JPH11164284A - Two-way type television system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a two-way television system by which a user receives and recognizes at home various information and services on his (her) request. SOLUTION: A two-way type television system 1 consists of a CATV center 2 that distributes image information and of a plurality of terminal 3 connecting to the CATV center 2 in two-way. The CATV center 2 is provided with a video storage device 17, that stores image information of a tree structure configuration end with a video image distribution control section 13 that distributes the image information from the video storage device 17 along with the tree structure based on request of each terminal 3. Each terminal 3 consists of a terminal control section 20, a television receiver 21 and a remote controller 22. A terminal control section 22 requests operation contents to the video distribution control section 13 based on the operation from the remote controller 22 and displays the image information distributed from the video distribution controls section 13 sequentially onto the television receiver 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an interactive television system for providing information to a user at home, and more particularly, to a user receiving desired information from an information distribution source of a cable television by a simple operation. The present invention relates to an interactive television system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a cable television system which provides various television programs by connecting a general home and a broadcasting station with a cable. In these cable systems, various programs are assigned to a plurality of channels, and a user sets a desired channel to provide a desired broadcast program to the user.

[0003] These conventional examples are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-22 / 1990.
No. 315 is disclosed in public information.

[0004]

In the cable television, the broadcasting station provides the program requested by the user by connecting the broadcasting station to each home in both directions. Was not.

On the other hand, in local governments, various window services and information services are becoming OA, and various services are provided to users. However, these services are
Users had to go to public facilities and receive them, and these various types of information were provided unilaterally through city bulletins and some televisions.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an interactive television system capable of knowing and receiving various information and services at home based on a user's request.

[0007]

In the interactive television system according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object,
In an interactive television system including a distribution source device that distributes image information and a plurality of terminal devices that are bidirectionally connected to the distribution source device, the distribution source device may include an image configured in a tree structure. A video storage device storing information,
A video distribution control unit that distributes image information from the video storage device along the tree structure based on the request of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device, a terminal control unit, a display, and the terminal control unit The terminal control unit requests the video distribution control unit for the content of the operation based on the operation from the controller, and sequentially transmits the image information distributed from the video distribution control unit to the display. To be displayed.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an interactive television system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of an interactive television system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a main menu screen diagram, FIGS. 3 and 4 are connection screen diagrams and operation flow diagrams, and FIGS. A display screen and a screen configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of the information service of the present embodiment, and FIGS. 9 to 39 are explanatory diagrams showing specific examples of individual information services.

First, an apparatus configuration of an interactive television system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 1, 1 is an interactive television system, 2 is a cable television CATV center, 3 is a terminal device, 4 is a cable, 5 is a telephone line, 6 is a public communication network, 11 is a business management system, and 12 is business management. System storage device, 13
Is a video distribution control unit, 14 is a video pump, 15 is a communication device, 16 is an application server, 17 is a video data storage device, 20 is a terminal control unit, 21 is a television, 22 is a remote control, 23 is a video distribution terminal control unit, 24 is a communication device, 25 is a light receiving unit of a remote controller, 26 is a memory, 27 is a hard disk, 28 is an end button, 29 is a start button, 30 is a numeric input button, 31 is a cursor movement key,
32 is a decision button.

[0010] The interactive television system generally indicated by the reference numeral 1 is a CATV that is an information distribution source of cable television.
It comprises a center 2 and a plurality of terminal devices 3 connected to the CATV center 2 by a cable 4 and attached to a general home. Further, each of the terminal devices 3 has a telephone line 5
And the CATV center 2 via a public communication network 6. In this interactive television system 1, by selecting a channel from the terminal device 3 provided in a general home, it is possible to obtain and watch a normal program provided from the CATV center 2 via the cable 4. In addition, information corresponding to a request requested from each of the terminal devices 3 via the public communication network 6 can be obtained via the cable 3 and viewed. Furthermore,
In the interactive television system 1, the user connects to the database of the CATV center 2, calls the image of the information of the database to the terminal device 3, operates the database via the public communication network 6 while watching the video, and operates the database. Various reservations can be made while obtaining various information.

In this embodiment, an inexpensive interactive television system in which an existing one-way cable television system is bidirectionally connected by bidirectionally connecting a dedicated cable 4 and a public communication network 6. Although described, it is not necessarily limited to this, and a pair of dedicated cables or a combination of a dedicated cable and the Internet may be used.

The CATV center 2 is a business management system 1 for controlling various businesses in the CATV center 2.
1 and a video distribution system in which the video distribution control unit 13 is mainly responsible for distributing various types of video information to a plurality of terminal devices 3 under the control of the business management system 11. The task management system 11 includes a storage device 12 for recording various information such as a database. Further, the video distribution system includes a video distribution control unit 13, an application server 16, and a video data storage device 17 storing various video information such as MPEG video data.
A video pump 14 for extracting video information from the video data storage device 17, and a communication device 15 for obtaining a request from a terminal device via the public communication network 6.

The video distribution control unit 13 includes a communication device 17
Based on the request from the video data storage device 17, video information is read out from the video data storage device 17 via the video pump 14 to generate an image, and this image information is provided to the terminal device 3 via the cable 4. Further, the video distribution system includes:
For example, it is configured by a computer system and includes an input / output device (not shown). Various settings and operations of the video distribution system are performed by the input / output device. Further, various kinds of image data stored in the video data storage device 17 described later can be maintained by the input / output device.

