Digital broadcasting system, collating method, and terminal device thereof

Abstract

 An object of the present invention is to provide, regarding digital broadcasting, a digital broadcasting system and the like for having viewers watch programs in real time instead of having them watch recorded programs. The digital broadcasting system comprises: a digital broadcasting receiver which receives digital broadcasting; and a collating device for performing collation, wherein the digital broadcasting receiver comprises: means for receiving digital broadcasting; means for acquiring an event ID for uniquely identifying a program, from the received digital broadcasting; and means for transmitting collation information having the acquired event ID to the collating device via a communication line, and wherein the collating device comprises: means for storing the event ID for uniquely identifying a program with respect to currently-broadcasted programs; and means for comparing the event ID contained in the collation information received from the digital broadcasting receiver, with the stored event ID, to collate whether or not a viewer watches a program in real time, whereby collation is performed as to whether the viewer watches a program in real time.

Description

Background of the Invention

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing technology for providing the content such as a coupon or the like to a viewer through a digital broadcast program.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] After the terrestrial digital broadcasting service has started in the Tomeihan (Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka) in December 2003, service areas for broadcasting have been expanding gradually. Moreover, in the terrestrial digital broadcasting, there has been expected that integration with communications or other new approach using the characteristics of portable terminals might be possible in "one-segment broadcasting" which broadcasts an animated image to a mobile object such as a cellular phone. It should be noted that Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-78839 describes a receiving device for receiving one-segment broadcasting service.

[0003] Incidentally, due to the widespread use of hard disk recorders, so-called "commercial skipping" is popularly practiced among the viewers, which is a possible threat to revenue in commercials, the profit-making source of the broadcasting stations. The broadcasting stations have been seeking a method of keeping up the value of advertisement by having the viewers watch programs in real time instead of having them watch recorded programs. However, no effective method has been found.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention is contrived in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a digital broadcasting system and the like for having the viewers watch programs in real time instead of allowing them to watch recorded programs.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, a collating device of the present invention comprises: on-air information storage means for storing an event ID for uniquely identifying a program with respect to currently-broadcasted programs; communication means for receiving, via a communication line, collation information transmitted from a digital broadcasting receiver; and collating means for comparing an event ID contained in the collation information received by the communication means, with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means, and collating whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other.

[0006] Preferably, the collating device further comprises: collation history storage means for recording a result of collation performed by the collating means; and collation confirmation means for referring to the collation history storage means and, when predefined collation requirements are satisfied, transmitting the completion of collation to the digital broadcasting receiver.

[0007] Further, the digital broadcasting receiver of the present invention further comprises: digital broadcasting receiving means for receiving digital broadcasting, event ID acquisition means for acquiring an event ID for uniquely identifying a program, from the digital broadcasting received by the digital broadcasting receiving means; and transmitting means for transmitting, via a communication line, collation information including the event ID acquired by the event ID acquisition means.

[0008] Preferably, the digital broadcasting receiver comprises: content storage means for recording the content such as a coupon image or the like acquired from the digital broadcasting received by the digital broadcasting receiving means; and collation completion receiving means for receiving the completion of collation from the collating device, wherein when the collation completion receiving means receives the completion of collation, the digital broadcasting receiver provides a viewer with the content recorded in the content storage means.

[0009] Furthermore, the digital broadcasting system of the present invention comprises: a digital broadcasting receiver which receives digital broadcasting; and a collating device for collating whether or not the viewer watches a program in real time, wherein the digital broadcasting receiver comprises: digital broadcasting receiving means for receiving digital broadcasting, event ID acquisition means for acquiring an event ID for uniquely identifying a program, from the digital broadcasting received by the digital broadcasting receiving means; and transmitting means for transmitting, via a communication line, collation information including the event ID acquired by the event ID acquisition means, and the collating device comprises: on-air information storage means for storing an event ID for uniquely identifying a program with respect to currently-broadcasted programs; communication means for receiving, via a communication line, collation information transmitted from the digital broadcasting receiver; and collating means for comparing an event ID included in the collation information received by the communication means, with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means, and collating whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other.

[0010] Preferably, the digital broadcasting receiver further comprises: content storage means for recording the content such as a coupon image or the like acquired from the digital broadcasting received by the digital broadcasting receiving means; and collation completion receiving means for receiving the completion of collation from the collating device, the collating device further comprises: collation history storage means for recording a result of collation performed by the collating means; and collation confirmation means for referring to the collation history storage means and, when predefined collation requirements are satisfied, transmitting the completion of collation to the digital broadcasting receiver, and when the collation completion receiving means receives the completion of collation, the digital broadcasting receiver provides a viewer with the content recorded in the content storage means.

