FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
“TERMINAL DEVICE, SERVER DEVICE,
INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM,
AND COLLABORATIVE APPLICATION SUPPLY SYSTEM”
SONY CORPORATION, of 1-7-1, Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
108-0075, Japan
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in
which it is to be performed.
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DESCRIPTION
Title of Invention: TERMINAL DEVICE, SERVER DEVICE,
INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND LINKED
APPLICATION SUPPLYING SYSTEM
Technical Field
[0001]
The present disclosure relates to a terminal device, a
server device, an information processing method, a program,
and a linked application supplying system, and more
particularly to a terminal device, a server device, an
information processing method, a program, and a linked
application supplying system, which are intended to be
capable of executing an application program in conjunction
with progress of not only a television program but also any
content being viewed.
Background Art
[0002]
For example, it has been considered that information
relating to a TV program (hereinafter, simply referred to as
a program) (a cast, a synopsis, a preview for next episode,
and the like) and information not directly related to the
program but useful for viewers (news, weather forecast,
traffic information, and the like) are displayed on a screen
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for the viewers of the television (TV) program.
[0003]
In order to realize this, a command for acquiring and
activating a dedicated application program (hereinafter,
abbreviated as an application) may be transmitted in
conjunction with the progress of the program to a TV
receiver or the like. In fact, this has been already
realized in Japan, Europe and others, by transmitting the
command and application, using a band for a data broadcast
in a TV broadcast signal (for example, see PTL 1).
Citation List
Patent Literature
[0004]
PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application
Publication No. 2006-50237
Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
[0005]
In contrast, in the U.S., a band for a data broadcast
is not formed in a TV broadcast signal and an alternative
method thereof is not established, so that executing an
application in conjunction with progress of a program has
not been realized.
[0006]
In addition, in the U.S., most households view programs
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through a CATV or an IPTV rather than directly receive and
view the programs by TV receivers. Since the CATV and the
IPTV extract only video and audio of the programs from a TV
broadcast so as to be distributed, it is not ensured that
data broadcast signals including data relating to an
application are transmitted to viewers even if the band for
the data broadcast is formed in the TV broadcast signal in
the U.S.
[0007]
The present disclosure has been made in view of such a
circumstance, and is intended to be capable of executing an
application in conjunction with progress of content being
viewed at a user's home.
Solution to Problem
[0008]
A terminal device which is a first aspect of the
present disclosure includes: an extraction unit that
extracts, from content being reproduced, signature data
representing characteristics of the content; a query
generation unit that generates a first query including at
least the extracted signature data; a communication unit
that transmits the generated first query to a server device
and receives a first response which is returned by the
server device in response to the first query; an application
execution unit that acquires and executes an application
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corresponding to an application identifier included in the
received first response; a database cache unit that acquires
and holds reference data in which signature data that is
held in a database of the server device and represents
characteristics of content extracted from the content is
associated with a content identifier representing the
content of an extraction source and an application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the content; and a response generation unit
that identifies content of an extraction source of signature
data included in a second query in response to the second
query transmitted from a separate terminal device belonging
to a common network, by referring to the reference data in
the database cache unit, and generates a second response to
be returned to the separate terminal device, including at
least the application identifier representing an application
to be executed in conjunction with the identified content.
[0009]
The response generation unit further identifies content
of an extraction source of signature data included in the
first query which is generated by the query generation unit,
by referring to the reference data in the database cache
unit, and generates the third response including at least
the application identifier representing an application to be
executed in conjunction with the identified application, and
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the application execution unit further can acquire and
execute an application corresponding to an application
identifier included in the generated third response.
[0010]
The query generation unit generates the first query
including at least the extracted signature data and an
extraction time stamp representing a timing when the
signature data is extracted, and the application execution
unit or an application executed by the application execution
unit can acquire associated metadata which is selected by
the server device based on the extraction time stamp which
is included in the received second response, and perform a
predetermined process.
[0011]
The terminal device can be built into a reproduction
device which reproduces content, and the terminal device
which is the first aspect of the present disclosure can
further include a content supply unit that supplies all
pieces of content which are reproduced by the reproduction
device, to the extraction unit.
[0012]
In an information processing method which is the first
aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing
method of a terminal device includes, by the terminal device,
an extraction step of extracting, from content to be
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reproduced, signature data representing characteristics of
the content; a query generation step of generating a first
query including at least the extracted signature data; a
communication step of transmitting the generated first query
to a server device and of receiving a first response which
is returned by the server device in response to the first
query; an application execution step of acquiring and
executing an application corresponding to an application
identifier included in the received first response; a
database cache step of acquiring reference data in which
signature data that is held in a database of the server
device and represents characteristics of content extracted
from the content is associated with a content identifier
representing the content of an extraction source and an
application identifier representing an application to be
executed in conjunction with the content, and of holding the
acquired reference data in a database cache unit; and a
response generation step of identifying content of an
extraction source of signature data included in a second
query in response to the second query transmitted from a
separate terminal device belonging to a common network, by
referring to the reference data in the database cache unit,
and of generating a second response to be returned to the
separate terminal device, including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
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conjunction with the identified content.
[0013]
A program which is the first aspect of the present
disclosure causing a computer to function as: an extraction
unit that extracts, from content being reproduced, signature
data representing characteristics of the content; a query
generation unit that generates a first query including at
least the extracted signature data; a communication unit
that transmits the generated first query to a server device
and receives a first response which is returned by the
server device in response to the first query; an application
execution unit that acquires and executes an application
corresponding to an application identifier included in the
received first response; a database cache unit that acquires
and holds reference data in which signature data that is
held in a database of the server device and represents
characteristics of content extracted from the content is
associated with a content identifier representing the
content of an extraction source and an application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the content; and a response generation unit
that identifies content of an extraction source of signature
data included in a second query in response to the second
query transmitted from a separate terminal device belonging
to a common network, by referring to the reference data in
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the database cache unit, and generates a second response to
be returned to the separate terminal device, including at
least the application identifier representing an application
to be executed in conjunction with the identified content.
[0014]
In the first aspect of the present disclosure,
reference data in which signature data representing
characteristics of content extracted from the content is
associated with a content identifier representing the
content of an extraction source and an application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the content is acquired and held in a
database cache unit, content of an extraction source of
signature data included in the second query is identified in
response to the second query transmitted from a separate
terminal device belonging to a common network, by referring
to the reference data in the database cache unit, and a
second response to be returned to the separate terminal
device, including at least the application identifier
representing an application to be executed in conjunction
with the identified content is generated.