The terminal device 3 includes a terminal control unit 20 for connecting the CATV center 2 and the terminal device 3, a television 21 having a display, and operating the terminal control unit 20 to select a TV channel and perform various operations. And a remote controller 22 for making the request. The terminal control unit controls the terminal device 3 and controls the video distribution terminal control unit 23.
A light receiving unit 25 for receiving an infrared signal from the remote controller 22, a communication device 24 connected to the CATV center 2 via the telephone line 5 and the public communication network 6, and a memory 26 for recording various programs and data. , CATV Center 2
And a hard disk 27 for temporarily storing the video information distributed from.

In addition to the ON / OFF button for turning on / off the power of the terminal device 3, the remote controller 22 activates the communication device 24 and a request for the CATV center by activating the communication device 24. A start button 29 and an end button 28 for starting, a cursor movement key 31 for operating video information distributed from the CATV center 2, and an enter button 32 are provided.

The television 21 has video and audio input terminals connected to the terminal control unit 20, and may be an ordinary television having a tuner or a monitor.

According to the terminal device 3, when the power ON button of the remote controller 22 is pressed, the infrared signal is transmitted to the remote controller 2.
Sent from 2. The terminal control unit 20 is activated when the signal is received by the light receiving unit 25. In this state, the terminal device 3 transmits a plurality of normal television programs distributed by the CATV center to the number input buttons 30 of the remote control 22,
Alternatively, it can be arbitrarily set via the cursor movement key 31.

On the other hand, when the start button 29 of the remote controller 22 is pressed from this state, the terminal control unit 20 activates the communication device 24 to connect to the CATV center 2 and obtain various video information. The obtained video information is recorded on the hard disk 27, an image is generated by the terminal control unit 20, and displayed on the display screen of the television 21. By operating various buttons of the remote controller 22, the content of the operation is displayed on the CAT via the public communication network 6.
The video information is transmitted to the V center 2, and the video information desired by the user and the audio information accompanying the video information are provided. In addition, programs set individually for each terminal device 3, for example, information on a favorite menu, a password, and the like, which will be described later, are recorded in the memory 26.

Next, an outline of the information service of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, 100 is a main menu screen, 101 is a title of the main menu screen, 102 is an information service selection area, 103 is a favorite selection area, 104 is an entertainment selection area, and 105, 106, 107, and 108 are various operation areas. .

In the present embodiment, the main menu screen 100 is an initial screen of the information service. In this embodiment, various kinds of information such as traffic information, sightseeing information, facility information, and the like described in “information service” and information about entertainment such as movies, karaoke, and games described in “entertainment” are used. You can receive two information services. In addition, a service that is frequently used among the two information services can be set in advance, and a “favorite” in which the calling time is shortened can be set. The three areas are indicated by squares in the drawing, but are indicated by symbols indicating individual information. This area can be selected with the cursor movement key 31 of the remote controller 22.

Also, at the bottom of the display screen of this embodiment,
Four operation areas 105 to 108 are set, and operation functions necessary for operating each display screen are assigned. For example, on the main menu screen 100, the operation area on the right end is assigned to the determination area 108. In this embodiment, if a decision area is required to improve the operability, the operation area at the right end is always the decision area 108.
On the screens other than the main menu screen 100, the operation area at the left end is allocated to a return area 105 for returning to the previous display screen.

Here, the cursor movement key 31 comprises an up / down key and a left / right key, and can move the cursor displayed on the display screen up / down / left / right. For example, the main menu screen 100 is displayed in an initial display state with the information service selection area 102 highlighted and selectable. By operating the left and right keys of the cursor movement key 31 in this state, the cursor, that is, the highlighted portion can be sequentially moved to the favorite selection area 103 and the entertainment selection area 104. Further, the cursor can be moved to the operation area 105 by operating the up and down keys of the cursor movement key 31. At this time, the selected portion of the selection area remains highlighted. The cursor highlighted in the operation area 105 is moved to the operation area 10 by operating the left and right keys of the cursor movement key 31.
6 or the operation area 108 (decision area 108), and by pressing the decision button 32 of the remote control 22 at the position of the desired operation area, the selected content is executed. The main menu screen 10
In the case of 0, since the operation area has only the determination button 108,
This is executed by selecting one of the three selection areas and pressing the decision button 32. Thereafter, the other display screens are operated by the same operation as the above-mentioned operation, and the description thereof is omitted.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, an operation flow in which the terminal device 3 of this embodiment connects to the CATV center 2 and a display screen thereof will be described. First, the video distribution terminal controller 23 normally displays the video of the television channel selected by the user (step 171), and the remote controller 22
Of the start button 29 is monitored (step 17).
2). When the user presses the start button 29, the video distribution terminal control unit 23 causes the CATV center 2 to start communication using the auto dial function of the communication device 24 (step 173), and displays the display screen of the television 21. FIG.
(A) Switching to the display screen 110 shown in FIG.
4) The information service is started, there is a waiting time, and a return operation guide or the like is displayed on the display screen.

The video distribution terminal control unit 23 includes a communication device 24
Whether the home line is in use via (step 175),
It is monitored whether or not the line of the public telephone network 6 is connected due to congestion (step 176). If the line in the home is in use, FIG.
(B) The display screen 120 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the television 21 (step 192). If the line is congested, the display screen 130 shown in FIG. 3 (c) is displayed on the television 21 (step 193).
Then, the content is provided to the user.

The video distribution terminal control unit 23 determines that the line is a CAT
When connected to the V center 2, the display screen 140 shown in FIG. 3D is displayed on the television 21 to display a user selection screen (step 177). Display screen 140 of this embodiment
Then, daddy selection area 141, mommy selection area 142,
The child's Tsutomu selection area 143 is displayed. If any of these three selection areas is selected and the decision area 108 is selected, the process proceeds to the next step, and the return area 1
If 05 is selected, the original display screen, that is, the work (communication) is stopped here, and the screen is returned to the screen of the television channel.

