Reservation registration apparatus method of reservation registration and program storage medium

• US 7,581,196 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2001
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Katsushi, Sasaki, Kumiko
• Primary Examiner(s): BONSHOCK, DENNIS G
• Application Number:
  US09/769,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20010018661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,133 Days
• Field of Search: 345/764, 345/747, 345/723, 345/810, 345/721, 345/963, 705/5, 705/6, 712/217
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A reservation registration apparatus, a method of reservation registration and a program storage medium allow reservation registration to be performed by easy operation. A starting time and an ending time can be set and changed by easy operation by displaying on a display screen reservation subject icons representing reservation subjects and a time base display area for performing reservation registration, and when the reservation subject icons are moved onto the time base display area, displaying a reservation time frame display division representing a starting time and an ending time of the reservation subjects according to positions to which they are moved, and changing a starting time or an ending time according to movement of the entire reservation time frame display division or movement of the first end or the second end of the reservation time frame display division.

Claims

1. A reservation registration apparatus for performing a reservation registration process of causing an arbitrary reservation subject to be manipulated at a specified starting time, said apparatus comprising:

display controller configured to display on a display screen a plurality of reservation subject icons representing said reservation subjects and a time base display area of a calendar for performing said reservation registration, and when said reservation subject icon is moved onto said time base display area, displaying a reservation information display division in a pop-up display at a position on said time base display area onto which said reservation subject icon is moved, the reservation information display division displaying information corresponding to a location on said time base display area to which said reservation subject icon is moved;

controlling mechanism configured to perform said reservation registration taking a time according to the information displayed on said reservation information display division on said time base display area as a starting time of the process of said reservation subject;

selection mechanism configured to receive input media for said arbitrary reservation subject, said input media generated by at least one component, said selection mechanism including,

an input selector configured to select said at least one component as an input,

a mixing device configured to mix analog, digital, and optical formats of said input media when more than one component is selected, and

an output selector configured to connect the at least one selected component with a selected output, the outputs including an analog output and a digital output;

conversion mechanism configured to appropriately convert said formats of said input media generated by said at least one component so that said input media for said arbitrary reservation subject can be properly performed, and

a process control mechanism always in operation to control a power supply to turn on when the starting time set in the reservation setting information is reached, and configured to control the performance of said reservation subject according to said starting time of said reservation time.

2. The reservation registration apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said reservation subject is a program executed by a predetermined information processing apparatus.

3. The reservation registration apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said display controller displays a reservation time frame display division of which a first end is a position corresponding to said starting time on said time base display area and a second end is a position corresponding to an arbitrary ending time after said starting time on said time base display area, and said controlling mechanism performs said reservation registration of said starting time and said ending time based on the positions of said first end and the second end on said time base display area.

4. The reservation registration apparatus according to claim 3 wherein when said entire reservation time frame display division is moved on said time base display area, said controlling mechanism changes said starting time and said ending time registered for reservation according to a position of said reservation time frame display division after the movement.

5. The reservation registration apparatus according to claim 3 wherein when said first end or said second end of the reservation time frame display division is moved on said time base display area, said controlling mechanism changes said starting time or said ending time registered for reservation according to a position of said first end or said second end after the movement.

6. The reservation registration apparatus according to claim 3 wherein when said entire reservation time frame display division is moved onto a trash icon displayed on said display screen, said controlling mechanism erases the entire reservation time frame display division and also deletes said reservation registration.

7. The reservation registration apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one component includes audio.

8. The reservation registration apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one component includes video.

9. The reservation registration apparatus of claim 1, wherein said formats of said at least one component includes an analog format.

10. The reservation registration apparatus of claim 1, wherein said formats of said at least one component includes a digital format.

11. The reservation registration apparatus of claim 1, wherein said formats of said at least one component includes an optical format.

