Patent Publication Number: US-2012030697-A1

Title: Display control aparatus, display control method, program, and recording medium

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a U.S. national phase application of PCT International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2010/002698 filed Apr. 14, 2010, claiming the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-104955 filed Apr. 23, 2009, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a display control apparatus, a display control method, and the like, which display program information related to a program which suits a preference of a viewer. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In recent years, a technology development, which prevents a user from missing to view a program that a user wants to view, has advanced. As one method of the technologies, a development of such technology is carried out. The technology acquires user&#39;s preference information from a viewing history or the like, and the technology, on the basis of the user&#39;s preference information which is acquired, receives a program which suits user&#39;s preference or displays the program information. 
     As a method for displaying the program information which suits the user&#39;s preference, there is such method (for example, referring to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-267093) that a display control terminal which creates program information displays explicitly the program which suits the user&#39;s preference in a program guide by acquiring the program information from a server and acquiring the user&#39;s preference information from a recording apparatus. 
     The conventional display method of the program information, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-267093, is described below. 
       FIG. 11  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the recording and viewing reservation system which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-267093. 
     A display control terminal  421 , an access point  422 , a router  423  and a recording apparatus  424  are connected to each other through a home LAN  413 . The display control terminal  421  has a function as a remote commander that remote-controls the recording apparatus  424  or a picture display sound reproduction apparatus  425  according to a user&#39;s operation. And the display control terminal  421  controls the recording apparatus  424  or the like via the access point  422 . 
     The home LAN  413  is connected to the internet  412  via the router  423 . The display control terminal  421  acquires program information about the program which is broadcasted, from a program information server  411  via the internet  412 . And the display control terminal  421  acquires at least one of information of program reservation, information of result of program recording and preference information indicating the user&#39;s preference, from an operating apparatus of the user such as the recording apparatus  424 . The display control terminal  421  selects, from among the programs specified by the acquired information, a program of which broadcast time is nearest to the current time as an initial program which is to be noted when a display of the program guide is started. 
     When the displaying of the program guide is started on the LCD of the display control terminal  421 , the initial program of the program guide is displayed with a notable state. 
     By displaying in this way, it is possible to show the program information which suits user&#39;s preference, to the user. 
     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-167263 discloses a method which provides the second display apparatus displaying information about the broadcast program, besides the display apparatus (the first display apparatus) displaying the broadcast program received. By displaying information promoting viewing of the program on this second display apparatus, a method which prevents a user from missing to view the program which is wanted to be viewed, can be provided. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     However, the conventional program recommendation method described above cannot show recommended programs in an appropriate timing. Then, there is a problem that the user misses to view a program which is wanted to be viewed or a problem that the information is redundant to the user. 
     That is, in the program recommendation method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-267093, the recommended programs are not displayed unless the user operates to display the program guide. Therefore, when the user powers off the apparatus without displaying the program guide, the user misses to view the program which the user wants to view, without confirming the recommended programs. 
     In the method displaying the viewing recommendation information of the program or the like, by using the conventional method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-167263 which displays information about the programs on the display apparatus (the second display apparatus) other than the apparatus (the first display apparatus) displaying the broadcast program received, the viewing recommendation information of the program or the like is displayed on the second display apparatus regardless of a power supply state of the first display apparatus. Therefore, even if the user is viewing a television program on the first display apparatus and then the user doesn&#39;t miss to view the program which the user wants to view, the viewing recommendation information or the like is shown. Then, the information is redundant to the user. 
     The present invention intends to offer, in consideration of the conventional problems described above, such a display control apparatus, a display control method and the like that can prevent a user from missing to view a preference program by showing recommended programs according to user&#39;s preference information in an appropriate timing, without offering redundant information. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The 1 st  aspect of the present invention is a display control apparatus which is connected through a network to a server having program information, works in cooperation with a broadcast reception apparatus having a display function, and controls a display of the program information of a broadcast program, the display control apparatus comprising: 
     a preference information acquisition unit which acquires a preference information of a viewer from the broadcast reception apparatus; 
     a program information acquisition unit which acquires the program information of a preference target program which suits the preference information, from the server; 
     a reception apparatus state detection unit which detects at least one of an instruction of a power supply off to the broadcast reception apparatus and an instruction of a change of channels to the broadcast reception apparatus; 
     a program information display unit which displays at least a part of the program information; and 
     a display control unit which controls a start of a display of the program information, on the basis of at least one of the instruction of the power supply off and the instruction of the change of channels. 
     The 2 nd  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 1 st  aspect of the present invention, comprising: 
     a search unit which searches the preference target program which suits the preference information; and 
     a communication unit which receives the program information about the preference target program specified by the search unit, from the server, wherein 
     the program information acquisition unit acquires the program information of the preference target program from the communication unit. 
     The 3 rd  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 2 rd  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the search unit performs the search of the preference target program against an EPG information which is acquired from the broadcast reception apparatus. 
     The 4 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 1 st  aspect of the present invention, comprising a communication unit which transmits the preference information to the server and receives the program information of the preference target program which suits the preference information, the preference target program being searched by the server, wherein 
     the program information acquisition unit acquires the program information of the preference target program from the communication unit. 
     The 5 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 1 st  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the display control unit controls in such a manner that the display of the program information starts in a case that a channel after the change of channel differs from a channel of the preference target program, when the instruction of the change of channels is detected. 
     The 6 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 5 th  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the display control unit controls in such manner that the display of the program information starts only in a case that a channel before the change of channel is the same as the channel of the preference target program, when the instruction of the change of channels is detected. 
     The 7 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 1 st  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the program information display unit is not built into a body section of the display control apparatus but is arranged outside of the body section. 
