INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIA

• US 20090265741A1
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Honma, Tsuyoshi, Kinoshita, Akihiko, Chiba, Hiroyuki, Kanao, Takashi, Kouda, Hirofumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,226,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/237 Communication with additional data server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440209 for formatting on an optical medium, e.g. DVD
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes: a program distribution schedule information receiver configured to receive program distribution schedule information; a program-associated information acquirer configured to acquire, for each program listed in the program distribution schedule information, information for identifying content associated with the program and program-associated information including information for identifying a recording media to which the content is recorded; and a display controller configured to control displaying of a program guide by allocating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for controlling a command for reproducing the content corresponding to the program into each display box of the program on the basis of the received program distribution schedule information and the acquired program-associated information.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

program distribution schedule information receiving means for receiving program distribution schedule information;

program-associated information acquiring means for acquiring, for each program listed in said program distribution schedule information, information for identifying content associated with said program and program-associated information including information for identifying a recording media to which said content is recorded; and

display control means for controlling displaying of a program guide by allocating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for controlling a command for reproducing said content corresponding to said program into each display box of said program on the basis of said received program distribution schedule information and said acquired program-associated information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining means for determining whether said content is recorded to a recording media currently loaded on said information processing apparatus if the reproduction of said content is commanded through said GUI;

wherein

if said content is found, by said determining means, recorded to said recording media loaded on said information processing apparatus, the reproduction of said content is controlled, and

if said content is not found, by said determining means, recorded to said recording media loaded on said information processing apparatus, a recording media to which said content is recorded is identified on the basis of said program-associated information and displaying of information associated with said recording media is controlled.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a program corresponding to said reproduced content is identified on the basis of said program-associated information and displaying of an image of said content is controlled along with information associated with timer-recording of said program.

4. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

receiving program distribution schedule information;

acquiring, for each program listed in said program distribution schedule information, information for identifying content associated with said program and program-associated information including information for identifying a recording media to which said content is recorded; and

controlling displaying of a program guide by allocating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for controlling a command for reproducing said content corresponding to said program into each display box of said program on the basis of said received program distribution schedule information and said acquired program-associated information.

5. A recording media recording a program configured to make a computer function as an information processing apparatus comprising:

program distribution schedule information receiving means for receiving program distribution schedule information;

program-associated information acquiring means for acquiring, for each program listed in said program distribution schedule information, information for identifying content associated with said program and program-associated information including information for identifying a recording media to which said content is recorded; and

display control means for controlling displaying of a program guide by allocating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for controlling a command for reproducing said content corresponding to said program into each display box of said program on the basis of said received program distribution schedule information and said acquired program-associated information.

6. The recording media according to claim 5, wherein said program and said content are recorded.

7. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a program distribution schedule information receiver configured to receive program distribution schedule information;

a program-associated information acquirer configured to acquire, for each program listed in said program distribution schedule information, information for identifying content associated with said program and program-associated information including information for identifying a recording media to which said content is recorded; and

a display controller configured to control displaying of a program guide by allocating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for controlling a command for reproducing said content corresponding to said program into each display box of said program on the basis of said received program distribution schedule information and said acquired program-associated information.