Information provider apparatus enabling selective playing of multimedia information by interactive input based on displayed hypertext information

Abstract

An information provider apparatus, enabling a user to employ hyperlink selection from a displayed hypertext data page to obtain and play the contents of specific sets of multimedia data which are held in a data storage device, executes control of playing of a set based upon elapsed frame numbers of a video clip which forms part of the set, in conjunction with scenario data which have been predetermined for the set. The apparatus can be used in a network in which users of various client terminals can access multimedia data stored at a server computer, or can exchange electronic mail items each consisting of a set of multimedia data in conjunction with corresponding scenario data, or can post messages on a "notice board" hypertext page at the server computer, each message consisting of a set of multimedia data and corresponding scenario data, with other users of the network being able to access the posted messages by browsing selection.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An information provider apparatus comprising data input/output means including data input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands, and data display means (112) for displaying a plurality of types of monomedia data including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection in accordance with a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112);

data storage means for storing hypertext data and data of at least one hypervideo clip, said hypervideo data clip data being formed of subject matter data and scenario data, said subject matter data comprising data of a plurality of monomedia data items which include a video clip that has been preassigned as a reference video clip of said hypervideo clip, said scenario data including information specifying times of starting playing of respective ones of said monomedia data items other than said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip;

means responsive to said operating commands for reading out, from said data storage means, said scenario data and subject matter data of a hypervideo clip which is specified by said operating commands; and

means for

continuously supplying said reference video clip data of the specified hypervideo clip to said data display means (112) to be displayed thereby, as said reference video clip data are read out from said data storage means, and for maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip,

selectively generating data transfer commands to acquire from said data storage means specific subject matter data of said specified hypervideo clip other than said reference video clip, at times determined in accordance with said said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, and

continuously supplying said specific subject matter data to said data data display means (112) as said specific subject matter data are read out from said data storage means, with video data of said subject matter data being transferred to said data display means (112) at a transmission rate which permits real-time transfer and continuous-motion display of the contents of said video data.

2. An information provider apparatus comprising

first data service means (130) including first data storage means (131) having stored therein hypertext page data and monomedia data, said monomedia data including scenario reference data corresponding to respective hypervideo clips, said scenario reference data being connected by hyperlinks to said hypertext page data, said scenario reference data including storage location information for respective scenario data files of said hypervideo clips within second data storage means (151), said first data service means being responsive to externally supplied first data transfer commands for selectively reading out said hypertext page data and scenario reference data;

second data service means (150), including said second data storage means (151) having stored therein data constituting said hypervideo clips, responsive to second data transfer commands for selectively reading out said data, the data of a hypervideo clip consisting of a scenario data file and a plurality of subject matter data files for respective monomedia data items, said monomedia data items including a video clip which has been preassigned as a reference video clip, said scenario data including storage location information for said subject matter data files with respect to said second data storage means (151) and playing information including times of starting playing the contents of respective ones of said subject matter data files other than said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip;

data input/output means (110) including input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands and data display means (112) for playing a plurality of types of monomedia data including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection from a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112);

information browsing means (120) comprising information browsing control means (121), acquired data storage means (122) and hypervideo data playing means (124),

said information browsing control means (121) being responsive to said operating commands for generating corresponding ones of said first data transfer commands to thereby acquire, from said first data service means (130) data of a specific one of said hypertext pages or scenario reference data for a specific one of said hypervideo clips,

said acquired data storage means (122) storing said acquired hypertext page data and scenario reference data, with said hypertext page data being read out and supplied to said data display means (112), and

said hypervideo data playing means (124) reading out said scenario reference data from said acquired data storage means (122) and using said scenario reference data to generate said second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining the scenario data data of said specific hypervideo clip from said second data service means (150), using said scenario data to further generate said second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining said reference video clip data of said specific hypervideo clip from said second data service means and continuously supplying said reference video clip data to said data display means (112), maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip, further generating said second data transfer commands to begin obtaining from said second data service means the contents of specific subject matter data files of said hypervideo clip at respective times determined in accordance with said said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, and continuously supplying said contents to said data display means (112); and

first data transfer means for transferring said first data transfer commands from said information browsing control means (121) to said first data service means (130) and for transferring resultant hypertext page data and scenario reference data to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122), and second data transfer means for transferring said second data transfer commands from said hypervideo data playing means (124) to said second data service means and for transferring resultant scenario data and subject matter data to said hypervideo data playing means (124), said second data transfer means executing said data transfer at a transmission rate permitting real-time transfer with continuous-motion display of the contents of video data portions of said subject matter data.

3. An information provider apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a data communication path (140) connecting said information browsing means (120) to said first data service means (130), said data communication path having a transmission bandwidth sufficiently wide to permit real-time data transfer of video data with continuous-motion display of the data contents, wherein said first data transfer means comprise a first data communication system (141) for transferring, via said data communication path (140), said first data transfer commands (140) to said first data service means (130) and resultant hypertext data and scenario reference data to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122), and a second data communication system (142) for transferring, via said data communication path (140), said second data transfer commands to said second data service means and resultant scenario data and subject matter data to said hypervideo data playing means (124).

4. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said data input/output means 110 and information browsing means (120) in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said first data service means and second data service means in combination constitute a server computer for providing hypertext data and hypervideo data to said client terminal, said client terminal and server computer being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

5. An information provider apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said server computer by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said server computer, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

6. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said data input/output means 110 and and information browsing means (120) in combination constitute a client terminal, wherein said first data service means constitutes a first server computer and second data service means constitutes a second server computer, said first and second server computers in combination providing hypertext data and hypervideo data to said client terminal, said client terminal and first and second server computers being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

7. An information provider apparatus according to claim 6, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said first and second server computers by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said server computers, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

8. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said data input/output means 110 and information browsing means (120) in combination constitute a client terminal, wherein said second data service means comprises a discontinuous media data service means (150a) for storing and managing parts of said subject matter data which consist of discontinuous media data, and a continuous media data service means (150b) for storing and managing parts of said subject matter data which consist of continuous media data wherein said non-continuous media data service means (150a) in combination with said first data service means (130) constitutes a first server computer and said non-continuous media data service means (150a) constitutes a second server computer, said first and second server computers in combination providing hypertext data and hypervideo data to said client terminal, said client terminal and first and second server computers being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

9. An information provider apparatus according to claim 8, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said first and second server computers by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said server computers, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

10. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said data input/output means 110 and information browsing means (120) in combination constitute a client terminal, said first data service means (130) constitutes a first server computer, and said second data service means comprises at least

scenario data service means, constituting a second server computer, for storing and managing scenario data of hypervideo clips,

video data service means, constituting a third server computer, for storing and managing video data of hypervideo clips,

audio data service means, constituting a fourth server computer, for storing and managing audio data of hypervideo clips,

still picture data service means, constituting a fifth server computer, for storing and managing still picture data of hypervideo clips, and

text data service means, constituting a sixth server computer, for storing and managing text data of hypervideo clips;

said first, second third, fourth, fifth, and sixth server computers in combination providing hypertext data and hypervideo data to said client terminal, said client terminal and first, second third, fourth, fifth, and sixth server computers being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

11. An information provider apparatus according to claim 10, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said first, second third, fourth, fifth, and sixth server computers by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said server computers, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

12. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said data input/output means 110, information browsing control means 120 and first data service means (130) in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said second data service means constitutes a server computer for providing hypervideo data to said client terminal, said client terminal and server computer being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

13. An information provider apparatus according to claim 12, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said server computer by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said server computer, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path, wherein said first data service means of each said client terminal holds stored, in said first data storage means thereof, scenario reference data or scenario data which are utilized solely by said client terminal.

14. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second data service means consists of a primary means (150k) and a secondary means (150h), wherein said data input/output means 110, information browsing control means 120 and secondary means (150h) of the second data service means in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said first data service means and said primary means (150k) of the second data service means in combination constitutes a server computer for providing hypertext data and hypervideo data to said client terminal, said client terminal and server computer being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

15. An information provider apparatus according to claim 14, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said server computer by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said server computer, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path, wherein said secondary means (150h, 150i, 150j) of said second data service means of each said client terminal holds stored, in said second data storage means thereof, subject matter data which are utilized solely by said client terminal, and in which said primary means of the second data service means holds stored, in said second data storage means thereof, subject matter data which are for use in common by said plurality of client terminals.

16. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second data service means consists of primary means (150n) and secondary means (150m), wherein said data input/output means 110, information browsing control means 120 and secondary means (150m) of the second data service means in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said first data service means (130e) and said primary means (150) of the second data service means in combination constitutes a server computer for providing hypertext data and hypervideo data to said client terminal, said second data storage means of said primary means (150n) of the second data service means holding master data, said second data storage means of said secondary means (150m) of the second data service means holding data obtained by copying at least a specific portion of said master data, said client terminal and server computer being mutually connected by said data communication path (140), further comprising switch means disposed within said data communication path, operable for selectively connecting said client terminal to said server computer to enable said master data to be transferred and copied by said client terminal.

17. An information provider apparatus according to claim 16, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said server computer by said data communication path (140) through the intermediary of respective ones of said switch means for mutually independently communicating with said server computer, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

18. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second data service means consists of a primary means (150q) and a secondary means (150p), wherein said data input/output means 110, information browsing control means 120, first data service means (130) and secondary means (150p) of the second data service means in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said said primary means (150q) of the second data service means constitutes a server computer for providing hypertext data and hypervideo data to said client terminal, said second data storage means of said primary means (150q) of the second data service means holding complete subject matter data of hypervideo data to be used by said client terminal, said second data storage means of said secondary means (150p) of the second data service means holding abstract portions of said complete subject matter data, said data communication path (140) being connected between said client terminal and said server computer, for connecting said primary means (150q) of the second data service means to said information browsing means (120), and said secondary means (150p) of the second data service means being connected to said information browsing means (120) by an internal circuit path within said client terminal.

19. An information provider apparatus according to claim 18, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said server computer by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said server computer, said data communication path (140) being configured as a network data communication path.

20. An information provider apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising hypervideo mail processing means (170) for processing hypervideo mail items each consisting of a hypervideo clip in combination with at least mail destination information, said hypertext data in said data storage means (131) further including hypervideo mail page data containing, for each of respective hypervideo mail items received by said hypervideo mail processing means, said mail destination information in conjunction with a hyperlink to the scenario reference data file of said mail item, said hypervideo mail processing means comprising:

temporary mail storage means,

mail processing means (170) for receiving externally supplied hypervideo mail items, extracting said destination information from an externally supplied hypervideo mail item, transferring the subject matter data and scenario data contents of said hypervideo mail item to said second data service means (150) to be stored in said second data storage means, and transferring resultant storage location information for said subject matter data and scenario data, in conjunction with said mail destination information, to said first data service means (130) for thereby generating a scenario reference file for said mail item and updating said hypervideo mail page data.

21. An information provider apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said hypervideo mail generating means (180), said data input/output means 110 and said information browsing means (120) in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means (170), first data service means (130) and second data service means (150) in combination constitute a mail server computer, said client terminal and mail server computer being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

22. An information provider apparatus according to claim 21, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said mail server computer by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said mail server computer, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

23. An information provider apparatus according to claim 22, wherein at least one of said client terminals comprises hypervideo mail generating means, operable for generating arbitrary hypervideo mail items.

24. An information provider apparatus according to claim 23, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-network data communication path (194) connecting said plurality of local area networks, wherein said mail server computer of a local area network executes dedicated storage of data of hypervideo mail items having as destinations any of said client terminals of said local area network, wherein each of said mail server computers further comprises destination enquiry management means (179) for providing information specifying respective hypervideo mail item storage dedication relationships between said mail server computers and client terminals, and wherein an originating client terminal functions, prior to sending a hypervideo mail item to a destination client terminal, to obtain from said destination management means of the mail server computer of said originating client terminal, the identity of the dedicated mail server computer of said destination client terminal, and to then transmit said hypervideo mail item to said dedicated mail server computer.

25. An information provider apparatus according to claim 23, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-network data communication path (194') for mutually connecting said local area networks, said inter-network data communication path (194') having a transmission bandwidth sufficiently wide to enable real-time transfer of video data with continuous-motion display, wherein said mail server computer of a local area network executes dedicated receiving and storage of all hypervideo mail items transmitted by the client terminals of said local area network, and wherein said mail processing means (190) of each of said mail server computers further comprises

table memory means for providing information specifying respective dedicated receiving and storage relationships between said client terminals and said mail server computers and means for

judging that a received hypervideo mail item has as its destination a client terminal which is not within the local area network of said each mail server computer,

transferring said hypervideo mail item to said second data service means (150) to be stored in said second data storage means (151),

generating a reference mail item including storage location information for said hypervideo mail item, and

transmitting said reference mail item to the mail server computer of the local area network containing said client terminal which is the destination of said hypervideo mail item.

26. An information provider apparatus according to claim 23, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, with said inter-server data communication path extending through a wide-area data communication network, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network, and

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the name of the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal, and transmitting said hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer.

27. An information provider apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said wide-area data communication network is the Internet.

28. An information provider apparatus according to claim 23, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (1195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to locally originated hypervideo mail items which are sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, with said inter-server data communication path extending through a wide-area data communication network, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network, and

means (1199, 1195a, 198) functioning, when a received locally originated hypervideo mail item is judged to have as its destination a client terminal within some other local area network, to supply said hypervideo mail item to said second data service means (150) to be stored in said second data storage means (151), to generate a reference mail item containing the destination information and storage location information for said hypervideo mail item, and to transmit said reference mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to the mail server computer of said destination client terminal,

functioning, when a reference mail item is received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), to update said mail page data held in said first data storage means (131) in accordance with the contents of said reference mail item,

functioning, when said reference mail item is selected by a user from a client terminal, by hyperlink selection from said mail page data, to generate and transmit to the originating mail server computer of said reference mail item, via said inter-server data communication path (1194), a request for transmission of the hypervideo mail item corresponding to said reference mail item, and

functioning, when said corresponding hypervideo mail item is received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), to supply said hypervideo mail item to said second data service means (150) to be stored in said second data storage means (151), and to update said mail page information held in said first data storage means (131) in accordance with destination information and storage location information for said hypervideo mail item.

29. An information provider apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said wide-area data communication network is the Internet.

30. An information provider apparatus according to claim 23, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network,

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the name of the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal, and

means for encoding said hypervideo mail item in the form of an electronic mail item and for transmitting a resultant encoded hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer by using a data communication protocol which is designed for exchange of electronic mail items in a wide-area network;

and wherein each of said mail server computers further comprises decoding means for decoding each said encoded hypervideo mail item, when received from said inter-server data communication path.

31. An information provider apparatus according to claim 30, wherein each said data communication protocol is the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and said encoding is executed using the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions code (MIME).

32. An information provider apparatus according to claim 23, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, with said inter-server data communication path extending through the Internet, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network,

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the name of the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal,

means for generating a reference mail item specifying at least the name of the destination client terminal of said hypervideo mail item, and for transmitting said reference mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal,

means responsive to receiving a reference mail item from said inter-server data communication path (1194) for generating a request for transmission in encoded form of the hypervideo mail item corresponding to said reference mail item, and for transmitting said request via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to an originating mail server computer of said received reference mail item, and

means responsive to receiving a request for transmission of a hypervideo mail item in encoded form for encoding said hypervideo mail item in the form of an electronic mail item and for transmitting a resultant encoded hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer, using a data communication protocol which is designed for exchange of electronic mail in a wide-area network

each of said mail server computers further comprising decoding means for decoding each said encoded hypervideo mail item, when received from said inter-server data communication path.

33. An information provider apparatus according to claim 32, wherein each said encoded hypervideo mail item is transmitted by utilizing the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and said encoding is executed using the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions code (MIME).

34. An information provider apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said hypertext page data held in said first data storage means (131) include data of at least one page which is assigned as a notice board, said information provider apparatus further comprising hypervideo message posting processing means (160) for receiving externally supplied hypvervideo messages each formed of scenario data and subject matter data of a hypervideo clip in conjunction with information specifying a message theme and a name of a notice board page, each of said hypvervideo messages being configured in a predetermined format, said hypvervideo message posting processing means (160) including:

hypervideo message data distribution means (163) for supplying said subject matter data data and scenario data of a hypervideo message to said second data service means (151) to be stored as scenario data and subject matter data files in said second data storage means (151), and obtaining from said second data service means storage locating information for said message data contents, and

notice board page updating processing means (163) for receiving from said hypervideo message data distribution means (162) said notice board name information and message theme information and said storage location information for said hypervideo message data contents, and for supplying said storage location information and message theme information to said first data service means to thereby update a notice board page which is specified by said notice board name information, by inserting said message theme information into said notice board page with said message theme information having a hyperlink connection to said scenario data and subject matter data files.