     The 8 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 1 st  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the display control apparatus is incorporated in the broadcast reception apparatus, and 
     a screen serves as the program information display unit, the screen displaying a picture of the broadcast program of the broadcast apparatus. 
     The 9 th  aspect of the present invention is a display control method which acquires program information of a broadcast program through a network from a server having the program information, works in cooperation with a broadcast reception apparatus having a display function, and displays the program information, the display control method comprising: 
     a preference information acquisition step of acquiring a preference information of a viewer from the broadcast reception apparatus; 
     a program information acquisition step of acquiring the program information of a preference target program which suits the preference information, from the server; 
     a reception apparatus state detection step of detecting at least one of an instruction of a power supply off to the broadcast reception apparatus and an instruction of a change of channels to the broadcast reception apparatus; and 
     a display control step of controlling a start of a display of the program information, on the basis of at least one of the instruction of the power supply off and the instruction of the change of channels. 
     The 10 th  aspect of the present invention is a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon for causing a computer to execute the display control method according to claim  9 . 
     The 12 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 2 rd  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the program information display unit is not built into a body section of the display control apparatus but is arranged outside of the body section. 
     The 13 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 3 rd  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the program information display unit is not built into a body section of the display control apparatus but is arranged outside of the body section. 
     The 14 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 4 th  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the program information display unit is not built into a body section of the display control apparatus but is arranged outside of the body section. 
     The 15 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 5 th  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the program information display unit is not built into a body section of the display control apparatus but is arranged outside of the body section. 
     The 16 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 6 th  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the program information display unit is not built into a body section of the display control apparatus but is arranged outside of the body section. 
     The 17 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 2 nd  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the display control apparatus is incorporated in the broadcast reception apparatus, and 
     a screen serves as the program information display unit, the screen displaying a picture of the broadcast program of the broadcast apparatus. 
     The 18 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 3 rd  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the display control apparatus is incorporated in the broadcast reception apparatus, and 
     a screen serves as the program information display unit, the screen displaying a picture of the broadcast program of the broadcast apparatus. 
     The 19 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 4 th  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the display control apparatus is incorporated in the broadcast reception apparatus, and 
     a screen serves as the program information display unit, the screen displaying a picture of the broadcast program of the broadcast apparatus. 
     The 20 th  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 5 th  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the display control apparatus is incorporated in the broadcast reception apparatus, and 
     a screen serves as the program information display unit, the screen displaying a picture of the broadcast program of the broadcast apparatus. 
     The 21 st  aspect of the present invention is the display control apparatus according to the 6 th  aspect of the present invention, wherein 
     the display control apparatus is incorporated in the broadcast reception apparatus, and 
     a screen serves as the program information display unit, the screen displaying a picture of the broadcast program of the broadcast apparatus. 
     Advantage of the Invention 
     The present invention can provide such a display control apparatus, a display control method and the like that can prevent a user from missing to view a preference program by showing recommended programs according to user&#39;s preference information in an appropriate timing, without offering redundant information. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of constitutions of a display control apparatus, a television and a center apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart for illustrating a process flow of the display control apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  ( a ) is a flow chart for illustrating a process flow of the display control apparatus when the display control apparatus acquires the program information in advance, according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  ( b ) is a flow chart for illustrating a process flow of the display control apparatus when the display control apparatus acquires the program information in advance, according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of constitutions of a display control apparatus, a television and a center apparatus having another constitution, according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of constitutions of a display control apparatus, a television and a center apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart for illustrating a process flow of the display control apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  ( a ) is a flow chart for illustrating a process flow of the display control apparatus when the display control apparatus acquires the program information in advance, according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  ( b ) is a flow chart for illustrating a process flow of the display control apparatus when the display control apparatus acquires the program information in advance, according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram of constitutions of a display control apparatus, a television and a center apparatus having another constitution, according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram of constitutions of a display control apparatus, a television and a center apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a flow chart for illustrating a process flow of the display control apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 11  is a block diagram for illustrating a conventional recording and viewing reservation system. 
     
    
    
     MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, best modes of embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings. 
     First Embodiment 
     A block diagram of constitutions of a display control apparatus, a television and a center apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention are shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , the display control apparatus  120  of the first embodiment has a communication unit  121  which communicates with other equipments (corresponding to a program information distribution system  102  here) through a network  110  such as an internet, an interface unit  122  which communicates with the television  130  receiving and displaying the broadcast, a power supply monitoring unit  123  which monitors a power supply state of the television  130 , a preference information acquisition unit  124  which acquires user&#39;s preference information at the television  130 , a search unit  125  which searches on the basis of the preference information acquired by the preference information acquisition unit  124 , a program information acquisition unit  126  acquires program information through the network from an other equipment on the basis of a result of the search of the search unit  125 , a display unit  127  which displays the program information, and a display control unit  128  which controls a display timing of the display unit  127 . 
     The program information distribution system  102  corresponds to an example of a server according to the present invention. The power supply monitoring unit  123  corresponds to an example of a reception apparatus state detection unit according to the present invention. The display unit  127  corresponds to an example of a program information display unit according to the present invention. 
     A network communication apparatus or the like which has a small liquid crystal display corresponds to an example of the display control apparatus  120  of the first embodiment. 
     A center apparatus  100  which connects with the display control apparatus  120  through the network  110 , consists of a broadcast program distribution system  101  and the program information distribution system  102 . But the program information distribution system  102  can be provided separately from the center apparatus  100 . 
