JPWO2012164669A1 - Channel control system, operation method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

A reception frequency or URL assigned to a selected graphic that can be identified by a channel number or the like is not necessarily uniquely determined for each installation area of the device. For example, when installed in a hospital in the same region, there is a problem that there are in-hospital broadcasts including guide programs and web pages for guidance, and these need to be allocated separately. In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a configuration in which a device ID is held in a content viewing device, and user attribute information (for example, hospital, school) of a transfer source or a transfer destination of the device in a server device. Etc.), the user attribute information, the “second table” in which the TV broadcast reception frequency and the URL are associated with each other, and the user of the device ID Provided is a channel control system for transmitting allocation of channel menus according to attributes from a server device to a content viewing device. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for controlling channel assignment of a content viewing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, content viewing apparatuses having an Internet connection function and a TV broadcast reception function by adding an Internet connection function to a TV receiver or adding a TV broadcast reception function to a PC (personal computer) have been widely used. Is provided. In addition, regarding such a content viewing apparatus, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a list display by assigning a channel number to an IP address or a URL indicating a television broadcast reception frequency or an Internet access destination without switching both functions. A technique for enabling viewing of TV broadcasts and Internet access is disclosed.

  Further, regarding the work of assigning the reception frequency of the television broadcast to the channel number, for example, the purchase frequency needs to be individually set because the reception frequency is different for each region. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, when the ID of the television device (electronic device) and the ID of the installation area input at the store or the like are transmitted to the server device, the channel allocation setting information corresponding to the installation area is provided. A technique is disclosed in which channel assignment is automatically executed in a television device based on the setting information transmitted to the television device.

JP 2009-100006 A JP 2007-272697 A

  However, the reception frequency and URL assigned to the selected graphic that can be identified by the channel number or the like are not necessarily uniquely determined for each installation area of the device. For example, if it is installed in hospitals, schools, hotels, etc. even in the same area, there are in-hospital broadcasts (in-school broadcasts, hotel-only broadcasts) including guidance programs, web pages for guidance, etc., which need to be allocated separately. There is a problem.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a configuration in which a device ID is held in a content viewing device and is an attribute of a transfer source or / and a transfer destination of a device identified by the device ID in a server device. By having a configuration in which a “first table” that associates user attribute information, a “second table” that associates user attribute information with television broadcast reception frequencies and URLs, the device ID Provided is a channel control system that transmits allocation of channel menus according to user attributes (for example, hospital, school, etc.) from a server device to a content viewing device.

  Specifically, a channel control system comprising a content viewing device capable of viewing both TV broadcast content and Internet content, and a channel server device, the content viewing device holding a device ID for identifying itself A device ID holding unit, a device ID sending unit for sending the device ID held in the device ID holding unit to the channel server device, and channel menu generation information returned according to the sent device ID. A channel menu generation information receiving unit for receiving channel menu generation information for assigning a television broadcast reception frequency and URL to the selected graphic, and a channel menu generation unit for generating a channel menu according to the received channel menu generation information. Channel menu And having a selection acceptance section for accepting selection of content using.

  Further, the channel server device holds a first table that holds a first table in which a device ID and user attribute information that is an attribute of a transfer source or / and a transfer destination of the device identified by the device ID are associated with each other. A first table management unit that manages a first table, a second table holding unit that holds user attribute information, a second table that associates a television broadcast reception frequency and a URL, and the content viewing device A device ID receiving unit that receives the transmitted device ID, a channel menu generation information calculating unit that calculates the channel menu generation information based on the acquired device ID, the first table, and the second table, and the calculated channel A channel menu generation information transmission unit that transmits the menu generation information to the content viewing device.

  In addition, the channel server apparatus having the above configuration also provides a channel control system having a second table management unit for managing the second table.

  In addition, the second table holding unit of the channel server device having the above configuration further associates priority information for determining the priority of allocation to the selected graphic for the television broadcast reception frequency and URL associated with the user attribute information. There is also provided a channel control system having a prioritized second table holding means for holding a prioritized second table which is a table.

  According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, for example, for a content viewing apparatus installed in a hospital or the like, in-hospital broadcasting, a guidance Web page, or the like is assigned to a selected graphic such as a channel number according to the user attribute. be able to.

  In addition, the first table management unit manages the device ID in association with, for example, several to several tens of types of user attribute information, so that, for example, several tens to several hundreds of types of TV broadcast reception frequencies and URLs can be obtained. Since it is possible to manage the association with the apparatus, it is possible to save the trouble of management when assigning these as channel menus.

