DATA DELIVERY SYSTEM, TERMINAL APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, CAPABILITY NOTIFICATION METHOD, DATA WRITING METHOD, CAPABILITY NOTIFICATION PROGRAM, AND DATA WRITING PROGRAM

• US 20080005640A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawakami, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,539,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/755
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices

Abstract

Herein disclosed a data delivery system including an information processing apparatus and a terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus has a first attachment unit, a first writing unit, a first reading unit, a decoding unit, a storage unit, and a first control unit. The information processing apparatus has a second attachment unit, a second writing unit, a second reading unit, and a second control unit.

Claims

1. A data delivery system comprising an information processing apparatus configured to write data to an information storage medium and a terminal apparatus configured to read from said information storage medium the data written by said information processing apparatus;

wherein said terminal apparatus includes;

a first attachment unit configured to have said information storage medium attached thereto;

a first writing unit configured to write data to said information storage medium attached to said first attachment unit;

a first reading unit configured to read data from said information storage medium attached to said first attachment unit;

a decoding unit configured to decode the data read by said first reading unit;

a storage unit configured to store capability information indicating a data format decodable at least by said decoding unit; and

a first control unit configured to control said writing unit to write to said information storage medium said capability information stored in said storage unit; and

wherein said information processing apparatus includes;

a second attachment unit configured to have said information storage medium attached thereto;

a second writing unit configured to write data to said information storage medium attached to said second attachment unit;

a second reading unit configured to read said capability information from said information storage medium attached to said second attachment unit; and

a second control unit configured to control said second writing unit, upon detection of a request to write data to said information storage medium, to write the data to said information storage medium in a data format indicated by said capability information read by said second reading unit.

2. A terminal apparatus for writing and reading data to and from an information storage medium, said terminal apparatus comprising:

an attachment unit configured to have said information storage medium attached thereto;

a writing unit configured to write data to said information storage medium attached to said attachment unit;

a reading unit configured to read data from said information storage medium attached to said attachment unit;

a decoding unit configured to decode the data read by said reading unit;

a storage unit configured to store capability information indicating a data format decodable at least by said decoding unit; and

a control unit configured to control said writing unit to write to said information storage medium said capability information stored in said storage unit.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect whether said information storage medium is attached to said attachment unit;

wherein said control unit controls said writing unit to write to said information storage medium said capability information stored in said storage unit when said detection unit detects said information storage medium being attached to said attachment unit.

4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said capability information indicates any one of a model name, a nickname and an encoding format, said model name and said nickname each representing said terminal apparatus, said encoding format being such as to be decodable by said decoding unit.

5. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control unit controls said writing unit to overwrite the capability information written previously on said information storage medium with said capability information stored in said storage unit.

6. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control unit controls said writing unit to write to said information storage medium said capability information stored in said storage unit, as a file separate from the capability information written previously on said information storage medium.

7. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, if the number of files of the capability information written previously on said information storage medium is found to have reached a predetermined value, then said control unit controls said writing unit to overwrite the oldest file of the previously written capability information with said capability information stored in said storage unit.

8. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, depending on an available capacity of said information storage medium, said control unit controls said writing unit to overwrite the oldest capability information written previously on said information storage medium with said capability information stored in said storage unit.

9. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, if the capability information corresponding to said terminal apparatus is found previously written on said information storage medium, then said control unit controls said writing unit to update a recorded timestamp of the previously written capability information.

10. An information processing apparatus for writing and reading data to and from an information processing medium, said information processing apparatus comprising:

an attachment unit configured to have said information storage medium attached thereto;

a writing unit configured to write data to said information storage medium attached to said attachment unit;

a reading unit configured to read capability information from said information storage medium attached to said attachment unit, said capability information indicating a data format decodable by a terminal apparatus configured to write and read data to and from said information storage medium; and

a control unit configured to control said writing unit, upon detection of a request to write data to said information storage medium, to write the data to said information storage medium in said data format indicated by said capability information read by said reading unit.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, if a plurality of files of capability information are found written on said information storage medium, then said control unit identifies a single file of capability information corresponding to each of timestamps appended to said plurality of files of capability information, and controls said writing unit to write to said information storage medium said data in the data format corresponding to the identified single file of capability information.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, if a plurality of files of capability information are found written on said information storage medium, then said control unit controls a display unit to output a plurality of items of identification information identifying said plurality of files of capability information with a view to notifying a user of said items of identification information, said control unit further controlling said writing unit to write to said information storage medium said data in the data format corresponding to the capability information identified by the item of identification information selected by said user from said plurality of items of identification information.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said control unit controls said display unit to output a user interface including a main screen and a sub-screen, said main screen displaying the item of identification information identifying the latest of said plurality of files of capability information written on said information storage medium, said sub-screen displaying the items of identification information identifying the previously written files of capability information.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, if a plurality of files of capability information are found written on said information storage medium, then said control unit deletes all capability information other than the latest of said plurality of files of capability information from said information storage medium.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, if a plurality of files of capability information are found written on said information storage medium, then said control unit controls said writing unit to write to said information storage medium said data in a plurality of data formats indicated by said plurality of files of capability information.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, if a plurality of files of capability information are found written on said information storage medium, then said control unit controls said writing unit to write to said information storage medium said data in a data format commonly indicated by said plurality of files of capability information.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

an encoding unit configured to convert data into a data format; and

a data storage unit;

wherein, upon detection of a request to write data to said information storage medium, said control unit controls said encoding unit to convert said data into the data format indicated by said capability information read by said reading unit, said control unit further controlling said writing unit to write the converted data to said information storage medium as well as to said data storage unit.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a capability information storage unit configured to store capability information;

wherein said control unit controls said reading unit to read the capability information written on said information storage medium while controlling said writing unit to write the capability information read by said reading unit to said capability information storage unit, said control unit further controlling said writing unit, upon detection of a request to write data to said information storage medium, to write said data to said information storage medium in a data format indicated by said capability information written by said writing unit to said capability information storage unit.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said control unit controls said reading unit to read the data written to said information storage medium, estimates said capability information from the data read by said reading unit, and controls said writing unit to write the capability information estimated by said writing unit to said capability information storage unit.

20. A capability notification method for enabling a terminal apparatus to notify an information processing apparatus of capabilities of said terminal apparatus, said terminal apparatus reading data from an information storage medium, said information processing apparatus writing data to said information processing medium, said capability notification method comprising the steps of:

detecting whether said information storage medium is attached to said terminal apparatus; and

upon detection of said information storage medium being attached, writing to said information storage medium capability information indicating a data format decodable at least by a decoding unit of said terminal apparatus configured to decode the data read from the attached information storage medium.

21. A data writing method for writing data to an information storage medium, said data writing method comprising the steps of:

reading from said information storage medium capability information indicating a data format decodable by a terminal apparatus configured to read data from said information storage medium; and

upon detection of a request to write data to said information storage medium, writing the data to said information storage medium in said data format indicated by said capability information having been read.

22. A capability notification program for enabling a computer to execute a procedure comprising the steps of:

detecting whether an information storage medium is attached to a terminal apparatus; and

upon detection of said information storage medium being attached, writing to said information storage medium capability information indicating a data format decodable at least by a decoding unit of said terminal apparatus configured to decode the data read from the attached information storage medium, with a view to notifying an information processing apparatus configured to write data to said information storage medium of said capability information.

23. A data writing program for enabling a computer to execute a procedure comprising the steps of:

reading from an information storage medium capability information indicating a data format decodable by a terminal apparatus configured to read data from said information storage medium; and

upon detection of a request to write data to said information storage medium, writing the data to said information storage medium in said data format indicated by said capability information having been read.