     On the other hand, the television  130  connected to the display control apparatus  120  has a reception unit  131  which receives and decodes a program broadcasted from the broadcast program distribution system  101  of the center apparatus  100 , an interface unit  132  which communicates with the display control apparatus  120 , a preference information management unit  133  which picks out and manages user&#39;s preference program information from a viewing history or the like, a power supply management unit  134  which manages the power supply of the television  130 , and a display unit  135  which displays the broadcast program decoded by the reception unit  131 . 
     The television  130  corresponds to an example of a broadcast reception apparatus having a display function according to the present invention. 
     In the television  130 , the reception unit  131  receives and decodes the broadcast program distributed by the broadcast program distribution system  101 . The information about the program received and decoded, is recorded in the preference information management unit  133  as a viewing history. The preference information management unit  133  picks out user&#39;s preference history from information related to the viewing history such as the viewing history, viewing time, viewing number of times or the like. 
     The broadcast program which is received and decoded by the reception unit  131  is displayed by the display unit  135 . 
     The power supply management unit  134  monitors and controls the power supply state such as power-on, power-off or the like. 
     Then, the flow of the process of the display control apparatus  120  of the first embodiment is described with reference to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  illustrates a flowchart indicating the flow of the process of the display control apparatus  120  of the first embodiment. 
     In  FIG. 2 , when the preference program information acquiring process is started (step S 201 ) by the display control apparatus  120 , the power supply monitoring unit  123  of the display control apparatus  120  checks whether the power supply state of the television  130  is changed to power-off or not (step S 202 ). The information related to the power supply state of the television  130  is outputted through the interface unit  132  of the television  130  from the power supply management unit  134  of the television  130 . The power supply monitoring unit  123  of the display control apparatus  120  receives the information related to the power supply through the interface unit  122  and checks whether the power supply state is changed to power-off or not. 
     The wording of “the power supply state is changed to power-off” means that the power supply for displaying of the television  130  changes to power-off. Even if the power supply state of the television  130  is changed to power-off, the interface unit  132 , the preference information management unit  133  and the power supply management unit  134  can work by a standby power. 
     The information related to the power supply state which is received by the power supply monitoring unit  123  through the interface unit  122 , corresponds to an example of an instruction of a power supply off according to the present invention. 
     At step S 202 , when it is checked that the power supply state is not changed to power-off (“NO” in step S 202 ), the flow returns to step S 202  again. And the check on whether the power supply state is changed to power-off or not, is carried out repeatedly until it is confirmed that the power supply state is changed to power-off. 
     At step S 202 , when it is confirmed that the power supply state of the television  130  is changed to power-off (“YES” in step S 202 ), the preference information acquisition unit  124  of the display control apparatus  120  acquires the user&#39;s preference information through the interface unit  122  from the preference information management unit  133  of the television  130  (step S 203 ). 
     The search unit  125  picks out a program (referred as a preference target program), which the user possibly wants to view, on the basis of the preference information acquired from the television  130  by the preference information acquisition unit  124  (step S 204 ). 
     The search unit  125  acquires the EPG information from the preference information management unit  133  of the television  130 , searches the EPG information to pick out the preference target program on the basis of the preference information such as genre, day of the week, period of time or the like which the user viewed often. Then, the search unit  125  can use any kind of method to pick out the preference target program. For example, the search unit  125  can search on the basis of only information of the genre which the user viewed often, to pick out the preference target program. 
     The communication unit  121  acquires the program information related to the preference target program, which is picked out by the search unit  125 , through the network  110  from the program information distribution system  102  (step S 205 ). The program information acquisition unit  126  acquires the program information related to the preference target program through the communication unit  121 , selects at least one piece of the program information related to programs which are planned to broadcast soon, from among the program information related to the preference target program acquired by the program information acquisition unit  126  (step S 206 ), and outputs the selected program information to the display unit  127 . 
     The wording of “programs which are planned to broadcast soon”, for example, means the programs which are planned to start to broadcast within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 hours) based on the current time. 
     When the display control unit  128  acquires the detection result indicating that the power supply state of the television  130  is changed to power-off, from the power supply monitoring unit  123 , the display control unit  128  controls the display unit  127  to display the inputted program information (step S 207 ), and completes the preference program information acquiring process (step S 208 ). 
     In the first embodiment described above, the search unit  125  decides about the process (step S 204 ) for picking out the preference target program. But the preference target program can be picked out by the center apparatus  100 . For example, the search unit  125  can acquire the genre, the time information or the like from the preference information management unit  133  to control the transmission of the genre or the time information as a keyword to the program information distribution system  102  so that the preference target program which is applicable to the keyword can be picked out by the program information distribution system  102 . 
     For the method of connecting the display control apparatus  120  and the television  130 , HDMI-CEC (High-Definition Multimedia Interface-Consumer Electronics Control), IP (Internet Protocol) or the like can be used. But the method is not limited in particular. 
     Then, the flow of the process of the display control apparatus  120  in the case where the program information is acquired in advance is described with reference to  FIG. 3(   a ) and  FIG. 3(   b ). 
       FIG. 3(   a ) and  FIG. 3(   b ) illustrate flowcharts indicating the flow of the process, in the case where the program information is acquired in advance, of the display control apparatus  120  of the first embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3(   a ), about the preference program information update process, the preference information acquisition unit  124  of the display control apparatus  120  judges whether the update timing for the preference information has come or not based on the predetermined rule (step S 302 ). 
     At step S 302 , when it is judged that the update timing has not come (“NO” in step S 302 ), the flow returns to step S 302  again. And the judgment on whether the update timing has come or not, is carried out repeatedly until it is judged that the update timing has come. 
     At step S 302 , when it is judged that the update timing has come (“YES” in step S 302 ), the preference information acquisition unit  124  acquires the user&#39;s preference information through the interface unit  122  from the preference information management unit  133  of the television  130  (step S 303 ). 