When a user is selected, the video distribution terminal control unit 23 displays a display screen 150 shown in FIG. 3E and requests an input of a password. In the interactive system 1 of this embodiment, the services provided by the user are restricted. For example, a minor or an authorized person of a paid information service is authenticated by inputting a password in advance. FIG. 3E shows an embodiment for inputting a password. Here, “Dad” is selected, and guidance is given to input the password with the numeric input button 30 of the remote controller 22. It is determined whether the input password matches the content recorded in the memory 26 in advance (step 179). If the password does not match, guidance for re-input display is displayed for a certain period of time (step 194), and the process returns to step 179. If the passwords match, the user information, for example, user number + extension (identification number of dad, mom, etc.) is CATV
It is sent to the center 2 (step 179).

Upon receiving the user information, the CATV center 2 determines whether the user has paid a fee for using the paid information service (step 180). Then, the main menu screen 100 shown in FIG. 2 is displayed (step 181).

According to the steps up to this connection, since the user is specified by the password, it is possible to prevent the child from using the pay information service excessively.
Further, by specifying the user in advance, when it is necessary to input the user's name, this can be reduced by a simple operation. In this embodiment, the user information is created by the terminal device 3, but the CATV center 2
May be created. Also, the connection time may be reduced by performing the password confirmation steps of steps 178 and 179 and the charge confirmation step of step 180 when necessary.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, an outline of the information service of the present embodiment and a screen configuration of a display screen constituting each information service will be described. 5 is a display screen of the information service menu screen 1000, FIG. 6 is a display screen of the entertainment menu screen 2000, FIG. 7 is a display screen of the favorite menu screen 3000, and FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of the display screen.

In FIG. 8A, in the interactive television system 1 of the present embodiment, the display screen displayed on the television 21 has a tree structure as shown in FIG. Each display screen is stored in the device 17, and is configured to be selectable by the tree structure. For example, tree NO. 1 From the main menu screen 100, select Tree N
O. 2, an information service menu screen 1000 and an entertainment menu screen 2000 can be selected.
Further, the tree NO. 2 are displayed on the tree NO.
3 display screens can be selected.

For example, in the information service menu 1000 shown in FIG. 5, a traffic guidance selection area 1100, a sightseeing guidance selection area 1200, a facility guidance selection area 1300, a public service information selection area 1400, an event information selection area 1500, and a recycling selection area 1600 Is displayed as a selection area. By selecting any one of these selection areas, a further selectable selection area can be selected from the selection area to display a corresponding display screen. Here, reference numeral 1001 denotes a title of the display screen 1000.

On the entertainment menu screen 2000 shown in FIG. 6, a new movie selection area 2100,
Classic movie selection area 2200, Karaoke selection area 23
00, a video library selection area 2400, a game selection area 2500, and a fortune-telling selection area 2600 of the current month are displayed as selection areas. By selecting any of these selection areas, a selection area that can be further selected from the selection area is displayed. The corresponding display screen can be displayed by selection. Here, 2001 is the title of the display screen 2000. In addition, a fee is charged for the information on the center entertainment.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the display screen has a tree structure, desired information can be searched from the upper concept to the lower concept, so that anyone can obtain the desired information without hesitation. it can. For example, a case where a timetable of a D bus stop is searched in FIG. 8A will be described. First, in this embodiment, the information service 1000 can be easily selected from the main menu screen 100 by selecting the bus timetable. Further information service 100
From 0, the traffic information 1100, the traffic information 1100, the bus timetable 1120, and the bus timetable 1120, D
A bus stop timetable 1124 can be selected.

However, although the information is easy to understand and extremely effective for a user who obtains the information for the first time, it is troublesome for a user who repeatedly performs the same search, and the search time is longer than necessary. Things. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a menu that allows a frequently used menu to be easily extracted with a single operation is prepared. This will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, a frequently used menu can be registered as a favorite menu, and FIG. 7 shows a search display screen. This display screen 3000
Is the tree NO. It is displayed with the same rank as 2. For example, on the favorite menu display screen 3000, a plurality of frequently used favorite display screen selection areas 3002 can be registered. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 3001 denotes a title of the display screen 3000, and a plurality of selection areas 3002 are displayed below the title. Each selection area includes a selection number 3003, a display screen summary title 3004, and a display screen detail title 3005. On the left side of these selection areas 3002, an upper scroll display unit 3006,
A lower scroll display unit 3007 is provided. Depending on whether the upper and lower scroll display units are highlighted and displayed, there is information in the selection area 3002 before (upper part of the display screen) or after (lower part of the display screen). You can tell if it is or not. These can be selected by scrolling the display screen with the cursor movement keys 31.

Each of these selection areas 3002 is
Delete operation area 106 provided at the bottom of display screen 3000
a can be deleted by selecting a.
The selection number 3003 can be changed to a smaller selection number by selecting 7b, and the trouble of the scroll operation can be eliminated depending on the use frequency. FIG. 7 shows that the D bus (in front of XX high school) stop in the route bus timetable of the selection number 1 is highlighted and selected. In this state, the jump operation area 10
By selecting 8, the D bus stop time display screen 1
124 (see FIG. 8A).

