CONTENT PROVIDING SYSTEM AND METHOD, SHARED CONTENT OUTPUT APPARATUS AND METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20100106800A1
• Filed: 02/28/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dewa, Yoshiharu
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention relates to a content providing system and method, a shared content providing apparatus and method, a content output apparatus and method, and a program for making it possible to provide content to a different user without infringing on copyright. Content items are provided from a content server 21 to a plurality of broadcast receiving apparatuses 14-1 to 14-3 via a broadcasting network 12. A video clip server 16 obtains, from the content server 21, shared content that is content shared by a plurality of users, among the provided content items. The video clip server 16 sends selecting information for selecting the obtained shared content to the plurality of broadcast receiving apparatuses 14-1 to 14-3 via the Internet 11. The shared content selected by the broadcast receiving apparatuses 14-1 to 14-3 on the basis of the selecting information is provided from the video clip server 16 to the broadcast receiving apparatuses 14-1 to 14-3.

Claims

1. A content providing system comprising:

content providing means for providing content items via a network;

content output means for outputting the provided content items;

specifying/selecting means for specifying, among the output content items, shared content that is content shared by a plurality of users and selecting the predetermined shared content; and

shared content providing means for obtaining the specified content as the shared content from the content providing means and providing the shared content selected on the basis of selecting information for selecting the obtained shared content via the network to the content output means having selected the shared content on the basis of the selecting information.

2. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the content providing means is constituted by a broadcasting apparatus that broadcasts the content via a broadcasting network serving as the network,

wherein the content output means is constituted by a broadcast receiving apparatus that receives and outputs the broadcast content and displays the selecting information,

wherein the specifying/selecting means is constituted by a remote controller that remotely operates the broadcast receiving apparatus, the remote controller specifying the content output from the broadcast receiving apparatus at a timing at which a predetermined button is operated as the shared content, and selecting the shared content on the basis of the selecting information displayed on the broadcast receiving apparatus, and

wherein the shared content providing means is a server connected to the broadcast receiving apparatus via the Internet serving as the network, and the shared content providing means obtains specification information for specifying the content as the shared content from the broadcast receiving apparatus via the Internet, obtains the shared content from the broadcasting apparatus on the basis of the specification information, and sends the selecting information to a plurality of the broadcast receiving apparatuses via the Internet.

3. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the content providing means is constituted by a providing apparatus that provides the content via the Internet serving as the network,

wherein the content output means is constituted by an electronic device that accepts the provision of the content and outputs the content,

wherein the specifying/selecting means is constituted by an input unit that inputs a command to the electronic device, the input unit specifying the content output from the electronic device at a timing at which a predetermined button is operated as the shared content, and selecting the shared content on the basis of the selecting information displayed on the electronic device, and

wherein the shared content providing means is a server connected to the electronic device via the Internet, and the shared content providing means obtains specification information for specifying the content as the shared content from the electronic device via the Internet, and obtains the shared content from the providing apparatus on the basis of the specification information.

4. A content providing method comprising:

a content providing step of providing content items via a network;

a content output step of outputting the provided content items;

a specifying step of specifying, among the output content items, shared content that is content shared by a plurality of users;

a shared content obtaining step of obtaining the content specified in processing of the specifying step as the shared content from an apparatus that provides the content in processing of the content providing step;

a selecting step of selecting the predetermined shared content on the basis of selecting information for selecting the obtained shared content; and

a shared content providing step of providing the selected shared content via the network to an apparatus having selected the shared content on the basis of the selecting information.

5. A shared content providing apparatus comprising:

specification information obtaining means for obtaining, from a content output apparatus that accepts provision of content items via a network from a content providing apparatus, specification information for specifying a predetermined item among the content items as shared content that is content shared by a plurality of users via the network;

shared content obtaining means for obtaining the shared content specified on the basis of the specification information from the content providing apparatus; and

providing means for providing the shared content selected on the basis of selecting information for selecting the obtained shared content to the content output apparatus having selected the shared content on the basis of the selecting information via the network.

6. The shared content providing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising selecting information notification means for sending a notification of the selecting information to the content output apparatus via the network.