35. An information provider apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said hypervideo mail generating means (180), said data input/output means 110 and said information browsing means (120) in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means (170), first data service means (130), second data service means (150) and hypervideo message posting processing means (160) in combination constitute a server computer, said client terminal and server computer being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

36. An information provider apparatus according to claim 35, comprising a plurality of said client terminals each connected to said server computer by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said server computer, with at least one of said client terminals comprising hypvervideo message generating means controllable for generating arbitrary hypvervideo messages and sending said hypvervideo messages to said server computer via said data communication path (140) to said local area network, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

37. An information provider apparatus according to claim 36 comprising a wide-area network having a plurality of local area networks, each comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-network data communication path (1194) interconnecting respective server computers of said local area networks, wherein said client terminals of a local area network transmit hypvervideo messages only to the server computer of said local area network, each of said server computers further including wide-area distribution processing means (2180), said wide-area distribution processing means (2180) comprising:

means responsive to posting of a hypervideo message by said server computer for distributing said hypervideo message, via said inter-server data communication path (1194), to each of a predetermined set of other server computers of said wide-area network, and

means responsive to receiving, via said inter-network data communication path (1194), a distributed hypervideo message, for executing processing to post said distributed hypervideo message in a notice board page which is specified by said notice board name information of said hypervideo message.

38. An information provider apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said wide-area distribution processing means (2180) of a server computer comprises:

distribution memory means (2182) having stored therein information specifying, for each of respective notice board pages assigned in said first data service means (130) of said server computer, respective names of other server computers to which are predetermined as distribution destination server computers for said notice board page;

message posting detection means (2181) coupled to said hypervideo message posting processing means (160), responsive to execution of processing to post a hypervideo message by said hypervideo message posting processing means (160) for generating detection result data corresponding to said hypervideo message, said detection result data specifying at least information specifying the message theme of said hypervideo message and a name of a notice board page on which said hypervideo message was posted;

distribution transmitting means (2183) coupled to receive said detection result data from said message posting detection means (2181), for obtaining from said distribution condition memory (2182) respective names of said distribution destination server computers corresponding to said notice board page, and for transmitting said hypervideo message to each of said distribution destination server computers, via said inter-server data communication path (1194), and

distributed message data receiving means (2184) for receiving distributed hypervideo messages transmitted thereto via said inter-server data communication path (1194) for configuring each said distributed hypervideo message in said predetermined format and supplying said distributed hypervideo message to said hypervideo message posting processing means (160).

39. An information provider apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said distribution transmitting means (2183) comprises means for executing transmission of a hypervideo message to a distribution destination server computer via said inter-server data communication path (1194) by:

creating a header file containing said notice board name information and message theme information of said hypervideo message,

obtaining from said second data service means (150) the scenario data file and subject matter data files of said hypervideo message,

transmitting the data contents of each of said header file, scenario data file and subject matter data files to said distribution destination server computer via said inter-server data communication path (1194) by direct data transfer, using a wide-area network file transfer protocol (FTP),

and wherein said distributed message data receiving means (2184) comprises means for processing the data of a hypervideo message received via said inter-server data communication path (1194) by:

obtaining from said header file said notice board name information and message theme information, and combining said notice board name and message theme information with the data contents of said scenario data file and subject matter data files to configure said hypervideo message in said predetermined format, and supplying a resultant hypervideo message to said hypervideo message posting processing means (160).

40. An information provider apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said distribution transmitting means (2183) comprises means for executing transmission of a hypervideo message by a server computer via said inter-network data communication path (1194) by:

obtaining storage position information for said scenario data and subject matter data files of said hypervideo message, with respect to said second data service means (150), to generate message updating information containing said storage position information together with said notice board name information and message theme information, and

transmitting said message updating information via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said distribution destination server computer;

and wherein said distributed message data receiving means (2184) comprises means for processing said message updating information of a hypervideo message, received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), by:

obtaining from said message updating information said storage position information which is contained therein;

obtaining the data contents of said scenario data file and subject matter data files of said hypervideo message by direct data transfer via said inter-server data communication path (1194) using a wide-area network file transfer protocol (FTP), from a server computer which originated said message updating information,

obtaining, from said message updating information, said notice board name information and message theme information which are contained therein, and combining said notice board name and message theme information with the data contents of said scenario data file and subject matter data files to configure said hypervideo message in said predetermined format, and supplying a resultant hypervideo message to said hypervideo message posting processing means (160).

41. An information provider apparatus according to claim 40, wherein each of said server computers comprises temporary data storage means for holding said message updating information, when said message updating information are received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), wherein said means for processing said message updating information by said distributed message data receiving means (2184) performs said processing by executing a specific program, and wherein said each server computer further comprises:

scheduling memory means (2191) for storing schedule data which specify scheduled times of execution of at least said specific program;

scheduling execution means (2192) coupled to said distributed message data receiving means (2184), for controlling said distributed message data receiving means (2184) to initiate said processing of message updating information which is held in said temporary data storage means, at a time determined by said schedule data.

42. An information provider apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said distribution transmitting means (2183) comprises:

means for encoding said hypervideo message corresponding to said detection result data, to obtain an encoded hypervideo message having the form of an electronic mail item, by creating a header file containing said notice board name and message theme information from said detection result data, and encoding said header file together with the scenario data and subject matter data files of the hypervideo message corresponding to said detection result data, and

means for transmitting said encoded hypervideo message to each of said distribution destination server computers via said inter-server data communication path (1194) by using an electronic mail transfer communication protocol which is designed for transfer of electronic mail items within a wide-area network,

and wherein said distributed message data receiving means (2184) comprises means for decoding an encoded hypervideo message which is received via said inter-network data communication path (1194), to obtain said header file, scenario data file and subject matter data files, for configuring the data of said header file, scenario data file and subject matter data files in said predetermined format, and supplying a resultant hypervideo message to said hypervideo message posting processing means (160).

43. An information provider apparatus according to claim 42, wherein said encoding is Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) encoding, and wherein said electronic mail transfer communication protocol is the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

44. An information provider apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said distribution transmitting means (2183) is formed of a 1st distribution transmitting means (2183a) and a 2nd distribution transmitting means (2183b), and said distributed message data receiving means (2184) is formed of a 1st distributed message data receiving means (2184a) and a 2nd distributed message data receiving means (2184b),

said 1st distribution transmitting means (2183a) comprising means for obtaining storage position information for said scenario data and subject matter data files of said hypervideo message, with respect to said second data service means (150), to generate message updating information containing said storage position information together with said notice board name information and message theme information which are conveyed by said detection result data, and means for transmitting said message updating information via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to each said distribution destination server computer,

said 1st distributed message data receiving means (2184a) comprising means for processing said message updating information of a hypervideo message, received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), by obtaining from said message updating information said storage position information which is contained therein, obtaining the data contents of said scenario data file and subject matter data files of said hypervideo message by direct data transfer via said inter-server data communication path (1194) from a server computer which originated said message updating information, using a wide-area network file transfer protocol (FTP), configuring the notice board name information and message theme information from said message updating information together with the contents of said scenario data file and subject matter data files in said predetermined format, and supplying a resultant hypervideo message to said hypervideo message posting processing means (160), and comprising means, functioning in the event of a failure to obtain said data contents of said scenario data file and subject matter data files of said hypervideo message by direct data transfer, for sending to said originating server computer via said inter-server data communication path (1194) a request for retransmission of said hypervideo message, encoded in the form of an electronic mail item;

said 2nd distribution transmitting means (2183b) comprising means functioning in response to receiving via said inter-server data communication path (1194) a request for retransmission of a hypervideo message which has been transmitted by said 1st distribution transmitting means (2183a), for creating a header file containing said notice board name and message theme information from the detection result data of said hypervideo message, encoding said header file together with the scenario data and subject matter data files of said hypervideo message, as an encoded hypervideo message in the form of an electronic mail item, and transmitting said encoded hypervideo message via said inter-server data communication path (1194) using an electronic mail transfer communication protocol which is designed for transfer of electronic mail items within a wide-area network, to a distribution destination server computer which originated said request for retransmission,

said 2nd distributed message data receiving means (2184b) comprising means for decoding an encoded hypervideo message which is received via said inter-network data communication path (1194), to obtain said header file, scenario data file and subject matter data files, for configuring the data of said header file, scenario data file and subject matter data files in said predetermined format, and supplying a resultant hypervideo message to said hypervideo message posting processing means (160), and

distributed message data input processing means (2185) coupled to receive data transmitted via said intra-network data communication path (1194), for notifying said 1st distributed message data receiving means (2184a) when said received data consist of message updating information and for supplying said message updating information to said 1st distributed message data receiving means (2184a), for notifying said 2nd distributed message data receiving means (2184b) when said received data consist of a distributed hypervideo message encoded as an electronic mail item and for supplying said encoded hypervideo message to said 2nd distributed message data receiving means (2184b), and for notifying said 2nd distribution transmitting means (2183b) when said received data consist of a request for retransmission of a hypervideo message and for supplying said request to said 2nd distribution transmitting means (2183b).

