COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND ITS CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20070147777A1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurosawa, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/247
• 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 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• 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 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

In a network including a source of video contents and a playback terminal to receive video contents distributed from the source of video contents and play back the video contents, information on viewing state of video contents is collected and the collected information is stored. Then access right of the playback terminal for the video contents is set based on the stored information on viewing state.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a collection unit configured to collect information on viewing state of video contents in a network including a source of video contents and a playback terminal to receive video contents distributed from said source of video contents and play back the video contents;

a storage unit configured to store the information collected by said collection unit; and

an access right setting unit configured to set access right of the playback terminal for the video contents based on the information on the viewing state stored in said storage unit.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information on viewing state includes at least one of communication time of the video contents, a source of the video contents, a distribution destination, identification information of the video contents and identification information of the playback terminal.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the source of video contents is one of a storage connected to the network and an image sensing device.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus includes one of a hub and a router of a cable network, an access point of a wireless network, a residential gateway having an Internet gateway function.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said access right setting unit sets the access right to a user of the playback terminal.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said access right setting unit sets a publishing procedure of the video contents for a video sharing service.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said access right setting unit sets QoS conditions in video distribution.

8. A communication apparatus control method, comprising:

a collection step of collecting information on viewing state of video contents in a network including a source of video contents and a playback terminal to receive video contents distributed from the source of video contents and play back the video contents;

a storage step of storing the information collected in said collection step; and

an access right setting step of setting access right of the playback terminal for the video contents based on the information on the viewing state stored in said storage step.

9. A control method according to claim 8, wherein the information on the viewing state includes at least one of communication time of the video contents, a source of the video contents, a distribution destination, identification information of the video contents and identification information of the playback terminal.

10. A control method according to claim 8, wherein in said access right setting step, the access right is set to a user of the playback terminal.

11. A control method according to claim 8, wherein in said access right setting step, a video content publishing procedure for a video sharing service is set.

12. A control method according to claim 8, wherein in said access right setting step, QoS conditions in video distribution are set.

13. A program for causing a computer to perform the control method in claim 8.