JP2011170735A - Sever device, electronic equipment, retrieval system, retrieval method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To easily search for information related to a content being reproduced and expected to be desired by many users.
A server 1 receives a search keyword and channel information inputted during broadcasting of a program of a specific channel from each TV 2, and a plurality of the search keywords are received from different TVs 2 within a predetermined time. In this case, the specific channel is transmitted to the other TV 2 that is selected as the search keyword candidate. The other TV 2 displays the received search keyword candidate, and executes a search when a search is instructed by the user for the search keyword candidate. As a result, a search keyword used to search for related information of a certain user's program is shared with other users.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device capable of executing search processing for content related information, a server device that supports search processing of the electronic device, a search system including the electronic device and the server device, a search method in the search system, and the electronic device The present invention relates to each program executed by a device and a server device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a technique for allowing a user to easily search for information related to a content during reproduction of the content such as a broadcast program. For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a keyword related to the TV program is extracted from the TV program being broadcast, and a web page searched based on the keyword is displayed together with the TV program. An information presentation device that can automatically update a web page corresponding to a changed scene when a scene of the TV program changes by managing the keywords appearing in the program in association with each other is disclosed. Yes.

JP 2009-10797 A

  However, since the technique described in Patent Document 1 performs a search based on a keyword extracted from a television program, the amount of information provided on a web page that is searched and displayed is naturally limited. That is, there are keywords that are not extracted from the television program even though each user knows that the relevance to the content of the television program is high. Such a keyword is input by the user himself / herself. This keyword input operation is an extremely complicated operation especially when viewing a content such as a television program.

  Moreover, it is very troublesome for a user who does not have an input device such as a keyboard, which is relatively easy to input, to perform a keyword input operation using a simple input device such as a remote controller. Therefore, since it is rare for a user to perform such an input operation, as a result, the majority of users have missed an opportunity to acquire content-related information.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a server device, an electronic device, a search system, and a search capable of easily searching for information related to the content being reproduced and expected to be desired by many users. It is to provide a method and a program.

  In order to achieve the above object, a server apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a communication unit, a storage unit, and a control unit. The communication unit is configured to search the related information of the video content from the plurality of first electronic devices connected via the network during the playback of the video content in the first electronic device. First search information input by a user of the device and identification information for identifying the video content are received. The storage unit stores the received first search information and identification information in association with each other. The control unit reproduces the video content by using the same second search information received from the first electronic devices within a predetermined time among the stored first search information. The communication unit is controlled to transmit to the second electronic device in the middle as search candidate information for searching for the related information based on the corresponding identification information.

  With this configuration, the server device can use the search information input by each user of the plurality of first electronic devices to search for related information of the video content to the user of the second electronic device that is reproducing the video content. It can be shared as search candidate information. Therefore, the user of the second electronic device can easily search related information of the video content using the search candidate information without performing a complicated operation for inputting the search information. In addition, since the search candidate information is information that is actually input for search by users of a plurality of first electronic devices, a search is performed using the search candidate information in the second electronic device. There is also a high possibility that the information is really desired by the user of the second electronic device in relation to the video content. Here, the video content is recorded on a recording medium such as a program on a television broadcast or IP (Internet Protocol) TV, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a BD (Blu-ray Disc), or the like. It is. The search information is, for example, a keyword, an image, a sound, and the like. The identification information is, for example, channel information or video content name in television broadcasting.

  The control unit ranks the plurality of different second search information according to the number of received second search information within the predetermined time, and displays the second search information according to the rank. You may control the said communication part so that it may transmit.

  Thereby, the user of the second electronic device can grasp the degree of association with the video content at a glance according to the display order of the first search information, and can execute a more efficient search. .

  The communication unit may receive ranking information of third search information input to the search engine from a predetermined search engine on the network. In this case, the control unit may rank the second search information using the number of receptions within the predetermined time and the ranking information.

  As a result, the server device uses, for example, a keyword ranking that reflects input information of a large number of users, which is published by a search engine on the Internet, and the like, and a search candidate provided to the second electronic device. The accuracy of information can be further increased.

  The storage unit may store the first search information received from each of the first electronic devices separately into main search information and sub-search information. In this case, the control unit ranks the stored main search information and sub search information according to the number of receptions, and the second search candidate information is set as the main search candidate information and the sub search information. The communication unit may be controlled so as to be transmitted separately from the search candidate information.

  As a result, the server device transmits not only the main search candidate information but also the sub search candidate information to the second electronic device so that it can be shared, so that the narrow search can be easily performed using the sub search candidate information. Search efficiency can be improved.

  The communication unit receives each first related information searched by a predetermined search engine using each first search information from each first electronic device, and the storage unit receives the reception Each related information may be stored. In this case, the control unit, together with the second search information, out of the stored first related information, the second related information searched using the second search information, The communication unit may be controlled to transmit to the second electronic device.

  As a result, the server device transmits not only the search information but also the related information of the video content searched by the search information to the second electronic device so that the user of the second electronic device can share it. The related information can be provided without performing any search operation.

  An electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a display unit, a communication unit, a control unit, and an operation input unit. The display unit displays the reproduced video content. The communication unit includes the video content in a plurality of other electronic devices connected to the server device via the network based on identification information identifying the video content from the server device connected via the network. The search information input to search for related information of is received. The control unit controls the display unit to display the received search information together with the video content as search candidate information during display of the video content. The operation input unit receives a user operation input for selecting the displayed search candidate information and searching for the related information.

