Information processing system, information processing method of information processing system, information processing apparatus, and information processing program

• US 7,110,755 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2002
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Kenichi, Shibasaki, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon J.
• Application Number:
  US10/199,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20030032419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/414.1, 455/3.06, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/556.1, 455/500, 455507-508, 455/421, 455/3.03, 455/569.2, 455/99, 455/149, 455/151.2, 455/151.4, 455/345, 381/86
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A car audio apparatus forms a piconet together with information terminals that can communicate information with the car audio apparatus using a BT radio communication system so that information can be communicated in the piconet, acquires the attribute information of each information terminal that can communicate information with the car audio apparatus, and determines and collects music files that can be played in the car audio apparatus based on the attribute information. A list of the obtained music files is displayed on a display section of the car audio apparatus.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for processing any desired content, comprising:

terminal search means for searching for information terminals that can communicate information with the processing apparatus;

type information acquisition means for acquiring machine type information from the information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus and that are found by the terminal search means;

attribute information acquisition means for determining a priority of the information terminals based on the machine type information and for acquiring attribute information of at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals based on the priority; and

determination means for determining whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus based on the attribute information of the particular information terminal acquired by the attribute information acquisition means.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising content collection means for collecting any desired content from the information terminal determined to have content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus by the determination means.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information of the information terminal is information concerning one of content and a program that the information terminal has.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein to determine whether or not the information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus, the determination means extracts content information concerning the content that the information terminal has based on the attribute information of the information terminal and determines whether or not the content can be processed in the information processing apparatus based on the content information.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the content is one of music data and moving picture data, the determination means determines whether or not bit rate information of the content is not more than allowable data transmission speed of a transmission channel for connecting the information terminal found by the terminal search means and the information processing apparatus.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising display means for displaying the content determined by the determination means that the content can be processed in the information processing apparatus.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the content collection means collects content by category based on the determination result of the determination means.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the terminal search means searches for an information terminal that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus based on whether or not Bluetooth connection can be established.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the category is one of music data, moving picture data, still image data, and a program.

20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the content information is at least one of compression format information, bit rate information, sampling rate information, and extension information of the content.

8. An information processing apparatus for processing any desired content, comprising:

terminal search means for searching for information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus;

type information acquisition means for acquiring machine type information from the information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus and that are found by the terminal search means,

wherein the type information acquisition means determines a priority of the information terminals based on the machine type information; and

determination request means for requesting at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals to determine whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus,

wherein the determination request means requests the particular information terminal based on the priority.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising content information collection means for collecting content information concerning the content from the information terminal requested to make the determination by the determination request means.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the determination as to whether or not the information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus in the determination request made by the determination request means is to determine whether or not the information terminal requested to make the determination has content, to extract content information concerning the content that the information terminal has, and to determine whether or not the content can be processed in the information processing apparatus based on the content information.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein if the content is music data or moving picture data, a determination as to whether or not the information terminal has content that can be subjected to streaming processing in the information processing apparatus in a determination request made by the determination request means is to determine whether or not bit rate information of the content is equal to or less than allowable data transmission speed of a transmission channel for connecting the information terminal found by the terminal search means and the information processing apparatus.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the determination request made by the determination request means is to transmit a determination program for causing the information terminal that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus to determine whether or not the information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus to the information terminal.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the determination request made by the determination request means is to transmit a command for causing the information terminal that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus to determine whether or not the information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus to the information terminal.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the terminal search means searches for an information terminal that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus based on whether or not Bluetooth connection can be established.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the content information collection means collects content information by category based on the determination result of the determination means.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the category is one of music data, moving picture data, still image data, and a program.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising display means for displaying the content information collected by the content information collection means.

21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the content information is at least one of compression format information, bit rate information, sampling rate information, and extension information of the content.

22. An information processing program for causing a computer to provide functions of an information processing apparatus, the program comprising the steps of:

searching for information terminals that can communicate information with the computer;

acquiring machine type information from the information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus and that are found;

determining a priority of the information terminals based on the machine type information;

acquiring attribute information of the at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals based on the priority; and

determining whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the computer based on the attribute information of the particular information terminal acquired.

23. An information processing program for causing a computer to provide functions of an information processing apparatus, the program comprising the steps of:

searching for information terminals that can communicate information with the computer;

acquiring machine type information from the information terminals that can communicate information with the computer and that are found;

determining a priority of the information terminals based on the machine type information;

requesting at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals to determine whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the computer,

wherein the particular information terminal is requested based on the priority.

