according to claim 6, wherein the telephone number list is sent to a corresponding two-way teletext receiver.