Method for sending information on a network, and electronic information equipment

• US 20020066113A1
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Satoshi, Utsunomiya, Hiroshi, Kaibuki, Futoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,536,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/146
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

Electronic information equipment for recording contents are connected to a network. One of the pieces of electronic information equipment manages information of the dispersed storage state. The managing device gives output instructions to the other electronic information equipment storing the information in a dispersed manner such that each of the pieces of electronic information equipment outputs the information stored therein to output destination electronic information equipment, and in the event that the end of information output from one piece of electronic information equipment has been detected, the managing device gives output instructions to the electronic information equipment storing the subsequent information to output the information stored therein to the output destination electronic information equipment. Each of the pieces of electronic information equipment storing the information in a dispersed manner outputs information onto the network with the output destination electronic information equipment specified.

Accordingly, the present invention enables contents recorded in a dispersed manner to be readily played in a continuous manner.

Claims

1. A method for sending information over a network wherein information is dispersed and stored in a plurality of pieces of electronic information equipment connected to said network and wherein said information stored in a dispersed state is managed by one of said pieces of electronic information equipment connected to said network;

wherein each of said pieces of electronic information equipment comprises means for forming a communication channel with another piece of electronic information equipment instructed by output instructions received thereby as an interface to said network;

and wherein, in the event of inputting said information stored in a dispersed state to said one of said pieces of electronic information equipment on said network as a time-wise continuous piece of information, said electronic information equipment managing said information stored in a dispersed state gives, based on managing information thereof, output instructions to each of said pieces of electronic information equipment to output the information dispersed and stored in each of said pieces of electronic information equipment to an output destination electronic information equipment, and upon detection of completion of information output from one of said pieces of electronic information equipment, gives output instructions to the electronic information equipment storing subsequent information to output the information stored therein to said output destination electronic information equipment;

and wherein each of said pieces of electronic information equipment storing said information in a dispersed state output information to said network with the output destination of said information as said output destination electronic information equipment, based on said output instructions.

2. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 1, wherein said electronic information equipment for managing information of said dispersed storage state is one of the pieces of electronic information equipment whereby information is dispersed and stored.

3. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 1, wherein said electronic information equipment for managing information of said dispersed storage state is a piece of electronic information equipment other than the pieces of electronic information equipment whereby information is dispersed and stored.

4. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 1, wherein said information stored in a dispersed state is at least one of picture information and audio information, and wherein said output destination electronic information equipment comprises at least one of display output means for said picture information and acoustic output means for said audio information.

5. A method for sending information over a network;

wherein information is dispersed and stored in a plurality of pieces of electronic information equipment connected to said network and also the information stored in each of said pieces of electronic information equipment contains storing equipment information regarding which of the pieces of electronic information equipment on the network is storing the subsequent information portion;

and wherein each of said pieces of electronic information equipment comprises means for forming a communication channel with another piece of electronic information equipment instructed by output instructions received thereby as an interface to said network;

and wherein, in the event of inputting said information stored in a dispersed state to said one of said pieces of electronic information equipment on said network as a time-wise continuous piece of information, said plurality of pieces of electronic information equipment storing said information in a dispersed state sequentially output the information stored in each of said pieces of electronic information equipment to the output destination electronic information equipment via said network;

and wherein one of said pieces of electronic information equipment on said network monitors information flowing on said network, and upon detection of said storing equipment information, gives output instructions to the electronic information equipment instructed by said storing equipment information to output the information stored therein to said output destination electronic information equipment.

6. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 5, wherein said electronic information equipment for monitoring information flowing on said network is one of the pieces of electronic information equipment whereby information is dispersed and stored.

7. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 5, wherein said electronic information equipment for monitoring information flowing on said network is a piece of electronic information equipment other than the pieces of electronic information equipment whereby information is dispersed and stored, and is a piece of electronic information equipment which has given output instructions to a piece of electronic information equipment storing information containing the first part of said information.

8. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 5, wherein said information stored in a dispersed state is at least one of picture information and audio information, and wherein said output destination electronic information equipment comprises at least one of display output means for said picture information and acoustic output means for said audio information.

9. A method for sending information over a network;

wherein a plurality of pieces of electronic information equipment are connected to a network, with a communication channel being formed via said network between two pieces of electronic information equipment of said plurality of pieces of electronic information equipment and the output information of one piece of electronic information equipment of said two pieces of electronic information equipment being input to the other piece of electronic information equipment, thereby performing information processing at said other piece of electronic information equipment;

and wherein a piece of electronic information equipment connected to said network gives instructions to said other piece of electronic information equipment of said two pieces of electronic information equipment to change the output destination of said output information to a piece of electronic information equipment other than said other piece of electronic information equipment, and also instructs said other piece of electronic information equipment to start processing information input thereto.

10. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 9, wherein said piece of electronic information equipment which gives said output destination changing instructions and information processing starting instructions is said one piece of electronic information equipment of said two pieces of electronic information equipment, which outputs output information.

11. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 9, wherein said piece of electronic information equipment which gives said output destination changing instructions and information processing starting instructions is a piece of electronic information equipment other than said two pieces of electronic information equipment.

12. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 9, wherein said piece of electronic information equipment which gives said output destination changing instructions and information processing starting instructions is said output destination electronic information equipment before said output destination is changed.

13. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 9, wherein said sent information is at least one of picture information and audio information;

and wherein information processing in the output destination electronic information equipment before said output destination is changed comprises at least one of display output processing for said picture information and acoustic output processing for said audio information;

and wherein information processing in output destination electronic information equipment after said output destination is changed is processing for storing said at least one of picture information and audio information in a recording medium.

14. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 13, wherein said piece of electronic information equipment which gives said output destination changing instructions and information processing starting instructions, gives said output destination changing instructions and information processing starting instructions based on user instructions via instruction input means.

15. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 9, wherein information signals processing in both said pieces of output destination output destination electronic information equipment before and after said output destination is changed is processing for storing information signals in a recording medium;

and wherein output destination changing instructions and information processing starting instructions are given in the event that the available capacity of said recording medium of said electronic information equipment before said output destination is changed becomes insufficient.

16. A method for sending information over a network according to claim 9, wherein information signals processing in both said pieces of output destination output destination electronic information equipment before and after said output destination is changed is processing for storing information signals in a recording medium;

and wherein said piece of electronic information equipment which gives said output destination changing instructions and information processing starting instructions is said output destination electronic information equipment before said output destination is changed, for giving said output destination changing instructions and information processing starting instructions in the event that the available capacity of said output destination electronic information equipment before said output destination is changed becomes insufficient, and also recording information of the output destination output destination electronic information equipment after said output destination is changed, in said recording medium.

17. Electronic information equipment, comprising:

interface means for connecting to a network;

an information signal storing unit;

means for

reading information out of said storing unit according to output instructions,

sending said information out onto said network via said interface means, and

transmitting said information to output destination electronic information equipment which is the target of the transaction; and

means for, in the event that successive information has been detected at the point of ending reading of said information from said storing unit, giving output instructions to electronic information equipment storing said successive information to output said successive information to said output destination electronic information equipment.

18. Electronic information equipment, comprising:

interface means for connecting to a network;

recording means for recording information signals transmitted from information output equipment via said network in a recording medium; and

means for, in the event of judging that the available capacity of said recording medium is insufficient while recording with said recording means, requesting output of said information signals to other electronic information equipment having functions for recording information signals, and also requesting said other electronic information equipment to execute recording.