Information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 20040136244A1
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakata, Junichirou, Kohno, Tetsuya, Nakamura, Takatoshi, Iriya, Shinichi, Ono, Masamichi, Kawai, Toshihiko, Sakaida, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,330,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to allow a client to make a request for music data stored in a server and to receive it and play it back. A client program 421 controls the sending of a request signal to a server 401, the reception and playback processing of music data from the server 401, and the display of a GUI performed by a display controller 426, and outputs the music data received by a communication unit 423 from the server 401 to an audio data converter 424. A server program 411 controls the sending of music data to the client 402, and registration of information in a music database 415, a link information database 416, and a ranking information database 417, searches the music database 415 for the requested music data, and sends the music data to the client 402. The present invention can be applied to a personal computer, a PDA, a cellular telephone, a desk-top playback device, a portable playback device, and a simplified playback device.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

input means for receiving an input operation by a user;

generation means for generating, for a different information processing apparatus, a request signal indicating a request to send predetermined data based on the input operation by the user received by said input means, the different information processing apparatus including first recording means for recording the predetermined data, second recording means for recording information indicating a virtual hierarchical structure for the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means, and third recording means for recording information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means in the hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means;

sending means for sending the request signal generated by said generation means;

receiving means for receiving the predetermined data extracted from said first recording means and sent from the different information processing apparatus in accordance with the request signal sent from said sending means based on the information indicating the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means and the information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said third recording means; and

playback means for playing back the predetermined data received by said receiving means.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for controlling the display of a display screen for assisting the input operation by the user.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sending means sends the request signal to the different information processing apparatus and said receiving means receives the predetermined data from the different information processing apparatus by wireless communication.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request signal designates the predetermined data, the name of a virtual classification level containing the predetermined data, or a priority rank in the virtual classification level.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request signal includes a first request signal indicating a request to send part of the predetermined data or a second request signal indicating a request to send the entirety of the predetermined data.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when power is supplied, or when a first operation is input by the user from said input means, or when a playback operation on the predetermined data by said playback means is finished, said generation means generates the first request signal, and when a second operation is input by the user from0 said input means, said generation means generates the second request signal.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein part of the predetermined data requested by the first request signal is data indicating a most characteristic portion of the predetermined data for the user when the predetermined data is played back by said playback means.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when first predetermined data and second predetermined data received by said receiving means are continuously played back, said playback means plays back the first predetermined data and the second predetermined data by inserting white noise having a predetermined period between sound of the first predetermined data and sound of the second predetermined data.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said input means further comprises:

first input means for receiving a first operation for giving an instruction to send the first request signal indicating a request to send part of the predetermined data; and

second input means for receiving a second operation for giving an instruction to send the second request signal indicating a request to send the entirety of the predetermined data.

10. An information processing method comprising:

an input control step of controlling an input of an operation by a user;

a generation step of generating, for a different information processing apparatus, a request signal indicating a request to send predetermined data based on the input operation by the user which is controlled by processing of said input control step, the different information processing apparatus including first recording means for recording the predetermined data, second recording means for recording information indicating a virtual hierarchical structure for the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means, and third recording means for recording information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means in the hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means;

a sending control step of controlling the sending of the request signal generated by processing of said generation step;

a receiving control step of controlling the reception of the predetermined data extracted from said first recording means and sent from the different information processing apparatus in accordance with the request signal sent from said sending means based on the information indicating the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means and the information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said third recording means; and

a playback step of playing back the predetermined data which is controlled to be received by processing of said receiving control step.