Conceptual diagram for explaining an example of channel assignment of a content viewing apparatus in the channel control system of Embodiment 1 The figure showing an example of the functional block in the channel control system of Example 1. Schematic diagram showing an example of channel menu generation information in the channel control system of the first embodiment. The figure showing an example of the channel menu produced | generated in the channel control system of Example 1. FIG. The figure showing an example of the 1st table hold | maintained in the channel control system of Example 1. FIG. The figure showing an example of the 2nd table hold | maintained in the channel control system of Example 1. FIG. The figure showing an example of the hardware constitutions in the content viewing-and-listening apparatus of the channel control system of Example 1. FIG. The figure showing an example of the hardware constitutions in the channel server apparatus of the channel control system of Example 1. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the channel control system according to the first embodiment. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the channel control system of Example 2. A flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the channel control system of Example 2.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment, claims 1, 2, 4, and 5 will be mainly described. The second embodiment will mainly describe Claim 3.

Example 1
<Overview>

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of channel assignment of a content viewing apparatus in the channel control system of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, in the channel server device, if the user attribute information is “hospital”, “hospital broadcasting (reception frequency 100 MHz)”, “broadcasting station A (120 Mhz)”,. “Portal (http: // search.... Com)” is assigned a reception frequency and URL, while in the case of a school, “School HP (URL is individually designated)”, “Education broadcasting (140 Mhz)”, ... Holds a second table to which reception frequencies and URLs such as “search portal with filtering function for children (http: // kids... Ne.jp)” are assigned.

  In addition, for example, when the content viewing device is sold at a store or after registration by a purchaser after sales, the device ID of the content viewing device is associated with the user attribute information indicating the user of the content viewing device. It also holds a table.

  When the device ID is received from the content viewing device via the Internet or the like, the channel server device refers to the first table and acquires the user attribute information “hospital” associated with the device ID. Next, the second table is searched using the user attribute information as a key, and the reception frequency and URL to be assigned to the channel menu are “hospital broadcast (reception frequency 100 MHz)”, “broadcast station A (120 Mhz)”,. , “Drug search portal (http: // search.... Com)” is acquired.

  Then, channel menu generation information for assigning the reception frequency and URL to a selected graphic (channel number icon or the like) constituting the channel menu is returned to the content viewing apparatus. Then, in the content viewing apparatus, according to the channel menu generation information, for example, “in-hospital broadcasting” is assigned to channel 0, “broadcasting station A” is assigned to channel 1,. For example, a process for generating a channel menu is executed.

    <Functional configuration>

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the channel control system of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the channel control system of the present embodiment includes a “content viewing device” (0200) and a “channel server device” (0210).

  Note that the functional blocks of the devices constituting the system described below can be realized as a combination of hardware and software. Specifically, if a computer is used, a CPU, a main memory, a bus, or a secondary storage device (a hard disk, a non-volatile memory, a storage medium such as a CD or a DVD, a read drive for the medium, etc.), information Input devices used for input, printing equipment, display devices, other hardware components such as external peripheral devices, interfaces for external peripheral devices, communication interfaces, driver programs for controlling these hardware, Other examples include application programs and user interface applications. Then, by CPU processing according to the program developed on the main memory, the data input from the input device or other interface and held in the memory or hard disk is processed and stored, An instruction for controlling the software is generated. Alternatively, the functional blocks of each device may be realized by dedicated hardware.

  The present invention can be realized not only as a system but also as a method. A part of the invention can be configured as software. Further, a software product used to cause a computer to execute such software and a recording medium on which the product is fixed are naturally included in the technical scope of the present invention (the same applies throughout the present specification). .

  First, the content viewing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. This content viewing apparatus is configured to be able to view both TV broadcast content and Internet content, and as shown in FIG. 2, “device ID holding unit” (0201), “device ID transmission unit” (0202), “Channel menu generation information receiving unit” (0203), “Channel menu generation unit” (0204), and “Selection receiving unit” (0205).

  The “device ID holding unit” (0201) has a function of holding a device ID for identifying itself, and can be realized by, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (hard disk drive), or other various storage media. The “device ID” may be any information as long as it can identify itself. For example, the manufacturer of the content viewing apparatus may divert the “apparatus ID” assigned for the production management, or the original “apparatus ID” newly assigned and managed for the system. I do not care.

  The “device ID transmission unit” (0202) has a function of transmitting the device ID held in the device ID holding unit to the channel server device. For example, a CPU, a main memory, a communication circuit, and a device ID transmission program Etc. can be realized. Further, as will be described later, this device ID may be transmitted, for example, at the time of “initial setting” immediately after turning on the power of the initialized content viewing device. It may be transmitted after setting.