45. An information provider apparatus comprising

first data service means (130) including first data storage means (131) having stored therein hypertext page data and monomedia data files, said monomedia data files including files containing scenario data for respective hypervideo clips, said scenario data files being connected by hyperlinks to said hypertext page data, said first data service means being responsive to externally supplied first data transfer commands for selectively reading out said hypertext page data and scenario data files;

second data service means (150), including second data storage means (151) having stored therein subject matter data of said hypervideo clips, with the subject matter data of a hypervideo clip consisting of a plurality of monomedia data items configured respective subject matter data files, said monomedia data items including a video clip which has been preassigned as a reference video clip, said scenario data of a hypervideo clip including information specifying times of starting playing of respective ones of said monomedia data items other than said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip;

data input/output means including input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands and data data display means (112) for playing a plurality of types of monomedia data, including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection in accordance with a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112);

information browsing means (120) comprising information browsing control means (121), acquired data storage means (122) and hypervideo data playing means (124),

said information browsing control means (121) being responsive to said operating commands for generating corresponding ones of said first data transfer commands to thereby acquire, from said first data service means (130), data of a specific one of said hypertext pages or scenario data for a specific one of said hypervideo clips,

said acquired data storage means (122) storing said acquired hypertext data or scenario data, said hypertext data being read out and supplied to said data display means (112);

said hypervideo data playing means (124) comprising means for reading out said scenario data from said acquired data storage means (122), using said scenario data to generate said second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining said reference video clip data of said specific hypervideo clip from said second data service means (150) and continuously supplying said reference video clip data to said data display means (112), maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip, further generating said second data transfer commands to begin obtaining from said second data service means the contents of specific subject matter data files of said specific hypervideo clip at times determined in accordance with said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, and continuously supplying said specific subject matter data file contents to said data display means (112); and

first data transfer means for transferring said first data transfer commands from said information browsing control means (121) to said first data service means (130) and for transferring resultant hypertext data and scenario data to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122), and second data transfer means for transferring said second data transfer commands from said hypervideo data playing means (124) to said second data service means and for transferring resultant hypervideo subject matter data to said hypervideo data playing means (124), said second data transfer means executing said data transfer at a transmission rate permitting real-time transfer with continuous-motion display of the contents of video data portions of said subject matter data.

46. An information provider apparatus according to claim 45, comprising a data communication path (140) connecting said information browsing means (120) to said first data service means (130), wherein said first data transfer means comprise a first data communication system (141) for transferring, via said data communication path (140), said first data transfer commands (140) to said first data service means (130) and resultant hypertext page data and scenario data to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122), and a second data communication system (142) for transferring, via said data communication path (140), said second data transfer commands to said second data service means and resultant subject matter data to said hypervideo data playing means (124).

47. An information provider apparatus according to claim 46, further comprising hypervideo mail processing means (170) for processing hypervideo mail items each consisting of a hypervideo clip in combination with at least mail destination information, said hypertext data in said data storage means (131) further including hypervideo mail page data containing, for each of respective hypervideo mail items received by said hypervideo mail processing means, said mail destination information in conjunction with a hyperlink to the scenario data file of said mail item, said hypervideo mail processing means comprising:

temporary mail storage means,

mail processing means (170) for receiving externally supplied hypervideo mail items, extracting said destination information from an externally supplied hypervideo mail item, transferring the subject matter data contents of said hypervideo mail item to said second data service means (150) to be stored in said second data storage means (151), and transferring the scenario data contents of said hypervideo mail item to said first data service means (130) to be stored in said first data storage means (131), with said hypervideo mail page data being updated accordingly.

48. An information provider apparatus according to claim 47, wherein hypervideo mail generating means (180), said data input/output means 110 and said information browsing means (120) in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means (170), first data service means (130) and second data service means (150) in combination constitute a mail server computer, said client terminal and mail server computer being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

49. An information provider apparatus according to claim 48, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said mail server computer by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said mail server computer, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

50. An information provider apparatus according to claim 49, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-network data communication path (194) connecting said plurality of local area networks, wherein said mail server computer of a local area network executes dedicated storage of data of hypervideo mail items having as destinations any of said client terminals of said local area network, wherein each of said mail server computers further comprises destination enquiry management means (179) for providing information specifying respective hypervideo mail item storage dedication relationships between said mail server computers and client terminals, and wherein an originating client terminal functions, prior to sending a hypervideo mail item to a destination client terminal, to obtain from said destination management means of the mail server computer of said originating client terminal, the identity of the dedicated mail server computer of said destination client terminal, and to then transmit said hypervideo mail item to said dedicated mail server computer.

51. An information provider apparatus according to claim 49, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (1195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to locally originated hypervideo mail items which are sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, with said inter-server data communication path extending through a wide-area data communication network, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network, and

means (1199, 1195a, 198) functioning, when a received locally originated hypervideo mail item is judged to have as its destination a client terminal within some other local area network, to supply said hypervideo mail item to said second data service means (150) to be stored in said second data storage means (151), to generate a reference mail item containing the destination information and storage location information for said hypervideo mail item, and to transmit said reference mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to the mail server computer of said destination client terminal,

functioning, when a reference mail item is received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), to update said mail page data held in said first data storage means (131) in accordance with the contents of said reference mail item,

functioning, when said reference mail item is selected by a user from a client terminal, by hyperlink selection from said mail page data, to generate and transmit to the originating mail server computer of said reference mail item, via said inter-server data communication path (1194), a request for transmission of the hypervideo mail item corresponding to said reference mail item, and

functioning, when said corresponding hypervideo mail item is received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), to supply said hypervideo mail item to said second data service means (150) to be stored in said second data storage means (151), and to update said mail page information held in said first data storage means (131) in accordance with destination information and storage location information for said hypervideo mail item.

52. An information provider apparatus according to claim 51, wherein said wide-area data communication network is the Internet.

53. An information provider apparatus according to claim 49, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network,

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the name of the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal, and

means for encoding said hypervideo mail item in the form of an electronic mail item and for transmitting a resultant encoded hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer;

and wherein each of said mail server computers further comprises decoding means for decoding each said encoded hypervideo mail item, when received from said inter-server data communication path.

54. An information provider apparatus according to claim 53, wherein each said encoded hypervideo mail item is transmitted by utilizing the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and said encoding is executed using the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions code (MIME).

55. An information provider apparatus according to claim 49, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network,

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the name of the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal,

means for generating a reference mail item specifying at least the name of the destination client terminal of said hypervideo mail item, and for transmitting said reference mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal,

means responsive to receiving a reference mail item from said inter-server data communication path (1194) for generating a request for transmission in encoded form of the hypervideo mail item corresponding to said reference mail item, and for transmitting said request via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to an originating mail server computer of said received reference mail item, and

means responsive to receiving a request for transmission of a hypervideo mail item in encoded form for encoding said hypervideo mail item in the form of an electronic mail item and for transmitting a resultant encoded hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer by using a data communication protocol which is designed for exchange of electronic mail in a wide-area network;

each of said mail server computers further comprising decoding means for decoding each said encoded hypervideo mail item, when received from said inter-server data communication path.

56. An information provider apparatus according to claim 55, wherein each said encoded hypervideo mail item is transmitted by utilizing the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and said encoding is executed using the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions code (MIME).

