Personal digital assistant apparatus

• US 7,362,952 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Katagishi, Makoto, Matsunobu, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNN, MISHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US10/892,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20050229223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/83, 455 301- 306, 725/46, 725/91
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

A personal digital assistant (PDA) apparatus and a recording and reproduction apparatus improved in convenience in use by reflecting the viewing situation in the PDA into the recording and reproduction apparatus are provided. The PDA includes a reception unit for perceiving a broadcast signal including program information, a communication unit for communicating with the recording and reproduction apparatus, which records/reproduces a broadcast signal, a display unit for displaying the program information and video information included in the broadcast signal, a storage unit for storing viewing history of a received and displayed video signal, and an operation unit for operating viewing in the apparatus. Based on viewing history stored in the storage unit, an order signal is sent to the recording and reproduction apparatus via the communication unit to order reproduction of information relating to the viewing history from among information stored in the recording and reproduction apparatus.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal apparatus comprising:

a reception unit for receiving a broadcast signal including program information;

a communication unit for conducting communication with a recording and reproduction apparatus, the recording and reproduction apparatus recording and reproducing a broadcast signal;

a display unit for displaying the program information and video information included in the broadcast signal;

a storage unit for storing a viewing history of a received and displayed video signal; and

an operation unit for operating viewing in the portable information terminal apparatus,

wherein on the basis of the viewing history stored in said storage unit, the portable information terminal apparatus sends an order signal to the recording and reproduction apparatus via said communication unit to order recording or reproduction of information relating to the viewing history.

2. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication unit conducts communication with the recording and reproduction apparatus via a network.

3. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a viewing cutoff condition of a broadcast signal is satisfied, the portable information terminal apparatus sends out an order signal to the recording and reproduction apparatus on the basis of program information of a program that is now being viewed, in order to cause the recording and reproduction apparatus to start recording of the program.

4. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a viewing cutoff condition of a broadcast signal is satisfied, rebroadcast information of a program that is now being viewed is searched for on the basis of program information of the program, and a reservation order signal for reserving video recording is sent out on the basis of the rebroadcast information obtained by the search.

5. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a viewing cutoff condition of a broadcast signal is satisfied,

an order signal is sent out to the recording and reproduction apparatus on the basis of program information of a program that is now being viewed, in order to cause the recording and reproduction apparatus to start recording of the program, and

the recording and reproduction apparatus searches for rebroadcast information of the program, generates a reservation signal for reserving video recording on the basis of the rebroadcast information obtained by the search in order to reserve video recording, and stores the program information of the program that is now being viewed in said storage unit so as to associate the program information with the rebroadcast information.

6. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when starting viewing with the portable information terminal apparatus, a video recording order signal is sent out to the recording and reproduction apparatus.

7. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said storage unit stores user'"'"'s schedule information, and

when the stored schedule information does not match a broadcast signal reception schedule input by the user, information to the effect that viewing is impossible is displayed.

8. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said storage unit stores user'"'"'s schedule information, and

when spare time between the stored schedule and a broadcast signal reception schedule input by the user is shorter than a preset value, information to the effect that viewing time is insufficient is displayed.

9. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable information terminal apparatus conducts communication with the recording and reproduction apparatus via a telephone line network.

16. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an account information reading unit for reading account information with respect to a charged broad cast.

10. A recording and reproduction apparatus comprising:

a recording and reproduction unit for recording and reproducing a broadcast signal;

a communication unit for conducting communication with a portable information terminal apparatus, the portable information terminal apparatus including an operation unit for operating said recording and reproduction unit; and

program information acquisition unit for acquiring program information included in the program signal,

wherein on the basis of viewing history information of the portable information terminal apparatus itself received from the portable information terminal apparatus, a record of information relating to the viewing history is searched for, and the record obtained by the search is reproduced.

11. The recording and reproduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the information relating to the viewing history is broadcast content recording data or rebroadcast content recording data.

12. The recording and reproduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when broadcast content recording data or rebroadcast content recording data cannot be obtained as the information relating to the viewing history by the search, broadcast content recording data or rebroadcast content recording data is acquired from an external server and displayed.

13. A recording and reproduction system comprising:

a portable information terminal apparatus including a reception unit for receiving a broadcast signal including program information, a communication unit for conducting communication with a recording and reproduction apparatus, the recording and reproduction apparatus recording and reproducing a broadcast signal, a display unit for displaying the program information and video information included in the broadcast signal, a storage unit for storing a viewing history of a received and displayed video signal, and an operation unit for operating viewing in the portable information terminal apparatus; and

the recording and reproduction apparatus connected to said portable information terminal apparatus via said communication unit,

wherein on the basis of a viewing history stored in the storage unit, the portable information terminal apparatus orders the recording and reproduction apparatus via the communication unit to reproduce information relating to the viewing history from among information stored in the recording and reproduction apparatus.

14. The recording and reproduction system according to claim 13, wherein when a viewing cutoff condition of a broadcast signal is satisfied in the portable information terminal apparatus, the portable information terminal apparatus sends out an order signal to the recording and reproduction apparatus on the basis of program information of a program that is now being viewed, in order to cause the recording and reproduction apparatus to start recording of the program.

15. The recording and reproduction system according to claim 13, wherein when a viewing cutoff condition of a broadcast signal is satisfied in the personal digital assistant apparatus, rebroadcast information of a program that is now being viewed is searched for on the basis of program information of the program, and a reservation order signal for reserving video recording is sent to the recording and reproduction apparatus on the basis of the rebroadcast information obtained by the search.

17. The recording and reproduction system according to claim 13, wherein

the portable information terminal apparatus comprises an account information reading unit for reading account information with respect to a charged broad cast, and

the recording and reproduction apparatus reproduces received information on the basis of the account information read by said reading unit.