JP2000067074A - Device for reserving program and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program reserving technique capable of retrieving a program related with a program to be reserved from many programs, and simultaneously reserving not only the program to be reserved but also the related program at the time of reserving a program. SOLUTION: The program identification information of a program and the program information of the program are made to correspond to each other and stored in data base 2. The program identification information of a program reserved by a user is obtained. The program information made correspond to the program identification information is obtained from the data base 2, and displayed at a display part 6. A key word selected by the user is obtained from the program information. The program information related with the key word is obtd. by retrieving the data base 2. The program identification information made correspond to the program information retrieved by the retrieval is obtained from the data base 2, and the program identification information is displayed at the display part 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for reserving programs in a system for viewing multi-channel broadcasting services such as satellite broadcasting and cable television broadcasting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when viewing multi-channel broadcasting services such as satellite broadcasting and cable television broadcasting, the content of each program is examined one by one from many programs, and program reservation is made. At this time, when the user wants to simultaneously reserve a program related to a program to be further reserved when reserving a program, the user also examines the contents of the program table one by one at that time. I had a reservation.

[0003]

However, since the number of channels is steadily increasing, it is very troublesome to check the contents of each program one by one and make a program reservation. In particular,
If the user wants to reserve programs related to the program to be reserved at the same time, the user must check the contents of each program from the program table one by one and make a reservation, which requires much labor and time. Was.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to automatically search for a program related to a program to be reserved from many programs at the time of program reservation, and not only to search for programs to be reserved, but also to It is an object of the present invention to provide a program reservation technique that enables a user to reserve a program to be performed at the same time.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, which achieves the above object, is a program reservation apparatus in a system for viewing broadcasts, wherein display means, program identification information of the program, and program information of the program correspond to each other. A database that is attached and stored; input means for inputting or selecting program identification information and a keyword of a desired program; and program information corresponding to the program identification information input or selected by the input means. A first search unit for searching and displaying the searched program information on the display unit, a second search unit for searching a database for program information related to the keyword input or selected by the input unit, A second search for searching the database for program identification information corresponding to the program information searched by the search means, and displaying the searched program identification information on the display means; And having a stage.

The input means includes means for reading program identification information from a database, means for displaying the read program identification information on a display means, means for acquiring program identification information input or selected by a user. , Is characterized by having.

Further, the second search means includes means for searching a database for program information containing the same character string as the keyword selected by the user. Further, the second search means includes a second database that stores synonyms in association with each other, a search means that searches the second database for synonyms related to keywords, and a character string that is the same as the synonym obtained by the search means. Means for retrieving program information from a database.

[0008] By these means, a program related to a program desired to be reserved can be easily reserved from many programs. A program reservation method in a system for viewing broadcasts, comprising: storing program identification information of a program in association with program information of the program in a first database; and storing program identification information of a program selected by a user. A first acquiring step of acquiring the program information associated with the program identification information acquired by the first acquiring means from the first database and presenting it to the user; and A second acquisition step of acquiring a keyword, a retrieval step of retrieving program information related to the keyword from the first database, and acquiring program identification information associated with the program information retrieved by the retrieval step from the first database. Providing the program identification information to the user.

The first obtaining step includes a step of reading program identification information from a first database, a step of indicating the read program identification information to a user, and a step of obtaining program identification information selected by the user. And characterized in that: Further, the search step includes means for searching for program information in the first database that includes the same character string as the keyword selected by the user.

