Content reproduction apparatus and reproduction method

Abstract

A content reproduction apparatus functioning to (a) reproduce broadcast program content (“BC”), being image, sound, and other data, that has been received, (b) store commercial content (“CC”), being data such as commercials, announcements, and the like, and (c) cancel the reproduction of the CC during specified broadcast programs.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A content reproduction apparatus, comprising: 
 content storing means for storing commercial content;    receiving means for receiving broadcast programs;    first reproducing means for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;    specifying means for specifying a broadcast program that will be reproduced without the commercial content being reproduced; and    second reproducing means for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the broadcast program being reproduced is not the specified broadcast program.    
     
     
         2 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 1 , the specifying means including 
 attribute judging means for judging whether an attribute of the broadcast program being reproduced corresponds to a specified attribute,    wherein the specifying means specifies the broadcast program judged to have a corresponding attribute as the broadcast program that will be reproduced without the commercial content being reproduced.    
     
     
         3 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 2 , the attribute judging means including 
 attribute storing means for storing one or more attributes selected by a user.    
     
     
         4 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 2 , the attribute judging means including 
 information storing means for storing information that shows whether the broadcast program is (a) a pay broadcast program and (b) a subscribed broadcast program,    wherein the attribute judging means judges, by referring to the stored information, whether the broadcast program being reproduced is (a) a pay broadcast program and (b) a subscribed broadcast program, and    the specifying means specifies the broadcast program judged to be a subscribed pay broadcast program as the broadcast program that will be reproduced without the commercial content being reproduced.    
     
     
         5 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 2 , the attribute judging means including 
 information storing means for storing information that shows whether the broadcast program is an image, sound, or data broadcast program,    wherein the attribute judging means judges whether the broadcast program being reproduced is an image, sound, or data broadcast program by referring to the stored information, and    the specifying means specifies the broadcast program judged to be an image broadcast program as the broadcast program that will be reproduced without the commercial content being reproduced.    
     
     
         6 . A content reproduction apparatus, comprising: 
 content storing means for storing commercial content;    receiving means for receiving broadcast programs;    first reproducing means for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;    non-broadcast period storing means for storing non-broadcast period information showing a non-broadcast period of a broadcast program;    non-broadcast period judging means for judging whether a present time corresponds to the non-broadcast period shown in the stored non-broadcast period information; and    second reproducing means for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the present time is judged to correspond to the shown non-broadcast period.    
     
     
         7 . A content reproduction apparatus, comprising: 
 content storing means for storing commercial content;    receiving means for receiving broadcast programs;    first reproducing means for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;    registered instruction storing means for storing one or more specified user instructions;    instruction receiving means for receiving a user instruction;    instruction judging means for judging whether the received user instruction corresponds to any of the stored user instructions; and    second reproducing means for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the received user instruction is judged to correspond to one of the stored user instructions.    
     
     
         8 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 7 , the second reproducing means including 
 display-mode controlling means for controlling a reproduction display-mode of the commercial content in accordance with a content of the user instruction judged to correspond to one of the stored user instructions.    
     
     
         9 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 canceling means for canceling a reproduction of the commercial content, and    the canceling means further including    termination instruction receiving means for receiving a termination instruction from a user to terminate the reproduction of the commercial content being reproduced; and    acceptance judging means for judging, in accordance with a content of the user instruction judged to correspond to one of the stored user instructions, whether the termination instruction should be accepted,    wherein the canceling means cancels the reproduction of the commercial content being reproduced when the termination instruction is judged to be acceptable.    
     
     
         10 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the canceling means cancels the reproduction of the commercial content during the broadcast program when the broadcast program is a specified broadcast program.  
     
     
         11 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 10 , the canceling means including 
 broadcast program type judging means for judging whether the broadcast program being reproduced is a pay broadcast program; and    subscription judging means for judging, when the broadcast program is judged to be the pay broadcast program, whether the broadcast program being reproduced has been subscribed,    wherein the canceling means cancels the reproduction of the commercial content when the broadcast program is judged to be a subscribed pay broadcast program.    
     
     
         12 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising: 
 canceling means for canceling a reproduction of the commercial content, and    the canceling means further including    termination instruction receiving means for receiving a termination instruction from a user to terminate the reproduction of the commercial content being reproduced; and    acceptance judging means for judging, in accordance with a content of the user instruction judged to correspond to one of the stored user instructions, whether the termination instruction should be accepted,    wherein the canceling means cancels the reproduction of the commercial content being reproduced when the termination instruction is judged to be acceptable.    
     
     
         13 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the canceling means cancels the reproduction of the commercial content during the broadcast program when the broadcast program is a specified broadcast program.  
     
     
         14 . The content reproduction apparatus of  claim 13 , the canceling means including 
 broadcast program type judging means for judging whether the broadcast program being reproduced is a pay broadcast program; and    subscription judging means for judging, when the broadcast program is judged to be the pay broadcast program, whether the broadcast program being reproduced has been subscribed;    wherein the canceling means cancels the reproduction of the commercial content when the broadcast program is judged to be a subscribed pay broadcast program.    
     
     
         15 . A content reproduction apparatus, comprising: 
 content storing means for storing commercial content;    receiving means for receiving broadcast programs;    first reproducing means for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;    pre-select information storing means for storing information showing a pre-select timeslot of a broadcast program;    pre-select judging means for judging, by referring to the stored information, whether a present time is within a predetermined period occurring before and after the pre-select timeslot; and    second reproducing means for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the present time is judged to be within the predetermined period.    
     
     
         16 . A reproduction method for a content reproduction apparatus having content storing means for storing commercial content, comprising: 
 a receiving step for receiving broadcast programs;    a first reproducing step for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;    a specifying step for specifying a broadcast program that will be reproduced without the commercial content being reproduced; and    a second reproducing step for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the broadcast program being reproduced is not the specified broadcast program.    
     
     
         17 . A reproduction method for a content reproduction apparatus having both content storing means for storing commercial content and registered instruction storing means for storing one or more specified user instructions, comprising: 
 a receiving step for receiving broadcast programs;    a first reproducing step for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;    an instruction receiving step for receiving a user instruction;    an instruction judging step for judging whether the received user instruction corresponds to any of the stored user instructions; and    a second reproducing step for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the received user instruction is judged to correspond to one of the stored user instructions.    
     
     
         18 . A recording medium for recording a computer program which is used by a content reproduction apparatus having content storing means for storing commercial content, the computer program comprising: 
 a receiving step for receiving broadcast programs;    a first reproducing step for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;    a specifying step for specifying a broadcast program that will be reproduced without the commercial content being reproduced; and    a second reproducing step for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the broadcast program being reproduced is not the specified broadcast program.    
     
     
         19 . A recording apparatus for recording a computer program which is used by a content reproduction apparatus having both content storing means for storing commercial content and registered instruction storing means for storing one or more specified user instructions, the computer program comprising: 
 a receiving step for receiving broadcast programs;    a first reproducing step for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;    an instruction receiving step for receiving a user instruction;    an instruction judging step for judging whether the received user instruction corresponds to any of the stored user instructions; and    a second reproducing step for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the received user instruction is judged to correspond to one of the stored user instructions.