JP6770872B2 - Terminal devices and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to terminal devices and programs.

In recent years, research and development on systems for realizing broadcast communication cooperation services have been actively carried out. Hybridcast is one of Japan's representative broadcasting and communication cooperation services, and its technical specifications have been established (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). In accordance with the standard of this technical specification, the hybrid cast service has been started in 2013. For example, a service by a broadcast managed application described using HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) 5 is provided by a plurality of broadcasting stations. "Application" is an abbreviation for an application program, and is also referred to as "application" below. A broadcast managed application is an application in which a life cycle such as activation, termination, and forced termination is controlled by using a control signal of a broadcasting service transmitted from a broadcasting transmitting side.

In hybrid cast, it is possible to use a function in which a receiving device such as a television and a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet are linked. In the following, the terminal device linked with the receiving device is also described as a linked terminal. As a concrete example of the cooperation function, it is possible to send and receive text messages between a broadcast managed application executed on a TV and a Web (web) application running on a companion application installed on a terminal device. it can.

In addition, there is a technique for executing a plurality of non-broadcast managed applications on a television and a linked terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A non-broadcast managed application is an application whose life cycle is controlled by a user operation.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-146478

"IPTV Regulations Broadcast Communication Cooperation System Specification IPTVFJ STD-0010 2.1 Edition", IPTV Forum, March 7, 2016 "IPTV Regulations HTML5 Browser Specification IPTVFJ STD-0011 2.2 Edition", IPTV Forum, March 7, 2016

However, in the current hybrid cast (registered trademark) broadcast managed application standard, there is one application (hereinafter referred to as an application) that can be executed simultaneously on a television receiving device (hereinafter referred to as a receiving device) and a linked terminal. Is. Moreover, both apps can only be linked if they are provided by the same service provider. Therefore, in the existing technology, when there are multiple application providers executed on the linked terminal, such as multiple service providers of the application executed on the linked terminal, the application is linked with one application executed on the TV. No consideration was given to linking multiple apps running on the device.

In addition, the creator of the application can perform a function that cannot be executed by the application that operates on the linked terminal (hereinafter referred to as the linked application) in cooperation with the application that operates on the receiving device, by another application on the linked terminal (hereinafter referred to as the linked application). You may want to realize it by executing (called another application, also called an external application). However, existing technology did not consider launching other apps. In addition, the creator of another application may want to start a linked application from another application or limit the function of linking with another application at that time. However, in the existing technology, it is not considered to start the linked application from another application or to limit the linked function.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is a terminal device capable of promoting inter-service cooperation between a broadcast communication cooperation service provided by executing a cooperation application and a service provided by executing another application. And to provide the program.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and one aspect of the present invention is to cooperate with a cooperative application execution control unit for executing a service application, which is an application for providing a predetermined service, and a receiving device. The linked application execution control unit includes a service execution unit that executes the service application and the service execution unit that controls the execution of another application that is a separate application from the linked application that operates. Between the service execution management unit that acquires the other application start command indicating the start of the other application from the unit and the application that converts the format of the other application start command into the inter-application cooperation format that can be processed by the other application execution control unit. It is a terminal device including a cooperation processing unit and an application-to-application cooperation communication unit that transmits another application start command of the application-to-application cooperation format to the other application execution control unit.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned terminal device, the inter-application cooperation communication unit receives a service start command indicating the start of the service application from the other application execution control unit, and the inter-application cooperation processing unit. Converts the format of the service start command into an in-app cooperation format that can be processed by the cooperation application execution control unit, and the cooperation application execution control unit is a service related to the service indicated by the service start command of the cooperation application execution control unit. It is characterized by having a service execution management unit that starts an application.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device described above, the linked application execution control unit may be a service indicated by the service activation command based on at least one of the other application and the service indicated by the service activation command. It is characterized by including an inter-application cooperation condition management unit that determines whether or not the service application can be started.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned terminal device, the linked application execution control unit establishes a connection with a receiving device that executes an application that provides a predetermined service in cooperation with the received broadcast signal. The service execution management unit includes a terminal cooperation unit to be operated, and is characterized in that the service execution management unit acquires another application start command from the receiving device.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is an application in which a linked application execution control unit that causes a computer to execute a service application that is an application that provides a predetermined service and a linked application that operates in cooperation with a receiving device are separate applications. The other application execution control unit that controls the execution of the other application is provided, and the linked application execution control unit includes the service execution unit that executes the service application and the other application that indicates the activation of the other application from the service execution unit. Other than the service execution management unit that acquires the start command, the inter-application cooperation processing unit that converts the format of the other application start command into the inter-application cooperation format that can be processed by the other application execution control unit, and the inter-application cooperation format. It is a program for functioning as a terminal device characterized by including an inter-application cooperation communication unit that transmits an application start command to the other application execution control unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to promote inter-service cooperation between a broadcast communication cooperation service provided by executing a linked application and a service provided by executing another application.

It is an overall block diagram of the broadcasting communication cooperation system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a stack figure of the receiving device and the cooperation terminal by the same embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the internal structure of the receiving device by this embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the application execution part by the same embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the cooperation terminal by the same embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the message control part by the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the description example of the broadcast managed application by the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the setting example of the message by the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the message control part by the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the message control part by the same embodiment. It is a sequence diagram in the case of transmitting a message between a receiving device and a cooperation terminal by the same embodiment. It is a sequence diagram in the case of transmitting a message between web services by the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the setting example of the message by the same embodiment. It is a sequence diagram in the case of transmitting a message based on a session identifier between a receiving device and a linked terminal according to the same embodiment. It is a sequence diagram in the case of transmitting a message based on a session identifier between a receiving device and a linked terminal according to the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the setting example of the message by the same embodiment. It is a sequence diagram in the case of transmitting a message based on a session identifier between the web applications of the linked terminal according to the same embodiment. It is a sequence diagram in the case of transmitting a message based on a session identifier between the web applications of the linked terminal according to the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship of the terminal cooperation part, the service execution management part, and the inter-application cooperation part by the same embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the inter-application cooperation part by the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of cooperation condition data by the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the process flow which concerns on the activation of another application from the service execution part of the cooperation application execution control part by the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the processing flow which concerns the activation of the web application in the cooperation application execution control part from the other application execution control part by the same embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the "application program" is also referred to as an "application" or an "app". Further, in the following description, executing the process specified by the instruction described in the application may be simply referred to as "execution of the application" or "execution of the application".

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a broadcast communication cooperation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present embodiment. The broadcast communication cooperation system 1 includes a broadcast transmission device 2, a service server 3, a reception device 4, and a cooperation terminal 5. The broadcast transmission device 2 and the service server 3 are devices on the transmitting side, and the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5 are devices on the receiving side.

The broadcast transmission device 2 transmits a broadcast signal. The service server 3 distributes the application body and the content data used by the application to the device on the receiving side via the Internet. The application body is an application program. The receiving device 4 is, for example, a hybrid cast compatible television. The cooperation terminal 5 is, for example, a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5 can communicate with each other with the service server 3 via the Internet. Further, the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5 are connected via a local network such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network).

There are a plurality of forms of the broadcast communication cooperation service, but in the broadcast communication cooperation system 1 of the present embodiment, the digital broadcasting service and the Internet service are provided in the receiving device 4 based on the hybrid cast technical specifications (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Is assumed to work together. When the receiving device 4 executes an application distributed by broadcasting or the Internet, the content on the Internet can be acquired, and the user can use the broadcasting communication cooperation service. Further, according to the hybrid cast technology specifications, the receiving device 4 and the terminal-side cooperation application installed on the cooperation terminal 5 operate in cooperation with each other.

In the present embodiment, the application that operates in the receiving device 4 is a broadcast managed application distributed by the broadcaster. The broadcast managed application controls the life cycle such as activation, termination, and forced termination based on the control signal of the broadcasting service transmitted from the broadcasting transmission device 2.

The terminal-side cooperation application implemented in the cooperation terminal 5 is a companion application that operates in cooperation with the reception device 4 which is another device connected by communication. The terminal-side cooperation application executes one or more service applications that operate in cooperation with the broadcast managed application executed by the receiving device 4.

