Content reception program content receiving method

• US 20040078385A1
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Tomohiro
• Application Number:
  US10/468,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078385A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A content delivery system includes a server (300), and each server (300) has advertisement information advertising itself as to what kind of services are offered. The advertisement information is arbitrarily downloadable by a client (100). Furthermore, the downloaded advertisement information is stored in a memory within a content reproducing apparatus (400). When the content reproducing apparatus (400) is connected, the client (100) reads out the advertisement information stored in the memory within the content reproducing apparatus (400). Therefore, this eliminates a need to access each server so as to browse a homepage, and enables to easily know what kind of services each server offers.

Claims

1. A content receiving program executed by a client computer to which a server computer system that delivers a content and a content reproducing apparatus that reproduces said delivered content are connected as required, comprising following:

(a) a reading-out step for reading out advertisement information from a memory of said content reproducing apparatus when said content reproducing apparatus is connected to said client computer;

(b) a connecting step for connecting the client computer to the server computer system based on said advertisement information; and

(c) an updating step for updating said advertisement information of said memory by said new advertisement information transmitted from said server computer system.

2. A content receiving program according to claim 1, wherein

said server computer system includes a plurality of server computers that hold said content and said advertisement information,

said advertisement information includes address information of said server computer of an advertisement transmitting source, and

in said connecting step (b), a connection is made to each of said server computers according to said address information.

3. A content receiving program according to claim 2, wherein

said memory stores said advertisement information for each of said server computers, and

said updating step (c) includes a detecting step (c1) for detecting from said memory said advertisement information corresponding to said connecting server computer, and an advertisement information updating step (c2) for updating said advertisement information detected in said detecting step by said new advertisement information transmitted from said connecting server computer.

4. A content receiving program according to claim 3, wherein

said advertisement information stored in said memory includes timing information,

said updating step (c) further includes a transmitting step (c3) for transmitting to said connecting server computer said timing information included in said advertisement information detected in said detecting step, and

in said advertisement information updating step (c2), an updating is carried out when said new advertisement information is transmitted toward said timing information.

5. A content receiving program according to claim 1, wherein

said server computer system includes a plurality of first servers that hold the content, and a second server that holds said advertisement information, and

in said connecting step (b), a connection is made to the second server computer.

6. A content receiving program according to claim 5, wherein

said advertisement information includes address information of said second computer server, and

in said connecting step (b), a connection is made to the second server computer according to said address information.

7. A content receiving method executed by a client computer to which a server computer system that delivers a content and a content reproducing apparatus that reproduces said content to be delivered are connected as required, comprising following steps:

(a) a step for reading out advertisement information from a memory of said content reproducing apparatus when said content reproducing apparatus is connected to said client computer;

(b) a step for connecting the client computer to said server computer system based on said advertisement information; and

(c) a step for updating said advertisement information of said memory by said new advertisement information transmitted from said server computer system.

8. A client computer to which a server computer system that delivers a content and a content reproducing apparatus that reproduces said content to be delivered are connected as required, comprising:

a reading-out means for reading out advertisement information from a memory of said content reproducing apparatus when said content reproducing apparatus is connected to the client computer;

a connection means for connecting the client computer to said server computer system based on said advertisement information; and

an updating means for updating said advertisement information of said memory by said new advertisement information transmitted from said server computer system.

9. A content receiving system, comprising:

a server computer system that delivers a content;

a content reproducing apparatus that reproduces said content to be delivered; and

a client computer that reads out advertisement information from a memory of said content reproducing apparatus, connects the client computer to said server system based on said advertisement information, and updates said advertisement information of said memory by said new advertisement information transmitted from said server system computer.

10. A client computer to which a server computer system that delivers a content and a content reproducing apparatus that reproduces said content to be delivered are connected as required, comprising following programs:

a reading-out program for reading out advertisement information from a memory of said content reproducing apparatus when said content reproducing apparatus is connected to said the client computer;

a connecting program for connecting to said server computer system based on said advertisement information; and

an updating program for updating said advertisement information of said memory by said new advertisement information transmitted from said server computer system.

11. A client computer according to claim 10, wherein

said server computer system includes a plurality of server computers that hold said content and said advertisement information,

said advertisement information includes address information of said server computer of an advertisement transmitting source, and

in said connecting program, a connection is made to each of said server computers according to said address information.

12. A client computer according to claim 11, wherein

said memory stores said advertisement information for each of said server computers,

said updating program includes a detection program for detecting from said memory said advertisement information corresponding to said connecting server computer, and an advertisement information updating program for updating said advertisement information detected by said detection program by said new advertisement information transmitted from said connecting server computer.

13. A client computer according to claim 12, wherein

said advertisement information stored in said memory includes timing information showing a timing of creating the advertisement,

said updating program further includes a transmitting program for transmitting to said connecting server computer said timing information included in said advertisement information detected by said detection program,

in said advertisement information updating program, an updating is carried out when said new advertisement information is transmitted toward said season information.

14. A client computer according to claim 10, wherein

said server computer system includes a plurality of first server computers that hold the content, and a second server computer that holds said advertisement information,

in said connecting program, a connection is made to said second server computer.

15. A client server computer according to claim 14, wherein

said advertisement information includes address information of said second server computer,

in said connecting program, a connection is made to said second server computer according to said address information.