Information-processing system, information-processing device, and information-processing method

• US 20050240660A1
• Filed: 05/19/2003
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maeda, Satoru, Onishi, Manabu, Sakao, Katsutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,156,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• 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 21/4622 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 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In an information-processing system shown in FIG. 1, a server (106) for delivering remote-operation control information in accordance with an audio/video instrument (110) and an information-processing apparatus (103) with a remote-operation screen display function for remote-controlling the audio/video instrument (110) based on control information acquired from this server (106) are connected to each other through the Internet (105) etc. The information-processing apparatus (103) makes a request to the server (106) to deliver the remote-operation control information in accordance with this audio/video instrument (110) and, based on the control information delivered from the server (106) owing to this delivery request, performs display processing of a remote-operation screen and, based on remote-operation information input by operations on the remote-operation screen, remote-controls the audio/video instrument (110).

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. An information-processing system for allowing remote-operation information in accordance with electronic instruments that may be remote-controlled according to the remote-operation information to be delivered to the electronic instruments, said comprising:

an information-processing apparatus for delivering to said electronic instruments the remote-operation information in accordance with said electronic instruments;

an information delivery apparatus for delivering to said information-processing apparatus remote-operation control information including said remote-operation information; and

communication means for connecting said information delivery apparatus and said information-processing apparatus to each other,

wherein said information-processing apparatus includes;

display means for displaying a remote-operation screen in accordance with the electronic instruments to be remote-controlled with the remote-operation screen being superimposed on a screen based on a signal obtained by receiving broadcast signal;

nonvolatile storage device for storing the remote-operation information in accordance with said electronic instruments and display information for displaying the remote-operation screen in accordance with the electronic instruments to be remote-controlled on the display means;

input device for inputting predetermined remote-operation information using said remote-operation screen;

control unit for controlling by delivering to said electronic instruments the remote-operation information in accordance with said electronic instruments to be remote-controlled when said input device inputs the predetermined remote-operation information; and

delivery-requesting means for making a request to said information delivery apparatus to deliver the remote-operation information and the display information in accordance with the electronic instruments when new electronic instrument is connected with said communication means;

wherein said information delivery apparatus includes;

a database for storing said remote-operation information and said display information in accordance with the respective electronic instruments; and

delivery means for delivering remote-operation information and said display information in accordance with the electronic instruments when said delivery-requesting means makes a request.

22. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein said input device is a touch-panel type input device.

23. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein said electronic instruments and said control unit of the information-processing apparatus are connected to each other according to a wired scheme or a wireless scheme.

24. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein said electronic instruments and said control unit of the information-processing apparatus are connected to each other according to an infrared scheme.

25. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein said control unit and said display means of said information-processing apparatus are separately provided, with a wireless communication being performed between said control unit and said display means of said information-processing apparatus.

26. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein said control unit of said information-processing apparatus is equipped with said nonvolatile storage device for storing the remote-operation control information delivered from said information delivery apparatus.

27. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein as said communication means, at least one of a broadcast platform, a public telephone circuit, a dedicated communication line, and the Internet is used.

28. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein said information delivery apparatus individually manages services for delivering said remote-operation control information provided to said information-processing apparatus as a target.

29. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein said information delivery apparatus is provided with a database for storing said remote-operation control information;

and

wherein said control information is added to said database every time a new electronic instrument is manufactured.

30. The information-processing system according to claim 21, wherein in the case of realizing a delivery service of said remote-operation control information, said information delivery apparatus performs accounting processing in response to payment for this delivery service.

31. An information-processing apparatus for allowing remote-operation information in accordance with an electronic instrument that may be remote-controlled according to the remote-operation information to be delivered to the electronic instruments, said apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying a remote-operation screen in accordance with the electronic instruments to be remote-controlled with the remote-operation screen being superimposed on a screen based on a signal obtained by receiving broadcast signal;

nonvolatile storage device for storing the remote-operation information in accordance with said electronic instruments and display information for displaying the remote-operation screen in accordance with the electronic instruments to be remote-controlled on the display means;

input device for inputting predetermined remote-operation information using said remote-operation screen;

control unit for controlling by delivering to said electronic instruments the remote-operation information in accordance with said electronic instruments to be remote-controlled when said input device inputs the predetermined remote-operation information; and

delivery-requesting means for making a request to said information delivery apparatus arranged outside to deliver the remote-operation information and the display information in accordance with the electronic instruments when new electronic instrument is connected with said communication means.

32. The information-processing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said control unit and said display means of said information-processing apparatus are separately provided, with a wireless communication being performed between said control unit and said display means of said information-processing apparatus.

33. The information-processing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said control unit of said information-processing apparatus is equipped with said nonvolatile storage device for storing the remote-operation control information delivered from said information delivery apparatus.

34. The information-processing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said electronic instruments and said control unit of said information-processing apparatus are electrically connected to each other according to a wired scheme or a wireless scheme.

35. The information-processing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said electronic instruments and said control unit of said information-processing apparatus are electrically connected to each other according to an infrared scheme.

36. An information-processing method for delivering remote-operation information in accordance with electronic instruments that may be remote-controlled according to the remote-operation information to the electronic instruments, said method comprising the steps of:

preparing;

an information-processing apparatus for delivering to said electronic instruments the remote-operation information in accordance with said electronic instruments;

an information delivery apparatus for delivering to said information-processing apparatus remote-operation control information including said remote-operation information; and

communication means for connecting said information delivery apparatus and said information-processing apparatus to each other,

storing the remote-operation information in accordance with said electronic instruments and display information for displaying the remote-operation screen in accordance with the electronic instruments to be remote-controlled on nonvolatile storage device, in said information-processing apparatus;

displaying a remote-operation screen in accordance with the electronic instruments to be remote-controlled on display means with the remote-operation screen being superimposed on a screen based on a signal obtained by receiving broadcast signal, in said information-processing apparatus;

inputting predetermined remote-operation information using said remote-operation screen by input device, in said information-processing apparatus;

delivering by control unit to said electronic instruments the remote-operation information in accordance with said electronic instruments to be remote-controlled when said input device inputs the predetermined remote-operation information, in said information-processing apparatus;

by delivery-requesting means, making a request to said information delivery apparatus to deliver the remote-operation information and the display information in accordance with the electronic instruments, in said information-processing apparatus, when new electronic instrument is connected with said communication means;

storing in a database said remote-operation information and said display information in accordance with the respective electronic instruments, in said information delivery apparatus; and

reading said remote-operation information and said display information in accordance with the electronic instruments out of the database to deliver them to said information-processing apparatus when said delivery-requesting means makes a request, in said information delivery apparatus.

37. The information-processing method according to claim 36, wherein as said communication means, at least one of a broadcast platform, a public telephone circuit, a dedicated communication line, and the Internet is used.

38. The information-processing method according to claim 36, wherein said information delivery apparatus individually manages services for delivering said remote-operation control information.

39. The information-processing method according to claim 36, wherein said control information is added to the database every time a new electronic instrument is manufactured.