INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, SERVICE PROVIDING APPARATUS AND METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND PROGRAM

• US 20130067356A1
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: WAKITA, Yoshihiro, Takemura, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,417,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

The present invention is related to an information processing system that simultaneously shares content data in private virtual spaces. A home server is arranged at a user'"'"'s home. A portable user terminal can access the home server and a virtual home DB server supplies the layout information about virtual home to the portable user terminal. An authentication server executes authentication processing on the portable user terminal. An inter-user-terminal communication relay server executes the processing associated with the communication between a plurality of users. A user information holding server stores the personal data of each user and the content data, which are shared with other users. This system thus realizes realtime communication via the Internet.

Claims

1. An information processing device, comprising:

means for initiating a communication program to call a party in response to user selection of an icon corresponding to the communication program;

means for displaying a called party list including pre-registered parties, a communication with a called party being initiated upon user selection, as the called party, of one of the pre-registered parties from the called party list, the means for displaying also displaying a user search area to receive user identifying information;

means for searching for the called party based on user identification information received in the user search area; and

means for displaying a communication area shared with the called party and for displaying a message input area to receive a user message before the user message is displayed in the communication area.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, comprising:

means for terminating the communication with the called party upon selection of a termination button.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the communication is established with the called party when the called party accepts a request for communication from the user.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the user inputs a message in the message input area to leave a saved message for the called party when the called party is in a talk disabled state and the communication is not established.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for sharing a selected image selected with the called party.

6. An information processing device, comprising:

a processor configured to generate a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface including a communication program icon, a called party list, a user search area, a communication area and a message input area; and

a display configured to display the graphical user interface,

wherein upon selection of the communication program icon, the processor initiates a corresponding communication program, the communication program being configured to

display the called party list including pre-registered called parties, a communication with a called party being established upon user selection of one of the pre-registered called parties as the called party,

search for the called party based on user identifying information received in the user search area, and

display the communication area shared with the called party and the message input area to receive messages input by the user are displayed before the messages are displayed in the communication area.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the graphical user interface includes a termination button to terminate the communication with the called party upon selection thereof.

8. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the communication is established with the called party selected when the called party selected accepts a request for communication from the user.

9. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein a message entered into the message input area is left as a saved message for the called party when the called party is in a talk disabled state and the communication is not established.

10. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the communication program is further configured to share a selected image with the called party.

11. A method for communication with a called party, comprising:

initiating, in a processor, a communication program upon selection of an icon corresponding to the communication program;

displaying a called party list including pre-registered called parties a communication with a called party being initiated upon user selection, as the called party, of one of the pre-registered parties from the called party list;

displaying a user search area to receive user identifying information;

searching for the called party based on user identification information received in the user search area; and

displaying a communication area shared with the called party and for displaying a message input area to receive a user message before the user message is displayed in the communication area.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

terminating the communication program upon selection of a termination button.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the communication is established with the called party when the called party accepts a request for communication from the user.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

leaving a message entered into the message input area as a saved message for the called party when the called party is in a talk disabled state and the communication is not established.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

sharing a selected image with the called party via the communication program.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer-readable instructions thereon, the computer-readable instructions when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

initiating a communication program upon selection of an icon corresponding to the communication program;

displaying a called party list including pre-registered called parties a communication with a called party being initiated upon user selection, as the called party, of one of the pre-registered parties from the called party list;

displaying a user search area to receive user identifying information;

searching for the called party based on user identification information received in the user search area; and

displaying a communication area shared with the called party and for displaying a message input area to receive a user message before the user message is displayed in the communication area.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising:

terminating the communication program upon selection of a termination button.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the communication is established with the called party when the called party accepts a request for communication from the user.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising:

leaving a message entered into the message input area as a saved message for the called party when the called party is in a talk disabled state and the communication is not established.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising:

sharing a selected image with the called party via the communication program.