57. An information provider apparatus according to claim 49, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-network data communication path (194') for mutually connecting said local area networks, said inter-network data communication path (194') having a transmission bandwidth sufficiently wide to enable real-time transfer of video data with continuous-motion display, wherein said mail server computer of a local area network executes dedicated receiving and storage of all hypervideo mail items transmitted by the client terminals of said local area network, and wherein said mail processing means (190) of each of said mail server computers further comprises

table memory means for providing information specifying respective dedicated receiving and storage relationships between said client terminals and said mail server computers and means for

judging that a received hypervideo mail item has as its destination a client terminal which is not within the local area network of said each mail server computer,

transferring said hypervideo mail item to said second data service means (150) to be stored in said second data storage means (151),

generating a reference mail item including storage location information for said hypervideo mail item, and

transmitting said reference mail item to the mail server computer of the local area network containing said client terminal which is the destination of said hypervideo mail item.

58. An information provider apparatus according to claim 49, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, with said inter-server data communication path extending through a wide-area data communication network, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network, and

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal, and transmitting said hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer.

59. An information provider apparatus according to claim 49, wherein said wide-area data communication network is the Internet.

60. An information provider apparatus comprising

data service means (130) including first data storage means (131) having stored therein hypertext page data and monomedia data, said monomedia data including title data sets for each of respective hypervideo clips, each said title data set being connected by a hyperlink to said hypertext page data, each said title data set consisting of a file of scenario data and a plurality of subject matter data files for respective monomedia data items, said monomedia data items including a video clip which has been preassigned as a reference video clip, said scenario data including information specifying times of starting playing of contents respective ones of said subject matter data files other than that of said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip, said data service means being responsive to externally supplied data transfer commands for selectively reading out respective ones of said title data sets and hypertext data pages;

data input/output means including input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands and data data display means (112) for playing a plurality of types of monomedia data, including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection in accordance with a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112);

information browsing means (120) comprising information browsing control means (121), acquired data storage means (122) and hypervideo data playing means (124),

said information browsing control means (121) being responsive to said operating commands for generating corresponding data transfer commands, to acquire an updated hypertext data page or a specific title data set from said data service means (130),

said acquired data storage means (122) storing said acquired hypertext data page or title data set, said hypertext data being read out and supplied to said data display means (112), and

said hypervideo data playing means (124) reading out said scenario data and data of said reference video clip of the specific title data set from said acquired data storage means (122) and continuously supplying said reference video clip data to said data display means (112), maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip, further reading out, from said acquired data storage means (122), specific subject matter data files of said specific title data set at times determined in accordance with said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, and for continuously supplying said subject matter data file contents to said data display means (112), with video data portions of said specific subject matter data being being supplied to said data display means (112) at a transmission rate permitting real-time transfer with continuous-motion display; and

data transfer means for transferring said data transfer commands from said information browsing control means (121) to said data service means (130) and for transferring resultant contents of a title data set to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122).

61. An information provider apparatus according to claim 60, comprising a data communication path (140) connecting said information browsing means (120) to said first data service means (130), wherein said data transfer means comprises a data communication system (141) for transferring, via said data communication path (140), said data transfer commands to said first data service means (130) and resultant hypertext page data or title data set contents to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122).

62. An information provider apparatus according to claim 61, further comprising hypervideo mail processing means (170) for processing hypervideo mail items each consisting of a hypervideo clip in combination with at least mail destination information, said hypertext data in said data storage means (131) further including hypervideo mail page data containing, for each of respective hypervideo mail items received by said hypervideo mail processing means, said mail destination information in conjunction with a hyperlink to the scenario reference data file of said mail item, said hypervideo mail processing means comprising:

temporary mail storage means,

mail processing means (170) for receiving externally supplied hypervideo mail items, extracting said destination information from an externally supplied hypervideo mail item, transferring the subject matter data and scenario data contents of said hypervideo mail item to said data service means (130) to be stored in said data storage means as a title data set which is connected by a hyperlink to said mail page data, and updating said mail page data in accordance with said extracted destination information.

63. An information provider apparatus according to claim 62, wherein said hypervideo mail generating means (180), data input/output means 110 and information browsing means (120) in combination constitute a client terminal, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means (170) and data service means (130) in combination constitute a mail server computer, said client terminal and mail server computer being mutually connected by said data communication path (140).

64. An information provider apparatus according to claim 63, comprising a plurality of said client terminals, each connected to said mail server computer by said data communication path (140) for mutually independently communicating with said mail server computer, said data communication path being configured as a network data communication path.

65. An information provider apparatus according to claim 64, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-network data communication path (194) connecting said plurality of local area networks, wherein said mail server computer of a local area network executes dedicated storage of data of hypervideo mail items having as destinations any of said client terminals of said local area network, wherein each of said mail server computers further comprises destination enquiry management means (179) for providing information specifying respective hypervideo mail item storage dedication relationships between said mail server computers and client terminals, and wherein an originating client terminal functions, prior to sending a hypervideo mail item to a destination client terminal, to obtain from said destination management means of the mail server computer of said originating client terminal, the identity of the dedicated mail server computer of said destination client terminal, and to then transmit said hypervideo mail item to said dedicated mail server computer.

66. An information provider apparatus according to claim 64, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-network data communication path (194') for mutually connecting said local area networks, said inter-network data communication path (194') having a transmission bandwidth sufficiently wide to enable real-time transfer of video data with continuous-motion display, wherein said mail server computer of a local area network executes dedicated receiving and storage of all hypervideo mail items transmitted by the client terminals of said local area network, and wherein said mail processing means (190) of each of said mail server computers further comprises

table memory means for providing information specifying respective dedicated receiving and storage relationships between said client terminals and said mail server computers and means for

judging that a received hypervideo mail item has as its destination a client terminal which is not within the local area network of said each mail server computer,

transferring said hypervideo mail item to said data service means (130) to be stored in said first data storage means (131),

generating a reference mail item including storage location information for said hypervideo mail item, and

transmitting said reference mail item to the mail server computer of the local area network containing said client terminal which is the destination of said hypervideo mail item.

67. An information provider apparatus according to claim 64, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, with said inter-server data communication path extending through a wide-area data communication network, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network, and

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal, and transmitting said hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer of the destination client terminal.

68. An information provider apparatus according to claim 67, wherein said wide-area data communication network is the Internet.

69. An information provider apparatus according to claim 64, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (1195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to locally originated hypervideo mail items which are sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, with said inter-server data communication path extending through a wide-area data communication network, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network, and

means (1199, 1195a, 198) functioning, when a received locally originated hypervideo mail item is judged to have as its destination a client terminal within some other local area network, to supply said hypervideo mail item to said data service means (130) to be stored in said first data storage means (131), to generate a reference mail item containing the destination information and storage location information for said hypervideo mail item, and to transmit said reference mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to the mail server computer of said destination client terminal,

functioning, when a reference mail item is received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), to update said mail page data held in said first data storage means (131) in accordance with the contents of said reference mail item,

functioning, when said reference mail item is selected by a user from a client terminal, by hyperlink selection from said mail page data, to generate and transmit to the originating mail server computer of said reference mail item, via said inter-server data communication path (1194), a request for transmission of the hypervideo mail item corresponding to said reference mail item, and

functioning, when said corresponding hypervideo mail item is received via said inter-server data communication path (1194), to supply said hypervideo mail item to said data service means (130) to be stored in said first data storage means (131), connected by a hyperlink to said mail page data, and to update said mail page information in accordance with the destination information for said hypervideo mail item.

70. An information provider apparatus according to claim 69, wherein said wide-area data communication network is the Internet.

71. An information provider apparatus according to claim 64, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, with said inter-server data communication path extending through the Internet, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network,

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the name of the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal, and

means for encoding said hypervideo mail item in the form of an electronic mail item and for transmitting a resultant encoded hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer by using a using a data communication protocol which is designed for exchange of electronic mail in a wide-area network,

and wherein each of said mail server computers further comprises decoding means for decoding each said encoded hypervideo mail item, when received from said inter-server data communication path.

72. An information provider apparatus according to claim 71, wherein each said encoded hypervideo mail item is transmitted via the Internet by utilizing the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and said encoding is executed using the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions code (MIME).

