Communications terminal, server, playback control method and program

• US 7,502,344 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; David Q
• Application Number:
  US11/166,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20050286463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/412.1, 455/466, 455/459, 705/21, 705/35, 705/23
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8242 Transaction based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7846 Transaction based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 Image display device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3246 of data relating to permitted access or usage, e.g. level of access or usage parameters for digital rights management [DRM] related to still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 : data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 : of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 : Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 : Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 : Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 : Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The communications terminal comprises: a playback device which playbacks content; a reading device which reads in access information recorded on a prescribed recording medium, the access information being necessary for downloading the content which can be played back by the playback device, via a network; a communications device which downloads via communications the content corresponding to the access information according to the access information read in; a storage device which stores the downloaded content, the storage device storing details of the access information in association with the content, the details of the access information being used in downloading the content; a judging device which judges whether or not the content corresponding to the read access information is present in the storage device, according to information which is stored in the storage device, when the access information is read in by the reading device; and a control device which controls the playback device, the reading device, the communications device, the storage device, and the judging device, wherein: if the judging device judges that the content is present in the storage device, the control device controls for acquiring the content corresponding to the access information read in from the storage device, and for playing back the content; and if the judging device judges that the content is not present in the storage device, the control device controls for downloading the content corresponding to the access information read in, and for playing back the content.

Claims

1. A communications terminal, comprising:

a playback device which playbacks content;

a reading device which reads in access information recorded on a prescribed recording medium, the access information being necessary for downloading the content which can be played back by the playback device, via a network;

a communications device which downloads via communications the content corresponding to the access information according to the access information read in;

a storage device which stores the downloaded content, the storage device storing details of the access information in association with the content, the details of the access information being used in downloading the content;

a judging device which judges whether or not the content corresponding to the read access information is present in the storage device, according to information which is stored in the storage device, when the access information is read in by the reading device; and

a control device which controls the playback device, the reading device, the communications device, the storage device, and the judging device, wherein;

if the judging device judges that the content is present in the storage device, the control device controls for acquiring the content corresponding to the access information read in from the storage device, and for playing back the content; and

if the judging device judges that the content is not present in the storage device, the control device controls for downloading the content corresponding to the access information read in, and for playing back the content.

2. The communications terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the reading device reads in at least one of the access information in a form of a two-dimensional barcode which is printed on the recording medium, information which is stored on an IC tag attached to the recording medium, and digital watermark information which is contained in an image printed on the recording medium.

3. The communications terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the information stored in the storage device in association with the content contains at least one of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), identification information corresponding to the content, and a combination thereof.

4. The communications terminal as defined in claim 1, further comprising a display device which displays an error message in at least one of cases as following:

(1) a case in which the storage device does not have spare capacity to store the content which is to be downloaded when downloading content,

(2) a case in which the terminal is out of a communications range, and

(3) a case in which download of the content is halted.

5. The communications terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the storage device stores the details of the read access information, in at least one of cases as following;

(1) a case in which it is not possible to start download of the content, and

(2) a case in which download of the content is halted; and

the control device controls for starting download of the content according to the information stored in the storage device even if the access information is not re-read in.

6. A playback control method which controls a prescribed communications terminal for downloading content which can be played back by the communications terminal from a prescribed server via a network, and playing back the downloaded content;

comprising the steps of;

reading in access information necessary for downloading the content, the access information being recorded on a prescribed recording medium;

storing the downloaded content into a prescribed storage device inside the communications terminal, by using the read access information;

storing details of the access information into the storage device in association with the downloaded content, the details of the access information being used in downloading the content;

judging whether or not the content corresponding to the read access information is present in the storage device according to information stored in the storage device, when the access information is re-read in; and

playing back the content corresponding to the read access information which is stored in the storage device, if it is judged that the content is present in the storage device.

7. The playback control method as defined in claim 6, further comprising a step of:

displaying an error message, in at least one of cases as following;

(1) a case in which the storage device does not have spare capacity to store the content that is to be downloaded when downloading content

(2) a case in which the terminal is out of the communications range, and

(3) a cases in which download of the content is halted.

8. The playback control method as defined in claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

storing the details of the read access information, in at least one of cases as following;

(1) a case in which it is not possible to start download of the content, and

(2) a case in which download of the content is halted; and

executing a download of the content according to the information stored in the storage device, even if the access information is not re-read in.

9. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program for processing by a computer, the computer program comprising:

a first code segment for reading in access information necessary for downloading the content, the access information being recorded on a prescribed recording medium;

a second code segment for storing the downloaded content into a prescribed storage device inside the communications terminal, by using the read access information;

a third code segment for storing details of the access information into the storage device in association with the downloaded content, the details of the access information being used in downloading the content;

a fourth code segment for judging whether or not the content corresponding to the read access information is present in the storage device according to information stored in the storage device, when the access information is re-read in; and

a fifth code segment for playing back the content corresponding to the read access information which is stored in the storage device, if it is judged that the content is present in the storage device.

10. The medium as defined in claim 9, the computer program further comprising:

a sixth code segment for displaying an error message, in at least one of cases as following;

(1) a case in which the storage device does not have spare capacity to store the content that is to be downloaded when downloading content

(2) a case in which the terminal is out of the communications range, and

(3) a cases in which download of the content is halted.

11. The medium as defined in claim 9, the computer program further comprising:

a seventh code segment for storing the details of the read access information, in at least one of cases as following;

(1) a case in which it is not possible to start download of the content, and

(2) a case in which download of the content is halted; and

an eighth code segment for executing a download of the content according to the information stored in the storage device, even if the access information is not re-read in.