The broadcast managed application and the service application operate in cooperation with each other to execute the service provided to the user. The service is to output the image, video, and sound of the result of the operation according to the operation performed by the user to the cooperation terminal 5 to the cooperation terminal 5, or to the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5. Information acquired from the receiver function of the receiving device 4 or the like is used to execute the service. The receiver function is a series of functions that receive a broadcast signal, acquire content data such as program video and audio of a channel selected by the user from the broadcast signal, decode it, and output it. The services provided to users are optional, but examples include providing information such as SNS (social network services), weather forecasts and news, providing foreign language subtitles, and presenting images from angles different from TV images. is there.

In this embodiment, a case where the service application executed in the terminal-side cooperation application is a web application will be described as an example. A web application is an application executed by a web browser. The web application is implemented on the cooperation terminal 5 by any means. For example, the web application may be an application instructed to be acquired from the broadcast managed application, an application acquired by user operation, or an application pre-implemented in the cooperation terminal 5. Broadcast managed application and web application programs are described, for example, in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).

FIG. 2 is a stack diagram of the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5. The receiving device 4 is composed of four layers: hardware, an OS (Operation System), a resident, and an application execution unit. The application execution unit is, for example, an HTML5 browser, and executes a broadcast managed application. The resident executed on the OS is equipped with a broadcast receiver function by software resident in the memory. The broadcast managed application executed by the application execution unit can access the receiver function of the resident through the extended API (Application Program Interface) defined by Non-Patent Document 1. The hardware includes a CPU (central processing unit), various memories, a tuner, a decoder, a communication device, a display device, an input device, and the like.

The cooperative terminal 5 is composed of three layers: hardware, an OS, and a native application execution unit. The native application execution unit executes an application provided by the OS of the terminal such as iOS (registered trademark) and Android (registered trademark). In the native application execution unit, multiple native applications can be operated. A native application is a program that can be executed on a specific OS or platform. The terminal-side cooperation application in this embodiment is a native application, and operates in the native application execution unit. The terminal-side cooperation application does not have to be a native application. For example, the terminal-side cooperation application may call a browser other than the native application from the native application and execute the web application by the browser. The hardware includes a CPU, various memories, a communication device, a display device, an input device, and the like.

The terminal cooperation function in the hybrid cast is realized between the broadcast managed application that operates in the application execution unit of the receiving device 4 and the web application that operates inside the terminal side cooperation application executed by the native application execution unit of the cooperation terminal 5. To. A text message is transmitted between the broadcast managed application and the web application using the extended API specified in Non-Patent Document 1. Any message content can be described in the text message. For example, the message content may be various execution commands to the application, additional information used when the application operates, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the receiving device 4, and only functional blocks related to the present embodiment are extracted and shown. The receiving device 4 shown in the figure includes a broadcast receiving unit 401, a separation unit 402, a video decoding unit 403, a voice decoding unit 404, a data broadcasting execution unit 405, a communication input / output unit 406, a remote control input control unit 407, and a power supply control unit 408. The application execution unit 409, the application control unit 410, the broadcast communication cooperation unit 411, the terminal cooperation unit 412, the video synthesis unit 413, the video display unit 414, the voice synthesis unit 415, and the voice output unit 416 are included.

The broadcast receiving unit 401 is a tuner, and receives and demodulates the broadcast signal transmitted from the broadcast transmitting device 2. The separation unit 402 separates the broadcast signal received and demolished by the broadcast reception unit 401 into content data such as video data and audio data, and data other than the content data. Data other than content includes, for example, data broadcasting, receiving channels, SI (Service Information) in which program information is described, event messages, and the like. The video decoding unit 403 decodes the video data. The voice decoding unit 404 decodes the voice data. The data broadcasting execution unit 405 is a BML (Broadcast Markup Language) browser and executes data broadcasting.

The communication input / output unit 406 is an interface for connecting to a communication network. The communication input / output unit 406 connects to the service server 3 such as the application market, the account management server, and the application distribution server via the Internet or the like. Further, the communication input / output unit 406 connects to the cooperation terminal 5 via a local network such as a wireless LAN. The remote controller input control unit 407 receives data indicating an operation performed by the user on the remote controller from the remote controller (remote controller). The power supply control unit 408 controls the power supply of the receiving device 4.

The application execution unit 409 is a web (Web) browser that executes a broadcast managed application. Broadcast managed apps provide the functionality of one or more services. The application control unit 410 controls the start and end of the broadcast managed application based on the information contained in the data separated from the broadcast signal. For example, the application control unit 410 controls the broadcast managed application of the currently selected broadcaster (channel) based on the information set in the AIT separated from the broadcast signal. The application control unit 410 notifies the terminal cooperation unit 412 of the identification information of the started broadcast managed application.

The broadcast communication cooperation unit 411 provides the application execution unit 409 with a function defined by the extended API in order to cooperate and operate the contents acquired by broadcasting or communication in the broadcast managed application. Specifically, the broadcast communication cooperation unit 411 provides a means for accessing information such as SI and event messages included in the broadcast signal being received and functions provided by the receiving device 4. The terminal cooperation unit 412 performs a pairing process with the cooperation terminal 5 and a process of mediating communication between the broadcast managed application of the receiving device 4 and the web application of the cooperation terminal 5. The terminal cooperation unit 412 operates as a pair with the terminal cooperation unit 531 of the cooperation terminal 5 shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later. The terminal cooperation unit 412 notifies the cooperation terminal 5 of the identification information of the started broadcast managed application.

The video synthesis unit 413 synthesizes the video data of the broadcast program decoded by the video decoding unit 403 and the video data output based on the processing results of the data broadcasting execution unit 405 and the application execution unit 409, and displays the video data in the video display unit 414. Output. The video display unit 414 is a general display, and displays a video of video data synthesized by the video synthesis unit 413.

The voice synthesis unit 415 synthesizes the voice data of the broadcast program decoded by the voice decoding unit 404 and the voice data output based on the processing results of the data broadcasting execution unit 405 and the application execution unit 409, and causes the voice output unit 416 to combine the voice data. Output. The voice output unit 416 is a general speaker, and outputs voice data synthesized by the voice synthesis unit 415 by voice.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the application execution unit 409. The application execution unit 409 has a service execution unit 421, a service execution management unit 422, and a message control unit 423. The application execution unit 409 may include a plurality of service execution units 421, but only one broadcast managed application operates at the same time. In the figure, a plurality of service execution units 421 included in the application execution unit 409 are described as service execution units 421-1, 421-2, 421-3, ..., Respectively.

The service execution unit 421 executes the service function included in the broadcast managed application based on the control by the application control unit 410. The service execution management unit 422 controls the start and end of each service execution unit 421 and manages the state, and causes a plurality of service execution units 421 to be executed in parallel.

The message control unit 423 controls to appropriately send and receive a message between the service function of the broadcast managed application executed by the service execution unit 421 and the web application executed by the cooperation terminal 5. The message control unit 423 includes a service identification management unit 4231, a message reception unit 4232, a message determination unit 4233, a message distribution unit 4234, and a source service setting unit 4235.

The service identification management unit 4231 manages a correspondence table between the identifier of the service execution unit 421 and the identifier of the service executed by the service execution unit 421, for example, in a list format. The service identifier is predetermined. In addition, each broadcast managed application adds a predetermined identifier for each service as a destination address by adding a prefix or the like to a part of the message to send and receive.

The message receiving unit 4232 receives the message from the cooperation terminal 5 and the message from the service executing unit 421. The message receiving unit 4232 transmits the received message to the message determination unit 4233 and the message distribution unit 4234. The message receiving unit 4232 may transmit only the information necessary for determining the destination to the message determination unit 4233.

