JP2001218188A - Broadcasting program guide device and electronic program guide system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a broadcasting program guide device which is inexpensively realized and easily installed as the terminal equipment of an EPG system for distributing program information through the use of a network. SOLUTION: This device is constituted as an STB (set top box) to be placed on the top of a TV receiver (TV) and is internally provided with an IR reception unit 12 for receiving an operation command from a remote control unit, an IR originating unit 14 for transmitting a reception a video-recording command to a TV or VTR, a picture output circuit 16 for generating a program guiding display signal and outputting it to a TV (or VTR) and a PHS unit 18 to be connected to a server on the Internet via a PHS communication network, etc. The STB obtains EPG data from an FPG server via a PHS communication network, displays an EPG picture on a TV and automatically receives or records a specified program by a TV or VTR when a user inputs the reception or video-recording command of a specified program on the screen.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for guiding a user to program information of various broadcast programs obtained from the outside, and receiving / receiving a specific broadcast program selected by the user from the various broadcast programs thus guided. The present invention relates to a broadcast program guide device automatically received or recorded by a recording device, and an electronic program guide system using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, broadcast contents, broadcast time (broadcast date / time, broadcast start / end time, etc.), broadcast channels, etc. of various broadcast programs transmitted by a broadcast station are provided to a receiver of a television broadcast or a radio broadcast. 2. Description of the Related Art As one of electronic program guide (EPG) systems for distributing represented program information, there is known an electronic program guide (EPG) system for distributing program information to an Internet terminal on a receiver side using the Internet.

A terminal device used in this type of EPG system allows a user to designate a desired broadcast program based on the acquired program information and automatically receive and record the designated broadcast program. It has also been suggested to do so.

[0004]

However, when a user selects a specific broadcast program from program information obtained using the Internet, a conventional Internet program that can automatically receive and record a desired broadcast program is provided. The terminal is equipped with a modem for data communication, a tuner for receiving broadcast programs, a large-capacity storage medium for recording broadcast programs (hard disk, DVD-RAM, etc.), and incorporates software (program) for guiding broadcast programs. A high-performance personal computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a personal computer)
A broadcast receiving device generally used as a broadcast signal receiving / recording device could not even receive program information from the EPG system.

[0005] Broadcast receivers include various radio broadcast waves, cable broadcast signals, television terrestrial waves, BS satellite radio waves, C
A tuner that receives S satellite radio waves or the like, or a television receiver, a recording device (such as a tape recorder), a recording device (such as a video cassette recorder (VTR),
DVD recorder).

On the other hand, even in such a general broadcast receiving device (reception / recording device), the user can set (reserve) reception or recording of a desired broadcast program by receiving distribution of program information from the EPG system. To make it an EPG
A dedicated broadcast program guide device that can acquire program information from the system and guide it to the user may be used, or the broadcast program guide device may be built in the receiving / recording device. In this case, since the broadcast program guide device itself does not need to have a function as a receiving / recording device, it can be realized at a lower cost than when a personal computer is used.

However, in order to obtain program information from a program information distribution device (so-called server) serving as a host of an EPG system in such a broadcast program guide device, a broadcast program guide device and a program information distribution device are installed. It is necessary to connect to a network such as the Internet. And
For this purpose, a modular jack for telephone line connection and a modem for data communication are incorporated into the broadcast program guide device.
This modular jack must be connected to a telephone line connected to the public telephone network.

For this reason, even if the above-mentioned broadcast program guide device or a receiving / recording device incorporating the same is put into practical use, it is necessary to wire a telephone line to the installation location in order to actually use it. There is a problem that the installation work is troublesome. If the installation work is troublesome, the spread of such devices is not promoted, and the utilization rate of the EPG system using a network such as the Internet is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and can be realized at a lower cost as a terminal device of an EPG system for distributing program information using a network, compared with the case of using a personal computer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a broadcast program guide device which can be easily installed without laying out a telephone line for use, and further promote use of an EPG system.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, in the broadcast program guide apparatus according to the first aspect, the program information acquiring means is provided on a network connectable via a telephone line. From the program information distribution apparatus of (1), program information for guiding various broadcast programs is acquired. Then, the display control means, based on the program information,
By generating a display signal for displaying a guide image indicating broadcast contents, a broadcast channel, and a broadcast time of a plurality of broadcast programs, and outputting the generated signal to the display device, the display device displays the guide image.

Further, the broadcast program guide device of the present invention is provided with broadcast program input means for a user to designate a desired broadcast program in accordance with a guide image displayed on the display device by the operation of the display control means. When the user specifies a desired broadcast program through the broadcast program input means,
The command signal generating means generates a command signal for receiving or recording the broadcast program in an external receiving / recording device.

Therefore, according to the broadcast program guide apparatus of the present invention (claim 1), by arranging a command signal to be input to an existing receiving / recording apparatus such as a television receiver, a VTR, etc. The receiving / recording device can receive or record a desired broadcast program.

The broadcast program guide device of the present invention has a built-in or connected radio telephone, and the program information obtaining means includes:
By connecting a communication line with the program information distribution device via the wireless telephone, program information is acquired from the program information distribution device. For this reason, when installing the broadcast program guide device of the present invention (claim 1), it is necessary to connect the communication line between the program information distribution device on the network and the program information acquisition means to the public telephone network. There is no need to route the connected telephone line to connect to the device, and installation work can be performed easily.

Therefore, according to the broadcast program guide device of the present invention (claim 1), the user can easily use the program information distributed by the program information distribution device without using a personal computer or the like. Utilizing the program information, an existing receiving / recording device can receive or record a desired broadcast program. For this reason, the broadcast program guide device of the present invention becomes an extremely convenient device for users who watch various broadcast programs, and further promotes the spread of EPG systems that distribute program information using a network. Can be.

Here, the display device for displaying the guide image of the broadcast program by the display control means may be incorporated in the broadcast program guide device itself, or may be a television receiver with a built-in tuner, a monitor television dedicated to display, or the like. An external display device may be used.

As a receiving / recording apparatus for receiving or recording a broadcast program designated by a user, as described above, a tuner for receiving various broadcast signals transmitted wirelessly or by wire, or a tuner, TV receivers, sound recorders, recorders, and the like that include a built-in can be used as long as it is a generally used broadcast receiver.
When displaying a guide image of program information on an external display device, a display control unit outputs a display signal to these broadcast receiving devices, and causes the display device to display the guide image via the broadcast receiving device. You may do so.

When the guide image of the program information is displayed on an external display device, the display control means may display the display screen of the display device on the basis of the currently displayed image in addition to the display signal for displaying the guide image. Preferably, a switching signal for switching to an image is transmitted. That is, since a television receiver or a monitor television usually displays a broadcast program received by a built-in or connected tuner, it is necessary to display a guide image of program information on such an external display device. In addition, it is necessary to switch a display signal (in other words, a video signal) used by the display device for displaying an image to a display signal output by the display control unit. This switching may be performed by the user. However, if the display control means is configured as described above, the broadcast program guide device itself can be provided with a display screen switching function. The usability of the device can be further improved.

On the other hand, the radiotelephone used by the program information acquisition means to acquire the program information from the program information distribution device may be built in the broadcast program guide device itself, and can be used as an independent telephone terminal. An external wireless telephone device may be used. In addition, as this wireless telephone device, a so-called mobile telephone, a telephone for PHS (Personal Handy Phone System), a cordless telephone slave, and the like can be cited.

There is no particular problem when the radio telephone is incorporated in the broadcast program guide device. However, when an external radio telephone device is used as the radio telephone, the broadcast program guide device and the radio telephone device are connected. It is necessary to connect, and the problem that the connection work becomes troublesome arises. Therefore, when configuring a broadcast program guide device to acquire program information from a program information distribution device using an external wireless telephone device,
In order to easily connect to the wireless telephone device, the broadcast program guide device may be configured as described in claim 2.

That is, the broadcast program guide device according to the second aspect of the present invention is provided with a charging base having a mounting portion for mounting an external wireless telephone device, and the charging base is mounted on the mounting portion. Communication means for performing communication with the set wireless telephone device via a signal line, and charging means for charging a built-in battery of the wireless telephone device mounted on the mounting portion. Have been. According to this device, an external wireless telephone device can be used as a wireless telephone simply by placing the wireless telephone device on the charging stand. Therefore, the connection between the broadcast program guide device and the wireless telephone device is extremely reduced. Easy to do.