[0015]
A server device which is a second aspect of the present
disclosure includes: a database that holds reference data in
which signature data representing characteristics of content
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extracted from the content is associated with a content
identifier representing the content of an extraction source
and an application identifier representing an application to
be executed in conjunction with the content; a response
generation unit that identifies content of an extraction
source of signature data included in a query transmitted
from a terminal device, by referring to the reference data,
and generates a response including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the identified content; a transmission unit
that transmits the generated response to the terminal
device; and a supply unit that supplies the reference data
which is held in the database to the terminal device through
a predetermined network.
[0016]
The database holds reference data in which signature
data representing characteristics of content extracted from
the content is associated with a content identifier
representing the content of an extraction source, an
application identifier representing an application to be
executed in conjunction with the content, and associated
metadata processed in the application, and the response
generation unit identifies content of an extraction source
of signature data included in a query transmitted from the
terminal device, by referring to the reference data, and
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generates the response including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the identified content and the associated
metadata.
[0017]
The response generation unit identifies content of an
extraction source of signature data included in a query
transmitted from the terminal device, by referring to the
reference data, and generates the response including at
least the application identifier representing an application
to be executed in conjunction with the identified content
and the associated metadata which is selected based on an
extraction time stamp included in the query.
[0018]
The response generation unit can further generate the
response including a content identifier representing the
identified content.
[0019]
In an information processing method which is the second
aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing
method of a server device includes, by the server device, a
reception step of receiving a query transmitted from a
terminal device; a response generation step of identifying
content of an extraction source of signature data included
in the received query, by referring to reference data in
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which signature data representing characteristics of content
extracted from the content is associated with a content
identifier representing the content of an extraction source
and an application identifier representing an application to
be executed in conjunction with the content, and of
generating a response including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the identified content; a transmission step
of transmitting the generated response to the terminal
device; and a supply step of supplying the reference data to
the terminal device through a predetermined network.
[0020]
A program which is the second aspect of the present
disclosure causing a computer to function as: a database
that holds reference data in which signature data
representing characteristics of content extracted from the
content is associated with a content identifier representing
the content of an extraction source and an application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the content; a response generation unit
that identifies content of an extraction source of signature
data included in a query transmitted from a terminal device,
by referring to the reference data, and generates a response
including at least the application identifier representing
an application to be executed in conjunction with the
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identified content; and a transmission unit that transmits
the generated response to the terminal device; and a supply
unit that supplies the reference data which is held in the
database to the terminal device through a predetermined
network.
[0021]
In the second aspect of the present disclosure,
reference data in which signature data representing
characteristics of content extracted from the content is
associated with a content identifier representing the
content of an extraction source and an application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the content is held in a database, and the
reference data which is held in the database is supplied to
the terminal device through a predetermined network.
[0022]
In a linked application supplying system which is a
third aspect of the present disclosure, the linked
application supplying system configured with a terminal
device and a server device, in which the terminal device
includes: an extraction unit that extracts, from content
being reproduced, signature data representing
characteristics of the content; a query generation unit that
generates a first query including at least the extracted
signature data; a communication unit that transmits the
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generated first query to a server device and receives a
first response which is returned by the server device in
response to the first query; an application execution unit
that acquires and executes an application corresponding to
an application identifier included in the received first
response; a database cache unit that acquires and holds
reference data in which signature data that is held in a
database of the server device and represents characteristics
of content extracted from the content is associated with a
content identifier representing the content of an extraction
source and an application identifier representing an
application to be executed in conjunction with the content;
and a response generation unit that identifies content of an
extraction source of signature data included in a second
query in response to the second query transmitted from a
separate terminal device belonging to a common network, by
referring to the reference data in the database cache unit,
and generates a second response to be returned to the
separate terminal device, including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the identified content, and in which the
server device includes: a database that holds the reference
data; a response generation unit that identifies content of
an extraction source of signature data included in the first
query transmitted from the terminal device, by referring to
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the reference data, and generates the first response
including at least the application identifier representing
an application to be executed in conjunction with the
identified content; a transmission unit that transmits the
generated first response to the terminal device; and a
supply unit that supplies the reference data which is held
in the database to the terminal device through a
predetermined network.
[0023]
In the third aspect of the present disclosure, by the
server device, reference data in which signature data
representing characteristics of content extracted from the
content is associated with a content identifier representing
the content of an extraction source and an application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the content is held in a database, the
reference data which is held in the database is supplied to
the terminal device through a predetermined network. Then,
by the terminal device, the reference data which is held in
a database of a server device is acquired and held in the
database cache unit, content of an extraction source of
signature data included in the second query is identified in
response to the second query transmitted from a separate
terminal device belonging to a common network, by referring
to the reference data in the database cache unit, and a
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second response to be returned to the separate terminal
device, including at least the application identifier
representing an application to be executed in conjunction
with the identified content is generated.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0024]
According to the first aspect of the present disclosure,
it is possible to execute an application in conjunction with
progress of content being viewed at a user's home.
[0025]
According to the second aspect of the present
disclosure, it is possible to execute an application in
conjunction with progress of content being viewed at a
user's home.
[0026]
According to the third aspect of the present disclosure,
it is possible to execute an application in conjunction with
progress of content being viewed at a user's home.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0027]
[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a first
configuration example of a linked application supplying
system which is an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a configuration
example of an Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) client.
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[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of
periodically extracting signature data from content.
[Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a
configuration example of an ACR server.
[Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a data structure
of an ACR query.
[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a data structure
of ACR reference data.
[Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a data structure
of an ACR response.
[Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a flowchart describing an operation
of the linked application supplying system shown in Fig. 1.
[Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a second
configuration example of a linked application supplying
system which is an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[Fig. 10] Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing a
configuration example of a high-performance ACR client.
[Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is a flowchart describing an
operation of the linked application supplying system shown
in Fig. 10.
[Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a
configuration example of a computer.
Description of Embodiments
[0028]
Hereinafter, the best mode for implementing the present
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disclosure (hereinafter, referred to as an embodiment) will
be described with reference to drawings.
[0029]
[1. First configuration example of linked application
supplying system]
Fig. 1 shows a first configuration example of a linked
application supplying system which is an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0030]
The linked application supplying system 10 is intended
to execute an application in conjunction with progress of
content being viewed by a user in a TV receiver or the like.
By executing the application, it is possible to display some
pieces of information (a cast, a synopsis, and a preview for
next episode) relating to content being viewed and other
pieces of information (news, weather forecast, traffic
information, and the like) which are not directly related to
the content but useful for the user on a screen, or to
realize a quiz or a vote in which the viewers can
participate.
