JPH10155119A - Internet-corresponding television system and access method using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an internet-corresponding television system that access a desired home page with a simple operation and the access method using the system. SOLUTION: When television program information is given to a communication controller 14, the communication controller 14 uses a storage device 16 to detect a domain name of a broadcast station and a domain name of a program corresponding to the television program information by using a storage device 16 and generates a uniform resource locator(URL) including the domain names. The URL is given to a provider 24 via a MODEM 20 and the provider 24 sends the URL to a desired server 28. Thus, the server 28 returns home page data corresponding to the URL to the communication controller 14 through the reverse path. The home page data are given to a display device 18 from the communication controller 14 and are outputted. Since the television program information is converted into the URL, the system accesses a desired home page with a simple operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an Internet television system and an access method using the television system.
In particular, for example, the present invention relates to a television system in which a normal television is combined with an Internet-only terminal and an access method for accessing a desired homepage using the television system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a so-called Internet television, which incorporates an Internet function limited to a personal computer as a television function, has become widespread. This Internet television follows the same method as a personal computer, in which a desired homepage is accessed by moving and clicking a cursor on a screen. In such Internet television, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) closely related to each television program, that is, a home page listing only home page addresses is prepared, and the URL is designated by cursor and click. Some access a desired homepage.

[0003]

However, in any of the Internet televisions, since a cursor control key and a click key are provided on the television remote control, there is a problem that operation is troublesome for a person who is not used to a computer. . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an Internet-compatible television system and an access method using the same, which can access a desired homepage with a simple operation.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conversion means for converting input television program information into a URL related to the television program, and an access means for accessing a desired homepage by the converted URL. ,
It is an Internet compatible TV system. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an access using an Internet-compatible television system, wherein (a) the input television program information is converted into a URL related to the television program, and (b) a desired homepage is accessed by the converted URL. Is the way.

[0005]

In the first invention, when an operator inputs a G code, for example, the G code is first decoded and television program information is obtained. Then, the TV program information is converted into a URL related to the TV program by the conversion means.
And the access means accesses the desired homepage by the URL.

The television program information includes, for example, channel information and broadcast time information, and the converting means includes, for example, a first memory storing channel information and a domain name of a broadcasting station corresponding thereto, and channel information and a corresponding program interface. The domain name and the program interface corresponding to the input channel information are detected using the second memory in which is stored. The conversion means also generates a URL including the detected domain name, program interface, and broadcast time information.

[0007] The conversion means may generate the URL in the following manner. That is, the first memory storing the channel information and the first domain name of the broadcasting station corresponding thereto and the second memory storing the channel information and the broadcasting time information and the second domain name of the corresponding television program are stored. Preparing, detecting a first domain name and a second domain name corresponding to the input television program information, and UR including the detected first domain name and the second domain name.
L may be generated.

In the second invention, first, the inputted television program information is converted into a URL relating to the television program,
Then, a desired homepage is accessed by the converted URL.

[0009]

According to these inventions, the TV program information is converted into a URL related to the TV program, so that a desired homepage can be accessed by a simple operation. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, an Internet-compatible television system 10 of this embodiment includes an input device 12 on which a numeric keypad (not shown) is arranged. When the operator operates the numeric keypad to input a G code to the input device 12, the decoder 12a decodes the G code and detects TV program information including channel information, broadcast start time information and broadcast day information. . The communication controller 14 receives the television program information from the input device 12,
A domain name and a program interface of a desired broadcast station are detected based on the channel information included therein.

That is, a table in which the domain names of the broadcasting stations of the respective channels are written as shown in FIG. 2 and a program interface of the broadcasting stations of the respective channels as shown in FIG. The communication controller 14 detects a desired domain name and program interface by referring to the respective tables 16a and 16b. The program interface is an interface for activating a program on the server 28 provided in each broadcasting station, and is usually a CG
It is called I (Common Gateway Interface).

The communication controller 14 generates a URL including the detected domain name and program interface, and accesses a desired homepage by using the URL. That is, the communication controller 14 transmits the URL to the provider 24 via the modem 20, and the provider 24 transmits the URL to the server 28 of the desired broadcasting station via the Internet 16. The server 28 detects the desired homepage data from the program database by processing the program according to the program interface included in the received URL, and returns it to the Internet-compatible television system 10 via the Internet 26 and the provider 24. Communication controller 14 receiving homepage data via modem 20
Gives the home page data to the display device 18.
Therefore, a desired home page is output from the display device 18.