     As the predetermined rule about the update timing for the preference information, the method of getting the update at the timing (once a day at midnight) when the program guide (EPG) of the digital broadcast is updated, or periodically at midday of every Sunday, and the method of getting the update at irregular timing depending on user&#39;s operation, for example, every time the user switches on or views a new program, can be used. But the method is not limited in particular. 
     The update timing for the preference information can be created on the television  130  side and, when the update timing comes, the preference information picked out by the preference information management unit  133  can be transmitted from the television  130  side to the display control apparatus  120  side. 
     The search unit  125  of the display control apparatus  120  picks out the preference target program from the preference information acquired from the television  130  by the preference information acquisition unit  124  (step S 304 ). 
     The communication unit  121  acquires the program information related to the preference target program, which is picked out by the search unit  125 , through the network  110  from the program information distribution system  102  (step S 305 ). The program information acquisition unit  126  acquires the program information related to the preference target program through the communication unit  121 . 
     On the other hand, the display process of the preference program information is performed according to the flow shown in  FIG. 3(   b ) asynchronously with the preference program information update process shown in  FIG. 3(   a ). 
     In  FIG. 3(   b ), when the preference program information display process is started (step S 301 ) by the display control apparatus  120 , the power supply monitoring unit  123  of the display control apparatus  120  checks whether the power supply state of the television  130  is changed to power-off or not (step S 306 ). The information related to the power supply state of the television  130  is outputted through the interface unit  132  of the television  130  from the power supply management unit  134  of the television  130 . The power supply monitoring unit  123  of the display control apparatus  120  receives the information related to the power supply state through the interface unit  122  and checks whether the power supply state is changed to power-off or not. 
     At step S 306 , when it is confirmed that the power supply state is not changed to power-off (“NO” in step S 306 ), the flow returns to step S 306  again. And the check on whether the power supply state is changed to power-off or not, is carried out repeatedly until it is confirmed that the power supply state is changed to power-off. 
     At step S 306 , when it is confirmed that the power supply state is changed to power-off (“YES” in step S 306 ), at least one piece of the program information related to programs which are planned to broadcast soon is selected (step S 307 ) from among the program information related to the preference target program acquired by the program information acquisition unit  126  at step S 305  shown in  FIG. 3(   a ), and the selected program information is displayed on the display unit  127 . 
     The wording of “programs which are planned to broadcast soon”, for example, means the programs which are planned to start to broadcast within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 hours) based on the current time. 
     When the display control unit  128  acquires the detection result indicating that the power supply state of the television  130  is changed to power-off, from the power supply monitoring unit  123 , the display control unit  128  controls the display unit  127  to display the inputted program information (step S 308 ), and completes the preference program information display process (step S 309 ). 
     By using the display control apparatus  120  of the first embodiment, the program information of a broadcast program, which suits the user&#39;s preference, is displayed at the power-off timing of the broadcast reception apparatus such as the television  130 . Therefore, the user is urged to view a preference program that may be broadcasted when the user does not watch the television  130 , and an effect of preventing the user from missing to view the preference program effectively can be provided. 
     That is to say, when the power supply of the television  130  is on state, it may be useless to display the program information to urge the user&#39;s viewing, because the user continues watching the television  130 . Also, when the power supply of the television  130  is off state, it may be useless to display the program information by the display control apparatus  120 , because the user is less likely to be near the television  130 . The timing when the power supply of the television  130  has just been turned off is an effective timing for preventing the user from missing to view, because the user, who has just stopped viewing the television, is then in front of the television  130 . 
     As above, at the timing when the power supply of the television  130  (a broadcast reception apparatus of the present invention) is turned off, the program information related to the programs which are planned to broadcast soon is selected from among the program information related to the user&#39;s preference target program and the selected program information is displayed on the display unit  127  (a program information display unit of the present invention) of the display control apparatus  120 . Therefore, the program information which suits the user&#39;s preference can be displayed when the power supply of the broadcast reception apparatus is turned off. Moreover, the viewing recommendation information on the recommended program according to the user&#39;s preference information can be displayed. Then, it is possible to prevent the user from missing to view a preference program. Moreover, when the user continues to view the television program of the same channel on the broadcast reception apparatus and is unlikely to miss to view the program which the user wants to view, the viewing recommendation information or the like is not displayed. Then, it is possible to prevent redundant information being provided for the user. 
     As the broadcast reception apparatus of the present invention to which the display control apparatus  120  is connected, the broadcast reception apparatus which has display means such as a personal computer or the like, as well as the television, can be used. 
     In the first embodiment, the preference information acquisition unit  124  can have the function of the search unit  125 . Moreover, the preference information acquisition unit  124  can have the function of the communication unit  121 . 
     In the first embodiment, at step S 202  or step S 306 , the power supply monitoring unit  123  detects that the power supply of the television  130  changes to power-off. The power supply monitoring unit  123  can detect the power-off indication signal which is outputted when a power-off indication is given to the television  130 . In this case, the power-off indication signal can be detected so that the program information is displayed on the display unit  127  so as to control the power supply of the television  130  to be turned off after the user confirms the display of the program information. 
     In the first embodiment, the preference information management unit  133  of the television  130  picks out the user&#39;s preference program information. But the preference information management unit  133  can manage the information such as the viewing history, the viewing time or the like of the user (viewer). And the preference information acquisition unit  124  of the display control apparatus  120  can pick out the preference information on the basis of the information acquired from the preference information management unit  133  such as the viewing history, the viewing time or the like of the user. 
