Contents processing device and contents processing system

• US 10,206,009 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2015
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Onkyo Technology Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: ONKYO Corporation (Onkyo Home Entertainment Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirae, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bantamoi, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US14/887,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

There is provided a contents processing device of a contents processing system having a plurality of contents input units including network input units, a plurality of contents output units that is related to a plurality of zones and outputs the contents to the plurality of zones, respectively, an NET selector for outputting the contents input into the network input units to a specific contents output unit of the plurality of contents output units, and an NET selector controller for, when a receiving unit receives the contents reproduction notification, controlling an operation of the NET selector according to a predetermined NET selector procedure so that a user'"'"'s estimated reproduction requirement is satisfied.

Claims

1. A contents processing device having a network service function for reproducing contents on a network comprising:

a plurality of contents input units including network input units, wherein the network input units are to be connected to the network;

a plurality of contents output units that is related to a plurality of zones and is adapted to output the contents to contents reproducing devices disposed in the plurality of zones, respectively;

an NET selector for outputting the contents input into the network input units to a specific contents output unit of the plurality of contents output units;

a receiving unit that is provided between the network input units and the NET selector and is adapted to receive transmission of a contents reproduction notification to the network input units, wherein the contents reproduction notification includes controller information or processing information about contents to be reproduced; and

an NET selector controller that is adapted to communicate with the receiving unit and when the receiving unit receives the contents reproduction notification, is adapted to control an operation of the NET selector according to a predetermined NET selector procedure so that a user'"'"'s estimated reproduction requirement is satisfied,

wherein the predetermined NET selector procedure includes;

a zone-on determining procedure for automatically determining whether a zone output function for outputting the contents is ON in the plurality of zones, respectively, in the plurality of contents output units,

an NET selector determining procedure for, when the determination is made that the output function in any of the plurality of zones is ON, automatically determining that content may be already being reproduced from the network input units in an ON-zone by determining whether a NET selector control for outputting the contents from the network input units to the contents output unit corresponding to the ON-zone is already made, and

a network service changing procedure for, when the determination is made that content may be already being reproduced from the network input units in the ON-zone as a result of determining the NET selector control has already been made on the ON-zone in the NET selector determining procedure, changing the contents to be output to the contents output unit corresponding to the ON-zone into contents input into the network input units, and further comprising

a selected zone selector processing procedure for controlling the NET selector so that when the determination is made that the output function is not ON in any of the plurality of zones, a zone of which priority is high is selected in predetermined order of priority, the output function in the selected zone is turned ON and the contents input into the network input units are output to the contents output unit corresponding to the selected zone, and

an ON-zone selector processing procedure for controlling the NET selector so that when the determination is made that the NET selector control is not made on the ON-zone in the NET selector determining procedure, the contents input into the network input units are output to the contents output unit corresponding to the ON-zone.

2. The contents processing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined priority is set so that a main zone has highest priority.

3. A contents processing system comprising:

the contents processing device of claim 1;

a network to be connected to the network input units;

a contents server on the network; and

a controller on the network for transmitting a reproduction notification of the contents in the contents server to the contents processing device.

4. The contents processing system according to claim 3, wherein

the controller on the network allows controller information or processing information about the contents to be reproduced to be included in the reproduction notification of the contents.