In this embodiment, the favorite menu is realized by the following configuration to realize the favorite menu. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, in the present embodiment, since each display screen is configured in a tree structure, the display screen is stored in the video data storage device 17 of the display screen 1124 indicating the time of the D bus stop. The address of the tree NO. 1 is 01, NO2. Is 01, NO. 3 is 01,
NO. 4 is 02, NO. 5 is set to 03. That is, the address of the display screen 1124 is 010110200.
4 is specified. Therefore, in this embodiment, the address is stored in the memory 26 or the application server 16 together with the favorite menu display screen 3000, and the video distribution control unit 13 searches and displays the address using this address. This favorite menu screen 3
According to 000, the number of processes can be reduced by two processes compared to a normal search, so that the target display screen can be displayed on the television 21 in a short time and without any hesitation.

Hereinafter, the menu contents of the information service according to the present embodiment will be specifically described.

(Traffic Guide) FIGS. 9 to 12 show an embodiment of a traffic guide menu according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a display screen of a traffic guide menu screen, and FIG.
Shows a display screen of a route bus stop search, a timetable of a stop (the stop in front of XX high school) where FIG. 11 is located, and FIG. 12 shows a traffic map.

In FIG. 9, a traffic guidance menu screen 11
00 is a display screen title 1101 at the top, a railway timetable selection area 1110, a route bus timetable selection area 1120, a taxi guidance selection area 1130, and a road guidance 1140 selection area at the bottom, and an operation area returning to the bottom. 105, a map operation area 106b, and a determination operation area 108 are displayed. By selecting each of the selection areas, it is possible to perform a search further advanced in the hierarchy. In particular, the railway timetable selection area 1110 and the route bus timetable selection area 1120 can search for station names or stop names. Here, the route bus timetable selection area 1120 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 10, this display screen 1129
Is a display screen displayed when the route bus timetable selection area 1120 is selected. Reference numeral 201 denotes a title arranged at the upper part of the display screen 1129, a plurality of cards 202 divided in the order below the title, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, and a decision operation area 108 arranged at the bottom. A plurality of stop selection areas 205 are arranged on the card 202, and upper and lower scroll display sections 203 and 204 similar to the upper and lower scroll display sections 3006 and 3007 in FIG. The plurality of cards 202 can display a card at the front by selecting a flag at the top, and scroll and display a line or less by selecting a flag with an arrow on the right. be able to. Then, by selecting the stop selection area 205, the display screen 1121 of the target timetable in FIG. 11 can be displayed.

In FIG. 11, a display screen 1121 has a title of the display screen 1121 arranged at an upper part, a route display 211 and a timetable area 212 at a lower part thereof, an operation area 105 returning to a lowermost part, and a destination of the route display. A destination operation area 106d to be selected, a route operation area 107d to select a route, and a weekday operation area 108d to select a holiday and a weekday are arranged.

The time table area is displayed with the time set for each time zone 213, and the upper and lower scroll display sections 214 and 215 are displayed on the left side thereof. In the time table area, the time zone 213 displays the time searched and displayed by the video distribution control unit 13 so as to be at the center of the screen, and the time after the current time is indicated by a dotted line, for example, and the time zone from now on is indicated by a solid line. Control to display. On this display screen 1121, first, the cursor is used to select / determine the destination operation area 106d, and then the route operation area 107 is selected.
d, then the day of the week operation area 108d is selected / determined, and the timetable area 212 can be scrolled up and down or left and right with the cursor movement keys 31.

Returning to FIG. 9, on the display screen 1100 of the traffic guidance menu, by selecting the map operation area 106b, it is possible to select the timetable of the desired transportation on the map. For example, in this embodiment, when the map operation area 106b is selected, a traffic map display screen 1150 in FIG. 12 is displayed. This display screen has a title 230 of the display screen 1150 at the top, a map selection area 231 at the center, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, a detailed operation area 107c, and a determination operation area 108.
According to the display screen 1150, the map selection area 2
By selecting each of the transportation means displayed on the display 31, the display screen 1121 and the like can be directly selected. Further, by selecting a detailed operation area, a detailed map (not shown) can be displayed to display a more detailed map selection area. As a result, the timetable can be known without knowing the name of the bus stop. A similar search is possible for a railway. As described above, according to the traffic guide menu of this embodiment, it is possible to know the time display of a bus stop or a railway via a television 21 at home with a simple operation. It is very convenient.

(Famous Place Guide) FIGS. 13 to 18 show one embodiment of the famous place guide according to this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a display screen view of the famous place guide of XX city, and FIG. Natural observation course guidance display screen, Fig. 15 course display screen, Fig. 16 course point display screen, Fig. 17 course guidance display screen, Fig. 18 course mark display FIG.

Referring to FIG.
00 is the title 221 of the display screen in the upper part, and the history search nature observation course guidance selection area 12 in the lower part, for example.
10, a traditional event introduction selection area 1220, a good shop, good shop guidance selection area 1230, a celebrity / famous person introduction selection area are arranged, and an operation area 105 returning to the bottom and a decision operation area 108 are arranged. By selecting each of the selection areas, it is possible to perform a search further advanced in the hierarchy. Here, the history visiting nature observation course guidance selection area 1210 will be described below as an example.

In FIG. 14, the display screen 1210 of the history-visiting nature observation course guide has a title 222 and a title 222 at the top.
Below that, for example, A course 1211 to D course 121
Four course selection areas are arranged, and an operation area 105 returning to the bottom and a viewing operation area 108e are arranged. Operation area 1 for selecting and viewing one of the course selection areas
Selecting 08e provides more detailed guidance.

FIG. 15 shows a display screen 1 in which the course A is selected.
211 is shown. The display screen 1211 has a title 223 at the top, a process diagram 224 showing the process and the required time of the A course below, an image data selection area 225 showing the image data of the highlight of each process, and a bottom. Operation area 105 and map guidance operation area 107
f and a highlight operation area 108f. On this display screen, the outline of the course A can be known at a glance with the image data and the process chart. Also, the display screen 1211
By selecting the highlight operation area, a moving image or a still image of all the highlights of the course A can be viewed by selecting the image data selection area 225.