[0031]
In addition, the content herein is intended to include
all pieces of AV content such as a program being broadcasted
over a TV broadcast network, a CATV network, an IPTV network,
or the like, a program reproduced from a state in which the
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program has been recorded, a video reproduced from package
media, and a video distributed over the Internet.
[0032]
The linked application supplying system 10 includes a
plurality of terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N and a supply
device 30. In addition, it is assumed that each of the
terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N, while being built into each
content reproduction device represented by a TV receiver, is
disposed in a general house, or the like. Hereinafter, when
there is no need to distinguish individual terminal devices
20-1 to 20-N, they are simply referred to as the terminal
device 20.
[0033]
[Description of terminal device 20]
The terminal device 20 is connected to the supply
device 30 through a broadcast network 11 such as the TV
broadcast network, the CATV network, and the IPTV network,
and the Internet 12.
[0034]
The terminal device 20 includes a content renderer 21,
an ACR client 22, an application manager 23, and a user
interface 24.
[0035]
The content renderer 21 has a function to acquire
content from outside so as to be reproduced. Further, the
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content renderer 21 transfers all content displayed on a
display such as a TV receiver having a built-in terminal
device 20 so as to be supplied to the ACR client 22. In
other words, not only a program received in a tuner of the
TV receiver having a built-in terminal device 20, but also
content which is input through various types of input
terminals (such as a HDMI terminal) of the TV receiver are
transferred and supplied to the ACR client 22.
[0036]
The ACR client 22 extracts signature data representing
the characteristics of the content from content which is
input by the content renderer 21, in a predetermined
sampling period. Here, a method of extracting the signature
data is arbitrary. For example, a watermark which has been
embedded in advance in the content may be extracted and
taken as signature data, or a fingerprint may be calculated
and taken as signature data.
[0037]
Even if a resolution of content, an aspect ratio, a bit
rate, and an encoding format are converted, it is possible
to obtain the same signature data before and after
conversion by using the fingerprint as the signature data.
Accordingly, identification accuracy at the time of the
identification of the content based on the signature data
can be increased.
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[0038]
Further, the ACR client 22 generates an ACR query
including the extracted signature data, and transmits the
generated ACR query to an ACR server 31 of the supply device
30 through the Internet 12. Further, the ACR client 22
receives and holds an ACR response which is returned by the
ACR server 31 in response to the ACR query from the ACR
client 22. Further, the ACR client 22 analyzes the held ACR
response and causes the application manager 23 to execute an
application corresponding to the content being viewed.
[0039]
The application manager 23 acquires an application
corresponding to the content being viewed from an
application server 33 through the Internet 12 and executes
the application, in response to a control from the ACR
client 22. Further, the application manager 23 has an
associated metadata acquisition Application Program
Interface (API) and acquires associated metadata
corresponding to the application being executed from the ACR
client 22, using the associated metadata acquisition API.
[0040]
The user interface 24 causes various types of
information displayed by the application being executed to
be displayed on the display. Further, the user interface 24
receives an operation of the user for the application being
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executed.
[0041]
[Description of supply device 30]
The supply device 30 includes the ACR server 31, a
content server 32, and the application server 33.
[0042]
The ACR server 31 generates and holds in advance ACR
reference data in which the signature data extracted from
each of various pieces of content capable of being viewed on
the terminal device 20 in a predetermined sampling period is
associated with an application identifier, associated
metadata, or the like. The ACR server 31 generates an ACR
response in response to the ACR query transmitted from the
ACR client 22 of the terminal device 20 and returns the ACR
response to the ACR client 22 through the Internet 12.
[0043]
The content server 32 distributes content through the
broadcast network 11 and supplies the ACR server 31 with the
distributed content and the associated metadata.
[0044]
In addition, the ACR server 31, the content server 32,
and the application server 33 constituting the supply device
30 may be disposed while being concentrated at one location,
or may be disposed in a dispersed manner. Further, the ACR
server 31, the content server 32, and the application server
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33 may be combined appropriately to configure the supply
device 30.
[0045]
[Detailed configuration example of ACR client 22]
Fig. 2 shows a detailed configuration example of the
ACR client 22 constituting the terminal device 20.
[0046]
The ACR client 22 includes a signature extraction unit
41, an ACR query generation unit 42, a communication unit 43,
a holding unit 44, and an ACR response analysis unit 45.
[0047]
As shown in Fig. 3, the signature extraction unit 41
extracts signature data representing the characteristics
from the content which is input from the content renderer 21,
according to a predetermined extraction method in a
predetermined sampling period and outputs the extracted
signature data to the ACR query generation unit 42. In
addition, the extraction period and the sampling period of
the signature data may be set arbitrarily by the user.
[0048]
Whenever signature data is input from the signature
extraction unit 41, the ACR query generation unit 42
generates an ACR query including the signature data. The
data structure of the ACR query will be described with
reference to Fig. 5.
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[0049]
The communication unit 43 transmits the ACR query
generated by the ACR query generation unit 42 to the ACR
server 31 of the supply device 30 through the Internet 12.
Further, the communication unit 43 receives the ACR response
returned from the ACR server 31 and outputs the received ACR
response to the holding unit 44.
[0050]
The holding unit 44 holds the ACR response received by
the communication unit 43, and supplies the associated
metadata included in the ACR response, in response to a
request from the associated metadata acquisition API of the
application manager 23. In addition, when the ACR response
including the associated metadata requested from the
associated metadata acquisition API is not held in the
holding unit 44, the ACR query may be generated again and
transmitted to the ACR server 31 such that the ACR response
including the requested associated metadata may be acquired.
[0051]
The ACR response analysis unit 45 analyzes the ACR
response which is returned from the ACR server 31 and is
held in the holding unit 44, specifies an application to be
executed in conjunction with the content being viewed, and
notifies the application manager 23 of the specified
application.
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[0052]
[Detailed configuration example of ACR server 31]
Fig. 4 shows a detailed configuration example of the
ACR server 31 constituting the supply device 30.
[0053]
The ACR server 31 includes a content acquisition unit
51, a signature extraction unit 52, an ACR database 53, a
communication unit 54, and an ACR response generation unit
55.
[0054]
The content acquisition unit 51 acquires various types
of content which can be viewed on the terminal device 20 and
the associated metadata from the content server 32, or the
like, and supplies the signature extraction unit 52 and the
ACR database 53 with the acquired content and the acquired
associated metadata, respectively.
[0055]
As shown in Fig. 3, the signature extraction unit 52
extracts signature data representing the characteristics
from the content which is input from the content acquisition
unit 51, according to a predetermined extraction method, in
a predetermined sampling period and outputs the extracted
signature data to the ACR database 53.
