Program accumulation apparatus, program accumulation reservation method, and program

• US 20090279847A1
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Akihiko, Chiba, Hiroyuki, Honma, Tsuyoshi, Kanao, Takashi, Kouda, Hirofumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,781,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A program accumulation apparatus includes: a broadcast program acquisition section to acquire data of a broadcast program based on a preset recording reservation; a delivery program acquisition section to acquire data of a delivery program delivered by a downloading method via a network based on a preset download reservation; a storage section to accumulate the data of the broadcast program or the data of the delivery program; a designation section to accept a designation of the broadcast program for the recording reservation; a judgment section to judge whether the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is possible; and a setting section to judge, when the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is judged as being impossible, whether the download reservation of the delivery program of the same source as the broadcast program is possible, and set the download reservation of the delivery program when judged possible.

Claims

1. A program accumulation apparatus, comprising:

a broadcast program acquisition means for acquiring data of a broadcast program based on a preset recording reservation;

a delivery program acquisition means for acquiring data of a delivery program delivered by a downloading method via a network based on a preset download reservation;

a storage section to accumulate one of the data of the broadcast program acquired by the broadcast program acquisition means and the data of the delivery program acquired by the delivery program acquisition means;

a designation means for accepting a designation of the broadcast program to be set to the recording reservation, that has been made by a user;

a judgment means for judging whether the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is possible; and

a setting means for judging, when the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is judged as being impossible, whether the download reservation of the delivery program of the same source as the broadcast program is possible, and setting the download reservation of the delivery program when judged that the download reservation is possible.

2. The program accumulation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a download availability information acquisition means for acquiring download availability information containing information for specifying the delivery program of the same source as the broadcast program,

wherein the setting means judges whether the download reservation of the delivery program of the same source as the broadcast program is possible based on the download availability information.

3. The program accumulation apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a reservation data storage section to store recording reservation data of the broadcast program and download reservation data of the delivery program; and

a change means for judging, when a content of the reservation data storage section is updated, with respect to the download reservation data stored in the reservation data storage section, whether the recording reservation of the broadcast program of the same source as the delivery program, that is a target for the download reservation, is possible, and changing, when judged that the recording reservation is possible, the download reservation data to the recording reservation data for the recording reservation of the broadcast program.

4. The program accumulation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the judgment means judges whether the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is possible based on at least a presence/absence of an overlap between a recording date/time of a broadcast program already set to the recording reservation and a recording date/time of the designated broadcast program.

5. The program accumulation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the judgment means judges whether the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is possible by comparing at least a free storage capacity of the storage section and a recording data size of the designated broadcast program.

6. The program accumulation apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the change means judges whether the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is possible based on at least a presence/absence of an overlap between a recording date/time of a broadcast program already set to the recording reservation and a recording date/time of the designated broadcast program.

7. The program accumulation apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the change means judges whether the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is possible by comparing at least a free storage capacity of the storage section and a recording data size of the designated broadcast program.

8. A program accumulation reservation method, comprising:

acquiring data of a broadcast program based on a preset recording reservation and accumulating the data in a storage section;

acquiring data of a delivery program delivered by a downloading method via a network based on a preset download reservation and accumulating the data in the storage section;

accepting a designation of the broadcast program to be set to the recording reservation, that has been made by a user;

judging whether the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is possible; and

judging, when the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is judged as being impossible, whether the download reservation of the delivery program of the same source as the broadcast program is possible, and setting the download reservation of the delivery program when judged that the download reservation is possible.

9. A program causing a computer to function as:

a broadcast program acquisition means for acquiring data of a broadcast program based on a preset recording reservation;

a delivery program acquisition means for acquiring data of a delivery program delivered by a downloading method via a network based on a preset download reservation;

a storage section to accumulate one of the data of the broadcast program acquired by the broadcast program acquisition means and the data of the delivery program acquired by the delivery program acquisition means;

a designation means for accepting a designation of the broadcast program to be set to the recording reservation, that has been made by a user;

a judgment means for judging whether the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is possible; and

a setting means for judging, when the recording reservation of the designated broadcast program is judged as being impossible, whether the download reservation of the delivery program of the same source as the broadcast program is possible, and setting the download reservation of the delivery program when judged that the download reservation is possible.