For example, the display screen 1217 shown in FIG.
It is a display screen displayed by selecting f. On the display screen 1217, a title 226 is displayed on the upper part, and a display area 2 of a moving image or an automatic scrolling still image is displayed on one side below the title 226.
27, an explanation area 228 on one side, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, and an operation area 108f for redisplay. According to this display screen, while at home,
You can know the highlights of Course A through video and commentary.
In addition, on this display screen, the real experience can be more realistic if voice is also used.

Returning to FIG. 15, by selecting the map guidance operation area 107f, the map guidance display screen 1218 shown in FIG. 17 can be displayed. On the display screen 1218, a guide map 230 having a title 229 at the top, a plurality of landmark selection areas 231 under the title 229, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, and a viewing operation area 108e are arranged. According to this display screen 1218, since the map information of the course A is shown from the nearest transportation, it is easy to understand for those who are going to go. In addition, a mark selection area 231 is provided at a point that is difficult to understand in this map information.
Is displayed, and the operation area 108 is selected and viewed.
By selecting e, more detailed landmark information can be known.

For example, FIG. 18 shows a display screen 1219 in which the mark 1 in FIG. 17 is selected. This display screen 1
219, a title 231 at the top, a moving image or scrolling still image display area 232 at one side below the title 231,
An explanation area 233 is displayed on the other side, and an operation area for returning to the bottom is displayed. According to the display screen 1219, the video information and the audio information explain the part of the course that is difficult to understand, so that the user feels as if he / she went.
The action in the actual experience can be performed smoothly.

As described above, according to this famous place guide information,
With video information and audio information, you can actually experience the historic spots while staying there.

(Facility Guidance and Reservation) FIGS. 19 to 29 show an embodiment of guidance and reservation for public facilities according to the present embodiment. FIG. 19 is a display screen of a facility guidance menu, and FIG. Is a display screen of facility guidance, FIG. 21 is a display screen of selection of reservation of facility guidance, FIGS. 22 and 23 are display screens of immediately preceding reservation, FIGS. 24 to 28 are display screens of reservation lottery, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an operation flow chart of FIG.

In FIG. 19, this display screen 1300
Is a plurality of cards 1310, 1320, and 133 that are classified by type of facility at the top and a tile 240 at the top.
0, operation area 105 returning to the bottom and determination operation area 1
08 is arranged. A plurality of facility selection areas 241 are arranged on the plurality of cards. For example, cultural facilities 1310
Includes selection areas 1311 to 1315 of a plurality of facilities. By selecting one of the selection areas of these facilities, the introduction information of the selected facility and the reservation of the facility can be made.

FIG. 20 shows a display screen 1312 in which the citizen cultural center of the cultural facility shown in FIG. 19 is selected. On the display screen 1312, a display area 243 for displaying a title at the top and a moving image or a still image below the title,
On the other side, a comment area 244, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, a front facility operation area 106g, a rear facility operation area 107g, and a reservation guide operation area 108g are arranged. According to this display screen 1312, the outline of the facility can be known from the video and the commentary. In addition, by using voice information together, it is possible to know the contents of the facility more. On the display screen 1312, the previous facility operation area 106g,
By operating the rear facility operation area 107g, it is possible to view the facilities before and after the card 1310 or the like by one operation without returning to the display screen 1300. Furthermore,
By selecting the reservation guide operation area 108g, a reservation for this facility can be made.

FIG. 21 shows a reservation display screen 25 for facility reservation.
0 is shown. In this display screen 250, a title 251 is arranged at the top, a vacancy information selection area 252, a reservation lottery acceptance selection area 253 is arranged below the title 251, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, and a decision operation area 108 are arranged. According to the display screen 250, a reservation for a time when a lottery is required can be applied by selecting the reservation lottery reception selection area 253, and furthermore, the immediately preceding vacancy information selection area 2
By selecting 52, it is possible to immediately reserve a facility that was not filled by the reservation lottery or that is currently vacant.

FIG. 22 is a display screen 260 showing one embodiment of the display screen for the immediately preceding vacancy information guidance. The display screen 260 has a title 261 at the top, a plurality of facility selection areas 262 below it, and the operation area 105 returning to the bottom.
Then, the determination operation area 108 is arranged. According to the display screen 260, by selecting any one of the selection areas 262, a reservation screen of the same facility can be displayed.

FIG. 23 shows a display screen 270 in which the selection area 262 of the practice room A is selected. This display screen 27
0 is the title 281 at the top and the facility name 2 at the bottom
82, the facility use date 273 at the bottom, available calendar information 274 at the bottom, the reservation information area 275 at the use time on the right, and the return operation area 10 at the bottom.
5, previous month operation area 106h, next month operation area 107
h, the determination operation area 108 is arranged. These reservations are input using the numeric buttons 30 and the cursor movement keys 31 of the remote controller 22. Then, according to this display screen 275, a reservation can be made immediately in a time zone in which the reservation status area 275 is displayed as being empty.

FIG. 24 is a display screen 280 showing an application for a lottery reservation. The display screen 280 has a title 281 at the top, a selection area 282 for a plurality of facilities used below the title 281, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, and a determination operation area 108. According to this display screen 280, as in FIG.
By selecting one, an application for the reservation can be made.