[0056]
The ACR database 53 generates ACR reference data by
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associating each piece of signature data from the signature
extraction unit 52 with the content of an extraction source,
an application to be linked, associated metadata used in the
application, and the like, and holds the generated ACR
reference data. In addition, the ACR reference data which
is generated in advance may be supplied to and held in the
ACR database 53. The data structure of the ACR reference
data will be described later with reference to Fig. 6.
[0057]
The communication unit 54 receives the ACR query
transmitted from the ACR client 22 of the terminal device 20
through the Internet 12 and outputs the received ACR query
to the ACR response generation unit 55. Further, the
communication unit 54 transmits the ACR response generated
in the ACR response generation unit 55 to the ACR client 22
of the terminal device 20 through the Internet 12.
[0058]
The ACR response generation unit 55 identifies content
corresponding to the signature data included in the ACR
query transmitted from the ACR client 22 of the terminal
device 20 by referring to the ACR reference data of the ACR
database 53. Further, the ACR response generation unit 55
generates an ACR response including a content identifier as
an identification result, an application identifier
representing an application to be executed in conjunction
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with the progress of the identified content, and associated
metadata used by the application or the like so as to be
output to the notification unit 54.
[0059]
In addition, when the ACR response generation unit 55
generates the ACR response, a communication delay of the ACR
response in the Internet 12 is estimated based on an
extracted local time stamp 75 (Fig. 5) included in the ACR
query, and associated metadata stored in the ACR response is
selected in view of a processing time of the ACR response
generation unit 55 itself. The data structure of the ACR
response will be described with reference to Fig. 7.
[0060]
[Data structure of ACR query]
Fig. 5 shows the data structure of the ACR query
generated in the ACR query generation unit 42 of the ACR
client 22.
[0061]
The ACR query 70 includes an ACR query identifier 71,
an extraction method identifier 72, a service identifier 73,
signature data 74, an extracted local time stamp 75, a
source address 76, and a signature 77.
[0062]
The ACR query identifier 71 is information for
specifying the ACR query 70. The extraction method
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identifier 72 is information for specifying an extraction
method used at the time of extracting the signature data 74.
When there are a plurality of services which perform
identification of the content based on the signature data 74,
the service identifier 73 is information for selecting a
service for processing the ACR query 70.
[0063]
The signature data 74 is what is extracted from the
content in the signature extraction unit 41. The extracted
local time stamp 75 is intended to represent a timing when
the signature data 74 is extracted in the signature
extraction unit 41, and is represented by a time that a
local system clock of the terminal device 20 indicates.
[0064]
The source address 76 is information indicating a
terminal device 20 sending the ACR query 70, in other words,
a return destination of the ACR response generated by the
ACR server 31 in response to the ACR query 70. The
signature 77 is intended to prevent the ACR query 70 from
being falsified in a communication path. In addition, the
falsification may be prevented by encrypting and
transmitting the entire ACR query 70.
[0065]
[Data structure of ACR reference data]
Fig. 6 shows a data structure of ACR reference data
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which is held in the ACR database 53 of the ACR server 31.
[0066]
A content identifier 82, a reproduction time 83, an
application identifier 84, and associated metadata 85 are
recorded in association with the signature data 81 in the
ACR reference data 80.
[0067]
The signature data 81 is what is extracted from the
content in the signature extraction unit 52. The content
identifier 82 is information representing content of the
extraction source of the signature data 81. The
reproduction time 83 is intended to represent a progress
timing of content when the signature data 81 is extracted
from content represented by the content identifier 82, and
for example, is represented by an elapse time from the
beginning of content represented by the content identifier
82.
[0068]
The application identifier 84 is information indicating
an application to be executed in conjunction with the
progress timing indicated by a reproduction time 83 of
content indicated by the content identifier 82. The
associated metadata 85 includes various types of information
(such as data to be displayed) used in the application
indicated by the application identifier 84.
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[0069]
[Data structure of the ACR response]
Fig. 7 shows a data structure of an ACR response
generated in the ACR response generation unit 55 of the ACR
server 31. In addition, A in Fig. 7 shows an ACR response
when content corresponding to the signature data 74 of the
ACR query 70 transmitted from the ACR client 22, in other
words, content being viewed in the terminal device 20 is
identified, by referring to the ACR reference data 80 in the
ACR database 53. B in Fig. 7 shows an ACR response when
content is not identified.
[0070]
The ACR response 90 when the content being viewed in
the terminal device 20 is identified (A in Fig. 7) includes
an ACR query identifier 91, an extraction method identifier
92, a service identifier 93, an extracted local time stamp
94, a content identifier 95, a reproduction time 96, an
application identifier 97, associated metadata 98, a source
address 99, and a signature 100.
[0071]
The ACR response 90 when the content being viewed in
the terminal device 20 is not identified (B in Fig. 7)
includes an ACR query identifier 91, a service identifier 93,
a source address 99, a signature 100, and an identification
failure flag 101.
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[0072]
The ACR query identifier 91 to the extracted local time
stamp 94 are what specify an ACR query 70 which is a trigger
to generate the ACR response 90, and the ACR query
identifier 71 to the service identifier 73 of the ACR query
70, and the extracted local time stamp 75 are diverted
therefor.
[0073]
The content identifier 95 is information indicating the
identified content, and the content identifier 82 of the ACR
reference data 80 is diverted therefor. The reproduction
time 96 is information indicating a progress timing of the
identified content, and the reproduction time 83 of the ACR
reference data 80 is diverted therefor.
[0074]
The application identifier 97 is information specifying
an application to be executed according to the progress
timing indicated by the reproduction time 96 of the
identified content, and the application identifier 84 of the
ACR reference data 80 is diverted therefor. In addition,
the application identifier 97 includes information
indicating an acquisition destination (application server
33) of the application.
[0075]
The associated metadata 98 includes various types of
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information (such as data to be displayed) used according to
the progress timing indicated by the reproduction time 96 in
an application indicated by the application identifier 97,
and the associated metadata 85 of the ACR reference data 80
is diverted therefor. In addition, the application
identifier 97 and the associated metadata 98 are changed
during a period from the beginning to the end of the content,
thereby allowing the content to be activated in conjunction
with the progress of the content to be changed or
information to be displayed to be switched.
[0076]
The source address 99 is information indicating the ACR
server 31 transmitting the ACR response 90. The signature
100 is intended to prevent the ACR response 90 from being
falsified in a communication path. In addition, the
falsification may be prevented by encrypting and
transmitting the entire ACR response 90.
