JP2009088812A - Communication system and communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily share an experience of viewing and listening to a television program with another user in real time. <P>SOLUTION: A first communication terminal 100a issues a request to start specific communication including program identification information for identifying a television program to a second communication terminal by a communicating means. When receiving an affirmative response from the second communication terminal in response to the request, the first communication terminal 100a executes the specific communication with the other party in real time. When receiving the request to start the specific communication, the second communication terminal starts a television broadcasting receiving means to execute the specific communication with the first communication terminal in real time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system that performs communication between first and second communication terminals having a communication function and a television broadcast receiving function, and a communication terminal for the communication system.

  Conventionally, telephone communication, chat (real-time text data exchange), videophone (video call), and the like are known as real-time communication via a communication interface between people. As a device for performing such communication, in addition to a PC, recently, a mobile phone terminal can be used. Patent Document 1 discloses a portable electronic device that can display and record a television program.

Patent Document 2 discloses a portable terminal device that can display an image of a television broadcast without being deformed in relation to receiving an e-mail while watching a TV program or receiving an incoming call by telephone communication. It also shows that a broadcast channel of displayed video data is detected, and a command for switching to the detected channel is inserted into an e-mail and transmitted.
JP 2007-110757 A JP 2007-142762 A

  According to the technique described in Patent Document 2, the user of the mobile terminal can notify the other user of the TV program he / she is viewing using mail.

  However, advanced communication that shares the viewing experience with other users in real time, that is, shares topics and impressions on the video of the program being viewed in real time cannot be realized. In such communication, for example, two terminal users who are located apart from each other can simultaneously watch the same program such as a sports program, a variety program, a drama or a movie via a communication interface of each terminal. It is possible to have a dialogue.

  Note that if one user talks over the phone while simultaneously informing the other party by phone or email and watching the same program at the same time, the user can obtain substantially the same result, but the other party can perform complicated operations. It will be forced and not realistic.

  The present invention has been made in such a background, and makes it possible to easily realize sharing a television program viewing experience with other users in real time.

  The communication system according to the present invention is a communication system for executing communication between both users between first and second communication terminals each having a communication function and a television broadcast receiving function. The first communication terminal issues a request for starting a specific communication including program identification information for identifying a TV program to the second communication terminal by the communication function, and starts communication related to viewing the program. Prompt. Bidirectional communication is executed with the second communication terminal in response to a positive response from the second communication terminal to the request. On the other hand, when the second communication terminal receives the request to start the specific communication, the second communication terminal activates the TV broadcast reception function and interactively communicates with the first communication terminal according to the user's acceptance. Execute communication. It is preferable to give an opportunity for the user to determine whether or not to start communication on the second communication terminal side. In this way, the specific communication can be performed while both users of the first and second communication terminals are watching the same television program.

  A communication terminal for use in such a communication system includes: a television broadcast receiving unit that receives a television broadcast; a communication unit; a display unit that displays video and various information of the television broadcast on a display screen; A means for issuing a request for starting a specific communication including program identification information for identifying a television program to the other communication terminal by the communication means, and an affirmation from the other communication terminal for the request Means for executing two-way communication with a counterpart communication terminal in response to an actual response, means for activating the television broadcast receiving means when receiving a request to start the specific communication, and a self-communication terminal Means for performing two-way communication with the counterpart communication terminal in response to the user's acceptance, and the specific communication is the own communication terminal Both users on the other communication terminal is carried out while watching the same TV program.

  According to the present invention, the reception side of the communication start request can immediately execute the reception and reproduction of the TV program designated by the request without performing a complicated operation in response to the incoming call, and the user Can immediately start communication about the viewing. As a result, it is possible to easily share a topic about the program while watching the same TV program among users of the communication terminals.

  In addition, a service provider such as a telecommunications carrier can provide such a communication form as a new service to increase the use of communication.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of use in this embodiment. Fig.1 (a) has shown the 1st usage pattern of the service based on this invention between the user A of the 1st communication terminal 100a, and the user B of the 2nd communication terminal 100b.

