Reproduction device information setting method, and information setting program

• US 7,373,122 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2004
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Murase, Yasuhiro, Okuzawa, Nozomu, Yamashita, Shinsuke, Moriya, Jun, Kikkoji, Hiroyuki, Saito, Natsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong; Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US10/564,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/3.02, 455/3.03, 455/3.04, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/186.1, 455/7, 455/12.1, 455/150.1, 455/151.1, 455/154.1, 455/79.1, 455/188.1, 725/63, 700/94
• US Class Current: 455/186.1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/44 for identifying broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations

Abstract

A setting information transmission means 1c transmits setting information (area information) concerning broadcast reception of a reproducing apparatus 1 itself and set by a user, to an external device. List information corresponding to the setting information and including broadcast station names, broadcast station identification information, and frequencies of broadcast stations which can be received by the reproducing apparatus 1 is returned to and received by a list information reception means 1d from the external device. The broadcast station names included in the received list information are displayed on the display means 1e. The user checks the displayed broadcast station names and makes an input operation. In response to this input operation, a recording means 1f records parts of the received list information (e.g., frequencies, broadcast station names, and broadcast station identification information) onto a recording medium, with the parts linked to each other.

Claims

1. A reproducing apparatus capable of receiving and reproducing a broadcast signal selected by calling a reception frequency set in advance, comprising:

broadcast signal reception means for receiving a broadcast signal of a specific frequency;

broadcast signal reproducing means for reproducing the broadcast signal received by the broadcast signal reception means;

setting information transmission means for transmitting setting information concerning broadcast reception of the reproducing apparatus itself and set by a user, to an external device, the setting information including area information indicative of an area where the reproducing apparatus receives broadcasts;

list information reception means for receiving list information detected by the external device, as a list including broadcast station names of receivable broadcast stations corresponding to the setting information, broadcast station identification information of the stations, and frequencies of the stations;

display means for displaying the names of the broadcast stations included in the list information received by the list information reception means; and

recording means for recording parts of the received list information onto a recording medium, based on the user'"'"'input, with the parts linked to each other.

2. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising frequency specify means for varying the reception frequency of the broadcast signal reception means to specify a frequency at which the broadcast signal is received,

wherein the recording means records such a frequency that agrees with any of the frequencies included in the list information received by the list information reception means, among frequencies specified by the frequency specify means, and at least a broadcast station name and broadcast station identification information in the list information, onto the recording medium, with the frequency, broadcast station name, and broadcast station identification information automatically linked to each other.

3. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recording means further records remaining frequencies that disagree with the frequencies in the list information received by the list information reception means, among the frequencies specified by the frequency specify means, and at least remaining broadcast station names and remaining broadcast station identification information in the list information, onto the recording medium, with the remaining frequencies, the remaining broadcast station names, and the remaining broadcast station identification information linked to each other based on the user'"'"'input.

4. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising request information transmission means for transmitting request information requesting the list information including information concerning another broadcast station than those corresponding to the setting information, in response to the user'"'"'operation, after receipt of the list information by the list information reception means,

wherein the list information reception means receives the list information transmitted from the external device in response to the request information,

the display means displays broadcast station names included in the list information corresponding to the request information, and

the recording means records parts of the list information corresponding to the request information onto the recording medium, based on the user'"'"'input, with the parts linked to each other.

5. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting information has been inputted in advance by the user and recorded.

6. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting information is inputted by the user immediately before being transmitted by the transmission means.

7. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

identification information transmission means for transmitting the broadcast station identification information included in the list information recorded by the recording means, to the external device; and

position information reception means for receiving, from the external device, position information indicative of a position of a provider on a network, which provides related information related to broadcast contents of broadcast stations corresponding to the broadcast station identification information transmitted from the identification information transmission means.