[0011] Moreover, a collating method of the present invention is a method in which control means uses a collating device comprising control means for controlling the operation of the collating device and on-air information storage means for storing an event ID for uniquely identifying a program, and collates whether or not a viewer watches a broadcasted program in real time, the method comprising the steps of: storing, in the on-air information storage means, an event ID with respect to the broadcasted program; receiving, via a communication line, collation information transmitted from a digital broadcasting receiver; and comparing an event ID included in the received collation information with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means and collating whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other. Preferably, the collating method further comprises the steps of: recording a result of collation in the collation history storage means; and referring to the collation history storage means and, when predefined collation requirements are satisfied, transmitting the completion of collation to the digital broadcasting receiver.

[0012] The collating method in the digital broadcasting receiver of the present invention comprises the steps of: receiving digital broadcasting; acquiring, from the received digital broadcasting, an event ID for uniquely identifying a program; and transmitting collation information including the acquired event ID to a collating device via a communication line.

[0013] Preferably, the collating method further comprises the steps of: recording the content such as a coupon image or the like acquired from the received digital broadcasting; receiving the completion of collation from the collating device; and providing a viewer with the content recorded in the content storage means, when the completion of collation is received.

[0014] Furthermore, the collating method of the present invention is a method of collating whether or not a viewer watches a program in real time in a digital broadcasting system comprising a digital broadcasting receiver which receives digital broadcasting, and a collating device for collating whether or not the viewer watches a program in real time, the method comprising the steps in which: the collating device stores an event ID of a broadcasted program in on-air information storage means; the digital broadcasting receiver receives digital broadcasting, acquires, from the received digital broadcasting, an event ID for uniquely identifying a program, and transmits, via a communication line, collation information including the acquired event ID; the collating device receives, via the communication line, the collation information transmitted from the digital broadcasting receiver, and compares an event ID included in the received collation information with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means to collate whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other.

[0015] Preferably, the collating device comprises collation history storage means for recording a result of collation, and the digital broadcasting receiver comprises content storage means for recording the content such as a coupon image or the like acquired from digital broadcasting, wherein the collating device further comprises the step of referring to the collation history storage means and, when predefined requirements are satisfied, transmitting the completion of collation to the digital broadcasting receiver, and the digital broadcasting receiver further comprises the step of providing a viewer with the content recorded in the content storage means, when the completion of collation is received from the collating device.

[0016] A program of the present invention is characterized in causing a computer to execute each of the steps of the collating method of the present invention. The program of the present invention can be installed or loaded in the computer by being downloaded using various recording media such as an optical disk including a CD-ROM, magnetic disk, and semiconductor memory, or via a communication network or the like.

[0017] It should be noted that throughout the present specification and the like, "means" does not simply means physical means, but encompasses a case in which functions of the means are realized by software. In addition, a function of one means may be realized by two or more physical means, and functions of two or more means may be realized by one physical means.

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to collate whether or not a viewer watches a broadcasted program in real time by using an event ID provided by the broadcasted program. Moreover, it is possible to realize the digital broadcasting system and the like which can encourage the viewer to watch a program in real time instead of watching a recorded program, by providing the viewer with contents such as a coupon, music, wall paper, electronic money, points, and the like when it is determined that the program is viewed for at least a predetermined period of time. Particularly, it is possible to achieve an excellent effect that only a small amount of information is required to be transmitted in order to check whether or not the viewer has watched program in real time, thus it is possible to collate that the program is watched in real time even in digital broadcasting of one-segment broadcasting or the like in a narrow band.

[0019] Japanese government has a plan to complete the transition from analog to digital broadcasting in near future, and 100,000,000 analog broadcasting terminals will be all replaced to digital. The present invention can provide services to the users of that scale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] 

Fig. 1 is a figure showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system 100;

Fig. 2 is a figure showing a schematic configuration of a digital broadcasting receiver 40;

Fig. 3 is a figure showing a schematic configuration of a collation server 30;

Fig. 4 is a figure showing a configuration of a function of the digital broadcasting receiver 40;

Fig. 5 is a figure showing a configuration of a function of the collation server 30;

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process of the information processing system 100;

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of a collation process;

Fig. 8 is an example of a digital broadcast program in Embodiment 1; and

Fig. 9 is an image figure of the collating process in Embodiment 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Embodiments of the information processing system are described hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a figure showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the present information processing system comprises a BML generating server 10, a digital broadcasting transmission system 20, collation server 30, and a digital broadcasting receiver 40. The BML generating server 10 and the digital broadcasting transmission system 20 are connected with the collation server 30 via a private or public communication line 50, and the collation server 30 and the digital broadcasting receiver 40 are connected with each other via public communication line 60. The digital broadcasting receiver 40 receives digital broadcasting transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmission system 20.

[0023] The BML generating server 10 is a computer server for generating a BML content (simply referred to as "BML" hereinafter) described based on the BML (Broadcast Markup Language), which is a page-description language for data broadcasting, and creating contents for data broadcasting. The BML generating server 10 transmits the generated BML for data broadcasting to the digital broadcasting transmission system 20 and the collation server 30.