  The first usage pattern in FIG. 1A is a case where a user A and a user B who are in a remote position make a voice call with each other while watching the same television program. One user, for example, user A, is watching a TV program and wants other user B in a remote location to watch the same program and share the viewing experience with user B in real time. To do. At this time, user A can make a service start request according to the present invention, that is, a communication start request, to user B's communication terminal 100b by performing a predetermined operation on his / her communication terminal 100a. This request includes program identification information for specifying a television program, and the communication terminal 100b that has received this request automatically selects and receives the program regardless of the operation of the user B, and reproduces and displays it. can do. Thereafter, the user B can take a two-way communication with the user A through a call while viewing the program.

  The second usage pattern in FIG. 2B is similar to the first usage pattern, but uses chat (real-time text data exchange) instead of a voice call. That is, the user A and the user B do not interact by voice but perform an interaction by exchanging text data by an input from the operation unit. When chatting, a chat area is provided or text is overlaid on the program video in the form of a telop display.

  Note that although there is a voice chat, this is assumed to be included in the voice call in this embodiment.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the communication terminal 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, a mobile phone terminal is shown as an example of the communication terminal 100.

  The control unit 101 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and the like, and controls each unit via the bus 120. The communication circuit 102 is a part that transmits and receives voice and data by radio waves via an antenna 103 that transmits and receives to a mobile phone base station. The display unit 104 includes a display device such as an LCD or an organic EL display, and is a part that presents visual information on the display screen to the user. The operation unit 105 includes a numeric keypad and various control keys, and is a part for inputting user instructions and data to the control unit 101. The storage unit 106 is a non-volatile storage area (ROM, flash memory, etc.) for storing programs and data such as an operating system and various application programs executed by the control unit 101, and a volatile area for providing a temporary storage area and a work area for data. A storage area (RAM), and the like. The sound processing unit 107 is connected to a speaker (including an ear receiver) 108 that outputs received sound, sound of a moving image file, sound of music data, and a microphone 109 that collects transmitted sound. The TV broadcast receiving unit 110 is a part that receives and reproduces television broadcasts (including data broadcasts) using radio waves via the antenna 111. In this embodiment, digital terrestrial broadcasting is assumed.

  FIG. 3 shows main functional blocks of communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. The control unit 101 implements a communication start request process 201, a communication start request reception process 202, and a communication execution process 203 by executing an application program stored in the storage unit 106. The communication start request process 201 is executed in the first communication terminal so that the user A of the first communication terminal requests the user B of the second communication terminal to start communication according to the present embodiment. It is processing. The communication start request reception process 202 is a process executed in the second communication terminal when the user B receives a request from the user A. The communication execution process 203 is a process executed in both communication terminals when the user B accepts a communication start request from the user A.

  Each of these processes will be specifically described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the communication start request process 201 of FIG.

  The first communication terminal plays back the video of the program selected by the TV broadcast receiving unit 110 being activated by the user and displays it on the display unit 104 (S1). Therefore, the user (user A) is allowed to select which user he / she wants to start communication from, for example, the telephone directory stored in the storage unit 106 (S2). When the other user (user B) is selected, identification information (for example, telephone number) for connecting the program identification information of the broadcast program currently being viewed on the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal of user B , E-mail address, IP address, etc.), and program identification information is transmitted (S3). “Identification information” is channel information in the case of a digital broadcast program. Here, it is possible to deal with stream contents and the like. In this case, the identification information is reproduction position information indicating the URL and reproduction position of the content.

  In response to this transmission, if acceptance of service start is obtained from the user B as the communication partner (S4, Yes), the service is started (S6). On the other hand, when the service start is rejected by the user B (S4, No), the service is not started and the reproduction of the program being viewed is continued (S5).

  FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the communication start request reception process 202 of FIG. Here, a description will be given as a process corresponding to the communication start request process 201 of FIG.

