INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND CONTENT LIST DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20090089212A1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: MOROHOSHI, Toshihiro
• Application Number:
  US12/196,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089212A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus comprises a communication module configured to communicate through a network with a content server which provides contents and a license server which manages license information of the contents provided by the content server, an inquiry module configured to inquire of the license server permission to acquire a content provided by the content server via the communication module, and a display module configured to display a list of the contents provided by the content server in accordance with a result of inquiry made by the inquiry module.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a communication module configured to communicate through a network with a content server configured to provide contents and a license server configured to manage license information of the contents provided by the content server;

an inquiry module configured to inquire of the license server permission to acquire a content provided by the content server via the communication module; and

a display module configured to display a list of the contents provided by the content server in accordance with a result of inquiry made by the inquiry module.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display module is configured to display the list of the contents provided by the content server so that a content permitted to acquire is distinguished from a content not permitted to acquire.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inquiry module is configured to inquire of the license server whether or not a term of acquisition is set to a content provided by the content server, and wherein the display module is configured to display the list of the contents so that a content to which the term of acquisition is set is distinguishable.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inquiry module is configured to inquire of the license server whether or not permission to acquire a content provided by the content server has expired, and the display module is configured to display the list of the contents so that a content of which permission to acquire has expired is distinguishable.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inquiry module is configured to inquire of the license server a number of contents permitted to acquire from the content server and the display module is configured to display the number of contents permitted to acquire.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a list acquisition module configured to acquire a list of the contents provided by the content server, and wherein the inquiry module is configured to inquire of the license server permission to acquire a content comprised in the list of the contents acquired by the list acquisition module.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the list of the contents comprises information indicating whether or not it is appropriate for the inquiry module to inquire of the license server permission to acquire the contents respectively.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a reproduction module configured to reproduce a content;

a detection module configured to detect a content which the reproduction module is not allowed to reproduce; and

a deletion module configured to delete information of the content which the reproduction module is not allowed to reproduce detected by the detection module from the list of the contents.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the content server is configured to assign user identification data to a user permitted to acquire a content and to assign content identification data to a content to be provided, and

the license server is configured to manage the user identification data linked to content identification data of a content permitted for the user to acquire.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the inquiry module is configured to transmit user identification data and content identification data to the license server via the communication module and to inquire whether or not a user identified by the transmitted user identification data is permitted to acquire a content identified by the transmitted content identifying data, and

the license server is configured to check the transmitted user identification data and the transmitted content identification data against the user identification data and the content identification data managed by the license server, and to determine whether or not the user identified by the transmitted user identification data is permitted to acquire the content identified by the transmitted content identification data.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a list of links acquisition module configured to acquire via the connection module a list comprising links to content servers from a portal site connected to the network;

a list of links display module configured to cause the display module to display the list of links acquired by the list of links acquisition module; and

a selection module configured to select a content server from the content servers comprised in the list of links in accordance with selection made by a user, wherein the inquiry module is configured to inquire of the license server permission to acquire a content provided by the content server selected by the selection module.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the list of links display module is configured to cause the display module to distinguishably display a content server configured to impose restrictions on provision of contents.

13. The information processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the inquiry module is configured to inquire of the license server permission to acquire a content provided by the content server selected by the selection module when a content server which imposes restrictions on provision of contents is selected by the selection module.

14. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a skin file acquisition module configured to acquire a skin file configured to define a display manner of the display module from the portal site via the communication module, and wherein the list of links display module is configured to cause the display module to display the list of links in accordance with the skin file acquired by the skin file acquisition module.

15. The information processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the portal site comprises a management table for managing skin files.

16. A content list display method comprising:

inquiring permission to acquire a content provided by a content server configured to provide contents from a license server configured to manage license information of contents; and

displaying a list of the contents provided by the content server in accordance with a result of the inquiry.