[0024] The digital broadcasting transmission system 20 is same as a conventional broadcasting station and has a function of adding BML received from the BML generating server 10 to video data for a program, which consists of voice data and image data, to transmit a digital broadcast program.

[0025] The collation server 30 is a computer server for interpreting the BML received from the BML generating server 10, collating information received from the digital broadcasting receiver 40 while holding information on a currently-broadcasted program, and checking whether the program broadcasted by the digital broadcasting receiver 40 is viewed or not. The collation server 30 is provided for each channel to hold the information on the currently-broadcasted program for each channel.

[0026] The digital broadcasting receiver 40 is a terminal device which receives a digital broadcast program transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmission system 20 so as to be able to view the program. For example, a portable terminal device such as a cellular phone corresponding to a mobile terrestrial digital broadcasting (one-segment broadcasting), or a set-top box (STB) capable of receiving digital broadcasting falls into such a terminal device.

[0027] The communication line 50 is a communication line capable of transmitting and receiving information on BML or the like related to a digital broadcast program among the BML generating server 10, digital broadcasting transmission system 20, and collation server 30. The communication line 60 is a communication line capable of transmitting and receiving information related to the viewing of a digital broadcast program, between the collation server 30 and the digital broadcasting receiver 40. The communication line 50 and the communication line 60 may be any of, for example, the Internet, a LAN, private line, packet communication network, phone line, intranet or other communication line, or a combination thereof, and may be wired or wireless.

[0028] Fig. 2 is a figure showing a schematic configuration of the digital broadcasting receiver 40. The digital broadcasting receiver 40 comprises a digital broadcast antenna 410 for receiving digital broadcasting, and a tuner 412 for converting a received digital broadcasting signal into a viewable signal by means of output means. The signal which is converted by the tuner 412 is transmitted to a TS decoder 414 to extract a header section, video data, and BML. A voice decoder 416 decodes the video data decoded by the TS decoder 414 to extract voice data and outputs voice from a speaker 418. An image decoder 420 decodes the video data decoded by the TS decoder 414 to extract image data and outputs an image such as an animated image from a splay device 422.

[0029] The digital broadcasting receiver 40 further comprises a CPU 424 for controlling the operation and processing of the digital broadcasting receiver 40, a ROM and/or RAM 426 for storing a program and required data, a NVRAM 428 for storing BML decoded by the TS decoder 414 and storing a BML browser for playing the content described in BML, an event ID acquisition section 430 for using a receiver controlling section, which is not shown, to acquire an event ID from the header section decoded by the TS decoder 414 and transmit the acquired event ID to the NVRAM 428, a communication interface 432 for performing data communication with the collation server 30, a bus 434 for connecting these components, and an antenna 436 for data communication. Here, an event ID means an identifier provided to each digital broadcast program in order to specify a program in digital broadcasting.

[0030] It should be noted that the event ID acquisition section 430 may be configured with hardware such as a dedicated semiconductor or software which realizes a desired function by executing the program stored in the ROM or the like.

[0031] Fig. 3 is a figure showing a schematic configuration of the collation server 30. The collation server 30 comprises a CPU 310, memory 312 such as ROM or RAM, external storage device 314 for storing various types of information, input interface 316, output interface 318, communication interface 320, and bus 322 for connecting these components. A general-purpose computer can be applied as the collation server 30. A schematic configuration of the BML generating server 10 is the same as that of the collation server 30.

[0032] It should be noted that the collation server 30 and the BML generating server 10 may be configured from a single computer or a plurality of computers dispersed on a network. Moreover, a single computer may have a plurality of server functions. The collation server 30 and the BML generating server 10 are functioned as various function realizing means by the CPU executing a predetermined program stored in the memory, external storage device or the like.

[0033] Fig. 4 is a figure showing a configuration of a function of the digital broadcasting receiver 40. The digital broadcasting receiver 40 comprises, as a main configuration in the present embodiment, digital broadcasting receiving means 450 for receiving digital broadcasting from the digital broadcasting transmission system 20, control means 460 for controlling the entire operation of the digital broadcasting receiver 40, storage means 480 for storing required data, and communication means 490 for performing data communication with the collation server 30. The control means 460 further comprises decoding means 462, BML read means 464, collating means 466, event ID acquisition means 468, and collation completion receiving means 470. The storage means 480 further comprises content storage means 482 and collation requirement storage means 484.

[0034] The digital broadcasting receiving means 450 has a function of receiving signal of a digital broadcast program containing video data and BML which is the content for data broadcasting. The communication means 490 is configured so as to be able to input and output information to the collation server 30 via the communication line 60.