FIG. 25 shows a display screen 290 when the selection area 282 of the practice room A in FIG. 24 is selected. The display screen 290 has the title 29 at the top.
1. The use facility name 292 at the bottom, the facility use date 293 at the bottom, and calendar information 29 available at the bottom
4. On the right, an operation guidance area 295, at the bottom,
A return operation area 105, a previous month operation area 106h, a next month operation area 107h, and a determination operation area 108 are arranged. According to this display screen 290, a lottery facility and its reservation date are input.

Then, the display screen 300 of the use time reservation of FIG. 26 is displayed by the deciding operation. This display screen 30
In the case of 0, a title 301 is selected at the top, a facility name 302 is located below the title 301, a facility use date 303 is located below the title 301, an available time zone information area 304 is located below the title 301, and the same time zone is selected. Display area 305 indicating that
The operation guidance area 306 is arranged on the right side, and the return operation area 105 and the determination operation area 108 are arranged at the bottom. According to the display screen 300, the time zone to be selected is determined by moving the selection display area 305 up and down.

When the time zone is set on the display screen 300, a lottery reservation confirmation display screen 310 shown in FIG. 27 is displayed. This display screen 310 has title 3 at the top.
11, at the lower part, the used facility name 312 at the lower part, the facility use date and time 313 at the lower part, the operation guidance area 314 at the lower part, the return operation area 105, the stop operation area 107j, and the decision operation area 108 at the lowest part Is arranged. According to the display screen 300, the application status of the lottery reservation can be understood at a glance, so that erroneous operations can be reduced.

FIG. 28 shows the display screen 31 of FIG.
0 shows a display screen in a state where the determination operation has been performed. The display screen 320 has the title 32 at the top.
1, a use facility name 322 and a lottery reservation person name display field 324 in the lower part, an operation confirmation display area 323 in which the reservation lottery is being accepted is displayed in the center by lighting, and a return operation area 105 at the bottom.
, A stop operation area 107j, and a decision operation area 108
Is arranged.

FIG. 29 shows an operation flow of the facility reservation described above. With this operation flow, the reservation system will be further described. 29, in the state of FIG. 21, the video distribution control unit 13 monitors the type of reservation (step 330), and when the selection area 252 of the immediately preceding vacancy information is selected, displays the display screen 260 of FIG. Then, a reservation target facility is received (step 331). When the reception of the reservation target facility is completed, the display screen 270 of FIG. 23 is displayed to display the reservation status of the current date and time of the reservation target facility (step 332), and the input of the reservation target date and time is received (step 333). Then, it is determined whether or not the enter button 32 has been pressed. If the enter button 32 has not been pressed, the input wait state is maintained in step 333, and the enter button 3
If 2 is pressed, the process proceeds to step 335 (step 334). In step 335, it is determined whether or not the input data is unreserved (step 335). If the input data is reserved, a warning is displayed in step 340 and the process returns to step 333. The data of the reservation person is taken in from the information (step 33).
6). Then, a confirmation display of the reservation person is performed (step 33).
7) If the reservation is confirmed, the reservation is registered (step 338), and the completion of the reservation is displayed (step 339), and the operation is terminated.

In FIG. 29, in the state of FIG.
The video distribution control unit 13 monitors the type of reservation (step 3
30) Then, when the reservation lottery reception selection area 253 is selected, the display screen 280 of FIG. 24 is displayed to receive the lottery reservation target facility (step 341). When the acceptance of the lottery reservation target facility is completed, the display screen 290 of FIG. 25 is displayed to search / display the target date of the lottery reservation target facility (step 342), and an input of the reservation target day is received (step 343). Next, the display screen 300 of FIG. 26 is displayed to accept the time slot of the lottery reservation (step 344), and then the display screen 310 of FIG.
Is received (step 345). In this flow, the redo flow is omitted, but it is possible to redo or cancel the lottery reservation by selecting the return operation area 105 on each screen or selecting the stop operation area in FIG.

When the enter button 32 is depressed in step 345, the video distribution control unit 13 takes in the data of the lottery reservation person (step 346), and displays a confirmation of the lottery reservation including the lottery reservation person. If confirmation of the lottery reservation person is obtained, the reservation contents are registered with the lottery reservation person (step 348), and during the registration, the display screen 3 shown in FIG.
20 is displayed and the operation is displayed (step 349), and the operation is completed.

As described above, according to the facility guidance and reservation system in this embodiment, the contents of the facility to be used can be known by the image data and the commentary or the voice data, and the reservation of the use of the facility can be made while staying at home. It can be carried out. In addition, the reservation can be divided into a reservation that requires lottery and a reservation immediately before that can be made immediately, so that the reservation can be made according to the user's convenience. Further, in the reservation, since the reservation person is specified from the user information set via the password set in advance, the troublesome input of the name can be omitted.

(Public Service Information) FIGS. 30 and 31 show an embodiment of public service information according to the present embodiment. FIG. 30 is a display screen of a menu of public service information, and FIG. It is a display screen figure of a consultation example menu for every trouble of information.

In FIG. 30, this display screen 1400
Is a tile 350 at the top, a plurality of information service selection areas 351 at the bottom, and an operation area 105 returning to the bottom.
And the determination operation area 108 are arranged. The plurality of information service selection areas 351 include, for example, a disaster prevention map 141.
0, public service 1420, living information 1430, trouble consultation 1440, questionnaire 1450, and other services for each field are prepared. By selecting any one of these information service selection areas 351, lower order information of the information service is provided. For example, FIG.
Is displayed when the information service selection area 1440 for each trouble is selected.