12. The reservation registration apparatus of claim 1, wherein said reservation subject plays disc drive.

13. The reservation registration apparatus of claim 1, wherein said reservation subject receives signal from radio.

14. A method of reservation registration for performing a reservation registration process of causing an arbitrary reservation subject to be manipulated at a specified starting time, said method comprising:

displaying on a display screen a plurality of reservation subject icons representing said reservation subjects and a time base display area of a calendar for performing said reservation registration;

displaying a reservation information display division in a pop-up display at a position on said time base display area onto which said reservation subject icon is moved when said reservation subject icon is moved onto said time base display area, the reservation information display division displaying information corresponding to a location on said time base display area to which said reservation subject icon is moved;

performing said reservation registration taking a time according to the information displayed in said reservation information display division on said time base display area as a starting time of the process of said reservation subject;

receiving input media for said arbitrary reservation subject, where said input media is generated by at least one component;

selecting generated said at least one component as an input;

mixing analog, digital, and optical formats of said input media when more than one component is selected for input;

connecting the selected input with a selected output, the outputs including an analog output and a digital output;

converting said formats of said input media generated by said at least one component so that said input media for said arbitrary reservation subject can be properly performed; and

maintaining operation of a control mechanism to control a power supply to turn on when the starting time set in the reservation setting information is reached, and controlling the performance of said reservation subject according to said starting time of said reservation time.

15. The method of reservation registration according to claim 14 wherein said reservation subject is a program executed by a predetermined information processing apparatus.

16. The method of reservation registration according to claim 14 further comprising:

displaying a reservation time frame display division of which a first end is a position corresponding to said starting time on said time base display area and a second end is a position corresponding to an arbitrary ending time after said starting time on said time base display area; and

said performing said reservation registration performs said reservation registration of said starting time and said ending time based on the positions of said first end and the second end on said reservation time frame display division.

17. The method of reservation registration according to claim 16 further comprising:

changing said starting time and said ending time registered for reservation according to a position of said reservation time frame display division after a movement when said entire time frame display is moved on said time base display area.

18. The method of reservation registration according to claim 16 further comprising:

changing said starting time or said ending time registered for reservation according to a position of said first end or said second end after a movement when said first end or said second end of the reservation time frame display division is moved on said time base display area.

19. The method of reservation registration according to claim 16 further comprising:

erasing the reservation time frame display division and also deleting said reservation registration when said entire reservation time frame display division is moved onto a trash icon displayed on said display screen.

20. A computer readable medium storing computer program instructions which when executed by a computer programmed with the instructions causes the computer to perform the following steps:

display on a display screen a time base display area for performing a reservation registration process of causing an arbitrary reservation subject to be manipulated and a reservation subject icon representing said reservation subject;

display a reservation information display division in a pop-up display at a position on the time base display area onto which the reservation subject icon is moved when said reservation subject icon is moved onto said time base display area of a calendar, the reservation information display division displaying information corresponding to a location on said time base display area to which said reservation subject icon is moved;

perform said reservation registration taking a time according to the information displayed in said reservation information display division on said time base display area as a starting time of the process of said reservation subject;

receive input media for said arbitrary reservation subject, where said input media is generated by at least one component;

select said at least one component of said media as an input;

mix analog, digital, and optical formats of said input media when more than one component is selected for input;

connect the selected input with a selected output, the outputs including an analog, output and a digital output;

convert said formats of said input media generated by said at least one component so that said input media for said arbitrary reservation subject can be properly performed; and

maintaining operation of a control mechanism to control a power supply to turn on when the starting time set in the reservation setting information is reached, and controlling the performance of said reservation subject according to said starting time of said reservation time.

21. The computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein said reservation subject is a program executed by a predetermined information processing apparatus.

22. The computer readable medium according to claim 20 further comprising:

displaying a reservation time frame display division of which a first end is a position corresponding to said starting time on said time base display area and a second end is a position corresponding to an arbitrary ending time after said starting time on said time base display area; and

said performing said reservation registration performs said reservation registration of said starting time and said ending time based on the positions of said first end and the second end on said reservation time frame display division.

23. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising:

changing said starting time and said ending time registered for reservation according to a position of said reservation time frame display division after a movement when said entire reservation time frame display is moved on said time base display area.

24. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising:

changing said starting time or said ending time registered for reservation according to a position of said first end or said second end after a movement when said first end or said second end of the reservation time frame display division is moved on said time base display area.

25. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising:

erasing the entire reservation time frame display division and also deleting said reservation registration when said entire reservation time frame display division is moved onto a trash icon displayed on said display screen.