Next, as a broadcast program input means used by a user to designate a broadcast program to be received or recorded by an external receiving / recording device, an operation switch provided on the main body of the broadcast program guide device is used. Etc., but in this case, when the user specifies a broadcast program,
It is necessary to move to the broadcast program guide device and perform the switch operation, which is inconvenient.

Therefore, in order to further improve the operability of the broadcast program guide device, the broadcast program input means may be provided by a remote control which is formed separately from the broadcast program guide device body. It may be configured by a device (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a remote control device). That is, in this way, when specifying a broadcast program, the user can specify a desired broadcast program without moving to the broadcast program guide device, thereby improving the operability of the broadcast program guide device. it can.

This remote control device may be a wired type that draws out a signal line from the device body and transmits a command signal via this signal line.
It is desirable to use a wireless type (specifically, an infrared type) generally used for operating the R and the like. The remote control device has not only a function of designating a broadcast program by a user, but also, for example, inputting a program information acquisition command to a program information acquisition unit, and displaying on a display device by an operation of a display control unit. The operability of the broadcast program guide device can be further improved by providing a function of inputting a command to switch the displayed content of the guide image.

Next, the command signal generating means may be configured to transmit the command signal for receiving / recording setting to an external receiving / recording device by wire. If the recording device is not provided with a terminal for inputting a command signal, the command signal cannot be transmitted to set reception or recording of a desired broadcast program. Further, even if the receiving / recording device is provided with a terminal for inputting a command signal, in order to transmit the command signal by wire, the device must be connected to an external receiving / recording device by a signal line. Installation work is troublesome.

Therefore, regardless of the presence or absence of a terminal for command signal input, a command signal is transmitted to various receiving / recording devices,
In order to be able to set the reception or recording of the desired broadcast program, and to eliminate the wiring work at the time of installation, the command signal generation means
It is preferable to configure as described in claim 4.

That is, at present, most of the receiving / recording devices such as television receivers and VTRs respond to radio signals transmitted by modulating light or electromagnetic waves (generally, infrared light) from a dedicated remote control device. , A broadcast program reception or recording operation can be set.

For this reason, in the broadcast program guide device according to the fourth aspect, the command signal generating means is configured to transmit a radio signal capable of setting the receiving or recording operation of the receiving / recording device as the command signal. Most of the existing receiving / recording apparatuses can receive or record a desired broadcast program.

Therefore, according to the broadcast program guide device of the fourth aspect, in order to transmit a command signal for receiving or recording to an external receiving / recording device, it is connected to the receiving / recording device by a signal line. And the installation work of the device can be simplified, and the television receiver, VTR
For example, a command signal can be transmitted to most of the existing receiving / recording devices, and compared to a case where the command signal is transmitted by wire,
The range of use of the device can be expanded.

In this case, the receiving / recording device such as a television receiver or a VTR has a different operation code for each manufacturer or model. Therefore, the command signal generating means modulates light or electromagnetic waves to generate the command signal. It is necessary to make the operation code used to generate the program correspond to a receiving / recording device that receives or records program information.

For this purpose, for example, an operation code used by the command signal generation means is registered in advance for each manufacturer or model, and the user can use the reception / recording method used for receiving or recording a broadcast program. The operation code used by the command signal generation means can be determined by designating the recording device from the outside, or the operation code distribution for distributing the operation code for each manufacturer or model on a network The apparatus may be installed, and the broadcast program guide apparatus may be configured to acquire a necessary operation code from the distribution apparatus in accordance with a command from a user.

The operation of the command signal generating means is as follows.
The receiving / recording device specifies a broadcast channel and a broadcast time (broadcast date / time, broadcast start / end time, etc.) of a broadcast program to be received or recorded, for example, like a VTR capable of making a recording reservation of a broadcast program. In the case where a reservation function for automatically starting reception or recording of a designated broadcast program is provided, it may be set so as to generate a command signal for the reservation.

Further, the receiving / recording device may be, for example, a power-off / power-off device such as a general television receiver or a tape recorder.
In the case of a device (a device having no reservation function) that can only switch the connection and the reception channel (or in addition to this, start / stop recording / recording), the operation of the command signal generating means includes an internal timer. The broadcast time of the designated broadcast program is monitored by using the above-described method, and immediately before the broadcast start time, the power of the receiving / recording device is turned on and the receiving channel is set (or, in addition to this, recording / recording is performed). A command signal for starting (starting), and thereafter, when the broadcast end time is reached, generating a command signal for shutting off the power of the receiving / recording device (or additionally stopping recording / recording).
Thus, it is sufficient to set so as to sequentially output command signals necessary for automatic operation while monitoring the broadcast time of the commanded broadcast program.

On the other hand, the broadcast program guide device of the present invention may be configured as a single broadcast program guide device by being incorporated in a dedicated housing. It may be realized as one function of the receiving / recording device by being incorporated in a receiving / recording device such as a device or a VTR.

In such a configuration, the command signal generating means uses the wiring in the receiving / recording device incorporating the device and uses the receiving circuit of the receiving / recording device or the recording / recording device. Since the command signal can be transmitted directly to the functional circuit, it is not necessary to generate a radio signal. In this case, the remote control device for operating the receiving / recording device can have a function for the user to input an operation signal to the broadcast program guide device, such as a broadcast program input unit.

Also, the broadcast program guide device of the present invention can be realized as one function of a wireless telephone device by being incorporated in a wireless telephone device such as a portable telephone, a PHS telephone, or a cordless telephone handset. it can. In this case, the user can carry the broadcast program guide device of the present invention, so that a plurality of receiving / recording devices installed in different places or rooms such as a home, a work place, and an automobile can be used. Can be operated using a single broadcast program guide device.

As described above, when the broadcast program guide device of the present invention is incorporated in a wireless telephone device, a display device for displaying an image by a display control means may be a liquid crystal panel or the like provided in the wireless telephone device. The display unit may be used. As described above, according to the broadcast program guide apparatus according to the first to fifth aspects, the workability at the time of installation, the operability is improved, the use range is expanded, and the broadcast program guide is provided for the user. The device can be easily used, and the EPG system using the network can be widely spread.

As described above, in order to increase the utilization rate of the EPG system, in addition to providing a broadcast program guide device which is easy for the user to introduce, the quality of the program information to be provided is improved, and It is also necessary to set the usage fee free or inexpensively. For this purpose, the broadcast program guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 may be further modified as described in claim 6, claim 7, or claim 9.

First, in the broadcast program guide device according to the present invention, in addition to the above-described various configurations, a communication line is further connected to an advertisement information distribution device on a network via a wireless telephone. An advertisement information acquisition unit for acquiring advertisement information from the advertisement information distribution device, wherein the display control unit independently outputs the advertisement image corresponding to the advertisement information acquired by the advertisement information acquisition unit for a predetermined time after the activation of the device. And a display signal for displaying the guide image alone or together with the advertisement image is generated and output to the display device.

That is, conventionally, in an EPG system using a network such as the Internet, in order to provide program information at low cost, program information is created and distributed by receiving funding from a sponsor, and further, a return to the sponsor is provided. As the advertisement information of the sponsor is transmitted from the advertisement information distribution device to the network terminal receiving the program information, and when the guide image of the program information is displayed on the network terminal side, the advertisement image corresponding to the advertisement information is displayed. It is displayed at the same time.

However, in such an advertisement display, a user who is not interested in the advertisement sees only the program information and ignores the advertisement. As a result, the administrator of the EPG system
Unable to receive large amounts of funding from sponsors,
As a result, the quality of the distributed program information is reduced.

Therefore, in the broadcast program guide device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by configuring as described above, only the advertisement image is displayed on the display device for a predetermined time after the start-up of the device, and the user can display the advertisement program. Increase the probability of seeing (reading) the image,
This makes it easier for the PG system manager to obtain funding from the sponsor, thereby improving the quality of the distributed program information and, in turn, increasing the utilization of the EPG system.

It is to be noted that the display of the advertisement image alone may not be performed only once after the activation of the device, but may be performed, for example, every time the user switches the display of the guide image, or at every predetermined time. May be performed periodically. Next, the broadcast program guide device according to claim 7 connects a communication line with an advertisement information distribution device on a network via a wireless telephone, and acquires advertisement information from the advertisement information distribution device. Acquisition means, program type input means for the user to specify a program type corresponding to the broadcast content of the broadcast program to be received or recorded by the receiving / recording device, and user specified via the program type input means Advertisement type identification means for identifying an advertisement type preferred by the user based on the program type.

