CONTENT TRANSFER SYSTEM, CONTENT TRANSFER METHOD AND HOME SERVER

• US 20090106407A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: KODAMA, Shoji, YAMAMOTO, Akira, KUMAZAWA, Kiyotake, IWASAKI, Masaaki, IWAMI, Naoko
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments

Abstract

Provided are a content transfer system, a content transfer method, and a home server capable of backing up all backup target contents without having to transfer all backup target contents. This content transfer system includes a home storage and an online storage. The home storage transfers identifying information of a backup target content to the online storage and requests the online storage to determine the existence of a content that is identical to the backup target content upon requesting the online storage to back up the backup target content, transfers metadata to the online storage when an identical content exists in the online storage, and transfers the backup target content to the online storage in all other cases.

Claims

1. A content transfer system comprising a first storage for recording first contents and a second storage for recording second contents and managing said first contents, and which sends and receives information concerning each of said contents between said first storage and said second storage via a communication network,

wherein said first storage transfers identifying information of a backup target content to said second storage and requests said second storage to determine the existence of a content corresponding to said backup target content upon requesting said second storage to back up said backup target content among said first contents;

wherein said first storage transfers management information to be used for managing the backup of said backup target content to said second storage in substitute for transferring said backup target content upon receiving a reply from said second storage indicating that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said second contents; and

wherein said second storage determines the existence of a content corresponding to said backup target content based on identifying information of said backup target content and transfers the determination result to said first storage in response to the request from said first storage.

2. The content transfer system according to claim 1 further comprising a third storage for storing third contents and which is connected to said communication network;

wherein said second storage requests said third storage to transfer a content corresponding to said backup target content upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said second contents based on identifying information of said backup target content in response to the request from said first storage; and

wherein said second storage transfers a determination result indicating the existence of a content corresponding to said backup target content to said first storage on condition of receiving the transfer of a content corresponding to said backup target content from said third storage.

3. The content transfer system according to claim 1,

wherein said first storage transfers said backup target content to said second storage on condition of receiving a determination result from said second storage indicating that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said second contents.

4. The content transfer system according to claim 1,

wherein identifying information of said backup target content includes a source showing the recording source that recorded said backup target content, a recording start time, and a recording end time;

and

wherein said second storage determines whether a content that coincides with the subject matter of said backup target content exists in said second contents based on said source, said recording start time, and said recording end time.

5. The content transfer system according to claim 1,

wherein identifying information of said backup target content includes a source showing the recording source that recorded said backup target content, a recording start time, a recording end time, a format, and a bit rate;

and

wherein said second storage determines that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said second contents if a content having the identical source, recording start time, and recording end time exists in said second contents even if said format and said bit rate are different, and determines that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said second contents in all other cases.

6. The content transfer system according to claim 1,

wherein said second storage requests said first storage to transfer said backup target content even upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said second contents if the picture quality of said content existing in the second contents is inferior to the picture quality of said backup target content.

7. The content transfer system according to claim 1,

wherein said second storage manages and stores the picture quality each time said backup target content is transferred from said first storage;

and

wherein said second storage converts the picture quality of said stored content into the picture quality at the time of transfer from said first storage when said first storage requests the transfer of the stored content and the picture quality of said stored content is different from the picture quality at the time of transfer from said first storage, and transfers said content with the converted picture quality to said first storage.

8. The content transfer system according to claim 1,

wherein management information to be used for managing the backup of said backup target content is configured from metadata that is associated with said backup target content.

9. A content transfer system comprising a first storage for recording first contents, a second storage for recording second contents and managing said first contents, and a third storage for storing third contents, and which sends and receives information concerning each of said contents among said first storage and said second storage and said third storage via a communication network,

wherein said first storage transfers identifying information of said backup target content to said second storage upon requesting said second storage to back up a backup target content among said first contents;

wherein said second storage manages an existing content as said backup target content upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said second contents based on identifying information of said backup target content in response to the request from said first storage;

wherein said second storage manages said existing content as said backup target content upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said second contents and exists in said third contents; and

wherein said second storage reads and stores said backup target content existing in said first contents from said first storage upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in either said second contents or said third contents.

10. A content transfer method of a content transfer system comprising a first storage for recording first contents and a second storage for recording second contents and managing said first contents, and which sends and receives information concerning each of said contents between said first storage and said second storage via a communication network,

wherein said first storage executes:

a step of transferring identifying information of a backup target content to said second storage and requesting said second storage to determine the existence of a content corresponding to said backup target content upon requesting said second storage to back up said backup target content among said first contents; and

a step of transferring management information to be used for managing the backup of said backup target content to said second storage in substitute for transferring said backup target content upon receiving a reply from said second storage indicating that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said second contents; and

wherein said second storage executes;

a step of determining the existence of a content corresponding to said backup target content based on identifying information of said backup target content, and a step of transferring the determination result to said first storage in response to the request from said first storage.