[0035] The decoding means 462 has a function of extracting a header section, video data, and BML from a signal which is obtained by converting a digital broadcasting signal using a tuner, and extracting a voice signal and image signal from the video data. The BML read means 464 has a function of interpreting the BML and playing the content, and is implemented by, for example, a BML browser.

[0036] The collating means 466 has a function of generating, at the timing defined by the BML received during the broadcast of a program, collation information containing an event ID, then transmitting the collation information to the collation server 30, and requesting for a collation. The event ID acquisition means 468 has a function of acquiring an event ID which is provided to the header section extracted by the decoding means 462. The collation completion receiving means 470 has a function of receiving from the collation server 30 a notification indicating that the collation requirements described in BML are fulfilled.

[0037] The content storage means 482 is for storing data of an appendix content described in BML received during the broadcast of a program. The appendix content which is stored in the content storage means 482 is provided only to viewers who satisfy predetermined collation requirements, and indicates a digital content such as a coupon, an image, music, a wall paper, electronic money, points, mileages and the like. The collation requirement storage means 484 is for storing data related to the collation requirements described in BML received during the broadcast of a program.

[0038] Fig. 5 is a figure showing a configuration of a function of the collation server 30. The collation server 30 comprises, as a main configuration in the present embodiment, receiving means 350 for receiving, from the BML generating server 10 and/or digital broadcasting transmission system 20, a BML and event ID for data broadcasting related to a currently-broadcasted program, control means 360 for controlling the entire operation of the collation server 30, storage means 370 for storing required data, and communication means 380 for performing data communication with the digital broadcasting receiver 40. The control means 360 further comprises on-air information acquisition means 362, collating means 364, and collation confirmation means 366. The storage means 370 further comprises on-air information storage means 372 and collation history storage means 374.

[0039] The receiving means 350 is configured so as to be able to receive information from the BML generating server 10 and/or digital broadcasting transmission system 20 via the communication line 50. The communication means 380 is configured so as to be able to input and output information to the digital broadcasting receiver 40 via the communication line 60.

[0040] The on-air information acquisition means 362 has a function of acquiring, from the BML generating server 10 and/or digital broadcasting transmission system 20, an event ID related to a program currently on air and collation requirements for performing a collation process, and of recording the on-air information storage means 372. In the present embodiment, a digital broadcast program is acquired from the digital broadcasting transmission system 20, the event ID is acquired from the header section, and the collation requirements are acquired from the BML.

[0041] The collating means 364 has a function of receiving collation information transmitted from the digital broadcasting receiver 40, and comparing an event ID contained in the collation information with an event ID of a currently-broadcasted program stored in the on-air information storage means 372 to collate whether or not these event IDs correspond with each other. Moreover, when the collation is consistent, the collating means 364 stores, in the collation history storage means 374, the information indicating that the collation is consistent in accordance with the collation information.

[0042] The collation confirmation means 366 has a function of determining whether the predefined collated requirements are fulfilled or not and, when the collations are completed, notifying of that the collations are completed. For example, as collation requirements, if the number of collating times is defined as three, the notification of completion of collation is transmitted when the collation requirements are fulfilled three times.

[0043] The on-air information storage means 372 is for managing an event ID and collation requirements. The collation history storage means 374 is for recording the history related to the collation when the collation is consistent.

[0044] It should be noted that each of these function means is realized by executing special hardware or by the CPU executing the predetermined program stored in the memory, external storage device, or the like.

[0045] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process of the information processing system 100 in the present embodiment. First of all, the BML generating server 10 generates a BML for data broadcasting to be broadcasted as a single digital broadcast program associated with a video content (S600). The BML to be generated in the present embodiment includes not only a broadcasting content for a broadcast synchronized with the video content, but also a collation content describing the collation requirements or the like for performing the collation process, the collation content being different from the broadcasting content, and the appendix content for providing a predetermined content (gift) to a viewer when predetermined requirements are fulfilled. Here, the broadcasting content is, for example, a caption displayed in synchronization with the video data, an audience participation game described in a predetermined program language, and the like. The collation content is the content in which are described a condition for generating/transmitting the collation information for checking whether or not a viewer watches a program in real time, and requirements for satisfying the collation. Specifically, the timing for performing collation, the number of collating times required to fulfill the collation requirements, and the like are described.

[0046] The BML generating server 10 transmits the generated BML to the digital broadcasting transmission system 20 and the collation server 30. When a coding process of SSL or the like is performed at the time of the transmission, the security improves. When the digital broadcasting transmission system 20 receives the BML, the digital broadcasting transmission system 20 configures a digital broadcast program with the video data provided separately, and transmits the program to a digital broadcasting network (S602).

[0047] Further, the collation server 30 acquires a currently-broadcasted program (including video data and BML) from the digital broadcasting transmission system 20 via the communication line 50, the on-air information acquisition means 362 extracts an event ID to be provided to the header section, stores the event ID in the on-air information storage means 372, reads out the received BML to extract the collation content, associates the collation content with the previously stored event ID, and stores it in the on-air information storage means 372 (S604).