  Thereby, the electronic device receives the search information used for searching for the related information of the video content in the other electronic device via the server device, and displays it as the search candidate information during the display of the video content, Based on this, retrieval of related information can be executed. Therefore, the user of the electronic device can search and acquire related information by selecting search candidate information to be displayed without inputting search information by himself / herself.

  In the electronic device, the control unit may control the display unit so as to erase the displayed search candidate information after a predetermined time has elapsed from the display.

  As a result, the electronic device prevents the search candidate information from being continuously displayed even after the scene of the video content is switched to a scene unrelated to the search candidate information, and the search candidate information having high relevance to the scene. Can only display.

  In the electronic apparatus, the communication unit may receive the search information by distinguishing it into main search information and sub-search information. In this case, the control unit displays the received main search information as main search candidate information, and the received sub search information is selected when the displayed main search candidate information is selected by the operation input. The display unit may be controlled so that the search information is further displayed as candidate sub search information.

  Thus, the electronic device displays not only the main search candidate information but also the sub search candidate information after the selection of the main search candidate information, so that the narrow search can be easily executed by the sub search candidate information. , Search efficiency can be improved.

  In the electronic device, the communication unit may receive time code information of the video content from the server device at the time when the search information is input from the other electronic device. In this case, the control unit controls the display unit to display the search candidate information when determining that the time code of the video content in the electronic device matches the received time code information. Also good.

  As a result, the electronic device determines the display timing of the search candidate information using the time code information, so that, for example, video content stored in a storage medium such as an HDD, a DVD, or a BD, Search candidate information can also be displayed at an appropriate timing for video content that is played back at different dates and times with other electronic devices.

  In the electronic device, the communication unit may receive scene feature information indicating a scene feature of the video content at the time when the search information is input from the other electronic device. In this case, the control unit detects the feature of the scene of the video content reproduced and displayed on the electronic device, and determines that the detected feature matches the received scene feature information. The display unit may be controlled to display the candidate information.

  As a result, the electronic device determines the display timing of the search candidate information using the scene feature detected from the video content, so that the video content is edited by the user of the electronic device, for example, so that the same video content Therefore, even if the total playback time differs between the electronic device and other electronic devices, the search candidate information can be displayed at an appropriate timing.

  In the electronic device, the communication unit may receive related information searched using the search information in each of the other electronic devices from the server device. In this case, the control unit may control the display unit to display the received related information together with the search candidate information and the video content.

  As a result, the electronic device can display related information as a search result without waiting for an operation to select search candidate information to be input. Can be provided to the user. That is, the electronic device can share not only the search information used by the user of the other electronic device but also the search result by the user of the electronic device.

  A search system according to still another embodiment of the present invention includes a first electronic device, a server device, and a second electronic device. The first electronic device includes a first display unit, a first operation input unit, a first communication unit, and a first control unit. The first display unit displays the reproduced video content. The first operation input unit receives an input operation of first search information from a user during display of the video content. The first communication unit transmits the input first search information to a predetermined search engine via a network, and receives related information of the video content as a search result from the search engine. Each time the related information is received, the first control unit transmits the transmitted first search information and identification information for identifying the video content being displayed. To control. The server device includes a second communication unit, a storage unit, and a second control unit. The second communication unit receives the first search information and the identification information from the first electronic devices via the network. The storage unit stores the received first search information and identification information in association with each other. The second control unit converts the same second search information received from the first electronic devices within the predetermined time out of the stored first search information into the corresponding Based on the identification information to be transmitted, the second communication unit is controlled to transmit via the network. The second electronic device includes a second display unit, a third communication unit, a third control unit, and a second operation input unit. The second display unit displays reproduced video content that is the same as the video content displayed on the first electronic device. The third communication unit receives the second search information from the server device via the network. The third control unit controls the display unit to display the received second search information together with the video content as search candidate information during display of the video content. The second operation input unit receives a user operation input for selecting the displayed search candidate information and searching for the related information.

  In the search method according to still another aspect of the present invention, the first search information input operation is received from the user while the reproduced video content is being displayed in the plurality of first electronic devices. The input first search information is transmitted to a predetermined search engine via the network, and the related information of the video content is received as a search result from the search engine. Each time the related information is received, the transmitted first search information and identification information for identifying the video content being displayed are transmitted to the server device via the network. In the server device, the first search information and the identification information are received from the first electronic devices via the network. The received first search information and identification information are stored in association with each other. Of the stored first search information, the same second search information received from the first electronic devices within a predetermined time is the network based on the corresponding identification information. To the second electronic device. In the second electronic device, the reproduced video content that is the same as the video content displayed in the first electronic device is displayed, and the second search information is transmitted from the server device via the network. Received. The received second search information is displayed together with the video content as search candidate information during the display of the video content. The user's operation input for selecting the displayed search candidate information and searching for the related information is accepted.

  A program according to still another aspect of the present invention causes a server device to execute a reception step, a storage step, and a transmission step. In the receiving step, from the plurality of first electronic devices connected via the network, the first electronic device is used to search for related information of the video content during reproduction of the video content in the first electronic device. First search information input by a user of the device and identification information for identifying the video content are received. In the storing step, the received first search information and identification information are stored in association with each other. In the transmission step, out of the stored first search information, the same second search information received from the first electronic device within a predetermined period of time reproduces the video content. Based on the corresponding identification information, it is transmitted to the second electronic device as search candidate information for searching for the related information.

  A program according to still another aspect of the present invention causes an electronic device to execute a first display step, a reception step, a second display step, and an operation input step. In the first display step, the reproduced video content is displayed. In the reception step, the video content is transmitted from the server device connected via the network to a plurality of other electronic devices connected to the server device via the network based on identification information for identifying the video content. The search information input to search the related information is received. In the second display step, during the display of the video content, the received search information is displayed together with the video content as search candidate information. In the operation input step, a user operation input for selecting the displayed search candidate information and searching for the related information is accepted.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily search for information that is related to the content being reproduced and is expected to be desired by many users.