     In the first embodiment, the search unit  125  picks out the user&#39;s preference target program. But, the search unit  125  can allow the communication unit  121  to transmit the keyword (such as genre, day of the week, period of time or the performer, which is viewed often by the user) of the user&#39;s preference information to the program information distribution system  102  so that the program information distribution system  102  can pick out the user&#39;s preference target program on the basis of the keyword of the user&#39;s preference information acquired from the search unit  125 . Or, the program information distribution system  102  can pick out candidates for the preference target program on the basis of the keyword of the user&#39;s preference information acquired from the search unit  125 . And the program information acquisition unit  126  can pick out the preference target program on the basis of the candidates for the user&#39;s preference target program acquired from the program information distribution system  102 . 
     The keyword of the user&#39;s preference information which is transmitted, for picking out the preference target program or the candidates for the preference target program, to the program information distribution system  102  corresponds to an example of a preference information which is transmitted to search to a server according to the present invention. 
     Then, a display control apparatus of the first embodiment, which has another constitution, is described. 
     A block diagram of constitutions of the display control apparatus, the television and the center apparatus according to another constitution of the first embodiment are shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     In  FIG. 4 , the display control apparatus  160  of the first embodiment, which has another constitution, is different from the display control apparatus  120  shown in  FIG. 1  only in that the display unit  127  is not provided. Since the other components of the display control apparatus  160  are the same as those of the display control apparatus  120 , the same reference numerals are used and those explanations are omitted here. 
     The center apparatus which is connected to the display control apparatus  160  through the network  110  is the same as the center apparatus  100  having the constitution shown in  FIG. 1 . The television which is connected to the display control apparatus  160  is the same as the television  130  in the constitution shown in  FIG. 1 . Then, the same reference numerals are used respectively and those explanations are omitted here. 
     A display apparatus  170  at least has functions equal to those of the display unit  127  shown in  FIG. 1 , and displays the program information or the like which is outputted from the program information acquisition unit  126  of the display control apparatus  160 . As for the display apparatus  170 , the display or an ON/OFF state of the power supply is controlled by the display control unit  128  according to the detection result, which is detected by the power supply monitoring unit  123  of the display control apparatus  160 , indicating whether the power supply state of the television  130  is changed to power-off or not. 
     The display apparatus  170  corresponds to an example of a program information display unit arranged outside according to the present invention. 
     By the constitution as above, the display control apparatus  160  can produce the same effect as the display control apparatus  120  having the constitution shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The constitution of the display apparatus  170  can be equal to that of the television  130 . But, a personal computer can be used as the display apparatus  170  because the reception unit for the broadcast is not necessarily required. It is desirable that the display unit of the display apparatus  170  is smaller in size than the television  130  and has lower power consumption so as to produce more power-saving effect. 
     Second Embodiment 
     A block diagram of constitutions of a display control apparatus, a television and a center apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention are shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , the display control apparatus  140  is different from the display control apparatus  120  of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  in that a channel monitoring unit  141  monitoring the tuning state of the television  150  is provided in substitution for the power supply monitoring unit  123  provided with the display control apparatus  120  and in that a display control unit  142  controlling the display timing for the display unit  127  on the basis of the detection result of the channel monitoring unit  141  is provided. Other blocks (components) of the display control apparatus  140  are the same as those of the display control apparatus  120  respectively, the same reference numerals are used and those explanations are omitted here. 
     The channel monitoring unit  141  corresponds to an example of a reception apparatus state detection unit according to the present invention. 
     The center apparatus which is connected to the display control apparatus  140  through the network  110  is the same as the center apparatus  100  of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . Then, the same reference numerals are used respectively and those explanations are omitted here. 
     The constitution of the television  150  connected to the display control apparatus  140  is basically the same as that of the television  130  of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  but is different only in that it allows the tuning information to be outputted to the display control apparatus  140  through the interface unit  132  from the reception unit  131 . 
     In the second embodiment, the television  150  may or may not have the power supply management unit  134  because the function of the power supply management unit  134  is not necessarily required. 
     At the television  150 , the reception unit  131  receives the broadcast program distributed from the broadcast program distribution system  101  and decodes the broadcast program. The information related to the received and decoded program is recorded in the preference information management unit  133  as the viewing history. The preference information management unit  133  picks out the user&#39;s preference history from the viewing history or from the information related to the viewing history such as the viewing time, the number of times the user viewed or the like. The broadcast program received and decoded by the reception unit  131  is displayed on the display unit  135 . 
     Then, the flow of the process of the display control apparatus  140  of the second embodiment is described with reference to  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  illustrates a flowchart indicating the flow of the process of the display control apparatus  140  of the second embodiment. 
     In  FIG. 6 , when the preference program information acquiring process is started (step S 501 ) by the display control apparatus  140 , the channel monitoring unit  141  of the display control apparatus  140  monitors the tuning state of the television  150  and judges whether the channel is changed or not at the television  150  (step S 502 ). 
     The information related to the tuning state of the television  150  is outputted through the interface unit  132  of the television  150  from the reception unit  131  of the television  150 . The channel monitoring unit  141  of the display control apparatus  140  receives the information related to the tuning state through the interface unit  122  and judges whether the channel is changed or not on the basis of the received information. 
     The information related to the tuning state acquired by the channel monitoring unit  141  through the interface unit  122  corresponds to an example of an instruction of a change of channels according to the present invention. 
     At step S 502 , when it is judged that the channel is not changed (“NO” in step S 502 ), the flow returns to step S 502  again. And the judgment on whether the channel is changed or not at the television  150 , is carried out repeatedly until it is judged that the channel is changed. 
     At step S 502 , when it is judged that the channel is changed (“YES” in step S 502 ), the preference information acquisition unit  124  of the display control apparatus  140  acquires the user&#39;s preference information through the interface unit  122  from the preference information management unit  133  of the television  150  (step S 503 ). 
