Content delivery apparatus, content delivery system and content delivery method

• US 10,448,156 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Kohara, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhu, Qin
• Application Number:
  US15/724,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20180027328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/24 Variable rate codecs, e.g. for generating different qualities using a scalable representation such as hierarchical encoding or layered encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43076 of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices
• 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 21/43635 HDMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A content delivery apparatus includes an external input portion, a content reception portion and a delivery portion. To the external input portion, first content having at least a fundamental component is inputted. The content reception portion receives second content having a fundamental component and an extended component. When delivering the first content, the delivery portion delivers the fundamental component of the first content to a client apparatus more than once.

Claims

1. A content delivery apparatus comprising:

an external input portion to which first content having a fundamental component and an extended component is inputted, the first content being audio data for which real-time reproduction related to an external video apparatus is required;

a content reception portion that receives second content having the fundamental component and the extended component, the second content being audio data for which real-time reproduction related to the external video apparatus is not required; and

a delivery portion that delivers the fundamental component and the extended component to a client apparatus by wireless communication and subsequently delivers the fundamental component more than once to the client apparatus when delivering the first content, wherein

the client apparatus is a wireless speaker and receives the fundamental component of the first content more than once from the content delivery apparatus by the wireless communication; and

the delivery portion delivers the fundamental component and the extended component to the client apparatus by the wireless communication when delivering the second content.

2. The content delivery apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a buffer that temporarily holds the second content, wherein

the content delivery portion delivers the fundamental component and the extended component of the second content after temporarily holding thereof in the buffer when delivering the second content.

3. The content delivery apparatus according to claim 2 comprising:

a first buffer is the buffer;

a second buffer that temporarily holds the second content, the second buffer being a separate buffer different from the first buffer; and

a reproduction portion that reproduces the second content that is held in the second buffer.

4. The content delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the delivery portion delivers the fundamental component of the first content without confirming a status of connection to the client apparatus when delivering the first content.

5. The content delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the delivery portion does not deliver the extended component of the first content when delivering the first content.

6. The content delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the delivery portion delivers the fundamental component of the first content without delivering the extended component thereof when delivering the first content if number of the client apparatus as delivery destinations is equal or more than a predetermined number.

7. The content delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the fundamental component consists of data that have undergone irreversible compression;

and

the extended component consists of data to correct the fundamental component.

8. The content delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the fundamental component is transmitted through connectionless communication.

9. A content delivery system comprising:

the content delivery apparatus according to claim 1; and

a client apparatus that receives the first content and the second content from the content delivery apparatus.

10. A content delivery method comprising:

inputting first content having a fundamental component and an extended component, or receiving second content having a fundamental component and the extended component, the first content being audio data for which real-time reproduction related to an external video apparatus is required, the second content being audio date for which real-time reproduction related to the external video apparatus is not required; and

delivering the fundamental component and the extended component to a client apparatus by wireless communication and subsequently delivering the fundamental component more than once to the client apparatus when delivering the first content, wherein

the client apparatus is a wireless speaker and receives the fundamental component of the first content more than once from a content delivery apparatus by the wireless communication; and

the delivering step delivers the fundamental component and the extended component to the client apparatus by the wireless communication when delivering the second content.

11. The content delivery method according to claim 10, the method including:

temporarily holding the second content in a buffer; and

delivering the fundamental component and the extended component of the second content after temporarily holding thereof in the buffer when delivering the second content.

12. The content delivery method according to claim 11, the method including:

temporarily holding the second content in a first buffer;

temporarily holding the second content in a second buffer that is a separate buffer different from the first buffer; and

reproducing the second content that is held in the second buffer.

13. The content delivery method according to claim 10, the method including:

delivering the fundamental component of the first content without confirming a status of connection to the client apparatus when delivering the first content.

14. The content delivery method according to claim 10, the method including:

not delivering the extended component of the first content when delivering the first content.

15. The content delivery method according to claim 10, the method including:

delivering the first content and the fundamental component of the first content without delivering the extended component of the first content when delivering the first content if number of the client apparatus as delivery destinations is equal or more than a predetermined number.

16. The content delivery method according to claim 10, the method including:

using the fundamental component consisting of data that have undergone irreversible compression, and

the extended component consisting of data to correct the fundamental component.

17. The content delivery method according to claim 10, the method including:

transmitting the fundamental component through connectionless communication.