The message determination unit 4233 collates the service identifier added to the message received from the message reception unit 4232 with the correspondence table stored in the service identification management unit 4231 to determine the message transmission destination, and determines the message distribution unit. Notify 4234. If the identifier of the source service and the identifier of the destination service added to the message are the same, the message determination unit 4233 uses the cooperation terminal 5 as the destination, and if they are different, the service execution unit 421 is the destination. .. Further, the message determination unit 4233 issues an identifier for establishing a communication channel between services and determines a message transmission destination based on the identifier, depending on the embodiment.

The message distribution unit 4234 transmits the message received from the message reception unit 4232 to the destination determined by the message determination unit 4233. The source service setting unit 4235 adds the identifier of the service of the broadcast managed application being executed by the service execution unit 421 to the message transmitted by the service execution unit 421 to the cooperation terminal 5 or another service execution unit 421. ..

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the cooperative terminal 5, and only the functional blocks related to the present embodiment are extracted and shown. In the figure, the functional configuration centering on the terminal-side cooperation application is shown. The cooperation terminal 5 has a hardware unit 51, an OS unit 52, a cooperation application execution control unit 53, and another application execution control unit 54.

The hardware unit 51 includes various hardware such as a CPU, various memories, a communication device, a display (display device), and an input device (input device) for inputting user operations. When the display is a touch panel, the input device is a touch sensor arranged on the touch panel. The hardware unit 51 has a communication input / output unit 511 realized by a communication device.

The communication input / output unit 511 is an interface for connecting to a communication network. The communication input / output unit 511 connects to the service server 3 via the Internet or the like. Further, the communication input / output unit 511 connects to the receiving device 4 via a local network such as a wireless LAN. The OS unit 52 is realized by the OS, controls the entire terminal, and provides the linked application execution control unit 53 and the other application execution control unit 54 with an interface to the hardware unit 51.

The linked application execution control unit 53 is realized by the CPU reading and executing the terminal-side linked application stored in the memory. The cooperative application execution control unit 53 includes a terminal cooperation unit 531, a service execution unit 532, a service execution management unit 533, a message control unit 534, and an inter-application cooperation unit 535. The plurality of service execution units 532 are distinguished by describing them as service execution units 532-1, 532-2, 532-3, ....

The terminal cooperation unit 531 performs a pairing process with the receiving device 4 and a process of mediating communication between the broadcast managed application of the receiving device 4 and the web application of the cooperation terminal 5. The terminal cooperation unit 531 operates as a pair with the terminal cooperation unit 412 of the receiving device 4.

The service execution unit 532 executes a web application for providing individual services. Examples of the method of implementing the service execution unit 532 include WebView on an Android (registered trademark) -equipped terminal and UIWebView on an iOS-equipped terminal. It is assumed that there are a plurality of service execution units 532, and each service execution unit 532 is assigned a unique identifier and is also used as a service identifier. Each service execution unit 532 executes the following web application.

(1) A web application linked with the broadcast managed application of the receiving device 4 for which the service is actually provided. It is one service execution unit 532 that executes this web application.
(2) A web application that can be used in common by linking with a broadcast managed application distributed by multiple broadcasting stations.
(3) A web application that does not work with the receiver 4.
The service execution unit 532 may issue another application start command during operation. The other application start command is a command for instructing the start of another application to be started.

The service execution management unit 533 controls the start and end of the web application executed on each service execution unit 532 or the service execution unit 532 and manages the state, and executes a plurality of service execution units 532 in parallel. The service execution management unit 533 controls the start and end of the service execution unit 532 and changes the state such as the operation in the foreground or the operation in the background based on the instruction from the receiving device 4 or the user operation. In addition, the service execution management unit 533 controls the activation of the other application execution control unit 54 and controls the activation of the service execution unit 532 based on the instruction from the other application execution control unit 54 that is being activated.

In the hybrid cast, an API for transmitting and receiving a text message between the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5 is defined. The message control unit 534 appropriately transmits and receives messages between the broadcast managed application executed by the receiving device 4 and the web application executed by each service execution unit 532 of the cooperation terminal 5 and between the service execution unit 532. To control.

The inter-application cooperation unit 535 links the service execution unit 532 and the other application execution control unit 54. The inter-app cooperation unit 535 causes the other application execution control unit 54 to activate another application specified by the other application start command issued by the service execution unit 532 or the other application start command received from the receiving device 4. The service execution unit 532 outputs the issued other application start command to the service execution management unit 533.
On the other hand, the inter-application cooperation unit 535 outputs a service start command issued by the other application execution control unit 54 to the service execution management unit 533. The service start command is a command for instructing the start of a web application for providing the service to be provided. The service execution management unit 533 identifies the web application that provides the service specified by the service start command input from the inter-application cooperation unit 535, and starts the specified web application.

The other application execution control unit 54 is realized by the CPU reading and executing another application stored in the memory. The other application execution control unit 54 activates another application instructed by another application start command input from the inter-app cooperation unit 535, or another application instructed by an operation signal input from an input device. The other application execution control unit 54 may issue a service start command while the other application is being executed. The other application execution control unit 54 outputs the issued service start command to the inter-application cooperation unit 535.

Next, the details of the message control unit 534 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the message control unit 534. The message control unit 534 includes a service identification management unit 5341, a message reception unit 5342, a message determination unit 5343, a message distribution unit 5344, and a source service setting unit 5345.

The service identification management unit 5341 manages a correspondence table between the identifier of the service execution unit 532 and the identifier of the web service which is a service provided by the web application executed by the service execution unit 532, for example, in a list format. The identifier of the web service is predetermined. In addition, each web service sends and receives by adding a predetermined identifier for each web service as a destination address to a part of the message by adding a prefix or the like.

The message receiving unit 5342 receives the message from the receiving device 4 and the message from each service executing unit 532. The message receiving unit 5342 transmits the received message to the message determination unit 5343 and the message distribution unit 5344. The message receiving unit 5342 may transmit only the information necessary for determining the destination to the message determination unit 5343.

The message determination unit 5343 collates the service identifier added to the message received from the message reception unit 5342 with the correspondence table stored in the service identification management unit 5341 to determine the message transmission destination, and determines the message distribution unit. Notify 5344. The message determination unit 5343 uses the receiving device 4 as the transmission destination when the identifier of the source service and the identifier of the destination service added to the message are the same, and sets the service execution unit 532 as the transmission destination when they are different. .. Further, depending on the embodiment, the message determination unit 5343 issues an identifier for establishing a communication channel between services and determines a message transmission destination based on the identifier.

The message distribution unit 5344 transmits the message received from the message reception unit 5342 to the destination determined by the message determination unit 5343. The source service setting unit 5345 adds the identifier of the source service execution unit 532 to the message transmitted by the service execution unit 532 to the receiving device 4 or another service execution unit 532.

As described above, there is only one broadcast managed application executed by the receiving device 4. Therefore, in order to execute a plurality of services with one broadcast managed application, a program for executing each of the plurality of services is described in one HTML document (application program). For example, in addition to the service A in the current broadcast managed application provided by the broadcasting station A, it is assumed that the service X commonly provided by the broadcasting station A and the broadcasting station B is operated at the same time. At this time, the function of the service X is described in JavaScript (registered trademark) or the like in the HTML document of the service A provided by the broadcasting station A and in the HTML document of the service B of the broadcasting managed application provided by the broadcasting station B. Further, since a plurality of services individually send and receive messages between devices, the function of the service execution management unit 422 having the same function as the service execution management unit 533 of the cooperation terminal 5 and the same as the message control unit 534 of the cooperation terminal 5 The function of the message control unit 423 having the function of is described in the HTML document of both the services of the service A and the service B in the same manner as the function of the service X. The functions of the service execution management unit 422 include control of starting and ending of the service execution unit 421, and control of whether or not to display on the screen for each service.