[0010] The search method may further comprise the steps of: storing a synonym associated with the synonym in the second database; obtaining the synonym associated with the keyword from the second database; Searching for program information including a column from the first database. Through these steps, a program related to a program to be reserved can be easily reserved from many programs.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a program reservation device. The program reservation device 1 includes a database 2 described later, an input unit 3, a keyword determination unit 4, a search unit 5, and a display unit 6.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a database. In the database 2, program identification information and program information separated from program guide data received from a broadcast station are stored in association with each other. The program identification information is, for example, a program name, and the program information is the content of the program. For example, the program name “Pro-wrestling relay” is stored as the program identification information, and the program information is stored in a form such as “Pro-wrestling relay performed at AAA hall on March 10”.
Then, by accessing the database 2, the program identification information associated with the program identification information can be obtained from the program identification information, and the program identification information associated with the program information can be obtained from the program information.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an input unit. The input unit 3 reads program identification information from the database 2 and causes the display unit 6 to display the program identification information. Then, the user confirms the display and selects a program to be reserved from the displayed programs by using a selecting means of the input unit 3, for example, a mouse or a keyboard. Reference numeral 4 denotes a keyword determination unit. The keyword determination unit 4 accesses the database 2 based on the program identification information of the program selected by the user at the input unit 3,
The program information corresponding to the selected program identification information is obtained. Then, the acquired program information is displayed on the display unit 6. The user uses the input unit 3 to input a keyword (for example, "AAA") from the program information displayed on the display unit 6 (for example, "A professional wrestling broadcast was held at Korakuen Hall on March 10"). ). Then, the keyword determination unit 4 acquires the keyword from the input unit 3.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a search unit. The search unit 5 searches the database 2 for program information including the same character string based on the keyword acquired by the keyword determination unit 4. Reference numeral 6 denotes a display unit. The display unit 6 displays a program, program identification information, and program information. Next, the keyword determining unit 4 will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the keyword determining section 4. The keyword determining unit 4 includes a program information acquiring unit 21
, A program information display unit 22 and a keyword selection unit 23. The program information acquisition section 21 has a function of acquiring corresponding program information from the database 2 based on the program identification information.

The program information display section 22 has a function of displaying program information acquired from the database 2. The keyword selection unit 23 provides the user with the database 2
Has a function to select a keyword from the program information. Next, the search unit 5 will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed processing configuration of the search unit 5. The search unit 5 includes a keyword acquisition unit 31, a program information acquisition unit 32, and a program determination unit 33.
The keyword acquiring unit 31 has a function of acquiring a keyword selected by the user from the program information from the keyword determining unit. The keyword acquiring unit 31 has a function of transferring the received keyword to the program determining unit 33.

The program information obtaining section 32 obtains program information and program identification information from the database 2 and
It has a function of transferring to Program deciding unit 33
Is the keyword transferred from the keyword acquisition unit 31 and the database 2 received from the program information acquisition unit 32.
And has a function of searching for program information including the keyword. Further, the program determination unit 3
3 has a function of displaying, on the display unit 6, program identification information associated with the program information when there is program information including the keyword as a result of the search.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the present embodiment. First, the user uses the input unit 3 to
A program to be reserved is selected (step S41). The program information acquisition unit 21 of the keyword determination unit 4 acquires the program information of the database 2 from the program identification information of the selected program (Step S42).

The keyword selection section 2 of the keyword determination section 4
3 allows the user to select a keyword from the program information (step S43). Next, the search unit 5 searches for program information in the database 2 that includes the same character string as the keyword. Then, the search unit 5 acquires program identification information corresponding to the searched program information (Step S44).
The detailed operation of step S44 will be described later.

Finally, the program identification information obtained in step S44 is displayed on the display unit 6 (step S45).
Turning now to FIG. 5, the detailed operation of step S44 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the process of step S44. First, it is determined whether the search for all the program information in the database 2 including the keyword selected by the user has been completed (step S51).

If the result of the determination is that the processing has been completed, step S44 is completed, and the routine proceeds to the next step 45. As a result of the determination, if the search has not been completed, the program identification information that has not been searched and the program information associated with the program identification information are acquired from the database 2 (step S5)
2). Next, the program determination unit 33 of the search unit 5 searches whether or not the program information includes the keyword selected by the user (step S53).

As a result of the search, it is determined whether or not the program information includes the keyword (step S54). As a result of the judgment,
If the program information does not include the keyword, the process proceeds to step S51. As a result of the determination, when the program information includes the keyword, the program to be displayed on the display unit 6 is determined. Then, the process proceeds to step S51 (step S5).
5).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described using a specific example. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the operation of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the database 2 stores program identification information of a program and program information of the program.
It is assumed that "roller game match", "introductory German course", "today's dinner", and "wrestling professional" are registered in the program identification information.

The program information includes "AA" in the "roller game match" in order in association with the program identification information.
This is a roller game played in A's yellow building. "
, "Introductory German Course" is a program for those who are learning German for the first time, and "Today's Dinner" is a program for young housewives who carefully explains how to make dinner. ", And" Pro-Wrestling "on" March 10, AA
This is a broadcast of professional wrestling performed at Hall A. "Has been registered.

First, it is assumed that the user selects the program "Pro-Wrestling Relay" on the input unit 3 (step S61).
Next, program information associated with "relay of professional wrestling" is acquired from the database 2 "Relay of professional wrestling at the AAA hall on March 10" (step S6).
2).

