Information distribution/reproduction control apparatus, information distribution/reproduction control method, and computer-readable recording medium recorded with information distribution/reproduction control program

• US 7,398,320 B1
• Filed: 03/22/2000
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Osawa, Mitsuru, Minakuchi, Yu, Nakajima, Yasuyuki, Yanagihara, Hiromasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mirza; Adnan M
• Application Number:
  US09/534,403
• Time in Patent Office: 3,030 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/208, 709/232, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/09 Arrangements for device control with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time; Arrangements for control of broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode

Abstract

In an information distribution/reproduction control apparatus, a plurality of stream servers distribute real-time reproducible stream information to a plurality of clients through a network like the Internet. A transit control server controls the stream servers for the distribution of the stream information, and also controls the clients for real-time reproduction of the stream information.

Claims

1. An information distribution/reproduction control apparatus in communication over a network with a distribution server and a receiving-device, comprising:

a memory unit storing distribution server information and receiving-device information; and

a controller

controlling over the network according to a distribution instruction based upon the distribution server information, the distribution server distributing over the network a content as real-time reproducible stream information to the receiving device, based upon traffic volume on the network and/or processing capacity of the receiving device,

controlling, over the network, according to a reception instruction based upon the distribution server information and the receiving device information, reception of the real-time reproducible stream information by the receiving device, based upon the traffic volume on the network and/or a processing capacity of the receiving device, and

controlling, over the network, according to a reproduction instruction based upon the network traffic volume and/or the processing capacity of the receiving device, a display parameter of the content of the stream information to be reproduced at the receiving device, the display parameter related to one or more of a display layout comprising one or more of a display size or a display position, or a reproduction speed, or an image quality comprising one or more of a number of display colors, a lightness or a chroma, or whether to superimpose the content with another content or sound related to one or more of whether to reproduce sound, whether to synthesize a sound with another sound, specifying a sound volume, or voice/sound quality information, or prohibiting and/or permitting another external control at the receiving device of the display parameter,

wherein the distribution instruction comprises editing the content of the real-time reproducible stream information reducing a display size of the content, based upon the traffic volume on the network and/or the processing capacity of the receiving device.

2. The information distribution/reproduction control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller further changes the reproduction instruction and/or the reception instruction to the receiving device, based upon an operator input.

3. The information distribution/reproduction control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the memory unit stores distribution schedule information including a time and a date to start and end the distribution of the content and the controlling of the distribution server distributing the real-time reproducible stream information is according to the distribution schedule information.

4. The information distribution/reproduction control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the distribution instruction is for a plurality of said receiving devices, and said reproduction instruction carries out an identical control to each receiving device and prohibits an execution of another external control of the display parameter at each receiving device.

5. The information distribution/reproduction control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the controller further receives the real-time reproducible stream information from the distribution server, edits the real-time reproducible stream information, and transmits the real-time reproducible stream information to the receiving device.

6. The information distribution/reproduction control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the distribution instruction includes distribution of a plurality of real-time reproducible stream information by a plurality of distribution servers and the memory unit stores importance level information of each content of the real-time reproducible stream information, and the reproduction instruction includes reproducing a higher priority content of stream information over contents of other stream information, based on the stored importance level information.

7. A method of controlling over a network information distribution/reproduction, comprising:

storing distribution server information and receiving-device information;

controlling, over the network, according to a distribution instruction based upon the distribution server information, a distribution server distributing over the network a content as real-time reproducible stream information to a receiving device, based upon traffic volume on the network and/or processing capacity of the receiving device; and

controlling, over the network, according to a reception instruction based upon the distribution server information and the receiving device information, reception of the real-time reproducible information by the receiving device, based on the traffic volume on the network and/or the processing capacity of the receiving device; and

controlling, over the network, according to a reproduction instruction based upon the network traffic volume and/or the processing capacity of the receiving device, a display parameter of the content of the stream information to be reproduced in controlling the realtime reproduction of the stream information of the content at the receiving device, the display parameter related to one or more of display layout comprising one or more of a display size or a display position, or a reproduction speed, or an image quality comprising one or more of a number of display colors, a lightness or a chroma, or whether to superimpose the content with another content, or sound related to one or more of whether to reproduce a sound, whether to synthesize a sound with another sound, specifying a sound volume, or voice/sound quality information, or prohibiting and/or permitting another external control at the receiving device of the display parameter,

wherein the distribution instruction comprises editing the content of the realtime reproducible stream information reducing a display size of the content, based upon the traffic volume on the network and/or the processing capacity of the receiving device.

8. A computer-readable recording medium storing an information distribution/reproduction control program controlling a transit computer server in communication over a network with a distribution sever and a receiving device, according to operations comprising:

storing distribution server information and receiving-device information;

controlling, over the network, according to a distribution instruction based upon the distribution server information, the distribution server distributing over the network a content as real-time reproducible stream information to the receiving device, based upon traffic volume on the network and/or processing capacity of the receiving device;

controlling, over the network, according to a reception instruction based upon the distribution server information and the receiving device information, reception of the real-time reproducible information by the receiving device, based on the traffic volume on the network and/or the processing capacity of the receiving device; and

controlling, over the network, according to a reproduction instruction based upon the network traffic volume and/or the processing capacity of the receiving device, a display parameter of the content of the stream information to be reproduced in controlling the real-time reproduction of the stream information of the content at the receiving device, the display parameter related to one or more of a display layout comprising one or more of a display size or a display position, or a reproduction speed, or an image quality comprising one or more of a number of display colors, a lightness or a chroma, or whether to superimpose the content with another content, or sound related to one or more of whether to reproduce a sound, whether to synthesize a sound with another sound, specifying a sound volume, or voice/sound quality information, or prohibiting and/or permitting another external control at the receiving device of the display parameter,

wherein the distribution instruction comprises editing the content of the real-time reproducible stream information reducing a display size of the content, based upon the traffic volume on the network and/or the processing capacity of the receiving device.