Content reception device and content distribution method

• US 20060153103A1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Katsuhiro
• Application Number:
  US10/559,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20060153103A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A music reproduction apparatus (200) receives, from a tuning server (400), radio station information making up genres of music distributed from respective radio servers (300) and URLs of the respective radio servers (300). When a genre and a keyword representing characteristics of music are input to the music reproduction apparatus (200), the music reproduction apparatus (200) requests the radio server (300) distributing the music of the input genre to transmit the music information on the basis of the radio station information. The requested radio server (300) transmits one or more keywords to the music reproduction apparatus (200) as music information indicative of the characteristic of the music being broadcasted now. When the input keyword and the keyword included in the music information match with each other, the music reproduction apparatus (200) receives broadcast of the radio server (300) that has transmitted the music information.

Claims

1. A contents receiving apparatus, comprising:

a first requesting means for requesting a management site which manages genres of contents to be distributed from each of a plurality of distribution sites to transmit genre information allowing recognition of said genre,

a first accepting means for accepting selection of an arbitrary genre,

a specifying means for specifying any one of said plurality of distribution sites on the basis of the genre information transmitted in response to the request by said first requesting means and the genre accepted by said first accepting means,

a second requesting means for requesting the distribution site specified by said specifying means to transmit a content, and

a receiving means for receiving said content from said specified distribution site in response to the request from said second requesting means.

2. A contents receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a second accepting means for accepting an arbitrary keyword,

said specifying means includes a first distribution site specifying means for specifying a distribution site distributing the content of the genre accepted by said first accepting means, a text information requesting means for requesting the distribution site specified by said first distribution site specifying means to transmit text information relating to the content being distributed at this point, and a second distribution site specifying means for specifying one distribution site on the basis of the text information transmitted in response to the request by said text information requesting means and the keyword accepted by said second accepting means.

3. A contents receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said content is music, and said text information is information describing a tone of said music.

4. A contents receiving program to be executed by a processor provided in a contents receiving apparatus, said contents receiving program including:

a first requesting step for requesting a management site which manages genres of contents to be distributed from each of a plurality of distribution sites to transmit genre information allowing recognition of said genre,

a accepting step for accepting selection of an arbitrary genre,

a specifying step for specifying any one of said plurality of distribution sites on the basis of the genre information transmitted in response to the request by said first requesting step and the genre accepted by said first accepting step,

a second requesting step for requesting the specified distribution site specified by said contents specifying step to transmit a content, and

a receiving step for receiving said content from said specified distribution site in response to the request from said second requesting step.

5. A contents distribution method for distributing a desired content to a terminal by utilizing a plurality of distribution sites which distribute contents different from each other and a management site which manages genres of the contents distributed from each of said plurality of distribution sites, wherein

said management site

(a1) reading genre information allowing recognition of said genre from a memory in response to a genre information request received from said terminal, and

(b1) transmitting said genre information read in said step (a1) to said terminal through a communication circuit,

said terminal

(a2) transmitting said genre information request to said management site through said communication circuit,

(b2) storing in a memory said genre information received from said management site in response to said genre information request transmitted in said step (a2),

(c2) accepting selection of an arbitrary genre,

(d2) specifying any one of said plurality of distribution sites on the basis of said genre information stored in said memory and said genre accepted in said step (c2),

(e2) transmitting a distribution request to the specified distribution site specified in said step (d2) through said communication circuit, and

(f2) storing in the memory a content received from said specified distribution site in response to said distribution request transmitted in said step (e2),

each of said plurality of distribution sites

(a3) reading the content from a memory in response to said distribution request received from said terminal, and

(b3) transmitting said content read in said step (a3) to said terminal through said communication circuit.