It is a figure showing an outline of a search system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the block diagram which showed the hardware constitutions of the server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the hardware constitutions of TV which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of a display of UI screen displayed in TV which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of operation | movement at the time of the search keyword input of TV concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of operation | movement of the server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of step 61-step 66 of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the determination process of the search keyword candidate by the server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of reception and a display process of a search keyword candidate by TV which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the display method of the search keyword candidate by TV which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the selection operation method of the search keyword candidate in TV which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. In other embodiment of this invention, it is a figure for demonstrating the case where a search result is displayed automatically. It is the figure which showed a mode that the search keyword input with apparatuses other than TV is transmitted to the server 1 in other embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[System Overview]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a search system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the search system in the present embodiment is configured by connecting a plurality of television receivers 2 (hereinafter referred to as TV2A, TV2B...) And a server 1 via the Internet 3. . A search engine 4 is also connected to the Internet 3 and can be accessed from the server 1 or each TV 2.

  The user of each TV 2 can search related information of the TV broadcast program, for example, by inputting a search keyword to the TV 2 and instructing execution of the search while watching the TV broadcast program. When execution of the search is instructed, a search keyword (search query) is transmitted to the search engine 4 and the search result is returned to the TV 2 and displayed on the TV 2.

  In this system, when a user of each TV 2 (for example, user A) is viewing a program of a specific channel on TV 2 (TV 2A) and searches for related information using a specific search keyword K, the program of the same specific channel is displayed. The specific search keyword K is displayed as a search keyword candidate on TV2 of another user who is viewing (TV2B of user 2B). That is, the search keyword is shared among the users of the TV 2. In order to realize the sharing of the search keyword, the server 1 receives the search keyword input to each TV 2 and information on the channel being selected by each TV 2 and performs search keyword candidate selection processing. The selected search keyword is transmitted to each TV 2.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of each device necessary for realizing the search keyword sharing processing will be described in detail.

[Hardware configuration of server]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the server 1. As shown in the figure, the server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM 102 (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an input / output interface 105, and a bus 104 that connects these components to each other. .

  The CPU 101 appropriately accesses the RAM 103 or the like as necessary, and performs overall control of each block of the server 1 while performing various arithmetic processes. The ROM 102 is a nonvolatile memory in which firmware such as programs to be executed by the CPU 101 and various parameters are fixedly stored. The RAM 103 is used as a work area for the CPU 101 and temporarily holds the OS, various programs being executed, and various data being processed.

  Connected to the input / output interface 105 are a display unit 106, an operation input unit 107, an HDD 108, a communication unit 109, a drive unit 110, and the like.

  The display unit 106 is a display device using, for example, liquid crystal, EL (Electro-Luminescence), CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like. The display unit 106 may be built in the server 1 or may be externally connected to the server 1.

  The operation input unit 107 is, for example, a pointing device, a keyboard, a touch panel, or other operation device. When the operation input unit 107 includes a touch panel, the touch panel can be integrated with the display unit 106.

  The HDD 108 includes data such as search keyword information and channel information received from each TV 2, data such as keyword ranking information acquired from the search engine 4, various programs such as an application and an OS for determining search keyword candidates and transmitting them to each TV 2. Etc. are memorized. The server 1 may include, for example, a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or other solid memory instead of or in addition to the HDD 108.

  The drive unit 110 is a device capable of driving a removable recording medium 111 such as an optical recording medium such as a BD or DVD, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic recording tape, or a flash memory.

  The communication unit 109 is a network interface card (NIC) for communicating with other devices such as each TV 2 and the search engine 4 via a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet 3 and a LAN (Local Area Network). It is.

[TV hardware configuration]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the TV 2A.

  As shown in the figure, the TV 2A includes a CPU 201, a flash memory 202, a DRAM (Dynamic RAM) 203, an internal bus 204, a remote control light receiving unit 205, a digital antenna input terminal 206, a digital tuner 207, a communication unit 208, an MPEG decoder 209, A video signal processing circuit 211, a graphic generation unit 212, a display driving circuit 213, a display 214, an audio signal processing circuit 215, an audio signal amplification circuit 216, and a speaker 217 are included.

  A digital antenna input terminal 206 inputs a broadcast signal of a digital broadcast received by a digital antenna (not shown). The digital tuner 207 selects a channel signal designated from the broadcast signal and outputs it to the MPEG decoder 209. The communication unit 208 is formed of, for example, a NIC or the like, and executes communication processing between the server 1 and the search engine 4 via the Internet 3.

  The MPEG decoder 209 decodes broadcast signals and other content signals encoded according to the MPEG standard, and outputs a video signal to the video signal processing circuit 211 and an audio signal to the audio signal processing circuit 215 among the decoded signals.

  The video signal processing circuit 211 performs necessary video processing on the input video signal and outputs it to the graphic generation unit 212. The graphic generation unit 212 synthesizes the input video signal with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen or the like by OSD (On Screen Display) processing and outputs it to the display driving circuit 213. The display driving circuit 213 performs digital / analog conversion of the video signal supplied from the graphic generation unit 212 and drives the display 214 in accordance with the analog video signal. The display 214 is, for example, a liquid crystal, a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), an EL display, or the like, and displays an analog video signal input from the display driving circuit 213.