24. An information processing system comprising:

an information processing apparatus; and

information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus,

wherein the information processing apparatus comprises;

terminal search means for searching for the information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus;

type information acquisition means for acquiring machine type information from the information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus and that are found by the terminal search means;

attribute information acquisition means for determining a priority of the information terminals and for requesting attribute information of at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals based on the priority; and

determination means for determining whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus based on the attribute information of the particular information terminal acquired by the attribute information acquisition means; and

wherein the particular information terminal comprises attribute information return means for returning the attribute information of the particular information terminal requested by the attribute information acquisition means to the information processing apparatus.

25. The information processing system according to claim 24, wherein the information processing apparatus further comprises content collection means for collecting any desired content from the information terminal determined to have content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus by the determination means.

26. The information processing system according to claim 24, wherein to determine whether or not the information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus, the determination means extracts content information concerning the content that the information terminal has based on the attribute information of the information terminal and determines whether or not the content can be processed in the information processing apparatus based on the content information.

27. The information processing system according to claim 24, wherein if the content is one of music data and moving picture data, the determination means determines whether or not bit rate information of the content is not more than allowable data transmission speed of a transmission channel for connecting the information terminal found by the terminal search means and the information processing apparatus.

28. An information processing system comprising:

an information processing apparatus; and

an information terminal that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus,

wherein the information processing apparatus comprises;

terminal search means for searching for information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus;

type information acquisition means for acquiring machine type information from the information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus and that are found by the terminal search means,

wherein the type information acquisition means determines a priority of the information terminals based on the machine type information; and

determination request means for requesting at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals found to determine whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus, p2 wherein the determination request means requests the particular information terminal based on the priority; and

wherein the information terminal comprises;

content determination means for determining whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus in response to the determination request made by the determination request means; and

return means for returning content information of the content determined by the content determination means to the information processing apparatus.

29. The information processing system according to claim 28, wherein the information processing apparatus further comprises content information collection means for collecting content information concerning the content from the information terminal requested to make the determination by the determination request means.

30. The information processing system according to claim 28, wherein the content determination means determines whether or not the information terminal has content in response to the determination request made by the determination request means, extracts content information concerning the content that the information terminal has, and determines whether or not the content can be processed in the information processing apparatus based on the content information.

31. The information processing system according to claim 28, wherein if the content is one of music data and moving picture data, the content determination means determines whether or not the information terminal has content that can be subjected to streaming processing in the information processing apparatus based on whether or not bit rate information that the content information has is not more than allowable data transmission speed of a transmission channel for connecting the information terminal and the information processing apparatus.

32. The information processing system according to claim 28,

wherein the determination request made by the determination request means is to transmit a determination program for causing the information terminal that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus to determine whether or not the information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus to the information terminal;

and

wherein the content determination means makes the determination as the determination program is executed.

33. The information processing system according to claim 28,

wherein the information terminal further comprises storage means for storing a determination program for determining whether or not the information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus, and

wherein the determination request made by the determination request means is to transmit a command for executing the determination program stored in the storage means.

34. An information processing method of an information processing system comprising the steps of:

searching for information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus;

acquiring machine type information from the information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus and that are found,

determining a priority of the information terminals based on the machine type information; and

requesting at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals to transmit attribute information,

wherein the particular information terminal is requested to transmit the attribute information based on the priority;

returning the attribute information of the particular information terminal requested in the requesting step to the information processing apparatus; and

determining whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus based on the attribute information of the particular information terminal returned in returning step.

35. The information processing method according to claim 34 further comprising the steps of collecting any desired content from the information terminal determined to have content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus in the determining step.

36. An information processing method of an information processing system comprising the steps of:

searching for information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus;

acquiring machine type information from the information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus and that are found;

determining a priority of the information terminals based on the machine type information; and

requesting at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals to determine whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus; and

determining whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus in response to the determination made by the particular information terminal.

37. The information processing method according to claim 36, further comprising the steps of collecting content information concerning the content determined in the determining step.

38. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a receiver circuit that receives device type information from information terminals that can communicate information with the information processing apparatus;

a control circuit that determines a priority of the information terminals based on the device type information and that selects at least a particular information terminal of the information terminals based on the priority; and

wherein the control circuit determines whether or not the particular information terminal has content that can be processed in the information processing apparatus.

39. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 38, wherein the control circuit determines whether or not the particular information terminal has the content before the information processing apparatus receives the content.