Server apparatus and method to distribute media data

• US 7,146,406 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Assistant Examiner(s): LESNIEWSKI, VICTOR D
• Application Number:
  US09/892,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20020002620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/231, 709/232, 709201-203, 709/236, 709/237
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A server apparatus to transmit music data is provided with a distribution request process section that receives music number, a reading section that reads out the music data from a contents server, and a notification process section that notifies the terminal of the music number, the size of the music data and the starting block number of the music data. The music data is divided into a plurality of block units. The server further includes a reception process section that receives a response from the terminal confirming the music number, the size of the music data and the starting block number of the music data, a communication section that transmits each block of the music data to the terminal, a block confirmation reception section that receives a confirmation notification from the terminal when the terminal normally receives each block of the music data. A control section, when the confirmation notification is received, transmits the next block of the music data, and, when the confirmation notification is not received within a predetermined period, executes an error process.

Claims

1. A server apparatus selectively connected to a first terminal apparatus and a second terminal apparatus, the first terminal apparatus having a capability of accessing a home page provided by the server apparatus, the second terminal apparatus being incapable of accessing the home page provided by the server apparatus and being capable of storing predetermined media data transmitted from the server apparatus, the server apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a request from the first terminal apparatus having the capability of accessing the home page, the request being input at the first terminal via the home page provided by the server apparatus, the request including information regarding the predetermined media data and information regarding the second terminal that is incapable of accessing the home page; and

a controller configured to;

transmit a notification to the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page, the notification including a value representing a size of the predetermined media data, based on the request received from the first terminal apparatus;

receive a response to the notification from the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page; and

transmit the predetermined media data to the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page when the response indicates that the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page can store the predetermined media data, wherein said first terminal apparatus and said second terminal apparatus are distinct from each other.

2. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined media data is divided into a plurality of predetermined data blocks, the controller transmitting each of the plurality of the predetermined data blocks to the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page.

3. The server apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller transmits a confirm notification to the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page after transmission of each of the plurality of the predetermined data blocks, the notification confirming that the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page received the transmitted data block.

4. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller executes an error process when the controller does not receive a response to the transmitted notification.

5. The server apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller stores a block number indicating a transmitted data block when the controller does not receive the response to the transmitted notification, the controller executing the error process by re-transmitting the block, corresponding to the stored block number, to the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page.

6. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request from the first terminal apparatus having the capability of accessing the home page further includes a time value, the controller transmitting the predetermined media data to the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page at a predetermined time related to the time value.

7. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined media data comprises music data.

8. The server apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second terminal apparatuses are configured to receive and transmit data independently of each other.

9. The server apparatus of claim 1, the predetermined media data comprising at least one of audio data and video data.

10. A server apparatus selectively connected to at least one of a first terminal apparatus and a second terminal apparatus, said first terminal apparatus having a capability of accessing a home page provided by the server, the second terminal apparatus being incapable of accessing the home page and being capable of storing predetermined media data transmitted from the server apparatus the, the server apparatus comprising:

a receiver that receives a request via the home page, from the first terminal apparatus, for the predetermined media data to be transferred to the second terminal apparatus; and

a controller that determines whether the second terminal apparatus has sufficient storage space to store the requested predetermined media data, said controller controlling the transfer of the requested predetermined media data to the second terminal apparatus when said controller determines that the second terminal apparatus has sufficient space to store the requested predetermined media data, wherein said first terminal apparatus and said second terminal apparatus are distinct from each other.

11. The server apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined media data comprises music data.

12. The server apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the first and second terminal apparatuses are configured to receive and transmit data independently of each other.

13. The server apparatus of claim 10, the predetermined media data comprising at least one of audio data and video data.

14. A media data distribution method using a server apparatus, the server apparatus being selectively connected to a first terminal apparatus and to a second terminal apparatus, the first terminal apparatus having a capability of accessing a home page provided by the server apparatus, the second terminal apparatus being incapable of accessing the home page provided by the server apparatus and being capable of storing predetermined media data transmitted from the server apparatus, the media data distribution method comprising:

receiving a request from the first terminal apparatus that has the capability of accessing the home page, the request being input at the first terminal via the home page provided by the server apparatus, the request including information regarding the predetermined media data and information regarding the second terminal that is incapable of accessing the home page;

transmitting a notification to the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page, the notification including a value representing a size of the predetermined media data, based on the received request;

receiving a response to the notification from the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page; and

transmitting the predetermined media data to the second terminal apparatus that is incapable of accessing the home page when the response indicates that the second terminal apparatus can store the predetermined media data, wherein the first terminal apparatus and the second terminal apparatus are distinct from each other.

15. The media data distribution method according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined media data comprises music data.

16. The media data distribution method according to claim 14, each of the first and second terminal apparatuses being configured to receive and transmit data independently of each other.

17. The media data distribution method according to claim 14, the predetermined media data comprising at least one of audio data and video data.