Data transmission/reception apparatus for use in a two-way digital broadcasting system

A server apparatus connected via a data channel and a control channel of a network means to a data reception terminal apparatus,

• the server apparatus comprising:
• object storage means for storing a plurality of objects, wherein at least one of the plurality of objects includes control instructions, and at least one of the plurality of objects includes at least one of video data and audio data;
• transmission request reception means for receiving a transmission request for an object, wherein the transmission request is received from the data reception terminal apparatus via the control channel of the network means;
• object searching means for searching the object storage means for the object requested by the received transmission request;
• and
• transmission means for transmitting the object found by the object searching means to the data reception terminal apparatus via the data channel of the network means when no object that includes at least one of video data and audio data is being transmitted to the data reception terminal apparatus, and for transmitting the object found by the object searching means to the data reception terminal apparatus via the data channel of the network means when an object that includes at least one of video data and audio data is being transmitted to the data reception terminal apparatus.

A server apparatus connected to a data reception terminal apparatus via a network means, the server apparatus comprising:

• object storage means for storing a plurality of objects, wherein the plurality of objects includes at least one object that includes list information showing other objects that are to be simultaneously transmitted with the one object;
• transmission request reception means for receiving a transmission request for an object, wherein the transmission request is received from the data reception terminal apparatus via a control channel of the network means;
• object searching means for searching the object storage means for the object requested by the received transmission request;
• list information searching means for determining whether the object found by the object searching means includes list information;
• additional object searching means for searching the object storage means, when the list information searching means determines that the object includes list information, for each object given in the list information;
• and
• transmission means for transmitting all of the objects found by the object searching means and by the additional object searching means to the data reception terminal apparatus.

A data reception method for issuing a transmission request for an object via a control channel of a network means to a server apparatus and receiving the requested object via a data channel of the network means, the server apparatus storing a plurality of objects that include at least one object that contains control instructions, the control instructions including a control instruction for issuing a synchronous transmission request and a control instruction for issuing an asynchronous transmission request,

• the reception method comprising:
• an object reception step for receiving an object from the server apparatus, wherein the object includes one of a control instruction for issuing a synchronous transmission request and a control instruction for issuing an asynchronous transmission request;
• an instruction decoding step for decoding the control instruction included in the object received in the object reception step and judging whether the control instruction is a synchronous transmission request or an asynchronous transmission request;
• a synchronous processing step for issuing, when the instruction decoding step judges that the control instruction is a synchronous transmission request, a transmission request for an object and not performing the instruction decoding step until the object requested by the issued transmission request arrives;
• and
• an asynchronous processing step for issuing, when the instruction decoding step judges that the control instruction is an asynchronous transmission request, a transmission request for an object and performing the instruction decoding step regardless of whether the object requested by the issued transmission request has arrived or not.

A data transmission method, for a server apparatus that includes an object storage means which stores a plurality of objects, wherein at least one of the plurality of objects includes control instructions, and at least one of that plurality of objects includes at least one of video data and audio data, the data transmitting method searching, in accordance with an object transmission request transmitted from a data reception terminal apparatus via a control channel of a network means, the plurality of objects stored in the object storage means for an object that has been requested by the received object transmission request and transmitting the object to the data reception terminal apparatus via a data channel of the network means,

• the data transmitting method including:
• a video/audio judging step for judging whether data in an object presently being transmitted is one of video data and audio data;
• a transmission request judging step for judging whether there is an object transmission request from the data reception terminal apparatus;
• and
• a transmission channel changing step for transmitting, when the video/audio judging step judges that the data in the object presently being transmitted is one of video data and audio data and the transmission request judging step judges that there is an object transmission request from the data reception terminal apparatus, an object requested by the object transmission request via the control channel of the network means to the data reception terminal apparatus.

A computer-readable recording medium for storing a program to be executed by a computer that is connected to a server apparatus that stores a plurality of objects, the program having the computer execute a procedure for issuing a transmission request for an object via a control channel of a network means and receiving the requested object via a data channel of the network means, the plurality of objects stored by the server apparatus including at least one object that contain one of a control instruction for issuing a synchronous transmission request for an object and a control instruction for issuing an asynchronous transmission request,

• the procedure including the following steps:
• an object reception step for receiving an object from the server apparatus, wherein the object contains one of a control instruction for issuing a synchronous transmission request and a control instruction for issuing an asynchronous transmission request;
• an instruction decoding step for decoding the control instruction contained in the object received in the object reception step and judging whether the control instruction is a synchronous transmission request or an asynchronous transmission request;
• a synchronous processing step for issuing, when the instruction decoding step judges that the control instruction is a synchronous transmission request, a transmission request for an object and not performing the instruction decoding step until the object requested by the issued transmission request arrives;
• and
• an asynchronous processing step for issuing, when the instruction decoding step judges that the control instruction is an asynchronous transmission request, a transmission request for an object and performing the instruction decoding step regardless of whether the object requested by the issued transmission request has arrived or not.

A computer-readable recording medium that stores a program to be executed by a computer that includes an object storage means which stores a plurality of objects, wherein at least one object in the plurality of objects includes control instructions, and at least one object in the plurality of objects includes at least one of video data and audio data, the program having the computer execute a procedure whereby on receiving a transmission request transmitted from a data reception terminal apparatus via a control channel of a network means, the computer searches the object storage means for an object requested by the transmission request and transmits the object via a data channel of the network means to the data reception terminal apparatus, the procedure comprising the following steps:

• a video/audio judging step for judging whether data in an object presently being transmitted is one of video data and audio data;
• a transmission request judging step for judging whether there is an object transmission request from the data reception terminal apparatus;
• and
• a transmission channel changing step for transmitting, when the video/audio judging step judges that the data in the object presently being transmitted is one of video data and audio data and the transmission request judging step judges that there is an object transmission request from the data reception terminal apparatus, an object requested by the object transmission request via the control channel of the network means to the data reception terminal apparatus.