Content display-playback system, content display-playback method, recording medium having content display-playback program recorded thereon, and operation control apparatus

• US 20060263048A1
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Kouichi, Narita, Tomoya, Sato, Hideki, Otsu, Shuichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,215,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42227 the keys being reprogrammable, e.g. soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums

Abstract

In a content display-playback system, an operation control apparatus controls operations of a content providing apparatus and display-playback apparatus connected to a network so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus. The operation control apparatus includes a storage unit. When a user operates the operation control apparatus to stop playback during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus on the display-playback apparatus or the operation control apparatus, content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the playback is stopped are stored in the storage unit.

Claims

1. A content display-playback system comprising:

at least one content providing apparatus;

a display-playback apparatus; and

an operation control apparatus,

the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus being connected to a network,

the operation control apparatus controlling operations of the content providing apparatus and the display-playback apparatus so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus,

wherein the operation control apparatus includes a storage unit that, when a user operates the operation control apparatus to stop playback during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus on the display-playback apparatus or the operation control apparatus, stores content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the playback is stopped.

2. The content display-playback system according to claim 1, wherein the operation control apparatus stores in the storage unit a thumbnail image created from a content image being played back when the playback is stopped.

3. The content display-playback system according to claim 1, wherein the operation control apparatus stores in the storage unit a thumbnail image created by the content providing apparatus when the playback is stopped.

4. The content display-playback system according to claim 1, wherein the operation control apparatus further includes

an input operation reception unit that receives an operation input from the user;

a content-transmission-and-reception-signal generation unit that generates an operation control signal for transmitting and receiving the content among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus according to the operation input received by the input operation reception unit;

a content storage unit that stores content received from the content providing apparatus according to a first operation control signal generated by the content-transmission-and-reception-signal generation unit; and

a display-playback unit that displays and plays back the content received from the content providing apparatus according to the first operation control signal generated by the content-transmission-and-reception-signal generation unit or that displays and plays back content received from a content providing apparatus designated on the basis of content-related information received from the display-playback apparatus according to a second operation control signal generated by the content-transmission-and-reception-signal generation unit, and

the operation control apparatus displays and plays back the content received from the content providing apparatus according to the first operation control signal by using the display-playback unit, and stores the content in the content storage unit.

5. The content display-playback system according to claim 1, wherein the operation control apparatus plays back the content from a playback stop position set by the user according to the content meta-information and playback position information stored in the storage unit when the operation control apparatus is disconnected from the network.

6. A content display-playback method for allowing an operation control apparatus to control operations of a content providing apparatus and display-playback apparatus connected to a network so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus, the content display-playback method comprising the step of:

when a user operates the operation control apparatus to stop playback during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus on the display-playback apparatus or the operation control apparatus, storing in a storage unit content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the playback is stopped.

7. A recording medium having a content display-playback program recorded thereon, the content display-playback program implementing a content display-playback method for allowing an operation control apparatus to control operations of a content providing apparatus and display-playback apparatus connected to a network so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus, the content display-playback program comprising the step of:

when a user operates the operation control apparatus to stop playback during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus on the display-playback apparatus or the operation control apparatus, storing in a storage unit content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the playback is stopped.

8. An operation control apparatus that controls operations of a content providing apparatus and display-playback apparatus connected to a network so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus, the operation control apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that, when a user operates the operation control apparatus to stop playback during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus on the display-playback apparatus or the operation control apparatus, stores content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the playback is stopped.

9. A content display-playback system comprising:

a content providing apparatus connected to a network;

at least one display-playback apparatus connected to the network; and

an operation control apparatus that controls operations of the content providing apparatus and the display-playback apparatus so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus,

wherein, when a user operates the operation control apparatus to perform a throw operation during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus, the operation control apparatus generates a playback request including content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the throw operation is performed, and transmits the playback request to a display-playback apparatus designated as a throw destination.

10. The content display-playback system according to claim 9, wherein the operation control apparatus stores in a storage unit a thumbnail image created from a content image being played back when the throw operation is performed.

11. The content display-playback system according to claim 9, wherein the operation control apparatus stores in a storage unit a thumbnail image created by the content providing apparatus when the throw operation is performed.

12. A content display-playback method for allowing an operation control apparatus to control operations of a content providing apparatus and at least one display-playback apparatus that are connected to a network so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus, the content display-playback method comprising the steps of:

when a user operates the operation control apparatus to perform a throw operation during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus, obtaining content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the throw operation is performed;

attaching the content meta-information and the playback position information to a playback request; and

transmitting the playback request to a display-playback apparatus designated as a throw destination.

13. A recording medium having a content display-playback program recorded thereon, the content display-playback program implementing a content display-playback method for allowing an operation control apparatus to control operations of a content providing apparatus and at least one display-playback apparatus that are connected to a network so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus, the content display-playback program comprising the steps of:

when a user operates the operation control apparatus to perform a throw operation during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus, obtaining content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the throw operation is performed;

attaching the content meta-information and the playback position information to a playback request; and

transmitting the playback request to a display-playback apparatus designated as a throw destination.

14. An operation control apparatus that controls operations of a content providing apparatus and at least one display-playback apparatus that are connected to a network so that content can be transmitted and received among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that the content can be displayed and played back on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus,

wherein, when a user operates the operation control apparatus to perform a throw operation during playback of content received from the content providing apparatus, content meta-information concerning the played back content and playback position information of the content being played back when the throw operation is performed are attached to a playback request, and

the playback request is transmitted to a display-playback apparatus designated as a throw destination.