Version based content distribution and synchronization system and method

• US 20050060370A1
• Filed: 09/17/2003
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Naoyuki, Xue, Xin, Vu, Quan
• Application Number:
  US10/666,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060370A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70

Abstract

A version based content distribution and synchronization system configured for content distribution from a syndicator to a subscriber is disclosed. The preferred system comprises version based content, a syndicator, subscriber content, and a subscriber. Preferably, the content comprises a version number and the subscriber content comprises a subscriber content version number. The version based content preferably comprises digital media. The version based content is preferably stored and organized on the syndicator in a tree like structure. The syndicator preferably compares the version number of the version based content with the subscriber content version number of the subscriber content. If the version number is greater than the subscriber content version number, the version based content is transferred from the syndicator to the subscriber. Preferably, the version based content is distributed and synchronized via an internet protocol method.

Claims

1. A version based content distribution system comprising:

a. content comprising a version number;

b. a syndicator, wherein the syndicator is configured to distribute the content;

c. subscriber content comprising a subscriber content version number; and

d. a subscriber configured to store the subscriber content, to compare the version number with the subscriber content version number, and to receive the content from the syndicator if the version number is larger than the subscriber content version number.

2. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the syndicator comprises a server.

3. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber is further configured to display the subscriber content.

4. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber comprises a personal digital assistant.

5. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber comprises a hand held electronic device.

6. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber comprises a personal computer.

7. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the syndicator further comprises a data synchronization scheme configured to compare the version number with the subscriber content version number and to transfer the content to the subscriber based on a predetermined transfer method.

8. The version based content distribution system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined transfer method comprises an application driven data transfer method.

9. The version based content distribution system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined transfer method comprises an isochronous data transfer method.

10. The version based content distribution system of claim 9, wherein the isochronous data transfer method comprises a syndicator to subscriber one-way synchronization.

11. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber is configured to communicate with the syndicator via an internet protocol method.

12. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber is further configured to receive content based on preferences set by a user of the subscriber.

13. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the syndicator is further configured to store the content.

14. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the content is organized on the syndicator in a flat format structure.

15. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the content is organized on the syndicator in a tree like structure.

16. The version based content distribution system of claim 15, wherein the tree like structure comprises one or more channels, wherein each of the one or more channels comprise one or more subchannels, and further wherein each of the one or more subchannels comprise one or more categories.

17. The version based content distribution system of claim 16, wherein each of the one or more categories comprise one or more real content names.

18. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the content comprises digital media.

19. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the content comprises JPEG, MPEG, MP3, or FLASH files.

20. The version based content distribution system of claim 1, wherein the content distribution system further comprises a proxy personal computer configured to receive the content from and communicate with the syndicator and to transmit the content received from the syndicator to the subscriber.

21. A content distribution system comprising:

a. a distribution server configured to transmit content, wherein the content comprises a server version;

b. a hand held device comprising a device version, wherein the hand held device is configured to receive the content; and

c. an electronic proxy device comprising a version identifier, wherein the electronic proxy device is configured to receive the device version from the hand held device and the server version from the distribution server, and is further configured to compare the server version with the device version, and if the server version is greater than the device version, to download the content from the distribution server and to transmit the content to the hand held device.

22. The content distribution system of claim 21, wherein the content comprises digital media.

23. The content distribution system of claim 21, wherein the content comprises JPEG, MPEG, MP3, or FLASH files.

24. An entertainment system for providing content to one or more users, comprising:

a. one or more distribution control devices configured to store and transmit version based content;

b. a rerouting device configured to receive the version based content transmitted from the one or more distribution control devices, to add a version stamp to the version based content, and to reroute the version based content; and

c. a subscription device configured to receive the rerouted version based content with the version stamp from the rerouting device.

25. The content distribution system of claim 24, wherein the version stamp comprises a version number.

26. The entertainment system of claim 24, wherein the subscription device is further configured to allow a user to select, control, and play the version based content.

27. The entertainment system of claim 24, wherein the version based content comprises digital media.

28. The entertainment system of claim 24, wherein the version based content comprises JPEG, MPEG, MP3, or FLASH files.

34. The content subscription system of claim 24, wherein the system further comprises an output signal generation circuit electronically coupled to the server and the subscriber and configured to detect a difference between the version identifier and the subscriber version identifier and generate a control output signal that instructs the content control circuit to transmit the first content to the subscriber content identification circuit if the version identifier is greater than the subscriber version identifier.

29. A content subscription system comprising:

a. a server;

b. a subscriber;

c. a server content identification circuit configured to transmit a first signal representative of a version identifier, wherein the version identifier corresponds to a first content stored within the server;

d. a subscriber content identification circuit configured to receive the version identifier and the first content stored within the server, wherein the subscriber content identification circuit is further configured to generate a second signal representative of a subscriber version identifier, wherein the subscriber version identifier corresponds to a second content stored within the subscriber; and

e. a content control circuit configured to transmit the first content to the subscriber content identification circuit in response to the second signal.

30. The content subscription system of claim 29, wherein the subscriber version identifier comprises a version number.

31. The content subscription system of claim 29, wherein the subscriber version identifier comprises a date and time stamp.

32. The content subscription system of claim 29, wherein the first content comprises digital media.

33. The content subscription system of claim 29, wherein the first content comprises JPEG, MPEG, MP3, or FLASH files.

35. A method of distributing content comprising:

a. defining a version number for content stored within a syndicator;

b. increasing the version number when the content stored within the syndicator is updated;

c. defining a subscriber version number for content stored within a subscriber;

d. transmitting the version number from the syndicator to the subscriber;

e. performing a synchronization verification wherein the subscriber version number is compared to the version number;

f. downloading the content stored within the syndicator to the subscriber if the subscriber version number is found to be less than the version number during the synchronization verification; and

g. increasing the subscriber version number to correspond to the version number following downloading of the content stored within the syndicator.

36. The method of distributing content of claim 35, wherein the syndicator comprises a server.

37. The method of distributing content of claim 35, wherein the subscriber comprises a personal digital assistant.

38. The method of distributing content of claim 35, wherein the subscriber comprises a hand held electronic device.

39. The method of distributing content of claim 35, wherein the subscriber comprises a personal computer.

40. The method of distributing content of claim 35, wherein the version number comprises a date and time stamp.

41. The method of distributing content of claim 35, wherein the version identifier comprises a version number.

42. The method of distributing content of claim 35, wherein the content stored within the syndicator comprises digital media.

43. The method of distributing content of claim 35, wherein the content stored within the syndicator comprises JPEG, MPEG, MP3, or FLASH files.