     The search unit  125  picks out the preference target program, which the user possibly wants to view, from the preference information acquired from the television  150  by the preference information acquisition unit  124  (step S 504 ). 
     The communication unit  121  acquires the program information related to the preference target program, which is picked out by the search unit  125 , through the network  110  from the program information distribution system  102  (step S 505 ). The program information acquisition unit  126  acquires the program information related to the preference target program through the communication unit  121 , selects at least one piece of the program information of the programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel used before the change of channel, from among the program information related to the preference target program acquired by the program information acquisition unit  126  (step S 506 ), and outputs the selected program information to the display unit  127 . 
     The wording of “programs which are planned to broadcast soon”, for example, means the programs which are planned to start to broadcast within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 hours) based on the current time. 
     When the display control unit  142  acquires the detection result indicating that the channel is changed, from the channel monitoring unit  141 , the display control unit  142  controls the display unit  127  to display the inputted program information (step S 507 ), and completes the preference program information acquiring process (step S 508 ). 
     Then, the flow of the process of the display control apparatus  140  in the case where the program information is acquired in advance is described with reference to  FIG. 7(   a ) and  FIG. 7(   b ). 
       FIG. 7(   a ) and  FIG. 7(   b ) illustrate flowcharts indicating the flow of the process, in the case where the program information is acquired in advance, of the display control apparatus  140  of the second embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7(   a ), about the preference program information update process, the preference information acquisition unit  124  of the display control apparatus  140  judges whether the update timing for the preference information has come or not based on the predetermined rule (step S 602 ). 
     At step S 602 , when it is judged that the update timing has not come (“NO” in step S 602 ), the flow returns to step S 602  again. And the judgment on whether the update timing has come or not, is carried out repeatedly until it is judged that the update timing has come. 
     At step S 602 , when it is judged that the update timing has come (“YES” in step S 602 ), the preference information acquisition unit  124  acquires the user&#39;s preference information through the interface unit  122  from the preference information management unit  133  of the television  150  (step S 603 ). 
     As the predetermined rule about the update timing for the preference information, the method of getting the update at the timing (once a day at midnight) when the program guide (EPG) of the digital broadcast is updated, or periodically at midday of every Sunday, and the method of getting the update at irregular timing depending on user&#39;s operation, for example, every time the user switches on or views a new program, can be used. But the method is not limited in particular. 
     The update timing for the preference information can be created on the television  150  side and, when the update timing comes, the preference information picked out by the preference information management unit  133  can be transmitted from the television  150  side to the display control apparatus  140  side. 
     The search unit  125  of the display control apparatus  140  picks out the preference target program from the preference information acquired from the television  150  by the preference information acquisition unit  124  (step S 604 ). 
     The communication unit  121  acquires the program information related to the preference target program, which is picked out by the search unit  125 , through the network  110  from the program information distribution system  102  (step S 605 ). The program information acquisition unit  126  acquires the program information related to the preference target program through the communication unit  121 . 
     On the other hand, the display process of the preference program information is performed according to the flow shown in  FIG. 7(   b ) asynchronously with the preference program information update process shown in  FIG. 7(   a ). 
     In  FIG. 7(   b ), when the preference program information display process is started (step S 601 ) by the display control apparatus  140 , the channel monitoring unit  141  of the display control apparatus  140  receives the information related to the tuning state through the interface unit  122  from the reception unit  131  of the television  150  and judges whether the channel is changed or not on the basis of the received information (step S 606 ). 
     At step S 606 , when it is judged that the channel is not changed (“NO” in step S 606 ), the flow returns to step S 606  again. And the judgment is carried out repeatedly until it is judged that the channel is changed. 
     At step S 606 , when it is judged that the channel is changed (“YES” in step S 606 ), at least one piece of the program information of the programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel before it is changed is selected (step S 607 ) from among the program information related to the preference target program acquired by the program information acquisition unit  126  at step S 605 , and the selected program information is displayed on the display unit  127 . 
     The wording of “the programs which are planned to broadcast soon”, for example, means the programs which are planned to start to broadcast within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 hours) based on the current time. 
     When the display control unit  142  acquires the detection result indicating that the channel is changed at the television  150 , from the channel monitoring unit  141 , the display control unit  142  controls the display unit  127  to display the inputted program information (step S 608 ), and completes the preference program information display process (step S 609 ). 
     As above, at the timing which the channel is changed at the television  150  (a broadcast reception apparatus of the present invention), the program information, related to the programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel before the change of channel, is selected from among the program information related to the user&#39;s preference target program and the selected program information is displayed on the display unit  127  (a program information display unit of the present invention) of the display control apparatus  140 . Therefore, missing to view the program which suits the user&#39;s preference which is broadcasted afterwards on the channel being viewed by the user till then can be prevented. Moreover, in the state that the user continues to view the television program of the same channel on the broadcast reception apparatus, and in the state that the user doesn&#39;t miss to view the program which the user wants to view, the viewing recommendation information or the like is not displayed. Then, it is possible to prevent redundant information being provided for the user. 
     Displaying the program information at the timing of change of channel causes an effect which urges to view the preference program on the channel before the change of channel, too. 
     The search unit  125  of the second embodiment can add the channel before change of channel as the search requirement and can pick out the preference target program included in only the channel before change of channel. 
     By the above, at step S 506  and step S 607 , the program information acquisition unit  126  selects at least one piece of the program information of the programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel before the change and displays it on the display unit  127 . But, the program information acquisition unit  126  can select at least one piece of the program information of programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel other than the channel after the change and displays it on the display unit  127 . 