  The “channel menu generation information receiving unit” (0203) is channel menu generation information that is returned according to the transmitted device ID, and receives channel menu generation information that assigns a television broadcast reception frequency and URL to the selected graphic. For example, it can be realized by a CPU, a main memory, a communication circuit, a channel menu generation information reception program, and the like. The “URL” is information for indicating the location of the Web source on the Internet, and examples thereof include an IP address and a URI (URL or URN).

  The “selected graphic” refers to a graphic displayed as a unit of selection items of the channel menu, and is distinguished by a number for specifying a channel for the content viewing apparatus when receiving a television broadcast or acquiring an Internet source, for example. Examples include channel number graphics, selection panels, and icon graphics. If the selected graphic is a channel number, the predetermined graphic is selected by selecting a number using a remote controller or the like. If the selected graphic is a selection panel or icon, the predetermined graphic is selected by a touch specifying operation or a cursor specifying operation. It is said that it is done.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of channel menu generation information. As shown in FIG. 3A, for example, as the channel menu generation information, a list of reception frequencies and URLs of television broadcasts to be assigned to the selected graphic identified by the channel number may be acquired. In that case, it is preferable to assign the reception frequency and URL to the number of available channels according to a predetermined rule or the like.

  Specifically, for example, a process of sequentially assigning all the reception frequencies and URLs acquired by the channel menu generation information from the number “1” of the selected graphic. Further, update allocation may be performed even if the number of the selected graphic is not free. Alternatively, when the upper limit of the number of channel numbers is determined in advance, a predetermined upper limit number of reception frequencies and URLs are extracted, and a process of randomly assigning the extracted reception frequencies and URLs to channel numbers may be used.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3B, channel menu generation information in which channel numbers, reception frequencies, and URLs are associated in advance may be acquired. In that case, an allocation process corresponding to the association is executed.

  Details of the calculation processing of the channel menu generation information returned in response to the device ID will be described later in the channel server device.

  The “channel menu generation unit” (0204) has a function of generating a channel menu according to the acquired channel menu generation information, and can be realized by, for example, a CPU, a main memory, a channel menu generation program, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the generated channel menu. As shown in FIG. 4 (a), a channel menu showing the names of contents corresponding to channel numbers and the like in a 4 × 2 matrix arrangement, and the channel numbers are arranged vertically or horizontally as shown in FIG. 4 (b). There is a channel menu that makes a one-line list.

  In addition, in the channel menu generation information, only the television broadcast reception frequency and URL are specified, and when it is not specified which graphic to associate with, it is used according to various predetermined rules as described above. A channel menu may be generated by assigning a reception frequency and a URL to possible channel numbers.

  The “selection accepting unit” (0205) has a function of accepting content selection using the generated channel menu. For example, a CPU, a main memory, a remote control, an operation panel (operation key) of the apparatus body, or a touch panel is touched. It can be realized by various operation input mechanisms such as an operation GUI, a selection receiving program, and the like.

  Specifically, for example, there is a configuration in which the channel menu having the 4 × 4 matrix arrangement is displayed on a single screen and received according to a cursor selection operation of the operation input mechanism. Alternatively, the channel menu listed in a row is displayed together with the video by OSD processing or the like, and the selection is accepted, or the channel menu is displayed in the upper and lower or left and right black frame areas inserted in the video data due to the difference in the aspect ratio of the video and the display. Examples include an embedded display and accepting the selection.

  Next, returning to FIG. 2, an example of a functional block of the “channel server device” (0210) will be described. As shown in this figure, the channel server device includes a “first table holding unit” (0211), a “first table management unit” (0212), a “second table holding unit” (0213), and a “device”. An “ID reception unit” (0214), a “channel menu generation information calculation unit” (0215), and a “channel menu generation information transmission unit” (0216).

  The “first table holding unit” (0211) has a function of holding a first table in which device IDs are associated with user attribute information. For example, flash memory, HDD (hard disk drive), and other various storage media Can be realized. “User attribute information” refers to information indicating the attribute of the transfer source or / and the transfer destination of the device identified by the device ID, for example, “general household”, “hospital”, “ Information indicating the attributes of users categorized at the facilities where content viewing devices are installed such as “School” and “Station”, and the occupations of users such as “Elementary school students”, “Junior and senior high school students”, “Doctors”, and “Housewives” For example, information indicating the attribute to be classified. Further, if the transferee and the transfer source have the same user attribute information, the user attribute information of the transfer source may be acquired, or a transfer source A sells a content viewing device specializing in “hospital”, for example. If so, the user attribute information of the transfer source may be associated with the device ID as “hospital”.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the first table held here. As shown in this figure, for example, user attribute information “hospital” is associated with the device IDs “QX-001S” to “QX-010S”, and user attribute information “general household” is associated with “QX-001A”. "Is associated.