  The communication terminal (second communication terminal) of user B determines whether it is a service start request in the incoming call processing (S11). For this purpose, for example, a service start flag is included in the service start request, and it is determined whether the service start request is based on whether the information received at the time of the incoming call includes a service start flag. it can.

  If it is a service start request, the designated program is automatically selected using the program identification information transmitted from the user A who is the communication partner (S12). However, in the case of a program that cannot be viewed simultaneously with the user A, it is treated as an acceptance refusal outside the viewing range. This is a case where the second communication terminal cannot receive the broadcast of the same program at the same time as the first communication terminal due to reasons such as different broadcasting areas, or the same program cannot be specified. . In addition, the user may initialize in advance whether or not to automatically start and play the television reception function in response to a service start request. In this case, it is determined as “acceptance refusal” even when the user has made an initial setting not to automatically respond to such a service start request.

  In addition, if the receiving side is configured to automatically start receiving and playing back a program upon receiving a request, in addition to the function for receiving a call such as Chaku-Uta (registered trademark) or a ring-movie, the TV broadcast specified by the user at the time of the incoming call It is also possible to provide a new incoming call form in which a program is presented.

  When the second communication terminal can receive the broadcast of the program, a GUI (Graphic User Interface) corresponding to the service start request is displayed, and the video of the designated program is reproduced and displayed on the display unit 104 ( S13). Simultaneously with this video display, the user B is prompted to input from the operation section an intention display as to whether or not to accept the request from the user A (S14). For example, the service start request from the user A is notified on the GUI, and the user B is asked whether the service start request is accepted. As one mode of notification on the GUI, it is conceivable to display the user's telephone number as a telop on the video. If the user is registered in the phone book in the terminal, the user name can be displayed.

  If the user refuses to start the service, a communication disconnection end process is performed (S15). If the reason for refusal can be notified, the reason for refusal can be sent to the other party and disconnected.

  When the user accepts the service start request, the communication connection is started according to a standard procedure such as 3GPP, a service start acceptance notice is transmitted to the other party, and the service is started (S16).

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of processing by the first and second communication terminals in the communication execution processing 203 of FIG.

  The first and second communication terminals display the GUI for this service and continue the video reproduction (S21). In parallel with this reproduction, the communication path is maintained and supported in accordance with the designated communication means, that is, the communication type (voice call, video call, packet data communication (push 2 talk, mail, IP communication, etc.)). Communication processing by GUI according to the communication type is started (S22). That is, in the case of a voice call, various function processes for voice calls such as adjustment and disconnection of call voice volume, hands-free OnOff, etc. can be performed in parallel with video reproduction.

  Operation selection is performed when data is received from another connected terminal and when there is an input from the user to the terminal (S23).

  When data is received from another connected terminal, the data is received and the received data is processed (S24). In the case of a voice call, the other party's voice is played from the speaker 108 or the like.

  On the other hand, if there is an input from the user to the terminal, the data is transmitted to the partner terminal, and display processing or the like is performed according to the communication type (S25). When text data such as chat is handled as a communication type, the text data is displayed on the display unit 104 as a GUI, in the text display area, or simultaneously displayed by overlaying video playback in the telop format and displayed on the other terminal. Also send text data.

  Steps S23 to S25 are executed until an end instruction is received from the user. If there is an end instruction, this process ends.

  FIG. 7 shows a screen transition example for explaining the GUI on the first communication terminal side.

  In the video playback screen (S31) displaying the video by playing the broadcast program, the function selection screen (S32) is displayed when the user instructs “function”. When “Video sharing” is selected from this menu, a new video sharing function selection screen (S33) is displayed. When “user selection” is selected here, a connection destination input method selection screen (S34) for selecting an input method of a connection destination (communication partner) is displayed. In the figure, “direct input” for directly inputting connection destination information and “phone book” for selecting and inputting from the telephone directory are shown. The figure shows a case where “phone book” is selected (S35). When a connection destination is selected from the telephone directory and a call is instructed, a calling screen (S36) is displayed and the above-described service start request is issued. Even at this point, video playback continues.

