INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20130232528A1
• Filed: 04/19/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hiroi, Satoshi, Ichikawa, Yukio, Sato, Yumi, Suzuki, Marie, Nakajima, Yasushi, Nagatani, Hiroshi, Hara, Masahiro, Horiki, Hiroshi, Fujimoto, Kouhei, Mitsubori, Hiroyuki, Houjou, Sakae, Yang, Mingshan, Matsuzawa, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,380,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

An information processing apparatus receives a user selection of content to be reproduced by an external device connected to the information processing apparatus. A request to reproduce the user selected content is sent to the external device. Information indicating whether the external device has started reproducing the selected content is received from the external device. In response to the external device having started reproduction of the selected content, a thumbnail image is reproduced that corresponds to the content being reproduced by the external device.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a selection unit that receives a user selection of content to be reproduced by an external device connected to the information processing apparatus;

a communication unit that sends, to the external device, a request to reproduce the user selected content, and receives, from the external device, information indicating whether the external device has started reproducing the selected content;

a content storing unit; and

a content reproduction processing unit that, in response to the external device having started reproduction of the selected content, acquires a thumbnail image stored in the content storing unit that corresponds to the content being reproduced by the external device and reproduces the acquired thumbnail image.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits, to the external device, information indicating a reproducing point of the selected content to cause the external device to synchronize the reproduction of the selected content according to the reproducing point.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit that receives the reproduced thumbnail image from content reproduction processing unit and causes a display of the thumbnail image.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication unit receives, from the external device, information indicating that the reproduction of the selected content by the external device has been interrupted, and the display control unit causes a display of a message accordingly.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in response a user operation carried out while the external device reproduces the selected content, the display control unit causes a display of a window identifying the external device.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in response a user operation carried out while the external device reproduces the selected content, the display control unit causes a display of a list of external devices and, for each one of the external devices, an indication whether that external device is connected to information processing apparatus, the list identifying which one of the external devices is the external device reproducing the selected content.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in response a user operation selecting another one of the external devices from the list of external devices, reproduction of the selected content is switched to the another one of the external devices, and the communication unit transmits, to the another one of the external devices, information indicating a reproducing point of the selected content to cause the another one of the external devices to synchronize the reproduction of the selected content according to the reproducing point.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a plurality of thumbnail images respectively associated with a plurality of characteristic points in the selected content, and the content reproduction processing unit reproduces a particular one of the plurality of thumbnail images that is associated with a current one of the plurality of characteristic points in the selected content.

9. In an information processing apparatus, an information processing method comprising:

receiving a user selection of content to be reproduced by an external device connected to the information processing apparatus;

sending, to the external device, a request to reproduce the user selected content;

receiving, from the external device, information indicating whether the external device has started reproducing the selected content; and

in response to the external device having started reproduction of the selected content, reproducing a thumbnail image that corresponds to the content being reproduced by the external device.

10. An information processing system, comprising:

a content management server that manages content;

an information processing apparatus; and

a renderer apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus;

the information processing apparatus, including;

a selection unit that receives a user selection of content to be reproduced by the renderer apparatus, and

a communication unit that sends a request to reproduce the user selected content to the renderer apparatus;

the renderer apparatus, including;

a content data acquisition unit that acquires the selected content from the content management server, and

a content reproduction processing unit that reproduces the acquired content,

wherein the communication unit of the information processing apparatus receives, from the external device, information indicating that the renderer apparatus has started reproducing the selected content;

the information processing apparatus, including;

a content storing unit, and

a content reproduction processing unit that, in response to the renderer apparatus having started reproduction of the selected content, acquires a thumbnail image stored in the content storing unit that corresponds to the content being reproduced by the renderer apparatus and reproduces the acquired thumbnail image.