  As for the generation of the first table, for example, when the user installs the content viewing apparatus, the user attribute information is registered on the initial setting screen, so that the apparatus ID and the user attribute are transmitted via the network. There is a configuration in which information is acquired and generated in association with information. In addition, the first table may be generated by using the device ID and user attribute information acquired by the same registration work at the time of sale at the store.

  The “first table management unit” (0212) has a function of managing the first table, and can be realized by, for example, a CPU, a main memory, a first table management program, and the like. Specific table management includes adding a new record in the table or updating or deleting an existing record.

  Specifically, for example, when the content viewing device is resold and the user is changed, the user attribute information and the device ID input again via the setting screen or the like are acquired, and the corresponding record in the first table is acquired accordingly. Management to update. Or when the corporate user at the installation location changes due to acquisition, etc., it is recommended that record update management be performed in the same way, and in addition to the corresponding information in the first table according to the acquisition of information indicating the disposal of the content viewing device Management to delete records may be performed.

  The first table management unit manages the device ID in association with, for example, several to several tens of types of user attribute information as described above, thereby receiving, for example, several tens to several hundreds of types of television broadcasts. It is possible to manage the association of frequency and URL to devices.

  The “second table holding unit” (0213) has a function of holding a second table in which user attribute information is associated with a television broadcast reception frequency and a URL, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (hard disk drive), It can be realized by other various storage media.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the second table held here. As shown in this figure, for example, if the user attribute information is “hospital”, “in-hospital broadcasting (reception frequency 100 MHz)”, “broadcasting station A (120 Mhz)”,..., “Drug search portal (http) : / Search ..... com) "is assigned. If the user attribute information is “school”, “school HP (URL is individually designated)”, “education broadcasting (140 Mhz)”,..., “Search portal with filtering function for children (http: // kids. ... Ne.jp) ”and the reception frequency and URL are assigned.

  Also for the second table, as in the first table, for example, a “second table management unit” for executing management such as deletion, update, and addition of records in the table is included in the channel server device of this embodiment. It may be provided. Specifically, when the “government office” classified by the new user attribute decides to participate in the service provided by the channel control system of the present embodiment, the “user attribute information: government office” and “the prime minister” New records associated with URLs and reception frequencies such as “Web page (http: //...souri.go.jp)”, “Broadcasting station A (120 MHz)”, etc. are added to the second table. It is managed.

  The “device ID receiving unit” (0214) has a function of receiving a device ID transmitted from the content viewing device, and can be realized by, for example, a CPU, a main memory, a communication circuit, and a device ID receiving program. .

  The “channel menu generation information calculation unit” (0215) has a function of calculating channel menu generation information based on the acquired device ID and the first table and the second table. For example, the CPU, main memory, channel menu It can be realized by a generation information calculation program or the like.

  Specifically, when “QX-001S” is received as the device ID, the user attribute information “hospital” associated with the device ID is acquired with reference to the first table shown in FIG. . Subsequently, the second table as shown in FIG. 6 is searched using the user attribute information “hospital” as a key, and “in-hospital broadcast (reception frequency 100 MHz)”, “broadcast” which are television broadcast reception frequencies to be allocated to the second table. Station A (120 Mhz) ”or“ drug search portal (http: // search.... Com) ”that is a URL is specified. Then, a control command for assigning these reception frequencies and URLs to the selected graphic is calculated as channel menu generation information. Also, for example, if the URL and reception frequency are the same even for the same user attribute information such as HP of hospital A, “blank (empty)” is acquired instead of the URL and reception frequency, and channel menu generation information is calculated. Also good. The “blank” is configured such that the content viewing apparatus can arbitrarily set the URL of its own (A hospital), for example.

  Further, at the time of calculating the channel menu generation information, an ID (for example, a channel number) of a selected graphic that is already assigned to the reception frequency or URL may be specified.

  The “channel menu generation information transmitting unit” (0216) has a function of transmitting the calculated channel menu generation information to the content viewing apparatus that is the transmission source of the previously received apparatus ID. For example, the CPU or the main memory , A communication circuit, and a channel menu generation information transmission program.

    <Specific system flow>

  Here, the channel control of the content viewing apparatus by the channel control system of the present embodiment will be described below with a more specific example. First, when a user acquires a content viewing device from a transfer source such as a store, access to the channel server device via the Internet is executed using, for example, the terminal of the store. Then, on the first table registration screen displayed on the store terminal by the access, the sold device ID and the user attribute information of the transferee are input and transmitted to the channel server device.