[0048] On the other hand, when the digital broadcasting receiver 40 receives a program for digital broadcasting, the decoding means 462 decodes the program into the header section, video data, and BML, reads out voice data and image data from the video data, and outputs and plays the voice data and image data through the speaker 418 and the display device 422 (S606).

[0049] Furthermore, the digital broadcasting receiver 40 plays the BML content in parallel with the outputting and playing of the video data. The BML reading means 464 interprets the decoded BML and executes the processing in corresponding to the description. If the broadcasting content is described, the video data and the broadcasting content are synchronized with each other and outputted on the basis of time information (S608). If the appendix content is described, this appendix content is stored in the content storage means 482 (S610). If the collation content is described, the collation requirements such as the timing for performing the collation process and the positional information on the collation server 30 on the network (IP address, URL, and the like) are acquired from this collation content, and the acquired collation requirements are stored in the collation requirement storage means 484 (S612).

[0050] The collating means 466 refers to the collation requirements stored in the collation requirement storage means 484 to determine whether the timing for performing the collation process is reached or not (S614). If the timing for performing the collation process is not reached, the step is returned to S606 to continue the processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that the timing for performing the collation process is reached, the collation process is executed (S616). The detail of the collation process is described hereinafter. Thereafter, it is determined whether predefined collation requirements are fulfiled or not (S618). In the present embodiment, the collation completion receiving means 470 performs the determination of the step S618, depending on whether the notification indicating that the collation requirements are fulfilled or not is received from the collation server 30. If the collation is not completed, the step is returned to the step S606 to continue the processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that the collation requirements are fulfilled, the appendix content, which is stored in the content storage means 482, is provided at predetermined time such as when a program ends (S620). For example, when the appendix content is an image of a coupon, the coupon image is displayed and outputted to the display device 422. The viewer can bring the displayed coupon to a convenience store or the like and enjoy a benefit such as discount. It should be noted that the time to provide the appendix content may be described in the collation content. Moreover, although not shown, needless to say, the program may be continued even after the appendix content is provided.

[0051] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of the collation process (S616) in the present embodiment. The collating means 466 refers to the collation requirements stored in the collation requirement storage means 484 to create collation information when the timing for performing the collation process is reached (S700). The collation information comprises an event ID and a machine ID. The event ID acquisition means 468 acquires an event ID provided on the video data which is currently received and outputted, and the collating means 466 uses the event ID as the collation information. Moreover, the machine ID is an identifier for identifying the individual digital broadcasting receiver 40, and, for example, positional information (IP address) of the digital broadcasting receiver 40 on the network corresponds to the machine ID.

[0052] Thereafter, the digital broadcasting receiver 40 transmits the collation information, which is created by the collating means 466, to the collation server 30 via the communication line 60 (S702). Here, the destination of the transmitted collation information is determined as the collation server 30, which is the destination of transmission, on the basis of the positional information stored in the collation requirement storage means 484. When the collation server 30 receives the collation information (S704), the collation server 30 performs collation of the received collation information (S706). In the present embodiment, the event ID in the received collation information and the event ID held in the on-air information storage means 372 are compared and collated with each other. Furthermore, in addition to the collation of the event IDs, the timing (time) at which the collation information is received may be compared and collated with collation timing which is described in the collation content held in the on-air information storage means 372.

[0053] As a result of collation, if the received information does not match with the on-air information, the collation process is ended. On the other hand, if the collation information matches with the on-air information, the information indicating that the collation information (the event ID and machine ID) is associated and matched with the on-air information is recoded in the collation history storage means 374 (S708).

[0054] After the recording, the collation confirmation means 366 searches within the collation history storage means 374 on the basis of the machine ID and event ID included in the collation information, extracts a collation history described in the machine ID and event ID, and determines whether the predefined collation requirements (number of collating times and the like) described in the collation content held in the on-air information storage means 372 are fulfilled or not (S71 0).

[0055] If all collations are not yet completed, i.e. if the number of collating times is not sufficient, the collation process is ended. On the other hand, if the collation requirements are fulfilled and required collations are complete, the collation confirmation means 366 transmits, to the digital broadcasting receiver 40, a notification indicating that the collation is completed (S712). The collation completion receiving means 470 of the digital broadcasting receiver 40 receives the notification, whereby the predefined collation is completed and it can be checked whether the collation requirements are fulfilled or not (S714).

[0056] It should be noted that the order of the steps can be changed optionally without causing any inconsistency in the detail of the process and can be executed in the changed order or in parallel.

[0057] In this manner, the contents such as a coupon image, music, a wall paper, electronic money, points or the like can be provided only to the viewers who watch a program in real time instead of watching a recorded program.