  In response to this service start request, when the answer from the communication partner is “No” (including a case where there is no answer for a predetermined time) (S37, No), the screen returns to the video reproduction screen (S38). Alternatively, the video reproduction may be stopped and the standby screen may be returned.

  When the answer from the communication partner is “Yes” (S37, Yes), the displayed screen differs depending on whether the communication type designated by the user is “voice call” or “chat”. In the case of “voice call”, there is no need for a display area for that purpose, so the video playback screen (S39) is continuously presented as it is. In the case of “chat”, a chat screen (character input area) for displaying characters for chat is presented together with a video playback screen, and input characters are displayed therein (or a character input area is provided). (It is displayed as a telop over the video) (S40). When the user A gives an instruction to end, the television reception function is stopped and the call or chat communication is stopped, and the screen returns to the standby screen. Further, when the call or chat communication is stopped by the other party (user B), the communication is disconnected.

  Note that “voice call” or “chat” is set in advance as to which user selects in the initial setting. Instead, the user may be allowed to select “voice call” or “chat” on the screen of S32 or subsequent screens. Communication types other than “voice call” and “chat” may be used. In that case, when text input is involved, a character input area is provided or an overlay display is performed. In the case of a video call, an area for displaying a captured image of the other party is preferably provided.

  FIG. 8 shows a screen transition example for explaining the GUI on the second communication terminal side.

  When the standby screen is displayed (S50) and the service start request is received, the TV reception function is automatically activated, the designated program is received, and playback / display is started. (S51). The service start request includes the identification information of “call” or “chat”, and in response to this, start this service like “Do you want to call” or “Do you want to chat?” A screen for inquiring whether to accept the request is displayed (S52 or S53). If the user does not accept (S54, No), the television reception function is stopped and the standby screen is displayed (S55). If accepted (S54, Yes), the screen of S56 or S57 is selected according to "voice call" or "chat". When the user B gives an instruction to end, the television reception function is stopped and the call or chat communication is stopped, and the screen returns to the standby screen. Further, when the call or chat communication is stopped by the other party (user A), the communication is disconnected.

  Although it is assumed that the caller specifies the call or chat, it may be specified on the receiver side by giving an option to the receiver side. In that case, instead of the screens of S52 and S53 in FIG. 8, a screen for allowing the user to select such an option is prepared. Also, the caller does not specify that.

  Also, additional information of digital broadcast programs (station information, program information, time information, etc.) is extracted from the received information of digital broadcasts, and a history of communication data exchanged during viewing on the time stamp time series corresponding to video viewing Can be recorded according to the type of communication data. For example, in the case of voice call data, text information is generated and recorded through a voice recognition engine (that is, a video viewing communication log is taken). These data can be sent (ie uploaded) to a designated server, stored in a database, and used as secondary metadata for the program.

  As can be seen from FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, on the receiving side of the communication start request, the television broadcast receiving function is automatically activated when the request is received, and the designated program is reproduced and displayed. It may be started after the recipient's intention of “accepting” is displayed.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the data structure 80 of secondary metadata. Each record of secondary metadata includes “program information”, “time stamp information”, “user name”, “security rule”, and “communication history (text data of voice communication, chat data, etc.)”. A security rule defines whether or not the information can be disclosed to others, and can be set as an initial setting when the user uses this service, for example. Such data is temporarily stored in the user's terminal and transmitted to and stored in a predetermined server or the like at a predetermined time. It is not necessary to save the same data on both the sender side and the receiver side of this service request, and only one (for example, the sender side) may be saved.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, services using digital content data such as video using metadata such as the characters of the digital content, an outline of the content, and content related to each scene have been considered. However, creating such metadata individually is time consuming and expensive. In view of the current situation, the metadata storage function described above is used as a by-product of communication performed by the user when a service using the present invention is realized using a communication terminal that is widely used by many people. It becomes possible to easily and variously generate metadata related to content, and it can be expected to create a service using new metadata.