The display screen 1520 shown in FIG. 31 has a title 362 at the top, a selection area 363 for each field, and a consultation number display area 364 corresponding to the selection area 363 on one side below the title 362, and a bottom at the bottom. A return operation area 105 and a determination operation area 108 are arranged. According to this display screen 1520, it is possible to know how many consultations about what troubles exist. If the user wants to see the contents of the consultation, the user can select a desired part in the selection area 363 to see the detailed contents of each consultation case, which is not introduced here. As described above, according to the public service information according to the present embodiment, various information can be obtained while staying at home by the same operation as described above.

(Event Information) FIGS. 32 to 35 show one embodiment of the event information according to the present embodiment. FIG. 32 shows a display screen of an event information menu, and FIG. 32 shows a display of an event back number menu. Screen diagram,
FIG. 34 is a display screen diagram of the menu of the autumn festival, and FIG. 35 is a display screen diagram of the little open space information of the autumn festival.

In FIG. 32, this display screen 1500 is displayed.
Is a tile 360 at the top, an event selection area guide 1510 for this month, an event back number selection area 1520, and an event / questionnaire selection area 15 at the bottom.
30, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom and a determination operation area 108 are arranged. The three selection areas are divided by a selection frame to which the title and explanation of each service menu are attached, and by selecting any one of the divided selection areas, the lower information included in the corresponding information is selected. Is displayed. FIG. 33 shows a display screen 1520 displayed when the event back number selection area 1520 is selected. In FIG. 33, a display screen 1520
Is a title 361 at the top, a plurality of event selection areas 362 below the title 361, and an up / down scroll display 36
3, 364, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, a previous page operation area 106k, a rear page operation area 107k, and a decision operation area 108 are arranged. On the display screen 1520 of this embodiment, as the event selection area 362,
Athletic meet 1521, walking 1522, autumn festival 152
3 is displayed, the presence / absence of data before and after can be determined by the presence / absence of highlighting of the previous page operation area 106k and the rear page operation area 107k. These selection areas are the same as those of the previous page operation area 106k and the rear page operation area 107k. You can try scrolling with the operation.

FIG. 34 shows the selected area 1 of the autumn festival in FIG.
523 is a display screen 1523 that is selected and displayed. The display screen 1523 includes, for example, a selection area 366 provided in the center of the screen along the autumn festival venue map, a title 365 above the selection area 366, and an operation area 10 returning to the bottom.
5 and a decision operation area 108 are arranged. According to the display screen 1523, since the autumn festival is displayed in a map format, it is easy to understand what kind of content has been performed. Further, according to the display screen 1523, the content can be further known by selecting an individual venue. FIG. 35 shows a display screen 370 in which the small venue of FIG. 34 is selected and displayed.

In FIG. 35, this display screen 370 is
A title 371 at the top, a venue name and its commentary area 372 on one side below, a display area 373 for moving images and still images on the other side, a return operation area 105, and a video playback operation area 106L at the bottom. Video stop operation area 10
8l are arranged. According to this display screen 370, the contents of the little open space are reproduced with moving images, commentary and audio information.

As described above, according to the event back number information according to this embodiment, past events are known from the outline to the individual details by deepening the search hierarchy according to the user's interest. be able to. In this event information, similar menus such as other event guides of this month and event questionnaires can be made in the same manner, so that the user can search and know from the outline to more detailed contents at the request of the user.

(Recycling Information) FIGS. 36 to 38 show an embodiment of the recycling information according to the present embodiment. FIG. 36 shows a display screen of a recycling information menu, and FIG. Fig. 38
Is a display screen diagram of detailed information.

In FIG. 36, this display screen 1600
Is a tile 401 at the uppermost part, and a lower part thereof is for extracting information for transferring a recycled product. A selection area 1610, a lower part for extracting information for transferring a recycled product, a selection area 1620, and an operation area 105 for returning to the lowermost part.
And a notes operation area 107m for calling a display screen on which notes relating to buying and selling are described, and a decision operation area 108 are arranged. The two selection areas are represented by an appropriate pattern or pattern in accordance with the content of each service. By selecting one of the selection areas, lower-level information contained in the corresponding information is displayed.
FIG. 37 shows a display screen 1610 that is displayed by selecting the to-do selection area 1610. FIG.
In the display screen 1610, the title 40 is displayed at the top.
2, a selection area 403 in which a plurality of pieces of information to be given are described below, an upper / lower scroll display section 407, 408, an operation area 105 for returning to the bottom, and a previous page operation area 106
k, rear page operation area 107k and detailed operation area 108
m is arranged. On the display screen 1610 of this embodiment, the information to be transferred is numbered and displayed together with the seller's desired price. For example, in FIG. 37, the information of the thirteenth selected area is missing, indicating that it has been sold.
For each product in the selection area 403, more detailed information can be viewed by selecting the selection area and selecting the detailed operation area 108m. Display screen 161 in FIG. 38
1 is displayed by selecting the stroller selection area in FIG.

In FIG. 38, this display screen 1611
Is a display area 405 in which a title 404 is displayed at the top and a photograph image or a moving image of the transferred product is displayed at the bottom left thereof.
On the other right side, a comment area 406 in which an article name, a comment, and a seller's contact information are displayed, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom, a previous information operation area 106n, a rear information operation area 107n, and detailed information 108n are arranged. This display screen 1611
According to this, by operating the front information operation area 106n and the rear information operation area 107n, other information can be viewed along the tracking number without returning to another display screen. Further, by operating the detailed information 108n, the commentary voice information of the seller can be heard.