     In this way, when the program which suits the user&#39;s preference is broadcasted afterwards on the channel being viewed by the user till then or on the channel other than the channel after the change, missing to view the program can be prevented. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4  of the first embodiment, the display unit  127  of the display control apparatus  140  is not provided and the program information can be displayed on a display apparatus connected outside. 
     Like as shown  FIG. 5  of the first embodiment, the program information can be displayed on the display apparatus connected outside in substitution for the display unit  127  of the display control apparatus  140 , in the second embodiment. 
     Then, a display control apparatus of the second embodiment, which has another constitution, is described. 
     A block diagram of constitutions of the display control apparatus, the television and the center apparatus according to another constitution of the second embodiment are shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     The function, as the display control unit  172 , of the display control apparatus  140  shown in  FIG. 5  is built into the television  171  shown in  FIG. 8 . The components with the function the same as the block in  FIG. 5  are indicated by the same reference numerals. 
     The display control unit  172  shown in  FIG. 8  doesn&#39;t have the display unit  127  of the display control apparatus  140  shown in  FIG. 5 . The program information acquisition unit  126  outputs the program information shown to the user to the display unit  174  which displays the broadcast picture. 
     The information which is transmitted from the reception unit  131 , the preference information management unit  133  and the power supply management unit  134  to the channel monitoring unit  141  is transferred through the interface unit  173 . But, the information can be transmitted between these blocks directly without the interface unit  173 . 
     The update and acquiring process, in the television  171  shown in  FIG. 8 , of the preference program information is the same as the processes in the display control apparatus  140  and the television  150  which are shown in  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 7(   a ) and  FIG. 7(   b ). But, only the point that the program information is displayed on the display unit  174  which displays the broadcast picture is different. 
     The display control unit  142  controls displaying small window on a part, for example the lower right area of the display unit  174 , of the display unit  174  displaying the broadcast picture. And the display control unit  142  controls displaying the program information outputted from the program information acquisition unit  126  in the window. 
     Third Embodiment 
     A block diagram of constitutions of a display control apparatus, a television and a center apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention are shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     The different point of the display control apparatus  180  of the third embodiment shown in  FIG. 9  from the display control apparatus  120  of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  is only a point of having a channel monitoring unit  141  which is the same as the channel monitoring unit  141  that the display control apparatus  140  of the second embodiment has. Other components of the display control apparatus  180  are the same as those of the display control apparatus  120  respectively, the same reference numerals are used and those explanations are omitted here. 
     The center apparatus which is connected to the display control apparatus  180  through the network  110  is the same as the center apparatus  100  of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . Then, the same reference numerals are used respectively and those explanations are omitted here. 
     In the display control apparatus  180 , a display control unit  143  controls displaying the program information or the like on the display unit  127 , on the basis of the result checked by the power supply monitoring unit  123  of whether the power supply state of the television  150  is changed to power-off or not and the result checked by the channel monitoring unit  141  of whether the channel is changed or not at the television  150 . 
     On the other hand, the television  150  connected to the display control apparatus  180  is the same as the constitution of the television  150  of the second embodiment. Like the television  150  of the second embodiment, the television  150  is constituted to be able to output the tuning information for the display control apparatus  180  through the interface unit  132  from the reception unit  131 . 
     Then, the flow of the process of the display control apparatus  180  of the third embodiment is described with reference to  FIG. 10 .  FIG. 10  illustrates a flowchart indicating the flow of the process of the display control apparatus  180  of the third embodiment. 
     In  FIG. 10 , when the preference program information acquiring process is started (step S 901 ) by the display control apparatus  180 , the power supply monitoring unit  123  of the display control apparatus  180  checks whether the power supply state of the television  150  is changed to power-off or not (step S 902 ). 
     At step S 902 , when the power supply monitoring unit  123  checks that the power supply state of the television  150  is not changed to power-off (“NO” in step S 902 ), the channel monitoring unit  141  of the display control apparatus  180  checks whether the channel is changed or not at the television  150  (step S 903 ). 
     At step S 903 , when the channel monitoring unit  141  checks that the channel is not changed (“NO” in step S 903 ), the flow returns to step S 902  again and whether the power supply state of the television  150  is changed to power-off or not is checked. 
     At step S 902 , when the power supply monitoring unit  123  checks that the power supply state of the television  150  is changed to power-off (“YES” in step S 902 ), and at step S 903 , when it is checked that the channel is changed (“YES” in step S 903 ), that is, when either change of the state of the power supply or the state of the channel of the television  150  is detected, the preference information acquisition unit  124  of the display control apparatus  180  acquires the user&#39;s preference information through the interface unit  122  from the preference information management unit  133  of the television  150  (step S 904 ). 
     The search unit  125  of the display control apparatus  180  picks out the preference target program from the preference information acquired from the television  150  by the preference information acquisition unit  124  (step S 905 ). 
     The communication unit  121  acquires the program information related to the preference target program, which is picked out by the search unit  125 , through the network  110  from the program information distribution system  102  (step S 906 ). The program information acquisition unit  126  acquires the program information related to the preference target program through the communication unit  121 . 
     When the program information acquisition unit  126  acquires the program information related to the preference target program, the program information acquisition unit  126  checks that the change of state in the television  150  is which of “the change of channel” or “the power supply off” (step S 907 ). 
     At step S 907 , when the program information acquisition unit  126  confirms that the change of state in the television  150  is “the change of channel”, the program information acquisition unit  126  selects (step S 908 ) at least one piece of the program information of programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel before the change of channel from among the acquired program information, and outputs it on the display unit  127 . At step S 907 , when the program information acquisition unit  126  confirms that the change of state in the television  150  is “the power supply off”, the program information acquisition unit  126  selects (step S 909 ) at least one piece of the program information of programs which are planned to broadcast soon from among the acquired program information, and outputs it on the display unit  127 . 
