Content reproduction system, content providing method, content reproduction apparatus, content providing apparatus, content reproduction program and content providing program

• US 20070011229A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ijichi, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/131 Library retrieval, i.e. searching a database or selecting a specific musical piece, segment, pattern, rule or parameter set
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/171 Transmission of musical instrument data, control or status information; Transmission, remote access or control of music data for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355

Abstract

In order to reproduce contents with a substantially high degree of efficiency, the present invention provides a content reproduction system in which, typically, a music providing server holds a reproduction list showing a music reproduction order in which pieces of streaming musical data are to be reproduced sequentially and sequentially provides the pieces of streaming musical data to a music reproduction terminal in accordance with the music reproduction order shown in the reproduction list held therein, whereas the music reproduction terminal sequentially reproduces the pieces of streaming musical data provided by the music providing server sequentially.

Claims

1. A content reproduction system comprising a content-providing apparatus configured to provide contents and a content reproduction apparatus configured to receive said contents provided by said content-providing apparatus and, at the same time, sequentially to reproduce said received contents wherein said content-providing apparatus:

selects said contents that can be reproduced by said music reproduction apparatus among said contents that can be provided by said content-providing apparatus;

creates a reproduction list showing an order of reproduction of said selected contents; and

provides said selected contents to said music reproduction apparatus in accordance with said created reproduction list.

2. The content reproduction system according to claim 1 wherein

said content reproduction apparatus includes an apparatus-identifier sender section configured to transmit an apparatus identifier used for identifying said content reproduction apparatus to said content-providing apparatus, and

said content-providing apparatus includes:

a content storage section configured to store said contents that can be provided by said content-providing apparatus; and

a content selection section configured to select said contents that can be reproduced by said music reproduction apparatus identified by said apparatus identifier received from said content reproduction apparatus among said contents stored in said content storage section.

3. The content reproduction system according to claim 2 wherein said content-providing apparatus includes:

a reproduction-list creation section configured to create said reproduction list showing an order of reproduction of said contents selected by said content selection section; and

a content providing section configured to sequentially provide contents to said content reproduction section in accordance with said reproduction list created by said reproduction-list creation section.

4. The content reproduction system according to claim 3 wherein said reproduction-list creation section:

extracts said contents according to a condition provided by an external source as a condition for creation of said reproduction list from said contents selected by said content selection section; and

creates said reproduction list setting said extracted contents in a reproduction order according to said condition.

5. The content reproduction system according to claim 3 wherein:

said content-providing apparatus has a content-identifier sender section configured to transmit a content identifier used for identifying said content provided by said content providing section to said content reproduction apparatus serving as a recipient of said content; and

said content reproduction apparatus has a content-identifier storage section configured to said content identifier received from said content-identifier sender section.

6. The content reproduction system according to claim 2 wherein said content reproduction apparatus comprises:

a reproduction-list creation section configured to create said reproduction list showing an order of reproduction of said content selected by said content selection section;

a content requesting section configured to request said content-providing apparatus to provide said content reproduction apparatus with said contents in accordance with said reproduction list created by said reproduction-list creation section; and

a content reproduction section configured to receive said contents sequentially provided by said content-providing apparatus as requested by said content requesting section and, at the same time, reproducing said received contents.

7. The content reproduction system according to claim 6 wherein:

said content reproduction apparatus has a recording-medium reproduction section configured to read out contents from a recording medium used configured to record said contents and to reproduce said contents read out from said recording medium; and

said reproduction-list creation section creates said reproduction list showing an order of reproduction of said contents selected by said content selection section and said contents recorded on said recording medium.

8. The content reproduction system according to claim 6 wherein said reproduction-list creation section employed in said content reproduction apparatus:

extracts said contents according to a condition provided by an external source as a condition for creation of said reproduction list from said contents selected by said content selection section; and

creates said reproduction list setting said extracted contents in a reproduction order according to said condition.