7. The shared content providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the network via which the content providing apparatus provides the content items is a broadcasting network,

wherein the content providing apparatus is a broadcasting apparatus,

wherein the network via which the specification information obtaining means obtains the specification information is the Internet, and

wherein the content output apparatus is a television receiver.

8. The shared content providing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

counting means for counting the number of times the content has drawn attention; and

sending means for sending the counted number of times to the content providing apparatus.

9. The shared content providing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the counting means includes

first counting means for counting the number of times the specification information is received;

and

second counting means for counting the number of times the shared content is selected on the basis of the selecting information.

10. The shared content providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the network via which the content providing apparatus provides the content items and the network via which the specification information obtaining means obtains the specification information are the Internet, and

wherein the content output apparatus is a personal computer.

11. A shared content providing method comprising:

a specification information obtaining step of obtaining, from a content output apparatus that accepts provision of content items via a network from a content providing apparatus, specification information for specifying a predetermined item among the content items as shared content that is content shared by a plurality of users via the network;

a shared content obtaining step of obtaining the shared content specified on the basis of the specification information from the content providing apparatus; and

a providing step of providing the shared content selected on the basis of selecting information for selecting the obtained shared content to the content output apparatus having selected the shared content on the basis of the selecting information via the network.

12. A program causing a computer to execute:

a specification information obtaining step of obtaining, from a content output apparatus that accepts provision of content items via a network from a content providing apparatus, specification information for specifying a predetermined item among the content items as shared content that is content shared by a plurality of users via the network;

a shared content obtaining step of obtaining the shared content specified on the basis of the specification information from the content providing apparatus; and

a providing step of providing the shared content selected on the basis of selecting information for selecting the obtained shared content to the content output apparatus having selected the shared content on the basis of the selecting information via the network.

13. A content output apparatus comprising:

output means for outputting content items received from a content providing apparatus via a network;

detection means for detecting, in a case where a predetermined item among the output content items is specified as shared content that is shared by a plurality of users, specification information for specifying the content;

specification information sending means for sending the detected specification information via the network to a shared content providing apparatus;

selecting means for selecting the predetermined item among the shared content on the basis of selecting information for selecting the shared content; and

shared content obtaining means for obtaining the selected shared content from the shared content providing apparatus via the network.

14. The content output apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising selecting information obtaining means for obtaining the selecting information from the shared content providing apparatus via the network.

15. The content output apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network via which the output means receives the content items from the content providing apparatus is a broadcasting network,

wherein the content providing apparatus is a broadcasting apparatus,

wherein the network via which the specification information is sent to the shared content providing apparatus is the Internet,

wherein the shared content providing apparatus is a server, and

wherein the content output apparatus is a television receiver.

16. The content providing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the specification information is channel information that indicates a channel that broadcasts the content and date-and-time information that indicates date and time at which the content is broadcast.

17. The content output apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network via which the content providing apparatus provides the content items and the network via which the specification information sending means sends the specification information are the Internet, and

wherein the content output apparatus is a personal computer.

18. The content providing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the specification information is a URL for accessing the content.

19. A content output method comprising:

an output step of outputting content items received from a content providing apparatus via a network;

a detection step of detecting, in a case where a predetermined item among the output content items is specified as shared content that is shared by a plurality of users, specification information for specifying the content;

a specification information sending step of sending the detected specification information via the network to a shared content providing apparatus;

a selecting step of selecting the predetermined item among the shared content on the basis of selecting information for selecting the shared content; and

a shared content obtaining step of obtaining the selected shared content from the shared content providing apparatus via the network.

20. A program causing a computer to execute:

an output step of outputting content items received from a content providing apparatus via a network;

a detection step of detecting, in a case where a predetermined item among the output content items is specified as shared content that is shared by a plurality of users, specification information for specifying the content;

a specification information sending step of sending the detected specification information via the network to a shared content providing apparatus;

a selecting step of selecting the predetermined item among the shared content on the basis of selecting information for selecting the shared content; and

a shared content obtaining step of obtaining the selected shared content from the shared content providing apparatus via the network.