SERVER DEVICE, CLIENT DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20120185566A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hideo, Inoue, Shigeru, Tominaga, Takashi, Miyajima, Yasushi, Kimijima, Tadaaki, Miyoshi, Toshimasa, Tokashiki, Mamoru, Atsumi, Soichiro, Sasaki, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/63 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

An information processing method of an information processing system including a client device functioning as a client and a server device functioning as a server which are capable of communication via a network, includes the steps of: at the server device, managing format identification information provided so as to be unique for each content data within the range of each data format, corresponding to the contents of each content; at the client device, causing execution of communication via network, for specifying a content, as to the server device; at the server device, transmitting, to the client device, format identification information correlated with a specified content in response to specification of a content via network from the client device; and at the client device, managing the received and obtained format identification information as corresponding to the specified content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a media distribution system comprising at least one first computing device, from a second computing device, an identifier for a content data stored on the first computing device in a first data format, the content data comprising audio and/or video content;

receiving at the media distribution system, from a third computing device, a request for the content data; and

transmitting the content data from the media distribution system to the third computing device in a second data format different from the first data format.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the request for the content data from the third computing device, determining whether the request is a legitimate request, and

wherein transmitting the content data to the third computing device comprises transmitting the content data when it is determined that the request is a legitimate request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identifier for the content data comprises receiving an identifier that identifies the content data in a manner generic to a data format of the content data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content data is available in two or more data formats and the identifier identifies the content data in the first data format and identifies the content data in the second data format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the third computing device stores information on a plurality of content data accessible by the third computing device, the information comprising a second identifier for the content data; and

receiving the request from the third computing device comprises receiving the second identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the second identifier from the third computing device comprises receiving the same identifier for the content data that was received from the second computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the content data in the second data format different from the first data format comprises transmitting the content data in a second data format in which the content data is not stored on the second computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the second computing device and the third computing device are operated by a user, the user operating two or more computing devices, and

transmitting the content data in the second data format comprises transmitting the content data in a data format in which the content data is not stored on the two or more computing devices operated by the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second computing device and the third computing devices are operated by a user;

receiving the identifier for the content data stored in the first data format comprises receiving an identifier for a content data copied from an optical media and stored in the first data format on the second computing device operated by the user; and

the content data is not stored on the third computing device operated by the user.

10. A method comprising:

storing, on a first computing device operated by a user, information on a plurality of pieces of content data that the user has permission to access, each piece of content data comprising audio and/or video content, the information identifying a first content data that is stored in a first data format on a second computing device operated by the user;

transmitting, from the first computing device to a media distribution service comprising at least one third computing device, a request for the first content data, the request comprising an identifier for the first content data, the identifier identifying the first content data in a manner that is generic to a data format of the first content data; and

receiving, at the first computing device from the media distribution service, the first content data in a second data format different from the first data format.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information identifying the first content data comprises information identifying a first content data that was copied from an optical media and stored in the first data format on the second computing device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the request to the media distribution system comprises transmitting authentication information to the media distribution system.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the content data is available in two or more data formats and the identifier identifies the content data in the first data format and identifies the content data in the second data format.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the user operates two or more computing devices, and

transmitting the first content data in the second data format comprises transmitting the first content data in a data format in which the first content data is not stored on the two or more computing devices operated by the user.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the first content data is available in two or more data formats and the identifier identifies the first content data in the first data format and identifies the content data in the second data format.

16. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one storage medium having encoded thereon processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method, the method comprising;

receiving at the apparatus, from a second computing device, an identifier for a content data stored on the first computing device in a first data format, the content data comprising audio and/or video content;

receiving at the apparatus, from a third computing device, a request for the content data; and

transmitting the content data from the apparatus to the third computing device in a second data format different from the first data format.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein receiving the identifier for the content data comprises receiving an identifier that identifies the content data in a manner generic to a data format of the content data.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the third computing device stores information on a plurality of pieces of content data accessible by the third computing device, the information comprising a second identifier for the content data; and

receiving the request from the third computing device comprises receiving the second identifier.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein receiving the second identifier from the third computing device comprises receiving the same identifier for the content data that was received from the second computing device.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the second computing device and the third computing device are operated by a user, the user operating two or more computing devices, and

transmitting the content data in the second data format comprises transmitting the content data in a data format in which the content data is not stored on the two or more computing devices operated by the user.