Content distribution notification method, reservation control apparatus and program storage medium

• US 20020026512A1
• Filed: 08/16/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takanori, Ihara, Keigo, Fukuda, Junko, Sueyoshi, Takahiko, Yoshimine, Takao
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

In a content live distribution, to notify people who are wanted to see the content that the contents live distribution will be performed, without the need for the content provider to carry out any troublesome operations. In a content supply system 100, a provider uses a streaming server 102 to perform live distribution and makes a reservation for the use of a time zone, etc. to a server reservation control center 101 with a user PC 106. In the case where the user PC 106 sends desired reservation information including e-mail addresses of people who are wanted to see the content, to the server reservation control center 101 over the Internet 103, when the reservation is permitted, the server reservation control center 101 sends an e-mail notifying that a content distribution will be performed to each e-mail address.

Claims

1. A content distribution notification method of informing a client user of a client terminal apparatus that a content distribution will be performed based on a reservation when a distributor terminal apparatus makes a reservation for use of a distribution server to a reservation control apparatus for controlling a reservation status of said distribution server, via a network, and performs a content live distribution using said distribution server based on the reservation, in order to perform the content live distribution using said distribution server for distributing content by streaming via a network to said client terminal apparatus, said content distribution notification method comprising:

a reservation requesting step of sending reservation request information including a desired service time to use said distribution server and contact addresses of said clients user who should be informed that the content distribution will be performed, from said distributor terminal apparatus to said reservation control apparatus via a network; and

a notifying step of sending the notification information for notifying that the content distribution will be performed, from said reservation control apparatus to the contact addresses of said client users via the network when the content distribution using said distribution server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is permitted.

2. The content distribution notification method according to claim 1, wherein

said notification information includes access information for connection said distribution server.

3. The content distribution notification method according to claim 1, wherein:

said reservation requesting step is to send reservation request information including authentication information for the client user to acquire a permission to access said distribution server; and

said, notification information includes said authentication information.

4. The content distribution notification method according to claim 1, further comprising

a cancellation notification step of sending cancellation notification information to notify that the reservation is canceled, from said reservation control apparatus to the contact addresses of said client users via a network, when information of canceling the reservation is sent from said distributor terminal apparatus to said reservation control apparatus via the network.

5. The content distribution notification method according to claim 1, further comprising

a change notification step of sending change notification information to notify that the reservation contents are changed, from said reservation control apparatus to the contact addresses of said client users via the network, when information of changing the reservation contents is sent from said distributor terminal apparatus to said reservation control apparatus via the network.

6. The content distribution notification method according to claim 1, further comprising

a permission notification step of sending, when content distribution using said distribution server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is permitted, reservation permission notification information to notify that the content distribution is permitted and that it is necessary to carry out a procedure for reconfirming the reservation via the network by a predetermined time before said desired service time to establish this reservation, from said reservation control apparatus to said distributor terminal apparatus via the network, and wherein

said notification step sends said notification information when said distributor terminal apparatus performs said reservation reconfirmation procedure.

7. The content distribution notification method according to claim 1, further comprising

a permission notification step of sending, when content distribution using said distribution server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is permitted, reservation permission notification information to notify that the content distribution is permitted and that it is necessary to carry out a procedure for reconfirming the reservation via the network by a predetermined time before said desired service time to establish this reservation from said reservation control apparatus to said distributor terminal apparatus via the network, and wherein

said notification step is to send said notification information when said permission notification information is sent and further to send said notification information when said distributor terminal apparatus performs said reservation reconfirmation procedure.

8. The content distribution notification method according to claim 1, wherein:

the contact address of said client user is an e-mail address; and

said notification step is to send said notification information to the contact addresses of said client users via an e-mail.

9. A reservation control apparatus for controlling reservations of content live distribution using a distribution server that performs stream distribution of content to a client terminal apparatus via a network, said reservation control apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving reservation request information including a desired service time to use said distribution server and contact addresses of said client users who should be informed that the content distribution will be performed, from a distributor terminal apparatus requesting for performing content live distribution via a network; and

notification means for sending notification information to notify that the content distribution will be performed, from said reservation control apparatus to the contact addresses of said client users via the network, when content distribution using said distribution server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is permitted.

10. The reservation control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said notification means sends said notification information including access information for connection to said distribution server.

11. The reservation control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said receiving means receives reservation request information including authentication information for the client user to acquire a permission to access said distribution server;

and

said notification means sends said notification information including said authentication information.

12. The reservation control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said receiving means further comprises

cancellation notification means for sending cancellation notification information to notify that the reservation is canceled, from said reservation control apparatus to said contact addresses of the client users via the network, when receiving information of canceling the reservation sent from said distributor terminal apparatus via the network.

13. The reservation control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said receiving means further comprises

change notification means for sending change notification information to notify that the reservation is changed, from said reservation control apparatus to the contact addresses of said client users via the network, when receiving information of changing the reservation contents sent from said distributor terminal apparatus via the network.

14. The reservation control apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising

a permission notification means for sending, when content distribution using said distribution server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is permitted, reservation permission notification information to notify that the content distribution is permitted and that it is necessary to carry out a procedure for reconfirming the reservation via the network by a predetermined time before said desired service time to establish this reservation, to said distributor terminal apparatus via the network, and wherein

said notification means sends said notification information when said distributor terminal apparatus performs said reservation reconfirmation procedure.

15. The reservation control apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising

permission notification means for sending, when content distribution using said distribution server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is permitted, reservation permission notification information to notify that the content distribution is permitted and that it is necessary to carry out a procedure for reconfirming the reservation via the network by a predetermined time before said desired service time to establish this reservation, to said distributor terminal apparatus via the network, and wherein

said notification means sends said notification information when said permission notification information is sent and further sends said notification information when said distributor terminal apparatus performs said reservation reconfirmation procedure.

16. The reservation control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the contact address of said client user is an e-mail address; and

said notification means sends said notification information to the contact addresses of said client users via an e-mail.

17. A program storage medium storing a program to be executed by a reservation control apparatus that controls reservations of contents live distribution using a distribution server that performs stream distribution of content to a client terminal apparatus via a network, said program comprising:

reception processing of receiving reservation request information including a desired service time to user said distribution server and contact addresses of client users who should be informed that the content distribution will be performed, sent via a network from a distributor terminal apparatus that request for performing content live distribution; and

notification processing of sending notification information to notify that the content distribution will be performed, from said reservation control apparatus to the contact addresses of said client users via the network, when the content distribution using said distribution server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is permitted.