  Alternatively, after the purchase, when the user installs the content viewing device in the initialized state at the usage location and turns on the power, the content viewing device accesses the channel server device and an initial setting screen is displayed. The user attribute information of the recipient is input (the device ID is not an input, but the device ID held in its own internal memory may be read) and transmitted to the channel server device.

  Then, the channel server device acquires the device ID and user attribute information transmitted in this way, and records them in a storage device such as an HDD as a record of the first table. If a record having the same device ID as the received device ID already exists in the record of the first table, a management process for updating the associated user attribute information is executed.

  In addition, the channel server device holds the second table separately, so it accepts user attribute information and URL and TV broadcast reception frequency information associated therewith, and generates a record in the second table using the received information. To record. In addition, the first table and the second table may be managed by acquiring management information such as addition, update, and deletion of records and managing each table.

  Then, the channel server device receives the device ID transmitted by the initial setting of the content viewing device or the device ID transmitted separately by the subsequent execution of the channel automatic setting mode in the content viewing device, for example. User attribute information associated with the device ID is specified in the table. Then, the second table is searched using the specified user attribute information as a key, and the TV broadcast reception frequency and URL associated therewith are acquired.

  Subsequently, the channel server device calculates channel menu generation information using the acquired television broadcast reception frequency and URL. At this time, the channel server device may simply calculate a list of acquired television broadcast reception frequencies and URLs as channel menu generation information. In that case, the processing of which the selected graphic is assigned to the television broadcast reception frequency and URL is executed by the content viewing apparatus. Alternatively, the channel menu generation information may be calculated as information associating the channel menu generation information with a list of television broadcast reception frequencies and URLs and identification information of a selected graphic to which they are assigned.

  Then, the channel server device returns the channel menu generation information calculated as described above to the content viewing device that is the device ID transmission source via the Internet.

  Then, the content viewing apparatus uses the channel menu generation information transmitted in this way, and generates a channel menu in which the reception frequency and URL indicated by the information are assigned to the selected graphic. Specifically, in the channel menu generation information, when the reception frequency and URL and the ID of the selected graphic to be assigned are specified, the television broadcast reception frequency or URL specified for each selected graphic accordingly And create a channel menu that arranges them in a vertical or horizontal row or matrix.

  Alternatively, when there is no designation of assignment, for example, a process of assigning a reception frequency and URL having a high priority, which will be described later in the second embodiment, in a descending order of the identification number (channel number) of the selected graphic, etc. is performed. Is generated.

  Then, the channel menu generated in this way is displayed on the display of the content viewing apparatus. For example, if the selected graphic is a channel number, the content assigned to the selected graphic selected according to the numeric button designation on the remote control, etc. For example, the URL is acquired by Internet access, and the reception frequency is acquired by tuner reception frequency control.

    <Hardware configuration>

  FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the content viewing device and the channel server device when the above functional components are realized as hardware. First, the operation of each hardware component in the channel menu generation process in the content viewing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in this figure, the content viewing apparatus is a channel menu generation unit, and includes a “CPU” (0701) and a “main memory” (0702) for executing various other arithmetic processes. Yes. Also, “flash memory” (0703) which is a device ID holding unit, “communication circuit” (0704) which is a device ID transmission unit and channel menu generation information receiving unit, “input device” (0705) which is a selection receiving unit, Further, a “display” (0706), a “TV tuner” (0707), and the like are provided.

  Here, the content viewing apparatus is purchased (assigned) to the user's hospital and installed in the hospital. At this time, for example, when the power is turned on for the first time after installation, an initial setting program (not shown) is interpreted by the “CPU”, and the setting screen is displayed on the “display” accordingly.

  Then, a hospital person who is a user performs an operation input via the “input device”, for example, selects “installation location: hospital” from the pull-down menu and presses the transmission button. Then, the “CPU” interprets an initial setting transmission program (not shown), and associates its own device ID held in the “flash memory” with the input hospital (user attribute information) in accordance with it, and from the “communication circuit”. Transmit to the channel server device. Then, using this information, as will be described later, the channel server apparatus constructs and holds the first table.

  After that, the CPU automatically interprets the device ID transmission program in accordance with an operation instruction via a predetermined timing or automatically through the “input device”, and accordingly, the device ID held in the “flash memory” is changed to “communication”. Circuit "to the channel server device. Based on the transmitted device ID, channel menu generation information calculated by the channel server device is returned to the content viewing device as described later with reference to FIG. Then, the CPU of the content viewing apparatus interprets the channel menu generation information reception program, and stores the channel menu generation information received via the “communication circuit” in the “main memory” according to the interpretation result.