Next, a description example of the broadcast managed application will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a description example of a broadcast managed application. The figure is an example in which the broadcast managed application of broadcasting station A is described as an HTML document. As shown in the figure, the elements to be displayed for service A and service X are grouped in the div, and the id is specified (serviceA, common_serviceX). The function of each service executed by the service execution unit 421 is described in JavaScript (registered trademark) and included in the head part (serviceA.js, common_serviceX). Further, the service execution management unit 422 controls functions such as starting and terminating the service execution unit 421 (common_appcontrol.js), the message control unit 423 functions (common_messaging.js), and the service execution management unit 422 displays each service. The control function (common_viewcontrol.js) of is also included. When the application execution unit 409 executes the broadcast managed application described as the HTML document in this way, the application execution unit 409 operates as the service execution unit 421, the service execution management unit 422, and the message control unit 423. As a result, the same functions are introduced into both the broadcast managed application on the receiving device 4 and the companion application on the cooperative terminal 5, so that a plurality of services can be used on the pair of receiving devices 4 and the cooperative terminal 5. Become.
The function unit that operates as the service execution management unit 422, the message control unit 423, and the service execution unit 421 may be mounted in advance in the application execution unit 409 of the receiving device 4.

The service execution management unit 533 of the cooperation terminal 5 starts or stops the web application by the service execution unit 532 according to the instruction from the receiving device 4 or the instruction input by the user to the cooperation terminal 5. Specifically, when a service start instruction is output from the broadcast managed application executed by the application execution unit 409 of the receiving device 4, the terminal cooperation unit 412 sets the cooperation terminal 5 as the transmission destination and sets the communication input / output unit 406 as the transmission destination. Send a service start instruction via. The service start instruction includes information that identifies the web application to be started. The terminal cooperation unit 531 of the cooperation terminal 5 outputs the service start instruction received via the communication input / output unit 511 to the service execution management unit 533. The service execution management unit 533 starts the web application instructed to start by the received service start instruction. Alternatively, when the user inputs the information of the web application to be activated by the input device of the cooperation terminal 5, the service execution management unit 533 activates the web application to be activated. As a result, the service execution unit 532 operates in the cooperation application execution control unit 53.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a message.
FIG. 8A shows a service in which the service execution unit 421 executing the function of the service P of the broadcast managed application in the receiving device 4 executes the web application of the service P in the terminal-side cooperation application of the cooperation terminal 5. The message M11 transmitted to the execution unit 532 is shown. FIG. 8B shows the service execution from the service execution unit 532, which executes the web application of service P in the terminal-side cooperation application of the cooperation terminal 5, and also executes the web application of service Q in the terminal-side cooperation application. The message M21 transmitted to the unit 532 is shown. The message M11 is a message described by the service execution unit 421 executing the function of the service P of the broadcast managed application, and the message M12 is described by the service execution unit 532 executing the web application of the service P. Message. In the messages M11 and M21, the identifier (dst: ServiceP, dst: ServiceQ) of the destination service and the message body (message) are described.

The message M12 shown in FIG. 8C and the message M22 shown in FIG. 8D are messages received by the message receiving unit 5342 of the cooperation terminal 5. The message M12 is the message M11 with the identifier of the source service P (src: ServiceP) added, and the message M22 is the message M21 with the identifier of the source service P (src: ServiceP) added. It is a thing.

Specifically, the source service setting unit 4235 of the receiving device 4 adds the identifier of the source service P to the message M11 to become the message M12. In the case of the message M12, the identifier of the source service is set by the function of the source service setting unit 4235 (common_messaging.js in FIG. 7) of the message control unit 423 generated by executing the broadcast managed application. To. On the other hand, in the case of the message M22, the source service setting unit 5345 of the cooperation terminal 5 adds the identifier of the source service P to the message M21.

The message format is not limited to these description examples. Further, in the present embodiment, only the identifier of the service of the transmission source and the identifier of the service of the transmission destination are described, but the receiving device 4 or the cooperation terminal 5 may be described as the transmission destination.

9 and 10 are processing flows showing the operations of the message control unit 423 and the message control unit 534. In the following, the message control unit 534 will be described as an example, but the message control unit 423 also operates in the same manner.

FIG. 9 shows a processing flow when a message is received. The terminal cooperation unit 531 of the cooperation terminal 5 outputs a message received from the reception device 4 via the communication input / output unit 511 to the message reception unit 5342. The message receiving unit 5342 receives a message from the terminal cooperation unit 531 (step S105). The message receiving unit 5342 detects the identifier of the destination service and the identifier of the source service from the received message (step S110). The message receiving unit 5342 notifies the message determination unit 5343 of the identifier of the destination service read by the message and the identifier of the source service, and notifies the message distribution unit 5344 of the entire message (step S115).

The message determination unit 5343 requests the service identification management unit 5341 to collate whether or not the service execution unit 532 is executing the service specified by the identifier of the destination service (step S120). The service identification management unit 5341 acquires the identifier of the service execution unit 532 registered in the correspondence table in association with the identifier of the destination service notified from the message determination unit 5343. The service identification management unit 5341 outputs a collation result for setting the identifier when the identifier of the service execution unit 532 can be acquired, and outputs a collation result indicating that the service execution unit 532 does not exist when the identifier cannot be acquired.

When the message determination unit 5343 determines that it has received a collation result indicating that there is a service execution unit 532 that executes the service specified by the identifier of the destination service from the service identification management unit 5341 (step S125: yes). , Step S130 is performed. That is, the message determination unit 5343 notifies the message distribution unit 5344 to notify the service execution unit 532 that is executing the web service specified by the identifier of the destination service described in the message to transmit the message. (Step S130). The message distribution unit 5344 transmits a message to the service execution unit 532 specified by the identifier of the destination service described in the message according to the instruction of the message determination unit 5343 (step S135).

On the other hand, when the message determination unit 5343 determines that the service identification management unit 5341 has received a collation result indicating that there is no service execution unit 532 that executes the service specified by the identifier of the destination service (step S125: No). ), The process of step S140 is performed. That is, the message determination unit 5343 performs predetermined error processing such as returning an error to the source of the message (step S140).

FIG. 10 shows a processing flow at the time of issuing a message. The service execution unit 532 sets a message and notifies the source service setting unit 5345 (step S205). The source service setting unit 5345 adds the identifier of the service being executed by the service execution unit 532 of the message transmission source as the sender identifier to the received message, and notifies the message reception unit 5342 ( Step S210). The message receiving unit 5342 notifies the message determination unit 5343 of the identifier of the destination service read from the message and the identifier of the sending source service, and notifies the message distribution unit 5344 of the entire message (step S215).

The message determination unit 5343 determines whether or not the identifiers of the transmission destination and the transmission source are the same (step S220). When the message determination unit 5343 determines that the identifiers of the transmission destination and the transmission source are the same (step S225: Yes), the message determination unit 5343 transmits a message to the message distribution unit 5344 to the receiving device 4 via the terminal cooperation unit 531. (Step S230). The message distribution unit 5344 outputs a message to the terminal cooperation unit 531 according to the instruction of the message determination unit 5343, and the terminal cooperation unit 531 receives the message received from the message distribution unit 5344 via the communication input / output unit 511. It is transmitted to 4 (step S240).

On the other hand, when the message determination unit 5343 determines that the identifiers of the transmission destination and the transmission source are not the same (step S225: No), the process of step S235 is performed. That is, the message determination unit 5343 reads out the identifier of the service execution unit 532 registered in the correspondence table corresponding to the identifier of the destination service described in the message from the service identification management unit 5341. The message determination unit 5343 transmits a message to the service execution unit 532 specified by the read identifier, that is, the service execution unit 532 executing the web service specified by the identifier of the destination service described in the message. The message distribution unit 5344 is notified to do so (step S235). The message distribution unit 5344 transmits a message to the service execution unit 532 designated as a transmission destination by the message determination unit 5343 (step S240).

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram between the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5. The service execution unit 421 of the receiving device 4 issues a message in which the identifier of the service executed by the cooperation terminal 5 is set as the destination (step S305). The source service setting unit 4235 sets the identifier of the source service in the message received from the service execution unit 421 and outputs the identifier to the message receiving unit 4232 (step S310). The message receiving unit 4232 notifies the message determination unit 4233 of the identifier of the source service and the identifier of the destination service acquired from the message (step S315), and notifies the entire message to the message distribution unit 4234 (step S320). .. Since the identifier of the source service and the identifier of the destination service are the same, the message determination unit 4233 notifies the message distribution unit 4234 to transmit the message to the cooperation terminal 5 (step S325). The message distribution unit 4234 outputs a message to the terminal cooperation unit 412 (step S330), and the terminal cooperation unit 412 transmits the message to the cooperation terminal 5 via the communication input / output unit 406.