[0077]
The identification failure flag 101 is intended to
indicate that the content corresponding to the signature
data 74 of the ACR query 70 cannot be identified as a result
of referring to the ACR reference data 80.
[0078]
[Operation by linked application supplying system 10]
Fig. 8 is a flowchart describing an operation by the
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linked application supplying system 10 shown in Fig. 1.
[0079]
In addition, as a premise of the operation description,
it is assumed that ACR reference data 80 which has been
generated in advance is held in the ACR database 53 of the
ACR server 31 constituting the supply device 30.
[0080]
If content is reproduced by a TV receiver built into
the terminal device 20, in other words, the user views the
content by the TV receiver, in step S1, the content renderer
21 of the terminal device 20 transfers the content being
viewed to be output to the ACR client 22. In the ACR client
22, the signature extraction unit 41 extracts signature data
from the content being viewed in a predetermined sampling
period and outputs the extracted signature data to the ACR
query generation unit 42.
[0081]
In step S2, the ACR query generation unit 42 generates
an ACR query 70 including the signature data which is input
from the signature extraction unit 41 and outputs the
generated ACR query 70 to the communication unit 43. The
communication unit 43 transmits the generated ACR query 70
to the ACR server 31 of the supply device 30 through the
Internet 12.
[0082]
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On the other hand, in step S11, the ACR server 31 of
the supply device 30 is on standby until the communication
unit 54 receives the ACR query 70 transmitted from the ACR
client 22 of the terminal device 20. If the ACR query 70 is
received by the communication unit 54, the process proceeds
to step S12.
[0083]
In step S12, the ACR response generation unit 55
identifies the content corresponding to the signature data
74 included in the received ACR query 70, by referring to
the ACR reference data 80 of the ACR database 53.
[0084]
In step S13, the ACR response generation unit 55
generates an ACR response 90 in response to an
identification result of the content. In other words, when
the content corresponding to the signature data 74 included
in the ACR query 70 is identified, the ACR response 90 shown
by A in Fig. 7 is generated, but when the content is not
identified, the ACR response 90 shown by B in Fig. 7 is
generated. The communication unit 54 transmits the
generated ACR response 90 to the ACR client 22 of the
terminal device 20 through the Internet 12.
[0085]
If the ACR response 90 is received and held by the ACR
client 22, in step S3, the ACR response analysis unit 45
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analyzes the held ACR response 90 to specify the application
to be executed in association with the progress of the
content being viewed, and notifies the application manager
23 of the application identifier 97 and the content
identifier 95. According to the notification, the
application manager 23 acquires the application represented
by the application identifier 97 from the application server
33 through the Internet 12 and executes the acquired
application.
[0086]
Further, the application manager 23 gives the content
identifier 95 and the application identifier 97 as arguments
to any associated metadata acquisition API so as to acquire
the associated metadata 98 corresponding to the executed
application from the ACR client 22.
[0087]
At this time, the associated metadata acquisition API
notifies the application manager 23 of the local time stamp
at the time of acquiring the associated metadata 98 from the
ACR client 22 as well as the extracted local time stamp 94
which is acquired from the ACR response 90 held in the ACR
client 22. The application manager 23 and the application
executed by the application manager 23 can process the
associated metadata in view of a time difference between the
two local time stamps.
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[0088]
The afore-mentioned operations are repeatedly performed
while the content is viewed. Thus, this allows the
operations of the application in conjunction with the
progress of the content being viewed to be performed.
[0089]
Then, for example, it is possible to display
information related to the content, to realize a quiz or a
vote of a viewer-participating type, and to recommend or
download other pieces of content, depending on the type of
the application to be linked.
[0090]
However, in the case of the linked application
supplying system 10 shown in Fig. 1, if a large number of
terminal devices 20 access the ACR server 31 and transmit
ACR queries at the same time through the Internet 12, a
heavy load is applied to the ACR server 31. As a result, it
takes a long time from when the terminal devices 20 transmit
the ACR queries until the terminal devices 20 receive the
ACR responses, and thus a time until the application is
executed in conjunction with the progress of the content
increases. Accordingly, a mechanism for dispersing the
processing load of the ACR server 31 is needed.
[0091]
Therefore, a second configuration example of the linked
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application supplying system which is configured to disperse
the processing load of the ACR server 31 will be described.
[0092]
[2. Second configuration example of linked application
supplying system]
Fig. 9 shows the second configuration example of the
linked application supplying system which is the embodiment
of the present disclosure.
[0093]
The linked application supplying system 110 is intended
to execute an application in conjunction with progress of
content being viewed by a user in a TV receiver or the like,
similar to the linked application supplying system 10 of Fig.
1.
[0094]
In addition, among components of the linked application
supplying system 110, the components common to the linked
application supplying system 10 are denoted by the same
reference numerals, and thus the description thereof will
not be repeated.
[0095]
The linked application supplying system 110 includes a
plurality of terminal devices 20-1 to 20-K, a supply device
30, and a high-performance terminal device 120.
[0096]
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Similarly to the terminal device 20, the highperformance
terminal device 120, while being built into a
content reproduction device represented by a TV receiver, is
disposed in a general house or the like.
[0097]
The high-performance terminal device 120 and one or
more terminal devices 20 form an ad hoc network 125 through
a LAN or the Internet 12 in a wired or wireless manner. In
addition, the ad hoc network 125 may include a plurality of
high-performance terminal devices 120. Further, instead of
the ad hoc network 125, the high-performance terminal device
120 and the terminal device 20 may form a P2P network.
[0098]
In addition, it is assumed that the terminal device 20
constituting the ad hoc network 125 first transmits the
generated ACR query 70 to the high-performance terminal
device 120, and when the ACR response 90 is not returned
from the high-performance terminal device 120, the terminal
device 20 transmits the previous ACR query 70 to the ACR
server 31.
[0099]
Further, it is assumed that the ACR server 31 of the
supply device 30 not only holds the generated ACR reference
data 80 in the ACR database 53 built into itself, but also
supplies the generated ACR reference data 80 to the content
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server 32 so as to be broadcasted through the broadcast
network 11.
[0100]
[Description of high-performance terminal device 120]
The high-performance terminal device 120 is connected
to the supply device 30 through the broadcast network 11
such as a TV broadcast network, a CATV network, an IPTV
network and the Internet 12.
[0101]
The high-performance terminal device 120 includes a
content renderer 21, a high-performance ACR client 122, an
application manager 23, and a user interface 24. In other
words, in the high-performance terminal device 120, the ACR
client 22 of the terminal device 20 is replaced with the
high-performance ACR client 122.