  The audio signal processing circuit 215 performs necessary audio processing on the input audio signal and outputs it to the audio signal amplification circuit 216. The audio signal amplifier circuit 216 adjusts the input audio signal to a necessary volume, and outputs it to the speaker 217 for reproduction.

  The CPU 201 accesses the DRAM 203 and the like as necessary, and comprehensively controls each block of the TV 2A. The flash memory 202 is a non-volatile memory that fixedly stores an OS to be executed by the CPU 201 and a program such as an application and firmware such as various parameters necessary for sharing a search keyword described later between the TVs 2. . The DRAM 203 is a memory that is used as a work area for the CPU 201 and temporarily stores an OS, a program, processing data, and the like. The CPU 201, the flash memory 202, and the DRAM 203 are connected to the internal bus 204, and the entire TV 2A is controlled by being accessed with each other.

  The remote control light receiving unit 205 receives a user operation from a remote controller 210 (hereinafter referred to as a remote control 210) by a remote control signal and outputs the remote control signal to the CPU 201. Thereby, the control processing of the TV 2A such as reception and reproduction of content according to the user operation is executed. The remote controller 210 has various operation units such as a numeric key corresponding to a broadcast channel, a menu button, a playback button, a pause button, a fast forward button, a rewind button, and the like.

  A keyboard 218 is connected to the TV 2A. The keyboard 218 is mainly used for inputting a search keyword when the user of the TV 2A searches for related information of the program while viewing the program. In addition to the keyboard 218, the TV 2A may include buttons, keys, a touch panel, and the like that are directly operated by the user to receive various operations.

  Although not shown, the other TVs 2 such as the TV 2B have the same hardware configuration as the TV 2A, and when describing each block in each TV, the same reference numerals as those in the TV 2A are used. However, some other TVs 2 such as the TV 2B do not have the keyboard 218 connected thereto.

[System Operation]
Next, each operation of the server 1 and the TVs 2 and 300 when the search keyword sharing process is executed by the search system configured as described above will be described.

(TV user interface screen)
Here, first, a UI (user interface) screen displayed on the display 214 of each TV 2 when the search keyword sharing process is executed in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the UI screen.

  As shown in the figure, the UI (hereinafter referred to as a search share view) includes a content display area 41, a search keyword candidate display area 42, a search keyword display area 43, a search button area 44, and a search result display area 45. Has a region. This search share view is typically used in common on any TV 2. However, as to the display timing, various methods can be considered as will be described later.

  In the content display area 41, reproduced video content such as a television broadcast program is displayed. In the search keyword candidate display area 42, a search keyword input by another TV 2 is displayed. In the search keyword display area 43, the search keyword selected by the user among the search keyword candidates displayed in the search keyword candidate display area 42 is displayed. The search keyword display area 43 also functions as a search keyword input box for a user who actually inputs a search keyword. The search button area 44 displays a search button for determining execution of search processing using the search keyword displayed in the search keyword display area 43. In the search result display area 45, the result of the search process executed by the search engine 4 by the search button is displayed. The search result display area 45 functions as a browser or a widget.

(TV operation when entering search keywords)
Next, the operation of the TV 2 when a search keyword is input will be described. In the following description, an example will be described in which the search keyword input by the TV 2A is displayed on the TV 2B that is selecting the same channel. In the following description, the CPU of each apparatus will be described as the main operating subject, but these operations are performed in cooperation with other hardware and software operating under the control of the CPU.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations when inputting a search keyword in the TV 2A.

  As shown in the figure, first, when the user manually inputs a search keyword into the search keyword display area 43 using, for example, the keyboard 218 or the like during playback of a broadcast program, the TV 201 of the TV 2A transmits the search keyword to the communication unit 208. To the search engine 4 (step 51). The CPU 201 receives the search result from the search engine 4 and displays the search result (link destination list) in the search result display area 45 (step 52).

  When the search is executed, the CPU 201 acquires channel information for identifying the channels in the 1000 songs by the digital tuner 207 at that time (step 53). Then, the CPU 201 transmits the channel information and the search keyword used for the search to the server 1 (step 54). As will be described later, this search keyword is transmitted by being distinguished into a main keyword and a sub-keyword. In the present embodiment, of the search keywords input in the search keyword display area 43 of the search share view, the search keyword input first is set as the main search keyword, and the search input subsequently (on the right side) is performed. The keyword is a sub-keyword. If only one search keyword is input, it is transmitted as the main search keyword.

(Server operation)
Next, the operation of the server 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the server 1.

  As shown in the figure, first, the CPU 101 of the server 1 receives search information, that is, search keyword information (main keyword and sub-keyword) and channel information from each TV 2 (step 61). Subsequently, the CPU 101 stores the received search keyword information and channel information and the time information at the time of reception in the RAM 103 or the like (step 62).

  Subsequently, for the program of the channel identified by the stored channel information, the CPU 101 receives a common keyword input by a predetermined number of users (Y or more) within a predetermined time (X seconds) from the time of reception. It is determined whether or not it exists (step 63). Here, X is 30, 60, 120, for example, and Y is 2, 3, 5, etc., for example. That is, the CPU 101 determines whether there is a search keyword for the same channel received from Y or more different TVs 2 within X seconds among the stored search keywords.

  If it is determined in step 63 that there is a common search keyword (YES), the CPU 101 adopts the search keyword as a search keyword candidate and stores it in the RAM 103 or the like (step 64). On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no common search keyword (NO), the CPU 101 ends the processing within the X seconds for the channel.