9. The content reproduction system according to claim 2 wherein said content-providing apparatus includes:

a converter configured to convert the format of a content into another format; and

a control section configured to control said converter to convert the format of a content determined by said content selection means to be a content that cannot be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus into the format of a content that can be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus.

10. The content reproduction system according to claim 1 wherein said content-providing apparatus includes:

a converter configured to convert the format of a content into another format; and

a control section configured to control said converter to convert the format of a content determined by said content selection means to be a content that cannot be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus into the format of a content that can be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus,

wherein said another format is determined by reading contents stored in said content reproduction apparatus.

11. The content reproduction system according to claim 2 wherein said apparatus identifier includes information showing the format of contents that can be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus.

12. A content reproduction method adopted by a content reproduction system comprising a content-providing apparatus configured to provide contents and a content reproduction apparatus configured to receive said contents provided by said content-providing apparatus and, at the same time, sequentially to reproduce said received contents, comprising:

selecting step selecting said contents that can be reproduced by said music reproduction apparatus among said contents that can be provided by said content-providing apparatus;

creating step creating a reproduction list showing an order of reproduction of said selected contents; and

providing step providing said selected contents to said music reproduction apparatus in accordance with said created reproduction list.

13. A content-providing apparatus configured to provide contents to a content reproduction apparatus configured to receive said contents provided by said content-providing apparatus and, at the same time, sequentially to reproduce said received contents, wherein said content-providing apparatus:

selecting said contents that can be reproduced by said music reproduction apparatus among said contents that can be provided by said content-providing apparatus;

creating said reproduction list showing an order of reproduction of said selected contents; and

providing said selected contents to said music reproduction apparatus in accordance with said created reproduction list.

14. The content-providing apparatus according to claim 13, said content-providing apparatus including:

a content storage section configured to store said contents that can be provided by said content-providing apparatus; and

a content selection section configured to select said contents that can be reproduced by said music reproduction apparatus identified by said apparatus identifier received from said content reproduction apparatus among said contents stored in said content storage section.

15. The content-providing apparatus according to claim 14, said content-providing apparatus including:

a reproduction-list creation section configured to create a reproduction list showing an order of reproduction of said contents selected by said content selection section; and

a content providing section configured to sequentially provide contents to said music reproduction apparatus in accordance with said reproduction list created by said reproduction-list creation section.

16. The content-providing apparatus according to claim 15, said reproduction-list creation section of said content-providing apparatus includes:

extracting said contents according to a condition provided by an external source as a condition for creation of said reproduction list from said contents selected by said content selection section; and

creating said reproduction list setting said extracted contents in a reproduction order according to said condition.

17. The content-providing apparatus according to claim 15, said content-providing apparatus having a content-identifier sender section configured to transmit a content identifier used for identifying said content provided by said content providing section to said content reproduction apparatus serving as a recipient of said content.

18. The content-providing apparatus according to claim 14, said content-providing apparatus having:

a converter configured to convert the format of a content into another format; and

a control section configured to control said converter to convert the format of a content determined by said content selection section to be a content that cannot be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus into the format of a content that can be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus.

19. The content-providing apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said content-providing apparatus includes:

a converter configured to convert the format of a content into another format; and

a control section configured to control said converter to convert the format of a content determined by said content selection means to be a content that cannot be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus into the format of a content that can be reproduced by said content reproduction apparatus,

wherein said another format is determined by reading contents stored in said content reproduction apparatus.

20. A content reproduction program executed to drive a content reproduction apparatus configured to receive contents provided by a content-providing apparatus providing said contents and, at the same time, sequentially to reproduce said received contents wherein said sequentially reproduced contents are received in accordance with a reproduction list from said content-providing apparatus, said content reproduction program comprising:

selecting step selecting said contents that can be reproduced by said music reproduction apparatus among said contents that can be provided by said content-providing apparatus;

creating step creating said reproduction list showing an order of reproduction of said selected contents; and

providing step providing said selected contents to said music reproduction apparatus in accordance with said created reproduction list.