Music composition data transmission recording method and music composition reproduction device

• US 20060256669A1
• Filed: 03/19/2004
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kimura, Hideko, Sakuma, Kazushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,917,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 369/30.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/637 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialization, adaptation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier

Abstract

A song in a music player is replaced by another song in a server in accordance with the user'"'"'s estimated preferences and wishes and without requiring the user to become conscious of individual songs. A CPU (3) in the music player (30) or a CPU (11) in a server (10) detects or receives the size of a free space in a flash memory (34) and a playback history (a substantial playback count Kp, which denotes the number of times a song was continuously played for a duration not shorter than a predetermined one, or a skip count Ks, which denotes the number of times a song was played for a duration shorter than a predetermined one) of every song recording in the flash memory (34), and judges whether any song should be deleted from the flash memory (34) to permit a song to be downloaded into the music player (30) from the server (10). If any song should be deleted, the CPU selects a song having a small (minus) evaluation function K (e.g., K=2Kp−Ks) as the song to be deleted.

Claims

1. A music data transfer/recording method for transferring song data from a server, which retains song data in a storage device, to a music player, which plays back song data retained in a storage section, and writing the transferred song data in the storage section, the method comprising:

a first step for causing the server to select the song data to be transferred to the music player from among the song data that are retained in the storage device and not retained in the storage section;

a second step for causing the music player to judge whether the free space in the storage section is exceeded by the amount of song data to be transferred; and

a third step for causing the music player, when the free space in the storage section is exceeded by the amount of song data to be transferred, to select the song data to be deleted from the storage section, delete the selected song data from the storage section, and write the song data transferred from the server into the storage section,

wherein the first step causes the server to preferentially select song data that has not been transferred to the music player and has been most recently registered in the server, as the song data to be transferred to the music player; and

wherein the third step causes the music player to reference a substantial playback count of each song data retained in the storage section, the substantial playback count denoting the number of times a song was continuously played for a duration not shorter than a predetermined one, or a skip count of each song data retained in the storage section, the skip count denoting the number of times a song was played for a duration shorter than a predetermined one, and preferentially select the song data having a low substantial playback count or the song data having a high skip count as the song data to be deleted from the storage section.

2. A music data transfer/recording method for transferring song data from a server, which retains song data in a storage device, to a music player, which plays back song data retained in a storage section, and writing the transferred song data in the storage section, the method comprising:

a first step for transmitting a substantial playback count, which denotes the number of times a song was continuously played for a duration not shorter than a predetermined one, or a skip count, which denotes the number of times a song was played for a duration shorter than a predetermined one, from the music player to the server as a playback history of each song data retained in the storage section;

a second step for causing the server to select the song data to be transferred to the music player from among the song data that are retained in the storage device and not retained in the storage section, and to judge whether the free space in the storage section is exceeded by the amount of song data to be transferred;

a third step for causing the server, when the free space in the storage section is exceeded by the amount of song data to be transferred, to select the song data to be deleted from the storage section, specify the song data to be deleted, and transfer the song data targeted for a transfer to the music player; and

a fourth step for causing the music player to delete the specified song data from the storage section and write the transferred song data into the storage section,

wherein the second step causes the server to preferentially select song data that has not been transferred to the music player and has been most recently registered in the server, as the song data to be transferred to the music player; and

wherein the third step causes the server to reference the playback history transmitted from the music player and preferentially select the song data having a low substantial playback count or the song data having a high skip count as the song data to be deleted from the storage section.

3. A music player comprising:

storage means for retaining song data;

playback means for playing back the song data retained by the storage means;

communication means for communicating with a server that retains song data in a storage device and receiving song data that is transferred from the server; and

control means that judges whether a free space in the storage means is exceeded by the amount of song data to transferred from the server, and when the free space is exceeded, selects the song data to be deleted from the storage means, deletes the selected song data from the storage means, and writes the song data transferred from the server in the storage means,

wherein the control means references a substantial playback count of each song data retained in the storage means, the substantial playback count denoting the number of times a song was continuously played for a duration not shorter than a predetermined one, or a skip count of each song data retained in the storage means, the skip count denoting the number of times a song was played for a duration shorter than a predetermined one, and preferentially selects the song data having a low substantial playback count or the song data having a high skip count as the song data to be deleted from the storage means.

4. A music player comprising:

storage means for retaining song data;

playback means for playing back the song data retained by the storage means;

communication means for communicating with a server, which retains song data in a storage device, transmitting to the server a substantial playback count, which denotes the number of times a song was continuously played for a duration not shorter than a predetermined one, or a skip count, which denotes the number of times a song was played for a duration shorter than a predetermined one, as a playback history of each song data retained in the storage means, and receiving a signal indicating the song data to be deleted, which is transmitted from the server, and the song data transferred from the server; and

control means for deleting the song data to be deleted, which is designated by the server, from the storage means, and writing the song data transferred from the server into the storage means.