When the user designates a program type via the program type input means, the program information obtaining means sends a program information request signal to which the program type is assigned to the program information distribution device via the wireless telephone. By transmitting, program information corresponding to the program type specified by the user is acquired from the program information distribution device. Further, when the advertisement type is specified by the advertisement type specifying unit, the advertisement information obtaining unit transmits an advertisement information request signal to which the advertisement type is assigned to the advertisement information distribution device via a wireless telephone, thereby obtaining the advertisement information. The advertisement information corresponding to the advertisement type is acquired from the distribution device. Then, the display control unit generates a display signal for displaying an advertisement image corresponding to the advertisement information acquired by the advertisement information acquisition unit simultaneously or independently with the guide image, and outputs the display signal to the display device. In addition, the advertisement image is displayed in addition to the guide image of the program information.

That is, conventionally, in an EPG system using a network, a broadcast program to be guided is, for example,
If the broadcast content is classified into categories (categories) such as sports, quizzes, dramas, documentaries, news, etc., and the type of program information desired to be viewed from the network terminal side is specified, the program information distribution device corresponds to the type. It has been considered to transmit program information of a broadcast program that has been transmitted. And in such an EPG system,
From the type of program information specified by the user, for example, the user's hobby
Can identify preferences.

Therefore, the broadcast program guide device according to the present invention determines the user's hobbies and preferences based on the program type specified by the user when acquiring the program information from the program information distribution device. When identifying the type of advertisement preferred by the user and acquiring the advertisement information from the advertisement information distribution device,
The advertisement information corresponding to the specified advertisement type is acquired.

Therefore, according to the broadcast program guide device of the present invention, when the display control means displays the advertisement image on the display device simultaneously or independently with the guide image, the advertisement image is of interest to the user. The advertisement image can be provided with Therefore, also in the broadcast program guide device of the present invention,
Similarly to the apparatus according to the sixth aspect, it is possible to increase the probability that the user views the advertisement image, and furthermore, increase the utilization rate of the EPG system.

However, in order to enable the broadcast program guide device according to claim 7 to be used as a network terminal,
The EPG system needs to be constructed as described in claim 8. That is, an electronic program guide system (EPG system) according to claim 8 is a program information distribution device and an advertisement information distribution device provided on a network connectable via a telephone line, and a telephone line from each of these distribution devices. And a plurality of subscriber-side terminal devices (network terminals) that acquire program information and advertisement information via the Internet.

When the program information distribution device receives a program information request signal from the broadcast program guide device according to claim 7, which is one of the network terminals, whether the information indicating the program type is added to the request signal. It is determined whether or not the information indicating the program type is not provided, and the general program information set in advance is transmitted to the broadcast program guide device. If the information indicating the program type is provided, The program information corresponding to the program type is transmitted to the broadcast program guide device.

Further, when the advertisement information distribution device receives an advertisement information request signal from the broadcast program guide device according to claim 7, which is one of the network terminals, whether the information indicating the advertisement type is added to the request signal It is determined whether or not the information indicating the advertisement type is not provided, and the general advertisement information set in advance is transmitted to the broadcast program guide device. If the information indicating the advertisement type is provided, the advertisement is transmitted. The advertisement information corresponding to the type is transmitted to the broadcast program guide device.

Therefore, in the electronic program guide system according to the eighth aspect, the user can use the broadcast program guide device according to the seventh aspect as a network terminal.
You will be able to see advertisements that match your hobbies and preferences, and you will be able to give satisfaction not only to sponsors who provide advertisements but also to users.
It can contribute to the spread of the G system.

On the other hand, when the advertisement image is displayed alone or together with the guide image as described above, it may be uncomfortable for a user who does not want to see the advertisement. Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, the broadcast program guide device may be configured as described in claim 9.

That is, the broadcast program guide device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention provides, via the wireless telephone,
An advertisement information acquiring unit that connects a communication line with the advertisement information distribution device on the network and acquires the advertisement information from the advertisement information distribution device; and a display control unit includes the advertisement information acquired by the advertisement information acquisition unit. By generating a display signal for displaying the advertisement image corresponding to the guide image simultaneously or independently with the guide image and outputting the display signal to the display device, the display device displays the advertisement image in addition to the guide image of the program information. Display.

However, the broadcast program guide device of the present invention includes:
Further, an advertisement display input means is provided for the user to specify whether or not to display the advertisement image on the display device, and when the user permits the display of the advertisement image through the advertisement display input means. The advertisement display switching means operates the advertisement information acquisition means, and conversely, when the user refuses to display the advertisement image, the advertisement display switching means stops the operation of the advertisement information acquisition means. Then, the display control means is caused to generate a display signal for displaying the guide image alone.

Therefore, according to the broadcast program guide apparatus of the present invention, a user who does not want to see an advertisement can operate the advertisement display input means to reject the advertisement display, and perform image display according to the user's preference. Can be. In addition, the broadcast program guide device of the present invention is connected to a communication line with a charge management device on a network via a wireless telephone, and is connected to the charge management device via an advertisement display input means. Charging information transmitting means for setting a charging discount associated with displaying an advertisement image by transmitting charging information indicating whether or not an advertisement display has been set by a user is provided.

This is because program information is distributed to users who refuse to display advertisements for a fee, and funds from sponsors are used to distribute program information to users who have permitted advertisement display. This is because the service is differentiated between a service that refuses the advertisement display and a service that permits the advertisement display by distributing the service free of charge or at a discounted rate, so that the user can select a desired service.

According to the broadcast program guide apparatus of the ninth aspect, an advertisement image can be displayed only to a user who intends to view the advertisement, so that the user can view the advertisement. Rate and increase advertising effectiveness. Further, a user who does not want to see the advertisement cannot receive the discount service of the fee, but does not have to watch the disliked advertisement, so that the broadcast program guide device can be used comfortably.

On the other hand, in order to enable the broadcast program guide device according to claim 9 to be used as a network terminal, E
The PG system may be constructed as described in claim 10. That is, an electronic program guide system (EPG system) according to a tenth aspect includes a program information distribution device, an advertisement information distribution device, and a usage fee management device provided on a network connectable via a telephone line. And a plurality of subscriber terminal devices (network terminals) for acquiring program information and advertisement information from the device via a telephone line.

The usage fee management device manages the fee required for using the system for each subscriber, but the charge information is transmitted from the broadcast program guide device according to claim 9 as one of the network terminals. When transmitted, a service is provided for free or discounting the usage fee to the subscriber displaying the advertisement image based on the billing information.

Therefore, in the electronic program guide system according to the tenth aspect, by using the broadcast program guide device according to the ninth aspect as a network terminal, the user can decide whether or not to see the advertisement at his / her own will. , You can use this system comfortably. In addition, the system administrator can accurately identify users who do not see advertisements by using the function of the usage fee management device, so that the system administrator can collect fees for users who do not see advertisements (or collect fees for users who see advertisements). Discount) etc. can definitely be performed.

The fee managed by the usage fee management device may be a subscription fee to the EPG system or an information fee charged each time a subscriber acquires program information from the program information distribution device. Even, it may be a communication fee such as a telephone bill necessary for the user to obtain the program information,
A combination of these may be used. Then, the usage fee management device may discount some or all of these fees to the subscriber who displays the advertisement image.

Here, the broadcast program guide device according to any one of claims 6, 7 and 9 is an EPG
Increase the audience rating of sponsored ads that provide the necessary costs to operate the system, make it easier to collect funds to operate the system, thereby improving the quality of program information distributed,
It has been made for the purpose of promoting the spread of the EPG system, but it goes without saying that the techniques described in the claims can be more effective when combined with each other.

[0062]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As an embodiment of the present invention,
Three embodiments (first to third embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows an STB (Set Top Box) 2 as a network terminal (in other words, a broadcast program guide device of the present invention) 2 of an electronic program guide system (EPG system) using the Internet 50. ,as well as,
It is a schematic block diagram showing the peripheral device.

The STB 2 obtains program information of various broadcast programs from an EPG server 52 as a program information distribution device provided on the Internet 50 via a telephone line (PHS communication network 54 in this embodiment) and obtains the obtained program information. A guide image for a broadcast program guide is displayed on an external display device (the television receiver 6 in this embodiment) based on the program information, and is mounted on the television receiver (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a TV) 6. Have been.

The STB 2 is provided with a remote controller 4 (functioning as a broadcast program input means and a program type input means in this embodiment) which is separate from the STB main body. When various commands are input to the STB 2 (in other words, when the STB 2 is operated), the remote controller 4 is used.