73. An information provider apparatus according to claim 64, comprising a plurality of local area networks, each of said local area networks comprising a plurality of said client terminals and a mail server computer mutually connected by a network data communication path (140), and an inter-server data communication path (1194) mutually connecting respective mail server computers of said local area networks, wherein in each of said mail server computers said hypervideo mail processing means (195) is coupled to receive hypervideo mail items sent from other local area networks via said inter-server data communication path (1194) in addition to hypervideo mail items sent via said network data communication path (140) from client terminals of the local area network of said mail server computer, and wherein said hypervideo mail processing means further comprises

mail destination information memory means (196) providing information which specifies, for each of said client terminals, the mail server computer of the corresponding local area network,

means (197, 198) for judging whether a hypervideo mail item received from a client terminal of said local area network of the mail server computer has as its destination a client terminal located within another one of said local area networks, and, if so, obtaining from said mail destination information memory means (196) the name of the mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal,

means for generating a reference mail item specifying at least the name of the destination client terminal of said hypervideo mail item, and for transmitting said reference mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer of the local area network of said destination client terminal,

means responsive to receiving a reference mail item from said inter-server data communication path (1194) for generating a request for transmission in encoded form of the hypervideo mail item corresponding to said reference mail item, and for transmitting said request via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to an originating mail server computer of said received reference mail item, and

means responsive to receiving a request for transmission of a hypervideo mail item in encoded form for encoding said hypervideo mail item in the form of an electronic mail item code and for transmitting a resultant encoded hypervideo mail item via said inter-server data communication path (1194) to said mail server computer;

each of said mail server computers further comprising decoding means for decoding each said encoded hypervideo mail item, when received from said inter-server data communication path.

74. An information provider apparatus according to claim 73, wherein each said encoded hypervideo mail item is transmitted via the Internet by utilizing the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and said encoding is executed using the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions code (MIME).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information provider apparatus whereby a user can selectively obtain and play various types of data, with the selection being performed interactively based on hypertext data which are displayed to the user.

In particular, the invention relates to such an information provider apparatus whereby the provided data can consist of a plurality of different types of monomedia data, which can be played simultaneously to provide a multimedia data presentation, whereby the monomedia data can include data such as video or audio data which are of continuous (i.e. time-varying) type, and whereby such data can be selected and played by the user with no substantial delay occurring between the time at which the user executes the selection and the time at which playing of that data begins, even if the data are stored at a remote location.

2. Prior Art Technology

In recent years, use of hypertext data has become widespread in the field of data processing display technology. Hypertext data consist of units of pages, which can be successively acquired (i.e. by readout from memory) and displayed. Each page of the data contains one or more embedded text elements each of which points to some other page of the hypertext data, or to a data file which is stored in memory, such that selection of an embedded element by a user will result in the corresponding page being displayed, or the corresponding file data being read out and played. (It should be noted that the term "played" as used in the following description and appended claims is intended to have the meaning "displayed", when applied to text data or still picture data, and the meaning "played, providing a continuous-motion picture", when applied to video data). Such linking connections from an embedded text element in a hypertext page to some other hypertext data page or to a monomedia data file are often referred to as hyperlinks, and that term will be used in the following. When a hypertext page is displayed, the user can activate a hyperlink, (generally by using a pointing device such as a mouse) by specifying the display screen region where the embedded hyperlink text element appears. In the following, the term "data item" will be applied to refer to such objects as a hypertext page, the contents of a monomedia data file (such as a text document, a video clip, and audio clip, etc.), and a region of a hypertext page that is used to activate a hyperlink will be referred to as an item selection region.

Hypertext data are thus convenient for use in a system in which one or more client terminals are connected by respective data transmission paths or a network to a server computer, which may be a server of a wide-area network, such as a Web server of the Internet, or a server of an intra-organization "intranet". Information stored in memory at the server computer may be made available in common to each of the client terminals. With the Internet or an "intranet", client terminals communicate with a server computer on the basis of hyperlinks, i.e. using the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) for data transfer between server and client terminals, and with hypertext data being expressed in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). When a user of a client terminal selects a hyperlinked data item in a displayed page, then the selected data item (hypertext data page or monomedia data file) is downloaded from the server computer, i.e. is read out from memory at the server computer, transferred via a data communication path to the client terminal, stored in memory at the client terminal, and can then be played by the user.

In the following, an example of a prior art type of information provider appparatus will be described. This may be configured as a client terminal linked by a data communication path to a server computer. Since hypertext data and monomedia data (as defined above) are the types of data which are transferred via the World Wide Web, hypertext data and monomedia data which are stored and managed in such a way that hypertext data pages and monomedia data files can be accessed by a user via respective hyperlinks (from a displayed hypertext page) will be collectively referred to in the following as WWW data. However it should be emphasized that the term "WWW data" is used in that manner only for convenience of description when referring to a specific class of data, and does not in any way limit the present invention to use with the World Wide Web or the Internet.

FIG. 66 is a system block diagram which shows the basic configuration of the prior art information provider apparatus example. In FIG. 66, a WWW data service section 3 is formed of a WWW data management section 32 and WWW data storage section 31, and is coupled via a data communication path 4 to an information browsing section 2, which can be controlled by a user by means of an I/O section 1. The I/O section 1 and information browsing section 2, in combination, may constitute a client terminal, with the WWW data service section 3 constituting a server computer. The I/O section 1 includes an input apparatus 11, which receives operation inputs from a user, and a display apparatus 12 which serves to output to the user various types of media data, i.e. make the data visible or audible to the user as the data are being played. Hence it should be understood that the display apparatus 12 in general represents a combination of such types of apparatus as a video display device, audio amplifier and loudspeaker, etc. The input apparatus 11 generally consists of a keyboard, together with a pointing device such as a mouse.

The information browsing section 2 includes a browsing control section 21 which serves to obtain, from the WWW data service section 3, WWW data which have been selected by the user by means of the input apparatus 11. The information browsing section 2 further includes an acquired data storage section 22, for holding downloaded WWW data, and a monomedia data playing section 23 which controls playing of the WWW data.

The WWW data service section 3 is made up of a WWW data storage section 31, such as a high-capacity hard disk data storage device, and a WWW data management section 32 which outputs specific parts of the WWW data (i.e. in units of hypertext data pages or data files) to the data communication path 4 in accordance with requests which are sent from the information browsing section 2 via the data communication path 4. Such requests are generated based on hyperlink selection operations executed using the input apparatus 11.

The data communication path 4 operates on the basis of a HTTP communication system 41, which controls communication between the server computer and the client terminal, i.e. controls transfer of downloading requests from the client terminal to the server computer, and the transferring of requested hypertext data pages or monomedia data files from the server computer to the client terminal. Specifically, the HTTP communication system 41 of FIG. 66 conceptually represents a combination of software (programs) and hardware which are used by the browsing control section 21 and WWW data management section 32 to implement communication via the data communication path 4 by using the HTTP protocol.

FIG. 67 shows an example of the format of a page of WWW data that is expressed in HTML, as used by such a prior art type of information provider apparatus. As shown, the page has the name "sample.html", it contains a hyperlink to another hypertext data page, named "pics.html", in the ninth line, and a hyperlink to a video data file having the file name "movs.mpeg" in the twelfth line.

FIG. 68 shows an example of the configuration of a playing control table 24 which is held in the browsing control section 21 of the information browsing section 2. The table consists of a set of records, each representing a type of data file (or hypertext page unit) which can be held by the information browsing section 2. Each of the records has the following components:

(1) File Extension

This is the file name extension which is used in the name of that type of file, or in the name of a hypertext page.

(2) Data Type

This indicates the format of the data in each of the corresponding files.

(3) Player

This specifies the name of the application program which is invoked to play the data of the corresponding files. If no player is specified, then this signifies that the data are played by the browsing control section 21, as is the case with HTML data.

Thus for example in FIG. 68, each file having the file extension ".gif" contains data expressing still pictures, in the GIF format, and the player program is specified as the "xv" program. In addition each file having the file extension ".mpeg" contains video data, in a compressed video data format such as the MPEG (or MPEG2) format, and the corresponding player program is designated as the "mpeg-play" program.

FIG. 69 is a flow diagram which shows the basic operation sequence of such a prior art information provider apparatus. The operation is as follows:

Step 1

The home page (i.e. the base page of hypertext data), which is held in the WWW data storage section 31 of the server computer, is requested by the client terminal, and is then transferred to the information browsing section 2, and is displayed to the user by the display apparatus 12.

Step 2

The system waits to receive an input from the user, via the input apparatus 11.

Step 3

A decision is made as to whether the user has input a command to end operation (in which case operation is terminated), or selected a hyperlinked data item, in which case:

Step 4

The data which are the destination of the hyperlink are transferred from the WWW data service section 3, and stored in the acquired data storage section 22. The data can then be played by the user, through the display apparatus 12.

The sequence of steps 2 through 4 is thereafter successively repeated.