  As described above, the recipient of the service request shifts to a communicable state without any complicated operation (seamlessly) regardless of whether the incoming call is a call or chat, and the user can communicate with the communication partner in real time. While viewing the same broadcast program, a dialogue can be performed by exchanging voice or text data.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications and changes other than those mentioned above can be made. For example, in the above description, a mobile phone terminal is used as the communication terminal. However, the communication terminal is not limited to the mobile phone terminal, and may be a PDA, a game machine, or the like as long as the device has a TV broadcast receiving function and a communication function. Further, the terminal is not limited to a portable terminal and may be a stationary (fixed) terminal.

  The sender side adds the program identification information of the TV program being viewed and issues a communication start request, but designates a specific program scheduled to be broadcast from the TV program guide information such as EPG, and the program identification information. A request for reservation of the start of communication may be made by adding (including program broadcast start time and end time or broadcast time). In this case, if the receiver accepts it, it is possible to make a timer reservation for reception and reproduction of the broadcast program and start of predetermined communication at both terminals.

  The television broadcast is assumed to be a terrestrial digital broadcast, but may include other forms such as a broadcast using radio waves, an IP broadcast using the Internet, an IP on-demand broadcast, or the like.

It is the schematic which shows the usage example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic hardware structure of the communication terminal which concerns on one embodiment of the communication terminal of this invention. It is a figure which shows the main functional blocks which concern on this Embodiment of the communication terminal shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the communication start request process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the communication start request | requirement reception process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the communication execution process of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen transition for demonstrating GUI by the side of the 1st communication terminal in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen transition for demonstrating the GUI by the side of the 2nd communication terminal in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the secondary metadata obtained incidentally in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,100a, 100b ... Communication terminal, 101 ... Control part, 102 ... Communication circuit, 103 ... Antenna, 104 ... Display part, 105 ... Operation part, 106 ... Memory, 107 ... Sound processing part, 108 ... Speaker, 109 ... Microphone 110 ... Broadcast receiving unit 111 ... Antenna 120 ... Bus

Claims (8)

A communication system for executing communication between both users between first and second communication terminals each having a communication function and a television broadcast receiving function,
The first communication terminal issues a request for starting a specific communication including program identification information for identifying a television program to the second communication terminal by the communication function, and the second communication terminal for the request Two-way communication with the second communication terminal in response to the positive response from
When the second communication terminal receives the request to start the specific communication, the second communication terminal activates the television broadcast reception function and executes bidirectional communication with the first communication terminal in response to the user's acceptance. And
The specific communication is performed while both users of the first and second communication terminals are watching the same television program. A television broadcast receiving means for receiving a television broadcast;
Communication means;
Display means for displaying television broadcast video and various information on a display screen;
An operation means for accepting an operation by a user;
Means for issuing a request for starting a specific communication including program identification information for identifying a TV program to the other communication terminal by the communication means;
Means for performing bidirectional communication with the counterpart communication terminal in response to a positive response from the counterpart communication terminal in response to the request;
Means for activating the television broadcast receiving means when receiving a request to start the specific communication;
Means for performing two-way communication with the partner communication terminal in response to the acceptance of the user of the own communication terminal,
The communication terminal is characterized in that the specific communication is performed while both users of the own communication terminal and the partner communication terminal are watching the same television program.   When a request to start the specific communication is received, the user has means for inputting whether or not to accept the request, and the executing means starts the bidirectional communication when there is an acceptance. Item 3. The communication terminal according to Item 2.   The communication terminal according to claim 2, further comprising means for a user to select the specific communication type.   The communication terminal according to claim 2, further comprising means for recording the contents of user interaction in the specific communication.   The communication terminal according to claim 5, further comprising means for uploading the recorded content of user interaction in the specific communication to a specific server via the communication means.   5. The communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein when the specific communication is text data exchange, the display means displays a display area for displaying the text on the display screen together with a display area for television broadcasting.   5. The communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein, when the specific communication is text data exchange, the display unit displays the text in a telop on the display screen so as to overlap the display area.