The communication input / output unit 511 of the cooperation terminal 5 outputs the message received from the receiving device 4 to the terminal cooperation unit 531 (step S335). The message receiving unit 5342 receives a message from the terminal cooperation unit 531 (step S340). The message receiving unit 5342 notifies the message determination unit 5343 of the identifier of the source service and the identifier of the destination service acquired from the message (step S345), and notifies the entire message to the message distribution unit 5344 (step S350). .. When the message determination unit 5343 receives the collation result indicating the existence of the web service specified by the identifier of the destination service from the service identification management unit 5341, the message determination unit 5343 performs the process of step S355. That is, the message determination unit 5343 instructs the message distribution unit 5344 to output a message to the service execution unit 532 executing the web service specified by the identifier of the destination service (step S355). The message distribution unit 5344 outputs a message to the service execution unit 532 instructed by the message determination unit 5343 (step S360).

Although FIG. 11 shows an example of transmitting a message from the receiving device 4 to the cooperation terminal 5, the message transmission from the cooperation terminal 5 to the receiving device 4 can also be executed by the same procedure.

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram when a message is transmitted between the web applications of the cooperative terminal 5. In the figure, the service execution unit 532-1 is described as the service execution unit (1), and the service execution unit 534-2 is described as the service execution unit (2).

The service execution unit 532-1 issues a message in which the identifier of the service being executed by the service execution unit 534-2 is set as the destination (step S405). The source service setting unit 5345 sets the identifier of the source service in the message received from the service execution unit 532-1 and outputs it to the message reception unit 5342 (step S410). The message receiving unit 5342 notifies the message determination unit 5343 of the identifier of the source service and the identifier of the destination service acquired from the message (step S415), and notifies the entire message to the message distribution unit 5344 (step S420). .. Since the identifier of the source service and the identifier of the destination service are different, the message determination unit 5343 transmits a message to the service execution unit 532-2 that executes the web service specified by the identifier of the destination service. Notify the message distribution unit 5344 to do so (step S425). The message distribution unit 5344 outputs a message to the service execution unit 532-2 instructed by the message determination unit 5343 (step S430).

FIG. 12 shows a case where a message is transmitted between the web applications of the cooperative terminal 5, but the same procedure can be executed when a message is transmitted between the service execution units 421 of the receiving device 4.

In the above-described examples of FIGS. 8 to 12, the identifier of the source service and the identifier of the destination service are added to all the messages for transmission, but the embodiment in which the identifier of the channel between the services is added. It doesn't matter. In this case, before starting messaging between the service of the broadcast managed application of the receiving device 4 and the web service of the linked terminal 5, or between the web services of the linked terminal 5, a connection process is executed between the services. Establish a channel. After that, the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5 transmit a message based on the identifier of the session assigned in the established channel without adding the identifiers of the source and the destination until the process of disconnection is executed. To do.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of setting a message when a message is transmitted between the service of the broadcast managed application of the receiving device 4 and the web service of the cooperation terminal 5 based on the identifier of the session. 13 (a) is a connection registration message M31, FIG. 13 (b) is a connection registration confirmation message M32, FIG. 13 (c) is a connection disconnection message M33, and FIG. 13 (d) is a connection disconnection confirmation message M34. , FIG. 13E shows the message M35 in which the message body is set.

The connection registration message M31, the connection registration confirmation message M32, the connection disconnection message M33, the connection disconnection confirmation message M34, and the message M35 include a type attribute. By this type attribute, it is possible to identify whether the message is registered (publish) / registration confirmation (subscribe) / disconnection (unpublish) / disconnection confirmation (unsubscribe) / message body (body).

Further, in the connection registration message M31, the connection registration confirmation message M32, the connection disconnection message M33, and the connection disconnection confirmation message M34, the identifier of the source service (src) and the identifier of the destination service (dst) are set to connect. The registration confirmation message M32 and the disconnection confirmation message M34 further describe the identifier (subscribe_ID) of the session assigned to the established channel. The source and destination are not set in the message M35 in which the message body (message) is set, and the session identifier (subscribe_ID) and the message content (message) are described.

14 and 15 are sequence diagrams in the case where a message is transmitted between the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5 based on the session identifier.

FIG. 14 shows a sequence of connection registration processing. The service execution unit 421 of the receiving device 4 issues a connection registration message (step S505). The connection registration message issued by the service execution unit 421 includes a type attribute in which "publish" indicating that the message is a connection registration message is set, and a dst attribute in which the identifier of the destination service is set. The source service setting unit 4235 adds a src attribute in which the identifier of the source service is set to this message. The source service setting unit 4235 outputs the connection registration message to which the src attribute is added to the message receiving unit 4232 (step S510).

The message receiving unit 4232 notifies the message determination unit 4233 of the identifier of the destination service and the identifier of the source service set in the connection registration message (step S515), and sends the entire connection registration message to the message distribution unit 4234. Notify (step S520). Since the message determination unit 4233 has the same identifier for the service of the transmission destination and the transmission source, the message determination unit 4233 notifies the message distribution unit 4234 to transmit the message to the cooperation terminal 5 (step S525). The message distribution unit 4234 outputs a connection registration message to the terminal cooperation unit 412 (step S530), and the terminal cooperation unit 412 outputs the connection registration message received from the message distribution unit 4234 to the cooperation terminal via the communication input / output unit 406. Send to 5.

The communication input / output unit 511 of the cooperation terminal 5 receives a message from the receiving device 4 and outputs it to the terminal cooperation unit 531 (step S535). The message receiving unit 5342 receives a message from the terminal cooperation unit 531 (step S540). The message receiving unit 5342 outputs the received message to the message determination unit 5343 (step S545). When the message determination unit 5343 determines that the connection registration message is based on the type attribute of the received message, it issues a subscribe_ID and stores it in association with the identifiers of the source and destination services. A new subscribe_ID may be issued each time the connection is disconnected, or a predetermined subscribe_ID may be assigned to the source-destination pair. Further, the message determination unit 5343 generates a connection registration confirmation message. The connection registration confirmation message includes the type attribute in which "subscribe" indicating the connection registration confirmation message is set, the issued subscribe_ID, and the dst attribute and src attribute set in the connection registration confirmation message. The message determination unit 5343 notifies the message distribution unit 5344 of the generated connection registration confirmation message, and instructs the reception device 4 to transmit the message (step S550).

The message distribution unit 5344 outputs the connection registration confirmation message to the terminal cooperation unit 531 (step S555), and the terminal cooperation unit 531 transmits the connection registration confirmation message to the receiving device 4 via the communication input / output unit 511 (step S555). Step S560).

The communication input / output unit 406 of the receiving device 4 outputs the message received from the cooperation terminal 5 to the terminal cooperation unit 412. The message receiving unit 4232 receives a message from the terminal cooperation unit 412 (step S565). The message receiving unit 4232 determines from the type attribute of the received message that it is a connection registration confirmation message. The message receiving unit 4232 outputs the subscribe_ID acquired from the connection registration confirmation message and the identifiers of the source and destination services to the message determination unit 4233 (step S570). The message determination unit 4233 registers the subscribe_ID and the identifiers of the source and destination services in association with each other. Further, the message receiving unit 4232 notifies the service executing unit 421 executing the broadcast managed application specified by the identifier of the destination service of the connection registration confirmation message with the subscribe_ID (step S575).

FIG. 15 shows a sequence of message transmission processing. The service execution unit 421 of the receiving device 4 issues a message in which the message body is set (step S605). The message includes a type attribute in which "body" indicating that it is the message body is set, subscribe_ID according to the service of the destination, and the message content. The source service setting unit 4235 sets the identifier of the source service in the message received from the service execution unit 421. It is not necessary to set the identifier of the source service. The source service setting unit 4235 outputs a message in which the identifier of the source service is set to the message receiving unit 4232 (step S610).

