INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20080109094A1
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kohno, Tetsuya, Sakata, Junichiro, Iriya, Shinichi, Ono, Masamichi, Kawai, Toshihiko, Sakaida, Atsushi, NAKAMURA, Takatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,774,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to allow a client to make a request for music data stored in a server and to receive it and play it back. A client program 421 controls the sending of a request signal to a server 401, the reception and playback processing of music data from the server 401, and the display of a GUI performed by a display controller 426, and outputs the music data received by a communication unit 423 from the server 401 to an audio data converter 424. A server program 411 controls the sending of music data to the client 402, and registration of information in a music database 415, a link information database 416, and a ranking information database 417, searches the music database 415 for the requested music data, and sends the music data to the client 402. The present invention can be applied to a personal computer, a PDA, a cellular telephone, a desk-top playback device, a portable playback device, and a simplified playback device.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

inputting means for receiving an operation input of a user;

production means for producing a first request signal requesting a part of predetermined data stored in a different information processing apparatus be sent and a second request signal requesting that all of the predetermined data be sent based on the operation of the user received by said inputting means;

sending means for sending the first request signal or the second request signal produced by said production means to the different information processing apparatus;

reception means for receiving part or all of the predetermined data sent from the different information processing apparatus;

reproduction means for reproducing part or all the predetermined data received by said reception means; and

control means for controlling said reproduction means so as to reproduce the part of the predetermined data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the first request signal, that is received by said reception means, and that corresponds to the first request signal, and for controlling said reproduction means so as to reproduce all of the predetermined data this is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by said reception means and that corresponds to the second request signal.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said production means produces the first request signal when a first operation is input from the user by said inputting means or when reproduction of the part of the predetermined data by said reproduction means ends, but produces the second request signal when a second operation is input from the user by said inputting means.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said production means produces, when the second operation is input from the user by said inputting means, the second request signal requesting that all of the predetermined data corresponding to the part of the predetermined data which is being reproduced by said reproduction means be sent, and

said control means controls, when the second request signal is produced, said reproduction means so as to reproduce all of the predetermined data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by said reception means and that corresponds to the second request signal.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said production means produces the first request signal when a power supply is made available, when a first operation of the user is input by said inputting means or when reproduction of part or all of the predetermined data by said reproduction means ends, but produces the second request signal when a second operation of the user is input by said inputting means.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said production means produces, when the first operation is input from the user by said inputting means and when part of the predetermined data is being reproduced by said reproduction means, the second request signal for requesting that all of the predetermined data which is being reproduced be sent, but

produces, when reproduction of part of the predetermined data by said reproduction means ends without receiving a predetermined operation input of the user by said inputting means, the first request signal requesting that a part of data different from the predetermined data whose reproduction is ended be sent.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the part of the predetermined data requested by the first request signal is data indicative of a characteristic portion of all of the predetermined data to the user where the predetermined data is reproduced by said reproduction means.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reproduction means inserts, when first predetermined data and second predetermined data received by said reception means are to be reproduced successively, white noise into a predetermined interval between sound reproduced from the first predetermined data and sound reproduced from the second predetermined data.

8. An information processing method comprising:

controlling an input of an operation of a user;

producing a first request signal requesting a part of predetermined data stored in a different information processing apparatus;

producing a second request signal requesting that all the predetermined data be sent based on the operation of the user whose input is controlled by the controlling the input;

sending the first request signal or the second request signal produced by the producing a first request signal or producing a second request signal to the different information processing apparatus;

receiving part or all the predetermined data sent from the different information processing apparatus;

controlling the process of reproducing the predetermined data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the first request signal, that is received by the receiving and that corresponds to the first request signal; and

controlling the process of reproducing all of the predetermined data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by the receiving and that corresponds to the second request signal.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

producing the first request signal when an input of a first operation from the user is controlled by the controlling the input or when the reproduction of part of the predetermined data controlled by controlling the process of reproducing part of the predetermined data ends; and

producing the second request signal when an input of a second operation from the user is controlled by the controlling the input.

