Information apparatus and resource control method

• US 20050060750A1
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Akiyama, Yuki, Oka, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/788,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060750A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

An information apparatus includes a resource, a monitoring unit which monitors whether a first device issued a request to use the resource, and an arbitration processing unit which determines, when the request to use the resource is issued, whether to accept the request, by referring to information which defines a second device to be rejected or permitted to use the resource in each time period.

Claims

1. An information apparatus, comprising:

a resource;

a monitoring unit which monitors whether a first device issued a request to use the resource; and

an arbitration processing unit which determines, when the request to use the resource is issued, whether to accept the request, by referring to information which defines a second device to be rejected or permitted to use the resource in each time period.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first device is identical to the second device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first device is different from the second device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the resource includes a tuner which performs a reception process of broadcast program data.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the arbitration processing unit determines whether to accept the request, by further referring to information representing a recording time period of the broadcast program data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when a requested use time period coincides with the recording time period, the arbitration processing unit determines to reject the request.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification processing unit which notifies, when the request is determined not to be accepted, a request source of a message that the request cannot be accepted.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication processing unit which authenticates, when the request to use the resource is issued, whether a user who issued the request is authentic.

9. A resource control method applied to an information apparatus having a resource, the method comprising:

monitoring whether a first device issued a request to use the resource; and

determining, when the request to use the resource is issued, whether to accept the request, by referring to information which defines a second device to be rejected or permitted to use the resource in each time period.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first device is identical to the second device.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first device is different from the second device.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the resource includes a tuner which performs a reception process of broadcast program data.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the determination includes determining whether to accept the request, by further referring to information representing a recording time period of the broadcast program data.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the determination includes determining, when a requested use time period coincides with the recording time period, to reject the request.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the determination includes notifying, when the request is determined not to be accepted, a request source of a message that the request cannot be accepted.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the determination includes authenticating, when the request to use the resource is issued, whether a user who issued the request is authentic.