[0102]
The high-performance ACR client 122 operates similarly
to the ACR server 31 in the ad hoc network 125, in addition
to having the same operation as the ACR client 22.
[0103]
[Detailed configuration example of high-performance ACR
client 122]
Fig. 10 shows a detailed configuration example of the
high-performance ACR client 122 constituting the highperformance
terminal device 120.
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[0104]
The high-performance ACR client 122 includes a
signature extraction unit 41, an ACR query generation unit
42, a holding unit 44, an ACR response analysis unit 45, a
communication unit 131, an ACR database (DB) cache 132, and
an ACR response generation unit 133.
[0105]
In other words, in the high-performance ACR client 122,
the communication unit 131 is provided instead of the
communication unit 43 of the ACR client 22 shown in the
detailed configuration example of Fig. 2, and the ACR
database cache 132 and the ACR response generation unit 133
are added.
[0106]
Similarly to the communication unit 43 in Fig. 2, the
communication unit 131 transmits the ACR query 70 generated
by the ACR query generation unit 42 to the ACR server 31 of
the supply device 30 through the Internet 12. Further, the
communication unit 43 receives the ACR response 90 returned
from the ACR server 31 and outputs the received ACR response
90 to the holding unit 44.
[0107]
Further, the communication unit 131 receives the ACR
query 70 transmitted from the terminal device 20 within the
ad hoc network 125 and outputs the received ACR query 70 to
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the ACR response generation unit 133, and returns the ACR
response 90 generated in the ACR response generation unit
133 to the corresponding terminal device 20.
[0108]
The ACR database cache 132 acquires and holds the ACR
reference data 80 which is generated in the ACR server 31 of
the supply device 30 and transmitted through the broadcast
network 11. However, due to the capacity of the ACR DB
cache 132, the transmission timing of the ACR reference data
80 and the like, all pieces of ACR reference data 80 which
have been held in the ACR database 53 of the ACR server 31
are not necessarily held in ACR database cache 132.
[0109]
In addition, the high-performance ACR client 120 may
acquire the ACR reference data 80 generated in the ACR
server 31 of the supply device 30 from the ACR server 31
through the Internet 12.
[0110]
Similarly to the ACR response generation unit 55 of the
ACR server 31, the ACR response generation unit 133
identifies content corresponding to the signature data 74
included in the ACR query 70 transmitted from the terminal
device 20 within the ad hoc network 125 by referring to the
ACR reference data 80 of the ACR database cache 132.
Further, even for the ACR query 70 generated by the ACR
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query generation unit 42 together with the ACR response
generation unit 133 constituting the high-performance ACR
client 122, the ACR response generation unit 133 can
identify content corresponding to signature data 74 included
therein.
[0111]
Then, when the content is identified, the ACR response
generation unit 133 generates the ACR response 90 including
the content identifier 95, and the application identifier 97
as an identification result, and outputs the ACR response 90
to the notification unit 131. When the content is not
identified, the ACR response generation unit 133 does not
generate the ACR response 90. However, even when the
content is not identified, the ACR response 90 indicating
that the content is not identified (B in Fig. 7) may be
generated.
[0112]
[Operation of linked application supplying system 110]
Fig. 11 is a flowchart describing the operation by the
linked application supplying system 110 shown in Fig. 9.
[0113]
In addition, as the premise of the operation
description, it is assumed that the ACR reference data 80
which has been already generated is held in the ACR database
53 of the ACR server 31 constituting the supply device 30.
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Further, it is assumed that the ACR reference data 80 which
is generated in the ACR server 31 and transmitted through
the broadcast network 11 from the content server 32 is held
in the ACR database cache 132 of the high-performance
terminal device 120.
[0114]
If content is reproduced by the TV receiver including
the built-in terminal device 20, in other words, the user
views the content by the TV receiver, in step S101, the
content renderer 21 of the terminal device 20 transfers the
content being viewed to be output to the ACR client 22. In
the ACR client 22, the signature extraction unit 41 extracts
signature data from the content being viewed in a
predetermined sampling period and outputs the extracted
signature data to the ACR query generation unit 42.
[0115]
In step S102, the ACR query generation unit 42
generates an ACR query 70 including the signature data which
is input from the signature extraction unit 41 and outputs
the generated ACR query 70 to the communication unit 43.
The communication unit 43 transmits the generated ACR query
70 to the high-performance terminal device 120 within the ad
hoc network 125.
[0116]
On the other hand, in step S111, the high-performance
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ACR client 122 of the high-performance terminal device 120
is on standby until the communication unit 131 receives the
ACR query 70 transmitted from the ACR client 22 of the
terminal device 20 within the ad hoc network 125. If the
ACR query 70 is received by the communication unit 131, the
process proceeds to step S112.
[0117]
In step S112, the ACR response generation unit 133 of
the high-performance ACR client 122 identifies the content
corresponding to the signature data 74 included in the
received ACR query 70, by referring to the ACR reference
data 80 of the ACR database cache 132.
[0118]
In step S113, the ACR response generation unit 133
generates the ACR response 90 in response to an
identification result of the content. In other words, only
when the content corresponding to the signature data 74
included in the ACR query 70 is identified, the ACR response
90 shown by A in Fig. 7 is generated. The communication
unit 131 transmits the generated ACR response 90 to the ACR
client 22 of the corresponding terminal device 20 within the
ad hoc network 125. In addition, when the content is not
identified, the ACR response 90 is not generated in the ACR
response generation unit 133.
[0119]
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In step S103, the terminal device 20 which has
transmitted the ACR query 70 to the high-performance
terminal device 120 is on standby for a predetermined time
until it receives the ACR response 90 from the highperformance
ACR client 122 of the high-performance terminal
device 120. When the ACR response 90 is received during the
predetermined standby time, the process proceeds to step
S105 and the process based on the ACR response 90 (the same
as the afore-mentioned process of step S3 in Fig. 8) is
performed by the ACR client 22 of the terminal device 20.
[0120]
On the contrary, in step S103, when the ACR response 90
is not received during the predetermined standby time, the
process proceeds to step S104.
[0121]
In step S104, the communication unit 43 of the terminal
device 20 transmits the ACR query 70 generated in step S101
to the ACR server 31 of the supply device 30 through the
Internet 12. In addition, at this time, the ACR query 70
may be generated and transmitted again.
[0122]
On the other hand, in step S121, the ACR server 31 of
the supply device 30 is on standby until the communication
unit 54 receives the ACR query 70 transmitted from the ACR
client 22 of the terminal device 20. If the ACR query 70 is
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SP339912
received by the communication unit 54, the process proceeds
to step S122.