8. An information setting method of setting a reception frequency in advance in a reproducing apparatus which receives and reproduces a broadcast signal, the method comprising:

a setting information transmission step of transmitting setting information concerning broadcast reception of the reproducing apparatus itself and set by a user, to an external device, the setting information including area information indicative of an area where the reproducing apparatus receives broadcasts;

a list information reception step of receiving list information detected by the external device, as a list including broadcast station names of receivable broadcast stations corresponding to the setting information, broadcast station identification information of the stations, and frequencies of the stations;

a display step of displaying the names of the broadcast stations included in the received list information; and

a recording step of recording parts of the received list information onto a recording medium, based on the user'"'"'input, with the parts linked to each other.

9. The information setting method according to claim 8, further comprising a frequency specify step of varying the frequency to be received, to specify a frequency at which a broadcast signal is received, before the recording step,

wherein in the recording step, such a frequency that agrees with any of the frequencies included in the list information received in the list information reception step, among frequencies specified in the frequency specify step, and at least a broadcast station name and broadcast station identification information in the list information, onto the recording medium, with the frequency, broadcast station name, and broadcast station identification information automatically linked to each other.

10. The information setting method according to claim 9, wherein in the recording step, remaining frequencies that disagree with the frequencies in the list information received in the list information reception step, among the frequencies specified in the frequency specify step, and at least remaining broadcast station names and remaining broadcast station identification information in the list information are further recorded onto the recording medium, with the remaining frequencies, the remaining broadcast station names, and the remaining broadcast station identification information linked to each other based on the user'"'"'input.

11. The information setting method according to claim 10, further comprising an unreceived-information request step of requesting the external device to transmit the list information including information concerning another broadcast station than those corresponding to the setting information, after the recording step,

wherein the list information reception step, the display step, and the recording step are further executed with use of the list information transmitted from the external device in response to the unreceived-information request step.

12. A communication method for a reproducing apparatus which receives and reproduces a broadcast signal, comprising:

transmitting from the reproducing apparatus setting information concerning broadcast reception of the reproducing apparatus itself, together with user ID and a password, to a portal server, the setting information including area information indicative of an area where the reproducing apparatus receives broadcasts;

the portal server which issues an authentication ticket to allow the reproducing apparatus to access plural service servers performing an authentication processing, based on the user ID and the password, and transmitting list information as a list including broadcast station names of receivable broadcast stations corresponding to the setting information, broadcast station identification information of the stations, and frequencies of the stations, when allowing authentication; and

the reproducing apparatus displaying the broadcast station names included in the received list information, and recording parts of the received list information, onto a recording medium, based on an input, with the parts linked to each other.

13. A computer-readable recording medium for storing therein an information setting program that includes instructions for making a computer execute a process of setting a reception frequency of a broadcast signal, the process comprising:

a setting information transmission step of transmitting setting information concerning broadcast reception of a reproducing apparatus itself and set by a user, to an external device, the setting information including area information indicative of an area where the reproducing apparatus receives broadcasts;

a list information reception step of receiving list information as a list including broadcast station names, broadcast station identification information, and frequencies of receivable broadcast stations corresponding to the setting information;

a display step of displaying the broadcast station names in the received list information; and

a recording step of recording parts of the received list information onto a recording medium, based on the user'"'"'input, with the parts linked to each other.

14. A reproducing apparatus capable of receiving and reproducing a broadcast signal selected by calling a reception frequency set in advance, comprising:

a broadcast signal reception unit configured to receive a broadcast signal of a specific frequency;

a broadcast signal reproducing unit configured to reproduce the broadcast signal received by the broadcast signal reception unit;

a setting information transmission unit configured to transmit setting information concerning broadcast reception of the reproducing apparatus itself and set by a user, to an external device, the setting information including area information indicative of an area where the reproducing apparatus receives broadcasts;

a list information reception unit configured to receive list information detected by the external device, as a list including broadcast station names of receivable broadcast stations corresponding to the setting information, broadcast station identification information of the stations, and frequencies of the stations;

a display unit configured to display the names of the broadcast stations included in the list information received by the list information reception unit; and

a recording unit configured to record parts of the received list information onto a recording medium, based on the user'"'"'input, with the parts linked to each other.