The communication controller 14 is specifically shown in FIG.
The TV program information is processed using the flowchart shown in (1), and a desired homepage is accessed. That is, first, it is determined whether or not the television program information is provided from the input device 12 in step S1, and if “YES”, the process proceeds to step S3
Tables 16a and 16b shown in FIGS. 2 and 3
Is used to detect the domain name and program interface of the broadcast station corresponding to the input channel information. Next, in step S5, a URL including a domain name, a program interface, a broadcast start time, and a day of the week is created. For example, if the channel information is “2”, the broadcast start time information is 7:00, and the day information is Monday, “http://www.NHK.co.jp/bangumi.cgi?7:00, A URL such as "month" is created.

Thereafter, the URL is transmitted to the provider 24 via the modem 20 in step S7. Thereby, a desired homepage is accessed. Step S
At 9, it is determined whether the homepage data has been received.
If "YES", the homepage data is provided to the display device 18 in step S11, and the process is terminated. According to this embodiment, when a G code is input to the input device, it is converted into a URL, so that a desired homepage can be accessed by a simple operation.

In the Internet-compatible television system 10 of another embodiment, a table 16 shown in FIG.
5 except that the table 16c shown in FIG. 5 is stored in place of b and the communication controller 14 processes the flowchart shown in FIG. Is omitted.
The domain name of the program corresponding to the channel information, the broadcast start time information and the broadcast day information is written in the table 16c. Therefore, the communication controller 14 detects the domain name of the broadcasting station corresponding to the input channel information using the table 16a shown in FIG. 2 in step S13, and uses the table 16c shown in FIG. The domain name of the program corresponding to the program information is detected, and a URL including the domain name of the broadcast station and the domain name of the program is generated in step S17. Therefore, when the TV program information indicates channel “2”, broadcast start time “7:00”, and broadcast day “Monday”,
URL represented by “http://www.NHK.co.jp/news.html”
Is generated.

Also in this embodiment, if the operator only inputs a G code, the G code is converted into a URL, so that a desired homepage can be accessed by a simple operation. The domain name of the broadcast station and the domain name of the program interface or the program stored in the storage device 16 may be rewritten by multiplexing the update data with the broadcast signal and detecting the data. Alternatively, the contents of the storage device 16 may be updated by reading out the data from the CD-ROM storing the domain name of the latest broadcast station, the domain name of the program, or the program interface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view showing one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustrative view showing a table stored in a storage device;

FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing another table stored in the storage device;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative view showing a table stored in a storage device of another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Internet compatible television system 12 ... Input device 14 ... Communication controller 16 ... Storage device 18 ... Display device 20 ... Modem

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An Internet-compatible television system comprising: a conversion unit that converts input television program information into a URL related to the television program; and an access unit that accesses a desired homepage by using the converted URL. 2. The television program information includes channel information and broadcast time information, wherein the converting means stores a channel information and a domain name of a broadcasting station corresponding to the channel information and a channel information corresponding to the first memory. A second memory in which a program interface is stored, a detecting means for detecting a domain name and a program interface corresponding to the input channel information, and a URL including the detected domain name and the program interface and the broadcast time information; The Internet-compatible television system according to claim 1, further comprising a generation unit. 3. The television program information includes channel information and broadcast time information, wherein the converting means includes: a first memory storing channel information and a first domain name of a corresponding broadcast station; A second memory storing the time information and the second domain name of the television program corresponding to the time information, detecting means for detecting the first domain name and the second domain name corresponding to the input television program information; 2. The Internet-compatible television system according to claim 1, further comprising a generation unit that generates a URL including the first domain name and the second domain name. 4. The television program information is input in a coded state, and the converting means further includes decoding means for decoding the television program information.
The Internet-compatible television system according to any one of the above. 5. An access method using an Internet-compatible television system, wherein (a) the input television program information is converted into a URL related to the television program, and (b) a desired homepage is accessed by the converted URL. .