Information processing device, server connection method, program storage medium, and network system

• US 7,499,982 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hanaya, Hiroyuki, Uchiyama, Nobuyuki, Sueyoshi, Takahiko, Yoshimine, Takao, Nakamura, Toshinori, Tsutsui, Mototsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chankong; Dohm
• Application Number:
  US09/821,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20010029522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,896 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/217, 709/203, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

In an information processing device, server connection method, program storage medium, and network system, a connection is made to a pre-appointed access point more easily. The present invention is designed such that a user transmits to an ASP 32 over the Internet 5 user registration data necessary to secure his/her exclusive storage area prepared in the server 39 placed at the ASP 32, and that the user receives from the ASP 32 over the Internet 5 a URL designated as the access point indicating his/her exclusive storage area meeting the user registration data, based on which connection is made automatically to the access point in the content server 39 over the Internet 5, thus making it possible to connect to a pre-appointed access point with increased ease without forcing the user to perform an input operation for the URL.

Claims

1. An information processing device, comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting user registration data necessary to secure a user'"'"'s exclusive storage area by user registration in a server connected in a network for content distribution, to said server over a network;

receiving means for receiving address data defined, in part, by the user registration data, the address designated as an access point indicating said exclusive storage area over said network and for receiving one or more automatic upload programs each of said automatic upload programs being programmed to connect to a unique part of said exclusive storage area and to provide an interface for editing condition data to manage distribution of an associated content file, said condition data including information specifying one of a plurality of distribution channels at the server from which the content file is distributed over the network;

connection means for allowing each of said automatic upload programs to perform connection processing automatically to said access point in the said server via actuation of a corresponding upload icon; and

transfer means for writing the content file to be distributed to the exclusive storage area automatically when connection processing is performed and for transferring an associated control file controlling distribution of the transferred content file from the server, the control file including the condition data set up through the interface and user information data related to the user registration,

wherein a genre of the content file, a codec used to encode and/or decode the content file, a schedule specifying when the content file is broadcast from the server over the network, a commercial setting including a link corresponding to commercial data associated with the content file and a content identification corresponding to the content file are included in the associated control file and are edited via the interface and transmitted to the server.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

said connection means is to perform connection processing to said access point in said server in response to a click operation on an exclusive icon which is displayed on a given display unit for driving said automatic upload program.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

said address data is a uniform resource locator (URL) for designating resources on said network.

4. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the condition data includes instructions to stream the content file from the server over the network immediately after receiving the content file from the information processing device.

5. A server connection method, comprising:

transmitting user registration data necessary to secure a user'"'"'s exclusive storage area by user registration in a server connected in a network for content distribution, to said server over the network;

receiving address data defined, in part, by the user registration data, the address designated as an access point indicating said exclusive storage area from said server over said network;

receiving an automatic upload program;

performing connection processing automatically to said access point in the said server via actuation of a corresponding upload icon of the automatic upload program based on said address data received by said receiving means;

providing an interface for editing condition data to manage distribution of an associated content file, said condition data including information specifying one of a plurality of distribution channels at the server from which the content file is distributed over the network;

writing a data file to the exclusive storage area automatically when connection processing is performed to be distributed;

transferring an associated control file controlling distribution of the transferred data file from the sewer, the control file including the condition data and user information data related to the user registration data related to the user registration;

updating a genre of the content file, a codec used to encode and/or decode the content file, a schedule specifying when the content file is broadcast from the server over the network, a commercial setting including a link corresponding to commercial data associated with the content file and a content identification corresponding to the content file of the condition data via the interface; and

updating the server with the updates of the condition data made via the interface.

6. The server connection method according to claim 5, wherein

said connection step is to perform connection processing to said access point in said server responding to a click operation on an exclusive icon which is displayed on a given display unit for driving said automatic upload program.

7. The server connection method according to claim 5, wherein

said address data is a uniform resource locator (URL) for designating resources over said network.

8. A program storage medium adapted to store computer program instructions which cause a computer to implement a method of information processing, the method comprising:

transmitting user registration data necessary to secure a user'"'"'s exclusive storage area by user registration in a server connected in a network for content distribution, to said server over the network;

receiving address data defined, in part, by the user registration data, the address designated as an access point indicating said exclusive storage area from said server over said network and receiving one or more automatic upload programs, wherein each of said automatic upload programs being programmed to connect to a unique part of said exclusive storage area and to provide an interface for editing condition data to manage distribution of an associated content file, said condition data including information specifying one of a plurality of distribution channels at the server from which the content file is distributed over the network;

allowing each of said automatic upload programs to perform connection processing automatically via actuation of a corresponding upload icon to said access point in the said server;

writing a data file to the exclusive storage area automatically when connection processing is performed; and

transferring a control file used for controlling access by another user to the transferred data file, the associated control file controlling distribution of the transferred content file from the server, the control file including the condition data set up through the interface and user information data related to the user registration;

updating a genre of the content file, a codec used to encode and/or decode the content file, a schedule specifying when the content file is broadcast from the server over the network, a commercial setting including a link corresponding to commercial data associated with the content file and a content identification corresponding to the content file of the condition data via the interface; and

updating the server with the updates of the condition data made via the interface.

9. The server connection method according to claim 8, wherein

said connection step is to perform connection processing to said access point in said server responding to a click operation on an exclusive icon which is displayed on a given display unit for driving said automatic upload program.

10. The program storage medium according to claim 8, wherein

said address data is a uniform resource locator (URL) for designating resources on said network.

11. A network system consisting of a server and an information processing device to connect to said server over a network, comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting user registration data necessary to secure a user'"'"'s exclusive storage area by user registration in said server, to said server over said network;

receiving means for receiving address data defined, in part, by the user registration data, the address designated as an access point indicating said exclusive storage area from said server over said network and for receiving one or more automatic upload programs, wherein each of said automatic upload programs being programmed to connect to a unique part of said exclusive storage area and to provide an interface for editing condition data to manage distribution of an associated content file, said condition data including information specifying one of a plurality of distribution channels at the server from which the content file is distributed over the network;

connection means for allowing each of said automatic upload programs to perform connection processing automatically via actuation of a corresponding upload icon to said access point in the said server; and

transfer means for writing the content file to be distributed to the exclusive storage area automatically when connection processing is performed and for transferring an associated control file controlling distribution of the transferred content file from the server, the control file including the condition data set up through the interface and user information data related to the user registration,

wherein a genre of the content file, a codec used to encode and/or decode the content file, a schedule specifying when the content file is broadcast from the server over the network, a commercial setting including a link corresponding to commercial data associated with the content file and a content identification corresponding to the content file are included in the associated control file and are edited via the interface and transmitted to the server.

12. The network system according to claim 11, wherein

said connection means is to perform connection processing to said access point in said server responding to a click operation on an exclusive icon which is displayed on a given display unit for driving said automatic upload program.

13. The network system according to claim 11, wherein

said address data is a uniform resource locator (URL) for designating resources on said network.

14. The network system according to claim 11, wherein the data content file is a movie file and the control file comprises at least one of a time and date for scheduling access to the content file.