That is, the receiver 12a for receiving the operation command signal transmitted from the transmitter 4a of the remote controller 4 and the TV 6 and its vicinity (the lower part in the figure) are installed on the front surface of the housing of the STB 2. A transmitter 14a as command signal generating means for transmitting a command signal for receiving or recording a predetermined broadcast program designated by the user to the remote control receivers 6a and 8a of the VTR 8 provided is provided. I have.

The transmitters 4a, 14a and the receivers 6a,
Reference numerals 8a and 12a each include a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element capable of transmitting and receiving infrared light modulated by a predetermined operation code (binary signal). Among them, particularly, a transmitter 14a provided in the STB 2 is used. Incorporates a large number (for example, eight) of light-emitting elements. This is because when the STB 2 is placed on the TV 6, the light emitting surface of the transmitter 14a provided on the STB 2 and the light receiving surfaces of the remote control receivers 6a and 8a provided on the TV 6 and the VTR 8 face in the same direction. Therefore, a command signal (infrared light) is radially transmitted by a large number of light emitting elements constituting the transmitter 14a, and one of the command signals reflected by the surrounding objects is transmitted to the remote control receivers 6a and 8
This is to ensure that the value reaches a.

Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of STB2. As shown in FIG. 2, STB2 has C
The microcomputer is configured as a so-called microcomputer having a PU 20, a ROM 22, a RAM 24, and a bus line 26 connecting them.

Each of the bus lines 26 has
Corresponding interface (I / F) 12i, 14i, 1
Drives the infrared receiving unit 12 and the transmitter 14a for processing the output (light receiving signal) from the receiver 12a and restoring the operation code (binary signal) transmitted from the remote controller 4 via 6i and 18i. Transmission unit 14 for transmitting a command signal, and displaying a guide image for a broadcast program guide as T
An image output circuit 16 for generating a display signal (video signal) to be displayed on V6 and outputting it from a video output terminal 16a;
A PHS unit 18 that functions as a transmitting / receiving circuit of the PHS telephone (in other words, the wireless telephone of the present invention) is connected.

The STB 2 configured as described above has a CPU
20 operates as follows by executing the program stored in the ROM 22. In the following description, the video output terminal 16a is connected to a video input terminal of the TV 6 via a video signal transmission cable.
V6 sets the display screen to one of an image of a broadcast program received by the built-in tuner (hereinafter, referred to as a reception screen) and an image based on a video signal input to a video input terminal (hereinafter, referred to as an EPG screen). It can be switched. A part of the RAM 24 is a backup RAM that can retain the stored contents even when the power is turned off.
In the M area, operation codes corresponding to the TV 6 and the VTR 8 are stored. When the CPU 20 transmits various commands to the TV 6 or the VTR 8 from the infrared transmission unit 14, based on the operation codes in the RAM 24,
A transmission command is output to the infrared transmission unit 14.

First, the flowchart shown in FIG.
2 shows a main routine repeatedly executed by the CPU 20 after the power supply to the power supply 2 is turned on. As shown in FIG.
Is turned on, first, in S110 (S represents a step), the TV 6 is turned on from the infrared transmitting unit 14 (specifically, the light emitting element constituting the transmitter 14a), and the display screen is displayed on the EPG. A command signal for displaying a screen is transmitted, and in S120, the image output circuit 16 outputs a video signal for initial screen display based on preset image data. As a result, the display screen of the TV 6 is
This is the initial screen of the PG.

Next, in S130, the PHS unit 18
From the Internet 50 via the PHS communication network 54
Wireless signal (call signal) for connecting to PG server 52
Is transmitted, the communication line between the STB 2 and the EPG server 52 is set to the PHS unit 18 and the PHG.
The connection is made via the S communication network 54, and at S140, the EP
The latest program information (hereinafter referred to as EPG data) is obtained from the G server 52 and stored in a memory (specifically, the RAM 24).

The processing in S130 and S140 corresponds to the program information acquiring means of the present invention. Also, EP
The G data includes “broadcast station name”,
The "program type (category)", "program name", "start time", "end time", "performer", "description of program contents", "program providing sponsor name" and the like are recorded.

Next, in S150, based on the latest EPG data stored in the RAM 24, a "program name"
Generates program guide data for displaying broadcast contents for each broadcast program consisting of “performers”, “description of program contents”, etc. in broadcast time order for each broadcast channel (in other words, broadcast station) By outputting the program table data and the operation image data for operation guidance to the image output circuit 16,
A guide image including a program guide and operation guide is displayed on the display screen of the TV 6.

The process in S150 is a process for realizing the function as the display control means of the present invention. By this process, the display screen of the TV 6 is displayed on the right end thereof.
An operation guide image is displayed, and a program guide, which is a guide image of a broadcast program, is displayed in the remaining display area (TV in FIG. 1).
6).

Further, in S150, since the entire program table generated from the EPG data cannot be displayed on the display screen of the TV 6, in the initial state, a part of the program table corresponding to the current date and time is displayed. When the user operates the cursor keys (indicated by arrows of up, down, left and right in the figure) of the remote controller 4 while looking at the display screen, and inputs a command to move the program guide, the program guide on the display screen is moved up, down, left, and right. Move to

On the other hand, the operation guide image displayed on the TV 6 is for displaying the operation state of the remote controller 4 by the user to guide the user to the current operation state. 4 has an image configuration substantially corresponding to the key arrangement of FIG. That is, in addition to the cursor keys described above, the remote control device 4 includes: (1) a broadcast program of a broadcast channel currently being broadcast and selected by a user in the program table (information of this broadcast program is displayed at the right end of the display screen; A “current program” key displayed on the TV 6 to be displayed at the top of the operation guide image and displayed on the program table so as to be distinguishable from other programs (for example, displayed in reverse video).

(2) “Program reservation” for displaying the broadcast program selected by the user on the program table on the TV 6 at the broadcast time
Key. (3) A “recording reservation” key for recording the broadcast program selected by the user in the program table on the VTR 8 at the broadcast time.

(4) A “program search” key for the user to specify a program type (category) to obtain program information of a broadcast program corresponding to the category from the EPG server 52 and to display the program information on the TV 6. (5) A “service” key for causing the STB 2 to execute a service other than the broadcast program guide.

(6) A “display switching” key for switching the display screen of the TV 6 from the EPG screen to the reception screen or vice versa. (7) A "decision" key for confirming the selection when the user operates the remote controller 4 to select various commands on the display screen.

The operation guide image substantially corresponds to these key arrangements, and the key operated by the user is displayed on the display screen so as to be identifiable (for example, inverted display), so that the current The operation state of is guided. Then, the process of S150 is executed until the user operates a key other than the above-described cursor key and the “Enter” key until a signal corresponding to the key operation is input from the remote control device 4, and the remote control device 4 When the command signal from the key operation is transmitted from
The processing after 0 is executed.

That is, first, in S160, the remote controller 4
To determine whether or not a command based on the operation of the "current program" key has been input. If a command based on the operation of the "current program" key has been input, the process proceeds to a current program display routine (not shown). Transition. Then, in the present program display routine, the user operates the cursor keys to cause the infrared transmission unit 14 to transmit a channel selection / display command of the current broadcast program of the broadcast channel currently selected on the program table. Then, the image of the broadcast program is displayed on the TV 6.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in S160, or if the processing of the current program display routine ends, the process proceeds to S17.
At 0, it is determined whether or not a command based on the operation of the "program reservation" key has been input from the remote control device 4. And
If a command based on the operation of the "program reservation" key has been input, the program shifts to a program reservation routine shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in this program reservation routine, in S310, the broadcast program identified and displayed on the program table on the display screen is changed according to the operation of the cursor key by the user. The EPG screen display control process is performed, and in S320, it is determined whether or not a determination command based on the operation of the “Enter” key has been input from the remote control device 4. If the determination command has not been input, the process returns to S310. E
In a procedure such as executing the PG screen display control process, the system waits for the user to specify a desired broadcast program.

When it is determined in S320 that the confirmation command has been input, in S330, the broadcast program currently identified and displayed on the program table is selected from the EPG data stored in the RAM 24. Read "start time",
It is determined whether the current time has passed this “start time”.

