Program information processing system, program information management server, program information operation terminal, and computer program

A program information management server which can be connected to a program information operation terminal for displaying a list of programs on a display apparatus via a communication network, said program information management server being configured to store program meta information as meta information about said programs, said program information management server comprising:

• a program meta information storage section configured to store said program meta information at least including available time information including at least available time information showing an availability of said programs to a user;
• a user information storage section configured to store a user identifier associated with preference information of said user, wherein said user identifier uniquely identifies said user of said program information operation terminal;
• a user identification reception section configured to receive said user identifier from said program information operation terminal;
• a time information reception section configured to receive time information from said program information operation terminal;
• a program recommendation section configured to retrieve said programs from said program meta information storage section, wherein said retrieved programs are broadcast at an approximate time indicated by said time information based on said time information, said user identifier, and said preference information stored in said user information storage section associated with said user identifier and are recommended to a user identified by said user identifier;
• a program list information creation section configured to create program list information based on program list information associated with each of said programs retrieved by said program recommendation section;
• and
• a program list information transmission section configured to transmit said program list information created by said program list information creation section to said program information operation terminal of said user identified by said user identifier.

A program information operation terminal which can be connected to a program information management server for storing program meta information as meta information about programs, said program information operation terminal being configured to allow a display apparatus to display a program list created based on said program meta information, said program information operation terminal comprising:

• a user identifier transmission section configured to transmit a user identifier to said program information management server, wherein said user identifier uniquely identifies a user of said program information operation terminal;
• a time information transmission section configured to transmit time information to said program information management server;
• a program list information reception section configured to receive program list information from said program information management server, wherein said program list information is created based on said user identifier and said time information transmitted;
• a program list display section configured to allow said display apparatus to display said program list based on said program list information;
• a program specification section configured to connect with a program output apparatus for outputting program contents via a communication network, the program specification section being configured to specify a specific program out of said program list displayed on said display apparatus by said program list display section;
• and
• a program change section configured to transmit program change information to said program output apparatus so as to allow said program output apparatus to output a program content of a program specified by said program specification section, wherein,
• said program list contains, by preference, said programs which are broadcast at an approximate time indicated by said time information and are recommended to said user identified by said user identifier.

A computer readable storage medium including a computer program, the computer program allowing a computer to perform a method as a program information management server which can be connected to a program information operation terminal for displaying a list of programs on a display apparatus via a communication network, when the computer executes the computer program, said program information management server being configured to store program meta information as meta information about programs, said method comprising:

• storing said program meta information at least including available time information including at least available time information showing an availability of said programs to a user;
• storing a user identifier associated with preference information of said user, wherein said user identifier uniquely identifies said user of said program information operation terminal;
• receiving said user identifier from said program information operation terminal;
• receiving time information from said program information operation terminal;
• retrieving, with the computer, said programs, wherein said retrieved programs are broadcast at an approximate time indicated by said time information based on said time information, said user identifier, and said preference information associated with said user identifier and are recommended to a user identified by said user identifier;
• creating program list information based on program list information associated with each of said programs retrieved in the retrieving;
• and
• transmitting said program list information created in the creating to said program information operation terminal of said user identified by said user identifier.

A computer-readable storage medium including a computer program, the computer program allowing a computer to perform a method as a program information operation terminal which can be connected to a program information management server for storing program meta information as meta information about programs, when the computer executes the computer program, the program information operation terminal being configured to allow a display apparatus to display a program list created based on said program meta information, said method comprising:

• transmitting a user identifier to said program information management server, wherein said user identifier uniquely identifies a user of said program information operation terminal;
• transmitting time information to said program information management server;
• receiving, with the computer, program list information from said program information management server, wherein said program list information is created based on said user identifier and said time information transmitted;
• and
• allowing said display apparatus to display said program list based on said program list information,
• specifying a specific program out of said program list displayed on said display apparatus;
• connecting with a program output apparatus for outputting program contents via a communication network;
• and
• transmitting, with the computer, program change information to said program output apparatus so as to allow said program output apparatus to output a program content of a program specified in the specifying, wherein,
• said program list contains, by preference, said programs which are broadcast at an approximate time indicated by said time information and are recommended to said user identified by said user identifier.