     The wording of “programs which are planned to broadcast soon”, for example, means the programs which are planned to start to broadcast within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 hours) based on the current time. 
     When the display control unit  142  acquires the detection result indicating that the power supply state of the television  150  is changed to power-off or that the channel is changed, the display control unit  142  controls the display unit  127  to display the inputted program information (step S 910 ), and completes the preference program information acquiring process (step S 911 ). 
     At step S 908 , in substitution for selecting at least one piece of the program information of the programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel before the change of channel, at least one piece of the program information of programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel other than the channel after the change can be selected. 
     As above, at the timing that the power supply of the television  150  (a broadcast reception apparatus of the present invention) is turned off, the program information related to programs which are planned to broadcast soon is selected from among the program information related to the user&#39;s preference target program. Or, at the timing that the channel is changed at the television  150 , the program information related to programs which are planned to broadcast soon on the channel before it is changed is selected from among the program information related to the user&#39;s preference target program. And the selected program information is displayed on the display unit  127  (a program information display unit of the present invention) of the display control apparatus  180 . Therefore, the program information which suits the user&#39;s preference can be displayed when the power supply of the broadcast reception apparatus is off. Moreover, the viewing recommendation information on the recommend program according to the user&#39;s preference information can be displayed. Then, missing to view the preference program can be prevented. Moreover, in the state that the user continues to view the television program of the same channel on the broadcast reception apparatus, and in the state that the user doesn&#39;t miss to view the program which the user wants to view, the viewing recommendation information or the like is not displayed. Then, it is possible to prevent redundant information being provided for the user. 
     Moreover, when it is confirmed that the change of state of the television  150  is power supply off, the program information of the preference target program from among all channels can be displayed. And, when it is confirmed that the change of state of the television  150  is change of channel, the program information of the preference target program from among channels before change of channel can be displayed. Then, the viewing recommendation information of program can be shown more effectively. 
     In the third embodiment, a case to acquire the preference information after confirming whether the power supply is changed to off or not, or a case to acquire the preference information after confirming whether the channel is changed or not, as examples, are described. But, the preference information can be acquired in advance like the first and second embodiments. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4  of the first embodiment, the display unit  127  of the display control apparatus  180  is not provided and the program information can be displayed on a display apparatus connected outside. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8  of the second embodiment, the function of the display control apparatus  180  is included in the television, and the program information can be displayed over the broadcast picture at a part of the display unit of the television. 
     The present invention can provide the display control apparatus having each component of the first, second and third embodiments. Moreover, the present invention can provide a display control integrated circuit having each component included in the display control apparatus, a display control method including processes at each component included in the display control apparatus as each step, and a computer program for display control executing the display control method by a computer. And the computer program for display control can be distributed through the recording medium such a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) or the internet. 
     Moreover, the program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the operations of the preference information acquisition step of acquiring a preference information of a viewer from the broadcast reception apparatus, the program information acquisition step of acquiring the program information of a preference target program which suits the preference information, from the server, and the display control step of controlling a start of a display of the program information, on the basis of at least one of the instruction of the power supply off and the instruction of the change of channels, of the above-described display control method of the present invention and is a program which operates in cooperation with the computer. 
     Moreover, the recording medium of the present invention is a recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the preference information acquisition step of acquiring a preference information of a viewer from the broadcast reception apparatus, the program information acquisition step of acquiring the program information of a preference target program which suits the preference information, from the server, and the display control step of controlling a start of a display of the program information, on the basis of at least one of the instruction of the power supply off and the instruction of the change of channels, of the above-described display control method of the present invention and is a computer-readable recording medium, the program of which, when read, is used in cooperation with the computer. 
     Moreover, the above-mentioned “operation of the step” of the present invention means the operation of all or a part of the step. 
     Moreover, in one use form of the program according to the present invention, the program may be recorded in the recording medium such as ROM readable by the computer, and operated in cooperation with the computer. 
     Moreover, in another use form of the program according to the present invention, the program may be transmitted across the network such as the Internet, or through the transmission media such as light or electric wave, read by the computer and operated in cooperation with the computer. 
     The computer according to the present invention described above is not limited to pure hardware such as a CPU and may include firmware, an OS, and peripheral equipment. 
     As described above, the configuration of the present invention may be implemented by software or hardware. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The display control apparatus, the display control method and the like according to the present invention have an effect that can prevent a user from missing to view a preference program by showing recommend programs according to user&#39;s preference information in an appropriate timing, without offering redundant information. Then, the present invention is useful as a display control apparatus, a display control method, and the like which offers the program information according to the viewing state of the user. 
     DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 
     
         
           100  Center apparatus 
           101  Broadcast program distribution system 
           102  Program information distribution system 
           110  Network 
           120  Display control apparatus 
           121  Communication unit 
           122  Interface unit 
           123  Power supply monitoring unit 
           124  Preference information acquisition unit 
           125  Search unit 
           126  Program information acquisition unit 
           127  Display unit 
           128  Display control unit 
           130  Television 
           131  Reception unit 
           132  Interface unit 
           133  Preference information management unit 
           134  Power supply management unit 
           135  Display unit 
           140  Display control apparatus 
           141  Channel monitoring unit 
           142  Display control unit 
           143  Display control unit 
           150  Television 
           160  Display control apparatus 
           170  Display apparatus 
           171  Television 
           172  Display control unit 
           173  Interface unit 
           174  Display unit 
           180  Display control apparatus 
           411  Program information server 
           412  Internet 
           413  Home LAN 
           421  Display control terminal 
           422  Access point 
           423  Router 
           424  Recording apparatus 
           425  Picture display sound reproduction apparatus