  Subsequently, the CPU 101 rearranges the stored search keyword candidates according to the degree of attention (step 65). That is, the CPU 101 ranks the search keyword candidates according to whether the stored search keyword candidates are used as the main search keyword or the sub keyword for each user of each TV 2.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the processing in steps 61 to 66 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5A, the CPU 101 stores information on each TV name (user name), reception time, main keyword, and sub-keyword for each keyword for each channel for each search keyword. (Steps 61 and 62 in FIG. 6).

  Here, it demonstrates concretely along the content of the content display area 41 in the search share view shown in the said FIG. In the content display area 41 of FIG. 4, it is assumed that a video image of news that a male talent “XXX” and a female talent “□□□” are married is displayed. Further, it is assumed that the male talent “XXX” belongs to the group “ΔΔΔ”. As shown in FIG. 6A, as the main keywords, search keywords related to the broadcast content such as “XX”, “△△△”, and “□□□” are received. Search keywords that are completely unrelated to the broadcast content, such as “◇◇◇”, have also been received. Sub-keywords include search keywords related to broadcast content such as “marriage” and “□□□”, and “☆☆☆”, which has nothing to do with the broadcast content (the main keyword “◇◇◇” above) Search keywords have also been received.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the CPU 101 counts the number of times these search keywords are used as a main keyword and the number of times they are used as a sub search keyword. As a result, it is understood that “XXX” is most frequently used as the main keyword, and subsequently “ΔΔΔ” and “□□□” are used the same number of times. It can also be seen that “marriage” is the most frequently used sub-keyword, followed by “□□□”.

  Here, the CPU 101 sets only search keywords that are used a plurality of times as candidates. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the main keywords “◇◇◇” and sub-keywords “☆☆☆” that are used only once are excluded from the processing.

  Further, the CPU 101 acquires search keyword ranking information published by the search engine 4 and the like, and calculates the final attention degree of each search keyword candidate based on the ranking in the ranking. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining attention level calculation processing using the search keyword ranking information and search keyword candidate determination processing based on the attention level calculation processing.

  FIG. 6A shows search keyword candidates (used a plurality of times) that are processed in FIG. FIG. 5B shows search keyword ranking information (search sudden increase word ranking) acquired from the search engine 4. This ranking information is often published every predetermined period such as “latest”, “one day ago”, “past one week”, etc., but the CPU 101 acquires “latest” ranking information. As shown in the figure (B), the search keywords “XXX”, “△△△”, and “□□□” in the figure (A) are ranked first, third, and seventh, respectively. .

  FIG. 6C is a diagram showing ranking points that the CPU 101 assigns to the search keywords included in the ranking information shown in FIG. For example, 10 points, 7 points, 5 points, 3 points, and 1 point are given to the search keywords from 1st to 5th according to the ranking.

  FIG. 4D shows the degree of attention of each search keyword using the ranking points in FIG. 2C based on the number of times the search keyword in FIG. 1A is used and the ranking information in FIG. It is the figure which showed the calculation formula for calculating. As shown in the figure, the degree of attention is calculated by, for example, “main search count × 10 + sub search count × 2 + ranking ranking point”. According to this calculation formula, the respective attention degrees of the search keywords “XXX”, “ΔΔΔ”, and “□□□” are 40 points, 25 points, and 24 points, respectively.

  Therefore, the CPU 101 determines “◯◯◯”, “ΔΔΔ”, and “□□□” in this order as main keyword candidates, as shown in FIG. Further, the CPU 101 determines “marriage” and “□□□” in this order for each main keyword candidate based on the number of sub-searches shown in FIG. Here, “□□□” is used for both the main keyword and the subkeyword. However, in order to make the main keyword and the subkeyword inconsistent, the subkeyword candidate for the main keyword “□□□” “□□□” is excluded.

  In this way, the ranking information published by the search engine 4 is supplementarily used for calculating the degree of attention, so that the search keyword candidate is related to the content of the broadcast program, and the TV 2B user really wants the keyword. Is likely to be.

  7 and 8, only the processing related to one channel is shown, the CPU 101 executes the above processing for each channel. That is, search keyword candidates are determined for each of a plurality of channels indicated by the channel information received from the TV 2.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the CPU 101 stores the finally determined search keyword candidates in the RAM 103 or the like (step 66). The search keyword candidate determination process is executed every predetermined time such as 1 minute, and the stored search keyword candidates are updated each time.

  Then, the CPU 101 waits for a search keyword candidate transmission request from the TV 2B that is selecting the same channel as the TV 2A (step 67). If there is a transmission request from the TV 2B (YES), the CPU 101 transmits the stored search keyword candidates (main keyword candidates and sub-keyword candidates) to the TV 2B together with each rank information corresponding to the degree of attention (step 68). This order information is used to determine the display order of search keyword candidates in the TV 2B.

(Operation of TV when search keyword candidate is displayed)
Next, details of the process in which the TV 2B receives and displays the search keyword candidates determined by the process of the server 1 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for receiving and displaying the search keyword candidate.

  As shown in the figure, first, the CPU 201 of the TV 2B acquires channel information that the digital tuner 207 is currently selecting (step 91). Subsequently, the CPU 201 transmits a search keyword candidate transmission request for the channel to the server 1 and receives the search keyword candidate from the server 1 (step 92). This transmission request is transmitted every predetermined time such as 1 minute. Further, as described above, the search keyword candidates are received by being distinguished into main keywords and sub-keywords.

  Subsequently, the CPU 101 displays the received search keyword candidates on the search share view of the display 214 (step 93). Here, for example, two methods of displaying the search keyword candidates are conceivable. FIG. 10 shows these two display methods.