If it is determined in S330 that the current time has passed the "start time", the flow shifts to S340, where the broadcast program identified and displayed in the current program guide (hereinafter referred to as a selected program) is displayed. It is displayed in the first color (for example, purple color) indicating that the program is being received, and in S350, the “broadcasting station name” of the selected program is selected from the EPG data stored in the RAM 24.
Is read from the infrared transmitting unit 14 to the TV 6 to select and display the broadcast station (broadcast channel), and the process ends. By the process of S350, the selected program is displayed on the TV 6.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S330 that the current time has not passed the "start time", the flow shifts to S360 to change the selected program on the program guide to the second color (for example, the reception color is being reserved). (Red). Then, in the subsequent S370, the selected program is stored in the RAM 24 as a reserved program, and in the subsequent S380, a program reservation flag indicating that there is a program reservation is set, followed by terminating the process.

When the program reservation flag is set, the CPU 20 activates a timer interrupt routine shown in FIG. This timer interrupt routine is called C
This is a process periodically started at predetermined time intervals by the internal clock of the PU 20, and is executed as follows.

That is, in the timer interrupt routine, first, in S4
At 10, it is determined whether or not the current time is the start time of the reserved program stored in the RAM 24 in S370. If the current time is not the start time, the process is terminated as it is. Conversely, if the current time is the start time, the program proceeds to S420 to select and display the broadcast station (broadcast channel) of the reserved program from the infrared transmitting unit 14. By sending a command, T
V6 automatically receives and displays the reserved program, and then proceeds to S4
In 30, the information of the displayed reserved program is stored in the RAM 24.
Remove from.

After the reserved program is displayed on the TV 6 and the reservation information is deleted from the RAM 24, the process proceeds to S44.
At 0, it is determined whether or not the reserved program is still stored in the RAM 24. If the reserved program is stored, the process is terminated as it is. Conversely, if the reserved program is not stored, Since it is not necessary to activate the timer interrupt routine in the future, the program reservation flag is reset in S450, and the process ends.

Next, if a negative determination is made in S170 of FIG. 3 or the above-described program reservation routine ends,
In S180, it is determined whether or not a command based on the operation of the “program recording” key has been input from remote control device 4. If a command based on the operation of the "program recording" key has been input, the program recording routine shown in FIG. 5 is executed.

As shown in FIG. 5, in this program recording routine, S310 and S3 executed in the program reservation routine are executed.
20, first, in S510, an EPG screen display control process for changing the broadcast program identified and displayed on the program guide on the display screen in accordance with the operation of the cursor key by the user is executed, and then in S520. In step S5, it is determined whether or not a decision command based on the operation of the "decision" key has been input from the remote control device 4.
The process waits for the user to specify a desired broadcast program in a procedure such as executing the EPG screen display control process of No. 10.

When it is determined in S520 that the confirmation command has been input, in S530, the selected program currently identified and displayed in the program table is displayed in the third color (for example, yellow) representing the recording reservation. The selected program is displayed and stored in the RAM 24 as a recorded program in S540.

Finally, at S550, the RAM 2
From the EPG data stored in No. 4, the “broadcast station name”, “start time”, and “end time” of the selected program, which are data necessary for recording reservation of the VTR 8, are read, and according to these data, By outputting a code (operation code for setting a recording channel and a recording start / end time) required for recording reservation of the VTR 8 to the infrared transmitting unit 14, the infrared transmitting unit 14 transmits the code to the VTR 8.
, A recording reservation command signal is transmitted, and the process ends.

As a result, the VTR 8 automatically starts up at the set recording start time, starts receiving and recording a broadcast program (recorded program) of the set recording channel, and at the recording end time, sets the start time. Reception / recording is automatically terminated. Next, if a negative determination is made in S180 of FIG. 3 or the above-described program recording routine ends, in S190, whether or not a command based on the operation of the “program search” key has been input from the remote control device 4 Is determined. If a command based on the operation of the "program search" key has been input, a program search routine shown in FIG. 6 is executed. As shown in FIG. 6, in this program search routine, the EPG stored in the RAM 24 in S610
The category name of each broadcast program is searched from the data, and the list (program category selection screen) is displayed in the display area of the program guide which has been displayed on the TV 6 until now.

Then, in S620, a specific category name is displayed on the program category selection screen so as to be identifiable (for example, highlighted display), and the category name to be identified and displayed is displayed according to the operation of the cursor key by the user. And executes a category selection screen display control process for changing.

In the subsequent S630, the remote controller 4
It is determined whether or not a confirmation command based on the operation of the "OK" key has been input, and if the confirmation command has not been input, the process returns to the category selection screen display control processing of S620, thereby allowing the user to select a desired category. Wait for your name.

When it is determined in S630 that the confirmation command has been input, the calling signal is transmitted from the PHS unit 18 in S640, and the STB is transmitted.
By connecting a communication line between the EPG server 52 and the EPG server 52 and transmitting a request signal for program information together with the selected category name to the EPG server 52 in the subsequent S650, The program information (hereinafter, referred to as category-specific EPG data) corresponding to the category name obtained is acquired and stored in the RAM 24. Note that these S6
Steps S40 and S650 correspond to the program information acquisition means of the present invention (especially claim 7).

In S660, program guide data for guiding a broadcast program of a category name designated by the user is generated based on the acquired EPG data for each category, and the program guide data is output to the image output circuit 16. To display the program guide for each category (EPG screen for each category) in the display area of the program guide of the TV 6, and terminates the processing.

As a result, on the display screen of the TV 6, a program table including only broadcast programs belonging to a specific category such as a sports program, a quiz program,... Is displayed. A desired broadcast program can be selected from the program table, and reception or recording can be reserved.

Next, when a negative determination is made in S190 of FIG. 3 or when the above-described program search routine ends, in S200, a command based on the operation of the "service" key is input from the remote controller 4. Is determined.
If a command based on the operation of the "service" key has been input, the process proceeds to a service execution routine (not shown).

The service execution routine includes, for example, P
Using the HS unit 18, a desired homepage on the Internet 50 is displayed on the TV 6, or a mail addressed to the user is read from a mail server on the Internet 50 registered by the user and displayed on the TV 6. This is a process for executing a service different from the broadcast program guide. For example, when a list of services is displayed on the display screen of the TV 6 and the user selects a desired service on the display screen, the process is performed. The process is executed in such a manner that a process corresponding to the service is executed.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in S200 of FIG. 3 or the service execution routine ends,
At 10, it is determined whether or not a command based on the operation of the "display switching" key has been input from the remote control device 4. And
If a command based on the operation of the "display switching" key has been input, it is determined in step S220 whether or not the EPG screen is currently displayed on the TV 6. If the EPG screen is being displayed, the process proceeds to step S230. By outputting an operation code for switching the display screen of the TV 6 to the reception screen of the broadcast program being received by the built-in tuner of the TV 6 to the infrared transmission unit 14, the display command of the reception screen is issued from the infrared transmission unit 14. After that, the process proceeds to S160. still,
By this processing, the display screen of the TV 6 is switched from the EPG screen to the reception screen.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S220 that the TV 6 is not displaying the EPG screen, the flow shifts to S150. As a result, the TV 6 displays an EPG image based on the latest EPG data stored in the RAM 24 (specifically, a guide image including a program guide and operation guide).

As described above, the STB2 of this embodiment is
According to this, since the PHS unit 18 is built in, there is no need to route a telephone line connected to the public telephone network to connect to the STB in order to fetch program information from the EPG server 52 on the Internet 50. Can be easily installed.

Further, the video output terminal 16a and the TV 6 (VT
R8) may be connected to a video input terminal to automatically display a guide image (program guide) of a broadcast program on the display screen of the TV 6.
Using the existing TV 6, it is possible to receive a broadcast program guide service by the EPG system.

Further, the user simply selects a broadcast program to be received or recorded, reserves and records the selected broadcast program by simply operating the remote controller while watching the guide image (specifically, the program guide) displayed on the TV 6. Since a reservation can be made, the operation is extremely simple and anyone can use it.

In particular, since the STB 2 of this embodiment can use the existing TV 6 and VTR 8 for receiving or recording a broadcast program, the configuration of the apparatus is extremely simple as compared with the case of receiving and recording using a personal computer. Nari, Internet 5
As a network terminal of the EPG system using 0,
Can be provided at low cost.

As described above, according to the STB 2 of this embodiment, the operation is extremely simple, and it can be provided at a low cost, which contributes to the spread of the EPG system using the Internet 50. [Second Embodiment] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a television receiver (TV) 60 according to a second embodiment of the present invention and its peripheral devices.

The TV 60 of the present embodiment incorporates a functional circuit as a broadcast program guide device having substantially the same configuration as the STB 2 of the first embodiment in a general television receiver, and directly accesses the EPG server 52 from the TV 60. Thus, program information can be obtained.