  Subsequently, the “CPU” interprets the channel menu generation program and refers to the channel menu generation information stored in the “main memory” accordingly. Then, when the correspondence between the selected graphic such as the channel number and the reception frequency or URL is specified in the channel menu generation information, a channel menu in which the selected graphic is associated with the reception frequency or URL is generated accordingly. When only the reception frequency and URL to be assigned are indicated in the channel menu generation information, for example, the channel menu may be generated by performing the process of sequentially assigning from the selected graphic number (channel number) “1”. Alternatively, when the upper limit of the number of selected graphics to be assigned is determined in advance, a predetermined upper limit number of reception frequencies and URLs are extracted at random, and the channel menu is assigned to the extracted reception frequencies and URLs randomly assigned to channel numbers. It may be generated.

  The channel menu generated in this way is displayed on the “display” when content is selected, and access to the content corresponding to the selected graphic selected from the channel menu is performed by a processing operation in accordance with the selection reception program of the CPU. For example, a “TV tuner” tuning process or an “Internet access process via a“ communication circuit ”” is executed.

  Next, the operation of each hardware component in the calculation and transmission processing of channel menu generation information in the channel server device will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in this figure, the channel server device is a channel menu generation information calculation unit and a first table management unit, and also includes a “CPU” (0811) for executing various other arithmetic processes, and a “main memory”. (0812). Further, it includes “HDD” (0813) which is the first table holding unit and second table holding unit, “communication circuit” (0814) which is the device ID receiving unit and channel menu generation information transmitting unit, and the like.

  Here, the registration process of the 2nd table which linked | related user attribute information, a television broadcast receiving frequency, and URL first is performed. This may be a form in which data of each item is input by an operation input of an “input device” (not shown), and the second table is constructed and held in “HDD”. Alternatively, the second table may be constructed and held using information registered from each content viewing apparatus via the “communication circuit”.

  In addition, the construction of the first table in which the device ID and the user attribute are associated is executed using the device ID and the user attribute information transmitted as the setting information of the content viewing device as described above, and “ It may be recorded on the “HDD”. In addition, when a command such as addition, update, or deletion of information is received via the “communication circuit” for the first table, the “CPU” interprets the first table management program, Various processes are performed on records in one table.

  After that, when the device ID transmitted from the content viewing device is received via the “communication circuit”, the CPU interprets the device ID reception program and stores the received device ID in the “main memory” accordingly. Subsequently, the “CPU” interprets the channel menu generation information calculation program, and first executes search processing of the first table held in “HDD” using the device ID as a key. Then, user attribute information associated with the device ID hit in the search is acquired and stored in the “main memory”. Next, using the user attribute information as a key, this time, the second table held in “HDD” is searched by the arithmetic processing of “CPU”, and the television broadcast associated with the user attribute information is executed. Get the reception frequency and URL. At this time, the CPU may execute processing for determining the ID (channel number or the like) of the selected graphic to which the acquired television broadcast reception frequency and URL are to be assigned according to a predetermined rule.

  Then, the “CPU” interprets the channel menu generation information transmission program, and accordingly, the content viewing apparatus that is the transmission source of the apparatus ID via the “communication circuit” using the acquired television broadcast reception frequency and URL as channel menu generation information. It is said that it transmits to.

    <Process flow>

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the channel control system of the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care.

  As shown in this figure, first, in the channel server device, the device ID is associated with the user attribute information that is the attribute of the transfer source or / and the transfer destination of the device identified by the device ID. Is constructed and held in a storage device such as an HDD (step S0911). In addition, a second table in which user attribute information is associated with a television broadcast reception frequency and URL is also constructed and held in a storage device such as an HDD (step S0912). Although not shown, the first table may be managed from an external device or the like according to management information such as addition, deletion, or update of records in the table. Further, there may be a step that is similarly managed for the second table.

  After that, when the content viewing apparatus transmits a device ID stored in advance in the internal storage device (step S0901) and is received by the channel server device (step S0913), the channel server device acquires the acquired device ID. Then, the channel menu generation information is calculated based on the first table and the second table (step S0914). Then, the calculated channel menu generation information is transmitted to the content viewing apparatus (step S0915).

  The content viewing apparatus receives the channel menu generation information returned in step S0915 according to the apparatus ID transmitted in step S0901 (step S0902), and generates a channel menu in accordance with the received channel menu generation information (step S0902). Step S0903). Then, selection of content is accepted using the generated channel menu (step S0904), and access processing (TV tuner tuning processing and Internet access processing) to the selected content is executed.

    <Simple explanation of effect>

  According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, in response to user attribute information, for example, a content viewing apparatus installed in a hospital or the like, an in-hospital broadcast, a guidance Web page, or the like is provided according to the user attribute. Can be assigned to a selected graphic such as a channel number.