11. The content transfer method according to claim 10,

wherein said second storage executes:

a step of requesting said third storage connected to said communication network to transfer a content corresponding to said backup target content upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said second contents based on identifying information of said backup target content in response to the request from said first storage; and

a step of transferring a determination result indicating the existence of a content corresponding to said backup target content to said first storage on condition of receiving the transfer of a content corresponding to said backup target content from said third storage.

12. The content transfer method according to claim 10,

wherein said first storage executes:

a step of transferring said backup target content to said second storage on condition of receiving a determination result from said second storage indicating that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said second contents.

13. The content transfer method according to claim 10,

wherein identifying information of said backup target content includes a source showing the recording source that recorded said backup target content, a recording start time, and a recording end time;

and

wherein said second storage executes;

a step of determining whether a content that coincides with the subject matter of said backup target content exists in said second contents based on said source, said recording start time, and said recording end time.

14. The content transfer method according to claim 10,

wherein identifying information of said backup target content includes a source showing the recording source that recorded said backup target content, a recording start time, a recording end time, a format, and a bit rate;

and

wherein said second storage executes;

a step of determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said second contents if a content having the identical source, recording start time, and recording end time exists in said second contents even if said format and said bit rate are different; and

a step of determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said second contents in all other cases.

15. The content transfer method according to claim 10,

wherein said second storage executes:

a step of requesting said first storage to transfer said backup target content even upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said second contents if the picture quality of said content existing in the second contents is inferior to the picture quality of said backup target content.

16. The content transfer method according to claim 10,

wherein said second storage executes:

a step of managing and storing the picture quality each time said backup target content is transferred from said first storage;

a step of converting the picture quality of said stored content into the picture quality at the time of transfer from said first storage when said first storage requests the transfer of the stored content and the picture quality of said stored content is different from the picture quality at the time of transfer from said first storage; and

a step of transferring said content with the converted picture quality to said first storage.

17. The content transfer method according to claim 10,

wherein management information to be used for managing the backup of said backup target content is configured from metadata that is associated with said backup target content.

18. A content transfer method of a content transfer system comprising a first storage for recording first contents a second storage for recording second contents and managing said first contents, and a third storage for storing third contents, and which sends and receives information concerning each of said contents among said first storage and said second storage and said third storage via a communication network,

wherein said first storage executes;

a step of transferring identifying information of said backup target content to said second storage upon requesting said second storage to back up a backup target content among said first contents;

wherein said second storage executes;

a step of managing an existing content as said backup target content upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said second contents based on identifying information of said backup target content in response to the request from said first storage;

a step of managing said existing content as said backup target content upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said second contents and exists in said third contents; and

a step of reading and storing said backup target content existing in said first contents from said first storage upon determining that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in either said second contents or said third contents.

19. A home server comprising a local storage for recording contents and a computer for managing said contents, and in which said computer sends and receives information concerning said contents to and from a management server via a communication network;

wherein said computer transfers identifying information of a backup target content to said management server and requests said management server to determine the existence of a content corresponding to said backup target content upon requesting said management server to back up said backup target content among said contents, and transfers management information to be used for managing the backup of said backup target content to said management server in substitute for transferring said backup target content upon receiving a reply from said management server indicating that a content corresponding to said backup target content exists in said management server.

20. The home server according to claim 19,

wherein said computer transfers said backup target content to said management server on condition of receiving a determination result from said management server indicating that a content corresponding to said backup target content does not exist in said management server.

21. A content transfer system for sending and receiving information concerning first contents and second contents via a communication network among a first storage for recording said first contents, a second storage for storing second contents containing a backup target content to be sent from said first storage, and a third storage for distributing said first contents according to a request from said first storage,

wherein said third storage identifies said first contents upon distributing said first contents to said first storage, and distributes said first contents upon adding identifying information subject to non-rewritable processing;

and

wherein said second storage extracts said identifying information from the received backup target content upon receiving said backup target content from said first storage, determines the existence of a content corresponding to said backup target content by referring to said identifying information and identifying information that is unique to each of the previously recorded second contents, and, upon confirming the existence of said content corresponding to said backup target content, sets one of said contents as the storage target and notifies the completion of storage to said first storage.

22. A content transfer method of a content transfer system for sending and receiving information concerning first contents and second contents via a communication network among a first storage for recording said first contents, a second storage for storing second contents containing a backup target content to be sent from said first storage, and a third storage for distributing said first contents according to a request from said first storage,

wherein said third storage executes:

a step of identifying said first contents upon distributing said first contents to said first storage, and distributing said first contents upon adding identifying information subject to non-rewritable processing; and

wherein said second storage executes;

a step of extracting said identifying information from the received backup target content upon receiving said backup target content from said first storage;

a step of referring to said extracted identifying information and identifying information that is unique to each of the previously recorded second contents;

a step of storing one of said contents as the storage target upon determining and confirming the existence of said content corresponding to said backup target content as a result of said referral; and

a step of notifying the completion of storage to said first storage at the point in time said storage target is set.