Recording/reproducing apparatus, recording/reproducing apparatus and program

• US 20060204940A1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Okuzawa, Nozomu
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/307.A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0045 Recording G11B7/006, G11B7/0065 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/005 Reproducing G11B7/0065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio

Abstract

A recording/reproducing apparatus and method and program are preferably applicable to a reproducing apparatus for reproducing externally acquired music data for example. The recording/reproducing apparatus has a recording device configured to record content data to a storage medium; a reproduction device configured to reproduce the content data from the storage medium; an image data storage device configured to store image data corresponding to each of a plurality of pieces of attribute information; an attribute information detector configured to detect, if no image data is related with the content data, attribute information related with the content data; an image data detector configured to detect image data corresponding the attribute information detected by the attribute information detector from the image data storage device; and a controller configured to control such that the image data detected by the image data detector be outputted at least during reproduction of the content data by the reproduction device.

Claims

1. A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

recording means for recording content data to a storage medium;

reproduction means for reproducing said content data from said storage medium;

image data storage means for storing image data corresponding to each of a plurality of pieces of attribute information;

attribute information detection means for detecting, if no image data is related with said content data, attribute information related with said content data;

image data detection means for detecting image data corresponding the attribute information detected by said attribute information detection means from said image data storage means; and

control means for controlling such that the image data detected by said image data detection means be outputted at least during reproduction of said content data by said reproduction means.

3. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said image data storage means stores image data in correspondence with genre information that is said attribute information;

said attribute information detection means detects, if no image data is related with said content data, genre information related with said content data; and

said image data detection means detects, from said image data storage means, image data corresponding to the genre information detected by said attribute information detection means.

4. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said image data storage means stores image data in correspondence with a main genre that is said genre information;

said attribute information detection means detects, if no image data is related with said content data, a sub genre related with said content data and sequentially compares said detected sub genre with character strings, among character strings for comparison set on the basis of all sub genres in advance, having a higher probability in which sub genres including these character strings belong to one main genre, thereby accordingly estimating a main genre that corresponds to said sub genre; and

said image data detection means detects image data corresponding to the main genre estimated by said attribute information detection means from said image data storage means.

5. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said image data storage means stores image data in correspondence with an artist name that is said attribute information;

said attribute information detection means detects, if no image data is related with said content data, an artist name related with said content data; and

said image data detection means detects image date corresponding to the artist name detected by said attribute information detection means from said image data storage means.

6. The recording/reproducing means according to claim 1, wherein:

said image data storage means stores image data in accordance with a content data reproduction count;

said attribute information detection means detects, if no image data is related with said content data, a reproduction count of said content data; and

said image data detection means detects image data corresponding to the reproduction count detected by the above-mentioned attribute information detection means from said image data storage means.

7. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image data storage means is included in said recording medium.

2. A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

a recording device configured to record content data to a storage medium;

a reproduction device configured to reproduce said content data from said storage medium;

an image data storage device configured to store image data corresponding to each of a plurality of pieces of attribute information;

an attribute information detector configured to detect, if no image data is related with said content data, attribute information related with said content data;

an image data detector configured to detect image data corresponding the attribute information detected by said attribute information detector from said image data storage device; and

a controller configured to control such that the image data detected by said image data detector be outputted at least during reproduction of said content data by said reproduction device.

8. A recording/reproducing method comprising the steps of:

reproducing said content data from said storage medium;

detecting, if no image data is related with said content data, attribute information related with said content data;

detecting image data corresponding to the attribute information detected in said attribute information detection step from said image data storage means which stores image data corresponding to each of a plurality of pieces of attribute information; and

controlling such that the image data detected in said image data detection step be outputted at least during reproduction of said content data in said reproduction step.

9. A recording/reproducing program for making a computer executes the steps of:

reproducing said content data from said storage medium;

detecting, if no image data is related with said content data, attribute information related with said content data;

detecting image data corresponding to the attribute information detected in said attribute information detection step from said image data storage means which stores image data corresponding to each of a plurality of pieces of attribute information; and

controlling such that the image data detected in said image data detection step be outputted at least during reproduction of said content data in said reproduction step.