  FIG. 4A shows the first method. In this method, the search share view is always displayed on the TV 2B for which the search keyword input itself is not performed (FIG. (A1)). When a keyword candidate is received from the server 1, the search share view is displayed. It is displayed in the search keyword candidate display area 42 ((A2) in the figure). When the search processing described later is not executed for the search keyword candidate, the search keyword candidate is deleted after a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) from the display of the search keyword candidate. This prevents the search keyword candidate from being displayed even after the program scene is changed to another scene, thereby preventing information unrelated to the program contents from being searched. When a new search keyword candidate is received from the server 1, the new search keyword candidate is displayed.

  FIG. 5B shows the second method. In this method, the search share view is not normally displayed, and the broadcast program displayed in the content display area 41 is displayed in full screen ((B1) in the figure). When the TV 2B receives a search keyword candidate from the server 1, it is displayed in the search keyword candidate display area 42 ((B2) in the figure). In addition, when the search processing described later is not executed for the search keyword candidate, the search share view is deleted after a predetermined time has elapsed from the display of the search keyword candidate. Therefore, each time the TV 2B receives a new search keyword candidate, display / non-display of the search share view is switched.

  Returning to FIG. 9, the CPU 201 determines whether a selection operation and a search execution instruction operation have been input for the displayed search keyword candidates (step 94). Here, details of the search keyword candidate selection operation method will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a selection operation method of the search keyword candidate.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, first, a plurality of main keyword candidates among the search keyword candidates received from the server 1 are displayed in the search keyword candidate display area 42. The display order of each main keyword candidate reflects the order information received from the server 1. That is, for example, each main keyword candidate is displayed according to the order from the left to the right of the search keyword candidate display area 42. As shown in FIG. 5B, for example, when the user operates the pointer P to select a specific main keyword candidate “ΔΔΔ”, the main keyword candidate is displayed in the search keyword display area 43 as the main keyword. Is done.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6C, a plurality of sub-keyword candidates among the search keyword candidates received from the server 1 are displayed in the search keyword candidate display area 42. The order information is also reflected in the display order of the sub-keyword candidates as described above. As shown in FIG. 4D, for example, when the user operates the pointer P to select a specific main keyword candidate “marriage”, the sub keyword candidate is displayed as a sub keyword in the search keyword display area 43 together with the main keyword. Is displayed.

  From this state, when the user presses the search button on the search button area 44 and instructs to execute the search (YES in step 94 in FIG. 9), the CPU 101 uses the main keyword and the sub-keyword as a search query. 4 (step 95). Then, the search result returned from the search engine 4 is displayed in the search result display area 45.

[Summary]
As described above, in the present embodiment, a search keyword input to search for related information of a broadcast program of a certain channel of a user of a plurality of TVs 2 (TV 2A, etc.) is selecting the same channel. Are automatically displayed as search keyword candidates on TV2 (TV2B, etc.). That is, a search keyword of a certain user is shared with other users. Therefore, the user of the other TV 2 can easily search for related information of the broadcast program using the search keyword without performing a complicated operation for inputting the search keyword. Further, since the search keyword is information actually input for search by a plurality of TV 2 users, when a search is performed with the search keyword on another TV 2, the search result relates to the broadcast program. There is a high possibility that the information is truly desired by other TV2 users.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, in the search share view of TV2B, first, search keyword candidates are displayed in the search keyword candidate display area 42, the search keywords selected therefrom are displayed in the search keyword display area 43, and a search button is further displayed. When pressed, the search result is displayed in the search result display area 45. However, when the search keyword candidate is received from the server 1 without inputting the selection operation and the search execution instruction operation, the TV 2B may automatically display the search result or its link destination. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example in this case.

  (A) ((A1) to (A3)) in the figure shows a display example on the TV 2A of the user who inputs the search keyword himself, and (B) ((B1) and (B2)) in FIG. The example of a display in TV2B which displays a search result is shown. As shown in FIG. 4A1, when a search is executed for the search keyword input to the search keyword display area 43 in the TV 2A, the search result display area 45 in FIG. , A list of links to multiple websites is displayed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B1, no search keyword or search result is displayed in the search share view of TV 2B.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6A3, when the user of the TV 2A selects and displays one linked website (for example, □□□ blog as a search keyword) from the linked list, the figure is displayed. As shown in (B 2), the linked website is displayed in the search result display area 45 of the TV 2 B, and the search keyword “□□□” is displayed in the search keyword display area 43. That is, by this process, not the search keyword but the search result (or its link destination) is shared with the TV 2B user. Thereby, the user of TV2B can browse the related information of a broadcast program, without performing any operation.

  In the embodiment described above, only the search keyword input on the search share view of the TV 2A is transmitted to the server 1, but the search keyword input by the user to another device during the program broadcast is transmitted to the server 1. May be. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining this case.

  As shown in the figure, for example, when the PC 5 exists in the vicinity of the TV 2A and the user inputs a search keyword using the keyboard of the PC 5 or the like while watching the TV 2A, the PC 5 sends the search keyword to the server 1. On the other hand, the TV 2A transmits the channel information at that time to the server 1. In this case, both the TV 2A and the PC 5 are registered in the same net account of the service provided by the server 1, and the server 1 associates the channel information transmitted from the TV 2A with the search keyword transmitted from the PC 5. Can be grasped. Alternatively, the TV 2A and the PC 5 may be connected to a home server in the home network, and the home server may transmit the channel information and the search keyword to the server 1 as a set. For example, when the TV 2A is provided with a camera so that the relevance between the content of the broadcast program received on the TV 2A and the search keyword input to the PC 5 is secured, the camera Only the search keyword input to the PC 5 within a certain time (for example, within one minute) from the time of the separation may be transmitted to the server 1 by detecting that the user has left the TV 2A. In this case, for example, the TV 2A transmits the time when the user leaves the front of the TV 2A to the PC 5, and the PC 5 determines whether or not the search keyword is input within a predetermined time from the time.