  In addition, the first table management unit manages the device ID in association with, for example, several to several tens of types of user attribute information, so that, for example, several tens to several hundreds of types of TV broadcast reception frequencies and URLs can be obtained. Since it is possible to manage the association with the apparatus, it is possible to save the trouble of management when assigning these as channel menus.

<< Example 2 >>
<Overview>

  The present embodiment is a channel control system characterized in that the priority order of allocation of the selected graphic is further determined for the television reception frequency and URL in the second table on the basis of the above embodiment.

  Specifically, for example, in the URL in which user attribute information is associated with “hospital” in the second table, “medicine search portal α” provided by company α and another company β provide There is “Drug Search Portal β”. At this time, for example, the company α and a service provider using the channel control system of the present embodiment have signed a contract to preferentially assign the drug search portal α to the channel menu. Therefore, in this channel control system, the drug search portal α is given higher priority than the drug search portal β, and the second table is constructed.

  Thereby, for the content viewing device with the device ID whose user attribute information is associated with “hospital”, the channel menu in which the URL of the drug search portal α is preferentially assigned to the selected graphic over the drug search portal β. That is, the generation information is calculated.

    <Functional configuration>

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the channel control system of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the channel control system of the present embodiment is composed of a “content viewing device” (1000) and a “channel server device” (1010) based on the first embodiment. Since the configuration requirements of the content viewing apparatus are the same as those in the first embodiment, illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the channel server device includes a “first table holding unit” (1011), a “first table management unit” (1012), and a “second table holding unit” (1013). , “Apparatus ID reception unit” (1014), “channel menu generation information calculation unit” (1015), and “channel menu generation information transmission unit” (1016). Moreover, you may have the "2nd table management part" which is not illustrated.

  Since these structural requirements have already been described in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

  The channel server apparatus according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the second table holding unit further includes “priority-equipped second table holding means” (1017).

  “Priority-added second table holding means” (1017) is a function for holding a priority-added second table that is a table in which priority order information is further associated with the TV broadcast reception frequency and URL associated with the user attribute information. Have

  The “priority information” refers to information for determining the priority of allocation of the television broadcast reception frequency and URL to the selected graphic. For example, when the number of selection graphics to be allocated is limited, other television broadcast reception is possible. A ranking for preferential assignment in comparison with frequency and URL is given. Specifically, if there are 10 selected graphics, the receiving frequencies and URLs with the priority ranks from 1 to 10 are preferentially assigned, and the receiving frequencies and URLs with the priority rank of 11 are not assigned. It is.

  In addition, in the channel menu, URLs and reception frequencies with high priority are given to the selection graphics at the top of the list and matrix (the part that the user first sees) and selection graphics with a lower channel number. May be assigned. Specifically, for example, priorities are set so that the first one that the user sees first becomes higher for each selected graphic, and the selected graphics are assigned so that the priorities of the two match. Thereby, for example, it is possible to construct a business model such as selling a right (URL or priority of received frequency) to be assigned to a selected graphic above the channel menu.

    <Process flow>

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the channel control system of the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care.

  As shown in this figure, first, in the channel server device, the device ID is associated with the user attribute information that is the attribute of the transfer source or / and the transfer destination of the device identified by the device ID. Is constructed and held in a storage device such as an HDD (step S1111). In addition, a second table with priorities in which user attribute information, television broadcast reception frequency and URL are associated with priorities is also constructed and held in a storage device such as an HDD (step S1112). Although not shown, the first table may be managed from an external device or the like according to management information such as addition, deletion, or update of records in the table. Further, there may be a step that is similarly managed for the second table.

  After that, when the content viewing apparatus transmits a device ID previously stored in the internal storage device (step S1101) and is received by the channel server device (step S1113), the channel server device acquires the acquired device ID. Then, based on the first table and the second table, channel menu generation information is calculated such that the URL and the legal transmission / reception frequency are assigned to the selected graphic in descending order of priority (step S1114). Then, the calculated channel menu generation information is transmitted to the content viewing apparatus (step S1115).

  Then, when the content viewing apparatus receives the channel menu generation information returned in step S1115 according to the apparatus ID transmitted in step S1101 (step S1102), the content viewing apparatus generates a channel menu according to the received channel menu generation information ( Step S1103). Then, using the generated channel menu, content selection is accepted (step S1104), and access processing (TV tuner tuning processing and Internet access processing) to the selected content is executed.

    <Simple explanation of effect>

  As described above, according to the channel control system of the present embodiment, it is possible to assign the channel menu to the selected graphic in accordance with the television broadcast reception frequency and the URL priority order. Thereby, for example, it is possible to construct a business model such as selling a right (URL or priority of received frequency) to be assigned to a selected graphic above the channel menu.