[0058] Hereinafter, the functions and operations of the information processing system are described on the basis of embodiments.

[Embodiment 1]

[0059] Embodiment 1 describes an example of a case in which a coupon is provided only to the viewers who watch a program in real time instead of watching a recorded program, and who also watch the program without performing "commercial skipping" or the like.

[0060] Fig. 8 is an example of a digital broadcast program in the present embodiment. Fig. 9 is an image figure of the collating process in the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, suppose that a program starts at 10:00 and ends at 10:30. The program comprises video data and a BML content. The video data is configured with images and voices as with a conventional program. The BML content is the content for data broadcasting, and includes not only a broadcasting content such as a caption, but also a collation content defining collation requirements and an appendix content such as a coupon image.

[0061] First of all, the digital broadcasting transmission system 20 broadcasts the collation content and the appendix content at an arbitrary time after the program starts. In the examples shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the collation content having details such as "collation timing: 10:10; 10:20; 10:25, the minimum number of collating times required to fulfill the collation requirements ("collation clearing requirement"): three times" is broadcasted.

[0062] When the digital broadcasting receiver 40 receives the collation content and appendix content, the digital broadcasting receiver 40 understands the collation requirements and the like through the BML browser and records the collation requirements and the appendix content in the storage means.

[0063] When the digital broadcasting receiver 40 uses an unshown clock or the like to determine that 10:10 is reached, i.e. that the collation timing defined in the collation content is reached, the digital broadcasting receiver 40 generates collation information having an event ID and a machine ID and transmit it to the collation server 30. Here, the event ID is incorporated by obtaining, in real time, an event ID, which is provided to a currently-played digital broadcast program when the collation information is generated. In the present embodiment, the event ID of the currently-played program is "123". Also, in the present embodiment the machine ID is "ABC".

[0064] The collation server 30 compares and collates the event ID contained in the collation information transmitted from the digital broadcasting receiver 40 with the event ID held in the on-air information storage means 372. If the event IDs correspond with each other, a collation history is recorded.

[0065] The digital broadcasting receiver 40 further acquires the event IDs from a program viewed at 10:20 and 10:25 in the same way, and collates the event IDs with each other.

[0066] The collation server 30 checks the collation history every time when each collation ends, and determines whether or not the collation clearing requirement, which is recorded in the on-air information, is satisfied. In the present embodiment, after obtaining the third match, which is the collation clearing requirement, the collation server 30 transmits a notification of completion of collation. The digital broadcasting receiver 40 provides the appendix content upon reception of the notification.

[0067] When a recorded program is watched, the event lDs do not match with each other between the collation information and the on-air information. Therefore, a coupon can be provided only to the viewers who watch the program in real time. Moreover, in addition to the security based on the broadcast management policy, the collation process is automatically carried out in the digital broadcasting receiver 40, thus it is extremely difficult for the viewers to understand the collation requirements such as the timing when collation is performed. For this reason, it is required for the viewers to continuously watch the program in order to obtain the coupon, whereby "commercial skipping" or the like can be prevented.

[0068] The above has described the information processing system of the present invention on the basis of the embodiments and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and the like described above and thus can be changed variously within the scope where the gist of the present invention is not deviated.

[0069] For example, in the embodiments, the collation server 30 receives a BML from the digital broadcasting transmissions system 20 via the communication line 50 and stores the collation requirements and the like (S604), but the BML may be received via a program circuit. Moreover, the BML which is created by the BML generating server 10 may be received directly.

[0070] Further, in the embodiments, the collation process is carried out using an event ID, but a service ID for specifying a channel may be used in addition to the event ID to perform the collation process. In this case, the collation requirements are associated with the event ID and service ID and stored in the on-air information storage means 372 of the collation server 30 (S604), and whether a currently-broadcasted program is viewed or not is checked on the basis of the event ID and service ID when performing collation.

[0071] Furthermore, in the embodiments, the collation server 30 is provided for each channel, and collation is performed on each channel by means of the individual collation server, but collation can be performed on a plurality of channels by means of a single collation server 30. At this moment, the digital broadcasting receiver 40 adds information related to the channels to the collation information, and transmits it to the collation server 30.

[0072] Moreover, in the embodiments, the appendix content is provided when the collation clearing requirement is satisfied, but it is possibly to appropriately change the collation clearing requirement the case in which the appendix content is provided. For example, in the case where the number of collating times is defined as three, if two or more matches out of the three matches are obtained as the collation clearing requirement, a coupon can be provided.

[0073] In addition, the present invention can be applied in general digital broadcasting, but the present invention is particularly effective when the band is narrow as in one-segment broadcasting, because the collation content, which is transmitted to the digital broadcasting receiver in order to carry out the collation process, has a small volume. Moreover, it is particularly effective to apply the present invention to a portable terminal device such as a cellular phone, because the burden of the collation process is small on the digital broadcasting receiver.