  As a result of such processing, search keywords entered by other users who do not normally perform searches using the TV 2A are also collected by the server 1, so that many search keywords are shared.

  In the above-described embodiment, the search keyword is the sharing target. However, the search information other than the keyword or the search result thereby may be the sharing target. For example, audio information used for music search, image information used for image search, and position information used for position search may be shared.

  In the case of music search, the TV 2 extracts the audio data of the music flowing in the content from the audio data of the video content such as a TV program, and executes the search using the audio data as a search key. The result of the music search is transmitted and displayed. Alternatively, when the user of the TV 2 wants to know what music is playing in the program and inputs his / her voice (nasal song) with a microphone and executes a search, the other TV 2 is searched for the music. The result is sent and displayed. In the case of image search, the user of TV 2 wants to know who is the person who appears in the program. For example, the face image of the person is extracted using face detection software and the face image is input. When the search is executed, the person name and the face image, which are the search results of the face image search, are transmitted to the other TV 2 and displayed. The same applies to other image searches such as landscape images. In the case of position search, for example, when position information corresponding to GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like is included in a program, when the user of the TV 2 performs position search using the position information, the position is obtained as a search result. A map with a mark is acquired, and the map is transmitted to another TV 2 and displayed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the search keyword input while the TV broadcast program is displayed on the TV 2 is shared with the other TV 2, but the same processing may be executed for content other than the TV broadcast program. For example, during playback of content recorded on a disc-shaped recording medium such as a DVD or BD, content recorded on a HDD of a recording device such as PVR (Personal Video Recorder), or content that is streamed or downloaded on IPTV The search keyword input to or the search result based on the search keyword may be transmitted to another TV 2 that is reproducing the same content and displayed. These contents may be reproduced and displayed by the TV 2 or may be reproduced by another device such as a PVR connected to the TV 2 and output to the display of the TV 2.

  Unlike broadcast programs, these contents are not always played back simultaneously on one TV 2 and another TV 2, so the search keywords input for specific scenes of the content played on the TV 2 at a certain time are different. It is necessary to display at a timing when a specific scene of the same content is reproduced on another TV 2 in time. For this reason, the server 1 acquires content identification information from each TV 2 instead of the channel information in the above-described embodiment, and the time code (playback position information) of the content when the search keyword is input on the TV 2. ) To get. When there is a search keyword candidate transmission request from the other TV 2 based on the identification information, the server 1 transmits the determined search keyword candidate to the other TV 2 together with the time code. The other TV 2 displays the received search keyword candidate when the received time code matches the time code of the content being reproduced.

  However, when the user edits the content such as when the user cuts a CM or scene of the broadcast program recorded by the user, the scene corresponding to the time code received by the server 1 and the edited content There may be a case where the scene corresponding to the time code does not match. For example, the user A of the TV 2A executes a search in the scene where the time code is located at the start 10 minutes, but the user B of the TV 2B himself / herself cuts and edits the scene of 2 minutes for the same content. May be located 8 minutes in the content of user B.

  There are two ways to deal with this problem. One is that the TV 2B stores the scene cut time in a DRAM or a flash memory, and offsets that amount. That is, in the above example, even if the time code received from the server 1 indicates the start 10 minutes, the TV 2B offsets the cut 2 minutes and displays the search keyword candidates at the start 8 minutes. The other is that the TV 2B detects a scene where the search keyword candidate is to be displayed. That is, the server 1 acquires the video and audio extracted from the scene in which the search keyword is input in the TV 2A from the TV 2A together with the search keyword, and transmits the video and audio of the scene together with the search keyword candidate to the TV 2B. From the content being reproduced, a scene where the video and audio match is detected, and search keyword candidates are displayed when the scene is reproduced. In the scene detection process, for example, a pattern matching process is performed on the luminance component, color difference component, and sound waveform information in the video.

  By such processing, even when the user edits the same content and the total reproduction time is different from the original one, the search keyword candidates are displayed at an appropriate timing.

  In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the main keyword and the sub-keyword are sequentially selected from the candidates. However, the TV 2B may display a set of main keyword candidates and sub-keyword candidates at once in the search keyword candidate display area 42 and perform a search by one click of a search button by the user.

  In the embodiment described above, search information such as a search keyword or a search operation is a target to be shared, but other operations executed in connection with content such as a program on the user's TV 2 are made available to other TV 2 users. It may be shared. For example, when the user A of the TV 2A changes the image / sound quality setting in a specific scene of the content being reproduced, the changed image / sound quality setting information is transmitted to the other TV 2B via the server 1 and the TV 2B receives the scene. When the is reproduced, the image quality setting may be executed. The time code or scene information may be used for the determination of the execution timing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Server 2 (2A, 2B) ... Television receiver (TV)
3 ... Internet 4 ... Search engine 5 ... PC
41 ... Content display area 42 ... Search keyword candidate display area 43 ... Search keyword display area 44 ... Search button area 45 ... Search result display area 101, 201 ... CPU
103 ... RAM
108 ... HDD
109, 208 ... Communication unit 202 ... Flash memory 203 ... DRAM
209 ... MPEG decoder 210 ... Remote controller (remote controller)
214 ... Display 218 ... Keyboard

Claims (15)

