Information processing apparatus, system and method, and recording medium

• US 7,580,955 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsujiro, Ohta, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus; Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US11/232,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707/104.1, 707200-203, 709/201, 709/219, 709/224, 348/207.1, 396/47.22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An information processing apparatus for providing content data to terminal units includes a content data storage unit, a communication unit, an input information storage unit, an analysis unit, and a processing unit. The content data storage unit stores a plurality of pieces of content data. The communication unit transmits content data stored in the content data storage unit to a plurality of terminal units, and receives input information of each user with respect to the transmitted content data. The input information storage unit stores the input information received by the communication unit for each user. The analysis unit analyzes the preference of a target user on the basis of the input information of a similar user, which resembles the input information of the target user, stored in the input information storage unit. The processing unit processes content data to be transmitted to the terminal units in accordance with the analysis results by the analysis unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for providing content data to a terminal device, said information processing apparatus comprising:

a content data storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of content data;

a communication unit configured to transmit the content data stored in said content data storage unit to a plurality of terminal devices and for receiving input information from a user for the transmitted content data;

an input information storage unit configured to store said input information received by said communication unit for said user;

an analysis unit configured to analyze a preference of a target user on the basis of the input information of a similar user,

wherein the input information of the similar user resembles the input information of said target user stored in said input information storage unit; and

a processing unit configured to change a body of content data to be transmitted to said terminal device as a function of analysis results by said analysis unit.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit changes the contents of electronic book data as said content data specified according to the analysis results by said analysis unit, from electronic book data of title information including at least a book title and an author name to electronic book data formed of the title information and a part of the contents of the main body of the book.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said processing unit increases the size of a font of at least some text of the electronic book data as said content data specified according to the analysis results by said analysis unit.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said processing unit adds image information to electronic book data as said content data specified according to the analysis results by said analysis unit.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said processing unit adds a list of said title information to be recommended, to electronic book data as said content data specified according to the analysis results by said analysis unit.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said content data storage unit stores a plurality of pieces of image data, and said communication unit receives positional information within said image data indicated by each of said users.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said analysis unit comprises extraction unit for extracting said positional information of said similar user, which indicates that an image area in the vicinity of said positional information of said target user, stored in said input information storage unit, is indicated.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said extraction unit extracts said positional information of said similar user, which shows that an image area resembling features of an image in the vicinity of said positional information of the target user, stored in said input information storage unit, is indicated.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein said processing unit improves the image quality of a part of the image data specified on the basis of said positional information of said similar user, extracted by said extraction unit, more than the image quality of the other parts of the image data.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said processing unit decreases the image quality of the other parts of said image data on the basis of said positional information of said similar user, extracted by said extraction unit.

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said processing unit comprises:

an object image data extraction unit for extracting object image data from said image data on the basis of the positional information of said similar user, extracted by said extraction unit; and

an extraction unit configured to extract background image data by deleting said object image data extracted by said object image data extraction unit from said image data.

12. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a conversion unit configured to convert said content data into a broadcasting format, wherein said communication unit distributes the content data converted by said conversion unit to said plurality of terminals.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a conversion unit configured to compress said content data and outputting the compressed data,

wherein said communication unit distributes said compressed data converted by said conversion unit to said terminals.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein said communication unit distributes said compressed data converted by said conversion unit to said terminals in accordance with UDP/IP (User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol).

15. An information processing system comprising:

a terminal device; and

an information processing apparatus for providing content data to the terminal device,

wherein said terminal device comprises;

a pointing unit configured to point at a part of content data transmitted from said information processing apparatus; and

a first communication unit configured to receive said content data and for transmitting the input information pointed at by said pointing unit to said information processing apparatus, and

said information processing apparatus comprises;

a content data storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of said content data;

a second communication unit configured to transmit the content data stored in said content data storage unit to a plurality of terminal devices and configured to receive the input information from a user for the transmitted content data;

an input information storage unit configured to store said input information received by said second communication unit for said user;

an analysis unit configured to analyze a preference of a target user on the basis of the input information of a similar user,

wherein the input information of the similar user resembles the input information of said target user stored in said input information storage unit; and

a processing unit configured to change a body of content data to be transmitted to said terminal device as a function of analysis results by said analysis unit.

16. An information processing method for providing content data to a terminal device, comprising the steps of:

transmitting, to a plurality of terminal devices, content data stored in content data storage unit for storing a plurality of pieces of content data;

receiving input information from a user for said transmitted content data;

storing said received input information for said user;

analyzing a preference of a target user on the basis of input information of a similar user,

wherein the input information of the similar user resembles the input information of said target user stored in said input information storage unit; and

changing a body of content data to be transmitted to said terminal device as a function of analysis results by said analysis step.

17. A computer-readable medium having stored therein a program for executing an information processing method for providing content data to a terminal device, said program comprising the steps of:

transmitting, to a plurality of terminal devices, content data stored in content data storage unit for storing a plurality of pieces of content data;

receiving input information from a user for said transmitted content data;

storing said received input information for said user;

analyzing a preference of a target user on the basis of input information of a similar user,

wherein the input information of the similar user resembles the input information of said target user; and

changing a body of content data to be transmitted to said terminal device as a function of analysis results by said analysis step.