[0074] Moreover, the present invention can be applied to cooperate between broadcasting and mileage programs.

Claims

1. A digital broadcasting system, comprising:

a digital broadcasting transmission system which transmits digital broadcasting;

a digital broadcasting receiver which receives the digital broadcasting; and

a collating device for collating whether or not a viewer watches a program in real time, wherein

the digital broadcasting transmission system comprises means for transmitting digital broadcast program data which has, at least, a header section having an event ID which is an identifier provided for each program in order to uniquely specify a program, and video data for a program, which comprises voice data and image data,

the digital broadcasting receiver comprises:

digital broadcasting receiving means for receiving the digital broadcast program data transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmission system;

a decoder which extracts the header section and the video data from the digital broadcast program data received by the digital broadcasting receiving means; and

transmitting means for acquiring the event ID from the header section extracted from the digital broadcast program data by the decoder, and transmitting collation information having the event ID to the collating device via a communication line,

and the collating device comprises:

on-air information storage means for storing the event ID provided for a currently-broadcasted program;

communication means for receiving the collation information transmitted from the digital broadcasting receiver;

collating means for comparing the event ID contained in the collation information received by the communication means, with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means, and collating whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other; and

collation confirmation means for, when the collation is consistent in the collating means, transmitting to the digital broadcasting receiver a notification indicating that the collation is completed, and wherein

the event ID, which is stored in the on-air information storage means, is stored in the on-air information storage means, with the collating device acquiring digital broadcast program data of a currently-broadcasted digital program from the digital broadcasting transmission system, in use of an event ID extracted from the acquired digital broadcast program data.

2. A digital broadcasting system, comprising:

a digital broadcasting transmission system which transmits digital broadcasting;

a digital broadcasting receiver which receives the digital broadcasting; and

a collating device for collating whether or not a viewer watches a program in real time, wherein

the digital broadcasting transmission system comprises means for transmitting digital broadcast program data which has, at least, a header section having an event ID which is an identifier provided for each program in order to uniquely specify a program, video data for a program, which comprises voice data and image data, and a BML content in which collation requirements including collation timing are described,

the digital broadcasting receiver comprises:

digital broadcasting receiving means for receiving the digital broadcast program data transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmission system;

a decoder which extracts the header section, the video data, and the BML content from the digital broadcast program data received by the digital broadcasting receiving means; and

transmitting means for acquiring the event ID from the header section extracted from the digital broadcast program data by the decoder, and transmitting collation information having the event ID to the collating device via a communication line at collation timing which is described in the BML content extracted from the digital broadcast program data by the decoder,

and the collating device comprises:

on-air information storage means for storing the event ID provided for a currently-broadcasted program, and the collation requirements;

communication means for receiving the collation information transmitted from the digital broadcasting receiver;

collating means for comparing the event ID contained in the collation information received by the communication means, with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means, and collating whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other;

collation history storage means for recording a result of collation performed by the collating means; and

collation confirmation means for referring to the collation history storage means and, when the collation requirements stored in the on-air information storage means are fulfilled, transmitting to the digital broadcasting receiver a notification indicating that the collation is completed, and wherein

the event ID and collation requirements, which are stored in the on-air information storage means, are stored in the on-air information storage means, with the collating device acquiring digital broadcast program data of a currently-broadcasted digital program from the digital broadcasting transmission system, in use of an event ID and collation requirements extracted from the acquired digital broadcast program data.

3. The digital broadcasting system according to claim 2, wherein
the BML content, which is contained in the digital broadcast program data, further comprises an appendix content including a coupon image,
and the digital broadcasting receiver further comprises:

content storage means for storing the appendix content contained in the BML content extracted from the digital broadcast program data by the decoder;

collation completion receiving means for receiving, from the collating device, a notification indicating that the collation is completed; and

means for providing a viewer with the appendix content stored in the content storage means when the collation completion receiving means receives the notification of completion of collation.

4. A collating method of collating whether or not a viewer watches a broadcasted program in real time, in a digital broadcasting system comprising:

a digital broadcasting transmission system which transmits digital broadcasting;

a digital broadcasting receiver which receives the digital broadcasting; and

a collating device having on-air information storage means for storing an event ID provided for a currently-broadcasted program, the event ID, which is stored in the on-air information storage means, being stored in the on-air information storage means, with the collating device acquiring digital broadcast program data of a currently-broadcasted digital program from the digital broadcasting transmission system, in use of an event ID extracted from the acquired digital broadcast program data,

the collating method comprising the steps in which:

the digital broadcasting transmission system transmits the digital broadcast program data which has, at least, a header section having the event ID which is an identifier provided for each program in order to uniquely specify a program, and video data for a program, which comprises voice data and image data;

the digital broadcasting receiver receives the digital broadcast program data transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmission system;

the digital broadcasting receiver extracts the header section and video data from the received digital broadcast program data;

the digital broadcasting receiver acquires the event ID from the header section extracted from the digital broadcast program data, and transmits collation information having the event ID to the collating device via a communication line;

the collating device receives the collation information transmitted from the digital broadcasting receiver;

the collating device compares the event ID contained in the received collation information, with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means, and collating whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other; and

when the collation is consistent in the collation step, the collating device transmits to the digital broadcasting receiver a notification indicating that the collation is completed.