Input from a plurality of first electronic devices connected via a network by a user of the first electronic device in order to search related information of the video content during reproduction of the video content in the first electronic device A communication unit that receives the first search information and identification information for identifying the video content;
A storage unit for storing the received first search information and the identification information in association with each other;
Of the stored first search information, the same second search information received from the first electronic devices within a predetermined time is used as the second search information that is being reproduced. A server device comprising: a control unit that controls the communication unit to transmit to the electronic device as candidate information for search for searching for the related information via the network based on the corresponding identification information. The server device according to claim 1,
The control unit ranks the plurality of different second search information according to the number of received second search information within the predetermined time, and displays the second search information according to the rank. A server device that controls the communication unit to transmit. The server device according to claim 2,
The communication unit receives the ranking information of the third search information input to the search engine from a predetermined search engine on the network,
The said control part ranks each said 2nd information for a search using the received number in the said predetermined time, and the said ranking information. The server device according to claim 2,
The storage unit stores the first search information received from the first electronic devices separately into main search information and sub-search information,
The control unit ranks the stored main search information and sub search information according to the number of receptions, and sets the second search candidate information as main search candidate information and sub search information. A server device that controls the communication unit so as to be transmitted separately from candidate information. The server device according to claim 2,
The communication unit receives each first related information searched by a predetermined search engine using each first search information from each first electronic device,
The storage unit stores each received related information,
The control unit, together with the second search information, includes second related information searched using the second search information among the stored first related information. The server apparatus which controls the said communication part so that it may transmit to 2 electronic devices. A display unit for displaying the reproduced video content;
Based on identification information for identifying the video content from a server device connected via the network, search for related information of the video content in a plurality of other electronic devices connected to the server device via the network. A communication unit for receiving the search information input in order to
A control unit that controls the display unit to display the received search information together with the video content as search candidate information during display of the video content;
An electronic device comprising: an operation input unit that receives a user operation input for selecting the displayed search candidate information and searching for the related information. The electronic device according to claim 6,
The electronic device controls the display unit to erase the displayed search candidate information after a predetermined time has elapsed from the display. The electronic device according to claim 7,
The communication unit receives the search information separately from main search information and sub-search information,
The control unit displays the received main search information as main search candidate information, and when the displayed main search candidate information is selected by the operation input, the received sub search information An electronic device that controls the display unit to further display information as sub-search candidate information. The electronic device according to claim 7,
The communication unit receives time code information of the video content from the server device at the time when the search information is input by the other electronic device,
The electronic device controls the display unit to display the search candidate information when the control unit determines that the time code of the video content in the electronic device matches the received time code information. The electronic device according to claim 7,
The communication unit receives scene feature information indicating a scene feature of the video content at the time when the search information is input by the other electronic device;
When the control unit detects a scene feature of the video content reproduced and displayed on the electronic device and determines that the detected feature matches the received scene feature information, the search candidate An electronic device that controls the display unit to display information. The electronic device according to claim 7,
The communication unit receives, from the server device, related information searched using the search information in each of the other electronic devices,
The electronic device controls the display unit to display the received related information together with the search candidate information and the video content. A first display for displaying reproduced video content;
A first operation input unit that receives an input operation of first search information from a user during display of the video content;
A first communication unit that transmits the input first search information to a predetermined search engine via a network and receives related information of the video content as a search result from the search engine;
A first control unit that controls the communication unit to transmit the transmitted first search information and identification information for identifying the video content being displayed each time the related information is received. A plurality of first electronic devices each having and
A second communication unit that receives the first search information and the identification information from the first electronic devices via the network;
A storage unit for storing the received first search information and the identification information in association with each other;
Of the stored first search information, the same second search information received from each first electronic device within a predetermined time is used as the network based on the corresponding identification information. A server device having a second control unit for controlling the second communication unit to transmit via
A second display unit for displaying the reproduced video content identical to the video content displayed on the first electronic device;
A third communication unit for receiving the second search information from the server device via the network;
A third control unit that controls the display unit to display the received second search information together with the video content as search candidate information during display of the video content;
A second electronic device comprising: a second operation input unit that receives a user operation input for selecting the displayed search candidate information and searching for the related information. In the plurality of first electronic devices,
While displaying the reproduced video content, an input operation of the first search information is accepted from the user,
Sending the input first search information to a predetermined search engine via a network, receiving the related information of the video content as a search result from the search engine,
Each time the related information is received, the transmitted first search information and identification information for identifying the video content being displayed are transmitted to the server device via the network,
In the server device,
The first search information and the identification information are received from the first electronic devices via the network,
Storing each received first search information and each identification information in association with each other;
Of the stored first search information, the same second search information received from each first electronic device within a predetermined time is used as the network based on the corresponding identification information. To the second electronic device via
In the second electronic device,
Displaying reproduced video content identical to the video content displayed on the first electronic device;
Receiving the second search information from the server device via the network;
While the video content is being displayed, the received second search information is displayed as search candidate information together with the video content,
A search method for accepting a user operation input for selecting the displayed search candidate information and searching for the related information. On the server device,
Input from a plurality of first electronic devices connected via a network by a user of the first electronic device in order to search related information of the video content during reproduction of the video content in the first electronic device Receiving the first search information and identification information for identifying the video content;
Storing the received first search information and the identification information in association with each other;
Of the stored first search information, the same second search information received from the first electronic devices within a predetermined time is used as the second search information that is being reproduced. A step of transmitting to the electronic device as search candidate information for searching for the related information via the network based on the corresponding identification information. Electronic equipment,
Displaying the played video content;
Based on identification information for identifying the video content from a server device connected via the network, search for related information of the video content in a plurality of other electronic devices connected to the server device via the network. Receiving the search information entered to
Displaying the received search information together with the video content as search candidate information during display of the video content;
A program for selecting the displayed search candidate information and receiving a user operation input for searching for the related information.