[0123]
In step S122, the ACR response generation unit 55
identifies the content corresponding to the signature data
74 included in the received ACR query 70, by referring to
ACR reference data 80 of the ACR database 53.
[0124]
In step S123, the ACR response generation unit 55
generates the ACR response 90 in response to an
identification result of the content. In other words, when
the content corresponding to the signature data 74 included
in the ACR query 70 is identified, the ACR response 90 shown
by A in Fig. 7 is generated, but when the content is not
identified, the ACR response 90 shown by B in Fig. 7 is
generated. The communication unit 54 transmits the
generated ACR response 90 to the ACR client 22 of the
terminal device 20 through the Internet 12.
[0125]
If the ACR response 90 is received and held by the ACR
client 22, the process of step S105 is performed. In other
words, the ACR response analysis unit 45 analyzes the held
ACR response 90 to specify the application to be executed in
association with the progress of the content being viewed,
and notifies the application manager 23 of the application
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identifier 97 and the content identifier 95. According to
the notification, the application manager 23 acquires the
application represented by the application identifier 97
from the application server 33 through the Internet 12 and
executes the application.
[0126]
Further, the application manager 23 gives the content
identifier 95 and the application identifier 97 as arguments
to any associated metadata acquisition API to acquire
associated metadata 98 corresponding to the executed
application from the ACR client 22.
[0127]
The operations described above are repeatedly performed
while the content is viewed. Thus, this allows the
processing load of the ACR server 31 to be dispersed to the
high-performance terminal device 120.
[0128]
However, the terminal device 20, the supply device 30,
and the high-performance terminal device 120, which perform
the series of processes described above, can be realized by
a computer executing software, as well as being respectively
configured by hardware. The computer includes a computer
that is built into dedicated hardware, or for example, a
general-purpose personal computer capable of executing
various functions by installing various types of programs.
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[0129]
Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration
example of hardware of the computer described above.
[0130]
In the computer 200, a Central Processing Unit (CPU)
201, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 202, and a Random Access
Memory (RAM) 203 are connected with each other through a bus
204.
[0131]
Further, an input and output interface 205 is connected
to the bus 204. An input unit 206, an output unit 207, a
storage unit 208, a communication unit 209, and a drive 210
are connected to the input and output interface 205.
[0132]
The input unit 206 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a
microphone, and the like. The output unit 207 includes a
display, a speaker, and the like. The storage unit 208
includes a hard disk drive, a non-volatile memory, and the
like. The communication unit 209 includes a network
interface, and the like. The drive 210 drives a removable
media 211 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a
magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory.
[0133]
The computer 200 configured as described above executes
the series of processes described above by the CPU 201
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loading the program stored, for example, in the storage unit
208 on the RAM 203 through the input and output interface
205 and the bus 204, and executing the loaded program.
[0134]
The program the computer 200 (CPU 201) executes may be
provided while being recorded on a removable media 211 as,
for example, a package media, or the like. Further, the
program may be provided through a wired or wireless
transmission medium such as a local area network, the
Internet, and a digital satellite broadcast.
[0135]
In the computer 200, a program may be installed in the
storage unit 208 through the input and output interface 205
by mounting the removable media 211 in the drive 210.
Further, the program may be received by the communication
unit 209 through a wired or wireless transmission medium,
and installed in the storage unit 208. Alternatively, the
program may be installed in advance in the ROM 202 and the
storage unit 208.
[0136]
In addition, the program that the computer 200 executes
may be a program in which processes are performed in a time
series in the order described in this specification, or
programs which are executed in parallel or at a necessary
timing such as the time when calling is performed.
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[0137]
In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure are
not limited to the embodiments described above, but various
modifications are possible without departing from the scope
of the present disclosure.
Reference Signs List
[0138]
10 LINKED APPLICATION SUPPLYING SYSTEM
20 TERMINAL DEVICE
21 CONTENT RENDERER
22 ACR CLIENT
23 APPLICATION MANAGER
24 USER INTERFACE
30 SUPPLY DEVICE
31 ACR SERVER
32 CONTENT SERVER
33 APPLICATION SERVER
41 SIGNATURE EXTRACTION UNIT
42 ACR QUERY GENERATION UNIT
43 COMMUNICATION UNIT
44 HOLDING UNIT
45 ACR RESPONSE ANALYSIS UNIT
51 CONTENT ACQUISITION UNIT
52 SIGNATURE EXTRACTION UNIT
53 ACR DATABASE
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54 COMMUNICATION UNIT
55 ACR RESPONSE GENERATION UNIT
70 ACR QUERY
80 ACR REFERENCE DATA
90 ACR RESPONSE
110 LINKED APPLICATION SUPPLYING SYSTEM
120 HIGH-PERFORMANCE TERMINAL DEVICE
122 HIGH-PERFORMANCE ACR CLIENT
131 COMMUNICATION UNIT
132 ACR DATABASE CACHE
133 ACR RESPONSE GENERATION UNIT
200 COMPUTER
201 CPU
- 51 -
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CLAIMS
[Claim 1]
A terminal device comprising:
an extraction unit that extracts, from content being
reproduced, signature data representing characteristics of
the content;
a query generation unit that generates a first query
including at least the extracted signature data;
a communication unit that transmits the generated first
query to a server device and receives a first response which
is returned by the server device in response to the first
query;
an application execution unit that acquires and
executes an application corresponding to an application
identifier included in the received first response;
a database cache unit that acquires and holds reference
data in which signature data that is held in a database of
the server device and represents characteristics of content
extracted from the content is associated with a content
identifier representing the content of an extraction source
and an application identifier representing an application to
be executed in conjunction with the content; and
a response generation unit that identifies content of
an extraction source of signature data included in a second
query in response to the second query transmitted from a
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SP339912
separate terminal device belonging to a common network, by
referring to the reference data in the database cache unit,
and generates a second response to be returned to the
separate terminal device, including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the identified content.
[Claim 2]
The terminal device according to claim 1,
wherein the response generation unit further identifies
content of an extraction source of signature data included
in the first query which is generated by the query
generation unit, by referring to the reference data in the
database cache unit, and generates the third response
including at least the application identifier representing
an application to be executed in conjunction with the
identified application, and
wherein the application execution unit further acquires
and executes an application corresponding to an application
identifier included in the generated third response.