5. A collating method of collating whether or not a viewer watches a broadcasted program in real time, in a digital broadcasting system comprising:

a digital broadcasting transmission system which transmits digital broadcasting;

a digital broadcasting receiver which receives the digital broadcasting; and

a collating device having on-air information storage means for storing an event ID provided for a currently-broadcasted program and collation requirements including collation timing, the event ID and the collation requirements, which are stored in the on-air information storage means, being stored in the on-air information storage means, with the collating device acquiring digital broadcast program data of a currently-broadcasted digital program from the digital broadcasting transmission system, in use of an event ID and collation requirements extracted from the acquired digital broadcast program data,

the collating method comprising the steps in which:

the digital broadcasting transmission system transmits the digital broadcast program data which has, at least, a header section having an event ID which is an identifier provided for each program in order to uniquely specify a program, video data for a program, which comprises voice data and image data, and a BML content in which the collation requirements are described;

the digital broadcasting receiver receives the digital broadcast program data transmitted from the digital broadcasting transmission system;

the digital broadcasting receiver extracts the header section, the video data, and the BML content from the received digital broadcast program data;

the digital broadcasting receiver acquires the event ID from the header section extracted from the digital broadcast program data, and transmits collation information having the event ID to the collating device via a communication line at collation timing which is described in the BML content extracted from the digital broadcast program data;

the collating device receives the collation information transmitted from the digital broadcasting receiver;

the collating device compares the event ID contained in the received collation information, with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means, and collating whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other;

the collating device records in collation history storage means a result of collation performed in the collating step; and

the collating device refers to the collation history storage means and, when the collation requirements stored in the on-air information storage means are fulfilled, transmits to the digital broadcasting receiver a notification indicating that the collation is completed.

6. The collating method according to claim 5, wherein
the BML content, which is contained in the digital broadcast program data, further comprises an appendix content including a coupon image,
the collating method further comprising the steps in which:

the digital broadcasting receiver stores, in content storage means, the appendix content contained in the BML content extracted from the digital broadcast program data;

the digital broadcasting receiver receives, from the collating device, a notification indicating that the collation is completed; and

the digital broadcasting receiver provides a viewer with the appendix content stored in the content storage means when the notification of completion of collation is received.

7. A terminal device, which functions as a digital broadcasting receiver receiving digital broadcasting, in a digital broadcasting system comprising:

a digital broadcasting transmission system which comprises means for transmitting digital broadcast program data having, at least, a header section having an event ID which is an identifier provided for each program in order to uniquely specify a program, video data for a program, which comprises voice data and image data, and a BML content in which collation requirements including collation timing and an appendix content including a coupon image are described;

a collating device which comprises: on-air information storage means for storing the event ID provided for a currently-broadcasted program and the collation requirements; communication means for receiving collation information transmitted from a digital broadcasting receiver; collating means for comparing an event ID contained in the collation information received by the communication means, with the event ID stored in the on-air information storage means, and collating whether or not the both event IDs correspond with each other; collation history storage means for recording a result of collation performed by the collating means; and collation confirmation means for referring to the collation history storage means and, when the collation requirements stored in the on-air information storage means are fulfilled, transmitting to the digital broadcasting receiver a notification indicating that the collation is completed, wherein the event ID and collation requirements, which are stored in the on-air information storage means, are stored in the on-air information storage means, with the collating device acquiring digital broadcast program data of a currently-broadcasted digital program from the digital broadcasting transmission system, in use of an event ID and collation requirements extracted from the acquired digital broadcast program data,

the terminal device comprising:

digital broadcasting receiving means for receiving the digital broadcast program data;

decoder means for extracting the header section, the video data, and the BML content from the digital broadcast program data received by the digital broadcasting receiving means;

transmitting means for acquiring the event ID from the header section extracted from the digital broadcast program data by the decoder means, and transmitting the collation information having the event ID to the collating device via a communication line at collation timing which is described in the BML content extracted from the digital broadcast program data by the decoder means;

means for storing, in content storage means, the appendix content contained in the BML content extracted from the digital broadcast program data by the decoder means;

collation completion receiving means for receiving, from the collating device, a notification indicating that the collation is completed; and

means for, when the notification of completion of collation is received, providing the viewer with the appendix content stored in the content storage means.

Drawing