11. A program allowing a computer to execute:

an input control step of controlling an input of an operation by a user;

a generation step of generating, for a different information processing apparatus, a request signal indicating a request to send predetermined data based on the input operation by the user which is controlled by processing of said input control step, the different information processing apparatus including first recording means for recording the predetermined data, second recording means for recording information indicating a virtual hierarchical structure for the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means, and third recording means for recording information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means in the hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means;

a sending control step of controlling the sending of the request signal generated by processing of said generation step;

a receiving control step of controlling the reception of the predetermined data extracted from said first recording means and sent from the different information processing apparatus in accordance with the request signal sent from said sending means based on the information indicating the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means and the information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said third recording means; and

a playback step of playing back the predetermined data which is controlled to be received by processing of said receiving control step.

12. An information processing apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request signal from a different information processing apparatus;

first recording means for recording predetermined data;

second recording means for recording information indicating a virtual hierarchical structure for the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means;

third recording means for recording information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means in the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means;

extraction means for extracting the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means based on the request signal received by said receiving means, the information indicating the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means, and the information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said third recording means; and

sending means for sending the predetermined data extracted by said extraction means to the different information processing apparatus.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said extraction means selectively extracts part of the predetermined data or the entirety of the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means based on the request signal received by said receiving means.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

analysis means for analyzing the request signal received by said receiving means; and

updating means for updating, based on an analysis result obtained by said analysis means, the information indicating the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means and the information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said third recording means.

15. An information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said updating means generates a new classification level as the topmost level of the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means based on the analysis result obtained by said analysis means.

16. An information processing method comprising:

a receiving control step of controlling the reception of a request signal from a different information processing apparatus;

a first recording control step of controlling the recording of predetermined data;

a second recording control step of controlling the recording of information indicating a virtual hierarchical structure for the predetermined data which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said first recording control step;

a third recording control step of controlling the recording of information concerning the priority of the predetermined data which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said first recording control step in the virtual hierarchical structure which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said second recording control step;

an extraction step of extracting the predetermined data which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said first recording control step based on the request signal which is controlled to be received by processing of said receiving control step, the information indicating the virtual hierarchical structure which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said second recording control step, and the information concerning the priority of the predetermined data which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said third recording control step; and

a sending control step of controlling the sending of the predetermined data extracted by processing of said extraction step to the different information processing apparatus.

17. A program allowing a computer to execute:

a receiving control step of controlling the reception of a request signal from a different information processing apparatus;

a first recording control step of controlling the recording of predetermined data;

a second recording control step of controlling the recording of information indicating a virtual hierarchical structure for the predetermined data which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said first recording control step;

a third recording control step of controlling the recording of information concerning the priority of the predetermined data which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said first recording control step in the virtual hierarchical structure which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said second recording control step;

an extraction step of extracting the predetermined data which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said first recording control step based on the request signal which is controlled to be received by processing of said receiving control step, the information indicating the virtual hierarchical structure which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said second recording control step, and the information concerning the priority of the predetermined data which is controlled to be recorded by processing of said third recording control step; and

a sending control step of controlling the sending of the predetermined data extracted by processing of said extraction step to the different information processing apparatus.

18. An information processing system comprising:

a first information processing apparatus for recording predetermined data; and

a second information processing apparatus for receiving and playing back the predetermined data,

said first processing apparatus comprising;

first receiving means for receiving a request signal sent from said second information processing apparatus;

first recording means for recording the predetermine data;

second recording means for recording information indicating a virtual hierarchical structure for the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means;

third recording means for recording information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means in the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means;

extraction means for extracting the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means based on the request signal received by said first receiving means, the information indicating the virtual hierarchical structure recorded by said second recording means, and the information concerning the priority of the predetermined data recorded by said third recording means; and

first sending means for sending the predetermined data extracted by said extraction means to said second information processing apparatus,

said second information processing apparatus comprising;

input means for receiving an input of an operation by a user;

generation means for generating the request signal indicating a request to send the predetermined data recorded by said first recording means of said first information processing apparatus based on the operation by the user input by said input means;

second sending means for sending the request signal generated by said generation means to said first information processing apparatus;

second receiving means for receiving the predetermined data sent from said first information processing apparatus; and

playback means for playing back the predetermined data received by said second receiving means.