The message receiving unit 4232 notifies the message determination unit 4233 of the subscribe_ID set in the message (step S615), and notifies the entire message to the message distribution unit 4234 (step S620). Since the message determination unit 4233 has the same identifier of the destination and the source service stored in correspondence with the subscribe_ID, the message distribution unit 4234 notifies the message distribution unit 4234 to transmit the message to the cooperation terminal 5 (step S625). The message distribution unit 4234 outputs a message to the terminal cooperation unit 412 (step S630), and the terminal cooperation unit 412 transmits the message received from the message distribution unit 4234 to the cooperation terminal 5 via the communication input / output unit 406. ..

The communication input / output unit 511 of the cooperation terminal 5 outputs the message received from the receiving device 4 to the terminal cooperation unit 531 (step S635). The message receiving unit 5342 receives a message from the terminal cooperation unit 531 (step S640). When the message receiving unit 5342 determines that the message body is the message body based on the type of the received message, the message receiving unit 5342 outputs the subscribe_ID read from the message to the message determining unit 5343 (step S645) and outputs the message to the message distributing unit 5344 (step S650). ). Since the source and destination service identifiers corresponding to subscribe_ID are the same, the message determination unit 5343 outputs a message to the service execution unit 532 that is executing the service specified by the destination service identifier. Message distribution unit 5344 is instructed (step S655). The message distribution unit 5344 outputs a message to the service execution unit 532 instructed by the message determination unit 5343 (step S660).

Although FIGS. 14 and 15 show an example of transmitting a message from the receiving device 4 to the cooperation terminal 5, the message transmission from the cooperation terminal 5 to the receiving device 4 can also be executed by the same procedure.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a description example of a message when a message is transmitted between the web applications of the cooperation terminal 5 based on the session identifier. 16 (a) is a connection registration message M41, FIG. 16 (b) is a connection registration confirmation message M42, FIG. 16 (c) is a connection disconnection message M43, and FIG. 16 (d) is a connection disconnection confirmation message M44. , FIG. 16E shows a message M45 in which a message body is set. The attributes included in the messages of M41 to M45 are the same as the messages of M31 to M35 shown in FIG. 13, respectively.

That is, the connection registration message M41, the connection registration confirmation message M42, the connection disconnection message M43, the connection disconnection confirmation message M44, and the message M45 include the type attribute. Further, in the connection registration message M41, the connection registration confirmation message M42, the connection disconnection message M43, and the connection disconnection confirmation message M44, the identifier of the source service (src) and the identifier of the destination service (dst) are set to connect. The registration confirmation message M42 and the disconnection confirmation message M44 further describe the identifier (subscribe_ID) of the session assigned to the established channel. The source and destination are not set in the message M45 in which the message body (message) is set, and the session identifier (subscribe_ID) and the message content (message) are described.

17 and 18 are sequence diagrams in the case of transmitting a message between the web applications of the cooperative terminal 5 based on the session identifier. This sequence is not different from the sequence shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 in the basic procedure. However, when transmitting a message between the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5, the cooperation terminal 5 transmits and receives from the message distribution unit 5344 via the terminal cooperation unit 531. However, in the case of between web applications, the message is transmitted. A message is transmitted from the distribution unit 5344 to the message reception unit 5342 in the cooperation terminal 5, and the same processing is subsequently executed.

FIG. 17 shows a sequence of connection registration processing between the web applications of the linked terminal 5. The service execution unit 532-1 of the cooperation terminal 5 issues a connection registration message (step S705). In the connection registration message issued by the service execution unit 532-1, the type attribute in which "publish" indicating that the connection registration message is set is set, and the identifier of the destination service executed by the service execution unit 534-2. Contains the dst attribute with the set. The source service setting unit 5345 adds a src attribute in which the identifier of the source service is set to this message. The source service setting unit 5345 outputs a connection registration message to which the src attribute has been added to the message receiving unit 5342 (step S710).

The message receiving unit 5342 notifies the message determination unit 5343 of the identifier of the destination service and the identifier of the source service set in the connection registration message (step S715), and sends the entire connection registration message to the message distribution unit 5344. Notify (step S720). Since the message determination unit 5343 has different identifiers for the service of the transmission destination and the transmission source, the message determination unit 5343 notifies the message distribution unit 5344 to transmit the message to the message reception unit 5342 (step S725). The message distribution unit 5344 outputs the connection registration message to the message reception unit 5342 (step S730).

The message receiving unit 5342 outputs the received message to the message determination unit 5343 (step S735). When the message determination unit 5343 determines that the connection registration message is based on the type of the received message, it issues a subscribe_ID and stores it in association with the identifiers of the source and destination services. Further, the message determination unit 5343 generates a connection registration confirmation message. The message determination unit 5343 notifies the message distribution unit 5344 of the generated connection registration confirmation message, and instructs the message reception unit 5342 to transmit the message (step S740). The message distribution unit 5344 outputs a connection registration confirmation message to the message reception unit 5342 (step S745).

The message receiving unit 5342 outputs the subscribe_ID acquired from the received connection registration confirmation message and the identifiers of the source and destination services to the message determination unit 5343 (step S750). The message determination unit 5343 registers the subscribe_ID and the identifiers of the source and destination services in association with each other. Further, the message receiving unit 5342 notifies the service executing unit 532-1 executing the web application specified by the identifier of the destination service of the connection registration confirmation message with the subscribe_ID (step S755).

FIG. 18 shows a sequence of message transmission processing between the web applications of the linked terminal 5. The service execution unit 532-1 of the cooperation terminal 5 issues a message in which the message body is set (step S805). The source service setting unit 5345 sets the identifier of the source service in the message received from the service execution unit 532-1. It is not necessary to set the identifier of the source service. The source service setting unit 5345 outputs a message in which the identifier of the source service is set to the message receiving unit 5342 (step S810).

The message receiving unit 5342 notifies the message determination unit 5343 of the subscribe_ID set in the message (step S815), and notifies the entire message to the message distribution unit 5344 (step S820). Since the message determination unit 5343 has different identifiers of the destination and source services stored corresponding to the subscribe_ID, the service execution unit 532-2 that executes the web service specified by the identifier of the destination service. Notifies the message distribution unit 5344 to send a message to (step S825). The message distribution unit 5344 outputs a message to the service execution unit 532-2 instructed by the message determination unit 5343 (step S830).

Although FIGS. 17 and 18 show a case where a message is transmitted between the web applications of the cooperative terminal 5, the same procedure can be used for transmitting a message from the broadcast managed application to another application in the receiving device 4.

Next, the relationship between the terminal cooperation unit 531, the service execution management unit 533, and the inter-application cooperation unit 535 will be described. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between the terminal cooperation unit 531, the service execution management unit 533, and the inter-application cooperation unit 535.

The terminal cooperation unit 531 executes a pairing process with the receiving device 4 to establish a connection with the receiving device 4. In the pairing process, for example, the communication method specified in IEEE802.11, IEEE802.5.1, etc. can be used. The service execution unit 421 of the receiving device 4 may issue another application start command during operation. When the terminal cooperation unit 531 receives the other application start command from the receiving device 4, the terminal cooperation unit 531 outputs the received other application start command to the service execution management unit 533.

Another application start command may be input to the service execution management unit 533 from the service execution unit 532 or the terminal cooperation unit 531. Among the input commands, the service execution management unit 533 issues a command including a predetermined URL (Uniform Resource Locator) scheme (for example, extra app //:…) as identification information indicating another application as a command to start another application. Identifies as. The service execution management unit 533 outputs a command to start another application to the inter-application cooperation unit 535.

A service start command may be input to the service execution management unit 533 from the inter-application cooperation unit 535. The service execution management unit 533 specifies the web application for providing the service indicated by the service start command as the web application to be started. The service start command may include a service identifier indicating the service to be executed. The service execution management unit 533 starts the specified web application and generates a service execution unit 532 that executes the web application.