With a prior art type of information provider apparatus which executes the above form of basic operation, when each type of WWW data is acquired by the client terminal from the server computer, data processing is executed by the browsing control section 21 as illustrated by the flow diagram of FIG. 70. The operation is as follows:

Step 11

A home page acquisition request is generated by the information browsing section 2 and is transferred via the data communication path 4 to the WWW data service section 3. Hypertext data expressing the home page are then read out from the WWW data storage section 31 of the WWW data service section 3 and transferred via the data communication path 4 to the information browsing section 2, to be displayed by the display apparatus 12.

Step 12

The input apparatus 11 is then used to specify either selection of a hyperlinked data item, or to specify that operation is to be ended.

Step 13

If termination of operation has been specified in step 12, then operation is ended.

Step 14

If a hyperlinked item of WWW data has been selected in step 12, then the data are acquired by the information browsing section 2 from the server computer, and stored in the acquired data storage section 22.

Step 15

A decision is made as to whether the acquired and stored WWW data are hypertext data (in the HTML format) or monomedia data.

Step 16

If the acquired data are hypertext data, then the page data displayed by the display apparatus 12 are updated accordingly.

Step 17

If the acquired data are monomedia data, then the data are supplied to the display apparatus 12 by the monomedia data playing section 23, and operation returns to step 12.

Judgement of the type of WWW data in step 15 is based on the playing control table, which has the form illustrated in FIG. 68, i.e. with the judgement being based on the respective file extensions of the acquired data files (i.e. considering each page unit of hypertext data as a file).

FIG. 71A shows an example of successive configurations of WWW data which become stored in the acquired data storage section 22 of the information browsing section 2 of such a prior art information provider apparatus, as a result of execution of selection operations by a user as described above. FIG. 71B shows an example of initial setting information for WWW data providing, which is stored in the acquired data storage section 22 of that apparatus. In FIG. 71A, 33, 34 and 35 denote respective pages of hypertext data which are provided as WWW data, while 36 to 39 denote respective files of monomedia data which are similarly provided. As shown, the home page contains hyperlinks to the hypertext pages which are named pics.html and movs.html. The page which is named pics.html, for example, contains hyperlinks to two still picture data files, which are named pic1.gif and pic2.gif respectively.

In FIG. 71B, the single-record table 40 shows the format under which the home page data are managed, i.e. using the file name "home.html".

An example of the operation of such a prior art information provider apparatus will be described in the following, for the case of the WWW data configuration example of FIGS. 71A and 71B, referring to FIG. 72. FIG. 72 shows examples of actual display screen contents which correspond to the contents of the hypertext data and monomedia data shown in FIGS. 71A, 71B. Firstly, when operation is started, the display screen of the display apparatus 12 will be of the form indicated by 41 in FIG. 72, with the home page 41a being displayed. The item selection regions are assumed to be indicated by underlining the corresponding parts of the displayed text. In that condition, the user can select hyperlinks to either a set of still picture items, or to a set of video items. If the user selects the set of still picture items, for example by "clicking" a switch of a mouse, after having moved the display cursor to "still picture set" region of the display screen, then the display will be updated as indicated numeral 42, with the "still picture set" page 42a being displayed. In that condition, if the user now selects the "sample 1" region, then a "still picture display" application program will be invoked, and the "sample 1" still picture will be displayed. The resultant display screen will be as indicated by numeral 43, with the still picture 43a being displayed, but with the "still picture set" page 42a continuing to be displayed in the background. In addition, a specific region 43c of the display screen 43 will be delineated, which can be selected by the user (as described for the item selection regions) when it is desired to terminate the still picture display. Such a selectable control region 43a of a display is often referred to as a "button".

Similarly, if the user selects the "video set" from the home page 41a at display screen 41, then the display screen designated by numeral 44 will be produced, with the "video set" page 44a being displayed. In that condition, if for example the "sample 1" item is selected by the user, then a "video display" application program will be invoked, whereby the data of the video data file corresponding to "sample 1" will begin to be played on an updated display screen 45, as indicated by numeral 45a. In addition, respective buttons or icons which can be selected by the user to control playing of the video (including a "terminate playing" button) are also displayed, as indicated by numeral 45c. The "video set" page 44a continues to be displayed, in the background.

In addition to using hyperlinks to shift between different hypertext data pages, is possible to use alternative methods, for example whereby a user can move to an immediately preceding page (i.e. a page which the user had previously selected). Such operation can be based on maintaining a history of pages which have been successively selected by the user, and utilizing that history for reference purposes.

In that way, WWW data can be managed in a manner that is based upon hypertext data, i.e. whereby hyperlinks are embedded in each page of hypertext data, pointing to other page units of the hypertext data or to monomedia data files. When the user performs a hyperlink selection operation, the designated data are acquired from the WWW data service section 3 via the data communication path 4, using the HTTP communication system 41, and then are handled in accordance with the type of data. For example if an acquired data file has the file name extension ".mpeg", it will be judged that the contents are video data. The appropriate program is thereby invoked to play the data.

The various sections of such a prior art type of information provider apparatus typically use the following types of hardware and software:

I/O section 1: The input apparatus 11 generally includes a pointing device such as a mouse, as mentioned above, while the display apparatus 12 generally includes a bit-mapped type of display device.

Information browsing section 2: The browsing control section 21 may use a WWW data display program such as the NCSA Mosaic (a registered trademark of NCSA, which is the National Center for Super Computing Applications, University of Illinois, U.S.A), or Netscape (a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Co., U.S.A). The monomedia data playing section 23 may use the "mpeg-play" program for displaying video data in the MPEG format, and the "xv" program for displaying still picture data in the GIF (Graphics Interchange Format).

WWW data service section 3: The WWW data management section 32 may use the daemon process "httpd" (a registered trademark of the aforementioned NCSA, and of CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory).

Data communication path 4: The HTTP communication system 41 may use the aforementioned HTTP communication protocol.

With such a prior art type of information provider apparatus, the data which are managed consist of either hypertext data or monomedia data. As described above, data (i.e. hypertext page data or monomedia file data) which are selected by a user, by utilizing the hyperlinks, are downloaded to the client terminal by utilizing a suitable hypertext data communication protocol, and and can then be played, with the previous hypertext page (i.e. from which the currently played data were linked) remaining at least partially visible in the display.

With improvements which have been achieved in monomedia data processing capabilities in recent years, it has become possible to easily manage large amounts of multimedia data, i.e. a complex combination of text, video, still picture (graphics) and audio data. Multimedia data are widely used for example to implement multimedia display "presentations" for commercial or other purposes, whereby text, video, graphic and audio information concerning a theme such as a commercial product, for example, are simultaneously presented. There is a need for an information provider apparatus whereby users of client terminals can easily and rapidly select from various sets of data, e.g. data which are held stored at a server computer, which will result in playing of respectively different sets of multimedia data, i.e. each set constituting a multimedia presentation formed of various types of media data which are played for respectively predetermined durations, and with attributes such as display screen position and picture size of video clips, still pictures and text portions which are components of the clip also being respectively predetermined. That would preferably be accomplished by means of a new type of information provider apparatus, whereby it would become possible to select desired multimedia data sets by using hyperlinks which are embedded in hypertext data pages as described above. That would provide the advantage of convenience to the user, since a user need only select a hypertext data page and the "click" on the appropriate hyperlink position, to start playing a desired multimedia clip, in same way as has been used for moving through a succession of hypertext data pages, or for downloading a monomedia data file from a hypertext data page.

However if it were attempted to use prior art types of information provider apparatus to achieve such a function, various problems would arise. Firstly, as described hereinabove referring to the example of FIG. 66 which utilizes the HTTP communication protocol, when such a prior art type of information provider apparatus acquires a specific monomedia data file, such as a file of video data, the data are first read out from the WWW data storage section 31 of the WWW data service section 3 in the server computer, are transferred to the information browsing section 2 of the client terminal, and are then stored in the acquired data storage section 22 of the information browsing section 2. Until all of the monomedia data file have been stored in the acquired data storage section 22, playing of the monomedia data contents cannot begin. Since multimedia data is a combination of various types of monomedia data, before playing a specific set of multimedia data, it would be necessary to first download into the acquired data storage section 22 each of the monomedia data files which are to be components of the multimedia data set, then download information (referred to in the following as scenario information) which specifies the various aforementioned attributes which are to be assigned for playing each of the components of the multimedia data. Thus, a substantial time would elapse between the point at which a user selects playing of a specific clip of multimedia data, and the time at which playing of the multimedia data actually begins.

