Information processing device, content management method, content information management method, and computer program

• US 20060059168A1
• Filed: 12/16/2003
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hamada, Masaaki, Morita, Toshihiro, Igarashi, Tatsuya, Sakoh, Noriyuki, Tanaka, Yoshiki, Morita, Takehiko, Kikkawa, Norifumi, Kobori, Yoichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping

Abstract

An apparatus and a method are provided, which enable to perform an improved management processing based on an identifier information of a content on a server. The content providing server sets content-associated unique identifier information as property information that is a component of content-associated metadata, maintains the unique identifier information as content-associated metadata without changing the unique identifier information even if the logical/physical position of a content stored in the storage unit is changed, and maintains a setting value of unique identifier information, which is set associated with a received content, as metadata associated with the received content without changing the setting value of the unique identifier information. By this configuration, even if a content is moved between servers, a client can acquire the content based on the unique identifier.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus connected to a network, that functions as a content providing server for executing content transmission processing in response to a request from a client through the network, said apparatus characterized by comprising:

a storage unit for storing a content and metadata that is content attribute information;

a data transmission/reception unit for executing data transmission/reception processing; and

a control unit for setting content-associated unique identifier information as property information that is a component of content-associated metadata, and for maintaining said unique identifier information as content-associated metadata without changing said unique identifier information even if the logical/physical position of a content on the network stored in said storage unit is changed;

wherein said control unit manages a setting value of unique identifier information, which is set associated with a content received via said data transmission/reception unit, as metadata associated with the received content without changing said setting value, and when a content to which said unique identifier information is not assigned is newly stored, said control unit generates or acquires a globally unique new identifier and sets said generated new unique identifier as fixed unique identifier information associated with said newly stored content.

2. The information processing apparatus as described in claim 1, said information processing apparatus characterized in that said control unit performs content search based on said unique identifier information in response to a content request, in which said unique identifier information is stored, from a client.

3. The information processing apparatus as described in claim 1, said information processing apparatus characterized in that, when a content is output to other apparatus, said control unit outputs unique identifier information, which is set in property information that is a component of metadata associated with the output content, to said other apparatus.

5. The information processing apparatus as described in claim 1, said information processing apparatus characterized in that unique identifier information that is set in property information that is a component of metadata associated with a content includes a unique identifier associated with the content [NCUID], a unique identifier of an object related to the content [refNCUID], and a unique identifier of a parent object in a content management directory [parentNCUID] and in that said control unit manages the values of the [NCUID], [refNCUID], and [parentNCUID] as the fixed values of property information constituting metadata associated with a stored content.

4. (canceled)

6. An information processing apparatus that functions as a client for executing content playback processing, said information processing apparatus characterized by comprising:

a data transmission/reception unit for sending and receiving data to and from a server that has a content and content attribute information;

a control unit for acquiring unique identifier information that is content-associated unique identifier information included in property information and that is set as a fixed value even if the content is moved between apparatuses, for generating a unique identifier management table associating said unique identifier information with other property information included in said metadata, and for storing said generated table in a storage unit, the property information being a component of metadata that is content attribute information received from said server via said data transmission/reception unit; and

a storage unit for storing said unique identifier management table.

7. The information processing apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, when a content request is issued to said server, said control unit checks whether unique identifier information on the requested content is already registered in said unique identifier management table, acquires unique identifier information registered in said unique identifier management table if said unique identifier information is registered, generates a content request packet in which the acquired unique identifier information is set as a search key, and executes the control of outputting the content request packet to the content providing server.

8. The information processing apparatus as described in claim 7, characterized in that the transmission of said content request packet is executed as the processing of multicast transmission to a plurality of servers.

9. A content management method for use in a content delivery server, characterized by comprising:

a step of detecting content-associated unique identifier information that is set in a content received from other device;

a property information setting step of setting said unique identifier information as property information constituting the metadata on the received content without changing the value;

a storing step of storing said received content and metadata that includes said unique identifier information as property information, said received content being associated with said metadata; and

a step of generating or acquiring a globally unique new identifier and setting said generated new unique identifier as fixed unique identifier information associated with said newly stored content, when a content to which said unique identifier information is not assigned is newly stored.

10. The content management method as described in claim 9, characterized in that said content management method further comprises the step of executing content search based on said unique identifier information in response to a content request in which said unique identifier information from a client is included.

11. The content management method as described in claim 9, characterized in that said content management method further comprises the step of, when a content is output to other apparatus, outputting unique identifier information, which is set in property information that is a component of metadata associated with the output content, to said other apparatus.

13. The content management method as described in claim 9, characterized in that said property information setting step sets a unique identifier associated with a content [NCUID], a unique identifier of an object related to the content [refNCUID], and a unique identifier of a parent object in a content management directory [parentNCUID], all of which are included in unique identifier information that is set in property information that is a component of metadata associated with the content, as property information associated with the received content without changing the values, and in that said storing step stores said received content and metadata, which includes [NCUID], [refNCUID], and [parentNCUID] as the property information, with said received content associated with the metadata.

12. (canceled)

14. A content information management method characterized by comprising:

a content attribute information receiving step of receiving content attribute information from a server;

a step of acquiring unique identifier information that is content-associated unique identifier information included in property information and that is set as a fixed value even if the content is moved between apparatuses, the property information being a component of metadata that is content attribute information; and

a step of generating a unique identifier management table associating said unique identifier information with other property information included in said metadata for storing said generated table in a storage unit.

15. The content information management method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, when a content request is issued to the server, said content information management method further comprises the steps of checking whether unique identifier information on the requested content is already registered in said unique identifier management table;

acquiring unique identifier information registered in said unique identifier management table if the unique identifier information is registered;

generating a content request packet in which said acquired unique identifier information is set as a search key; and

executing the control of outputting the content request packet to said content providing server.

16. The content information management method as described in claim 15, characterized in that the transmission of said content request packet is executed as the processing of multicast transmission to a plurality of servers.

17. A computer program for executing content management processing in a content delivery server, said computer program characterized by comprising:

a step of detecting content-associated unique identifier information that is set in a content received from other apparatus;

a property information setting step of setting said unique identifier information as property information constituting the metadata on said received content without changing the value; and

a storing step of storing said received content and metadata that includes said unique identifier information as property information, said received content being associated with the metadata.

18. A computer program for executing content information management processing is characterized by comprising:

a content attribute information receiving step of receiving content attribute information from a server;

a step of acquiring unique identifier information that is content-associated unique identifier information included in property information and that is set as a fixed value even if said content is moved between apparatuses, said property information being a component of metadata that is content attribute information;

a step of generating a unique identifier management table associating said unique identifier information with other property information included in said metadata for storing said generated table in a storage unit; and

a step of generating or acquiring a globally unique new identifier and setting said generated new unique identifier as fixed unique identifier information associated with said newly stored content, when a content to which said unique identifier information is not assigned is newly stored.