Next, the user is asked to give the program information "March 10, A
It is a broadcast of professional wrestling at AA Hall. "Select a keyword from". In this case, the keyword is "AA"
A "is selected (step S63). Next, program information including the keyword" AAA "is searched from the program information in the database 2 (step S64).

Then, by the search, "A" is added to the program information.
AA "is determined to be a" roller game match. "Thus, the program" roller game match "
Is determined to be a program related to the program "Pro-Wrestling Relay". Then, the display section 5 displays "roller game match" as a program related to "broadcasting of professional wrestling", and provides the user with a function of reserving the related program (step S65).

Next, referring to FIG. 7, another embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of another embodiment. In the description of the other embodiments, the same parts as those of the above-described embodiment will not be described, and only different parts will be described. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 70 denotes a program reservation device. The program reservation device 70 includes a database 2, an input unit 3, a keyword determination unit 4, a search unit 5, a display unit 6, and a second database 71.

The second database 71 is a database that stores synonyms (meaning words having the same meaning) in association with each other. Other embodiments are different in that the database 71 is provided in addition to the configuration of the program reservation device 1 of the present embodiment. Next, a specific operation of another embodiment will be described. For example, it is assumed that the keyword of the program “Pro-wrestling relay” selected by the user on the input unit 3 is “AAA”.

Then, the keyword determining section 4 acquires a synonym of the keyword “AAA” from the database 71. In this case, as a synonym of "AAA", "BB
B land "has been acquired (AAA and BBB have the meaning of" amusement park name "). Then, in the search unit 4, these two keywords ("AAA" and "AAA")
The database 2 is searched for program information including BBB land ").

Next, program identification information associated with the searched program information is acquired from the database 2 and displayed on the display unit 6.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a user makes a reservation for a program, the user selects a keyword related to the reserved program, thereby providing the user with a program related to the reserved program. Can be presented. Therefore, the user can easily find and reserve a program related to the reserved program from many programs.

By expanding the keyword to a synonym, the number of programs related to the program reserved by the user increases.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the present embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed processing configuration of a keyword determination unit 4 of the present embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed processing configuration of a search unit 5 of the embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a step S44 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the present embodiment according to the present invention in a specific example.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of another embodiment according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Program reservation apparatus 2 Database 3 Input part 4 Keyword determination part 5 Search part 6 Display part

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A program reservation device in a system for viewing broadcasts, comprising: a display unit; a database in which program identification information of a program and program information of the program are stored in association with each other; Input means for inputting or selecting program identification information and a keyword; searching the database for program information corresponding to the program identification information input or selected by the input means; and displaying the searched program information to the display means. First search means for displaying; second search means for searching a database for program information related to the keyword input or selected by the input means; and program identification corresponding to the program information searched by the search means. A second search means for searching information from a database and displaying the searched program identification information on the display means; About equipment. 2. The input means comprises: means for reading program identification information from a database; means for displaying the read program identification information on a display means; means for acquiring program identification information input or selected by a user. The program reservation device according to claim 1, comprising: 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second search means includes means for searching a database for program information including the same character string as the keyword selected by the user.
Alternatively, the program reservation device according to claim 2. 4. The second search means includes: a second database that stores synonyms in association with each other; a search means that searches the second database for synonyms related to a keyword;
4. The program reservation device according to claim 1, further comprising means for searching a database for program information containing the same character string as a synonym acquired by the search means. 5. A program reservation method in a broadcast viewing system, comprising: storing program identification information of a program in association with program information of the program in a first database; A first acquisition step of acquiring program identification information; a step of acquiring program information associated with the program identification information acquired by the first acquisition means from a first database and presenting the program information to a user; A second acquiring step of acquiring the keyword selected by the user, a retrieval step of retrieving program information related to the keyword from the first database, and a program identification information associated with the program information retrieved in the retrieval step. And providing the program identification information to the user. 6. The first obtaining step includes reading program identification information from a first database, displaying the read program identification information to a user, and obtaining program identification information selected by the user. The program reservation method according to claim 5, comprising: 7. The program according to claim 5, wherein the search step includes means for searching for program information in a first database including a character string identical to a keyword selected by a user. How to book. 8. The search method, comprising: storing a synonym related to a keyword in a second database; and obtaining a synonym related to a keyword from the second database.
8. The program reservation device according to claim 5, further comprising a step of searching a synonym acquired in the acquisition step and program information including the same character string from the first database. 9.