Such a time lag problem also exists, of course, when monomedia data such as a still picture data file is downloaded from a hyperlink of a hypertext page. One attempt to reduce this problem, with respect to still picture (graphics) data, is provided by the Netscape browser program (developed by Netscape Communications Co., U.S.A.) for WWW data communication. When that program is utilized by a client terminal, it becomes possible to begin displaying the contents of a still picture while the picture data are in the process of being downloaded by the client terminal. However in the case of video data, it is still necessary to store all of the contents of a video data file beforehand at the client terminal, before playing of the data can begin.

There is therefore a requirement for an information provider apparatus whereby a user can easily select multimedia data to be played, from among a plurality of different sets of multimedia data, i.e. different multimedia data clips, and whereby there is no substantial time lag between the point at which such a selection operation is performed by the user and the point at which playing of the selected multimedia data begins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art described above, by providing an information provider apparatus whereby a user can employ hyperlink selection from a displayed page of hypertext data to select a set of multimedia data to be played, with that set being selected from among various predetermined sets of multimedia data which are held stored in a data storage device which may be stored for example at a server computer of a client/server network.

It is a further objective of the invention to provide such an information provider apparatus, configured such that even if the selected data are stored at a remote installation playing of the selected data can be rapidly started in response to a user designation, by directly transferring the selected data from the remote installation and playing the data as they are received.

It is a further objective of the invention to provide such an information provider apparatus, configured as a client/server network having a plurality of client terminals which are respectively operable by users, and at least one server computer, whereby the multimedia data can be held stored in a data storage device of the server computer and whereby each user of a client terminal can access and play the data independently of other users.

It is moreover an objective of the invention to provide such an information provider apparatus, configured as a client/server network having a plurality of client terminals which are respectively operable by users, and at least one server computer, whereby the users of client terminals may generate and exchange hypervideo mail items, each consisting of a set of multimedia data in combination with corresponding scenario data.

An information provider apparatus according to the present invention operates on multimedia data in a form which will be referred to in the following as hypervideo data, with respective separately managed sets of hypervideo data being referred to as hypervideo clips. With the present invention, the data constituting a hypervideo clip consists of:

(a) A plurality of files of subject matter data, which express the monomedia data contents of the hypervideo data. These files include a file for at least one video clip, which is used as a reference video clip. Successive frame numbers of the reference video clip are used to synchronize the playing of other monomedia data items (such as other video clips, audio clips, still pictures, text documents, etc.) of the hypervideo clip, during playing of the hypervideo clip. (b) A file of scenario data, containing information expressing respective storage locations of the subject matter data files, and also information which expresses respective playing attributes for the subject matter data files, e.g. times at which the contents of the various files are to begin to be played (expressed in terms of elapsed frame numbers of the aforementioned reference video clip), and the position and size of the display screen region in which visual data items are to be displayed, etc. The subject matter data storage location information may simply consist of a list of the respective subject matter data file names, in some cases.

According to a first aspect, such an information provider apparatus comprises:

a data input/output section including data input means operable by a user for inputting operating commands, and data display means for displaying a plurality of types of monomedia data including at least video data and text data, the operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection in accordance with a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by the data display means;

data storage means for storing hypertext data and data of at least one hypervideo clip, the hypervideo clip data being formed of subject matter data and scenario data, the subject matter data comprising data of a plurality of monomedia data items which include a video clip that has been preassigned as a reference video clip of the hypervideo clip, the scenario data including information specifying times of starting playing of respective ones of the monomedia data items other than the reference video clip, the starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of the reference video clip;

means responsive to the operating commands for reading out, from the data storage means, the scenario data and subject matter data of a hypervideo clip which is specified by the operating commands; and

means for continuously supplying the reference video data of the specified hypervideo clip to the data data display means to be displayed thereby, as the reference video data are read out from the data storage means, and for maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of the reference video clip,

selectively generating data transfer commands to acquire from the data storage means specific subject matter data of the specified hypervideo clip other than the reference video clip, at times determined in accordance with the the count of frame numbers in conjunction with the scenario data, and

continuously supplying the specific subject matter data to the data display means as the specific subject matter data are read out from the data storage means, with video data of the subject matter data being transferred to the data display means at a transmission rate which permits real-time transfer and continuous-motion display of the contents of the video data.

According to a second aspect, such an information provider apparatus comprises:

a first data service section including first data storage means having stored therein hypertext page data and monomedia data, the monomedia data including scenario reference data corresponding to respective hypervideo clips, the scenario reference data being connected by hyperlinks to the hypertext page data, the scenario reference data including storage location information for respective scenario data files of the hypervideo clips within second data storage means, the first data service section being responsive to externally supplied first data transfer commands for selectively reading out the hypertext page data and scenario reference data;

a second data service section, including the second data storage means having stored therein data constituting the hypervideo clips, responsive to second data transfer commands for selectively reading out the data, the data of a hypervideo clip consisting of a scenario data file and a plurality of subject matter data files for respective monomedia data items, the monomedia data items including a video clip which has been preassigned as a reference video clip, the scenario data including storage location information for the subject matter data files with respect to the second data storage means and playing information including times of starting playing the contents of respective ones of the subject matter data files other than the reference video clip, the starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of the reference video clip;

a data input/output section including input means operable by a user for inputting operating commands and data display means for playing a plurality of types of monomedia data including at least video data and text data, the operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection from a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by the data display means;

information browsing means comprising information browsing control means, acquired data storage means and hypervideo data playing means,

the information browsing control means being responsive to the operating commands for generating corresponding ones of the first data transfer commands to thereby acquire, from the first data service section, data of a specific one of the hypertext pages or scenario reference data for a specific one of the hypervideo clips,

the acquired data storage means storing the acquired hypertext page data and scenario reference data, with the hypertext page data being read out and supplied to the data display means, and

the hypervideo data playing means reading out the scenario reference data from the acquired data storage means and using the scenario reference data to generate the second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining the scenario data of the specific hypervideo clip from the second data service section, using the scenario data to further generate the second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining the reference video clip data of the specific hypervideo clip from the second data service section and continuously supplying the reference video clip data to the data display means, maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of the reference video clip, further generating the second data transfer commands to begin obtaining from the second data service section the contents of specific subject matter data files of the hypervideo clip at respective times determined in accordance with the the count of frame numbers in conjunction with the scenario data, and continuously supplying the contents to the data display means; and

first data transfer means for transferring the first data transfer commands from the information browsing control means to the first data service section and for transferring resultant hypertext page data and scenario reference data to be stored in the acquired data storage means, and second data transfer means for transferring the second data transfer commands from the hypervideo data playing means to the second data service section and for transferring resultant scenario data and subject matter data to the hypervideo data playing means, the second data transfer means executing the data transfer at a transmission rate permitting real-time transfer with continuous-motion display of the contents of video data portions of the subject matter data.

According to a third aspect, such an information provider apparatus comprises:

a first data service section including first data storage means having stored therein hypertext page data and monomedia data, the monomedia data including scenario reference data corresponding to respective hypervideo clips, the scenario reference data being connected by hyperlinks to the hypertext page data, the scenario reference data including storage location information for respective scenario data files of the hypervideo clips within second data storage means, the first data service section being responsive to externally supplied first data transfer commands for selectively reading out the hypertext page data and scenario reference data;

a second data service section, including the second data storage means having stored therein data constituting the hypervideo clips, responsive to second data transfer commands for selectively reading out the data, the data of a hypervideo clip consisting of a scenario data file and a plurality of subject matter data files for respective monomedia data items, the monomedia data items including a video clip which has been preassigned as a reference video clip, the scenario data including storage location information for the subject matter data files with respect to the second data storage means and playing information including times of starting playing the contents of respective ones of the subject matter data files other than the reference video clip, the starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of the reference video clip;

a data input/output section including input means operable by a user for inputting operating commands and data display means for playing a plurality of types of monomedia data including at least video data and text data, the operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection from a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by the data display means;

information browsing means comprising information browsing control means, acquired data storage means and hypervideo data playing means,

the information browsing control means being responsive to the operating commands for generating corresponding ones of the first data transfer commands to thereby acquire, from the first data service section, data of a specific one of the hypertext pages or scenario reference data for a specific one of the hypervideo clips,

the acquired data storage means storing the acquired hypertext page data and scenario reference data, with the hypertext page data being read out and supplied to the data display means, and

the hypervideo data playing means reading out the scenario reference data from the acquired data storage means and using the scenario reference data to generate the second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining the scenario data of