Information providing system, information receiving apparatus, information providing apparatus, information providing method and program

An information providing apparatus for providing related information associated with a content, connected with an information receiving apparatus for receiving the content from a content folder through a communication network, where a link mode or a no link mode specifying a link condition between the received content and the received related information is selected by the information receiving apparatus, the information providing apparatus comprising:

• a related information storage portion to store the related information in association with the content, the related information being program information corresponding to attributes of the content;
• a first related information request receiving portion configured:
• (1), when the link condition is switched to the link mode by the information receiving apparatus, to receive a related information request for requesting transmission of the related information together with content designation information designating the content to be received by the information receiving apparatus, and
• (2), when the content to be received by the information receiving apparatus is switched in the link mode, to receive the related information request together with content designation information designating the switched-to content, after the switching, from the information receiving apparatus;
• a first related information extracting portion to extract the related information corresponding to the content designated by the content designation information from the related information storage portion;
• and
• a related information transmitting portion to transmit the extracted related information to the information receiving apparatus, so that extracted related information transmitted prior to the information receiving apparatus switching the content to be received in the no link mode is transmitted after the information receiving apparatus switches the content to be received.

An information providing system where an information receiving apparatus for receiving a content from a content folder and an information providing apparatus for providing related information associated with the content are connected through a communication network, wherein

• the information receiving system includes:
• a related information receiving portion to receive the related information associated with the content from the information providing apparatus, the related information being program information corresponding to attributes of the content;
• a mode selecting portion to select one from a link mode and a no link mode to specify a link condition between the received content and the received related information;
• a related information request transmitting portion configured:
• (1), when the link condition is switched to the link mode, to transmit a related information request for requesting transmission of the related information together with content designation information designating the received content to the information providing apparatus,
• (2), when switching the received content in the link mode, to transmit the related information request together with content designation information designating the switched-to content, after the switching, to the information providing apparatus, and
• (3), when switching the received content in the no link mode, not to transmit the related information request and a content designation information to the information providing apparatus so that related information received prior to the switching of the received content is received after the switching of the received content;
• and
• a display control portion to perform (a) display control of the received content and the received related information and (b) display control of the selected link condition, and
• the information providing apparatus includes:
• a related information storage portion to store the related information in association with the content;
• a related information request receiving portion to receive the content designation information and the related information request from the information receiving apparatus;
• a related information extracting portion to extract the related information corresponding to the designated content based on the content designation information;
• and
• a related information transmitting portion to transmit the extracted related information to the information receiving apparatus, so that extracted related information transmitted prior to the information receiving apparatus switching the content to be received in the no link mode is transmitted after the information receiving apparatus switches the content to be received.

An information providing method applied to an information providing system where an information receiving apparatus for receiving a content from a content folder and an information providing apparatus for providing related information associated with the content are connected through a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

• selecting a mode from a link mode and a no link mode to specify a link condition between the received content and the received related information by the information receiving apparatus, the related information being program information corresponding to attributes of the content;
• transmitting, including:
• (1), when the link condition is switched to the link mode, a related information request for requesting transmission of the related information together with content designation information designating the received content to the information providing apparatus, and
• (2), when switching the received content in the link mode, the related information request together with content designation information designating the switched-to content, after the switching, to the information providing apparatus;
• when switching the received content in the no link mode, not transmitting the related information request and a content designation information to the information providing apparatus so that related information received prior to the switching of the received content is received after the switching of the received content;
• receiving the related information from the information providing apparatus;
• and
• performing display control of the received content and the received related information and display control of the selected link condition.

A computer-readable medium storing a program applied to an information providing system where an information receiving apparatus for receiving a content from a content folder and an information providing apparatus for providing related information associated with the content are connected through a communication network, the program causing a computer to implement functions comprising:

• a related information receiving portion to receive related information associated with a content received from a content folder from the information providing apparatus, the related information being program information corresponding to attributes of the content;
• a mode selecting portion to select one from a link mode and a no link mode to specify a link condition between the received content and the received related information;
• a related information request transmitting portion to:
• (1), when the link condition is switched to the link mode, transmit a related information request for requesting transmission of the related information together with content designation information designating the received content to the information providing apparatus,
• (2), when switching the received content in the link mode, transmit the related information request together with content designation information designating the switched-to content, after the switching, to the information providing apparatus, and
• (3), when switching the received content in the no link mode, not to transmit the related information request and a content designation information to the information providing apparatus so that related information received prior to the switching of the received content is received after the switching of the received content;
• and
• a display control portion to perform (a) display control of the received content and the related information received from the information providing apparatus based on the content designation information and the related information request and (b) display control of the selected link condition.

A computer-readable medium storing a program applied to an information providing system where an information receiving apparatus for receiving a content from a content folder and an information providing apparatus for providing related information associated with the content are connected through a communication network, where link mode or no link mode specifying a link condition between the received content from a content folder and the received related information is selected by the information receiving apparatus, the program causing a computer to implement functions comprising:

• a related information storage portion to store the related information in association with the content, the related information being program information corresponding to attributes of the content;
• a related information request receiving portion to:
• (1), when the link condition is switched to the link mode by the information receiving apparatus, receive a related information request for requesting transmission of the related information together with content designation information designating the content to be received by the information receiving apparatus, and
• (2) when the content to be received by the information receiving apparatus is switched in the link mode, to receive the related information request together with content designation information designating the switched-to content, after the switching, from the information receiving apparatus;
• a related information extracting portion to extract the related information corresponding to the content designated by the content designation information from the related information storage portion;
• and
• a related information transmitting portion to transmit the extracted related information to the information receiving apparatus, so that extracted related information transmitted prior to the information receiving apparatus switching the content to be received in the no link mode is transmitted after the information receiving apparatus switches the content to be received.