The difference between the functional circuits as the broadcast program guide device and the first embodiment (FIG. 2) is that the transmitter 14a provided in the infrared transmitting unit 14 is incorporated in the front panel of the TV 60, The receiving unit 12
A command signal for television operation (channel switching / display switching) is received, and the received signal is output to a reception / display control circuit (a circuit for controlling a built-in tuner, a display circuit, and the like) built in the TV 60. It is a point that has become.

A remote control device 62 is provided separately from the TV 60. The remote control device 62 has substantially the same configuration as that of the STB remote control device 4 shown in FIG. The difference is that the television operation (switching of the receiving channel, etc.) can be performed using the cursor keys.

The broadcast program guide device incorporated in the TV 60 of this embodiment is an EP as a program information distribution device.
In addition to the G server 52, program information is acquired from an EPG system on the Internet 50 including an advertisement server 56 as an advertisement information distribution device and a charging server 58 as a usage fee management device.

Therefore, in the following description, in the TV 60, of the processing executed by the CPU (not shown) constituting the functional circuit for realizing the function as the broadcast program guide device in the first embodiment, Parts different from the processing executed by the CPU 20 will be described.

First, FIG. 8 shows a part of a main routine which is started when a display screen switching command is first input from the remote control device 62 after the power of the TV 60 is turned on, and thereafter is repeatedly executed (for details, FIG. (Process executed instead of the processes of S110 to S150 of the main routine shown in FIG. 3)
It is a flowchart showing.

As shown in FIG. 8, when this process is started, first, in step S710, the display screen of the TV 60 is displayed by outputting an EPG display command to the reception / display control circuit built in the TV 60. Then, the reception screen of the broadcast program received by the built-in tuner is switched to the EPG screen based on the video signal output from the image output circuit (similar to the image output circuit 16 shown in FIG. 2).

At S720, a CM display selection screen display control for outputting a video signal for displaying a CM display selection screen on the display screen of the TV 60 from the image output circuit is executed. The CM display selection screen is displayed in the subsequent EP
A screen for allowing the user to select whether or not to display an advertisement (CM) when displaying the G screen.
For example, in the initial state, for example, a screen representing “selection of CM display” is displayed, and every time the user operates the cursor key of the remote controller 62, the display screen is changed to “selection of non-display of CM”.
Or a screen representing “selection of CM display” is alternately switched to display a selection state of display / non-display of CM by the user.

At S730, it is determined whether or not a decision command based on the operation of the "decision" key has been input from remote controller 4, and if the decision command has not been entered, it is determined.
By shifting to S720 again, the process waits for the user to specify display / non-display of the CM, and when a confirmation command is input, shifts to S740. Note that this S720,
The cursor key and the enter key of the remote controller 62 operated by the user at the time of executing the processing of S730 function as the advertisement display input means according to the ninth aspect.

Next, in S740, it is determined whether or not the user has selected the CM display (in other words, whether or not the user watches the CM). If the user views the CM, the process proceeds to S750.
Move to Then, in S750, a PHS (not shown) is used.
By transmitting a call signal from a unit (similar to the PHS unit 18 shown in FIG. 2), a communication line between the device and the billing server 58 is connected, and the subsequent S76
In the EPG usage fee managed by the charging server 58 for each subscriber, the TV 60 transmits the charging information indicating that the user views the advertisement to the charging server 58 at 0.
Set the usage fee for the users of the service free of charge.

Next, at S770, a call signal is transmitted from a PHS unit (not shown),
Connect a communication line between the device and the advertisement server 56,
At S780, CM data for displaying the advertisement image of the sponsor of the EPG system on the display screen of the TV 60 is acquired from the advertisement server 56 and stored in the memory (RAM). Note that the processing of S770 and S780 corresponds to the advertisement information acquiring means of the present invention (claims 6, 7 and 9). Then, in particular, in this embodiment, S78
When acquiring the CM data at 0, the user acquires the CM data that the user likes from the past history of acquiring the EPG data for each category. The processing for this will be described in detail later.

Next, when the CM data is obtained in S780, the process proceeds to S790, in which an advertisement image based on the obtained CM data is displayed alone on the display screen of the TV 60, and the process proceeds to S800. . In S800, as in S130 described above, a call signal is transmitted from a PHS unit (not shown) to connect a communication line between the device and the EPG server 52.
At 10, the same as in S140 described above, the EPG server 5
2 to obtain EPG data and store it in a memory (RAM).

At S820, program guide data is generated based on the EPG data stored in the RAM 24, and image data for displaying an advertisement image in a predetermined area of the display screen of the TV 60 is generated based on the CM data. ,
By outputting each of these data and operation image data for operation guidance to an image output circuit (not shown), a guidance image (EPG / CM synthesis screen) including a program guide, an advertisement image, and an operation guidance image is displayed on the display screen of the TV 60. : See the display screen of FIG. 7).

Note that the time from displaying the advertisement image alone on the display screen of the TV 60 in S790 to changing the display screen to the EPG / CM composite screen in S820 (advertisement image single display time) is determined in advance. This is set so that the advertisement effect by the CM display can be improved.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S740 that the user does not watch the CM, the flow shifts to S830, where a PH (not shown) is set.
By transmitting a call signal from the S unit, a communication line is connected between the device and the billing server 58. At S840, billing information indicating that the user does not see an advertisement is transmitted to the billing server 58. By transmitting, the billing server 5
8 sets a fee for use of the TV 60 user among the EPG charges managed for each subscriber.
Note that the processing of S830 and S840 and the processing of S750 and S760 described above correspond to a billing information transmitting unit.

Then, in the subsequent S850, the aforementioned S8
In the same manner as in the case of 00, a call signal is transmitted from a PHS unit (not shown),
In step S860, EPG data is obtained from the EPG server 52 and stored in the memory (RAM) in the subsequent step S860.

At S870, program table data is generated based on the EPG data stored in the RAM 24, and the program table data and operation image data for operation guidance are output to an image output circuit (not shown). , TV
A guide image (EPG screen) similar to the first embodiment, which includes a program guide and operation guide, is displayed on the display screen 60.

In this embodiment, S790, S82
0 and the processing of S870 correspond to the display control means of the present invention (especially, claim 6, claim 7 or claim 9).
Of these processes, in the processes of S870 and S820, as in S150 of the first embodiment, in the initial state, a part of the program guide corresponding to the current date and time is displayed, and the user looks at the display screen. When a command to move the program guide is input by operating the cursor keys (indicated by arrows of up, down, left, and right in the figure) of the remote control device 62, the program guide on the display screen is moved up, down, left, and right in accordance with the instruction.

Then, the processing of S870 and S820 is
When the user operates a key other than the cursor key and the “Enter” key of the remote control device 62, execution is performed until a signal corresponding to the key operation is input from the remote control device 62, and the key operation is performed from the remote control device 62. When the command signal from the operation is transmitted, the processes after S160 shown in FIG. 3 are executed as in the first embodiment.

However, if a negative determination is made in S220 in FIG. 3, that is, if the display screen is a television reception screen when a “display switching” command is input, the user is required It is determined whether or not “CM display” is selected. If “CM display” is selected, the process proceeds to S820, and if “CM non-display” is selected, the process proceeds to S870.

Next, the processing executed in S780 to acquire the user's favorite CM data will be described with reference to FIG. First, FIG. 9A shows a program search routine (see FIG. 6) executed by the user operating the “program search” key of the remote control device 62, in which the category corresponding to the program category specified by the user is shown. Another EPG
7 shows details of a category-based EPG data acquisition process (partly modified from S650 in FIG. 6) of the present embodiment executed to acquire data.

As shown in this figure, in this embodiment, the EP
When acquiring EPG data by category from the G server 52, first, a request signal for program information is transmitted to the EPG server 52 together with the category name selected by the user (S
652), the EPG data for each category is acquired from the EPG server 52 (S654), and this is recorded (R).
AM) (S656), and in S658, an E is stored for each program category of the acquired EPG data.
The PG data acquisition count is updated.

That is, by counting the number of times of obtaining the EPG data for each category, it is possible to determine the program category that the user prefers. Then, when the CM data is acquired from the advertisement server 56 in the above-described CM data acquisition processing (S770), as shown in FIG. 9B, the CM data is updated every time the category-specific EPG data is acquired in S658. Based on the obtained number of acquisitions, EPG data for each category with the largest number of acquisitions is extracted (S772), and a CM data request signal is transmitted to the advertisement server 56 together with the extracted program category (S774). , The CM data transmitted from the advertisement server 56 is received (S776).