The inter-app cooperation unit 535 converts the data format of the other application start command input from the service execution management unit 533 from the inter-app cooperation format to the inter-app cooperation format. The in-linked application format is a data format that can be processed by each component of the linked application execution control unit 53. As the format in the linked application, a format similar to the above-mentioned message (for example, FIG. 16) may be used. The inter-application cooperation format is a data format that can be processed by the other application execution control unit 54. The command in the format in the linked application is a command in a format that can be used when the execution control unit 54 of another application performs the processing. Therefore, the inter-app cooperation format depends on the specifications of other apps. The inter-application cooperation unit 535 outputs the other application start command obtained by the conversion to the other application execution control unit 54. The other application execution control unit 54 starts another application specified by the other application start command. The other application execution control unit 54 may issue a service start command while the other application is being executed. The other application execution control unit 54 transmits the issued service start command to the inter-application cooperation unit 535. The inter-app cooperation unit 535 converts the data format of the service start command input from the other application execution control unit 54 from the inter-app cooperation format to the cooperation in-app format. The inter-application cooperation unit 535 outputs the service start command obtained by the conversion to the service execution management unit 533.

Next, the details of the inter-app cooperation unit 535 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the inter-application cooperation unit 535.
The inter-app cooperation unit 535 includes an inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351, an inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352, and an inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353.

The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 converts the format of the other application start command input from the service execution management unit 533 from the inter-app cooperation format to the inter-app cooperation format. The inter-application cooperation processing unit 5351 interprets, for example, another application start command, and detects a URL scheme "extra app: // ..." that specifies another application to be started and a parameter "params" that indicates a start condition. As a parameter, for example, a URL indicating the location of another application or data used for its operation is specified. The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 configures a command in the inter-app cooperation format including information on the detected other application and the start condition as a converted command. The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 outputs the converted other application start command to the inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353.

The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 converts the format of the service start command input from the inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353 from the inter-app cooperation format to the cooperation in-app format. The inter-application cooperation processing unit 5351 interprets the service start command and detects an identifier indicating another application of the source and a service identifier indicating the service to be started. The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 configures a command in the linked application format including the detected service identifier as a converted command. The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 outputs the converted service start command in the linked application format to the service execution management unit 533.

In addition, the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 may inquire the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 whether or not to start the web application that provides the service instructed by the service start command. At that time, the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 generates a startability determination request for the service and other apps instructed by the service start command. The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 outputs the generated startability determination request to the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352. In the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351, the execution feasibility determination is input from the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 as a response to the startability determination request. When the startability determination indicates startability, the inter-application cooperation processing unit 5351 outputs the converted service start command to the service execution management unit 533. When the startability determination indicates that the startability is not possible, the inter-application cooperation processing unit 5351 causes the service execution management unit 533 to execute a predetermined error process. The service execution management unit 533 displays, for example, an error screen on the display as error processing. An error message indicating the reason for the error may be displayed on the error screen. The service execution management unit 533 may start an application for providing a preset service (default service) as error processing.

The inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 manages the cooperation condition data (condition management table). The cooperation condition data is data indicating whether or not the web application executed by the service execution unit 532 can be linked with another application. More specifically, the cooperation condition data is data indicating whether or not the web application can be started for each other application of the source of the service start command, and the range (access condition) of the service that can be started. A startability determination request is input from the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 to the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352. The inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 refers to the cooperation condition data stored in its own unit, and determines whether or not to start the web application that provides the service for other apps and services instructed by the startability determination request. judge. The inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 outputs the startability determination, which is the determination result, to the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351. An example of cooperation condition data will be described later.

The inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353 transmits another application start command input from the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 to the other application execution control unit 54. Further, the inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353 outputs a service start command received from the other application execution control unit 54 to the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351.

Next, an example of cooperation condition data will be described. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of cooperation condition data. In the example shown in FIG. 21, the cooperation condition data is data indicating whether or not cooperation is possible (cooperation authorization) for each source application. In the item of the source application, the other application executed by the other application execution control unit 54, which is the source of the service start command, is shown. In the item of cooperation authorization, whether or not the web application that provides the service specified in the startability judgment request can be executed is indicated. When the information set in the link authorization item indicates that the link is possible, that is, the web application can be started (OK), the access condition item may be further associated. In the access condition item, information indicating a service that allows the web application to be started (OK) is set.

The second line of FIG. 21 indicates that "NG" is set in the item of cooperation authorization in association with the source application "AppX". This "NG" indicates that the web application specified by the service start command from the source application "AppX" cannot be started. Therefore, the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that the web application that provides the service instructed by the service start command from the source application "AppX" cannot be started. The third line of FIG. 21 indicates that "OK" is set in the item of cooperation authorization and "Service A" is set in the item of access condition in association with the source application "AppY". Therefore, the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that the web application that provides the service A instructed by the service start command from the source application "AppX" can be started (OK). The inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that a web application that provides a service other than service A (for example, service B) specified by a service start command from the source application "AppX" cannot be started (NG). .. In the fourth line of FIG. 21, "OK" is set in the item of cooperation authorization and "Service A" and "Service B" are set in the item of access condition in association with the source application "AppZ". Show that. Therefore, the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that the web application that provides the service A or the service B instructed by the service start command from the source application "AppX" can be started (OK). The inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that a web application that provides a service other than services A and B (for example, service C) instructed by a service start command from the source application "AppX" cannot be started (NG). To do.

In the example shown in FIG. 21, access condition information is not set in association with the item of cooperation authorization in which "NG" is set. Here, regarding the service start command from the sender application that cannot be started (NG), the inter-application cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that the web application cannot be started (NG) regardless of the service, and cannot start (NG). Is output to the inter-application cooperation processing unit 5351. When this startability determination is input, the inter-application cooperation processing unit 5351 issues an error processing start command and outputs it to the service execution management unit 533. When an error processing start command is input from the inter-application cooperation condition management unit 5352, the service execution management unit 533 activates, for example, a service application for displaying a predetermined error screen as error processing. In addition, if the access condition information is not set in association with the item of cooperation authorization for the service start command from the source application that is the source application for which "OK" is set, the inter-application cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that the inter-application cooperation condition management unit 5352 cannot be started (NG). On the other hand, in order to allow the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 to access all services and determine that the web application can be started (OK), set "OK" in the cooperation authorization item and set "OK". , An identifier for all access permissions such as "ALL" may be set in the access condition item.

Next, a processing flow related to the activation of another application from the service execution unit 532 of the linked application execution control unit 53 will be described. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a processing flow related to the activation of another application from the service execution unit 532 of the cooperation application execution control unit 53.
The service execution management unit 533 determines whether or not the command input from the service execution unit 532 is another application start command. The service execution management unit 533 outputs a command determined to be another application start command to the inter-application cooperation processing unit 5351 (step S905). The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 interprets the other application start command input from the service execution management unit 533, and detects information on the other application to be started and the start condition as the inter-app cooperation information (step S910). The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 converts the format of the other application start command from the inter-app cooperation format to the inter-app cooperation format so as to include the detected inter-app cooperation information (step S915). The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 outputs the converted other application start command to the inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353 (step S920). The inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353 transmits another application start command input from the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 to the other application execution control unit 54. The other application execution control unit 54 starts another application instructed by the inter-app cooperation information of the other application start command input from the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 according to the start condition instructed by the inter-app cooperation information ( Step S925).

Next, the processing flow related to the activation of the web application in the linked application execution control unit 53 from the other application execution control unit 54 will be described. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a processing flow related to the activation of the web application in the linked application execution control unit 53 from the other application execution control unit 54.
The inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353 receives a service start command from the other application execution control unit 54 (step S1005). The inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353 outputs the received service start command to the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 (step S1010). The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 interprets the service start command input from the inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353, and detects the identifier of the source application and the service identifier of the target service (step S1015). The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 inquires the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 whether or not the web application that provides the service can be started for the detected source application and the target service (step S1020).