[Claim 3]
The terminal device according to claim 2,
wherein the query generation unit generates the first
query including at least the extracted signature data and an
extraction time stamp representing a timing when the
signature data is extracted, and
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wherein the application execution unit or an
application executed by the application execution unit
acquires associated metadata which is selected by the server
device based on the extraction time stamp which is included
in the received second response, and performs a
predetermined process.
[Claim 4]
The terminal device according to claim 2,
wherein the terminal device is built into a
reproduction device which reproduces content, and
wherein the terminal device further includes a content
supply unit that supplies all pieces of content which are
reproduced by the reproduction device, to the extraction
unit.
[Claim 5]
An information processing method of a terminal device
causing the terminal device to execute:
an extraction step of extracting, from content to be
reproduced, signature data representing characteristics of
the content;
a query generation step of generating a first query
including at least the extracted signature data;
a communication step of transmitting the generated
first query to a server device and of receiving a first
response which is returned by the server device in response
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SP339912
to the first query;
an application execution step of acquiring and
executing an application corresponding to an application
identifier included in the received first response;
a database cache step of acquiring reference data in
which signature data that is held in a database of the
server device and represents characteristics of content
extracted from the content is associated with a content
identifier representing the content of an extraction source
and an application identifier representing an application to
be executed in conjunction with the content, and of holding
the acquired reference data in a database cache unit; and
a response generation step of identifying content of an
extraction source of signature data included in a second
query in response to the second query transmitted from a
separate terminal device belonging to a common network, by
referring to the reference data in the database cache unit,
and of generating a second response to be returned to the
separate terminal device, including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the identified content.
[Claim 6]
A program causing a computer to function as:
an extraction unit that extracts, from content being
reproduced, signature data representing characteristics of
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the content;
a query generation unit that generates a first query
including at least the extracted signature data;
a communication unit that transmits the generated first
query to a server device and receives a first response which
is returned by the server device in response to the first
query;
an application execution unit that acquires and
executes an application corresponding to an application
identifier included in the received first response;
a database cache unit that acquires and holds reference
data in which signature data that is held in a database of
the server device and represents characteristics of content
extracted from the content is associated with a content
identifier representing the content of an extraction source
and an application identifier representing an application to
be executed in conjunction with the content; and
a response generation unit that identifies content of
an extraction source of signature data included in a second
query in response to the second query transmitted from a
separate terminal device belonging to a common network, by
referring to the reference data in the database cache unit,
and generates a second response to be returned to the
separate terminal device, including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
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conjunction with the identified content.
[Claim 7]
A server device comprising:
a database that holds reference data in which signature
data representing characteristics of content extracted from
the content is associated with a content identifier
representing the content of an extraction source and an
application identifier representing an application to be
executed in conjunction with the content;
a response generation unit that identifies content of
an extraction source of signature data included in a query
transmitted from a terminal device, by referring to the
reference data, and generates a response including at least
the application identifier representing the application to
be executed in conjunction with the identified content;
a transmission unit that transmits the generated
response to the terminal device; and
a supply unit that supplies the reference data which is
held in the database to the terminal device through a
predetermined network.
[Claim 8]
The server device according to claim 7,
wherein the database holds reference data in which
signature data representing characteristics of content
extracted from the content is associated with a content
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identifier representing the content of an extraction source,
an application identifier representing an application to be
executed in conjunction with the content, and associated
metadata processed in the application, and
wherein the response generation unit identifies content
of an extraction source of signature data included in a
query transmitted from the terminal device, by referring to
the reference data, and generates the response including at
least the application identifier representing an application
to be executed in conjunction with the identified content
and the associated metadata.
[Claim 9]
The server device according to claim 7,
wherein the response generation unit identifies content
of an extraction source of signature data included in a
query transmitted from the terminal device, by referring to
the reference data, and generates the response including at
least the application identifier representing an application
to be executed in conjunction with the identified content
and the associated metadata which is selected based on an
extraction time stamp included in the query.
[Claim 10]
The server device according to claim 9,
wherein the response generation unit further generates
the response including a content identifier representing the
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identified content.
[Claim 11]
An information processing method of a server device
causing the server device to execute:
a reception step of receiving a query transmitted from
a terminal device;
a response generation step of identifying content of an
extraction source of signature data included in the received
query, by referring to reference data in which signature
data representing characteristics of content extracted from
the content is associated with a content identifier
representing the content of an extraction source and an
application identifier representing an application to be
executed in conjunction with the content, and of generating
a response including at least the application identifier
representing an application to be executed in conjunction
with the identified content;
a transmission step of transmitting the generated
response to the terminal device; and
a supply step of supplying the reference data to the
terminal device through a predetermined network.
[Claim 12]
A program causing a computer to function as:
a database that holds reference data in which signature
data representing characteristics of content extracted from
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the content is associated with a content identifier
representing the content of an extraction source and an
application identifier representing an application to be
executed in conjunction with the content;
a response generation unit that identifies content of
an extraction source of signature data included in a query
transmitted from a terminal device, by referring to the
reference data, and generates a response including at least
the application identifier representing an application to be
executed in conjunction with the identified content;
a transmission unit that transmits the generated
response to the terminal device; and
a supply unit that supplies the reference data which is
held in the database to the terminal device through a
predetermined network.
[Claim 13]
A linked application supplying system comprising a
terminal device and a server device,
wherein the terminal device includes:
an extraction unit that extracts, from content being
reproduced, signature data representing characteristics of
the content;
a query generation unit that generates a first query
including at least the extracted signature data;
a communication unit that transmits the generated first
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query to a server device and receives a first response which
is returned by the server device in response to the first
query;
an application execution unit that acquires and
executes an application corresponding to an application
identifier included in the received first response;
a database cache unit that acquires and holds reference
data in which signature data that is held in a database of
the server device and represents characteristics of content
extracted from the content is associated with a content
identifier representing the content of an extraction source
and an application identifier representing an application to
be executed in conjunction with the content; and
a response generation unit that identifies content of
an extraction source of signature data included in a second
query in response to the second query transmitted from a
separate terminal device belonging to a common network, by
referring to the reference data in the database cache unit,
and generates a second response to be returned to the
separate terminal device, including at least the application
identifier representing an application to be executed in
conjunction with the identified content, and
wherein the server device includes:
a database that holds the reference data;
a response generation unit that identifies content of
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an extraction source of signature data included in the first
query transmitted from the terminal device, by referring to
the reference data, and generates the first response
including at least the application identifier representing
an application to be executed in conjunction with the
identified content;
a transmission unit that transmits the generated first
response to the terminal device; and
a supply unit that supplies the reference data which is
held in the database to the terminal device through a
predetermined network.