Information processing apparatus and method, and recording medium therefor

• US 20010023422A1
• Filed: 01/08/2001
• Published: 09/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/500
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

By installing a device control module (DCM), a functional component module (FCM), and a guarantee card FCM of a digital video cassette recorder (DVCR) into an integrated receiver decoder (IRD), the IRD is able to control the DVCR. The guarantee card FCM is used for accessing an electronic guarantee card stored in a non-volatile memory of the DVCR. The IRD stores purchase information or repair information of the DVCR into the non-volatile memory of the DVCR via an IEEE-1394 serial bus in response to an instruction from a requester. The IRD also reads the purchase information or the repair information from the non-volatile memory of the DVCR via the IEEE-1394 serial bus.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for sending and receiving an information signal to and from an electronic apparatus, comprising:

control-information acquiring means for acquiring, from said electronic apparatus, control information used for writing or reading product history information which includes at least one of purchase information and repair information concerning said electronic apparatus;

control-information identification/storage means for identifying the control information acquired by said control-information acquiring means and for storing the acquired control information therein; and

product-history updating means for updating the product history information stored in said electronic apparatus based on the control information stored in said control-information identification/storage means.

2. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the information signal is sent and received via a network system.

3. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 2

, wherein said network system comprises an IEEE-1394 serial bus.

4. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising product-history storage means, wherein the product history information is read from said electronic apparatus based on the control information stored in said control-information identification/storage means, and is stored in said product-history storage means.

5. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 4

, further comprising:

apparatus-identification-number reading means for reading an apparatus identification number of said electronic apparatus from said electronic apparatus; and

central storage means for centrally storing the product history information stored in said product-history storage means together with the apparatus identification number of said electronic apparatus into an external electronic apparatus.

6. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 5

, further comprising product-history reading means for reading the product history information of said electronic apparatus from the product history information stored in said external electronic apparatus by said central storage means based on the apparatus identification number of said electronic apparatus.

7. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the product history information is read from said electronic apparatus based on the control information, and said product history updating means comprises product-history display means for displaying the product history information.

8. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein said product history updating means comprises product-history input means for inputting new product history information concerning said electronic apparatus from an external source based on the product history information displayed by said product-history display means.

9. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said control-information acquiring means acquires the control information from said electronic apparatus when a communication connection with said electronic apparatus is established.

10. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising purchase-information determining means for determining whether the purchase information has already been written into said electronic apparatus,

wherein said product-history updating means does not write new purchase information into said electronic apparatus when said purchase-information determining means determines that the purchase information has already been written.

11. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said product-history updating means does not overwrite the repair information concerning said electronic apparatus.

12. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the purchase information comprises at least one of the date on which said electronic apparatus was purchased, the name, the address, and the telephone number of a store at which said electronic apparatus was purchased, and a digital signature of the store.

13. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the repair information comprises at least one of the date on which said electronic apparatus was repaired, the item and the type of repair, a contact number, the name of a repair company, and information concerning a repair person.

14. An information processing method for use in an information processing apparatus for sending and receiving an information signal to and from an electronic apparatus, said information processing method comprising:

a control-information acquiring step of acquiring, from said electronic apparatus, control information used for writing or reading product history information which includes at least one of purchase information and repair information concerning said electronic apparatus;

a control-information identification/storage step of identifying the control information acquired in said control-information acquiring step and of storing the acquired control information therein; and

a product-history updating step of updating the product history information stored in said electronic apparatus based on the control information stored in said control-information identification/storage step.

15. A recording medium for storing a computer-readable program which controls an information processing apparatus for sending and receiving an information signal to and from an electronic apparatus, said computer-readable program comprising:

a control-information acquiring step of acquiring, from said electronic apparatus, control information used for writing or reading product history information which includes at least one of purchase information and repair information concerning said electronic apparatus;

a control-information identification/storage step of identifying the control information acquired in said control-information acquiring step and of storing the acquired control information therein; and

a product-history updating step of updating the product history information stored in said electronic apparatus based on the control information stored in said control-information identification/storage step.

16. An information processing apparatus for sending and receiving an information signal to and from an external information processing apparatus, said information processing apparatus comprising:

control-information storage means for storing control information used for writing or reading product history information which includes at least one of purchase information and repair information concerning said information processing apparatus;

product-history storage means for storing the product history information to be updated by an instruction from said external information processing apparatus; and

control-information sending means for sending the control information stored in said control-information storage means to said external information processing apparatus in response to a request from said external information processing apparatus.

17. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 16

, wherein the control signal is sent and received via a network system.

18. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 17

, wherein said network system comprises an IEEE-1394 serial bus.

19. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 16

, further comprising apparatus-identification-number storage means for storing an apparatus identification number of said information processing apparatus,

wherein, in response to an instruction from said external information processing apparatus, the apparatus identification number is read from said apparatus-identification-number storage means, and the product history information is read from said product-history storage means.

20. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 16

, further comprising product-history display means for displaying the product history information stored in said product-history storage means.

21. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 16

, wherein said control-information sending means sends the control information to said external information processing apparatus when a communication connection with said external information processing apparatus is established.

22. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 16

, wherein the purchase information comprises at least one of the date on which said information processing apparatus was purchased, the name, the address, and the telephone number of a store at which said information processing apparatus was purchased, and a digital signature of the store.

23. An information processing apparatus according to

claim 16

, wherein the repair information comprises at least one of the date on which said information processing apparatus was repaired, the item and the type of repair, a contact number, the name of a repair company, and information concerning a repair person.

24. An information processing method for use in an information processing apparatus for sending and receiving an information signal to and from an external information processing apparatus, said information processing method comprising:

a control-information storage step of storing control information used for writing or reading product history information which includes at least one of purchase information and repair information concerning said information processing apparatus;

a product-history storage step of storing the product history information to be updated by an instruction from said external information processing apparatus; and

a control-information sending step of sending the control information stored in said control-information storage step to said external information processing apparatus in response to a request from said external information processing apparatus.

25. A recording medium for storing a computer-readable program which controls an information processing apparatus for sending and receiving an information signal to and from an external information processing apparatus, said computer-readable program comprising:

a control-information storage step of storing control information used for writing or reading product history information which includes at least one of purchase information and repair information concerning said information processing apparatus;

a product-history storage step of storing the product history information to be updated by an instruction from said external information processing apparatus; and

a control-information sending step of sending the control information stored in said control-information storage step to said external information processing apparatus in response to a request from said external information processing apparatus.