Patent ID: 6993783

Claim:
A system for searching TV program data via the Internet for managing TV program data supplied by broadcasting stations via the Internet and providing TV program data and tabulated data on results of searching the TV program data to a user, the system comprising: broadcasting station terminals provided for broadcasting stations supplying the TV program data; user terminals for receiving the TV program data; and a data management apparatus connected to the broadcasting station terminals and user terminals via the Internet; the data management apparatus comprising: a communication connection controller connected to the Internet via a firewall; a database; a web server that receives via the Internet search requirements from the user terminals and transmits via the Internet results of searching the database; a database server for searching and updating the database; a data management terminal for managing the database; and a central processing controller; the database comprising: a program data database including a timetable for recording data of the broadcasting schedule for TV programs, and a subject matter table for storing program guide data; a user table for recording user registration data of users searching the TV program data; a usage fees table for recording usage data of the users; and a user database formed of a search tabulation table for recording tabulation data of searches performed by the user; the central processing controller comprising: program data recording means that includes broadcasting schedule recording means for receiving entry requirements from the broadcasting station terminals and recording broadcasting schedule data in the timetable and subject matter recording means for recording program guide data in the subject matter table; user contract recording means that includes user registration means for receiving requirements from user terminals and recording user registration data in the user table and contract time recording means for receiving requirements from the data management terminal and storing contract time data in the user table and the usage fees table; program data searching means for receiving requirements from the user terminals and searching for broadcasting schedule data and program guide data recorded in the program data database; and tabulation usage fees recording means that includes search tabulation recording means for recording the search tabulation data in a search tabulation table, the search tabulation data being the number of searches performed on TV program data recorded in the timetable by the program data searching means and tabulated according to broadcasting date, user attributes, program category, and program, and usage fees data recording means for recording usage fees data for searching TV program data in the usage fees table.