When the inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that it can be started (OK) (step S1025 OK), the inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 generates a service start command in the linked application format including a service identifier indicating the detected service. (Step S1030). The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 outputs the generated service start command in the linked application format to the service execution management unit 533 (step S1035). Then, the service execution management unit 533 detects the service identifier from the service start command input from the inter-application cooperation processing unit 5351. The service execution management unit 533 activates the web application that provides the service specified by the detected service identifier.
On the other hand, when the inter-application cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines that it cannot be started (NG) (step S1025 NG), the service execution management unit 533 is made to execute a predetermined error process (step S1040).

According to the embodiment described above, the broadcast communication cooperation system 1 has a receiving device 4 and a cooperation terminal 5 (terminal device). The receiving device 4 executes a process of outputting content data included in a broadcast signal and a process of executing an application (broadcast managed application) that provides a plurality of services by operating in cooperation with the broadcast signal. The cooperative terminal 5 executes a plurality of service applications (service applications, web applications), which are applications that provide individual services, in parallel. The function of the service included in the application executed by the receiving device 4 and the function of the service provided by the service application cooperate to provide the service to the user.

The cooperation terminal 5 includes a cooperation application execution control unit 53 and another application execution control unit 54. The linked application execution control unit 53 executes a service application, which is an application that provides a predetermined service. Further, the linked application execution control unit 53 includes a service execution unit 532, a service execution management unit 533, an inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351, and an inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353. The service execution unit 532 executes a web application that is an application related to a predetermined service. The service execution unit 532 acquires another application start command indicating the start of another application. The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 converts the format of the other application start command into an inter-app cooperation format that can be processed by the other application execution control unit. The inter-app cooperation communication unit 5353 transmits another application start command in the inter-app cooperation format to the other application execution control unit 54. The other application execution control unit 54 controls the execution of another application, which is an application separate from the linked application that operates in cooperation with the receiving device 4.

Further, the inter-application cooperation communication unit 5353 receives a service start command indicating the start of the service application from the other application execution control unit 54. The inter-app cooperation processing unit 5351 converts the format of the service start command into an in-app cooperation format that can be processed by the cooperation application execution control unit 53. The linked application execution control unit 53 includes a service execution management unit 533. The service execution management unit 533 activates the application related to the service indicated by the service activation command in the in-app cooperation format.

Further, the cooperation application execution control unit 53 further includes an inter-application cooperation condition management unit 5352. The inter-app cooperation condition management unit 5352 determines whether or not to start the application related to the service based on at least one of the other application executed by the other application execution control unit 54 and the service indicated by the service start command.

Further, the cooperation application execution control unit 53 further includes a terminal cooperation unit 531. The terminal cooperation unit 531 establishes a connection with the receiving device 4 that executes a web application that provides a predetermined service in cooperation with the received broadcast signal. The service execution management unit 533 acquires another application start command from the receiving device 4.

According to the embodiment described above, in a broadcast communication cooperation service such as hybrid cast, one application (one service provider) executed by the receiving device such as a broadcast managed application is executed by the cooperation terminal. Even when there are a plurality of applications (multiple service providers), a plurality of applications executed on the linked terminal can be linked to one application executed on the receiving device. As a result, in the current hybrid cast operation, multiple multi-screen services can be executed in parallel by simply modifying the companion application (cooperation application) installed on the cooperation terminal without changing the implementation of the receiving device. It will be possible.

In addition, in the broadcast communication cooperation service, an external application (other application) that already exists on the cooperation terminal is started from the application related to the service provided on the companion application or the application related to the service provided on the receiving device. be able to. Therefore, cooperation between services is promoted.
In addition, an application related to a service provided on the companion application can be started from an external application. Since the launched application can be linked with the application related to the service provided on the receiving device, the cooperation between the services is further promoted.
Further, when the application is started from the external application, whether or not the application can be started is determined according to the external application or the service specified by the application start command. Therefore, cooperation with an external application is realized according to the intention of the creator of the application.

The above-mentioned receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5 have a computer system inside. Then, a part of the operation process of the receiving device 4 and the cooperation terminal 5 is stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a program, and the computer system reads and executes this program to perform the above processing. Will be done. The computer system referred to here includes hardware such as a CPU, various memories, an OS, and peripheral devices.

In addition, the "computer system" includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, or a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, a "computer-readable recording medium" is a communication line for transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and dynamically holds the program for a short period of time. In that case, it also includes the one that holds the program for a certain period of time, such as the volatile memory inside the computer system that becomes the server or client. Further, the above-mentioned program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions, and may be a program for realizing the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

1 ... Broadcast communication cooperation system 2 ... Broadcast transmission device 3 ... Service server 4 ... Reception device 5 ... Cooperation terminal 51 ... Hardware unit 52 ... OS unit 53 ... Cooperation application execution control unit 54 ... Other application execution control unit 401 ... Broadcast reception Unit 402 ... Separation unit 403 ... Video decoding unit 404 ... Audio decoding unit 405 ... Data broadcasting execution unit 406 ... Communication input / output unit 407 ... Remote control input control unit 408 ... Power supply control unit 409 ... Application execution unit 410 ... Application control unit 411 ... Broadcast communication cooperation unit 412 ... Terminal cooperation unit 413 ... Video synthesis unit 414 ... Video display unit 415 ... Voice synthesis unit 416 ... Audio output unit 421 ... Service execution unit 422 ... Service execution management unit 423 ... Message control unit 511 ... Communication input / output Unit 531 ... Terminal cooperation unit 5321 to 532-3 ... Service execution unit 533 ... Service execution management unit 534 ... Message control unit 535 ... Inter-application cooperation unit 4231 ... Service identification management unit 4232 ... Message receiving unit 4233 ... Message judgment unit 4234 ... Message distribution unit 4235 ... Source service setting unit 5341 ... Service identification management unit 5342 ... Message reception unit 5343 ... Message judgment unit 5344 ... Message distribution unit 5345 ... Source service setting unit 5351 ... Inter-app cooperation processing unit 5352 ... App Inter-application cooperation condition management unit 5353 ... Inter-app cooperation communication unit

Claims (5)

A linked application execution control unit that executes a service application that is an application that provides a predetermined service,
It is equipped with another application execution control unit that controls the execution of other applications that are separate applications from the linked application that operates in cooperation with the receiving device.
The linked application execution control unit
The service execution unit that executes the service application and
A service execution management unit that acquires another application start command indicating the start of the other application from the service execution unit, and a service execution management unit.
An inter-application cooperation processing unit that converts the format of the other application start command into an inter-application cooperation format that can be processed by the other application execution control unit.
A terminal device including an application-to-application cooperation communication unit that transmits another application start command of the application-to-application cooperation type to the other application execution control unit. The inter-application cooperation communication unit
Upon receiving a service start command indicating the start of the service application from the other application execution control unit,
The inter-application cooperation processing unit
The format of the service start command is converted into an in-app cooperation format that can be processed by the cooperation application execution control unit.
The linked application execution control unit
The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a service execution management unit that starts a service application related to the service indicated by the service start command of the in-app cooperation type. The linked application execution control unit
It is characterized by including an inter-application cooperation condition management unit that determines whether or not the service application related to the service indicated by the service start command can be started based on at least one of the other application and the service indicated by the service start command. The terminal device according to claim 2. The linked application execution control unit
It is equipped with a terminal cooperation unit that establishes a connection with a receiving device that executes an application that provides a predetermined service in cooperation with the received broadcast signal.
The service execution management department
The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a command for starting another application is acquired from the receiving device. On the computer
A linked application execution control unit that executes a service application that is an application that provides a predetermined service,
It is equipped with another application execution control unit that controls the execution of other applications that are separate applications from the linked application that operates in cooperation with the receiving device.
The linked application execution control unit
The service execution unit that executes the service application and
A service execution management unit that acquires another application start command indicating the start of the other application from the service execution unit, and a service execution management unit.
An inter-application cooperation processing unit that converts the format of the other application start command into an inter-application cooperation format that can be processed by the other application execution control unit.
A program for functioning as a terminal device, which comprises an application-to-application cooperation communication unit that transmits another application start command of the application-to-application cooperation type to the other application execution control unit.

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