Service providing apparatus and method, and information processing apparatus and method as well as program storage medium

• US 20060095512A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Noma, Tsunetake
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

The invention provides a service providing apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method as well as a program storage medium by which a plurality of users can communicate with each other simultaneously. A plurality of client computers are connected to a shared server over a network and log in a common chat room of a chat system. If a user of one of those of the client computers which are in a group requests for reproduction of a predetermined tune, then the instruction is transmitted to the shared server over the network. The shared server receives the instruction transmitted thereto and reads out music data of the request stored in a music database therein, and transmits the music data to the client computers of the group.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A content sharing system having at least two devices operably linked to a network, the first device comprising:

a storage unit configured to store shared content;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit an item list of shared content to a second device;

a receiving unit configured to receive a request for the content corresponding to the item selected from the list on the second device; and

a streaming unit configured to stream the content requested from the second device;

wherein the second client apparatus comprises;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire the item list of shared content from the first device;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a request for the content corresponding to the item selected from the list to the first device;

a receiving unit configured to receive the content streamed from the first device; and

a reproducing control unit configured to control reproducing of the content while the receiving unit is receiving the content.

11. The content sharing system according to claim 10, wherein

the first device and the second device both belong to a predetermined group included in the network.

12. The content sharing system according to claim 11, wherein

the acquiring unit further acquires information about other devices currently connected to the network,

said other devices belonging to the group.

13. The content sharing system according to claim 10, wherein

the first device further comprises:

a reproducing control unit configured to control reproduction of the shared content.

14. The content sharing system according to claim 10, wherein

the first device further comprises:

a judging unit configured to judge whether a password input on the second device is correct;

wherein the transmitting unit transmits the list of shared content to the second device if the password is correct.

15. A method for sharing content, comprising:

storing content in a memory of a first device;

transmitting an item list of the shared content from the first device to at least one second device;

receiving request for the content corresponding to an item selected from the list on the second device; and

providing the content from the first device to the second device.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

judging whether authentication information of the second device is acceptable;

transmitting the item list of shared content to the second device.

17. A computer-readable carrier including computer program instructions that cause a device processor to implement a method of sharing content, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting an item list of the shared content from the first device to at least one second device;

receiving request for the content corresponding to an item selected from the list on the second device; and

providing the content from the first device to the second device.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

judging whether authentication information of a second device is acceptable;

transmitting the list of shared content to the second device.

19. A portable device for sharing multi-media content comprising:

a storage unit configured to store shared content;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit an item list of shared content to a second portable device;

a receiving unit configured to receive a request for the content corresponding to the item selected from the list on the second portable device; and

a streaming unit configured to stream the content requested from the second portable device.

20. The portable device according to claim 19, further comprising:

a judging unit configured to judge whether a password input on the second portable device is correct;

wherein the transmitting unit transmits the list of shared content to the second portable device if the password is correct.

21. The portable device according to claim 19, wherein the portable device belongs to a predetermined group of operably linked portable devices.

22. The portable device according to claim 19, further comprising:

a reproducing control unit configured to control reproduction of the shared content.

23. A portable device for sharing multi-media content comprising:

a memory configured to store shared content;

means for transmitting an item list item list of shared content to a second portable device;

means for receiving a receive a request for the content corresponding to the item selected from the list on the second portable device; and

means for streaming the content requested from the second portable device.