10. A computer readable medium including a program for causing a computer to execute a method stored thereon, the method comprising:

controlling an input of an operation of a user;

producing a first request signal requesting that a part of predetermined data stored on a different information processing apparatus be sent;

producing a second request signal requesting that all of the predetermined data be sent based on the operation of the user whose input is controlled by the controlling the input;

sending the first request signal or the second request signal produced by the producing a first request signal or producing a second request signal to the different information processing apparatus;

receiving part or all the predetermined data sent from the different information processing apparatus;

controlling the process of reproducing the predetermined data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the first request signal, that is received by the receiving and that corresponds to the first request signal; and

controlling the process of reproducing all of the predetermined data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by the receiving and that corresponds to the second request signal.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

production means for producing a first request signal requesting reproduction of part of predetermined data and for producing a second request signal requesting reproduction of all of the predetermined data;

acquisition means for acquiring part of the predetermined data in response to the first request signal and for acquiring all of the predetermined data in response to the second request signal;

reproduction means for reproducing part or all of the predetermined data acquired by said acquisition means; and

control means for controlling, when the first request signal is produced, said reproduction means so as to reproduce part of the predetermined data and for controlling, when the second request signal is produced, said reproduction means so as to reproduce all of the predetermined data.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said production means produces the first request signal when a first operation is input from the user or when reproduction of part of the predetermined data by said reproduction means ends, but produces the second request signal when a second operation is input from the user.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said production means produces, when the second operation is input from the user, the second request signal requesting that all of the predetermined data corresponding to part of the predetermined data which is being reproduced by said reproduction means is sent, and

said control means controls, when the second request signal is produced, said reproduction means so as to reproduce all of the predetermined data acquired by said acquisition means and corresponding to the second request signal.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said production means produces the first request signal when a first operation of the user is input by said inputting means or when reproduction of part or all the predetermined data by said reproduction means ends, but produces the second request signal when a second operation of the user is input by said inputting means.

15. An information processing method comprising:

producing a first request signal for requesting for reproduction of part of predetermined data and a second request signal for requesting for reproduction of all of predetermined data;

acquiring part of the predetermined data in response to the first request signal and acquiring all the predetermined data in response to the second request signal;

controlling, when the first request signal is produced by producing, a process of reproducing part of the predetermined data acquired by the acquiring; and

controlling, when the second request signal is produced by the producing, a process of reproducing all the predetermined data acquired by the acquiring.

16. The information processing method according to claim 15, further comprising:

producing the first request signal when a first operation is input from a user by a user input or when reproduction of part of the predetermined data by said controlling a process of reproducing part of the predetermined data ends; and

producing the second request signal when a second operation is input from the user by the user input.

17. A computer readable medium including a program for causing a computer to execute a method stored thereon, the method comprising:

producing a first request signal for requesting for reproduction of part of predetermined data and a second request signal for requesting for reproduction of all of predetermined data;

acquiring part of the predetermined data in response to the first request signal and acquiring all the predetermined data in response to the second request signal;

controlling, when the first request signal is produced by producing, a process of reproducing part of the predetermined data acquired by the acquiring; and

controlling, when the second request signal is produced by the producing, a process of reproducing all the predetermined data acquired by the acquiring.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

producing the first request signal when a first operation is input from a user by a user input or when reproduction of part of the predetermined data by said controlling a process of reproducing part of the predetermined data ends; and

producing the second request signal when a second operation is input from the user by the user input.

19. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an inputting section configured to receive an input operation of a user;

a production section configured to produce a first request signal requesting that a part of predetermined data stored in a different information processing apparatus be sent and to produce a second request signal requesting that all the predetermined data be sent based on the input operation of the user;

a sending section configured to send the first request signal or the second request signal produced by said production section to the different information processing apparatus;

a reception section configured to receive part or all the predetermined data sent from the different information processing apparatus;

a reproduction section configured to reproduce part or all the predetermined data received from said reception section; and

a control section configured to control said reproduction section so as to reproduce the part of the predetermined data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the first request signal, that is received by said reception section and that corresponds to the first request signal, and to control said reproduction section so as to reproduce all of the predetermined data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by said reception section and that corresponds to the second request signal.

20. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a production section configured to produce a first request signal requesting reproduction of part of predetermined data and to produce a second request signal requesting reproduction of all of the predetermined data;

an acquisition section configured to acquire part of the predetermined data in response to the first request signal and to acquire all of the predetermined data in response to the second request signal;

a reproduction section configured to reproduce part or all the predetermined data acquired by said acquisition section; and

a control section configured to control, when the first request signal is produced, said reproduction section so as to reproduce part of the predetermined data and to control, when the second request signal is produced, said reproduction section so as to reproduce all of the predetermined data.