The advertisement server 56 determines whether or not a request signal for CM data has been received from the network terminal (S910).
Waiting for a data request signal to be transmitted, and receiving a CM data request signal from the network terminal (S
910: YES), CM data corresponding to the program category assigned to the request signal is extracted (S920), and the extracted CM data is transmitted to the network terminal that transmitted the request signal.

Therefore, in the CM data acquisition processing, the CM data corresponding to the program category designated by the user to acquire the EPG data for each category and frequently designated is acquired. As described above, the TV 60 of the present embodiment
Has a built-in broadcast program guide device having the same function as the STB 2 of the first embodiment, so that program information is fetched from the EPG server 52 on the Internet 50 and displayed, so that the On the other hand, selection of a broadcast program to be received or recorded, and reservation and recording reservation of the selected broadcast program can be set very easily. Therefore, also in the TV 60 of the present embodiment, the first
As in the case of the STB 2 of the embodiment, the user can access the Internet 5
This makes it possible to use an EPG system using 0 extremely easily, thereby contributing to the spread of the EPG system.

In the TV 60 of this embodiment, not only the EPG data is simply obtained from the EPG server 52, but also the CM data is obtained from the advertisement server 56, and the program guide and the advertisement image are combined on the display screen. Since the EPG / CM composite screen can be displayed, the administrator who operates the EPG system can receive high-cost funding from the sponsor and provide high-quality program information at low cost.

Further, since the user can select whether or not to display an advertisement image on the EPG screen, a user who does not want to see an advertisement can operate the advertisement display input means to reject the advertisement display. It is possible to display an image desired by the user.
In addition, since the system usage fee is discounted to the user who displays the advertisement image (free in this embodiment), the number of users who do not see the advertisement can be reduced, and the advertisement can be viewed. Since the advertisement image is displayed by sending the CM data only to the intended user, the audience rating of the advertisement can be increased and the advertisement effect can be improved.

Since the CM data sent from the advertisement server 56 corresponds to a program category frequently specified by the user, for example, sports equipment or sports-related facilities can be provided to users who like sports programs. C
For example, M data can be sent, whereby an advertisement image that the user likes can be displayed, and the advertisement effect can be improved.

Third Embodiment Next, as a third embodiment of the present invention, STB2 of the first embodiment or TB2 of the second embodiment will be described.
Instead of the PHS unit 18, a broadcast program guide device built in the V60 is replaced with a modular jack for connection to a telephone line connected to a public telephone network, an external telephone line connected to the modular jack, and an internal CPU. And a data communication modem between the two.

When the broadcast program guide device or STB 2 built in the TV 60 is configured as described above, a telephone line may be connected to the modular jack, but this eliminates the need to connect the telephone line. That is, the intended purpose of the present invention cannot be achieved. Therefore, in such a case, the telephone stand 32 shown in FIG. 10 is used.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the telephone stand 32 has a PHS telephone 30 which can be used alone as a wireless telephone placed on the telephone stand 32 so as to be charged.
It is similar to a general telephone stand, and is different from the conventional telephone stand in that, in addition to an AC adapter 34 for power supply, a connection plug 36 for connecting to an external modular jack is provided. A PHS connector 38 (see FIG. 10 (b)) comprising a terminal connected to the charging terminal of the PHS telephone 30 and a terminal connected to the data communication terminal of the PHS telephone 30 )) Is provided.

As shown in FIG. 10B, a charging circuit 39 connected to the AC adapter 34 via a power line is provided inside the telephone stand 32.
Through the charging terminal of the PHS connector 38, the built-in battery of the PHS telephone 30 mounted on the mounting portion can be charged.

The telephone stand 32 has a CPU 4 inside.
0, a ROM 41, a RAM 42, and a so-called microcomputer mainly including a bus line 43 for connecting these components.
A PHS interface (I / F) 44 for performing data communication with the PHS telephone 30 and a modem unit 45 are connected via a data communication terminal provided on the HS connector 38.

The modem unit 45 performs data communication with a modem built in a broadcast program guide device (such as a broadcast program guide device or STB2 built in the TV 60) which is configured separately from the telephone stand 32. It is connected to the above-described connection plug 36 via a pseudo switching unit 46 functioning as a telephone line switch and a telephone line.

Then, the CPU 40 executes the program stored in the ROM 41 in advance, so that the telephone
2 with the PHS telephone 30 and an external broadcast program guide device (T
Broadcast program guide device or STB2 built in V60)
Function as a repeater between

The processing executed by CPU 40 for this purpose will be described below. In the following description, it is assumed that the connection plug 36 is connected to a modular jack of an external broadcast program guide device (broadcast program guide device incorporated in the TV 60 or STB2).

FIG. 11 shows that after the AC adapter 34 is connected to the power outlet and the telephone stand 32 is turned on,
9 is a flowchart showing a main routine repeatedly executed by the CPU 40. When the main routine is started, first, in S1000, the PHS is sent to the telephone stand 32 in question.
The telephone 30 is placed, and it is determined whether or not the terminals of the PHS telephone 30 are connected to the respective connection terminals of the PHS connector 38.

If the PHS telephone 30 is not connected, in step S1010, the BUSY signal is output from the modem unit 45 to the external broadcast program guide device via the simulated exchange unit 46 and the connection plug 36. To the broadcast program guide device via the PHS telephone 30 to notify that it cannot be connected to the server of the EPG system,
Move to

On the other hand, in S1000, PHS telephone 30
Is determined to be connected, in step S1020, the modem unit 45 is set to an incoming call waiting state so that transmission data from an external broadcast program guide apparatus can be received. 45 determines whether or not it has received transmission data from an external broadcast program guide device, and waits for the modem unit 45 to receive the data.

If it is determined in S1030 that the modem unit 45 has received an incoming call, in S1040, an incoming signal is transmitted to an external broadcast program guide device, and then transmitted from the external broadcast program guide device. Get the calling number for incoming Internet connection. When the calling number is acquired in S1040, the PHS telephone 30 is called in S1050, and in S1060, the PHS telephone 3
0, the PHS telephone 30 and the Internet 5
By judging whether or not a communication line between 0 and 0 has been connected, it waits until the communication line is connected.

At S1060, PHS telephone 3
If it is determined that the communication line between the communication unit 0 and the Internet 50 is connected, the process proceeds to S1070, and the modem unit 45
Data communication between the PHS telephone 30 and the PHS telephone 30 in both directions. In S1080, it is determined whether or not the external broadcast program guide apparatus has transmitted a disconnection signal for disconnecting the telephone line by ending communication with various servers on the Internet 50, and does not transmit the disconnection signal. In this case, the process returns to step S1070 to continue the relay process in step S1070 until the disconnection signal is received.

If it is determined in S1080 that a disconnection signal from an external broadcast program guide device has been received, PH
The S telephone 30 is disconnected from the communication line with the Internet 50, and the process returns to S1020. Thus, according to the telephone stand 32 of the present embodiment, the PHS telephone 3
The 0 telephone stand can function not only as a general charger but also as a repeater between the external broadcast program guide device and the PHS telephone 30.

Therefore, if the telephone stand 32 of this embodiment is used, even a broadcast program guide apparatus such as the PHS unit 18 which does not have a function as a wireless telephone can be connected to the Internet without connecting a telephone line to the apparatus. Communication lines can be connected to the above various servers.

As described above, three embodiments have been described as the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can take various forms.
For example, the broadcast program guide device incorporated in the TV 60 in the second embodiment may be configured independently as a broadcast program guide device, like the STB2 of the first embodiment, or
It may be incorporated in another receiving / recording device such as R8.

In each of the above embodiments, the Internet terminal (broadcast program guide device) to which the present invention is applied is
Although the connection to the Internet 50 via the PHS communication network 54 has been described, the Internet terminals for the EPG system include PHS such as a mobile phone and a satellite phone.
May be connected to the Internet 50 via a wireless communication network of a wireless telephone system different from that of the wireless telephone system, or may be connected to a base unit connected to a public telephone network by wire, such as a cordless telephone slave unit. A connection may be made to the Internet 50 by using a wireless telephone that performs wireless communication with the Internet.