(New Movie) FIG. 39 shows an embodiment of new movie information according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 39 shows a display screen 2100 of the new movie menu. FIG.
9, the display screen 2100 includes a tile 2001 at the top, a selection area 2002 for selecting new movie information below the tile 2001, an operation area 105 returning to the bottom,
Explanation operation area 106p and notice operation area 107p
Then, the determination operation area 108 is arranged. In this display screen 2100, four new movie information selection areas 2110 to 2140 are arranged as selection areas 2002. If any one of the selection areas 2002 is selected and the deciding operation area is selected, a screening time table (not shown) is displayed, and if the deciding operation is performed at this stage, the fee for displaying the new movie is displayed. Are allocated and the screening starts. Accordingly, the communication state in the public communication network 6 is released.

In the interactive television system 1 according to this embodiment, the information relating to entertainment is a fee, and television channels are allocated in accordance with each menu. For example, the latest movie information is also shown with a show time set like a movie theater for each channel. In the information service via the public communication network 6, when a specific movie is selected, it is automatically assigned to a channel on which the movie is being shown. Also,
As for this fee, a user is specified from the user information at the time of connection, and the fee is added to the user.

Further, on the display screen 2100, by selecting the commentary operation area 106p, a commentary display screen of the new movie is displayed.
By selecting 7p, the trailer of the new movie is displayed as a spot.

As described above, according to the entertainment information according to the present embodiment, since a large amount of information is classified into a tree structure, information classified from a higher concept to a lower concept can be searched according to a user's request. Desired service information can be easily extracted. Moreover, by selecting the necessary information, the desired information is displayed on the television 21 and the call is automatically disconnected, so that the convenience is improved.
In addition, the fee is automatically added without entering the name one by one, which is convenient.

In the entertainment information according to this embodiment, channels are assigned to preset channels. However, relatively short information such as karaoke may be directly downloaded to the terminal device 3. Alternatively, the selected latest information may be purchased, and the video tape may be mailed and purchased later. Further, as an advanced form of this system, it can be used as television shopping. That is, a television shopping program may be incorporated into the service menu, a product may be mailed in response to a purchase request, and the fee may be added to the usage fee of the system 1.

[0084]

According to the present invention, various information and services can be known and received by a simple operation while staying at home, based on the demands of the user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of an interactive television system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a main menu screen diagram of an embodiment of the interactive television system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a connection screen diagram of an embodiment of the interactive television system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a connection operation flowchart of an embodiment of the interactive television system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an information service menu screen diagram of the interactive television system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an information service menu screen diagram of the interactive television system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an information service menu screen diagram of the interactive television system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a display screen of an embodiment of the interactive television system according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a screen diagram of a traffic guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 10 is a screen diagram of a traffic guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 11 is a screen diagram of a traffic guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 12 is a screen diagram of a traffic guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 13 is a screen view of a famous place guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 14 is an exemplary screen view of a famous place guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary screen view of a famous place guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 16 is a screen diagram of a famous place guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary screen view of a famous place guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 18 is a screen diagram of a famous place guidance information service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 19 is a screen diagram of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 20 is a screen diagram of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 21 is a screen view of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 22 is a screen diagram of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 23 is a screen view of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 24 is a screen diagram of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 25 is a screen diagram of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 26 is a screen diagram of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 27 is a screen diagram of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 28 is a screen diagram of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 29 is an operation flowchart of a facility reservation service of the interactive television system.

FIG. 30 is an exemplary screen view of public service information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 31 is a screen diagram of public service information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 32 is a screen diagram of event information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 33 is a screen diagram of event information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 34 is a screen view of event information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 35 is a screen diagram of event information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 36 is a screen diagram of recycling information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 37 is a screen view of recycling information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 38 is a screen view of recycling information of the interactive television system.

FIG. 39 is a screen diagram of new movie information of the interactive television system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Interactive TV system 2. Cable TV C
ATV center, 3 terminal equipment, 4 cable, 5 telephone line, 6 public communication network, 11 business management system, 1
2 ... Storage device of business management system, 13 ... Video distribution control unit, 14 ... Video pump, 15 ... Communication device, 16 ... Application server, 17 ... Video data storage device, 2
0: terminal control unit, 21: television, 22: remote control, 23
... Video distribution terminal control unit, 24 ... Communication device, 25 ... Remote control light receiving unit, 26 ... Memory, 27 ... Hard disk,
28 ... end button, 29 ... start button, 30 ... number input button, 31 ... cursor movement key, 32 ... decision button,
100: Main menu screen, 101: Main menu screen title, 102: Information service selection area, 1
03: favorite selection area, 104: entertainment selection area, 105, 106, 107, 108: various operation areas.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tsutomu Hatakeyama 1-280 Higashi Koigakubo, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo Inside Design Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An interactive television system comprising a distribution source device for distributing image information and a plurality of terminal devices bidirectionally connected to the distribution source device, wherein the distribution source device has a tree structure. A video storage device configured to store image information, and a video distribution control unit that distributes image information from the video storage device along the tree structure based on a request of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device A terminal control unit, a display, and a controller for operating the terminal control unit, wherein the terminal control unit requests the operation content to the video distribution control unit based on an operation from the controller, and An interactive television system wherein image information distributed from a distribution control unit is sequentially displayed on the display. 2. The interactive television system according to claim 1, further comprising: a storage device for storing the address where the tree-structured image information is stored, wherein the distribution source device or the terminal device includes a menu. The interactive television system, wherein the image information includes a selection area for calling up the image information based on the address data stored in the storage device. 3. The interactive television system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution source device includes a storage device for reservation data for performing a reservation based on tree-structured image information, and the distribution source device stores the reservation data based on an input from the terminal device. An interactive television system characterized by updating reservation data.