0200 Content Viewing Device 0201 Device ID Holding Unit 0202 Device ID Transmitting Unit 0203 Channel Menu Generation Information Receiving Unit 0204 Channel Menu Generation Unit 0205 Selection Accepting Unit 0210 Channel Server Device 0211 First Table Holding Unit 0212 First Table Management Unit 0213 Second Table Holding unit 0214 Device ID reception unit 0215 Channel menu generation information calculation unit 0216 Channel menu generation information transmission unit

Claims (5)

A channel control system comprising a content viewing device capable of viewing both TV broadcast content and Internet content, and a channel server device,
The content viewing device
A device ID holding unit that holds a device ID for identifying itself;
A device ID transmission unit that transmits the device ID held in the device ID holding unit to the channel server device;
Channel menu generation information that is returned in response to the transmitted device ID, and that receives channel menu generation information that assigns a television broadcast reception frequency and URL to the selected graphic;
A channel menu generation unit for generating a channel menu according to the received channel menu generation information;
A selection accepting unit that accepts content selection using the generated channel menu,
Channel server device
A first table holding unit that holds a first table that associates a device ID with user attribute information that is an attribute of a transfer source or / and a transfer destination of a device identified by the device ID;
A first table management unit for managing the first table;
A second table holding unit for holding a second table in which user attribute information is associated with a television broadcast reception frequency and a URL;
A device ID receiving unit for receiving a device ID transmitted from the content viewing device;
A channel menu generation information calculation unit that calculates the channel menu generation information based on the acquired device ID and the first table and the second table;
A channel control system comprising: a channel menu generation information transmission unit that transmits the calculated channel menu generation information to the content viewing device.   The channel control system according to claim 1, wherein the channel server device includes a second table management unit that manages the second table.   The second table holding unit of the channel server apparatus is a table with a priority order that is a table in which priority information for determining a priority order of allocation to the selected graphic is further associated with the television broadcast reception frequency and URL associated with the user attribute information. 3. The channel control system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second table holding means with priority order for holding two tables. An operation method of a channel control system comprising a content viewing device capable of viewing both TV broadcast content and Internet content, and a channel server device,
In a content viewing apparatus having a device ID holding unit that holds a device ID for identifying itself,
A device ID transmission step of transmitting the device ID held in the device ID holding unit to the channel server device;
A channel menu generation information receiving step for receiving channel menu generation information which is returned in response to the transmitted device ID and which assigns a television broadcast reception frequency and URL to the selected graphic;
A channel menu generation step for generating a channel menu according to the received channel menu generation information;
A selection reception step of receiving a selection of content using the generated channel menu, and executing by a calculation process of the computer,
In the channel server device,
A first table that builds a first table that associates a device ID with user attribute information that is an attribute of a transfer source or / and a transfer destination of a device identified by the device ID, and records the first table in the first table holding unit Recording step;
A first table management step for managing the first table;
A second table recording step of constructing a second table in which user attribute information is associated with a television broadcast reception frequency and a URL and recording the second table in a second table holding unit;
A device ID receiving step of receiving a device ID transmitted from the content viewing device;
A channel menu generation information calculation step for calculating the channel menu generation information based on the acquired device ID and the first table and the second table;
A channel menu generation information transmission step of transmitting the calculated channel menu generation information to the content viewing apparatus, and an operation method for executing the calculation process by a computer. A program for operating a channel control system comprising a content viewing device capable of viewing both TV broadcast content and Internet content, and a channel server device,
In a content viewing apparatus having a device ID holding unit that holds a device ID for identifying itself,
A device ID transmission step of transmitting the device ID held in the device ID holding unit to the channel server device;
A channel menu generation information receiving step for receiving channel menu generation information which is returned in response to the transmitted device ID and which assigns a television broadcast reception frequency and URL to the selected graphic;
A channel menu generation step for generating a channel menu according to the received channel menu generation information;
A selection accepting step for accepting a selection of content using the generated channel menu, and executing the calculation process by a computer;
In the channel server device,
A first table that builds a first table that associates a device ID with user attribute information that is an attribute of a transfer source or / and a transfer destination of a device identified by the device ID, and records the first table in the first table holding unit Recording step;
A first table management step for managing the first table;
A second table recording step of constructing a second table in which user attribute information is associated with a television broadcast reception frequency and a URL and recording the second table in a second table holding unit;
A device ID receiving step of receiving a device ID transmitted from the content viewing device;
A channel menu generation information calculation step for calculating the channel menu generation information based on the acquired device ID and the first table and the second table;
A program for executing a channel menu generation information transmission step of transmitting the calculated channel menu generation information to a content viewing apparatus by a calculation process of a computer.

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