In this case, the broadcast program guide device may be configured as an independent device like the STB 2 of the first embodiment, or a reception device having a function as a broadcast program guide device like the TV 60 of the second embodiment. When configuring a recording device, instead of incorporating a PHS unit in these devices, a corresponding communication unit for wireless communication may be incorporated. Further, when a telephone stand functioning as a charging / repeater of a wireless telephone is used as in the third embodiment, a relay member (P in FIG. 10) incorporated in the telephone stand is used.
HS connector 38, PHS interface 44, etc.)
What is necessary is just to correspond to the wireless telephone used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an STB and peripheral devices thereof according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an STB.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a main routine executed for guiding a broadcast program in an STB.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a program reservation routine and a timer interrupt routine executed by the STB.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a program recording routine executed by the STB.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a program search routine executed by the STB.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a television receiver and peripheral devices according to a second embodiment.

8 is a flowchart showing a part of a main routine executed for guiding a broadcast program in the television receiver of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a process of acquiring EPG data by category, a process of acquiring CM data, and a process executed by the television receiver of FIG.
It is a flowchart showing CM data transmission processing performed by an advertising server.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a telephone stand used in the broadcast program guide device of the third embodiment.

11 is a flowchart showing a main routine executed to realize a function as a PHS repeater in the telephone stand of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

4,62: Remote control device, 6,60: TV receiver (T
V), 8: VTR, 12: infrared receiving unit, 14:
Infrared transmission unit, 16 ... Image output circuit, 18 ... PH
S unit, 20, 40 ... CPU, 22, 41 ... RO
M, 24, 42 RAM, 30 PHS telephone, 32 ...
Telephone stand, 34 ... AC adapter, 36 ... Connection plug, 38
... PHS connector, 39 ... Charging circuit, 45 ... Modem part,
46 ... Pseudo exchange unit, 50 ... Internet, 52 ... EP
G server, 54: PHS communication network, 56: advertising server, 5
8. Billing server.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04H 1/08 H04N 5/00 A H04N 5/00 5/44 D 5/44 5/445 Z 5/445 7/16 C 7/16 H04B 7/26 109M F term (reference) 5C025 AA30 BA21 BA28 CA02 CA09 CB09 CB10 DA05 DA10 5C056 AA01 AA04 BA02 BA10 5C064 BA07 BB01 BB05 BC01 BC16 BC20 BD02 BD07 BD09 BD16 5K067 AA41 BB04 BB21 FF31 GG01 GG11 HH05 HH23 KK06

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A program information acquiring means for acquiring program information for guiding various broadcast programs from a program information distribution device on a network connectable via a telephone line, and a program acquired by the program information acquiring means. Based on the information, a display signal for displaying a guide image representing the broadcast content, the broadcast channel, and the broadcast time of a plurality of broadcast programs is generated and output to a display device, thereby causing the display device to display the guide image. Display control means, broadcast program input means for a user to specify a desired broadcast program in accordance with a guide image displayed on the display device by the operation of the display control means, and use via the broadcast program input means Command signal generation means for generating a command signal for receiving or recording a broadcast program specified by a user in an external receiving / recording device. Having a wireless telephone built in or connected to the device main body, wherein the program information obtaining means connects a communication line with the program information distribution device via the wireless telephone, and the program information A broadcast program guide device for acquiring the program information from a distribution device. 2. A wireless telephone device which can be used as an independent telephone terminal. The wireless telephone device has a mounting portion on which the wireless telephone device can be mounted. A charging unit integrating communication means for performing communication and charging means for charging a built-in battery of the wireless telephone device mounted on the mounting unit; and mounting the wireless telephone device on the charging base. 2. The broadcast program guide device according to claim 1, wherein said wireless telephone device can be used as said wireless telephone. 3. The broadcast program guide device according to claim 1, wherein said broadcast program input means is constituted by a remote control device formed separately from said device main body. 4. The reception / recording device is configured to be capable of setting a broadcast program reception or recording operation in accordance with a radio signal transmitted by modulating light or electromagnetic waves from a dedicated remote control device. The command signal generating means receives the broadcast program specified by the receiving / recording device by transmitting, as the command signal, a radio signal capable of setting reception or recording operation of the receiving / recording device. 4. The broadcast program guide device according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast program guide device records the broadcast program. 5. The broadcast according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast program guide device is built in the reception / recording device, and is realized as a function of the reception / recording device. Program guide device. 6. An advertisement information acquiring unit for connecting a communication line to an advertisement information distribution device on the network via the wireless telephone and acquiring advertisement information from the advertisement information distribution device, The control unit generates a display signal for independently displaying an advertisement image corresponding to the advertisement information acquired by the advertisement information acquisition unit for a predetermined time after the activation of the device, and outputs the display signal to the display device. Then, a display signal for displaying the guide image alone or together with the advertisement image is generated and output to the display device.
A broadcast program guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. An advertisement information acquisition means for connecting a communication line with an advertisement information distribution device on the network via the wireless telephone, and acquiring advertisement information from the advertisement information distribution device; A program type input means for the user to specify a program type corresponding to the broadcast content of the broadcast program to be received or recorded by the recording device, and a program type specified by the user via the program type input means. An advertisement type identification unit that identifies an advertisement type preferred by a user; and the program information acquisition unit, when the user specifies the program type via the program type input unit, the program to which the program type is assigned. Transmitting an information request signal to the program information distribution device via the wireless telephone to obtain program information corresponding to the program type from the program information distribution device; When the advertisement type is specified by the advertisement type specifying means, by transmitting an advertisement information request signal to which the advertisement type is assigned to the advertisement information distribution device via the wireless telephone, The advertisement information corresponding to the advertisement type is acquired, and the display control means generates a display signal for displaying an advertisement image corresponding to the advertisement information acquired by the advertisement information acquisition means simultaneously or independently with the guide image. The broadcast program guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an advertisement image is displayed on the display device in addition to the guide image of the program information by outputting to the display device. . 8. A distribution system comprising a program information distribution device and an advertisement information distribution device provided on a network connectable via a telephone line, wherein a subscriber terminal device receives program information and program information from each of the distribution devices via the telephone line. An electronic program guide system configured to guide program information provided with advertisement information to a subscriber by acquiring advertisement information, wherein the electronic program guide system is one of the subscriber-side terminal devices. When receiving a program information request signal from the broadcast program guide device, the program information distribution device determines whether or not the request signal is provided with information indicating a program type, and If the information indicating the type is not provided, the general program information set in advance is transmitted to the broadcast program guide device. Transmitting the broadcasted program information to the broadcast program guide device, and receiving the advertisement information request signal from the broadcast program guide device, the advertisement information distribution device determines whether the request signal is provided with information indicating an advertisement type. If the information indicating the advertisement type is not given, the general advertisement information set in advance is transmitted to the broadcast program guide device, and if the information indicating the advertisement type is given, the advertisement type is An electronic program guide system, wherein advertisement information corresponding to the above is transmitted to the broadcast program guide device. 9. An advertisement information acquiring means for connecting a communication line to an advertisement information distribution device on the network via the wireless telephone and acquiring advertisement information from the advertisement information distribution device, The control unit generates a display signal for displaying an advertisement image corresponding to the advertisement information acquired by the advertisement information acquisition unit simultaneously or independently with the guide image, and outputs the display signal to the display device. In addition, it is configured to display an advertisement image in addition to the guide image of the program information, further, advertisement display input means for specifying whether or not to display the advertisement image on the display device, When the user permits the display of the advertisement image via the advertisement display input means, the advertisement information acquisition means is operated, and when the user refuses to display the advertisement image, the advertisement information is displayed. Advertisement display switching means for stopping the operation of the information acquisition means and causing the display control means to generate a display signal for displaying the guidance image alone; and management of usage fees on the network via the wireless telephone By connecting a communication line with the device and transmitting charging information indicating whether or not an advertisement display has been set by the user to the usage fee management device via the advertisement display input means, The broadcast program guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: charging information transmitting means for setting a charging discount associated with the display. 10. A program information distribution device and an advertisement information distribution device provided on a network connectable via a telephone line, wherein a subscriber side terminal device receives program information and program information from each of the distribution devices via the telephone line. An electronic program guide system configured to guide program information provided with advertisement information to a subscriber by acquiring advertisement information, wherein a fee necessary for using the system is provided on the network. In addition to a usage fee management device for managing each subscriber, the broadcast program guide device according to claim 9 is provided as one of the subscriber side terminal devices, and the usage fee management device is provided from the broadcast program guide device. An electronic program guide system wherein the usage fee is free or discounted to a subscriber who displays the advertisement image based on the transmitted billing information. Stem.