Peer-to-peer-type content distribution system and content reproduction terminal device for use therein

• US 20060088299A1
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ONKYO Corporation (Onkyo Home Entertainment Corp.)
• Original Assignee: ONKYO Corporation (Onkyo Home Entertainment Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Yasushi
• Application Number:
  US11/234,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20060088299A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44236 Monitoring of piracy processes or activities protecting computer platforms against harmful, malicious or unexpected behaviour or activities using intrusion detection and counter measures G06F21/566; computer virus detection and handling G06F21/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

If a peer 20 fails in an event notification (NO in S214), the peer 20 immediately stops the reproduction of a content item even when the content item is being reproduced (S221), and prohibits the reproduction of the content item (S222). After a retry interval time elapses since the prohibition of content reproduction (YES in S223), the event notification operation resumes (S213). If the event notification then succeeds (YES in S214), the prohibition of content reproduction is removed (S227). When a network failure occurs, content reproduction is not prohibited immediately after the occurrence of the network failure, but it is rather prohibited after a predetermined grace period elapses since the failure time (YES in S218).

Claims

1. A peer-to-peer-type content distribution system, comprising a center server, and a plurality of peers connected to the center server, the center server including:

a peer operation status storage section for storing an operation status of the peers; and

a section for registering the operation status sent from the peers in the peer operation status storage section, each peer including;

a content storage section for storing a content item;

a section for downloading a desired content item from another peer and storing the desired content item in the content storage section;

a content reproduction section for reading out a content item from the content storage section and reproducing the content item;

an operation status sending section for sending an operation status of the peer to the center server; and

a reproduction disabling section for disabling reproduction of a content item by the content reproduction section if the sending of the operation status fails.

2. A content reproduction terminal device, comprising:

a content storage section for storing a content item;

a section for downloading a desired content item and storing the desired content item in the content storage section;

a content reproduction section for reading out a content item from the content storage section and reproducing the content item;

an operation status sending section for sending an operation status of the content reproduction terminal device to a center server; and

a reproduction disabling section for disabling reproduction of a content item by the content reproduction section if the sending of the operation status fails.

3. The content reproduction terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the operation status sending section periodically sends an alive event as the operation status.

4. The content reproduction terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the reproduction disabling section includes:

a section for determining whether or not the content reproduction section is reproducing a content item; and

a section for stopping the reproduction of the content item by the content reproduction section if it is determined that the content reproduction section is reproducing the content item.

5. The content reproduction terminal device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a section for resuming the sending of the operation status after a predetermined retry interval time elapses since when reproduction of a content item is disabled by the reproduction disabling section; and

a reproduction enabling section for enabling reproduction of a content item by the content reproduction section if the sending of the operation status succeeds.

6. The content reproduction terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the reproduction disabling section includes:

a section for recording a failure time at which the sending of the operation status failed; and

a section for disabling reproduction of a content item by the content reproduction section after a predetermined grace period elapses since the recorded failure time.

7. The content reproduction terminal device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a section for resuming the sending of the operation status after a predetermined retry interval time elapses since when reproduction of a content item is disabled by the reproduction disabling section; and

a reproduction enabling section for enabling reproduction of a content item by the content reproduction section if the sending of the operation status succeeds, wherein;

the reproduction disabling section further includes a section for logging the operation status which failed to be sent; and

the reproduction enabling section further includes a section for sending the logged operation status to the center server when the sending of the operation status succeeds.

8. A program for a content reproduction terminal, instructing a computer to perform:

a step of downloading a desired content item and storing the desired content item in a content storage section;

a step of reading out a content item from the content storage section and reproducing the content item;

an operation status sending step of sending an operation status of the content reproduction terminal to a center server; and

a reproduction disabling step of disabling reproduction of a content item if the sending of the operation status fails.

9. The program for a content reproduction terminal according to claim 8, wherein an alive event is periodically sent as the operation status in the operation status sending step.

10. The program for a content reproduction terminal according to claim 8, wherein the reproduction disabling step includes:

a step of determining whether or not a content item is being reproduced;

a step of stopping the reproduction of the content item if it is determined that the content item is being reproduced.

11. The program for a content reproduction terminal according to claim 8, further instructing a computer to perform:

a step of resuming the sending of the operation status after a predetermined retry interval time elapses since when reproduction of a content item is disabled in the reproduction disabling step; and

a reproduction enabling step of enabling reproduction of a content item if the sending of the operation status succeeds.

12. The program for a content reproduction terminal according to claim 8, wherein the reproduction disabling step includes:

a step of recording a failure time at which the sending of the operation status failed; and

a step of disabling reproduction of a content item after a predetermined grace period elapses since the recorded failure time.

13. The program for a content reproduction terminal according to claim 12, further instructing a computer to perform:

a step of resuming the sending of the operation status after a predetermined retry interval time elapses since when reproduction of a content item is disabled in the reproduction disabling step; and

a reproduction enabling step of enabling reproduction of a content item if the sending of the operation status succeeds, wherein;

the reproduction disabling step further includes a step of logging the operation status which failed to be sent; and

the reproduction enabling step further includes a step of sending the logged operation status to the center server when the sending of the operation status succeeds.